Heterogeneity in Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi and Plant Communities of the Brazilian Cerrado, Transitional Areas toward the Caatinga, and the Atlantic Forest.

The Cerrado is the most diverse tropical savanna worldwide and the second-largest biome in South America. The objective of this study was to understand the heterogeneity and dynamics of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) in different types of natural Cerrado vegetation and areas that are transitioning to dryer savannas or tropical rainforests and to elucidate the driving factors responsible for the differences between these ecosystems. Twenty-one natural sites were investigated, including typical Cerrado forest, typical Caatinga, Atlantic Rainforest, transitions between Cerrado and Caatinga, Cerrado areas near Caatinga or rainforest, and Carrasco sites. Spores were extracted from the soils, counted, and morphologically analyzed. In total, 82 AMF species were detected. AMF species richness varied between 36 and 51, with the highest richness found in the area transitioning between Cerrado and Caatinga, followed by areas of Cerrado close to Caatinga and typical Cerrado forest. The types of Cerrado vegetation and the areas transitioning to the Caatinga shared the highest numbers of AMF species (32-38). Vegetation, along with chemical and physical soil parameters, affected the AMF communities, which may also result from seasonal rainfall patterns. The Cerrado has a great AMF diversity and is, consequently, a natural refuge for AMF. The plant and microbial communities as well as the diversity of habitats require urgent protection within the Cerrado, as it represents a key AMF hotspot.

Intergroup time bias and aversive racism in the medical context.

Time is fundamental to organizing all aspects of human life. When invested in relationships, it has a psychological meaning as it indicates how much individuals value others and their interest in maintaining social relationships. Previous research has identified an intergroup time bias (ITB) in racialized social relations, defined as a discriminatory behavior in which White individuals invest more time in evaluating White than Black individuals. This research proposes an aversive racism explanation for the ITB effect and examines its consequences in the medical context. In four experimental studies (N = 434), we found that White medical trainees invested more time in forming impressions of White (vs. Black) male patients. Study 5 (N = 193) further revealed more time investment in diagnosing, assessing pain, and prescribing opioids for White than Black male patients. This biased time effect mediated the impact of patients' skin color on health care outcomes, leading to greater diagnostic accuracy and pain perception, and lower opioid prescriptions. A meta-analytical integration of the results (Study 6) confirmed the ITB effect reliability across experiments and that it is stronger in participants with an aversive racist profile (vs. consistently prejudiced or nonprejudiced). These findings provide the first evidence that bias in time investment favoring White (vs. Black) patients is associated with aversive racism and impacts medical health care outcomes. Furthermore, these results offer insights into the sociopsychological meaning of time investment in health care and provide a theoretical explanation for an understudied insidious form of discrimination that is critical to comprehending the persistency of racial health care disparities. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Escala de estratégias de resolução de conflitos familiares: adaptação e evidências psicométricas / Family conflict resolution strategies scale: adaptation and psychometric evidence / Escala de estrategias de resolución de conflictos familiares: adaptación y evidencias psicométricas

Este estudo teve o objetivo de adaptar o Conflict Resolution Styles Inventory (CRSI) para o contexto brasileiro e investigar se este apresenta evidências de adequabilidade psicométrica. No Estudo 1 foi desenvolvida a versão brasileira e, posteriormente, foram analisadas evidências de validade de conteúdo por meio da análise de juízes (N = 4 avaliadores especialistas) e adequação semântica em um estudo piloto com adolescentes (N = 15). No Estudo 2, verificamos as propriedades psicométricas do CRSI em uma amostra de adolescentes (N = 276), reunindo evidências de validade de estrutura interna e precisão. Finalmente, no Estudo 3, foram investigadas evidências adicionais de estrutura interna e precisão do CRSI em uma nova amostra (N = 224). Os resultados demonstraram que o CRSI reúne evidências de validade com base no conteúdo, na estrutura interna e de precisão, podendo ser usado para avaliar as estratégias de resolução de conflitos que adolescentes brasileiros utilizam nas discordâncias com seus pais, possibilitando seu uso em pesquisas sobre esse tema.(AU)

