Exposure to the Positivity Bias and Adolescents' Differential Longitudinal Links with Social Comparison, Inspiration and Envy Depending on Social Media Literacy

Social media literacy is assumed to protect adolescents from negative social media effects, yet research supporting this is lacking. The current three-wave panel study with a four-month interval among N = 1,032 adolescents tests this moderating role of social media literacy. Specifically, we examine between- vs. within-person relations of exposure to the positivity bias on social media, social comparison, envy, and inspiration. We find significant positive relations between these variables at the between-person level. At the within-person level, a different pattern of results occurred: higher exposure to others' perfect lives on social media was related to increased inspiration, and higher social comparison was related to increased envy, yet both associations only occurred in one of the two time intervals. Additionally, no within-person associations between exposure to positive content and envy were significant, nor between exposure and social comparison or social comparison and inspiration. These results thus seem more complex than traditional paradigms of selective and transactional media effects assume. Furthermore, multiple group tests showed that the within-person cross-lagged relation between social comparison and envy only occurred for adolescents with low affective social media literacy. The moderating role of social media literacy was not supported in any other instances. The results overall point at the need to instruct affective social media literacy to help adolescents navigate positively biased social media platforms in a healthy way.

The application of a new laminitis scoring method to model the rate and pattern of improvement from equine endocrinopathic laminitis in a clinical setting

Background

Endocrinopathic, or hyperinsulinaemia-associated laminitis (HAL) is a common and debilitating equine foot disease, and although no pharmacological treatments are registered, several are under development. To evaluate the effect of such treatments, an accurate and consistent method is needed to track the clinical signs of laminitis over time, and the natural history of the disease, in terms of a ‘normal’ pattern of improvement, needs to be understood. This study examined the improvement pattern in clinical cases of naturally-occurring HAL subjected to a range of best-practice interventions, using two different scoring methods. Eighty horses and ponies with suspected HAL were enrolled in a study conducted at 16 veterinary practices across Germany. The severity of laminitis was assessed by independent veterinarians using both the traditional Obel method and a modified Obel method developed by Meier and colleagues. Assessments were made on the day of diagnosis (d 0), then on days 4, 9, 14, 25 and 42 during the intervention period. Pain medications were withheld for 24 h prior to clinical examination in all cases.

Results

Time to marked improvement from laminitis varied between individuals, but was difficult to monitor accurately using the Obel method, with the median grade being 2/4 on days 0 and 4, then 0/4 from d 9 onwards. More subtle changes could be identified using the Meier method, however, and the median scores were seen to follow the form of an exponential decay model in most horses, improving from 8/12 on d 0, to 0/12 on d 25. Within this composite scoring method, considerable variation was observed in the rate of improvement of individual clinical signs, with the average time taken for each sign to reach a median score of 0 ranging from 4 days (foot lift and weight shifting) to 25 days (gait when turned in a circle) across all 80 horses.

Conclusions

The Meier method provides a reliable and consistent method for monitoring the clinical status of horses with HAL, and despite the variability, the pattern of improvement described here should provide a useful benchmark against which individual cases and new treatments can be assessed.

The efficacy and safety of velagliflozin over 16 weeks as a treatment for insulin dysregulation in ponies

BACKGROUND

A previous six-week (wk) study demonstrated the potential of the sodium-glucose linked transport inhibitor velagliflozin as a novel treatment for equine insulin dysregulation. The present study examined the safety and efficacy of velagliflozin over 16 wk. of treatment, and over 4 wk. of withdrawal. Twenty-four insulin dysregulated ponies were selected, based on their hyper-responsiveness to a diet challenge meal containing 3.8 g non-structural carbohydrates (NSC)/kg bodyweight (BW). Ponies with serum insulin > 90 μIU/mL either 2 or 4 h after feeding were enrolled, and randomly allocated to receive either velagliflozin (0.3 mg/kg BW orally once daily, n = 12), or a placebo (n = 10-12) for 16 wk. The subjects were fed 7.5 g NSC/kg BW/day to maintain a fat body condition. Safety was assessed through daily monitoring, veterinary examination, and the measurement of fasting blood glucose, biochemistry and haematology. Efficacy at reducing post-prandial hyperinsulinemia was assessed using a diet challenge every 8 wk. during treatment and 4 wk. after withdrawal.

