Podcast appearances and mentions of beck depression inventory

Episode 151: Martian Medicine 102Future Dr. Collins discussed with Dr. Arreaza two common complications of astronauts in a hypothetical travel to Mars: Spaceflight-Associated Neuro-ocular Syndrome and mental illness.  Written by Wendy Collins, MSIV, Ross University School of Medicine. Comments by Hector Arreaza, MD.You are listening to Rio Bravo qWeek Podcast, your weekly dose of knowledge brought to you by the Rio Bravo Family Medicine Residency Program from Bakersfield, California, a UCLA-affiliated program sponsored by Clinica Sierra Vista, Let Us Be Your Healthcare Home. This podcast was created for educational purposes only. Visit your primary care provider for additional medical advice.Arreaza: We are back for another episode of Martian Medicine! A couple months ago we published the episode Martian Medicine 101. We talked about radiation and its health risks for astronauts going beyond Low Earth Orbit such as a crew going to Mars. Today, we are going to be covering Martian Medicine 102, where we discuss some more risks from the article “Red risks for a journey to the red planet”. So, let's just jump into it! The next risk we are going to talk about is Spaceflight-Associated Neuro-ocular Syndrome or SANS.  Wendy: Yes, so this used to be called Vision Impairment Intracranial Pressure because the syndrome affects astronauts' eyes and vision and can appear like idiopathic intracranial hypertension. But the name changed to SANS because is not associated with the classic symptoms of increased intracranial pressure in idiopathic intracranial hypertension such as severe headaches, transient vision obscurations, double vision, and pulsatile tinnitus. Also, it has never induced vision changes that meet the definiti on of vision impairment, as defined by the National Eye Institute. Its name change also reflects that the syndrome can affect the CNS well beyond the retina and optic nerve. Arreaza: Let's talk about SANS some more. SANS presents with an array of signs including edema of the optic disc and retinal nerve fiber, and what else?Wendy: Edema of chorioretinal folds, globe flattening, and refractive error shifts. Flight duration is thought to play a role in the pathogenesis of SANS, as nearly all cases have been diagnosed during or immediately after long-duration spaceflight such as missions of 30 days duration or longer. But signs have been discovered as early as mission day 10. SANS has been studied in ISS crewmembers who are tested with optical coherence tomography (OCT), retinal imaging, visual acuity, a vision symptom questionnaire, Amsler grid, and ocular ultrasound.Arreaza: About 69% of the US crewmembers on the ISS experience an increase in retinal thickness in at least one eye, indicating the presence of optic disc edema. This can cause an astronaut to experience blind spots and reduced visual function. Fortunately, to date, blind spots are uncommon and have not had an impact on mission performance.Wendy: And chorioretinal folds if severe enough and located near the fovea, an astronaut can experience visual distortions or reduced visual acuity that cannot be corrected with glasses or contact lenses. Fortunately, and despite a prevalence of 15–20% in long-duration crewmembers, chorioretinal folds have not yet impacted astronauts' visual performance during or after a mission.  Arreaza: A change in your glasses prescription is due to a change in the distance between the cornea and the fovea, and it occurs in about 16% of crewmembers during long-duration spaceflight. This risk is reduced by giving crewmembers with several pairs of “Space Anticipation Glasses” (or contact lenses). The crewmember can then select the appropriate lenses to correct visual acuity. Wendy: From a longer-term perspective, SANS presents two main risks to crewmembers: optic disc edema and chorioretinal folds. It is unknown if a multi-year spaceflight like that to Mars will be associated with a higher prevalence, duration, and/or severity of optic disc edema compared to what has been experienced onboard the ISS. Since the retina and optic nerve are part of the CNS, if optic disc edema is severe enough, the crewmember risks a permanent loss of optic nerve and retinal nerve fiber tissue and thus, a permanent loss of visual function. But again, no astronaut has experienced SANS-related permanent vision loss and choroidal folds usually improved post-flight in affected crewmembers. Arreaza: It is important to understand the pathogenesis of SANS. In microgravity, fluid can distribute uniformly. The fluid that normally pools in your legs due to gravity can now move to your head and cause congestion of the cerebral veins. The pathophysiology of SANS is that CSF outflow can be blocked, which increases intracranial pressure. Wendy: There can be confounding variables such as exercise, high-sodium dietary intake, and high carbon dioxide levels. It is difficult to know much about SANS because there are not many crewmembers who have completed long-duration spaceflight. There is now enough evidence to state that SANS is not a male-only syndrome. Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) has been used on the ISS since 2013, and it has allowed NASA to build a database of retinal and optic nerve images to understand SANS better. Research from this has shown that most long-duration astronauts present with some level of optic disc edema.Arreaza: Now all NASA crewmembers receive pre- and post-flight MRIs of the brain. There is evidence that brain changes structure with longer space flights. For example, the ventricles of the brain enlarge with 2–3 mL of CSF in astronauts. Luckily, there has been no cognitive problems with this. Like with most space health concerns, more research is needed. Wendy: In summary, SANS is a red risk and top priority to NASA and the human research program. The main concern with SANS is optic disc edema because it could lead to permanent vision impairment. And choroidal folds are also concerning for both short- and long-term flights. But for now, loss of visual acuity is successfully combatted with glasses. Certainly, the more astronauts and flights we take, the more we will learn about SANS.Wendy: Sorry we took so long on SANS, it's probably one of my favorites of all the red risk. Now let's move onto the red risk that includes behavioral health and performance. Future long duration mission in which you are in an isolated and confined space such as a space craft surrounded by an inhospitable environment which humans are not meant to survive could be a problem for the crew's behavioral and mental health. Arreaza: This could affect the astronauts and their ability to complete their mission. Typically, astronauts enjoy space and report it is a positive experience. But psychological changes from being in space for a long time will likely be even more challenging. Wendy: In the past, astronauts have reported ‘hostile' and ‘irritable' crew and symptoms of depression. Arreaza: Stressors to the ISS include long work hours and high workload, and the discomfort of space motion sickness. No one likes vomiting.  Wendy: Being on the ISS, you are close to Earth, and it is easy to communicate with family and friends when needed. Going to Mars there will be communication delay and will make support more difficult. Astronauts on the ISS also have routinely received care packages, which will also not be available to boost morale. Crew members can also change by swapping out astronauts over a certain period, but the crew to Mars will also not have this ability to work with new people.  