Publications by authors named "Stephen Ross"

Article Synopsis
  • The study explored how psilocybin-assisted therapy (PAT) impacts personality traits in people with alcohol use disorder (AUD), hypothesizing it would reduce trait impulsiveness and improve drinking behavior.
  • Eighty-four AUD patients were divided into two groups (psilocybin vs. placebo) and assessed for changes in personality traits over time, finding significant personality shifts in the psilocybin group, including reduced neuroticism and increased openness.
  • The results indicated that lower impulsiveness correlated with decreased alcohol consumption, particularly among those who drank at risk before treatment, pointing to potential benefits of PAT in addressing both personality and drinking behaviors.
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Arguably, the most important parameter in treating cognitive decline associated with Alzheimer's disease is the length of time in which improvement, if achieved at all, is sustained. However, monotherapies such as donepezil and memantine are associated with a more rapid decline than no treatment in patients over multi-year follow-ups. Furthermore, anti-amyloid antibody treatment, which at best simply slows decline, is associated with accelerated cerebral atrophy, resulting in earlier dementia-associated brain volumes for those treated at the MCI stage than untreated patients.

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Measuring dairy cattle methane (CH4) emissions using traditional recording technologies is complicated and expensive. Prediction models, which estimate CH4 emissions based on proxy information, provide an accessible alternative. This review covers the different modeling approaches taken in the prediction of dairy cattle CH4 emissions and highlights their individual strengths and limitations.

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While studies have examined the effects of schools offering in-person learning during the pandemic, this study provides analysis of student enrollment decisions (remote versus in-person) in response to schools providing in-person learning opportunities. In Connecticut during the 2020-21 school year, we find that student take-up of in-person learning opportunities was low with students on average enrolled in-person for only half of the days offered, and take-up was even lower in schools with larger shares of disadvantaged students. The provision of in-person learning opportunities has been previously shown to mitigate pandemic learning losses.

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Article Synopsis
  • Next-generation sequencing (NGS) struggles to fully capture the critical 5' and 3' ends of RNA virus genomes, which are essential for understanding their replication and transcription.
  • The newly developed ViBE-Seq method offers high-resolution sequencing of these genome ends using minimal RNA, improving the reliability of data collection for RNA viruses like Ebola and Marburg.
  • ViBE-Seq also helps identify the activity of different reverse transcriptases, providing a comprehensive approach to sequencing emerging viral genomes.
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Dietary supplementation of yeast-derived mannan-rich fraction (MRF) could improve the gastrointestinal health and production efficiency of broilers, and, consequently, lower the environmental impacts of chicken production. The objective of this meta-analysis was to quantify the retrospective effects of feeding MRF (Actigen, Alltech Inc., Nicholasville, KY) on the production performance of broilers.

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Background: Growing clinical interest in psychedelic-assisted therapies has led to a second wave of research involving psilocybin, lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) and other substances. Data suggests that these compounds have the potential to treat mental health conditions that are especially prevalent in older adults such as depression, anxiety, existential distress, and posttraumatic stress disorder.

Aims: The goal of this study was to quantify the prevalence of older adults enrolled in psychedelic clinical trials and explore safety data in this population.

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MDMA-assisted psychotherapy (MDMA-AP) is a combined psychotherapeutic and pharmacologic intervention that shows promise in the treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Although therapeutic alliance has been established as a key predictor across psychotherapies and is emphasised within MDMA-AP treatment manuals, research has not yet examined the relationship between therapeutic alliance and MDMA-AP treatment outcomes. Examine whether therapeutic alliance predicts changes in PTSD symptoms following MDMA-AP.

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The effect of supplementing organic trace minerals (OTM), in the form of mineral proteinates (Bioplex Cu, Fe, Mn, and Zn, Alltech Inc., Nicholasville, KY, USA), in the diets of laying hens was examined using Comprehensive Meta-Analysis (CMA) statistical software. The impact on production performance, egg quality traits, and sustainability parameters related to the carbon footprint of egg production was assessed.

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Importance: Psilocybin shows promise as a treatment for major depressive disorder (MDD).

Objective: To evaluate the magnitude, timing, and durability of antidepressant effects and safety of a single dose of psilocybin in patients with MDD.

Design, Setting, And Participants: In this phase 2 trial conducted between December 2019 and June 2022 at 11 research sites in the US, participants were randomized in a 1:1 ratio to receive a single dose of psilocybin vs niacin placebo administered with psychological support.

