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It remains unclear which individuals with subthreshold depression benefit most from psychological intervention, and what long-term effects this has on symptom deterioration, response and remission.
Aims
To synthesise psychological intervention benefits in adults with subthreshold depression up to 2 years, and explore participant-level effect-modifiers.
Method
Randomised trials comparing psychological intervention with inactive control were identified via systematic search. Authors were contacted to obtain individual participant data (IPD), analysed using Bayesian one-stage meta-analysis. Treatment–covariate interactions were added to examine moderators. Hierarchical-additive models were used to explore treatment benefits conditional on baseline Patient Health Questionnaire 9 (PHQ-9) values.
Results
IPD of 10 671 individuals (50 studies) could be included. We found significant effects on depressive symptom severity up to 12 months (standardised mean-difference [s.m.d.] = −0.48 to −0.27). Effects could not be ascertained up to 24 months (s.m.d. = −0.18). Similar findings emerged for 50% symptom reduction (relative risk = 1.27–2.79), reliable improvement (relative risk = 1.38–3.17), deterioration (relative risk = 0.67–0.54) and close-to-symptom-free status (relative risk = 1.41–2.80). Among participant-level moderators, only initial depression and anxiety severity were highly credible (P > 0.99). Predicted treatment benefits decreased with lower symptom severity but remained minimally important even for very mild symptoms (s.m.d. = −0.33 for PHQ-9 = 5).
Conclusions
Psychological intervention reduces the symptom burden in individuals with subthreshold depression up to 1 year, and protects against symptom deterioration. Benefits up to 2 years are less certain. We find strong support for intervention in subthreshold depression, particularly with PHQ-9 scores ≥ 10. For very mild symptoms, scalable treatments could be an attractive option.
To compare rates of clinical response in children with Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) treated with metronidazole vs vancomycin.
Design:
Retrospective cohort study was performed as a secondary analysis of a previously established prospective cohort of hospitalized children with CDI. For 187 participants 2–17 years of age who were treated with metronidazole and/or vancomycin, the primary outcome of clinical response (defined as resolution of diarrhea within 5 days of treatment initiation) was identified retrospectively. Baseline variables associated with the primary outcome were included in a logistic regression propensity score model estimating the likelihood of receiving metronidazole vs vancomycin. Logistic regression using inverse probability of treatment weighting (IPTW) was used to estimate the effect of treatment on clinical response.
Results:
One hundred seven subjects received metronidazole and 80 subjects received vancomycin as primary treatment. There was no univariable association between treatment group and clinical response; 78.30% (N = 83) of the metronidazole treatment group and 78.75% (N = 63) of the vancomycin group achieved clinical response (P = 0.941). After adjustment using propensity scores with IPTW, the odds of a clinical response for participants who received metronidazole was 0.554 (95% CI: 0.272, 1.131) times the odds of those who received vancomycin (P = 0.105).
Conclusions:
In this observational cohort study of pediatric inpatients with CDI, the rate of resolution of diarrhea after 5 days of treatment did not differ among children who received metronidazole vs vancomycin.
Acquired chylothorax is an established complication of CHD surgery, affecting 2–9% of patients. CHD places a child at risk for failure to thrive, with subsequent chylothorax imposing additional risk.
Objective:
We conducted a retrospective chart review to ascertain quantitative markers of nutrition and growth in children affected by chylothorax following CHD surgery between 2018 and 2022 compared to controls.
Methods:
We utilised electronic medical record system, EPIC, at Children’s Hospital, New Orleans, targeting subjects < 18 years old who underwent CHD surgery between 2018 and 2022 and developed a subsequent chylothorax. Study subjects were identified using the 10th revision of the International Classification of Diseases codes (ICD-10 codes: J94.0, I89.8, and J90.0). Each chylothorax case (n = 20) was matched by procedure type and age to a control with no chylothorax (n = 20). Data were recorded in REDCap and analysed using SPSS.
Results:
After removal of outliers, we analysed 19 total matched pairs. There was no statistical difference in growth velocity (p = 0.12), weight change (operation to discharge) (p = 0.95), weight change (admission to discharge) (p = 0.35), Z-score change (operation to discharge) (p = 0.90), Z-score change (admission to discharge) (p = 0.21), serum protein (p = 0.88), or serum albumin (p = 0.82). Among cases, linear regression demonstrated no significant association between maximum chylous output and growth velocity (p = 0.91), weight change (operation to discharge) (p = 0.15), or weight change (admission to discharge) (p = 0.98).
