One Year Impact on Social Connectedness for Homebound Older Adults: Randomized Controlled Trial of Tele-delivered Behavioral Activation Versus Tele-delivered Friendly Visits

ObjectivesLonely and socially isolated homebound older participants of a randomized trial comparing behavioral activation (BA) versus friendly visiting, both delivered by lay counselors using tele-videoconferencing, were reassessed at 1-year to determine whether benefits at 12 weeks were maintained over time.MethodsThe study reinterviewed 64/89 (71.9%) participants.ResultsThe positive 12-week impact of tailored BA on 3 indicators of social connectedness (loneliness, social interaction and satisfactions with social support) was maintained, albeit to a lesser degree, over 1 year. The positive impact on depressive symptoms and disability was also maintained.ConclusionsThe intervention's potential reach and scalability are suggested by several factors: participants were recruited by home delivered meals programs during routine assessments; the intervention was brief and delivered by lay counselors; care delivery by tele-videoconferencing is increasingly common. The 1 year outcomes indicate that brief BA delivered by tele-video conferencing can have an enduring impact on social connectedness.     

“You Must Become a Chameleon to Survive”: Adolescent Experiences of Camouflaging

Camouflaging includes strategies used by individuals to mask or hide autistic traits. Research has shown that both autistic and neurotypical individuals engage in camouflaging and that there may be sex differences in the reasons for camouflaging in autistic adults. The purpose of this qualitative study was to extend previous research on the lived experience of camouflaging through exploring camouflaging motivations and consequences in autistic and neurotypical adolescents through both questionnaires (n?=?132) and semi-structured interviews (n?=?19). Results revealed trends in camouflaging motivations and consequences by diagnosis and sex, as well as by sex within the autistic group. These findings further inform our understanding of camouflaging and why it may be reported as particularly detrimental for autistic females.

     

Brain activation and connectivity in anorexia nervosa and body dysmorphic disorder when viewing bodies: relationships to clinical symptoms and perception of appearance

Brain Imaging and Behavior - Anorexia nervosa (AN) and body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) are characterized by distorted perception of appearance, yet no studies have directly compared the neurobiology...     

Combination Therapy Reverses Hyperglycemia in NOD Mice With Established Type 1 Diabetes

An increasing number of therapies have proven effective at reversing hyperglycemia in the nonobese diabetic (NOD) mouse model of type 1 diabetes (T1D), yet situations of successful translation to human T1D are limited. This may be partly due to evaluating the effect of treating immediately at diagnosis in mice, which may not be reflective of the advanced disease state in humans at disease onset. In this study, we treated NOD mice with new-onset as well as established disease using various combinations of four drugs: antithymocyte globulin (ATG), granulocyte-colony stimulating factor (G-CSF), a dipeptidyl peptidase IV inhibitor (DPP-4i), and a proton pump inhibitor (PPI). Therapy with all four drugs induced remission in 83% of new-onset mice and, remarkably, in 50% of NOD mice with established disease. Also noteworthy, disease remission occurred irrespective of initial blood glucose values and mechanistically was characterized by enhanced immunoregulation involving alterations in CD4⁺ T cells, CD8⁺ T cells, and natural killer cells. This combination therapy also allowed for effective treatment at reduced drug doses (compared with effective monotherapy), thereby minimizing potential adverse effects while retaining efficacy. This combination of approved drugs demonstrates a novel ability to reverse T1D, thereby warranting translational consideration.