This study adapted the Conflict Resolution Styles Inventory (CRSI) for the Brazilian context and assessed its psychometric adequacy. In Study 1, the Brazilian version was developed and content validity was analyzed by experts (N = 4) with semantic adequacy assessed in a pilot study with adolescents (N = 15). In Study 2, psychometric properties were examined in a sample of adolescents (N = 276), providing evidence of internal validity and reliability. Study 3 further investigated evidence of internal validity and reliability in a new sample (N = 224). Results indicated that the CRSI exhibits content validity, internal validity, and reliability, making it suitable for assessing conflict resolution strategies employed by Brazilian adolescents in disagreements with their parents, enabling its use in related research.(AU)

Este estudio tuvo como objetivo adaptar el Conflict Resolution Styles Inventory (CRSI) al contexto brasileño y verificar si presenta evidencias de adecuación psicométrica. En el Estudio 1, se desarrolló la versión brasileña y, posteriormente, se analizaron las evidencias de validez de contenido a través del análisis de jueces (N = 4 evaluadores expertos) y de adecuación semántica en un estudio piloto con adolescentes (N = 15). En el Estudio 2, verificamos las propiedades psicométricas del CRSI en una muestra de adolescentes (N = 276), recogiendo evidencias de validez interna y precisión. Finalmente, en el Estudio 3, se investigó evidencias adicionales de la validez interna y precisión del CRSI en una nueva muestra (N = 224). Los resultados mostraron que el CRSI reúne evidencias de validez de contenido, validez interna y precisión, y puede ser utilizado para evaluar las estrategias de resolución de conflictos utilizadas por adolescentes brasileños en desacuerdos con sus padres, lo que permite su uso en investigaciones sobre este tema.(AU)

Promoting physical activity within breast cancer survivors using behavior change techniques: N-of-1 randomized controlled trials.

Survivors of breast cancer are an important target for health promotion interventions, and physical activity (PA) is recommended with benefits being well established. More and more behavior theory guided interventions are planned and tailored to the individuals, targeting specifics needs and personal characteristics. We aimed to test the effectiveness of two behavior change techniques [coping planning (CP) and self-monitoring (SM)] for promoting PA in survivors of breast cancer, using a single-case design. In a powerful multiple sample N-of-1 RCT, 10 women post-breast cancer (M = 52.8 years) were randomly assigned to four experimental conditions (CP and/or SM, control) for 60 days and their daily step count was observed. The overall effects were analyzed using multilevel time-series with random intercepts. Time-series regression models and supplementary pairwise analyses were conducted for individuals. Multilevel analyses showed significant effects of CP and SM. Single-case analyses showed that six participants walked significantly more on the intervention days, that combined interventions were effective for five participants, but two participants had better results with the other two conditions. Combined self-regulatory techniques were more effective in promoting PA however, individual variability should be considered in future studies with survivors of breast cancer. Retrospectively registered: https://osf.io/eakjy/?view_only=81bf3dc084a0410a8ea28265e0f3c360, 31-01-2023.(raise query).

Measuring the General and Specific Domains of Self-Esteem: The Short-form of the State Self-Esteem Scale.

Self-esteem is a crucial human nature feature for understanding the social dimensions of individuals' self-concept. One of its characteristics is peoples' malleability to adapt to social contexts, that is, the state self-esteem (SSE). Individuals express SES in three different factors: performance; social success; and physical appearance. Along with three studies, we present evidence of validity of the Short-Form of State Self-Esteem Scale (SSES-S) that measures contextual fluctuations in individuals' self-esteem. In Study 1 (N = 300), we found that the structure of the SSES-S was organized into three correlated factors that exhibited convergent-discriminant validity with measures of trait self-esteem and human values. In Study 2 (N = 281), confirmatory factor analysis indicated that a bifactor measurement model better fit the description of the factorial structure of the SSES-S, which also showed incremental validity concerning trait self-esteem for predicting one criterion. In Study 3 (N = 160), we experimentally manipulated contextual information about self-achievement and showed that the SSES-S is sensitive enough to detect transient fluctuations in self-esteem, especially in the achievement factor. We discussed the limitations and scope of the SSES-S, as its specific focus on measuring undergraduate students' state self-esteem and its implications distinguishing the general and particular domains of this construct.

