Elevated IL-6 and IL-22 in Early Pregnancy Are Associated with Worse Disease Course in Women with Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD), including Ulcerative Colitis (UC) and Crohn’s disease (CD), are inflammatory conditions of the intestinal tract that affect women in their reproductive years. Pregnancy affects Th1- and Th2-cytokines, but how these changes occur during pregnancy in IBD is unclear. We performed a longitudinal profiling of serum cytokines in a cohort of 11 healthy pregnant women and 76 pregnant women with IBD from the first trimester of pregnancy to the first 12 months post-partum. Participants were monitored for biochemical disease activity (C-reactive protein [CRP] and fecal calprotectin [FCP]) and clinical activities. Maternal cytokines were measured using ELISA. We identified changes in Th1 and Th17 cytokines throughout pregnancy in healthy pregnant women. During pregnancy, maternal serum cytokine expressions were influenced by IBD, disease activity, and medications. Active UC was associated with an elevation in IL-21, whereas active CD was associated with elevated IFN-γ, IL-6, and IL-21. Interestingly, T1 serum cytokine levels of IL-22 (>0.624 pg/mL) and IL-6 (>0.648 pg/mL) were associated with worse IBD disease activity throughout pregnancy in women with UC and CD, respectively. This shows serum cytokines in pregnancy differ by IBD, disease activity, and medications. We show for the first time that T1 IL-22 and IL-6 correlate with IBD disease course throughout pregnancy.     

Maternal influences on youth responses to peer stress.

Understanding how youths develop particular styles of responding to stress is critical for promoting effective coping. This research examined the prospective, interactive contribution of maternal socialization of coping and peer stress to youth responses to peer stress. A sample of 144 early adolescents (mean age = 12.44 years, SD = 1.22) and their maternal caregivers completed questionnaires and semistructured interviews in 2 waves over a 1-year period. Results revealed that mothers' disengagement coping suggestions predicted maladaptive responses to stress, particularly for youths who received low levels of engagement suggestions, and engagement coping suggestions protected youths against maladaptive responses to stress. Importantly, these effects emerged only in the context of heightened peer stress. This research suggests that maternal socialization of coping has the potential to support or undermine youths' development of an effective repertoire of responses to stress. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Self-reported multicultural supervision competence of White predoctoral intern supervisors.

This study assessed the self-reported supervision practices, experiences, and multicultural competence of White intern supervisors (n = 211). White training directors and staff psychologists who were currently supervising predoctoral interns completed a 2-page survey regarding their multicultural supervision. Female supervisors reported higher multicultural supervision competence and spent more time processing cultural differences with their supervisees than male supervisors. Training directors also reported higher multicultural supervision competence than staff psychologists. Further, the number of interns supervised currently and over a career significantly predicted multicultural supervision competence. Recommendations for White intern supervisors include ongoing participation in education and professional practice experiences to improve multicultural supervision competence. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Social adjustment in victims of sexual assault.

93 rape victims (aged 15–71 yrs) were seen approximately 2 wks after the assault and at 1, 2, 4, 8, and 12 mo postrape. A matched control group of nonvictims was seen at the same intervals. To control for the effects of repeated testing, 3 additional groups with 72 victims were assessed only once at either 2, 4, or 8 mo postrape. All Ss completed the Social Adjustment Scale–Self Report, which yielded a total adjustment score as well as subscale scores for 5 areas of adjustment: Work; Economic; Social and Leisure; Marital, Parental, and Family Unit; and Extended Family. Ss exhibited disruption in overall social adjustment and most of the subscale roles for the first few months following their assaults. By 4 mo postrape, most of the subscales had stabilized at levels similar to the nonvictims'. Work adjustment continued to be affected through 8 mo postrape. Single-testing control victims appeared to have more problems in social adjustment, particularly with regard to relationships with relatives. (14 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

"Psychosocial rehabilitation of deaf persons with severe mental illness: A multivariate model of residential outcomes": Erratum.

