Rasch Analysis of the Brief Symptom Inventory-18 with African Americans.

Although the United States offers some of the most advanced psychological services in the world, not everyone in U.S. shares equally in these services, and health disparities persist when assessments do not appropriately measure different populations' mental health problems. To address this assessment issue, we conducted factor and Rasch analyses to assess the psychometric characteristics of the Brief Symptom Inventory-18 (BSI-18) to evaluate whether the BSI is culturally appropriate for assessing African Americans' psychological distress. The dimensional structure of the BSI was first identified and held up under cross-validation with a second subsample. The measure was unidimensional among African Americans. Our results also suggested minimal person separation, stability across subsamples, and little differential item functioning. Most African Americans identified themselves on the low end of the categories in a 0-4 rating scale, indicating their low endorsement of the items on the BSI. Rasch analyses were completed with the original scale but also collapsing the scale to three points, with some increase in separation and reliability for the collapsed scale. Differences in mean person position were found for mental health-related variables, consistent with hypotheses. Implications for theory and research on multicultural health scales are discussed as are effects of severe item skewness on analyses.

Counseling psychology trainees' experiences with debt stress: a mixed methods examination.

Financial debt accrued by graduate psychology students has increased in recent years and is a chief concern among psychology trainees (El-Ghoroury, Galper, Sawaqdeh, & Bufka, 2012). This study examined debt stress among counseling psychology trainees using a complementary mixed methods research design. Qualitative analyses (N = 11) using the consensual qualitative research method (CQR; Hill, Thompson, & Williams, 1997; Hill et al., 2005) revealed six domains, 15 categories, and 34 subcategories. Domains included social class contributions, institutional contributions, long-term effects, coping mechanisms, personal relationships, and effect on well-being. The transactional model of stress and coping (Lazarus & Folkman, 1984) and social class worldview model (Liu, Soleck, Hopps, Dunston, & Pickett, 2004) guided quantitative analyses. Results of a path analysis (N = 285) indicated total debt and subjective social class were significant predictors of debt stress and that the relationship between debt stress and psychological distress was mediated by avoidant coping. Avoidant coping also moderated the association between debt stress and psychological distress. Results are discussed in relation to professional training and the career development of counseling psychology trainees.

CD164 regulates the tumorigenesis of ovarian surface epithelial cells through the SDF-1α/CXCR4 axis.

BACKGROUND: CD164 (endolyn), a sialomucin, has been reported to play a role in the proliferation, adhesion, and differentiation of hematopoietic stem cells. The potential association of CD164 with tumorigenicity remains unclear. METHODS: The clinicopathological correlation of ovarian cancer with CD164 was assessed in a 97-patient tumor tissue microarray. Overexpression or silence CD164 was to analyze the effect of CD164 on the proliferation, colony formation and apoptosis via a mouse xenograft and western blotting analysis. The subcellular localization of CD164 was collected in the immunohistochemical and confocal analysis. RESULTS: Our data demonstrated that higher expression levels of CD164 were identified in malignant ovarian cancer cell lines, such as SKOV3 and HeyA8. The clinicopathological correlation analysis showed that the upregulation of CD164 protein was significantly associated with tumor grade and metastasis. The overexpression of CD164 in human ovarian epithelial surface cells promoted cellular proliferation and colony formation and suppressed apoptosis. These tumorigenicity effects of CD164 were reconfirmed in a mouse xenograft model. We also found that the overexpression of CD164 proteins increased the amounts of CXCR4 and SDF-1α and activated the SDF-1α/CXCR4 axis, inducing colony and sphere formation. Finally, we identified the subcellular localization of CD164 in the nucleus and cytosol and found that nuclear CD164 might be involved in the regulation of the activity of the CXCR4 promoter. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that the increased expression of CD164 is involved in ovarian cancer progression via the SDF-1α/CXCR4 axis, which promotes tumorigenicity. Thus, targeting CD164 may serve as a potential ovarian cancer biomarker, and targeting CD164 may serve as a therapeutic modality in the management of high-grade ovarian tumors.

Family support, self-esteem, and perceived racial discrimination among Asian American male college students.

