Promotion of Cardiovascular Health in Africa: The Alliance for Medical Research in Africa (AMedRA) Expert Panel.

This proposed scientific statement is focused on providing new insights regarding challenges and opportunities for cardiovascular health (CVH) promotion in Africa. The statement includes an overview of the current state of CVH in Africa, with a particular interest in the cardiometabolic risk factors and their evaluation through metrics. The statement also explains the main principles of primordial prevention, its relevance in reducing noncommunicable disease and the different strategies that have been effective worldwide.

Heart Rate Variability, Hypnosis, and Psychotherapy.

Hypnotherapy is increasingly recognized as an effective treatment option for a wide range of psychological conditions and the psychological elements of physiologic health concerns. Despite its growing use, the mechanisms underlying hypnotherapy's therapeutic benefits remain unknown. Heart rate variability (HRV), a non-invasive biomarker of autonomic nervous system (ANS) activity and other processes relevant to the psychophysiological stress response, has been used to study the physiological effects of hypnosis.

Association of Modifiable Lifestyle Risk Factors with High-Sensitivity Troponin T and I Concentrations and Clinical Outcomes.

Aims: We aimed to investigate the association between the burden of modifiable lifestyle risk factors (modLRF) with high-sensitivity cardiac troponins T and I (hsTnT/I) and clinical outcomes in a contemporary cohort.

Methods: Patients undergoing coronary angiography with available hsTnT/I concentrations and information about modLRF were included in the current single-centre study. The modLRF investigated were overweight, lack of physical activity, poor adherence to a Mediterranean diet and current smoking.

Inflammation as a Potential Mechanism Contributing to Sexual Functioning Following Initiation of Gender-Affirming Hormone Therapy.

Purpose Of Review: Many transgender and gender non-conforming (TGNC) people seek gender-affirming hormone therapy (GAHT). While GAHT is generally safe and increases well-being, it is essential to accurately understand potential unintended effects and risk factors to better inform and manage treatment. This narrative review covers recent literature documenting changes in sexual function following the initiation of GAHT and explores inflammation as a potential mediator of these changes.

Examining systemic inflammation as a pathway linking peer victimization to depressive symptoms in adolescence.

Background: Adolescents exposed to victimization are at an increased risk for a variety of adverse mental health outcomes, including depressive symptoms. Yet, the biological pathways underlying these associations remain poorly understood. Focusing on within-person processes, we examined whether low-grade systemic inflammation mediated the longitudinal associations between peer victimization and depressive symptoms in adolescence.

Effects of Gepirone-ER on Sexual Function in Patients With Major Depressive Disorder.

To describe effects of gepirone extended-release (ER), an azapirone, on sexual function in patients receiving treatment for major depressive disorder (MDD). Sexual function was assessed in 1,767 patients (67% women) across five Phase 3 randomized controlled clinical trials comparing gepirone-ER against placebo or active treatment with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) for treatment of MDD. All five trials assessed sexual functioning in the short term (8 weeks), with three including long-term extensions of 16, 20, or 44 weeks.

Sex differences in lipidomic and bile acid plasma profiles in patients with and without coronary artery disease.

Background: Lipids, including phospholipids and bile acids, exert various signaling effects and are thought to contribute to the development of coronary artery disease (CAD). Here, we aimed to compare lipidomic and bile acid profiles in the blood of patients with and without CAD stratified by sex.

Methods: From 2015 to 2022, 3,012 patients who underwent coronary angiography were recruited in the INTERCATH cohort.

Experimental observation of repulsively bound magnons.

Stable composite objects, such as hadrons, nuclei, atoms, molecules and superconducting pairs, formed by attractive forces are ubiquitous in nature. By contrast, composite objects stabilized by means of repulsive forces were long thought to be theoretical constructions owing to their fragility in naturally occurring systems. Surprisingly, the formation of bound atom pairs by strong repulsive interactions has been demonstrated experimentally in optical lattices.

Prognostic Value of Cardiovascular Biomarkers in the Population.

Importance: Identification of individuals at high risk for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease within the population is important to inform primary prevention strategies.

Objective: To evaluate the prognostic value of routinely available cardiovascular biomarkers when added to established risk factors.

Design, Setting, And Participants: Individual-level analysis including data on cardiovascular biomarkers from 28 general population-based cohorts from 12 countries and 4 continents with assessments by participant age.

Assessing age discrimination in workplaces: psychometric exploration of the Workplace Age Discrimination Scale (WADS-G).

In contemporary workplaces characterized by diverse age groups working collaboratively, the assessment of age discrimination as an interpersonal phenomenon has gained heightened significance. This study focuses on adapting and scrutinizing the psychometric properties of the German iteration of the Workplace Age Discrimination Scale (WADS-G). Comprehensive Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) results affirm a robust fit for the unidimensional model.

Establishing circularity: development and validation of the circular work value scale (CWVS).

Objectives: Addressing the lack of German-language instruments, this study aims to develop a questionnaire that enables the measurement of work values. According to the theory of basic human values (Schwartz, 1992), a culturally fitting questionnaire is validated by covering constructs in the four broader dimensions of Social, Prestige, Intrinsic, and Extrinsic work values. Convergent, discriminant and incremental congruent validity are assessed.

Correction: Measuring psychological capital: Revision of the Compound Psychological Capital Scale (CPC-12).

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.

Preliminary results of anti-inflammatory cytokine concentrations predicting therapy outcome in panic disorder.

