Validating computer-generated measures of linguistic style matching and accommodation in patient-clinician communication.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the validity of computer-analyzed linguistic style matching (LSM) in patient-clinician communication. METHODS: Using 330 transcribed HIV patient encounters, we quantified word use with Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count (LIWC), a dictionary-based text analysis software. We measured LSM by calculating the degree to which clinicians matched patients in the use of LIWC "function words" (e.g., articles, pronouns). We tested associations of different LSM metrics with patients' perceptions that their clinicians spoke similiarly to them. RESULTS: We developed 3 measures of LSM: 1) at the whole-visit level; (2) at the turn-by-turn level; and (3) using a "rolling-window" approach, measuring matching between clusters of 8 turns per conversant. None of these measures was associated with patient-rated speech similarity. However, we found that increasing trajectories of LSM, from beginning to end of the visit, were associated with higher patient-rated speech similarity (ß 0.35, CI 0.06, 0.64), compared to unchanging trajectories. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings point to the potential value of clinicians' adapting their communication style to match their patients, over the course of the visit. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: With further validation, computer-based linguistic analyses may prove an efficient tool for generating data on communication patterns and providing feedback to clinicians in real time.

Team Physiological Dynamics: A Critical Review.

OBJECTIVE: Review the use of physiological measurement in team settings and propose recommendations to improve the state of the science. BACKGROUND: New sensor and analytical capabilities enable exploration of relationships between team members' physiological dynamics. We conducted a review of physiological measures used in research on teams to understand (1) how these measures are theoretically and operationally related to team constructs and (2) what types of validity evidence exist for physiological measurement in team settings. METHOD: We identified 32 articles that investigated task-performing teams using physiological data. Articles were coded on several dimensions, including team characteristics. Study findings were categorized by relationships tested between team physiological dynamics (TPD) and team inputs, mediators/processes, outputs, or psychometric properties. RESULTS: TPD researchers overwhelmingly measure single physiological systems. Although there is research linking TPD to inputs and outputs, the research on processes is underdeveloped. CONCLUSION: We recommend several theoretical, methodological, and statistical themes to expand the growth of the TPD field. APPLICATION: Physiological measures, once established as reliable indicators of team functioning, might be used to diagnose suboptimal team states and cue interventions to ameliorate these states.

Identification of miR-30b-3p and miR-30d-5p as direct regulators of androgen receptor signaling in prostate cancer by complementary functional microRNA library screening.

The Androgen Receptor (AR) plays a key role in prostate biology and in the progression of prostate cancer (PCa) to castration resistance. The role of microRNAs (miRNAs) in aberrant AR signaling have not been fully characterized. Here we screened a library of 810 miRNA mimics to identify miRNAs that alter AR activity in complementary functional assays including protein lysate microarray (LMA) quantification of AR and PSA protein levels, AR transcriptional reporter activity, and AR-positive PCa cell viability. Candidate AR-regulating miRNAs were verified through AR transcriptional reporter and cell viability assays. MiRNA binding sites were found within the AR 3'-untranslated region (UTR) and within the AR and AR-V7 coding regions. MiRNA activity was characterized by western blotting, 3'-UTR reporter assay, and AR-GFP and AR-V7-GFP reporter assays. Results uncovered miR-30 family members as direct AR inhibitors. Inhibition of endogenous miR-30b-3p and miR-30d-5p enhanced AR expression and androgen-independent cell growth. Droplet digital RT-PCR quantification of miR-30c-5p and miR-30d-5p revealed significantly reduced levels in metastatic castration resistant PCa (CRPC), when compared to healthy prostate tissues. MiR-30d-5p levels were inversely correlated with AR activity, as measured by PSA mRNA, in metastatic CRPC. Collectively, these studies provide a comprehensive evaluation of AR-regulating miRNAs in PCa.