Follow-up Analysis Research Articles

An Empirical Investigation of Secondary Transfer Effects of Contact Among Five Ethnic-Cultural Minority Groups in the Netherlands

Although the relationship between intergroup contact and prejudice has received pervasive scholarly attention, research on secondary transfer effects (STEs)—whereby positive contact experiences with primary outgroups promote tolerance toward uninvolved secondary outgroups—is still in the early stages. In particular, only a few studies have explored interminority STEs (i.e., primary-to-secondary-minority-outgroup transfer effects). Therefore, concerns about the robustness, the generality, and the underlying psychological mechanisms remain unaddressed. To tackle these gaps in the literature, we investigated STEs in a Dutch representative sample of five ethnic-cultural minority groups ( N = 5,157) and an additional national majority group sample ( N = 1,046). Our meta-analytic integrations revealed a small but robust overall interminority STE. It was further shown that attitude generalization (i.e., enhanced attitudes toward the primary outgroup) was an explanatory process variable. Follow-up analyses additionally demonstrated significant intergroup STE variation. Taken together, our findings contribute to literature by showing the robustness of interminority STEs in the Dutch context.

“They knew the same struggles”: perceptions of a group coping skills intervention in patients with chronic graft-versus-host disease

PurposeChronic graft-versus-host-disease (cGVHD), an inflammatory condition affecting allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) survivors, is associated with a range of debilitating physical and psychological sequela. Yet HCT recipients with cGVHD are virtually absent from survivorship intervention research. We conducted a randomized clinical trial to evaluate the feasibility and preliminary efficacy of a multidisciplinary group coping skills intervention (Horizons) tailored to meet these patients’ unique needs. For this follow-up qualitative analysis, we evaluated the perceived impact of the Horizons intervention by the group participants.MethodsWe purposefully selected a subset of Horizons participants (n = 19) to complete audio-recorded exit interviews via semi-structured interview guide. We used rapid analysis to characterize participant feedback in three domains: (1) motivations to participate, (2) perceived benefits of participation, and (3) impacts of participation.ResultsFindings highlight participants’ motivations to participate centered on desires to connect with others living with cGVHD and to help future patients. Perceived benefits of participation focused on the following categories: (1) connecting with other survivors, (2) learning about cGVHD, and (3) learning coping strategies to manage specific cGVHD symptoms. Impacts of participation on everyday life variably reflected categories of (1) increased sense of empowerment to contact their care team with questions and concerns, (2) increased support and validation in their struggles with cGVHD, and (3) renewed motivation or progress toward personal and health-specific goals.ConclusionStudy findings demonstrate participants’ appreciation for a group-based opportunity to connect with others living with cGVHD and strengthen skills for navigating cGVHD challenges. Results support the ongoing need for evidence-based interventions to improve quality of life among HCT survivors.Trial registrationwww.ClinicalTrials.gov, identifier NCT04479995. Date of Registration: July 21, 2020.

Internalizing Psychiatric Symptoms in People With Mosaicism for Trisomy 21.

People with mosaicism for trisomy 21 have been shown to exhibit many of the same phenotypic traits present in people with non-mosaic Down syndrome, but with varying symptom severity. However, the behavioral phenotype of people with mosaic Down syndrome (mDS) has not been well characterized. This study aimed to examine the prevalence of self-report and caregiver-report symptoms of depression and anxiety among a sample of 62 participants with mDS aged 12-46 and assess their association with the percentage of trisomy 21 in blood and/or buccal mucosa cells. The overall MANCOVA revealed a significant effect of trisomy on the set of internalizing scales, controlling for age and gender (p = 0.038, partial eta2 = 0.22). However, follow-up univariate analyses showed that the initial significant effect of trisomy on fear (p = 0.049, partial eta2 = 0.08) did not survive correction for multiple comparisons (adjusted p = 0.300). No other effects were significant. This study highlights the high occurrence of depression and anxiety symptoms in individuals with mDS and the need for routine assessment to optimize their care. It also demonstrates the ability of people with mDS to complete these evaluations, thereby supporting their inclusion in research studies/clinical trials.

