Activatable interpolymer complex-superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles as magnetic resonance contrast agents sensitive to oxidative stress.

Magnetic resonance contrast agents that can be activated in response to specific triggers hold potential as molecular biosensors that may be of great utility in non-invasive disease diagnosis. We developed an activatable agent based on superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIOs) that is sensitive to oxidative stress, a factor in the pathophysiology of numerous diseases. SPIOs were coated with poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) and complexed with poly(gallol), a synthetic tannin.

Hybrid density functional theory modeling of Ca, Zn, and Al ion batteries using the Chevrel phase MoS cathode.

Hybrid density functional theory (DFT) is used to study the Chevrel phase MoX (X = S, Se, Te) as a promising cathode material intercalated with various metal ions (M = Li, Na, Be, Mg, Ca, Sr, Ba, Zn, Al). Electronic properties and voltages are calculated for each case. Ca ions are predicted to produce a voltage output ranging from 1.

Cognitive Reappraisal and Depression in Children with a Parent History of Depression.

Although decades of research have documented that children whose parents have a history of Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) are at a higher risk of developing depression themselves, not all of these children go on to develop depression themselves, thus highlighting the need to understand potential moderators of risk. The current study examined whether child emotion regulation, specifically, the use of cognitive reappraisal and suppression, moderated the link between parent and child depression. We recruited 458 parents and their children between the ages of 7-11 from the community.

IL-22 Enhances TNF-α- and IL-1-Induced CXCL8 Responses by Intestinal Epithelial Cell Lines.

IL-22 is known to induce intestinal epithelial cells (IECs) to produce the chemokine CXCL8. However, IECs exist in a cytokine network during mucosal inflammation, such that IL-22 must act in concert with potent pro-inflammatory cytokines like TNF-α and IL-1. Our studies show that IL-22 alone increased CXCL8 secretion from HT-29 cells, but the levels were minimal compared to that of the cells treated with TNF-α or IL-1 only.

Using Video Conferencing to Deliver a Brief Motivational Intervention for Alcohol and Sex Risk to Emergency Department Patients: A Proof-of-Concept Pilot Study.

Brief motivational intervention (MI) is an efficacious approach to reduce heavy drinking and associated sexual risk behavior among Emergency Department (ED) patients, but the intensity of demands placed on ED staff makes the implementation of in-person MIs logistically challenging. This proof-of-concept pilot study examined the acceptability and logistic feasibility of using video-conferencing technology to deliver an MI targeting heavy drinking and risky sexual behavior to patients in an ED setting. Rigorous screening procedures were employed to ensure that the pilot sample represents the target portion of ED patients who would benefit from this multi-target MI.

African-American esophageal squamous cell carcinoma expression profile reveals dysregulation of stress response and detox networks.

Background: Esophageal carcinoma is the third most common gastrointestinal malignancy worldwide and is largely unresponsive to therapy. African-Americans have an increased risk for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC), the subtype that shows marked variation in geographic frequency. The molecular architecture of African-American ESCC is still poorly understood.

Evolution of the topologically protected surface states in superconductor β-BiPd from the three-dimensional to the two-dimensional limit.

The recent discovery of topologically protected surface states in the noncentrosymmetric α-BiPd and the centrosymmetric β-[Formula: see text]Pd has renewed the interest in the Bi-Pd family of superconductors. We employ first-principles calculations to investigate the electronic structure and topological features of β-[Formula: see text]Pd, in bulk and in thin films of various thicknesses. We find that films of nine or more triple layers could harbor topological surface states with Dirac- and Rashba-like band dispersion.

A Multifaceted Hypnosis Smoking-Cessation Program: Enhancing Motivation and Goal Attainment.

Smoking cessation remains a major health priority. Despite public campaigns against smoking and widespread availability of smoking-cessation treatments, many people continue to smoke. The authors argue that the "problem of motivation," that is, suboptimal or fluctuating motivation to resist smoking urges and to comply with the demands of treatment, commonly undermines treatment seeking and adherence, appreciably reducing the success rates of smoking-cessation programs.

