Depressive and anxiety symptom trajectories in Polish adolescents during the COVID-19 pandemic and the outbreak of war in Ukraine: uncovering the role of family relations.

INTRODUCTION: The aim of the study was to investigate longitudinal trajectories of change in anxiety and depression symptoms in Polish adolescents during the second year of the COVID-19 pandemic and after the outbreak of the war in Ukraine. Additionally, we aimed to identify risk/protective factors and outcomes associated with these trajectories. METHOD: We collected data in three waves between November 2021 and May 2022. Adolescents (N = 281 in the first wave) completed the Patient Health Questionnaire-9, the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7, the Filial Responsibility Scale for Youth, and questions related to the COVID-19 pandemic and war in Ukraine. RESULTS: We identified three trajectories of depressive symptoms: resilient with low, stable symptoms (71% of participants), chronically elevated symptoms (11%), and acute symptoms followed by recovery (18%). We distinguished two trajectories of anxiety symptoms: resilient (75%) and chronic (25%). Non-resilient trajectories were predicted by higher levels of familial unfairness (perceived lack of equality and reciprocity in the family), relationship difficulties at school and at home, older age, and poor socioeconomic status. Chronic depressive and anxiety symptoms were associated with higher war-related concerns. DISCUSSION: These findings can inform preventive and therapeutic interventions for at-risk adolescents to reduce negative long-term outcomes of social crises.

Collective action mitigates the negative effects of COVID-19 threat and anti-abortion restrictions on mental health.

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic changed our lives in many different domains, forcing people to adapt to countrywide lockdowns, school shutdowns, and business closures. The burden of the COVID-19 pandemic resulted also in deterioration of mental health. At the same time, political conflicts and social inequalities was reinforced and many people engaged in demonstrations to fight for their rights. This study examines whether collective acting for an important cause during the pandemic might mitigate the impact of both political tension related to anti-abortion restrictions and COVID-19 threats on mental health. METHODS: We conducted a two-wave study with a representative sample of the Polish population, investigating the effect of participating in Polish pro-choice demonstrations on depressive and anxiety symptoms. RESULTS: Participating in protests attenuated the negative effects of COVID-19 threat and anti-abortion restrictions on mental health. Moreover, we found that the feeling of solidarity with other demonstrators and sense of agency derived from such demonstrations led to lower levels of depressive and anxiety symptoms. CONCLUSION: The results of the study indicate that participating in meaningful and value-oriented collective action may serve as a buffer against the detrimental effects of social and health threats.

Predictors of pretraumatic stress during the COVID-19 pandemic in Poland.

BACKGROUND: Pretraumatic stress has the same symptoms as post-traumatic stress but instead pertains to anticipated threats. There is evidence that pretraumatic stress occurs among soldiers and pregnant people. OBJECTIVE: We analyzed correlates of pretraumatic stress concerning the threat of COVID-19 infection. METHOD: Our pilot study was cross-sectional (N = 74); our main study was longitudinal and consisted of three waves (N = 1067, N = 894, and N = 752 for Waves 1, 2, and 3, respectively). Our pilot study used correlation and multiple linear regression. Our main study used quadratic regression and a random intercept cross-lagged panel model. RESULTS: The pilot study found that pretraumatic stress was positively correlated with agreeableness (r = .24, p < .01) and negatively correlated with emotional stability (r = -.30, p < .01) and intellect/imagination (r = -.37, p < .01). The main study demonstrated that pretraumatic stress was positively correlated with other measures of mental health problems during the COVID-19 pandemic and with perceived positive aspects of the pandemic (r = .11, p < .01). There is evidence of a U-shaped relationship between pretraumatic stress and perceived positive aspects of the pandemic. A random intercept cross-lagged panel model analysis demonstrated that pretraumatic stress in Wave 2 was negatively predicted by levels of prosocial behavior in Wave 1 (B = -1.130, p < .01). CONCLUSION: Mental health professionals should take into account pretraumatic stress, not only as a possible consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak but more generally as a risk in situations that are new, difficult, and challenging for people.

