The Relationship Between Interoceptive Awareness, Emotion Regulation and Clinical Symptoms Severity of Depression, Anxiety and Somatization.

OBJECTIVE: The primary objective of this study was to examine the associations among emotion regulation strategies, interoceptive awareness, and psychological distress measures-namely, depression, anxiety, and somatization. Additionally, we aimed to explore the predictive power of various facets of interoceptive awareness in determining the severity of symptoms for each mental disorder. METHODS: A cohort of 130 outpatients diagnosed with depression/anxiety disorder were recruited, and 20 subjects exhibiting incomplete responses were excluded from the dataset, leading to a final sample size of 110 outpatients. The clinical symptoms were measured by Patient Health Questionnaire-9, State-Trait Anxiety Inventory Form Y, and Symptom Checklist-90-Revised, and the usage of emotion-regulation strategies and interoceptive awareness was assessed with Emotion Regulation Questionnaire and Multidimensional Assessment of Interoceptive Awareness (MAIA), respectively. A hierarchical regression analysis was performed to examine whether emotion-regulation strategies and interoceptive awareness explain the statistically significant variance in each of the symptoms. RESULTS: In the depression model, cognitive reappraisal, accept, and attention regulation showed significant associations, while in the anxiety model, cognitive reappraisal, attention regulation, trust, and notice emerged as significant factors. Lastly, cognitive reappraisal and attention regulation were found to be significant contributors to the final model for somatization. CONCLUSION: The inclusion of MAIA subscales improved the predictive ability of the regression model, highlighting the independent association between interoceptive awareness-particularly attention regulation-and clinical symptoms of anxiety and depression. Additionally, the study underscores the relevance of considering the specific pathological context when implementing interventions, as evidenced by the positive associations between the accept subscale and depression and between the notice subscale and anxiety, respectively.

Pilot Study About the Effects of the Soma Experiencing Motion (Soma e-Motion) Program on Interoceptive Awareness and Self-Compassion.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of the Soma experiencing motion (Soma e-motion) program on interoceptive awareness and self-compassion among novices. METHODS: A total of 19 adults (clinical group=9, non-clinical group=10) participated in the intervention. Psychological and physical changes after program were qualitatively analyzed using in-depth interviews. The Korean Multidimensional Assessment of Interoceptive Awareness (K-MAIA) and the Korean version of the Self-Compassion Scale (K-SCS) were used as quantitative measures. RESULTS: The non-clinical group showed statistically significant differences in the K-MAIA scores (z=-2.805, p<0.01) and K-SCS scores (z=-2.191, p<0.05); however, the clinical group showed no significant differences (K-MAIA: z=-0.652, p>0.05; K-SCS: z=-0.178, p>0.05). According to the in-depth interviews, the results of the qualitative analysis were categorized into five dimensions (psychological and emotional, physical, cognitive, behavioral, and aspects participants found challenging and needs improvement). CONCLUSION: The Soma e-motion program was feasible for improving interoceptive awareness and self-compassion in the non-clinical group. However, further research is needed to investigate the clinical efficacy of the Soma e-motion program for clinical group.

Influence of Forest Visitors' Perceived Restorativeness on Social-Psychological Stress.

This study was conducted to verify the perceived restorativeness of citizens visiting forests on social-psychological stress and psychological resilience according to forest space type. The study involved a questionnaire survey conducted on citizens who visited forests between 1 May and 15 July 2020, when social distancing in daily life was being implemented. Three types of forest spaces (urban forest, national park, and natural recreation forest) were selected for the survey. They used the survey results of 1196 people as analysis data for this study. In this study, the PRS (Perceived Restorativeness Scale) and the PWI-SF (Psychosocial Well-being Index Short Form) were used to evaluate perceived restorativeness and social-psychological stress of citizens visiting forests. In the study, the average score of visitors' perceived restorativeness was 5.31 ± 0.77. Social-psychological stress was found in the healthy group, potential stress group, and high-risk group. These groups made up 8.0%, 82.5%, and 9.5% of the respondents, respectively. Pearson's correlation analysis between perceived restorativeness and social-psychological stress revealed that the higher the perceived restorativeness, the lower the social-psychological stress. "Diversion Mood", "Not bored", and "Coherence", which are the sub-factors of perceived restorativeness according to the forest space type, were found to have meaningful results for psychological resilience. However, there was no significant difference in the forest space type between "Compatibility" and social-psychological stress, which are sub-factors of perceived restorativeness. In conclusion, the forest space type affects the psychological resilience of those who visit the forest. Urban forests, national parks, and natural recreation forests are places to reduce stress.