RESULTS

Velagliflozin was well accepted by all subjects and caused no adverse effects or hypoglycaemia. Post-prandial serum insulin (insulin Cmax) did not change significantly in the control animals over the entire study period (P = 0.101). In contrast, insulin Cmax (mean ± SE) concentrations fell over time in the velagliflozin-treated group from 205 ± 25 μIU/mL in wk. 0, to 119 ± 19 μIU/mL (P = 0.015) and 117 ± 15 μIU/ml (P = 0.029) after 8 and 16 wk. of treatment, respectively. Although the insulin Cmax in this group was not significantly lower than in controls at wk-8 (P = 0.061), it was lower at wk-16 (P = 0.003), and all 12 treated ponies were below the previously-determined risk threshold for laminitis at this time. After 4 wk. withdrawal, the insulin Cmax returned to 199 ± 36 μIU/mL in the treated group, with no rebound effect.

CONCLUSIONS

Velagliflozin appears to be a promising and safe treatment for equine insulin dysregulation, bringing post-prandial insulin concentrations below the laminitis risk threshold, albeit without normalising them.

Mind-Wandering and Mindfulness as Mediators of the Relationship Between Online Vigilance and Well-Being

As mobile technology allows users to be online anywhere and at all times, a growing number of users report feeling constantly alert and preoccupied with online streams of online information and communication-a phenomenon that has recently been termed online vigilance. Despite its growing prevalence, consequences of this constant orientation toward online streams of information and communication for users' well-being are largely unclear. In the present study, we investigated whether being constantly vigilant is related to cognitive consequences in the form of increased mind-wandering and decreased mindfulness and examined the resulting implications for well-being. To test our assumptions, we estimated a path model based on survey data (N = 371). The model supported the majority of our preregistered hypotheses: online vigilance was indeed related to mind-wandering and mindfulness, but only mindfulness mediated the relationship with decreased well-being. Thus, those mentally preoccupied with online communication were overall less satisfied with their lives and reported less affective well-being when they also experienced reduced mindfulness.

Positive Side of Social Comparison on Social Network Sites: How Envy Can Drive Inspiration on Instagram

A growing body of research finds social network sites (SNS) such as Instagram to facilitate social comparison and the emotional experience of envy in everyday life, with harmful effects for users' well-being. Yet, previous research has exclusively focused on the negative side of social comparison and envy on SNS. Thereby, it has neglected two important aspects: (a) comparison processes can also elicit a beneficial emotional reaction to other users' online self-presentations (i.e., benign envy) and, thus, (b) comparisons can be motivating, with positive outcomes for well-being. The present study aims at closing this research gap by investigating how social comparisons and envy on SNS are related to inspiration, a complex motivational state. Due to its specific characteristics of a creative and aesthetic visual culture, we focus our investigation on Instagram. A structural equation modeling mediation analysis with data from N = 385 Instagram users reveals that the intensity of social comparisons on Instagram was positively related to inspiration and that this relationship was fully mediated by benign envy. Furthermore, inspiration on Instagram was related to increased positive affect. Results of this study underline that to understand the effects of SNS on well-being, we also need to consider the positive motivational side of social comparison and envy.

The Relationship Between Trait Procrastination, Internet Use, and Psychological Functioning: Results From a Community Sample of German Adolescents

Adolescents with a strong tendency for irrational task delay (i.e., high trait procrastination) may be particularly prone to use Internet applications simultaneously to other tasks (e.g., during homework) and in an insufficiently controlled fashion. Both Internet multitasking and insufficiently controlled Internet usage may thus amplify the negative mental health implications that have frequently been associated with trait procrastination. The present study explored this role of Internet multitasking and insufficiently controlled Internet use for the relationship between trait procrastination and impaired psychological functioning in a community sample of N = 818 early and middle adolescents. Results from multiple regression analyses indicate that trait procrastination was positively related to Internet multitasking and insufficiently controlled Internet use. Insufficiently controlled Internet use, but not Internet multitasking, was found to partially statistically mediate the association between trait procrastination and adolescents’ psychological functioning (i.e., stress, sleep quality, and relationship satisfaction with parents). The study underlines that adolescents with high levels of trait procrastination may have an increased risk for negative outcomes of insufficiently controlled Internet use.

