Search

Exposure to infectious or non-infectious immune activation during early development is a serious risk factor for long-term behavioural dysfunctions. Mouse models of maternal immune activation (MIA) have increasingly been used to address neuronal and behavioural dysfunctions in response to prenatal infections. One commonly employed MIA model involves administering poly(I:C) (polyriboinosinic-polyribocytdilic acid), a synthetic analogue of double-stranded RNA, during gestation, which robustly induces an acute viral-like inflammatory response. Using electroencephalography (EEG) and infrared (IR) activity recordings, we explored alterations in sleep/wake, circadian and locomotor activity patterns on the adult male offspring of poly(I:C)-treated mothers. Our findings demonstrate that these offspring displayed reduced home cage activity during the (subjective) night under both light/dark or constant darkness conditions. In line with this finding, these mice exhibited an increase in non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep duration as well as an increase in sleep spindles density. Following sleep deprivation, poly(I:C)-exposed offspring extended NREM sleep duration and prolonged NREM sleep bouts during the dark phase as compared with non-exposed mice. Additionally, these mice exhibited a significant alteration in NREM sleep EEG spectral power under heightened sleep pressure. Together, our study highlights the lasting effects of infection and/or immune activation during pregnancy on circadian activity and sleep/wake patterns in the offspring., (© 2024 The Author(s). European Journal of Neuroscience published by Federation of European Neuroscience Societies and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Purpose: This study aimed to investigate the association between oxidative balance score (OBS), wherein higher OBSs indicate lower oxidative stress, and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), as well as inflammatory scores, in a large cohort of Japanese adults., Methods: In total, 9703 individuals aged 40-69 years participated in a baseline survey of a population-based cohort study in Saga, Japan (2005-2007). OBSs were calculated from 11 prooxidant and antioxidant lifestyle factors, including dietary intake, physical activity, alcohol consumption, and smoking status. Lifestyle data, including dietary intake, were obtained using a self-administered questionnaire. Adjusted geometric means of serum hs-CRP levels were calculated based on OBS quartiles, and linear trend tests were performed, with adjustments for potential confounders. In addition, an inflammatory cytokine z-score was constructed and assessed alongside individual markers., Results: After adjusting for multiple confounders in both sexes, the results showed a significant inverse association between OBS and serum hs-CRP levels in both men and women. These results remained unaltered when the OBS evaluation excluded powerful prooxidants, serum ferritin, or smoking. There was also an association between OBS and lower inflammatory z-score, indicating reduced overall systemic inflammation., Conclusions: These findings suggest that a higher OBS, indicating a greater predominance of antioxidants over prooxidant exposure, is associated with lower hs-CRP levels and reduced systemic inflammation, regardless of sex., (© 2024 The Authors. American Journal of Human Biology published by Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

The gestational experience of a mother can influence the intrauterine environment she provides her own offspring, allowing prenatal events to affect pregnancy outcomes across several generations. Using a multigenerational database, we determined the reproductive consequences for rhesus monkeys descended from small-for-date and large-for-date birth weight matrilines. Both the maternal half-brothers and -sisters of large-for-date infants exhibited enhanced fetal growth, but for small-for-date probands, only the maternal half-sisters experienced significant intrauterine growth constraint. In addition, the growth-restricted females were at higher risk of poor reproductive outcomes in adulthood, and they perpetuated the matrilineal birth weight pattern by selectively constraining the fetal development of their daughters. Collectively, these findings suggest a mechanism for the intergenerational persistence of suboptimal pregnancy outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study examined how humans use the target information provided immediately before the onset of motor output to prepare the initial motor command in the target force production task. Twenty healthy individuals participated in this study. A target cursor indicating the target force. and a force cursor indicating the force produced with index finger flexion were presented, and participants produced force in response to the appearance of the force cursor so that it moved toward the target cursor as fast as possible. The rate of force development in a time window of 0-100 ms after the onset of force development, representing the intensity of the initial motor command without online feedback adjustment, was measured. The present findings support the hypotheses that humans use the target in formation provided immediately before the onset of motor output to prepare the initial motor command, and they simultaneously prepare the initial motor command for the intermediate of multiple potential targets using the information of targets provided in previous trials. Another hypothesis, that humans use the information of the target or motor process of the trial immediately before the current trial to prepare the initial motor command, was not supported. