School belonging mediates the longitudinal effects of racial/ethnic identity on academic achievement and emotional well-being among Black and Latinx adolescents.

Social Identity Theory proposes that a positive in-group social identification fosters students' academic motivation and psychological well-being. The present study, grounded in Social Identity Theory, investigated the roles of racial/ethnicity identity (REI) in the development of school adjustment among Black and Latinx youth as well as the psychological mechanisms underlying these longitudinal associations. We hypothesized that REI would positively predict the development of academic achievement and emotional symptoms. In addition, we hypothesized that the development of school belonging would mediate the predictive effects of REI on the growth of academic achievement and emotional symptoms. Participants were 475 (n = 182 Black, 48.9% female; 293 Latinx, 47.8% female) students in Grades 7-9. Students self-reported their REI, school belonging, and emotional symptoms. Academic achievement was assessed using standardized achievement test scores. The longitudinal mediation models indicated that REI indirectly predicted the development of academic achievement and emotional symptoms through students' sense of school belonging. Specifically, higher REI embedded achievement and lower REI awareness of racism predicted higher school belonging in Grade 7. Higher Grade 7 school belonging in turn predicted faster academic growth in Grade 7 to Grade 9 as well as lower emotional symptoms in Grade 7. In addition, the three dimensions of REI also directly predicted the growth of academic achievement and emotional symptoms in Grades 7-9. The mediated effects were smaller in size than the direct effects. These findings highlight the importance of fostering positive REI and a strong sense of school belonging in promoting school adjustment among racial/ethnic minoritized, academically at-risk youth.

Mesenchymal Stem Cell Therapy in Alopecia Areata: Visual and Molecular Evidence from a Mouse Model.

Recent studies have highlighted the potential of Mesenchymal Stem Cells (MSCs) as an alternative treatment for Alopecia Areata (AA) due to their immunosuppressive properties. While MSCs have shown promise in cell experiments, their effectiveness in vivo remains uncertain. This study aims to validate local administration of MSC therapy's efficacy in AA treatment through animal experiments. AA was induced through Interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) administration in mice, and MSC treatment (MSCT)'s effects were assessed visually and through tissue analysis. The MSC-treated group showed more hair regrowth compared to the control (CTL) group. MSCT notably reduced local inflammatory cytokines (JAK1, JAK2, STAT1, STAT3, IFN-γR, IL-1ß, IL-16, IL-17α, and IL-18) in AA-induced mice's skin, but systemic cytokine levels remained unchanged. Furthermore, MSC treatment normalized the expression of Wnt/ß-catenin signaling pathway genes (LEF1 and ß-catenin) and growth factors (FGF7 and FGF2), which are crucial for hair cycle regulation. This study lays the groundwork for further exploring MSCs as a potential treatment for AA, but more research is needed to fully understand their therapeutic potential.

Systemic Inflammatory Proteomic Biomarkers in Atopic Dermatitis: Exploring Potential Indicators for Disease Severity.

BACKGROUND: Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic inflammatory cutaneous disorder, that emerges from intricate interplays among genetic predisposition, immune dysregulation, environmental factors, and compromised skin barrier. Understanding the inflammatory pathway in AD is important due to its fundamental role in the pathogenesis of AD. This study aimed to explore the diverse spectrum of proteins linked to the inflammation of AD and the relationship between systemic biomarkers and clinical severity in AD. METHODS: We examined the blood samples from 48 patients with AD and 48 healthy controls (HCs) using the Proximity Extension Assay (Olink). Differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) were identified and Pearson correlation analysis was conducted to determine systemic proteomic biomarkers associated with severity of AD. RESULTS: A total of 29 DEPs were significantly up-regulated and 2 DEPs were significantly down-regulated in AD compared with the HC. The MCP-4, IL-18, MCP-3, TNFRSF9, and IL-17C were the top 5 highest DEPs associated with the severity of AD. CONCLUSION: Our study sheds light on the intricate network of inflammatory proteins in AD and their potential implications for disease severity. Our results indicate that these systemic inflammatory proteins could be valuable for assessing AD severity and enhancing our understanding of the disease's complexity and its potential management strategies.

The Joint Operations of Teacher-Student and Peer Relationships on Classroom Engagement among Low-Achieving Elementary Students: A Longitudinal Multilevel Study.

