Associations between light exposure and sleep timing and sleepiness while awake in a sample of UK adults in everyday life.

Experimental and interventional studies show that light can regulate sleep timing and sleepiness while awake by setting the phase of circadian rhythms and supporting alertness. The extent to which differences in light exposure explain variations in sleep and sleepiness within and between individuals in everyday life remains less clear. Here, we establish a method to address this deficit, incorporating an open-source wearable wrist-worn light logger (SpectraWear) and smartphone-based online data collection. We use it to simultaneously record longitudinal light exposure (in melanopic equivalent daylight illuminance), sleep timing, and subjective alertness over seven days in a convenience sample of 59 UK adults without externally imposed circadian challenge (e.g., shift work or jetlag). Participants reliably had strong daily rhythms in light exposure but frequently were exposed to less light during the daytime and more light in pre-bedtime and sleep episodes than recommended [T. M. Brown et al., PLoS Biol. 20, e3001571 (2022)]. Prior light exposure over several hours was associated with lower subjective sleepiness with, in particular, brighter light in the late sleep episode and after wake linked to reduced early morning sleepiness (sleep inertia). Higher pre-bedtime light exposure was associated with longer sleep onset latency. Early sleep timing was correlated with more reproducible and robust daily patterns of light exposure and higher daytime/lower night-time light exposure. Our study establishes a method for collecting longitudinal sleep and health/performance data in everyday life and provides evidence of associations between light exposure and important determinants of sleep health and performance.

Inorganic nitrate benefits contrast-induced nephropathy after coronary angiography for acute coronary syndromes: the NITRATE-CIN trial.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Contrast-induced nephropathy (CIN), also known as contrast-associated acute kidney injury (CA-AKI) underlies a significant proportion of the morbidity and mortality following coronary angiographic procedures in high-risk patients and remains a significant unmet need. In pre-clinical studies inorganic nitrate, which is chemically reduced in vivo to nitric oxide, is renoprotective but this observation is yet to be translated clinically. In this study, the efficacy of inorganic nitrate in the prevention of CIN in high-risk patients presenting with acute coronary syndromes (ACS) is reported. METHODS: NITRATE-CIN is a double-blind, randomized, single-centre, placebo-controlled trial assessing efficacy of inorganic nitrate in CIN prevention in at-risk patients presenting with ACS. Patients were randomized 1:1 to once daily potassium nitrate (12 mmol) or placebo (potassium chloride) capsules for 5 days. The primary endpoint was CIN (KDIGO criteria). Secondary outcomes included kidney function [estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR)] at 3 months, rates of procedural myocardial infarction, and major adverse cardiac events (MACE) at 12 months. This study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT03627130. RESULTS: Over 3 years, 640 patients were randomized with a median follow-up of 1.0 years, 319 received inorganic nitrate with 321 received placebo. The mean age of trial participants was 71.0 years, with 73.3% male and 75.2% Caucasian; 45.9% had diabetes, 56.0% had chronic kidney disease (eGFR <60 mL/min) and the mean Mehran score of the population was 10. Inorganic nitrate treatment significantly reduced CIN rates (9.1%) vs. placebo (30.5%, P < .001). This difference persisted after adjustment for baseline creatinine and diabetes status (odds ratio 0.21, 95% confidence interval 0.13-0.34). Secondary outcomes were improved with inorganic nitrate, with lower rates of procedural myocardial infarction (2.7% vs. 12.5%, P = .003), improved 3-month renal function (between-group change in eGFR 5.17, 95% CI 2.94-7.39) and reduced 1-year MACE (9.1% vs. 18.1%, P = .001) vs. placebo. CONCLUSIONS: In patients at risk of renal injury undergoing coronary angiography for ACS, a short (5 day) course of once-daily inorganic nitrate reduced CIN, improved kidney outcomes at 3 months, and MACE events at 1 year compared to placebo.

Two-Pore Domain Potassium Channels as Drug Targets: Anesthesia and Beyond.

