Infrequent intranasal oxytocin followed by positive social interaction improves symptoms in autistic children: a randomized clinical trial

There are currently no approved drug interventions for social behavior dysfunction in autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Previous trials investigating effects of daily intranasal oxytocin treatment have reported inconsistent results and have not combined it with positive social interaction. However, In two preclinical studies we established that treatment every-other-day rather than daily is more efficacious in maintaining neural and behavioral effects by reducing receptor desensitization. We aimed to establish whether 6-weeks of intranasal oxytocin compared with placebo treatment, followed by a period of positive social interaction, would produce greater symptom improvements in children with ASD. A double-blind, randomized, cross over design trial was completed including 41 children with ASD aged 3-8 years. Primary outcomes were the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule-2 (ADOS-2) and social responsivity scale-2 (SRS-2). Secondary measures included other autism-related questionnaires and social attention assessed using two eye-tracking paradigms. A clinical reliable change index analysis revealed improvements in ADOS-2 total scores in 44% of children. Improvements in SRS-2 and behavioral adaptability scores were also found and correlated with increased basal saliva oxytocin concentrations. Additionally, oxytocin improved restrictive and repetitive behavior scores and increased time spent viewing dynamic social compared to geometric stimuli and the eye region of angry, happy and neutral expression faces. There were no adverse side-effects of oxytocin treatment. Overall, our results demonstrate that 6 weeks of intranasal oxytocin treatment administered every other day and followed by positive social interactions can improve clinical, eye-tracking and questionnaire-based assessments of symptoms in young autistic children.

Loneliness Level and Its Associated Factors in Patients With Hemodialysis

Verify the level of loneliness and its relationship with socioeconomic and health conditions, social support, family functionality, and depressive symptoms in patients undergoing hemodialysis. Analysis of secondary data, with a primary cross-sectional investigation, correlational with a quantitative approach, carried out in 2019, with 80 patients with CKD on hemodialysis. Applied instruments: socio-demographic, economic, and health condition characterization, UCLA Loneliness Scale, Medical Outcomes Study Social Support Scale, Patient Health Questionnaire9, and the Family APGAR. Showed female prevalence (55%), white ethnicity (65%), and mean age 59.63 years. In the perception of loneliness, the highest index was (55%), moderately high. Social support scored worst in the Positive Social Interaction domain, mean 74.31. In depression, showed prevalence of severe depression (28.7%). Family functioning showed good score (68.8%). There was a weak negative correlation between loneliness and all domains of Social Support, besides Family Functioning.

Capital Gateway

<p>This thesis analyses modern transport interchanges in the context of the current Wellington Railway Station, to then ask: How can interior architecture optimise the use function of a concourse within a transport interchange? As one of the largest transport interchanges in New Zealand, the Wellington Railway Station serves around 40,000 people everyday. Due to the projected population increase of around 50,000 by 2043, this of course will mean a further increase the number of people travelling each day via the railway station. The design in this thesis calls for a redeveloped ‘transfer hall’ or ‘main concourse’ area that strives to connect with other modes of transport and accommodate the fluctuation of both patronage numbers while also considering how the interior could provoke a positive social interaction from the user, by doing so it is thought that the new interchange becomes a place to visit, rather than just a quick thoroughfare. The key aim of the thesis is to capture the current architectural expression of the station, to then convert it into a modern interchange.</p>

Capital Gateway

<p>This thesis analyses modern transport interchanges in the context of the current Wellington Railway Station, to then ask: How can interior architecture optimise the use function of a concourse within a transport interchange? As one of the largest transport interchanges in New Zealand, the Wellington Railway Station serves around 40,000 people everyday. Due to the projected population increase of around 50,000 by 2043, this of course will mean a further increase the number of people travelling each day via the railway station. The design in this thesis calls for a redeveloped ‘transfer hall’ or ‘main concourse’ area that strives to connect with other modes of transport and accommodate the fluctuation of both patronage numbers while also considering how the interior could provoke a positive social interaction from the user, by doing so it is thought that the new interchange becomes a place to visit, rather than just a quick thoroughfare. The key aim of the thesis is to capture the current architectural expression of the station, to then convert it into a modern interchange.</p>

Lampung Krakatau Festival: Tourism Development and Active Citizens Participation to Strengthen Community Civic Virtue

The tourism sector must be able to involve the community through space in order to gather, interact and communicate. Krakatau Festival as a medium that involves the participation of individuals and the community can support the development of tourism in Lampung Province. The community engagement in the festival is responsible as citizens of the community including the government, stakeholders, people, communities to take part actively and create strong social interrelation and cohesion. Tourism development through the community as part of sapta pesona is the main focus supported by a variety of cultural activities, destinations, and ultimately creates social cohesion as part of the civilization of citizenship. Qualitative research with ethnographic methods is implemented to get data and information comprehensively from various sources. The results of the study found that the context of the Krakatau Festival activities in real terms has the potential to increase tourism with historical values of Krakatau and can unite the community in a positive social interaction relationship and strengthen the active participation of local community virtue.

