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International Journal of Biological... Jun 2024Depression is a neuropsychiatric disorder characterized by persistent pleasure loss and behavioral despair. However, the potential mechanisms and therapeutic targets for...
Depression is a neuropsychiatric disorder characterized by persistent pleasure loss and behavioral despair. However, the potential mechanisms and therapeutic targets for depression treatment remain unclear. Therefore, identifying the underlying pathogenesis of depression would promote the development of novel treatment and provide effective targets for antidepressant drugs. In this study, proteomics analysis showed that the expression level of phosphatase and actin regulator 4 (Phactr4) was significantly increased in the CA1 hippocampus of depressed rats. The upregulated Phactr4 might induce dysfunction of the synaptic structure via suppressing the p-LIMK/p-Cofilin signaling pathway, and promote neuroinflammation via activating the NF-κB/NLRP3 pathway, which ultimately contributes to the pathogenesis of depression. In contrast, the downregulation of Phactr4 in hippocampal CA1 of depressed rats alleviated depression-like behaviors, along with reducing neuroinflammation and improving synaptic plasticity. In conclusion, these findings provide evidence that Phactr4 plays an important role in regulating neuroinflammatory response and impairment of synaptic plasticity, effects seem to involve in the pathogenesis of depression, and Phactr4 may serve as a potential target for antidepressant treatment.
PubMed: 38838879
DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2024.132854 -
BioEssays : News and Reviews in... Jun 2024Stem cell research is the product of cumulative, integrated effort between and within laboratories and disciplines. The many collaborative steps that lead to that... (Review)
Review
Stem cell research is the product of cumulative, integrated effort between and within laboratories and disciplines. The many collaborative steps that lead to that special "Eureka moment", when something that has been a puzzle perhaps for years suddenly become clear, is among the greatest pleasures of a scientific career. In this essay, the serendipitous pathway from first acquaintance with pluripotent stem cells to advanced cardiovascular models that emerged from studying development and disease will be described. Perhaps inspiration for later generations of stem cell researchers simply to follow whatever they find interesting.
PubMed: 38838059
DOI: 10.1002/bies.202400078 -
Facial Plastic Surgery : FPS Jun 2024It gives us great pleasure to guest edit this special edition on The Disfigured Face. We present a range of manuscripts covering the surgical and non-surgical aspects of...
It gives us great pleasure to guest edit this special edition on The Disfigured Face. We present a range of manuscripts covering the surgical and non-surgical aspects of managing facial paralysis. We are privileged to include articles from internationally renowned surgeons. We hope our readers enjoy reading these articles and should there be any questions, or errors, please do not hesitate to contact us Best wishes Eamon Shamil and Peter Andrews Facial Reanimation Multidisciplinary Team The Royal National ENT Hospital, University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, England.
PubMed: 38834175
DOI: 10.1055/a-2338-0797 -
Ergonomics Jun 2024The affective experience generated when users play computer games can influence their attitude and preference towards the game. Existing evaluation means mainly depend...
The affective experience generated when users play computer games can influence their attitude and preference towards the game. Existing evaluation means mainly depend on subjective scales and physiological signals. However, some limitations should not be ignored (e.g. subjective scales are not objective, and physiological signals are complicated). In this paper, we 1) propose a novel method to assess user affective experience when playing single-player games based on pleasure-arousal-dominance (PAD) emotions, facial expressions, and gaze directions, and 2) build an artificial intelligence model to identify user preference. Fifty-four subjects participated in a basketball experiment with three difficulty levels. Their expressions, gaze directions, and subjective PAD emotions were collected and analysed. Experimental results showed that the expression intensities of , , and , yaw angle degrees of gaze direction, and PAD emotions varied significantly under different difficulties. Besides, the proposed model achieved better performance than other machine-learning algorithms on the collected dataset.
PubMed: 38832783
DOI: 10.1080/00140139.2024.2359123 -
IScience Jun 2024Music and social interactions represent two of the most important sources of pleasure in our lives, both engaging the mesolimbic dopaminergic system. However, there is...
Music and social interactions represent two of the most important sources of pleasure in our lives, both engaging the mesolimbic dopaminergic system. However, there is limited understanding regarding whether and how sharing a musical activity in a social context influences and modifies individuals' rewarding experiences. Here, we aimed at (1) modulating the pleasure derived from music under different social scenarios and (2) further investigating its impact on reward-related prosocial behavior and memory. Across three online experiments, we simulated a socially shared music listening and found that participants' music reward was significantly modulated by the social context, with higher reported pleasure for greater levels of social sharing. Furthermore, the increased pleasure reported by the participants positively influenced prosocial behavior and memory outcomes, highlighting the facilitating role of socially boosted reward. These findings provide evidence about the rewarding nature of socially driven music experiences, with important potential implications in educational and clinical settings.