Two-pore domain potassium (K2P) channels stabilize the resting membrane potential of both excitable and nonexcitable cells and, as such, are important regulators of cell activity. There are many conditions where pharmacological regulation of K2P channel activity would be of therapeutic benefit, including, but not limited to, atrial fibrillation, respiratory depression, pulmonary hypertension, neuropathic pain, migraine, depression, and some forms of cancer. Up until now, few if any selective pharmacological regulators of K2P channels have been available. However, recent publications of solved structures with small-molecule activators and inhibitors bound to TREK-1, TREK-2, and TASK-1 K2P channels have given insight into the pharmacophore requirements for compound binding to these sites. Together with the increasing availability of a number of novel, active, small-molecule compounds from K2P channel screening programs, these advances have opened up the possibility of rational activator and inhibitor design to selectively target K2P channels.

Pornography consumption, premarital sex attitudes, and the moderating role of age: Replication in two U.S. panels.

Pornography use, sexual attitudes, and age differences in sexual outcomes have each been of longstanding interest to sexologists. Few sexological studies have considered how the association between pornography consumption and sexual attitudes may be moderated by age differences, however. Further, few pornography scholars have directed their research efforts toward replication studies despite calls for an increased emphasis on replication across the social and behavioral sciences. This rapid communication attempted to replicate one of the earliest longitudinal panel studies of the relationship between pornography consumption and sexual attitudes among U.S. adults and the first to examine whether the prospective association between pornography use and attitudes toward premarital sex varies by the age of the pornography consumer. While the present replication results were largely consistent with the original study, they also reinforced the position that complexity of analysis and nuance of interpretation are dual requirements for informative replication studies.

Pornographic Video Consumption and Partner Preference Among Chinese Male Sexual Minorities: The Moderating Role of Perceived Realism.

A growing body of research documents that the use of pornography is becoming more frequent among male sexual minorities. According to the sexual script acquisition, activation, application model of mediated sexual socialization (3AM), pornography can be considered a potential factor influencing an individual's partner preference. In addition, perceived realism could moderate the link between pornography consumption and partner preferences. This study explored the relationship between pornographic video consumption and partner preference among male sexual minorities and the moderating role of perceived realism. A total of 595 male sexual minorities aged 18 to 47 years (M = 21.70, SD = 3.83), including 82.9% gay men and 17.1% bisexual men, were enrolled in the study. Our results revealed the following: (1) The frequency of pornographic video consumption and male sexual minorities' preferences for appearance and sexual ability in partner selection were positively correlated (r = .06/.07, ps < .05). (2) When perceived realism was low, pornographic video consumption was not significantly associated with appearance and sexual ability preference. (3) Conversely, when perceived realism was high, pornographic video consumption was positively associated with appearance and sexual ability preference (ß = .17/.16, ps < .01). Findings highlight the mechanisms behind pornographic video consumption and partner preference in sexual minority males.

Improving Mental Health Among Communication and Media Scholars: Four Structural Suggestions.

In recent years, multiple studies have called attention to the mental health of scholars across the academy. And yet, the mental health of communication and media scholars specifically has not received the focused attention it deserves. In their recent Journal of Communication article, Thomas Hanitzsch and colleagues begin the process of remedying this omission, providing important data on communication and media scholars' mental health and its correlates. Hanitzsch and colleagues stress that their work is a starting point only, and call for their fellow communication and media scholars to engage in discussion about potential solutions. In response to their call, this essay provides four structural recommendations aimed at improving the mental health of early and mid-career scholars.

U.S. Males and Pornography: Replication and Experimental Extension.

Communication scientists have published pornography research in the communication discipline's central journals for decades. Health communication scholars have become particularly interested in pornography in recent years, given increasing evidence of its likely impact on critical sexual health outcomes. An important resource for scholarship on pornography use is the General Social Survey (GSS). The first major article on pornography use and potential effects using the GSS was published only a decade ago and in a sexological journal, however. The present study provides a replication of this original article within the context of a GSS methodological experiment designed to provide pornography scholars with the first opportunity in 50 years to test a potential new pornography use measure. Results are interpreted in terms of their implications for the GSS, the pornography literature in general, and multiple theories of media use, processes, and effects.

Adolescent Pornography Exposure, Condom Use, and the Moderating Role of Parental Sexual Health Communication: Replication in a U.S. Probability Sample.

