Perceived Social and Emotional Support Among Teenagers: United States, July 2021-December 2022.

Objective: This report uses data from the National Health Interview Survey and National Health Interview Survey-Teen to estimate the prevalence of self-reported social and emotional support among teenagers ages 12-17 years, describe differences in health and well-being outcomes by level of support received, and compare teen- and parent-reported estimates for social and emotional support overall and by selected teen and family characteristics. Methods: The percentage of teenagers who self-reported always or usually receiving social and emotional support by selected demographic characteristics, and potential differences in health outcomes by level of support, were estimated using data from the National Health Interview Survey-Teen collected from July 2021 through December 2022. In addition, data from the same time period from the National Health Interview Survey were used to compare parent-reported estimates of their teenager's social and emotional supports with the teenager's self-reported estimates. Results: In 2021-2022, 58.5% of teenagers reported always or usually receiving the social and emotional support they needed. Differences were seen by several demographic characteristics including sex, race and Hispanic origin, sexual or gender minority status, highest parental education level, and family income level. Teenagers who always or usually received support were less likely to report poor or fair health, anxiety or depression symptoms, very low life satisfaction, and poor sleep quality. Parents consistently reported higher perceived levels of their teenager's social and emotional support compared with the teenager's self-report.

Sociodemographic Differences in Nonfinancial Access Barriers to Health Care Among Adults: United States, 2022.

Objective: Nonfinancial access barriers to care describe various reasons why adults may delay or not get medical care, beyond cost. This report focuses on five access barriers to care and describes the percentage of U.S. adults who delayed or did not get medical care in the past 12 months because of 1) being too busy with work or other commitments; 2) an appointment not being available when needed; 3) not being able to get to the doctor's office or clinic when open; 4) difficulty finding a doctor, clinic, or hospital that would accept their health insurance; and 5) it taking too long to get to the doctor's office or clinic from their house or work. Methods: Data from the 2022 National Health Interview Survey were used to produce estimates of the percentage of adults who delayed or did not get medical care in the past 12 months because of those access barriers to care, overall and by selected sociodemographic characteristics. Results: Among U.S. adults in 2022, 12.5% delayed or did not get medical care in the past 12 months because they were too busy to go to a provider, 10.6% could not find an available appointment when needed, 4.6% were unable to get to a provider when open, 4.4% had difficulty finding a doctor compatible with their health insurance, and 2.4% responded that it takes too long to get to a provider. Percentages varied by sociodemographic characteristics. Conclusion: This study provides nationally representative estimates of selected nonfinancial access barriers to medical care, both overall and for selected sociodemographic groups. Findings suggest that nonfinancial access barriers to care are widespread in the United States, and ongoing monitoring may help to address inequities in access to care.

Gut metagenomes of Asian octogenarians reveal metabolic potential expansion and distinct microbial species associated with aging phenotypes.

While rapid demographic changes in Asia are driving the incidence of chronic aging-related diseases, the limited availability of high-quality in vivo data hampers our ability to understand complex multi-factorial contributions, including gut microbial, to healthy aging. Leveraging a well-phenotyped cohort of community-living octogenarians in Singapore, we used deep shotgun-metagenomic sequencing for high-resolution taxonomic and functional characterization of their gut microbiomes (n = 234). Joint species-level analysis with other Asian cohorts identified distinct age-associated shifts characterized by reduction in microbial richness, and specific Alistipes and Bacteroides species enrichment (e.g., Alistipes shahii and Bacteroides xylanisolvens). Functional analysis confirmed these changes correspond to metabolic potential expansion in aging towards alternate pathways synthesizing and utilizing amino-acid precursors, vis-à-vis dominant microbial guilds producing butyrate in gut from pyruvate (e.g., Faecalibacterium prausnitzii, Roseburia inulinivorans). Extending these observations to key clinical markers helped identify >10 robust microbial associations to inflammation, cardiometabolic and liver health, including potential probiotic species (e.g., Parabacteroides goldsteinii) and pathobionts (e.g., Klebsiella pneumoniae), highlighting the microbiome's role as biomarkers and potential targets for promoting healthy aging.

VAP-mediated membrane-tethering mechanisms implicate ER-PM contact function in pH homeostasis.

