Psycholinguistic changes in the communication of adolescent users in a suicidal ideation online community during the COVID-19 pandemic

Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, increases in suicidal ideation and suicide attempts in adolescents have been registered. Many adolescents experiencing suicidal ideation turn to online communities for social support. In this retrospective observational study, we investigated the communication—language style, contents and user activity—in 7975 unique posts and 51,119 comments by N = 2862 active adolescent users in a large suicidal ideation support community (SISC) on the social media website reddit.com in the onset period of the COVID-19 pandemic. We found significant relative changes in language style markers for hopelessness such as negative emotion words (+ 10.00%) and positive emotion words (− 3.45%) as well as for social disengagement such as social references (− 8.63%) and 2nd person pronouns (− 33.97%) since the outbreak of the pandemic. Using topic modeling with Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA), we identified significant changes in content for the topics Hopelessness (+ 23.98%), Suicide Methods (+ 17.11%), Social Support (− 14.91%), and Reaching Out to users (− 28.97%). Changes in user activity point to an increased expression of mental health issues and decreased engagement with other users. The results indicate a potential shift in communication patterns with more adolescent users expressing their suicidal ideation rather than relating with or supporting other users during the COVID-19 pandemic

Low-Load Unilateral and Bilateral Resistance Training to Restore Lower Limb Function in the Early Rehabilitation After Total Knee Arthroplasty: A Randomized Active-Controlled Clinical Trial

Background: Continuous passive motion (CPM) is frequently used during rehabilitation following total knee arthroplasty (TKA). Low-load resistance training (LLRT) using continuous active motion (CAM) devices is a promising alternative. We investigated the effectiveness of CPM compared to LLRT using the affected leg (CAMuni) and both legs (CAMbi) in the early post-operative rehabilitation. Hypotheses: (I) LLRT (CAMuni and CAMbi) is superior to CPM, (II) additional training of the unaffected leg (CAMbi) is more effective than unilateral training (CAMuni).Materials and Methods: Eighty-five TKA patients were randomly assigned to three groups, respectively: (i) unilateral CPM of the operated leg; (ii) unilateral CAM of the operated leg (CAMuni); (iii) bilateral alternating CAM (CAMbi). Patients were assessed 1 day before TKA (pre-test), 1 day before discharge (post-test), and 3 months post-operatively (follow-up). Primary outcome: active knee flexion range of motion (ROMFlex). Secondary outcomes: active knee extension ROM (ROMExt), swelling, pain, C-reactive protein, quality of life (Qol), physical activity, timed-up-and-go performance, stair-climbing performance, quadriceps muscle strength. Analyses of covariances were performed (modified intention-to-treat and per-protocol).Results: Hypothesis I: Primary outcome: CAMbi resulted in a higher ROMFlex of 9.0° (95%CI −18.03–0.04°, d = 0.76) and 6.3° (95%CI −14.31–0.99°, d = 0.61) compared to CPM at post-test and follow-up, respectively. Secondary outcomes: At post-test, C-reactive protein was lower in both CAM groups compared with CPM. Knee pain was lower in CAMuni compared to CPM. Improved ROMExt, reduced swelling, better stair-climbing and timed-up-and-go performance were observed for CAMbi compared to CPM. At follow-up, both CAM groups reported higher Qol and CAMbi showed a better timed-up-and-go performance. Hypothesis II: Primary outcome: CAMbi resulted in a higher knee ROMFlex of 6.5° (95%CI −2.16–15.21°, d = 0.56) compared to CAMuni at post-test. Secondary outcomes: At post-test, improved ROMExt, reduced swelling, and better timed-up-and-go performance were observed in CAMbi compared to CAMuni.Conclusions: Additional LLRT of the unaffected leg (CAMbi) seems to be more effective for recovery of function than training of the affected leg only (CAMuni), which may be mediated by positive transfer effects from the unaffected to the affected limb (cross education) and/or preserved neuromuscular function of the trained, unaffected leg.Trial Registration:ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02062138

