Heritable variation for aggression as a reflection of individual coping strategies

Evidence is presented in rodents, that individual differences in aggression reflect heritable, fundamentally different, but equally valuable alternative strategies to cope with environmental demands. Generally, aggressive individuals show an active response to aversive situations. In a social setting, they react with flight or escape when defeated; in non-social situations, they react with active avoidance of controllable shocks and with sustained activity during an uncontrollable task. In contrast, non-aggressive individuals generally adopt a passive strategy. In social and non-social aversive situations, they react with immobility and withdrawal. A main aspect of these two alternative strategies is that individuals with an active strategy easily develop routines (intrinsically determined behaviour), and consequently do not react (properly) to 'minor' changes in their environment, whereas in passively reacting animals it is just the other way around (extrinsically determined behaviour). It has become clear that active and passive behavioural strategies represent two different, but equivalent, coping styles. The coping style of the aggressive males is aimed at the removal of themselves from the source of stress or at removal of the stress source itself (i.e. active manipulation). Non-aggressive individuals seem to aim at the reduction of the emotional impact of the stress (i.e. passive confrontation). The success of both coping styles depends upon the variability or stability of the environment. The fact that aggressive males develop routines may contribute to a fast execution of their anticipatory responses, which is necessary for an effective manipulation of events. However, this is only of advantage in predictable (stable) situations, but is maladaptive (e.g. expressed by the development of stress pathologies) when the animal is confronted with the unexpected (variable situations). The flexible behaviour of non-aggressive individuals, depending strongly upon external stimuli, will be of advantage under changing conditions. Studies on wild house mice living under natural conditions show how active and passive coping functions in nature, and how the two types have been brought about by natural selection.     

Vidalols A and B,new anti-inflammatory bromophenols from the Caribbean marine red algaVidalia obtusaloba

Chemical studies of the Caribbean red algaVidalia obtusaloba have resulted in the isolation of two new bromophenolic metabolites, vidalols A and B (1, 2). The new compounds were discovered as part of an organized effort to isolate new naturally-occurring anti-inflammatory agents with a focus upon those which may function through the inhibition of phospholipase A₂.     

The physiological and nutritional importance of dietary fibre.

Fibrous material is an integral part of the daily diet, and it exerts direct physiological effects throughout the gastrointestinal tract, in addition to affecting metabolic activities more indirectly. The interplay of these effects is responsible for the presumed desirable influence of fibre on weight regulation, carbohydrate and lipid metabolism, and on colon function. Numerous mechanisms of action have been identified which are related to the type and the physicochemical nature of the fibre. This review concentrates mainly on the serum cholesterol-lowering effect of dietary fibre, its colonic fermentation, and finally on some possible adverse effects that one should be aware of when consuming high amounts of dietary fibre.