Nondysphoric Depressive Symptoms and Cognitive Abilities in Healthy Older Adults

Research has shown that depression is associated with poorer cognitive performance and cognitive decline. Cognitive functions such as processing speed, language ability, memory, and executive functions have been found to be affected in older adults with depression. However, there is limited research focused on the effects of minimal or mild depressive symptoms in older adults who do not meet criteria for a depressive disorder. Older adults are more likely than any other population to endorse depressive symptoms in the absence of typical dysphoric symptoms that would qualify an individual for a depressive disorder. Understanding the effects of nondysphoric depressive symptoms on cognitive abilities is valuable in detecting and treating more cases of depression in older adults that may otherwise remain undiagnosed. The current study examines the effects of nondysphoric depressive symptoms on processing speed, language ability, memory, attention, and executive functions in healthy older adults. Results of structural regression modeling analyses indicate that the models in the current study of the effect of nondysphoric symptoms of cognitive abilities are not a good fit for the data and cannot be interpreted as significant results. However, trends in the data may suggest relationships similar to models including both dysphoric and nondysphoric depression and their effect on cognitive abilities. Limitations of the study, possible reasons for poor model fit, and future research directions are discussed

Stress, Depression, Social Support, and Help-Seeking in College Student-Athletes

Student-athletes have been identified as a distinctive sub-population in universities and colleges that face unique stressors and pressures that may put them at risk for developing mental health problems, including depression, when compared to student non-athletes. However, student-athletes have been found to seek help from mental health professionals less often than student non-athletes. Studies of college students in the general population have shown that social support networks can play an important part in “buffering” or moderating the effect of stress on both depression and help-seeking, which may also be the case for student-athletes. The purpose of the current study is to examine what stress factors predict attitudes toward help-seeking, and to test the role of social support as a moderator of the relationship between stress and depression, and attitudes toward help-seeking in college student athletes. The sample included 134 undergraduate college student-athletes and 2 graduate college student-athletes from several U.S. colleges, sports, and athletic divisions, with a mean age of 19.53 years old (SD = 1.3), 77.9% of participants being female, and 77.2% being. Participants completed an online survey regarding their experiences of stress, depression, perceived social support, and attitudes toward help-seeking. We use hierarchical linear regression analyses to examine perceived social support as a moderator of the relationship between stress and attitudes toward help-seeking, between depression and attitudes toward help-seeking, and between stress and depression. An additional regression analysis was used to examine the relationship between several areas of stress experienced by student-athletes and their attitudes toward help-seeking. Results showed that social support did not have a moderating effect on the relationships among stress, depression, and attitudes toward help-seeking. However, increased stress was associated with increased depression, and both stress and depression were negatively associated with attitudes toward help-seeking. These results suggest a reluctance to seek help among college student-athletes despite the experience of stress and depression. Possible negative influences that may impact student-athletes’ decision to seek help may include time pressures and stigma in the athletic culture

Kostnader ved AHS – hva er egentlig relevant? : en bedriftsøkonomisk kostnadsanalyse av avansert hjemmesykehus for barn og unge ved Helse Bergen (AHS)

