Intrinsic Traits Research Articles

Work immersion and perceived stress among clinical nurses: a latent profile analysis and moderated mediation analysis

BackgroundExploration of the relationship between individual work immersion and perceived stress is critical for clinical nurses’ effective psychological interventions and human resource management, as well as to alleviate nursing staff shortages. In order to further dissect the influencing factors of perceived stress among nursing staff, our study introduces the concepts of perfectionism and social connectedness to analyze the specific pathways that influence perceived stress in terms of an individual’s intrinsic and external personality traits. This study provides relevant recommendations for the development of stress management measures for nursing staff.MethodsThis was a cross-sectional survey. 993 registered clinical nurses were included from four hospitals in Guangzhou through a convenience sampling method. Clinical nurses’ work immersion, perceived stress, perfectionism, and social connectedness were investigated using questionnaires based on latent profile analysis. The relationships between variables were analyzed using t-tests, analysis of variance, Pearson’s correlation analysis, latent profile analysis, and moderated mediation analysis.ResultsThe results showed that (1) general influences on nurses’ perceived stress included only child, labor relationship, labor allowance, and family support; (2) nurses’ work immersion contained four subgroups: lowest (12.6%), medium-low (39.8%), medium-high (39.9%), and highest (7.7%); (3) positive and negative perfectionism played a mediating role between the association of work immersion and perceived stress; (4) social connectedness played a moderating role in the mediation model of perceived stress.ConclusionsWork immersion, perfectionism, and social connectedness have an important impact on clinical nurses’ perceived stress. Nursing managers or leaders should pay attention to the differences of individual work immersion status, adopt reasonable stress management strategies, accurately identify positive perfectionist groups and strengthen the relationship between groups, so as to ensure the quality of nursing care, and reduce nursing turnover and alleviate the problem of staff shortage.

Beyond the “resprouter versus non‐resprouter” dichotomy: On the prevalence and evolutionary fingerprint of resprouting in tropical dry forest trees

AbstractResprouting is a plant persistence strategy in response to disturbance or stressful environmental conditions. Resprouters can dominate in stressful environments such as tropical dry forests (TDFs), but our knowledge of resprouting in TDFs is limited. Here, using a dataset of forest inventories in 16 TDF fragments (covering 15,642 trees and 321 species), we investigated patterns of resprouting in ecosystems subject to substantial seasonal water stress. We focused on two resprouting metrics: the proportion of trees that are multistemmed (resprouting frequency) and the number of stems per tree. In addition, we investigated the relative importance of environmental factors, taxonomic identity, and evolutionary history in resprouting response. Taxa with low to medium resprouting frequencies (17.19%–40.2%) are the most prevalent in TDF, compared to non‐resprouters and high‐frequency resprouters. Overall, resprouting ability appears to be an intrinsic trait that varies in response to environmental conditions but only within a range constrained by taxonomic identity. However, we found no phylogenetic signal above the genus level for any resprouting variables. Thus, the variation in resprouting across TDF lineages likely has been shaped by divergence between closely related taxa and convergence between distantly related ones, reflecting the specific environmental and disturbance factors to which they have been subjected.

A long-term experiment reveals no trade-off between seed persistence and seedling emergence.

Information on seed persistence and seedling emergence from the soil seed bank is critical for understanding species coexistence and predicting community dynamics. However, quantifying seed persistence in the soil is challenging; thus, its association with other life-history traits is poorly known on a broad scale. Using germination phenology for 349 species in a 42-yr experiment, we quantified the persistence-emergence correlations and their associations with intrinsic regeneration traits using Bayesian phylogenetic multilevel models. We showed no trade-off between seed persistence and seedling emergence. Physically dormant seeds were more persistent but exhibited lower emergence than nondormant seeds. Monocarpic species had both higher persistence and emergence than polycarpic species. Seed mass posed a marginal proxy for persistence, while emergence almost doubled from the smallest to the largest seeds. This study challenges the traditional assumption and is the first demonstration of noncorrelation between persistence and emergence, probably owing to the complexity of regenerative strategies. Species with short persistence and low emergence would be the most vulnerable for insitu conservation. Our analyses of this unique, long-term dataset provide a strong incentive for further experimental studies and a rich data resource for future syntheses.