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Psilocybin and lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) experiences can range from very positive to highly challenging (e.g., fear, grief, and paranoia).

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Article Synopsis
  • - The 3' untranslated regions (UTRs) of Ebola virus mRNAs are rich in AU sequences, making them targets for RNA binding proteins (ARE-BPs) that regulate RNA stability and translation.
  • - Researchers identified potential AU-rich elements (AREs) in EBOV mRNA 3' UTRs and found that these elements can enhance mRNA stability and activity when tested in mammalian and zebrafish models.
  • - Coexpressing the Ebola nucleoprotein's (NP) 3' UTR with TTP, an ARE-BP known to destabilize mRNAs, led to reduced gene activity and protein expression, highlighting the role of AU content in regulating Ebola mRNA behavior.
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The study of highly pathogenic viruses handled under BSL-4 conditions and classified as Select Agents frequently involves the transfer of inactivated materials to lower containment levels for downstream analyses. Adhering to Select Agent and BSL-4 safety regulations requires validation or verification of the inactivation procedures, which comes with an array of challenges for each method. This includes the use of cytotoxic reagents for chemical inactivation and defining the precise inactivation parameters for physical inactivation.

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Since the first confirmation of quantum monodromy in NCNCS (B. P. Winnewisser , Report No.

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Borderline personality disorder is a complex psychiatric disorder with limited treatment options that are associated with large heterogeneity in treatment response and high rates of dropout. New or complementary treatments for borderline personality disorder are needed that may be able to bolster treatment outcomes. In this review, the authors comment on the plausibility for research on 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) used in conjunction with psychotherapy for borderline personality disorder (i.

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Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is an aggressive, terminal neurodegenerative disease that causes death of motor neurons and has an average survival time of 3-4 years. ALS is the most common motor neuron degenerative disease and is increasing in prevalence. There is a pressing need for more effective ALS treatments as available pharmacotherapies do not reverse disease progression or provide substantial clinical benefit.

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Chronic pain is a leading cause of disability, reduced productivity, healthcare seeking behavior, and a contributor to opioid overdose in the United States. For many people, pain can be satisfactorily managed by existing medicines and comprehensive psychosocial treatments. For others, available treatments are either ineffective or not acceptable, due to side effects and concerns about risks.

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Objective: The timeline followback (TLFB) interview is the gold standard for the quantitative assessment of alcohol use. However, self-reported "drinks" can vary in alcohol content. If this variability is not accounted for, it can compromise the reliability and validity of TLFB data.

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Article Synopsis
  • A survey collected data on 1122 chimpanzees from various facilities, focusing on their age, sex, social dynamics, and behaviors observed over two years.
  • Tool-use was observed in 94.3% of the chimps, while social grooming, copulation, and nest-building were reported in 85.7%, 68.3%, and 58.9%, respectively, with 45.6% engaging in all four species-typical behaviors.
  • Logistic regression analysis revealed that factors like rearing history, group size, and facility type significantly influenced behaviors such as copulation, tool use, nest-building, and social grooming among chimpanzees.
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Article Synopsis
  • Classic psychedelics like psilocybin may help individuals with substance use disorders, prompting a study on its effectiveness combined with psychotherapy for alcohol dependence.
  • In a double-blind, randomized controlled trial with 96 participants, individuals received psilocybin or a placebo alongside a 12-week structured therapy program.
  • The study collected various data to assess drinking behavior and related factors over 32 weeks, with the results and analysis of the primary outcomes to be published later.
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Importance: Although classic psychedelic medications have shown promise in the treatment of alcohol use disorder (AUD), the efficacy of psilocybin remains unknown.

Objective: To evaluate whether 2 administrations of high-dose psilocybin improve the percentage of heavy drinking days in patients with AUD undergoing psychotherapy relative to outcomes observed with active placebo medication and psychotherapy.

Design, Setting, And Participants: In this double-blind randomized clinical trial, participants were offered 12 weeks of manualized psychotherapy and were randomly assigned to receive psilocybin vs diphenhydramine during 2 day-long medication sessions at weeks 4 and 8.

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Understanding causes of death allows adjustment of health management strategies for animals in managed care. From 224 documented chimpanzee deaths occurring from 1995 to 2019 in 42 accredited U.S.

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