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LARP4 interacts with poly(A)-binding protein (PABP) to protect messenger RNAs (mRNAs) from deadenylation and decay, and recent data indicate it can direct the translation of functionally related mRNA subsets. LARP4 was known to bind RACK1, a ribosome-associated protein, although the specific regions involved and relevance had been undetermined. Here, through a combination of in-cell and in vitro methodologies, we identified positions 615-625 in conserved region-2 (CR2) of LARP4 (and 646-656 in LARP4B) as directly binding RACK1. Consistent with these results, AlphaFold2-Multimer predicted high-confidence interaction of CR2 with RACK1 propellers 5 and 6. CR2 mutations strongly decreased LARP4 association with cellular RACK1 and ribosomes by multiple assays, whereas PABP association was less affected, consistent with independent interactions. The CR2 mutations decreased LARP4's ability to stabilize a β-globin mRNA reporter containing an AU-rich element (ARE) to higher degree than β-globin and GFP (green fluorescent protein) mRNAs lacking the ARE. We show LARP4 robustly increases translation of β-glo-ARE mRNA, whereas the LARP4 CR2 mutant is impaired. Analysis of nanoLuc-ARE mRNA for production of luciferase activity confirmed LARP4 promotes translation efficiency, while CR2 mutations are disabling. Thus, LARP4 CR2-mediated interaction with RACK1 can promote translational efficiency of some mRNAs., (Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Nucleic Acids Research 2025.)

Purpose: Studies show mixed associations between adolescent social media use and anxiety. This systematic review evaluated research on social media and anxiety among adolescents for direction of associations, social media measures, demographic stratification, anxiety measures, and study quality., Methods: We searched for articles published in English before 2021 that tested associations between adolescent social media use and anxiety. Each study underwent screening and data extraction by two reviewers. Measures included direction of associations (positive, negative, null, mixed), social media measures, demographic group stratification, anxiety measures, and study quality (Strengthening of Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology)., Results: A total of 32 studies were included. Over half reported positive associations between social media use and anxiety (56.3%). Problematic use was the most common social media measure type (31.4%). Positive associations with anxiety were predominantly observed for measures of problematic use (75.0%) and screen time (72.7%). Among other social media measures, 40.9% showed positive associations. A total of 18 anxiety measures were used. Four studies (12.5%) stratified findings by gender identity. The mean Strengthening of Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology score was 34.1 (standard deviation = 4.3) out of 46., Discussion: Future work should explore accurate social media use measures that are not based on problematic use., (Published by Elsevier Inc.)

LARP4 interacts with poly(A)-binding protein (PABP) to protect mRNAs from deadenylation and decay, and recent data indicate it can direct the translation of functionally related mRNA subsets. LARP4 was known to bind RACK1, a ribosome-associated protein, although the specific regions involved, and relevance had been undetermined. Here, yeast two-hybrid domain mapping followed by other methods identified positions 615-625 in conserved region-2 (CR2) of LARP4 (and LARP4B) as directly binding RACK1 region 200-317. Consistent with these results, AlphaFold2-multimer predicted high confidence interaction of CR2 with RACK1 propellers 5-6. CR2 mutations strongly decreased LARP4 association with cellular RACK1 and ribosomes by multiple assays, whereas less effect was observed for PABP association, consistent with independent interactions. CR2 mutations decreased LARP4 ability to optimally stabilize a β-globin mRNA reporter containing an AU-rich element (ARE) more significantly than a β-globin and other reporters lacking this element. While polysome profiles indicate the β-glo-ARE mRNA is inefficiently translated, consistent with published data, we show that LARP4 increases its translation whereas the LARP4-CR2 mutant is impaired. Analysis of nanoLuc-ARE mRNA for production of luciferase activity confirmed LARP4 promotes translation efficiency while CR2 mutations are disabling. Thus, LARP4 CR2-mediated interaction with RACK1 can promote translational efficiency of some mRNAs., Competing Interests: COMPETING INTERESTS. The authors declare no competing interests.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic significantly increased telehealth adoption. Rural communities experience challenges relating to telehealth, including a shortage of clinicians, low health literacy, mistrust of medicine, and limited technology access, yet rural perceptions have not been a subject of robust study. The setting of this study was a rural Midwestern family medicine clinic within an academic health system. Methods: Surveys were given to all patients of age 18 or older visiting the clinic over a one-week period. Those who expressed interest were contacted for a semistructured interview. Descriptive statistics and chi-square testing were used to analyze survey results for significant relationships, while interview transcripts were analyzed for themes. Results: Of respondents, 27% indicated prior telehealth use and were more likely to prefer telehealth visits ( p  = 0.03). Perceptions of telehealth were sorted into themes, including scope of care, convenience, and technology. Telehealth was preferred for discussing test results or mental health. Barriers such as travel time and transportation access favored telehealth. Although more convenient, telehealth was found to be less effective for relationship building. The absence of physical examination during phone visits was a concern. Phone visits were more prevalent due to failure of video-based technology. Conclusions: Despite the potential to address these unique challenges in rural communities, telehealth acceptance is poor. Barriers such as accessibility of technology can be improved through governmental and health systemwide measures. Future work can help develop interventions that counter negative perceptions of telehealth while increasing interest and uptake in rural communities.