Reports an error in "Psychosocial rehabilitation of deaf persons with severe mental illness: A multivariate model of residential outcomes" by Judith A. Cook, Karen Kozlowski Graham and Lisa A. Razzano (Rehabilitation Psychology, 1993[Win], Vol 38[4], 261-274). The article was published with an excessive number of typographical errors. The publisher apologizes to the Journal's readers, the article authors, and the Guest Editor of the Special Issue on Deafness, for the confusion these misprints caused. A revised reprint of the article may be obtained from the Publisher. (The following abstract of the original article appeared in record 1994-27164-001.) Focuses on an innovative model of community treatment that integrates the fields of psychosocial rehabilitation (PSR) and deaf culture. A longitudinal research design was used to evaluate the progress of 60 Ss with mental illness and deafness toward living in the community due to a PSR program. Results suggest that deaf, mentally ill clients can increase their residential independence through PSR program participation. The number of Ss living in normal, commercial housing rose 25% after program participation. Multivariate regression analysis revealed that 5 factors account for 47% of the variance in the residential outcomes of the Ss. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Friendships of older men and women: Exchange patterns and satisfaction.

Investigated the relation between perceived equity of exchanges and friendship satisfaction for 58 female and 58 male 64–91 yr old individuals. Attempts were made to determine whether (a) older men and women differ in the extent to which they view themselves as being involved in equitable vs inequitable friendships, (b) the individuals who perceive themselves to be in equitable friendships report greater satisfaction with the relationship than older persons who perceive themselves to be in nonequitable friendships, and (c) there are gender differences in the relation between equity and friendship satisfaction. Ss were interviewed concerning their relationship with their best friend and 1 other friend in their support network. Perceived equity was a significant predictor of friendship satisfaction only in the case of the other friend. In addition, results show that men were involved in more equitable friendships than were women. (25 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Internet identifiability and beyond: A model of the effects of identifiability on communicative behavior.

K. Douglas and C. McGarty (2001) demonstrated that being identifiable to an in-group audience in a computer-mediated communication (CMC) setting leads people to describe anonymous out-group targets in more abstract or stereotypical ways. On the basis of these findings and the social identity model of deindividuation effects (SIDE; S. Reicher, R. Spears, & T. Postmes, 1995), the authors aimed to test a model of the effects of identifiability on communicative behavior in and beyond CMC. Participants in 3 studies, 1 CMC and 2 pen and paper, were asked to write responses to controversial messages. In all 3 studies, communicators who were identifiable to an in-group audience used more stereotypical language to describe anonymous out-group targets. Studies 2 and 3 suggested that rather than being strategic, this may result from more subtle or implicit communicative processes. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of surgical menopause on psychological characteristics and lipid levels: The Healthy Women Study.

The authors examined the effects of surgical menopause, with or without hormone replacement therapy (HRT), on psychosocial functioning and lipid levels in a population-based study of initially premenopausal women. Within 5 years of study entry, 28 women underwent hysterectomy, with 9 retaining their ovaries and 19 having bilateral salpingo oophorectomy (BSO), and with 173 premenopausal women as a comparison group. Women undergoing hysterectomy reported fewer stress symptoms and a more optimistic attitude at follow-up, whereas BSO cases without HRT had lower mean total high-density lipoprotein (HDL) and HDL2, relative to premenopausal women. Subject to limited power, the authors' findings suggest that surgical menopause among middle-aged women does not lead to negative psychological outcomes but that BSO in the absence of hormone use has significant adverse effects on total HDL and HDL2. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Student perceptions of differential teacher treatment in open and traditional classrooms.

234 4th–6th graders from 8 open and 8 traditional classrooms completed the Teacher Treatment Inventory, rating the frequency with which 44 teacher behaviors were accorded 1 of 4 hypothetical target students. Nominations by principals and teacher self-ratings on the Walberg-Thomas Open Education Teacher Questionnaire were used to operationally define classroom structure. Ss described low achievers (LAs) as the recipients of more negative feedback, teacher direction, schoolwork, and rule orientation than high achievers (HAs). HAs were perceived as receiving higher expectations and more opportunity and choice than LAs. These treatment differences were perceived regardless of sex of student rated. The hypothesis that Ss in open classrooms would perceive less differential treatment of HAs and LAs than Ss in traditional classrooms was not supported. Although unrelated to the open or traditional orientation of teachers, classrooms did differ in the extent of differential treatment perceived by Ss. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Predicate Abstraction of ANSI-C Programs Using SAT

Predicate abstraction is a major method for verification of software. However, the generation of the abstract Boolean program from the set of predicates and the original program suffers from an exponential number of theorem prover calls as well as from soundness issues. This paper presents a novel technique that uses an efficient SAT solver for generating the abstract transition relations of ANSI-C programs. The SAT-based approach computes a more precise and safe abstraction compared to existing predicate abstraction techniques.