Exploratory Factor Analysis of the Trauma Symptom Checklist for Children: A Comparison of Two Factor Extraction Methods

INTRODUCTION: Assessment tools that demonstrate adequate construct validity are needed to identify youth at risk of developing posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) so these at risk youth can be referred to appropriate resources such as counseling. Research on the construct validity of instruments designed to measure PTSS have not shown a consistent factor structure of PTSS. Furthermore, the factor structure of PTSS measured using the Trauma Symptom Checklist for Children (TSCC), a widely used instrument, have only been studied using principal component analysis (PCA), a data reduction technique, rather than exploratory factor analysis (EFA), a factor analytic technique. AIM: The present study aims to 1) evaluate the construct validity of the TSCC using EFA, and 2) demonstrate differences in factor solutions extracted using EFA and PCA. METHODS: A secondary data analysis was conducted on a sample of 121 adolescents exposed to community violence in a mid-sized southern city. Two factor analyses were conducted on the sample using EFA and PCA. RESULTS: Using EFA, PTSS measured by the TSCC demonstrated a three factor structure. The factors were named the Posttraumatic Stress factor, Fear factor, and Sexual Concerns factor. Using PCA, five less interpretable components were extracted. DISCUSSION: The factor structure of PTSS measured by the TSCC differed from currently proposed factor solutions in the PTSS literature, lending evidence that more EFA work is necessary to determine the factor structure of PTSS. As expected, there were also differences between the factor solutions produced using the two different analytic techniques. Future research is needed to confirm this factor solution in larger, more diverse samples

A Screening tool for Identification of Victims of Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children

Background: Commercial sexual exploitation of children (CSEC) and sex trafficking have only recently been recognized as problems by healthcare providers. Both UNICEF (2014) and the Institute of Medicine (2013) have stressed the need for systematic research to assist healthcare providers in the identification of victims. The aim of this poster is to describe initial findings relating to the development of a screening tool to identify CSEC victims. Methods: Twenty-seven sites nationwide (e.g., emergency departments and specialized clinics) participated in a study to validate a screening tool for identifying CSEC victims in an outpatient setting. The study was conducted under approval from the Institutional Review Board at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. Inclusion criteria for the study generally involved being an English-speaking adolescent aged 11-18 years. Results: Study enrollment is ongoing. Preliminary data for 210 youth were analyzed for this abstract. The sample was diverse with respect to age (M=14.59 years, SD=1.490 years) and ethnicity (56.4% Caucasian, 31.8% African American, 3.9% mixed race, and 7.8% Hispanic); the sample was predominantly female (92.8%). Of the 210 youth in the sample, 115(54.8%) have had sex. Of these 115 youth, 13(11.3%) have traded sex for money, drugs, or housing; 7(58.3%) of 12(10.4%) complied when asked by someone to have sex with another person; 8(61.5%) of 13(11.3%) performed sexual acts in public when propositioned; and 19(45.2%) of 42(36.5%) shared provocative photos when prompted. Medical providers flagged 14 youth (6.7% of total 210) as potential CSEC victims. Conclusions: The screening tool shows promise for effective identification of CSEC victims. This poster will present additional data and further quantitative analyses exploring the influences of sexual behavior, drug and alcohol use, and other factors on the risk of becoming a CSEC victim. Implications for researchers and clinicians will also be discussed

The Grizzly, October 23, 2014

Website Launching • Homecoming Kicking Off This Weekend • Board to Discuss New President • Good Neighbors Debuting This Week • Grizzly Gala Returning • American Class Style Can be Surprising • Throop Researches Medieval Europe • U-Innovate Competition Returns • Don\u27t Forget About Small Majors • Opinion: The Problem With Capital Punishment; Extraterrestrial Existence: Reason to Believe? • Football Team Preparing for Homecoming • Serving Up Success • Field Hockey Dashes to 11-2 Starthttps://digitalcommons.ursinus.edu/grizzlynews/1913/thumbnail.jp

The Grizzly, October 30, 2014

Board Announces National Search for New President • Residents Relocated After Fire • Clubs Host First Ever Festifall • Yik Yak Exposes Use of Fake IDs • Midterm Elections Approaching • Halloween Compared to Other International Holidays • UC Alumni Return • Viewers are Drawn to Colonial Theatre in Phoenixville • Student Interns at Disney World • Opinion: Must Halloween Costumes for Women be Sexy?; Occupy Movement in Hong Kong Persists • Local Athlete Stong Giving Field Hockey a Scoring Spark • Diving Into 2014-15 Slate • Seri-ously Goodhttps://digitalcommons.ursinus.edu/grizzlynews/1914/thumbnail.jp

The Grizzly, November 6, 2014

Dr. Peter Small Appointed as Interim Dean • Berman Receives Large Grant • Graduates Granted Campus Housing • Campus Safety Handles Thefts • Senate Changes Organization • Learning to Embrace American Foods • Watson Fellowship Nominees Announced • Myrin Undergoes Renovations • Dr. Jennifer Fleeger Writes Book on Mismatched Female Voices in Film • Opinion: The Francis Effect Alters Public Perception of Roman Catholic Church; How Proactive is Rape Prevention Nail Polish? • Men\u27s Swim Hoping to Make a Splash • Pinning Down Success • Field Hockey to Host Centennial Playoffshttps://digitalcommons.ursinus.edu/grizzlynews/1915/thumbnail.jp

Human papillomavirus vaccine effectiveness by number of doses: Updated systematic review of data from national immunization programs.

