Emotion reactivity research: Methodological differences make a difference.

Operationalizations of emotion reactivity (ER) have changed rather dramatically over the past decade. Comparing the results across studies that use these diverse methods is difficult. The current article reviews and critiques these approaches to studying ER.

Longitudinal investigation of neurobiological changes across pregnancy.

Pregnancy is a period of profound biological transformation. However, we know remarkably little about pregnancy-related brain changes. To address this gap, we chart longitudinal changes in brain structure during pregnancy and explore potential mechanisms driving these changes.

Mediators of a randomized controlled trial of a preventive intervention for youth of parents with depressive disorders.

Objective: The present study assessed two theory-driven mediators of the effects of a family group cognitive-behavioral (FGCB) preventive intervention for youth of parents with a history of major depressive disorder (MDD) or dysthymia on long-term youth psychopathology symptoms and diagnoses.

Method: Sample included 180 parents ( = 41.9, 89% female, 82% White, non-Hispanic) and one of their children/adolescents ages 9-15 years ( = 11.

Longitudinal Investigation of Neurobiological Changes Across Pregnancy.

Pregnancy is a period of profound biological transformation. However, we know remarkably little about pregnancy-related brain changes. To address this gap, we chart longitudinal changes in brain structure during pregnancy and explore potential mechanisms driving these changes.

Characterization of Human CD8αβ Interaction With Classical and Unconventional MHC Molecules.

The CD8 co-receptor exists as both an αα homodimer, expressed on subsets of specialized lymphoid cells, and as an αβ heterodimer, which is the canonical co-receptor on cytotoxic T-cells, tuning TCR thymic selection and antigen-reactivity in the periphery. However, the biophysical parameters governing human CD8αβ interactions with classical MHC class I (MHCI) and unconventional MHC-like molecules have not been determined. Using hetero-dimerized Fc-fusions to generate soluble human CD8αβ, we demonstrate similar weak binding affinity to multiple different MHCI alleles compared with CD8αα.

Parental Depression Symptoms, Skin Conductance Level Reactivity and Parenting: Associations with Youth Psychopathology.

Parental depression symptoms are a prevalent risk factor for internalizing and externalizing problems in youth, with parenting and parents' physiological stress reactivity representing potential contributing factors in the intergenerational transmission of psychopathology symptoms. In a sample of adolescents (N = 97) and their parents, the current study examined parental depression symptoms, an observational measure of parenting, and parents' physiological reactivity during a dyadic conflict discussion task in association with adolescents' internalizing and externalizing psychopathology. Parental depression symptoms and harsh/insensitive parenting showed positive associations with youth psychopathology symptoms.

Improved Scoring of the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale - Revised: An Item Response Theory Analysis.

Unlabelled: The Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale - Revised (CESD-R) is a popular self-report screening measure for depression. A 20-item questionnaire with scores ranging from 0 to 4 for each item, the CESD-R can produce total scores ranging from 0 to 80. However, the typical scoring protocol for the CESD-R restricts the range of possible scores to between 0 and 60 to retain the same range and clinical cutoff scores as the original CES-D.

HLA A*24:02-restricted T cell receptors cross-recognize bacterial and preproinsulin peptides in type 1 diabetes.

CD8+ T cells destroy insulin-producing pancreatic β cells in type 1 diabetes through HLA class I-restricted presentation of self-antigens. Combinatorial peptide library screening was used to produce a preferred peptide recognition landscape for a patient-derived T cell receptor (TCR) that recognized the preproinsulin-derived (PPI-derived) peptide sequence LWMRLLPLL in the context of disease risk allele HLA A*24:02. Data were used to generate a strong superagonist peptide, enabling production of an autoimmune HLA A*24:02-peptide-TCR structure by crystal seeding.

Momentary autonomic engagement during parent-adolescent conflict: Coping as a moderator of associations with emotions.

Regulatory efforts are hypothesized to affect associations between emotions and physiology (i.e., concordance) to facilitate adaptive functioning.