X-ray and optical analysis of the distant merging double cluster SPT-CLJ2228-5828, its gas bridge, and its shock front

Galaxy cluster mergers are excellent laboratories for studying a wide variety of different physical phenomena. An example of such a cluster system is the distant SPT-CLJ2228-5828 merger located at z≈ 0.77. Previous analyses via the thermal Sunyaev-Zeldovich effect and weak lensing (WL) data suggested that the system was potentially a dissociative cluster post-merger, similar to the Bullet cluster. In this work, we perform an X-ray and optical follow-up analysis of this rare system. We used new deep XMM-Newton data to study the hot gas in X-rays in great detail, spectroscopic Gemini data to precisely determine the redshift of the two mass concentrations, and new Hubble Space Telescope data to improve the total mass estimates of the two components. We find that SPT-CLJ2228-5828 constitutes a pre-merging double cluster system instead of a post-merger as previously thought. The merging process of the two clusters has started, with their gas on the outskirts colliding with a ∼ 22^ ∘ ∘ on the plane of the sky. Both clusters have a similar radius of R_ ∼ 700 kpc, with the two X-ray emission peaks separated by ≈ 1 Mpc (2.1^ We fully characterized the surface brightness, gas density, temperature, pressure, and entropy profiles of the two merging clusters for their undisturbed non-interacting side. The two systems have very similar X-ray properties, with a moderate cluster mass of tot ∼ (2.1-2.4) ⊙ according to X-ray mass proxies. Both clusters show good agreement with known X-ray scaling relations when their merging side is ignored. The WL mass estimate of the western cluster agrees well with the X-ray-based mass, whereas the eastern cluster is surprisingly only marginally detected from its WL signal. A gas bridge with ≈ 333 kpc length connecting the two merging halos is detected at a $5.8σ$ level. The baryon overdensity of the excess gas (not associated with the cluster gas) is δ_ b ∼ (75-320) across the length of the bridge, and its gas mass is M_ gas ∼ 1.4 ⊙ . The gas density and temperature jumps at ∼ 10^ cm^-3 and ∼ 5.5 keV, respectively, are also found across the gas bridge, revealing the existence of a weak shock front with a Mach number mathcal M ∼ 1.1. The gas pressure and entropy also increase at the position of the shock front. We estimate the age of the shock front to be lesssim 100 Myr and its kinetic energy ∼ 2.4 erg s^-1. SPT-CLJ2228-5828 is the first such high-z pre-merger with a gas bridge and a shock front, consisting of similarly sized clusters, to be studied in X-rays.

Cost-effectiveness of plasmapheresis and hemoperfusion in COVID-19 survivors: A six-month follow-up analysis after hospital discharge.

To evaluate the short- and long-term clinical and financial outcomes of apheresis in COVID-19 survivors after hospital discharge. Intensive care unit-discharged patients were followed for 6 months. Vital signs, laboratory markers, quality of life, and direct medical costs were analyzed to calculate incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (ICER) and to plot cost-effectiveness planes and acceptability curves. A total of 68 patients (45 control, 18 plasmapheresis, and 5 hemoperfusion) were included. ICERs for plasmapheresis and hemoperfusion patients at discharge were $867.58 and $198.89 per quality-adjusted life years (QALY) gained, respectively. Respiration and blood pressure improved significantly at discharge. The improvements in oxygenation markers for plasmapheresis and hemoperfusion groups were lower than controls (8.56 ± 10.31 and 11.75 ± 16.88 vs. 11.37 ± 7.28 percent for SpO2, 11.15 ± 21.15 and 11.05 ± 24.95 vs. 16.03 ± 5.61 mm Hg for PaO2, respectively) However, the respiratory rate improvements corresponded to ICERs of $1034.77 and $269.94 for plasmapheresis and hemoperfusion, respectively. The ICERs for increasing mean arterial pressure were $24.83 and $30.94 per mm Hg, and plasmapheresis was more cost-effective than hemoperfusion in increasing serum calcium levels ($1649.35 per mg/dL). At 1-month post-discharge, both treatments showed worse outcomes compared to controls. At 6 months, the plasmapheresis ICER ($1884.95) exceeded the willingness-to-pay threshold. The ICER for plasmapheresis at 6 months was $112.83 per rehospitalization day avoided, while hemoperfusion remained less effective than controls. While plasmapheresis and hemoperfusion improved some clinical outcomes, their high costs and limited long-term cost-effectiveness suggest that these interventions may not be economically justified for treating COVID-19 patients. Careful evaluation is needed when considering their use in clinical practice.