Vesicle-associated membrane protein (VAMP)-associated proteins (VAPs) are highly conserved endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-resident proteins that establish ER contacts with multiple membrane compartments in many eukaryotes. However, VAP-mediated membrane-tethering mechanisms remain ambiguous. Here, focusing on fission yeast ER-plasma membrane (PM) contact formation, using systematic interactome analyses and quantitative microscopy, we predict a non-VAP-protein direct binding-based ER-PM coupling. We further reveal that VAP-anionic phospholipid interactions may underlie ER-PM association and define the pH-responsive nature of VAP-tethered membrane contacts. Such conserved interactions with anionic phospholipids are generally defective in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis-associated human VAPB mutant. Moreover, we identify a conserved FFAT-like motif locating at the autoinhibitory hotspot of the essential PM proton pump Pma1. This modulatory VAP-Pma1 interaction appears crucial for pH homeostasis. We thus propose an ingenious strategy for maintaining intracellular pH by coupling Pma1 modulation with pH-sensory ER-PM contacts via VAP-mediated interactions.

Affect regulation and allostatic load over time.

OBJECTIVE: Emerging work suggests that affect regulation strategies (e.g., active coping, anger expression) predict disease and mortality risk, with sometimes divergent estimates by sex or education levels. However, few studies have examined potential underlying biological mechanisms. This study assessed the longitudinal association of affect regulation with future allostatic load. METHOD: In 2004-2006, 574 participants from the Midlife in the United States study completed validated scales assessing use of nine general and emotion-specific regulatory strategies (e.g., denial, anger expression). As a proxy for how flexibly participants regulate their affect, variability in the use of regulatory strategies was operationalized using a standard deviation-based algorithm and considered categorically (i.e., lower, moderate, greater variability) to assess non-linear effects. Participants also provided data on relevant covariates and 24 allostatic load biomarkers (e.g., cortisol, blood pressure). In 2017-2021, these biomarkers were again collected. Linear regressions modeled betas (ß) and 95 % confidence intervals (CI) examining associations of affect regulatory constructs with future allostatic load. RESULTS: In fully-adjusted models including initial allostatic load, general regulatory strategies were unrelated to future allostatic load. Yet, greater versus moderate affect regulation variability levels predicted lower allostatic load (ß=-0.14; 95 %CI: -0.27, -0.01). Only among more educated participants, greater use of anger expression predicted lower allostatic load, while the reverse was noted with anger control (ßexpression=-0.12; 95 %CI: -0.20, -0.05; ßcontrol=0.14; 95 %CI: 0.05, 0.24). CONCLUSIONS: While general regulatory strategies appeared unrelated to allostatic load, greater variability in their use and anger-related strategies showed predictive value. Subsequent studies should examine these associations in larger, more diverse samples.

Are there sociodemographic-specific associations of coping with heart disease and diabetes incidence?

OBJECTIVE: Psychological factors, including psychological distress and well-being, have been associated with cardiometabolic disease risk. Here, we examined whether a psychological process, namely how individuals cope with stressors, relates to such risk, which has been understudied. METHOD: During 2004-2006, 2,142 participants without heart disease and diabetes from the Midlife in the U.S. study completed a validated coping inventory assessing six strategies (positive reinterpretation and growth, active coping, planning, focus on and venting of emotion, denial, and behavioral disengagement) and relevant covariates. As a proxy for coping flexibility, participants were also classified as having lower, moderate, or greater variability in their use of these strategies. Heart disease and diabetes were documented in 2013-2015. Logistic regressions modeled adjusted odds ratios (AORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) of developing heart disease and diabetes, separately, with coping exposures. RESULTS: In sociodemographic-adjusted models, greater use of adaptive strategies predicted lower diabetes risk (e.g., positive reinterpretation and growth: AOR = 0.83; 95% CI [0.72, 0.96]); estimates were weaker for maladaptive strategies, and all strategies were unrelated to heart disease. All associations for coping variability were null. In secondary analyses, greater use of adaptive strategies predicted lower heart disease risk in more educated participants only (e.g., active coping: AOR = 0.71; 95% CI [0.55, 0.92]) and lower diabetes risk in females only (e.g., planning: AOR = 0.75; 95% CI [0.61, 0.91]). Results were maintained additionally adjusting for health, behavioral, and social factors. CONCLUSIONS: Findings suggest sex and education differences in coping's association with heart disease and diabetes. Future studies should recognize adaptive strategies may be more potent for health among certain populations. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

The Association Between Early Family Social Stressors and Emotional Well-Being Among Infants and Toddlers.

