Genome-wide analysis to uncover how Pocillopora acuta survives the challenging intertidal environment.

Characterisation of genomic variation among corals can help uncover variants underlying trait differences and contribute towards genotype prioritisation in coastal restoration projects. For example, there is growing interest in identifying resilient genotypes for transplantation, and to better understand the genetic processes that allow some individuals to survive in specific conditions better than others. The coral species Pocillopora acuta is known to survive in a wide range of habitats, from reefs artificial coastal defences, suggesting its potential use as a starter species for ecological engineering efforts involving coral transplantation onto intertidal seawalls. However, the intertidal section of coastal armour is a challenging environment for corals, with conditions during periods of emersion being particularly stressful. Here, we scanned the entire genome of P. acuta corals to identify the regions harbouring single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and copy number variations (CNVs) that separate intertidal colonies (n = 18) from those found in subtidal areas (n = 21). Findings revealed 74,391 high quality SNPs distributed across 386 regions of the P. acuta genome. While the majority of the detected SNPs were in non-coding regions, 12% were identified in exons (i.e. coding regions). Functional SNPs that were significantly associated with intertidal colonies were found in overrepresented genomic regions linked to cellular homeostasis, metabolism, and signalling processes, which may represent local environmental adaptation in the intertidal. Interestingly, regions that exhibited CNVs were also associated with metabolic and signalling processes, suggesting P. acuta corals living in the intertidal have a high capacity to perform biological functions critical for survival in extreme environments.

Prediction error in implicit adaptation during visually- and memory-guided reaching tasks.

Human movements are adjusted by motor adaptation in order to maintain their accuracy. There are two systems in motor adaptation, referred to as explicit or implicit adaptation. It has been suggested that the implicit adaptation is based on the prediction error and has been used in a number of motor adaptation studies. This study aimed to examine the effect of visual memory on prediction error in implicit visuomotor adaptation by comparing visually- and memory-guided reaching tasks. The visually-guided task is thought to be implicit learning based on prediction error, whereas the memory-guided task requires more cognitive processes. We observed the adaptation to visuomotor rotation feedback that is gradually rotated. We found that the adaptation and retention rates were higher in the visually-guided task than in the memory-guided task. Furthermore, the delta-band power obtained by electroencephalography (EEG) in the visually-guided task was increased immediately following the visual feedback, which indicates that the prediction error was larger in the visually-guided task. Our results show that the visuomotor adaptation is enhanced in the visually-guided task because the prediction error, which contributes update of the internal model, was more reliable than in the memory-guided task. Therefore, we suggest that the processing of the prediction error is affected by the task-type, which in turn affects the rate of the visuomotor adaptation.

A prenatal acoustic signal of heat reduces a biomarker of chronic stress at adulthood across seasons.

During development, phenotype can be adaptively modulated by environmental conditions, sometimes in the long-term. However, with weather variability increasing under climate change, the potential for maladaptive long-term responses to environmental variations may increase. In the arid-adapted zebra finch, parents emit "heat-calls" when experiencing heat during incubation, which adaptively affects offspring growth in the heat, and adult heat tolerance. This suggests that heat-call exposure may adjust individual phenotype to hot conditions, potentially compromising individual sensitivity to cool weather conditions. To test this hypothesis, we manipulated individual prenatal acoustic and postnatal thermal experiences during development, and sought to assess subsequent chronic responses to thermal fluctuations at adulthood. We thus measured heterophil to lymphocyte (H/L) ratios in adults, when held in outdoor aviaries during two summers and two winters. We found that birds exposed to heat-calls as embryos, had consistently lower H/L ratios than controls at adulthood, indicative of lower chronic stress, irrespective of the season. Nonetheless, in all birds, the H/L ratio did vary with short-term weather fluctuations (2, 5 or 7 days), increasing at more extreme (low and high) air temperatures. In addition, the H/L ratio was higher in males than females. Overall, while H/L ratio may reflect how individuals were being impacted by temperature, heat-call exposed individuals did not show a stronger chronic response in winter, and instead appeared more resilient to thermal variability than control individuals. Our findings therefore suggest that heat-call exposure did not compromise individual sensitivity to low temperatures at adulthood. Our study also reveals that prenatal sound can lead to long-term differences in individual physiology or quality/condition, as reflected by H/L ratios, which are consistent with previously-demonstrated reproductive fitness differences.

