Child Maltreatment as a Risk Factor for Rejection Sensitivity: A Three-Level Meta-Analytic Review

Theoretical and empirical evidence has suggested that child maltreatment victimization is associated with rejection sensitivity. However, empirical evidence on this association is inconsistent. Therefore, this meta-analysis aimed to examine the overall association between child maltreatment and rejection sensitivity, and to investigate variables that may affect the strength of this association. Studies eligible for inclusion were searched in the databases: Web of Science, Science Direct, PubMed, MEDLINE, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure after which relevant studies were coded. Studies were synthesized in advanced three-level meta-analytic models in R. A total of 16 studies (N = 5,335 participants) yielding 41 effect sizes were included. Results showed that child maltreatment is significantly and positively related to rejection sensitivity (mean r = 0.230; p < .001), and to a small extent. Furthermore, this association is stronger for emotional abuse (r = 0.275) than for physical abuse (r = 0.157). It is not affected by the mean age and gender distribution of primary study samples nor by sample type (community sample versus clinical sample). It is concluded that child maltreatment is a risk factor for developing rejection sensitivity later in life. Therefore, interventions for rejection sensitivity should consider potential trauma resulting from prior child maltreatment experiences.

Spontaneous Trait Inferences From Behavior: A Systematic Meta-Analysis

Research suggests that people spontaneously infer traits from behavioral information, thus forming impressions of actors' personalities. Such spontaneous trait inferences (STI) have been examined in a wide range of studies in the last four decades. Here, we provide the first systematic meta-analysis of this vast literature. We included data from k = 86 publications, with overall N = 13,630 participants. The average STI effect was moderate to large (dz = 0.59) and showed substantial heterogeneity. The type of experimental paradigm significantly moderated the STI effect size, with larger effects in long-term memory-based paradigms compared with working memory-based paradigms. Generally, STI effects were robust to various methodological variations and also to potential concerns of publication bias. Contrary to expectations, cultural background (independent vs. interdependent) did not emerge as a significant moderator of STI effects. We discuss these findings with respect to their theoretical relevance and derive implications for future research and theorizing.

"The accuracy of the EOS imaging system to assess hip abnormalities in adolescents and adults:" a systematic review and meta-analysis

OBJECTIVES

To determine the accuracy of the EOS imaging system compared to the gold standard computed tomography (CT) scan, for the measurement of native and postoperative/prosthetic hip parameters in adolescents and adults.

METHODS

Medline, Cochrane Systematic Review, and Web of Science databases were searched to obtain relevant articles published between January 1964 and February 2021. All articles published in English. Inclusion and exclusion criteria were developed according to the Population, Intervention, Comparator, Outcome (PICO) framework. Three reviewers independently assessed the quality of included studies using the Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies (QUADAS-2) checklist. A narrative synthesis of the articles and a meta-analysis were conducted. The heterogeneity exhibited by the effect sizes was obtained using a forest plot, the Q statistic and the I2 index. Reliability coefficients were transformed into Fisher's Z to normalise their distribution and stabilise the variances. For each meta-analysis, an effect size (average reliability coefficient) and a 95% confidence interval were calculated and presented in a forest plot. The amount of radiation dose between modalities was compared.

RESULTS

The search retrieved 75 articles, six of which met inclusion and exclusion criteria. The meta-analysis included five of these six studies (sample size from 20 to 90). Comparing EOS and CT, the estimated average correlation (effect size) for combined studies was significantly high (r = 0.84, 95% CI = 0.78 to 0.88, p-value < 0.001). With respect to Pearson's correlation between EOS and CT, the estimated average correlation for combined studies was significantly high (r = 0.86, 95% CI = 0.80 to 0.90, p-value < 0.001). Average radiation dose for EOS was 0.18 ± 0.05 mGy for the anteroposterior view (AP) and 0.45 ± 0.08 mGy for the lateral view; and for CT was 8.4 to 15.6 mGy.

CONCLUSION

The EOS imaging system has a high correlation with CT for preoperative and postoperative/prosthetic hip measurements, with considerably lower irradiation of patients.

