Irritability moderates the association between cognitive flexibility task performance and related prefrontal cortex activation in young children

The association between cognitive flexibility and related neural functioning has been inconsistent. This is particularly true in young children, where previous studies have found heterogenous results linking behavior and neural function, raising the possibility of unexplored moderators. The current study explored the moderating role of dimensional irritability in the association between cognitive flexibility task performance and prefrontal activation in young children. A total of 106 3- to 7-year-old children were recruited to complete a custom-designed, child-adapted, cognitive flexibility task, and 98 of them were included in the data analysis. The children\u27s dorsolateral prefrontal cortex activation was monitored using functional near-infrared spectroscopy, and their levels of irritability were reported by parents using the MAP-DB Temper Loss subscale. Results indicated that the mean reaction time of the cognitive flexibility task was negatively correlated with concurrent prefrontal activation. No evidence was found for the association between task accuracy and prefrontal activation. Moreover, irritability moderated the association between the mean reaction time and prefrontal activation. Children high in irritability exhibited a stronger negative association between the mean reaction time and related prefrontal activation than children low in irritability. The moderating model suggested a novel affective-cognitive interaction to investigate the associations between cognitive task performance and their neural underpinnings

The Positive Effect of Resilience on Stress and Business Outcomes in Difficult Work Environments

OBJECTIVE: To examine whether resilience has a protective effect in difficult work environments. METHODS: A survey of 2063 individuals measured individual resilience, stress, burnout, sleep problems, likelihood of depression, job satisfaction, intent to quit, absences, and productivity. It also measured work characteristics: job demands, job influence, and social support. Multivariate and logistic regression models examined the main effects and interactions of resilience and job characteristics. RESULTS: High strain work environments (high demand, low influence, and low support) have an unfavorable effect on all outcomes. Resilience has a protective effect on all outcomes. For stress, burnout, and sleep, higher resilience has a more protective effect under low-strain conditions. For depression, absence and productivity, resilience has a more protective effect when job strain is high. CONCLUSIONS: Workers with high resilience have better outcomes in difficult work environments

Improvements in Resilience, Stress, and Somatic Symptoms Following Online Resilience Training: A Dose-Response Effect

OBJECTIVE: To determine if participation in an online resilience program impacts resilience, stress, and somatic symptoms. METHODS: Approximately 600 enrollees in the meQuilibrium resilience program received a series of brief, individually prescribed video, and text training modules in a user-friendly format. Regression models tested how time in the program affected change in resilience from baseline and how changes in resilience affected change in stress and reported symptoms. RESULTS: A significant dose-response was detected, where increases in the time spent in training corresponded to greater improvements in resilience. Degree of change in resilience predicted the magnitude of reduction in stress and symptoms. Participants with the lowest resilience level at baseline experienced greater improvements. CONCLUSION: Interaction with the online resilience training program had a positive effect on resilience, stress, and symptoms in proportion to the time of use

Neural correlates of early deliberate emotion regulation: Young children\u27s responses to interpersonal scaffolding.

Deliberate emotion regulation, the ability to willfully modulate emotional experiences, is shaped through interpersonal scaffolding and forecasts later functioning in multiple domains. However, nascent deliberate emotion regulation in early childhood is poorly understood due to a paucity of studies that simulate interpersonal scaffolding of this skill and measure its occurrence in multiple modalities. Our goal was to identify neural and behavioral components of early deliberate emotion regulation to identify patterns of competent and deficient responses. A novel probe was developed to assess deliberate emotion regulation in young children. Sixty children (age 4-6 years) were randomly assigned to deliberate emotion regulation or control conditions. Children completed a frustration task while lateral prefrontal cortex (LPFC) activation was recorded via functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS). Facial expressions were video recorded and children self-rated their emotions. Parents rated their child\u27s temperamental emotion regulation. Deliberate emotion regulation interpersonal scaffolding predicted a significant increase in frustration-related LPFC activation not seen in controls. Better temperamental emotion regulation predicted larger LPFC activation increases post- scaffolding among children who engaged in deliberate emotion regulation interpersonal scaffolding. A capacity to increase LPFC activation in response to interpersonal scaffolding may be a crucial neural correlate of early deliberate emotion regulation

Timing and documentation of key events in neonatal resuscitation

Only a minority of babies require extended resuscitation at birth. Resuscitations concerning babies who die or who survive with adverse outcomes are increasingly subject to medicolegal scrutiny. Our aim was to describe real-life timings of key resuscitation events observed in a historical series of newborns who required full resuscitation at birth. Twenty-seven babies born in our centre over a 10-year period had an Apgar score of 0 at 1 min and required full resuscitation. The median (95% confidence interval) postnatal age at achieving key events were commencing cardiac compressions, 2.0 (1.5–4.0) min; endotracheal intubation, 3.8 (2.0–6.0) min; umbilical venous catheterisation 9.0 (7.5–12.0) min; and administration of first adrenaline dose 10.0 (8.0–14.0) min. Conclusion: The wide range of timings presented from real-life cases may prove useful to clinicians involved in medical negligence claims and provide a baseline for quality improvements in resuscitation training