Development and Validation of the Secondary Victimization Scale.

Sexual violence is ubiquitous in the history of human relationships, with the victim being perceived as responsible for their own misfortune. This phenomenon is labelled secondary victimization and is manifested in blaming, minimizing the suffering, and avoiding the victim. This article presents evidence of the validity of a scale that measures individual differences in these three types of secondary victimization of rape victims. In Study 1, we developed the scale items and analyzed their content validity. In Study 2, we carried out an exploratory analysis of its factorial structure and verified the set-up of the items in three theoretically predicted factors (blaming, minimizing the suffering, and avoiding the victim), which had convergent validity with the Rape Myth Acceptance Scale, and discriminant validity with the Big Five Personality Traits, in addition to having concurrent validity with the Belief in a Just World Scale (BJWS). In Study 3, we confirmed this tri-factor structure using confirmatory analysis. In Study 4, we analyzed the predictive validity of the Secondary Victimization Scale (SVS), proposing the hypothesis that secondary victimization mediates the effect of BJWS on the participants' behavior towards a rape victim. The summary of the results shows consistent evidence of the SVS's validity.

Distributive justice criteria and social categorization processes predict healthcare allocation bias.

OBJECTIVES: Drawing on theories of distributive justice and intergroup discrimination, we examined how much distributive justice criterion and racial group membership contribute to bias in healthcare allocation decisions, by testing a theoretical model that specifies perceived stereotypicality and individual responsibility as a serial mediation process in the relationship between disease's contraction controllability (controllable vs. non-controllable) and bias in medical decision-making. METHOD: White Portuguese medical students (N = 213) participated in an online experimental study conducted in two phases. In phase 1, we manipulated the cause of disease contagion and the salience of patient's racial categorization, and measured the stereotypicality of behaviour. In phase 2, we assessed perceived responsibility and likelihood of recommending medical treatment. RESULTS: Controllable (vs. non-controllable) contraction behaviours in phase 1 were perceived as more stereotypic. As a spillover effect, more stereotypical behaviours in phase 1 predicted more patient's responsibility for their disease in phase 2. Importantly, controllable behaviours of disease contraction in phase 1 negatively affected recommendations for medical treatment in phase 2; and this negative effect was serially mediated by the stereotypicality of behaviour and patient responsibility. Furthermore, patients' skin colour moderated this process, meaning that perceptions of controllable behaviour as more stereotypic were stronger for Black than for White patients. CONCLUSIONS: This research shows how stereotyping and social categorization bias allocation decisions through the patient's level of responsibility in decision-making processes. The findings are discussed in light of principles of distributive justice and the literature on intergroup relations with respect to racial disparities in health care.

Predicting Physical Activity in Survivors of Breast Cancer: the Health Action Process Approach at the Intrapersonal Level.

BACKGROUND: Benefits have been established for regular physical activity (PA) and exercise after breast cancer, but a decline of PA has also been a reported result of breast cancer diagnosis and treatments. The Health Action Process Approach (HAPA) model has been shown to predict various health behaviors, but few studies have tested it at the intrapersonal level. The aim of the present study was to test whether the HAPA constructs that are well confirmed at the interpersonal level also hold at the intrapersonal level in a group of women survivors of breast cancer. METHOD: PA behaviors (N = 338) by nine survivors of breast cancer were observed for 6 weeks, and the associations between the HAPA constructs and PA over time were examined. Participants completed a questionnaire with the HAPA constructs related to PA behavior (direct step count and self-reported). RESULTS: A multilevel model of behavior prediction found that optimistic beliefs about ability to initiate and maintain PA (self-efficacy) were positively related to intentions to be active, and these intentions predicted plans to be active. PA was directly and positively predicted by planning and by confidence in the ability to resume PA after a break. CONCLUSION: Self-efficacy and planning are associated with PA behavior within women survivors of breast cancer over time, which was not the case for the outcome expectancies, social support, and action control at this intrapersonal level. A multilevel approach for psychological predictors of PA can be useful in grounding interventions for survivors of breast cancer.

