Successful UM music graduates to entertain at Alumni Night June 8

Background: Fecal transplants are successful in the treatment of recurrent or refractory Clostridium difficile infections (CDI), but there is no consensus on the best method of instillation. Studies have shown greater success with lower gastrointestinal tract placement, but technical aspects of placement are not validated. Purpose: This review aims to identify common traits and procedural techniques of successful fecal microbiota transplant (FMT) therapy via colonoscopy. Methods: An electronic search was conducted using OVID Medline and PubMed for articles published from January 2010 to January 2016. The primary outcome of interest was cure by FMT placed via colonoscopy. Results: Of the 337 articles reviewed, we included 24 studies, from which 11 case reports were excluded from data analysis. The resultant data included 366 patients (64% female). Point estimate for cure of CDI after FMT for patients over 65 years of age (9%) was 84.6% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.58–0.96; P \u3c 0.016), cure over the age of 18 with no upper limit specified on age (74%) was 85.4% (95% CI: 0.76–0.91; P \u3c 0.001) and, for those identified strictly as 18–65 years old (17%), cure was 93% (95% CI: 0.83–0.98; P \u3c 0.001). Patients who stopped antibiotics at least 48 hours prior to FMT (37%) had a cure rate of 86% (95% CI: 0.78–0.91; P \u3c 0.001) compared to 95% (95% CI: 0.90–0.98; P \u3c 0.001) in patients who stopped antibiotics at least 24 hours prior to FMT (43%) and 81% (95% CI: 0.53–0.94; P \u3c 0.035) in those who stopped less than 24 hours prior to FMT (15%). In studies that specified use of GoLYTELY® prep prior to colonoscopy (58%), cure was 91% (95% CI: 0.85–0.95; P \u3c 0.001); whereas those using a split 2-L polyethylene glycol prep (21%) had 79% cure (95% CI: 0.61–0.90; P \u3c 0.004). Placement of FMT throughout the colon (6.8%) had 96% cure (95% CI: 0.77–0.99; P \u3c 0.002) versus terminal ileum to cecum placement (59%) at 88% cure (95% CI: 0.78–0.94; P \u3c 0.001) and cecum to ascending colon (28%) at 86% cure (95% CI: 0.63–0.95; P \u3c 0.006). Studies that specified the use of loperamide after FMT (21%) had a cure of 85% (95% CI: 0.63–0.95; P \u3c 0.004). Conclusion: FMT placed by colonoscopy has a role in the cure of recurrent or refractory CDI. Stopping antibiotics 24 hours prior to FMT results in higher percentage cure (95%). Distribution of FMT throughout the colon has better outcomes than FMT instillation at other locations. Effect of loperamide post-FMT placement is not conclusive due to the low percentage of reported use. Prospective studies are recommended to study these factors for confirmation of effects

Acculturation conflict and psychological adjustment among Latino adolescents: mechanisms and protective factors

Family conflict, particularly acculturation conflict, has been identified as a significant risk factor for immigrant youth, increasing the likelihood of depression, lower self-esteem, conduct problems, and poor academic performance in Latino and Asian American adolescents and young adults (e.g., Bahrassa, Syed, Su, & Lee, 2011; Dennis, Basañez, & Farahmand, 2010; Formoso, Gonzales, & Aiken, 2000; Gonzales, Deardorff, Formoso, Barr, & Barrera, 2006; Juang, Syed, & Takagi, 2007). Despite this, there is limited empirical work that addresses the mechanisms by which acculturation conflict impacts psychological well-being in Latino youth. The goal of this dissertation was to examine the mechanisms that underlie the negative effects of acculturation conflict with parents, on an adolescent’s depressive symptoms and self-esteem. In this current study, participants included 140 Latino adolescents (Mage = 12.88; SD = .70; 51% girls). The majority of youth were from Mexican-origin families (81%). Using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM), results indicated that parent-adolescent acculturation conflict predicted greater depressive symptoms, lower self-esteem, lower relationship satisfaction with mothers and fathers, and a lower ethnic private regard. Additionally, ethnic private regard served as a partial mediating mechanism linking acculturation conflict to self-esteem, such that, acculturation conflict predicted a lower ethnic private regard, which in turn, predicted lower self-esteem. Discussion focuses on research and clinical implications for working with Latino families living in an emerging Latino community