This study was conducted to examine under what situation (i.e., when individuals used more or less family support) and for whom (i.e., those with high or low self-esteem) perceived racial discrimination would or would not have a significant positive association with psychological distress. A total of 95 Asian American male college students completed an online survey. A hierarchical regression analysis indicated a significant 3-way interaction of family support, self-esteem, and perceived racial discrimination in predicting psychological distress after controlling for perceived general stress. A simple effect analysis was used to explore the nature of the interaction. When Asian American male college students used more family support to cope with racial discrimination, the association between perceived racial discrimination and psychological distress was not significant for those with high or low self-esteem. The result from the simple interaction indicated that, when more family support was used, the 2 slopes for high and low self-esteem were not significantly different from each other. Conversely, when they used less family support, the association between perceived racial discrimination and psychological distress was not significant for those with high self-esteem, but was significantly positive for those with low self-esteem. The result from the simple interaction indicated that, when less family support was used, the slopes for high and low self-esteem were significantly different. The result suggested that low use of family support may put these male students with low self-esteem at risk for psychological distress. Limitations, future research directions, and clinical implications were discussed.

Advisory working alliance, perceived English proficiency, and acculturative stress.

The aim of this study was to examine the moderators of (a) general or cross-cultural advisory working alliances and (b) perceived English proficiency on the association between acculturative stress and psychological distress. A total of 143 East Asian international students completed an online survey. Results from a hierarchical regression indicated significant three-way interactions of (a) General Advisory Working Alliances × Perceived English Proficiency × Acculturative Stress on Psychological Distress and (b) Cross-Cultural Advisory Working Alliances × Perceived English Proficiency × Acculturative Stress on Psychological Distress. Specifically, the present results indicated that acculturative stress was significantly associated with psychological distress only when students perceived lower English proficiency and had a stronger general or cross-cultural advisory working alliance. However, acculturative stress was not significantly related to psychological distress when these students perceived lower English proficiency and had a weaker advisory working alliance (i.e., general or cross-cultural). In addition, acculturative stress was also not significantly related to psychological distress when these students perceived higher English proficiency and had a stronger or weaker advisory working alliance (i.e., general or cross-cultural).

Forbearance coping, identification with heritage culture, acculturative stress, and psychological distress among Chinese international students.

Based on Berry's (1997) theoretical framework for acculturation, our goal in this study was to examine whether the use of a culturally relevant coping strategy (i.e., forbearance coping, a predictor) would be associated with a lower level of psychological distress (a psychological outcome), for whom (i.e., those with weaker vs. stronger identification with heritage culture, a moderator), and under what situations (i.e., lower vs. higher acculturative stress, a moderator). A total of 188 Chinese international students completed an online survey. Results from a hierarchical regression indicated a significant 3-way interaction of forbearance coping, identification with heritage culture, and acculturative stress on psychological distress. For those with a weaker identification with their heritage culture, when acculturative stress was higher, the use of forbearance coping was positively associated with psychological distress. However, this was not the case when acculturative stress was lower. In other words, the use of forbearance coping was not significantly associated with psychological distress when acculturative stress was lower. Moreover, for those with a stronger cultural heritage identification, the use of forbearance coping was not significantly associated with psychological distress regardless of whether acculturative stress was high or low. Future research and implications are discussed.

The Concerns about Counseling Racial Minority Clients scale.

The purpose of this study was to develop and validate the Concerns about Counseling Racial Minority Clients (CCRMC) scale among counselor trainees. Sample 1 was used for an exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis. Four factors were identified, Managing Cultural Differences (α = .82), Offending or Hurting Clients (α = .87), Biased Thoughts and Behaviors (α = .81), and Client Perceptions (α = .77). The coefficient alpha for the CCRMC was .90. The results support the validity of the scale. The scores on the CCRMC and its subscales have positive associations with fear of negative evaluation from others (r = .19 to .40) and negative associations with general counseling self-efficacy (r = -.30 to -.46) and multicultural intervention self-efficacy (r = -.30 to -.64). The CCRMC significantly predicted fear of negative evaluation, session management self-efficacy, and multicultural intervention self-efficacy over and above multicultural social desirability. The validity evidence was not different between White and minority graduate trainees. In Sample 2, the estimated 1-week test-retest reliabilities ranged from .75 to .96 for the CCRMC and its four subscales.

