Hospitality in necessitudine : hospices, hostels and hospitals

In the continuing series reflecting on hospitality Mario Conti, Kevin O'Gorman and David McAlpine explore an aspect of hospitality often overlooked - the constantly evolving religious practice of providing hospitality to those in most need. They present an overview of the evolution of hospitality for the needy and consider how throughout history, even when religion is under attack, there has always been recognition of the importance of charitable hospitality: hospitality in necessitudine

Church, state and national identity: some historical and theological reflections from a Catholic perspective

After tracing Scottish identity from its earliest beginnings to the Reformation and its aftermath, Mario Conti considers present-day discussions about the nation at a key point in its history. Observing how social, democratic governance at an appropriate level is of profound value, Rev Dr Conti argues for the pressing need for coherent vision and concludes with two personal recollections in which he reaffirms the contribution of faith, culture, and social ties to the wider issues of identity.Publisher PD

The clinical link between type D personality and diabetes

Introduction: Type D personality consists of a mixture of high levels of negative affectivity and social inhibition, resulting in a stable tendency to experience negative emotions, by inhibiting the expression of these emotions. We have reanalyzed the clinically relevant studies examining the role of this personality profile in diabetes, by providing a qualitative synthesis of the data. In this regard, the aim of this study is to provide a systematic review by evaluating the clinical link between Type D personality and diabetes. Method: When focusing on PRISMA guidelines, we have performed a comprehensive research of the literature on PubMed, Scopus, ScienceDirect, ISI Web of Science, PsycINFO, and Google Scholar by using search terms as "distressed personality" OR (i.e., Boolean operator) "Type D personality" combined with the Boolean "AND" operator with "diabetes." Results: A total of seven research studies were identified and included in the review. Type D was found to be more prevalent in diabetes patients than controls. As regards the specific association with diabetes variables, Type D personality is a significant predictor of both poor medication adherence and unhealthy behaviors, by predicting negative mental health consequences also (i.e., depressed mood, anhedonia, and anxiety). Conclusion: Our review emphasized for the first time that Type D personality affects clinical factors in patients with diabetes by provoking adverse outcomes. The core implication of the study comprises the clinical relevance to detect, from a clinimetric point of view, Type D personality in diabetes in order to prevent potentially negative clinical outcomes

Chronic tobacco smoking, impaired reward-based decision-making, and role of insular cortex : a comparison between early-onset smokers and late-onset smokers

Funding: This study was supported by the University of St. Andrews Endowment fund.Introduction: The literature suggests that tobacco smoking may have a neurotoxic effect on the developing adolescent brain. Particularly, it may impair the decision-making process of early-onset smokers ( 0.05) in reward-based decision-making were detected between early-onset smokers and late-onset smokers. VBM results revealed early-onset smokers to present lower GM volume in the bilateral anterior insular cortex (AI) in comparison to late-onset smokers and lower WM volume in the right AI in comparison to late-onset smokers. Conclusion: Impairments in reward-based decision-making may not be affected by tobacco smoking initiation during early adolescence. Instead, lower GM and WM volume in the AI of early-onset smokers may underline a vulnerability to develop compulsive tobacco seeking and smoking behavior during adulthood.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe

Psychological stress and cancer.

All the concepts reported in this editorial are based on recent literature data obtained through a PubMed search, using both Medline and manual searches, with particular reference to articles, which could be relevant to clinical practice. This paper contributes to the existing literature on depression and stress and provides important information for the development of effective strategies to manage these conditions among patients with cancer

Micro venture capital

Recently, the venture capital (VC) industry has experienced the entry of several new capital providers. Using US data on investors and their portfolio startups from 2000 to 2022, we document the emergence of a new type of investors: the micro VC. Our analysis reveals that micro Vencture Capitalists (VCs) have an idiosyncratic investment strategy, which differs from traditional VCs. Compared with these investors, micro VCs invest in riskier startups, that is, early-stage ventures initiated by less experienced founders; yet, micro VCs are less likely to syndicate, stage their investments, and replace the startup founders. Additionally, startups funded by micro VCs are less likely to experience successful exits than those backed by traditional VCs. These results can be traced to a mix of smaller capital endowments, less sophisticated limited partners, and lesser human capital of which micro VCs dispose, and that may induce them to spread their thin capital across many investments to maximize returns. Our analysis also uncovers important differences in the strategies pursued by micro VCs and business angels.Managerial SummaryThe VC industry is increasingly populated by a variety of investors with disparate characteristics and objectives. One such type of investors is represented by the so-called micro VC firms. These are VC firms that manage funds typically below $50 million and focused primarily on investing in founder-led startups. We leverage comprehensive VC data in the United States to answer three questions: (1) Who leads micro VC firms? (2) How do micro VC firms invest? (3) How do startups backed by micro VC perform? We find that micro VC firms are often led by relatively inexperienced entrepreneurs with little VC experience, and these firms are supported by less sophisticated limited partners. Although micro VC firms invest in riskier startups, they are less engaged in syndication and investment staging than traditional VC firms. Finally, micro VC-backed startups have a lower probability of successful exit as compared with those backed by traditional VC firms. Collectively, our results suggest that micro VCs differ from traditional VCs beyond being "micro.