Conclusions:
We did not observe statistically significant markers of growth or nutrition in children with chylothorax post-CHD surgery compared to those without chylothorax. Multisite data collection and analysis is required to better ascertain clinical impact and guide clinical practice.
A concept for a femtosecond pulse compressor based on underdense plasma prisms is presented. An analytical model is developed to calculate the spectral phase incurred and the expected pulse compression. A 2D particle-in-cell simulation verifies the analytical model. Simulated intensities (${\sim} {10}^{16}$ W/cm2) were orders of magnitude higher than the damage threshold for conventional gratings used in chirped pulse amplification. Theoretical geometries for compact (tens of cm scale) compressors for 1, 10 and 100 PW power levels are proposed.
Lewy body dementias (LBD) are the second most common dementia. Several genes have been associated with LBD, but little is known about their contributions to LBD pathophysiology. Each gene may transcribe multiple RNA, and LBD brains have extensive RNA splicing dysregulation. Hence, we completed the first transcriptome-wide transcript-level differential expression analysis of post-mortem LBD brains for gaining more insights into LBD molecular pathology that are essential for facilitating discovery of novel therapeutic targets and biomarkers for LBD. We completed transcript-level quantification of next-generation RNA-sequencing data from post-mortem anterior cingulate (ACC) and dorsolateral prefrontal cortices (DLPFC) of people with pathology-verified LBD (LBD = 14; Controls = 7) using Salmon. We identified differentially expressed transcripts (DET) using edgeR and investigated their functional implications using DAVID. We performed transcriptome-wide alternative splicing analysis using DRIMseq. We identified 74 DET in ACC and 96 DET in DLPFC after Benjamini-Hochberg false discovery rate (FDR) correction (5%). There were 135 and 98 FDR-corrected alternatively spliced genes in ACC and DLPFC of LBD brains, respectively. Identified DET may contribute to LBD pathology by altering DNA repair, apoptosis, neuroplasticity, protein phosphorylation, and regulation of RNA transcription. We confirm widespread alternative splicing and absence of chronic neuroinflammation in LBD brains. Transcript-level differential expression analysis can reveal specific DET that cannot be detected by gene-level expression analyses. Therapeutic and diagnostic biomarker potential of identified DET, especially those from TMEM18, MICB, MPO, and GABRB3, warrant further investigation. Future LBD blood-based biomarker studies should prioritise measuring the identified DET in small extracellular vesicles.
Relative to the numerous studies focused on mammalian schistosomes, fewer include avian schistosomatids particularly in the southern hemisphere. This is changing and current research emerging from the Neotropics shows a remarkable diversity of endemic taxa. To contribute to this effort, nine ducks (Spatula cyanoptera, S.versicolor, Netta peposaca), 12 swans (Cygnus melancoryphus) and 1,400 Physa spp. snails from Chile and Argentina were collected for adults and larval schistosomatids, respectively. Isolated schistosomatids were preserved for morphological and molecular analyses (28S and COI genes). Four different schistosomatid taxa were retrieved from birds: Trichobilharzia sp. in N. peposaca and S. cyanoptera that formed a clade; S.cyanoptera and S. versicolor hosted Trichobilharzia querquedulae; Cygnus melancoryphus hosted the nasal schistosomatid, Nasusbilharzia melancorhypha; and one visceral, Schistosomatidae gen. sp., which formed a clade with furcocercariae from Argentina and Chile from previous work. Of the physid snails, only one from Argentina had schistosomatid furcocercariae that based on molecular analyses grouped with T. querquedulae. This study represents the first description of adult schistosomatids from Chile as well as the elucidation of the life cycles of N.melancorhypha and T. querquedulae in Chile and Neotropics, respectively. Without well-preserved adults, the putative new genus Schistosomatidae gen. sp. could not be described, but its life cycle involves Chilina spp. and C. melancoryphus. Scanning electron microscopy of T. querquedulae revealed additional, undescribed morphological traits, highlighting its diagnostic importance. Authors stress the need for additional surveys of avian schistosomatids from the Neotropics to better understand their evolutionary history.