Multiple Casual Sex Scripts: Shared Beliefs about Behavior among Portuguese Emerging Adults.

Objective: Empirical research to differentiate casual sex scripts is still limited. We aimed to ascertain the sexual scripts for three main types of casual sexual relationships: hookup, friends with benefits and one-night stands. Methods: Through a mixed-method approach, we performed a study consisting in two sequential tasks to (1) complete three lists of script actions, and (2) identify the most agreed-upon actions for each casual sexual relationship. Results: An important number of actions and events were identified for the three casual sexual scripts, reflecting a high level of elaboration and structure. Following a cognitive-script methodology, the actions retained for the content of the script for each casual sexual relationship were those obtaining at least 60% in respect to the mean of their centrality to the encounter. Only 16.5% of actions were shared among the three scripts, demonstrating their distinctiveness. Conclusion: Knowledge about the different casual sex scripts can be used to develop relational and personal skills within CSRs and decrease unwanted experiences such as condomless sex.

Scale of Sexual Prejudice Against Bisexuals: evidence of validity / Escala de Preconceito Sexual Contra Bissexuais: evidências de validade / Escala de Prejuicio Sexual Contra Bisexuales: evidencia de validez

Sexual prejudice against bisexuals is widespread in society. However, little research has been done on this phenomenon because it is difficult to measure. The aim of the current study was to validate a short version of the Biphobia Scale for the Brazilian context (EPSB-br). In the first study, the EPSB-br showed unifactorial structure and convergent validity with scales measuring beliefs and stereotypes about bisexuality. Study 2 showed the EPSB-br's convergent-discriminant validity with scales measuring religiosity, right-wing authoritarianism, social dominance orientation, and sleepiness. Finally, Study 3 demonstrated the criterion-related validity of the EPSB-br through an experimental manipulation in which participants watched a video of a pretend teacher and assigned a salary to it. Taken together, these results showed evidence of validity and reliability of the EPSB-br, which introduced a measure of prejudice against bisexual people in Brazil. (AU)

O preconceito sexual contra bissexuais é fortemente presente na sociedade. Entretanto, este fenômeno ainda é pouco estudado, dada a dificuldade em sua mensuração. O presente trabalho teve o objetivo de validar uma versão reduzida da Biphobia Scale para o contexto brasileiro. No primeiro estudo, a Escala de Preconceito Sexual contra Bissexuais (EPSB-br) apresentou uma estrutura unifatorial e uma validade convergente com escalas que mensuram crenças e estereótipos sobre a bissexualidade. O Estudo 2 evidenciou a validade concorrente-discriminante da EPSB-br com a religiosidade, escalas de autoritarismo de direita, orientação à dominância social e sonolência. Por fim, o Estudo 3 demonstrou a validade de critério da EPSB-br a partir de uma manipulação experimental, na qual os participantes assistiram a um vídeo sobre um professor e atribuíram-lhe um salário. A síntese dos resultados mostrou evidências de validade e confiabilidade da EPSB-br, introduzindo uma medida de preconceito contra pessoas bissexuais no Brasil. (AU)

Lo Prejuicio Sexual contra Bisexuales está muy presente en la sociedad. Sin embargo, es un fenómeno poco estudiado, dada la dificultad de medirlo. Este trabajo buscó validar una versión reducida de la Biphobia Scale para el contexto brasileño. En el primer estudio, la EPSB-br presentó una estructura unifactorial y validez convergente con escalas que miden creencias y estereotipos sobre la bisexualidad. El estudio 2 evidenció la validez concurrente-discriminante de la EPSB-br con escalas de religiosidad, autoritarismo de derecha, orientación al dominio social y somnolencia. Finalmente, el Estudio 3 demostró la validez de criterio de la EPSB-br a través de una manipulación experimental, donde los participantes vieron un video sobre un maestro y le asignaron un salario. La síntesis de los resultados mostró evidencia de validez y confiabilidad de la EPSB-br, introduciendo una medida de prejuicio contra las personas bisexuales en Brasil. (AU)

Just World, Trust in Institutions and Socioeconomic and Political Moderations / Mundo Justo, Confiança nas Instituições e Moderações Socioeconômicas e Políticas