How Moral Code Influences General Behaviors in a Community

Moral code is perceived as ethics which leads individuals or groups to make choices and behave. A written, formal and consistent set of rules prescribing righteous behaviors, accepted and followed by a person or groups of people as defined. General behaviors mean how a community usually behaves and responds to a specific thing (e.g., involving morality). A community is a group of people living together like a tribe, neighbourhood or society. The formation of a moral code is intriguing and thought-provoking. For instance, the objectiveness and subjectiveness of a moral code are constantly debated, as the exactitude of measurement throughout periods (e.g., is the established moral code still moral after a hundred years?). How could we prevent the moral code from becoming the tool of guilt tripping; why would crowds follow the same moral code in one distinct? To figure out these problems, we propose some hypotheses (1) The moral code in a distinct could lower the crime rate and reduce deviance. (2) The moral code could form general behaviors shared between people in a distinct and the general behaviors could be a legacy product. (3) The moral code formed by groups of people is inherent as the intrinsic ethical traits. (4) The basis of general behaviors influenced by the moral code is due to conformity. (5) In some distinct, the moral code could lead to inappropriate or even abnormally stubborn behaviors. In the following essay, we will further elaborate on how moral code influences general community behaviours.

Geographic patterns in range sizes and their drivers of endemic angiosperms in China

AbstractGeographic range size of endemic species is the most important indicator of species' vulnerability to extinction and conservation prioritization, yet variation in range size among species and across space has been relatively understudied. We investigated the variations and geographic patterns of the range size of 9898 angiosperm species endemic to China and compared the effects of historical and contemporary climate and species' functional traits associated with dispersal ability (including growth form, fruit type, and sexual system) on range size variations. Our results revealed that narrow‐ranged endemic species are clustered in Southwest China where angiosperm species' richness peaks. Winter temperature had the strongest and negative effect on the range size of narrow‐ranged endemic species across space and species, while climate seasonality had the strongest and positive effect on the range size of wide‐ranged endemic species. Both historical and contemporary climate have also influenced species range size indirectly via their effects on species' functional traits associated with dispersal ability. Range size of all endemic species, narrow‐ranged and wide‐ranged, showed little phylogenetic signal, suggesting that phylogenetic conservatism plays a minor role in range size variations. Our results show that the range size of angiosperm species endemic to China is driven by both extrinsic spatiotemporal environmental factors and intrinsic species' traits that allow species to cope with environmental change.

The Wistar Kyoto Rat: A Model of Depression Traits.

There is an ongoing debate about the value of animal research in psychiatry with valid lines of reasoning stating the limits of individual animal models compared to human psychiatric illnesses. Human depression is not a homogenous disorder; therefore, one cannot expect a single animal model to reflect depression heterogeneity. This limited review presents arguments that the Wistar Kyoto (WKY) rats show intrinsic depression traits. The phenotypes of WKY do not completely mirror those of human depression but clearly indicate characteristics that are common with it. WKYs present despair- like behavior, passive coping with stress, comorbid anxiety, and enhanced drug use compared to other routinely used inbred or outbred strains of rats. The commonly used tests identifying these phenotypes reflect exploratory, escape-oriented, and withdrawal-like behaviors. The WKYs consistently choose withdrawal or avoidance in novel environments and freezing behaviors in response to a challenge in these tests. The physiological response to a stressful environment is exaggerated in WKYs. Selective breeding generated two WKY substrains that are nearly isogenic but show clear behavioral differences, including that of depression-like behavior. WKY and its substrains may share characteristics of subgroups of depressed individuals with social withdrawal, low energy, weight loss, sleep disturbances, and specific cognitive dysfunction. The genomes of the WKY and WKY substrains contain variations that impact the function of many genes identified in recent human genetic studies of depression. Thus, these strains of rats share characteristics of human depression at both phenotypic and genetic levels, making them a model of depression traits.