Increased pupil dilation to angry faces predicts interpersonal stress generation in offspring of depressed mothers.

Background: Interpersonal stress generation is one mechanism hypothesized to increase risk for the intergenerational transmission of depression. Although there is some evidence of stress generation in offspring of depressed mothers, specific predictors of stress generation in these youth remain unknown. The goal of this study was to examine a peripheral measure of cognitive-affective reactivity (i.

Strain-specific programming of prenatal ethanol exposure across generations.

Behavioral consequences of prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) can be transmitted from in utero-exposed F1 generation to their F2 offspring. This type of transmission is modulated by genetic and epigenetic mechanisms. This study investigated the intergenerational consequences of prenatal exposure to a low ethanol dose (1 g/kg) during gestational days 17-20, on ethanol-induced hypnosis in adolescent male F1 and F2 generations, in two strains of rats.

AAV-mediated transfer of FKRP shows therapeutic efficacy in a murine model but requires control of gene expression.

Limb Girdle Muscular Dystrophies type 2I (LGMD2I), a recessive autosomal muscular dystrophy, is caused by mutations in the Fukutin Related Protein (FKRP) gene. It has been proposed that FKRP, a ribitol-5-phosphate transferase, is a participant in α-dystroglycan (αDG) glycosylation, which is important to ensure the cell/matrix anchor of muscle fibers. A LGMD2I knock-in mouse model was generated to express the most frequent mutation (L276I) encountered in patients.

Effects of clothianidin on aquatic communities: Evaluating the impacts of lethal and sublethal exposure to neonicotinoids.

The widespread usage of neonicotinoid insecticides has sparked concern over their effects on non-target organisms. While research has largely focused on terrestrial systems, the low soil binding and high water solubility of neonicotinoids, paired with their extensive use on the landscape, puts aquatic environments at high risk for contamination via runoff events. We assessed the potential threat of these compounds to wetland communities using a combination of field surveys and experimental exposures including concentrations that are representative of what invertebrates experience in the field.

Hypnosis and top-down regulation of consciousness.

Hypnosis is a unique form of top-down regulation in which verbal suggestions are capable of eliciting pronounced changes in a multitude of psychological phenomena. Hypnotic suggestion has been widely used both as a technique for studying basic science questions regarding human consciousness but also as a method for targeting a range of symptoms within a therapeutic context. Here we provide a synthesis of current knowledge regarding the characteristics and neurocognitive mechanisms of hypnosis.

Hay fever, asthma, and eczema and early infectious diseases among children in Kilimanjaro, Tanzania.

Objectives: To investigate the hygiene (or "old friends") hypothesis in a high-infectious disease (ID) environment, rural Kilimanjaro, Tanzania.

Methods: Among a cross-sectional sample of 2- to 7-year-old children, we collected physician-diagnosed hay fever, asthma, and eczema, history of hospitalization, family size, and household environment information via questionnaire; performed active and passive surveillance for ID; and, evaluated total immunoglobulin E (IgE) and biomarkers of inflammation in dried blood spot specimens. We used regression models to describe patterns in allergic diseases.

Subjective alcohol responses in a cross-sectional, field-based study of adolescents and young adults: Effects of age, drinking level, and dependence/consequences.

Background: Adolescents are physically, cognitively, socially, and emotionally different than adults in ways that may partially explain why alcohol misuse typically develops during this period. Ample animal-science evidence and nascent ecological evidence points toward developmentally limited differences in sensitivity to alcohol's stimulatory and sedative effects. Field-based research methods were used to test for such age-related differences in a sample of adolescents through young adults.

Maternal care and affective behavior in female offspring: Implication of the neurosteroid/GABAergic system.

