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BMC Psychology Jun 2024Social context and time are two dimensions within which our entire existence is embedded. Therefore, prompting a positive set of attitudes and beliefs towards these...
PURPOSE
Social context and time are two dimensions within which our entire existence is embedded. Therefore, prompting a positive set of attitudes and beliefs towards these elements is fundamental for individuals' psychological well-being. Currently, there is limited understanding regarding the interplay between the sense of community and time perspective in relation to psychological distress. The present study aims, at investigating the effects that the sense of community and time perspective have on the levels of anxiety, depression, and stress. Particular attention has been dedicated to testing whether the effect of sense of community on anxiety, depression, and stress is mediated by the deviation from a balanced time perspective.
METHODS
To accomplish our purposes, we asked 352 participants to complete an online survey and respond to the Depression, Anxiety, Stress Scale (DASS-21), the Zimbardo Time Perspective Inventory (ZTPI), and the Multi-Dimensional Sense of Community Scale (MTSOCS). From these scales, we obtained the scores for anxiety, depression, and stress as well as a general score for the sense of community and the deviation from a balanced time perspective. We computed three General Linear Mediation Models, one for each scale of the DASS-21.
RESULTS
The results showed that the relationship between sense of community and psychological distress was mediated by the deviation from a balanced time perspective extending previous findings and enriching the existing literature on time perspective.
CONCLUSION
The results described so far could be applied to build a series of interventions aimed at promoting psychological well-being in the general population. Considering our findings, we suggest that individuals' health could be promoted by both improving their sense of community, which in turn would decrease their levels of stress, and by restructuring their time perspective when it became dysfunctional and unbalanced.
Topics: Humans; Male; Female; Stress, Psychological; Adult; Depression; Anxiety; Young Adult; Middle Aged; Time Perception; Adolescent; Surveys and Questionnaires
PubMed: 38824588
DOI: 10.1186/s40359-024-01797-4 -
BMC Neurology Jun 2024Rates of dementia for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are three to five times greater compared to non-Indigenous Australians, with earlier age of onset....
Strength together: examining risk and protective factors associated with dementia and cognitive impairment in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples through harmonisation of landmark studies.
BACKGROUND
Rates of dementia for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are three to five times greater compared to non-Indigenous Australians, with earlier age of onset. However, the risk and protective factors that drive these higher rates vary across existing cohort studies, with minimal findings on the role of vascular risk factors beyond stroke. Harmonisation of data across studies may offer greater insights through enhanced diversity and strengthened statistical capabilities. This study aims to combine three landmark cohort studies of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander participants to better understand the determinants of cognitive health and dementia.
METHODS/DESIGN
Three cohort studies - the Kimberley Healthy Adults Project (KHAP, N = 363), Koori Growing Old Well Study (KGOWS, N = 336) and Torres Strait Dementia Prevalence Study (TSDPS, N = 274) - share a similar research methodology with demographic, medical history, psychosocial factors, cognitive tests and consensus clinical diagnoses of cognitive impairment and dementia. Associations between risk and protective factors of interest and the presence of dementia and/or cognitive impairment diagnoses will be evaluated by univariable and multivariable logistic regression in a harmonised cross-sectional cohort of 898 participants. Factors associated with incident dementia and/or cognitive impairment will be assessed in a subset of KHAP (n = 189) and KGOWS participants (n = 165) who were available in longitudinal follow-up, after exclusion of those with baseline dementia or cognitive impairment. Analyses in relation to outcome measure of death or dementia will be conducted to account for the competing risk of death. Logistic regression will be used to evaluate the association between the individual components of the 16-component Kimberley Indigenous Cognitive Assessment (KICA) tool and the presence of dementia and cognitive impairment determined by independent consensus diagnoses. Multivariable binary logistic regression will be used to adjust for the effect of confounding variables. Results will be reported as odds ratios (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (95% CI).
DISCUSSION
Greater understanding of risk and protective factors of dementia and cognitive impairment relevant to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples may improve approaches across the life course to delay cognitive decline and reduce dementia risk.
Topics: Humans; Dementia; Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander; Cognitive Dysfunction; Risk Factors; Australia; Male; Female; Cohort Studies; Protective Factors; Middle Aged; Aged; Adult; Cross-Sectional Studies; Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples
PubMed: 38824519
DOI: 10.1186/s12883-024-03688-y -
Acta Oto-laryngologica Jun 2024Follow-up of cochlear implant effectiveness is mainly focused on 3 years postoperatively, and studies with more than 5 years of observation are rare, especially for...
BACKGROUND
Follow-up of cochlear implant effectiveness is mainly focused on 3 years postoperatively, and studies with more than 5 years of observation are rare, especially for local Chinese brands.
