Influence of the skull bone and brain tissue on the sound field in transcranial extracorporeal shock wave therapy: an ex vivo study.

OBJECTIVES: Focused ultrasound is mainly known for focal ablation and localized hyperthermia of tissue. During the last decade new treatment options were developed for neurological indications based on blood-brain-barrier opening or neuromodulation. Recently, the transcranial application of shock waves has been a subject of research. However, the mechanisms of action are not yet understood. Hence, it is necessary to know the energy that reaches the brain during the treatment and the focusing characteristics within the tissue. METHODS: The sound field of a therapeutic extracorporeal shock wave transducer was investigated after passing human skull bone (n=5) or skull bone with brain tissue (n=2) in this ex vivo study. The maximum and minimum pressure distribution and the focal pressure curves were measured at different intensity levels and penetration depths, and compared to measurements in water. RESULTS: Mean peak negative pressures of up to -4.97 MPa were reached behind the brain tissue. The positive peak pressure was attenuated by between 20.85 and 25.38 dB/cm by the skull bone. Additional damping by the brain tissue corresponded to between 0.29 and 0.83 dB/cm. Compared to the measurements in water, the pulse intensity integral in the focal spot was reduced by 84 % by the skull bone and by additional 2 % due to the brain tissue, resulting in a total damping of up to 86 %. The focal position was shifted up to 8 mm, whereas the basic shape of the pressure curves was preserved. CONCLUSIONS: Positive effects may be stimulated by transcranial shock wave therapy but damage cannot be excluded.

Honesty-humility negatively correlates with dishonesty in romantic relationships.

Despite the clear existing theoretical links, ours is the first direct systematic series of studies investigating a potential negative association between Honesty-Humility and general dishonesty in romantic relationships. Eleven preregistered online studies with community samples were run (total N = 5,677). For a first test of our hypothesis, we conducted a series of seven cross-sectional studies based on self-reports; these studies used different methodological approaches to assess relationship-based dishonesty (i.e., closed-ended self-report scales, scenarios, and direct frequency measures). This was followed by one diary study and three studies that base their assessment on more behavioral measurements of relationship-based dishonesty (e.g., a dice roll task and an anagram task). In line with our hypothesis, all studies reliably revealed that participants higher in Honesty-Humility reported less relationship-based dishonesty. The classification of the found results to past research and the general relevance of the Honesty-Humility factor for romantic relationships are discussed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

The correlation of honesty-humility and learning goals with academic cheating.

Academic cheating is a problem that affects many educational institutions and has become increasingly significant with the new challenges of online education. Recent studies have found that learning goals are correlated with cheating behavior among students. In this study, we investigated whether learning goals are still a predictor of cheating behavior when controlling for students' Honesty-Humility (emanated from the HEXACO model of personality) within a sample of 311 German university students. Regrading students' learning goals, we assessed their learning approach, performance approach, performance avoidance, and work avoidance. The result shows an intermediate negative and highly significant association between Honesty-Humility and academic cheating. Learning goals did not explain any incremental variance in academic cheating that goes beyond the Honesty-Humility factor. As the only exception, the work avoidance goal was found to also predict cheating behavior, but this positive association seems to be not as strong as the negative correlation between Honesty-Humility and academic cheating. We discuss the theoretical and practical implications of these results and make recommendations for future research.

Agentic and communal narcissism in predicting different types of lies in romantic relationships.

Several studies have investigated a potential positive association between agentic narcissism and general dishonesty, revealing both supportive and contradicting evidence. Few have focused on dishonesty within romantic relationships, a phenomenon that occurs in almost all partnerships. With the present research, we first aimed to extend existing literature on narcissism by including its two complementary facets (i.e., agentic and communal narcissism). Second, we aimed to improve the understanding of narcissists' lying behavior in the context of partnerships by distinguishing between two different types of lies (i.e., self-centered and other-oriented lies). We hypothesized that both, people higher in agentic and communal narcissism, will report increased dishonesty toward their romantic partners (Hypothesis 1). Given the self-benefit function of self-centered lies and given that agentic narcissists aim to fulfill their relationship-based motives by agentic means, we predict agentic narcissism (compared with communal narcissism) will be a stronger predictor for self-centered lies (Hypothesis 1a). Given the other-benefiting function of other-oriented lies and given that communal narcissists aim to fulfill their motive of self-enhancement by communal means, we predict that communal narcissism (compared with agentic narcissism) will be a stronger predictor for other-oriented lies (Hypothesis 1b). In two preregistered online studies (N = 298: N = 256) we showed that people higher in agentic narcissism believed to be good liars, but this does not lead to higher self-reported frequencies of other-oriented and self-centered lies within romantic relationships historically; communal narcissism was also not related to self-reported deception. Limitations and directions for future research are discussed.

Effects of single and repeated shock wave application on the osteogenic differentiation potential of human primary mesenchymal stromal cells and the osteoblastic cell line MG63 in vitro.