Abstract This study investigates the system justifying role through belief in a just world (BJW), testing whether institutional trust is related to this belief and whether this relationship depends on specific socioeconomic and political factors. A research with 381 university students, aged 18 to 64 years (M = 22.4, SD = 6.25), explored their BJW and their degree of institutional trust. Regression and moderation analyses revealed that BJW relates to institutional trust only in left-wing and with lower income participants. We believe this occurs because they need more an ideology that justifies the system to trust the institutions. This phenomenon can prevent these people from pursuing structural social changes since the system is now seen as fair.

Resumo Este estudo investiga o papel justificador do sistema através da crença no mundo justo (CMJ), testando se a confiança institucional está relacionada com essa crença e se esta relação depende de fatores socioeconômicos e políticos específicos. Uma pesquisa com 381 universitários, com idades de 18 a 64 anos (M = 22,4, DP = 6,25), explorou seus graus de CMJ e confiança institucional. Análises de regressão e moderação revelaram que a CMJ se relaciona com a confiança institucional apenas naqueles de esquerda e menores rendimentos. Acreditamos que isso ocorra porque estas pessoas precisam mais de uma ideologia justificadora do sistema para poder confiar nas instituições. Este fenômeno pode lhes indispor a buscar mudanças sociais estruturais, já que o sistema passa a ser visto como justo.

Predictors of Health-Protective and Helping Behaviors during the Covid-19 Pandemic: The Role of Social Support and Resilience.

The COVID -19 pandemic dramatically affected people's lives. In this study, we explored the role of social and personal factors underlying individuals' adaptive responses during the critical onset period of the outbreak. In particular, we tested two models on the mediating role of health-protective behaviors in the relationship between social support, resilience, and helping behavior. A sample of 1085 participants from Portugal and Brazil took part in an online survey during the first wave of the pandemic. First, through an Exploratory Factor Analysis of the health-protective behaviors to prevent contagion by the coronavirus, we identified two distinct dimensions, one aggregating active protective behaviors and the other as avoidant behaviors. Secondly, we found that resilience and active protective behavior sequentially mediated the relationship between social support and willingness to help. In addition, a multigroup analysis showed that this mediational process was similar in both countries. Given the wide range of social and individual factors that may predict prosocial behaviors, we highlight the role of social support on the intention to help through resilience and active protective behaviors.

Neuroticism, stress, and rumination in anxiety and depression of people with Vitiligo: An explanatory model.

Psychological impacts of Vitiligo have been demonstrated, and associations of the skin disease with anxiety and depression disorders have already been shown. However, it is still unclear the role of individuals' personality factors, such as neuroticism, stress, and rumination, as well as sociodemographic characteristics of people with Vitiligo in such disorders. We conducted a study in a community sample of individuals with Vitiligo (N = 324) aiming to test the hypothesis that neuroticism, stress, and rumination are subjacent to these individuals' anxiety and depression symptomatology. We also explored whether individuals' gender might favor the onset or worsening of the psychological consequences of such disorders. Results showed that the relationship between neuroticism, anxiety and depression was mediated by stress and rumination (brooding), being this effect moderated by the participants' gender. Specifically, women's reflection and stress seemed to be important mechanisms to predict their anxiety and depression symptoms, whereas brooding predicts such disorders' symptomatology in men with Vitiligo. These findings may guide future research and clinical interventions for this population, for which it is necessary to consider the psychological consequences of the disease and not just its physiological aspects.

A Fertile Ground for Ambiguities: Casual Sexual Relationships Among Portuguese Emerging Adults.