The Translation of Culture-Specific Items (CSIs) in Yellow River Cultural Corpus: A Case Study of History of the Yellow River

By constructing a bilingual parallel corpus from scratch and taking History of the Yellow River as an illustrative bilingual text, this study delves into the translation techniques applied to Culture-Specific Items (CSIs) within the framework of the Yellow River Basin civilization. The findings reveal a diverse range of approaches employed by translators, including literal translation, free translation, intracultural adaptation, omission, retention and annotation, especially in handling CSIs related to ecology, material culture, social life, religion, and language within the context of Yellow River culture. These techniques effectively preserve the intrinsic traits of the source language, thereby facilitating the propagation of Yellow River culture. The utilization of corpus-based research methodologies to analyze the English translation of CSIs in the Yellow River culture not only aligns with the essential imperatives of promoting Chinese culture on the global stage but also addresses the intricate nuances demanded by international communication.

Relationships Between Personality Traits and Perceived Stress in Surrogate Decision-Makers of Intensive Care Unit Patients.

Personality traits, specifically neuroticism, are related to stress in surrogate decision-makers (SDMs) in outpatient settings. We hypothesized that intrinsic traits are related to SDM stress in the intensive care unit (ICU) to determine if personality considerations should be included in interventions to support SDMs. Eligible participants (adult SDMs of non-capacitated ICU patients) completed validated questionnaires including stress (Impact of Events Scale-Revised, IES-R) and personality (Big Five Inventory, BFI) within 72 hours of ICU admission and again at 3 months post-ICU discharge (in addition to a qualitative interview). Bivariate Pearson correlations explored the relationship between BFI and IES-R at each time point (95% CI) and t-tests explored the relationship between stress and COVID-19. Mixed-methods analysis integrated qualitative and quantitative data. Of 32 SDMs, 71.9% were female, 93.8% white, and 97.0% were family members. Neuroticism was not significantly correlated to IES-R at 72 hours (r = 0.09; p = 0.64), but r increased 3 months post-discharge (r = 0.32; p = 0.07). Other BFI traits did not show similar patterns. Total stress was greater in surrogates of COVID-19-positive patients (COVID-19-positive: 60.6; COVID-19-negative: 49.8; p = 0.025). Mixed-methods analysis demonstrated that participants with high neuroticism scores had poorer emotional regulation than those with low neuroticism scores. This study supports that personality, particularly neuroticism, influences the stress of SDMs in the ICU. Further study of personality traits may identify surrogates who are at higher risk of stress-related disorders, which can guide future interventions.

Relative importance of exotic species traits in determining invasiveness across levels of establishment: Example of freshwater fish

Abstract Understanding the factors responsible for the success of exotic species is a prevalent issue in invasion biology. Although the ecological traits of exotic species are known to play a major role, it is still unknown which traits are responsible for the different dimensions of invasiveness among vertebrates. Here, we assessed the ecological, morphological and behavioural profile of 222 exotic freshwater fish along different levels of establishment, defined by the number of basins in which the exotic species are established and the location of establishment. Using a trait‐based multidimensional space complemented by a trait‐by‐trait analysis, we attempted to classified exotic vertebrates given their intrinsic traits across establishment levels ranging from species with low establishment to super‐established species. We found that fish with low establishment were clustered in the trait space, showing similar traits characterized by low‐temperature amplitude, no parental care and zoobenthic diet. By contrast, super‐established fish had a broader range of functional strategies, with a high proportion of species having multiple diets and a high level of parental care. Overall, fish with low establishment had low functional overlap with other fish at higher levels of establishment. Our findings highlight the importance of considering trait variability in the species' level of establishment to more accurately anticipate their ability to establish and spread. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.

