The PAC1 receptor risk genotype does not influence fear acquisition, extinction, or generalization in women with no trauma/low trauma.

Women are known to have twice as much lifetime prevalence of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as men do. It has been reported that the risk genotype (CC) of a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) (rs2267735) in the pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide (PACAP-PAC1R) system is associated with PTSD risk and altered fear conditioning and fear extinction in women. Surprisingly, no previous work has studied the effect of this SNP on fear conditioning, extinction, or generalization in non-traumatized/low trauma load women.

Collaborative Outcomes Study on Health and Functioning During Infection Times (COH-FIT): Global and Risk-Group Stratified Course of Well-Being and Mental Health During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Adolescents.

Objective: To identify the COVID-19 pandemic impact on well-being/mental health, coping strategies, and risk factors in adolescents worldwide.

Method: This study was based on an anonymous online multi-national/multi-language survey in the general population (representative/weighted non-representative samples, 14-17 years of age), measuring change in well-being (World Health Organization-Five Well-Being Index [WHO-5]/range = 0-100) and psychopathology (validated composite P-score/range = 0-100), WHO-5 <50 and <29, pre- vs during COVID-19 pandemic (April 26, 2020-June 26, 2022). Coping strategies and 9 a priori- defined individual/cumulative risk factors were measured.

Atlas of Gray Matter Volume Differences Across Psychiatric Conditions: A Systematic Review With a Novel Meta-Analysis That Considers Co-Occurring Disorders.

Background: Regional gray matter volume (GMV) differences between individuals with mental disorders and comparison participants may be confounded by co-occurring disorders. To disentangle disorder-specific GMV correlates, we conducted a large-scale multidisorder meta-analysis using a novel approach that explicitly models co-occurring disorders.

Methods: We systematically reviewed voxel-based morphometry studies indexed in PubMed and Scopus up to January 2023 that compared adults with major mental disorders (anorexia nervosa, schizophrenia spectrum, anxiety, bipolar, major depressive, obsessive-compulsive, and posttraumatic stress disorders plus attention-deficit/hyperactivity, autism spectrum, and borderline personality disorders) with comparison participants.

Clinical utility of lung ultrasound for the detection of interstitial lung disease in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

Objective: To establish the diagnostic value of lung ultrasound (LUS) in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) for the detection of interstitial lung disease (ILD).

Methods: A cross-sectional study was performed. Consecutive patients with RA (American College of Rheumatology/European League Against Rheumatism 2010 criteria) who had a chest high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) performed within 12 months before inclusion, regardless of symptomatology, were included.

BTN2A1 targeting reprograms M2-like macrophages and TAMs via SYK and MAPK signaling.

Tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs), often adopting an immunosuppressive M2-like phenotype, correlate with unfavorable cancer outcomes. Our investigation unveiled elevated expression of the butyrophilin (BTN)2A1 in M2-like TAMs across diverse cancer types. We developed anti-BTN2A1 monoclonal antibodies (mAbs), and notably, one clone demonstrated a robust inhibitory effect on M2-like macrophage differentiation, inducing a shift toward an M1-like phenotype both in vitro and ex vivo in TAMs from patients with cancer.

Coping behaviors to reduce anxiety and depressive symptoms: A prospective repeated assessment study.

Introduction: Health institutions provide general recommendations to cope with global crises such as pandemics or geopolitical tensions. However, these recommendations are mainly based on cross-sectional evidence. The preregistered Repeated Assessment of Behaviors and Symptoms in the Population (RABSYPO) study sought to establish prospective longitudinal evidence from a cohort with a demographic distribution similar to that of the Spanish population to provide evidence for developing solid universal recommendations to reduce anxiety and depressive symptoms during times of uncertainty.

Uncovering the correlation between neurotransmitter-specific functional connectivity and multidimensional anxiety in a non-clinical cohort.

Research on anxiety faces challenges due to the wide range of symptoms, making it difficult to determine if different aspects of anxiety are linked to distinct neurobiological processes. Both alterations in functional brain connectivity (FC) and monoaminergic neurotransmitter systems are implicated as potential neural bases of anxiety. We aimed to investigate whole-brain FC involving monoaminergic nuclei and its association with anxiety dimensions in 178 non-clinical participants.

Sex differences in neural projections of fear memory processing in mice and humans.

It remains unexplored in the field of fear memory whether functional neuronal connectivity between two brain areas is necessary for one sex but not the other. Here, we show that chemogenetic silencing of centromedial (CeM)- fibers in the lateral posterior BNST (BNSTpl) decreased fear memory consolidation in male mice but not females. Optogenetic excitation of CeM- fibers in the BNSTpl exhibited enhanced inhibitory postsynaptic currents in males compared to females.

'Nip it in the bud': Low-frequency rTMS of the prefrontal cortex disrupts threat memory consolidation in humans.

It is still unclear how the human brain consolidates aversive (e.g., traumatic) memories and whether this process can be disrupted.

