Emotion in public involvement: A conceptual review.

BACKGROUND: Experiential knowledge can aid in designing research by highlighting what an idea looks like from a patient and carer perspective. Experiential knowledge can be emotional, and this can create challenges at formal research meetings. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to consider the role of emotions in public involvement. METHODS: This is a conceptual review informed by relevant literature and reflection within the author team. A structured Scopus search was conducted in November 2021 and December 2022, identifying 18 articles that presented findings from patient and public involvement (PPI) research related to 'emotion'. We complemented the search with theory-generating articles related to the role of emotion and emotional labour in human life. FINDINGS: Study findings from the structured search were tabulated to identify recurring themes; these were as follows: emotional connections to the research topic can cause stressful as well as cathartic experiences of PPI, 'emotional work' is part of PPI when people are contributing with their experiential knowledge and the emotional aspect of 'lived experience' needs to be recognised in how PPI is planned and facilitated. These points were considered in relation to theoretical works and experiences within the author team. DISCUSSION: 'Emotion work' is often required of public collaborators when they contribute to research. They are asked to contribute to research alongside researchers, with knowledge that often contains emotions or feelings. This can be both upsetting and cathartic, and the environment of the research study can make the experience worse or better. CONCLUSIONS: The emotional component of experiential knowledge can be challenging to those invited to share this knowledge. It is imperative that researchers, research institutions and health and care professionals adjust research meeting spaces to show an awareness of the emotional labour that is involved in PPI. PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION: This review was initiated after a meeting between carers and family members of residents in care homes and researchers. The review is co-written by a group of three researchers and three carers and family members. Regular online meetings were held during the draft stages to incorporate people's views and ideas. Data extracted from the review were presented to the group of public collaborators in a variety of formats (e.g., posters, slideshows, text and verbally) to facilitate shared sense-making and synthesis of the literature.

¿Necesitás abortar? Estés donde estés te acompañamos: pandemia y acompañamiento de abortos en la ciudad de Neuquén, Argentina, durante 2020 / Do you need to abort? Wherever you are, we accompany you: pandemic and abortions accompaniment in Neuquén, Argentina, during 2020 / Você precisa abortar? Onde quer que você esteja, nós te acompanhamos: pandemia e acompanhamento de abortos em Neuquén, Argentina, durante 2020

Objetivo: describir los cambios que impuso la irrupción de la pandemia por COVID-19 al dispositivo de acompañamientos de abortos durante el año 2020 en la ciudad de Neuquén, Argentina. Metodología: el trabajo tiene un diseño metodológico que combinó aspectos cualitativos y cuantitativos en el análisis. Por un lado, se analizaron documentos elaborados por Socorristasen Redy se realizaron entrevistas semiestructuradas a activistas de La Revuelta. Esto se complementó con análisis de datos estadísticos de los acompañamientos de abortos dentro del sistema de salud entre marzo y diciembre de 2020. Resultados: en el período de estudio, La Revuelta readecuó parte de su dispositivo de acompañamiento y acompañó 270 abortos dentro del sistema de salud. Conclusión: el artículo muestra que la irrupción de la pandemia y la restricción para circular implicaron respuestas rápidas por parte de las activistas de La Revuelta, para continuar acompañando abortos en un momento de gran incertidumbre.

Objective: this article delineates the modifications introduced to the abortion support system in the city of Neuquén, Argentina, during the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.Methods:the research employs a methodological design incorporating both qualitative and quantitative elements. It involves the analysis of documents prepared by Socorristas en Red, semi-structured interviews with La Revuelta activists, and the examination of statistical data related to abortion accompaniment within the health system from March to December 2020. Results:during the study period, La Revuelta adjusted a segment of its support apparatus and facilitated 270 abortions within the health system. Conclusion: the article illustrates that the pandemic and associated movement restrictions necessitated prompt adaptations by La Revuelta activists to sustain abortion support services amidst a period of considerable uncertainty.

Objetivo: descrever as mudanças que a pandemia de COVID-19 impôs ao sistema de apoio ao aborto durante o ano de 2020 na cidade de Neuquén, Argentina. Metodologia: o trabalho possui um desenho metodológico que combinou aspectos qualitativos e quantitativos na análise. Por um lado, foram analisados documentos elaborados pelos Socorristas en Rede realizadas entrevistas semiestruturadas com ativistas de La Revuelta. Isto foi complementado com a análise de dados estatísticos de acompanhamento do aborto no sistema de saúde entre março e dezembro de 2020. Resultados: no período do estudo, La Revuelta reajustou parte do seu dispositivo de acompanhamento e acompanhou 270 abortos no sistema de saúde. Conclusão: o artigo mostra que a eclosão da pandemia e a restrição de circulação implicaram respostas rápidas por parte dos ativistas de La Revuelta, para continuarem a acompanhar os abortos num momento de grande incerteza

Neuroprotective Effects of a Serotonin Receptor Peptide Following Sham vs. Mild Traumatic Brain Injury in the Zucker Rat.