Perceptions of Massage Therapists Participating in a Randomized Controlled Trial

Background: Clinical practice and randomized trials often have disparate aims, despite involving similar interventions. Attitudes and expectancies of practitioners influence patient outcomes, and there is growing emphasis on optimizing provider–patient relationships. In this study, we evaluated the experiences of licensed massage therapists involved in a randomized controlled clinical trial using qualitative methodology.Methods: Seven massage therapists who were interventionists in a randomized controlled trial participated in structured interviews approximately 30 minutes in length. Interviews focused on their experiences and perceptions regarding aspects of the clinical trial, as well as recommendations for future trials. Transcribed interviews were analyzed for emergent topics and themes using standard qualitative methods.Results: Six themes emerged. Therapists discussed 1) promoting the profession of massage therapy through research, 2) mixed views on using standardized protocols, 3) challenges of sham interventions, 4) participant response to the sham intervention, 5) views on scheduling and compensation, and 6) unanticipated benefits of participating in research.Conclusions: Therapists largely appreciated the opportunity to promote massage through research. They demonstrated insight and understanding of the rationale for a clinical trial adhering to a standardized protocol. Evaluating the experiences and ideas of complementary and alternative medicine practitioners provides valuable insight that is relevant for the implementation and design of randomized trials

Pilot Study of Massage in Veterans with Knee Osteoarthritis

Objectives: To (1) assess the feasibility and acceptability of Swedish massage among Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) health care users with knee osteoarthritis (OA) and (2) collect preliminary data on efficacy of Swedish massage in this patient group

Massage Therapy for Osteoarthritis of the Knee: A Randomized Dose-Finding Trial

In a previous trial of massage for osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee, we demonstrated feasibility, safety and possible efficacy, with benefits that persisted at least 8 weeks beyond treatment termination.We performed a RCT to identify the optimal dose of massage within an 8-week treatment regimen and to further examine durability of response. Participants were 125 adults with OA of the knee, randomized to one of four 8-week regimens of a standardized Swedish massage regimen (30 or 60 min weekly or biweekly) or to a Usual Care control. Outcomes included the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Arthritis Index (WOMAC), visual analog pain scale, range of motion, and time to walk 50 feet, assessed at baseline, 8-, 16-, and 24-weeks.WOMAC Global scores improved significantly (24.0 points, 95% CI ranged from 15.3-32.7) in the 60-minute massage groups compared to Usual Care (6.3 points, 95% CI 0.1-12.8) at the primary endpoint of 8-weeks. WOMAC subscales of pain and functionality, as well as the visual analog pain scale also demonstrated significant improvements in the 60-minute doses compared to usual care. No significant differences were seen in range of motion at 8-weeks, and no significant effects were seen in any outcome measure at 24-weeks compared to usual care. A dose-response curve based on WOMAC Global scores shows increasing effect with greater total time of massage, but with a plateau at the 60-minute/week dose.Given the superior convenience of a once-weekly protocol, cost savings, and consistency with a typical real-world massage protocol, the 60-minute once weekly dose was determined to be optimal, establishing a standard for future trials.ClinicalTrials.gov NCT00970008

The bouba/kiki effect is robust across cultures and writing systems

The bouba/kiki effect-the association of the nonce word bouba with a round shape and kiki with a spiky shape-is a type of correspondence between speech sounds and visual properties with potentially deep implications for the evolution of spoken language. However, there is debate over the robustness of the effect across cultures and the influence of orthography. We report an online experiment that tested the bouba/kiki effect across speakers of 25 languages representing nine language families and 10 writing systems. Overall, we found strong evidence for the effect across languages, with bouba eliciting more congruent responses than kiki. Participants who spoke languages with Roman scripts were only marginally more likely to show the effect, and analysis of the orthographic shape of the words in different scripts showed that the effect was no stronger for scripts that use rounder forms for bouba and spikier forms for kiki. These results confirm that the bouba/kiki phenomenon is rooted in crossmodal correspondence between aspects of the voice and visual shape, largely independent of orthography. They provide the strongest demonstration to date that the bouba/kiki effect is robust across cultures and writing systems. This article is part of the theme issue 'Voice modulation: from origin and mechanism to social impact (Part II)'.Peer reviewe

The XMM Cluster Survey: Predicted overlap with the Planck Cluster Catalogue

We present a list of 15 clusters of galaxies, serendipitously detected by the XMM Cluster Survey (XCS), that have a high probability of detection by the Planck satellite. Three of them already appear in the Planck Early Sunyaev-Zel'dovich (ESZ) catalogue. The estimation of the Planck detection probability assumes the flat Lambda cold dark matter (LambdaCDM) cosmology most compatible with 7-year Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP7) data. It takes into account the XCS selection function and Planck sensitivity, as well as the covariance of the cluster X-ray luminosity, temperature, and integrated comptonization parameter, as a function of cluster mass and redshift, determined by the Millennium Gas Simulations. We also characterize the properties of the galaxy clusters in the final data release of the XCS that we expect Planck will have detected by the end of its extended mission. Finally, we briefly discuss possible joint applications of the XCS and Planck data.Comment: Closely matches the version accepted for publication by MNRAS, 7 pages, 3 figures. The XCS-DR1 catalogue, together with optical and X-ray (colour-composite and greyscale) images for each cluster, is publicly available from http://xcs-home.org/datarelease