Casual sexual relationships (CSRs) are frequent relationship experiences in young adulthood that provide opportunities for many to explore sexual relationships and to construct their sexual identity. Empirical research on casual sex is still lacking outside North-American countries, despite evidence pointing to the need to contextualize sexual interactions in their own sociocultural context. In order to better understand casual sexual relationships, these should be examined in with novel samples in other countries where a "hookup culture" as it is described in the North-American university campus is apparently absent. Through a qualitative study, we explored what casual sexual relationships consist of according to the perceptions of Portuguese college students (N = 35). The thematic analysis of eight focus group interviews resulted in the generation of six themes, three of which are presented here: (1) What CSRs are, regarding features and types of CSRs, (2) Why individuals engage in CSRs, focusing on positive and negative motivations, and (3) What one gets from CSRs, focusing on positive and negative outcomes of CSRs. Our findings showed that Portuguese emerging adults are familiarized with CSRs, particularly with one-night stand, friends with benefits and "curte"/hookup. Sexual interactions associated with other CSRs, such as booty call or fuck buddies, were mentioned but rarely associated with a distinctive label and established characteristics. Participants described the CSRs in a partially overlapping manner presenting some areas of ambiguity, such as with regard to sexual exclusivity and still-unlabeled sexual interactions. CSRs are generally evaluated as positively motivated and mainly beneficial. This study adds to the literature around casual sexual relationships by exploring and describing CSRs in a different sociocultural context, as well as indicating directions for future research in order to better prepare and empower young adults in their sexual and relational trajectories.

The global impact of adverse childhood experiences on criminal behavior: A cross-continental study.

BACKGROUND: Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) have been associated with a greater risk of later criminal offending. However, existing research in this area has been primarily conducted in Western developed countries and cross-cultural studies are rare. OBJECTIVES: This study examined the relationship between ACEs and criminal behaviors in young adults living in 10 countries located across five continents, after accounting for sex, age, and cross-national differences. PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING: In total, 3797 young adults aged between 18 and 20 years (M = 18.97; DP = 0.81) were assessed locally in community settings within the 10 countries. METHOD: The ACE Questionnaire was used to assess maltreatment and household dysfunction during childhood and a subset of questions derived from the Deviant Behavior Variety Scale (DBVS) was used to determine past-year criminal variety pertaining to 10 acts considered crime across participating countries. RESULTS: Physical and sexual abuse, physical neglect, and household substance abuse were related to criminal variety, globally, and independently across sexes and countries ranked differently in the United Nations Human Development Index (HDI). In addition, three out of five experiences of household dysfunction were related to criminal variety, but subsequent analyses indicate that some forms of household dysfunction only hold statistical significance among males or females, or in countries ranking lower in the HDI. CONCLUSIONS: This research strengthens the finding that there are cross-cultural mechanisms perpetuating the cycle of violence. It also indicates that forms of household dysfunction have an impact on criminal behavior that is shaped by gender and the country's levels of social well-being.

COVID-19 anxiety scale (CAS): Development and psychometric properties.

The objective of the present research is to develop and validate the COVID-19 Anxiety Scale (CAS). We conducted three studies to gather evidence regarding content and construct validity, as well to evaluate the reliability of the measure. Study 1 is subdivided into two studies. In Study 1a, we analyze the content validity of the new measure through content expert analysis (N = 10 expert raters). In Study 1b (N = 30), we perform a pilot study with a sample from the target population. In Study 2 (N = 352), we explored the unifactorial structure of the measure, and analyzed its internal consistency verified. Finally, in Study 3 (N = 200), we assess the adequacy of the factor structure and gather evidence on convergent-discriminant validity and gender-scale invariance. In summary, our results demonstrate that CAS is a reliable and adequate instrument to assess COVID-19 related anxiety.

How Fair is Economic Inequality? Belief in a Just World and the Legitimation of Economic Disparities in 27 European Countries.

This article aims to examine the role of Belief in a Just World (BJW) in the legitimation of economic inequality. Using data from 27 European countries (N=47,086), we conducted multilevel analyses and found that BJW positively predicted the legitimation of economic inequality, measured by three indicators: the perceived fairness of the overall wealth inequality, and the fairness of the earnings made by the Top 10% and the Bottom 10% of society. These results persisted after controlling for individual- and country-level variables. Moreover, the BJW effect was stronger on the legitimation of the Bottom 10% incomes, compared to the legitimation of the Top 10%. We also found that economic inequality at the country-level reduced the BJW effect on legitimation of inequality. Finally, BJW displayed a negative indirect effect on support for redistribution, via the legitimation of economic inequalities.