Background: Patients with panic disorder (PD) show alterations of the immune reactivity to acute stress, which could serve as a marker for effective treatment. Nevertheless, the effect of immune reactivity under acute stress before treatment on therapy outcome remains unclear.

Methods: A total of  = 16 PD patients performed the Trier Social Test.

Glass Transition Temperatures and Thermal Conductivities of Polybutadiene Crosslinked with Randomly Distributed Sulfur Chains Using Molecular Dynamic Simulation.

The thermal conductivities and glass transition temperatures of polybutadiene crosslinked with randomly distributed sulfur chains having different lengths from mono-sulfur (S1) to octa-sulfur (S8) were investigated. The thermal conductivities of the related models as a function of the heat flux autocorrelation function, applying an equilibrium molecular dynamic (EMD) simulation and the Green-Kubo method, were studied for a wide range of temperatures. The influence of the length of sulfur chains, degree of crosslinking, and molar mass of the crosslinker on the glass transition temperature and final values of thermal conductivities were studied.

Proposing a model whereby negative valence bias increases the risk for more severe dysphoric posttraumatic stress disorder and depression symptomology.

Experiencing trauma increases risk for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression, and individuals who experience psychopathology after a traumatic event often experience symptoms from both disorders. Because a tendency to view events in a more negative light and a propensity toward threat appraisals are risk factors for both PTSD and depression, negative valence bias-a tendency to appraise emotional ambiguity as having a more negative (less positive) meaning-may be a transdiagnostic risk factor. In other words, we expect individuals with a negative valence bias experience greater PTSD and depression symptoms.

The Interplay of Peer Victimization and Parasympathetic Nervous System Activity on Acute Inflammatory Stress Responses in Adolescence.

This study examined the extent to which adolescent peer victimization predicted acute inflammatory responses to stress, and whether both resting parasympathetic nervous system (PNS) activity and PNS stress reactivity moderated this association. 83 adolescents (M = 14.89, SD = 0.

Fluid-structure interactions of peripheral arteries using a coupled in silico and in vitro approach.

Vascular compliance is considered both a cause and a consequence of cardiovascular disease and a significant factor in the mid- and long-term patency of vascular grafts. However, the biomechanical effects of localised changes in compliance cannot be satisfactorily studied with the available medical imaging technologies or surgical simulation materials. To address this unmet need, we developed a coupled silico-vitro platform which allows for the validation of numerical fluid-structure interaction results as a numerical model and physical prototype.

Measuring PERMA+4: validation of the German version of the Positive Functioning at Work Scale.

This study investigates the association between the PERMA+4 model and psychological safety, while also examining the validation of the Positive Functioning at Work (PFW) scale in a German-speaking population. The study discovered strong association between PERMA+4 and psychological safety, which raises important questions and potential concerns regarding the jangle fallacy. Similar to the PERMA model, PERMA+4 should be considered a framework for attaining psychological safety.

Global Effect of Modifiable Risk Factors on Cardiovascular Disease and Mortality.

Background: Five modifiable risk factors are associated with cardiovascular disease and death from any cause. Studies using individual-level data to evaluate the regional and sex-specific prevalence of the risk factors and their effect on these outcomes are lacking.

Methods: We pooled and harmonized individual-level data from 112 cohort studies conducted in 34 countries and 8 geographic regions participating in the Global Cardiovascular Risk Consortium.

Higher sexual excitation is associated with an increase in sex-linked substance use in women with a history of unwanted sexual contact.

Survivors of unwanted sexual contact have an increased likelihood of using substances in sexual situations, which puts them at heightened risk for intoxication-related harms. Separately, research has indicated that women may intentionally use substances in sexual situations to either enhance pleasure (i.e.

Thermal Conductivities of Uniform and Random Sulfur Crosslinking in Polybutadiene by Molecular Dynamic Simulation.

Thermal conductivities of polybutadiene crosslinked with sulfur as a function of the heat flux autocorrelation function by using an equilibrium molecular dynamic (EMD) simulation were investigated. The Green-Kubo method was used to calculate thermal conductivities. All simulations were performed by applying the LAMMPS software (version 3 Mar 2020) package.

Barriers experienced by emerging adults in discussing their sexuality with parents and health care providers: A mixed-method study.

While most parents and health care providers understand the importance of educating young people about their emerging sexuality, many report never discussing sex with the young people in their care. Using data from a survey of 1,193 emerging adults, we applied concept mapping to a corpus of over 2,350 short qualitative responses to two questions: (a) and (b) Qualitative analyses revealed that while embarrassment, shame, and awkwardness were commonly reported barriers to communicating with both parents and providers, participants reported different effects across settings: Parent-related embarrassment was associated with concerns about changing the intimacy of the parental relationship, while provider-related embarrassment was associated with fears of seeming incompetent or eliciting dismissal. These observations were supported by multidimensional scaling and hierarchical cluster analyses, which we used to derive conceptual maps based on quantitative spatial analysis of single-concept statements.

Personalized diagnosis in suspected myocardial infarction.

Background: In suspected myocardial infarction (MI), guidelines recommend using high-sensitivity cardiac troponin (hs-cTn)-based approaches. These require fixed assay-specific thresholds and timepoints, without directly integrating clinical information. Using machine-learning techniques including hs-cTn and clinical routine variables, we aimed to build a digital tool to directly estimate the individual probability of MI, allowing for numerous hs-cTn assays.