Comparing the Effects of Square, 4-7-8, and 6 Breaths-per-Minute Breathing Conditions on Heart Rate Variability, CO Levels, and Mood.

Square and 4-7-8 breathing are popularly promoted by psychotherapists but have little empirical support. We hypothesized that breathing at 6 breaths per minute (bpm) would improve HRV, reduce blood pressure, and improve mood more than either square or 4-7-8 breathing. We also hypothesized square and 4-7-8 breathing would increase end-tidal CO (PETCO).

Depression symptom severity and behavioral impairment in school-going adolescents in Uganda.

Background: During adolescence, a critical developmental phase, cognitive, psychological, and social states interact with the environment to influence behaviors like decision-making and social interactions. Depressive symptoms are more prevalent in adolescents than in other age groups which may affect socio-emotional and behavioral development including academic achievement. Here, we determined the association between depression symptom severity and behavioral impairment among adolescents enrolled in secondary schools of Eastern and Central Uganda.

Ultra high density imaging arrays in diffuse optical tomography for human brain mapping improve image quality and decoding performance.

Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) has dramatically advanced non-invasive human brain mapping and decoding. Functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) and high-density diffuse optical tomography (HD-DOT) non-invasively measure blood oxygen fluctuations related to brain activity, like fMRI, at the brain surface, using more-lightweight equipment that circumvents ergonomic and logistical limitations of fMRI. HD-DOT grids have smaller inter-optode spacing (~ 13 mm) than sparse fNIRS (~ 30 mm) and therefore provide higher image quality, with spatial resolution ~ 1/2 that of fMRI, when using the several source-detector distances (13-40 mm) afforded by the HD-DOT grid.

Ethnicity predicts long-term depressive symptom patterns in older adults with type 2 diabetes.

Objectives: Depression is a chronic disorder that significantly affects functional decline in older adults, especially those with type 2 diabetes (T2D). Ethnic groups may experience different depression risks and severities, yet the effect of ethnicity on depression trajectories and specific dimensions in older adults with T2D remains largely unexamined. We examined the longitudinal associations of ethnicity with depression and its specific dimensions over time in older Ashkenazi and non-Ashkenazi Jews with T2D.

Impact of SARS-CoV-2 spike antibody positivity on infection and hospitalisation rates in immunosuppressed populations during the omicron period: the MELODY study.

Background: In the UK, booster COVID-19 vaccinations have been recommended biannually to people considered immune vulnerable. We investigated, at a population level, whether the absence of detectable anti-SARS-CoV-2 spike protein IgG antibody (anti-S Ab) following three or more vaccinations in immunosuppressed individuals was associated with greater risks of infection and severity of infection.

Methods: In this prospective cohort study using UK national disease registers, we recruited participants with solid organ transplants (SOTs), rare autoimmune rheumatic diseases (RAIRDs), and lymphoid malignancies.

Specific symptomatology profile associated with treatment resistant depression: A multicentric study from the Group for the Study of Resistant Depression with a focus on sex.

Background: Clinical predictors of treatment-resistant depression could improve treatment strategies. Depressive symptom profiles at baseline are potential outcome predictors, but little evidence is available, and sex-specific profiles have been scarcely investigated.

Methods: Baseline symptom scores of 1294 patients with major depressive disorder were assessed by the Montgomery-Åsberg depression rating scale (MADRS) as part of a multicenter study by the "Group for the Studies of Resistant Depression".

Inhibition of the Basolateral Amygdala to Prelimbic Cortex Pathway Enhances Risk-taking during Risky Decision-making Shock Task in Rats.

Many animal studies have explored decision-making under risk and punishment, particularly regarding potential rewards, but less focus has been placed on contexts involving net losses. Understanding decision-making under net loss conditions can shed light on the neural mechanisms involved. The basolateral amygdala to prelimbic cortex (BLA→PL) pathway is crucial for risky decision-making.

Local cortical structure pattern and genetic links in schizophrenia: An MRI and CRISPR/Cas9 study.

While the etiology of schizophrenia (SZ) remains elusive, its diverse phenotypes suggest the involvement of distinct functional cortical areas, and the heritability of SZ implies the underlying genetic factors. This study aimed to integrate imaging and molecular analyses to elucidate the genetic underpinnings of SZ. We investigated the local cortical structural pattern changes in Brodmann areas (BAs) by calculating the cortical structural pattern index (SPI) using magnetic resonance imaging analysis from 194 individuals with SZ and 330 controls.

Depression and Anxiety Disorders among Persons with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus in a Tertiary Hospital in Zaria, Nigeria.

Background: Depression and anxiety disorders frequently co-occur with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus, leading to poor glycaemic control and quality of life through complex biopsychosocial mechanisms. A dual diagnosis of chronic medical and mental health conditions reduces the probability of early recognition and intervention for either. This study was aimed at assessing the prevalence and correlates of depression and anxiety disorders among persons with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus in a tertiary hospital in North-West Nigeria.

Detecting noncredible symptomology in ADHD evaluations using machine learning.

Introduction: Diagnostic evaluations for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are becoming increasingly complicated by the number of adults who fabricate or exaggerate symptoms. Novel methods are needed to improve the assessment process required to detect these noncredible symptoms. The present study investigated whether unsupervised machine learning (ML) could serve as one such method, and detect noncredible symptom reporting in adults undergoing ADHD evaluations.