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives : The complex effects of multiple co-occurring symptoms are a major cause of reduced quality of life; thus, it is necessary to identify symptom clusters experienced by patients and explore interventions. This study aimed to provide an overview of non-pharmacological interventions based on symptom clusters in adults to identify effective intervention strategies and methods. Methods. This systematic review was conducted in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) reporting guidelines. For the search databases, PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, CINAHL, RISS, KISS, and KISTI were used. It includes English and Korean experimental studies published up to May 2023. The literature quality was evaluated using the Joanna Briggs Institute Quality Assessment Tool. Results. Of the 18 studies selected, 15 were randomized controlled trials and three were quasi-experimental studies, all of which were conducted on patients with cancer. The symptom clusters-based interventions in the literature are classified as movement-based, relaxation-based, integrated, and miscellaneous interventions. Integrated interventions, which were effective in all studies, might prove to be very effective for managing symptom clusters. Movement-based intervention studies, which include dance, Qigong, and Tai Chi, might be very effective in improving health-related quality of life (HRQoL). Conclusions. This review demonstrates that non-pharmacological interventions reduce the occurrence and severity of symptom clusters, thereby improving HRQoL. Further studies are required to evaluate the effects of these interventions in patients with various chronic conditions other than cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study extends research on adult narrative identity in two major ways. First, it focuses on Adult Third Culture Kids (ATCKs), which refer to individuals who spent a part of their early developmental years abroad. In spite of the fact that they are an important demographic to study in this rapidly globalizing world, they have tended to be neglected in the field of psychology. Second, this study incorporates the cutting-edge tools of automated language analysis to extract developmental themes from autobiographical narratives using a bottom-up exploratory approach, as well as to identify psychological patterns and processes associated with the themes. The participants (N = 350; 18–80 + years old) were recruited from an alumni office of an international school and asked to write a narrative about the impact their international experiences had on their development. The meaning extraction method (MEM) yielded four developmental themes, which were remarkably consistent with the recurring themes that emerge from past research on adult narrative identity as well as ATCKs: past focus, communion, agency, and global focus. These four developmental themes, in turn, showed theoretically coherent patterns of relations with the demographic variables, linguistic markers of psychological patterns and processes, as well as self-reports of dimensions of well-being. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Flourishing refers to one kind of generalized wellbeing. Contemporary flourishing research often privileges positive emotion in the theorization and measurement of the construct, such that flourishing is frequently conceptualized as involving a predominance of positive over negative emotions. Positive emotions are thus, on some views of flourishing, seen as an essential component of "the good life." This paper explores the nuanced variations in conceptions of the good life, focusing on the interplay between positive emotion and flourishing. Through an analysis of contemporary perspectives on flourishing, we underscore the diversity in conceptualizations of flourishing and the implications of this diversity for flourishing theorists. Our review reveals significant disparities in perspectives regarding the significance of positive emotion in the pursuit of a good life. Furthermore, we delineate the theoretical distinctions between objective-list approaches and functional approaches to flourishing, highlighting their respective advantages and limitations. Theoretical dissensus persists regarding whether positive emotion is a necessary constituent of the good life, thus prompting a critical examination of the justification for its inclusion in flourishing models. Finally, we emphasize the need for greater theoretical clarity in defining wellbeing to inform both research endeavors and societal discourse. We suggest that an adequate appreciation of variation in the development and maintenance of flourishing requires admitting for more complex relationships between the construct and both positive and negative emotionality, while embracing the cultural and individual variety that are unavoidable in accurate models of human life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mood variability, the day‐to‐day fluctuation in mood, differs between individuals and develops during adolescence. Because adolescents show higher mood variability and average mood than children and adults, puberty might be a potential