I 2019 utarbeidet Helse- og omsorgsdepartementet en nasjonal helse-og sykehusplan hvor det utadvendte sykehuset, inkludert avansert hjemmesykehus (AHS), blir beskrevet. AHS for barn og unge ble først etablert i 2008 på Oslo universitetssykehus, avdeling Ullevål. Helse Bergen etablerte tilbudet i mai 2020, og det ble gjort uten at kostnadssituasjonen var grundig kartlagt. Motivasjonen bak oppgaven har vært å undersøke relevante kostnader knyttet til AHS som et hjemmebehandlingsalternativ for barn og unge, på oppdrag fra Helse Bergen. Oppgaven har hatt som hensikt å vurdere: Hva kan være relevante kostnader knyttet til AHS ved Helse Bergen, og hvordan kan disse estimeres? Analysen har hatt som formål å presentere kostnadene til AHS på en måte som gir nye innsikter for Helse Bergen, og forhåpentligvis bidrar til at Helse Bergen kan sikre AHS som et tilbud for barn og unge fremover. Helsesektoren og sykehus står imidlertid fram som virksomheter med komplekse kostnadsstrukturer. Dette har krevd at arbeidet for å besvare problemstillingen blir utført ved å benytte et bredt spekter av bedriftsøkonomiske kalkyler for å belyse ulike kostnader, gjennom blant annet bidrags- og aktivitetsbaserte kostnadskalkyler. Gjennom bidragsmetoden ble en kostnad totalt for 2020, en kostnad per døgn og en kostnad per pasientbehandling beregnet. Denne metoden ga et første bilde av kostnadene knyttet til AHS, i form av inkrementelle særkostnader. Deretter ble det utarbeidet aktivitetsbaserte kostnadskalkyler (ABC). Disse beregnet høyere kostnader per pasientbehandling enn bidragskalkylen, og belyste at kostnadene ved AHS bør vurderes med ulike metoder og kalkyler, for å kunne gi relevant innsikt. Det er imidlertid ikke slik at én kalkyle gir et mer relevant estimat enn en annen. Relevansen av estimatet avhenger blant annet av beslutningssituasjonen AHS befinner seg i, og tidsperspektivet som legges til grunn. Kapasiteten som foreligger på sykehuset spiller også en viktig rolle i relevansen av estimatene, og trolig vil ikke et slikt tilbud koste det samme ved alle sykehus. Anbefalingen er at Helse Bergen fortsetter arbeidet med å forstå og kartlegge kostnadssituasjonen til AHS, for å sikre tilbudet for barn og unge fremover. En viktig implikasjon av studien er at et tverrfaglig samarbeid og kompetanseutvikling mellom personer med henholdsvis helsefaglig- og økonomisk bakgrunn, er fundamentalt for innsikten som kreves for å utarbeide kalkyler for relevante kostnader.nhhma

Gas Clumping in the Outskirts of Galaxy Clusters, an Assessment of the Sensitivity of STAR-X

In the outskirts of galaxy clusters, entropy profiles measured from X-ray observations of the hot intracluster medium (ICM) drops off unexpectedly. One possible explanation for this effect is gas clumping, where pockets of cooler and denser structures within the ICM are present. Current observatories are unable to directly detect these hypothetical gas clumps. One of the science drivers of the proposed STAR-X observatory is to resolve these or similar structures. Its high spatial resolution, large effective area, and low instrumental background make STAR-X ideal for directly detecting and characterizing clumps and diffuse emission in cluster outskirts. The aim of this work is to simulate observations of clumping in clusters to determine how well STAR-X will be able to detect clumps, as well as what clumping properties reproduce observed entropy profiles. This is achieved by using yt, pyXSIM, SOXS, and other tools to inject ideally modeled clumps into three-dimensional models derived from actual clusters using their observed profiles from other X-ray missions. Radial temperature and surface brightness profiles are then extracted from mock observations using concentric annuli. We find that in simulated observations for STAR-X, a parameter space of clump properties exists where gas clumps can be successfully identified using wavdetect and masked, and are able to recover the true cluster profiles. This demonstrates that STAR-X could be capable of detecting substructure in the outskirts of nearby clusters and that the properties of both the outskirts and the clumps will be revealed.Comment: This is a pre-copyedited, author-produced PDF of an article accepted for publication in RAS Techniques and Instruments (RASTI) following peer review. The version of record is available online at: https://academic.oup.com/rasti/article/doi/10.1093/rasti/rzad042/725882

The Colposcopic Atlas of Schistosomiasis in the Lower Female Genital Tract Based on Studies in Malawi, Zimbabwe, Madagascar and South Africa

Background Schistosoma (S.) haematobium is a neglected tropical disease which may affect any part of the genital tract in women. Female genital schistosomiasis (FGS) may cause abnormal vaginal discharge, contact bleeding, genital tumours, ectopic pregnancies and increased susceptibility to HIV. Symptoms may mimic those typical of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and women with genital schistosomiasis may be incorrectly diagnosed. An expert consensus meeting suggested that the following findings by visual inspection should serve as proxy indicators for the diagnosis of schistosomiasis of the lower genital tract in women from S. haematobium endemic areas: sandy patches appearing as (1) single or clustered grains or (2) sandy patches appearing as homogenous, yellow areas, or (3) rubbery papules. In this atlas we aim to provide an overview of the genital mucosal manifestations of schistosomiasis in women. Methodology/Principal findings Photocolposcopic images were captured from women, between 1994 and 2012 in four different study sites endemic for S. haematobium in Malawi, Zimbabwe, South Africa and Madagascar. Images and specimens were sampled from sexually active women between 15 and 49 years of age. Colposcopic images of other diseases are included for differential diagnostic purposes. Significance This is the first atlas to present the clinical manifestations of schistosomiasis in the lower female genital tract. It will be freely available for online use, downloadable as a presentation and for print. It could be used for training purposes, further research, and in clinical practice