OBJECTIVES
Nurotron (Chinese domestic cochlear implant brand) CI recipients who participated in the clinical trial in 2009 were followed-up for 10 years prospectively, providing data to guide doctors and patients.
MATERIAL AND METHODS
From December 2009 to April 2010, 57 subjects underwent Nurotron Venus CI surgery at multiple-centers, and were continued to be followed up and assessed at 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 10 years after switch on.
RESULTS
All recipients were successfully implanted with CIs with no difficulty in subsequent use with one reported case of re-implantation at 9 years after implantation. The aided hearing thresholds were significantly improved at one month after switch on ( < 0.0001) and remained stable afterwards for 10 years. Speech recognition scores were significantly higher than pre-operative results ( < 0.05) and continued to improve till 3 years after switch on. At 10 years post-operation, most subjects had improved QOL scores in most sub-items.
CONCLUSIONS AND SIGNIFICANCE
Nurotron Venus CI System provides long-term, stable results in hearing speech assistance capabilities and can improve the quality of life of CI recipients.
PubMed: 38824490
DOI: 10.1080/00016489.2024.2355216 -
Carbon Balance and Management Jun 2024Mangrove ecosystems exhibit significant carbon storage and sequestration. Its capacity to store and sequester significant amounts of carbon makes this ecosystem very...
BACKGROUND
Mangrove ecosystems exhibit significant carbon storage and sequestration. Its capacity to store and sequester significant amounts of carbon makes this ecosystem very important for climate change mitigation. Indonesia, owing to the largest mangrove cover in the world, has approximately 3.14 PgC stored in the mangroves, or about 33% of all carbon stored in coastal ecosystems globally. Unfortunately, our comprehensive understanding of carbon flux is hampered by the incomplete repertoire of field measurement data, especially from mangrove ecosystem-rich regions such as Indonesia and Asia Pacific. This study fills the gap in greenhouse gases (GHGs) flux studies in mangrove ecosystems in Indonesia by quantifying the soil CO and CH fluxes for different land use types in mangrove ecosystems, i.e., secondary mangrove (SM), restored mangrove (RM), pond embankment (PE) and active aquaculture pond (AP). Environmental parameters such as soil pore salinity, soil pore water pH, soil temperature, air temperature, air humidity and rainfall are also measured.
RESULTS
GHG fluxes characteristics varied between land use types and ecological conditions. Secondary mangrove and exposed pond embankment are potential GHG flux sources (68.9 ± 7.0 and 58.5 ± 6.2 MgCOe ha yr, respectively). Aquaculture pond exhibits the lowest GHG fluxes among other land use types due to constant inundation that serve as a barrier for the release of GHG fluxes to the atmosphere. We found weak relationships between soil CO and CH fluxes and environmental parameters.
CONCLUSIONS
The data and information on GHG fluxes from different land use types in the mangrove ecosystem will be of importance to accurately assess the potential of the mangrove ecosystem to sequester and emit GHGs. This will support the GHG emission reduction target and strategy that had been set up by the Indonesian Government in its Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) and Indonesia's 2030 Forest and Other Land Use (FOLU) Net Sink.
PubMed: 38824211
DOI: 10.1186/s13021-024-00263-3 -
Carbohydrate Polymers Sep 2024Biodegradable packaging materials from cellulose are eco-friendly alternatives to traditional petroleum-based plastics. Balancing its mechanical properties as well as...
Biodegradable packaging materials from cellulose are eco-friendly alternatives to traditional petroleum-based plastics. Balancing its mechanical properties as well as protective values (antioxidation, oxygen barrier, etc.) is critical. However, most studies to improve its antioxidation performance were accompanied by sacrificed mechanical properties. In the current work, a series of linear -COOH functionalized phenolic polymers were prepared from phenolic compounds (vanillin, 3,4-dihydroxy benzaldehyde) through a facile tri-component thiol-aldehyde polycondensation. While circumventing the cumbersome protection-deprotection of phenol groups, the one-pot strategy also affords water dispersible polymers for fabricating composites with cellulose nanofibers in an aqueous medium. After introducing 5-10 wt% of the copolymers, a minor soft phase was formed inside the composites, contributing to enhanced mechanical strength, toughness, antioxidation capability, and ultra-violet blocking performance, while its oxygen barrier property was well maintained.
PubMed: 38823914
DOI: 10.1016/j.carbpol.2024.122246 -
Food Research International (Ottawa,... Jul 2024The characteristic aroma compounds of braised pork were identified through molecular sensory science and PLSR analysis, and the difference between two cooking methods,... (Comparative Study)
Comparative Study
Difference comparison of characteristic aroma compounds between braised pork cooked by traditional open-fire and induction cooker and the potential formation cause under electromagnetic cooking.
