Search

There are mixed results regarding the differentiation of neurofunctional correlates of spatial abilities. Previous studies employed complex environments or alternate memory tasks which could potentially add to inconsistencies across studies of navigation. To help elucidate the existing mixed findings, we conducted a study in a simplistic environment without a supplemental memory task in order to examine navigationally relevant neural function using fMRI. Participants completed a virtual navigation task where they learned the relationship between landmarks, environmental features, and a goal. The goal was a distinct landmark, or feature, consistently situated in one corner, or a geometric cue, of a rectangular room. Test trials varied the relationship of featural and geometric cues allowing insight into navigational strategies when using these cues and when the cues are in conflict. Behavioral results showed participants learned the task rapidly and utilized both landmark feature-based and environmental geometry-based strategies to locate the goal; preferring the feature-based strategy. Neuroimaging results provided evidence for activation in navigationally relevant regions, including the parahippocampus, caudate, and retrosplenial cortex. These results demonstrate the importance of these structures and their relation to environmental geometry and feature use while navigating an enclosed simplistic environment. The results provide clarification regarding the role of the parahippocampus and caudate when using geometric- or landmark-based strategies and demonstrate the prerequisite of environmental novelty to elicit hippocampal activation.

Background : Geroscience focuses on interventions to mitigate molecular changes associated with aging. Lifestyle modifications, medications, and social factors influence the aging process, yet the complex molecular mechanisms require an in-depth exploration of the epigenetic landscape. The specific epigenetic clock and predictor effects of a vegan diet, compared to an omnivorous diet, remain underexplored despite potential impacts on aging-related outcomes. Methods: This study examined the impact of an entirely plant-based or healthy omnivorous diet over 8 weeks on blood DNA methylation in paired twins. Various measures of epigenetic age acceleration (PC GrimAge, PC PhenoAge, DunedinPACE) were assessed, along with system-specific effects (Inflammation, Heart, Hormone, Liver, and Metabolic). Methylation surrogates of clinical, metabolite, and protein markers were analyzed to observe diet-specific shifts. Results: Distinct responses were observed, with the vegan cohort exhibiting significant decreases in overall epigenetic age acceleration, aligning with anti-aging effects of plant-based diets. Diet-specific shifts were noted in the analysis of methylation surrogates, demonstrating the influence of diet on complex trait prediction through DNA methylation markers. An epigenome-wide analysis revealed differentially methylated loci specific to each diet, providing insights into the affected pathways. Conclusions: This study suggests that a short-term vegan diet is associated with epigenetic age benefits and reduced calorie intake. The use of epigenetic biomarker proxies (EBPs) highlights their potential for assessing dietary impacts and facilitating personalized nutrition strategies for healthy aging. Future research should explore the long-term effects of vegan diets on epigenetic health and overall well-being, considering the importance of proper nutrient supplementation. Trial registration: Clinicaltrials.gov identifier: NCT05297825 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Earlier laboratory-based evidence has suggested that polyphenol-rich, decaffeinated whole coffee cherry extract (CCE) supports improvements in acute and long-term cognitive performance. To better understand CCE's potential to promote cognitive processing, we conducted a first-of-its-kind remote clinical trial. Participants were randomized into one of two intervention arms: placebo or 200 mg CCE. At the beginning of the study, participants were asked to complete a set of acute cognitive challenges as part of the baseline assessment. Tasks were nearly identical to those used in previous, laboratory-based research. Acute results support that CCE outperformed placebo, reducing omissions and improving accuracy, during working memory and inhibitory control tasks. Long-term results indicate that CCE outperformed placebo on a measure of accuracy. This contributes to the literature in three ways: (1) results improve upon previously reported robust and consistent findings in a real-world setting that a single-dose of CCE acutely improved cognitive performance; (2) results replicate previous laboratory findings but in a real-world setting that long-term CCE supplementation outperformed placebo on measures of accuracy in a working memory task; and (3) it serves as proof of concept of a novel remote clinical trial model that may provide real-world evidence of efficacy while increasing accessibility and cohort diversity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Current understanding of the physiological underpinnings of normative pain processing is incomplete. Enhanced knowledge of these systems is necessary to advance our understanding of pain processes as well as to develop effective therapeutic interventions. Previous neuroimaging research suggests a network of interrelated brain regions that seem to be implicated in the processing and experience of pain. Among these, the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC) plays