Ethnic identity as a protective factor for Latino youth

Previous studies indicate that acculturative stress is associated with greater depressive symptoms in Latino adolescents. Ethnic identity is an important cultural variable that has been linked with positive mental health outcomes. The current study examined whether different aspects of ethnic identity moderated the relation between acculturative stress and depressive symptoms among 7th - 10th graders in an emerging Latino community in North Carolina. First, the study examined the main effects of acculturative stress and ethnic identity on depressive symptoms. As hypothesized, greater acculturative stress predicted greater depressive symptoms. Similarly, as hypothesized, lower public regard predicted greater depressive symptoms. In contrast, private regard/centrality did not significantly predict depressive symptoms. It was also hypothesized that ethnic private regard, public regard, and centrality would moderate the relationship between acculturative stress and depressive symptoms such that youth with high levels of ethnic identity would report lower depressive symptoms when confronting acculturative stress. The results of this current study did not support this moderation hypothesis. Furthermore, it was hypothesized that there would be a three-way interaction in which private regard would moderate the relationship between acculturative stress and depressive symptoms only when youth endorsed high levels of ethnic centrality. Due to the strong correlation between private regard and centrality, a three-way interaction analyses could not be performed. Acculturative stress and public regard were the only factors in the current study that were associated with depressive symptoms

Cultural stressors and the hopelessness model of depressive symptoms in Latino adolescents.

Depressive symptoms in Latino youth have been related to both culturally-universal and culturally-based stressors. However, few studies have examined the unique contributions of culturally-based stressors above and beyond other types of stressors. Moreover, no past studies with Latinos have examined the role of culturally-based stressors within a hopelessness model of depressive symptoms, a cognitive model with the strongest empirical support in adolescence. The current study examined these issues in a sample of 171 Latino adolescents (7th–10th grades; mean age = 14; 46 % male). The Latino adolescents were primarily Mexican–American (78 %) and born in the United States (60 %). Students completed measures during a school period on their experiences of parent–child conflict, economic stress, discrimination from peers, and acculturative stress as well as depressive symptoms and attributional style. The results indicated that culturally-based stressors (e.g., acculturative stress and discrimination) predicted greater depressive symptoms even when controlling for culturally-universal stressors (e.g., parent–child conflict, economic stress). Moreover, a negative attributional style moderated the relationship between culturally-universal stressors and depressive symptoms, but this was not the case for culturally-based stressors. Culturally-based stressors play an important role in depressive symptoms among Latino youth. These stressors predicted greater symptomatology even when controlling for other types of stressors and a negative attributional style. These findings suggest that there may be other cognitive risk factors associated with culturally-based stressors

The influence of cultural identity and perceived barriers on college preparation and aspirations of Latino youth in emerging immigrant communities.

Emerging immigrant communities differ from established communities in terms of needs and available resources. Students in these emerging communities may still be acculturating to new contexts and establishing their ethnic identities, which may impact their ability to engage in planning for the future. The current study examines what impact these cultural identity variables, in addition to perceptions of barriers to college entrance, would have on educational aspirations and college-going self-efficacy beliefs of Latino adolescents. Findings from 171 middle- and high school Latino students from immigrant families indicated that public ethnic regard and resilience to barriers were positively associated with college-going self-efficacy, and Anglo orientation had a trend-level effect, while perceived barriers were negatively related to that outcome. Private ethnic regard and person-based barriers were negatively associated with educational aspirations. Generation status, gender, mother’s education, and age were control variables. Implications for research and practice are provided, focusing on perceived barriers and self-efficacy beliefs

Acculturation conflict in Latino youth: Discrimination, ethnic identity, and depressive symptoms

Objectives: Patterns of parent–adolescent conflict differ between immigrant and nonimmigrant families living in the United States (Fuligni, 1998). Despite this, there is limited empirical literature examining the nuanced nature of parent–adolescent conflict in immigrant families. To fill this gap, the current study examined the role of 2 types of conflict (i.e., general and acculturation) in predicting psychosocial outcomes (i.e., depressive symptoms and ethnic identity) among Latino adolescents, and whether these relationships differ within the context of peer discrimination. Method: All survey administration was completed in the participating school’s cafeteria. The sample consisted of 7th through 10th graders (n = 172) with a mean age of 14.01 years (SD = 1.32.) The sample consisted of 53% females, and was primarily Mexican in origin (78%). Results: As hypothesized, parent–adolescent acculturation conflict uniquely predicted greater depressive symptoms and lower ethnic private regard, even when controlling for parent–adolescent general conflict. However, acculturation conflict predicted lower ethnic private regard only in the presence of greater peer discrimination. More specifically, peer discrimination moderated the relation between acculturation conflict and ethnic private regard such that adolescents who reported the highest levels of acculturation conflict and peer discrimination reported the lowest levels of ethnic private regard. Conclusions: These results suggest that for Latino youth and their families, acculturation conflict may be particularly problematic, as compared with general conflict. In addition, youth who face ethnicity-based stressors in both familial and school contexts are especially at risk in their ethnic identity development