Burden of mild haemophilia A: Systematic literature review.

INTRODUCTION: Although the clinical manifestations of severe haemophilia A (HA) are well studied, the challenges, if any, of living with mild HA are not clearly delineated to date. AIM: To assess available evidence of clinical risks and societal/economic impacts of disease in adult patients with mild HA using a systematic literature review. METHODS: Prespecified study selection criteria were applied in a comprehensive literature search. Included studies varied in design and reported outcomes of interest for adults (≥13 years of age) with mild HA. RESULTS: Seventeen studies with a total of 3213 patients met eligibility criteria (published or presented in English, 1966-2017). Most studies were observational, and the outcomes reported were too sparse and dissimilar to support a formal meta-analysis. Mean annual bleeding rates ranged from 0.44 to 4.5 episodes per patient per year. Quality of life (QoL; SF-36 General Health) was impacted compared to healthy controls. Health care costs and productivity were seldom assessed and no robust comparisons to healthy controls were available. CONCLUSION: Quantifying outcomes for adult patients with mild HA remains challenging, with estimates of key QoL and cost data often based on small data sets and without comparison to population norms. Therefore, the clinical impact of mild haemophilia may be under-represented and unmet needs may remain unaddressed. As paradigm-changing therapies for HA emerge, stronger knowledge of mild HA can guide the development of care options that minimize burden and enhance the QoL for this segment of the haemophilia community, and for the haemophilia community in totality.

Inhalation exposure to chloramine T induces DNA damage and inflammation in lung of Sprague-Dawley rats.

Chloramine T has been widely used as a disinfectant in many areas such as kitchens, laboratories and hospitals. It has been also used as a biocide in air fresheners and deodorants which are consumer products; however, little is known about its toxic effects by inhalation route. This study was performed to identify the subacute inhalation toxicity of chloramine T under whole-body inhalation exposure conditions. Male and female groups of rats were exposed to chloramine T at concentrations of 0.2, 0.9 and 4.0 mg/m³ for 6 hr/day, 5 days/week during 4 weeks. After 28-day repeated inhalation of chloramine T, there were dose-dependently significant DNA damage in the rat tissues evaluated and inflammation was histopathologically noted around the terminal airways of the lung in both genders. As a result of the expression of three types of antioxidant enzymes (SOD-2, GPx-1, PRX-1) in rat's lung after exposure, there was no significant change of all antioxidant enzymes in the male and female rats. The results showed that no observed adverse effect level (NOAEL) was 0.2 mg/m³ in male rats and 0.9 mg/m³ in female rats under the present experimental condition.

Cytotoxic effects of air freshener biocides in lung epithelial cells.

This study evaluated the cytotoxicity of mixtures of citral (CTR) and either benzisothiazolinone (BIT, Mix-CTR-BIT) or triclosan (TCS, Mix-CTR-TCS) in human A549 lung epithelial cells. We investigated the effects of various mix ratios of these common air freshener ingredients on cell viability, cell proliferation, reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, and DNA damage. Mix-CTR-BIT and Mix-CTR-TCS significantly decreased the viability of lung epithelial cells and inhibited cell growth in a dose-dependent manner. In addition, both mixtures increased ROS generation, compared to that observed in control cells. In particular, cell viability, growth, and morphology were affected upon increase in the proportion of BIT or TCS in the mixture. However, comet analysis showed that treatment of cells with Mix-CTR-BIT or Mix-CTR-TCS did not increase DNA damage. Taken together, these data suggested that increasing the content of biocides in air fresheners might induce cytotoxicity, and that screening these compounds using lung epithelial cells may contribute to hazard assessment.