Remifentanil but not sufentanil induces cardioprotection in human ischemic heart muscle in vitro.

BACKGROUND: Previous studies on animal models have suggested that δ-opioid receptor (OR) signaling is the primary pathway responsible for opioids' cardioprotective effect. We hypothesize that the µ-OR's activation protects the human heart muscle. METHODS: We performed the experiments on muscular trabeculae obtained from the right atrial appendages of 104 consecutive patients subjected to coronary artery bypass surgery. Two trabeculae from each patient were studied simultaneously and exposed to 60 min of hypoxia with subsequent 60 min of reoxygenation. Remifentanil (5 µM or 50 µM) or sufentanil (40 µM or 400 µM) was used from the time of reoxygenation. Trabeculae contractility was assessed as the maximal amplitude of the contraction at baseline, after 60 min of hypoxia, during reoxygenation, and after norepinephrine application. RESULTS: During reperfusion, the application of remifentanil improved cardiomyocytes' function as compared to the control group (time from reperfusion: 15 min: 39.8% vs. 21.7%, p = 0.01; 30 min: 41.4% vs. 21.8%, p = 0.01; 60 min: 42.7% vs. 26.9%, p = 0.04; after norepinephrine: 64.7% vs. 43.2%, p = 0.03). The application of sufentanil did not influence cardiomyocyte function as can be seen when comparing the results of the experimental and control group. CONCLUSIONS: Remifentanil, but not sufentanil, induces a cardioprotective effect on human right atria muscle in in vitro conditions, manifested as the increased amplitude of their contraction during reperfusion after 60 min of ischemia.

Barriers and facilitators of willingness to vaccinate against COVID-19: Role of prosociality, authoritarianism and conspiracy mentality. A four-wave longitudinal study.

AIM: We investigated longitudinal relations between individual willingness to undergo vaccination against COVID-19 and three social factors: conspiracy mentality, prosociality, and authoritarianism. METHOD: This longitudinal study comprised four measurement points. The first wave sample included 1130 responses and was representative of the Polish population in terms of gender, age, and place of residence. Analyses were performed using random intercept cross-lagged panel models. RESULTS: We observed bidirectional positive cross-lagged relationships between prosociality and willingness to undergo vaccination in the first three waves of measurement. Authoritarianism and conspiracy mentality translated into a lower willingness to vaccinate between the third and fourth points of measurement when the vaccination became a near-term possibility. CONCLUSIONS: Eliciting prosocial motivation to vaccinate can be paramount in overcoming vaccine hesitancy. Because conspiracy thinking may be a crucial barrier to willingness to be vaccinated, it is critical to focus on planning interventions and campaigns undermining conspiracy theories about COVID-19.

Dynamic relationships between different types of conspiracy theories about COVID-19 and protective behaviour: A four-wave panel study in Poland.

RATIONALE: Conspiracy theories about COVID-19 pose a serious threat to public health by providing false information and undermining official health recommendations. However, existing studies rarely employed longitudinal designs, precluding the determination of the directionality between endorsement of conspiracy theories and its societal consequences. Also, relatively little research examined whether the association between protective health behaviour and the endorsement of conspiracy theories is affected by the content of a given theory. METHODS: A four-wave longitudinal panel survey on the association between belief in a wide range of conspiracy theories about COVID-19 and protective behaviour was carried out on a representative sample of Polish citizens (T1 = 1130, T2 = 971, T3 = 818, T4 = 688). Analyses were performed using Random Intercept Cross-Lagged Panel Models. RESULTS: The results showed a reciprocal, bidirectional association between conspiracy mentality and protective behaviour. The same effect was also observed between protective behaviour and threat of authoritarianism. We did not find evidence that specific COVID-19 related conspiracy theories directly (and differently) predict within-person changes in protective behaviour over time. CONCLUSIONS: Our results showed that the association between various conspiracy-related variables and anti-pandemic COVID-19 variables differs at within- and between-person levels. Changes in the adherence to pro-health measures were negatively predicted by conspiracy mentality and a feeling of threat that the solutions introduced by the government may limit civil rights. Specific conspiracy beliefs were significantly related to protective behaviour only at the between-person level.