Foraging, Fear and Behavioral Variation in a Traplining Hummingbird

Traditionally, foraging behavior has been explained as the response to a trade-off between energetic gain from feeding resources and potential costs from concomitant risks. However, an increasing number of studies has shown that this view fails to explain an important fraction of the variation in foraging across a variety of taxa. One potential mechanism that may account for this variation is that various behavioral traits associated with foraging may have different fitness consequences, which may depend on the environmental context. Here, we explored this mechanism by evaluating the foraging efficiency of long-billed hermit hummingbirds (Phaethornis longirostris) with regard to three behavioral traits: (a) exploration (number of feeders used during the foraging visit), (b) risk avoidance (latency to start feeding) and (c) arousal (amount of movements during the foraging visit) in conditions at two different levels of perceived risk (low—control and high—experimental, with a threatening bullet ant model). Foraging efficiency decreased in response to threatening conditions. However, behavioral traits explained additional variation in foraging efficiency in a condition-dependent manner. More exploration was associated with a higher foraging efficiency under control conditions, but this was reversed when exposed to a threat. Regardless of the conditions, arousal was positively associated with foraging efficiency, while risk avoidance was negatively related. Importantly, exploratory behavior and risk avoidance were quite repeatable behaviors, suggesting that they may be related to the intrinsic traits of individuals. Our findings highlight the importance of taking into account additional behavioral dimensions to better understand the foraging strategies of individuals.

Determinants on urinary excretion of oxalate and other key factors related to urolithiasis among patients with chronic kidney disease: a single center study

PurposeUrolithiasis is a known risk factor for chronic kidney disease (CKD). However, how CKD might affect the risk of incidence of urolithiasis is not widely studied.MethodsUrinary excretion of oxalate as well as other key factors related to urolithiasis was analyzed in a single center study of 572 patients with biopsy-proven kidney disease.ResultsThe mean age of the cohort was 44.9 years and 60% were males. The mean eGFR was 65.9 ml/min/1.73 m2. Median urinary excretion of oxalate was 14.7 (10.4–19.1) mg/24-h and associated with current urolithiasis (OR 12.744, 95% CI: 1.564–103.873 per one logarithm transformed unit of urinary oxalate excretion). Oxalate excretion was not associated with eGFR and urinary protein excretion. Oxalate excretion was higher in patients with ischemia nephropathy as compared with patients with glomerular nephropathy and tubulointerstitial nephropathy (16.4 vs 14.8 vs 12.0 mg, p = 0.018). And ischemia nephropathy (p = 0.027) was associated with urinary oxalate excretion on adjusted linear regression analysis. Urinary excretion of calcium and uric acid was correlated with eGFR and urinary protein excretion (all p < 0.001), with ischemia nephropathy and tubulointerstitial nephropathy associated with uric acid excretion (both p < 0.01) as well. Citrate excretion was correlated with eGFR (p < 0.001) on adjusted linear regression.ConclusionExcretion of oxalate and other key factors related to urolithiasis was differentially associated with eGFR, urinary protein, and pathological changes in CKD patients. The influence of these intrinsic traits of the underlining kidney disease should be considered when evaluating urolithiasis risk in patients with CKD.

Contrasting responses to climate variability generate seasonal priority effects between native and invasive forest herbs

