Abstract
In the stop-signal task, an electrophysiological signature of action-stopping is increased early right frontal beta band power for successful vs. failed stop trials. Here we tested whether ...the requirement to stop an unwanted thought from coming to mind also elicits this signature. We recorded scalp EEG during a Think/No-Think task and a subsequent stop signal task in 42 participants. In the Think/No-Think task, participants first learned word pairs. In a second phase, they received the left-hand word as a reminder and were cued either to retrieve the associated right-hand word (“Think”) or to stop retrieval (“No-Think”). At the end of each trial, participants reported whether they had experienced an intrusion of the associated memory. Finally, they received the left-hand reminder word and were asked to recall its associated target. Behaviorally, there was worse final recall for items in the No-Think condition, and decreased intrusions with practice for No-Think trials. For EEG, we reproduced increased early right frontal beta power for successful vs. failed action stopping. Critically, No-Think trials also elicited increased early right frontal beta power and this was stronger for trials without intrusion. These results suggest that preventing a thought from coming to mind also recruits fast prefrontal stopping.
Quickly preventing the retrieval of (inappropriate) long-term memories might recruit a similar control mechanism as rapid action-stopping. A very specific characteristic of rapid action-stopping is ...“global motor suppression”: When a single response is rapidly stopped, there is a broad skeletomotor suppression. This is shown by the technique of TMS placed over a task-irrelevant part of the primary motor cortex (M1) to measure motor-evoked potentials. Here, we used this same TMS method to test if rapidly preventing long-term memory retrieval also shows this broad skeletomotor suppression effect. Twenty human participants underwent a Think/No-Think task. In the first phase, they learned word pairs. In the second phase, they received the left-hand word as a cue and had to either retrieve the associated right-hand word (“Think”) or stop retrieval (“No-Think”). At the end of each trial, they reported whether they had experienced an intrusion of the associated memory. Behaviorally, on No-Think trials, they reported fewer intrusions than Think trials, and the reporting of intrusions decreased with practice. Physiologically, we observed that the motor-evoked potential, measured from the hand (which was irrelevant to the task), was reduced on No-Think trials in the time frame of 300–500 msec, especially on trials where they did report an intrusion. This unexpected result contradicted our preregistered prediction that we would find such a decrease on No-Think trials where the intrusion was not reported. These data suggest that one form of executive control over (inappropriate) long-term memory retrieval is a rapid and broad stop, akin to action-stopping, that is triggered by the intrusion itself.
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DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Fatty liver (FL) is the most frequent liver disease in Western countries. We used data from the Dionysos Nutrition & Liver Study to develop a simple algorithm for the prediction of FL in the general ...population.
216 subjects with and 280 without suspected liver disease were studied. FL was diagnosed by ultrasonography and alcohol intake was assessed using a 7-day diary. Bootstrapped stepwise logistic regression was used to identify potential predictors of FL among 13 variables of interest gender, age, ethanol intake, alanine transaminase, aspartate transaminase, gamma-glutamyl-transferase (GGT), body mass index (BMI), waist circumference, sum of 4 skinfolds, glucose, insulin, triglycerides, and cholesterol. Potential predictors were entered into stepwise logistic regression models with the aim of obtaining the most simple and accurate algorithm for the prediction of FL.
An algorithm based on BMI, waist circumference, triglycerides and GGT had an accuracy of 0.84 (95%CI 0.81-0.87) in detecting FL. We used this algorithm to develop the "fatty liver index" (FLI), which varies between 0 and 100. A FLI < 30 (negative likelihood ratio = 0.2) rules out and a FLI > or = 60 (positive likelihood ratio = 4.3) rules in fatty liver.
FLI is simple to obtain and may help physicians select subjects for liver ultrasonography and intensified lifestyle counseling, and researchers to select patients for epidemiologic studies. Validation of FLI in external populations is needed before it can be employed for these purposes.