Generalized anxiety and depressive symptoms in various age groups during the COVID-19 lockdown in Poland. Specific predictors and differences in symptoms severity.

BACKGROUND: Previous studies carried out in different countries have indicated that young adults experienced higher levels of emotional distress, in the form of depressive and anxiety symptoms, than older age groups during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, little is known about which pandemic-related difficulties and factors may contribute to these forms of emotional distress in various age groups. PURPOSE: The aim of the current study was to investigate: (i) differences in levels of depressive and generalized anxiety symptoms in four age groups in the Polish population during the COVID-19 lockdown; (ii) differences in perceived difficulties related to the pandemic in these groups; and (iii) which factors and difficulties related to the pandemic are the best predictors of generalized anxiety and depressive symptoms in various age groups during the COVID-19 lockdown. METHOD: A total of 1115 participants (aged 18-85) took part in the study. The sample was representative of the Polish population in terms of sex, age, and place of residence. Participants completed the following online: the Patient Health Questionnaire-9, the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7, a Scale of Perceived Health and Life Risk of COVID-19, a Social Support Scale, and a Scale of Pandemic-Related Difficulties. RESULTS: Younger age groups (18-29 and 30-44) experienced higher levels of depressive and generalized anxiety symptoms than older adults (45-59 and 60-85 years). Household relationship difficulties were among the most significant predictors of depressive and generalized anxiety symptoms in all age groups. Fear and uncertainty related to the spread of the virus was one of the most important predictors of emotional distress in all the groups apart from the adults between 18 and 29 years, whereas difficulties related to external restrictions were one of the most significant predictors of depressive and anxiety symptoms exclusively in the youngest group. CONCLUSIONS: The youngest adults and those experiencing difficulties in relationships among household members are the most vulnerable to depressive and generalized anxiety symptoms during the COVID-19 lockdown. It is important to plan preventive and therapeutic interventions to support these at-risk individuals in dealing with the various challenges related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Content matters. Different predictors and social consequences of general and government-related conspiracy theories on COVID-19.

In times of crisis, people are more prone to endorse conspiracy theories. Conspiracy thinking provides answers about the causes of an event, but it can also have harmful social consequences. Our research tested both the predictor and the consequences of two types of conspiracy beliefs related to the Covid-19 pandemic: (1) general conspiracy beliefs and (2) government-related conspiracy theories. In two studies in Poland (Ntotal = 2726), we found that a perceived lack of individual control predicted both types of conspiracy theories, while a sense of collective control was positively related to general conspiracy beliefs but negatively associated with government-related conspiracy theories. Moreover, general conspiracy theories were related to the acceptance of xenophobic policies and to a less favourable attitude towards outgroups whereas government-related conspiracy theories were not. Additionally, people who believed in conspiratorial governments less frequently indicated that they used prevention methods, such as social distancing and handwashing. Our research demonstrates the importance of considering the content of various conspiracy theories when studying their social effects and potential causes. Knowing which attitudes may be associated with the endorsement of specific conspiracy theories can contribute to counteracting their negative consequences during crises.

Prosociality and endorsement of liberty: Communal and individual predictors of attitudes towards surveillance technologies.

BACKGROUND: During the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, digital tracking technologies were recognised as one of the key tools in preventing the spread of the virus and maintaining health security. However, they also raised numerous controversies because of their potential to endanger civil rights and privacy. Most studies on the acceptance of anti-COVID-19 tracking technologies did not include important social factors and did not examine the directionality between variables. We aimed to fill this gap in the present study. METHODS: We conducted a four-wave, representative longitudinal panel survey among Polish citizens on the relationship between acceptance of anti-COVID-19 tracking technologies and prosociality, national identification, and endorsement of individual liberty. Analyses were performed using random-intercept cross-lagged panel models. RESULTS: We observed bidirectional cross-lagged relationships between prosociality and acceptance of anti-COVID 19 tracking technologies, with a stronger path from prosociality to acceptance than the other way around. Endorsement of individual liberty predicted negative attitudes towards technologies and this relation was strengthened by perceived threat of future technological surveillance. We did not find a significant relationship between acceptance of technologies and national identification at the within-subject level. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first study to analyse dynamic within-person relationships between communal and individual aspects and acceptance of anti-COVID-19 surveillance technologies. We conclude that prosocial attitude may lead to social acceptance of technology that, while helpful to fight with a pandemic, might also infringe on personal rights.