Race/ethnicity, color-blind racial attitudes, and multicultural counseling competence: the moderating effects of multicultural counseling training.

Increasing trainees' multicultural counseling competence (MCC) has been a hot topic in counseling. Scholars have identified predictors (e.g., race/ethnicity, color-blindness) of MCC, and educators provide multicultural training for trainees. Using a sample of 370 psychology trainees, this study examined whether multicultural training (a) moderated racial/ethnic differences on MCC and (b) changed the relationship between color-blindness and MCC. Results indicated a significant interaction effect of race/ethnicity (i.e., White vs. ethnic minority) and multicultural training on multicultural awareness, but not on multicultural knowledge. Specifically, at lower levels of training, racial/ethnic minority trainees had significantly higher multicultural awareness than their White counterparts; at higher levels of training, no significant difference was found. Described differently, more training significantly enhanced Whites' multicultural awareness, but did not enhance racial/ethnic minority trainees' awareness. Additionally, there was a significant interaction effect of color-blindness and multicultural training on multicultural knowledge, but not on multicultural awareness. The association between color-blindness and multicultural knowledge was stronger at higher levels of multicultural training than at lower levels of training. Alternatively, the effect of training on enhancing knowledge was stronger for those with lower color-blindness than for those with higher color-blindness.

Nascent chains can form co-translational folding intermediates that promote post-translational folding outcomes in a disease-causing protein.

During biosynthesis, proteins can begin folding co-translationally to acquire their biologically-active structures. Folding, however, is an imperfect process and in many cases misfolding results in disease. Less is understood of how misfolding begins during biosynthesis. The human protein, alpha-1-antitrypsin (AAT) folds under kinetic control via a folding intermediate; its pathological variants readily form self-associated polymers at the site of synthesis, leading to alpha-1-antitrypsin deficiency. We observe that AAT nascent polypeptides stall during their biosynthesis, resulting in full-length nascent chains that remain bound to ribosome, forming a persistent ribosome-nascent chain complex (RNC) prior to release. We analyse the structure of these RNCs, which reveals compacted, partially-folded co-translational folding intermediates possessing molten-globule characteristics. We find that the highly-polymerogenic mutant, Z AAT, forms a distinct co-translational folding intermediate relative to wild-type. Its very modest structural differences suggests that the ribosome uniquely tempers the impact of deleterious mutations during nascent chain emergence. Following nascent chain release however, these co-translational folding intermediates guide post-translational folding outcomes thus suggesting that Z's misfolding is initiated from co-translational structure. Our findings demonstrate that co-translational folding intermediates drive how some proteins fold under kinetic control, and may thus also serve as tractable therapeutic targets for human disease.

Dandruff-associated Malassezia genomes reveal convergent and divergent virulence traits shared with plant and human fungal pathogens.

Fungi in the genus Malassezia are ubiquitous skin residents of humans and other warm-blooded animals. Malassezia are involved in disorders including dandruff and seborrheic dermatitis, which together affect >50% of humans. Despite the importance of Malassezia in common skin diseases, remarkably little is known at the molecular level. We describe the genome, secretory proteome, and expression of selected genes of Malassezia globosa. Further, we report a comparative survey of the genome and secretory proteome of Malassezia restricta, a close relative implicated in similar skin disorders. Adaptation to the skin environment and associated pathogenicity may be due to unique metabolic limitations and capabilities. For example, the lipid dependence of M. globosa can be explained by the apparent absence of a fatty acid synthase gene. The inability to synthesize fatty acids may be complemented by the presence of multiple secreted lipases to aid in harvesting host lipids. In addition, an abundance of genes encoding secreted hydrolases (e.g., lipases, phospholipases, aspartyl proteases, and acid sphingomyelinases) was found in the M. globosa genome. In contrast, the phylogenetically closely related plant pathogen Ustilago maydis encodes a different arsenal of extracellular hydrolases with more copies of glycosyl hydrolase genes. M. globosa shares a similar arsenal of extracellular hydrolases with the phylogenetically distant human pathogen, Candida albicans, which occupies a similar niche, indicating the importance of host-specific adaptation. The M. globosa genome sequence also revealed the presence of mating-type genes, providing an indication that Malassezia may be capable of sex.