Abstract Invasive plants are often characterized by rapid germination and precocious phenology. Theory suggests that early germination may provide invaders with a competitive advantage over slower germinating natives, but the relative contribution of rapid germination versus other intrinsic competitive traits (e.g. rapid growth, high fecundity, broad environmental tolerance) to the success of invaders is poorly understood. Depending on the relationship between germination and competition, shifts in germination phenology due to climate change may increase the dominance of invaders or buffer communities against their impacts. We investigated the link between temperature variation, germination phenology and competitive interactions with a sequence of controlled environment experiments. First, we evaluated the relationships between temperature variation and germination phenology for two herbaceous species found in North American woodlands, the non‐native Hesperis matronalis and native Cryptotaenia canadensis. We then leveraged temperature‐response differences to manipulate the relative germination phenology of these taxa and quantified the effects of their phenological differences on competition. Seeds of the invasive H. matronalis germinated rapidly, reaching 50% germination in under 10 days in all treatment combinations. C. canadensis did not reach 50% germination with less than 7 weeks of cold stratification. However, with more than 10 weeks of cold stratification and low (20/10°C) incubation temperatures, the germination phenology of C. canadensis was well‐matched to that of H. matronalis. When grown together, we found that precocious germination phenology doubled the competitive impact of H. matronalis relative to its other intrinsic competitive traits. Phenological advantage of just 2–3 days relative to C. canadensis was enough to secure competitive dominance at the seedling stage. Synthesis. This study revealed that the mechanistic link between the germination phenology and competitive success of an invasive plant can be strongly mediated by climate sensitivity differences between introduced and native species. Climate change will likely exacerbate these differences, especially in regions where warming reduces cold stratification. Our findings suggest that phenological diversity in native plant communities is an important property of invasion resistance. The relationship between environmental variation, germination dynamics and competition provides a path forward for forecasting climate change impacts on seasonal community assembly and highlights the need to incorporate phenological diversity in restorations.

Elevation provenance affects photosynthesis and its acclimation to temperature in the high-Andes alpine herb Phacelia secunda.

We analysed whether Phacelia secunda populations from different elevations exhibit intrinsic traits associated with diffusive and biochemical components of photosynthesis, and if they differ in acclimation of photosynthesis to warmer temperatures. We hypothesized that P. secunda will have similar photosynthetic performance regardless of altitudinal provenance and that plants from high elevations will have a lower photosynthetic acclimation capacity to higher temperature than plants from low elevations. Plants from 1600, 2800 and 3600 m a.s.l. in the central Chilean Andes were collected and grown under two temperature regimes (20/16 °C and 30/26 °C day/night). The following photosynthetic traits were measured in each plant for the two temperature regimes: AN , gs , gm , Jmax , Vcmax , Rubisco carboxylation kcat c . Under a common growth environment, plants from the highest elevation had slightly lower CO2 assimilation rates compared to lower elevation plants. While diffusive components of photosynthesis increased with elevation provenance, the biochemical component decreased, suggesting compensation that explains the similar rates of photosynthesis among elevation provenances. Plants from high elevations had lower photosynthetic acclimation to warmer temperatures compared to plants from lower elevations, and these responses were related to elevational changes in diffusional and biochemical components of photosynthesis. Plants of P. secunda from different elevations maintain photosynthetic traits when grown in a common environment, suggesting low plasticity to respond to future climate changes. The fact that high elevation plants had lower photosynthetic acclimation to warmer temperature suggests higher susceptibility to increases in temperature associated with global warming.

John Dewey’s Radical Temporalism

The author presents John Dewey’s mature account of temporal continuity, showing how Dewey’s position can be identified as a form of radical temporalism. Even at the most elemental level (that of subatomic particles), natural existence is for such a temporalist an irreducibly temporal affair. While he focuses primarily on Dewey’s “Time and Individuality” (1940), the author supplements his account by drawing upon Experience and Nature (1925), “Events and the Future” (1926), and to a lesser extent, other texts. In his magnum opus, Dewey draws a crucial distinction between temporal quality and temporal seriality. In an essay published the following year, he insists, contra C. D. Broad, on qualitative heterogeneity being an intrinsic trait of even the thinnest slice of the tem-poral continuum. The most elemental units of the temporal flux are neither “eternal and immu-table”, nor qualitatively homogenous. They also exhibit a from-to-through structure, with the dimensions of time being defined by these terms (pastness as from which, futurity as toward which, and presentness as through which). By relating the distinction between temporal quality and temporal seriality as well as the central claims made in “Events and the Future” to “Time and Individuality”, the author brings into clear focus the contours of Dewey’s radical temporalism.

An Enzyme-Loaded Metal-Organic Framework-Assisted Microfluidic Platform Enables Single-Cell Metabolite Analysis.

