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A 2011 randomized controlled trial compared the effectiveness of two brief motivation-enhancing therapy (MET) models among alcohol-positive adolescents in an urban emergency department: adolescent MET-only versus MET + Family Check-Up (FCU), a parent MET model. Results indicated that among the 97 adolescents completing the 3-month assessment, both conditions were associated with reduced drinking and MET+FCU was associated with lower rates of high volume drinking than adolescent MET-only. The goal of this study was to identify predictors and moderators of high volume drinking in the original trial. Seven candidate variables were evaluated as moderators across three domains: demographic characteristics, psychological factors, and socio-contextual factors. Analyses of covariance models identified one significant predictor and one significant moderator of outcome. Older adolescents had significantly worse drinking outcomes than younger adolescents regardless of MET condition. Adolescents whose parents screened positive for problematic alcohol use at baseline had significantly worse drinking outcomes in the MET+FCU condition than the MET-only condition. Results indicate that alcohol-positive adolescents presenting to the emergency department may respond better to MET models if they are under the age of 16. Involving parents who have problematic alcohol use in a parent-focused MET may have negative effects on adolescent high volume drinking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A key question in studies of cognitive development is whether bilingual environments impact higher-cognitive functions. Inconclusive evidence in search of a "bilingual cognitive advantage" has sparked debates on the reliability of these findings. Few studies with infants have examined this question, but most of them include small samples. The current study presents evidence from a large sample of 6- and 10-month-old monolingual- and bilingual-exposed infants (N = 152), which includes a longitudinal subset (n = 31), who completed a cueing attentional orienting task. The results suggest bilingual infants showed significant developmental gains in latency performance during the condition that was most cognitively demanding (Incongruent). The results also revealed bilingual infants' performance was associated with their parents' dual-language switching behavior. Taken together, these results provide support that bilingual experiences (i.e., dual-language mixing) influence infants' shifting and orienting of attention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To assess the reproducibility of a mobile non-contact camera-based digital imaging system (DIS) for measuring tooth colour under in vitro and in vivo conditions.Methods: One in vitro and two in vivo studies were performed using a mobile non-contact camera-based digital imaging system. In vitro study: two operators used the DIS to image 10 dry tooth specimens in a randomised order on three occasions. In vivo study 1:25 subjects with two natural, normally aligned, upper central incisors had their teeth imaged using the DIS on four consecutive days by one operator to measure day-to-day variability. On one of the four test days, duplicate images were collected by three different operators to measure inter- and intra-operator variability. In vivo study 2:11 subjects with two natural, normally aligned, upper central incisors had their teeth imaged using the DIS twice daily over three days within the same week to assess day-to-day variability. Three operators collected images from subjects in a randomised order to measure inter- and intra-operator variability.Results: Subject-to-subject variability was the largest source of variation within the data. Pairwise correlations and concordance coefficients were > 0.7 for each operator, demonstrating good precision and excellent operator agreement in each of the studies. Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) for each operator indicate that day-to-day reliability was good to excellent, where all ICC's where > 0.75 for each operator.Conclusion: The mobile non-contact camera-based digital imaging system was shown to be a reproducible means of measuring tooth colour in both in vitro and in vivo experiments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Registry data suggest that disease progression in pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is indicative of poor prognosis. However, the prognostic relevance of PAH-related morbidity has not been formally evaluated in randomized controlled trials.Objectives: The purpose of these analyses was to assess the impact of morbidity events on the risk of subsequent mortality using the landmark method and data from the SERAPHIN and GRIPHON studies.Methods: For each study, the risk of all-cause death up to the end of the study was assessed from the landmark time point (months 3, 6, and 12) according to whether a patient had experienced a primary endpoint morbidity event before the landmark. Each analysis was conducted using data from all patients who were available for survival follow-up at the landmark.Results: In the SERAPHIN study, on the basis of the 3-month landmark time point, patients who experienced a morbidity event before month 3 had an increased risk of death compared with patients who did not (hazard ratio [HR]: 3.39; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.94 to 5.92). In the GRIPHON study, on the basis of the 3-month landmark time point, there was also an increased risk with a HR of 4.48; (95% CI: 2.98 to 6.73). Analyses based on 6-month and 12-month landmarks also showed increased risk in patients who experienced morbidity events, albeit with a reduced HR.Conclusions: These results demonstrate the prognostic relevance of PAH-related morbidity as defined in the SERAPHIN and GRIPHON studies, highlighting the importance of preventing disease progression in patients with PAH and supporting the clinical relevance of SERAPHIN and GRIPHON morbidity events. (Study of Macitentan [ACT-064992] on Morbidity and Mortality in Patients With Symptomatic Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension [SERAPHIN]; NCT00660179; Selexipag [ACT-293987] in Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension [GRIPHON]; NCT01106014). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Migrating from Mexico to the U.S. is a major, stressful life event with potentially profound influences on mental health. However, estimating the health effects of migration is challenging because of differential selection into migration and time-varying confounder mediators of migration effects on health.Methods: We pooled data from the Mexican Health and Aging Study (N = 17,771) and Mexican-born U.S. Health and Retirement Study (N = 898) participants to evaluate the effects of migration to the U.S. (at any age and in models for migration in childhood or adulthood) on depressive symptom-count, measured with a modified Centers for Epidemiologic Studies-Depression scale. We modeled probability of migrating in each year of life from birth to either age at initial migration to the U.S. or enrollment and used these models to calculate inverse probability of migration weights. We applied the weights to covariate-adjusted negative binomial GEE models, estimating the ratio of average symptom-count associated with migration.Results: Mexico to U.S. migration was unrelated to depressive symptoms among men (ratio of average symptom-count= 0.98 [95% CI: 0.89, 1.08]) and women (ratio of average symptom-count = 1.00 [95% CI: 0.92, 1.09]). Results were similar for migration in childhood, early adulthood, or later adulthood.Conclusions: In this sample of older Mexican-born adults, migration to the U.S. was unrelated to depressive symptoms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Measurement of cerebral autoregulation is important for the evaluation and management of a number of clinical disorders that affect cerebral blood flow. We currently lack simple bedside measures that mimic common physiologic stresses. Therefore, we evaluated a new sit-to-stand technique as an alternative method to the frequently-used thigh-cuff technique in healthy volunteers. Continuous middle cerebral artery (MCA) blood flow velocities (BFV) and arterial blood pressure (ABP) were measured in response to standing from a sitting position, or rapid thigh-cuff deflation in 24 healthy subjects (50 ± 22 y). Autoregulatory index (ARI) was calculated as the BFV response for step changes in ABP using a second-order differential equation with a set of parameters that can be used to grade the performance of autoregulation. Of these 24 subjects, 30% could tolerate only two thigh-cuffs and refused to proceed with the third cuff, whereas none of our subjects had any difficulty with performing the three sit-to-stand trials. The two techniques produced similar changes in mean ABP, but the times to nadir of the blood pressure and BFV were significantly faster for the thigh-cuff. The mean group ARIs were similar between the two techniques. Although between-subjects variability was higher for sit-to-stand ARIs, the within-subject sit-to-stand ARI variability was small. Thus, for the assessment of cerebral autoregulation, the sit-to-stand procedure is well tolerated and produces ARI values that have low within-subject variability. The sit-to-stand technique appears to be a suitable measure of individual ARI values for inferring dynamic cerebral autoregulation. E-mail: fsorond@partners.org [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

According to social-learning theory, alcohol outcome expectancies (AOEs) are important motivators of drinking behavior that are reinforced, in part, as a result of one''s direct experience with alcohol''s intoxicating effects. To date, limited research has been conducted in naturalistic bar settings to examine the congruency between AOEs held prior to drinking and individuals'' subjective perceptions of post-drinking outcomes. The present study was designed to fill this void. Fifty regular bar patrons (30 males and 20 females) participated. Prior to the initiation of the drinking episode, expected alcohol effects and associated valences were assessed using the Comprehensive Effects of Alcohol (CEOA) questionnaire [Fromme, Stroot, and Kaplan, (1993) 19]. At the conclusion of the drinking episode, all individuals completed the CEOA that was modified in order to assess their subjective alcohol-related outcomes. Overall, while individuals'' intoxicated outcomes generally mirrored their pre-drinking AOEs, a lack of congruency was observed with respect to alcohol-related risk and aggression, such that participants reported feeling less aggressive and more disinclined to engage in risky behavior than they had expected as a result of consuming alcohol. As well, two presumably negative (i.e., behavioral impairment and self-perception) and one positive (i.e., liquid courage) alcohol-related outcomes were rated more favorably at the end of the drinking episode. Finally, a main effect for gender was found for specific AOEs. The implications of these findings for social-learning explanations of drinking behavior are discussed. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Total body water reference values and prediction equations for adults. Background. The clinical interpretation of total body water (TBW) necessitates the availability of timely comparative reference data. The prediction of TBW volume in renal disease is critical in order to prescribe and monitor the dose of dialysis in the determination of Kt/V. In clinical practice, urea distribution (V) is commonly predicted from anthropometric equations that are several decades old and for white patients only. This article presents new reference values and prediction equations for TBW from anthropometry for white and black adults. Methods. The study sample included four data sets, two from Ohio and one each from New Mexico and New York, for a total of 604 white men, 128 black men, 772 white women, and 191 black women who were 18 to 90 years of age. The TBW concentration was measured by the deuterium or tritium oxide dilution method, and body composition was measured with a Lunar DXA machine. An all-possible-subsets of regression was used to predict TBW. The accuracy of the selected equations was confirmed by cross-validation. Results. Blacks had larger TBW means than whites at all age groups. The 75th TBW percentile for whites approximated the TBW median for blacks at most ages. The white men and black men and women had the largest TBW means ever reported for healthy individuals. The race- and sex-specific TBW prediction equations included age, weight, and stature, with body mass index (BMI) substituted for weight in the white men. The root mean square errors (RMSEs) and standard errors for the individual (SEIs) ranged from approximately 3.8 to 5.0 L for the men and from 3.3 to 3.6 L for the women. In both men and women, high values of TBW were associated with high levels of total body fat (TBF) and fat-free mass (FFM). Conclusion. TBW in these healthy adults is relatively stable through a large portion of adulthood. There are significant race and sex differences in TBW. These accurate and precise equations for TBW provide a useful tool for the clinical prediction of TBW in renal disease for white and black adults. These are the first TBW prediction equations that are specific for blacks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mnemonic discrimination deficits, or impaired ability to discriminate between similar events in memory, is a hallmark of cognitive aging, characterised by a stark age-related increase in false recognition. While individual differences in mnemonic discrimination have gained attention due to potential relevance for early detection of Alzheimer's disease, our understanding of the component processes that contribute to variability in task performance across older adults remains limited. The present investigation explores the roles of representational quality, indexed by perceptual discrimination of objects and scenes with overlapping features, and strategic retrieval ability, indexed by standardised tests of executive function, to mnemonic discrimination in a large cohort of older adults (N=124). We took an individual differences approach and characterised the contributions of these factors to performance under Forced Choice (FC) and Yes/No (YN) recognition memory formats, which place different demands on strategic retrieval. Performance in both test formats declined with age. Accounting for age, individual differences in FC memory performance were best explained by perceptual discrimination score, whereas YN memory performance was best explained by executive functions. A linear mixed model and dominance analyses confirmed the relatively greater importance of perceptual discrimination over executive functioning for FC performance, while the opposite was true for YN. These findings highlight parallels between perceptual and mnemonic discrimination in aging, the importance of considering demands on executive functions in the context of mnemonic discrimination, and the relevance of test format for modulating the impact of these factors on performance in older adults. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Icosahedral pyruvate dehydrogenase (PDH) enzyme complexes are molecular machines consisting of a central E2 core decorated by a shell of peripheral enzymes (E1 and E3) found localized at a distance of ∼75–90 Å from the core. Using a combination of biochemical, biophysical, and cryo-electron microscopic techniques, we show here that the gap between the E2 core and the shell of peripheral enzymes is maintained by the flexible but extended conformation adopted by 60 linker polypeptides that radiate outwards from the inner E2 core, irrespective of the E1 or E3 occupancy. The constancy of the gap is thus not due to protein-protein interactions in the outer protein shell. The extended nature of the E2 inner-linker regions thereby creates the restricted annular space in which the lipoyl domains of E2 that carry catalytic intermediates shuttle between E1, E2, and E3 active sites, while their conformational flexibility facilitates productive encounters. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Cognitive functioning was compared in elderly patients with schizophrenia, elderly patients with probable Alzheimer''s disease (AD), and matched healthy controls using a brief neuropsychological battery. Both schizophrenia and AD patients demonstrated marked impairment as compared to controls, with the profile of neuropsychological deficits in both disorders appearing remarkably similar. Only visual confrontation naming, verbal delayed recall, and rate of forgetting (i.e. savings score) significantly differentiated between the two patient groups, with AD patients showing poorer overall recall and more rapid forgetting of verbal information over delay. In addition, schizophrenia subjects showed a significantly greater deficit in visual confrontation naming than the AD group. The relationship of neuropsychological function and clinical symptoms of schizophrenia subjects was also examined. Results showed that word list learning, delayed recall, and rate of forgetting correlated most strongly with positive and negative symptoms. Recent neuropathological studies have indicated abnormalities in specific subfields of the hippocampal formation in schizophrenia that are also severely affected in AD. Though the specific histopathology of the two disorders differs, abnormalities in the common sites may underlie the common neuropsychological profile. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]