Rasch analysis of the Brief Symptom Inventory-18 with African American and White students.

Although the United States offers some of the most advanced psychological services in the world, not everyone in the country shares these services equally, resulting in health disparities. Health disparities persist when assessments do not appropriately measure different populations' mental health problems. To address this assessment issue, we conducted principal axis factoring, confirmatory factor analysis, and Rasch analyses to assess the psychometric characteristics of the Brief Symptom Inventory-18 (BSI-18) to evaluate whether the BSI is culturally appropriate for assessing African American students' psychological distress. The dimensional structure of the BSI was first identified and held up under cross-validation with a second sample and a white sample. The measure was unidimensional among African American and white students. Our results suggested BSI in our samples presented characteristics such as low person separation, stability across samples, and little differential item functioning. Most African American and white students identified themselves on the low end of the categories in a 0-4 rating scale, indicating their low endorsement of the items on the BSI. Rasch analyses were completed with the original scale but also collapsing the scale to three points, with some increase in separation and reliability for the collapsed scale. As anticipated, differences in mean BSI scores were found for mental health-related variables. Implications for theory and research on multicultural health scales are discussed as are effects of item skewness on analyses. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved).

Rasch analysis of the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale with African Americans.

Effectively diagnosing African Americans' self-esteem has posed an unresolved challenge. To address this assessment issue, we conducted exploratory factor analysis and Rasch analysis to assess the psychometric characteristics of the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES, Rosenberg, 1965) for African American college students. The dimensional structure of the RSES was first identified with the first subsample (i.e., calibration subsample) and then held up under cross-validation with a second subsample (i.e., validation subsample). Exploratory factor analysis and Rasch analysis both supported unidimensionality of the measure, with that finding replicated for a random split of the sample. Response scale use was generally appropriate, items were endorsed at a high level reflecting high levels of self-esteem, and person separation and reliability of person separation were adequate, and reflected results similar to those found in prior research. However, as some categories were infrequently used, we also collapsed scale points and found a slight improvement in scale and item indices. No differential item functioning was found by sex or having received professional assistance versus not; there were no mean score differences by age group, marital status, or year in college. Two items were seen as problematic. Implications for theory and research on multicultural mental health are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record

Comparative genome analysis of Bacillus cereus group genomes with Bacillus subtilis.

Genome features of the Bacillus cereus group genomes (representative strains of Bacillus cereus, Bacillus anthracis and Bacillus thuringiensis sub spp. israelensis) were analyzed and compared with the Bacillus subtilis genome. A core set of 1381 protein families among the four Bacillus genomes, with an additional set of 933 families common to the B. cereus group, was identified. Differences in signal transduction pathways, membrane transporters, cell surface structures, cell wall, and S-layer proteins suggesting differences in their phenotype were identified. The B. cereus group has signal transduction systems including a tyrosine kinase related to two-component system histidine kinases from B. subtilis. A model for regulation of the stress responsive sigma factor sigmaB in the B. cereus group different from the well studied regulation in B. subtilis has been proposed. Despite a high degree of chromosomal synteny among these genomes, significant differences in cell wall and spore coat proteins that contribute to the survival and adaptation in specific hosts has been identified.

Rasch analysis of the Outcome Questionnaire with African Americans.

Effectively diagnosing African Americans' mental health with a single intake checklist has posed an unresolved challenge, as most intake checklists were developed from White perspectives. In this study, Rasch analysis was used to assess the psychometric characteristics of a common measure of clinical distress, the Outcome Questionnaire (OQ; Lambert, Lunnen, Umphress, Hansen, & Burlingame, 1994), for a sample of African American students split into a calibration and validation subsample. OQ subscales were first identified and were then held up under cross-validation with a second subsample. Rasch analysis of the OQ clearly indicated the measure was multidimensional among African American students with 2 subscales titled Well-Being and Psychological Distress. Our results also indicated appropriate response scale use, adequate person separation, strong stability across subsamples, and little differential item functioning. Moreover, our analysis showed items of the 2 subscales to be well-targeted for African American students. However, if subscales were to be revised for African American students, some items at the same logit position might be deleted and replaced with either very easy or more difficult items or with items at intermediate positions to extend and to fill in gaps in construct coverage. Implications for theory and research on multicultural mental health scales were discussed.