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DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Objective: The aim of this cross-sectional study was to assess the bias in estimating the prevalence of periodontitis due to partial-mouth periodontal examination protocols (PMPE) and to relate the ...severity and extent of periodontal damage to periodontitis misclassification when applying case definitions by Centres of Disease Control and Prevention and American Academy of Periodontology (CDC/AAP).
Materials and methods: A full-mouth periodontal examination (FMPE) was performed in 721 adults living in North Italy to identify moderate and severe periodontitis. These results were compared with those obtained with two PMPE protocols analyzing two interproximal sites on all teeth (fMB-DL) or four interproximal sites in two random diagonal quadrants (pMDB-MDL).
Results: Both PMPE systems estimated the prevalence of moderate periodontitis with limited bias (−2.79% for pMDB-MDL and −3.49% for fMB-DL), whereas produced larger relative biases for severe periodontitis (−28.74% versus − 14.55%). The percentage of under-recognition of existing periodontal disease was 8.9% under fMB-DL and 15.5% under pMDB-MDL. The diagnosis of moderate and severe periodontal disease was correctly assigned to individuals with on average 8% and 30% of pathological sites, respectively.
Conclusion: These findings suggest that PMPE systems provide high level of bias when using CDC/AAP case definitions.
Using the general population of the Dionysos Study, we followed up 144 subjects without fatty liver (FL−) and 336 with fatty liver (FL+) for a median time of 8.5 years. All subjects had suspected ...liver disease (SLD) defined as altered liver enzymes, high mean corpuscular volume, or low platelet count in the absence of HBV and HCV infection. Ethanol intake was assessed using a food frequency questionnaire, and FL was diagnosed using ultrasonography. The incidence and remission rates of FL were 18.5 and 55.0 per 1,000 person‐years. Progression to cirrhosis or HCC was rare in both cohorts (incidence rate: 1.7 versus 1.1 and 0.8 versus 0.4 per 1,000 person‐years for FL− versus FL+). Multivariable Poisson regression was performed to identify predictors of FL incidence and remission among sex, age, body mass index, ethanol, and liver enzymes. Every increase of 20 g/day of ethanol intake at baseline was associated with a 17% increase in the rate of incident FL (P = 0.019), a 10% decrease in the rate of remitting FL and SLD (P = 0.043), a 19% decrease in the rate of remitting FL with persistent SLD (P = 0.002), and a 10% increase in mortality rate (P = 0.005) in the FL+ cohort. Conclusion: In the general population of the Dionysos Study, FL regressed in nearly 1 of every 2 cases and had a substantially benign course. Ethanol intake was the most important risk factor for FL remission and incidence and a predictor of mortality in subjects with FL. (HEPATOLOGY 2007.)
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BFBNIB, FZAB, GIS, IJS, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, SAZU, SBCE, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK
We are in a climate emergency. Because governments are reacting too slowly, grassroots collective action is key. Understanding the psychological factors underpinning engagement can facilitate the ...growth of such collective action. Yet, previous research in psychology rarely provided causal evidence for which factors trigger action, lacked focus on the climate crisis, was mostly self-reported behaviour or intentions rather than objective measures, and was mostly cross-sectional rather than longitudinal. Here we conducted a longitudinal study on the effectiveness of a 12-week video intervention designed to increase psychological predictors of collective action. The intervention boosted affective engagement, collective efficacy, and self-efficacy, but did not increase observed attendance of activism events. Interviews suggested that Zoom fatigue and the online study design undercut the social interaction participants wanted in order to join events. However, a smaller in-person replication did not increase activism either. Debriefings suggested that the replication participants were primarily motivated by payment and lacked time or resources for more engagement. These results highlight the crucial importance of going beyond measures of self-reported attitudes or intentions to objectively measuring activism behaviours and showing the difficulty of fostering event attendance.
