What are the Effects of Mothers’ and Fathers’ Depression and Thoughts of Death on Their Children’s Level of Parental Connectedness?

Mental health outcomes such as depression are often passed down in families. While links between the mental health conditions of parents and their children have been established, there is a limited understanding of these outcomes over time and the impact that mothers and fathers have on their children independently. Analyzing data from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing study, PRC faculty research associates Susan De Luca and Yolanda Padilla and co-author Yan Yueqi show that children felt less connected to both mothers and fathers with mental health symptoms, but the effects varied somewhat based on the sex of the parent.Population Research Cente

The Associations of Race/Ethnicity and Suicidal Ideation among College Students: A Latent Class Analysis Examining Precipitating Events and Disclosure Patterns

This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: De Luca, S., Yan, Y., Lytle, M. and Brownson, C. (2014), The Associations of Race/Ethnicity and Suicidal Ideation among College Students: A Latent Class Analysis Examining Precipitating Events and Disclosure Patterns. Suicide Life Threat Behav, 44: 444–456. doi:10.1111/sltb.12102, which has been published in final form at http://doi.org/10.1111/sltb.12102. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Self-Archiving.The aim of this paper was to examine precipitating events for suicidal ideation and how these experiences relate to disclosure in a diverse sample of college students. Among non-Hispanic White students, relationship/academic problems were most associated with ideation. A romantic break-up increased the odds of getting help. Among racial/ethnic minority students, family/academic problems were most associated with ideation and students who reported multiple events were less likely to get help compared to those not reporting events. Future research should examine the reasons for interpersonal conflict among this high-risk group, their attitudes about help-seeking, and identify cultural norms associated with disclosure

A Disturbance Rejection Framework for the Study of Traditional Chinese Medicine

The traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is explained in the language of engineering cybernetics (EC), an engineering science with the tradition of rigor and long history of practice. The inherent connection is articulated between EC, as a science of interrelations, and the Chinese conception of Wuxing. The combined cybernetic model of Wuxing seems to have significant explaining power for the TCM and could potentially facilitate better communications of the insights of the TCM to the West. In disturbance rejection, an engineering concept, a great metaphor, is found to show how the TCM is practiced, using the liver cancer pathogenesis and treatment as a case study. The results from a series of experimental studies seem to lend support to the cybernetic model of Wuxing and the principles of disturbance rejection

Biophysical Studies of Bacterial Topoisomerases Substantiate Their Binding Modes to an Inhibitor

AbstractBacterial DNA topoisomerases are essential for bacterial growth and are attractive, important targets for developing antibacterial drugs. Consequently, different potent inhibitors that target bacterial topoisomerases have been developed. However, the development of potent broad-spectrum inhibitors against both Gram-positive (G+) and Gram-negative (G−) bacteria has proven challenging. In this study, we carried out biophysical studies to better understand the molecular interactions between a potent bis-pyridylurea inhibitor and the active domains of the E-subunits of topoisomerase IV (ParE) from a G+ strain (Streptococcus pneumoniae (sParE)) and a G− strain (Pseudomonas aeruginosa (pParE)). NMR results demonstrated that the inhibitor forms a tight complex with ParEs and the resulting complexes adopt structural conformations similar to those observed for free ParEs in solution. Further chemical-shift perturbation experiments and NOE analyses indicated that there are four regions in ParE that are important for inhibitor binding, namely, α2, the loop between β2 and α3, and the β2 and β6 strands. Surface plasmon resonance showed that this inhibitor binds to sParE with a higher KD than pParE. Point mutations in α2 of ParE, such as A52S (sParE), affected its binding affinity with the inhibitor. Taken together, these results provide a better understanding of the development of broad-spectrum antibacterial agents

Incidence and Correlates of Emergency Department Visits for Deliberate Self-Harm Among Asian American Youth.

PURPOSE: This study examined the epidemiology of self-harm emergency department (ED) visits among Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) youth, and associated factors. METHODS: We used California ED visit records in 2010 and 2011 to calculate incidence rates of self-harm ED visits for AAPI versus non-Hispanic White (NHW) patients aged 10-29 years. Demographic and clinical characteristics were compared for AAPI versus NHW patients presenting with self-harm. We used modified Poisson regression models to estimate the relative risk of recurrent ED self-harm visits for AAPI versus NHW patients and examined the association of insurance type and gender with recurrent self-harm among AAPIs. RESULTS: Rates of self-harm ED visits for young AAPI patients were 38 and 26 per 100,000 among females and males, respectively. Although AAPI patients presenting with self-harm were equally or less likely than NHW patients to have comorbid psychological and substance use diagnoses at their index visit, they were 25% more likely to be admitted to hospital. However, they were 40% less likely to have a recurrent ED self-harm visit. Among AAPI patients, those who used Medicaid were significantly more likely than those with other insurance to be admitted as inpatients. DISCUSSION: Young AAPI patients presenting to EDs with deliberate self-harm have different sociodemographic and clinical profiles compared to NHW patients. Our study also demonstrates significant heterogeneity in risk of recurrent self-harm by gender and insurance type among AAPI patients. This information may be useful for future intervention programs among self-harming AAPI youth

Randomized trial of PMTO in foster care: 12-month child well-being, parenting, and caregiver functioning outcomes

