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Science Translational Medicine Jun 2024Vitamin B12 is critical for hematopoiesis and myelination. Deficiency can cause neurologic deficits including loss of coordination and cognitive decline. However,...
Vitamin B12 is critical for hematopoiesis and myelination. Deficiency can cause neurologic deficits including loss of coordination and cognitive decline. However, diagnosis relies on measurement of vitamin B12 in the blood, which may not accurately reflect the concentration in the brain. Using programmable phage display, we identified an autoantibody targeting the transcobalamin receptor (CD320) in a patient with progressive tremor, ataxia, and scanning speech. Anti-CD320 impaired cellular uptake of cobalamin (B12) in vitro by depleting its target from the cell surface. Despite a normal serum concentration, B12 was nearly undetectable in her cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). Immunosuppressive treatment and high-dose systemic B12 supplementation were associated with increased B12 in the CSF and clinical improvement. Optofluidic screening enabled isolation of a patient-derived monoclonal antibody that impaired B12 transport across an in vitro model of the blood-brain barrier (BBB). Autoantibodies targeting the same epitope of CD320 were identified in seven other patients with neurologic deficits of unknown etiology, 6% of healthy controls, and 21.4% of a cohort of patients with neuropsychiatric lupus. In 132 paired serum and CSF samples, detection of anti-CD320 in the blood predicted B12 deficiency in the brain. However, these individuals did not display any hematologic signs of B12 deficiency despite systemic CD320 impairment. Using a genome-wide CRISPR screen, we found that the low-density lipoprotein receptor serves as an alternative B12 uptake pathway in hematopoietic cells. These findings dissect the tissue specificity of B12 transport and elucidate an autoimmune neurologic condition that may be amenable to immunomodulatory treatment and nutritional supplementation.
Topics: Humans; Vitamin B 12 Deficiency; Vitamin B 12; Autoantibodies; Female; Receptors, Cell Surface; Antigens, CD; Middle Aged; Autoimmune Diseases; Blood-Brain Barrier; Male
PubMed: 38924428
DOI: 10.1126/scitranslmed.adl3758 -
Journal of Lesbian Studies Jun 2024The Anthropocene is old news. As young queer zine-makers in Singapore, we heard the term on repeat and dared to ask: What about the Anthro? From this queer...
The Anthropocene is old news. As young queer zine-makers in Singapore, we heard the term on repeat and dared to ask: What about the Anthro? From this queer environmentalist pun we birthed a new take on our relationship to the Earth amidst climate crises - and in doing so, we came out as ecolesbians. Ecolesbianism is a concept we co-created, bringing together queer ecologies, political lesbianism, ecofeminism, transecology, ecosexuality, and our own experiences. Ecolesbianism explores our relationship with the Earth and asks: what if our interspecies relationships are lesbian too? We argue that lesbian intimacy is unique in proceeding from a point of sameness and marginality, by recognising shared experiences of gender marginalisation with our lovers. Ecolesbianism thus might be understood as a subset of ecosexuality, but with an emphasis placed on marginality and intimacy more so than a general focus on sex and sensuality. The Anthropussy, meanwhile, is our nod to rejecting classifications: The Anthropussy is the erotic and utopian potential we carry within this era of unprecedented anthropogenic climate change. It combines an environmentalist recognition of the climate crisis with a feminist and queer theory analysis of the vulva as a symbol for vast potential, pleasure, intimacy, and expansiveness. This article is a re-formatted zine: a form that brings creativity and fun into the often heavy and overwhelming conversation on ecological collapse, while also expanding its audience beyond that of a typical academic article.
PubMed: 38922575
DOI: 10.1080/10894160.2024.2334969 -
European Journal of Investigation in... Jun 2024Multimedia resources, such as instructional videos, are currently enjoying a certain popularity in the training programs for medical and dental students. The major...