The characteristic aroma compounds of braised pork were identified through molecular sensory science and PLSR analysis, and the difference between two cooking methods, traditional open-fire (BPF) and induction cooker (BPC), was compared. Seventeen aroma compounds with odor activity values (OAVs) > 1 were identified in both samples. BPF revealed higher OAVs for most of the aroma compounds compared to BPC, and the higher aroma quality. Aroma recombination and omission experiments confirmed that twelve aroma compounds significantly contributed to the characteristic aroma of braised pork, and eight compounds such as hexanal, (E)-2-octenal, and methanethiol were further confirmed as important contributors by PLSR analysis. Furthermore, PLSR analysis clarified the role of aldehydes such as hexanal, (E)-2-octenal, and (E,E)-2,4-decadienal in contributing to fatty attribute, whereas methanethiol was responsible for the meaty aroma. These characteristic aroma compounds mainly derived from lean meat due to its high content of phospholipids, and the exogenous seasonings contributed to the balanced characteristic aroma profile of braised pork by altering the distribution of these characteristic aroma compounds. Variations in heating parameters affected the formation of lipid oxidation and Strecker degradation products, which might explain aroma discrepancy between braised pork cooked by two methods with different heat transfer efficiencies.
Topics: Cooking; Odorants; Animals; Swine; Aldehydes; Volatile Organic Compounds; Pork Meat; Humans; Sulfhydryl Compounds
PubMed: 38823846
DOI: 10.1016/j.foodres.2024.114506 -
The Science of the Total Environment May 2024The retention and mobilization of phosphate in soils are closely associated with the adsorption of iron (hydr)oxides and root exudation of low-molecular-weight organic...
The retention and mobilization of phosphate in soils are closely associated with the adsorption of iron (hydr)oxides and root exudation of low-molecular-weight organic acids (LMWOAs). This study investigated the role of LMWOAs in phosphate mobilization under incubation and field conditions. LMWOAs-mediated iron (hydr)oxide transformation and phosphate adsorption experiments revealed that the presence of LMWOAs decreased the phosphate adsorption capacity of iron (hydr)oxides by up to ~74 % due to the competition effect, while LMWOAs-induced iron mineral transformation resulted in an approximately six-fold increase in phosphate retention by decreasing the crystallinity and increasing the surface reactivity. Root simulation in rhizobox experiments demonstrated that LMWOAs can alter the contents of different extractable phosphate species and iron components, leading to 10 % ~ 30 % decreases in available phosphate in the near root region of two tested soils. Field experiments showed that crop covering between mango tree rows promoted the exudation of LMWOAs from mango roots. In addition, crop covering increased the contents of total phosphate and available phosphate by 9.08 % ~ 61.20 % and 34.33 % ~ 147.33 % in the rhizosphere soils of mango trees, respectively. These findings bridge the microscale and field scale to understand the delicate LMWOAs-mediated balance between the retention and mobilization of phosphate on iron (hydr)oxide surface, thereby providing important implications for mitigating the low utilization efficiency of phosphate in iron-rich soils.
PubMed: 38823699
DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.173667 -
The Journal of Pain May 2024Physical activity avoidance and fear of movement (FOM) is often observed in individuals with chronic musculoskeletal pain, along with difficulties coping with pain....
UNLABELLED
Physical activity avoidance and fear of movement (FOM) is often observed in individuals with chronic musculoskeletal pain, along with difficulties coping with pain. There is little research regarding how FOM may also relate to reduced physical strength and altered movement patterns that may perpetuate a cycle of pain, FOM, and disability. The objective of this observational study was to compare how adolescents with juvenile fibromyalgia (JFM) exhibiting high versus low FOM (Tampa Scale of Kinesiophobia [TSK-11]) differed on patient-reported measures of pain, fatigue, catastrophizing and pain interference, and performance-based measures of strength, postural control and biomechanical function. Participants were youth with JFM (N=135, Mean = 15.6 years, 88.9% female) enrolled in an ongoing clinical trial who completed self-report questionnaires and standardized tests including knee and hip strength, the Star Excursion Balance Test and the Drop Vertical Jump (with 3-D motion capture). Participants were categorized into Low, Medium and High FOM groups based on TSK-11 tertile scores. Relative to the Low FOM group, the High FOM group reported significantly greater fatigue, pain interference and catastrophizing, as well as reduced dominant leg knee strength. Additionally, those with High FOM showed altered lower extremity movement patterns. This preliminary study highlights the importance of combining self-reported measures of symptoms and functioning with physical assessments to gain a more comprehensive view of the impact of FOM in patients with chronic musculoskeletal pain. Results could inform the development of more precise interventions to reduce FOM using a combination of behavioral and exercise-based interventions.