Arreaza: There are simulation projects to test human resilience. NASA does these kinds of testing at the Johnson Space Center. There is also research in Antarctica that has shown decreased mood and increased stress for scientists in extreme environments. There is also the Mars 500 mission.  Wendy: Yes, the Mars 500 mission was where a crew of 6 went into isolation in Moscow for 520 days to simulate a trip to Mars. The astronauts had to complete behavioral questionnaires weekly. One of the six reported depressive symptoms based on the Beck Depression Inventory. Two crew members who had the highest ratings of stress and exhaustion, also reported conflicts and sleep difficulties. Two crew members reported no adverse behavioral symptoms during the mission.Wendy: So, I believe we're done. We've covered Radiation, SANS, and behavioral health. I know this topic is probably unique for qWeek, but a lot of what we learn medically from our time in space does have applications to us on Earth. As a medical student advice, I have gotten from others in the field is pursue what you're passionate about. Aerospace medicine is a growing field for clinicians from all specialties, so there's no golden path to take. If you are interested more in this field, I highly recommend joining relevant associations specifically AsMA and AMRSO. And if you ever want to discuss aerospace medicine further, feel free to reach out to me at my Ross email!______________________Conclusion: Now we conclude episode number 151, “Martian Medicine 102.” Future Dr. Collins explained that ocular issues are a potential problem when astronauts go to Mars, including Spaceflight-Associated Neuro-ocular Syndrome and vision impairments that would require changes in glass prescription, so, don't forget to take extra pairs of glasses when you go to the red planet. Dr. Arreaza also joined the conversation by talking about the mental health challenges that many astronauts may face as they embark on a long trip to Mars in a secluded spacecraft. We look forward to more information on Martian Medicine as primary care on Mars may look surprisingly similar to primary care on Earth.This week we thank Hector Arreaza and Wendy Collins. Audio editing by Adrianne Silva.Even without trying, every night you go to bed a little wiser. Thanks for listening to Rio Bravo qWeek Podcast. We want to hear from you, send us an email at RioBravoqWeek@clinicasierravista.org, or visit our website riobravofmrp.org/qweek. See you next week! _____________________References:Patel, Z.S., Brunstetter, T.J., Tarver, W.J. et al. Red risks for a journey to the red planet: The highest priority human health risks for a mission to Mars. npj Microgravity 6, 33 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41526-020-00124-6Royalty-free music used for this episode: Space Orbit by Scott Holmes, downloaded on July 20, 2022, from https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Scott_Holmes/. 

This week, Anna and Bonnie talk about the father of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), Dr. Aaron Beck. As always, Anna talks about Aaron's life and times, of which there are many, because this was a very busy man. They chat about CBT techniques that Beck created and even used on himself, along with how those were radically different than the Freudian stuff of the time. Then Bonnie talks about several of the assessments created by Aaron himself, including the Beck Depression Inventory.

Welcome to The Nonlinear Library, where we use Text-to-Speech software to convert the best writing from the Rationalist and EA communities into audio. This is: Make your training useful, published by AnnaSalamon on the AI Alignment Forum. As Tom slips on the ice puddle, his arm automatically pulls back to slap the ground. He's been taking Jiu-Jitsu for only a month, but, already, he's practiced falling hundreds of times. Tom's training keeps him from getting hurt. By contrast, Sandra is in her second year of university mathematics. She got an “A” in calculus and in several more advanced courses, and she can easily recite that “derivatives” are “rates of change”. But when she goes on her afternoon walk and stares at the local businesses, she doesn't see derivatives. For many of us, rationality is more like Sandra's calculus than Tom's martial arts. You may think “overconfidence” when you hear an explicit probability (“It's 99% likely I'll make it to Boston on Tuesday”). But when no probability is mentioned -- or, worse, when you act on a belief without noticing that belief at all -- your training has little impact. Learn error patterns ahead of time If you want to notice errors while you're making them, think ahead of time about what your errors might look like. List the circumstances in which to watch out and the alternative action to try then. Here's an example of what your lists might look like. A bunch of visiting fellows generated this list at one of our rationality trainings last summer; I'm including their list here (with some edits) because I found the specific suggestions useful, and because you may be able to use it as a model for your own lists. Action ideas, for three related biases: A. How does it help to know about overconfidence[1]? What can you do differently, once you know your impressions are unreliable? Action ideas: Try many things, including things you “know” won't work. Try cheap ones. Don't be so sure you can't do things. Don't be so sure that the things you are doing, are working: If a given “necessary” task is using a large portion of your week, test what happens if you skip that task. Ask others whether your efforts are working, and what you might try instead. Test their suggestions. Ask how you'll know if you hit your goal: what specific observables will be different? (Not “I'll know calculus” but “I'll be able to solve all the problems on the AP calculus test”. Not “I'll be happier” but “I'll improve my score on the Beck Depression Inventory”). Track these observables. Be suspicious of received wisdom, since others are also overconfident. But don't just ignore that wisdom in favor of your own error-prone impressions -- look for empirical tests.[2] Your friends and family are weirder (more unlike your models) than you think they are. Try to notice how. B. How does it help to know about the conjunction fallacy? What can you do differently, once you know specific stories are less likely than we generally expect? Action ideas: Use simple or disjunctive plans: Choose a (city/college/etc.) in which there are many promising possibilities, not one with a single, highly promising scenario.[3] Apply for many jobs, in many sectors of the economy. Gather re-purposable resources, such as money, rationality, sanity, capable friends, math skill, reading speed, mental and physical fitness. Focus on fundamentals more than on situation-specific techniques. Tell detailed stories when you want to convince someone: Describe specific scenarios to angel investors, potential customers, etc. Visualize specific scenarios, when you want convince the less verbal parts of yourself that your new (exercise plan / whatever) is worth the effort. Don't put all your caution into safeguarding one particular step. For example, don't “ensure your start-up will succeed” by focusing only on the programming step, or only on the “where to sell it” step. Brainstorm many ways your plans can go wrong. Realize that conjunction-ridden theories...

