Prosociality predicts changes in leisure activities during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Several studies suggest that leisure activities enhance well-being. In line with this perspective, a recent study indicates that augmenting indoor leisure activities to compensate for diminished outdoor pursuits could sustain or enhance well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic. The present study was designed to identify personality traits that predict such behavioral shifts in indoor versus outdoor leisure activities during the pandemic. The present study included 657 participants (Mage = 41.08) and measured 12 personality traits that a previous study reported were associated with health-protective behaviors during COVID-19. Our findings indicate that the rise in indoor leisure activities correlated with prosocial tendencies toward family and friends/acquaintances (but not strangers), self-centered interest, resilience, and Big Five personality traits. Conversely, the decline in outdoor activities was linked solely to prosociality toward family and friends/acquaintances. Further interaction analysis uncovered that prosocial tendencies toward close relations predicted increased indoor activities as an alternative to outdoor engagements. We concluded that prosociality promoted behavioral changes that significantly prevented infections in intimate others, and it could maintain personal well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic by facilitating behavior change.

Association between intentional behavioral changes and well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The enforcement of nationwide lockdowns and social distancing measures severely restricted behavior and led to increases in stress, anxiety, and depression during the COVID-19 Pandemic. However, contrary to expectations, studies show that well-being did not decrease significantly during the Pandemic. The present study examined whether intentional increases in alternative behaviors contributed to maintaining well-being. We predicted an increase in indoor activities as alternatives to outdoor activities and that these behavioral changes contribute to maintaining well-being. Focusing on leisure activities, transport mode, and working environments, we tested these predictions in an online survey of 1,000 participants (M = 40.4 years; SD = 10.9). The results demonstrated that the decrease in outdoor leisure activities (e.g., traveling and shopping), use of public transportation, and working at office led to a reduction in well-being. It was also demonstrated that the subsequent increase in indoor leisure activities (e.g., exercising at home and online shopping) and use of a private car led to an increase in well-being, which supported our predictions. These results suggest that increasing alternative behaviors can maintain overall well-being during pandemics. These findings highlight the significance of intentional behavioral changes in maintaining well-being during pandemics.

Evaluation of gut dysbiosis using serum and fecal bile acid profiles.

Dysbiosis in the intestinal microflora can affect the gut production of microbial metabolites, and toxic substances can disrupt the barrier function of the intestinal wall, leading to the development of various diseases. Decreased levels of Clostridium subcluster XIVa (XIVa) are associated with the intestinal dysbiosis found in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and Clostridium difficile infection (CDI). Since XIVa is a bacterial group responsible for the conversion of primary bile acids (BAs) to secondary BAs, the proportion of intestinal XIVa can be predicted by determining the ratio of deoxycholic acid (DCA)/[DCA + cholic acid (CA)] in feces orserum. For example, serum DCA/(DCA+CA) was significantly lower in IBD patients than in healthy controls, even in the remission period. These results suggest that a low proportion of intestinal XIVa in IBD patients might be a precondition for IBD onset but not a consequence of intestinal inflammation. Another report showed that a reduced serum DCA/(DCA + CA) ratio could predict susceptibility to CDI. Thus, the BA profile, particularly the ratio of secondary to primary BAs, can serve as a surrogate marker of the intestinal dysbiosis caused by decreased XIVa.

Associations between motorized transport access, out-of-home activities, and life-space mobility in older adults in Japan.

BACKGROUND: Motorized transport access and out-of-home activities are two potential correlates of Life-space mobility (LSM), a common research topic in mobility studies of older adults. These correlates remain mostly unexplored in previous literature and relating them with LSM can reveal directions for improving the LSM of older adults. METHODS: The associations between motorized transport access, out-of-home activities, and LSM were examined using data from 1,333 older adults (mean age = 70.63) living in 15 cities and towns in Japan. LSM was assessed using composite life-space assessment (LSA) scores. Motorized transport access was measured using dummies showing whether a person had car access (divided into five levels) and used public transport (bus and railway), and out-of-home activities were measured using the number of various activities that were conducted during the most recent weekday and weekend day. Generalized linear models were used to assess the associations. RESULTS: The sample was dominated by males (74.42%), with more than half of the sample had their own cars. On average, each respondent had four activities during two survey days, and shopping was the most common activity. The results showed that owning a car and using railway, as well as various activities were associated with increased composite LSA scores, whereas no cars or only shared cars in home were associated with decreased composite LSA scores. However, these associations differed between males and females. CONCLUSIONS: In this study, different levels of motorized transport access and different types of out-of-home activities were found to associate differently with composite LSA scores. Based on these findings, we suggest that policymakers should provide more transport access, pay more attention to the LSM of older adults with high clinics/hospital activities, and trigger more shopping and daily leisure activities for older adults to improve the LSM of this population.