COX-2 pathway is upregulated in ultra-high risk individuals for psychosis.

BACKGROUND: The identification of Ultra-High Risk (UHR) individuals is thought to be useful for early intervention to improve psychosis outcomes. However, transition rates vary widely, and there is an effort to make these criteria more specific and accurate. Neuroinflammation has been discussed in the pathophysiology of psychosis. The metabolism of eicosanoids is a key process in inflammatory states. Therefore, we investigated whether the study of the inflammatory COX-2 pathway through the quantification of the eicosanoid levels can be a useful approach for the characterisation of UHR individuals. METHODS: One hundred and twenty-two individuals were included in this study (67 UHR and 55 controls) based on performance on the Prodromal Questionnaire. UHR status was assessed by Structured Interview for Prodromal Syndromes (SIPS). We determined the levels of Prostaglandin F2α (PGF2α), Prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), and Thromboxane B2 (TxB2) in plasma using ELISA assays. RESULTS: Concentrations of PGE2 and TxB2 were increased in UHR compared to controls (p = 0.01 and p < 0.05, respectively). PGE2 and PGF2α levels were correlated to negative symptoms (p < 0.01 and p < 0.05), whereas TxB2 correlated with positive symptoms (p = 0.05) as assessed by the SIPS. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that overactivation of the COX-2 pathway may be related to an increased risk for psychosis. However, our data do not allow us to draw conclusions related to the cause-effect mechanisms. Future studies should determine whether the levels of the eicosanoids have a predictive value for the transition of UHR to frank psychosis.

From conservatism to support for gay conversion therapy: the role of prejudice and beliefs about same-sex sexuality.

Support for Gay Conversion Therapy may be motivated by homophobic prejudice driven by conservative groups. We propose that Support for Gay Conversion Therapy (SGCT) is motivated by conservatism and that this relationship is mediated by prejudice against gay individuals. We tested these hypotheses in three studies. In Study 1 (N = 249), we found that conservative values predict SGCT, and that this effect is partly mediated by prejudice. In Study 2 (N = 247), we replicated this mediation and found that ethical-religious and psychological essentialist beliefs differently moderated it. Study 3 (N = 210) went further by experimentally showing the political consequences of SGCT. We showed that more conservative individuals tend to absolve psychologists who practice sexual conversion, and that both prejudice and conservative-motivated SGCT mediated this effect. We discussed these results by emphasizing the psychosocial process that motivates SGCT.

Plasmatic endocannabinoids are decreased in subjects with ultra-high risk of psychosis.

The onset of frank psychosis is usually preceded by a prodromal phase characterized by attenuated psychotic symptoms. Currently, research on schizophrenia prodromal phase (ultra-high risk for psychosis [UHR]) has focused on the risk of developing psychosis, on the transition to full blown psychosis and on its prediction. Neurobiological differences between UHR individuals who fully recover (remitters) versus those who show persistent/progressive prodromal symptoms (nonremitters) have been little explored. The endocannabinoid system constitutes a neuromodulatory system that plays a major role in brain development, synaptic plasticity, emotional behaviours and cognition. It comprises two cannabinoid receptors (CB1/CB2), two endocannabinoid ligands, arachidonylethanolamide (AEA) and 2-arachidonoylglycerol (2AG) along with their inactivation enzymes. Despite much evidence that the endocannabinoid system is imbalanced during psychosis, very little is known about it in UHR. Therefore, we aimed to quantify the plasma endocannabinoid levels in UHR and healthy controls (HC) and verify if these metabolites could differentiate between remitters and nonremitters. Circulating concentrations of AEA (p = .003) and 2AG (p < .001) were lower in UHR when compared with HC, with no difference between remitters and nonremitters. Regarding clinical evolution, it was observed that out of 91 UHRs initially considered, 16 had psychiatric complaints (3 years of follow-up). Considering those subjects, there were weak correlations between clinical parameters and plasma concentrations of endocannabinoids. Our results suggest that the endocannabinoids are imbalanced before frank psychosis and that changes can be seen in plasma of UHR individuals. These molecules proved to be potential biomarkers to identify individuals in the prodromal phase of psychosis.