När den enskilda berättelsen försvinner, försvinner kanske också möjligheten till verklig förståelse och inlevelse, menar psykologen och författaren Ulf Karl Olov Nilsson i den här essän. ESSÄ: Detta är en text där skribenten reflekterar över ett ämne eller ett verk. Åsikter som uttrycks är skribentens egna.Vad har egentligen skett med det enskilda fallet i psykologin? Fallbeskrivningarna som var en given del av psykiatrin och psykoanalysen under 1800- och 1900-talet för nuförtiden en tynande tillvaro.I psykoanalysens barndom presenterade Joseph Breuer och Freud fem fallbeskrivningar i Studier över hysteri från 1895 där patienten Anna O. myntade för psykoanalysen odödliga uttryck som talkur och skorstensfejning. Under följande decennier skrev Freud sina egna fem stora fallbeskrivningar, Dora, Lille Hans, Råttmannen, Senatspresident Schreber och Vargmannen, varav han förvisso aldrig träffade Schreber, endast läste hans självbiografi. Ryske Aleksander Lurias fallstudier Mannen med det obegränsade minnet och Mannen vars värld slogs i spillror tillhör den neuropsykologiska fallbeskrivningens klassiker, en genre som Oliver Sacks vidareutvecklade i flera böcker som En antropolog på Mars och Mannen som förväxlade sin hustru med en hatt. Andra fall som gått till historien är Charcots berömda hysterika Blanche Wittman och Marguerite Sechehayes psykotiska Reinée.Psykologiska fallbeskrivningar har en påfallande likhet med litteratur, Freud klagade på att hans fall var så lika romaner, Alexander Luria påminner inte så lite om Jorge Luis Borges och Oliver Sacks kallades en gång elakt Mannen som förväxlade sina patienter med en litterär karriär. Ja, faran med att exploatera den andres, ofta en kvinnas, lidande är uppenbar och alldeles för många övertramp har skett. Freud medgav fallstudiens etiska dilemma men försvarade dess nödvändighet, som här förunderligt brutalt i ett brev till Oskar Pfister: Diskretion är oförenligt med en tillfredsställande beskrivning av analysen; för att beskriva den måste man vara skrupelfri, bedra, bete sig som en konstnär som köper färger för sin hustrus hushållspengar eller eldar med sina möbler för att hålla ateljén varm för sin modell.I psykoanalytiska artiklar nuförtiden har fallstudien ersatts av det vi kan kalla för vinjetter. Istället för en grundlig beskrivning av en patient ges en liten scen eller ett utsnitt ur en terapi som exempel för att utveckla ett tema. Och dagens psykiatriska artiklar forskningsrapporterna i de referentgranskade tidskrifterna är i princip oläsbara för lekmän och innehåller nästan bara statistik, diagram och sammanfattningar om vilka mediciner eller behandlingsmetoder som fungerat mer eller mindre bra. Några individuella fallbeskrivningar finns knappast längre, den personliga rösten är utrangerad, och fallen samlade i grupper eller kluster.Den individuella röstens sorti ser vi också i den allmänna utbredningen av torftiga enkäter med flervalsalternativ. Frågeformulären med flerval är den öppna frågans motsats. Vi finner dessa stelbenta enkäter i allt från psykiatriska bedömningar till arbetsintervjuer, public management-influerade medarbetarformulär, surveyundersökningar och likriktade kvartssamtal för skol- och förskolebarn. Har du någonsin ljugit? fick min 20-årige son nyligen som fråga i en arbetsintervju med svarsalternativen ja, nej och vet inte. Samme son fick som fyra-åring frågan Vad tycker du om förskolans personal? och svarade resolut genom att kryssa i ansiktet med ledsen mun och vägrade prata mer om saken.Ett problem när barn får flervalsfrågor är att de tror att det finns ett korrekt svar och att de andra är felaktiga. Vilket på sätt och vis stämmer eftersom skolan självklart önskar att alla ska vara nöjda. Likadant försöker också den vård- eller arbetssökande regelmässigt att klura ut vad läkaren eller arbetsgivaren önskar höra. Förutom att manualer och enkäter ofta är generande lättsinnigt formulerade är dess blinda fläck att de regelmässigt missar det sammanhang de är ställda i. I depressionsformuläret Beck Depression Inventory ställs exempelvis en person som sökt psykiatrisk hjälp inför att välja mellan ett av dessa fyra alternativ:Jag tycker inte att jag blir bestraffad Jag tror att jag kanske blir bestraffad Jag förväntar mig att bli bestraffad Jag känner att jag nu blir bestraffadJag tvivlar på att enkätförfattaren tänkt på att det sista alternativet Jag känner att jag nu blir bestraffad för ett känsligt öra kan tyda på att själva enkäten som sådan är en bestraffning. Eller att frågan hotfullt framställer den psykiatriska behandlingen som en potentiell bestraffning.Att svara på en enkät är att underkasta sig en ordning och en eventuell protest eller vägran från patientens sida innebär risk att bli utan hjälp. Många är vi som velat vara upproriska inför en korkad enkät, men inte haft modet av rädsla för att det skulle straffa sig. För att våga krävs antingen att man ingenting alls har att förlora eller att man är benhårt övertygad om sitt eget värde. Som i följande anekdot när ovan nämnde Alexander Luria 1962 försökte rehabilitera den notoriskt rebelliske nobelpristagaren i fysik, Lev Landau, som blev svårt hjärnskadad efter en bilolycka: När Luria bad honom rita en cirkel tecknade Landau ett kryss och när han blev ombedd att rita ett kryss tecknade han en cirkel. När Luria till sist sa: Landau, varför gör ni inte som jag säger? svarade nobelpristagaren: Då skulle ni kanske tro att jag blivit mentalt störd.Flervalsfrågorna är en effekt av två saker: psykiatrins tidsbrist och önskan om kvantifierbara resultat. Men med det kvantitativa försvinner också en kvalitativ aspekt. I värsta fall blir det som om att räkna antalet tangentnedslag per minut i en pianokonsert av Mozart man missar allt det väsentliga.I den utförliga fallbeskrivningen finns det plats för detaljerna, komplexiteten och nyanserna och därmed både inlevelse och analys. Fallstudien kan ses som en intellektuell motor för hypoteser och teorier. Försvinnandet av fallbeskrivningen inom psykologin är, vill jag hävda, också det moderna livets sätt att blunda för sorg och mänsklig tragedi. Det enskilda fallets stora forskningsmässiga nackdel är strikt numerärt: det är ju bara ett. Men det är också dess mänskliga fördel. En enskild människas olyckliga öde berör oss märkligt nog mer än ett stapeldiagram över femtontusen, det ser vi exempel på varje dag.Ulf Karl Olov Nilsson, psykolog och författare

Matters concerning the head this time around, depression is a pandemic we forget about sometimes but we shouldn't. Beck Depression Inventory and Hamilton Depression Scale are test you can take. Try the YouVersion Bible App, it's really great. Vel's Wave finally has an IG account @velswave, please follow, thanks for sticking around guys