Efficacy of Major Plant Extracts/Molecules on Field Insect Pests

Insect pests are considered the major hurdle in enhancing the production and productivity of any farming system. The use of conventional synthetic pesticides has led to the emergence of pesticide-resistant insects, environmental pollution, and negative effects on natural enemies, which have caused an ecological imbalance of the predator-prey ratio and human health hazards; therefore, eco-friendly alternative strategies are required. The plant kingdom, a rich repertoire of secondary metabolites, can be tapped as an alternative for insect pest management strategies. A number of plants have been documented to have insecticidal properties against various orders of insects in vitro by acting as antifeedants, repellents, sterilant and oviposition deterrents, etc. However, only a few plant compounds are applicable at the field level or presently commercialised. Here, we have provided an overview of the broad-spectrum insecticidal activity of plant compounds from neem, Annona, Pongamia, and Jatropha. Additionally, the impact of medicinal plants, herbs, spices, and essential oils has been reviewed briefl

Accuracy of a Custom Physical Activity and Knee Angle Measurement Sensor System for Patients with Neuromuscular Disorders and Gait Abnormalities

Long-term assessment of ambulatory behavior and joint motion are valuable tools for the evaluation of therapy effectiveness in patients with neuromuscular disorders and gait abnormalities. Even though there are several tools available to quantify ambulatory behavior in a home environment, reliable measurement of joint motion is still limited to laboratory tests. The aim of this study was to develop and evaluate a novel inertial sensor system for ambulatory behavior and joint motion measurement in the everyday environment. An algorithm for behavior classification, step detection, and knee angle calculation was developed. The validation protocol consisted of simulated daily activities in a laboratory environment. The tests were performed with ten healthy subjects and eleven patients with multiple sclerosis. Activity classification showed comparable performance to commercially available activPAL sensors. Step detection with our sensor system was more accurate. The calculated flexion-extension angle of the knee joint showed a root mean square error of less than 5° compared with results obtained using an electro-mechanical goniometer. This new system combines ambulatory behavior assessment and knee angle measurement for long-term measurement periods in a home environment. The wearable sensor system demonstrated high validity for behavior classification and knee joint angle measurement in a laboratory setting

Detrimental Effects of Online Pro–Eating Disorder Communities on Weight Loss and Desired Weight: Longitudinal Observational Study

BackgroundOnline pro–eating disorder (pro-ED) communities are considered harmful because of their detrimental effects on their users’ body dissatisfaction, dieting, and help seeking. To date, it is unknown to which extent participation in pro-ED communities affects users’ body weight and desired weight loss. ObjectiveThis study aims to investigate the changes in the current and desired body weight of users of a pro-ED community (r/proed) on the social media website Reddit over time. MethodsData on 1170 users and the unsolicited weight information they shared with the pro-ED community were collected over a period of 15 months. Linear growth models were used to model changes in the users’ current and desired BMI over time. ResultsBoth current and desired BMI decreased over time, with a predicted rate of 0.087 and 0.015 BMI points per week, respectively. Weight loss was moderated by the users’ activity level in the community, with more active users losing more weight. Users with a higher baseline BMI experienced greater weight loss, but even users with a very low baseline weight (BMI <17 kg/m2) lost weight during their participation. In addition, users decreased their desired weight over time, with many pursuing extremely low, unrealistic weight goals. Changes in the desired weight were moderated by the baseline current BMI and baseline desired BMI. Users with higher desired weight and lower body weight at baseline decreased their desired weight more over time. ConclusionsThis is the first study to demonstrate the detrimental effects of pro-ED communities in a longitudinal study based on a large data set of user-generated online data. The results extend the literature detailing the harmful effects of online pro-ED communities by showing users’ weight loss, decreases in desired weight, and that higher activity levels lead to greater weight loss. Users could be driven to pursue very low, unrealistic weight loss goals by images of very thin bodies presented in these communities

Analyzing big data in social media: Text and network analyses of an eating disorder forum

OBJECTIVE: Social media plays an important role in everyday life of young people. Numerous studies claim negative effects of social media and media in general on eating disorder risk factors. Despite the availability of big data, only few studies have exploited the possibilities so far in the field of eating disorders. METHOD: Methods for data extraction, computerized content analysis, and network analysis will be introduced. Strategies and methods will be exemplified for an ad-hoc dataset of 4,247 posts and 34,118 comments by 3,029 users of the proed forum on Reddit. RESULTS: Text analysis with latent Dirichlet allocation identified nine topics related to social support and eating disorder specific content. Social network analysis describes the overall communication patterns, and could identify community structures and most influential users. A linear network autocorrelation model was applied to estimate associations in language among network neighbors. The supplement contains R code for data extraction and analyses. DISCUSSION: This paper provides an introduction to investigating social media data, and will hopefully stimulate big data social media research in eating disorders. When applied in real-time, the methods presented in this manuscript could contribute to improving the safety of ED-related online communication