UNLABELLED
Multimedia resources, such as instructional videos, are currently enjoying a certain popularity in the training programs for medical and dental students. The major challenge is to create such resources with quality content that is approved by students. In order to answer this challenge, it is imperative to find out which features of instructional videos are considered to be necessary and useful by students, thus being able to excite them, to hold their attention, and to stimulate them in learning with pleasure.
AIM
We investigated the opinions of a sample of 551 students from four medical universities in Romania, in order to identify the students' preferred characteristics in instructional videos, both globally and comparatively on genders and age groups and also according to their general preferences for using internet services.
MATERIAL AND METHODS
We used univariate (hypothesis testing) and multivariate (two-step clustering) data analysis techniques and revealed three clusters of students, primarily determined by their perceptions of the visual appearance of the instructional videos.
RESULTS
The structure of the clusters by gender and age group was relatively similar, but we recorded differences associated with the students' expressed preferences for certain internet services compared to others. The first identified cluster (35.4% of the cases) contains students who prefer instructional videos to contain images used only for aesthetic purposes and to fill the gaps; they use internet services mainly for communication. The second cluster of students (34.8%) prefers videos designed as practical lessons, using explanatory drawings and diagrams drawn at the same time as the explanations; they also use internet services mainly for communication. The last cluster of students (29.8%) prefer videos designed as PowerPoint presentations, with animated pictures, diagrams, and drawings; they are slightly younger than the others and use internet services mainly for information and communication, but also for domestic facilities.
CONCLUSIONS
The students' preferences for certain features of instructional videos depend not only on gender and age but are also related to their developmental background and general opinions about modern technologies.
PubMed: 38921074
DOI: 10.3390/ejihpe14060108 -
Behavioral Sciences (Basel, Switzerland) Jun 2024Improving social functioning deficits-a core characteristic of schizophrenia-spectrum disorders-is often listed by patients as a key recovery goal. Evidence suggests...
Improving social functioning deficits-a core characteristic of schizophrenia-spectrum disorders-is often listed by patients as a key recovery goal. Evidence suggests that social deficits also extend to people with schizotypy, a group at heightened risk for psychotic and other psychopathological disorders. One challenge of social functioning research in schizotypy is understanding whether social deficits arise from receiving less pleasure from social activities or from participating less in high-pleasure activities. However, limited information exists on what constitutes highly pleasurable, common social activities. In this study, 357 college students rated the frequency and enjoyment of 38 social activities. Our aims were to categorize activities based on their frequency and enjoyment, and whether these correlated with validated social functioning and schizotypy measures. We found that social activities could be characterized based on their frequency and enjoyment and created a frequency-enjoyment matrix that could be useful for future studies. Activities were correlated with social functioning, generally reaching a small effect size level, with increasing frequency and enjoyment showing associations with greater social functioning. Further, negative and disorganized-but not positive-traits were associated with less engagement and pleasure. Although follow-up studies in community samples are needed, our findings have the potential to help researchers and clinicians better understand which activities participants are more likely to engage in and derive pleasure from. The findings may also illustrate the extent to which social deficits may be due to less engagement or less pleasure from social activities, as well as which aspects of schizophrenia-spectrum disorders are associated with these facets of social functioning.
PubMed: 38920806
DOI: 10.3390/bs14060474 -
Journal of Equine Veterinary Science Jun 2024Horses are regularly transported in the United States (U.S.); however, how, and why horses travel by road has not been explored. Consequently, an online nationwide...
Horses are regularly transported in the United States (U.S.); however, how, and why horses travel by road has not been explored. Consequently, an online nationwide survey was conducted to understand 1) the most common reasons for travel; 2) the types of journeys undertaken when being transported by road in the U.S. and 3) the general management practices when transporting for 3 hours or less. Responses were collected from 1294 participants with at least one response from every state in the continental U.S. The most common survey taker was a female (93.9%), adult amateur (81.2%), horse owner (64.6%) who rode recreationally (33.1%) and transported their own horse (79.4%). The most common reasons for travel were for trail or leisure riding (34.2%) followed by showing and competition (25.3%); however, this varied by discipline. The most common trip duration was less than one hour (46.8%), with only 12.4% of the most common trip durations being 4 hours or more. The most common specific horse transported by road for 3 hours or less was an adult (age 5-15; 59.0%), Quarter Horse (21.2%), used for pleasure or trail riding (44.3%). The biggest concern when transporting was injury to the horse (26.7%), whilst the biggest factor when planning to travel was the weather (24.1%). These results provide insight into why horses are being transported by road in the U.S. and that it is more common to transport horses for shorter durations.