Following calls for an increase in replication studies in communication science as well as multiple other disciplines, the present study provides a direct replication of a pragmatically and theoretically important investigation of U.S. adolescents' pornography exposure, parent-adolescent sexual health communication, and condomless sex published in this journal. Parent-adolescent sexual health communication has been suggested as a sexual risk-reduction mechanism, but condomless sex among U.S. adolescents is increasing. Simultaneously, pornography remains an extremely popular media genre and condomless sex is the norm in pornographic depictions. The findings of the present study replicated the findings of the original study, with the most notable replicated finding being an interaction between pornography exposure and parent-adolescent sexual health communication on the likelihood of condomless sex. Both in the original and present study, the association between U.S. adolescents' pornography exposure and likelihood of condomless sex decreased as parental-adolescent sexual health communication increased. Results are discussed in terms of the challenges to examining these particular relationships among U.S. youth and the state of replication in the pornography effects literature.

Adolescents' Preferences for Mainstream and Paraphilic Pornography and Sexual Health Components: Attention to Within-And Between-Person Dynamics Over Time.

Health communication scholars are becoming increasingly cognizant of the potential health implications of youths' pornography consumption. However, while research on pornography viewing and adolescent health and development has become increasingly common, the possible importance of distinguishing between mainstream and paraphilic consumption and within-and-between person dynamics has been underemphasized. Accordingly, the present study explored relations between adolescents' preferences for mainstream and paraphilic pornography and their sexual satisfaction and sexual arousability in three-wave panel data using random intercept cross-lagged panel models. At a between-person level, only mainstream pornography viewing was positively related to adolescents' sexual arousability. No relations were found between mainstream and paraphilic pornography viewing and sexual satisfaction at a between-person level. Results further revealed that an increased exposure to mainstream pornography and paraphilic pornography was not associated with sexual arousability and sexual satisfaction at the individual level. Null findings regarding paraphilic pornography viewing may be explained by the presence of a floor effect. Further, no differences in the investigated relations were found between sexually inexperienced and experienced adolescents, and between single adolescents and adolescents in a relationship. The findings are discussed in light of recent commentary on the uses of random-intercept cross-lagged panel models in the communication discipline.

Is Adolescents' Cyber Dating Violence Perpetration Related to Problematic Pornography Use? The Moderating Role of Hostile Sexism.

Intimate partner violence is an important public health problem. Cyber dating violence (CDV) is a form of intimate partner violence perpetrated within a dating relationship via new communication technologies. This study investigated the moderating roles of hostile and benevolent sexism in the relationship between problematic pornography use and CDV perpetration. The Cyber Pornography Use Inventory, the Cyber Dating Violence Inventory, and the Ambivalent Sexism Inventory were completed by 421 Italian adolescents (M = 16.53; females = 63.7%). Results indicated that problematic pornography use was positively related to CDV perpetration. In addition, the relationship between problematic pornography use and CDV perpetration was found to be moderated by hostile sexism. In participants with low levels of hostile sexism, the relationship between problematic pornography use and CDV perpetration was not significant. Conversely, in those with high levels of hostile sexism, this relationship was stronger and significant. Benevolent sexism was not found to be a moderator in the relationship between problematic pornography use and CDV perpetration. Thus, hostile sexism could be a risk factor for the relationship between adolescents' problematic pornography use and their engagement in CDV. Conversely, low levels of hostile sexism could be a protective factor.

Network analysis of neuropsychiatric, cognitive, and functional complications of stroke: implications for novel treatment targets.