Colonization of cancer cells at secondary sites, a decisive step in tumor metastasis, is strongly dependent on the formation of metastatic microenvironments regulated by intrinsic single-cell metabolism traits. Herein, we report a single-cell microfluidic platform for high-throughput dynamic monitoring of tumor cell metabolites to evaluate tumor malignancy. This microfluidic device empowers efficient isolation of single cells (>99 %) in a squashed state similar to tumor extravasation, and employs enzyme-packaged metal-organic frameworks to catalyze tumor cell metabolites for visualization. The microfluidic evaluation was confirmed by in vivo assays, suggesting that the platform allowed predicting the tumorigenicity of captured tumor cells and screening metabolic inhibitors as anti-metastatic drugs. Furthermore, the platform efficiently detected various aggressive cancer cells in unprocessed whole blood samples with high sensitivity, showing potential for clinical application.

Understanding the effects of personality traits on the quality of individual ideas on open innovation platforms: a mediated empirical investigation

PurposeOnline open innovation platforms provide opportunities for product users to participate in the innovation process and contribute their ideas to the platform. Nonetheless, they also present a significant challenge for platform managers, who select high-quality innovations from a massive collection of information with diverse quality.Design/methodology/approachIn this study, the authors employed a machine learning method to automatically collect a real dataset of 2,276 innovations and 30,004 detailed comments from the online platform of IdeaExchange and then conducted empirical experiments to verify the study hypothesis.FindingsResults show that extraversion, conscientiousness and openness to experience positively and directly influenced the quality of their innovation. Furthermore, an individual's social network position mediated among extraversion, neuroticism, conscientiousness and openness to experience and the quality of an innovation.Research limitations/implicationsResults showed that extraversion, conscientiousness and openness to experience positively and directly influenced the quality of their innovation. Furthermore, an individual's social network position mediated among extraversion, neuroticism, conscientiousness, openness to experience and the quality of innovations.Originality/valueThis study combined the Big Five personality traits theory and social network theory to examine the association between user intrinsic personality traits, social network position and the quality of their innovative ideas in the context of online innovation platforms. Additionally, the findings provide new insights for platform managers on how to select high-quality innovation information by considering user personality traits and their social network position.

Drivers and consequences of female reproductive competition in an egalitarian, sexually monomorphic primate

Even after the 150th anniversary of sexual selection theory, the drivers and mechanisms of female sexual selection remain poorly studied. To understand demographic circumstances favoring female-female competition, trade-offs with kin selection and interactions with male reproductive strategies, we investigated female evictions in redfronted lemurs (Eulemur rufifrons). Based on 24 years of demographic data of known individuals, we show that female redfronted lemurs target close female kin for forcible, permanent, and presumably lethal eviction, even though groups contain multiple unrelated males whose voluntary emigration actually mitigated the probability of future female evictions. Female eviction and male emigration were predicted by group size, but male emigration was primarily driven by a proportional increase of male rivals. Female evictions were more likely than male emigrations when there were more juvenile females in a group, but the identity of evicted females was not predicted by any intrinsic traits. While birth rates were reduced by the number of juvenile females, they were higher when there were more adult females in a group and in years with more rainfall. Early infant survival was reduced with increasing numbers of juvenile females, but variation in female lifetime reproductive success was not related to any of the predictors examined here. Thus, there seems to be a limit on female group size in this lemur species. More generally, our study demonstrates a balanced interplay between female reproductive competition, competition over group membership between both sexes, and kin selection, contributing new insights into the causes and consequences of female competition in animal societies.Significance statementThe evolutionary causes of female competition in vertebrate societies remain poorly known. Evictions represent an extreme form of female competition because even close kin are evicted when same-sized unrelated males are theoretically also available as victims. We studied drivers and consequences of evictions in redfronted lemurs (Eulemur rufifrons) using 24 years of demographic data from multiple groups. We show that while voluntary male emigration mitigates the probability of future female evictions, females nonetheless appear to accept the fitness costs of evicting female kin. While group size seems to be the main driver of departures by either sex, the number of juvenile females present in groups is the key variable triggering eviction events as well as physiological responses that could be interpreted as female reproductive restraint. Our study therefore revealed that competition does trump cooperation under some circumstances in the intricate interplay between sexual selection and kin selection on females.