Ecological momentary assessment of the unique effects of trait worry on daily negative emotionality: does arousal matter?

Worry proneness is a transdiagnostic trait that predicts increased negative affect (NA), potentially in the service of preventing negative emotional contrasts. Although discrete types of NA vary along the dimension of arousal, the extent to which trait worry predicts high vs. low arousal forms of NA in daily life is unclear.

Identifying subtypes in persons, situations and person-situation interactions: Categorical latent state-trait modelling approaches.

The latent state-trait theory posits that a psychological construct may reflect stable influences specific to a person (i.e., trait), ephemeral influences from situations (i.

A targeted single mutation in influenza A virus universal epitope transforms immunogenicity and protective immunity via CD4 T cell activation.

CD4 T cells are central to adaptive immunity. Their role in cross-protection in viral infections such as influenza and severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) is well documented; however, molecular rules governing T cell receptor (TCR) engagement of peptide-human leukocyte antigen (pHLA) class II are less understood. Here, we exploit an aspect of HLA class II presentation, the peptide-flanking residues (PFRs), to "tune" CD4 T cell responses within an in vivo model system of influenza.

Dual role of the peptide-loading complex as proofreader and limiter of MHC-I presentation.

Antigen presentation via major histocompatibility complex class I (MHC-I) molecules is essential for surveillance by the adaptive immune system. Central to this process is the peptide-loading complex (PLC), which translocates peptides from the cytosol to the endoplasmic reticulum and catalyzes peptide loading and proofreading of peptide-MHC-I (pMHC-I) complexes. Despite its importance, the impact of individual PLC components on the presented pMHC-I complexes is still insufficiently understood.

Dynamic Multiplexed Control and Modeling of Optogenetic Systems Using the High-Throughput Optogenetic Platform, Lustro.

The ability to control cellular processes using optogenetics is inducer-limited, with most optogenetic systems responding to blue light. To address this limitation, we leverage an integrated framework combining Lustro, a powerful high-throughput optogenetics platform, and machine learning tools to enable multiplexed control over blue light-sensitive optogenetic systems. Specifically, we identify light induction conditions for sequential activation as well as preferential activation and switching between pairs of light-sensitive split transcription factors in the budding yeast, .

Chemical cousins with contrasting behavioural profiles: MDMA users and methamphetamine users differ in social-cognitive functions and aggression.

Methamphetamine (METH, "Crystal Meth") and 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA, "Ecstasy") share structural-chemical similarities but have distinct psychotropic profiles due to specific neurochemical actions. Previous research has suggested that their impact on social cognitive functions and social behaviour may differ significantly, however, direct comparisons of METH and MDMA users regarding social cognition and interaction are lacking. Performances in cognitive and emotional empathy (Multifaceted Empathy Test) and emotion sensitivity (Face Morphing Task), as well as aggressive social behaviour (Competitive Reaction Time Task) were assessed in samples of n = 40 chronic METH users, n = 39 chronic MDMA users and n = 86 stimulant-naïve controls (total N = 165).

Linking a latent variable trait-state-occasion model of emotion regulation to cognitive control.

Emotion dysregulation (ED) is a vulnerability factor for affective disorders that may originate from deficits in cognitive control (CC). Although measures of ED are often designed to assess trait-like tendencies, the extent to which such measures capture a time-varying (TV) or state-like construct versus a time-invariant (TI) or trait-like personality characteristic is unclear. The link between the TV and TI components of ED and CC is also unclear.

G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) gene variants and human genetic disease.

Genetic variations in the genes encoding G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) can disrupt receptor structure and function, which can result in human genetic diseases. Disease-causing mutations have been reported in at least 55 GPCRs for more than 66 monogenic diseases in humans. The spectrum of pathogenic and likely pathogenic variants includes loss of function variants that decrease receptor signaling on one extreme and gain of function that may result in biased signaling or constitutive activity, originally modeled on prototypical rhodopsin GPCR variants identified in retinitis pigmentosa, on the other.