Prospective Randomized Comparison of High-pitch CT at 80 kVp Under Free Breathing with Standard-pitch CT at 100 kVp Under Breath-Hold for Detection of Pulmonary Embolism

RATIONALE AND OBJECTIVES

To prospectively compare high-pitch computed tomography (HPCT) under free breathing (FB) with standard-pitch CT (SPCT) under breath-hold (BH) for detection of pulmonary embolism (PE).

MATERIALS AND METHODS

One hundred consecutive patients (47 females; mean age 58.7 ± 16.6) randomly underwent HPCT-FB (n = 50) or SPCT-BH (n = 50). Radiation doses were documented. One reader measured pulmonary artery attenuation and noise; mean signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) was calculated. Two readers assessed image quality, diagnostic confidence for detection of PE, motion artifacts, assessability of anatomical structures, and presence of transient interruption of contrast as sign of Valsalva maneuver. Inter-reader agreement was calculated.

RESULTS

Radiation dose was significantly lower in HPCT compared to SPCT (2.68 ± 0.60 mGy vs 6.01 ± 2.26 mGy; P < .001). Mean pulmonary artery attenuation and image noise were significantly higher in HPCT (attenuation: 479 Hounsfield unit (HU) vs 343HU; P < .001; noise: 16 HU vs 10 HU; P < .001) whereas SNR was similar between groups (34 HU vs 38 HU; P = .258). HPCT had significantly higher diagnostic confidence for PE detection (P = .048), less cardiac and breathing artifacts (P < .001), better assessability of anatomical structures, and fewer cases of transient interruption of contrast (P < .001) compared to the SPCT.

CONCLUSIONS

HPCT-FB allows for a significant reduction of breathing and motion artifacts compared to SPCT-BH. Diagnostic confidence, assessability of vascular and bronchial structures, as well as SNR are maintained.

An assessment of implications of adaptive licensing for pharmaceutical intellectual property and regulatory exclusivity rights in the European Union

One of the key advantages of adaptive licensing (AL) is to align the licensing of new medicines more closely with patient needs for earlier access to beneficial treatments. From an innovators perspective, "earlier" market access may seem an obvious incentive to gain earlier revenue generation. However, this is offset with an "earlier" start to patent and regulatory protection periods, which, depending on the technology, disease, population, and timing of subsequent asset protection periods, can present a conflict.

[Endoscopic management of lower gastrointestinal bleeding]

Endoscopic hemostasis is the daily challenge that must be mastered by gastroenterologists. An emergency colonoscopy is the procedure of choice for lower gastrointestinal bleeding because of the diagnostic and therapeutic potential. Colonoscopy should be performed after oral preparation with 4-6 l polyethylene glycol solution within 12 h. In the case of massive hematochezia, colonoscopy without oral preparation employinga mechanical pump is possible and is not associated with a higher rate of complications. Many different endoscopic techniques are available (injection therapy, hemoclips, thermal coagulation, topical hemostatic substances). The suitable and most effective method must be chosen depending on the source of bleeding.

Homelessness and housing crises among individuals accessing services within a Canadian emergency department

ACCESSIBLE SUMMARY

Studies have indicated that individuals who are homeless access hospital emergency departments more frequently and may have different needs than individuals who are housed. Successful interventions have been developed and tested to reduce discharge to homelessness for psychiatric inpatients but have not been similarly tested for discharge from emergency departments. This study was developed to provide baseline data on this issue to inform future emergency department interventions. Findings from the current study suggest that discharge from emergency departments to homelessness happens frequently in London, Canada. Participants are unlikely to spontaneously disclose their housing/homelessness issue when first entering the emergency department, which may result in services that do not adequately meet their complex needs. Screening for housing issues is necessary within emergency departments and psychiatric crisis teams as housing issues may be a reason for accessing care or contribute to the presenting condition. Nurses are in an ideal position to evaluate housing needs among emergency department patients. Services outside of the emergency department are also needed to address housing issues, particularly outside of regular office hours.

ABSTRACT

Individuals who have mental health issues and are homeless or in housing crisis have been found to access emergency departments more frequently than individuals with stable housing. While emergency departments primarily focus on medical issues, homeless individuals may require psychosocial support as well. This study examined issues around housing crises and emergency department use for individuals with mental illness in Canada. Collecting baseline data about these issues is important to inform subsequent interventions. Administrative data from a hospital emergency department and psychiatric crisis service were collected, and five individuals accessing the emergency department for psychiatric reasons were interviewed. Results indicated that individuals with an identified housing crisis accessed the emergency department 930 times in 6 months. None of the interview participants identified housing as the primary reason for accessing the emergency department, but all noted that housing was a contributing stressor. Future research is needed to examine ways in which discharge to homelessness from emergency departments can be avoided and identify alternative services to address housing concerns, particularly for individuals with mental illness. Crisis service and emergency department staff, especially nurses, can play an important role in screening for housing issues and connecting individuals to outside services.

