Demographics and gender-related measures in younger and older adolescents presenting to a gender service

Transgender adolescents may present to gender identity specialty services earlier or later in adolescence. The aim of this study was to examine whether, 'younger' and 'older' presenters could be identified in a large cohort of transgender adolescents and if differences exist between the two groups. The study sample consisted of 1487 adolescents (506 birth-assigned males, 981 birth-assigned females) referred between 2000 and 2018. The distribution of age at intake was evaluated. Demographic, diagnostic, and treatment characteristics, the Recalled Childhood Gender Identity/Gender Role Questionnaire (RCGI) to measure childhood gender nonconformity and the Body Image Scale (BIS) to measure body image were collected. Based on a stem-and-leaf plot and a histogram, two groups were identified: adolescents presenting at ≤ 13.9 years ('younger presenters') and adolescents presenting at 14 years or older ('older presenters'). The sex ratio was more extreme in the group of older presenters favoring birth-assigned females (Χ2(1, N = 1487) = 19.69, p < 0.001). Furthermore, more adolescents from the younger presenting group lived with both biological parents (Χ2(1, N = 1427) = 24.78, p < 0.001), were diagnosed with gender dysphoria and started with medical gender-affirming treatment (Χ2(1, N = 1404) = 4.60, p = 0.032 and Χ2(1, N = 1487) = 29.16, p < 0.001). Younger presenters showed more gender nonconformity in childhood (β 0.315, p < 0.001, 95% CI 0.224-0.407). Older presenters were more dissatisfied with various aspects of their bodies (p < 0.001). The differences between older and younger presenting adolescents suggest that there may be different developmental pathways in adolescents that lead to seeking gender-affirming medical care and argues for more tailored care.

Head turning is an effective cue for gaze following: Evidence from newly sighted individuals, school children and adults

In referential communication, gaze is often interpreted as a social cue that facilitates comprehension and enables word learning. Here we investigated the degree to which head turning facilitates gaze following. We presented participants with static pictures of a man looking at a target object in a first and third block of trials (pre- and post-intervention), while they saw short videos of the same man turning towards the target in the second block of trials (intervention). In Experiment 1, newly sighted individuals (treated for congenital cataracts; N = 8) benefited from the motion cues, both when comparing their initial performance with static gaze cues to their performance with dynamic head turning, and their performance with static cues before and after the videos. In Experiment 2, neurotypical school children (ages 5-10 years; N = 90) and adults (N = 30) also revealed improved performance with motion cues, although most participants had started to follow the static gaze cues before they saw the videos. Our results confirm that head turning is an effective social cue when interpreting new words, offering new insights for a pathways approach to development.

Regenerative Medicine and the Hope for a Cure

Current therapeutic strategies have succeeded in slowing down the progression of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). Emerging evidence highlights IPF as a disease of aging and impaired regeneration. Novel antiaging and regenerative medicine approaches hold promise to be able to reverse disease and might present hope for a cure. Research focusing on a deeper understanding of lung stem cell populations and how these are regulated and altered in fibrotic disease continues to drive the field, and accompanied by earlier diagnosis, the adaptation of clinically relevant models and readouts for regeneration of diseased lung, ultimately paves the way for translation into clinics.

Two Sides of the Same Coin: The Role of Developmental pathways and pluripotency factors in normal mammary stem cells and breast cancer metastasis

Breast cancer initiation and progression are often observed as the result of dysregulation of normal developmental processes and pathways. Studies focused on normal mammary stem/progenitor cell activity have led to an understanding of how breast cancer cells acquire stemness-associated properties including tumor initiation, survival and multi-lineage differentiation into heterogeneous tumors that become difficult to target therapeutically. Importantly, more recent investigations have provided valuable insight into how key developmental regulators can impact multiple phases of metastasis, where they are repurposed to not only promote metastatic phenotypes such as migration, invasion and EMT at the primary site, but also to regulate the survival, initiation and maintenance of metastatic lesions at secondary organs. Herein, we discuss findings that have led to a better understanding of how embryonic and pluripotency factors contribute not only to normal mammary development, but also to metastatic progression. We further examine the therapeutic potential of targeting these developmental pathways, and discuss how a better understanding of compensatory mechanisms, crosstalk between pathways, and novel experimental models could provide critical insight into how we might exploit embryonic and pluripotency regulators to inhibit tumor progression and metastasis.