Do biological control agents adapt to local pest genotypes? A multiyear test across geographic scales.

Parasite local adaptation has been a major focus of (co)evolutionary research on host-parasite interactions. Studies of wild host-parasite systems frequently find that parasites paired with local, sympatric host genotypes perform better than parasites paired with allopatric host genotypes. In contrast, there are few such tests in biological control systems to establish whether biological control parasites commonly perform better on sympatric pest genotypes. This knowledge gap prevents the optimal design of biological control programs: strong local adaptation could argue for the use of sympatric parasites to achieve consistent pest control. To address this gap, we tested for local adaptation of the biological control bacterium Pasteuria penetrans to the root-knot nematode Meloidogyne arenaria, a global threat to a wide range of crops. We measured the probability and intensity of P. penetrans infection on sympatric and allopatric M. arenaria over the course of 4 years. Our design accounted for variation in adaptation across scales by conducting tests within and across fields, and we isolated the signature of parasite adaptation by comparing parasites collected over the course of the growing season. Our results are largely inconsistent with local adaptation of P. penetrans to M. arenaria: in 3 of 4 years, parasites performed similarly well in sympatric and allopatric combinations. In 1 year, however, infection probability was 28% higher for parasites paired with hosts from their sympatric plot, relative to parasites paired with hosts from other plots within the same field. These mixed results argue for population genetic data to characterize the scale of gene flow and genetic divergence in this system. Overall, our findings do not provide strong support for using P. penetrans from local fields to enhance biological control of Meloidogyne.

High nitric oxide-adapted head and neck cancer cell lines demonstrate altered autophagy and apoptosis.

Background/purpose: Autophagy is an intracellular degradative process occurring under stressful conditions. Nitric oxide (NO), a free radical, regulates autophagy and apoptosis in several cancers. However, the effect of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) cell adaptation to high nitric oxide (HNO) on autophagy remains unknown. We investigated the autophagy and apoptotic changes in the HNO-adapted HNSCC cell lines. Materials and methods: Isogenic primary HNSCC (HN18/HN30) and metastatic (HN17/HN31) cell lines were evaluated. The cells were induced with 1, 2, 3 and 4 mM DEA-NONOate, an NO donor, for 72 h and assessed for cell viability by MTT assay. "HNO-adapted cells" were defined when the cell viability in the treatment group was <10%. The surviving cells were re-treated with HNO to confirm their adaptation. HNO-adapted cells were quantified for apoptosis using flow cytometry. Autophagic structures (autophagosomes) and proteins (LC3A/B and LC3B-II) were investigated using transmission electron and confocal microscopy, respectively. Results: HNO-adapted concentration for HN18, HN17, HN30 and HN31 cells was 3, 2, 4 and 4 mM, respectively. The HNO-adapted HN18 cells demonstrated a significantly increased apoptotic percentage, whereas no significant apoptotic change was detected in the HNO-adapted HN17, HN30 and HN31 cells compared with the parent cells. Autophagosomes were widely observed across the HNO-adapted cells. Moreover, LC3A/B and LC3B-II proteins were increased in all HNO-adapted cells. Conclusion: Our results demonstrate that apoptosis and/or autophagy are increased during HNO adaptation in HNSCC cell lines.

Desert locusts (Schistocerca gregaria) feed with self-sharpening, scissor-like mandibles.