an important role in the affective aspects of pain signals. The current study leveraged functional MRS to investigate the underlying dynamic shifts in the neurometabolic signature of the human dACC at rest and during acute pain. Results provide support for increased glutamate levels following acute pain administration. Specifically, a 4.6% increase in glutamate was observed during moderate pressure pain compared with baseline. Exploratory analysis also revealed meaningful changes in dACC gamma aminobutyric acid in response to pain stimulation. These data contribute toward the characterization of neurometabolic shifts, which lend insight into the role of the dACC in the pain network. Further research in this area with larger sample sizes could contribute to the development of novel therapeutics or other advances in pain‐related outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hernias occur when part of an organ, typically the intestines, protrudes through a disruption of the fascia in the abdominal wall, leading to patient pain, discomfort, and surgical intervention. Over one million hernia repair surgeries occur annually in the USA, but globally, hernia surgeries can exceed 20 million. Standard practice includes hernia repair mesh to help hold the compromised tissue together, depending on where the fascial disruption is located and the patient's condition. However, the recurrence rate for hernias after using the most common type of hernia mesh, synthetic, is currently high. Physiological-level electrical stimulation (ES) has shown beneficial effects in improving healing in soft tissue regeneration. Piezoelectric materials can produce low-level electrical signals from mechanical loading to help speed healing. Combining the novelty of piezo elements to create an electrically active hernia repair mesh for faster healing prospects is explored in this study through simulated transcutaneous mechanical loading of the piezo element with therapeutic ultrasound. A tissue phantom was developed using Gelatin #0 and Metamucil® to better simulate a clinical application of the therapeutic ultrasound loading modality. The cellular viability of varying ultrasound intensities and temporal effects was analyzed. Overall, minimal cytotoxicity was observed across all experimental groups during the ultrasound intensity and temporal viability studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Knee meniscus tears are one of the most common musculoskeletal injuries. While meniscus replacements using allografts or biomaterial‐based scaffolds are available, these treatments rarely result in integrated, functional tissue. Understanding mechanotransducive signaling cues that promote a meniscal cell regenerative phenotype is critical to developing therapies that promote tissue regeneration rather than fibrosis after injury. The purpose of this study was to develop a hyaluronic acid (HA) hydrogel system with tunable crosslinked network properties by modulating the degree of substitution (DoS) of reactive‐ene groups to investigate mechanotransducive cues received by meniscal fibrochondrocytes (MFCs) from their microenvironment. A thiol‐ene step‐growth polymerization crosslinking mechanism was employed using pentenoate‐functionalized hyaluronic acid (PHA) and dithiothreitol to achieve tunability of the chemical crosslinks and resulting network properties. Increased crosslink density, reduced swelling, and increased compressive modulus (60–1020 kPa) were observed with increasing DoS. Osmotic deswelling effects were apparent in PBS and DMEM+ compared to water; swelling ratios and compressive moduli were decreased in the ionic buffers. Frequency sweep studies showed storage and loss moduli of hydrogels at 1 Hz approach reported meniscus values and showed increasing viscous response with increasing DoS. The degradation rate increased with decreasing DoS. Lastly, modulating PHA hydrogel surface modulus resulted in control of MFC morphology, suggesting relatively soft hydrogels (E = 60 ± 35 kPa) promote more inner meniscus phenotype compared to rigid hydrogels (E = 610 ± 66 kPa). Overall, these results highlight the use of ‐ene DoS modulation in PHA hydrogels to tune crosslink density and physical properties to understand mechanotransduction mechanisms required to promote meniscus regeneration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Substance use during the perinatal period and while parenting can pose a significant risk to children's safety and well‐being. Mothers who have experienced child maltreatment are more likely to use substances than mothers without a history of maltreatment. This study explores how child welfare social workers experience supporting young, maltreated mothers struggling with substance use to prevent the intergenerational transmission of child maltreatment. Semi‐structured in‐depth interviews were conducted with four social workers working with young mothers with a history of maltreatment and substance use. Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis revealed two themes: (1) grappling with system challenges and (2) supporting strategies for disrupting intergenerational transmission of child maltreatment. The results highlight the need for systemic changes around support for social workers who work with young mothers who use substances and have a history of maltreatment, and substance use treatment and mental health programs themselves. Mothers need access to prenatal programs that are trauma‐informed, non‐judgemental and that support participants' basic needs and parenting skills. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