AIM: Recovery from stroke is adversely affected by neuropsychiatric complications, cognitive impairment, and functional disability. Better knowledge of their mutual relationships is required to inform effective interventions. Network theory enables the conceptualization of symptoms and impairments as dynamic and mutually interacting systems. We aimed to identify interactions of poststroke complications using network analysis in diverse stroke samples. METHODS: Data from 2185 patients were sourced from member studies of STROKOG (Stroke and Cognition Consortium), an international collaboration of stroke studies. Networks were generated for each cohort, whereby nodes represented neuropsychiatric symptoms, cognitive deficits, and disabilities on activities of daily living. Edges characterized associations between them. Centrality measures were used to identify hub items. RESULTS: Across cohorts, a single network of interrelated poststroke complications emerged. Networks exhibited dissociable depression, apathy, fatigue, cognitive impairment, and functional disability modules. Worry was the most central symptom across cohorts, irrespective of the depression scale used. Items relating to activities of daily living were also highly central nodes. Follow-up analysis in two studies revealed that individuals who worried had more densely connected networks than those free of worry (CASPER [Cognition and Affect after Stroke: Prospective Evaluation of Risks] study: S = 9.72, P = 0.038; SSS [Sydney Stroke Study]: S = 13.56, P = 0.069). CONCLUSION: Neuropsychiatric symptoms are highly interconnected with cognitive deficits and functional disabilities resulting from stroke. Given their central position and high level of connectedness, worry and activities of daily living have the potential to drive multimorbidity and mutual reinforcement between domains of poststroke complications. Targeting these factors early after stroke may have benefits that extend to other complications, leading to better stroke outcomes.

Exploring Differences in Four Types of Online Activities Across Individuals with and without Problematic Smartphone Use.

Studies on problematic online activities commonly focus on one type of online activity, such as social media. However, individuals often use their Smartphones for more than one online activity. This study examined four types of online activities (social networking, gaming, information acquisition, and short-form video viewing). Based on a combinatory assessment of problematic smartphone use and hours spent online, two groups were created from a larger sample (N = 642): a problematic smartphone user group (PSU; N = 230; F = 72%; Age = 24.99 ± 6.60) and a non-problematic smart phone user group (NPSU; N = 87; F = 62%; Age = 30.49 ± 10.22). As compared to the NPSU group, the PSU group engaged in more social networking, gaming, information acquisition, and short-form video seeing. The PSU group also scored higher on psychological distress, sleep disturbance, fear of missing out, metacognitions about Smartphone use (MSU), desire thinking (DT), and lower on satisfaction with life and cognitive reappraisal. Regression analyses were employed to probe correlates of each online activity among the PSU and NPSU groups. The findings are discussed in light of the metacognitive model of addictive behaviors and future directions are provided concerning the challenges of distinguishing individuals for problematic Internet-related behaviors.

Synthetic Control of the Defect Structure and Hierarchical Extra-Large-/Small-Pore Microporosity in Aluminosilicate Zeolite SWY.

The SWY-type aluminosilicate zeolite, STA-30, has been synthesized via different routes to understand its defect chemistry and solid acidity. The synthetic parameters varied were the gel aging, the Al source, and the organic structure directing agent. All syntheses give crystalline materials with similar Si/Al ratios (6-7) that are stable in the activated K,H-form and closely similar by powder X-ray diffraction. However, they exhibit major differences in the crystal morphology and in their intracrystalline porosity and silanol concentrations. The diDABCO-C82+ (1,1'-(octane-1,8-diyl)bis(1,4-diazabicyclo[2.2.2]octan)-1-ium)-templated STA-30 samples (but not those templated by bisquinuclidinium octane, diQuin-C82+) possess hierarchical microporosity, consisting of noncrystallographic extra-large micropores (13 Å) that connect with the characteristic swy and gme cages of the SWY structure. This results in pore volumes up to 30% greater than those measured in activated diQuin-C8_STA-30 as well as higher concentrations of silanols and fewer Brønsted acid sites (BASs). The hierarchical porosity is demonstrated by isopentane adsorption and the FTIR of adsorbed pyridine, which shows that up to 77% of the BASs are accessible (remarkable for a zeolite that has a small-pore crystal structure). A structural model of single can/d6r column vacancies is proposed for the extra-large micropores, which is revealed unambiguously by high-resolution scanning transmission electron microscopy. STA-30 can therefore be prepared as a hierarchically porous zeolite via direct synthesis. The additional noncrystallographic porosity and, subsequently, the amount of SiOHs in the zeolites can be enhanced or strongly reduced by the choice of crystallization conditions.

The KIR2DL1 intermediate upstream element participates in gene activation.