The mandibles of the desert locust Schistocerca gregaria (Forsskål, 1775) are digger-shovel-shaped mouthparts that are part of the locust's exoskeleton formed by the insect cuticle. The cuticle is a polymer-fibre composite, which supports, encases and protects the entire body. Mandibles experience heavy loading and wear due to direct contact with hard and abrasive food, just like teeth, their mineralized analogues in vertebrates. With dual-energy X-ray tomography, we image well-defined regions of zinc (Zn)-enriched cuticle at the mandible cutting edges and quantify the Zn concentrations in these regions. Zn is known to increase stiffness, hardness and wear resistance of the otherwise purely polymeric insect cuticle. In S. gregaria, the position of the Zn-enriched cutting-edge regions relative to one another suggests that the mandibles form a scissor-like cutting tool, which sharpens itself as the mouthparts shear past one another during feeding. Comparing the architecture of these purely polymeric mandibles with the mineralized incisors of rodents, we find fundamental design differences in cutting-tool structure and performance. Locusts' scissors and rodents' carving knives perform different functions, because they act on food that differs significantly in properties and shape: softer, sheet-like material in the case of locusts and harder bulk material in the case of rodents.

Evolution of phenotypic variance provides insights into the genetic basis of adaptation.

Most traits are polygenic, and the contributing loci can be identified by GWAS. The genetic basis of adaptation is, however, difficult to characterize. Here, we propose to study the genetic basis of trait evolution by monitoring the evolution of their phenotypic variance during adaptation to a new environment in well-defined laboratory conditions. Extensive computer simulations show that the evolution of phenotypic variance in a replicated experimental evolution setting can distinguish between oligogenic and polygenic adaptive architectures. We compared gene expression variance in male Drosophila simulans before and after 100 generations of adaptation to a novel hot environment. The variance change in gene expression was indistinguishable for genes with and without a significant change in mean expression after 100 generations of evolution. We suggest that the majority of adaptive gene expression evolution can be explained by a polygenic architecture. We propose that tracking the evolution of phenotypic variance across generations can provide an approach to characterize the adaptive architecture.

A coupled neural field model for the standard consolidation theory.

The standard consolidation theory states that short-term memories located in the hippocampus enable the consolidation of long-term memories in the neocortex. In other words, the neocortex slowly learns long-term memories with a transient support of the hippocampus that quickly learns unstable memories. However, it is not clear yet what could be the neurobiological mechanisms underlying these differences in learning rates and memory time-scales. Here, we propose a novel modelling approach of the standard consolidation theory, that focuses on its potential neurobiological mechanisms. In addition to synaptic plasticity and spike frequency adaptation, our model incorporates adult neurogenesis in the dentate gyrus as well as the difference in size between the neocortex and the hippocampus, that we associate with distance-dependent synaptic plasticity. We also take into account the interconnected spatial structure of the involved brain areas, by incorporating the above neurobiological mechanisms in a coupled neural field framework, where each area is represented by a separate neural field with intra- and inter-area connections. To our knowledge, this is the first attempt to apply neural fields to this process. Using numerical simulations and mathematical analysis, we explore the short-term and long-term dynamics of the model upon alternance of phases of hippocampal replay and retrieval cue of an external input. This external input is encodable as a memory pattern in the form of a multiple bump attractor pattern in the individual neural fields. In the model, hippocampal memory patterns become encoded first, before neocortical ones, because of the smaller distances between the bumps of the hippocampal memory patterns. As a result, retrieval of the input pattern in the neocortex at short time-scales necessitates the additional input delivered by the memory pattern of the hippocampus. Neocortical memory patterns progressively consolidate at longer times, up to a point where their retrieval does not need the support of the hippocampus anymore. At longer times, perturbation of the hippocampal neural fields by neurogenesis erases the hippocampus pattern, leading to a final state where the memory pattern is exclusively evoked in the neocortex. Therefore, the dynamics of our model successfully reproduces the main features of the standard consolidation theory. This suggests that neurogenesis in the hippocampus and distance-dependent synaptic plasticity coupled to synaptic depression and spike frequency adaptation, are indeed critical neurobiological processes in memory consolidation.

Revisiting plant stress memory: mechanisms and contribution to stress adaptation.