In female rats, the proestrus phase of the estrous cycle is associated with decreased levels of anxiety-like and depressive-like behavior relative to the metestrus phase. Progesterone likely modulate these behaviors, in part through the influence of its metabolite, allopregnanolone (THP) on hippocampal GABAR subunit expression. As natural variations in maternal care have been found to influence both progesterone levels at proestrus and anxiety-like behavior in female offspring, we sought to investigate the importance of maternal care and the estrous cycle on affective behavior in female rats that had received Low or High levels of licking/grooming (LG) during early life.

A users guide to HPA axis research.

Glucocorticoid hormones (cortisol and corticosterone - CORT) are the effector hormones of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis neuroendocrine system. CORT is a systemic intercellular signal whose level predictably varies with time of day and dynamically increases with environmental and psychological stressors. This hormonal signal is utilized by virtually every cell and physiological system of the body to optimize performance according to circadian, environmental and physiological demands.

The impact of memory load and perceptual cues on puzzle learning by 24-month olds.

Early childhood is characterized by memory capacity limitations and rapid perceptual and motor development [Rovee-Collier (1996). Infant Behavior & Development, 19, 385-400]. The present study examined 2-year olds' reproduction of a sliding action to complete an abstract fish puzzle under different levels of memory load and perceptual feature support.

Pupillary reactivity to negative stimuli prospectively predicts recurrence of major depressive disorder in women.

There is a large body of research supporting the association between disrupted physiological reactivity to negative stimuli and depression. The present study aimed to examine whether physiological reactivity to emotional stimuli, assessed via pupil dilation, served as a biological marker of risk for depression recurrence among individuals who are known to be at a higher risk due to having previous history of depression. Participants were 57 women with a history of major depressive disorder (MDD).

Brief report: Overgeneral autobiographical memory in adolescent major depressive disorder.

The current study examined whether overgeneral autobiographical memory (OGM) bias serves as a state-like marker of major depressive disorder (MDD) in adolescence or whether it would also be observed in currently nondepressed adolescents with a history of MDD. We examined differences in OGM to positive and negative cue words between adolescents (aged 11-18 years) with current MDD (n = 15), remitted MDD (n = 25), and no history of any depressive disorder (n = 25). Youth and their parents were administered a structured diagnostic interview and adolescents completed the autobiographical memory test.

The potential for cross-addiction in post-bariatric surgery patients: Considerations for primary care nurse practitioners.

Background And Purpose: Possible mental health issues for post-bariatric surgery patients include the development of cross-addictions after the rapid weight loss period. No validated screening tool to assess for possible cross-addictions exists. The main purpose of this study was to develop recommendations for modifying an existing addiction screening tool (the Shorter PROMIS Questionnaire) for use by primary care providers.

Self-reports of trauma and dissociation: An examination of context effects.

To examine context effects in moderating the link between self-reported trauma and dissociation in undergraduate samples, we administered these measures either in the same or different experimental contexts. Trauma History Screen/THS (Carlson et al., 2011)-Dissociative Experiences Scale/DES-II (Bernstein & Putnam, 1986) correlations revealed a context effect (greater correlations in same test context), although multiple regression analyses did not confirm this finding.

Brooding rumination and attentional biases in currently non-depressed individuals: an eye-tracking study.

Both rumination and attentional biases have been proposed as key components of the RDoC Negative Valence Systems construct of Loss. Although theorists have proposed that rumination, particularly brooding rumination, should be associated with increased sustained attention to depression-relevant information, it is not clear whether this link would be observed in a non-depressed sample or whether it is specific to brooding versus reflective rumination. To address these questions, the current study examined the link between brooding rumination and attentional biases in a sample of non-depressed individuals (n = 105).

ROCK activity affects IL-1-induced signaling possibly through MKK4 and p38 MAPK in Caco-2 cells.

Elevated levels of interleukin-1 (IL-1) accompany inflammatory bowel disease. IL-1-stimulated intestinal epithelial cells can secrete potent chemokines like CXCL8 to exacerbate inflammation. Previously, we found that inhibiting the Rho-associated kinase (ROCK) could inhibit IL-1- or TNF-α-induced CXCL8 secretion by the Caco-2 colonic epithelial cell line.