White button mushrooms could slow progression of prostate cancer Beckman Research Institute, March 19, 2021 The chemicals present in white button mushrooms may slow the progression of prostate cancer, according to a mouse study presented virtually at ENDO 2021, the Endocrine Society's annual meeting. "Androgens, a type of male sex hormone, promote the growth of prostate cancer cells by binding to and activating the androgen receptor, a protein that is expressed in prostate cells," said lead researcher Xiaoqiang Wang, M.D., Ph.D., M.B. (A.S.C.P.), of the Beckman Research Institute of City of Hope, a comprehensive cancer center in Duarte, Calif. "White button mushrooms appear to suppress the activity of the androgen receptor." City of Hope's Shiuan Chen, Ph.D., the principal investigator of this project, previously conducted a phase one clinical trial of white button mushroom powder in patients with recurrent prostate cancer, which indicated that the mushrooms reduced levels of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) in the blood, with minimal side effects. Heightened blood levels of PSA in men may indicate the existence of prostate tumors. The new study aimed to understand the mechanism behind this finding. The researchers studied the mushroom extract's effect on prostate cancer cells that were sensitive to androgen. They also studied the extract's effect on mice implanted with human prostate tumors, which creates an animal model whose results would be more reliable as the research is translated to human clinical trials. The researchers found that in prostate cancer cells, white button mushroom extract suppressed androgen receptor activity. They also found that in mice treated with white button mushroom extract for six days, prostate tumor growth was significantly suppressed, and levels of PSA decreased. "We found that white button mushrooms contain chemicals that can block the activity of the androgen receptor in mouse models, indicating this fungus can reduce PSA levels," Wang said. "While more research is needed, it's possible that white button mushrooms could one day contribute to the prevention and treatment of prostate cancer."     Study shows stronger brain activity after writing on paper than on tablet or smartphone University of Tokyo, March 18, 2021 A study of Japanese university students and recent graduates has revealed that writing on physical paper can lead to more brain activity when remembering the information an hour later. Researchers say that the complex, spatial and tactile information associated with writing by hand on physical paper is likely what leads to improved memory. "Actually, paper is more advanced and useful compared to electronic documents because paper contains more one-of-a-kind information for stronger memory recall," said Professor Kuniyoshi L. Sakai, a neuroscientist at the University of Tokyo and corresponding author of the research recently published in Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience. The research was completed with collaborators from the NTT Data Institute of Management Consulting. Contrary to the popular belief that digital tools increase efficiency, volunteers who used paper completed the note-taking task about 25% faster than those who used digital tablets or smartphones. Although volunteers wrote by hand both with pen and paper or stylus and digital tablet, researchers say paper notebooks contain more complex spatial informationthan digital paper. Physical paper allows for tangible permanence, irregular strokes, and uneven shape, like folded corners. In contrast, digital paper is uniform, has no fixed position when scrolling, and disappears when you close the app. "Our take-home message is to use paper notebooks for information we need to learn or memorize," said Sakai. In the study, a total of 48 volunteers read a fictional conversation between characters discussing their plans for two months in the near future, including 14 different class times, assignment due dates and personal appointments. Researchers performed pre-test analyses to ensure that the volunteers, all 18-29 years old and recruited from university campuses or NTT offices, were equally sorted into three groups based on memory skills, personal preference for digital or analog methods, gender, age and other aspects. Volunteers then recorded the fictional schedule using a paper datebook and pen, a calendar app on a digital tablet and a stylus, or a calendar app on a large smartphone and a touch-screen keyboard. There was no time limit and volunteers were asked to record the fictional events in the same way as they would for their real-life schedules, without spending extra time to memorize the schedule. After one hour, including a break and an interference task to distract them from thinking about the calendar, volunteers answered a range of simple (When is the assignment due?) and complex (Which is the earlier due date for the assignments?) multiple choice questions to test their memory of the schedule. While they completed the test, volunteers were inside a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanner, which measures blood flow around the brain. This is a technique called functional MRI (fMRI), and increased blood flow observed in a specific region of the brain is a sign of increased neuronal activity in that area. Participants who used a paper datebook filled in the calendar within about 11 minutes. Tablet users took 14 minutes and smartphone users took about 16 minutes. Volunteers who used analog methods in their personal life were just as slow at using the devices as volunteers who regularly use digital tools, so researchers are confident that the difference in speed was related to memorization or associated encoding in the brain, not just differences in the habitual use of the tools. Volunteers who used analog methods scored better than other volunteers only on simple test questions. However, researchers say that the brain activation data revealed significant differences. Volunteers who used paper had more brain activity in areas associated with language, imaginary visualization, and in the hippocampus—an area known to be important for memory and navigation. Researchers say that the activation of the hippocampus indicates that analog methods contain richer spatial details that can be recalled and navigated in the mind's eye. "Digital tools have uniform scrolling up and down and standardized arrangement of text and picture size, like on a webpage. But if you