bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Early Developmental Trajectories in Infants With Neurofibromatosis 1
Authors: Garg Shruti , Wan Ming Wai , Begum-Ali Jannath , Kolesnik-Taylor Anna , Green Jonathan , Johnson Mark H. , Jones Emily
Published: July 2022

Objective

To examine the trajectories of cognitive, motor and behavioural development in infants with NF1 compared to infants without a family history of neurodevelopmental difficulties.

Study design

Infants with NF1 and low-risk controls were recruited from 5 months of age and followed longitudinally. Data from standardised tests was gathered at 5, 10 and 14 months and developmental trajectories of motor, language, behaviour, sleep, social development and parent–infant interaction were examined. Linear mixed modelling was used to estimate group differences in cognitive and behavioural measures over time.

Results

No group differences were observed on Mullen Scale of Early Learning, overall adaptive functioning, temperament or behavioural measures. There were no group differences observed on measures of social communication or parent–infant interaction. Over the course of development, the NF1 group slept less and took more time to settle to sleep as compared to the control group. Maternal education was significantly associated with cognitive and behavioural developmental outcomes in both groups.

Conclusion

Cognitive, social and behavioural impairments are a cause of significant functional morbidity in children with NF1. This report is the first study to investigate the trajectories of cognitive, motor and behavioural development in infancy in NF1. Our results demonstrate that overall cognitive and behavioural developmental trajectories of the NF1 group in the infancy period are similar to controls. Given previous reports of delayed development in the NF1 cohort by 40 months, early clinical interventions strategies to promote sleep hygiene may be beneficial to optimise developmental outcomes.
What’s charisma got to do with it? Three faces of charismatic leadership and corporate social responsibility engagement
Authors: Hu Jinyu , Dutta Tanurima
Published: July 2022

In response to both internal and external expectations and pressures, companies increasingly consider corporate social responsibility (CSR) as an essential factor in their strategic planning, but in a very diverse manner. To help synthesize the flourishing research in CSR variation across firms, we propose a three-orientation framework to map out a wide range of CSR strategies in current literature. Furthermore, we emphasize the importance of executive leadership and suggest that differences in leader’s values are the key drivers of CSR heterogeneity. This study offers a parsimonious model that maps out three primary pathways between leadership values and CSR strategic configurations. Drawing from charismatic leadership theory, we argue that three distinct types of leader power motives define three modes of leader’s strategic decision frames, which, in turn, influence corresponding CSR orientations. Specifically, socialized charismatic leaders favor prosocial decision frame that results in integrative CSR orientation; neutralized charismatic leaders embrace instrumental decision frame leading to strategic CSR mode; and personalized charismatic leaders tend to adopt self-serving CSR strategies driven by the self-serving decision frame. This holistic view advances the knowledge about the micro-foundations of CSR drivers and the essential role of leader values.
Learning Behavior Evaluation Model and Teaching Strategy Innovation by Social Media Network Following Learning Psychology
Authors: Yuan Lijuan , Li Hongming , Fu Shiman , Zhang Zizai
Published: July 2022

With the development of various network technologies and the spread of coronavirus disease 2019, many online learning platforms have been built. However, some of them may negatively impact student learning outcomes. Therefore, this study aims to improve the online learning effect of students by comprehensively evaluating their learning behavior by using deep learning algorithms. On this basis, new teaching strategies are proposed. According to the structured deep network embedding model, a network representation learning algorithm is proposed with the help of auto-encoders under deep learning. This study elaborates the concept and structure of the encoder model and tests its performance. After the node labels and dataset are trained, the applicable parameter λ2 of the model is 0.3. During the teaching process, the model’s reliability in distinguishing users is examined. Therefore, this model can be applied to network teaching, is an innovative teaching strategy, and provides a theoretical basis for improving teaching methods.
The neurophysiology of the intervention strategies of Awareness Training Program on emotion regulation
Authors: Gao Junling , Leung Hang Kin , Fan Jicong , Wu Bonnie Wai Yan , Sik Hin Hung
Published: July 2022

