Jill Murphy, Associate Editor

New research has shown that approximately 30% of people prefer to talk about negative experiences with a virtual reality (VR) avatar compared to a person, according to research conducted by The Edith Cowan University.

The investigators compared social interactions where people engaged in VR conversation versus face-to-face by using full face and body motion capture technology to create a ‘realistic motion avatar’ that closely imitated their human counterpart. These conversations were then analyzed based on how people interacted with the avatars compared to their human counterparts.

According to researcher Shane Rogers, MD, participants rated their experience on factors such as enjoyment, perceived understanding, comfort, awkwardness, and extent that they felt they disclosed information about themselves.

“Overall people rated VR social interaction as similar to face-to-face interaction, with the exception of closeness, where people tended to feel a little closer with each other when face-to-face,” Rogers said in the press release.

Rogers added that while VR technology has been around for some time, this new study suggests that using motion capture to enhance VR could catapult it into our everyday lives.

“This technology has the potential for broad application across a number of areas such as casual conversation, business, tourism, education and therapy,” Rogers said in the press release. “The study found that 30% of people preferred disclosing negative experiences via VR. This means that therapy might be opened to new people who don’t feel comfortable with traditional face-to-face interactions. It might also enable therapists to conduct therapy more effectively at a distance, as a person can be in the therapist room (in virtual reality) while seated in their own home.”

Further, he added that he expected VR social interaction to become more common in the next 5 years rather than a niche topic.

“More powerful computers are becoming more affordable, VR headsets and peripherals are continuing to develop, and more user-friendly VR interaction software platforms are becoming available and being updated,” Rogers said in the press release.

The research team hopes to further investigate how aspects of the generation of the avatar, such as the fidelity of motion and graphics, impact user experience and the potential of using VR in therapeutic settings.

Virtual Reality could help make therapy easier. Edith Cowan University. January 5, 2022. Accessed January 12, 2022. 

https://www.ecu.edu.au/newsroom/articles/research/virtual-reality-could-help-make-therapy-easier

Articles

This new study suggests that using motion capture to enhance VR could catapult it into our everyday lives.

Research Shows Patients May Prefer Communicating With an Avatar in Therapeutic Setting

A new study from the University of Turku in Finland found that a healthy, comprehensive diet that lowers the body’s inflammation reduces the risk of gestational diabetes mellitus. The mother-child study was conducted at the university and Turku University Hospital and examined the correlation between dietary intake and the onset of gestational diabetes in 351 women who were overweight or obese.

Nutrient intake was calculated based on the food diaries of participants in the study, the results of which showed 2 dietary patterns emerging. Additionally, the overall quality of the diet in reference to the recommendations was described with a diet quality index and the inflammatory potential with a dietary inflammatory index.

One such pattern that was observed in the results was that study participants who followed a healthy diet in early pregnancy had a reduced risk of gestational diabetes, ecplained the first author Lotta Pajunen, a doctoral candidate from the Institute of Biomedicine at the University of Turku.

Further, the study found that a higher dietary inflammatory index, which demonstrates that a patient’s diet has increased the low-grade inflammatory markers in the body, was connected to an increased risk of developing gestational diabetes mellitus. The researchers also observed from the data that a higher consumption of fat and saturated fats was connected to gestational diabetes as well.

This analysis, which used several methods to examine the dietary intake in early pregnancy, disclosed that a diet comprehensively promoting health relates to a decreased risk of developing gestational diabetes.

Healthy diet in early pregnancy reduces risk of gestational diabetes. University of Turku. December 29, 2021. Accessed January 5, 2022. 

https://www.utu.fi/en/news/press-release/healthy-diet-in-early-pregnancy-reduces-risk-of-gestational-diabetes

The mother-child study was conducted at the university and Turku University Hospital and examined the correlation between dietary intake and the onset of gestational diabetes in 351 women who were overweight or obese.

Study: Healthy Diet in Early Pregnancy Reduces Risk of Gestational Diabetes

A new study shows that the infant immune system is stronger than most people think and can outdo adults in fighting off new pathogens, according to a Columbia University press release.

The immune systems of infants have a reputation for being weak and underdeveloped compared to the adult immune system; however, Donna Farber, PhD, professor of microbiology & immunology and the George H. Humphreys II Professor of Surgical Sciences at Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, said that unlike adults, babies are seeing viruses such as influenza for the first time.

“Adults don’t get sick as often because we’ve recorded memories of these viruses, and the memories protect us, whereas everything the baby encounters is new to them,” Farber said in the press release.

The new study only tested the immune system’s ability to respond to a new pathogen, essentially eliminating any contribution from immunological memories. The researchers collected naïve T cells, defined as immune cells that have never encountered a pathogen, from both infant and adult mice and placed the cells into adult mice infected with a virus.

