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Exposure to nature can enhance mental well-being, making nature-based interventions promising for the treatment and prevention of mental health problems like depression. Given the decreased self-focus and sense of self-diminishment associated with awe, the present study investigated the impact of exposure to awe-evoking nature on two key risk and maintenance factors of depression-repetitive negative thinking (RNT) and dampening of positive feelings-and on subjective happiness. In a randomized controlled trial, we tested the effects of exposure to awe-evoking nature clips through a 1-week intervention, consisting of watching a 1-min clip on a daily basis of either awe-evoking (n high awe = 108) or more mundane nature scenes (n low awe = 105). Before, immediately after (post-intervention) and 1 week after the intervention (follow-up), participants completed self-report scales probing RNT, dampening, and subjective happiness. Results indicated significant decreases in these outcomes at post-intervention and follow-up in both groups. We discuss study limitations, touch upon future research ideas, and reflect upon the role of nature for clinical applications., (© 2024 International Association of Applied Psychology.)

We conducted a pre-registered meta-analysis of studies that directly compared the predictive validity of risk assessment tools to unstructured judgments of risk for violent, any, or sexual offending. A total of 31 studies, containing 169 effect sizes from 45,673 risk judgments, met inclusion criteria. Based on the results of three-level mixed-effects meta-regression models, the predictive validity of total scores on risk assessment tools was significantly higher than that of unstructured judgments for predictions of violent, any, and sexual offending. Tools continued to outperform unstructured judgments after accounting for risk of bias. This finding was also robust to variations in population, assessment context, and outcome measurement. Although this meta-analysis provides support for the use of risk assessment tools, it also highlights limitations and gaps that future research should address., (© 2024 The Author(s). Behavioral Sciences & the Law published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

This study examined the perceived costs, benefits, and motivations for participating in individual trauma-focused interviews among forensic psychiatric patients ( N = 74). The majority of our participants were male, and 100% endorsed adverse childhood experiences (e.g., abuse, neglect) or exposure to potentially traumatic events (e.g., assault). Levels of posttraumatic avoidance (41.9%), reexperiencing (59.5%), and increased arousal (51.3%) were high. In line with previous studies, our findings suggest an overall positive research experience in this sample. In spite of extensive histories of lifetime victimization we did not find an association between victimization, posttraumatic symptomatology, and a negative research experience. Our findings suggest that participation in trauma-focused research is not only possible with, but also potentially beneficial for forensic patients.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to independently validate a genomic signature developed both to assess recurrence risk in stage II patients and to assist in treatment decisions., Background: Adjuvant therapy is recommended for high-risk patients with stage II colon cancer, but better tools to assess the patients' prognosis accurately are still required., Methods: Previously, an 18-gene signature had been developed and validated on an independent cohort, using full genome microarrays. In this study, the gene signature was translated and validated as a robust diagnostic test (ColoPrint), using customized 8-pack arrays. In addition, clinical validation of the diagnostic ColoPrint assay was performed on 135 patients who underwent curative resection (R0) for colon cancer stage II in Munich. Fresh-frozen tissue, microsatellite instability status, clinical parameters, and follow-up data for all patients were available. The diagnostic ColoPrint readout was determined blindly from the clinical data., Results: ColoPrint identified most stage II patients (73.3%) as at low risk. The 5-year distant-metastasis free survival was 94.9% for low-risk patients and 80.6% for high-risk patients. In multivariable analysis, ColoPrint was the only significant parameter to predict the development of distant metastasis with a hazard ratio of 4.28 (95% confidence interval, 1.36-13.50; P = 0.013). Clinical risk parameters from the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) recommendation did not add power to the ColoPrint classification. Technical validation of ColoPrint confirmed stability and reproducibility of the diagnostic platform., Conclusions: ColoPrint is able to predict the development of distant metastasis of patients with stage II colon cancer and facilitates the identification of patients who may be safely managed without chemotherapy.

Objective: To determine for what reasons West African immigrants, who contribute the largest single group of malaria cases in the Netherlands, visit pre-travel preventive health services and whether use of such services is likely to improve use of preventive measures., Methods: Semi-structured interviews with eligible participants recruited through West African churches and societies and at a large festival., Results: A total of 70% of the total non-random sample of 292 participants said that they always use pre-travel preventive health services before travelling. Being from Ghana (OR = 2.5), having legal residency status (OR = 2.5), visiting friends and relatives rather than going for business or funeral (OR = 6.7), and living in Amsterdam (OR = 5.1) were all independently associated with using pre-travel preventive health services, as were taking general preventive measures (OR = 3.0), and self-reported use of malaria prophylaxis. Higher use of pre-travel preventive health services was not associated with better knowledge of malaria as such., Conclusions: West Africans, in particular non-Ghanaians, illegal immigrants and West African immigrants leaving at short notice should be encouraged to use pre-travel preventive health services. Adequate methods to reach these groups need to be developed, including health education on the importance of prevention in general.

Unlabelled: Statement of problem. Passive fit of implant-supported superstructures has been suggested as a prerequisite for maintenance of osseo-integration and for successful prosthetic reconstruction., Purpose: This study evaluated the degree of fit of superstructures cemented onto titanium abutments, compared to structures cast onto gold cylinders., Material and Methods: An impression was taken and a master cast made of five implants mounted in a stainless steel model. Six similar porcelain fused to metal superstructures with standardised dimensions were then fabricated. One group featured castings onto gold UCLA abutments, while in the other group the structures were cemented onto tapering titanium abutments. Vertical discrepancies between implants and both types of superstructures were measured on at six locations around each implant using a reflex microscope. Measurements were taken after securing the structures to the model with a single screw (torqued to 32 Ncm) placed in various locations and also after tightening all the retaining screws simultaneously to 10 Ncm., Results: With the new single-screw procedure, no significant difference in mean gap size was noted between the two groups. The discrepancies were significantly larger for certain screw locations (1 and 5), indicating that the one-screw test might be an inaccurate way of assessing fit. After tightening all the retaining screws simultaneously to 10 Ncm, the mean gaps were 11.9 microns for the cemented group and 17.8 microns for the cast group., Conclusion: Although not statistically significant, cementing of superstructures onto titanium abutments improved the fit up to 50% compared to casting the structures onto gold UCLA-abutments. Tightening one terminal abutment screw and evaluating the discrepancies at the other abutments (one-screw test) distorted the results when evaluating the fit of long-span, implant-supported ceramo-metal superstructures., Clinical Implications: The results of this study indicate that cementing superstructures onto titanium abutments will lead to an improved degree of fit, compared to casting superstructures onto gold cylinders. In addition, the one-screw test may not be an accurate method of determining the level of passivity of long-span, ceramo-metal, implant-supported superstructures.