Audiological Characteristics of a Sample of Adults With Misophonia.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to describe the audiological test results from a sample of 60 adults with self-reported misophonia.

Method: Audiological testing was completed prior to participant randomization in a controlled trial for misophonia treatment. Participants completed the Inventory of Hyperacusis Symptoms Survey (IHS), the Tinnitus and Hearing Survey (THS), the Misophonia Questionnaire (MQ), and behavioral and objective audiometric measures.

Acceptance and commitment therapy versus progressive relaxation training for misophonia: Randomized controlled trial protocol, interventions, and audiological assessments.

Background: Misophonia is a disorder characterized by an intense emotional reaction to specific sounds, often leading to significant distress and impairment in daily functioning. Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) is a promising psychotherapy for treating misophonia, but has only been previously tested in case studies. This paper presents a protocol for the first randomized controlled trial (RCT) assessing the efficacy and feasibility of ACT supplemented by audiological interventions for misophonia versus progressive relaxation training (PRT).

Perceptions of organizational culture among mental health providers at a Veterans Affairs hospital.

A mixed method approach was utilized to assess the organizational culture of the mental health service line at a large Veterans Affairs (VA) hospital. The goals of the study were to assess the organizational culture, identify how employees differ in perceptions of organizational culture, and identify areas of strength and challenges. Two hundred thirteen participants returned a questionnaire assessing perceptions of organizational culture using the Organizational Culture Assessment Questionnaire (Sashkin & Rosenbach, 2013).

Serial Mediation Analysis of Psychological Inflexibility and Daytime Insomnia Rumination in the Relationship Between Dysfunctional Beliefs About Sleep and Insomnia in College Students.

Emerging research suggests that psychological inflexibility may be a factor contributing to the development and maintenance of insomnia. However, less is known about the potential cognitive pathways that may explain this relationship. In this study, we investigated the serial mediating effects of psychological inflexibility and daytime insomnia-related rumination on the association between dysfunctional beliefs and attitudes about sleep (DBAS) and insomnia symptoms.

The Influence of Size on the Intracranial Distribution of Biomedical Nanoparticles Administered by Convection-enhanced Delivery in Minipigs.

Because of the blood-brain barrier (BBB), successful drug delivery to the brain has long been a key objective for the medical community, calling for pioneering technologies to overcome this challenge. Convection-enhanced delivery (CED), a form of direct intraparenchymal microinfusion, shows promise but requires optimal infusate design and real-time distribution monitoring. The size of the infused substances appears to be especially critical, with current knowledge being limited.

Views of Intermarried Couples: Implications for Social Work Practice.

Intermarriage, defined here as the marriage between people of different races or different ethnicities, is on the rise in the United States, with one in six newlyweds intermarrying. While public opinion approval of interracial marriage is at an all-time high, racial and ethnic hate crimes are also on the rise, which can affect spouses differently based on their identity. Drawing on a 2022 Qualtrics sample of 287 spouses who intermarried and have children, authors of this article sought to learn what is related to their holding a positive view of intermarriage.

Predictors of adherence to a publicly available self-guided digital mental health intervention.

Low adherence to self-guided digital mental health interventions (DMHIs) have raised concerns about their real-world effectiveness. Naturalistic data from self-guided DMHIs are often not available, hindering our ability to assess adherence among real-world users. This study aimed to analyze 3 years of user data from the public launch of an empirically supported 12-session self-guided DMHI, to assess overall program adherence rates and explore predictors of adherence.

Self-compassion and body image inflexibility as mediators of outcomes in a residential eating disorder sample.

Eating disorders are serious mental health conditions that are accompanied by negative health outcomes, high mortality rates, impaired functioning, and comorbid mental health conditions. Despite many empirically supported interventions for eating disorders, it remains one of the most challenging mental disorders to treat, as individuals often struggle to maintain treatment gains. One method of improving our understanding of effective eating disorder treatment is to identify important processes of change to target during therapy.

Ultra-low oxygen, liquid sample cell for in situ synchrotron-based small-wide angle scattering (SAXS-WAXS).

Here, we report the design and successful implementation of an ultra-low oxygen sample cell for use on the SAXS-WAXS (small-wide angle x-ray scattering) beamline I22 at DIAMOND. The rigorous exclusion of oxygen is found to require double jacketing with purge gas throughout the entire system, pipework, pumps, and the sample cell itself. This particularly includes a "double-window" arrangement at the sample location to accommodate the very tight geometrical restrictions of the sample position.

Click display: a rapid and efficient in vitro protein display method for directed evolution.

We describe a novel method for in vitro protein display-click display-that does not depend on maintaining RNA integrity during biopanning and yields covalently linked protein-cDNA complexes from double-stranded input DNA within 2 h. The display is achieved in a one-pot format encompassing transcription, translation and reverse transcription reactions in series. Stable linkage between proteins and the encoding cDNA is mediated by a modified DNA linker-ML-generated via a click chemistry reaction between a puromycin-containing oligo and a cDNA synthesis primer.

Intraputamenal Cerebral Dopamine Neurotrophic Factor in Parkinson's Disease: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Multicenter Phase 1 Trial.

Background: Cerebral dopamine neurotrophic factor (CDNF) is an unconventional neurotrophic factor that protects dopamine neurons and improves motor function in animal models of Parkinson's disease (PD).