DSM-5 differentiates avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID) from other eating disorders (EDs) by a lack of overvaluation of body weight/shape driving restrictive eating. However, clinical observations and research demonstrate ARFID and shape/weight motivations sometimes co-occur. To inform classification, we: (1) derived profiles underlying restriction motivation and examined their validity and (2) described diagnostic characterizations of individuals in each profile to explore whether findings support current diagnostic schemes. We expected, consistent with DSM-5, that profiles would comprise individuals endorsing solely ARFID or restraint (i.e. trying to eat less to control shape/weight) motivations.
Methods
We applied latent profile analysis to 202 treatment-seeking individuals (ages 10–79 years [M = 26, s.d. = 14], 76% female) with ARFID or a non-ARFID ED, using the Nine-Item ARFID Screen (Picky, Appetite, and Fear subscales) and the Eating Disorder Examination-Questionnaire Restraint subscale as indicators.
Results
A 5-profile solution emerged: Restraint/ARFID-Mixed (n = 24; 8% [n = 2] with ARFID diagnosis); ARFID-2 (with Picky/Appetite; n = 56; 82% ARFID); ARFID-3 (with Picky/Appetite/Fear; n = 40; 68% ARFID); Restraint (n = 45; 11% ARFID); and Non-Endorsers (n = 37; 2% ARFID). Two profiles comprised individuals endorsing solely ARFID motivations (ARFID-2, ARFID-3) and one comprising solely restraint motivations (Restraint), consistent with DSM-5. However, Restraint/ARFID-Mixed (92% non-ARFID ED diagnoses, comprising 18% of those with non-ARFID ED diagnoses in the full sample) endorsed ARFID and restraint motivations.
Conclusions
The heterogeneous profiles identified suggest ARFID and restraint motivations for dietary restriction may overlap somewhat and that individuals with non-ARFID EDs can also endorse high ARFID symptoms. Future research should clarify diagnostic boundaries between ARFID and non-ARFID EDs.
NASA’s all-sky survey mission, the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS), is specifically engineered to detect exoplanets that transit bright stars. Thus far, TESS has successfully identified approximately 400 transiting exoplanets, in addition to roughly 6 000 candidate exoplanets pending confirmation. In this study, we present the results of our ongoing project, the Validation of Transiting Exoplanets using Statistical Tools (VaTEST). Our dedicated effort is focused on the confirmation and characterisation of new exoplanets through the application of statistical validation tools. Through a combination of ground-based telescope data, high-resolution imaging, and the utilisation of the statistical validation tool known as TRICERATOPS, we have successfully discovered eight potential super-Earths. These planets bear the designations: TOI-238b (1.61$^{+0.09} _{-0.10}$ R$_\oplus$), TOI-771b (1.42$^{+0.11} _{-0.09}$ R$_\oplus$), TOI-871b (1.66$^{+0.11} _{-0.11}$ R$_\oplus$), TOI-1467b (1.83$^{+0.16} _{-0.15}$ R$_\oplus$), TOI-1739b (1.69$^{+0.10} _{-0.08}$ R$_\oplus$), TOI-2068b (1.82$^{+0.16} _{-0.15}$ R$_\oplus$), TOI-4559b (1.42$^{+0.13} _{-0.11}$ R$_\oplus$), and TOI-5799b (1.62$^{+0.19} _{-0.13}$ R$_\oplus$). Among all these planets, six of them fall within the region known as ‘keystone planets’, which makes them particularly interesting for study. Based on the location of TOI-771b and TOI-4559b below the radius valley we characterised them as likely super-Earths, though radial velocity mass measurements for these planets will provide more details about their characterisation. It is noteworthy that planets within the size range investigated herein are absent from our own solar system, making their study crucial for gaining insights into the evolutionary stages between Earth and Neptune.