Highly repetitive adverse environmental conditions are encountered by plants multiple times during their lifecycle. These repetitive encounters with stresses provide plants an opportunity to remember and recall the experiences of past stress-associated responses, resulting in better adaptation towards those stresses. In general, this phenomenon is known as plant stress memory. According to our current understanding, epigenetic mechanisms play a major role in plants stress memory through DNA methylation, histone, and chromatin remodeling, and modulating non-coding RNAs. In addition, transcriptional, hormonal, and metabolic-based regulations of stress memory establishment also exist for various biotic and abiotic stresses. Plant memory can also be generated by priming the plants using various stressors that improve plants' tolerance towards unfavorable conditions. Additionally, the application of priming agents has been demonstrated to successfully establish stress memory. However, the interconnection of all aspects of the underlying mechanisms of plant stress memory is not yet fully understood, which limits their proper utilization to improve the stress adaptations in plants. This review summarizes the recent understanding of plant stress memory and its potential applications in improving plant tolerance towards biotic and abiotic stresses.

Climate and habitat type interact to influence contemporary dispersal potential in Prairie Smoke (Geum triflorum).

Understanding dispersal potential, or the probability a species will move a given distance, under different environmental conditions is essential to predicting species' ability to move across the landscape and track shifting ecological niches. Two important drivers of dispersal ability are climatic differences and variations in local habitat type. Despite the likelihood these global drivers act simultaneously on plant populations, and thus dispersal potential is likely to change as a result, their combined effects on dispersal are rarely examined. To understand the effect of climate and varying habitat types on dispersal potential, we studied Geum triflorum-a perennial grassland species that spans a wide range of environments, including both prairie and alvar habitats. We explored how the climate of the growing season and habitat type (prairie vs. alvar) interact to alter dispersal potential. We found a consistent interactive effect of climate and habitat type on dispersal potential. Across prairie populations, an increased number of growing degree days favored traits that increase dispersal potential or the probability of dispersing farther distances. However, for alvar populations, dispersal potential tended to decrease as the number of growing degree days increased. Our findings suggest that under continued warming, populations in prairie habitats will benefit from increased gene flow, while alvar populations will become increasingly segregated, with reduced potential to track shifting fitness optima.

Chloroplast genomes in seven Lagerstroemia species provide new insights into molecular evolution of photosynthesis genes.

Lagerstroemia indica is an important commercial tree known for the ornamental value. In this study, the complete chloroplast genome sequence of Lagerstroemia indica "Pink Velour" (Lagerstroemia "Pink Velour") was 152,174 bp in length with a GC content of 39.50%. It contained 85 protein coding genes (PCGs), 37 tRNAs, and 8 rRNA genes. 207 simple sequence repeats (SSRs) and 31 codons with relative synonymous codon (RSCU)value > 1 were detected. Phylogenetic analysis divided 10 Lagerstroemia species into evolutionary branches of clade A and clade B. We conducted a comparative analysis of Lagerstroemia "Pink Velours" complete chloroplast genome with the genomes of six closely related Lagerstroemia species from different origins. The structural features of all seven species were similar, except for the deletion of ycf1 nucleobases at the JSA boundary. The large single-copy (LSC) and the small single-copy (SSC) had a higher sequence divergence than the IR region, and 8 genes that were highly divergent (trnK-UUU, petN, psbF, psbJ, ndhE, ndhD, ndhI, ycf1) had been identified and could be used as molecular markers in future studies. High nucleotide diversity was present in genes belonging to the photosynthesis category. Mutation of single nucleic acid was mainly influenced by codon usage. The value percentage of nonsynonymous substitutions (Ka) and synonymous substitutions (Ks) in 6 Lagerstroemia species revealed that more photosynthesis genes have Ka or Ks only in Lagerstroemia fauriei, Lagerstroemia limii, and Lagerstroemia subcostata. These advances will facilitate the breeding of closely related Lagerstroemia species and deepen understanding on climatic adaptation of Lagerstroemia plants.

