Non-exposure Conditions Research Articles

Exposure to Evidence of White Privilege and Perceptions of Hardships Among White UK Residents

Research suggests that when confronted with evidence of privileged status White people will act to mitigate this evidence by reporting greater levels of personal hardships. There is little research exploring white privilege, or its consequences, in the UK, despite playing host to a diverse, multi-racial population. In the current study, 148 White individuals participated in an online experiment of the impact of exposure to evidence of White privilege. Individuals exposed to evidence of white privilege reported lower perceived personal privilege and greater personal life hardships, than those in the non-exposure condition. Exposure to hardships and belief in White privilege were independently related to reports of hardships but not when belief in personal privilege was considered. Findings suggest that exposure to evidence of White privilege may result in majority group members over-reporting personal hardship, but this may be lessened where personal privilege can be made salient.

Depigmentory Effects of Keishibukuryogankayokuinin in Human Epidermal Melanocytes

Keishibukuryogankayokuinin (KBY) is a traditional Japanese herbal medicine widely used to treat skin pigmentation. The scientific basis for its use is, however, unclear, and studies evaluating its mechanism and effectiveness are sparse. In this study, we compared the tyrosinase inhibitory effects of KBY and Keishibukuryogan (KB, which has the same composition of KBY, except Coix Seed [CS]) and CS under exposure to UV radiation as well as under non-exposure conditions. Neonatal human epidermal melanocytes obtained from a darkly pigmented donor were used. These cells were cultured in a final concentration of 500 μg/ml or 1000 μg/ml, to which KBY, KB, and CS were added. After incubation for 72 h, cells were stained with Fontana-Masson stain and counted. Tyrosinase activity was measured by its dopa oxidase activity, and tyrosinase expression was estimated using real-time PCR. For UV radiation, cells were exposed to UVB radiation for 90 s per day for 3 days. Under non-exposure conditions, tyrosinase activity significantly increased with both KBY and KB but significantly decreased with CS, regardless of the concentration. In addition, tyrosinase expression significantly decreased but only with KBY at both concentrations. Under UV radiation exposure, tyrosinase activity significantly increased with KBY and KB at both concentrations while tyrosinase expression significantly decreased with KBY and KB; a significant increase was, however, observed with CS at both concentrations. These results suggest that taking KBY after sunburn is effective against skin pigmentation, and the combination of KB and CS is useful for skin depigmentation.

Predictors of treatment noninitiation, dropout, and response for cognitive behavioral therapy for trauma nightmares.

This report aims to extend previous findings on predictors of treatment dropout and response within nightmare treatment. Factors predicting treatment noninitiation, dropout, and response were examined in 70 trauma-exposed individuals treated in a randomized controlled trial of 2 conditions (exposure [EX] and nonexposure) of a therapy for trauma nightmares. Together, treatment noninitiation and dropout was predicted by younger age for the EX condition only and by fewer nights with nightmares at baseline for both conditions. Treatment noninitiation was predicted by fewer nights with nightmares. Treatment dropout was not predicted by any variables. For the EX condition, more baseline nightmares predicted more posttreatment nightmares, whereas more reported nights with nightmares at baseline predicted fewer nightmares at posttreatment. Baseline sleep quality and total posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) severity predicted posttreatment sleep quality and PTSD severity, respectively. In the nonexposure condition, more traumatic events predicted fewer nightmares at posttreatment, whereas more nightmares predicted more nightmares at posttreatment. Baseline daytime sleepiness predicted worse posttreatment sleep quality, and total PTSD symptom severity predicted posttreatment PTSD severity. Baseline symptom severity on constructs targeted in treatment are the best indicators of response. Treatment initiation appears to be more significant than dropout. Identifying reasons for treatment noninitiation is needed to maximize engagement. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved).