Early life stress and functional connectivity in antipsychotic-naïve first episode psychosis patients

The neural mechanisms underlying the association between childhood trauma (CT) and psychosis spectrum disorders remains unclear. The objective of this study is to examine the relationship between childhood trauma and functional connectivity of fronto-limbic regions in a large sample of antipsychotic-naïve patients with first episode psychosis (FEP). Resting state fMRI data from 105 FEP patients and 123 healthy controls (HC) were used. Our regions of interest included bilateral hippocampus/amygdala and ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC). Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ) total and subscale scores were correlated with the resting state functional connectivity (rsFC) data. Partial correlation analyses indicated that higher CTQ sexual abuse subscale scores in FEP patients were associated with increased left amygdala—vmPFC rsFC (r(59) = 0.27, p < 0.05) and higher CTQ emotional neglect subscale scores in FEP patients were associated with increased left hippocampus—vmPFC rsFC (r(59) = 0.26, p < 0.05). Follow-up analysis showed a significant interaction effect of group (FEP and HC) and CTQ score (sexual abuse subscale) on left amygdala—vmPFC rsFC (β = 0.014, p < 0.05). Higher CTQ sexual abuse subscale scores were associated with increased rsFC in FEP patients (β = 0.56, p < 0.001). but reduced rsFC in healthy controls (β = −0.56, p < 0.001). The results also provide support for the long-term differential impact of trauma subtypes on the human brain. Overall, the results contribute to the understanding of the neural mechanisms underlying the association between childhood trauma and psychosis spectrum disorders.

Motherese Directed at Prelinguistic Infants at Risk for Neurological Disorders: An Exploratory Study.

To investigate how a high risk for infant neurological impairment affects the quality of infant verbal interactions, and in particular properties of infant-directed speech, spontaneous interactions between 14 mothers and their 4.5-month-old infants at high risk for neurological disorders (7 female) were recorded and acoustically compared with those of 14 dyads with typically developing infants (8 female). Mothers of at-risk infants had proportionally less voicing, and the proportion of voicing decreased with increasing severity of the infants' long-term outcome. Follow-up analysis based on manual annotation of phonation style revealed breathy phonation as more common toward infants with more severe long-term outcomes (N=7; 44.7% of speech) than controls (N=14; 22.0%; p=0.005) or at-risk infants with typical or mildly abnormal long-term outcomes (N=7; 16.5%; p=0.002). The results indicate that maternal phonation style during early dyadic interactions is affected by the infant's neurological condition.

Blunted Ventral Striatal Reactivity to Social Reward Is Associated with More Severe Motivation and Pleasure Deficits in Psychosis.

Among individuals living with psychotic disorders, social impairment is common, debilitating, and challenging to treat. While the roots of this impairment are undoubtedly complex, converging lines of evidence suggest that social motivation and pleasure (MAP) deficits play a central role. Yet most neuroimaging studies have focused on monetary rewards, precluding decisive inferences. Here we leveraged parallel social and monetary incentive delay functional magnetic resonance imaging paradigms to test whether blunted reactivity to social incentives in the ventral striatum-a key component of the distributed neural circuit mediating appetitive motivation and hedonic pleasure-is associated with more severe MAP symptoms in a transdiagnostic adult sample enriched for psychosis. To maximize ecological validity and translational relevance, we capitalized on naturalistic audiovisual clips of an established social partner expressing positive feedback. Although both paradigms robustly engaged the ventral striatum, only reactivity to social incentives was associated with clinician-rated MAP deficits. This association remained significant when controlling for other symptoms, binary diagnostic status, or striatal reactivity to monetary incentives. Follow-up analyses suggested that this association predominantly reflects diminished activation during the presentation of social reward. These observations provide a neurobiologically grounded framework for conceptualizing the social-anhedonia symptoms and social impairments that characterize many individuals living with psychotic disorders and underscore the need to develop targeted intervention strategies.

Complementarity of biomarker screening and genetic analyses based on the case of an attenuated multiple sulfatase deficiency.

