Building on 2 previous studies (B. R. Ekstrand, 1967; B. R. Ekstrand, M. J. Sullivan, D. F. Parker, & J. N. West, 1971), the authors present 2 experiments that were aimed at characterizing the role of retroactive interference in sleep-associated declarative memory consolidation. Using an A-B, A-C paradigm with lists of word pairs in Experiment 1, the authors showed that sleep provides recovery from retroactive interference induced at encoding, whereas no such recovery was seen in several wake control conditions. Noninterfering word-pair lists were used in Experiment 2 (A-B, C-D). Sleeping after learning, in comparison with waking after learning, enhanced retention of both lists to a similar extent when encoding was less intense because of less list repetition and briefer word-pair presentations. With intense encoding, sleep-associated improvements were not seen for either list. In combination, the results indicate that the benefit of sleep for declarative memory consolidation is greater for weaker associations, regardless of whether weak associations result from retroactive interference or poor encoding.

EcoRV completely encircles bound DNA with two loops, forming the entry and exit gate for the DNA substrate. These loops were crosslinked generating CL-EcoRV which binds and releases linear DNA only slowly, because threading linear DNA into and out of the DNA-binding 'tunnel' of CL-EcoRV is not very effective. If the crosslinking reaction is carried out with a circular bound DNA, CL-EcoRV is hyperactive towards the trapped substrate which is cleaved very quickly but not very accurately. CL-EcoRV also binds to, but does not cleave, circular DNA when added from the outside, because it cannot enter the active site. Based on these results a two-step binding model is proposed for EcoRV: initial DNA binding occurs at the outer side of the loops before the gate opens and then the DNA is transferred to the catalytic center.

No abstract

Fragestellung: Die Posttraumatische Belastungsstörung (PTBS) gehört mit einer Punktprävalenz von 15 – 41 % zu den häufigsten komorbiden Störungen bei Personen mit Abhängigkeitserkrankungen. Erst in den letzten Jahren wurde verstärkt damit begonnen, traumatherapeutische Interventionen an diese Patientengruppe zu adaptieren. Die vorliegende Arbeit soll einen Überblick über den aktuellen Stand dieser Entwicklung geben, mit einem Schwerpunkt auf empirisch überprüften Therapieverfahren. Ergebnisse: Im klinischen Alltag werden alle Interventionen, die sich im Rahmen der Traumatherapie bewährt haben, auch bei Suchtkranken erfolgreich eingesetzt. Dabei steht inzwischen fest, dass Ansätze aus beiden Bereichen von Beginn der Therapie an miteinander kombiniert werden sollten. Die existierenden randomisierten kontrollierten Studien beziehen sich sämtlich auf ein stabilisierendes Therapieprogramm („Sicherheit finden“), dessen Effektivität inzwischen als belegt gelten kann. Schlussfolgerungen: Insgesamt hat sich die Behandlung Suchtkranker mit komorbider PTBS in den letzten Jahren stark entwickelt. Allerdings liegen zur Trauma-Exposition bei dieser Patientengruppe bislang kaum systematischen Befunde vor. Weitere Evaluationsstudien sollten folgen, um das gesamte Spektrum traumaspezifischer Interventionen bei Suchtkranken angemessen bewerten zu können.

Seeking Safety is an integrated coping skills therapy for substance use disorder (SUD) and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Our aim was to examine the effects of Seeking Safety in a sample of female German outpatients with current SUD and PTSD. A total of 53 women were offered 12 weekly sessions of Seeking Safety, conducted in group modality. Women (N=33) who attended at least six sessions were considered minimum-dose completers and were in the analysis. We measured PTSD and substance use symptoms using the Posttraumatic Diagnostic Scale (PDS) and the Addiction Severity Index (ASI-Lite) at end-of-treatment and three-month follow-up. Additional measures were the Brief Symptom Checklist (BSI) and the Inventory of Interpersonal Problems (IIP-25). Our sample reported chronic SUD, multiple prior detoxifications, and serious childhood trauma. We found medium to large effect sizes for improvements in PTSD symptoms, general psychopathology, and interpersonal problems at end-of-treatment, all of which were sustained at follow-up. Alcohol use improved significantly only at follow-up. This study suggests that the model was associated with positive effects, at least in a subgroup of women attending a minimum of sessions. Limitations include the lack of a control condition as well as an intention-to-treat analysis.