OBJECTIVES/GOALS: Contingency management (CM) procedures yield measurable reductions in cocaine use. This poster describes a trial aimed at using CM as a vehicle to show the biopsychosocial health benefits of reduced use, rather than total abstinence, the currently accepted metric for treatment efficacy. METHODS/STUDY POPULATION: In this 12-week, randomized controlled trial, CM was used to reduce cocaine use and evaluate associated improvements in cardiovascular, immune, and psychosocial well-being. Adults aged 18 and older who sought treatment for cocaine use (N=127) were randomized into three groups in a 1:1:1 ratio: High Value ($55) or Low Value ($13) CM incentives for cocaine-negative urine samples or a non-contingent control group. They completed outpatient sessions three days per week across the 12-week intervention period, totaling 36 clinic visits and four post-treatment follow-up visits. During each visit, participants provided observed urine samples and completed several assays of biopsychosocial health. RESULTS/ANTICIPATED RESULTS: Preliminary findings from generalized linear mixed effect modeling demonstrate the feasibility of the CM platform. Abstinence rates from cocaine use were significantly greater in the High Value group (47% negative; OR = 2.80; p = 0.01) relative to the Low Value (23% negative) and Control groups (24% negative;). In the planned primary analysis, the level of cocaine use reduction based on cocaine-negative urine samples will serve as the primary predictor of cardiovascular (e.g., endothelin-1 levels), immune (e.g., IL-10 levels) and psychosocial (e.g., Addiction Severity Index) outcomes using results from the fitted models. DISCUSSION/SIGNIFICANCE: This research will advance the field by prospectively and comprehensively demonstrating the beneficial effects of reduced cocaine use. These outcomes can, in turn, support the adoption of reduced cocaine use as a viable alternative endpoint in cocaine treatment trials.
Avian schistosomes are snail-borne trematode parasites (Trichobilharzia spp.) that can cause a nasty skin rash in humans when their cercariae mistake us for their normal bird hosts. We sought to investigate drivers of the spatial distribution of Trichobilharzia cercaria abundance throughout Northern Michigan lakes. For 38 sites on 16 lakes, we assessed several dozen potential environmental predictors that we hypothesized might have direct or indirect effects on overall cercaria abundance, based on known relationships between abiotic and biotic factors in wetland ecosystems. We included variables quantifying local densities of intermediate hosts, temperature, periphyton growth rates, human land use and hydrology. We also measured daily abundance of schistosome cercariae in the water over a 5-week period, supported by community scientists who collected and preserved filtered water samples for qPCR. The strongest predictor of cercaria abundance was Lymnaea host snail density. Lymnaea density was higher in deeper lakes and at sites with more deciduous tree cover, consistent with their association with cool temperature habitats. Contrary to past studies of human schistosomes, we also found a significant negative relationship between cercaria abundance and submerged aquatic vegetation, possibly due to vegetation blocking cercaria movement from offshore snail beds. If future work shows that these effects are indeed causal, then these results suggest possible new approaches to managing swimmer's itch risk in northern MI lakes, such as modifying tree cover and shallow-water vegetation at local sites.
This study describes the local Emergency Medical Services (EMS) response and patient encounters corresponding to the civil unrest occurring over a four-day period in Spring 2020 in Indianapolis, Indiana (USA).
Methods:
This study describes the non-conventional EMS response to civil unrest. The study included patients encountered by EMS in the area of the civil unrest occurring in Indianapolis, Indiana from May 29 through June 1, 2020. The area of civil unrest defined by Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department covered 15 blocks by 12 blocks (roughly 4.0 square miles) and included central Indianapolis. The study analyzed records and collected demographics, scene times, interventions, dispositions, EMS clinician narratives, transport destinations, and hospital course with outcomes from receiving hospitals for patients extracted from the area of civil unrest by EMS.
Results:
Twenty-nine patients were included with ages ranging from two to sixty-eight years. In total, EMS transported 72.4% (21 of 29) of the patients, with the remainder declining transport. Ballistic injuries from gun violence accounted for 10.3% (3 of 29) of injuries. Two additional fatalities from penetrating trauma occurred among patients without EMS contact within and during the civil unrest. Conditions not involving trauma occurred in 37.9% (11 of 29). Among transported patients, 33.3% (7 of 21) were admitted to the hospital and there was one fatality.
Conclusions:
While most EMS transports did not result in hospitalization, it is important to note that the majority of EMS calls did result in a transport. There was a substantial amount of non-traumatic patient encounters. Trauma in many of the encounters was relatively severe, and the findings imply the need for rapid extraction methods from dangerous areas to facilitate timely in-hospital stabilization.
There is increasing recognition of cognitive and pathological heterogeneity in early-stage Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias. Data-driven approaches have demonstrated cognitive heterogeneity in those with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), but few studies have examined this heterogeneity and its association with progression to MCI/dementia in cognitively unimpaired (CU) older adults. We identified cluster-derived subgroups of CU participants based on comprehensive neuropsychological data and compared baseline characteristics and rates of progression to MCI/dementia or a Dementia Rating Scale (DRS) of <129 across subgroups.