Mindfulness Dampens Cardiac Responses to Motion Scenes of Violence

Mindfulness is linked with improved regulatory processes of attention and emotion. The potential benefits of mindfulness are vast, including more positive emotional states and diminished arousal in response to emotional stimuli. This study aims to expand of the current knowledge of the mechanisms of mindfulness by relating the latter to cardiovascular processes. The paper describes two studies which investigated the relationship of trait mindfulness to self-report measures of emotions elicited during a violent video clip and cardiovascular responses to the clip. Both studies recruited male and female participants, mainly university undergraduate students. The clip was 5-min-long and evoked mainly feelings of tension and disgust. In study 1, we found that higher scores for trait mindfulness were associated with increased scores for valence (r = .370, p = .009), indicating a more positive interpretation of the clip. In study 2, the average heart rate during the clip was lower than during the preceding (p < .05) and following (p < .01) non-exposure conditions. Higher trait mindfulness was related to diminished heart rate reactivity (r = −.364, p = .044) and recovery (r = −.415, p = .020). This latter effect was obtained only when trait anxiety was used as a statistical covariate. Additionally, increased trait mindfulness was accompanied by higher resting heart rate (r = .390, p = .027). These outcomes suggest that mindfulness is linked with reductions in negative feelings evoked by violent motion stimuli.

Internet-based trauma-focused cognitive behavioural therapy for PTSD with and without exposure components: A randomised controlled trial

BackgroundInternet-delivered trauma-focused cognitive behavioural therapy is efficacious for PTSD; however, no studies have investigated the roles of individual treatment components or the safety of online treatments. AimsTo compare the efficacy and safety of an online treatment for PTSD comprised of psychoeducation, stress management, cognitive restructuring and exposure components with the equivalent protocol without the exposure components, using a randomised controlled trial design. MethodsSixty-six individuals were randomised to a non-exposure condition and 59 to the full protocol with exposure components. Treatment duration was 8 weeks and pre-, post-treatment and three-month follow-up outcomes were analysed using a mixed linear modelling approach. ResultsBoth groups achieved improvements in symptoms with no differences between groups on any primary or secondary outcome measures, diagnostic remission rates or adverse events. LimitationsThe study included several secondary measures that have not been previously validated and treatments were not time matched in terms of number of lessons. ConclusionsThese findings indicate that trauma-focused cognitive behavioural therapy for PTSD with or without exposure components can be safe and efficacious.

Vigorous, but differential mononuclear cell response of cirrhotic patients to bacterial ligands

To study the role of gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria in the pathogenesis of liver injury, specifically the activation of inflammatory mediators. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells of 20 out-patients were studied, 10 of them with cirrhosis. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells were isolated and exposed to lipopolysaccharide or lipoteichoic acid. CD14, Toll-like receptor 2 and 4 expression was determined by flow cytometry, and tumor necrosis factor (TNF) α, interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6, IL-12 and IL-10 secretion in supernatants was determined by ELISA. Higher CD14, Toll-like receptor 2 and 4 expression was observed in peripheral blood mononuclear cells from cirrhotic patients, (P < 0.01, P < 0.006, P < 0.111) respectively. Lipopolysaccharide and lipoteichoic acid induced a further increase in CD14 expression (P < 0.111 lipopolysaccharide, P < 0.013 lipoteichoic acid), and a decrease in Toll-like receptor 2 (P < 0.008 lipopolysaccharide, P < 0.008 lipoteichoic acid) and Toll-like receptor 4 (P < 0.008 lipopolysaccharide, P < 0.028 lipoteichoic acid) expression. With the exception of TNFα, absolute cytokine secretion of peripheral blood mononuclear cells was lower in cirrhotic patients under non-exposure conditions (P < 0.070 IL-6, P < 0.009 IL-1β, P < 0.022 IL-12). Once exposed to lipopolysaccharide or lipoteichoic acid, absolute cytokine secretion of peripheral blood mononuclear cells was similar in cirrhotic and non-cirrhotic patients, determining a more vigorous response in the former (P < 0.005 TNFα, IL-1β, IL-6, IL-2 and IL-10 lipopolysaccharide; P < 0.037 TNFα; P < 0.006 IL-1β; P < 0.005 IL-6; P < 0.007 IL-12; P < 0.014 IL-10 lipoteichoic acid). Response of peripheral blood mononuclear cells was more intense after lipopolysaccharide than after lipoteichoic acid exposure. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells of cirrhotic patients are able to respond to a sudden bacterial ligand exposure, particularly lipopolysaccharide, suggesting that immune regulation mechanisms are still present.