remember a physical textbook printed on paper, you can close your eyes and visualize the photo one-third of the way down on the left-side page, as well as the notes you added in the bottom margin," Sakai explained. Researchers say that personalizing digital documents by highlighting, underlining, circling, drawing arrows, handwriting color-coded notes in the margins, adding virtual sticky notes, or other types of unique mark-ups can mimic analog-style spatial enrichment that may enhance memory. Although they have no data from younger volunteers, researchers suspect that the difference in brain activation between analog and digital methods is likely to be stronger in younger people. "High school students' brains are still developing and are so much more sensitive than adult brains," said Sakai. Although the current research focused on learning and memorization, the researchers encourage using paper for creative pursuits as well. "It is reasonable that one's creativity will likely become more fruitful if prior knowledge is stored with stronger learning and more precisely retrieved from memory. For art, composing music, or other creative works, I would emphasize the use of paper instead of digital methods," said Sakai.   Eating processed meat could increase dementia risk? University of Leeds (UK), March 22, 2021 Scientists from the University of Leeds's Nutritional Epidemiology Group used data from 500,000 people, discovering that consuming a 25g serving of processed meat a day, the equivalent to one rasher of bacon, is associated with a 44% increased risk of developing the disease.  But their findings also show eating some unprocessed red meat, such as beef, pork or veal, could be protective, as people who consumed 50g a day were 19% less likely to develop dementia.?  The researchers were exploring a potential link between consumption of meat and the development of dementia, a health condition that affects 5%-8% of over 60s worldwide.  Their results, titled Meat consumption and risk of incident dementia: cohort study of 493888 UK Biobank participants, are published today in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.  Lead researcher Huifeng Zhang, a PhD student from the University of?Leeds'?School of Food Science and Nutrition, said: "Worldwide, the prevalence of dementia is increasing and diet as a modifiable factor could play a role. Our research adds to the growing body of evidence linking processed meat consumption, to increased risk of a range of non-transmissible diseases."?  The research was supervised by Professor Janet Cade and Professor Laura Hardie, both at Leeds.  The team studied?data provided by UK Biobank, a database containing in-depth genetic and health information from half a million UK participants?aged 40 to 69, to investigate associations between consuming different types of meat and risk of developing dementia.??  The data included?how often?participants?consumed different kinds of meat, with six options from never to once or more daily, collected in 2006-2010 by the UK Biobank.?The study did not specifically assess the impact of a vegetarian or vegan diet on dementia risk, but it included data from people who said they did not eat red meat.?  Among the participants, 2,896 cases of dementia emerged over an average of eight years of follow up.?These people were?generally older, more?economically deprived, less educated, more likely to smoke, less physically active, more likely to have stroke history and family dementia history, and more likely to be carriers of a gene which is highly associated with dementia. More men than women were diagnosed with dementia in the study population.??  Some people were three to six times more likely to develop dementia due to well established genetic factors, but the findings suggest the risks from eating processed meat were the same?whether or not?a person was genetically predisposed to developing the disease.?  Those who consumed higher amounts of processed meat were?more likely to be male, less educated, smokers, overweight or obese, had lower intakes of vegetables and fruits, and had higher intakes of energy, protein, and fat (including saturated fat).?  Meat consumption has previously been associated with dementia risk, but this is believed to be the first large-scale study of participants over time to examine a link between specific meat types and amounts, and the risk of developing the disease.?  There are around 50 million dementia cases globally, with around 10 million new cases diagnosed every year. Alzheimer's Disease makes up 50% to 70% of cases, and vascular dementia around 25%. Its development and progression are associated with both genetic and environmental factors, including diet and lifestyle.??  Ms?Zhang said: "Further confirmation is needed, but the direction of effect is linked to current healthy eating guidelines suggesting lower intakes of unprocessed red meat could be beneficial for health."  Professor Cade said: 'Anything we can do to explore potential risk factors for dementia may help us to reduce rates of this debilitating condition. This analysis is a first step towards understanding whether what we eat could influence that risk."   Tea drinking slashes the risk of cognitive decline and Alzheimer's disease: Singapore population-based analysis   National University of Singapore, March 20, 2021   Tea consumption halves the risk of cognitive impairment for people 55 years old and above, and also dramatically reduces the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease among those at greater genetic risk.   These were the key findings of a longitudinal study involving 957 seniors led by assistant professor Feng Lei from the Department of Psychological Medicine at National University of Singapore’s (NUS) Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine. It found that regular consumption of tea lowers the risk of cognitive decline in the elderly by 50%, while APOE e4 gene carriers who are genetically at risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease may experience a reduction in cognitive impairment risk by as much as 86%.   The research team also discovered that the neuroprotective role of tea consumption on cognitive function is not limited to a particular type of tea – so long as the tea is brewed from tea leaves, such as green, black or oolong tea.   “While the study was conducted on Chinese elderly, the results could apply to other races as well. Our findings have important implications for dementia prevention. Despite high quality drug trials, effective pharmacological therapy for neurocognitive disorders such as dementia remains elusive and current prevention strategies are far from satisfactory. Tea is one of the most widely consumed beverages in the world. The data from our study suggests that a simple and inexpensive lifestyle measure such as daily tea drinking can reduce a person’s risk of developing neurocognitive disorders in late life,” said assistant professor Feng.   However, he said much more work is needed to fully understand the biological mechanisms responsible for these benefits.   Assistant professor Feng added: "Based on current knowledge, this long term benefit of tea consumption is due to the bioactive compounds in tea leaves, such as catechins, theaflavins, thearubigins and L-theanine. These compounds exhibit anti-inflammatory and antioxidant potential and other bioactive properties that may protect the brain from vascular damage and neurodegeneration. Our understanding of the detailed biological mechanisms is still very limited so we do need more research to find out definitive answers."   In this study, tea consumption information was collected from the participants, who were community-living elderly, from 2003 to 2005. At regular intervals of two years, these seniors were assessed on their cognitive function using standardised tools until 2010. Information on lifestyles, medical conditions, physical and social activities were also collected. Those potential confounding factors were controlled in statistical models to ensure the robustness of the findings.   The paper, published in The Journal of Nutrition, Health & Aging, stated: "A total of 72 incidents of neurocognitive disorders (NCD) were identified from the cohort. Tea intake was associated with lower risk of incident NCD, independent of other risk factors. Reduced NCD risk was observed for both green tea (OR=0.43) and black/oolong tea (OR=0.53) and appeared to be influenced by the changing of tea consumption habit at follow-up. Using consistent non-tea consumers as the reference, only consistent tea consumers had reduced risk of NCD (OR=0.39). Stratified analyses indicated that tea consumption was associated with reduced risk of NCD among females (OR=0.32) and APOE e4 carriers (OR=0.14) but not males and non APOE e4 carriers."   It concluded that regular tea consumption was associated with lower risk of neurocognitive disorders among Chinese elderly. Gender and genetic factors could possibly modulate this association, it added.     Exposure to common chemical during pregnancy may reduce protection against breast cancer Research suggests propylparaben is an endocrine disruptor University of Massachusetts, March 16, 2021 Low doses of propylparaben - a chemical preservative found in food, drugs and cosmetics - can alter pregnancy-related changes in the breast in ways that may lessen the protection against breast cancer that pregnancy hormones normally convey, according to University of Massachusetts Amherst research. The findings, published March 16 in the journal Endocrinology, suggest that propylparaben is an endocrine-disrupting chemical that interferes with the actions of hormones, says environmental health scientist Laura Vandenberg, the study's senior author. Endocrine disruptors can affect organs sensitive to hormones, including the mammary gland in the breast that produces milk. "We found that propylparaben disrupts the mammary gland of mice at exposure levels that have previously been considered safe based on results from industry-sponsored studies. We also saw effects of propylparaben after doses many times lower, which are more reflective of human intake," Vandenberg says. "Although our study did not evaluate breast cancer risk, these changes in the mammary tissue are involved in mitigating cancer risk in women." Hormones produced during pregnancy not only allow breast tissue to produce milk for the infant, but also are partly responsible for a reduced risk of breast cancer in women who give birth at a younger age. The researchers, including co-lead author Joshua Mogus, a Ph.D. student in Vandenberg's lab, tested whether propylparaben exposure during the vulnerable period of pregnancy and breastfeeding adversely alters the reorganization of the mammary gland. They examined the mothers' mammary glands five weeks after they exposed the female mice to environmentally doses of propylparaben during pregnancy and breastfeeding. Compared with pregnant mice that had not received propylparaben, the exposed mice had mammary gland changes not typical of pregnancy, the researchers report. These mice had increased rates of cell proliferation, which Vandenberg says is a possible risk factor for breast cancer. They also had less-dense epithelial structures, fewer immune cell types and thinner periductal collagen, the connective tissue in the mammary gland. "Some of these changes may be consistent with a loss of the protective effects that are typically associated with pregnancy," says Mogus, who was chosen to present the research, deemed "particularly newsworthy" by the Endocrine Society, at the international group's virtual annual meeting, ENDO 2021, beginning March 20.  Mogus says future studies should address whether pregnant females exposed to propylparaben are actually more susceptible to breast cancer. "Because pregnant women are exposed to propylparaben in many personal care products and foods, it is possible that they are at risk," Mogus says, adding that pregnant and breastfeeding women should try to avoid using products containing propylparaben and other parabens. "This chemical is so widely used, it may be impossible to avoid entirely," Mogus adds. "It is critical that relevant public health agencies address endocrine-disrupting chemicals as a matter of policy."     