PubMed: 38832017
DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2024.109964 -
Psychology of Sport and Exercise Jun 2024Evidence-based interventions are needed to promote engagement in physical activity. Audio-visual stimuli are frequently employed to enhance the exercise experience....
Evidence-based interventions are needed to promote engagement in physical activity. Audio-visual stimuli are frequently employed to enhance the exercise experience. Nonetheless, there is a paucity of research that examines the qualities of technological devices that are employed. Using the Embodiment-Presence-Interactivity Cube (Flavián et al., 2019) as a guiding conceptual framework, the aim of this registered report was to examine how each dimension of the cube (i.e., embodiment, presence and interactivity) influenced a range of exercise-related affective and perceptual variables. A counterbalanced within-subjects design was employed (N = 24). Participants completed 20-min exercise bouts on a cycle ergometer under four conditions: Television, augmented reality, 360° video and virtual reality. A repeated-measures ANOVA indicated a significant Condition × Timepoint interaction for affective valence (p = 0.046), with greater embodiment offered by technological devices leading to more positive responses. Analyses also indicated main effects of condition for exercise enjoyment, remembered pleasure and forecasted pleasure, with greater presence of technological devices leading to more positive responses. Technologies that combine high levels of embodiment, presence and interactivity (e.g., virtual reality) appear to yield several benefits in terms of in-task (e.g., affective valence) and post-task (e.g., remembered pleasure) responses for exercise conducted at ventilatory threshold.
PubMed: 38830499
DOI: 10.1016/j.psychsport.2024.102684 -
Heliyon Jun 2024The aim of the study is to create and validate a model of the relationship between specialization in leisure activities, the individual's adaptation to the environment...
UNLABELLED
The aim of the study is to create and validate a model of the relationship between specialization in leisure activities, the individual's adaptation to the environment and the heart flow experience. In order to clarify the role of the individual's adaptation to the environment in the relationship between specialization in leisure activities and the heart flow experience. The study utilized purposive sampling, cluster sampling, and random sampling. Using questionnaires and interviews to survey 525 cycling enthusiasts. Descriptive analysis, model construction and testing of the constructed path relationships were conducted using SPSS 20.0 and Amos 20.0. The results indicate that the model of the relationship between recovery specialization, individual-environment fit and heart flow experience has a good overall fit. The model shows good reliability and validity. Cyclists' recreational specialization has a statistically significant effect on individual-environment fit ( = 0.38, < 0.001). The fit between individual and environment has a statistically significant influence on the heart flow experience ( = 0.39, < 0.001). The fit between individual and environment serves as a mediating variable between recreational specialization and the heart flow experience, with the path showing statistical significance ( = 0.15, < 0.001). Recreational specialization has a statistically significant effect on the heart flow experience ( = 0.30, < 0.001). And the overall path of the effects of recreational specialization of cyclists on the fit between individual and environment is ( = 0.45, < 0.001), with the path showing statistical significance.
CONCLUSION
The stronger the recreational specialization of cyclists and the greater the fit between individual and environment, the stronger their heart flow experience. The fit between individual and environment plays a partially mediating role.
PubMed: 38828331
DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e31781 -
Frontiers in Psychology 2024Sexual satisfaction has been shown to have a strong association with many aspects of sexual health and wellbeing. It is further considered a robust indicator of an...
INTRODUCTION
Sexual satisfaction has been shown to have a strong association with many aspects of sexual health and wellbeing. It is further considered a robust indicator of an individual's health status and general wellbeing, revealing that a person can enjoy pleasurable and healthy sexual experiences, beyond the mere absence of sexual and reproductive health issues.
OBJECTIVES
This study aimed to analyze the relationship between sexual satisfaction, sexual behaviors, sexual self-efficacy, and the importance personally attributed to maintaining an active and satisfying sexual life among young and middle-aged women aged 18-50.
DESIGN
A descriptive correlational study with a cross-sectional design was conducted.
METHODS
Participants ( = 1,076 women) completed self-reports on sexual self-efficacy beliefs, frequency of sexual behaviors, the importance attributed to active and healthy sexuality, and multidimensional sexual satisfaction.
RESULTS
The supported mediation model indicated that sexual self-efficacy was related to sexual satisfaction directly and indirectly through sexual behavior and a serial path through sexual behavior and the perceived importance of healthy sexuality. The total effect was significant, and the full model explained 7.3% of the global sexual satisfaction variance ( = 17.218, = 0.000), with the mediated effect accounting for 44.3%.