The acceptance of Covid-19 tracking technologies: The role of perceived threat, lack of control, and ideological beliefs.

New technological solutions play an important role in preventing the spread of Covid-19. Many countries have implemented tracking applications or other surveillance systems, which may raise concerns about privacy and civil rights violations but may be also perceived by citizens as a way to reduce threat and uncertainty. Our research examined whether feelings evoked by the pandemic (perceived threat and lack of control) as well as more stable ideological views predict the acceptance of such technologies. In two studies conducted in Poland, we found that perceived personal threat and lack of personal control were significantly positively related to the acceptance of surveillance technologies, but their predictive value was smaller than that of individual differences in authoritarianism and endorsement of liberty. Moreover, we found that the relationship between the acceptance of surveillance technologies and both perceived threat and lack of control was particularly strong among people high in authoritarianism. Our research shows that the negative feelings evoked by the unprecedented global crisis may inspire positive attitudes towards helpful but controversial surveillance technologies but that they do so to a lesser extent than ideological beliefs.

Do negative emotions in social advertising really work? Confrontation of classic vs. EEG reaction toward advertising that promotes safe driving.

Social campaigns are persuasive messages that attempt to communicate positive ideas and practices. One of the main challenges in designing effective social campaigns is the need to compete with other advertisements for viewers' attention. One of the most widely used methods of drawing attention to social advertising is the use of negative emotions. However, the effectiveness of negative emotional appeals in social campaigns is still a topic of debates. The aim of the study was to use both declarative and neural (EEG) measures to examine whether increasing the intensity of negative emotions in a social campaign enhances its effectiveness linearly or only to a certain level (curvilinear relation). The experimental study was conducted (N = 62) with road safety campaign, using three different levels of negative emotional intensity. The results showed that even though advertising with the strongest negative stimuli evoked the strongest negative emotions, it had no significantly stronger influence on behavioral intention (driving less risky) than moderately negative stimuli. Moreover, neural reaction to the negative stimuli in advertising depended on driving style-people with risky driving style payed less attention to more threatening message (higher beta oscillations).

Ischemic conditioning of human heart muscle depends on opioid-receptor system.

BACKGROUND: Despite progress in the invasive treatment of ischemic heart disease, the ability to limit ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury remains largely unrealized. Ischemic pre-conditioning (IPC) and post-conditioning (POC) induce the protective mechanisms of resistance against I/R injury. Stimulation of opioid receptors mimic the protective effect of IPC or POC in an animal models. We tested the hypothesis, that IPC and POC provide cardioprotection in opioid-dependent mechanism in human myocardium. METHODS: Human atrial trabeculae were subjected to I/R injury. To achieve IPC, single hypoxia period preceded the applied lethal hypoxia, to achieve POC triple hypoxia periods followed lethal hypoxia. Naloxone was used at the onset of lethal hypoxia in IPC protocol, and at the time of re-oxygenation in POC protocol. Contractive function of the myocardium was assessed as maximal force of contraction (Amax), rate of rise of force of contraction (+dV/dT) and diastolic parameter - rate of decay of force of contraction (-dV/dT). RESULTS: Co-application of naloxone with IPC or POC resulted in decrease of Amax, +dV/dT and -dV/dT during re-oxygenation period as compared to IPC or POC only. CONCLUSIONS: Naloxone abrogates beneficial effect of IPC and POC. IPC and POC in humans provide cardioprotection in opioid receptor system dependent mechanism.

Neural Signatures of Rational and Heuristic Choice Strategies: A Single Trial ERP Analysis.