The human KIR genes encode a family of class I MHC receptors that are expressed on subsets of NK cells. The expression of KIR proteins is controlled by a stochastic process, and competition between sense and antisense promoter elements has been suggested to program the variegated expression of these genes. Previous studies have demonstrated distinct roles of distal, intermediate, and proximal sense promoter/enhancer elements in gene activation and expression. Conversely, proximal and intronic antisense promoter transcripts have been associated with gene silencing at different stages of NK cell development. In the current study, we examine the effect of intermediate promoter deletion on KIR2DL1 expression in the YTS cell line. Homozygous deletion of the KIR2DL1 intermediate element did not affect proximal promoter activity but resulted in increased detection of upstream transcripts. No significant changes in alternative mRNA splicing or expression levels of KIR2DL1 protein were observed. However, intermediate element deletion was associated with a reduced frequency of gene activation by 5-azacytidine. Taken together, these results indicate that the intermediate element is not an enhancer required for KIR expression; however, it is required for the efficient activation of the gene.

Cholinergic and hippocampal systems facilitate cross-domain cognitive recovery after stroke.

Spontaneous recovery of motor and cognitive function occurs in many individuals after stroke. The mechanisms are incompletely understood, but may involve neurotransmitter systems that support neural plasticity, networks that are involved in learning and regions of the brain that are able to flexibly adapt to demand (such as the 'multiple-demand system'). Forty-two patients with first symptomatic ischaemic stroke were enrolled in a longitudinal cohort study of cognitive function after stroke. High-resolution volumetric, diffusion MRI and neuropsychological assessment were performed at a mean of 70 ± 18 days after stroke. Cognitive assessment was repeated 1 year after stroke, using parallel test versions to avoid learning effects, and change scores were computed for long-term episodic, short-term and working memory. Structural MRI features that predicted change in cognitive scores were identified by a two-stage analysis: a discovery phase used whole-brain approaches in a hypothesis-free unbiased way; and an independent focused phase, where measurements were derived from regions identified in the discovery phase, using targeted volumetric measurements or tractography. Evaluation of the cholinergic basal forebrain, based on a validated atlas-based approach, was included given prior evidence of a role in neural plasticity. The status of the fornix, cholinergic basal forebrain and a set of hippocampal subfields were found to predict improvement in long-term memory performance. In contrast to prior expectation, the same pattern was found for short-term and working memory, suggesting that these regions are part of a common infrastructure that supports recovery across cognitive domains. Associations between cholinergic basal forebrain volume and cognitive recovery were found primarily in subregions associated with the nucleus basalis of Meynert, suggesting that it is the cholinergic outflow to the neocortex that enables recovery. Support vector regression models derived from baseline measurements of fornix, cholinergic basal forebrain and hippocampal subfields were able to explain 62% of change in long-term episodic and 41% of change in working memory performance over the subsequent 9 months. The results suggest that the cholinergic system and extended hippocampal network play key roles in cognitive recovery after stroke. Evaluation of these systems early after stroke may inform personalized therapeutic strategies to enhance recovery.

"Don't Just Randomly Grab Someone's Neck during Intercourse!" An Analysis of Internet Articles about Choking/Strangulation during Sex.

Sexual choking/strangulation has become prevalent among young U.S. adults, yet little is known about media articles that teach readers about choking. We conducted a content analysis of 27 Internet articles, examining how choking is described, information related to health risks and healthcare, and article accuracy. Most articles described choking in positive terms and indicated choking can be done safely or properly, even while acknowledging potential dangers. Only two articles indicated having undergone expert/medical review. Few gave information about signs that would warrant seeking healthcare. Sexuality professionals need to be aware of choking-related information and misinformation in online media articles.

Pornography Consumption and Extramarital Sex Attitudes Among Married U.S. Adults: Longitudinal Replication.

