Prenatal stress alters mouse offspring dorsal striatal development and placental function in sex-specific ways.

Prenatal stress is a risk factor for neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs), including autism spectrum disorder (ASD). However, how early stress modification of brain development contributes to this pathophysiology is poorly understood. Ventral forebrain regions such as dorsal striatum are of particular interest: dorsal striatum modulates movement and cognition, is altered in NDDs, and has a primarily GABAergic population.

Mapping alterations in the local synchrony of the cerebral cortex in Prader Willi syndrome.

Individuals with Prader Willi syndrome (PWS) often exhibit behavioral difficulties characterized by deficient impulse regulation and obsessive-compulsive features resembling those observed in obsessive-compulsive disorder. The genetic configuration of PWS aligns with molecular and neurophysiological findings suggesting dysfunction in the inhibitory gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) interneuron system may contribute to its clinical manifestation. In the cerebral cortex, this dysfunction is expressed as desynchronization of local neural activity.

In Silico design and molecular dynamics analysis of imidazole derivatives as selective cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitors.

Cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), a key enzyme in the inflammatory pathway, is the target for various nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and selective inhibitors known as coxibs. This study focuses on the development of novel imidazole derivatives as COX-2 inhibitors, utilizing a Structure-Activity Relationship (SAR) approach to enhance binding affinity and selectivity. Molecular docking was performed using Autodock Vina, revealing binding energies of -6.

Epidemiology of DSM-5 PTSD and ICD-11 PTSD and complex PTSD in the Netherlands.

Introduction: Information regarding the prevalence of potentially traumatic events (PTEs), DSM-5 posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and ICD-11 complex PTSD (CPTSD) in the Netherlands is currently lacking, as is data on treatment uptake and treatment barriers. We aimed to provide prevalence estimates for potentially traumatic events, PTSD and CPTSD in the Netherlands, describe treatment seeking behavior and explore associated risk factors.

Method: We included a sample of 1690 participants aged 16 years and older across the Netherlands via the Longitudinal Internet studies for the Social Sciences panel, a true probability sample of households drawn from the population register by Statistics Netherlands.

Person-Specific Analyses of Smartphone Use and Mental Health: An Intensive Longitudinal Study Over One Year.

Background: Contrary to popular concerns about the harmful effects of media use on mental health, research on this relationship is ambiguous, stalling advances in theory, interventions, and policy. Scientific explorations of the relationship between media and mental health have mostly found null or small associations, with the results often blamed on the use of cross-sectional study designs or imprecise measures of media use and mental health.

Objective: This exploratory empirical demonstration aimed to answer whether mental health effects are associated with media use experiences by (1) redirecting research investments to granular and intensive longitudinal recordings of digital experiences to build models of media use and mental health for single individuals over the course of one entire year, (2) using new metrics of fragmented media use to propose explanations of mental health effects that will advance person-specific theorizing in media psychology, and (3) identifying combinations of media behaviors and mental health symptoms that may be more useful for studying media effects than single measures of dosage and affect or assessments of clinical symptoms related to specific disorders.

Therapeutic Potential of Social Chatbots in Alleviating Loneliness and Social Anxiety: Quasi-Experimental Mixed Methods Study.

Background: Artificial intelligence (AI) social chatbots represent a major advancement in merging technology with mental health, offering benefits through natural and emotional communication. Unlike task-oriented chatbots, social chatbots build relationships and provide social support, which can positively impact mental health outcomes like loneliness and social anxiety. However, the specific effects and mechanisms through which these chatbots influence mental health remain underexplored.

Acceptance, Safety, and Effect Sizes in Online Dialectical Behavior Therapy for Borderline Personality Disorder: Interventional Pilot Study.

Background: The potential of telehealth psychotherapy (ie, the online delivery of treatment via a video web-based platform) is gaining increased attention. However, there is skepticism about its acceptance, safety, and efficacy for patients with high emotional and behavioral dysregulation.

Objective: This study aims to provide initial effect size estimates of symptom change from pre- to post treatment, and the acceptance and safety of telehealth dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) for individuals diagnosed with borderline personality disorder (BPD).