Exposure to zinc oxide nanoparticles affects reproductive development and biodistribution in offspring rats.

Understanding reproductive development effects and transferable properties to next generation of zinc oxide nanoparticles is necessary for prevention of its potential risks. To accomplish this, rats were exposed to zinc oxide nanomaterials (500 mg/kg bw) of less than 100 nm beginning 2 weeks before mating to postnatal day 4. In addition, body distribution of zinc concentration was evaluated in dams and offspring. Rat treated with nano-zinc oxide showed reduced number of born/live pups, decreased body weights of pups and increased fetal resorption. Zinc oxide nanomaterials were also distributed to organs such as mammary tissue of dams and liver and kidney of pups. These results indicate that zinc oxide nanoparticles-exposure before and during pregnancy and lactation could pose health risks to pregnant women and their fetus.

Aluminum Nanoparticles Induce ERK and p38MAPK Activation in Rat Brain.

Aluminum nanoparticles (Al-NPs) are one of the most widely used nanomaterial in cosmetics and medical materials. For this reason, Al-NP exposure is very likely to occur via inhalation in the environment and the workplace. Nevertheless, little is known about the mechanism of Al-NP neurotoxicity via inhalation exposure. In this study, we investigated the effect AL-NPs on the brain. Rats were exposed to Al-NPs by nasal instillation at 1 mg/kg body weight (low exposure group), 20 mg/kg body weight (moderate exposure group), and 40 mg/kg body weight (high exposure group), for a total of 3 times, with a 24-hr interval after each exposure. Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) analysis indicated that the presence of aluminum was increased in a dose-dependent manner in the olfactory bulb (OFB) and the brain. In microarray analysis, the regulation of mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPK) activity (GO: 0043405), including Ptprc, P2rx7, Map2k4, Trib3, Trib1, and Fgd4 was significantly over-expressed in the treated mice than in the controls (p = 0.0027). Moreover, Al-NPs induced the activation of ERK1 and p38 MAPK protein expression in the brain, but did not alter the protein expression of JNK, when compared to the control. These data demonstrate that the nasal exposure of Al-NPs can permeate the brain via the olfactory bulb and modulate the gene and protein expression of MAPK and its activity.

The veA gene is necessary for the negative regulation of the veA expression in Aspergillus nidulans.

The veA gene is one of the key genes in regulating sexual development of Aspergillus nidulans. During the study on the veA gene, it was observed that the veA expression level is slightly higher in a veA1 mutant than in a wild type at 37 degrees C, suggesting that the wild type veA gene is necessary for the negative regulation of the veA expression. In the veA1 mutant, the veA expression was higher than in a wild type grown at 42 degrees C but equal at 30 degrees C. Furthermore, in a veA deletion mutant having its own promoter and the N-terminus of the VeA ORF, expression of the N-terminus by the veA promoter was highly up-regulated, supporting the possibility that the veA gene is important for the negative regulation of the veA expression. Analyses of the lacZ transcript and the beta-galactosidase activity from the reporter strains in the veA1 background, which were constructed by transformation of the lacZ reporter plasmids containing the lacZ gene under the control of the intact or the truncated veA promoters from the -943 to +262 bp region, showed that the truncated promoters produced more veA transcript and higher beta-galactosidase activity than the intact one at 30 degrees C, but equal at 42 degrees C. In addition, the serial-deletion analysis of the veA promoter identified a crucial region in the promoter from -943 to -740 bp for this derepression of the veA expression. Taken together, these results indicated that the veA gene is necessary for the negative regulation of the veA expression. Moreover, the veA expression was derepressed in the light-illuminated condition, where the VeA protein is hardly transported into the nucleus.

Bleeding complications from femoral and sciatic nerve catheters in patients receiving low molecular weight heparin.