[Improvement of cost allocation in gastroenterology by introduction of a novel service catalogue covering the complete spectrum of endoscopic procedures]

BACKGROUND

The German hospital reimbursement system (G-DRG) is incomplete for endoscopic interventions and fails to differentiate between complex and simple procedures. This is caused by outdated methods of personnel-cost allocation.

METHODS

To establish an up-to-date service catalogue 50 hospitals made their anonymized expense-budget data available to the German-Society-of-Gastroenterology (DGVS). 2.499.900 patient-datasets (2011-2013) were used to classify operation-and-procedure codes (OPS) into procedure-tiers (e.g. colonoscopy with biopsy/colonoscopy with stent-insertion). An expert panel ranked these tiers according to complexity and assigned estimates of physician time. From June to November 2014 exact time tracking data for a total 38.288 individual procedures were collected in 119 hospitals to validate this service catalogue.

RESULTS

In this three-step process a catalogue of 97 procedure-tiers was established that covers 99% of endoscopic interventions performed in German hospitals and assigned validated mean personnel-costs using gastroscopy as standard. Previously, diagnostic colonoscopy had a relative personnel-cost value of 1.13 (compared to gastroscopy 1.0) and rose to 2.16, whereas diagnostic ERCP increased from 1.7 to 3.62, more appropriately reflecting complexity. Complex procedures previously not catalogued were now included (e.g. gastric endoscopic submucosal dissection: 16.74).

DISCUSSION

This novel service catalogue for GI-endoscopy almost completely covers all endoscopic procedures performed in German hospitals and assigns relative personnel-cost values based on actual physician time logs. It is to be included in the national coding recommendation and should replace all prior inventories for cost distribution. The catalogue will contribute to a more objective cost allocation and hospital reimbursement - at least until time tracking for endoscopy becomes mandatory.

In vitro evaluation of a novel biofilm remover

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate a novel device for its efficacy in removing experimental biofilm from root surfaces and its potential for concomitantly removing/roughening the surface substance.

METHODS AND MATERIALS

A novel acrylic rotary device (biofilm remover, BR) was tested in vitro in three experiments: surface loss, surface roughness [positive controls: Perioset (PS) and Proxoshape (PR)] and biofilm removal [positive controls: ultrasonic (US) and PS]. Surface loss/surface roughness was evaluated for dentin samples instrumented for three 20 s periods. The calcium removed during instrumentation was analysed after each interval and cumulatively, using atomic absorption spectrophotometry (AAS). Surface roughness was measured using profilometric analysis. Biofilm removal was evaluated on dentin specimens coated with a 64.5 h 6-species in vitro formed biofilm, after one 20 s treatment. Surface loss was analysed using anova with Scheffé post hoc test, and surface roughness/biofilm removal was analysed using Mann-Whitney test (all P ≤ 0.05).

RESULTS

Significantly less substance loss [μg (± 1 SD)] was observed with the novel device at all time points, both interval and cumulative (1.0 (± 0.5) versus 9.3 (± 3.2) PS and 9.9 (± 1.9) PR at 60 s). Surface roughness [μm (95% CI)] was significantly lower for BR than for PS and PR [0.00 (-0.01, 0.08) 0.20 (0.16, 0.27) and 0.21 (0.19, 0.24) at 60 s]. Significantly less biofilm bacteria remained after treatment with both BR 4.5 (-0.1, 16.2) and US 1.9 (-0.2, 14.3), compared to PS 52 (27.9, 82.1).

CONCLUSIONS

The novel biofilm remover was less damaging to dentin surfaces, while removing biofilm at least as effectively as devices used in this study.