Short-wavelength-sensitive 1 (SWS1) opsin gene duplications and parallel visual pigment tuning support ultraviolet communication in damselfishes (Pomacentridae).

Damselfishes (Pomacentridae) are one of the most behaviourally diverse, colourful and species-rich reef fish families. One remarkable characteristic of damselfishes is their communication in ultraviolet (UV) light. Not only are they sensitive to UV, they are also prone to have UV-reflective colours and patterns enabling social signalling. Using more than 50 species, we aimed to uncover the evolutionary history of UV colour and UV vision in damselfishes. All damselfishes had UV-transmitting lenses, expressed the UV-sensitive SWS1 opsin gene, and most displayed UV-reflective patterns and colours. We find evidence for several tuning events across the radiation, and while SWS1 gene duplications are generally very rare among teleosts, our phylogenetic reconstructions uncovered two independent duplication events: one close to the base of the most species-rich clade in the subfamily Pomacentrinae, and one in a single Chromis species. Using amino acid comparisons, we found that known spectral tuning sites were altered several times in parallel across the damselfish radiation (through sequence change and duplication followed by sequence change), causing repeated shifts in peak spectral absorbance of around 10 nm. Pomacentrinae damselfishes expressed either one or both copies of SWS1, likely to further finetune UV-signal detection and differentiation. This highly advanced and modified UV vision among damselfishes, in particular the duplication of SWS1 among Pomacentrinae, might be seen as a key evolutionary innovation that facilitated the evolution of the exuberant variety of UV-reflectance traits and the diversification of this coral reef fish lineage.

Information density as a predictor of communication dynamics.

In a recent paper, Aceves and Evans computed information and semantic density measures for hundreds of languages, and showed that these measures predict the pace and breadth of ideas in communication. Here, we summarize their key findings and situate them in a broader debate about the adaptive nature of language.

Measuring resilience for Chinese-speaking populations: a systematic review of Chinese resilience scales.

Introduction: Despite the rapid growth of interdisciplinary resilience research in Chinese contexts, no study has systematically reviewed individual-level measurement scales for Chinese-speaking populations. We report a systematic review of scales developed for or translated/adapted to Chinese-speaking contexts, where we assessed how widely used scales fare in terms of their psychometric qualities. Methods: Studies included in this review must have been published in peer-reviewed English or Chinese journals between 2015-2020 and included self-reported resilience scales in Chinese-speaking populations. Searches were conducted in PsycINFO, CNKI (completed in May 2021), and PubMed (completed in January 2024). We developed coding schemes for extracting relevant data and adapted and applied an existing evaluation framework to assess the most frequently used resilience scales by seven methodological criteria. Results: Analyses of 963 qualified studies suggested that Chinese resilience scales were used in a diverse range of study contexts. Among 85 unique kinds of resilience measures, we highlighted and evaluated the three most frequently used translated scales and three locally developed scales (nine scales in total including variations such as short forms). In short, resilience studies in Chinese contexts relied heavily on the translated 25-item Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale, which scored moderately on the overall quality. The locally developed Resilience Scale for Chinese Adolescents and Essential Resilience Scale received the best ratings but could use further development. Discussion: We discussed how future work may advance widely used scales, and specified seven methodological recommendations for future resilience scale development with existing and new scales in and beyond the Chinese study contexts. We further addressed issues and challenges in measuring resilience as a process and called on researchers to further develop/evaluate process measures for Chinese-speaking populations.

Postnatal depression in British mothers of African and Caribbean origin: a randomised controlled trial of learning through play plus culturally adapted cognitive behaviour therapy compared with psychoeducation.

