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Objective Existential isolation refers to an individual’s awareness of the unbridgeable gulf between oneself, other people, and the world. This kind of isolation has been found to be higher in individuals with nonnormative experiences, such as racial or sexual minorities. Bereaved individuals may experience a stronger sense of existential isolation and feel that no one shares their feelings or perceptions. However, research on bereaved people’s experiences of existential isolation and its effects on post-loss adaptation is scarce. This study aims to validate the German and Chinese versions of the Existential Isolation Scale, investigate cultural and gender differences in existential isolation, and explore the associations between existential isolation and prolonged grief symptoms in German-speaking and Chinese bereaved individuals. Methods A cross-sectional study with 267 Chinese and 158 German-speaking bereaved participants was conducted. The participants completed self-report questionnaires assessing existential isolation, prolonged grief symptoms, social networks, loneliness, and social acknowledgment. Results The results indicated that the German and Chinese versions of the Existential Isolation Scale demonstrated adequate validity and reliability. No cultural or gender differences (or their interaction) were found for existential isolation. Higher existential isolation was associated with elevated prolonged grief symptoms, which was further moderated by the cultural group. The relationship between existential isolation and prolonged grief symptoms was significant for the German-speaking bereaved people but not significant for those from China. Conclusion The findings highlight the role of existential isolation in the adaptation to bereavement and how different cultural backgrounds moderate the effect of existential isolation on post-loss reactions. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

Background Chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting remain among the most feared adverse effects for cancer patients. Aim The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of a combination of aprepitant, palonosetron and dexamethasone as antiemetic prophylaxis in patients receiving multiple-day cisplatin-based chemotherapy. Methods Forty-one solid cancer patients received aprepitant, palonosetron and dexa- methasone during a 3-day cisplatin-based chemotherapy. Primary end-point was complete response in the overall phase (day 1 until 5 days after the end of chemotherapy). Results Aprepitant in combination with palonosetron and dexamethasone was safe, with hiccups (31.7%), fatigue (17.1%), headache (14.6%) and constipation (12.2%) the most common treatment-related adverse events, mostly mild. Complete response was seen in 58.5% of patients in the overall phase. In 23 patients receiving aprepitant in combination with palonosetron and dexamethasone more than one cycle (range: 2–5 cycles), the cumulative emetic protection rate after five cycles was 0.82. Conclusion This study shows aprepitant in combination with palonosetron and dex-amethasone is safe and effectively controls chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting in patients undergoing 3-day cisplatin-based chemotherapy, moreover, the efficacy is maintained during multiple cycles.

Many studies have used behavioural experiments to show an attentional bias towards sleep-related stimuli in people with insomnia disorder. A measurement of event-related potential is needed to investigate the cognitive processing mechanism of the attentional process. The present study used the emotional Stroop paradigm and event-related potentials to measure attentional bias towards sleep-negative, sleep-positive and sleep-unrelated neutral words. The study comprised 16 participants with insomnia disorder and 15 participants who were good sleepers. Behavioural data indicated that there was a significant interference effect of sleep-positive words between the insomnia group and the good sleepers, and a marginally significant interference effect from sleep-negative words between groups. In the insomnia group, event-related potential data showed that sleep-negative words elicited higher amplitudes of P1 and N1 components than did sleep-positive and sleep-unrelated words. Our results provide evidence for the early cognitive processing of sleep-negative stimuli, which suggests that the psychological treatment of insomnia could benefit from addressing early hypervigilance towards these stimuli.