In the experiment, the naïve T cells from infant mice detected lower levels of the virus than adult cells and the infant cells proliferated faster and traveled in greater numbers to the site of the infection, rapidly building a strong defense against the virus. Further, a laboratory comparison found similar enhancements among human infant T cells compared to adults, according to the study authors.

“We were looking at naïve T cells that have never been activated, so it was a surprise that they behaved differently based on age,” Farber said in the press release. “What this is saying is that the infant’s immune system is robust, it's efficient, and it can get rid of pathogens in early life. In some ways, it may be even better than the adult immune system, since it’s designed to respond to a multitude of new pathogens.”

The new findings also help explain why vaccines are particularly effective in childhood, when T cells are very robust, according to Farber.

“That is the time to get vaccines and you shouldn't worry about getting multiple vaccines in that window,” Farber said in the press release. “Any child living in the world, particularly before we started wearing masks, is exposed to a huge number of new antigens every day. They’re already handling multiple exposures.”

According to Farber, the study could lead to better vaccine designs for children.

“Most vaccine formulations and doses are the same for all ages, but understanding the distinct immune responses in childhood suggests we can use lower doses for children and could help us design vaccines that are more effective for this age group,” Farber said in the press release.

Infant immune systems are stronger than you think. Columbia University Irving Medical Center. December 10, 2021. Accessed December 15, 2021. 

https://www.cuimc.columbia.edu/news/infant-immune-systems-are-stronger-you-think

The researchers collected naïve T cells, defined as immune cells that have never encountered a pathogen, from both infant and adult mice and placed the cells into adult mice infected with a virus.

Study Finds Infant Immune Systems Stronger Than Commonly Perceived

A new study has found that certain personal care products used during pregnancy may impact maternal hormone levels, according to a press release from Rutgers University.

Most personal care and beauty products contain several ingredients that often include a wide range of endocrine-disrupting chemicals, such as phthalates, parabens, phenols, and toxic metals. These compounds interact with hormone systems, influencing synthesis, regulation, transport, metabolism, and hormone reception. These chemicals can become vulnerable during pregnancy, according to the researchers.

The study examined the association between personal care product use and the levels of sex steroid hormones, including estrogens and progesterone, as well as thyroid hormones among pregnant women. The research team also analyzed how demographic factors impact the use of certain personal care products.

The team collected blood samples from 1070 pregnant women between 18 and 40 years of age enrolled in the Puerto Rico PROTECT cohort, which is an ongoing prospective birth study designed to examine environmental exposures in pregnant women and their children who live in the Northern Karst zone of Puerto Rico, according to the press release.

The participants underwent physical exams and completed a series of questionnaires providing their demographics, occupation, lifestyle, and use of personal care products such as fragrances, lotions, cosmetics, nail polish, shaving cream, mouthwash, shampoo, and other hair products, such as bleach and mousse. Additionally, the participants provided blood samples twice throughout their pregnancies, which were examined for 9 sex steroid and thyroid hormones.

The research team found that the use of hair products, particularly hair dyes, bleach, relaxers, and mousse are associated with lower levels of sex steroid hormones, which have a critical role maintaining pregnancy and fetal development. The disruptions of these hormones may contribute to adverse maternal and pregnancy outcomes, such as growth restriction, preterm birth, and low birth weight, according to the study authors.

“Alterations in hormone levels, especially during pregnancy, can have vast consequences beyond health at birth including changes in infant and child growth, pubertal trajectories and may influence development of hormone-sensitive cancers such as breast, uterine and ovarian cancer,” said lead study author, Zorimar Rivera-Núñez, in the press release. “Additional research should address the public health impact of exposure to chemicals in hair products in pregnant populations.”

Further, the research team found that socioeconomic variables, such as income, education, and employment status, influence the use of personal care products among pregnant women in Puerto Rico. An example of this is the participants who reported a household income greater than $100,000 use personal care products more often than participants with lower household incomes. The employed participants reported using more cosmetics than the participants who were unemployed.

“Prior research has shown that non-pregnant populations have also reported associations between frequency of use and socioeconomic markers, such as household income and education,” Rivera-Núñez said in the press release. “A strong culture of beauty influences Latina women, which may impact consistent use of cosmetics through pregnancy. This data is important because it will allow us to identify populations who are at an increased risk of chemical exposures associated with personal care product use.”

The research team recommends that primary physicians and obstetricians should speak to reproductive-age women about the potential health impact of endocrine disrupting chemicals, like those found in hair products.

