Objective: This article outlines the evaluation model for the Cooking with Confidence (CWC) program, developed using Bandura's Social Learning Theory as its conceptual framework. The evaluation aimed to: (1) Examine participant characteristics in the CWC program, (2) Assess changes in cooking knowledge, skill acquisition, self-efficacy, and confidence, and (3) Identify barriers and facilitators to participant engagement. CWC is a community-based educational program designed to help autistic young adults develop independent living skills and promote health through hands-on cooking classes.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFTestosterone, an essential sex steroid hormone, influences brain health by impacting neurophysiology and neuropathology throughout the lifespan in both genders. However, human research in this area is limited, particularly in women. This study examines the associations between testosterone levels, gray matter volume (GMV) and cerebral blood flow (CBF) in midlife individuals at risk for Alzheimer's disease (AD), according to sex and menopausal status.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe objective of this study was to identify utilization of housing support provided by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) among autistic people in the U.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSingle-crystalline nanoparticles play an increasingly important role in a wide variety of fields including pharmaceuticals, advanced materials, catalysts for fuel cells, energy materials, as well as environmental detection and monitoring. Yet, the deformation mechanisms of very small nanoparticles are still poorly understood, in particular the role played by single dislocations and their interaction with surfaces. In this work, silver nanoparticles with particularly small dimensions (≈20 nanometers in diameter) are compressed in situ in an aberration-corrected transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: The autistic population is rapidly increasing; meanwhile, autistic adults face disproportionate risks for adverse COVID-19 outcomes. Limited research indicates that autistic individuals have been accepting of initial vaccination, but research has yet to document this population's perceptions and acceptance of COVID-19 boosters.
Objective: This study aims to identify person-level and community characteristics associated with COVID-19 vaccination and booster acceptance among autistic adults, along with self-reported reasons for their stated preferences.
Purpose: Many individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) experience challenges with facial emotion recognition (FER), which may exacerbate social difficulties in ASD. Few studies have examined whether FER can be experimentally manipulated and improved for autistic people. This study utilized a randomized controlled trial design to examine acceptability and preliminary clinical impact of a novel mixed reality-based neurofeedback program, FER Assistant, using EEG brain computer interface (BCI)-assisted technology to improve FER for autistic adolescents and adults.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF17β-estradiol, the most biologically active estrogen, exerts wide-ranging effects in brain through its action on estrogen receptors (ERs), influencing higher-order cognitive function and neurobiological aging. However, our knowledge of ER expression and regulation by neuroendocrine aging in the living human brain is limited. This in vivo brain F-fluoroestradiol (F-FES) Positron Emission Tomography (PET) study of healthy midlife women reveals progressively higher ER density over the menopause transition in estrogen-regulated networks.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFFront Endocrinol (Lausanne)
March 2024
Introduction: Despite evidence from preclinical studies suggesting estrogen's neuroprotective effects, the use of menopausal hormone therapy (MHT) to support cognitive function remains controversial.
Methods: We used random-effect meta-analysis and multi-level meta-regression to derive pooled standardized mean difference (SMD) and 95% confidence intervals (C.I.
Purpose: To review our 10-year experience with laser excision for urethral mesh erosion (UME) of mid-urethral slings (MUS).
Methods: Following Institutional Review Board approval, the charts of female patients with endoscopic laser excision of UME were retrospectively reviewed. Demographics, clinical presentation, surgical history, pre- and post-operative Urinary Distress Inventory-6 scores and quality of life ratings, operative reports, and outcomes were obtained from electronic medical records.
Objective: To report a series of women with antibiotic-recalcitrant recurrent urinary tract infections (rUTI) managed with robotic simple cystectomy and ileal conduit urinary diversion.
Methods: Following Institutional Review Board approval, all female patients who underwent robotic cystectomy for rUTI between 2011 and 2021 were identified from a prospectively-maintained internal database at a tertiary care center. Exclusion criteria included interstitial cystitis, neurogenic bladder, urinary tract neoplasm, or congenital abnormality.
Cardiac electrophysiology mapping and ablation are widely used to treat heart rhythm disorders such as atrial fibrillation (AF) and ventricular tachycardia (VT). Here, we describe an approach for rapid production of three dimensional (3D)-printed mapping devices derived from magnetic resonance imaging. The mapping devices are equipped with flexible electronic arrays that are shaped to match the epicardial contours of the atria and ventricle and allow for epicardial electrical mapping procedures.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: Despite a large preclinical literature demonstrating neuroprotective effects of estrogen, use of menopausal hormone therapy (HT) for Alzheimer's disease (AD) risk reduction has been controversial. Herein, we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of HT effects on AD and dementia risk.