OBJECTIVE: Early childhood behavioral and emotional disorders are linked to diagnosable mental health problems both later in childhood and into adulthood. However, little work has examined the association between family social stressors and emotional well-being among children under two years of age, including whether differences exist between infancy and toddlerhood. METHODS: Data come from the nationally representative 2019-2022 National Health Interview Survey, an annual, cross-sectional survey conducted by the National Center for Health Statistics. Separate multivariate logistic regression models estimated associations between family social stressors (stressful life events, family food insecurity, family difficulty paying medical bills) and having a Baby Pediatric Symptom Checklist (BPSC) subscale score of 3 or more ("above the BPSC cutoff") for poorer emotional well-being among children 2-23 months. Models were additionally stratified by age group (infants, 2-11 months; toddlers, 12-23 months), and adjusted for child and family sociodemographic and geographical characteristics. RESULTS: Children who had experienced a stressful life event (AOR=3.83, 95% CI: 2.48-5.92), family food insecurity (AOR=1.69, 95% CI: 1.13-2.51), or family difficulty paying medical bills (AOR=2.10, 95% CI: 1.54-2.87) had higher odds of being above the BPSC cutoff, adjusted for all relevant covariates. Toddlers who experienced a stressful life event (66.5% vs 41.0%) or family difficulty paying medical bills (53.1% vs 29.8%) had higher odds of being above the BPSC cutoff compared with infants. CONCLUSIONS: Family social stressors were linked to poorer emotional well-being among young children. Future research may benefit from the exploration of additional predictors of emotional well-being among this age group.

Q&A with Jun Wei Pek and Amanda Yunn Ee Ng.

Investigator Jun Wei Pek (J.P.) and graduate student Amanda Yunn Ee Ng (A.Y.) spoke to Cell Reports about their scientific journeys and love of science, their work on gene expression regulation during reproductive development, and challenges encountered during the pandemic.

Genetic compensation between ribosomal protein paralogs mediated by a cognate circular RNA.

Inter-regulation between related genes, such as ribosomal protein (RP) paralogs, has been observed to be important for genetic compensation and paralog-specific functions. However, how paralogs communicate to modulate their expression levels is unknown. Here, we report a circular RNA involved in the inter-regulation between RP paralogs RpL22 and RpL22-like during Drosophila spermatogenesis. Both paralogs are mutually regulated by the circular stable intronic sequence RNA (sisRNA) circRpL22(NE,3S) produced from the RpL22 locus. RpL22 represses itself and RpL22-like. Interestingly, circRpL22 binds to RpL22 to repress RpL22-like, but not RpL22, suggesting that circRpL22 modulates RpL22's function. circRpL22 is in turn controlled by RpL22-like, which regulates RpL22 binding to circRpL22 to indirectly modulate RpL22. This circRpL22-centric inter-regulatory circuit enables the loss of RpL22-like to be genetically compensated by RpL22 upregulation to ensure robust male germline development. Thus, our study identifies sisRNA as a possible mechanism of genetic crosstalk between paralogous genes.

Large-scale chemoproteomics expedites ligand discovery and predicts ligand behavior in cells.

Chemical modulation of proteins enables a mechanistic understanding of biology and represents the foundation of most therapeutics. However, despite decades of research, 80% of the human proteome lacks functional ligands. Chemical proteomics has advanced fragment-based ligand discovery toward cellular systems, but throughput limitations have stymied the scalable identification of fragment-protein interactions. We report proteome-wide maps of protein-binding propensity for 407 structurally diverse small-molecule fragments. We verified that identified interactions can be advanced to active chemical probes of E3 ubiquitin ligases, transporters, and kinases. Integrating machine learning binary classifiers further enabled interpretable predictions of fragment behavior in cells. The resulting resource of fragment-protein interactions and predictive models will help to elucidate principles of molecular recognition and expedite ligand discovery efforts for hitherto undrugged proteins.

Disparities in Screening for Adverse Childhood Experiences.