Income-Related Inequalities in Physical and Cognitive Health Domains Over the Later Life Course: Longitudinal Evidence From the U.S. (1992-2016)

This study aims to investigate changes in the income-health gradient over the later life course. We test the age-as-leveler, the cumulative advantage/disadvantage, and the persistent inequality pattern for physical and cognitive health domains, and analyze whether these patterns are gendered. We used HRS data (1992-2016) and Poisson growth curve models to predict multimorbidity (33,860 participants) as an indicator of physical health and memory (25,291 participants) as an indicator of cognitive health. We disentangled the within-participant from the between-participant effects. For multimorbidity, the income-health gradient weakened as individuals aged; whereas for memory, the income-health gradient strengthened as individuals aged. The cumulative advantage/disadvantage of higher/lower income on memory may be more pronounced among women than men. Findings were confirmed by sensitivity analyses. Findings suggest that the support for the age-as-leveler or cumulative advantage/disadvantage pattern may depend on health domains and the effect strength may depend on gender.

The Association Between Child Maltreatment and Pathological Narcissism: A Three-Level Meta-Analytic Review

Emerging evidence has documented the positive association between child maltreatment and both phenotypes of pathological narcissism (i.e., vulnerable and grandiose narcissism). However, results across these studies are inconsistent. Therefore, the present meta-analysis aimed to examine the extent to which child maltreatment is associated with vulnerable and grandiose narcissism, and whether these associations differed by study or sample characteristics. A systematic literature review was conducted in Web of Science, ScienceDirect, PubMed, Google Scholar, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure. Three-level meta-analyses were performed in R to synthesize the effect sizes. A total of 15 studies (N = 9,141 participants) producing 129 effect sizes were included. Results showed that child maltreatment was positively related to both vulnerable narcissism (mean r = .198; p < .001) and grandiose narcissism (mean r = .087; p < .001), but only to a small extent. Further, the association between child maltreatment and vulnerable narcissism was stronger for neglect (r = .278) than for physical abuse (r = .130). The strength of the association between child maltreatment and grandiose narcissism was larger for samples that were on average younger than 18 years (r = .187) than for samples that were on average older than 18 years (r = .068). Also, the strength of the association was stronger for females than for males. Child maltreatment is a risk factor for developing both vulnerable and grandiose narcissism. Interventions targeting pathological narcissism should be aware of potential trauma resulting from victimization of child maltreatment.

Adrenergic and mesenchymal signatures are identifiable in cell-free DNA and correlate with metastatic disease burden in children with neuroblastoma

BACKGROUND

Cell-free DNA (cfDNA) profiles of 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5-hmC), an epigenetic marker of open chromatin and active gene expression, are correlated with metastatic disease burden in patients with neuroblastoma. Neuroblastoma tumors are comprised of adrenergic (ADRN) and mesenchymal (MES) cells, and the relative abundance of each in tumor biopsies has prognostic implications. We hypothesized that ADRN and MES-specific signatures could be quantified in cfDNA 5-hmC profiles and would augment the detection of metastatic burden in patients with neuroblastoma.

METHODS

We previously performed an integrative analysis to identify ADRN and MES-specific genes (n = 373 and n = 159, respectively). Purified DNA from cell lines was serial diluted with healthy donor cfDNA. Using Gene Set Variation Analysis (GSVA), ADRN and MES signatures were optimized. We then quantified signature scores, and our prior neuroblastoma signature, in cfDNA from 84 samples from 46 high-risk patients including 21 patients with serial samples.

RESULTS

Samples from patients with higher metastatic burden had increased GSVA scores for both ADRN and MES gene signatures (p < .001). While ADRN and MES signature scores tracked together in serially collected samples, we identified instances of patients with increases in either MES or ADRN score at relapse.

CONCLUSIONS

While it is feasible to identify ADRN and MES signatures using 5-hmC profiles of cfDNA from neuroblastoma patients and correlate these signatures to metastatic burden, additional data are needed to determine the optimal strategies for clinical implementation. Prospective evaluation in larger cohorts is ongoing.

Psychological Distance to Science as a Predictor of Science Skepticism Across Domains

This article presents and tests psychological distance to science (PSYDISC) as a domain-general predictor of science skepticism. Drawing on the concept of psychological distance, PSYDISC reflects the extent to which individuals perceive science as a tangible undertaking conducted by people similar to oneself (social), with effects in the here (spatial) and now (temporal), and as useful and applicable in the real world (hypothetical distance). In six studies (two preregistered; total N = 1,630) and two countries, we developed and established the factor structure and validity of a scale measuring PSYDISC. Crucially, higher PSYDISC predicted skepticism beyond established predictors, across science domains. A final study showed that PSYDISC shapes real-world behavior (COVID-19 vaccination uptake). This work thus provides a novel tool to predict science skepticism, as well as a construct that can help to further develop a unifying framework to understand science skepticism across domains.