Low magnesium levels associated with depressive symptoms and metabolic disorders in men Pomeranian Medical University (Poland), March 19, 2021   According to news reporting from Szczecin, Poland, research stated, “Background: changes in the concentration of magnesium influence numerous processes in the body, such as hormone and lipid metabolism, nerve conduction, a number of biochemical pathways in the brain, and metabolic cycles. As a result, changes in magnesium concentration may contribute to the emergence of such pathologies as depressive and metabolic disorders, including hypertension, diabetes, and dyslipidemia.” Our news journalists obtained a quote from the research from Pomeranian Medical University: “Methods: blood samples were taken from 342 men whose mean age was 61.66 ± 6.38 years. The concentrations of magnesium, lipid parameters, and glucose were determined using the spectrophotometric method. Anthropometric measurements were performed to determine each participant’s body mass index (BMI). Additionally, all participants completed two questionnaires: the Beck Depression Inventory and the author’s questionnaire. Results: abnormal levels of magnesium were found in 78 people. The analysis showed that these subjects more often suffered from metabolic disorders such as diabetes mellitus (* * p* * < 0.001), hypertension (* * p* * < 0.001), and depressive symptoms (* * p* * = 0.002) than participants with normal magnesium levels.” According to the news reporters, the research concluded: “Conclusion: our research showed that there is a relationship between abnormal levels of magnesium and the presence of self-reported conditions, such as diabetes, hypertension, and depressive symptoms among aging men. These findings may contribute to the improvement of the diagnosis and treatment of patients with these conditions.”     Self-compassion can lessen feelings of work-from-home loneliness, finds study Indiana University, March 19, 2021 The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic is keeping millions of Americans from their usual offices, as they find themselves still working at home. Even with the vaccine now being distributed, working from home may still be the future for some, and new research suggests the resulting work loneliness negatively impacts employee well-being. Stephanie Andel, an assistant professor of psychology in the School of Science at IUPUI, along with collaborators at York University and the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, recently published a study finding that feelings of work loneliness during the pandemic were associated higher depression and fewer voluntary work behaviors. The research appears in the Journal of Occupational Health Psychology. "We wanted to understand what factors are driving feelings of work loneliness, and to understand how this work loneliness influenced employees' psychological health and work behaviors," Andel said. "We looked at three different factors that we thought might drive work loneliness: perceptions of job insecurity, telecommuting frequency and insufficient communication from their companies about how they were responding to the pandemic. "We found each of those factors contributed to feelings of work loneliness, and we also found that work loneliness was associated with depression and fewer voluntary helping behaviors at work." Participants in the study came from a wide range of industries including manufacturing; technology, such as computer programming; retail; and education. The results are based on weekly surveys of these individuals from mid-March to mid-May 2020. When people feel lonely, the study found, they experience more depressive symptoms, and they are less likely to go above and beyond in their jobs, such as helping a co-worker—something many organizations may have hoped their employees would do during the pandemic. But there is hope—in the form of self-compassion. Andel and colleagues found self-compassion, or being kind to yourself during times of suffering, can mitigate some of the negative effects of work loneliness. "We found that self-compassion helps protect employees from some of the negative effects of work loneliness," Andel said. "We suspect this is because self-compassion leads individuals to be kinder to themselves, makes them more likely to recognize that they are not alone in their feelings and helps them to be aware of—but not consumed by—their negative feelings." Individuals who reported having higher levels of self-compassion exhibited fewer depressive symptoms following feelings of work loneliness in comparison to those with lower levels of self-compassion. But they also engaged in fewer helping behaviors, which surprised the study's authors. "We originally thought if you were more self-compassionate, you might have the energy and mental resources to engage in more helping behaviors at work," Andel said. "However, it turns out that the pattern is opposite of what we expected. Instead, those who were higher in self-compassion were more likely to give themselves a necessary break. We suspect that this may ultimately help them to feel better and help more in the future." Although self-compassion has been studied quite a bit in the field of clinical psychology, it has rarely been examined in the workplace context. Andel is optimistic about its potential to enhance the health and well-being of employees. "It will be very interesting for future research to continue investigating the power of self-compassion in the workplace," she said. "For instance, it would be great to see if managers who promote self-compassion at work foster a better working experience for their employees. Ultimately, my collaborators and I hope to develop self-compassion interventions that can be utilized by companies to help their employees feel and perform better at work." For companies that want to help their employees struggling right now with work loneliness, Andel provides the following suggestions: Provide consistent and clear communication regularly to employees regarding the company's response to the pandemic and be transparent about structural or financial changes that may affect employees' job security or income. Host virtual social gatherings for employees. These should not be mandatory, but rather voluntary social activities aimed at enhancing employee morale and promoting a sense of belonging among employees. Create an organizational climate that promotes and encourages employee self-compassion. For individuals who want to take the initiative themselves to enhance their own self-compassion, Andel suggests that in times of perceived failure or suffering, one should try to avoid negative self-talk and instead, give the same kindness and compassion to oneself that you would give to a good friend. "This is an exciting and important step in bringing self-compassion to the organizational literature, and my collaborators and I look forward to building on this research," Andel said. 

Dr. Brian Rees administers the Beck Depression Inventory to Craig. The boys ruminate on gas station penis pills, an article by the great Courtney Kirchoff, and the age at which their dads could no longer kick their asses, if ever.  The quest to crown the greatest TV theme song ever continues with "S.W.A.T." facing "Ironside," "Starsky and Hutch" facing "Good Times," and "M*A*S*H" facing off against "Happy Days."  If you don't hate everything about the show by now, you can check us out at OldDogPack.com, on Twitter @olddogpack, and on Instagram @olddogpack.