Social scientific interest in pornography use and effects dates back to at least the mid-twentieth century. Despite this, recent meta-analyses reveal a need for additional longitudinal studies, in general; a need for attitudinal studies, specifically; and a need for studies of U.S. consumers, in particular. In response to these needs and recent calls for the fields of communication and psychological science to prioritize replication, the present study probed whether Wright et al. (Psychol Pop Media 3(2):97-109, 2014) novel longitudinal findings on pornography consumption and extramarital sex attitudes among married U.S. adults were replicable. As in Wright et al., a distal assessment of extramarital sex attitudes did not predict interindividual increases in the likelihood of pornography consumption. Contrary to Wright et al., a distal assessment of pornography consumption also failed to predict interindividual increases in positive attitudes toward extramarital sex. However, more proximal measures of extramarital sex attitudes and pornography consumption did predict over time interindividual change in pornography use and attitudinal positivity, respectively, even after adjusting for participants' age, divorce history, education, race, sex, general unhappiness, martial unhappiness, liberal-conservative political orientation, and religiosity. These results are consistent with prior panel studies in the pornography literature in the macro, but also highlight a need for theoretical development (and testing) on the duration and time-course of selection and socialization effects in the context of pornography use and sexual attitudes.

U.S. Parents Underestimate Their Children's Pornography Use and Learning.

Research on parental knowledge and positive adolescent adjustment suggests that more accurate levels of the former increase the likelihood of the latter. Despite a significant body of literature correlating adolescent pornography use with negative adolescent adjustment, however, only a handful of studies have compared parents' beliefs about their children's pornography use with adolescents' reports and just a few of these have been carried out in the U.S. The present study employed national probability data gathered from 614 parent-adolescent dyads in the U.S. as a further step toward bolstering this important area of parent-child research. Parents were 44.78 years old on average (SD = 7.76). Mothers comprised 55.80% of parents (fathers were 44.20%). Children were 15.97 years old on average (SD = 1.38). Daughters comprised 50.20% of children (sons were 49.80%). Boys were more likely to report pornography use and learning across a range of pornography genres and sexual domains. Parents accurately estimated the direction of many of these gender differences, but still consistently underestimated both sons' and daughters' exposure to and socialization from pornography. Interestingly, although parents were more likely to believe that sons than daughters had viewed and learned from pornography, their degree of underestimation was larger for sons. Mothers' and fathers' beliefs were consistently indistinguishable at the main effect level and interacted with child gender in only one instance. Results are discussed in relation to the moral panic and risk underestimation perspectives on youth and media effects.

Pornography Consumption and Sexual Choking: An Evaluation of Theoretical Mechanisms.

Many researchers interested In the socializing effects of pornography have found heuristic utility in the sexual script acquisition, activation, application model (3AM) of mediated sexual socialization. Studies have emphasized overall pornography/sexual behavior associations, however, rather than mediating sexual beliefs that a 3AM perspective suggests should underlie such associations. The present study used data from a campus-representative probability sample to examine whether linkages between pornography use and heterosexual-identified collegiate men's choking of sexual partners is mediated by the belief that sexual choking is pleasurable, the belief that sexual choking is safe, and the disbelief that sexual choking requires consent from the person being choked. Sexual choking has been increasingly identified as a focal point of contemporary mixed-sex pornography as well as young men's sexual behavior; it can also result in adverse health and legal consequences. Results were consistent with a sequential model positing that consuming pornography more frequently leads to more exposure to pornographic depictions of sexual choking, which in turn predicts a higher likelihood of choking sexual partners through the belief that sexual choking is pleasurable, the belief that sexual choking is safe, and the disbelief that sexual choking requires consent from the person being choked.

Perceived Similarity, Utility, and Social Realism as Potential Mediators of the Link between Pornography Use and Condomless Sex.

One of the most consistent findings in content analyses of popular, commonly consumed pornography is the near absence of condoms. A recent meta-analysis found that pornography use is associated with an increased likelihood of condomless sex, but the studies available for analysis rarely included measures of potential cognitive mediators underlying the association. Following the sexual script acquisition, activation, application model (3AM) of mediated sexual socialization and the differential susceptibility to media effects model (DSMM), the present study examined whether linkages between pornography use and condomless sex are mediated by perceived similarity to actors in pornography and heightened perceptions of pornography's utility and social realism. Social realism and similarity mediated the association between pornography consumption frequency and condomless sex in simple mediation models, but only social realism remained significant in a parallel process model inclusive of all three mediators.