Patterns of Stepfamily Relationship Quality and Adolescents' Short-Term and Long-Term Adjustment

Stepfamilies experience unique dynamics, with implications for family functioning and youth well-being. Emerging research is incorporating a holistic perspective whereby stepfamily dynamics are viewed more comprehensively, and constellations of stepfamily relationship quality are identified. In the current study, we examined short-term and long-term associations between latent patterns of stepfamily relationships (including the quality of mother–child, stepfather–child, nonresident father–child, and stepcouple dyads) and youth adjustment (i.e., depression, delinquency, self-esteem) across three stages of youth development: adolescence, emerging adulthood, and young adulthood. Using a representative sample of adolescents from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (Harris et al., 2009), results from longitudinal structural equation models and latent-growth curve models indicated that youth adjustment over time is optimized among youth in a residence-centered (i.e., high-quality relationships among mother–child, stepfather–child, and stepcouple dyads) or inclusive (i.e., high-quality relationships across all dyads, including the nonresident father) pattern, as compared with youth in an unhappy-couple (i.e., low-quality stepcouple relationship) or parent–child disconnection (i.e., low-quality relationships between youth and each parental figure) pattern. The results point to many similarities between male and female youth in terms of adjustment responses to patterns of stepfamily relationships, although some differences became apparent. In the context of stepfamily relationships marked by low-quality relationships, male youth might exhibit greater initial levels of externalizing problems than female youth, whereas female youth might exhibit greater initial levels of internalizing problems than male youth. Implications for future research and intervention and prevention efforts are discussed

Harnessing the strength of families to prevent social problems and promote adolescent well-being

The family context exerts notable influence on many domains of adolescent development and well-being. Recent research indicates that the family has the power not only to help youth get back on course after problems emerge, but that the family can also play a critical role in preventing problems for youth by reducing the severity of a problem or mitigating its occurrence. The purpose of this paper is to outline the promise and challenges of family-based approaches to prevention in social work practice. Research and theory have identified numerous risk and protective factors in the family. Prevention programs that address these risk and protective factors have shown strong evidence of reducing youth risky behavior. Program effects vary based on the strength of program implementation. Agencies often face barriers to implementation including maintaining model fidelity, engaging families, and sustaining funding. Implications for practice and policy are discussed

Initial Plant Growth in Sand Mine Spoil Amended with Peat Moss and Fertilizer Under Greenhouse Conditions: Potential Species for Use in Reclamation

The Great Lakes Basin exhibits the largest collection of freshwater sand dunes in the world. Sand dunes are ecologically important and support a unique assemblage of flora and fauna. Sand dunes are also economically valuable. However, when sand dunes are mined, soil quality is drastically reduced. Therefore, soil quality improvements followed by revegetation maybe necessary for successful reclamation. This study evaluates the germination and initial growth of 2 legume species, sundial lupine (Lupinus perennis) and Illinois bundleflower (Desmanthus illinoensis), and 2 warm-season grass species, Indian grass (Sorghastrum nutans) and little bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium), in the presence of 2 soil amendments (inorganic fertilizer and sphagnum peat moss) added to spoil from a local sand mine. We sowed species in pots and propagated them under greenhouse conditions. Results indicate that sundial lupine and Illinois bundleflower exhibited the greatest germination and growth among species. Peat moss had the greatest overall impact on germination and growth while the addition of fertilizer positively affected initial growth. Based on these results, sundial lupine is recognized as a primary candidate for sand mine reclamation, while Illinois bundleflower is also recommended as an appropriate species for revegetation efforts. We recommend using soil amendments that are functionally equivalent to peat in increasing soil water holding capacity. We further suggest that fertilization may be accomplished by including legumes in plant species mixes used for revegetation. Results presented here may help to identify appropriate species and soil amendments for the reclamation of former sand mines or restoration of freshwater sand dunes