Multiple sulfatase deficiency (MSD) is an ultra-rare lysosomal disease caused by defective activation of cellular sulfatases comprising clinical features of mucopolysaccharidoses, sphingolipidoses, and other sulfatase deficiencies. We present a case of an infant with feeding difficulties related to autism spectrum disorder (ASD) who was diagnosed at 10months of age with MSD by next-generation sequencing (NGS). Biochemical results obtained in dried blood spot (DBS) samples were inconsistent and not suggesting MSD in the light of identified pathogenic SUMF1 variants. However, follow-up analyses at 20months of age revealed an increased concentration of sulfatides in DBS. It should be noted that biochemical tests, routinely used as screening methods, have a risk of false negative results, especially regarding mild/attenuated phenotypes, as presented in our report.

Associations between cytokine levels and cognitive function among individuals at clinical high risk for psychosis

ObjectiveTo explore the intricate interplay among cytokines, cognitive functioning, and conversion to psychosis in individuals at clinical high-risk (CHR) for psychosis. MethodWe initially enrolled 385 individuals at CHR and 95 healthy controls (HCs). Subsequently, 102 participants at CHR completed the 1-year follow-up assessments, and 47 participants transitioned to psychosis. We assessed the levels of interleukins (IL-1β, IL-2, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF), and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). We comprehensively evaluated cognitive performance across six domains, including speed of processing (SP), attention/vigilance (AV), working memory (WM), verbal learning (VeL), visual learning (ViL), and reasoning and problem-solving (RPS). ResultsHigher baseline cognitive domain scores were associated with elevated GM-CSF and reduced VEGF levels. In the follow-up analysis, significant time effects were observed for IL-1β and IL-2. We also observed significant interaction effects between specific cognitive domains (AV, WM, VeL, and OCS) and levels of cytokine (GM-CSF, IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α). Changes in WM were negatively correlated with changes in TNF-α levels and positively correlated with changes in VEGF levels. Variations in VeL were inversely correlated with changes in GM-CSF and IL-10 levels, whereas changes in RPS were positively associated with changes in GM-CSF and IL-8 levels. ConclusionsOur results revealed intricate associations among cytokine levels, cognitive performance, and psychosis progression.

Effectiveness of high-fidelity clinical simulation in cardiopulmonary resuscitation training: A systematic review and meta-analysis of controlled trials

BackgroundHigh-fidelity simulation enhances cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) training in a safe environment. MethodsA systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) was performed to evaluate the effectiveness of high-fidelity simulation compared to traditional CPR training. Medline, CINAHL, Scopus and Web of Science were searched for studies, assessing theoretical knowledge and practical skills. RoB 2 was used to assess risk of bias and standardized mean difference (SMD) for effect sizes, assuming a random effects model. The protocol was registered in PROSPERO (ID: CRD42023441692). ResultsTwelve studies with 1,520 participants were included. Simulation improved compression depth [SMD = 0.33, 95% CI 0.15-0.50, I² = 23%] and CPR knowledge retention [SMD = 1.53, 95% CI 0.94-2.12, I² = 79%]. Lack of data made follow-up analysis difficult. ConclusionHigh-fidelity simulation improves CPR skills in the short term compared to traditional training. Further studies are needed to confirm its effectiveness in the medium and long term.

Particular vulnerability of patients with borderline personality disorder during the COVID-19 pandemic – a retrospective chart review

BackgroundMental health consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic have been a major research focus since its beginning. A specific vulnerability of patients with borderline personality disorder (BPD) following social distancing measures has been reported, however there is a lack of adequately sized studies that provide evidence of this vulnerability. Suicide attempts may reflect mental health effects of the COVID-19 pandemic in psychiatric settings.MethodsRetrospective follow-up analysis of clinical documentation in a psychiatric emergency department (pED) of a major academic psychiatric hospital in Berlin, Germany. Observation periods include the first- (3/2/2020–5/24/2020) and second-wave (9/15/2020–3/1/2021) of the COVID-19 pandemic in Germany and respective periods one year earlier as control-periods. Poisson-regression was used for statistical modelling of individual counts of pED presentations after a suicide attempt.ResultsN = 4110 patients attended the pED during the four observation periods. BPD patients were associated with elevated risk of pED presentation after a suicide attempt during COVID-periods (RR = 3.4; p = .014). Schizophrenia and psychotic disorders showed lower risk of pED presentation after a suicide attempt during COVID-periods (RR = 0.4; p = .048). Other diagnostic groups did not show significant interaction effects with COVID-periods. The first-wave was a risk factor for pED presentation after a suicide attempt affecting the sample across all diagnostic groups (RR = 3.1; p = .006).ConclusionsBPD patients seem to be particularly vulnerable during the COVID-19 pandemic showing increased rates of suicide attempts during both COVID-periods. This should be addressed in future health crises by ensuring availability of psychosocial help. There is a need for further research regarding BPD patients in public health crisis situations.