Predictive Factors of Alcohol Initiation among Brazilian Adolescents: Assessing the Role of Attitudes, Decision-Making, Communication, and Resistance Skills.

Objective: This study aims to evaluate if attitudes toward drug use, decision-making, communication, and alcohol resistance skills act as predictors of alcohol use and binge drinking initiation among Brazilian students, considering the sex differences.

Methods: We used a longitudinal sample of 1,103 seventh-grade students from 15 Brazilian public schools. We explored if attitudes toward drug use, decision-making, communication, and alcohol resistance skills at baseline predicted alcohol outcomes nine months later.

Identifying depression subtypes and investigating their consistency and transitions in a 1-year cohort analysis.

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is defined by an array of symptoms that make it challenging to understand the condition at a population level. Subtyping offers a way to unpick this phenotypic diversity for improved disorder characterisation. We aimed to identify depression subtypes longitudinally using the Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology: Self-Report (IDS-SR).

Wearable devices may aid the recognition of fluctuation-related pain in Parkinson's disease-An exploratory, cross-sectional analysis of two prospective observational studies.

Fluctuation-related pain (FRP) affects more than one third of people with Parkinson's disease (PwP, PD) and has a harmful effect on health-related quality of life (HRQoL), but often remains under-reported by patients and neglected by clinicians. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) recommends The Parkinson KinetiGraphTM (the PKGTM) for remote monitoring of motor symptoms. We investigated potential links between the PKGTM-obtained parameters and clinical rating scores for FRP in PwP in an exploratory, cross-sectional analysis of two prospective studies: "The Non-motor International Longitudinal, Real-Life Study in PD-NILS" and "An observational-based registry of baseline PKG™ in PD-PKGReg".

Specialization of the human hippocampal long axis revisited.

The hippocampus possesses anatomical differences along its long axis. Here, we explored the functional specialization of the human hippocampal long axis using network-anchored precision functional MRI in two independent datasets (N = 11 and N = 9) paired with behavioral analysis (N = 266 and N = 238). Functional connectivity analyses demonstrated that the anterior hippocampus was preferentially correlated with a cerebral network associated with remembering, while the posterior hippocampus selectively contained a region correlated with a distinct network associated with behavioral salience.

Decoding the elite soccer player's psychological profile.

Soccer is arguably the most widely followed sport worldwide, and many dream of becoming soccer players. However, only a few manage to achieve this dream, which has cast a significant spotlight on elite soccer players who possess exceptional skills to rise above the rest. Originally, such attention was focused on their great physical abilities.

Patients' attitudes toward artificial intelligence (AI) in cancer care: A scoping review protocol.

Background: Artificial intelligence broadly refers to computer systems that simulate intelligent behaviour with minimal human intervention. Emphasizing patient-centered care, research has explored patients' perspectives on artificial intelligence in medical care, indicating general acceptance of the technology but also concerns about supervision. However, these views have not been systematically examined from the perspective of patients with cancer, whose opinions may differ given the distinct psychosocial toll of the disease.

Exercise prior to cognitive behavior therapy sessions for depression: a feasibility pilot study.

Exercise directly improves mood and cognition. Providing exercise immediately before cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) sessions may therefore enhance the clinical responsiveness to CBT. The present pilot study examined the feasibility and direction of effect of exercise+CBT versus CBT in depressed outpatients using a stepped wedged design.

Sleep Disturbance and Postconcussive Symptoms in Pediatric Mild Traumatic Brain Injury and Orthopedic Injury.

Objective: Sleep disturbance (SD) is common after pediatric mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) and may predict increased postconcussive symptoms (PCS) and prolonged recovery. Our objective was to investigate the relation of SD with PCS in children with mTBI and those with orthopedic injury (OI).

Setting: Emergency departments (EDs) at 2 children's hospitals in the Midwestern United States.

CBTI implementation outcomes: one-year follow up.

Insomnia is a common and debilitating disorder that is often undiagnosed and untreated. Cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBTI) is the first-line treatment for insomnia, though the lack of trained providers is a major barrier to accessibility. To address this issue, an online provider training platform, CBTI, was launched in April 2020.