Background: One in every three women worldwide experiences postnatal depression after childbirth, with long-term negative consequences on their children. The mainstream mental healthcare provision for British mothers of African/Caribbean origin is mostly unsuccessful due to a lack of culturally appropriate care. Methods: The study adopts a mixed-methods randomised controlled trial (RCT) design. A 12-session (60 minutes each) of online Learning Through Play plus Culturally adapted Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (LTP+CaCBT) intervention was employed for treating postnatal depression in comparison with psychoeducation (PE). Participants aged 19-53 were screened for depression using the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9). N=130 participants who scored >5 on PHQ-9 were randomised into LTP+CaCBT (n=65) or PE (n=65) groups. N=12 focus groups (LTP+CaCBT, n=6; PE, n=6) and n=15 individual interviews (LTP+CaCBT, n=8; PE, n=7) were conducted, transcribed verbatim and analysed. Results: Satisfaction with intervention (LTP+CaCBT, 72.9%; PE, 65.2%); retention rates (LTP+CaCBT, 91%; PE, 71%); reduction in postnatal depression was higher in LTP+CaCBT on PHQ-9 Md=1.00 with z= -4.046; compared to PE, Md=1.00 with z= -1.504. Both groups showed reduced levels of anxiety on GAD-7 with no significant difference. Emerging themes from the qualitative findings showed increased positive moods, reduced worries about parenting difficulties and the facilitative role of remote intervention. Conclusions: LTP+CaCBT intervention is culturally appropriate and acceptable and reduces postnatal depression in British mothers of African/Caribbean origin. A fully powered RCT is recommended to evaluate the clinical and cost-effectiveness of LTP+CaCBT, including the child's outcomes compared with routine treatment as usual. Clinical trial registration: www.ClinicalTrials.gov, identifier NCT04820920.

SARS-CoV-2 variant of concern fitness and adaptation in primary human airway epithelia.

The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 pandemic is characterized by the emergence of novel variants of concern (VOCs) that replace ancestral strains. Here, we dissect the complex selective pressures by evaluating variant fitness and adaptation in human respiratory tissues. We evaluate viral properties and host responses to reconstruct forces behind D614G through Omicron (BA.1) emergence. We observe differential replication in airway epithelia, differences in cellular tropism, and virus-induced cytotoxicity. D614G accumulates the most mutations after infection, supporting zoonosis and adaptation to the human airway. We perform head-to-head competitions and observe the highest fitness for Gamma and Delta. Under these conditions, RNA recombination favors variants encoding the B.1.617.1 lineage 3' end. Based on viral growth kinetics, Alpha, Gamma, and Delta exhibit increased fitness compared to D614G. In contrast, the global success of Omicron likely derives from increased transmission and antigenic variation. Our data provide molecular evidence to support epidemiological observations of VOC emergence.

Psychometric Properties of the Principal Instructional Leadership Scale (PILS) in Saudi Arabia.

BACKGROUNDS: The principal instructional leadership describes how school principals oversee the curriculum, instruction, and assessment. The main aims of the current study were translation and evaluation of the psychometric properties of the Principal Instructional Leadership Scale (PILS) in a Saudi Arabian population. METHODS: The translation and cross-cultural adaptation process has been conducted in five stages, including forward translation, translation synthesis, backward translation, expert committee, and pilot testing. Face, content, construct, and convergent validity were used to establish validity. Cronbach's alpha coefficient and McDonald's omega (Ω) were used for internal consistency. RESULTS: To validate the PILS structure, the total sample (N = 724) was randomly split into two subgroups, each comprising 362 individuals, for Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) and Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA). Five factors obtained from EFA explain 71.07 % of the variance in PILS. The PILS encompasses domains of improving curriculum quality, teaching, and enhancing the effectiveness of adaptive learning, adding to the dimensions covered by previous instructional leadership measures. The five components show strong internal consistency (0.93 to 0.97). Both first-order and second-order CFAs confirmed the 5-factor model, meeting criteria (CFI > 0.91, GFI > 0.9, IFI > 0.9, RMSEA<0.05). All 21 items displayed suitable internal consistency (Cronbach's α > 0.8, McDonald's omega >0.7). Second-order average variance extracted validity (0.50) indicated PILS validity. Gender invariance analysis revealed no significant differences (∆CFI < 0.01, ΔRMSEA<0.01) in PILS structure between genders. CONCLUSION: The reliability and validity of the Arabic rendition of PILS are commendable, making it suitable for evaluating principal instructional leadership in Saudi Arabia.