Allogeneic natural killer cell therapy

Interest in adoptive cell therapy for treating cancer is exploding owing to early clinical successes of autologous chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T lymphocyte therapy. However, limitations using T cells and autologous cell products are apparent as they (1) take weeks to generate, (2) utilize a 1:1 donor-to-patient model, (3) are expensive, and (4) are prone to heterogeneity and manufacturing failures. CAR T cells are also associated with significant toxicities, including cytokine release syndrome, immune effector cell-associated neurotoxicity syndrome, and prolonged cytopenias. To overcome these issues, natural killer (NK) cells are being explored as an alternative cell source for allogeneic cell therapies. NK cells have an inherent ability to recognize cancers, mediate immune functions of killing and communication, and do not induce graft-versus-host disease, cytokine release syndrome, or immune effector cell-associated neurotoxicity syndrome. NK cells can be obtained from blood or cord blood or be derived from hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells or induced pluripotent stem cells, and can be expanded and cryopreserved for off-the-shelf availability. The first wave of point-of-care NK cell therapies led to the current allogeneic NK cell products being investigated in clinical trials with promising preliminary results. Basic advances in NK cell biology and cellular engineering have led to new translational strategies to block inhibition, enhance and broaden target cell recognition, optimize functional persistence, and provide stealth from patients\u27 immunity. This review details NK cell biology, as well as NK cell product manufacturing, engineering, and combination therapies explored in the clinic leading to the next generation of potent, off-the-shelf cellular therapies for blood cancers

Effects of Thrombopoietin (TPO) on Longitudinal Mouse Hind Limb Crush Injury Model

abstractApproximately 645 people suffer from blunt force trauma injury to the femur every day. The recovery time of such injury can last anywhere from 3-6 months. Thrombopoietin (TPO) was used as a growth factor to induce bone and muscle healing. In this study, nine separate mouse groups (10 mice per group) were used: Crush PBS, Crush TPO, Surgery PBS, and Surgery TPO at day 3 and day 17, and controls with no surgery/crush/treatment. Skeletal muscle was harvested from the following sites: experimental impact, experimental adjacent, and normal contralateral skeletal muscle as a control. The muscles were fixed, processed, sectioned, and stained with H&E and Massons Trichrome stains. The slides were reviewed for skeletal muscle injury, muscle necrosis, inflammation, muscle repair, and regeneration. In addition, F4/80, an immunostain for macrophages was performed. On microscopic examination at day 3 the most common histologic changes seen were sporadic muscle fiber vacuolation, focal necrosis of varying sizes, muscle contraction bands, and infiltration of macrophages. On day 17, the skeletal muscle injury was generally healed. The main histologic lesions seen were variable sizes of muscle fibers, early fibroplasia, fat infiltration, some macrophages, satellite cells, and neovascularization. Comparing the TPO treated mice versus the PBS control group, the lesions at both time points were less in the TPO treated mice

Cost effectiveness of a mail-delivered individually tailored physical activity intervention for Latinas vs. a mailed contact control

Background Physical inactivity is high in Latinas, as are chronic health conditions. There is a need for physical activity (PA) interventions that are not only effective but have potential for cost-effective widespread dissemination. The purpose of this paper was to assess the costs and cost effectiveness of a Spanish-language print-based mail-delivered PA intervention that was linguistically and culturally adapted for Latinas. Methods Adult Latinas (N = 266) were randomly assigned to receive mail-delivered individually tailored intervention materials or wellness information mailed on the same schedule (control). PA was assessed at baseline, six months (post-intervention) and 12 months (maintenance phase) using the 7-Day Physical Activity Recall Interview. Costs were calculated from a payer perspective, and included personnel time (wage, fringe, and overhead), materials, equipment, software, and postage costs. Results At six months, the PA intervention cost $29/person/month, compared to$15/person/month for wellness control. These costs fell to $17 and$9 at 12 months, respectively. Intervention participants increased their PA by an average of 72 min/week at six months and 94 min/week at 12 months, while wellness control participants increased their PA by an average of 30 min/week and 40 min/week, respectively. At six months, each minute increase in PA cost $0.18 in the intervention group compared to$0.23 in wellness control, which fell to $0.07 and$0.08 at 12 months, respectively. The incremental cost per increase in physical activity associated with the intervention was $0.15 at 6 months and$0.05 at 12 months. Conclusions While the intervention was more costly than the wellness control, costs per minute of increase in PA were lower in the intervention. The print-based mail-delivered format has potential for broad, cost-effective dissemination, which could help address disparities in this at-risk population. Trial registration NCT01583140; Date of Registration: 03/06/2012; Funding Source of Trial: National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR); Name of Institutional Review Board: Brown University IRB; Date of Approval: 05/19/2009

