The impact of acute stress on the neural processing of food cues in bulimia nervosa: Replication in two samples.

Background: Anorexia nervosa (AN) and bulimia nervosa (BN) are complex psychiatric conditions, in which both psychological and metabolic factors have been implicated. Critically, the experience of stress can precipitate loss-of-control eating in both conditions, suggesting an interplay between mental state and metabolic signaling. However, associations between psychological states, symptoms and metabolic processes in AN and BN have not been examined. Methods: Eighty-five women (n=22 AN binge/purge subtype, n=33 BN, n=30 controls) underwent remote salivary cortisol sampling and a two-day, inpatient study session to examine the effect of stress on cortisol, gut hormones (acyl-ghrelin, PYY, GLP-1) and food consumption. Participants were randomized to either an acute stress induction or control task on each day, and plasma hormones were serially measured before a naturalistic, ad libitum meal.Results: Cortisol awakening response (CAR) was augmented in AN but not BN relative to controls, with body mass index explaining the most variance in CAR (36%). Acute stress increased acyl-ghrelin and PYY in AN compared to controls; however, stress did not alter gut hormone profiles in BN. Instead, a group-by-stress interaction showed nominally reduced cortisol reactivity in BN, but not AN, compared to controls. Ad libitum consumption was lower in both patient groups and unaffected by stress.Conclusions: Findings extend previous reports of metabolic dysfunction in binge-eating disorders, identifying unique associations across disorders and under stress. Moreover, we observed disrupted homeostatic signaling in AN following psychological stress, which may explain, in part, the maintenance of dysregulated eating in this serious illness.

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Interdependence between L1 and L2: The case of Syrian children with refugee backgrounds in Canada and the Netherlands

Applied Psycholinguistics ◽

10.1017/s0142716421000229 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1-36

Author(s):

Elma Blom ◽

Adriana Soto-Corominas ◽

Zahraa Attar ◽

Evangelia Daskalaki ◽

Johanne Paradis

Keyword(s):

The Netherlands ◽

Maternal Education ◽

First Language ◽

Refugee Camp ◽

Syntactic Skills ◽

Two Samples ◽

Bilingual Language Development ◽

Dutch Sample ◽

L1 And L2 ◽

The Impact

Abstract Children who are refugees become bilingual in circumstances that are often challenging and that can vary across national contexts. We investigated the second language (L2) syntactic skills of Syrian children aged 6-12 living in Canada (n = 56) and the Netherlands (n = 47). Our goal was to establish the impact of the first language (L1 = Syrian Arabic) skills on L2 (English, Dutch) outcomes and whether L1–L2 interdependence is influenced by the length of L2 exposure. To measure L1 and L2 syntactic skills, cross-linguistic Litmus Sentence Repetition Tasks (Litmus-SRTs) were used. Results showed evidence of L1–L2 interdependence, but interdependence may only surface after sufficient L2 exposure. Maternal education level and refugee camp experiences differed between the two samples. Both variables impacted L2 outcomes in the Canadian but not in the Dutch sample, demonstrating the importance to examine refugee children’s bilingual language development in different national contexts.

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Bulimia nervosa with co-morbid avoidant personality disorder: behavioural characteristics and serotonergic function

Psychological Medicine ◽

10.1017/s003329170300864x ◽

2004 ◽

Vol 34 (1) ◽

pp. 113-124 ◽

Cited By ~ 22

Author(s):

K. R. BRUCE ◽

H. STEIGER ◽

N. M. KOERNER ◽

M. ISRAEL ◽

S. N. YOUNG

Keyword(s):