Participants and Methods:
A hierarchical cluster analysis was conducted using 11 baseline neuropsychological test scores from 365 CU participants in the UCSD Shiley-Marcos Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center (age M=71.93 years, SD=7.51; 55.9% women; 15.6% Hispanic/Latino/a/x/e). A discriminate function analysis was then conducted to test whether the individual neuropsychological scores predicted cluster-group membership. Cox regressions examined the risk of progression to consensus diagnosis of MCI or dementia, or to DRS score <129, by cluster group.
Results:
Cluster analysis identified 5 groups: All-Average (n=139), Low-Visuospatial (n=46), Low-Executive (n=51), Low-Memory/Language (n=83), and Low-All Domains (n=46). The discriminant function analysis using the neuropsychological measures to predict group membership into these 5 clusters correctly classified 85.2% of the participants. Subgroups had unique demographic and clinical characteristics. Relative to the All-Average group, the Low-Visuospatial (hazard ratio [HR] 2.39, 95% CI [1.03, 5.56], p=.044), Low-Memory/Language (HR 4.37, 95% CI [2.24, 8.51], p<.001), and Low-All Domains (HR 7.21, 95% CI [3.59, 14.48], p<.001) groups had greater risk of progression to MCI/dementia. The Low-Executive group was also twice as likely to progress to MCI/dementia compared to the AllAverage group, but did not statistically differ (HR 2.03, 95% CI [0.88,4.70], p=.096). A similar pattern of results was found for progression to DRS score <129, with the Low-Executive (HR 2.82, 95% CI [1.26, 6.29], p=.012), Low-Memory/Language (HR 3.70, 95% CI [1.80, 7.56], p<.001) and Low-All Domains (HR 5.79, 95% CI [2.74, 12.27], p<.001) groups at greater risk of progression to a DRS score <129 than the All-Average group. The Low-Visuospatial group was also twice as likely to progress to DRS <129 compared to the All-Average group, but did not statistically differ (HR 2.02, 95% CI [0.80, 5.06], p=.135).
Conclusions:
Our results add to a growing literature documenting heterogeneity in the earliest cognitive and pathological presentations associated with Alzheimer’s disease and related disorders. Participants with subtle memory/language, executive, and visuospatial weaknesses all declined at faster rates than the All-Average group, suggesting that there are multiple pathways and/or unique subtle cognitive decline profiles that ultimately lead to a diagnosis of MCI/dementia. These results have important implications for early identification of individuals at risk for MCI/dementia. Given that the same classification approach may not be optimal for everyone, determining profiles of subtle cognitive difficulties in CU individuals and implementing neuropsychological test batteries that assess multiple cognitive domains may be a key step towards an individualized approach to early detection and fewer missed opportunities for early intervention.
To describe cognitive impairment in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) survivors, with the hypothesis that OHCA survivors would perform significantly worse on neuropsychological tests of cognition than controls with acute myocardial infarction (MI). Another aim was to investigate the relationship between cognitive performance and the associated factors of emotional problems, fatigue, insomnia, and cardiovascular risk factors following OHCA.
Participants and Methods:
This was a prospective case control sub-study of The Targeted Hypothermia versus Targeted Normothermia after Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest (TTM2) trial. Eight of 61 TTM2-sites in Sweden, Denmark, and the United Kingdom included adults with OHCA of presumed cardiac or unknown cause. A matched non-arrest control group with acute MI was recruited. We administered an extensive neuropsychological assessment at approximately 7 months post-cardiac event, including a neuropsychological test battery and questionnaires on anxiety, depression, fatigue, and insomnia, and collected information on the cardiovascular risk factors hypertension and diabetes. Z-scores of individual tests were converted to neuropsychological composite scores per cognitive domain (verbal, visual/constructive, working memory, episodic memory, processing speed, executive functions). Between-group differences on the neuropsychological composite scores were investigated with linear regression. Associations between anxiety, depression, fatigue, insomnia, hypertension, diabetes, and the neuropsychological composite scores among OHCA survivors were calculated with Spearman’s rho.