Effects of Normal Cognitive Aging on Spoken Word Frequency: Older Adults Exhibit Higher Function Word Frequency and Lower Content Word Frequency than Young Adults

Background Recent work indicates that word frequency (WF), broadly defined as an estimate of how often a given word is produced during spontaneous speech, has been shown to be a sensitive marker for conditions like mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and Alzheimer’s disease (AD). WF has been linked to cognitive declines observed in these groups. However, it is largely unknown how WF for distinct word classes change as part of normative cognitive aging, and to what extent factors like education and life experience may protect against age-related cognitive decline. Objective The current study examined WF and its association with cognitive test performance in older and younger adults. Higher WF values indicate the use of more common, higher frequently used words that are more readily retrieved from the lexicon, whereas lower WF values indicate the use of less common, lower frequency words. Methods Expository speech transcripts of 70 older and 130 younger adults were analyzed. Subject-level WF indices were computed for all words (AWs), content words (CWs) and function words (FWs). Between-group differences in WF and neuropsychological test performance were examined using independent samples t-tests and associations between WF and cognitive performance were evaluated with Pearson correlations. Follow-up analyses clarified the possible contribution of education. Results Higher average AW and CW frequency was observed in younger adults and higher AW frequency was associated with poorer performance on a test of mental reasoning (Cognitive Estimation Test). Though small, differences between age groups remained significant after accounting for education levels. Conclusion The current results show generally preserved WF in older adults and suggest that healthy cognitive aging and formal education do not drive the age-related changes in WF found in other studies. If replicated, such findings suggest that a shift from lower to higher frequency words in the spontaneous speech of older adults may be a marker of early neuropathological changes rather than normative cognitive aging and that the specific pattern may be influenced by sociocultural factors like language exposure and life experience. Future studies examining changes in lexical retrieval with advancing age will help clarify the impact of normative cognitive aging on WF indices and the extent to which analysis of spontaneous speech may help with early detection for conditions like MCI and AD.

Study and analysis of the use of bevacizumab in the treatment of breast cancer

This study aimed to explore the application of bevacizumab in breast cancer treatment. We reviewed the research progress and current status of bevacizumab, analyzed its mechanism of action, and introduced protein expression analysis to further investigate its therapeutic effect. Bevacizumab is an angiogenesis inhibitor that prevents tumor growth by binding to and blockingvascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). Data were obtained derived from the United States Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), which employed reversed-phase protein array technology (RPPA) to analyze the expression levels of related proteins. This included data on 210 proteins from 55 CTx samples and 54 Bev + CTx samples. We conducted a follow-up analysis based on the existing studies of nine protein signatures with corresponding beta coefficients identified by Lasso regression. However, only the first eight proteins were analyzed due to insufficient data. Additionally, we analyzed four of the 210 proteins with high expression levels. Statistical analysis revealed differences in protein the expression levels between the CTx and Bev + CTx groups, though these differences were not statistically significant. Clustering results displayed protein expression data through heat maps, revealing a clustering relationship among several proteins. This study provides a reference for the application of bevacizumab in breast cancer treatment.

Air pollution exposure is associated with gene expression in children.

Environmental exposures, including air pollutants and lack of natural spaces, are associated with suboptimal health outcomes in children. We aimed to study the associations between environmental exposures and gene expression in children. Associations of exposure to particulate matter (PM) with diameter <2.5 (PM2.5) and < 10 (PM10) micrometers, nitrogen dioxide, green spaces, and blue space, with whole-blood gene expression were explored in children from the Dutch Generation R Study (n = 172). Analyses were adjusted for age, sex, batch, maternal education, and area socioeconomic status. Follow-up analysis was carried out using lymphoblastoid cell line gene expression in children from the ALSPAC Study (n = 946). Gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) using hallmark and immune gene sets from the molecular signature database was carried out to identify significantly over-represented gene sets for insights into biological mechanisms Exposure to PM2.5 was associated with expression of 86 genes in discovery analyses in the Generation R Study [false discovery rate (FDR)-adjusted P-value < .25]. Of these, PM2.5 was also associated with GNG11 expression in the same direction in follow-up analysis (FDR-adjusted P-value < .05). The remaining exposures showed much fewer associations in the discovery analyses. GSEA using PM2.5 association results for both cohorts indicated suppression of gene sets related to interferon response and response to bacterial and viral exposure. In conclusion, gene expression analysis performed in two independent cohorts suggests that PM2.5 exposure in children may be involved in interferon and microbial infection responses.

