Co-regulator activity of Mediator of DNA Damage Checkpoint 1 (MDC1) is associated with DNA repair dysfunction and PARP inhibitor sensitivity in lobular carcinoma of the breast.

Invasive lobular carcinoma of the breast (ILC) are typically estrogen receptor α (ER)-positive and present with biomarkers of anti-estrogen sensitive disease, yet patients with ILC face uniquely poor long-term outcomes with increased recurrence risk, suggesting endocrine response and ER function are unique in ILC. We previously found specifically in ILC cells that ER is co-regulated by the DNA repair protein Mediator of DNA Damage Checkpoint 1 (MDC1). This novel MDC1 activity, however, was associated with dysfunction in the canonical DNA repair activity of MDC1, but absent typical features of DNA repair deficiency.

Longitudinal Associations Between Pet Relationship Quality and Socio-Emotional Functioning in Early Adolescence.

Adolescence is a key developmental period for socio-emotional skills, and companion animal relationships may be one potential source of emotional support and resilience during this time. This study used longitudinal data from 940 pet-owning adolescents, collected over four time points, from youth in the Northeastern United States. We assessed whether pet relationship quality (indexed by relationship satisfaction, companionship, and emotional disclosure) predicted trajectories of loneliness, social anxiety, and depression.

The "what" and "how" of father-teen talks about sex and relationships.

For adolescents who have a father in their lives, father-teen conversations about sex and relationships can protect teens from risky sexual behaviors. However, little is known about the content and process of these conversations. This study explored topics of and approaches to fathers' talk with their teens about sex and relationships in interviews with a diverse sample of 43 fathers of high school-aged adolescents from across the United States.

"I put it all out there. I have nothing to hide. It's my mom": Parents' and Emerging Adults' Perspectives on Family Talk about Sex.

Protective effects of talk with parents about sex, for delaying sex and reducing young people's risky sexual behaviour may extend from adolescence to emerging adulthood. However, little is known about the content and process of this communication, or how parents and their emerging adult children perceive their conversations about sex and relationships. This study offers a novel exploration of family talk about sex during emerging adulthood and addresses topics that are not typically assessed as part of communication research, such as consent and positive talk about sexuality.

The role of parents, other adults, peers and informal learning communities in shaping positive social media use in adolesent girls.

Purpose: This study aims to introduce the concept of communities of social media practice where more experienced users provide guidance to female novice users, enacting a form of legitimate peripheral participation to "onboard" newcomers.

Design/methodology/approach: Through surveys with 968 early adolescents (average age was 13), the authors quantitatively explored sources and types of guidance for young social media users, popularity of conversation themes related to this guidance and how these conversations are associated with positive social media engagement. The authors qualitatively documented a case study of how a summer workshop of 17 students promotes positive social media use through a community of practice.

Examining Early Adolescent Positive and Negative Social Technology Behaviors and Well-being During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Public concerns of how frequently adolescents used screens during the pandemic shutdowns fueled the need to research whether these behaviors were conducive or detrimental to their wellbeing. The aims of this longitudinal survey study of 586 middle school students in the Northeast U.S.

Associations between Pet Care Responsibility, Companion Animal Interactions, and Family Relationships during COVID-19.

For families with children during the COVID-19 pandemic, it is crucial to explore how both youth and parents view their roles with regard to the shared caretaking of pets. While most human-animal interaction studies examine adult or early childhood samples, our focus was on adolescent development. We present findings from a U.

Moving from Needs Assessment to Intervention: Fathers' Perspectives on Their Needs and Support for Talk with Teens about Sex.

Talk with fathers about sex and relationships can support teens' health, but its impact is limited as few fathers talk with their teens about sexual issues. Needs assessment and fathers' input on intervention content and structure can guide the development of programs that support fathers' health-promoting talk with their teen children about sex and relationships. In the present study, we explored fathers' goals in their talk with teens about sex and relationships and barriers they perceive to these conversations, as well as what they would look for in an intervention program.

Same-Sex Attraction Disclosure and Sexual Communication Topics within Families.

Few studies compare family communication about sex and relationships for sexual minority youth versus hetero-sexual teenagers. Further, existing studies often focus on mothers, overlooking fathers and extended family. Our survey of 952 adolescents aged 14-21 included 115 adolescents disclosing non-heterosexual attraction.

Associations of early social media initiation on digital behaviors and the moderating role of limiting use.

Little is known about the effects of social media initiation on digital behaviors from middle childhood to early adolescence, a critical developmental period marked by peer influence and inaugural access to mobile devices. Participants from middle schools in the Northeast U.S.

Father-Teen Talks about Sex and Teens' Sexual Health: The Role of Direct and Indirect Communication.

Family talks about sex can protect against teens' risky sexual behavior, but most research has focused on the role of mothers. The current study included cross-sectional survey data from 728 adolescents in the 11th and 12th grades (M = 17.00, SD = 0.

Young Sexual Minority Adolescent Experiences of Self-expression and Isolation on Social Media: Cross-sectional Survey Study.

Background: Early adolescent years are marked by pervasive self- and peer-regulation regarding gender and sexuality norms, which can affect the mental well-being of sexual minority youth. During this developmental period, social media use is also emerging as a dominant mode of communication with peers, allowing for both risk and resilient behaviors that can impact well-being.