INTRODUCTION: Screening for adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) in the clinical setting is set to become more commonplace with continued efforts to reimburse clinicians for screening. However, an examination of disparities in ACEs screening and related attitudes and beliefs is needed. METHODS: Using the 2021 California Health Interview Survey (CHIS), this study examined if several measures of socioeconomic status, access to care and identities were associated with 3 outcomes: 1) getting screened for ACEs by a clinician; 2) beliefs about the importance of screening and 3) satisfaction with efforts to address the impacts of ACEs. Logistic regressions were used to estimate odds of the outcomes. RESULTS: Black, Latinx, and Asian individuals had lower odds of being screened for ACEs than non-Hispanic Whites. A recent doctor's visit, higher burden of ACEs, and serious psychological distress were associated with higher odds of being screened. Latinx individuals, women, bisexual individuals, those with a recent doctor's visit and those with serious psychological distress had higher odds of believing clinicians asking about ACEs was very important, relative to their counterparts. Latinx individuals, American Indian or Alaska native individuals, Asian individuals, those with higher educational attainment and those with serious psychological distress had lower odds of being very satisfied with providers' efforts to address the impact of ACEs, relative to their counterparts. CONCLUSIONS: Efforts to expand ACEs screening should consider the disparities in screening that currently exist. Given the wide-ranging impacts that ACEs have on health, an equitable approach to screening is necessary.

Lack of Reliable Transportation for Daily Living Among Adults: United States, 2022.

Access to transportation may be required for many daily tasks, including going to work, health care visits, and obtaining groceries. Previous research suggests that a lack of transportation, especially among adults who are older, uninsured, and have lower incomes, leads to reduced access to health care, which may then lead to adverse health outcomes (1,2). Using data from the 2022 National Health Interview Survey, this report describes the percentage of adults who lacked reliable transportation for daily living in the past 12 months by selected sociodemographic and geographic characteristics.

Discovery of Molecular Glue Degraders via Isogenic Morphological Profiling.

Molecular glue degraders (MGDs) are small molecules that degrade proteins of interest via the ubiquitin-proteasome system. While MGDs were historically discovered serendipitously, approaches for MGD discovery now include cell-viability-based drug screens or data mining of public transcriptomics and drug response datasets. These approaches, however, have target spaces restricted to the essential proteins. Here we develop a high-throughput workflow for MGD discovery that also reaches the nonessential proteome. This workflow begins with the rapid synthesis of a compound library by sulfur(VI) fluoride exchange chemistry coupled to a morphological profiling assay in isogenic cell lines that vary in levels of the E3 ligase CRBN. By comparing the morphological changes induced by compound treatment across the isogenic cell lines, we were able to identify FL2-14 as a CRBN-dependent MGD targeting the nonessential protein GSPT2. We envision that this workflow would contribute to the discovery and characterization of MGDs that target a wider range of proteins.

Demographic Differences in Life Dissatisfaction Among Adults: United States, 2021.

Objective-Previous work has established life satisfaction as an important indicator of overall health and well-being. This report describes differences in life dissatisfaction by selected characteristics, grouped by family income. Methods-Data from the 2021 National Health Interview Survey were used to examine the percentage of adults that were dissatisfied with life by selected demographic characteristics (age, sex, race and Hispanic origin, and nativity status [born in the United States or U.S. territory]), grouped by family income. Results-In 2021, 4.8% of adults were dissatisfied with life. In general, analyses showed significant differences by all selected demographic characteristics among adults with incomes of less than 200% of the federal poverty level. Among this group, men, adults ages 45-64, White non-Hispanic adults, Black non-Hispanic adults, and adults born in the United States were more likely to be dissatisfied with life compared with their counterparts. No significant differences in life dissatisfaction by selected demographic characteristics among adults with incomes greater than 200% of the federal poverty level were observed. Conclusion-This report presents estimates of life dissatisfaction among adults by demographic subgroups and family income. These results highlight the importance of monitoring life dissatisfaction among detailed subgroups grouped by income, in addition to the overall national estimate.

Stressful Life Events and Healthcare Utilization Among U.S. Children Aged 2-17 Years.

Objective-Associations between stressful life events (SLEs) during childhood and suboptimal healthcare access and use has been documented. Recent changes to the National Health Interview Survey's questionnaire enabled the inclusion of SLEs in the child sample, resulting in an additional national data source where SLEs can be tracked. In this report, the latest SLE estimates are examined for children aged 2-17 years in the United States and their associations with healthcare utilization. Methods-Data from the 2021 National Health Interview Survey were used to examine the percentage of children who experienced one or more SLEs-emotional abuse, unmet basic needs, experiences of racism, household mental illness, household substance abuse, parental incarceration, and exposure to neighborhood violence-and describe the association between SLEs and selected healthcare utilization indicators over the past 12 months (as in no well-child visit, emergency room visits, urgent care visits, unmet medical care needs due to cost, use of prescription medications for mental health, and use of any mental health therapy). Multivariate logistic regression models were fit to produce prevalence ratios for selected healthcare utilization indicators by SLEs, after adjusting for child and family sociodemographic characteristics. Results-In 2021, one in five children aged 2-17 years had ever experienced an SLE. In general, all SLEs were related to higher healthcare utilization (as in emergency department visits or mental health therapy) and unmet medical care needs. In general, no significant associations were found between experiencing SLEs and not receiving preventive health care. After adjusting for demographic characteristics, higher rates of healthcare utilization, unmet medical care needs, and mental healthcare utilization generally persisted for children with SLEs. Conclusion-This report expands knowledge on the relationship between childhood SLEs and the use of preventive care, healthcare utilization, and mental health care. National Health Interview Survey data can be used to monitor trends in these associations over time.