Results:
Of 184 eligible OHCA survivors, 108 were included (mean age = 62, 88% male), with 92 MI controls enrolled (mean age = 64, 89% male). Amongst OHCA survivors, 29% performed z <-1 indicating at least borderline-mild impairment in >2 cognitive domains, and 14% performed z <-2 exhibiting major impairment in >1 cognitive domain. OHCA survivors performed significantly worse than MI controls in episodic memory (mean difference, MD = -0.37, 95% confidence intervals [-0.61, -0.12]), verbal (MD = -0.34 [-0.62, -0.07]), and visual/constructive functions (MD = -0.26 [-0.47, -0.04]) on linear regressions adjusted for educational attainment and sex. When additionally adjusting for anxiety, depression, fatigue, insomnia, hypertension, and diabetes, processing speed (MD = -0.41 [-0.74, -0.09]) and executive functions (MD = -0.69 [-1.13, -0.24]) were also worse following OHCA. Depressive symptoms were associated with worse executive functions (rs = -0.37, p <0.001) and worse processing speed (rs = -0.27, p = 0.01) post-OHCA. Anxiety symptoms (rs = -0.21, p = 0.01) and general fatigue (rs = -0.24, p = 0.01) were associated with worse executive functions. Diabetes was associated with worse processing speed (rs = -0.20, p = 0.03), visual/constructive (rs = -0.29, p <0.001) and executive functions (rs = -0.25, p = 0.02), while hypertension and insomnia were not significantly associated with neuropsychological test performance.
Conclusions:
Cognitive impairment is generally mild following OHCA, but most pronounced in episodic memory, executive functions, and processing speed. OHCA survivors performed worse than MI controls. We suggest that a post-OHCA follow-up service should screen for cognitive impairment, emotional problems, and fatigue.
Prior work on associations between self-reported cognition and objective cognitive performance in Veterans has yielded mixed findings, with some evidence indicating that mild traumatic brain injury (TBI) may not impact the associations between subjective and objective cognition. However, few studies have examined these relationships in both mild and moderate-to-severe TBI, in older Veterans, and within specific cognitive domains. Therefore, we assessed the moderating effect of TBI severity on subjective and objective cognition across multiple cognitive domains.
Participants and Methods:
This study included 246 predominately male Vietnam-Era Veterans (age M=69.61, SD=4.18, Range = 60.87 – 85.16) who completed neuropsychological testing and symptom questionnaires as part of the Department of Defense-Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (DoD-ADNI). Participants were classified as having history of no TBI (n=81), mild TBI (n=80), or moderate-tosevere TBI (n=85). Neuropsychological composite scores in the domains of memory, attention/executive functioning, and language were included as the outcome variables. The Everyday Cognition (ECog) measure was used to capture subjective cognition and, specifically, the ECog domain scores of memory, divided attention, and language were chosen as independent variables to mirror the objective cognitive domains. General linear models, adjusting for age, education, apolipoprotein E ε4 carrier status, pulse pressure, depressive symptom severity, and PTSD symptom severity, tested whether TBI severity moderated the associations of domain-specific subjective and objective cognition.
Results:
Across the sample, subjective memory was associated with objective memory (β=-.205, 95% CI [-.332, -.078], p=.002) and subjective language was associated with objective language (β=-.267, 95% CI [-.399, -.134], p<.001). However, the main effect of subjective divided attention was not associated with objective attention/executive functioning (p=.124). The main effect of TBI severity was not associated with any of the objective cognitive domain scores after adjusting for the other variables in the model. The TBI severity x subjective cognition interaction was significant for attention/executive functioning [F(2,234)=5.18, p=.006]. Specifically, relative to Veterans without a TBI, participants with mild TBI (β=-.311, 95% CI [-.620, -.002], p=.048) and moderate-to-severe TBI (β=-.499, 95% CI [-.806, -.193], p=.002) showed stronger negative associations between subjective divided attention and objective attention/executive functioning. TBI severity did not moderate the associations between subjective and objective cognition for memory or language domains. The pattern of results did not change when the total number of TBIs was included in the models.
Conclusions:
In this DoD-ADNI sample, stronger associations between subjective and objective attention were evident among individuals with mild and moderate-to-severe TBI compared to Veterans without a TBI history. Attention/executive functioning measures (Trails A and B) may be particularly sensitive to detecting subtle cognitive difficulties related to TBI and/or comorbid psychiatric symptoms, which may contribute to these attention-specific findings. The strongest associations were among those with moderate-to-severe TBI, potentially because the extent to which their attention difficulties are affecting their daily lives are more apparent despite no significant differences in objective attention performance by TBI group. This study highlights the importance of assessing both subjective and objective cognition in older Veterans and the particular relevance of the attention domain within the context of TBI.