Emotion regulation is essential for healthy living. Previous studies have found that mental training such as compassion meditation could help with emotion regulation. However, the underlying neural mechanism and possible intervention strategies of group-based Mahayana Buddhist intervention involved in emotion regulation are still unclear. This event-related potential (ERP) study investigated how compassion and wisdom meditations, two key components of the Awareness Training Program (ATP), may regulate emotion during different mental processing stages, namely attention deployment, cognitive change, and response modification. Eighty-five middle-aged working adults with moderate stress were voluntarily recruited for this study, using a 128-channel electroencephalogram system. After 7 weeks of training, participants (ATP attendance, n = 42; waitlist control, n = 43) were instructed to view negative pictures while practicing compassion or wisdom meditation, with corresponding priming words. Another normal priming condition and a neutral picture condition were set as control conditions. ERP results in the ATP group showed that negative pictures induced greater prefrontal activity (N400 component) in both compassion and wisdom meditation conditions compared with the normal condition, while the control group showed little difference between the conditions. Significantly higher heart rate variability was found in the compassion but not wisdom meditation when compared with the neutral priming condition. Correspondent changes in behavioural data were also found. Converging evidence showed that compassion meditation training could modulate negative emotion processing in stages of attention deployment, cognitive change, and behavioural responses. The prefrontal lobe could play an important role in the process of emotion regulation by compassion meditation, possibly due to the emphasis of the ATP on contemplative practices.
Psychometric validation of a brief self-report measure of misophonia symptoms and functional impairment: The duke-vanderbilt misophonia screening questionnaire
Authors: Williams Zachary J. , Cascio Carissa J. , Woynaroski Tiffany G.
Published: July 2022

Misophonia is a newly described disorder of sound tolerance characterized by strong negative emotional reactions to specific “trigger” sounds, resulting in significant distress, pathological avoidance, and impairment in daily life. Research on misophonia is still in its infancy, and most existing psychometric tools for assessing misophonia symptoms have not been extensively validated. The purpose of the current study was to introduce and psychometrically validate the duke-vanderbilt Misophonia Screening Questionnaire (DVMSQ), a novel self-report measure of misophonia symptoms that can be used to determine misophonia “caseness” in clinical and research settings. Employing large online samples of general population adults (n = 1403) and adults on the autism spectrum (n = 936), we rigorously evaluated the internal structure, reliability, validity, and measurement invariance of the DVMSQ. Results indicated that 17 of the 20 original DVMSQ items fit well to a bifactor structure with one “general misophonia” factor and four specific factors (anger/aggression, distress/avoidance, impairment, and global impact). DVMSQ total and subscale scores were highly reliable in both general population and autistic adult samples, and the measure was found to be approximately invariant across age, sex, education level, and autism status. DVMSQ total scores also correlated strongly with another measure of misophonia symptoms (Duke Misophonia Questionnaire–Symptom Scale), with correlations between these two measures being significantly stronger than correlations between the DVMSQ and scales measuring other types of sound intolerance (Inventory of Hyperacusis Symptoms [General Loudness subscale] and DSM-5 Severity Measure for Specific Phobia [modified for phonophobia]). Additionally, DVMSQ items were used to operationalize diagnostic criteria for misophonia derived from the Revised Amsterdam Criteria, which were further updated to reflect a recent consensus definition of misophonia (published after the development of the DVMSQ). Using the new DVMSQ algorithm, 7.3% of general population adults and 35.5% of autistic adults met criteria for clinically significant misophonia. Although additional work is needed to further investigate the psychometric properties of the DVMSQ and validate its theory-based screening algorithm using best-estimate clinical diagnoses, this novel measure represents a potentially useful tool to screen for misophonia and quantify symptom severity and impairment in both autistic adults and the general population.
Resilience and Protection of Health Care and Research Laboratory Workers During the SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic: Analysis and Case Study From an Austrian High Security Laboratory
Authors: Loibner Martina , Barach Paul , Wolfgruber Stella , Langner Christine , Stangl Verena , Rieger Julia , Föderl-Höbenreich Esther , Hardt Melina , Kicker Eva , Groiss Silvia , Zacharias Martin , Wurm Philipp , Gorkiewicz Gregor , Regitnig Peter , Zatloukal Kurt
Published: July 2022

The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has highlighted the interdependency of healthcare systems and research organizations on manufacturers and suppliers of personnel protective equipment (PPE) and the need for well-trained personnel who can react quickly to changing working conditions. Reports on challenges faced by research laboratory workers (RLWs) are rare in contrast to the lived experience of hospital health care workers. We report on experiences gained by RLWs (e.g., molecular scientists, pathologists, autopsy assistants) who significantly contributed to combating the pandemic under particularly challenging conditions due to increased workload, sickness and interrupted PPE supply chains. RLWs perform a broad spectrum of work with SARS-CoV-2 such as autopsies, establishment of virus cultures and infection models, development and verification of diagnostics, performance of virus inactivation assays to investigate various antiviral agents including vaccines and evaluation of decontamination technologies in high containment biological laboratories (HCBL). Performance of autopsies and laboratory work increased substantially during the pandemic and thus led to highly demanding working conditions with working shifts of more than eight hours working in PPE that stressed individual limits and also the ergonomic and safety limits of PPE. We provide detailed insights into the challenges of the stressful daily laboratory routine since the pandemic began, lessons learned, and suggest solutions for better safety based on a case study of a newly established HCBL (i.e., BSL-3 laboratory) designed for autopsies and research laboratory work. Reduced personal risk, increased resilience, and stress resistance can be achieved by improved PPE components, better training, redundant safety measures, inculcating a culture of safety, and excellent teamwork
Enhancing customer satisfaction with chatbots: The influence of communication styles and consumer attachment anxiety
Authors: Xu Ying , Zhang Jianyu , Deng Guangkuan
Published: July 2022