Stepfamily Relationship Quality and Children’s Internalizing and Externalizing Problems

The stepfamily literature is replete with between-group analyses by which youth residing in stepfamilies are compared to youth in other family structures across indicators of adjustment and well-being. Few longitudinal studies examine variation in stepfamily functioning to identify factors that promote the positive adjustment of stepchildren over time. Using a longitudinal sample of 191 stepchildren (56% female, mean age = 11.3 years), the current study examines the association between the relationship quality of three central stepfamily dyads (stepparent–child, parent–child, and stepcouple) and children's internalizing and externalizing problems concurrently and over time. Results from path analyses indicate that higher levels of parent–child affective quality are associated with lower levels of children's concurrent internalizing and externalizing problems at Wave 1. Higher levels of stepparent–child affective quality are associated with decreases in children's internalizing and externalizing problems at Wave 2 (6 months beyond baseline), even after controlling for children's internalizing and externalizing problems at Wave 1 and other covariates. The stepcouple relationship was not directly linked to youth outcomes. Our findings provide implications for future research and practice

Flow cytometry-based ex vivo murine NK cell cytotoxicity assay

Direct killing of diseased cells is a hallmark function of NK cells. This protocol describes a flow-based assay to measur

Local brain connectivity and associations with gender and age

ABSTRACTRegional homogeneity measures synchrony of resting-state brain activity in neighboring voxels, or local connectivity. The effects of age and gender on local connectivity in healthy subjects are unknown. We performed regional homogeneity analyses on resting state BOLD time series data acquired from 58 normal, healthy participants, ranging in age from 11 to 35 (mean 18.1±5.0 years, 32 males). Regional homogeneity was found to be highest for gray matter, with brain regions within the default mode network having the highest local connectivity values. There was a general decrease in regional homogeneity with age with the greatest reduction seen in the anterior cingulate and temporal lobe. Greater female local connectivity in the right hippocampus and amygdala was also noted, regardless of age. These findings suggest that local connectivity at the millimeter scale decreases during development as longer connections are formed, and underscores the importance of examining gender differences in imaging studies of healthy and clinical populations

Enhancing Interferon Regulatory Factor 7 Mediated Antiviral Responses and Decreasing Nuclear Factor Kappa B Expression Limit HIV-1 Replication in Cervical Tissues

Establishment of a productive HIV-1 infection in the female reproductive tract likely depends on the balance between anti-viral and pro-inflammatory responses leading to activation and proliferation of HIV target cells. Immune modulators that boost anti-viral and depress pro-inflammatory immune responses may decrease HIV-1 infection or replication. Polyinosinic: polycytidylic [Poly (I:C)] has been reported to down-regulate HIV-1 replication in immune cell subsets and lymphoid tissues, yet the scope and mechanisms of poly (I:C) regulation of HIV-1 replication in the cervicovaginal mucosa, the main portal of viral entry in women remain unknown. Using a relevant, underexplored ex vivo cervical tissue model, we demonstrated that poly (I:C) enhanced Interferon Regulatory Factor (IRF)7 mediated antiviral responses and decreased tissue Nuclear Factor Kappa B (NF κ B) RNA expression. This pattern of cellular transcription factor expression correlated with decreased HIV-1 transcription and viral release. Reducing IRF7 expression up-regulated HIV-1 and NFκB transcription, providing proof of concept for the critical involvement of IRF7 in cervical tissues. By combining poly (I:C) with a suboptimal concentration of tenofovir, the leading anti-HIV pro-phylactic microbicide candidate, we demonstrated an earlier and greater decrease in HIV replication in poly (I:C)/tenofovir treated tissues compared with tissues treated with tenofovir alone, indicating overall improved efficacy. Poly (I:C) decreases HIV-1 replication by stimulating IRF7 mediated antiviral responses while reducing NFκB expression. Early during the infection, poly (I:C) improved the anti-HIV-1 activity of suboptimal concentrations of tenofovir likely to be present during periods of poor adherence i.e. inconsistent or inadequate drug use. Understanding interactions between anti-viral and pro-inflammatory immune responses in the genital mucosa will provide crucial insights for the identification of targets that can be harnessed to develop preventative combination strategies to improve the efficacy of topical or systemic antiviral prophylactic agents and protect women from HIV-1 and other sexually transmitted infections