Vaccination prior to SARS-CoV-2 infection does not affect the neurologic manifestations of long COVID.

Persistent symptoms after COVID-19 constitute the long COVID syndrome, also called post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection (PASC). COVID-19 vaccines reduce the gravity of ensuing SARS-CoV-2 infections. However, whether vaccines also have an impact on PASC remain unknown.

Avenues towards reconciling wild and managed bee proponents.

Bees are crucial for food security and biodiversity. However, managed bees are increasingly considered drivers of wild bee declines, leading to stakeholder conflicts and restrictive policies. We propose avenues to reconcile wild and managed bee proponents and point out knowledge gaps that hinder the development of evidence-based policies.

Differential increase of hippocampal subfield volume after socio-affective mental training relates to reductions in diurnal cortisol.

The hippocampus is a central modulator of the HPA-axis, impacting the regulation of stress on brain structure, function, and behavior. The current study assessed whether three different types of 3 months mental Training Modules geared towards nurturing (a) attention-based mindfulness, (b) socio-affective, or (c) socio-cognitive skills may impact hippocampal organization by reducing stress. We evaluated mental training-induced changes in hippocampal subfield volume and intrinsic functional connectivity, by combining longitudinal structural and resting-state fMRI connectivity analysis in 332 healthy adults.

Can you know before you go? Information about disability accommodations on US hospital websites.

Background: People with disability (PWD) face challenges accessing healthcare. Websites are a public-facing resource that can help PWD determine if a hospital can accommodate their needs, yet few studies have described whether hospital websites contain adequate accommodation information.

Objective: To characterize the extent to which information about disability accommodations is available on US hospital websites.

10-Week Trajectories of Candidate Psychological Processes Differentially Predict Mental Health Gains from Online Dyadic versus Mindfulness Interventions: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

: App-based contemplative interventions, such as mindfulness-based interventions, have gained popularity for the promotion of mental health; however, the understanding of underlying intervention-specific mechanisms remains limited, especially related to novel inter-relational dyadic practices. : We tested (n = 253) seven putative mechanisms underlying two brief (daily 12-min) online mental interventions: attention-focused mindfulness and socio-emotional partner-based, both supported by weekly online coaching. Weekly self-reports of rumination, worry, psychological flexibility, affective control, social support, acceptance, and mindfulness were obtained over 10 weeks of intervention, and depression, anxiety, and resilience were assessed as pre- and post-intervention outcomes.

Testing the monitor and acceptance theory: the role of training-induced changes in monitoring- and acceptance-related capacities after attention-based, socio-emotional, or socio-cognitive mental training in reducing cortisol stress reactivity.

Mindfulness-based interventions have become a popular means to reduce stress. However, the specific mechanisms driving observed stress reduction remain understudied. The Monitor and Acceptance Theory suggests that the cultivation of monitoring acceptance skills are necessary moderators of practice-induced stress reduction.

Resilient Stress Reactivity Profiles Predict Mental Health Gains from Online Contemplative Training: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

Low-dose app-based contemplative interventions for mental health are increasingly popular, but heterogeneity in intervention responses indicates that a personalized approach is needed. We examined whether different longitudinal resilience-vulnerability trajectories, derived over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, predicted differences in diverse mental health outcomes after mindfulness and socio-emotional dyadic online interventions. The CovSocial project comprised a longitudinal assessment (phase 1) and an open-label efficacy trial (phase 2).

Reducing Loneliness through the Power of Practicing Together: A Randomized Controlled Trial of Online Dyadic Socio-Emotional vs. Mindfulness-Based Training.

Loneliness has become a pressing topic, especially among young adults and during the COVID-19 pandemic. In a randomized controlled trial with 253 healthy adults, we evaluated the differential efficacy of two 10-week app-delivered mental training programs: one based on classic mindfulness and one on an innovative partner-based socio-emotional practice (Affect Dyad). We show that the partner-based training resulted in greater reductions in loneliness than the mindfulness-based training.

Mapping pathways to neuronal atrophy in healthy, mid-aged adults: From chronic stress to systemic inflammation to neurodegeneration?

Growing evidence implicates systemic inflammation in the loss of structural brain integrity in natural ageing and disorder development. Chronic stress and glucocorticoid exposure can potentiate inflammatory processes and may also be linked to neuronal atrophy, particularly in the hippocampus and the human neocortex. To improve understanding of emerging maladaptive interactions between stress and inflammation, this study examined evidence for glucocorticoid- and inflammation-mediated neurodegeneration in healthy mid-aged adults.

Effectiveness of Motor Imagery in the Rehabilitation of People With Parkinson's Disease: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Background And Objective: With more research completed using Motor imagery (MI) in people with Parkinson's disease, this study gathered and synthesized evidence on the use of MI for Parkinson's disease in improving rehabilitation outcomes.

Methods: Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System Online, Embase, Web of Science, The Cochrane Library, PsycINFO, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, and Scopus were searched from inception to May 2023. We included randomized controlled trials that examine the effects of MI on individuals with Parkinson's disease.

Evidence for differential associations of distinct trait mindfulness facets with acute and chronic stress.

Stress and stress-associated disease are considered the health epidemic of the 21st century. Interestingly, despite experiencing similar amounts of stress than those falling ill, some individuals are protected against the "wear and tear of daily life". Based on the notion that mindfulness training strengthens stress resilience, we explored whether facets of trait mindfulness, prior to training intervention, are linked to acute psychosocial stress reactivity and chronic stress load.