PubMed: 38909768
DOI: 10.1016/j.jevs.2024.105137 -
BMC Public Health Jun 2024Previous studies have demonstrated a strong association between depression and job burnout among healthcare professionals, but the results have been inconsistent, and...
BACKGROUND
Previous studies have demonstrated a strong association between depression and job burnout among healthcare professionals, but the results have been inconsistent, and there is a lack of in-depth exploration of such a relationship among different healthcare professions. The present study aims to investigate the interrelationships between depression and burnout among Chinese healthcare professionals and whether there are differences in the networks of these symptoms between doctors and nurses.
METHODS
The Maslach Burnout Inventory-General Survey and the 2-item Patient Health Questionnaire were employed to assess job burnout and depression among 3,684 healthcare professionals. The translation has been refined to ensure accuracy and academic suitability. Subsequently, network analysis was conducted on 2,244 participants with a higher level of job burnout to identify core symptoms and explore the associations between job burnout and depression.
RESULTS
The present study showed a network association between lack of interest and pleasure in things and being exhausted from work, excessive tiredness facing work, tendency to collapse at work, and lack of passion for work than before among healthcare professionals, as well as a notable difference in the network association between lack of interest and pleasure in things and lack of passion for work than before between nurses and doctors.
CONCLUSIONS
The depression-burnout network structures differ between doctors and nurses, highlighting the need for targeted intervention measures for both groups.
Topics: Humans; Burnout, Professional; Female; Male; Adult; Depression; Physicians; China; Middle Aged; Nurses; Surveys and Questionnaires
PubMed: 38909182
DOI: 10.1186/s12889-024-19193-3 -
Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews Jun 2024Bayesian inference has recently gained momentum in explaining music perception and aging. A fundamental mechanism underlying Bayesian inference is the notion of... (Review)
Review
Bayesian inference has recently gained momentum in explaining music perception and aging. A fundamental mechanism underlying Bayesian inference is the notion of prediction. This framework could explain how predictions pertaining to musical (melodic, rhythmic, harmonic) structures engender action, emotion, and learning, expanding related concepts of music research, such as musical expectancies, groove, pleasure, and tension. Moreover, a Bayesian perspective of music perception may shed new insights on the beneficial effects of music in aging. Aging could be framed as an optimization process of Bayesian inference. As predictive inferences refine over time, the reliance on consolidated priors increases, while the updating of prior models through Bayesian inference attenuates. This may affect the ability of older adults to estimate uncertainties in their environment, limiting their cognitive and behavioral repertoire. With Bayesian inference as an overarching framework, this review synthesizes the literature on predictive inferences in music and aging, and details how music could be a promising tool in preventive and rehabilitative interventions for older adults through the lens of Bayesian inference.
PubMed: 38908730
DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2024.105768 -
Comprehensive Psychiatry Jun 2024The activation of permissive beliefs is a cognitive mechanism through which individuals permit themselves to engage in pleasurable, yet potentially unregulated...
BACKGROUND
The activation of permissive beliefs is a cognitive mechanism through which individuals permit themselves to engage in pleasurable, yet potentially unregulated activities. Existing measures are heterogenous, focusing either on specific behaviors or on particular licensing mechanisms. The new Permissive Beliefs Questionnaire (PBQ) seeks to integrate self-licensing mechanisms from various research domains and to be applicable to different behaviors.