PERSPECTIVE
Results of this study demonstrate the association between fear of movement, fatigue and pain interference in adolescents with juvenile fibromyalgia as well as preliminary evidence for altered movement patterns in that may predispose them to further pain/injury and activity avoidance.
GOV REGISTRATION
NCT03268421.
PubMed: 38823603
DOI: 10.1016/j.jpain.2024.104586 -
Experimental Gerontology May 2024The oxidative balance score (OBS) is a comprehensive pro- and anti-oxidative marker for assessing the risk of various metabolic diseases and cancers. However, it is not...
Oxidative balance score as a useful predictive marker for new-onset type 2 diabetes mellitus in Korean adults aged 60 years or older: The Korean Genome and Epidemiologic Study-Health Examination (KoGES-HEXA) cohort.
BACKGROUND
The oxidative balance score (OBS) is a comprehensive pro- and anti-oxidative marker for assessing the risk of various metabolic diseases and cancers. However, it is not well established whether OBS is related to type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), particularly in elderly populations. Therefore, our objective was to investigate the longitudinal effect of OBS on T2DM in a large cohort of Korean adults aged 60 years and older.
METHODS
We assessed the data for 3516 participants aged 60 years and older without diabetes mellitus from the Health Examinees cohort of the Korean Genome and Epidemiology Study. We classified the participants into three groups according to OBS tertiles. We prospectively assessed hazard ratios (HRs) with 95 % confidence intervals (CIs) for new-onset T2DM using multivariable Cox proportional-hazard regression models during the mean 3.5 years following the baseline survey.
RESULTS
A total of 109 participants (3.1 %) developed T2DM during a mean follow-up of 3.5 years. The incidence rates per 1000 person-years were 11.73 for the lowest OBS tertile (T1), 8.19 for the second tertile (T2), and 6.23 for the highest tertile (T3). Adjusting for all confounding factors, compared with the referent T1, the HR (95 % CI) of new-onset T2DM was not significant in T2 (0.71 [0.47-1.07]) but was significant in T3 at (0.47 [0.30-0.75]) (p for trend = 0.002).
CONCLUSIONS
The study suggests that a OBS could serve as a valuable predictive marker for new-onset T2DM in older adults. Our study suggests that maintaining an appropriate body weight through healthy lifestyle modification has the potential to lower T2DM incidence in elderly. This implies that the OBS may be a useful tool for assessing the incidence of T2DM even in older individuals.
PubMed: 38823556
DOI: 10.1016/j.exger.2024.112475 -
Biological Psychiatry May 2024Chronic low-grade inflammation is observed across mental disorders and is associated with difficult-to-treat-symptoms of anhedonia and functional brain changes -...
BACKGROUND
Chronic low-grade inflammation is observed across mental disorders and is associated with difficult-to-treat-symptoms of anhedonia and functional brain changes - reflecting a potential transdiagnostic dimension. Previous investigations have focused on distinct illness categories in those with enduring illness, with few exploring inflammatory changes. We sought to identify an inflammatory signal and associated brain function underlying anhedonia among young people with recent onset psychosis (ROP) and recent onset depression (ROD).
METHOD
Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging, inflammatory markers, and anhedonia symptoms were collected from N=108 (M age=26.2[SD 6.2]years; Female =50) participants with ROP (n=53) and ROD (n=55) from the EU-FP7-funded PRONIA study. Time-series were extracted using the Schaefer atlas, defining 100 cortical regions of interest. Using advanced multimodal machine learning, an inflammatory marker model and functional connectivity model were developed to classify an anhedonic group, compared to a normal hedonic group.
RESULTS
A repeated nested cross-validation model using inflammatory markers classified normal hedonic and anhedonic ROP/ROD groups with a balanced accuracy (BAC) of 63.9%, and an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.61. The functional connectivity model produced a BAC of 55.2% and an AUC of 0.57. Anhedonic group assignment was driven by higher levels of Interleukin-6, S100B, and Interleukin-1 receptor antagonist, and lower levels of Interferon gamma, in addition to connectivity within the precuneus and posterior cingulate.
CONCLUSION
We identified a potential transdiagnostic anhedonic subtype that was accounted for by an inflammatory profile and functional connectivity. Results have implications for anhedonia as an emerging transdiagnostic target across emerging mental disorders.
PubMed: 38823495
DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2024.05.019