Chatbots are increasingly occupying the online retailing landscape, and the volume of consumer-chatbot service interactions is exploding. Even so, it still remains unclear how chatbots should communicate with consumers to ensure positive customer service experiences and, in particular, to improve their satisfaction. A fundamental decision in this regard is the choice of a communication style, specifically, whether a social-oriented or a task-oriented communication style should be best used for chatbots. In this paper, we investigate how using a social-oriented versus task-oriented communication style can improve customer satisfaction. Two experimental studies reveal that using a social-oriented communication style boosts customer satisfaction. Warmth perception of the chatbot mediates this effect, while consumer attachment anxiety moderates these effects. Our results indicate that social-oriented communication style can be beneficial in enhancing service satisfaction for highly anxiously attached customers, but it does not work for the lowly anxiously attached. This study provides theoretical and practical implications about how to implement chatbots in service encounters.
Context-sensitive computational mechanistic explanation in cognitive neuroscience
Authors: de Wit Matthieu M. , Matheson Heath E.
Published: July 2022

Mainstream cognitive neuroscience aims to build mechanistic explanations of behavior by mapping abilities described at the organismal levelviathe subpersonal level of computation onto specific brain networks. We provide an integrative review of these commitments and their mismatch with empirical research findings. Context-dependent neural tuning, neural reuse, degeneracy, plasticity, functional recovery, and the neural correlates of enculturated skills each show that there is a lack of stable mappings between organismal, computational, and neural levels of analysis. We furthermore highlight recent research suggesting that task context at the organismal level determines the dynamic parcellation of functional components at the neural level. Such instability prevents the establishment of specific computational descriptions of neural function, which remains a central goal of many brain mappers – including those who are sympathetic to the notion of many-to-many mappings between organismal and neural levels. This between-level instability presents a deep epistemological challenge and requires a reorientation of methodological and theoretical commitments within cognitive neuroscience. We demonstrate the need for change to brain mapping efforts in the face of instability if cognitive neuroscience is to maintain its central goal of constructing computational mechanistic explanations of behavior; we show that such explanations must be contextual at all levels.
Adaptation and Validation of a Scale for Measuring the Curriculum-Based Professional Learning Community in Early Childhood Education in China
Authors: Peng Qian , Liu Lijia , Zhang Limin , Yue Yaping
Published: July 2022

Teachers' professional learning community, as an effective path to promote teachers' professional development and elevate teaching quality, has been widely used in school contexts. In preschools, the practice of teachers' professional learning community mainly focuses on the curriculum in early childhood education. The revision and adaptation of the scale of the professional learning community for preschool teachers in the Chinese cultural context are of great significance for understanding the current situation of the professional learning community for preschool teachers and improving the quality of collaboration within the community. Teachers' Professional Learning Community scale was revised into the Curriculum-Based Professional Learning Community scale according to the characteristics of the curriculum in early childhood education in the Chinese context. Based on the data from a sample of 2,823 teachers, the study conducted an item analysis and exploratory factor analysis (EFA) on participants from sample A (N = 1,410) and confirmatory factor analyses (CFAs) on participants from sample B (N = 1, 413). Short-form Teacher Self-Efficacy scale was used as the criteria-related validity instrument. Sample A and sample B were used to explore the relationship between various dimensions of teachers' professional learning community and teachers' teaching efficacy. The results showed that instead of the five-factor structure of the original PLC scale, the Chinese version of the CBPLC scale consists of four factors: Shared Sense of Purpose, Collective Focus on Children Learning and Development, Collaborative and Reflective Activity, and Deprivatized Practice. The revised scale has high reliability and validity and can be used as an effective tool to measure the curriculum-based professional learning community of preschool teachers in China. The results of CFA indicated that the four-factor CFA model fit the data well, and the CBPLC significantly and positively predicted teachers' self-efficacy including instructional strategies, students' engagement, and classroom management.
Predicting Parental Mental Health During COVID-19: Economic Pressure, COVID-19 Stress, and Coping Strategies
Authors: Morgan Derek Daniel , Higgins Connað Dael , Ingram Paul B. , Rogers Christy Rae
Published: July 2022