Dual Pathways from Reactive Aggression to Depressive Symptoms in Children: Further Examination of the Failure Model

The failure model posits that peer rejection and poor academic performance are dual pathways in the association between early aggressive behavior and subsequent depressive symptoms. We examined this model using an accelerated longitudinal design while also incorporating proactive and reactive aggression and gender moderation. Children in 1st, 3rd, and 5th grades (n = 912; ages 6-12; 48% female) were rated three times annually by their primary teachers on measures of proactive and reactive aggression, peer rejection, academic performance, and depressive symptoms. Using Bayesian cross-classified estimation to account for nested and planned-missing data, path models were estimated to examine whether early reactive aggression predicted subsequent peer rejection and academic performance, and whether these, in turn, predicted subsequent depressive symptoms. From 1st to 3rd grade, reactive aggression predicted peer rejection (not academic performance), proactive aggression predicted academic performance (not peer rejection), and academic performance and peer rejection both predicted depressive symptoms. From 3rd to 5th grade, however, neither peer rejection nor academic performance predicted subsequent depressive symptoms. Results were not moderated by gender. Overall, these findings provide mixed and limited support for the failure model among school-age children. Early reactive aggression may be a key risk factor for social problems, whereas proactive aggression may be linked to improved academic functioning. The "dual pathways" of peer rejection and academic performance may operate during early but not later elementary school. Limitations and implications are discussed.

Developmental pathways towards mood disorders in adult life: Is there a role for sleep disturbances?

INTRODUCTION

Mood disorders are among the most prevalent and serious mental disorders and rank high among to the leading global burdens of disease. The developmental psychopathology framework can offer a life course perspective on them thus providing a basis for early prevention and intervention. Sleep disturbances, are considered risk factors for mood disorders across childhood, adolescence and adulthood. Assuming that sleep disturbances may play a pivotal role in the pathogenesis of mood disorders from a life course point of view, we reviewed the data on developmental pathways towards mood disorders in adult life in relation to sleep disturbances.

METHOD

From February 2017, a systematic search was conducted in PubMed, PsycINFO and Embase electronic databases for literature on developmental pathways to mood disorders in adult life in relation to sleep disturbances and to 1) pre-natal stress, 2) early brain developmental processes, and 3) temperaments, character and attachment style.

RESULTS

Eleven, 54 and 15 articles were respectively selected.

CONCLUSIONS

Experimental and clinical studies revealed that exposure to prenatal/early life stress results in sleep disturbances such as poor sleep and altered circadian regulation phases and may predict or even precipitate mood disorders in adulthood. Chronic sleep disruption may interfere with neuronal plasticity, connectivity and the developing brain thus contributing to the development of mood disorders. In addition sleep and circadian dysregulations have been shown to be related to those temperaments, character and attachment styles which are considered precursors of mood disorders. Sleep and circadian behaviours may serve as early targets regarding mood disorders.

Investigating the role of transcription factors of pancreas development in pancreatic cancer