Family accommodation in obsessive-compulsive disorder: An updated systematic review and meta-analysis.

Family accommodation might play a crucial role in obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Previous systematic reviews on family accommodation in OCD have focused on specific populations or variables or are outdated. We conducted a preregistered systematic review and meta-analysis on family accommodation in adults, children, and adolescents with OCD (CRD42021264461).

Assessing the environmental impacts of three different types of accommodations in Portugal and Spain by using an LCA approach.

The tourism industry, affected by COVID-19, must reduce greenhouse gas emissions. This study evaluated the environmental impact of three hotels in coastal and mountainous regions of Spain and Portugal using Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). Data was gathered via surveys in the Greentour tool.

Clinical Characteristics and Microorganisms Isolated in Community-Acquired Pneumonia in the COVID-19 Period.

Introduction: Community-acquired pneumonia is a leading cause of mortality and hospital admissions. The aetiology remains unknown in 30-65% of the cases. Molecular tests are available for multiple pathogen detection and are under research to improve the causal diagnosis.

Trait anxiety is associated with attentional brain networks.

Trait anxiety is a well-established risk factor for anxiety and depressive disorders, yet its neural correlates are not clearly understood. In this study, we investigated the neural correlates of trait anxiety in a large sample (n = 179) of individuals who completed the trait and state versions of the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory and underwent resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging. We used independent component analysis to characterize individual resting-state networks (RSNs), and multiple regression analyses to assess the relationship between trait anxiety and intrinsic connectivity.

Circularity of new composites from recycled high density polyethylene and leather waste for automotive bumpers. Testing performance and environmental impact.

New composite materials (suitable for automotive bumpers), composed of recycled high-density polyethylene (rHDPE) and leather buffing dust waste (BF) ranging from 20 to 50 wt%, were produced and investigated for mechanical properties. Optimal mechanical performance was achieved with composites containing 30 % wt BF. The environmental performance of automotive bumper production from both virgin and recycled HDPE reinforced with 30 % wt BF (HDPE-BF, rHDPE-BF) composites was compared to that of conventional polypropylene (PP) by performing a cradle to gate life cycle assessment.

'Small-scale' tourism versus traditional tourism: Which will be the new key to achieve the desired sustainable tourism?

The tourism sector after COVID-19 has raised different concerns that have lead to a development towards a more sustainable model of tourism. After the health crisis, the increase in environmental awareness of tourists has become evident. In this context, the great paradigm of 'small-scale' tourism has been developed as opposed to traditional tourism.

Antidepressants overuse in primary care: Prescription trends between 2010 and 2019 in Catalonia.

Introduction: There has been an increase in the prescription of antidepressants (AD) in primary care (PC). However, it is unclear whether this was explained by a rise in diagnoses with an indication for AD. We investigated the changes in frequency and the variables associated with AD prescription in Catalonia, Spain.

Introduction to the special issue on the Neurobiology of Human Fear and Anxiety.

Pathological fear and anxiety are a leading cause of human misery and morbidity, afflicting millions of individuals worldwide. Yet existing treatments are inconsistently effective or associated with significant adverse effects, underscoring the urgency of developing a more complete understanding of the neural systems governing fear and anxiety in humans. This emphasis reflects the fact that fear and anxiety disorders are defined and diagnosed based on subjective symptoms, and human studies are essential for understanding the neural mechanisms that underlie the experience of fear and anxiety.

The nature and neurobiology of fear and anxiety: State of the science and opportunities for accelerating discovery.

Fear and anxiety play a central role in mammalian life, and there is considerable interest in clarifying their nature, identifying their biological underpinnings, and determining their consequences for health and disease. Here we provide a roundtable discussion on the nature and biological bases of fear- and anxiety-related states, traits, and disorders. The discussants include scientists familiar with a wide variety of populations and a broad spectrum of techniques.

Consensus design of a calibration experiment for human fear conditioning.

Fear conditioning is a widely used laboratory model to investigate learning, memory, and psychopathology across species. The quantification of learning in this paradigm is heterogeneous in humans and psychometric properties of different quantification methods can be difficult to establish. To overcome this obstacle, calibration is a standard metrological procedure in which well-defined values of a latent variable are generated in an established experimental paradigm.

Common neural correlates of vestibular stimulation and fear learning: an fMRI meta-analysis.

Background: A bidirectional functional link between vestibular and fear-related disorders has been previously suggested.

Objective: To test a potential overlap of vestibular and fear systems with regard to their brain imaging representation maps.

Methods: By use of voxel-based mapping permutation of subject images, we conducted a meta-analysis of earlier functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies applying vestibular stimulation and fear conditioning in healthy volunteers.

Validation of the Collaborative Outcomes study on Health and Functioning during Infection Times (COH-FIT) questionnaire for adults.

Background: The Collaborative Outcome study on Health and Functioning during Infection Times (COH-FIT; www.coh-fit.com) is an anonymous and global online survey measuring health and functioning during the COVID-19 pandemic.