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, understanding connections between economic pressures and mental health experiences is critical in comprehending how stressful global events can affect families. Although economic pressures and stress can negatively impact mental health, approach coping strategies may provide reductions in negative mental health experiences for parents compared to avoidant coping strategies. Despite recent work showing that stress resulting from the pandemic can have negative implications for the mental health of parents with young children, there is little known about the mental health of parents with adolescents. This study utilized a longitudinal sample of 198 parents (194 biological parents; 103 Fathers, and 91 Mothers) of adolescents and examined the mediating impact of COVID-19 stress on the relationship between economic pressure and subsequent depressive and anxious symptoms. Additionally, approach and avoidant coping strategies were examined as potential moderators between COVID-19 stress and later mental health. Results indicated that parents who experienced economic pressure reported worsening mental health across the school semester, with COVID-19 stress mediating this pathway. Further, approach coping strategies moderated the association between COVID-19 stress and later anxiety symptoms such that higher levels of coping associated with greater rates of later anxiety symptoms, while lower levels of coping associated with less anxiety symptoms later. Avoidant coping strategies also moderated these associations, such that greater use associated with greater depressive and anxious symptomology later. These findings emphasize that parents are experiencing worsening mental health following the onset of the pandemic and that there is an urgent need for increased mental health services to assist families during this time.
Understanding the Public Policy of Global Budget Payment Reform Improves the Quality of Public Healthcare From the Perspective of Patients in China
Authors: Li Lele , Zhang Shuo
Published: July 2022

The transformation from the retrospective to the prospective payment system is significant to improve the quality of public healthcare (QPH). This article used the quasi-natural experiment of the global budget payment reform of government (GBPRG) in Chengdu, adopted the difference in difference (DID) method to estimate the effect of the GBPRG on the QPH, and concluded that GBPRG has a significant positive impact on the healthcare outcome and has a significant effect on improving the QPH. Policy implications drawn from the results show that the government should continue to explore compound healthcare insurance payment method (HIPM), improve the governance capabilities of the government, reduce transaction costs, improve healthcare insurance reimbursement policies, adjust the proportion of healthcare insurance reimbursements, continuously optimize the allocation of healthcare resources, establish an incentive mechanism to improve the QPH, and realize the pareto optimal choice of healthcare resource allocation.
Decoding brain activities of literary metaphor comprehension: An event-related potential and EEG spectral analysis
Authors: Sun Lina , Chen Hongjun , Zhang Chi , Cong Fengyu , Li Xueyan , Hämäläinen Timo
Published: July 2022

Novel metaphors in literary texts (hereinafter referred to as literary metaphors) seem to be more creative and open-ended in meaning than metaphors in non-literary texts (non-literary metaphors). However, some disagreement still exists on how literary metaphors differ from non-literary metaphors. Therefore, this study explored the neural mechanisms of literary metaphors extracted from modern Chinese poetry by using the methods of Event-Related Potentials (ERPs) and Event-Related Spectral Perturbations (ERSPs), as compared with non-literary conventional metaphors and literal expressions outside literary texts. Forty-eight subjects were recruited to make the semantic relatedness judgment after reading the prime-target pairs in three linguistic conditions. According to the ERPs results, the earliest differences were presented during the time window of P200 component (170–260 ms) in the frontal and central areas, with the amplitude of P200 for literary metaphors more positive than the other two conditions, reflecting the early allocation of attention and the early conscious experience of the experimental stimuli. Meanwhile, significant differences were presented during the time window of N400 effect (430–530 ms), with the waveform of literary metaphors more negative than others in the frontal and central topography of scalp distributions, suggesting more efforts in retrieving conceptual knowledge for literary metaphors. The ERSPs analysis revealed that the frequency bands of delta and theta were both involved in the cognitive process of literary metaphor comprehension, with delta band distributed in the frontal and central scalp and theta band in parietal and occipital electrodes. Increases in the two power bands during different time windows provided extra evidences that the processing of literary metaphors required more attention and effort than non-literary metaphors and literal expressions in the semantic related tasks, suggesting that the cognitive process of literary metaphors was distinguished by different EEG spectral patterns.
Link Between Irrational Beliefs and Important Markers of Mental Health in a German Sample of Athletes: Differences Between Gender, Sport-Type, and Performance Level
Authors: Michel-Kröhler Alena , Turner Martin J.
Published: July 2022