MP12-18 RACIAL DISPARITY IN PROSTATE CANCER DIAGNOSIS: A COMPARISON OF PROSTATE BIOPSY RESULTS IN AFRICAN AMERICAN AND WHITE MEN USING AN MRI-BASED BIOPSY STRATEGY.

You have accessJournal of UrologyCME1 Apr 2023MP12-18 RACIAL DISPARITY IN PROSTATE CANCER DIAGNOSIS: A COMPARISON OF PROSTATE BIOPSY RESULTS IN AFRICAN AMERICAN AND WHITE MEN USING AN MRI-BASED BIOPSY STRATEGY. Ali Kasraeian, Miguel Alcantara, Kaitlyn Mola Alcantara, Adam Brochert, Joshua Yellin, Eliana Namen, Sean Parsons, Jamie Cesaretti, and Ahmad Kasraeian Ali KasraeianAli Kasraeian More articles by this author , Miguel AlcantaraMiguel Alcantara More articles by this author , Kaitlyn Mola AlcantaraKaitlyn Mola Alcantara More articles by this author , Adam BrochertAdam Brochert More articles by this author , Joshua YellinJoshua Yellin More articles by this author , Eliana NamenEliana Namen More articles by this author , Sean ParsonsSean Parsons More articles by this author , Jamie CesarettiJamie Cesaretti More articles by this author , and Ahmad KasraeianAhmad Kasraeian More articles by this author View All Author Informationhttps://doi.org/10.1097/JU.0000000000003227.18AboutPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissionsReprints ShareFacebookLinked InTwitterEmail Abstract INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVE: African American (AA) men in the United States have an increased burden of morbidity and mortality from prostate cancer (PCa). The roles of factors related to both racial disparities and intrinsic biological traits remain to be determined. We quarried our prospective database of standard and MRI fusion prostate biopsies (tMRI/US FPB) to determine if any pre-biopsy characteristics predicted adverse tumor pathology. METHODS: Between January 2017 and September 2022, 828 men underwent prostate biopsy (PBx) using an MRI-based algorithm. Men with negative MRI underwent standard PBx (n=440), while those with lesion on mpMRI underwent tMRI/US FPB (n=388). All patients underwent mpMRI of the prostate, interpreted by a single radiologist using the PIRADS scoring system. 3D rendering of the regions of interest was performed by the radiologist prior to tMRI/US FPB performed by a single urologist using the Invivo UroNav Fusion Biopsy System. A standard 14-core PBx was performed at the same time in all tMRI/US FPB cases. Prospective data was collected and analyzed. RESULTS: Of the 828 men who underwent standard and tMRI/US FP with 14Bx (tMRI/US FP-14Bx), 593 presented with a rise in PSA, while 235 had a suspicious digital rectal exam. Prostate Cancer was found in 367/608 (60%) of the White men and 104/147 (70.8%) of AA men in our series (p=0.02). 224/608 (36.8%) of White men and 74/147 (50.3%) of AA men had a Gleason score of 7-10 (p=0.003). Age, DRE status, PIRADS score, and the incidence of Gleason 6 PCa were not found to be significantly different by race. 163/608 (26.8%) of White men and 20/147 (13.6%) of AA men had a PSA upon presentation of 0-3.9 ng/ml (p=0.001). The PSA levels of 4.0-9.9 ng/ml and PSA > 10 ng/ml at presentation were not significantly different. Of the 73/828 (8.8%) of men who identify as not White and not Black no significant difference was found for any tested factor but interestingly 19/73 (26%) presented with a PSA between 0-3.9 ng/ml versus Black men (p=0.02) which was almost identical to the effect seen relative to White men. CONCLUSIONS: In this dataset, it appears that AA men present with a higher PSA than White men. It is likely that this is related to disparities in access to care rather than biological intrinsic factors. Also, we did observe a higher incidence of Gleason 7-10 PCa in AA men, which one would expect in a cohort of patients who presented for biopsy in the community with a significantly higher PSA at initial presentation. Continuing education of primary care providers regarding the importance of PSA testing in the AA community should be emphasized by both the urological and primary care professional medical societies. Source of Funding: None © 2023 by American Urological Association Education and Research, Inc.FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Volume 209Issue Supplement 4April 2023Page: e140 Advertisement Copyright & Permissions© 2023 by American Urological Association Education and Research, Inc.MetricsAuthor Information Ali Kasraeian More articles by this author Miguel Alcantara More articles by this author Kaitlyn Mola Alcantara More articles by this author Adam Brochert More articles by this author Joshua Yellin More articles by this author Eliana Namen More articles by this author Sean Parsons More articles by this author Jamie Cesaretti More articles by this author Ahmad Kasraeian More articles by this author Expand All Advertisement PDF downloadLoading ...