Correlates of Impaired Timing Abilities in Schizophrenia: A Systematic Review.

This review aimed at summarizing the literature evidence on clinical, cognitive, and neurobiological correlates of impaired timing abilities in schizophrenia (SCZ). Following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines, a systematic literature search was conducted in PubMed, EMBASE, and PsycInfo by looking at correlates between timing abilities and either symptom severity, cognition, and neurobiological data (imaging and electroencephalography) in individuals with SCZ, without restrictions on study design. A total of 45 articles were selected: associations were identified between impaired timing performance and positive, negative, and disorganization symptoms, as well as with executive functioning, working memory, and attention.

Digital Meditation to Target Employee Stress: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance: Mindfulness meditation may improve well-being among employees; however, effects of digital meditation programs are poorly understood.

Objective: To evaluate the effects of digital meditation vs a waiting list condition on general and work-specific stress and whether greater engagement in the intervention moderates these effects.

Design, Setting, And Participants: This randomized clinical trial included a volunteer sample of adults (aged ≥18 years) employed at a large academic medical center who reported mild to moderate stress, had regular access to a web-connected device, and were fluent in English.

Patient-physician communication in advanced kidney disease: a narrative review.

The increasing prevalence of kidney failure highlights the crucial need for effective patient-physician communication to improve health-related quality of life and ensure adherence to treatment plans. This narrative review evaluates communication practices in the context of advanced kidney disease, focusing on the frameworks of shared decision-making, advanced care planning, and communication skills training among nephrologists. The findings highlight the significant gaps in patient-physician communication, particularly in the domains of advanced care planning, shared decision-making, and dialysis withdrawal.

Polysomnographic findings and psychiatric symptoms in patients with comorbid insomnia and sleep apnea: a retrospective study focusing on sex differences.

Purpose: Comorbid insomnia and obstructive sleep apnea (COMISA) present significant clinical challenges, given their overlapping symptoms and detrimental effects on health. Only a few studies have explored sex differences in patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and COMISA. This retrospective study investigated sex differences in psychiatric symptoms and polysomnographic findings between patients with COMISA and those with OSA alone.

Prevalence of Obstructive Sleep Apnea in Vietnamese Children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).

Introduction: Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a common sleep-related breathing disorder among children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). This study aims to determine the prevalence of OSA in children with ADHD, compare the differences in clinical characteristics between children with ADHD-OSA and those without OSA (ADHD-nonOSA), and to identify the correlation between OSA and ADHD in children.

Methods: This cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted on 524 children with ADHD, aged 6-12 years, at the Vietnam National Children's Hospital from October 2022 to September 2023.

Approaches for Analyzing the Relationship Between Spirituality and Health Using Measures Contaminated with Indicators of Mental and Social Health.

There has been concern raised in religion/spirituality (R/S) research about the use of measures of spirituality that are contaminated by indicators of mental and/or social health. Many of these scales are used widely in published studies examining associations with health, and yet many researchers and reviewers are not aware of contamination issues. We have previously cautioned researchers to be careful in their choice of religious/spirituality (R/S) measures (Koenig and Carey in J Relig Health, 63(5):3729-3743.

The protective effect of serum antibodies in preventing SARS-CoV-2 virus entry into cardiac muscle.

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has been associated with significant cardiovascular complications, including myocardial infection and pulmonary embolism. This study aims to elucidate the relationship between the presence of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in the myocardium of the left ventricle and the levels of IgG and IgM antibodies against the SARS-CoV-2 virus in deceased COVID-19 patients. We conducted a post-mortem examination on 91 individuals who succumbed to COVID-19-related complications.

Risk impact of SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus and spike protein on cardiac tissue: a comprehensive review.

The global COVID-19 pandemic, caused by SARS-CoV-2, has led to significant morbidity and mortality, with a profound impact on cardiovascular health. This review investigates the mechanisms of SARS-CoV-2's interaction with cardiac tissue, particularly emphasizing the role of the Spike protein and ACE2 receptor in facilitating viral entry and subsequent cardiac complications. We dissect the structural features of the virus, its interactions with host cell receptors, and the resulting pathophysiological changes in the heart.