The Equality Paradox: Gender Equality Intensifies Male Advantages in Adolescent Subjective Well-Being

Individuals' subjective well-being (SWB) is an important marker of development and social progress. As psychological health issues often begin during adolescence, understanding the factors that enhance SWB among adolescents is critical to devising preventive interventions. However, little is known about how institutional contexts contribute to adolescent SWB. Using Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2015 and 2018 data from 78 countries (N = 941,475), we find that gender gaps in adolescents' SWB (life satisfaction, positive and negative affect) are larger in more gender-equal countries. Results paradoxically indicated that gender equality enhances boys' but not girls' SWB, suggesting that greater gender equality may facilitate social comparisons across genders. This may lead to an increased awareness of discrimination against females and consequently lower girls' SWB, diluting the overall benefits of gender equality. These findings underscore the need for researchers and policy-makers to better understand macro-level factors, beyond objective gender equality, that support girls' SWB.

Deuterium metabolic imaging for 3D mapping of glucose metabolism in humans with central nervous system lesions at 3T

PURPOSE

To explore the potential of 3T deuterium metabolic imaging (DMI) using a birdcage 2 H radiofrequency (RF) coil in both healthy volunteers and patients with central nervous system (CNS) lesions.

METHODS

A modified gradient filter, home-built 2 H volume RF coil, and spherical k-space sampling were employed in a three-dimensional chemical shift imaging acquisition to obtain high-quality whole-brain metabolic images of 2 H-labeled water and glucose metabolic products. These images were acquired in a healthy volunteer and three subjects with CNS lesions of varying pathologies. Hardware and pulse sequence experiments were also conducted to improve the signal-to-noise ratio of DMI at 3T.

RESULTS

The ability to quantify local glucose metabolism in correspondence to anatomical landmarks across patients with varying CNS lesions is demonstrated, and increased lactate is observed in one patient with the most active disease.

CONCLUSION

DMI offers the potential to examine metabolic activity in human subjects with CNS lesions with DMI at 3T, promising for the potential of the future clinical translation of this metabolic imaging technique.

Feeling Appreciated Predicts Prosocial Motivation in Avoidantly Attached Individuals

Prosocial motivation is an important ingredient for satisfying relationships. However, individuals high in attachment avoidance-those who fear closeness and prefer independence-often display reduced prosocial motivation for their romantic partner. In two daily experience studies (Ntotal = 324), we examined whether feeling appreciated by a romantic partner would buffer this negative link. When avoidantly attached individuals felt highly appreciated by their partner, they displayed greater prosocial motivation; specifically, they were more willing to sacrifice, and did so with the intention to benefit their partner (Studies 1 and 2). These effects did not emerge for other, less prosocial motives for sacrifice, such as to benefit oneself or avoid negative outcomes. Furthermore, one reason why avoidantly attached individuals were more prosocial when they felt appreciated is because they felt more committed to the relationship (Study 2). These findings reveal the importance of feeling appreciated, especially among individuals who typically neglect a partner's needs.

Effect of light conditions on trophic level and gene expression of partially mycoheterotrophic orchid, Cymbidium goeringii

Partial mycoheterotrophic i.e., mixotrophic, plants are the species which partially depend on mycorrhizal fungi for its nutrients. Although some of these plants are known to show plasticity in the degree of fungal dependence induced by the changes in light condition, the genetic background of this plasticity is largely unsolved. Here, we investigated the relationships between environmental conditions and nutrient sources based on ¹³C and ¹⁵N enrichment in mixotrophic orchid Cymbidium goeringii. We also shaded them for 2 months and evaluated the effect of light condition on the nutrient sources based on the abundance of ¹³C and ¹⁵N and the gene expressions by RNA-seq based de novo assembly. The shading had no effect on isotope enrichment, possibly because of the translocation of carbon and nitrogen from the storage organs. Gene expression analysis showed the upregulation of genes involved in jasmonic acid response in leaves of the shaded plants, which suggests that the jasmonic acid played an important role in regulation of degree of dependence against the mycorrhizal fungi. Our results suggest that mixotrophic plants might be controlling their dependency against the mycorrhizal fungi by a common mechanism with the autotrophic plants.