Early onset smoking theory of compulsivity development : a neurocognitive model for the development of compulsive tobacco smoking

Funding: This manuscript has been supported by a self-funded PhD scholarship and by a University of St Andrews endowment fund.According to the literature, individuals who start tobacco smoking during adolescence are at greater risk of developing severe tobacco addiction and a heavier smoking behaviour in comparison to individuals who uptake tobacco smoking during subsequent developmental stages. As suggested by animal models, this may be related to the unique neuroadaptive and neurotoxic effects of nicotine on adolescents’ fronto-striatal brain regions modulating cognitive control and impulsivity. Previous research has proposed that these neuroadaptive and neurotoxic effects may cause a heightened reward-oriented impulsive behaviour that may foster smoking relapses during quit attempts. However, developments in the field of Addiction Neuroscience have proposed drug addiction to represent a type of compulsive behaviour characterised by the persistent use of a particular drug despite evident adverse consequences. One brain region that has received increased attention in recent years and that has been proposed to play a central role in modulating such compulsive drug seeking and using behaviour is the insular cortex. Lesion studies have shown that structural damages in the insular cortex may disrupt the smoking behaviour, while neuroimaging studies reported lower Gray Matter volume in the anterior insular cortex of chronic smokers compared to non-smokers, in addition to correlations between Gray Matter volume in the anterior insular cortex and measures of compulsive cigarette smoking. Based on the finding of our recent study reporting early onset smokers (mean age at regular smoking initiation= 13.2 years) to display lower Gray Matter and White Matter volume in the anterior insular cortex compared to late onset smokers (mean age at regular smoking initiation=18.0 years), we propose that the anterior insular cortex may play a central role in mediating the association between smoking uptake during adolescence and smoking heaviness/tobacco addiction during adulthood.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe

Neuroanatomical correlates of impulsive choices and risky decision making in young chronic tobacco smokers : a voxel-based morphometry study

This study has been supported by a University of St. Andrews Endowment fund and by a self-funded PhD scholarship.Introduction : Impairments in the multifaceted neuropsychological construct of cognitive impulsivity are a main feature of chronic tobacco smokers. According to the literature, these cognitive impairments are relevant for the initiation andmaintenance of the smoking behavior. However, the neuroanatomical correlates of cognitive impulsivity in chronic smokers remain under-investigated. Methods : A sample of 28 chronic smokers (mean age = 28 years) not affectedby polysubstance dependence and 24 matched non-smoker controls was recruited. Voxel Based Morphometry (VBM) was employed to assess Gray Matter (GM) volume differences between smokers and non-smokers. The relationships between GM volume and behavioral manifestations of impulsive choices (5 trial adjusting delay discounting task, ADT-5) and risky decision making (Cambridge Gambling Task, CGT) were also investigated.  Results : VBM results revealed GM volume reductions in cortical and striatal brainregions of chronic smokers compared to non-smokers. Additionally, smokers showed heightened impulsive choices (p < 0.01, Cohen’s f = 0.50) and a riskier decision- making process (p < 0.01, Cohen’s f = 0.40) compared to non-smokers. GM volume reductions in the left Anterior Cingulate Cortex (ACC) correlated with impaired impulsive and risky choices, while GM volume reductions in the left Ventrolateral Prefrontal Cortex (VLPFC) and Caudate correlated with heightened impulsive choices. Reduced GM volume in the left VLPFC correlated with younger age at smoking initiation (mean = 16 years).  Conclusion : Smokers displayed significant GM volume reductions and related cognitive impulsivity impairments compared to non-smoker individuals. Longitudinal studies would be required to assess whether these impairments underline neurocognitive endophenotypes or if they are a consequence of tobacco exposure on the adolescent brain.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe

Church, state and national identity: Some historical and theological reflections from a Catholic perspective

After tracing Scottish identity from its earliest beginnings to the Reformation and its aftermath, Mario Conti considers present-day discussions about the nation at a key point in its history. Observing how social, democratic governance at an appropriate level is of profound value, Rev Dr Conti argues for the pressing need for coherent vision and concludes with two personal recollections in which he reaffirms the contribution of faith, culture, and social ties to the wider issues of identity