Nipsnap1-A regulatory factor required for long-term maintenance of non-shivering thermogenesis.

OBJECTIVE: The activation of non-shivering thermogenesis (NST) has strong potential to combat obesity and metabolic disease. The activation of NST however is extremely temporal and the mechanisms surrounding how the benefits of NST are sustained once fully activated, remain unexplored. The objective of this study is to investigate the role of 4-Nitrophenylphosphatase Domain and Non-Neuronal SNAP25-Like 1 (Nipsnap1) in NST maintenance, which is a critical regulator identified in this study. METHODS: The expression of Nipsnap1 was profiled by immunoblotting and RT-qPCR. We generated Nipsnap1 knockout mice (N1-KO) and investigated the function of Nipsnap1 in NST maintenance and whole-body metabolism using whole body respirometry analyses. We evaluate the metabolic regulatory role of Nipsnap1 using cellular and mitochondrial respiration assay. RESULTS: Here, we show Nipsnap1 as a critical regulator of long-term thermogenic maintenance in brown adipose tissue (BAT). Nipsnap1 localizes to the mitochondrial matrix and increases its transcript and protein levels in response to both chronic cold and ß3 adrenergic signaling. We demonstrated that these mice are unable to sustain activated energy expenditure and have significantly lower body temperature in the face of an extended cold challenge. Furthermore, when mice are exposed to the pharmacological ß3 agonist CL 316, 243, the N1-KO mice exhibit significant hyperphagia and altered energy balance. Mechanistically, we demonstrate that Nipsnap1 integrates with lipid metabolism and BAT-specific ablation of Nipsnap1 leads to severe defects in beta-oxidation capacity when exposed to a cold environmental challenge. CONCLUSION: Our findings identify Nipsnap1 as a potent regulator of long-term NST maintenance in BAT.

Parental Knowledge of Obstructive Sleep Apnea Symptoms and Tonsillectomy in Children.

OBJECTIVE: Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is present in approximately 2% to 5% of children; however, only 15% of parents are reported to be knowledgeable about OSA in children. Sleep apnea in children can lead to cardiopulmonary disease, abnormal weight gain, failure to thrive, or learning difficulties. The purpose of our study is to assess parental knowledge of pediatric OSA to identify any knowledge gaps. STUDY DESIGN: Survey. SETTING: Three pediatric otolaryngology clinics associated with a tertiary care children's hospital in Buffalo, NY. METHODS: In June of 2021, parents of pediatric (0-18 years) otolaryngology patients completed a survey on their knowledge of OSA. Parents were asked to rank their concern about OSA and identify symptoms of OSA. Parental demographic data collected included gender, age, race, and educational level. Respondents were asked if their child had undergone a sleep study or tonsillectomy. RESULTS: Of the 246 parents included, 77 (31.4%) parents had a child who had a tonsillectomy, 40 (16.3%) had a child who had a sleep study done, and 25 (10.2%) had a child with both done. For recognizing the symptoms of pediatric OSA the mean was 6.3 (95% CI 5.8-6.8) out of 13 total. Symptoms least likely recognized were nocturnal enuresis and hyperactivity, 65 (27%) and 91 (37%) of parents correctly identifying these symptoms, respectively. Greater concern about OSA correlated with greater cumulative knowledge score (P < .001). Parents whose child had undergone a tonsillectomy were more likely to be concerned about OSA in children compared to non-tonsillectomy parents (P = .003), and sleep study parents were also more likely to be concerned about OSA than non-sleep study parents (P = .045). CONCLUSION: Parents who attended a pediatric otolaryngology clinic have knowledge gaps about pediatric sleep.

Emotional self-efficacy informs the interrelation between discrimination, ethnic identity and psychotic-like experiences.

Race-based discrimination has been identified as a risk factor for psychotic-like experiences (PLE) among immigrant populations of color. Although ethnic identity is theorized to protect against the negative mental health impact of discrimination, empirical confirmation remains mixed. We posit mixed results are in part due to the omission of individual differences in trait emotional self-efficacy, which includes self-perceptions about emotional capabilities necessary to navigate in a multicultural world. Accordingly, this study assessed the interrelation between trait emotional self-efficacy, formally recognized as trait emotional intelligence or trait EI, ethnic identity, and racial discrimination in predicting PLE using a sample of racial and ethnic minority immigrant emerging adults (N = 456; Mage = 19.97). Hierarchical linear regressions indicated that discrimination and trait EI were associated with higher and lower PLE respectively, regardless of ethnic identity. Additionally, the association between ethnic identity and PLE, in the presence of discrimination, was negative and significant only among individuals with low trait EI as indicated by slope difference tests and the Johnson-Neyman method. We discuss the practical and theoretical implications of our findings. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Comparing the Role of Aberrant Salience and Dissociation in the Relation between Cumulative Traumatic Life Events and Psychotic-Like Experiences in a Multi-Ethnic Sample.

Exposure to traumatic life events (TLE) is a risk factor for psychosis. Yet, a dearth of studies examines factors linking TLE to psychosis, while considering differences in TLE frequency. This study investigated dissociation and aberrant salience as mediators and moderators of the relation between three TLE groups (none, 1-3 TLE and 4+ TLE) and psychotic-like experiences (PLE) in a multi-ethnic sample of 816 emerging adults. The participants completed self-report inventories of PLE (Prodromal Questionnaire), TLE (Life Events Checklist), dissociative experiences (Dissociative Symptoms Scale), and aberrant salience (Aberrant Salience Inventory). As expected, groups with higher TLE frequency endorsed higher PLE. Parallel mediation models indicated that, while aberrant salience mediated the relation between both levels of cumulative traumatic experiences (1-3 TLE and 4+ TLE) and PLE, dissociation only mediated the relation between exposure to at least four different traumatic experiences and PLE. The moderation results showed that risk of PLE was highest among individuals with 1-3 TLE who endorsed dissociation. Our results suggest that, while aberrant salience processing explains why TLE may relate to higher psychosis risk, dissociation's role in this relation is dependent on the number of different TLE exposures.