Familism Through a Developmental Lens

This article reviews an emerging literature examining the effects of familism across childhood and adolescence. Familism has been described as a Latino cultural value that emphasizes obligation, filial piety, family support and obedience, and its effects have been documented as primarily protective across childhood and adolescence. This review seeks to organize and critique existing research using a developmental science framework. Key tenets of this perspective that are highlighted in the review are close consideration of how familism develops within an individual across time, manifests itself at different points in development, and impacts child, adolescent, and family functioning. Forty-four articles were examined and categorized with results showing that the protective influence of familism is most evident during the period of adolescence. Consideration of expressions of familism and the impact of familism on outcomes during earlier and later periods of development is offered as a recommendation for deriving a more complete understanding of the function of familism in Latino families

Ten new insights in climate science 2023

Non-technical summary. We identify a set of essential recent advances in climate change research with high policy relevance, across natural and social sciences: (1) looming inevitability and implications of overshooting the 1.5°C warming limit, (2) urgent need for a rapid and managed fossil fuel phase-out, (3) challenges for scaling carbon dioxide removal, (4) uncertainties regarding the future contribution of natural carbon sinks, (5) intertwinedness of the crises of biodiversity loss and climate change, (6) compound events, (7) mountain glacier loss, (8) human immobility in the face of climate risks, (9) adaptation justice, and (10) just transitions in food systems. Technical summary. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Assessment Reports provides the scientific foundation for international climate negotiations and constitutes an unmatched resource for researchers. However, the assessment cycles take multiple years. As a contribution to cross- and interdisciplinary understanding of climate change across diverse research communities, we have streamlined an annual process to identify and synthesize significant research advances. We collected input from experts on various fields using an online questionnaire and prioritized a set of 10 key research insights with high policy relevance. This year, we focus on: (1) the looming overshoot of the 1.5°C warming limit, (2) the urgency of fossil fuel phase-out, (3) challenges to scale-up carbon dioxide removal, (4) uncertainties regarding future natural carbon sinks, (5) the need for joint governance of biodiversity loss and climate change, (6) advances in understanding compound events, (7) accelerated mountain glacier loss, (8) human immobility amidst climate risks, (9) adaptation justice, and (10) just transitions in food systems. We present a succinct account of these insights, reflect on their policy implications, and offer an integrated set of policy-relevant messages. This science synthesis and science communication effort is also the basis for a policy report contributing to elevate climate science every year in time for the United Nations Climate Change Conference. Social media summary. We highlight recent and policy-relevant advances in climate change research – with input from more than 200 experts

Dissecting the Shared Genetic Architecture of Suicide Attempt, Psychiatric Disorders, and Known Risk Factors

Background Suicide is a leading cause of death worldwide, and nonfatal suicide attempts, which occur far more frequently, are a major source of disability and social and economic burden. Both have substantial genetic etiology, which is partially shared and partially distinct from that of related psychiatric disorders. Methods We conducted a genome-wide association study (GWAS) of 29,782 suicide attempt (SA) cases and 519,961 controls in the International Suicide Genetics Consortium (ISGC). The GWAS of SA was conditioned on psychiatric disorders using GWAS summary statistics via multitrait-based conditional and joint analysis, to remove genetic effects on SA mediated by psychiatric disorders. We investigated the shared and divergent genetic architectures of SA, psychiatric disorders, and other known risk factors. Results Two loci reached genome-wide significance for SA: the major histocompatibility complex and an intergenic locus on chromosome 7, the latter of which remained associated with SA after conditioning on psychiatric disorders and replicated in an independent cohort from the Million Veteran Program. This locus has been implicated in risk-taking behavior, smoking, and insomnia. SA showed strong genetic correlation with psychiatric disorders, particularly major depression, and also with smoking, pain, risk-taking behavior, sleep disturbances, lower educational attainment, reproductive traits, lower socioeconomic status, and poorer general health. After conditioning on psychiatric disorders, the genetic correlations between SA and psychiatric disorders decreased, whereas those with nonpsychiatric traits remained largely unchanged. Conclusions Our results identify a risk locus that contributes more strongly to SA than other phenotypes and suggest a shared underlying biology between SA and known risk factors that is not mediated by psychiatric disorders.Peer reviewe