Aims: Accelerated cognitive decline frequently complicates traumatic brain injury. Obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus drive peripheral inflammation which may accelerate traumatic brain injury-associated neurodegeneration. The Zucker rat harbors G-protein coupled receptor agonist IgG autoantibodies and in vitro neurotoxicity caused by these autoantibodies was prevented by a novel synthetic fragment of the serotonin 2A receptor. The aim of the present study was to test whether genetic obesity manifested in Zucker diabetic fatty rat is associated with greater spatial memory impairment before and after mild traumatic brain injury compared to Zucker lean rats. Furthermore, we investigated whether these neurodegenerative complications can be lessened by administration of a novel putative neuroprotective peptide comprised of a fragment of the second extracellular loop of the serotonin 2A receptor. Methods: Age-matched lean and fatty diabetic Zucker rats were tested in the Morris water maze (spatial memory) prior to receiving a sham-injury or lateral fluid percussion (LFP) mild traumatic brain injury. Behavioral testing was repeated at 1-week, 1-month, and 3-month intervals following injury. A synthetic peptide consisting of a portion of the 5-hydroxytryptamine (serotonin) 2A receptor (2 mg/kg) (vehicle, or an inactive scrambled version of the peptide (2 mg/kg)) was administered via intraperitoneal route every other day for 7 days after sham or LFP injury to lean rats or 7 days before and after sham or LFP injury to fatty rats. Results: Mild traumatic brain injury impaired recall of spatial memory in fatty and lean rats. Zucker fatty rats subjected to sham-injury or mild TBI experienced a significantly greater longitudinal decline in recall of spatial memory compared to lean Zucker rats. A synthetic peptide fragment of the 5-hydroxytryptamine 2A receptor significantly enhanced acquisition of spatial learning and it appeared to strengthen recall of spatial learning (one-week) after sham injury in Zucker rats. Conclusions: These data suggest that the Zucker diabetic fatty rat is a suitable animal model to investigate the role of metabolic factor(s) in accelerated cognitive decline. A novel synthetic peptide comprised of a fragment of the second extracellular loop of the human serotonin 2A receptor appeared to have neuroprotective effects on both acquisition and recall of spatial memory in subsets of Zucker rats, with relatively greater benefit in sham-injured, lean Zucker rats.

Repetitive mild TBI causes pTau aggregation in nigra without altering preexisting fibril induced Parkinson's-like pathology burden.

Population studies have shown that traumatic brain injury (TBI) is associated with an increased risk for Parkinson's disease (PD) and among U.S. Veterans with a history of TBI this risk is 56% higher. The most common type of TBI is mild (mTBI) and often occurs repeatedly among athletes, military personnel, and victims of domestic violence. PD is classically characterized by deficits in fine motor movement control resulting from progressive neurodegeneration of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta (SNpc) midbrain region. This neurodegeneration is preceded by the predictable spread of characteristic alpha synuclein (αSyn) protein inclusions. Whether repetitive mTBI (r-mTBI) can nucleate PD pathology or accelerate prodromal PD pathology remains unknown. To answer this question, an injury device was constructed to deliver a surgery-free r-mTBI to rats and human-like PD pathology was induced by intracranial injection of recombinant αSyn preformed fibrils. At the 3-month endpoint, the r-mTBI caused encephalomalacia throughout the brain reminiscent of neuroimaging findings in patients with a history of mTBI, accompanied by astrocyte expansion and microglial activation. The pathology associated most closely with PD, which includes dopaminergic neurodegeneration in the SNpc and Lewy body-like αSyn inclusion burden in the surviving neurons, was not produced de novo by r-mTBI nor was the fibril induced preexisting pathology accelerated. r-mTBI did however cause aggregation of phosphorylated Tau (pTau) protein in nigra of rats with and without preexisting PD-like pathology. pTau aggregation was also found to colocalize with PFF induced αSyn pathology without r-mTBI. These findings suggest that r-mTBI induced pTau aggregate deposition in dopaminergic neurons may create an environment conducive to αSyn pathology nucleation and may add to preexisting proteinaceous aggregate burden.

Spruce beetle outbreak was not driven by drought stress: Evidence from a tree-ring iso-demographic approach indicates temperatures were more important.