Pancreatic cancer (PC) is the seventh most common cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide that kills more than 300,000 people every year. Prognosis of PC is very poor with a five-year survival rate about 5%. The most common and highly observed type of PC is pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). It is preceded by the progression of precursor lesions such as Pancreatic Intraepithelial Neoplasia (PanIN), Intraductal Papillary Neoplasm (IPMN) and Mucinous Cystic Neoplasm (MCN). PanIN is the most common among these premalignant lesions. Genes orchestrating the origin and differentiation of cells during organogenesis have the tendency to produce tumor cells in response to activating or inactivating mutations. Based on the following premise, we discuss the role of transcription factors (TFs) of pancreas development and cell fate differentiation in PC. Pancreas/duodenum homeobox protein 1 (PDX1), Pancreas transcription factor 1 subunit alpha (PTF1A), Nuclear receptor subfamily 5 group A member 2 (NR5A2), Hepatocyte nuclear factor 1-alpha (HNF1A) and Hepatocyte nuclear factor 1-beta (HNF1B) play vital role in the development and differentiation of pancreatic precursor cells. Mutated KRAS induces abnormalities in the regular function of these TFs which in turn cause abnormal cell growth and proliferation that leads to cancer. Thus, these TFs are highly susceptible for the origin of PC. Therefore, we propose that these TFs can be treated as therapeutic targets for the development of anticancer drugs.

Verbal Working Memory as a Longitudinal Mechanism of Vocabulary Problems in Preschoolers with ADHD

Elucidation of early potential risk factors of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is important to allow for early identification of ADHD and targeted early intervention for children with ADHD. Delayed language skills, particularly poor vocabulary, is an early-developing potential risk factor that is thought to be involved in developmental pathways to ADHD; however, mechanisms explaining the relationship between poor vocabulary skills and ADHD symptoms are unclear and warrant investigation. The present study examines the relationship between poor vocabulary skills and ADHD symptoms by testing cognitive mechanisms, namely verbal working memory (WM), that might account for this link. Participants were 109 young children between the ages of three and six and their primary caregivers. Diagnostic information on ADHD symptoms was available from parents and teachers/daycare providers via standardized rating forms. Vocabulary skills and WM were measured through child performance on laboratory tasks. Mediation analyses found poor verbal working memory significantly partially explained the vocabulary-ADHD association for both parent and teacher-rated ADHD symptoms. Further, effects of verbal WM on the association between poor vocabulary and increased ADHD symptoms largely held at one-year follow-up. Development of early interventions targeting verbal WM may be a promising new direction for early ADHD intervention work.

Developmental psychopathology: A primer for clinical pediatrics

Developmental psychopathology (DP), broadly defined as the scientific discipline that has as its primary goal the integration of developmental science and psychopathology into a coherent approach to explanatory models for psychopathological development, has become the dominant approach in the past decade for understanding the origins of mental disorders among children and adolescents. Hence, it is incumbent upon those working in the field of clinical pediatrics to have at least a basic understanding of its core principles of DP. This article provided such an understanding (i.e., a primer) in an exposition of the four principles that are generally considered be core elements of with examples illustrative of each of the principles.

Developmental Pathways of Youth Gang Membership: A Structural Test of the Social Development Model

As a result of nearly 40 years of research using a risk and protective factor approach, much is known about the predictors of gang onset. Little theoretical work, however, has been done to situate this approach to studying gang membership within a more comprehensive developmental model. Using structural equation modeling techniques, the current study is the first to test the capacity of the social development model (SDM) to predict the developmental pathways that increase and decrease the likelihood of gang membership. Results suggest that the SDM provides a good accounting of the social developmental processes at age 13 that are predictive of later gang membership. These findings support the promotion of a theoretical understanding of gang membership that specifies both pro- and antisocial developmental pathways. Additionally, as the SDM is intended as a model that can guide preventive intervention, results also hold practical utility for designing strategies that can be implemented in early adolescence to address the likelihood of later gang involvement. Three key preventive intervention points to address gang membership are discussed, including promoting efforts to enhance social skills, increasing the availability of prosocial opportunities and rewarding engagement in these opportunities, and reducing antisocial socialization experiences throughout the middle- and high school years.

Pre-diagnosis insulin-like growth factor-I and risk of epithelial invasive ovarian cancer by histological subtypes: A collaborative re-analysis from the Ovarian Cancer Cohort Consortium

PURPOSE

Biologic evidence suggests that the Insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-family may be involved in the etiology of epithelial invasive ovarian cancer (EOC). However, prospective studies investigating the role of IGF-I in ovarian carcinogenesis have yielded conflicting results.