In multi-attribute choice, people use heuristics to simplify decision problems. We studied the use of heuristic and rational strategies and their electrophysiological correlates. Since previous work linked the P3 ERP component to attention and decision making, we were interested whether the amplitude of this component is associated with decision strategy use. To this end, we recorded EEG when participants performed a two-alternative choice task, where they could acquire decision cues in a sequential manner and use them to make choices. We classified participants' choices as consistent with a rational Weighted Additive rule (WADD) or a simple heuristic Take The Best (TTB). Participants differed in their preference for WADD and TTB. Using a permutation-based single trial approach, we analyzed EEG responses to consecutive decision cues and their relation to the individual strategy preference. The preference for WADD over TTB was associated with overall higher signal amplitudes to decision cues in the P3 time window. Moreover, the preference for WADD was associated with similar P3 amplitudes to consecutive cues, whereas the preference for TTB was associated with substantial decreases in P3 amplitudes to consecutive cues. We also found that the preference for TTB was associated with enhanced N1 component to cues that discriminated decision alternatives, suggesting very early attention allocation to such cues by TTB users. Our results suggest that preference for either WADD or TTB has an early neural signature reflecting differences in attentional weighting of decision cues. In light of recent findings and hypotheses regarding P3, we interpret these results as indicating the involvement of catecholamine arousal systems in shaping predecisional information processing and strategy selection.

Patterns of brain and cardiovascular activation while solving rule-discovery and rule-application numeric tasks.

It is known that solving mental tasks leads to tonic increase in cardiovascular activity. Our previous research showed that tasks involving rule application (RA) caused greater tonic increase in cardiovascular activity than tasks requiring rule discovery (RD). However, it is not clear what brain mechanisms are responsible for this difference. The aim of two experimental studies was to compare the patterns of brain and cardiovascular activity while both RD and the RA numeric tasks were being solved. The fMRI study revealed greater brain activation while solving RD tasks than while solving RA tasks. In particular, RD tasks evoked greater activation of the left inferior frontal gyrus and selected areas in the parietal, and temporal cortices, including the precuneus, supramarginal gyrus, angular gyrus, inferior parietal lobule, and the superior temporal gyrus, and the cingulate cortex. In addition, RA tasks caused larger increases in HR than RD tasks. The second study, carried out in a cardiovascular laboratory, showed greater increases in heart rate (HR), systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), and mean arterial pressure (MAP) while solving RA tasks than while solving RD tasks. The results support the hypothesis that RD and RA tasks involve different modes of information processing, but the neuronal mechanism responsible for the observed greater cardiovascular response to RA tasks than to RD tasks is not completely clear.

'Opioidergic postconditioning' of heart muscle during ischemia/reperfusion injury.

BACKGROUND: Ischemic preconditioning and postconditioning are the novel strategies of attaining cardioprotection against ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury. Previous studies suggested the role of opioid pathway, however the class of opioid receptors responsible for this effect in humans remains unknown. The aim of the study was to assess the influence of opioids on simulated I/R injury outcomes in the hu-man myocardium. METHODS: Trabeculae of the human right atrium were electrically driven in organ bath and subjected to simulated I/R injury. Morphine (10-4M, 10-5M, 10-6M) or d-opioid receptor agonist DADLE (10-8M, 10-7M, 10-6M) was used at the time of re-oxygenation. Additional trabecula was subjected to hypoxia protocol only (Control). Contractive force of the myocardium was assessed as the maximal force of a contraction (Amax), the rate of rise of the force of a contraction (Slope L) and relaxation as the rate of decay of the force of a contraction (Slope T). RESULTS: Application of morphine 10-4M resulted in increase of Amax, Slope L and Slope T during re-oxygenation period as compared to Control (77.99 ± 1.5% vs. 68.8 ± 2.2%, p < 0.05; 45.72 ± 2.9% vs. 34.12 ± 5.1%, p < 0.05; 40.95 ± 2.5% vs. 32.37 ± 4.3%, p < 0.05). Parameters were not significantly different in the lower morphine concentrations. Application of DADLE 10-6M resulted in decrease of Amax and Slope L as compared to Control (68.13 ± 5.5% vs. 76.62 ± 6.6%, p < 0.05; 28.29 ± 2.2 vs. 34.80 ± 3.9%, p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: At re-oxygenation, morphine improves systolic and diastolic function of the human myo-cardium in the dose-dependent manner. Delta-opioid receptor stimulation attenuates systolic function of human heart muscle which remains in contrast to previous reports with animal models of I/R injury. (Cardiol J 2017; 24, 4: 419-425).