Personality Disorder ◽

Bulimia Nervosa ◽

The Other ◽

Self Report ◽

Lower Sensitivity ◽

Social Avoidance ◽

Behavioural Inhibition ◽

Avoidant Personality Disorder ◽

Affective Instability ◽

The Impact

Background. Separate lines of research link lowered serotonin tone to interpersonal submissiveness and bulimia nervosa (BN). We explored the impact of co-morbid avoidant personality disorder (APD), as a proxy for submissiveness, on behavioural inhibition and serotonin function in women with BN.Method. Participants included women with BN with co-morbid APD (BNA+, N=13); women with BN but without APD (BNA−, N=23), and control women with neither BN nor APD (N=23). The women were assessed for psychopathological tendencies and eating disorder symptoms, and participated in a computerized laboratory task that measured behavioural inhibition and disinhibition. Participants also provided blood samples for measurement of serial prolactin responses following oral administration of the partial 5-HT agonist meta-chlorophenylpiperazine (m-CPP).Results. The BNA+ group had higher scores than the other groups on self-report measures of submissiveness, social avoidance, restricted emotional expression, affective instability and self-harming behaviours. Compared with the other groups, the BNA+ group tended to be more inhibited under cues for punishment on the computerized task and to have blunted prolactin response following m-CPP. The bulimic groups did not differ from each other on current eating symptoms or on frequencies of other mental disorders.Conclusions. Findings indicate that women with BN and co-morbid APD may be characterized by interpersonal submissiveness and avoidance, affective instability, self-harm, behavioural inhibition in response to threat and lower sensitivity to serotonergic activation. These findings may indicate common, serotonergic factors, associated with social submissiveness, behavioural inhibition to threat and BN.

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The impact of acute stress on cognitive functioning: a matter of cognitive demands?

Cognitive Neuropsychiatry ◽

10.1080/13546805.2016.1261014 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 22 (1) ◽

pp. 69-82 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Thomas Plieger ◽

Andrea Felten ◽

Elena Diks ◽

Jessica Tepel ◽

Melanie Mies ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Cognitive Functioning ◽

Acute Stress ◽

Cognitive Demands ◽

The Impact

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The impact of bars and interactions on optically selected AGNs in spiral galaxies

Astronomy and Astrophysics ◽

10.1051/0004-6361/201832796 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 618 ◽

pp. A149 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Sol Alonso ◽

Georgina Coldwell ◽

Fernanda Duplancic ◽

Valeria Mesa ◽

Diego G. Lambas

Keyword(s):

Spiral Galaxies ◽

Control Sample ◽

Sloan Digital Sky Survey ◽

Blue Color ◽

Nuclear Activity ◽

Internal Process ◽

Two Samples ◽

Accretion Rates ◽

The Galaxy ◽

The Impact

Aims. With the aim of performing a suitable comparison of the internal process of galactic bars with respect to the external effect of interactions on driving gas toward the inner most region of the galaxies, we explored and compared the efficiency of both mechanisms on central nuclear activity in optically selected active galactic nuclei (AGNs) in spiral galaxies. Methods. We selected homogeneous samples of barred AGNs and active objects residing in pair systems, derived from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS). In order to carry out a reliable comparison of both samples (AGNs in barred hosts in isolation and in galaxy pairs), we selected spiral AGN galaxies with similar distributions of redshift, magnitude, stellar mass, color and stellar age population from both catalogs. With the goal of providing an appropriate quantification of the influence of strong bars and interactions on nuclear activity, we also constructed a suitable control sample of unbarred spiral AGNs without a companion and with similar host properties to the other two samples. Results. We found that barred optically selected AGNs show an excess of nuclear activity (as derived from the Lum[OIII]) and accretion rate onto a central black hole (ℛ) with respect to AGNs in pairs. In addition, both samples show an excess of high values of Lum[OIII] and ℛ with respect to unbarred AGNs in the control sample. We also found that the fractions of AGNs with powerful nuclear activity and high accretion rates increase toward more massive hosts with bluer colors and younger stellar populations. Moreover, AGNs with bars exhibit a higher fraction of galaxies with powerful Lum[OIII] and efficient ℛ with respect to AGN galaxies inhabiting pair systems, in bins of different galaxy properties. Regarding AGNs belonging to pair systems, we found that the central nuclear activity is remarkably dependent on the galaxy pair companion features. The Lum[OIII] for AGNs in pairs is clearly enhanced when the galaxy companion exhibits a bright and more massive host with high metallicity, blue color, efficient star formation activity and young stellar population. The results of this work reveal an important capacity of both mechanisms, bars and interactions, to transport material towards the galaxy central regions. In this context, it should also be noted that the internal process of the bar is more efficient at improving the central nuclear activity in AGN objects than that corresponding to the external mechanism of the galaxy–galaxy interactions.