Abstract Introduction The optimal surveillance strategy to screen for thyroid carcinoma childhood cancer survivors (CCS) at increased risk is still debated. In our clinical practice, beside neck ...palpation we routinely perform thyroid ultrasound (US). Here we describe the results obtained using this approach. Methods We considered all CCS referred to our long term clinic from November 2001 to September 2014. One hundred and ninety-seven patients who had received radiation therapy involving the thyroid gland underwent US surveillance. Thyroid US started 5 years after radiotherapy and repeated every 3 years, if negative. Results Among 197 CCS previously irradiated to the thyroid gland, 74 patients (37.5%) developed thyroid nodules, and fine-needle aspiration was performed in 35. In 11 patients the cytological examination was suspicious or diagnostic for malignancy (TIR 4/5), whereas a follicular lesion was diagnosed in nine. Patients with TIR 4/5 cytology were operated and in all cases thyroid cancer diagnosis was confirmed. The nine patients with TIR 3 cytology also underwent surgery and a carcinoma was diagnosed in three of them. Prevalence of thyroid cancer was 7.1%. Tumour size ranged between 4 and 25 mm, but six (43%) were classified T3 because of extra-thyroidal extension. Six patients had nodal metastases; in eight patients the tumour was multifocal. At the time of the study all patients are disease free, without evidence of surgery complications. Conclusion Applying our US surveillance protocol, the prevalence of radiation-induced thyroid cancer is high. Histological features of the thyroid cancers diagnosed in our cohort suggest that most of them were clinically relevant tumours.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZRSKP
Late effects of cancer and its treatments during childhood or adolescence can impact work placement and increase the risk of unemployment. The aim of this study is to describe the work placement and ...the perceived job and economic satisfaction of long-term childhood cancer survivors (CCS). Jobs have been categorized according to the International Standard Classification of Occupations version 08 (ISCO-08), and satisfaction has been evaluated through the Satisfaction Profile (SAT-P). Out of 240 CCS (female = 98) included: 53 were students, 46 were unemployed and 141 were employed. Within unemployed survivors, 89.13% were affected by late effects (n = 41). The presence of at least one severe late effect was significantly associated with the probability of unemployment (OR 3.21; 95% CI 1.13−9.12, p < 0.050), and having any late effect was inversely related to the level of satisfaction of the financial situation of unemployed CCS (b −35.47; 95% CI −59.19, −11.74, p = 0.004). Our results showed that being a survivor with severe comorbidities has a significantly negative impact on occupation and worsens the perception of satisfaction of economic situations. Routinary follow-up care of CCS should include the surveillance of socioeconomic development and provide interventions, helping them to reach jobs suitable for their health.
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IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, UL, UM, UPUK
Introduction: Describe how physical late effects, and particularly fertility, impact on the psycho-social well-being (anxiety, depression and perception of HRQoL) in a cohort of childhood cancer ...survivors (CCS). Methods: Eligibility criteria: a) cancer diagnosis at age < 18 years; b) off-therapy > 5 years; c) age at the time of the study > 18 years and < 35 years. CCS with severe cognitive impairment, psychiatric disorders, or conditions otherwise hampering the participation to the study were excluded. Psychological evaluation included Hamilton Rating Scale for Anxiety (HAM-A), Montgomery-Asberg Depression Scale (MADRS), Satisfaction-Profile (SAT-P) and Short Form Health Survey (SF-36). Late effects have been grouped using the St Jude Lifetime Cohort Study-modified version of the National Cancer Institute’s CTCAE version 4.03. Results: 205 CCS were included (response rate: 80.08%; 58.05% male, 40.00% between 18 and 24 years at the time of the study, 74.36% diagnosis of hematologic malignancies). Moderate or severe anxiety was found in only 3,90% of CCS. More than 35% reported depressive symptoms. The prevalence of any grade of anxiety or depression increases with the increasing of the number of late effects (from 4.08% to 17.14% and from 24.49% to 42.86%, respectively). At least mild depressive symptoms have been reported by 56.33% of CCS affected by reproductive/genital late effects. Reproductive/genital late effect (p = 0.001) and female gender (p = 0.002) significantly predict the risk of depression. CCS with 2 or more late effects and those with reproductive/genital late effects reported a reduced satisfaction in psychological and physical function. Discussion: CCS globally show a satisfactory psychological health, but infertility or a high number of physical late effects enhance the risk of depression and impaired HRQoL.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
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