Profiles of objective and subjective cognitive function in Post-COVID Syndrome, COVID-19 recovered, and COVID-19 naïve individuals

Post-COVID Syndrome has emerged as a significant public health concern worldwide with increasing evidence to suggest that individuals who have had an acute COVID-19 infection report lingering memory and attention difficulties, even in individuals who have fully recovered and no longer experiencing symptoms of COVID-19. The present study sought to investigate the profile of objective and subjective cognitive difficulties in people who have Post-COVID Syndrome, people who have fully recovered from an acute COVID infection and people who have never had COVID-19. We further sought to explore the extent to which self-reported fatigue and stress are related to subjective and objective cognitive difficulties. 162 participants including 50 people living with Post-COVID Syndrome, 59 people who have had COVID-19 but have fully recovered and 53 people who have never experienced symptoms of COVID-19 and had never tested positive for COVID-19 were recruited from Academic Prolific to complete a series of online questionnaires and neurocognitive tasks. Subjective cognitive function was measured using the Cognitive Failures Questionnaire and objective cognitive function was measured using the Cognitron cognitive test battery. We found that objective and subjective measures of cognitive function were not significantly related, suggesting that self-reports of “brain fog” are not reflecting objectively measured cognitive dysfunction. A MANOVA revealed that subjective cognitive deficits were driven by heightened perceived stress and fatigue and not significantly related to COVID-19 status. Objective cognitive function, however, was significantly related to perceived stress and COVID status whereby we observed significant objective cognitive deficits in people who have been exposed to an acute COVID-19 infection regardless of whether they had Post-COVID Syndrome or had fully recovered, as compared to people who had never had COVID-19. This suggests that an acute infection can have long term effects on cognitive function, even without persistent COVID-19 symptoms. Encouragingly, objective cognitive function was significantly associated with time since initial infection showing that cognitive deficits improved over time for people who had recovered from COVID-19. However, we did not observe the same improvement in individuals with Post-COVID Syndrome and observed that cognitive dysfunction was significantly related to the number of neurological symptoms presently experienced. These results add to the accumulating literature that COVID-19 is associated with significant cognitive difficulties following a COVID-19 infection, which appear to improve over time for those who have recovered from COVID-19 yet persist in people living with Post-COVID Syndrome.</p

The Autocrat’s Indispensable Service: How Russian Intelligence secured Vladimir Putin’s Regime after failing him in Ukraine

Russian intelligence failed President Vladimir Putin in supporting the most consequential decision of statecraft – war – before Russia’s 2022 (re)invasion of Ukraine but has since somewhat recovered, possibly redeeming itself in Putin’s estimation by securing his regime nearly two and a half years since his shambolic invasion. This article complements our previous article in this journal, The Autocrat’s Intelligence Paradox: Vladimir Putin’s (mis)management of Russian strategic assessment in the Ukraine War, which examined the systemic roots of Russia’s intelligence failure in early 2022. In this follow-on article exploring Russian intelligence’s traditional areas of (relative) competence in the period following the full-scale invasion, we consider the categories of espionage, sanctions evasion, active measures, and repression, and conclude that Putin’s security and intelligence organs have reasserted themselves with terrible vigour, domestically and internationally. Despite notable failings – and some flaps – they have been indispensable to Putin by securing his regime, at least through mid-2024.</p

“Born exhibitionists”: examining humorous responses to the Maidenform dreams campaign (1949-1969)

In post-WWII United States, Maidenform’s “I dreamed I went shopping in my Maidenform bra” campaign (1949–1969) was seen as a prime example of the psychoanalytical sell: the ads seemed to tap into the repressed psyche of the 1950s housewife, directly pulling the levers of deep-seated sexual desires. This remarkable account has carried over into more recent analyses with little interrogation as to its soundness, and non-Freudian variants have equally re-iterated a “duped housewives” narrative. These accounts, however, tend miss out on the humor that characterized both the ads and the audience’s responses to them. The Dreams might have led to purchase, but they were also reimagined across popular culture in the form of plugs, puns, spoofs, jokes, pranks, parodies, fancy dress, and college floats. In this paper, I explore how Maidenform’s message migrated from the company’s control to a fixture in consumer culture. I argue that humor enabled audiences to mull over the implications of ads’ message and articulate the tensions and discomforts around the depiction of women’s bodies and mental aspirations. This study highlights how consumer responses can complicate dominant narratives in the history of advertising to women

Using web-based, guided self-help to bridge the waiting time for face-to-face out-patient treatment for bulimic-spectrum disorders:randomised controlled trial

Although effective treatments for bulimic-spectrum eating disorders exist, access is often delayed because of limited therapist availability and lengthy waiting lists. Web-based self-help interventions have the potential to bridge waiting times for face-to-face treatment and overcome existing treatment gaps. Aims This study aims to assess the effectiveness of a web-based guided self-help intervention (everyBody Plus) for patients with bulimia nervosa, binge eating disorder and other specified feeding and eating disorders who are waiting for out-patient treatment. Method A randomised controlled trial was conducted in Germany and the UK. A total of 343 patients were randomly assigned to the intervention ‘everyBody Plus’ or a waitlist control condition. The primary outcome was the number of weeks after randomisation until a patient achieved a clinically relevant improvement in core symptoms for the first time. Secondary outcomes included eating disorder attitudes and behaviours, and general psychopathology. Results At 6- and 12-month follow-up, the probability of being abstinent from core symptoms was significantly larger for the intervention group compared with the control group (hazard ratio: 1.997, 95% CI 1.09–3.65; P = 0.0249). The intervention group also showed larger improvements in eating disorder attitudes and behaviours, general psychopathology, anxiety, depression and quality of life, compared with the control group at most assessment points. Working alliance ratings with the online therapist were high. Conclusions The self-help intervention everyBody Plus, delivered with relatively standardised online guidance, can help bridge treatment gaps for patients with bulimic-spectrum eating disorders, and achieve faster and greater reductions in core symptoms.</p

What is the Proper Function of Language?

It doesn't have (just) one, and this matters for how we ought to pursue a theory of meaning and communication.</p