Suppression of FOXO1 is responsible for a growth regulatory repressive transcriptional sub-signature of EWS-FLI1 in Ewing sarcoma

The Ewing sarcoma (ES) EWS-FLI1 chimeric oncoprotein is a prototypic aberrant ETS transcription factor with activating and repressive regulatory functions. We report that EWS-FLI1-repressed promoters are enriched in forkhead box (FOX) recognition motifs, and identify FOXO1 as a EWS-FLI1-suppressed regulator orchestrating a major subset of EWS-FLI1-repressed genes. In addition to FOXO1 regulation by direct promoter binding of EWS-FLI1, its subcellular localization and activity is regulated by cyclin-dependent kinase 2- and AKT-mediated phosphorylation downstream of EWS-FLI1. Restoration of nuclear FOXO1 expression in ES cells impaired proliferation and significantly reduced clonogenicity. Gene-expression profiling revealed a significant overlap between EWS-FLI1-repressed and FOXO1-activated genes. As a proof of principle for a potential therapeutic application of our findings, the treatment of ES cell lines with methylseleninic acid (MSA) reactivated endogenous FOXO1 in the presence of EWS-FLI1 in a dose- and time-dependent manner and induced massive cell death dependent on FOXO1. In an orthotopic xenograft mouse model, MSA increased FOXO1 expression in the tumor paralleled by a significant decrease in ES tumor growth. FOXO1 reactivation by small molecules may therefore serve as a promising strategy for a future ES-specific therapy.

'Fertility Awareness-Based Methods' and subfertility: a systematic review

Fertility awareness based methods (FABMs) can be used to ameliorate the likelihood to conceive. A literature search was performed to evaluate the relationship of cervical mucus monitoring (CMM) and the day-specific -pregnancy rate, in case of subfertility. A MEDLINE search revealed a total of 3331 articles. After excluding articles based on their relevance, 10 studies and were selected. The observed studies demonstrated that the cervical mucus monitoring (CMM) can identify the days with the highest pregnancy rate. According to the literature, the quality of the vaginal discharge correlates well with the cycle-specific probability of pregnancy in normally fertile couples but less in subfertile couples. The results indicate an urgent need for more prospective randomised trials and -prospective cohort studies on CMM in a subfertile population to evaluate the effectiveness of CMM in the subfertile couple.

Structural changes in amorphous Ge(x)SiO(y) on the way to nanocrystal formation

Temperature induced changes of the local chemical structure of bulk amorphous GexSiOy are studied by Ge K-edge x-ray absorption near-edge spectroscopy and Si L2/3-edge x-ray Raman scattering spectroscopy. Different processes are revealed which lead to formation of Ge regions embedded in a Si oxide matrix due to different initial structures of as-prepared samples, depending on their Ge/Si/O ratio and temperature treatment, eventually resulting in the occurrence of nanocrystals. Here, disproportionation of GeOx and SiOx regions and/or reduction of Ge oxides by pure Si or by a surrounding Si sub-oxide matrix can be employed to tune the size of Ge nanocrystals along with the chemical composition of the embedding matrix. This is important for the optimization of the electronic and luminescent properties of the material.

Strongyliden beim Pferd. I. Resistenzentwicklung gegen Anthelminthika

Small strongyles (cyathostomes) that are resistant against anthelmintics have become a major problem in equine medicine in the recent years. In many European countries benzimidazole-resistant cyathostomes are widespread and are now present in well over 50% of equine populations investigated. In contrast, resistance against ivermectin has not been reported despite its widespread use in the recent years. Optimising the frequency of treatments based on quantitative faecal monitoring is of great importance to preserve remaining anthelmintic efficacy.

Strongyliden beim Pferd. II. Vorkommen von Anthelminthika-Resistenzen in der Schweiz

The occurrence of anthelmintic resistance in strongyles was investigated in 440 horses on 90 farms in Switzerland. The egg hatch assay suggested that benzimidazole (BZ)-resistance was present in 40 of 82 farms (49%). Faecal egg count reduction after pyrantel-treatment was above 96% in 14 of 15 farms. In the remaining farm the efficacy was only 80%. Ivermectin efficacy was investigated on 5 farms and the efficacy was recorded at 98-100%. Faecal cultures undertaken after treatment revealed almost exclusively larvae of the family Cyathostominae. Data about management practices, pasture hygiene and anthelmintic usage were obtained with a questionnaire. Horses were treated on average 3.5 times per year. In 75% of the farms BZ were a component of the seasonal treatment schedule. Only the use of BZ had a significant correlation with the presence of BZ-resistance (P < 0.01). Recommendations for the control of equine strongyles should include measures that minimize the risk of resistance developing against remaining effective anthelmintics.