Female dominance hierarchies influence responses to psychosocial stressors

Social species form dominance hierarchies to ensure survival and promote reproductive success. Traditionally studied in males, rodent hierarchies are considered despotic, and dominant social rank results from a history of winning agonistic encounters. By contrast, female hierarchies are thought to be less despotic, and rank is conferred by intrinsic traits. Both social buffering and elevated social status confer resilience to depression, anxiety, and other consequences of chronic stress. Here, we investigate whether female social hierarchies and individual traits related to social rank likewise influence stress resilience. We observe the formation of dyadic female hierarchies under varying conditions of ambient light and circadian phase and subject mice to two forms of chronic psychosocial stress: social isolation or social instability. We find that stable female hierarchies emerge rapidly in dyads. Individual behavioral and endocrinological traits are characteristic of rank, some of which are circadian phase dependent. Further, female social rank is predicted by behavior and stress status prior to social introduction. Other behavioral characteristics suggest that rank is motivation-based, indicating that female rank identity serves an evolutionarily relevant purpose. Rank is associated with alterations in behavior in response to social instability stress and prolonged social isolation, but the different forms of stress produce disparate rank responses in endocrine status. Histological examination of c-Fos protein expression identified brain regions that respond to social novelty or social reunion following chronic isolation in a rank-specific manner. Collectively, female rank is linked to neurobiology, and hierarchies exert context-specific influence upon stress outcomes.

Alleviation of Associated Drought and Salinity Stress' Detrimental Impacts on an Eggplant Cultivar ('Bonica F1') by Adding Biochar.

To investigate the impact of biochar on eggplant growth, physiology, and yield parameters under separate and associated drought and salt stress, a pot experiment was carried out. An eggplant variety ('Bonica F1') was exposed to one NaCl concentration (S1 = 300 mM), three irrigation regimes (FI: full irrigation; DI: deficit irrigation; ARD: alternate root-zone drying irrigation), and one dose of biochar (B1 = 6% by weight). Our findings demonstrated that associated drought and salt stress had a greater negative impact on 'Bonica F1' performance in comparison to single drought or salt stress. Whereas, adding biochar to the soil improved the ability of 'Bonica F1' to alleviate the single and associated effects of salt and drought stress. Moreover, in comparison to DI under salinity, biochar addition in ARD significantly increased plant height, aerial biomass, fruit number per plant, and mean fresh weight per fruit by 18.4%, 39.7%, 37.5%, and 36.3%, respectively. Furthermore, under limited and saline irrigation, photosynthetic rate (An), transpiration rate (E), and stomatal conductance (gs) declined. In addition, the interaction between ARD and biochar effectively restored the equilibrium between the plant chemical signal (ABA) and hydraulic signal (leaf water potential). As a result, mainly under salt stress, with ARD treatment, intrinsic water use efficiency (WUEi) and yield traits were much higher than those in DI. Overall, biochar in combination with ARD could be an efficient approach for preserving crop productivity.