Population origin and heritable effects mediate road salt toxicity and thermal stress in an amphibian.

Human impacts on wild populations are numerous and extensive, degrading habitats and causing population declines across taxa. Though these impacts are often studied individually, wild populations typically face suites of stressors acting concomitantly, compromising the fitness of individuals and populations in ways poorly understood and not easily predicted by the effects of any single stressor. Developing understanding of the effects of multiple stressors and their potential interactions remains a critical challenge in environmental biology. Here, we focus on assessing the impacts of two prominent stressors associated with anthropogenic activities that affect many organisms across the planet - elevated salinity (e.g., from road de-icing salt) and temperature (e.g. from climate change). We examined a suite of physiological traits and components of fitness across populations of wood frogs originating from ponds that differ in their proximity to roads and thus their legacy of exposure to pollution from road salt. When experimentally exposed to road salt, wood frogs showed reduced survival (especially those from ponds adjacent to roads), divergent developmental rates, and reduced longevity. Family level effects mediated these outcomes, but high salinity generally eroded family level variance. When combined, exposure to both temperature and salt resulted in very low survival, and this effect was strongest in roadside populations. Taken together, these results suggest that temperature is an important stressor capable of exacerbating impacts from a prominent contaminant confronting many freshwater organisms in salinized habitats. More broadly, it appears likely that toxicity might often be underestimated in the absence of multi-stressor approaches.

Patient Reported Sexual Adaptation Following Prostate Cancer Treatment: An Analysis of Related Variables and Sexual Outcomes Associated with Sexual Adaptation Styles.

Sexual concerns after prostate cancer (PCa) treatment are high. Flexible coping is a crucial element to maintaining sexual activity after PCa and improves adaptation outcomes. We aimed to identify potential sexual adaptation styles reported by men following PCa treatment, and to assess relationships among associated variables and outcomes. Individuals (n = 223) with PCa treatment history (e.g., radical prostatectomy [n = 165, 74.0%], external beam radiation [n = 83, 37.2%], hormone/androgen deprivation therapy [n = 83, 37.2%]), completed an online survey assessing sexual variables and processes of sexual adaptation. Using a combination of inductive and deductive coding, open-ended responses were thematically analyzed and grouped into sexual adaptation styles. Factors potentially associated with sexual adaptation styles (e.g., age, perceived partner involvement, co-morbidities, relationship duration, time since PCa treatment, desire for physical affection, depression, relationship adjustment) were tested using multinomial logistic regression. Outcomes of sexual well-being (sexual distress, sexual bother, sexual satisfaction) and relationship adjustment were compared against each sexual adaptation style using a multivariate analysis of variance. Sexual activity status and satisfaction with the adaptation process was assessed across the sexual adaptation styles using a chi-square analysis and post-hoc tests. Two distinct categories were identified: those who had Adapted (n = 185) and those who had Not Adapted (n = 38). Four sexual adaptation styles emerged in the adapted category: Relationship Renegotiation (n = 53) and Sexual Renegotiation (n = 47), which were couples-focused styles, and Acceptance/Resignation (n = 34) and Masturbation/Erection (n = 48), which were individual-focused styles. Participants who could not be categorized as one style, but rather met several, were identified as Mixed (n = 3). Higher rates of depression, lower relationship adjustment, lack of sexual activity, and greater dissatisfaction with the adaptation process were observed for Not Adapted participants. Participants engaged in any type of adaptation style fared better than those who had Not Adapted. Couples-focused styles tended to emphasize renegotiation, including a changed perspective on the expression of the relationship. Perceived direct engagement of the partner facilitated adaptation and emphasized engagement with flexible coping, either through redefining priorities or ways of being sexual. Individual-focused styles emphasized pre-cancer erectile function, and either aimed to return to capacity for penetrative sexual activity or accepted its inaccessibility and largely an abandonment of partnered sexual activity.