biological mechanism underlying this increase. The goal of this preregistered developmental study was to examine the neural and hormonal underpinnings of adolescent‐specific within‐person changes in mood variability, with a specific focus on testosterone, cortisol, pubertal status, and resting‐state functional brain connectivity. Data from two longitudinal cohorts were used: the L‐CID twin study (aged 7–13, N at the first timepoint = 258) and the accelerated Leiden Self‐Concept study (SC; aged 11–21, N at the first timepoint = 138). In both studies resting‐state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs‐fMRI) data was collected, as well as daily mood. Additionally, in the SC study self‐reported puberty testosterone and cortisol were collected. Random intercept cross‐lagged panel models (RI‐CLPM) were used to study the within‐person relations between these biological measures and mood variability and average mood. Mood variability and average mood peaked in adolescence and testosterone levels and self‐reported puberty also showed an increase. Connectivity between prefrontal cortex (dlPFC and vmPFC) and subcortical regions (caudate, amygdala) decreased across development. Moreover, higher testosterone predicted average negative mood at the next time point, but not vice versa. Further, stronger vmPFC–amygdala functional connectivity predicted decreases in mood variability. Here, we show that brain connectivity during development is an important within‐person biological mechanism of the development of mood in adolescents. Practitioner Points: Mood variability peaks in adolescence.Within‐person changes in testosterone predict within‐person changes in mood.Within‐person changes in vmPFC–amygdala connectivity predict within‐person changes in mood variability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fourteen female monkeys (Macaca mulatta) received a trivalent influenza vaccine and antibody response was determined by a change in plasma antibody content (ELISA) before and after vaccine. Lymphocyte cultures were also established from these monkeys and the level of antibody response did not correlate with mitogen-induced lymphocyte blastogenesis or natural killer cell function. In vitro anti-influenza antibody synthesis, however, was found to correlate well with the in vitro response. That is, monkeys who were non-responders, as determined by lack of change in plasma antibody content, were also non-responders in vitro. Accordingly. we believe that vaccine response is not necessarily a measure of immune competence but its measurement may, none the less, have clinical utility. The excellent correlation of in vivo and in vitro response provides predictive value for the in vitro test. Furthermore, because the correlation is good, the in vitro test may be useful as a tool in immunopharmacology and toxicology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The autopsy records between 1980 and 1995 of 399 female rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta) at the Wisconsin Regional Primate Research Center were examined. Spontaneous endometriosis was found in 81 (20%) of the animals. The mean (+/- SD) ages at death for animals with and without endometriosis were 20.7 +/- 5.5 (range 10-35) and 13.4 +/- 7.7 (range 4-37) years respectively. Many of the animals had been exposed to experimental procedures, including laparoscopies, hysterotomies and oestradiol implants, and these were examined as possible risk factors for endometriosis. Of the 81 affected animals, 62 were matched to unaffected controls for age at death (to within 1 year) and year of death (to within 2 years) and the effect of various factors on the development of endometriosis was determined using conditional logistic regression. Exposure to three or more oestradiol implants or one or more hysterotomies were both significant risk factors, with estimated relative risks of 9.7 (95% confidence interval 2.5-37.2) and 5.8 (95% confidence interval 1.6-20.2) respectively. Animals that had been exposed to one or more laparoscopies showed no increased risk for developing endometriosis. These findings provide insight into the aetiology of the disease in women. ?2P51 4RR00167 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Patients with serious illnesses often do not engage in discussions about end-of-life care decision-making, or do so reluctantly. These discussions can be useful in facilitating advance care planning and connecting patients to services such as palliative care that improve quality of life. Terror Management Theory, a social psychology theory stating that humans are motivated to resolve the discomfort surrounding their inevitable death, has been discussed in the psychology literature as an underlying basis of human decision-making and behavior. This paper explores how Terror Management Theory could be extended to seriously ill populations and applied to their healthcare decision-making processes and quality of care received. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ethiopia faces a rising problem of overweight and obesity alongside a high prevalence of undernutrition; a double burden of malnutrition (DBM). This study aimed to quantify the magnitude and trends of household‐level DBM—defined as the coexistence of maternal overweight/obesity and child undernutrition (i.e., stunting or anaemia)—in Ethiopia between 2005, 2011 and 2016 and understand the potential drivers influencing DBM and the change in DBM over time. Data come from the Ethiopian Demographic and Health Surveys. National and regional prevalence estimates of the DBM were calculated (n = 13,107). Equiplots were produced to display inequalities in the distribution of DBM. Factors associated with DBM were explored using pooled multivariable logistic regression analyses for 2005, 2011 and 2016 (n = 9358). These were also included in a logistic regression decomposition analysis to understand their contribution to the change in DBM between 2005 and 2016 (n = 5285). The prevalence of household‐level DBM at the national level was low, with a modest increase from 2.4% in 2005% to 3.5% in 2016. This masks important within‐country variability, with substantially higher prevalence in Addis Ababa (22.8%). Factors positively associated with DBM were maternal age (odds ratio [OR] = 1.04 [1.02, 1.06]), urban residence (OR = 3.12 [2.24, 4.36]), wealth (OR = 1.14 [1.06, 1.24]) and the number of children <5 in the household (OR = 1.30 [1.12, 1.49]). Overall, 70.5% of the increase in DBM between 2005 and 2016 was attributed to increased wealth, urban residence and region. Double‐duty actions that address multiple forms of malnutrition are urgently needed in urban settings. Key messages: Despite a low national prevalence, household level DBM is significantly higher in urban areas, particularly in Addis Ababa where nearly a quarter of households are affected.Maternal age, urban residence, wealth and the number of children <5 in the household were positively associated with DBM.Increased wealth and urban residence were the main drivers associated with increases in DBM between 2005 and 2016.Double‐dutyactions addressing multiple forms of malnutrition are required in urban settings.Transforming food systems by regulating the promotion and distribution of unhealthy foods and promoting nutrient‐dense foods is critical. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Parents of infants born with congenital heart disease (CHD) who require open heart surgery after birth are at risk for prolonged psychological distress. Even after their infants are discharged, parents may experience anxiety, depressive, and post−traumatic stress (PTS) symptoms; yet, it is unclear which parents are at greater risk for ongoing symptoms. The purpose of this study was to explore whether measures of the biomarker cortisol in parents during their infants' postoperative period were associated with subsequent psychological distress symptoms at three−month post discharge. Methods: This was a prospective, longitudinal exploratory study of 40 parents of infants with CHD after open heart surgery using consecutive enrollment. Parents provided diurnal saliva samples for two consecutive days in the postoperative period. Six predictors were summarized and generated including waking cortisol, bedtime cortisol, cortisol awaking response, area under curve with respect to the ground (AUCg), cortisol index, and cortisol slope. Self−report outcome measures on anxiety, depressive, and PTS symptoms were collected three−months post−discharge. Linear mixed models examined the associations between each predictor and each outcome while accounting for within−dyad variance using an unstructured covariance matrix. Results: Cortisol AUCg was a predictor of PTS at three−months post−discharge (β =.34, p =.03, Cohen's d = 2.05). No significant relationships were found with the other cortisol measures. Conclusions & Implications: Findings suggest that cortisol area under curve may help to identify parents at risk for increased PTS in the months following their infants' hospitalization for cardiac surgery, serving as a foundation for future study in this area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Assiut Journal of Agricultural Sciences is the property of Egyptian National Agricultural Library (ENAL) and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Low socioeconomic status has various adverse effects on health, which can be mitigated through the shift‐and‐persist (S‐P) strategy. Studies have focused on how this strategy can affect health in the face of adversity. However, that children learn this strategy from positive role models, such as parents, is an unexamined precondition of the theory. This study presents one bit of supporting evidence for this precondition by examining the similarity in S‐P among parent–child dyads using the actor‐partner interdependence model. We also examine parent and child strategies related to depressive tendencies based on mixed results in relevant research. The results from 309 parent–child pairs indicate that shifting and persisting tendencies and depressive tendencies were similar among the parent–child pairs. Furthermore, regardless of their socioeconomic status, the parents' and children's persisting scores predicted lower levels of depressive tendencies as actor effects. Although this study does not fully support S‐P theory, it provides important insights regarding similar patterns of strategic tendencies between parents and children and highlights the importance of positive role models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High subjective social status (SSS) is believed to protect health in the current literature. However, high SSS entails social responsibilities that can be stressful in collectivistic cultural contexts. Here, we tested the hypothesis that those socialized in collectivistic societies (e.g., Japan) recognize their