The association between social support and antenatal depressive and anxiety symptoms among Australian women

Background Antenatal depression and antenatal anxiety adversely affect several obstetric and foetal outcomes, and increase the rate of postnatal mental illness. Thus, to tackle these challenges the need for social support during pregnancy is vital. However, an extensive literature search failed to show a published study on the relationship between domains of social support and antenatal depressive, as well as antenatal anxiety symptoms in Australia. This study examined the association between domains of social support and antenatal depressive and anxiety symptoms among Australian women. Methods The current study used data obtained from the 1973–78 cohort of the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women’s Health (ALSWH), focusing upon women who reported being pregnant (n = 493). Depression and anxiety were assessed using the 10 item Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression (CES-D-10) scale, and the 9-item Goldberg Anxiety and Depression scale (GADS) respectively. The 19 item-Medical Outcomes Study Social Support index (MOSS) was used to assess social support. A logistic regression model was used to examine the associations between domains of social support and antenatal depressive and anxiety symptoms after adjusting for potential confounders. Result The current study found 24.7 and 20.9% of pregnant women screened positive for depressive and anxiety symptoms respectively. After adjusting for potential confounders, our study found that the odds of antenatal depressive symptoms was about four and threefold higher among pregnant women who reported low emotional/informational support (AOR = 4.75; 95% CI: 1.45, 15.66; p = 0.010) and low social support (overall support) (AOR = 3.26; 95%CI: 1.05, 10.10, p = 0.040) respectively compared with their counterpart. In addition, the odds of antenatal anxiety symptoms was seven times higher among pregnant women who reported low affectionate support/positive social interaction (AOR = 7.43; 95%CI: 1.75, 31.55; p = 0.006). Conclusion A considerable proportion of pregnant Australian women had depressive symptoms and/or anxiety symptoms, which poses serious health concerns. Low emotional/informational support and low affectionate support/positive social interaction have a significant association with antenatal depressive and anxiety symptoms respectively. As such, targeted screening of expectant women for social support is essential.

Social Interactions in Old Age

Social relationships play an important role in healthy ageing, with positive social interaction experiences predicting better mental and physical health. Research into social-cognitive abilities has often focused on the development of these abilities in childhood. This chapter will look at the other end of the lifespan, examining changes in social cognition abilities in older individuals as a result of healthy ageing. In particular, it focuses on several social processes, including Theory of Mind, empathy, emotion recognition, action understanding, and imitation, looking at reported changes in these abilities as a result of advancing age, and factors that may influence these changes across individuals. It also discusses potential intervention protocols aimed at reducing social-cognitive declines in older age, and how these reported abilities influence day-to-day functioning in the social world.

Apathy, Cognitive Impairment, and Social Support Contribute to Participation in Cognitively Demanding Activities Poststroke

Importance. Individuals with chronic stroke experience decreased participation in activities with cognitive demands across all areas of occupation. Objective. To understand the extent to which apathy, cognition, and social support predict participation in activities with cognitive demands. Design. Prospective, quantitative correlational, cross-sectional study. Setting. Outpatient treatment centers and community stroke support groups located in St. Louis, MO, and Boston, MA. Participants. 81 community-dwelling individuals ≥ 6 -month poststroke with and without aphasia. Measures. Participants completed the Activity Card Sort (ACS), Apathy Evaluation Scale (AES), Medical Outcomes Study Social Support Survey (MOS-SSS), and Delis-Kaplan Executive Function System (DKEFS) Design Fluency and Trail-Making subtests. Results. Cognitive deficits limit participation in activities with high cognitive demands. Apathy and positive social interaction influence participation, regardless of high or low cognitive demands. Poststroke aphasia did not impact return to participation in activities with high and low cognitive demands. Conclusions and Relevance. Cognitive deficits seen poststroke contribute to participation only for activities with high cognitive demands. Apathy has a significant and negative influence on participation overall. Social support is a modifiable contextual factor that can facilitate participation. Poststroke apathy can be detrimental to participation but is not well recognized. The availability of companionship from others to enjoy time with can facilitate participation.

Loneliness and the social brain: how perceived social isolation impairs human interactions

Loneliness is a painful condition associated with increased risk for premature mortality. The formation of new, positive social relationships can alleviate feelings of loneliness, but requires rapid trustworthiness decisions during initial encounters and it is still unclear how loneliness hinders interpersonal trust. Here, we use a multimodal approach including behavioral, psychophysiological, hormonal, and neuroimaging measurements to probe a trust-based mechanism underlying impaired social interactions in loneliness. Pre-stratified healthy individuals with high loneliness scores (n = 42 out of a screened sample of 3678 adults) show reduced oxytocinergic and affective responsiveness to a positive conversation, report less interpersonal trust, and prefer larger social distances compared to controls (n = 40). Moreover, lonely individuals are rated as less trustworthy compared to controls and identified by the blinded confederate better than chance. During initial trust decisions, lonely individuals exhibit attenuated limbic and striatal activation and blunted functional connectivity between the anterior insula and occipitoparietal regions, which correlates with the diminished affective responsiveness to the positive social interaction. This neural response pattern is not mediated by loneliness-associated psychological symptoms. Thus, our results indicate compromised integration of trust-related information as a shared neurobiological component in loneliness, yielding a reciprocally reinforced trust bias in social dyads.