Dating, sexual activity, and well-being in Italian adolescents.

Associations among dating, sexual activity, gender, and adjustment were investigated in 2,273 Italian adolescents (54% female, ages 14 to 19 years) attending public high schools. After controlling for age and type of school attended, both being in a dating relationship and being male were associated with less alienation, more positive views of the self, and higher general expectations for success. Sexual activity interacted with both gender and dating status in predicting feelings of depression. For boys, there were no differences between youth who were sexually active and youth who were not; however, sexually active girls had higher levels of depressive symptoms than girls who were not sexually active. Among youth who were not sexually active, there were small differences between daters and nondaters; among sexually active youth, daters had lower levels of depression than nondaters. Gender differences in adolescents' experience of dating and sexual relationships and implications for adjustment are discussed.     

Violence exposure,catecholamine excretion,and blood pressure nondipping status in African American male versus female adolescents

OBJECTIVE: Nondipping status (<10% decrease in blood pressure [BP] from awake to asleep) has been associated with end-organ disease (stroke and left ventricular hypertrophy) in adults. Nondipping status has also been observed in 30% of healthy African American adolescents, but little is known about the correlates of nondipping status in adolescents. This study examined the relationship between violence exposure, catecholamine excretion, and BP nondipping status in 56 healthy African American adolescents (27 boys, 29 girls; ages 11-18 years). METHODS: Participants completed the Survey of Exposure to Community Violence, wore an ambulatory BP monitor and provided one timed day and night urine collection for determination of epinephrine and norepinephrine excretion. RESULTS: Boys had higher daytime epinephrine (5.1 +/- 3.3 vs. 2.6 +/- 2.3 ng/min, p < .001) and norepinephrine excretion (29.2 +/- 25.1 vs. 16.5 +/- 14.9 ng/min, p < .05) and showed a greater prevalence of mean BP nondipping status than girls (37% vs. 10%, p < .03). Mean BP nondipping status was positively associated with victimization (r = 0.42, p < .0001). Regression analyses indicated a significant interaction between hearing about violence and sex for predicting daytime epinephrine (p < .02), with male nondippers showing a stronger positive association (partial correlation = 0.59, p < .05) than females (partial correlation = 0.03, p = NS). Logistic regressions also demonstrated a significant interaction between hearing about violence and sex for predicting mean BP dipping status, with male nondippers reporting the greatest exposure. CONCLUSIONS: Mean BP nondipping was associated with victimization in both boys and girls. Boys who reported higher levels of hearing about violence showed greater daytime epinephrine excretion and were more likely to be classified as nondippers.     

Hope, Coping, and Adjustment Among Children with Sickle Cell Disease: Tests of Mediator and Moderator Models

Tested mediator and moderator models of hope, coping, and adjustmentin 39 children with sickle cell disease. In home interviewsparents provided information on demographics and functionaladjustment. Children self-reported levels of hope, coping strategies,and psychological adjustment. Coping strategies moderated, butdid not mediate, the relationship between hope and adjustment.Hope was negatively associated with anxiety when active coping,support coping, and distraction coping was high. Avoidance copingdid not moderate the hope-adjustment relationship but was positivelyrelated to anxiety. No effects were found for depressive symptomsor for the functional measures of adjustment.     

Reduced expression of the small leucine-rich proteoglycans, lumican, and decorin is associated with poor outcome in node-negative invasive breast cancer.

PURPOSE: To examine the prognostic significance of lumican and decorin, two abundant small leucine-rich proteoglycans in breast tissue stroma. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: Lumican and decorin expression was examined in a cohort of 140 invasive breast carcinomas by Western blot analysis. All cases were axillary lymph node-negative and treated by adjuvant endocrine therapy. RESULTS: Lumican and decorin expression was highly correlated (r = 0.45, P < 0.0001), but although low levels of lumican were associated with large tumor size (P = 0.0496), negative estrogen receptor (P = 0.0024) and progesterone receptor status (P = 0.0116), and increased host inflammatory response (P = 0.0077), low decorin levels were associated only with large tumor size (P = 0.0496). However, using univariate analysis, low levels of lumican and decorin were both associated with a shorter time to progression (P = 0.0013 and 0.0262) and poorer survival (P = 0.001 and 0.0076). In multivariate analysis using the Cox regression model, low decorin was also shown to be an independent predictive factor for recurrence (hazard ratio 2.25: 95% confidence interval 1-5, P = 0.047) and survival (hazard ratio 3.39: 95% confidence interval 1.2-9.6, P = 0.021). CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that low levels of small leucine-rich proteoglycans in breast tumors may be associated with a worse prognosis in lymph node-negative invasive breast carcinomas and warrant further study with larger patient cohorts.     

Transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunts (TIPS): effects of respiratory state and patient position on the measurement of Doppler velocities

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this prospective study was to examine the effects of patient position and respiratory state on the measurements of Doppler velocities in transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunts. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Thirty-eight transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunts in 34 consecutive patients were studied using Doppler sonography. Peak velocities were measured in the mid shunt with the patient in three positions (supine, sitting upright, and left lateral decubitus) and two respiratory states (deep inspiration and quiet respiration). A mixed linear regression model was used to assess statistically significant differences among the six velocity measurements. RESULTS: Peak velocities in the mid stent averaged 22 cm/sec greater in quiet respiration than in deep inspiration, which was a significant difference (p < 0.00001). Differences in velocities in the three patient positions were not significant (p = 0.53). Using 90-190 cm/sec as the normal range, the peak velocity shifted from normal to abnormal levels by changing respiratory state in 17 (45%) of 38 studies. Using 60 cm/sec as the lower normal limit, the peak velocity fell below the normal range with inspiration in 10 (26%) of 38 studies. In 12 (32%) of 38 studies, a decline in peak velocity exceeding 50 cm/sec could be induced by inspiration. CONCLUSION: Peak systolic velocity in transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunts is substantially altered by the respiratory state of the patient at the time of the measurement, but not by the patient position. Respiratory state must be taken into account in the interpretation of peak velocity for shunt stenosis.     

Differential regulation of somatostatin receptor dephosphorylation by β-arrestin1 and β-arrestin2

Signaling of G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) is tightly regulated by coordinated phosphorylation of intracellular serine and threonine residues. Although the mechanisms of agonist-induced phosphorylation have been deciphered for many GPCRs, the regulation of their dephosphorylation remains poorly understood. Using a combination of siRNA knockdown screening and phosphosite-specific antibodies, we have recently identified the catalytic subunit β of protein phosphatase 1 (PP1β) as major constituent of the GPCR phosphatase responsible for dephosphorylation of the sst₂ somatostatin receptor. However, PP1-targeting subunits specifically required for GPCR dephosphorylation have not been identified so far. Here, we show that siRNA knockdown of β-arrestin1 strongly inhibits sst₂ receptor dephosphorylation. Co-immunoprecipitation experiments demonstrate that β-arrestin1 and PP1β exist as constitutive complex that mediates rapid dephosphorylation of sst₂ receptors at or near the plasma membrane. By contrast, β-arrestin2 is not essential for rapid sst₂ receptor dephosphorylation. Together, these findings reveal a novel scaffolding function of β-arrestin1 that facilitates efficient targeting of PP1β to phosphorylated GPCRs.