Hippocampal pathology is a consistent feature in persons with temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) and a strong biomarker of memory impairment. Histopathological studies have identified selective patterns of cell loss across hippocampal subfields in TLE, the most common being cellular loss in the cornu ammonis 1 (CA1) and dentage gyrus (DG). Structural neuroimaging provides a non-invasive method to understand hippocampal pathology, but traditionally only at a whole-hippocampal level. However, recent methodological advances have enabled the non-invasive quantification of subfield pathology in patients, enabling potential integration into clinical workflow. In this study, we characterize patterns of hippocampal subfield atrophy in patients with TLE and examine the associations between subfield atrophy and clinical characteristics.
Participants and Methods:
High-resolution T2 and T1-weighted MRI were collected from 31 participants (14 left TLE; 6 right TLE; 11 healthy controls [HC], aged 18-61 years). Reconstructions of hippocampal subfields and estimates of their volumes were derived using the Automated Segmentation of Hippocampal Subfields (ASHS) pipeline. Total hippocampal volume was calculated by combining estimates of the subfields CA1-3, DG, and subiculum. To control for variations in head size, all volume estimates were divided by estimates of total brain volume. To assess disease effects on hippocampal atrophy, hippocampi were recoded as either ipsilateral or contralateral to the side of seizure focus. Two sample t-tests at a whole-hippocampus level were used to test for ipsilateral and contralateral volume loss in patients relative to HC. To assess whether we replicated the selective histopathological patterns of subfield atrophy, we carried out mixed-effects ANOVA, coding for an interaction between diagnostic group and hippocampal subfield. Finally, to assess effects of disease load, non-parametric correlations were performed between subfield volume and age of first seizure and duration of illness.
Results:
Patients had significantly smaller total ipsilateral hippocampal volume compared with HC (d=1.23, p<.005). Contralateral hippocampus did not significantly differ between TLE and HC. Examining individual subfields for the ipsilateral hemisphere revealed significant main-effects for group (F(1, 29)=8.2, p<0.01), subfields (F(4, 115)=550.5, p<0.005), and their interaction (F(4, 115)=8.1, p<0.001). Post-hoc tests revealed that TLE had significantly smaller volume in the ipsilateral CA1 (d=-2.0, p<0.001) and DG (d = -1.4, p<0.005). Longer duration of illness was associated with smaller volume of ipsilateral CA2 (p=-0.492, p<0.05) and larger volume of contralateral whole-hippocampus (p=0.689, p<0.001), CA1 (p=0.614, p < 0.005), and DG (p=0.450, p<0.05).
Conclusions:
Histopathological characterization after surgery has revealed important associations between hippocampal subfield cell loss and memory impairments in patients with TLE. Here we demonstrate that non-invasive neuroimaging can detect a pattern of subfield atrophy in TLE (i.e., CA1/DG) that matches the most common form of histopathologically-observed hippocampal sclerosis in TLE (HS Type 1) and has been linked directly to both verbal and visuospatial memory impairment. Finally, we found evidence that longer disease duration is associated with larger contralateral hippocampal volume, driven by increases in CA1 and DG. This may reflect subfield-specific functional reorganization to the unaffected brain tissue, a compensatory effect which may have important implications for patient function and successful treatment outcomes.
We identify a set of essential recent advances in climate change research with high policy relevance, across natural and social sciences: (1) looming inevitability and implications of overshooting the 1.5°C warming limit, (2) urgent need for a rapid and managed fossil fuel phase-out, (3) challenges for scaling carbon dioxide removal, (4) uncertainties regarding the future contribution of natural carbon sinks, (5) intertwinedness of the crises of biodiversity loss and climate change, (6) compound events, (7) mountain glacier loss, (8) human immobility in the face of climate risks, (9) adaptation justice, and (10) just transitions in food systems.
Technical summary
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Assessment Reports provides the scientific foundation for international climate negotiations and constitutes an unmatched resource for researchers. However, the assessment cycles take multiple years. As a contribution to cross- and interdisciplinary understanding of climate change across diverse research communities, we have streamlined an annual process to identify and synthesize significant research advances. We collected input from experts on various fields using an online questionnaire and prioritized a set of 10 key research insights with high policy relevance. This year, we focus on: (1) the looming overshoot of the 1.5°C warming limit, (2) the urgency of fossil fuel phase-out, (3) challenges to scale-up carbon dioxide removal, (4) uncertainties regarding future natural carbon sinks, (5) the need for joint governance of biodiversity loss and climate change, (6) advances in understanding compound events, (7) accelerated mountain glacier loss, (8) human immobility amidst climate risks, (9) adaptation justice, and (10) just transitions in food systems. We present a succinct account of these insights, reflect on their policy implications, and offer an integrated set of policy-relevant messages. This science synthesis and science communication effort is also the basis for a policy report contributing to elevate climate science every year in time for the United Nations Climate Change Conference.