high social status as entailing social duties difficult to ignore even when they are excessive. Using cross-cultural survey data (N = 1,289) and a measure of biological health risk (BHR) by biomarkers of inflammation and cardiovascular malfunction, we found that higher SSS predicted lower BHR for American males. In contrast, higher SSS predicted higher BHR for Japanese males, mediated by the perceived difficulty of disengaging from their current goals. In both cultural groups, females showed no association between SSS and BHR. These findings suggest that social status has differing health implications, depending on the relative salience of privileges and burden-producing responsibilities in different cultural contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, a growing body of research has confirmed that the gut microbiota plays a major role in the maintenance of human health and disease. A gut microbiota imbalance can lead to the development of many diseases, such as pregnancy complications, adverse pregnancy outcomes, polycystic ovary syndrome, endometriosis, and cancer. Short-chain fatty acids are metabolites of specific intestinal bacteria and are crucial for maintaining intestinal homeostasis and regulating metabolism and immunity. Endometriosis is the result of cell proliferation, escape from immune surveillance, and invasive metastasis. There is a strong correlation between the anti-proliferative and anti-inflammatory effects of short-chain fatty acids produced by gut microbes and the development of endometriosis. Given that the mechanism of action of gut microbiota and Short-chain fatty acids in endometriosis remain unclear, this paper aims to provide a comprehensive review of the complex interactions between intestinal flora, short-chain fatty acids and endometriosis. In addition, we explored potential microbial-based treatment strategies for endometriosis, providing new insights into the future development of diagnostic tests and prevention and treatment methods for endometriosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Laboratory Animal & Comparative Medicine is the property of Laboratory Animal & Comparative Medicine Editorial Office and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Background: Few studies have examined biomarkers of stress and inflammation as underlying mechanisms of symptoms in adolescents and young adults with cancer. This study determined the feasibility of collecting blood and saliva samples across time, described the range and distribution of biomarkers, and explored the association of biomarkers with symptom adverse events (AEs). Method: This longitudinal, prospective repeated-measures single-site feasibility study recruited N = 10 children (M = 12.5 years) receiving treatment for advanced cancer. Symptom AE data and inflammation (cytokines and C-reactive protein) and physiologic response to stress (salivary cortisol and salivary alpha-amylase) biomarker levels were collected at three time points. Descriptive statistics were used to examine feasibility and acceptability and to summarize symptom AE, stress, and inflammatory biomarker data. A linear regression model was used to determine cortisol diurnal slopes. The relationship between symptom and inflammatory biomarker data was explored and Hedges's g statistic was used to determine its effect size. Results: Participants provided 83% of saliva samples (n = 199/240) and 185 samples were sufficient to be analyzed. Nurses collected 97% (n = 29/30) of blood samples. Participants reported the saliva collection instructions, kits, and reminders were clear and helpful. Insomnia, pain, fatigue, and anxiety demonstrated the most medium and large negative effects with inflammatory markers. Symptom AEs demonstrated the highest number of medium and large negative effects with interleukin-8 and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (−0.53 to −2.00). Discussion: The results indicate longitudinal concurrent collection of symptom and biomarker data is feasible and inflammatory and stress biomarkers merit consideration for inclusion in future studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aggressive humor has been conceived as a maladaptive humor style that jeopardizes social relationships. However, past studies have yielded inconsistent findings regarding the detrimental effects of aggressive humor on social relationships. This study attempts to advance the existing literature by examining the gender difference in the moderating role of subjective social status in the association between aggressive humor and social connectedness. Participants were 228 (53.1% female) adults aged from 18 to 53 years (M = 23.19, SD = 6.43). The hypothesized moderated moderation effect was significant, suggesting that gender significantly moderated the moderating effect of subjective social status on the association between aggressive humor and social connectedness. Subjective social status significantly moderated the association between aggressive humor and social connectedness for men but not for women. For men, aggressive humor was negatively associated with social connectedness when subjective social status was low or medium, but the association was not significant when subjective social status was high. For women, aggressive humor was not associated with social connectedness regardless of subjective social status. Implications of the findings are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]