Methods: Our systematic search yielded 6 RCT reports (21,065 treated and 20,997 placebo participants) and 45 observational reports (768,866 patient cases and 5.
A new genus of the braconid subfamily Cardiochilinae, , is described and illustrated based on three new species: Kang, type species (type locality: Chiang Mai, Thailand), Ghafouri Moghaddam, Quicke & Butcher, (type locality: Saraburi, Thailand), and Kang, (type locality: Dalin, Taiwan). We provide morphological diagnostic characters to separate the new genus from other cardiochiline genera. A modified key couplet (couplet 5) and a new key couplet (couplet 16) are provided with detailed images for Dangerfield's key to the world cardiochiline genera to facilitate recognition of
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: Over 350 000 sacral neuromodulation (SNM) devices have been implanted since approval by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 1998. SNM technology and clinical applications have evolved, with minimal safety updates after initial trials. We aim to provide an updated overview of real-world SNM safety.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Cardiothorac Vasc Anesth
December 2023
Objective: To identify risk factors and develop a pretest scoring system to differentiate patients with heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT) in the mechanical circulatory support (MCS) population. The authors present a modified "4T" scoring system, which considers the "type of mechanical circulatory support" that may help identify patients at risk for developing postoperative HIT.
Design: A retrospective cohort study.
Many lines of evidence suggest that mitochondria have a central role in aging-related neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease (AD). Mitochondrial dysfunction, cerebral energy dysmetabolism and oxidative damage increase with age, and are early event in AD pathophysiology and may precede amyloid beta (Aβ) plaques. probes of mitochondrial function and energy metabolism are therefore crucial to characterize the bioenergetic abnormalities underlying AD risk, and their relationship to pathophysiology and cognition.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFUtilizing a novel computerized task, we aimed to examine whether social anxiety symptoms would be related to individual differences in facial emotion recognition (FER) in a sample of autistic male adolescents and young adults without intellectual disability. Results indicated that social anxiety and IQ predicted poorer FER, irrespective of specific emotion type. When probing specific effects within emotion and condition types, social anxiety impacted surprise and disgust FER during a truncated viewing condition and not full viewing condition.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: Social anxiety disorder (SAD) has been characterized by deficits in social motivation and lack of reactivity to pleasurable stimuli (i.e., positive affect; [PA]).
View Article and Find Full Text PDF17β-estradiol,the most biologically active estrogen, exerts wide-ranging effects in brain through its action on estrogen receptors (ERs), influencing higher-order cognitive function and neurobiological aging. However, our knowledge of ER expression and regulation by neuroendocrine aging in the living human brain is limited. This multi-modality neuroimaging study of healthy midlife women reveals progressively higher ER density over the menopause transition in estrogen-regulated networks.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe present study followed-up adolescents with social anxiety disorder (SAD) during the COVID-19 pandemic, approximately 5-years following their participation in an Attention Bias Modification Training (ABMT) program (Ollendick et al., 2019). The current study aimed to evaluate current functioning and quality of life (QoL) during the emerging adulthood period.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAge, female sex, and APOE epsilon 4 (APOE4) genotype are the three greatest risk factors for late-onset Alzheimer's disease (AD). The convergence of these risks creates a hypometabolic AD-risk profile unique to women, which may help explain their higher lifetime risk of AD. Less is known about APOE4 effects in men, although APOE4 positive men also experience an increased AD risk.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: Analyze changes in frequency activity and structural organization that occur over time with persistent atrial fibrillation (AF).
Background: Little is known about the frequency characteristics of the epicardium during transition from paroxysmal to persistent AF. Accurate identification of areas of high dominant frequency (DF) is often hampered by limited spatial resolution.
Introduction: In preclinical studies, menopausal elevations in pituitary gonadotropins, follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH), trigger Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathology and synaptic loss in female animals. Herein, we took a translational approach to test whether gonadotropin elevations are linked to AD pathophysiology in women.
Methods: We examined 191 women ages 40-65 years, carrying risk factors for late-onset AD, including 45 premenopausal, 67 perimenopausal, and 79 postmenopausal participants with clinical, laboratory, cognitive exams, and volumetric MRI scans.