METHODS
Study 1 aimed at exploring the factor structure and reduce the number of items. In study 2, we used confirmatory factor analysis and tested convergent and discriminant validity in three subsamples of individuals playing videogames (n = 489), shopping online (n = 506), and drinking alcohol (n = 511). We tested the hypothesis whether individuals who experience a self-regulatory conflict show a greater expression of permissive beliefs.
RESULTS
The final version of the PBQ consists of 12 items which represent two factors: Deserving Reward and Defensive Optimism. The PBQ exhibited robust model fit indices and internal consistencies in the three samples. Permissive beliefs were heightened among individuals intending to downregulate their gaming, shopping, or drinking behaviors as compared to individuals without this intention.
CONCLUSION
The PBQ is a valid measure of permissive beliefs for gaming, online shopping, and drinking alcohol. It serves an ecologic and psychometrically valid tool to address empirical research questions regarding the functioning of permissive beliefs. Additionally, it may be used in clinical settings to measure and raise an understanding for permissive beliefs in clients.
PubMed: 38905774
DOI: 10.1016/j.comppsych.2024.152507 -
Journal of Sex Research Jun 2024Motivations for pornography use may vary across gender identities, sexual orientations, and geographical regions, warranting examination to promote individual and public...
Motivations for pornography use may vary across gender identities, sexual orientations, and geographical regions, warranting examination to promote individual and public health. The aims of this study were to validate the Pornography Use Motivations Scale (PUMS) in a diverse, multicultural sample, and develop a short form (PUMS-8) that can assess a wide range of pornography use motivations. Using data from 42 countries ( = 75,117; M = 32.07; SD = 12.37), enabled us to thoroughly evaluate the dimensionality, validity, and reliability of the Pornography Use Motivations Scale (PUMS), leading to the development of the more concise PUMS-8 short scale. Additionally, language-, nationality-, gender-, and sexual-orientation-based measurement invariance tests were conducted to test the comparability across groups. Both the PUMS and the PUMS-8 assess eight pornography use motivations, and both demonstrated excellent psychometric properties. Sexual Pleasure emerged as the most frequent motivation for pornography use across countries, genders, and sexual orientations, while differences were observed concerning other motivations (e.g. self-exploration was more prevalent among gender-diverse individuals than men or women). The motivational background of pornography use showed high similarity in the examined countries. Both the PUMS and the PUMS-8 are reliable and valid measurement tools to assess different types of motivations for pornography use across countries, genders, and sexual orientations. Both scales are recommended for use in research and clinical settings.
PubMed: 38905162
DOI: 10.1080/00224499.2024.2359641 -
Frontiers in Psychology 2024Positive sexuality, defined as the happiness and fulfillment individuals derive from their sexual experiences, expressions, and behaviors, has been linked to...
INTRODUCTION
Positive sexuality, defined as the happiness and fulfillment individuals derive from their sexual experiences, expressions, and behaviors, has been linked to relationship satisfaction and health. However, the intricate associations between positive sexuality and relationship functioning and health indicators have rarely been explored from a network perspective. This approach, by analyzing the interconnections among these factors within a broader system, can offer insights into complex dynamics and identify key variables for targeted interventions.
METHODS
The present study applied network analysis to uncover interconnections between positive sexuality, relationship satisfaction, and health indicators, highlight the most relevant variables and explore potential gender-based differences in a sample of 992 partnered individuals (51% women, aged 18-71 years). Networks were estimated via Gaussian Graphical Models, and network comparison test was used to compare men and women.
RESULTS
Results indicated that variables related to positive sexuality were more highly interconnected than the rest of the network. There were small-to-negligible connections between positive sexuality and relationship satisfaction variables, both of which had negligible or no connections with health. The network was globally invariant across gender, though a few connections were gender-specific. The most important variables, regardless of gender, related to pleasurable feelings during sexual intercourse.
DISCUSSION
The findings underscore the importance of enhancing positive sexual experiences within intimate relationships and have implications for research and clinical practice in positive sexuality.
PubMed: 38903470
DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1420148