In this article, we conducted the first meaningful study of irrational beliefs (IBs) in a German sample of athletes. Moreover, we investigated associations between IBs and potential general as well as sport-specific markers of mental health in German athletes. As general markers, we considered psychological distress and wellbeing in addition to IBs, and as sport-specific markers, we considered anxiety, perfectionism, and athletic identity. To achieve this, our first step was to translate and validate a specific measure of irrational beliefs, namely the Irrational Performance Beliefs Inventory (iPBI). The iPBI is a performance-relevant measure that captures specific IB, taking into account the situational circumstances of the target population, namely operators in different performance context (academia, sports, business, medicine, etc.). Its theoretical basis is largely Ellis’ work on rational and irrational beliefs. We developed a short and a long version of the iPBI, which both capture four core IBs (i.e., demandingness, awfulization, low frustration tolerance, and depreciation). Factorial validity was confirmed by a confirmatory factor analysis (comparative fit index = 0.92) with data from 234 athletes. Both versions of the newly developed iPBI showed good internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha > 0.77) and retest reliability (intra-class correlation coefficients >0.71). Results of the correlational analyses indicated low positive relationships between IBs and athletes’ psychological distress, and low negative relations between IBs and wellbeing. In terms of sport-specific markers, there were low to moderate correlations with IBs. This study also examined the differences in IBs between females and males, individual and team sport athletes, and across three different performance levels. Implications of these findings are discussed along with approaches for future research and applied work.
Horses wait for more and better rewards in a delay of gratification paradigm
Authors: Brucks Désirée , Härterich Anna , König von Borstel Uta
Published: July 2022

Self-control, defined as the ability to forgo immediate satisfaction in favor of better pay-offs in the future, has been extensively studied, revealing enormous variation between and within species. Horses are interesting in this regard because as a grazing species they are expected to show low self-control whereas its social complexity might be linked to high self-control abilities. Additionally, self-control may be a key factor in training and/or coping with potentially stressful husbandry conditions. We assessed horses’ self-control abilities in a simplified delay of gratification test that can be easily implemented in a farm setting. In Experiment 1, we gave horses (N= 52) the choice between an immediately available low-quality reward and a delayed high-quality reward that could only be obtained if the horse refrained from consuming the immediate reward. Different experimenters (N= 30) that underwent prior training in the procedures, tested horses in two test phases either with their eyes visible or invisible (sunglasses). Twenty horses waited up to the maximum delay stage of 60 s while all horses performed worse in the second test phase. In Experiment 2, we improved the test procedure (i.e., one experimenter, refined criterion for success), and tested 30 additional horses in a quality and quantity condition (one reward vs. delayed bigger reward). Two horses successfully waited for 60 s (quality:N= 1, quantity:N= 1). Horses tolerated higher delays, if they were first tested in the quantity condition. Furthermore, horses that were fed hayad libitum, instead of in a restricted manner, reached higher delays. Coping behaviors (e.g., looking away, head movements, pawing, and increasing distance to reward) facilitated waiting success and horses were able to anticipate the upcoming delay duration as indicated by non-random distributions of giving-up times. We found no correlations between owner-assessed traits (e.g., trainability and patience) and individual performance in the test. These results suggest that horses are able to exert self-control in a delay of gratification paradigm similar to other domesticated species. Our simplified paradigm could be used to gather large scale data, e.g., to investigate the role of self-control in trainability or success in equestrian sports.
Intramuscular ketamine vs. escitalopram and aripiprazole in acute and maintenance treatment of patients with treatment-resistant depression: A randomized double-blind clinical trial
Authors: Cigognini Marco Aurélio , Guirado Alia Garrudo , Meene Denise van de , Schneider Mônica Andréia , Salomon Mônica Sarah , Alexandria Vinicius Santana de , Adriano Juliana Pisseta , Thaler Ana Maria , Fernandes Fernando dos Santos , Carneiro Adriana , Moreno Ricardo Alberto
Published: July 2022

Objective

Ketamine, an N-methyl D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonist, can promote rapid action in the management of individuals with treatment-resistant depression (TRD) at sub-anesthetic doses. However, few studies have investigated the long-term use of ketamine administered intravenously (IV) and intranasally (IN). We report the design and rationale of a therapeutic trial for assessing the efficacy, safety, and tolerability of repeated-dose intramuscular (IM) ketamine vs. active treatment (escitalopram and aripiprazole) in TRD patients.

Methods

A comparative, parallel-group, randomized double-blind trial assessing the efficacy, safety, and tolerability of acute (4 weeks) and maintenance (24 weeks) use of IM ketamine (0.75 mg/kg) vs. active control (escitalopram 15 mg and aripiprazole 5 mg) in individuals with moderate-severe intensity TRD (no psychotic symptoms) with or without suicide risk will be conducted. Patients with TRD (18–40 years) will be randomized and blinded to receive ketamine IM or active treatment at a 1:1 ratio for 4 weeks (active treatment) and 24 weeks (maintenance treatment). Subjects will be assessed using clinical scales, monitored for vital signs (VS) after application of injectable medication, and undergo neuropsychological tests. The primary outcome will be changed on the Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) during the course of the trial. The study is in running.

Results

This study can potentially yield evidence on the use of IM ketamine in the treatment of depressive disorders as an ultra-rapid low-cost therapy associated with less patient discomfort and reduced use of medical resources, and can elucidate long-term effects on different outcomes, such as neuropsychological aspects.