Genetic predisposition for negative affect predicts mental health burden during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic was accompanied by an increase in mental health challenges including depression, stress, loneliness, and anxiety. Common genetic variants can contribute to the risk for psychiatric disorders and may present a risk factor in times of crises. However, it is unclear to what extent polygenic risk played a role in the mental health response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Training-related improvements in mental well-being through reduction in negative interpretation bias: A randomized trial of online socio-emotional dyadic and mindfulness interventions.

Background: Effects of online contemplative practices, especially partner-based practices, on psychological well-being remain mixed, with sparse understanding of potential affective-cognitive mechanisms. The study aimed to assess the efficacy of two online contemplative interventions in improving depression, anxiety, emotion regulation (ER), and resilience, and to evaluate the mechanistic role of negative attention and interpretation biases.

Methods: Employing a randomized controlled design (n = 285), we compared the efficacy of 10-week online mindfulness-based and partner-based socio-emotional dyadic interventions, both supported by weekly coaching sessions.

Risk factors for internalizing symptoms: The influence of empathy, theory of mind, and negative thinking processes.

Internalizing symptoms such as elevated stress and sustained negative affect can be important warning signs for developing mental disorders. A recent theoretical framework suggests a complex interplay of empathy, theory of mind (ToM), and negative thinking processes as a crucial risk combination for internalizing symptoms. To disentangle these relationships, this study utilizes neural, behavioral, and self-report data to examine how the interplay between empathy, ToM, and negative thinking processes relates to stress and negative affect.

Preexisting anticoagulation is an independent predictor of mortality in geriatric trauma patients - a retrospective cohort study.

Introduction: Preexisting anticoagulation is common among geriatric trauma patients. Geriatric trauma patients have a higher risk of mortality compared to younger patients. We sought to evaluate the association of preexisting anticoagulation with mortality in a group of geriatric trauma patients.

A randomized trial on differential changes in thought and affect after mindfulness versus dyadic practice indicates phenomenological fingerprints of app-based interventions.

Contemplative practice has demonstrated benefits for mental health and well-being. Most previous studies, however, implemented in-person trainings containing a mix of different, mostly solitary, practices and focused on pre- to post-training outcomes. In this randomized trial, we explore the immediate differential efficacy of two daily app-delivered practices in shifting emotional (valence, arousal) and thinking patterns (thought content on future-past, self-other, positive-negative dimensions).

Reducing alexithymia and increasing interoceptive awareness: A randomized controlled trial comparing mindfulness with dyadic socio-emotional app-based practice.

Background: Emotion processing deficits of alexithymia are a transdiagnostic risk factor. While such deficits are malleable, the differential efficacy of brief scalable digital mental trainings remains understudied.

Methods: This randomized controlled trial probed the efficacy of mindfulness-based (MB) and partner-based socio-emotional Affect Dyad (SE) practice, both supported by weekly coaching sessions, in reducing alexithymia in 285 adult participants.

Boosting Empathy and Compassion Through Mindfulness-Based and Socioemotional Dyadic Practice: Randomized Controlled Trial With App-Delivered Trainings.

Background: Contemplative trainings have been found to effectively improve social skills such as empathy and compassion. However, there is a lack of research on the efficacy of app-delivered mindfulness-based and dyadic practices in boosting socioaffective capacity.

Objective: The first aim of this study was to compare a novel app-delivered, partner-based socioemotional intervention (Affect Dyad) with mindfulness-based training to foster empathy and compassion for the self or others.

Hybrid Targeted/Untargeted Screening Method for the Determination of Wildfire and Water-Soluble Organic Tracers in Ice Cores and Snow.

Wildfires can influence the earth's radiative forcing through the emission of biomass-burning aerosols. To better constrain the impacts of wildfires on climate and understand their evolution under future climate scenarios, reconstructing their chemical nature, assessing their past variability, and evaluating their influence on the atmospheric composition are essential. Ice cores are unique to perform such reconstructions representing archives not only of past biomass-burning events but also of concurrent climate and environmental changes.

Functional and microstructural plasticity following social and interoceptive mental training.

The human brain supports social cognitive functions, including Theory of Mind, empathy, and compassion, through its intrinsic hierarchical organization. However, it remains unclear how the learning and refinement of social skills shapes brain function and structure. We studied if different types of social mental training induce changes in cortical function and microstructure, investigating 332 healthy adults (197 women, 20-55 years) with repeated multimodal neuroimaging and behavioral testing.

Differential reduction of psychological distress by three different types of meditation-based mental training programs: A randomized clinical trial.

Objective: There is little knowledge about which types of meditation-based training are effective for alleviating which facets of psychological distress. We investigated shared and specific effects of three meditation-based training programs on distress.

Method: 332 healthy adults were assigned to a retest control cohort or to one of three 3-month mental training cohorts including: the cultivation of mindfulness-based attention (), socio-affective skills such as compassion (), or metacognitive skills such as perspective taking ().

Heterogeneous Mental Health Responses to the COVID-19 Pandemic in Germany: An Examination of Long-Term Trajectories, Risk Factors, and Vulnerable Groups.

Abundant studies have examined mental health in the early periods of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, empirical work examining the mental health impact of the pandemic's subsequent phases remains limited. In the present study, we investigated how mental vulnerability and resilience evolved over the various phases of the pandemic in 2020 and 2021 in Germany.