Multiculturally Sensitive Mental Health Scale (MSMHS): development, factor analysis, reliability, and validity.

Effectively and efficiently diagnosing African Americans' mental health has been a chronically unresolved challenge. To meet this challenge we developed a tool to better understand African Americans' mental health: the Multiculturally Sensitive Mental Health Scale (MSMHS). Three studies reporting the development and initial validation of the MSMHS were conducted with African American student samples. First, an exploratory factor analysis of an initial item pool yielded 5 factors assessing subscales of perceived racism, depression, well-being, anxiety, and suicidal thoughts. Second, a confirmatory factor analysis supported the MSMHS's 5-dimensional factor structure. Third, test-retest reliability, internal consistency, and validity coefficients supported the viability, use, and potential for continued development of this new instrument. Implications for theory and research on multicultural mental health scales are discussed.

Genome sequence and analysis of the oral bacterium Fusobacterium nucleatum strain ATCC 25586.

We present a complete DNA sequence and metabolic analysis of the dominant oral bacterium Fusobacterium nucleatum. Although not considered a major dental pathogen on its own, this anaerobe facilitates the aggregation and establishment of several other species including the dental pathogens Porphyromonas gingivalis and Bacteroides forsythus. The F. nucleatum strain ATCC 25586 genome was assembled from shotgun sequences and analyzed using the ERGO bioinformatics suite (http://www.integratedgenomics.com). The genome contains 2.17 Mb encoding 2,067 open reading frames, organized on a single circular chromosome with 27% GC content. Despite its taxonomic position among the gram-negative bacteria, several features of its core metabolism are similar to that of gram-positive Clostridium spp., Enterococcus spp., and Lactococcus spp. The genome analysis has revealed several key aspects of the pathways of organic acid, amino acid, carbohydrate, and lipid metabolism. Nine very-high-molecular-weight outer membrane proteins are predicted from the sequence, none of which has been reported in the literature. More than 137 transporters for the uptake of a variety of substrates such as peptides, sugars, metal ions, and cofactors have been identified. Biosynthetic pathways exist for only three amino acids: glutamate, aspartate, and asparagine. The remaining amino acids are imported as such or as di- or oligopeptides that are subsequently degraded in the cytoplasm. A principal source of energy appears to be the fermentation of glutamate to butyrate. Additionally, desulfuration of cysteine and methionine yields ammonia, H(2)S, methyl mercaptan, and butyrate, which are capable of arresting fibroblast growth, thus preventing wound healing and aiding penetration of the gingival epithelium. The metabolic capabilities of F. nucleatum revealed by its genome are therefore consistent with its specialized niche in the mouth.

Genome sequence of Bacillus cereus and comparative analysis with Bacillus anthracis.

Bacillus cereus is an opportunistic pathogen causing food poisoning manifested by diarrhoeal or emetic syndromes. It is closely related to the animal and human pathogen Bacillus anthracis and the insect pathogen Bacillus thuringiensis, the former being used as a biological weapon and the latter as a pesticide. B. anthracis and B. thuringiensis are readily distinguished from B. cereus by the presence of plasmid-borne specific toxins (B. anthracis and B. thuringiensis) and capsule (B. anthracis). But phylogenetic studies based on the analysis of chromosomal genes bring controversial results, and it is unclear whether B. cereus, B. anthracis and B. thuringiensis are varieties of the same species or different species. Here we report the sequencing and analysis of the type strain B. cereus ATCC 14579. The complete genome sequence of B. cereus ATCC 14579 together with the gapped genome of B. anthracis A2012 enables us to perform comparative analysis, and hence to identify the genes that are conserved between B. cereus and B. anthracis, and the genes that are unique for each species. We use the former to clarify the phylogeny of the cereus group, and the latter to determine plasmid-independent species-specific markers.