Association between caregivers' coping and children's psychiatric symptoms in the heart transplantation process: A pilot study.

Our aim was to investigate whether there is an association between caregivers' coping and children's psychiatric symptoms and quality of life in adolescent heart transplant (HTx) recipients and HTx candidates with left ventricular assist device (LVAD). Fourteen patients were recruited for this pilot study (HTx (n = 8), LVAD (n = 6)). Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia for School Aged Children, Present and Lifetime Version (K-SADS) was administered to detect the psychiatric diagnosis of patients. Children's Depression Inventory (CDI), State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, and Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory (PedsQL) were completed by adolescents; Brief Coping Styles Inventory by their caregivers. Six of the participants had an internalizing disorder. Optimistic coping strategy score was significantly higher in the caregivers of adolescents without an internalizing disorder than caregivers of those with an internalizing disorder (U = 2.500, P = .005). Utilizing Spearman's correlation, caregivers' optimistic approach (rho = -0.736, P = .004), and self-confident approach (rho = -0.634, P = .020) had significant negative correlations with children's CDI scores. Moreover, caregivers' optimistic approach score had a significant positive correlation with children's PedsQL score (rho = 0.563, P = .045). According to our preliminary results, it seems that caregivers' optimistic and self-confident coping strategies may be associated with fewer internalizing symptoms and a better quality of life in adolescents in the HTx process. A future multicentered longitudinal study will be planned to assess the effect of caregivers' coping strategies on the psychological adjustment of these children.

CD109 attenuates TGF-ß1 signaling and enhances EGF signaling in SK-MG-1 human glioblastoma cells.

CD109 is a glycosylphosphatidylinositol-anchored cell surface protein that is frequently detected in squamous cell carcinomas. CD109 is a negative regulator of TGF-ß1 signaling in human keratinocytes, and the N-terminal fragment of CD109 secreted from cells after cleavage by the furin protease is important for modulating TGF-ß1 signaling. Previously, we found that CD109 is expressed in human glioblastoma cells; however, the role of CD109 in glioblastoma cells is not established. Here, we describe the effects of CD109 in human glioblastoma cell lines. Three glioblastoma cell lines, SK-MG-1, U251MG and MG178, were tested and CD109 overexpression attenuated TGF-ß1 signaling and enhanced EGF signaling in SK-MG-1, but not in U251MG or MG178. The N-terminal CD109 fragment in SK-MG-1 was hyperglycosylated compared with that in MG178 or U251MG. The conditioned medium of CD109-overexpressing SK-MG-1, containing the secreted N-terminal CD109, had a negative effect on TGF-ß1 signaling in wild-type SK-MG-1 and MG178, whereas it did not show any effect on EGF signaling. In addition, cell surface CD109 interacts with EGF receptor in SK-MG-1 overexpressing CD109, and exhibited enhanced cell migration and invasion. These findings suggest that CD109 attenuates TGF-ß1 signaling and enhances EGF signaling in SK-MG-1 cells and that the membrane-anchored CD109 may play major roles in the EGF signaling pathway.