Introduction: Extracorporeal shock wave therapy is a non-invasive and effective option for treating various musculoskeletal disorders. Recent literature indicates that the parameters for extracorporeal shock wave therapy, such as the optimal intensity, treatment frequency, and localization, are yet to be determined. Studies reporting on the effects of shock wave application on primary mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) as well as osteoblastic cell lines in vitro are barely available and not standardized. Methods: In this study, we designed a special setup to precisely expose primary MSCs and the osteoblastic cell line MG63 to shock waves and subsequently analyzed the resulting cellular responses using standardized protocols to investigate their viability, proliferation behavior, cytokine secretion, and osteogenic differentiation potential in vitro. The shock wave transducer was coupled to a specifically designed water bath containing a 5 mL tube holder. Primary human MSCs and MG63 cells were trypsinated and centrifuged in a 5 mL tube and exposed to single and repeated shock wave application using different intensities and numbers of pulses. Results: Single treatment of MSCs using intensities 5, 10, 15, and 20 and pulse numbers 100, 250, 500, 750, and 1,000 at a constant pulse repetition frequency of 1 Hz resulted in a decreased viability and proliferation of both cell types with an increase in the intensity and number of pulses compared to controls. No significant difference in the osteogenic differentiation was observed at different time intervals in both cell types when a single shock wave application was performed. However, repeated shock wave sessions over three consecutive days of primary MSCs using low intensity levels 0.1 and 1 showed significant osteogenic differentiation 4-fold higher than that of the extracted Alizarin Red S at day 14, whereas MG63 cells showed no significant osteogenic differentiation compared to their corresponding controls. More specifically, repeated shock wave application triggered a significant downregulation of COL1A1, upregulation of RUNX2, and sustained increase of OCN in primary MSCs but not in the cell line MG63 when induced toward the osteogenic differentiation. Discussion: The effects of shock wave application on MSCs make it an effective therapy in regenerative medicine. We established a protocol to analyze a standardized shock wave application on MSCs and were able to determine conditions that enhance the osteogenic differentiation of MSCs in vitro.

The Role of Just World Beliefs in Responding to the COVID-19 Pandemic.

This study investigated whether people's personal belief in a just world (BJW) is linked to their willingness to physically distance themselves from others during the COVID-19 pandemic. Past research found personal BJW to be positively related to prosocial behavior, justice striving, and lower risk perceptions. If social distancing reflects a concern for others, high personal BJW should predict increased interest in social distancing. If social distancing reflects a concern for one's personal risk, high personal BJW should predict decreased interest in social distancing. Results of a pre-registered internet-based study from Germany (N = 361) indicated that the higher people's personal BJW, the more they generally practiced social distancing. This association still occurred when controlling for empathy, another significant predictor of social distancing. There were no mediation effects of empathy and risk perception. The findings extend knowledge on the correlates of social distancing in the COVID-19 pandemic which could be used to increase compliance among citizens.

Influence of the pulse repetition rate on the acoustic output of ballistic pressure wave devices.

Ballistic devices that generate radial pressure waves are used for the treatment of different therapeutic indications. In order to assess the effectiveness of these devices and to interpret and transfer the results of clinical trials, it is important to know their acoustic output. In this paper, two ballistic devices and their reproducibility at different clinically relevant settings were investigated in the same in-vitro test setup. Pressure curves were measured in water at different intensity levels and pulse repetition rates. The sound field parameters (peak pressures, positive pulse intensity integral) were calculated from the pressure curves. Additionally, the surface velocity of the applicator was determined in air using a vibrometer. Both devices show a good pulse-to-pulse reproducibility. While the peak maximum pressure and the positive pulse intensity integral decrease only slightly (pmax up to 12%, PII+ up to 18.8%) comparing 1 Hz and 25 Hz for one device, they drop sharply (pmax up to 68.4%, PII+ up to 90.2%) for the other device comparing 1 Hz to 21 Hz. The same effect was observed in the vibrometer measurements. The results show that with increasing pulse repetition rate the stability of the parameters varies between different devices. Hence, all sound field parameters should be compared before transferring settings from one device to another.

Line- and Point-Focused Extracorporeal Shock Wave Therapy for Achilles Tendinopathy: A Placebo-Controlled RCT Study.

BACKGROUND: Extracorporeal shock wave therapy (ESWT) is a widely considered treatment option for Achilles tendinopathy. Line-focused ESWT is a novel technique treating a larger tendon area than point-focused ESWT. Monitoring capacities of clinical symptoms with ultrasound under ESWT treatment are unknown. HYPOTHESIS: Point- and line-focused ESWT have a superior outcome than placebo ESWT. ESWT leads to morphological tendon changes detectable with ultrasound. STUDY DESIGN: Single-blinded placebo-controlled randomized contolled trial. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level 1. METHODS: The study was conducted in 3 cohorts, namely ESWT point (n = 21), ESWT line (n = 24), and ESWT placebo (n = 21). Victorian Institute of Sports Assessment-Achilles (VISA-A) score was measured before the intervention (T0), after 6 weeks (T1), and after 24 weeks (T2). All cohorts performed daily physiotherapy for 24 weeks and received 4 sessions of point-focused, line-focused, or placebo ESWT in the first 6 weeks. Ultrasound was performed with B-mode, power Doppler, shear wave elastography (SWE) at T0 and T2 and with ultrasound tissue characterization (UTC) at T0, T1, and T2. Data were analyzed with a mixed analysis of variance and t test. RESULTS: There was a significant VISA-A improvement over time for all groups (P < 0.001). ESWT point had the strongest VISA-A score improvement +23 (ESWT line: +18; ESWT placebo: +15), but there was no significant interaction between time and any of the groups: F(4, 116) = 1.393; P = 0.24. UTC, power Doppler, and B-mode could not show significant alterations over time. SWE revealed a significant increase of elastic properties for ESWT point in the insertion (t = -3.113, P = 0.03) and midportion (t = -2.627, P = 0.02) over time. CONCLUSION: There is a significant VISA-A score improvement for all study groups without a statistically significant benefit for ESWT point or ESWT line compared with ESWT placebo. Tendon adaptation could only be detected with SWE for ESWT point. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: The present study could not detect any statistically relevant effect of ESWT compared to placebo. SWE is able to demonstrate tendon adaptation.