Встречайте 76-й выпуск SDCast’а про мир Ruby разработки. У меня в гостях Антон Давыдов, Ruby-разработчик, опенсорс-контрибьютор. В этом выпуске мы с Антоном обсуждаем разработку на языке Ruby, обсуждаем различные фреймворки, такие как RoR и Hanami, дискутируем на тему различных аспектов разработки, обсуждаем open source и сообщества и многое другое. В начале Антон рассказал, как он пришёл в разработку на Ruby, как познакомился с Ruby on Rails фреймворком. Мы обсудили идеи и концепции, заложенные в RoR, чем он хорош и плох, как изначальные архитектурные решения повлияли на дальнейшее развитие фреймворка. Так же Антон рассказал про альтернативный набирающий популярность Ruby фреймворк Hanami. Рассказал про историю его появления, какие идеи преследовались при его создании и как Антон со временем стал его core-контрибьютером. Антон рассказал про архитектуру и внутреннее устройства фреймворка, чем он отличается от RoR, на каких архитектурных паттернах он базируется, какое есть сообщество вокруг проекта, сколько ключевых контрибьюторов и как проект живёт и развивается. Так же мы затронули тему депрессии, прокрастинации и выгорания. Антон рассказал, как он сам был в состоянии депрессии и какие меры он предпринимал для выхода из этого состояния. Обсудили мы и то, какие превентивные меры следует принимать, чтобы не попадать в это состояние. Поговорили мы и о конференциях. Антон рассказал про то, на каких конференциях он был в качестве докладчика и посетителя. Рассказал про отличия аудитории Ruby-конференций в различных странах, где какие акценты в плане докладов и технологий. Обсудили мы и премию Rubyheroes, которую Антон получил некоторое время назад. Антон рассказал про эту инициативу, что это за премия, как и кому она выдаётся в России и в каких странах ещё есть эта премия. Ссылки на ресурсы по темам выпуска: * Pepegramming (https://t.me/pepegramming). Телеграмм канал Антона с новостями и интересными статьями. * Заметка «Lotus is now Hanami (http://hanamirb.org/blog/2016/01/22/lotus-is-now-hanami.html)» * Статья «Physical separation in Rails apps (https://blog.arkency.com/physical-separation-in-rails-apps/)» * Статья Мартина Фаулера «TestPyramid (https://martinfowler.com/bliki/TestPyramid.html)» * Статья Мартина Фаулера «Event Sourcing (https://martinfowler.com/eaaDev/EventSourcing.html)» * Статья «Pattern: Event sourcing (http://microservices.io/patterns/data/event-sourcing.html)» * Отличная книга про DDD Эрика Эванса: «Domain-Driven Design: Tackling Complexity in the Heart of Software» * Github-репозиторий Awesome Domain-Driven Design (https://github.com/heynickc/awesome-ddd) * Wiki-страница «Шкала депрессии Бека (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beck_Depression_Inventory)» * Статья «Я хочу пойти на психотерапию. Какой метод выбрать? (https://meduza.io/cards/ya-hochu-poyti-na-psihoterapiyu-kakoy-metod-vybrat)» * Статья «Программисты и депрессия (https://habrahabr.ru/post/260249/)» * Советы Антона: * что делать до, во время и после конференции (https://t.me/pepegramming/12) * как сделать презентацию (https://t.me/pepegramming/28) * Видео доклада «RubyConf 2017: LLVM-based JIT compiler (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ti4a7SXGWig)» * RubyKaigi (http://rubykaigi.org/2018). Ruby-конференция в Японии * Конференция RailsClub (http://railsclub.ru/) * Rubyheroes (https://rubyheroes.com/) * Статья «Ruby Hero Russia Award 2016 (https://habrahabr.ru/company/railsclub/blog/312976/)» * RubyConf India Ruby Hero Award (http://rubyconfindia.org/ruby-hero-award/) * Московское Ruby Сообщество (http://moscow-rb.org/) * Личный сайт Майка Пирхама (https://www.mikeperham.com/about/) * A handy guide to financial support for open source (https://github.com/nayafia/lemonade-stand) * Непринятый Pull Request в GitLab Антона (https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-ce/merge_requests/3029) Понравился выпуск? — Поддержи подкаст на patreon.com/KSDaemon (https://www.patreon.com/KSDaemon) а так же ретвитом, постом и просто рассказом друзьям!

The Beck Depression Inventory has been used to identify depression for many years. But it will miss those with Perfectly Hidden Depression, due to the fact that they’d rarely allow themselves to reveal their pain, not even to a computer. Even people with more moderate classic depression may discount or deny their symptoms — no […] The post 031 SelfWork: Hiding Depression And Perfectly Hidden Depression – Is There A Difference? appeared first on Dr. Margaret Rutherford.

In the treatment of dysgeusia, the use of zinc has been frequently tried, with equivocal results. The aim of the present randomized clinical trial, which involved a sufficiently large sample, was therefore to determine the efficacy of zinc treatment. Fifty patients with idiopathic dysgeusia were carefully selected. Zinc gluconate (140 mg/day; n = 26) or placebo (lactose; n = 24) was randomly assigned to the patients. The patients on zinc improved in terms of gustatory function (p < 0.001) and rated the dysgeusia as being less severe (p < 0.05). Similarly, signs of depression in the zinc group were less severe (Beck Depression Inventory, p < 0.05; mood scale, p < 0.05). With the exception of the salivary calcium level, which was higher in the zinc patients (p < 0.05), no other significant group differences were found. In conclusion, zinc appears to improve general gustatory function and, consequently, general mood scores in dysgeusia patients.

Treatment of alcohol-dependent patients was primarily focused on inpatient settings in the past decades. The efficacy of these treatment programs has been evaluated in several studies and proven to be sufficient. However, with regard to the increasing costs in public healthcare systems, questions about alternative treatment strategies have been raised. Meanwhile, there is growing evidence that outpatient treatment might be comparably effective as inpatient treatment, at least for subgroups of alcohol dependents. On that background, the present study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of a high-structured outpatient treatment program in 103 alcohol-dependent patients. 74 patients (72%) terminated the outpatient treatment regularly. At 6 months' follow-up, 95% patients were successfully located and personally re-interviewed. Analyses revealed that 65 patients (64%) were abstinent at the 6-month follow-up evaluation and 37 patients ( 36%) were judged to be non-abstinent. Pretreatment variables which were found to have a negative impact (non-abstinence) on the 6-month outcome after treatment were a higher severity of alcohol dependence measured by a longer duration of alcohol dependence, a higher number of prior treatments and a stronger alcohol craving (measured by the Obsessive Compulsive Drinking Scale). Further patients with a higher degree of psychopathology measured by the Beck Depression Inventory (depression) and State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (anxiety) relapsed more often. In summary, results of this study indicate a favorable outcome of socially stable alcohol-dependent patients and patients with a lower degree of depression, anxiety and craving in an intensive outpatient rehabilitation program.