Current states of prevention of drug-induced gastroduodenal ulcer in real clinical practice: a cross-sectional study.

Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) or low-dose aspirin (LDA) are the most common causes of drug-induced gastroduodenal ulcer and We investigated preventive treatment with use of concomitant anti-ulcer drugs and the clinical features of gastroduodenal ulcer in cases treated with these drugs. Patients with gastroduodenal ulcer and patients with bleeding were classified into 3 groups: LDA, non-aspirin NSAIDs, and those taking neither aspirin nor NSAIDs. Chronological changes over the past 16 years (1st-5th period) were investigated. The status of prevention of ulcer and clinical features were examined. From January 2002 to December 2018, the ratio of all patients taking NSAIDs and LDA increased significantly until 3rd period (p<0.05), but then started to decrease in 4th period; and the percentage of all patients taking NSAIDs and LDA decreased significantly (p<0.05) until 5th period. Among the 292 patients with gastroduodenal ulcer and the 121 patients with a bleeding ulcer taking NSAIDs and LDA, 16 (5.5%) and 9 (7.4%), respectively, were receiving preventive treatment with concomitant anti-ulcer drugs. The percentages of patients taking LDA and other antiplatelet drugs in patients with bleeding gastroduodenal ulcer were significantly higher than those in patients with non-bleeding. In conclusion, although the percentages of patients with gastroduodenal ulcer taking NSAIDs or LDA have not recently increased in real-world practice, preventive treatment in these patients is still low. This low rate of prevention suggests the need to enlighten physicians about preventive treatment because drug withdrawal of LDA has a high risk of cardiovasculr and cerebrovascular events.

Detection of Gut Dysbiosis due to Reduced Clostridium Subcluster XIVa Using the Fecal or Serum Bile Acid Profile.

Background: Dysbiosis, especially a reduced Clostridium subcluster XIVa (XIVa), has been reported in several gastrointestinal diseases. Since XIVa is thought to be the main bacterial cluster that metabolizes bile acids (BAs) in the human intestine, we hypothesized that the BA profile in feces, and possibly in serum, could be a convenient biomarker for intestinal XIVa activity. Methods: First, blood and feces were collected from 26 healthy controls and 20 patients with gastrointestinal diseases, and the relationships among fecal microbiomes and fecal and serum BA compositions were studied. Second, serum BA compositions of 30 healthy controls and the remission and exacerbation states of 14 Crohn's disease (CD) and 12 ulcerative colitis (UC) patients were compared. Fecal microbiomes were analyzed by terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis, and BA compositions were quantified by HPLC-MS/MS. Results: The highest positive correlation was observed between the fecal XIVa proportion and fecal unconjugated deoxycholic acid (DCA)/(DCA+unconjugated cholic acid [CA]) (r = 0.77, P < 0.0001) or serum DCA/(DCA+CA) (r = 0.52, P < 0.001). Diurnal variation in serum XIVa candidate markers also showed that DCA/(DCA+CA) was most stable and not affected by the contraction of the gallbladder. Serum DCA/(DCA+CA) was not significantly different between remission and exacerbation states in either CD or UC patients, but was significantly reduced in those in the remission state of CD and the remission and exacerbation states of UC compared with healthy controls (P < 0.05). Conclusions: Decreased XIVa exhibits a strong correlation with reduced intestinal BA metabolism. Fecal and serum DCA/(DCA+CA) could be useful surrogate markers for the intestinal proportion of XIVa.