Exploring the significance of medical humanities in shaping internship performance: insights from curriculum categories.

Background: Medical Humanities (MH) curricula integrate humanities disciplines into medical education to nurture essential qualities in future physicians. However, the impact of MH on clinical competencies during formative training phases remains underexplored. This study aimed to determine the influence of MH curricula on internship performance.

Effects of Dual-Site Anodal Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation on Attention, Decision-Making, and Working Memory during Sports Fatigue in Elite Soccer Athletes.

Background: Sports fatigue in soccer athletes has been shown to decrease neural activity, impairing cognitive function and negatively affecting motor performance. Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) can alter cortical excitability, augment synaptic plasticity, and enhance cognitive function. However, its potential to ameliorate cognitive impairment during sports fatigue remains largely unexplored.

A Critical Reappraisal of Haloperidol for Delirium Management in the Intensive Care Unit: Perspective from Psychiatry.

Delirium is a complex neuropsychiatric syndrome with multifactorial pathophysiology, encompassing a wide range of neuropsychiatric symptoms, and its management remains a significant challenge in critical care. Although often managed with antipsychotics, like haloperidol, current research has predominantly focused on dopamine dysregulation as the primary driver of delirium, overlooking its broader neuroanatomical and neurochemical underpinnings. This has led to a majority of research focusing on haloperidol as a treatment for intensive care unit (ICU) delirium.

Neuroinflammation: A Driving Force in the Onset and Progression of Alzheimer's Disease.

: The goal of this commentary is to highlight several key components of the inflammatory process as it relates to amyloid toxicity in Alzheimer's disease (AD), including the role of neuroinflammatory factors and peripheral inflammatory events. : Google Scholar and PubMed were used to find articles with the following keywords: Alzheimer's disease, amyloids, neuroinflammation, peripheral inflammation, microglia, cytokines, and treatments. Sources that were case reports, not peer-reviewed, or older than 30 years were excluded.

Unpacking the Mood States of Children and Youth in Saskatchewan, Canada, in the Context of the COVID-19 Pandemic: Insights from the "See Us, Hear Us 2.0" Study.

Background/objectives: The COVID-19 pandemic created a growing need for insights into the mental health of children and youth and their use of coping mechanisms during this period. We assessed mood symptoms and related factors among children and youth in Saskatchewan. We examined if coping abilities mediated the relationship between risk factors and mood states.

Child Maltreatment and Medical Traumatic Stress-A Double-Edged Sword.

Background/objectives: Medical procedures can be a traumatic event for both children and their parents. Children who have experienced maltreatment or early traumatic experiences are at a higher risk for various emotional, behavioral, and health issues, including declining mental health. This may include experiencing heightened distress following medical procedures.

A Scoping Review of the Current Knowledge of the Social Determinants of Health and Infectious Diseases (Specifically COVID-19, Tuberculosis, and H1N1 Influenza) in Canadian Arctic Indigenous Communities.

Social determinants of health (SDHs) and the impact of colonization can make Canadian Arctic Indigenous communities susceptible to infectious diseases, including the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). This scoping review followed the PRISMA guidelines for scoping reviews and studied what is known about selected pandemics (COVID-19, tuberculosis, and H1N1 influenza) and SDHs (healthcare accessibility, food insecurity, mental health, cultural continuity, housing, community infrastructure, and socioeconomic status (SES)) for Canadian Arctic Indigenous communities. Original studies published in English and French up to October 2024 were located in databases (PubMed, Medline, and CINAHL), , and through reference tracking.

Dealing with Childhood Externalizing Behavior: Protocol for a Feasibility RCT of the Being a Parent Program.

Concerning numbers of childhood behavior problems have been reported worldwide. Parenting interventions are considered one of the most effective early strategies to intervene with externalizing conduct. This protocol outlines a feasibility RCT that aims to implement a parenting intervention in Portugal and (a) test key feasibility parameters, (b) assess the fidelity and acceptability of the program, and (c) explore its effectiveness in childhood behavior problems, parenting skills, parental concern, and parental sense of competence.

Learning from the community: iterative co-production of a programme to support the development of attention, regulation and thinking skills in toddlers at elevated likelihood of autism or ADHD.

Programmes designed to support children with known, or increased likelihood of, autism or ADHD often focus on reducing behaviours central to a clinical diagnosis. However, supporting children to pursue their own goals and cope with everyday life through fostering executive function (EF) development, without enforcing neuro-normative assumptions, may be more acceptable to neurodivergent people, and more beneficial. The co-production process for this neurodiversity-affirming programme involved: Review of research priorities identified during published public-and-clinician consultations; iterative programme development through two pilot rounds with a general community sample; and consultation with stakeholders (parents with a connection to autism or ADHD, alongside early years specialists, psychologists and therapists) to check acceptability of the proposal, and refine the logic model and materials.

The safety and efficacy of cannabinoids for the treatment of mental health and substance use disorders: protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis.

There has been a global increase in the use of cannabinoids as a treatment for mental health (MH) and substance use disorders (SUD). In 2016, an Australian government-funded review found that although medicinal cannabinoids accounted for a small reduction in MH symptoms, the results varied according to study design. There has since been a rise in randomised controlled trials (RCTs) aiming to examine the efficacy of cannabinoids for the treatment of MH and SUD.