Potential physiological effects of pharmaceutical compounds in Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) implied by transcriptomic analysis

Pharmaceuticals are emerging pollutants widely used in everyday urban activities which can be detected in surface, ground, and drinking waters. Their presence is derived from consumption of medicines, disposal of expired medications, release of treated and untreated urban effluents, and from the pharmaceutical industry. Their growing use has become an alarming environmental problem which potentially will become dangerous in the future. However, there is still a lack of knowledge about long-term effects in non-target organisms as well as for human health. Toxicity testing has indicated a relatively low acute toxicity to fish species, but no information is available on possible sublethal effects. This study provides data on the physiological pathways involved in the exposure of Atlantic salmon as representative test species to three pharmaceutical compounds found in ground, surface, and drinking waters based on the evaluation of the xenobiotic-induced impairment resulting in the activation and silencing of specific genes. Individuals of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) parr were exposed during 5 days to environmentally relevant concentrations of three representative pharmaceutical compounds with high consumption rates: the analgesic acetaminophen (54.77+/-34.67 microg L(-1)), the anticonvulsant carbamazepine (7.85+/-0.13 microg L(-1)), and the beta-blocker atenolol (11.08+/-7.98 microg L(-1)). Five immature males were selected for transcriptome analysis in brain tissues by means of a 17k salmon cDNA microarray. For this purpose, mRNA was isolated and reverse-transcribed into cDNA which was labeled with fluorescent dyes and hybridized against a common pool to the arrays. Lists of significantly up- and down-regulated candidate genes were submitted to KEGG (Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes) in order to analyze for induced pathways and to evaluate the usefulness of this method in cases of not completely annotated test organisms. Exposure during 5 days to environmentally relevant concentrations of the selected pharmaceutical compounds acetaminophen, carbamazepine, and atenolol produced differences in the expression of 659, 700, and 480 candidate genes, respectively. KEGG annotation numbers (KO annotations) were obtained for between 26.57% and 33.33% of these differently expressed genes per treatment in comparison to non-exposure conditions. Pathways that showed to be induced did not always follow previously reported targets or metabolic routes for the employed treatments; however, several other pathways have been found (four or more features) to be significantly induced. Energy-related pathways have been altered under exposure in all the selected treatments, indicating a possible energy budget leakage due to additional processes resulting from the exposure to environmental contaminants. Observed induction of pathways may indicate additional processes involved in the mode of action of the selected pharmaceuticals which may not have been detected with conventional methods like quantitative PCR in which only suspected features are analyzed punctually for effects. The employment of novel high-throughput screening techniques in combination with global pathway analysis methods, even if the organism is not completely annotated, allows the examination of a much broader range of candidates for potential effects of exposure at the gene level. The continuously growing number of annotations of representative species relevant for environmental quality testing is facilitating pathway analysis processes for not completely annotated organisms. KEGG has shown to be a useful tool for the analysis of induced pathways from data generated by microarray techniques with the selected pharmaceutical contaminants acetaminophen, carbamazepine, and atenolol, but further studies have to be carried out in order to determine if a similar expression pattern in terms of fold change quantity and pathways is observed after long-term exposure. Together with the information obtained in this study, it will then be possible to evaluate the potential risk that the continuous release of these compounds may have on the environment and ecosystem functioning.

Experimentally induced chocolate craving leads to an attentional bias in increased distraction but not in speeded detection

In the present study, the causal influence of chocolate craving on attentional bias for chocolate-related information was examined by experimentally inducing chocolate craving in a sample of high trait chocolate cravers vs. low trait chocolate cravers. A sample of 35 high trait chocoholics and 33 low trait chocolate cravers were randomly assigned to either the exposure condition in which craving was manipulated or the non-exposure condition. To measure attentional bias, a pictorial version of the visual search paradigm [Smeets, E., Roefs, A., van Furth, E., & Jansen, A. (2008). Attentional bias for body and food in eating disorders: increased distraction, speeded detection, or both? Behaviour Research and Therapy, 46, 229–238] was used, assessing two components: distraction and detection. It was found that experimentally induced chocolate craving led to increased distraction by chocolate pictures in the high trait chocolate cravers, in comparison to the low trait chocolate cravers. Moreover, this measure of distraction correlated strongly with self-reported craving, but only in the chocoholics and in the exposure condition. In the non-exposure condition, high trait chocolate cravers showed speeded detection of chocolate pictures relative to non-chocoholics, but this component did not correlate with self-reported craving. It is concluded that experimentally induced craving for chocolate causes a bias in, specifically the increased distraction component of attention in high trait chocolate cravers.