Chemicals from hair and beauty products impact hormones, especially during pregnancy. Rutgers University. December 10, 2021. Accessed December 15, 2021. 

https://www.rutgers.edu/news/chemicals-hair-and-beauty-products-impact-hormones-especially-during-pregnancy

Most personal care and beauty products contain several ingredients that often include a wide range of endocrine-disrupting chemicals, such as phthalates, parabens, phenols, and toxic metals.

Study Shows Chemicals from Hair, Beauty Products Impact Hormones, Especially in Pregnant Women

Research results show that many physicians and other clinicians are hindered from helping patients make these changes.

A survey of 1286 practitioners shows that 55% reported not receiving any reimbursement for lifestyle medicine practices, while 27% reported some reimbursement and 18% being reimbursed for all their lifestyles medicine interventions, according to research results from the American College of Lifestyle Medicine.

The respondents included dietitians, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, physical therapists, and physicians.

The respondents shared specific examples of both clinician and patient barriers, such as a Medicare patient who was denied coverage for a nutrition-focused weight management program in favor of a costly surgical procedure.

“Chronic disease management guidelines clearly recommend health behavior changes, but many reimbursement barriers discourage or prevent health care practitioners from helping patients achieve those lifestyle changes,” study author Kelly Freeman, MSN, AGPCNP-BC, DipACLM said in a statement. “If optimal health outcomes are truly the goal, more resources are needed to best illuminate the most impactful types of lifestyle interventions and how to successfully implement them in a sustainable manner.”

Some survey respondents recommended several changes that would improve their ability to practice lifestyle medicine. The top suggestions included better electronic medical record capabilities, policy changes to incentivize improved health outcomes and lifestyle medicine-specific billing codes, and reimbursement for increased time spent with patients.

The study authors proposed that specific policy changes must change to address the limitations of the payment and reimbursement models. A proposal example is to develop new quality measures that emphasize clinical outcomes and patient experience to address chronic disease remission and reversal.

“Now is the time to acknowledge that lifestyle medicine treatment is high-value care,” Micaela Karlsen, PhD, MSPH, ACLM Director of Research, said in the statement. “Practitioners who are able to achieve outcomes such as type 2 diabetes remission, true improvements in well-being, and reductions in medications, should be paid for their services in a manner that is commensurate with the value they provide.”

Reimbursement struggles for lifestyle medicine interventions pose significant barrier for health care practitioners, study finds. EurekAlert! News release. November 15, 2021. Accessed November 17, 2021. 

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/934904

The respondents included dietitians, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, physical therapists, and physicians.








Study: Practitioners Face Reimbursement Barriers for Lifestyle Medicine Interventions

The American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN) has developed a guide to help those who have been vaccinated against COVID-19 to engage in constructive conversations with family members and friends who are hesitant about getting the vaccine, according to a press release.

The toolkit is associated with AACN’s Hear Us Out campaign to report nurses’ reality from the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic and help the unvaccinated reconsider their decisions.

“COVID-19 is still here. The majority of patients with COVID we’re seeing in ICUs haven’t been vaccinated, and their journey often ends with a nurse holding their hand as they die,” said Beth Wathen, AACN president and a clinical practice specialist in Denver, Colorado, in a press release. “Nurses need allies to end this pandemic, and productive conversations about the vaccine among family, friends and those who trust each other can open minds.”

Included in the toolkit are tips to help individuals prepare for potentially challenging conversations with those who are hesitant about getting vaccinated. The toolkit includes resources such as tip sheets, links to trusted information sources, and short videos of nurses sharing profound experiences of taking care of unvaccinated patients with COVID-19.

“This toolkit offers straightforward tips to keep sensitive conversations from becoming confrontational,” said Stephanie Burdick, a community health strategist in Salt Lake City, Utah, in a press release. “It fills a critical gap in community health education as the public prepares to celebrate the upcoming holidays with friends and loved ones.”

In a recent AACN survey of more than 6500 acute and critical care nurses, 76% of respondents claim that people who have yet to be vaccinated threaten nurses’ physical and mental well-being. Additionally, 92% of nurses surveyed said they think that the COVID-19 pandemic has depleted nurses at their hospitals and has led to the shortening of their careers than intended.

“We know that people in communities with low vaccination rates are at greater risk for becoming seriously ill with COVID-19 and dying from what is now largely a preventable disease,” said Amanda Bettencourt, AACN president-elect and an assistant professor in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in a press release. “The pandemic has brought the nursing profession into crisis, and the public is a critical part of the solution. The fastest way out of this is by more people getting vaccinated.”

Toolkit provides tips for COVID vaccination conversations. American Association of Critical-Care Nurses. Published November 9, 2021. Accessed November 15, 2021. 

https://www.aacn.org/newsroom/toolkit-provides-tips-for-covid-vaccination-conversations

Included in the toolkit are tips to help individuals prepare for potentially challenging conversations with those who are hesitant about getting vaccinated. 