Conclusions

The trial can help promote the introduction of a novel accessible approach for the treatment of complex disease (TRD) and also allow refinement of its long-term use.

Clinical trial registration

https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04234776, identifier: NCT04234776.
Prospective Associations of Lifetime Post-traumatic Stress Disorder and Birth-Related Traumatization With Maternal and Infant Outcomes
Authors: Martini Julia , Asselmann Eva , Weidner Kerstin , Knappe Susanne , Rosendahl Jenny , Garthus-Niegel Susan
Published: July 2022

Objective

Many women experience traumatic events already prior to or during pregnancy, and delivery of a child may also be perceived as a traumatic event, especially in women with prior post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Birth-related PTSD might be unique in several ways, and it seems important to distinguish between lifetime PTSD and birth-related traumatization in order to examine specific consequences for mother and child. This post-hoc analysis aims to prospectively examine the relation of both, lifetime PTSD (with/without interpersonal trauma) and birth-related traumatization (with/without postpartum depression) with specific maternal and infant outcomes.

Methods

In the prospective-longitudinal Maternal in Relation to Infants' Development (MARI) study, N = 306 women were repeatedly assessed across the peripartum period. Maternal lifetime PTSD and birth-related traumatization were assessed with the Composite International Diagnostic Interview for women. Maternal health during the peripartum period (incl. birth experience, breastfeeding, anxiety, and depression) and infant outcomes (e.g., gestational age, birth weight, neuropsychological development, and regulatory disorders) were assessed via standardized diagnostic interviews, questionnaires, medical records, and standardized observations.

Results

A history of lifetime PTSD prior to or during pregnancy was reported by 25 women who indicated a less favorable psycho-social situation (lower educational level, less social support, a higher rate of nicotine consumption during pregnancy). Lifetime PTSD was associated with pregnancy-related anxieties, traumatic birth experience, and anxiety and depressive disorders after delivery (and in case of interpersonal trauma additionally associated with infant feeding disorder). Compared to the reference group, women with birth-related traumatization (N = 35) indicated numerous adverse maternal and infant outcomes (e.g., child-related fears, sexual problems, impaired bonding). Birth-related traumatization and postpartum depression was additionally associated with infant feeding and sleeping problems.

Conclusion

Findings suggest that both lifetime PTSD and birth-related traumatization are important for maternal and infant health outcomes across the peripartum period. Larger prospective studies are warranted.

Implications

Women with lifetime PTSD and/or birth related traumatization should be closely monitored and supported. They may benefit from early targeted interventions to prevent traumatic birth experience, an escalation of psychopathology during the peripartum period, and adverse infant outcomes, which in turn may prevent transgenerational transmission of trauma in the long term.
The association between heightened ADHD symptoms and cytokine and fatty acid concentrations during pregnancy
Authors: Gustafsson Hanna C. , Dunn Geoffrey A. , Mitchell A. J. , Holton Kathleen F. , Loftis Jennifer M. , Nigg Joel T. , Sullivan Elinor L.
Published: July 2022

Objective

Previous research conducted with samples of children suggest that individuals with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) have altered fatty acid concentrations and may have increased systemic inflammation. Whether these differences are also apparent in other populations of individuals with heightened ADHD symptoms (e.g., pregnant adults) is unknown. The goal of the current study was to examine whether there are ADHD-associated differences in polyunsaturated fatty acid concentrations or pro-inflammatory cytokine concentrations during pregnancy, a developmental period when fatty acid concentrations and systemic inflammation have implications for the health of both the pregnant person and the developing child. We hypothesized that plasma levels of the ratio of omega-6s to omega-3s (n-6:n-3) and plasma inflammatory cytokine levels would be higher in individuals with heightened ADHD symptoms, consistent with previous findings in children with ADHD.

Methods

Data (N = 68) came from a prospective study of pregnant community volunteers who were oversampled for ADHD symptoms. During the 3rd trimester, plasma concentrations of fatty acids and the pro-inflammatory cytokines interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) were assessed. Dietary intake was examined in the 3rd trimester using three 24-h recalls conducted by trained dietitians and by examining plasma levels of conjugated linoleic acid (n-6) and α-linolenic acid (n-3), essential fatty acids that must come from dietary intake.

Results

The group with heightened ADHD symptoms had higher n-6:n-3s (β = 0.30, p < 0.01) and higher TNF-α concentrations (β = 0.35, p < 0.001) relative to controls. There were no group differences in dietary variables, as assessed by self-report and via plasma concentrations of essential fatty acids. IL-6 was not reliably associated with ADHD status in this sample.