Objective: The primary objectives of this study were to assess the safety and tolerability of both CDNF and the drug delivery system (DDS) in patients with PD of moderate severity.

Methods: We assessed the safety and tolerability of monthly intraputamenal CDNF infusions in patients with PD using an investigational DDS, a bone-anchored transcutaneous port connected to four catheters.

Estimating Student Attrition in School-Based Prevention Studies: Guidance from State Longitudinal Data in Maryland.

Attrition is a critical concern for evaluating the rigor of prevention studies, and the current study provides rates of attrition for subgroups of students and schools who are often sampled for prevention science. This is the first study to provide practical guidance for expected rates of attrition using population-level statewide data; findings indicated that researchers using K-12 school-based samples should plan for attrition rates as high as 27% during middle school and 54% during elementary school. However, researchers should consider the grade levels initially sampled, the length of follow-up, and the specific student characteristics and schools available for sampling.

Leveraging observational data to identify in-session patient and therapist predictors of cognitive processing therapy response and completion.

Cognitive processing therapy (CPT) is an evidence-based treatment for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), but little is known about in-session process variables that predict symptom reduction and treatment completion during CPT. Examining potentially malleable factors that may promote or impede recovery can inform care delivery and enhance outcomes. The current study used observational ratings of CPT session recordings to examine in-session patient and therapist factors in cognitive, affective, and interpersonal domains to identify their relative contributions to predicting symptom outcomes and treatment completion.

Evaluating the relative contribution of patient effort and therapist skill in integrating homework into treatment for posttraumatic stress disorder.

Objective: Homework has historically been an integral component of cognitive behavioral interventions for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Previous studies differ in the measurement of therapy homework, resulting in inconsistent conclusions about its contributions to symptom reduction. Given the methodological burden associated with examining therapist skill within sessions, there has been no research evaluating the impact of both therapist and patient efforts on homework within and outside of the therapy session across protocols.

measurement of human brain material properties under quasi-static loading.

Computational modelling of the brain requires accurate representation of the tissues concerned. Mechanical testing has numerous challenges, in particular for low strain rates, like neurosurgery, where redistribution of fluid is biomechanically important. A finite-element (FE) model was generated in FEBio, incorporating a spring element/fluid-structure interaction representation of the pia-arachnoid complex (PAC).

A PCR-free rapid protocol for one-pot construction of highly diverse genetic libraries.

In vitro protein display methods can access extensive libraries (e.g., 1012-1014) and play an increasingly important role in protein engineering.

Constructing a cost-efficient, high-throughput and high-quality single-molecule localization microscope for super-resolution imaging.

Single-molecule localization microscopy (SMLM) leverages the power of modern optics to unleash ultra-precise structural nanoscopy of complex biological machines in their native environments as well as ultra-sensitive and high-throughput medical diagnostics with the sensitivity of a single molecule. To achieve this remarkable speed and resolution, SMLM setups are either built by research laboratories with strong expertise in optical engineering or commercially sold at a hefty price tag. The inaccessibility of SMLM to life scientists for technical or financial reasons is detrimental to the progress of biological and biomedical discoveries reliant on super-resolution imaging.

The Economic Burden of Eosinophilic Gastritis and Eosinophilic Enteritis in the United States.

Introduction: Eosinophilic gastritis and eosinophilic enteritis (EoG/EoN) are associated with a substantial clinical burden. However, limited information is available regarding the economic burden of EoG/EoN. This study was conducted to compare healthcare resource use (HRU) and costs among patients with EoG/EoN versus without EoG/EoN in the USA.

The Joys of Older Motherhood: A questionnaire-based survey of mothers who delivered over the age of 50 years.

Objective: It is recognised that advanced maternal age is associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes. It is less known what the psychological impact of having a pregnancy in later maternal age is. This study aimed to establish whether women having children over 50 experience challenges with regards to their mental well-being during the pregnancy and thereafter.

Abrupt change to telephone follow-up clinics in a regional rheumatology service during COVID-19: analysis of treatment decisions.

During the 2020 COVID-19 lockdown our rheumatology service provided follow up by phone. We reviewed clinic documents to compare patients serviced, and patient assessment and treatment outcomes. More patients received care during the lockdown but patient rheumatic disease was deemed active less frequently, more patients had no change to disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs and patients were less likely to have an intervention arranged.

Quantum mechanics-free subsystem with mechanical oscillators.

Quantum mechanics sets a limit for the precision of continuous measurement of the position of an oscillator. We show how it is possible to measure an oscillator without quantum back-action of the measurement by constructing one effective oscillator from two physical oscillators. We realize such a quantum mechanics-free subsystem using two micromechanical oscillators, and show the measurements of two collective quadratures while evading the quantum back-action by 8 decibels on both of them, obtaining a total noise within a factor of 2 of the full quantum limit.

Development and in vivo assessment of a novel MRI-compatible headframe system for the ovine animal model.

Background: The brain of sheep has primarily been used in neuroscience as an animal model because of its similarity to the human brain, in particular if compared to other models such as the lissencephalic rodent brain. Their brain size also makes sheep an ideal model for the development of neurosurgical techniques using conventional clinical CT/MRI scanners and stereotactic systems for neurosurgery.

Methods: In this study, we present the design and validation of a new CT/MRI compatible head frame for the ovine model and software, with its assessment under two real clinical scenarios.