Stress Among Asian Youth During COVID-19: Moderation by Educational, Spiritual, and Cultural Sources of Belonging.

Purpose: The aim of this study is to examine levels of COVID-19 stress among Asian youth-compared to white youth-in a Canadian sample, and whether this stress is moderated by a sense of belonging derived from access to contextual (spiritual, cultural, educational) resources.

Methods: Data are from a longitudinal study of youth in Alberta, Canada. Participants were those who identified as Asian/Southeast Asian (n = 202) or White (n = 772).

COVID-19 and Student Well-Being: Stress and Mental Health during Return-to-School.

Students have been multiply impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic: threats to their own and their family's health, the closure of schools, and pivoting to online learning in March 2020, a long summer of physical distancing, and then the challenge of returning to school in fall 2020. As damaging as the physical health effects of a global pandemic are, much has been speculated about the "second wave" of mental health crises, particularly for school-aged children and adolescents. Yet, few studies have asked students about their experiences during the pandemic.

Seeking and Finding Positive Youth Development Among Zulu Youth in South African Townships.

A cross-sectional study explored the presence and power of developmental assets in a sample of youth from rural South African townships. Learners (female = 58%; M  = 17.1; N = 505) attending three township high schools completed self-report measures of developmental assets and thriving outcomes.

Extracellular DNA facilitates the formation of functional amyloids in Staphylococcus aureus biofilms.

Persistent staphylococcal infections often involve surface-associated communities called biofilms. Staphylococcus aureus biofilm development is mediated by the co-ordinated production of the biofilm matrix, which can be composed of polysaccharides, extracellular DNA (eDNA) and proteins including amyloid fibers. The nature of the interactions between matrix components, and how these interactions contribute to the formation of matrix, remain unclear.

The AgrD N-terminal leader peptide of Staphylococcus aureus has cytolytic and amyloidogenic properties.

Staphylococcus aureus virulence is coordinated through the Agr quorum-sensing system to produce an array of secreted molecules. One important class of secreted virulence factors is the phenol-soluble modulins (PSMs). PSMs are small-peptide toxins that have recently been characterized for their roles in infection, biofilm development, and subversion of the host immune system.

Microbial amyloids--functions and interactions within the host.

The aggregation of proteins into amyloid fibers is a common characteristic of many neurodegenerative disorders including Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and prion diseases. Amyloid formation was originally characterized in these systems and is traditionally viewed as a consequence of protein misfolding and aggregation. An emerging field of study brings functional amyloids, like those produced by bacteria, into the scientific mainstream, and demonstrates a ubiquitous role for amyloids in living systems.

Functional amyloids composed of phenol soluble modulins stabilize Staphylococcus aureus biofilms.

Staphylococcus aureus is an opportunistic pathogen that colonizes the skin and mucosal surfaces of mammals. Persistent staphylococcal infections often involve surface-associated communities called biofilms. Here we report the discovery of a novel extracellular fibril structure that promotes S.

Hemoglobin promotes Staphylococcus aureus nasal colonization.

Staphylococcus aureus nasal colonization is an important risk factor for community and nosocomial infection. Despite the importance of S. aureus to human health, molecular mechanisms and host factors influencing nasal colonization are not well understood.

The use of drip flow and rotating disk reactors for Staphylococcus aureus biofilm analysis.

Most microbes in nature are thought to exist as surface-associated communities in biofilms.(1) Bacterial biofilms are encased within a matrix and attached to a surface.(2) Biofilm formation and development are commonly studied in the laboratory using batch systems such as microtiter plates or flow systems, such as flow-cells.

Mortality risk in patients with schizophrenia participating in premarketing atypical antipsychotic clinical trials.

Objective: Given the concern that mortality rates may be increased in geriatric patients exposed to atypical antipsychotic agents, we assessed mortality rates for adult patients with schizophrenia assigned to an investigational antipsychotic (olanzapine, quetiapine, risperidone, or ziprasidone), a control antipsychotic (haloperidol or chlorpromazine), or placebo in preapproval clinical development programs to assess relative risk with atypical antipsychotics as compared to typical antipsychotics or placebo.

Method: We reviewed safety data (from clinical trials conducted from approximately 1982 to 2002) for 16,791 adult patients with schizophrenia (DSM-III or DSM-IV criteria) in U.S.

Psychiatric diagnosis and clinical trial completion rates: analysis of the FDA SBA reports.

Completion rates may affect the safety and efficacy evaluations of psychotropics. We assessed completion rates in clinical trials evaluating psychotropics for five psychiatric disorders. We also examined differences in completion rates between psychotropics and placebo in each diagnostic category.

Seizure incidence in psychopharmacological clinical trials: an analysis of Food and Drug Administration (FDA) summary basis of approval reports.

Background: Clinical trial data provide an approach to the investigation of the effects of psychopharmacological agents, and psychiatric disorders themselves, on seizure threshold.

Methods: We accessed public domain data from Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Phase II and III clinical trials as Summary Basis of Approval (SBA) reports that noted seizure incidence in trials of psychotropic drugs approved in the United States between 1985 and 2004, involving a total of 75,873 patients. We compared seizure incidence among active drug and placebo groups in psychopharmacological clinical trials and the published rates of unprovoked seizures in the general population.

Relationship between depression severity entry criteria and antidepressant clinical trial outcomes.

Background: We assessed whether increasing the minimum prerandomization Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAM-D) score to enrich the severity of the depressed sample affects antidepressant trial outcome.

Methods: Using the Food and Drug Administration Summary Basis of Approval reports, we examined outcome data from 51 clinical trials (11,270 depressed patients) evaluating 10 investigational antidepressants.

Results: Using four categories of trials with increasing minimum HAM-D entry trial criteria, we found no statistically significant relationship between prerandomization categories and trial outcome overall.

BMI, sex, and antidepressant response.

Background: Investigators have examined potential mechanisms for the observed differences between men and women in antidepressant response. However, to date no studies have measured the impact of body mass index (BMI) on men's and women's response to selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors or placebo.

Methods: We evaluated the response to antidepressants and placebo of 274 non-obese (BMI<30) and obese (BMI>30) depressed outpatients participating in Phase II-IV clinical trials.

Study designs and outcomes in antidepressant clinical trials.

Clinical trials of antidepressants are difficult to design and conduct. In fact, more than half of all recent clinical trials of commonly used antidepressants failed to show statistical superiority for the drug over placebo. This is not necessarily because of the ineffectiveness of the antidepressant, but rather because of an increased response to placebo.

Sex differences in antidepressant response in recent antidepressant clinical trials.

Some previous reports suggest that women respond differently than men to antidepressant treatment. Much of this literature compares men and women's response to tricyclics to that of newer antidepressants (SSRIs, SNRI), or only examines one particular antidepressant. This study compares men and women's responses to 6 newer antidepressants.