BACKGROUND: Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccines were first licensed as a three-dose series. Two doses are now widely recommended in some age groups; there are data suggesting high efficacy with one dose. We updated a systematic literature review of HPV vaccine effectiveness by number of doses in observational studies. METHODS: We searched Medline and Embase databases from January 1, 2007, through September 29, 2021. Data were extracted and summarized in a narrative synthesis. We also conducted quality assessments for bias due to selection, information, and confounding. RESULTS: Overall, 35 studies were included; all except one were conducted within the context of a recommended three-dose schedule. Evaluations were in countries that used bivalent HPV vaccine (seven), quadrivalent HPV vaccine (27) or both (one). Nine evaluated effectiveness against HPV infection, ten anogenital warts, and 16 cervical abnormalities. All studies were judged to have moderate or serious risk of bias. The biases rated as serious would likely result in lower effectiveness with fewer doses. Investigators attempted to control for or stratify by potentially important variables, such as age at vaccination. Eight studies evaluated impact of buffer periods (lag time) for case counting and 10 evaluated different intervals between doses for two-dose vaccine recipients. Studies that stratified by vaccination age found higher effectiveness with younger age at vaccination, although differences were not all formally tested. Most studies found highest estimates of effectiveness with three doses; significant effectiveness was found among 28/29 studies that evaluated three doses, 19/29 that evaluated two doses, and 18/30 that evaluated one dose. Some studies that adjusted or stratified analyses by age at vaccination found similar effectiveness with three, two and one doses. CONCLUSION: Observational studies of HPV vaccine effectiveness have many biases. Studies examining persons vaccinated prior to sexual activity and using methods to reduce sources of bias are needed for valid effectiveness estimates

Review of the current published evidence on single-dose HPV vaccination 3rd Edition

Prophylactic human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccines have been licensed for over ten years. They were initially administered as a three-dose regimen over a six-month period. In 2014, following a review of the evidence for dose reduction by the World Health Organization (WHO) Strategic Advisory Group of Experts (SAGE) on Immunization, a two-dose regimen for individuals aged younger than 15 years was recommended. Since that time, evidence from observational studies suggests that a single-dose HPV vaccine may also provide protection against HPVinfectionand its sequelae. The primary objective of this paperis to summarize and assess the current evidence fora single-dose HPV vaccination schedule. We also identify gaps that remain in determining whether a single dose could be sufficiently protective to have a major impact against HPV infection and its sequelae within the context of immunization programs.The evidence has been compiled by a working group of the Single-Dose HPV Vaccine Evaluation Consortium, whose members representtechnical depth, a wide global reach, and extensive expertise in immunization programs, HPV vaccine introductions, and vaccine policy. Coordinated by PATH, the Consortium includes the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Harvard University, the US National Cancer Institute, Université Laval, the University of British Columbia, and the Wits Reproductive Health and HIV Institute at the University of Witwatersrand. The Consortium leverages the experience of expert groups working in HPV vaccine and other vaccine introductions. Members represent groups that have actively generated evidence for HPV vaccine safety and efficacy,as well as post-licensure effectiveness and delivery.They have implemented HPV vaccine delivery programs in numerous countries, comprehensively evaluated the delivery and impact of HPV vaccine

Pan-Cancer Analysis of lncRNA Regulation Supports Their Targeting of Cancer Genes in Each Tumor Context

Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are commonly dys-regulated in tumors, but only a handful are known toplay pathophysiological roles in cancer. We inferredlncRNAs that dysregulate cancer pathways, onco-genes, and tumor suppressors (cancer genes) bymodeling their effects on the activity of transcriptionfactors, RNA-binding proteins, and microRNAs in5,185 TCGA tumors and 1,019 ENCODE assays.Our predictions included hundreds of candidateonco- and tumor-suppressor lncRNAs (cancerlncRNAs) whose somatic alterations account for thedysregulation of dozens of cancer genes and path-ways in each of 14 tumor contexts. To demonstrateproof of concept, we showed that perturbations tar-geting OIP5-AS1 (an inferred tumor suppressor) andTUG1 and WT1-AS (inferred onco-lncRNAs) dysre-gulated cancer genes and altered proliferation ofbreast and gynecologic cancer cells. Our analysis in-dicates that, although most lncRNAs are dysregu-lated in a tumor-specific manner, some, includingOIP5-AS1, TUG1, NEAT1, MEG3, and TSIX, synergis-tically dysregulate cancer pathways in multiple tumorcontexts

Pan-cancer Alterations of the MYC Oncogene and Its Proximal Network across the Cancer Genome Atlas

Although theMYConcogene has been implicated incancer, a systematic assessment of alterations ofMYC, related transcription factors, and co-regulatoryproteins, forming the proximal MYC network (PMN),across human cancers is lacking. Using computa-tional approaches, we define genomic and proteo-mic features associated with MYC and the PMNacross the 33 cancers of The Cancer Genome Atlas.Pan-cancer, 28% of all samples had at least one ofthe MYC paralogs amplified. In contrast, the MYCantagonists MGA and MNT were the most frequentlymutated or deleted members, proposing a roleas tumor suppressors.MYCalterations were mutu-ally exclusive withPIK3CA,PTEN,APC,orBRAFalterations, suggesting that MYC is a distinct onco-genic driver. Expression analysis revealed MYC-associated pathways in tumor subtypes, such asimmune response and growth factor signaling; chro-matin, translation, and DNA replication/repair wereconserved pan-cancer. This analysis reveals insightsinto MYC biology and is a reference for biomarkersand therapeutics for cancers with alterations ofMYC or the PMN