Introduction: Referrals for gender-affirming healthcare services have surged in recent decades, presumably driven by increased visibility, acceptance and reduced barriers to care. Despite these advances, transgender and gender-diverse individuals continue to face significant mental health challenges, including elevated rates of anxiety, depression as well as high prevalence of autistic traits. Gender-affirming hormonal treatment (GAHT) has been suggested to improve mental health and quality of life (QoL) among transgender individuals; however, the short- and long-term treatment effects of GAHT are not yet fully understood.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Patients seeking orthodontic treatment may use large language models (LLMs) such as Chat-GPT for self-education, thereby impacting their decision-making process. This study assesses the reliability and validity of Chat-GPT prompts aimed at informing patients about orthodontic side effects and examines patients' perceptions of this information.
Materials And Methods: To assess reliability, n = 28 individuals were asked to generate information from GPT-3.
Conscious Cogn
September 2021
The literature on autobiographical memory retrieval has directed much attention to the concepts of direct retrieval (fast, automatic retrieval) and generative retrieval (slower, deliberative/strategic retrieval). Among the many findings reported on these phenomena, their relative prevalence has stood out as a central feature in many studies, with most studies reporting the frequency of direct retrieval as equal to or exceeding generative retrieval. In this study, we used the retrieve-aloud procedure (a method where participants verbalize their thoughts while retrieving) to delve more deeply into the nature of reports of ubiquitous direct retrieval.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThis study investigated the idea that when one recalls past episodes, that the content of those memories will activate additional episodic memories with like content, and such memories will then have the potential of surfacing in subsequent acts of involuntary and voluntary recall. We tested the episodic content priming hypothesis in two experiments. In Experiment 1, priming group participants first recalled memories about specific activities or events and then they were subsequently engaged in a word-cue voluntary autobiographical memory task.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWhile Schwann cells (SCs) have a significant role in peripheral nerve regeneration, their use in treatments has been limited because of lack of a readily available source. To address this issue, this study focused on the effect of guidance cues by employing micropatterned polymeric films to influence the alignment, morphology and transdifferentiation of bone marrow-derived rat mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) towards a Schwann cell-like fate. Two different types of polymers, biocompatible polystyrene (PS) and biodegradable poly(lactic acid) (PLA) were used to fabricate patterned films.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) derived from bone marrow are a powerful cellular resource and have been used in numerous studies as potential candidates to develop strategies for treating a variety of diseases. The purpose of this study was to develop and characterize MSCs as cellular vehicles engineered for delivery of therapeutic factors as part of a neuroprotective strategy for rescuing the damaged or diseased nervous system. In this study we used mouse MSCs that were genetically modified using lentiviral vectors, which encoded brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) or glial cell-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF), together with green fluorescent protein (GFP).
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