Plasma lipidome reveals susceptibility and resistance of Pekin ducks to DHAV-3

Duck hepatitis A virus genotype 3 (DHAV-3) is the most popular pathogen of duck viral hepatitis (DVH) and has led to a huge economic threat to the Asian duck industry. In this work, we investigated the differences in the LC-MS/MS-based dynamic lipid profiles between susceptible and resistant Pekin duck lines with DHAV-3 infection. We found that the plasma lipidome of the two duck lines was characterized differently in expression levels of lipids during the infection, such as decreased levels of glycerolipids and increased levels of cholesteryl esters and glycerophospholipids in susceptible ducks compared with resistant ducks. By integrating lipidomics and transcriptomics analysis, we showed that the altered homeostasis of lipids was potentially regulated by a variety of differentially expressed genes including CHPT1, PI4K2A, and OSBP2 between the two duck lines, which could account for liver dysfunction, apoptosis, and illness upon DHAV-3 infection. Using the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) approach, we determined a total of 25 infection-related lipids that were able to distinguish between the infection states of susceptible and resistant ducks. This study provides molecular clues for elucidating the pathogenesis and therapeutic strategies of DHAV-3 infection in ducklings, which has implication for the development of resistance breeding.

Calibrating machine learning approaches for probability estimation: A comprehensive comparison

Statistical prediction models have gained popularity in applied research. One challenge is the transfer of the prediction model to a different population which may be structurally different from the model for which it has been developed. An adaptation to the new population can be achieved by calibrating the model to the characteristics of the target population, for which numerous calibration techniques exist. In view of this diversity, we performed a systematic evaluation of various popular calibration approaches used by the statistical and the machine learning communities for estimating two-class probabilities. In this work, we first provide a review of the literature and, second, present the results of a comprehensive simulation study. The calibration approaches are compared with respect to their empirical properties and relationships, their ability to generalize precise probability estimates to external populations and their availability in terms of easy-to-use software implementations. Third, we provide code from real data analysis allowing its application by researchers. Logistic calibration and beta calibration, which estimate an intercept plus one and two slope parameters, respectively, consistently showed the best results in the simulation studies. Calibration on logit transformed probability estimates generally outperformed calibration methods on nontransformed estimates. In case of structural differences between training and validation data, re-estimation of the entire prediction model should be outweighted against sample size of the validation data. We recommend regression-based calibration approaches using transformed probability estimates, where at least one slope is estimated in addition to an intercept for updating probability estimates in validation studies.

Five-year on-treatment variables-based PPACS model predicts subsequent hepatocellular carcinoma in entecavir/tenofovir-treated patients

Considering the lower risk of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients receiving long-term potent antiviral therapy, models predicting HCC after 5 years of therapy are needed. We conducted a multicenter retrospective cohort study to construct and validate a model predicting HCC after 5 years of entecavir (ETV) or tenofovir (TFV) therapy for CHB. The endpoint was HCC after 5 years of ETV/TFV therapy. Information on age, sex, liver cirrhosis (assessed by diagnosis code and confirmed by clinical findings) and type of antiviral agent was obtained at baseline (initiation of ETV/TFV). Laboratory values were collected at baseline and 5 years. Risk factors for HCC were identified in the training set and the final prediction model was validated using the test set. Among 7542 patients, 345 (4.6%) developed HCC after 5 years of ETV/TFV therapy. HCC risk after 5 years of ETV/TFV therapy was increased by 4-fold in patients with liver cirrhosis than in those without cirrhosis at baseline. Furthermore, Platelet counts and Prothrombin time at 5 years, Age at baseline and Sex were associated with risk of HCC and were incorporated into a prediction model, PPACS. PPACS showed a good performance with a time-dependent area under the curve of 0.80 (95% confidence interval, 0.75-0.85) at 8-year of ETV/TFV therapy, a Brier score of 0.031 and an integrated Brier score of 0.006 in the test set. In conclusion, the PPACS model provides a reliable assessment of HCC risk after 5 years of ETV/TFV therapy (https://ppacs.shinyapps.io/shiny_app_up/).