CONCLUSION
This study confirms a partial serial mediation model by which sexual self-efficacy significantly predicts sexual satisfaction through sexual behaviors and the importance attributed to a healthy sexuality. Due to its significant contribution, the perceived importance of sexuality should be considered when studying correlates of sexual satisfaction. These findings have interesting implications for the development of strategies aimed at sexual health promotion and sexual education among women in early and middle adulthood.
PubMed: 38827890
DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1305399 -
SAGE Open Medicine 2024The study aims to investigate the patient perspective on the pathway from healthcare practitioners' presentations of their cases at a Project ECHO (Extension for...
OBJECTIVE
The study aims to investigate the patient perspective on the pathway from healthcare practitioners' presentations of their cases at a Project ECHO (Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes) tele-clinic to the management of those patients' chronic pain.
INTRODUCTION
Managing patients with chronic and complex pain constitutes a prevalent, stressful challenge in the primary care setting. Primary care physicians typically have received little training in treating such patients and, until recently, have relied heavily on opioid and other pharmaceutical therapies as part of their regimen. Project ECHO Ontario Chronic Pain and Opioid Stewardship is an interprofessional telementoring program connecting pain specialists to primary care practitioners with the aim of supporting them in managing their patients with chronic pain, although the patients concerned do not generally participate in the telementoring sessions. While a number of papers have described the benefits accruing to healthcare professionals through participating in Project ECHO, there has been little exploration concerning patients' perceptions of their care subsequent to case presentation.
METHODS
Using data from in-depth interviews with 20 patients along with their associated case presentation forms and the recommendations following the presentation, we look at the alignment of patient and practitioner views and inquire about the patient's perceptions of how Project ECHO affects them.
RESULTS
Results suggest that the impact on patients is indirect but positive: most respondents express pleasure in contributing to research around chronic pain management, though only two of them identified a direct impact on their own treatment. They also appreciated their practitioner's efforts to bring expert attention to the patient's situation.
CONCLUSIONS
Patients whose cases are presented to Project ECHO sessions experience positive emotions at being part of the process of research and quality improvement, regardless of changes in their own conditions. This study highlights the importance to patients of their practitioners' commitment to managing their chronic pain.
PubMed: 38826827
DOI: 10.1177/20503121241254941 -
Addictive Behaviors Sep 2024This study examines differences in reasons for e-cigarette, cigarette, and cannabis use across exclusive, dual, co-, and poly co-users.
OBJECTIVE
This study examines differences in reasons for e-cigarette, cigarette, and cannabis use across exclusive, dual, co-, and poly co-users.
METHODS
Participants were 645 young adults who reported past 30-day (P30D) use of e-cigarettes, cigarettes, or cannabis at wave 14 (Fall, 2021) of the Texas Adolescent Tobacco Marketing and Surveillance System (TATAMS). Exclusive users reported P30D use of one product, dual users reported P30D use of e-cigarettes and cigarettes, co-users reported use of cannabis and one tobacco product, and poly co-users reported P30D use of all three products. Participants were asked if they agreed with a series of reasons for using their respective products. Multinomial logistic regression analyses were conducted to examine associations between reasons for use and pattern of use, controlling for sex, race/ethnicity, and lifetime product use.
RESULTS
26.36 % of P30D users reported cannabis and tobacco use. Poly co-users were more likely to report using e-cigarettes because their friends do than e-cigarette co-users (aRRR = 2.64; 95 %CI = 1.19-5.83) and dual tobacco users (aRRR = 5.11; 95 %CI = 1.73-15.12). Poly co-users were more likely to smoke cigarettes while drinking alcohol (aRRR = 4.68; 95 %CI = 1.06-20.72) or to experience a pleasurable buzz (aRRR = 5.48; 95 %CI = 1.62-18.57) than exclusive cigarette users. Poly co-users more often reported using cannabis for taste (aRRR = 3.13; 95 %CI = 1.51-6.51), because their friends use it (aRRR = 2.19; 95 %CI = 1.08-4.42), and while drinking alcohol (aRRR = 2.13; 95 %CI = 1.03-4.41) than exclusive cannabis users.
CONCLUSIONS
Given that reasons for use differ significantly among types of multiple product users and exclusive users, interventions should be tailored to address the specific tobacco and cannabis use practices of young adults.
Topics: Humans; Texas; Male; Female; Young Adult; Adolescent; Vaping; Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems; Adult; Marijuana Smoking; Marijuana Use; Cigarette Smoking; Friends; Motivation; Tobacco Use
PubMed: 38824720
DOI: 10.1016/j.addbeh.2024.108063