Long term inguinal pain comparing TEP to Lichtenstein repair: the TEPLICH RCT 8 years follow-up

PurposeTo investigate long-term chronic postoperative inguinal pain (CPIP), QoL and recurrence in patients with a primary inguinal hernia comparing TEP to Lichtenstein.Material and methodsA questionnaire-based follow-up containing the Inguinal Pain Questionnaire (IPQ), the Cunningham Pain Scale and SF-36 was done 8 years after the TEPLICH RCT. The main objective was non-ignorable pain last week according to IPQ. A phone interview was performed with patients reporting new non-ignorable pain and those having a suspected recurrence. Records were scanned for long-term CPIP and recurrences. A lost to follow-up analysis was performed.ResultsA total of 322 of 366 patients (88%) completed the follow-up of mean 7.94 years (5–10.75 years). Non-ignorable pain last week was reported by 7.6% in TEP and 6.7% in Lichtenstein (p < 0.73). New non-ignorable pain was reported by 5 patients. No difference in non-ignorable pain over time (1–8 years) was observed within groups. Moderate to severe pain, according to Cunningham, was reported by 3.8% in TEP and 5.5% in Lichtenstein (p < 0.48). QoL remained above the Swedish norm. No recurrences occurred after 3 years follow-up. The lost to follow-up analysis showed no difference in non-ignorable pain.ConclusionsRCTs, comparing TEP to Lichtenstein repair with follow-up ≥ 5 years regarding CPIP are sparse with conflicting data. In this study, low frequencies of CPIP present at 3 years seem to persist at 8 years. Recurrences occured within the first 3 years. Patients need to be informed of the risk of long-term CPIP.

Assessing Adherence to the PRISMA-DTA Guideline in Diagnostic Test Accuracy Systematic Reviews: A Five-Year Follow-up Analysis.

We evaluated reporting of diagnostic test accuracy (DTA) systematic reviews using Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA)-DTA and PRISMA-DTA for abstracts. We searched MEDLINE for recent DTA systematic reviews (September 2023-Mar 2024) to achieve a sample size of 100. Analyses evaluated adherence to PRISMA-DTA (and abstracts), on a per-item basis. Association of reporting with journal, country, impact factor (IF), index-test type, subspecialty area, use of supplemental material, PRISMA citation, word count, and PRISMA adoption was evaluated. Comparison to the baseline evaluation from 2019 was done. Protocol: https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/P25TE. Overall adherence (n = 100) was 78% (20.3/26.0 items, SD = 2.0) for PRISMA-DTA and 52% (5.7/11.0 items, SD = 1.6) for abstracts. Infrequently reported items (<33% of studies): eligibility criteria, definitions for data extraction, synthesis of results, and characteristics of the included studies. Infrequently reported items in abstracts were characteristics of the included studies, strengths and limitations, and funding. Reporting completeness for full text was minimally higher in studies in higher IF journals [20.7 vs 19.8 items; 95% confidence interval (95%CI) (0.09; 1.77)], as well as studies that cited PRISMA [21.1 vs 20.1 items; 95%CI (0.04; 1.95)], or used supplemental material (20.7 vs 19.2 items; 95%CI (0.63; 2.35)]. Variability in reporting was not associated with author country, journal, abstract word count limitations, PRISMA adoption, structured abstracts, study design, subspecialty, open-access status, or index test. No association with word counts was observed among full text or abstracts. Compared to the baseline evaluation, reporting was improved for full texts [71% to 78%; 95%CI (1.18; 2.26)] but not for abstracts [50% to 52%; 95%CI (-0.20; 0.60)]. Compared to the baseline evaluation published in 2019, we observed modest improved adherence to PRISMA-DTA and no improvement in PRISMA-DTA for abstracts reporting.

Psychotherapeutic Interventions for Depressive Symptoms in Community-Dwelling Older Adults: A Systematic Review with Meta-Analysis.

