Emotion regulation through bifocal processing of fear inducing and disgust inducing stimuli.

BACKGROUND: We present first-time evidence for the immediate neural and behavioral effects of bifocal emotional processing via visualized tapping for two different types of negative emotions (fear and disgust) in a sample of healthy participants. RESULTS: Independent of stimulus type, neural activation in the amygdala is increased during regulation, while activation in the ventral anterior cingulate cortex is decreased. Behavioral responses, as well as lateral and medial occipital regions and the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex show differential regulatory effects with respect to stimulus type. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that emotion regulation through bifocal processing has a neural and behavioral signature that is distinct from previously investigated emotion regulation strategies. They support theoretical models of facilitated access to and processing of emotions during bifocal processing and suggest differential neural and behavioral effects for various types of negative emotions.

Nurturing Hope: Reproductive Outcomes with Sinosomatics following Unsuccessful in vitro Fertilization Attempts.

INTRODUCTION: For women who have experienced failed attempts at in vitro fertilization (IVF) and face medical issues, leading to infertility, the renewed effort to seek fertility treatment, coupled with decreasing likelihood of success, can exert substantial emotional and physical strains. Consequently, many couples opt to discontinue treatment before attaining pregnancy. The objective of this study was to evaluate the reproductive outcomes in patients with unsuccessful prior IVF attempts who received a complementary treatment designed to alleviate emotional distress and burden. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A retrospective analysis of data from infertile patients who initiated the complementary intervention at a private clinic between January 2014 and December 2016 was conducted. Information on diagnosis, history of infertility, prior assisted reproductive technology treatments, mode of conception, and pregnancy outcomes were retrieved. RESULTS: The data of 133 patients with a history of one or more unsuccessful IVF treatments were analyzed. Patients had an average age of 36.7 years (±4.4 SD) and had been experiencing infertility for an average of 4.6 years (±2.7 SD). The two main causes of their infertility were endometriosis (36.1%, 48 patients) and diminished egg quality (31.6%, 42 patients). By May 2020, a significant proportion of the patients, 81.2% (108 patients), had achieved pregnancy, leading to 94 live births, which represents a 70.7% success rate. These pregnancies mostly resulted from natural cycle IVF (35.1%), donor cycles (23.4%), and conventional IVF (21.3%). The dropout rate was comparatively low at 23.3%. The median time from the start of complementary treatment to delivery was 18 months, with a range of 12-28 months. CONCLUSIONS: This study highlights the potential value of complementary treatment approaches in conjunction with standard medical care for women who have experienced unsuccessful IVF treatments in the past and thus face a reduced chance of motherhood. The reported 71% live birth rate is notably high, indicating that the inclusion of complementary treatments may provide women with past IVF failures a tangible opportunity for achieving successful pregnancy and childbirth. However, these findings need to be confirmed through randomized controlled studies.

Determining spatial disparities and similarities regarding heat exposure, green provision, and social structure of urban areas - A study on the city district level in the Ruhr area, Germany.

Heat islands and ongoing urbanization make cities places where the negative impacts of global climate change on society are becoming increasingly evident. Especially the interplay and potential multiplication of heat, low green provision, and the presence of socially deprived urban dwellers constitutes complex challenges. Emerging climate injustices and potential health issues require a powerful counter-reaction in form of adaptation action. For our study, we consider eight cities located in the densely populated and historically highly segregated Ruhr area in Western Germany, which is one of the largest metropolitan areas in Europe with a heterogeneous distribution of socio-spatial problems, economic potential, heat stress, and green infrastructures. We use land surface temperature (LST), data on green provision (normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI)), and social indicators to reveal the relationships between these indicators on the city district level (n = 275). Therefore, we first analyze the data regarding spatial autocorrelation (Moran's I) and clustering (Gi*) before calculating study area wide and city specific correlations between the three factors regarded. Finally, we conduct a cluster analysis (k-means) to disclose similar areas with or without multiple burdens. Our results show distinct disparities in heat exposure, green availability, and social status between city districts of the study area. We find strong negative correlations between LST and NDVI as well as between NDVI and social status. The relationship between LST and our social indicator remains ambiguous, affirming the necessity of further detailed studies. The cluster analysis furthermore allows for the visualization and classification of districts featuring similar characteristics regarding the researched components. We can discern in parts pronounced climate injustice in the studied cities, with a majority of people living in unfavorable environmental and socio-economic conditions. Our analysis supports governments and those responsible for urban planning in addressing climate injustice in the future.