Climate change has amplified eruptive bark beetle outbreaks over recent decades, including spruce beetle (Dendroctonus rufipennis). However, for projecting future bark beetle dynamics there is a critical lack of evidence to differentiate how outbreaks have been promoted by direct effects of warmer temperatures on beetle life cycles versus indirect effects of drought on host susceptibility. To diagnose whether drought-induced host-weakening was important to beetle attack success we used an iso-demographic approach in Engelmann spruce (Picea engelmannii) forests that experienced widespread mortality caused by spruce beetle outbreaks in the 1990s, during a prolonged drought across the central and southern Rocky Mountain region. We determined tree death date demography during this outbreak to differentiate early- and late-dying trees in stands distributed across a landscape within this larger regional mortality event. To directly test for a role of drought stress during outbreak initiation we determined whether early-dying trees had greater sensitivity of tree-ring carbon isotope discrimination (∆13 C) to drought compared to late-dying trees. Rather, evidence indicated the abundance and size of host trees may have modified ∆13 C responses to drought. ∆13 C sensitivity to drought did not differ among early- versus late-dying trees, which runs contrary to previously proposed links between spruce beetle outbreaks and drought. Overall, our results provide strong support for the view that irruptive spruce beetle outbreaks across North America have primarily been driven by warming-amplified beetle life cycles whereas drought-weakened host defenses appear to have been a distant secondary driver of these major disturbance events.

Trait integration and functional differentiation among co-existing plant species.

PREMISE: Determining which traits characterize strategies of coexisting species is important to developing trait-based models of plant communities. First, global dimensions may not exist locally. Second, the degree to which traits and trait spectra constitute independent dimensions of functional variation at various scales continues to be refined. Finally, traits may be associated with existing categorical groupings. METHODS: We assessed trait integration and differentiation across 57 forest understory plant species in Douglas-fir forests of western Oregon, United States. We combined measurements for a range of traits with literature-based estimates of seed mass and species groupings. We used network analysis and nonmetric multidimensional scaling ordination (NMS) to determine the degree of integration. RESULTS: We observed a strong leaf economics spectrum (LES) integrated with stem but not root traits. However, stem traits and intrinsic water-use efficiency integrated LES and root traits. Network analyses indicated a modest grouping of a priori trait dimensions. NMS indicated that multivariate differences among species were related primarily to (1) rooting depth and plant height vs. specific root length, (2) the LES, and (3) leaf size vs. seed mass. These differences were related to species groupings associated with growth and life form, leaf lifespan and seed dispersal mechanisms. CONCLUSIONS: The strategies of coexisting understory plant species could not be reduced to a single dimension. Yet, species can be characterized efficiently and effectively for trait-based studies of plant communities by measuring four common traits: plant height, specific leaf area, leaf size, and seed mass.

Reflections on PPI from the 'Action on Living Well: Asking You' advisory network of people with dementia and carers as part of the IDEAL study.

This article describes the work of the 'Action on Living Well: Asking You' group - an involvement group of people with dementia and carers attached to the IDEAL research study. The article describes the work of the group, the methods that have helped them to stay involved and people's perspectives on their experiences of being involved and the impact it has had, for themselves and others. The article has been written following a reflective piece of work with the 'Action on Living Well: Asking You' group to review and remember the work of the past four years. An accompanying film brings to life the work and activities of the group, available at www.idealproject.org.uk/mclass/.

Management trade-off between aboveground carbon storage and understory plant species richness in temperate forests.

Because forest ecosystems have the capacity to store large quantities of carbon (C), there is interest in managing forests to mitigate elevated CO2 concentrations and associated effects on the global climate. However, some mitigation techniques may contrast with management strategies for other goals, such as maintaining and restoring biodiversity. Forest thinning reduces C storage in the overstory and recruitment of detrital C. These C stores can affect environmental conditions and resource availability in the understory, driving patterns in the distribution of early and late-seral species. We examined the effects of replicated (N = 7) thinning experiments on aboveground C and understory vascular plant species richness, and we contrasted relationships between aboveground C and early- vs. late-seral species richness. Finally, we used structural equation modeling (SEM) to examine relationships among early- and late-seral species richness and live and detrital aboveground C stores. Six years following thinning, aboveground C was greater in the high-density treatment and untreated control than in moderate- (MD) and variable-density (VD) treatments as a result of reductions in live overstory C. In contrast, all thinning treatments increased species richness relative to controls. Between the growing seasons of years 6 and 11 following treatments, the live overstory C increment tended to increase with residual density, while richness decreased in MD and VD treatments. The richness of early-seral species was negatively related to aboveground C in MD and VD, while late-seral species richness was positively (albeit weakly) related to aboveground C. Structural equation modeling analysis revealed strong negative effects of live overstory C on early-seral species richness balanced against weaker positive effects on late-seral species richness, as well as positive effects of detrital C stocks. A trade-off between carbon and plant species richness thus emerges as a net result of these relationships among species traits, thinning treatments, and live and detrital C storage. Integrating C storage with traditional conservation objectives may require managing this trade-off within stands and landscapes (e.g., maintain early-seral habitat and species within dense, C-rich forests and, conversely, live and detrital C stores in early-seral habitats) or separating these goals across scales and species groupings.