Objective: This exploratory study aims to examine how sexual minorities in middle school use social media, who they are connected to and for what purposes, and the associations between these behaviors and mental well-being compared with their heterosexual peers.

The Family System of Sexuality Communication: Extended Family Perceptions of Adolescent-Family Talk about Sex, with Sibling and Non-Sibling Comparison.

Talk with parents and extended family about sex and relationships can support adolescents' sexual health. However, few studies explore how parent and extended family communication with adolescents intersect. This study used thematic analysis to assess family roles in talk with teens about sex and relationships among a sample of 39 adult extended family members (such as aunts and uncles, and older siblings and cousins) in the United States.

Depressive Symptoms Among Adolescents: Testing Vulnerability-Stress and Protective Models in the Context of COVID-19.

Adolescents who experience negative life events may be at risk for depression, particularly those with psychosocial vulnerabilities. We investigate longitudinally the impact of vulnerability/protective factors on the relation between a large-scale negative life event, the COVID-19 pandemic, and depressive symptoms. Adolescents (N = 228, M = 14.

Companion Animal Relationships and Adolescent Loneliness during COVID-19.

The pandemic associated with the emergence of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) is an unprecedented historical event with the potential to significantly impact adolescent loneliness. This study aimed to explore the role of companion animals and attachment to pets in the context of the pandemic. We used longitudinal quantitative survey data collected prior to and during the pandemic to assess the role of pets in predicting adolescent loneliness.

Resources for teens' health: Talk with parents and extended family about sex.

Communication with family members about sex can protect teens from risky sexual behavior, but most research focuses on teens' communication with parents. Extended family members may also be a source of sexual socialization to support teens' health, but teens' perspectives on communication with extended family about sex have been little explored. The current study aims were to examine similarities and differences in the frequency and content of teens' communication with extended family and parents about sex and to assess whether the content of this communication differs based on teens' gender.

Early Adolescent Social Media-Related Body Dissatisfaction: Associations with Depressive Symptoms, Social Anxiety, Peers, and Celebrities.

Objective: It is critical to examine the powerful socializing effects of networked media on early adolescents when social media use, body self-consciousness, and social comparisons are at their peak.

Method: Using 2 subsamples (N = 374 and N = 396) of those aged 11 to 14 years from a larger survey sample of 700 middle school participants in the Northeast United States, we conducted a cross-sectional pilot survey using brief, descriptive body dissatisfaction measures directly related to social media use.

Results: Within our body dissatisfaction subsample, 19% reported dissatisfaction to body image issues.

Sex behaviours and family sexuality communication among Hispanic adolescents.

This study compared the extent to which Hispanic teenagers talk with mothers, fathers and extended family members about risks of sex, protection and relational sex, as well as the moderating role of teenagers' gender on the association between sexuality communication and risky sexual behaviours. Analysis is based upon 474 Hispanic young people's responses to a school-based survey recruited from six New England high schools. We (1) calculated descriptive statistics and tests of difference by teenagers' gender, and (2) ran logistic regression models for three sexual behaviours (vaginal sex, oral sex and number of sex partners) separately by gender.

Quantity, Content, and Context Matter: Associations Among Social Technology Use and Sleep Habits in Early Adolescents.

Purpose: This study aimed to investigate the associations of social technology access and content, bedtime behaviors, parental phone restrictions, and timing and duration of sleep on school nights in early adolescents.

Methods: Adolescents (aged 11-15 years, n = 772) in the Northeast U.S.

Combination of parent-child closeness and parent disapproval of teen sex predicts lower rates of sexual risk for offspring.

Effective parenting processes during offspring's adolescence can reduce sexual risk behavior for those offspring in emerging adulthood. Few studies consider how mothers' and fathers' parenting processes cluster together and predict emerging adults' risky sexual behavior. In this study, we used latent profile analysis (LPA) to identify patterns of teens' perceptions of their residential mothers' and fathers' closeness, disapproval of teen sex, monitoring/presence at home and communication.

Social and Behavioral Health Factors Associated with Violent and Mature Gaming in Early Adolescence.

We examined how risk level of video games, measured by maturity and violence level, was associated with behavioral health, social impacts, and online social interactions. School-based surveys in two different cohorts assessed self-reported gaming behaviors, health, and social media use. For Study 1, our 700 participants were 52% female and 48% White (mean age 12.

The salience and symbolism of numbers across cultural beliefs and practice.

Numbers are ubiquitous to modern existence and have evolved with humanity over millenia. They structure, record and quantify human behaviour, spiritual belief systems and the evolution of innovation across all spheres of life. Furthermore, cultural identities and interpersonal expression often have numerical components to them for instance rites of passage, population demography and fiscal measures.

Simultaneous measurement of biochemical phenotypes and gene expression in single cells.

Methods to measure heterogeneity among cells are rapidly transforming our understanding of biology but are currently limited to molecular abundance measurements. We developed an approach to simultaneously measure biochemical activities and mRNA abundance in single cells to understand the heterogeneity of DNA repair activities across thousands of human lymphocytes, identifying known and novel cell-type-specific DNA repair phenotypes.