No prior study has examined the two most prominent response-focused regulation strategies (suppression and exaggeration) using a within-subjects design. Utilizing this design allows for a direct comparison of physiological patterns and cognitive impairment associated with such efforts. One hundred and nine participants were asked to view a series of three films, each preceded by a 10-second instructional slide which indicated the regulation strategy they were to perform (natural-watch, exaggerate, or suppress). Exaggeration was associated with increased sympathetic activation as indicated by an increase in galvanic skin conductance level (GSL) and shortened pre-ejection period (PEP). Suppression, much like the natural-watch condition, was associated with greater sympathetic withdrawal (i.e., decreased GSL, longer PEP). Both suppression and exaggeration led to reduced memory for the emotional movie, with exaggeration causing more impairment than suppression. Results suggest that exaggeration and suppression not only have very different behavioral manifestations, but physiological outcomes as well when utilized during a sad context. (Contains 1 figure and 4 tables.)

Emotional well-being depends in part on affect modulation. The present study extends research on emotion regulation by assessing the physiological and cognitive effects of a novel response-focused regulation strategy, termed "expressive dissonance." Expressive dissonance refers to the incongruence between an emotional state (e.g., sadness) and a behavioral expression (e.g., a smile). Fifty-five participants watched a series of sad film clips in which they were asked to either naturally watch or express the opposite of what they were feeling. Results suggest that persons using the expressive dissonant strategies evidenced greater sympathetic arousal and performed worse on subsequent memory tasks than persons in the natural-watch conditions.

Mesenchymal stem/stromal cells (MSCs) are a heterogenous population of multipotent and highly secretory cells currently being investigated in the field of wound healing for their ability to augment tissue responses. The adaptive response of MSC populations to the rigid substrate of current 2D culture systems has been considered to result in a deterioration of regenerative 'stem‐like' properties. In this study, we characterise how the improved culture of adipose‐derived mesenchymal stem cells (ASCs) within a tissue‐mimetic 3D hydrogel system, that is mechanically similar to native adipose tissue, enhances their regenerative capabilities. Notably, the hydrogel system contains a porous microarchitecture that permits mass transport, enabling efficient collection of secreted cellular compounds. By utilising this 3D system, ASCs retained a significantly higher expression of ASC 'stem‐like' markers while demonstrating a significant reduction in senescent populations, relative to 2D. Additionally, culture of ASCs within the 3D system resulted in enhanced secretory activity with significant increases in the secretion of proteinaceous factors, antioxidants and extracellular vesicles (EVs) within the conditioned media (CM) fraction. Lastly, treatment of wound healing cells, keratinocytes (KCs) and fibroblasts (FBs), with ASC‐CM from the 2D and 3D systems resulted in augmented functional regenerative activity, with ASC‐CM from the 3D system significantly increasing KC and FB metabolic, proliferative and migratory activity. This study demonstrates the potential beneficial role of MSC culture within a tissue‐mimetic 3D hydrogel system that more closely mimics native tissue mechanics, and subsequently how the improved phenotype augments secretory activity and potential wound healing capabilities of the MSC secretome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Resting respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) was assessed among 111 adult participants. These individuals were then asked to watch a positive or negative affective film in either a natural manner or while exaggerating their facial response. Facial reactions to the film were video-recorded and subsequently rated in terms of facial affect. Participants also self-reported the valence of their emotional experience. Results from regression analyses revealed that persons with low resting RSA behaviorally evidenced a more negative facial response to the negative film under natural-watch conditions. Low RSA individuals were also less able to modulate (i.e., amplify) their facial response to the negative film. In terms of self-report measures, persons in the exaggerate condition reported more positive affect to the positive film than did those in the natural-watch condition. Results suggest that cardiac vagal control is inversely associated with negative facial expression but positively associated with facial regulation ability to negative stimuli.

The article is an editorial in the journal "Frontiers in Biomaterials Science" discussing the second edition of the "Women in Biomaterials Science" Research Topic. The edition features four original research manuscripts and six review articles, all of which have female corresponding authors and a majority of female lead authors. The research topics covered in this edition range from nanomaterials to 3D biomaterial models and include applications in combatting infections and treating female-specific conditions such as endometriosis and cervical dysplasia. The article highlights the importance of promoting the work of women researchers in the field and encouraging more women to pursue careers in biomaterials science. [Extracted from the article]