Conclusion

Pregnant individuals with ADHD, on average, had higher plasma n-6:n-3s and higher TNF-α concentrations relative to controls. A difference was not detected in their dietary intake of fatty acids or other relevant nutrients. Though these null findings are inconclusive, they are consistent with the hypothesis that ADHD-associated differences in plasma fatty acid concentrations are the result of ADHD-associated differences in fatty acid metabolism, rather than simply differences in dietary intake.
Comparison of Online Sexual Activity Among Iranian Individuals With and Without Substance Use Disorder: A Case-Control Study
Authors: Soraya Shiva , Rashedi Vahid , Saeidi Mahdieh , Hashemi Pooria , Hadi Fatemeh , Ahmadkhaniha Hamidreza , Shalbafan Mohammadreza
Published: July 2022

The most important practical concerns in addiction medicine are the non-substance addiction and related addictive behaviors among individuals with substance use disorder. On the other hand, technological advances, and easy access have increased the frequency of online sexual activities (OSAs) as one of these behaviors. This study aimed to compare the prevalence of OSAs, based on the Internet Sex Screening Test (ISST) scores, among 60 patients with substance use disorder referred to Iran Psychiatric Hospital and 60 non-dependent individuals. The results showed significant negative correlations between the ISST scores and age, age at the onset of substance use, and substance use duration. There was a significant difference between the ISST scores of the case and control groups (P = 0.001). Patients who start using substances at an early age and have a great duration of substance use are more likely to engage in other addictive behaviors such as OSAs. Therefore, it is critical to consider OSAs and other addictive behaviors in patients with substance use disorder to provide better care for this vulnerable community.
A voice recognition-based digital cognitive screener for dementia detection in the community: Development and validation study
Authors: Zhao Xuhao , Hu Ruofei , Wen Haoxuan , Xu Guohai , Pang Ting , He Xindi , Zhang Yaping , Zhang Ji , Chen Christopher , Wu Xifeng , Xu Xin
Published: July 2022

Introduction

To facilitate community-based dementia screening, we developed a voice recognition-based digital cognitive screener (digital cognitive screener, DCS). This proof-of-concept study aimed to investigate the reliability, validity as well as the feasibility of the DCS among community-dwelling older adults in China.

Methods

Eligible participants completed demographic, clinical, and the DCS. Diagnosis of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and dementia was made based on the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) (MCI: MoCA < 23, dementia: MoCA < 14). Time and venue for test administration were recorded and reported. Internal consistency, test-retest reliability and inter-rater reliability were examined. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analyses were conducted to examine the discriminate validity of the DCS in detecting MCI and dementia.

Results

A total of 103 participants completed all investigations and were included in the analysis. Administration time of the DCS was between 5.1–7.3 min. No significant difference (p > 0.05) in test scores or administration time was found between 2 assessment settings (polyclinic or community center). The DCS showed good internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha = 0.73), test-retest reliability (Pearson r = 0.69, p < 0.001) and inter-rater reliability (ICC = 0.84). Area under the curves (AUCs) of the DCS were 0.95 (0.90, 0.99) and 0.77 (0.67, 086) for dementia and MCI detection, respectively. At the optimal cut-off (7/8), the DCS showed excellent sensitivity (100%) and good specificity (80%) for dementia detection.

Conclusion

The DCS is a feasible, reliable and valid digital dementia screening tool for older adults. The applicability of the DCS in a larger-scale community-based screening stratified by age and education levels warrants further investigation.
Elevated monocyte-to-HDL cholesterol ratio predicts post-stroke depression
Authors: Li Yaqiang , Zhang Mei , Xue Min , Liu Dalei , Sun Jinglong
Published: July 2022

Objectives

Inflammation plays an important role in the development of depression after stroke. Monocyte-to-HDL Cholesterol Ratio (MHR) recently emerged as a novel comprehensive inflammatory indicator in recent years. This study aimed to investigate whether there is a relationship between MHR levels and post-stroke depression (PSD).

Methods

From February 2019 to September 2021, patients with acute ischemic stroke (AIS) were recruited within 7 days post-stroke from the two centers and blood samples were collected after admission. The 17-item Hamilton Depression Scale (HAMD-17) was used to measure depressive symptoms at 3 months after stroke. Patients were given the DSM-V criteria for diagnosis of PSD.

Results

Of the 411 enrolled patients, 92 (22.38%) patients were diagnosed with PSD at 3-months follow-up. The results also showed significantly higher level of MHR in patients with depression [0.81 (IQR 0.67–0.87) vs. 0.61 (IQR 0.44–0.82), P < 0.001] at admission than patients without depression. Multivariate logistic regression revealed that MHR (OR 6.568, 95% CI: 2.123–14.565, P = 0.015) was an independent risk factor for the depression at 3 months after stroke. After adjustment for potential confounding factors, the odds ratio of PSD was 5.018 (95% CI: 1.694–14.867, P = 0.004) for the highest tertile of MHR compared with the lowest tertile. Based on the ROC curve, the optimal cut-off value of MHR as an indicator for prediction of PSD was projected to be 0.55, which yielded a sensitivity of 87% and a specificity of 68.3%, with the area under the curve at 0.660 (95% CI: 0.683–0.781; P = 0.003).