Safety and outcome of allogeneic stem cell transplantation in myelofibrosis.

OBJECTIVES: We evaluated the safety and outcome of allo-HSCTs in myelofibrosis (MF). METHODS: A total of 27 patients with primary (n = 20) or secondary (n = 7) MF, aged 51 (21-63) yr, transplanted from HLA-matched related (59%) or unrelated (41%) donors were analyzed. Conditioning was reduced in 26 and myeloablative in one patient; and ATG was used in 25. Sources of stem cells were as follows: peripheral blood (21), bone marrow (4) or both (2). RESULTS: Prognostic factors that adversely affected overall survival (OS) in the multivariate analysis were as follows: recipient age >45 yr (HR = 10.55, P = 0.025) and unrelated donor (HR=3.73, P = 0.026). Post-transplant transfusion dependence adversely affected OS in the univariate analysis: dependence from either both RBCs and platelets (HR = 33.26, P = 0.001) or from either of them (HR = 10.53, P = 0.043). Of 16 JAK2V617F-positive patients evaluated post-transplant, it was eradicated in 69% and decreased in 25%. Acute GVHD III-IV developed in 19% and extensive chronic GVHD in 26% of patients; the relapse in four patients was treated with second allo-HSCT. Spleen decreased in all evaluated patients (n = 24). Fibrotic changes improved or disappeared in 80% of evaluated patients (n = 10). CONCLUSIONS: Allo-HSCT may prolong survival, provide disease regression and improve quality of life in MF, especially in patients ≤ 45 yr transplanted from matched related donors. Achieving transfusion independence post-transplant indicates the favorable outcome.

Occurrence of secondary malignancies in chronic myeloid leukemia during therapy with imatinib mesylate-single institution experience.

INTRODUCTION: Imatinib mesylate (IM) remains the treatment of choice for chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) showing a remarkable efficacy and offers a perspective for long disease-free survival. Due to prolonged administration of IM, the questions about the possible impact on the development of secondary malignancies (SM) are raised. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the incidence and clinical outcome of secondary malignancies during IM therapy for CML. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The records of 221 CML patients treated with IM between 2003-2013 in a single institution were reviewed. The Poisson regression model was used to estimate the relative risks for SM and death in CML patients. RESULTS: Secondary malignancies developed in eight out of the 221 patients (3.6%) receiving IM for a median of 61 months (range, 10-137 months). Female/male ratio was 5/3. Two patients were diagnosed with their CML at accelerated phase whereas 6 had chronic phase. The median age at IM initiation was 58 years (range, 31-72 years). Five of these 8 SM patients received IM after other treatments failure: interferon α (n=5), hydroxyurea (n=4) and cytarabine (n=1). Three patients received IM as a frontline therapy. All patients were on IM at 400mg daily at SM occurrence. The therapy for SM included surgery (n=3), chemotherapy only (n=3), and chemotherapy followed by radiotherapy (n=1). One patient did not receive treatment due to disseminated disease. All CML patients were in hematologic and complete cytogenetic response (CCR) at the time of SM development. All of them also met the criteria for major molecular response (BCR-ABL(IS) ≤0.1%). They continued their IM while receiving treatment for SM. Among eight patients with SM, five patients are alive and remain in CCR on IM whereas three patients died due to SM. The risks for SM development as well as death due to SM in CML patients were not statistically increased if compared to age-adjusted population. CONCLUSIONS: The association between IM therapy for CML and SM development has not been found.