This review investigates psychotherapeutic interventions for reducing depressive symptoms in older adults in a community setting. RCTs were assessed using Joanna Briggs Institute tools. The following databases were searched: CINAHL Plus with Full Text, MedicLatina, MEDLINE with Full Text, and the Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection. A meta-analysis of 13 studies with 1528 participants showed a medium, significant pooled effect size at post-intervention (Hedges' g = -0.36, p < 0.001) and substantial heterogeneity. Follow-up analysis of studies indicated a small, non-significant effect (Hedges' g = -0.17, p = 0.27). Group interventions, particularly the "reminiscence protocol", had the largest significant effect. This systematic review and meta-analysis found that in community-dwelling older adults' group psychotherapeutic interventions, particularly the "reminiscence protocol" and "modified behavioral activation treatment" are most effective for reducing depressive symptoms. Individual psychotherapeutic interventions like "prevention of suicide in primary care elderly" and "behavioral activation" also show effectiveness, with group psychotherapeutic interventions being generally more effective than when these treatments are offered in individual psychotherapeutic interventions. Group and individual psychotherapeutic interventions reduce depressive symptoms in community-dwelling older adults, with group psychotherapeutic interventions being more effective.

Curricular Differentiation and Informal Networks: How Formal Grouping and Ranking Practices Shape Friendships among Students in College

This study draws on complete friendship network data on two first-year biological sciences cohorts at a selective university in the United States to investigate how and to what extent allocating students to curricular groups and grading their performance in class shape (1) processes of friend selection at the dyadic level and (2) friendship clustering at the network level. Through a set of stochastic actor-oriented models, results show that students tend to befriend peers from the same curricular group versus a different one (i.e., curricular group homophily) and befriend higher-performing peers (i.e., performance-based status). Follow-up analyses reveal that friendship clustering by curricular group placement is largely due to course co-enrollment (i.e., proximity), whereas academic-performance-based clustering is primarily the result of students aligning their own performance to match the average performance of their friends (i.e., influence). I discuss implications of these findings for helping to promote learning in higher education.

Arthroscopic Anatomic Reconstruction of the Interosseous Talocalcaneal Ligament Using a Gracilis Autograft for Subtalar Instability: 6- to 12-Year Retrospective Follow-up.

Several surgical techniques have been reported of subtalar instability (STI), but it remains a controversial topic without long-term clinical evidence. This study aimed to report the all-inside arthroscopic anatomic interosseous talocalcaneal ligament (ITCL) reconstruction technique and its long-term outcomes in STI patients with confirmed ITCL rupture. A retrospective study was conducted on consecutive series of STI patients who underwent all-inside arthroscopic anatomic reconstruction of the ITCL using a gracilis autograft between January 2010 and December 2016. The American Orthopaedic Foot & Ankle Society (AOFAS) hindfoot scale, Karlsson-Peterson score, visual analog scale (VAS) pain score, and Tegner activity scale were assessed preoperatively and postoperatively. Furthermore, Foot and Ankle Ability Measure activities of daily living (FAAM-ADL) and sports (FAAM-Sports) scores, and whether patients returned to daily work, recreational activities, and preinjury sports were recorded at follow-up. Complications including postoperative sprain recurrence, range of motion (ROM) restriction, and incision numbness were evaluated at the final follow-up. A total of 25 patients, with a mean age of 33.3 ± 8.8 years, were included in the follow-up analysis at a mean duration of 110.7 ± 20.4 months. The mean Karlsson-Peterson and AOFAS scores significantly increased from 61.8 ± 9.9 preoperatively to 93.8 ± 7.2 (P < .001) at the final follow-up and from 68.8 ± 7.4 to 95.1 ± 6.7 (P < .001), respectively. Additionally, the mean VAS pain score significantly decreased from 4.5 ± 1.1 to 0.6 ± 1.0 (P < .001). Regarding normal daily activities (FAAM-ADL), 22 patients (88%) obtained good to excellent (≥80) results; for sports-related activities, 18 patients (72%) had good to excellent FAAM-Sports scores and 19 patients (76%) returned to preinjury sports activities. Four patients (16%) reported mild to moderate ROM restrictions. All-inside arthroscopic anatomic reconstruction of the ITCL demonstrated with gracilis autograft was associated with satisfactory long-term outcomes in restoring function and facilitating a return to sports for STI patients with ITCL injury.