Although both teacher-student relationship (TSR) and peer relationship (PR) have been found important for the development of students' classroom engagement, little research has been done regarding the joint operations of these two factors. Guided by a developmental systems framework, this study examined longitudinal between-person and within-person associations between TSR/ PR and classroom engagement in a sample of 784 low-achieving students in the first three years of elementary school. A multidimensional approach was used to distinguish positive and negative dimensions of TSR, as well as peer liking and disliking. At the between-person level, results showed that students' classroom engagement was positively predicted by positive TSR and PR liking and was negatively predicted by negative TSR and PR disliking. Both positive and negative TSR interacted with PR disliking at the between-person level, such that the associations between positive/negative TSR and classroom engagement were stronger for students with lower levels of PR disliking. At the within-person level, changes in classroom engagement were associated with contemporaneous year-to-year changes in positive/negative TSR and PR disliking. No within-person level interaction effects were found. Cross-level interaction showed that the effects of within-person negative TSR on classroom engagement were stronger for students with lower overall levels of PR disliking. Findings highlighted the importance of using a multilevel multidimensional approach to understand the joint operations of TSR and PR in the development of classroom engagement in low-achieving students in early elementary school.

The longitudinal associations among student externalizing behaviors, teacher-student relationships, and classroom engagement.

Personal characteristics and classroom environment features both play important roles in predicting students' levels of classroom engagement. The present study took a person-environment transaction perspective to investigate how factors at both the personal (i.e., student externalizing behaviors) and relational (i.e., teacher-student relationships) levels jointly predict the development of classroom engagement behaviors in a sample of 784 elementary school students. Using a longitudinal cross-lagged model spanning across Grade 3 to Grade 5, we found a negative reciprocal association between teacher-student relationships and externalizing behaviors, such that a more positive teacher-student relationship predicted fewer externalizing behaviors in the subsequent academic year, and fewer externalizing behaviors predicted a more positive teacher-student relationship 1 year later. In addition, externalizing behaviors directly negatively predicted subsequent classroom engagement, whereas teacher-student relationships indirectly predicted subsequent classroom engagement by way of externalizing behaviors. Overall, students with more externalizing behaviors experienced more conflicts with and received less support from their teachers, which predicted the development of more externalizing behaviors and lower subsequent classroom engagement.

A multidimensional examination of math anxiety and engagement on math achievement.

BACKGROUND: Math anxiety (MA) and math achievement are generally negatively associated. AIMS: This study investigated whether and how classroom engagement behaviors mediate the negative association between MA and math achievement. SAMPLE: Data were drawn from an ongoing longitudinal study that examines the roles of affective factors in math learning. Participants consisted of 207 students from 4th through 6th grade (50% female). METHODS: Math anxiety was measured by self-report using the Mathematics Anxiety Scale for Children (Chiu & Henry, 1990, Measurement and valuation in Counseling and Development, 23, 121). Students self-reported their engagement in math classrooms using a modified version of the Math and Science Engagement Scale (Wang et al., 2016, Learning and Instruction, 43, 16). Math achievement was assessed using the Applied Problem, Calculations, and Number Matrices subtests from the Woodcock-Johnson IV Tests of Achievement (Schrank et al., 2014, Woodcock-Johnson IV Tests of Achievement. Riverside). Mediation analyses were conducted to examine the mediating role of classroom engagement in the association between MA and math achievement. RESULTS: Students with higher MA demonstrated less cognitive-behavioral and emotional engagement compared to students with lower MA. Achievement differences among students with various levels of MA were partly accounted for by their cognitive-behavioral engagement in the math classroom. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, students with high MA exhibit avoidance patterns in everyday learning, which may act as a potential mechanism for explaining why high MA students underperform their low MA peers.

Distinct Profiles of Relationships With Mothers, Fathers, and Best Friends and Social-Behavioral Functioning in Early Adolescence: A Cross-Cultural Study.

Adolescents' dyadic relationships are likely influenced by the cultural context within which they exist. This study applied a person-oriented approach to examine how perceived support and negativity were manifested across youths' relationships with mothers, fathers, and best friends, simultaneously, and how distinct relationship profiles were linked to adaptive and maladaptive functioning (aggression, anxious-withdrawal, prosociality) within and across cultures. Participants resided in metropolitan areas of South Korea, the United States, and Portugal (10-14 years; N = 1,233). Latent profile analyses identified relationship profiles that were culturally common or specific. Additional findings highlighted commonality in the relations between a high-quality relationship profile and adaptive functioning, as well as cultural specificity in the buffering and differential effects of distinct relationship profiles on social-behavioral outcomes.