Conflict monitoring and emotional processing in 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) and methamphetamine users - A comparative neurophysiological study.

In stimulant use and addiction, conflict control processes are crucial for regulating substance use and sustaining abstinence, which can be particularly challenging in social-affective situations. Users of methamphetamine (METH, "Ice") and 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA, "Ecstasy") both experience impulse control deficits, but display different social-affective and addictive profiles. We thus aimed to compare the effects of chronic use of the substituted amphetamines METH and MDMA on conflict control processes in different social-affective contexts (i.

Intolerance of Uncertainty and Worry Prospectively Predict COVID-19 Anxiety and Distress: A 4-Year Longitudinal Study.

The COVID-19 pandemic precipitated an uptick in poor mental health outcomes, including coronavirus-related anxiety and distress. Preliminary research has shown that intolerance of uncertainty (IU) and worry proneness, two transdiagnostic risk factors for anxiety and related disorders, are associated cross-sectionally with pandemic-related fear and distress. However, the extent to which IU and worry proneness prospectively predict coronavirus-related anxiety and distress is unclear.

Urinary Vitamin D Binding Protein: A Marker of Kidney Tubular Dysfunction in Patients at Risk for Type 2 Diabetes.

Context: Recent studies have reported elevated urinary vitamin D binding protein (uVDBP) concentrations in patients with diabetic kidney disease, although the utility of uVDBP to predict deterioration of kidney function over time has not been examined.

Objective: Our objective was to assess the association of uVDBP with longitudinal changes in kidney function.

Methods: Adults at-risk for type 2 diabetes from the Prospective Metabolism and Islet Cell Evaluation (PROMISE) study had 3 assessments over 6 years (n = 727).

Neonatal Birth Weight With Daily Compared With Every-Other-Day Glucose Monitoring in Gestational Diabetes Mellitus: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Objective: To assess whether universal use of every-other-day glucose monitoring in patients with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) resulted in similar birth weights and medication use and was preferred by the patient compared with traditional daily glucose monitoring.

Methods: This was a noninferiority randomized controlled trial conducted at a single New York City hospital between April 2021 and May 2022. Patients with singleton pregnancies who were diagnosed with GDM after 20 weeks of gestation and had a minimum of 7 days of previous daily blood glucose testing were randomly assigned to test blood glucose values daily or every other day.

A graph-based modeling framework for tracing hydrological pollutant transport in surface waters.

Anthropogenic pollution of hydrological systems affects diverse communities and ecosystems around the world. Data analytics and modeling tools play a key role in fighting this challenge, as they can help identify key sources as well as trace transport and quantify impact within complex hydrological systems. Several tools exist for simulating and tracing pollutant transport throughout surface waters using detailed physical models; these tools are powerful, but can be computationally intensive, require significant amounts of data to be developed, and require expert knowledge for their use (ultimately limiting application scope).

The anti-proliferative effects of a frankincense extract in a window of opportunity phase ia clinical trial for patients with breast cancer.

Purpose: Boswellic acids, active components of frankincense, suppress tumor proliferation in vitro with a strong clinical trial safety profile in patients with inflammatory diseases. We performed a Phase Ia window of opportunity trial of Boswellia serrata (B. serrata) in patients with breast cancer to evaluate its biologic activity and safety.

Dynamic Multiplexed Control and Modeling of Optogenetic Systems Using the High-Throughput Optogenetic Platform, Lustro.

The ability to control cellular processes using optogenetics is inducer-limited, with most optogenetic systems responding to blue light. To address this limitation we leverage an integrated framework combining Lustro, a powerful high-throughput optogenetics platform, and machine learning tools to enable multiplexed control over blue light-sensitive optogenetic systems. Specifically, we identify light induction conditions for sequential activation as well as preferential activation and switching between pairs of light-sensitive spit transcription factors in the budding yeast, .