METHODS

We pooled and harmonized data from 6 case-control studies nested within the Ovarian Cancer Cohort Consortium to investigate the association between pre-diagnosis IGF-I concentrations and subsequent risk of EOC. We evaluated IGF-I concentrations and risk of EOC overall and by tumor subtype (defined by histology, grade, stage) in 1,270 cases and 2,907 matched controls. Multivariable conditional logistic regression models were used to calculate odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI).

RESULTS

Doubling of IGF-I concentration was associated with significantly lower risk of overall EOC [ORlog2 = 0.82; CI 0.72-0.93]. We observed no heterogeneity by tumor characteristics (e.g., histology, p het = 0.62), menopausal status at blood collection (p het = 0.79), or age at diagnosis (p het = 0.60).

CONCLUSIONS

These results suggest that IGF-I concentrations are inversely associated with EOC risk, independent of histological phenotype. Future prospective research should consider potential mechanisms for this association, including, considering other members of the IGF-family to better characterize the role of IGF-signaling in the etiology of EOC.

A compendium of developmental gene expression in Lake Malawi cichlid fishes

BACKGROUND

Lake Malawi cichlids represent one of a growing number of vertebrate models used to uncover the genetic and developmental basis of trait diversity. Rapid evolutionary radiation has resulted in species that share similar genomes but differ markedly in phenotypes including brains and behavior, nuptial coloration and the craniofacial skeleton. Research has begun to identify the genes, as well as the molecular and developmental pathways that underlie trait divergence.

RESULTS

We assemble a compendium of gene expression for Lake Malawi cichlids, across pharyngula (the phylotypic stage) and larval stages of development, encompassing hundreds of gene transcripts. We chart patterns of expression in Bone morphogenetic protein (BMP), Fibroblast growth factor (FGF), Hedgehog (Hh), Notch and Wingless (Wnt) signaling pathways, as well as genes involved in neurogenesis, calcium and endocrine signaling, stem cell biology, and numerous homeobox (Hox) factors-in three planes using whole-mount in situ hybridization. Because of low sequence divergence across the Malawi cichlid assemblage, the probes we employ are broadly applicable in hundreds of species. We tabulate gene expression across general tissue domains, and highlight examples of unexpected expression patterns.

CONCLUSIONS

On the heels of recently published genomes, this compendium of developmental gene expression in Lake Malawi cichlids provides a valuable resource for those interested in the relationship between evolution and development.

Genetic influences on adolescent behavior

Adolescence is a transitional, developmental phase with marked shifts in behavior, particularly as related to risk-taking and experimentation. Genetic influences on adolescent behavior also show marked changes across this developmental period; in fact, adolescence showcases the dynamic nature of genetic influences on human behavior. Using the twin studies literature on alcohol use and misuse, we highlight several principles of genetic influence on adolescent behavior. We illustrate how genetic influences change (increase) across adolescence, as individuals have more freedom to express their predispositions and to shape their social worlds. We show how there are multiple genetic pathways to risk, and how the environment can moderate the importance of genetic predispositions. Finally, we review the literature aimed at identifying specific genes involved in adolescent behavior and understanding how identified genes impact adolescent outcomes. Ultimately, understanding how genetic predispositions combine with environmental influences to impact pathways of risk and resilience should be translated into improved prevention and intervention efforts; this remains a rich area for future research.

Vitamin A-retinoid signaling in pulmonary development and disease

Retinoic acid (RA), the active form of vitamin A, regulates key developmental processes in multiple organs. In the developing lung, RA is crucial for normal growth and differentiation of airways. Disruption in RA signaling or vitamin A deficiency (VAD) has been linked to aberrant development of the lung including alterations in the airway smooth muscle (SM) differentiation, development, and function. These alterations have been linked to disease states including asthma in both human and animal models.