Social media summary
We highlight recent and policy-relevant advances in climate change research – with input from more than 200 experts.
Protected areas worldwide are impacted by human activities within their boundaries. Despite having the highest level of protection in the US, wilderness areas are still vulnerable to ecological impacts. We compiled population, population growth rate, median travel time, wilderness size, wilderness proximity, relative accessibility, trail density and an amenity index to generate a Day-Use Vulnerability Index (DUVI) for 722 wilderness areas in the continuous US (CONUS). Using DUVI, we found that the Mount Timpanogos wilderness area in Utah, the Glacier View wilderness area in Washington, the J.N. Ding Darling wilderness area in Florida, the Philip Burton wilderness area in California and the Birkhead Mountains wilderness area in North Carolina were most likely to have ecological impacts from high day-use. Our findings provide a system for evaluating daily use of wilderness areas that could be paired with visitor counts in the future to improve predictions. Growing human populations and recreation are worldwide issues, suggesting that this framework could also be of interest to stakeholders outside the CONUS.
The ability to extinguish a maladaptive conditioned fear response is crucial for healthy emotional processing and resiliency to aversive experiences. Therefore, enhancing fear extinction learning has immense potential emotional and health benefits. Mindfulness training enhances both fear conditioning and recall of extinguished fear; however, its effects on fear extinction learning are unknown. Here we investigated the impact of mindfulness training on brain mechanisms associated with fear-extinction learning, compared to an exercise-based program.
Methods
We investigated BOLD activations in response to a previously learned fear-inducing cue during an extinction paradigm, before and after an 8-week mindfulness-based stress reduction program (MBSR, n = 49) or exercise-based stress management education program (n = 27).
Results
The groups exhibited similar reductions in stress, but the MBSR group was uniquely associated with enhanced activation of salience network nodes and increased hippocampal engagement.
Conclusions
Our results suggest that mindfulness training increases attention to anticipatory aversive stimuli, which in turn facilitates decreased aversive subjective responses and enhanced reappraisal of the memory.
The social networks surrounding intimate couples provide them with bonding and bridging social capital and have been theorized to be associated with their well-being and relationship quality. These networks are multidimensional, featuring compositional (e.g., the proportion of family members vs. friends) and structural characteristics (e.g., density, degree of overlap between spouses’ networks). Most previous studies of couple networks are based on partners’ global ratings of their network characteristics or network data collected from one member of the dyad. This study presents the analysis of “duocentric networks" or the combined personal networks of both members of a couple, collected from 207 mixed-sex newlywed couples living in low-income neighborhoods of Harris County, TX. We conducted a pattern-centric analysis of compositional and structural features to identify distinct types of couple networks. We identified five qualitatively distinct network types (wife family-focused, husband family-focused, shared friends, wife friend-focused, and extremely disconnected). Couples’ network types were associated with the quality of the relationships between couples and their network contacts (e.g., emotional support) but not with the quality of the couples’ relationship with each other. We argue that duocentric networks provide appropriate data for measuring bonding and bridging capital in couple networks.
We present new data from the debris-rich basal ice layers of the NEEM ice core (NW Greenland). Using mineralogical observations, SEM imagery, geochemical data from silicates (meteoric 10Be, εNd, 87Sr/86Sr) and organic material (C/N, δ13C), we characterize the source material, succession of previous glaciations and deglaciations and the paleoecological conditions during ice-free episodes. Meteoric 10Be data and grain features indicate that the ice sheet interacted with paleosols and eroded fresh bedrock, leading to mixing in these debris-rich ice layers. Our analysis also identifies four successive stages in NW Greenland: (1) initial preglacial conditions, (2) glacial advance 1, (3) glacial retreat and interglacial conditions and (4) glacial advance 2 (current ice-sheet development). C/N and δ13C data suggest that deglacial environments favored the development of tundra and taiga ecosystems. These two successive glacial fluctuations observed at NEEM are consistent with those identified from the Camp Century core basal sediments over the last 3 Ma. Further inland, GRIP and GISP2 summit sites have remained glaciated more continuously than the western margin, with less intense ice-substratum interactions than those observed at NEEM.