A window of opportunity: Adverse childhood experiences and time alone with a provider in the United States.

BACKGROUND: To date, there is limited literature on the relationship between Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and the quality of health care provider encounters. This is key, as people with a history of ACEs have a greater burden of illness. METHODS: This study uses data from the 2020-2021 National Survey of Children's Health to examine relationships between ACEs and (1) spending less than ten minutes with a health care provider, and (2) spending time alone with a health care provider. RESULTS: In general, our results suggested most ACEs were associated with higher odds of a provider spending <10 min with a child during their last preventative care visit, while ACEs were inconsistently related to spending time alone with a provider. Each additional ACE was found to be associated with higher odds of both outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: This work emphasizes the importance of ACEs screening in a health care setting and may set the groundwork for future research investigating mechanisms within these associations. Given the established link between health care quality and patient-provider trust, and health outcomes, intervention work is needed to develop healthcare practices that may encourage the length and quality of health care provider visits.

Diagnosed Developmental Disabilities in Children Aged 3-17 Years: United States, 2019-2021.

Developmental disabilities are common in children in the United States, and the prevalence has increased in recent years (1). Timely estimates are necessary to assess the adequacy of services and interventions that children with developmental disabilities typically need (2). This report provides updated prevalence estimates for diagnosed autism spectrum disorder, intellectual disability, and other developmental delay among children aged 3-17 years from the 2019-2021 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS), with differences in prevalence examined between years and by sex, age group, and race and Hispanic origin. Estimates are also presented for any developmental disability, defined as having had one or more of these three diagnoses.

The perceived neighborhood walking environment and self-reported sleep health in a nationally representative sample of the United States.

Neighborhood environment can influence sleep health; yet, there is a lack of data on specific environment features in nationally representative samples. We used the 2020 National Health Interview Survey to determine associations between perceived built and social environment factors related to pedestrian access (walking paths, sidewalks), amenities (shops, transit stops, entertainment/services, places to relax), and unsafe walking conditions (traffic, crime) and self-reported sleep duration and disturbances. Places to relax and pedestrian access were associated with better sleep health while unsafe walking conditions were associated with worse sleep health. Access to amenities (shops, transit stops, entertainment venues) had null associations with sleep health.

Adverse Childhood Experiences and Family-Centered Care.

Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) include experiences of child maltreatment and household dysfunction. Prior work has shown that children with ACEs may have suboptimal utilization of preventive health care, including annual well-visits, however little is known about the relationship between ACEs and quality of patient care. Using data from the 2020 National Survey of Children's Health (N = 22,760) a series of logistic regression models estimated associations between ACEs, both individually and cumulatively, and five components of family-centered care. Most ACEs were consistently associated with lower odds of family-centered care (e.g. financial hardship was associated with doctors always spend enough time with children, AOR = 0.53; 95% CI = 0.47, 0.61), except for having a parent or guardian die, which was associated with higher odds. Cumulative ACE score was also associated with lower odds of family-centered care (e.g. doctors always listened carefully to the parent, AOR = 0.86; 95% CI = 0.81, 0.90). These findings emphasize the importance of the consideration of ACEs in the context of family-centered care, and support the need for ACEs screening in the clinical setting. Future work should focus on mechanisms explaining the observed associations.

Mental Health Treatment Among Children Aged 5-17 Years: United States, 2021.

Mental health disorders, such as attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, anxiety, and behavioral conditions, are common in school-aged children in the United States (1). Frontline treatments for mental health disorders can include medication, counseling or therapy, or both, depending on the condition and the age of the child (2). This report describes the percentage of children aged 5-17 years who have received mental health treatment in the past 12 months by selected characteristics, based on data from the 2021 National Health Interview Survey. Mental health treatment is defined as having taken medication for mental health, received counseling or therapy from a mental health professional, or both in the past 12 months.