Effects of the Concomitant Use of Low-dose Clarithromycin with an Anti-TNFα Antibody in a Patient with Intestinal Behçet Disease.

A 66-year-old Japanese male with a history of Behçet disease exhibited oral and genital ulcers, and a round deep ileocecal ulcer. He was treated with a combination of mesalazine and 20 mg/day of prednisolone (PSL), but was only partially responsive to PSL and we were not able to reduce the steroid dosage. Adalimumab was also administered. However, the ulcer was not completely responsive, and weaning the patient off PSL remained impossible. In contrast, additional treatment with clarithromycin completely healed the refractory active ulcer and left only a scar. Furthermore, the ulcer has since maintained the scar stage despite successfully weaning the patient from PSL.

Perceived Shared Condemnation Intensifies Punitive Moral Emotions.

Punishment facilitates large-scale cooperation among humans, but how punishers, who incur an extra cost of punishment, can successfully compete with non-punishers, who free-ride on the punisher's policing, poses an evolutionary puzzle. One answer is by coordinating punishment to minimise its cost. Notice, however, that in order to effectively coordinate their punishment, potential punishers must know in advance whether others would also be willing to punish a particular norm violator. Such knowledge might hinder coordination by tempting potential punishers to free-ride on other punishers. Previous research suggests that moral emotions, such as moral outrage and moral disgust, serve as a commitment device and drive people to carry out the costly act of punishment. Accordingly, we tested whether the perception of socially shared condemnation (i.e., knowledge that others also condemn a particular violator) would amplify moral outrage and moral disgust, and diminish empathy for the violator. Study 1 (scenario-based study) revealed that perceived shared condemnation was correlated positively with moral outrage and moral disgust, and negatively with empathy. Study 2 experimentally demonstrated that information indicating that others also condemn a particular norm violation amplified moral outrage. Lastly, Study 3 (autobiographical recall study) confirmed the external validity of the finding.

Does dishonesty really invite third-party punishment? Results of a more stringent test.

Many experiments have demonstrated that people are willing to incur cost to punish norm violators even when they are not directly harmed by the violation. Such altruistic third-party punishment is often considered an evolutionary underpinning of large-scale human cooperation. However, some scholars argue that previously demonstrated altruistic third-party punishment against fairness-norm violations may be an experimental artefact. For example, envy-driven retaliatory behaviour (i.e. spite) towards better-off unfair game players may be misidentified as altruistic punishment. Indeed, a recent experiment demonstrated that participants ceased to inflict third-party punishment against an unfair player once a series of key methodological problems were systematically controlled for. Noticing that a previous finding regarding apparently altruistic third-party punishment against honesty-norm violations may have been subject to methodological issues, we used a different and what we consider to be a more sound design to evaluate these findings. Third-party punishment against dishonest players withstood this more stringent test.

Observation of choroidal circulation using index of erythrocytic velocity.

OBJECTIVE: To describe a noninvasive method to visualize choroidal circulation by means of erythrocytic velocity. METHODS: Laser speckle flowgraphy (LSFG) and indocyanine green (ICG) angiography were performed on 9 volunteers. The LSFG measures the quantitative relative velocity index of erythrocytes (normalized blur [NB] value) in retinal and choroidal vessels. We averaged NB values from 3 pulsations and made composite 1.5-mm-square NB maps during 1 pulsation. By overlapping 5 adjacent maps, we created a panoramic 3.0-mm-square NB map of the posterior pole. The vascular patterns of the panoramic map and ICG angiography were compared. To determine the influence of retinal vessels, we induced branch retinal artery occlusion in 2 monkey eyes and compared the panoramic maps before and after occlusion. RESULTS: The NB map showed pulsatile blood flow in choroidal and retinal vessels. Vascular pattern contrast was improved in the NB map. Choroidal vessels in ICG angiography corresponded to those in the NB map. Vascular patterns in the map changed little before and after branch retinal artery occlusion. CONCLUSIONS: The LSFG noninvasively visualized the hemodynamics of choroidal circulation, and the vascular pattern, which is mainly choroidal in origin, was comparable with that of ICG angiography. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: The LSFG may be used to evaluate choroidal hemodynamics in various choroidal diseases.