Evidence-supported parenting interventions (ESPIs) increasingly are used in child welfare to improve child well-being and parenting. However, little evidence exists on the effectiveness of ESPIs with biological families of children in foster care with serious behavioral health problems. To address this gap in the literature, we examined the outcomes of in-home Parent Management Training Oregon model (PMTO). PMTO was evaluated in a randomized trial in which 918 children were assigned to PMTO or services as usual with assessment at baseline, 6 months, and 12 months. Outcome domains included child social-emotional well-being, parenting, and caregiver functioning. Our results show PMTO demonstrated linear improvements in children's social-emotional functioning, problem behaviors, and social skills. Although results for parenting were inconclusive, two of four caregiver functioning outcomes (parent mental health and readiness for reunification) were significantly improved. Overall, these findings suggest PMTO and similar ESPIs may hold promise for promoting better outcomes for biological families of children in foster care with behavioral health problems

Randomized trial of PMTO in foster care: 12-month child well-being, parenting, and caregiver functioning outcomes

Evidence-supported parenting interventions (ESPIs) increasingly are used in child welfare to improve child well-being and parenting. However, little evidence exists on the effectiveness of ESPIs with biological families of children in foster care with serious behavioral health problems. To address this gap in the literature, we examined the outcomes of in-home Parent Management Training Oregon model (PMTO). PMTO was evaluated in a randomized trial in which 918 children were assigned to PMTO or services as usual with assessment at baseline, 6 months, and 12 months. Outcome domains included child social-emotional well-being, parenting, and caregiver functioning. Our results show PMTO demonstrated linear improvements in children's social-emotional functioning, problem behaviors, and social skills. Although results for parenting were inconclusive, two of four caregiver functioning outcomes (parent mental health and readiness for reunification) were significantly improved. Overall, these findings suggest PMTO and similar ESPIs may hold promise for promoting better outcomes for biological families of children in foster care with behavioral health problems

Subclavian vein ultrasound-guided fluid management to prevent post-spinal anesthetic hypotension during cesarean delivery: a randomized controlled trial

Abstract Background Hypotension frequently occurs after spinal anesthesia during cesarean delivery, and fluid loading is recommended for its prevention. We evaluated the efficacy of subclavian vein (SCV) ultrasound (US)-guided volume optimization in preventing hypotension after spinal anesthesia during cesarean delivery. Methods This randomized controlled study included 80 consecutive full-term parturients scheduled for cesarean delivery under spinal anesthesia. The women were randomly divided into the SCVUS group, with SCVUS analysis before spinal anesthesia with SCVUS-guided volume management, and the control group without SCVUS assessment. The SCVUS group received 3 mL/kg crystalloid fluid challenges repeatedly within 3 min with a 1-min interval based on the SCV collapsibility index (SCVCI), while the control group received a fixed dose (10 mL/kg). Incidence of post-spinal anesthetic hypotension was the primary outcome. Total fluid volume, vasopressor dosage, changes in hemodynamic parameters, maternal adverse effects, and neonatal status were secondary outcomes. Results The total fluid volume was significantly higher in the control group than in the SCVUS group (690 [650–757.5] vs. 160 [80–360] mL, p < 0.001), while the phenylephrine dose (0 [0–40] vs. 0 [0–30] µg, p = 0.276) and incidence of post-spinal anesthetic hypotension (65% vs. 60%, p = 0.950) were comparable between both the groups. The incidence of maternal adverse effects, including nausea/vomiting and bradycardia (12.5% vs. 17.5%, p = 0.531 and 7.5% vs. 5%, p = 1.00, respectively), and neonatal outcomes (Apgar scores) were comparable between the groups. SCVCI correlated with the amount of fluid administered (R = 0.885, p < 0.001). Conclusions SCVUS-guided volume management did not ameliorate post-spinal anesthetic hypotension but reduced the volume of the preload required before spinal anesthesia. Reducing preload volume did not increase the incidence of maternal and neonatal adverse effects nor did it increase the total vasopressor dose. Moreover, reducing preload volume could relieve the heart burden of parturients, which has high clinical significance. Clinical trial registration The trial was registered with the Chinese Clinical Trial Registry at chictr.org.cn (registration number, ChiCTR2100055050) on December 31, 2021

Randomized study of PMTO in foster care: Six-month parent outcomes

Objective:  This study examined the effects of Parent Management Training, Oregon (PMTO) model on parenting effectiveness and caregiver functioning. Method:  Children in foster care with emotional and behavioral problems were randomized to PMTO (n = 461) or services as usual (n = 457) in a nonblinded study design. Using an intent-to-treat approach, analysis of covariance models tested the intervention's overall effect and time interactions for parenting and caregiver functioning. Additional analyses were conducted to identify significant predictors of outcomes. Results:  PMTO did not significantly affect parenting practices; however, positive effects were observed on caregiver functioning in mental health (odds ratio [OR] = 2.01), substance use (OR = 1.67), social supports (OR = 2.37), and readiness for reunification (OR = 1.64). While no time interactions were detected, several child, parent, and case characteristics were associated with improvements in 6-month outcomes. Conclusion:  This study extends evidence on PMTO to biological families of children in foster care, including those with older youth