Conclusion

Elevated level of MHR was associated with PSD at 3 months, suggesting that MHR might be a useful Inflammatory markers to predict depression after stroke.
Functional near-infrared spectroscopy as a potential objective evaluation technique in neurocognitive disorders after traumatic brain injury
Authors: Chang Fan , Li Haozhe , Li Ningning , Zhang Shengyu , Liu Chao , Zhang Qinting , Cai Weixiong
Published: July 2022

Most patients with neurocognitive disorders after traumatic brain injury (TBI) show executive dysfunction, in which the pre-frontal cortex (PFC) plays an important role. However, less objective evaluation technique could be used to assess the executive dysfunction in these patients. Functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS), which is a non-invasive technique, has been widely used in the study of psychiatric disorders, cognitive dysfunction, etc. The present study aimed to explore whether fNIRS could be a technique to assess the damage degree of executive function in patients with neurocognitive disorders after TBI by using the Stroop and N-back tasks in PFC areas. We enrolled 37 patients with neurocognitive disorders after TBI and 60 healthy controls. A 22-channel fNIRS device was used to record HbO during Stroop, 1-back and 2-back tasks. The results showed that patients made significantly more errors and had longer response times than healthy controls. There were statistically significant differences in HbO level variation in bilateral frontopolar, bilateral inferior frontal gyrus and left middle temporal gyrus during Stroop color word consistency tasks and in left frontopolar during Stroop color word inconsistency tasks. During 2-back tasks, there were also statistically significant differences in HbO level variation in bilateral frontopolar, bilateral inferior frontal gyrus, bilateral dorsolateral pre-frontal cortex. According to brain activation maps, the patients exhibited lower but more widespread activation during the 2-back and Stroop color word consistency tasks. The fNIRS could identify executive dysfunction in patients with neurocognitive disorders after TBI by detecting HbO levels, which suggested that fNIRS could be a potential objective evaluation technique in neurocognitive disorders after TBI.
Individual differences in sensitivity to positive home environment among children “at risk” for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: A review
Authors: Einziger Tzlil , Berger Andrea
Published: July 2022

Although the evidence for the genetic basis of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is strong, environmental factors, such as the quality of parenting or the home environment, may moderate such genetic liability. The plausible negative effect of a low-quality home environment and negative parenting on child outcomes is well-established; however, the positive effect of a high-quality environment and positive parenting remained largely uninvestigated. Due to the presence of genetic, temperamental, or physiological factors, children who were traditionally considered at-risk for ADHD may be more sensitive to aspects of their environment compared to children who are not at such risk. Therefore, they would be more affected by their environmental experience, either for good or bad. Under supportive environmental conditions, such at-risk individuals might actually outperform their non-vulnerable peers, suggesting that these individual factors might be considered susceptibility factors rather than risk factors. Little is known regarding the positive effect of the environment in the ADHD literature, but it has been demonstrated in cognitive functions that are closely associated with ADHD, such as executive functions (EF). We review this literature and examine the extant empirical support for sensitivity to aspects of the home environment and parenting in the case of ADHD and EF. Moreover, we review factors that could help identify the specific aspects of the home environment and parenting that these children might be more susceptible to. Such knowledge could be valuable when designing preventive interventions and identifying those children that are especially sensitive and could benefit from such interventions. Recommendations for future studies are discussed as well.
Job loss-related complicated grief symptoms: A cognitive-behavioral framework
Authors: Van Eersel Janske H. W. , Taris Toon W. , Boelen Paul A.
Published: July 2022

In a significant minority of people, involuntarily job loss can result in symptoms of job loss-related complicated grief (JLCG). The present cognitive-behavioral framework is introduced to explain the underlying processes that may lead to the development and maintenance of JLCG symptoms. Three core processes play a central role, namely (1) negative cognitions related to the job loss and misinterpretation of one's grief reactions; (2) anxious and depressive avoidance strategies to cope with the job loss and its consequences; and (3) insufficient integration of the job loss into the autobiographical memory. These core processes are assumed to interact and reinforce each other, leading to JLCG symptoms. The three core processes can be influenced by certain risk factors, including circumstances surrounding the loss, personality traits, and characteristics of the social environment. JLCG symptoms can lead to additional psychological and practical problems, such as anxiety and depressive symptoms, lower employability, and reduced likelihood of re-employment. This paper explains and illustrates the three core processes with vignettes. Implications of the model for preventive measures and psychological interventions are introduced. It concludes with suggestions for future research on JLCG symptoms.