Sensitivity and Specificity of the Critical-Care Pain Observation Tool for the Detection of Pain in Intubated Adults After Cardiac Surgery

A repeated measure design was used to evaluate additional psychometric qualities (sensitivity and specificity) of the Critical-Care Pain Observation Tool (CPOT), a previously validated tool, in intubated intensive care unit (ICU) adults after cardiac surgery recruited in a university cardiology health center in Canada. Patients were evaluated while conscious and intubated ( n = 99/105), and extubated ( n = 105). For each of these two testing periods, patients were evaluated using the CPOT at rest (pre-exposure), during a nociceptive procedure-turning (exposure), and 20 minutes after the procedure (postexposure). The patients' self-reports of pain were obtained while intubated and extubated. During the nociceptive exposure, the CPOT had a sensitivity of 86%, a specificity of 78%, a positive likelihood ratio (LR +) of 3.87 (1.63–9.23), and a negative LR (LR −) of 0.18 (0.09–0.33) and was effective for the screening of pain. It also showed good specificity (83% and 97%) but lower sensitivity (47% and 63%) during nonexposure conditions. The CPOT cutoff score was >2 during the nociceptive exposure. After extubation, patients' self-reports of pain intensity were associated with the positive CPOT cutoff score previously determined. The CPOT adequately classified most of the patients with severe pain. The CPOT seems to be a useful tool to detect pain in intubated postoperative ICU adults, especially during a nociceptive procedure. Sensitivity and specificity of the CPOT need to be further explored during other nociceptive procedures and with different critically ill populations.

GSM phone signal does not produce subjective symptoms.

The influence of pulsed radiofrequency (RF) electromagnetic fields of digital GSM mobile phones (902 MHz, 217 Hz pulse modulation) on subjective symptoms or sensations in healthy subjects were studied in two single-blind experiments. The duration of the RF exposure was about 60 min in Experiment 1 and 30 min in Experiment 2. Each subject rated symptoms or sensations in the beginning of the experimental session and at the end of both the exposure and the nonexposure conditions. The symptoms rated were headache, dizziness, fatigue, itching or tingling of the skin, redness on the skin, and sensations of warmth on the skin. The results did not reveal any differences between exposure and non-exposure conditions, suggesting that a 30-60 min exposure to this RF field does not produce subjective symptoms in humans.

Assessment of smoking urge and its concomitants under an environmental smoking cue manipulation

The construct validity of smoking urge was examined through investigation of the effects of an environmental smoking cue manipulation on subjective smoking urge ratings and on the physiological, behavioral and cognitive responses hypothesized to relate to smoking urges. Forty-eight moderate cigarette smokers served as participants. All participants underwent an exposure to smoking cues condition and a nonexposure condition. Order of conditions was counterbalanced across participants. Results indicated that measures of physiological response, cognitions, and behavior vary with urge to smoke. Higher physiological indices and closer association between specific cognitive measures and smoking urges occurred under the cue exposure manipulation. Results were interpreted as preliminary data supporting the construct validity of smoking urge.

Inhalation exposure of rats to vapors of 1-nitropropane at 100 ppm

Male and female Long-Evans rats were exposed by inhalation to vapors of 1-nitropropane at 100 ppm. The animals were exposed 7 hr per day, 5 days per week for periods up to 21 1 2 months. Groups of rats were killed after 1, 3, 12, and 18 months of exposure and additional groups of exposed rats were removed from the exposure chamber after 3 and 12 months and held under nonexposure conditions for the remainder of the study. All animals remaining alive were killed 21 1 2 months after the start of the study. The results of gross necropsies of the animals did not disclose any effects of exposure to 1-nitropropane on any of the organs or tissues. There were no histopathologic effects on the liver and, in particular, no induction of hepatocarcinomas. No effects were observed on final body weights or the weights of liver, kidney, or brain. There were no effects on serum chemistry or hematology.

Boundary conditions of false heart-rate feedback effects on avoidance behavior: A resolution of discrepant results

Summary Forty-eight college females fearful of snakes were assigned to one of four conditions in a 2 × 2 design: exposure to a behavioral pretest vs. non-exposure, and false heart-rate. feedback during snake slide presentation vs. non-feedback. As predicted, posttest approach differences between the feedback and non-feedback groups, as originally demonstrated by Valins and Ray, occurred only under non-exposure conditions. Actual heart-rate reactivity to the slides was greater among exposed subjects than among non-exposed subjects.