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Physiological responses to acute stress and the drive to eat: The impact of perceived life stress

Appetite ◽

10.1016/j.appet.2018.11.019 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 133 ◽

pp. 393-399 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

Rebecca R. Klatzkin ◽

Allie Baldassaro ◽

Saniya Rashid

Keyword(s):

Life Stress ◽

Acute Stress ◽

Physiological Responses ◽

The Impact

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Killing in Combat; the Diverging Mental Health Impact on Distinct Veteran Populations – A Two-Sample Study

10.31234/osf.io/4g9fb ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Andreas Espetvedt Nordstrand ◽

Christer Lunde Gjerstad ◽

Odin Hjemdal ◽

Are Holen ◽

Tore Tveitstul ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Quality Of Life ◽

Mental Health ◽

Psychological Distress ◽

Alcohol Use ◽

Posttraumatic Stress ◽

Armed Forces ◽

Mental States ◽

Two Samples ◽

The Impact

This study examined the warzone stressors: killing in combat, experiencing personal threats, or traumatic witnessing during deployment in relation to psychological distress, alcohol consumption and quality of life at long-term follow-up. The study was conducted in two samples of Norwegian veterans who had served in Afghanistan (Study 1, N = 4,053) or in Lebanon (Study 2, N = 10,605), respectively. Data were collected through two postdeployment mental health surveys conducted by the Norwegian Armed Forces Joint Medical Services. Using linear regressions, we investigated the impact of warzone stressors on posttraumatic stress symptoms, depression, anxiety, insomnia, alcohol use, and quality of life. In study 1 (Afghanistan veterans), killing was not a significant predictor of psychological distress, alcohol use, or quality of life, when controlling for Personal Threats and Witnessing exposure. In study 2 (Lebanon veterans) killing remained a significant predictor (p < .001) of symptoms of posttraumatic stress, depression, and anxiety, after controlling for other warzone stressors. However, killing was not a significant predictor of alcohol use or quality of life in Study 2. In summary, killing in combat may be associated with increased reports of psychological distress, but there were distinct results in the two studies. Differences in mission statements, rules of engagement, and mental states during combat could explain the diverging outcomes. The results indicate that it may be erroneous to ubiquitously regard killing in combat as a moral stressor, and highlight the importance of clear rules of engagements that accounts for the “on the ground” reality of soldiers.

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Impact of the Ownership Structure on the Financial Performance of Banks: Comparative Study between Conventional and Islamic Banks

International Journal of Accounting & Finance Review ◽

10.46281/ijafr.v4i2.442 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 4 (2) ◽

pp. 50-63

Author(s):

Achraf Haddad ◽

Anis El Ammari ◽

Abdelfattah Bouri

Keyword(s):

Financial Performance ◽

Ownership Structure ◽

Least Squares Method ◽

Conflicts Of Interest ◽

Positive Impact ◽

Ordinary Least Squares ◽

Performance Measure ◽

Islamic Banks ◽

Two Samples ◽

The Impact

According to the literature of corporate governance, ownership structure is advanced as a non-dissociable mechanism of control intended to follow the stakeholders and especially used by shareholders to monitor the conflicts of interest and the opportunistic behavior of managers. Several previous studies have focused on the impact of ownership structure on financial performance separately in conventional or in Islamic banks. However, the comparative studies between these two impacts are non-existent. In this research, we compared the impacts of this governance mechanism on the financial performance in the two types of banks by using the Ordinary Least Squares method. Data relating to financial performance and ownership structure of banks come from 16 countries. Two samples were collected: the first one included 63 conventional banks, whereas the second one integrated 63 Islamic banks whose data are available over the period (2010-2018). Panel results showed that partial effect of each determinant of ownership structure on each measure of financial performance varied from one banks’ type to another and from one performance measure to another. Besides, the reconciliation of similar models revealed many differences between the same impacts’ signs. Therefore, we concluded that in both banks’ types the ownership structure has a positive impact on the financial performance. While, the negative part of the same impact is less significant in Islamic banks. JEL Classification: F33, G20, G21, G24, G30.

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