After knee replacement surgery, the use of continuous local anesthetic infusions in femoral and sciatic peripheral nerve catheters is an effective analgesic option. Limited data are available concerning the safety of peripheral nerve infusions in patients receiving low molecular weight heparin thromboprophylaxis. We report three cases of bleeding at femoral and sciatic catheter sites in patients receiving a single daily dose of enoxaparin (40 mg). In all cases, some bleeding was noticed before catheter removal; in one case involving catheter removal 3 h after enoxaparin administration, massive thigh swelling occurred. Physical therapy and discharge from the hospital were delayed in two cases but no other complications were seen. More data are needed to determine if it is necessary to use the same guidelines for managing peripheral nerve infusion catheters in patients receiving enoxaparin as with epidurals and other types of central nerve catheter infusions.

Gender differences in the left inferior frontal gyrus in normal children.

This study examined frontal lobe subregions in 46 normal children and adolescents (25 females, mean age: 11.08, SD: 3.07; and 21 males, mean age: 10.76, SD: 2.61) to assess the effects of age and gender on volumetric measures as well as hemispheric asymmetries. Superior, middle, inferior, and orbito-frontal gray, white, and cerebrospinal (CSF) volumes were manually delineated in high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data to assess possible morphological changes. We report a significant age-related increase in the white matter of the left inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) in boys (P = 0.007). Additionally, the left IFG was significantly larger in boys compared to girls (P = 0.004). Boys showed increased gray matter volume relative to girls even after correcting for total cerebral volume. Also, boys were found to have significant Right > Left asymmetry patterns with greater right hemispheric volumes for total cerebral volume, total cerebral white matter, MFG white matter, and SFG white matter (P < 0.001). Girls showed significant Right > Left asymmetry patterns in total cerebral and SFG white matter (P < 0.001). These findings suggest continued modification of the IFG during normal development in boys, and significant gender differences in IFG gray matter between boys and girls that may be possibly linked to gender differences in speech development and lateralization of language.

Corpus callosum abnormalities in psychopathic antisocial individuals.

CONTEXT: Psychopathic antisocial individuals have previously been characterized by abnormal interhemispheric processing and callosal functioning, but there have been no studies on the structural characteristics of the corpus callosum in this group. OBJECTIVES: To assess whether (1) psychopathic individuals with antisocial personality disorder show structural and functional impairments in the corpus callosum, (2) group differences are mirrored by correlations between dimensional measures of callosal structure and psychopathy, (3) callosal abnormalities are associated with affective deficits, and (4) callosal abnormalities are independent of psychosocial deficits. DESIGN: Case-control study. SETTING: Community sample. PARTICIPANTS: Fifteen men with antisocial personality disorder and high psychopathy scores and 25 matched controls, all from a larger sample of 83 community volunteers. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Structural magnetic resonance imaging measures of the corpus callosum (volume estimate of callosal white matter, thickness, length, and genu and splenium area), functional callosal measures (2 divided visual field tasks), electrodermal and cardiovascular activity during a social stressor, personality measures of affective and interpersonal deficits, and verbal and spatial ability. RESULTS: Psychopathic antisocial individuals compared with controls showed a 22.6% increase in estimated callosal white matter volume (P<.001), a 6.9% increase in callosal length (P =.002), a 15.3% reduction in callosal thickness (P =.04), and increased functional interhemispheric connectivity (P =.02). Correlational analyses in the larger unselected sample confirmed the association between antisocial personality and callosal structural abnormalities. Larger callosal volumes were associated with affective and interpersonal deficits, low autonomic stress reactivity, and low spatial ability. Callosal abnormalities were independent of psychosocial deficits. CONCLUSIONS: Corpus callosum abnormalities in psychopathic antisocial individuals may reflect atypical neurodevelopmental processes involving an arrest of early axonal pruning or increased white matter myelination. These findings may help explain affective deficits and previous findings of abnormal interhemispheric transfer in psychopathic individuals.