Factors Associated with Hopelessness and the Role of Social Networks Among Chinese Older Adults.

OBJECTIVE: The levels of hopelessness affect older adults' physical and mental health. However, there has been a lack of research on the hopelessness among Chinese older adults. The aims of this study were to explore factors associated with hopelessness and the moderating role of social networks among Chinese older adults. METHOD: We conducted a cross-sectional study among older adults (n = 837) from nine communities in Xi'an and Beijing in China, and collected the participants' levels of hopelessness, demographic information (age and gender), socioeconomic status (marital status, education, monthly income, living status, and alimony), life satisfaction, health information (self-rated health and sleep quality), and quality of social networks. RESULTS: Of the participants, 61.9% reported different levels of hopelessness symptoms; 71.2% reported poor sleep quality, and 21.1% reported low levels of social networks. A hierarchical multiple regression analysis showed that marital status, monthly income, alimony, life satisfaction, and sleep quality were significantly associated with hopelessness. A PROCESS analysis demonstrated that social networks played a moderating role in the relationship between sleep quality and hopelessness. CONCLUSION: Chinese older adults who had no spouse, had lower incomes, and were dissatisfied with life were more likely to have higher levels of hopelessness. Furthermore, older adults who did not receive financial support from their children reported higher levels of hopelessness. In addition, the worse the sleep quality the higher levels of hopelessness in older adults. However, high levels of social networks could weaken the negative effect of sleep quality on hopelessness.

Family functioning and negative emotions in older adults: the mediating role of self-integrity and the moderating role of self-stereotyping.

OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study was to examine a possible mediator role of self-integrity and a moderator role of self-stereotyping in the relationship between family functioning and negative emotions in older adults. METHOD: A total of 1186 older adults participated in the current study. They completed measures related to family functioning, self-integrity, self-stereotyping, depression, anxiety, and loneliness. RESULTS: Older adults with family dysfunction experienced more negative emotions than those with healthy family functioning, a finding which could be explained by the levels of self-integrity. Older adults with high levels of self-stereotyping, unhealthy family functioning, and low self-integrity were significantly more likely to be depressed and anxious than those with low levels of self-stereotyping. CONCLUSION: Family functioning negatively predicted negative emotions, self-integrity mediated the link between family functioning and negative emotions, and self-stereotyping moderated the direct and indirect effects of family functioning on depression and anxiety via self-integrity.

Ibrutinib resistance in a patient with transformed diffuse large B-cell lymphoma from primary pulmonary mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue lymphoma.

Extranodal marginal zone lymphoma of mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) lymphoma is rare among lung neoplasia cases, representing only 0.5%-1% of newly diagnosed primary lung lymphoma. MALT lymphoma with relapsed refractory and malignant transformation is highly heterogeneous and consensus therapy remains undetermined. We report a 55 year-old woman with a 3 year history of primary pulmonary MALT lymphoma confined to the lung presenting with massive pleural effusion. After two cycles of R-CHOP and six cycles of R2-CHOP, pleural effusion disappeared but the pulmonary mass remained persistent. Second-line therapies R2-GemOx failed to make any substantial improvement. Core-needle puncture biopsy of the pulmonary mass was obtained and pathological testing revealed transformed diffuse large B-cell lymphoma of germinal center B-cell subtype. Next-generation sequencing confirmed BN2 subtype. The mass showed no reduction after three cycles of R-MINE, following which the BTK inhibitor ibrutinib was administered to this patient. Unfortunately, after two months of ibrutinib treatment, the patient rapidly developed an enlarged mass and hyperprogressive disease, to which she subsequently succumbed.

The γ-secretase inhibitor GSI-I interacts synergistically with the proteasome inhibitor bortezomib to induce ALK+ anaplastic large cell lymphoma cell apoptosis.

Single agent treatment of the γ-secretase inhibitor (GSI-I) or proteasome inhibitor in anaplastic lymphoma kinase positive anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALK+ ALCL) shows limited response and considerable toxicity. Here, we examined the effects of the combination of low dose GSI-I and the proteasome inhibitor bortezomib (BTZ) in ALK+ ALCL cells in vivo and in vitro. We found that ALK+ ALCL cells treated with the BTZ and GSI-I combination treatment showed elevated apoptosis, consistent with increased caspase activation, compared with BTZ or GSI-I alone. The combination treatment also inhibited AKT and extracellular signal-related kinase pathways, as well as stress-related cascades, including the c-jun N-terminal kinase and stress-activated kinases. Moreover, combined treatment in a murine xenograft model resulted in increased apoptosis in tumor tissues and reduced tumor growth. Our results reveal the synergistic anti-tumor effects of low dose inhibitors against γ-secretase and the proteasome and suggest the potential application of the tolerable BTZ/GSI-I combined agents in treating ALK+ ALCL in future clinical treatment.

LAMP1 Overexpression Predicts for Poor Prognosis in Diffuse Large B-cell Lymphoma.

INTRODUCTION: Lysosomal-associated membrane protein 1 (LAMP1) is a lysosomal and plasma membrane protein that contributes to tumor metastatic potential and differentiation. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We performed immunohistochemical staining to investigate LAMP1 protein expression levels in 122 diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) tumor samples and 45 reactive hyperplasia tissues. Correlations between LAMP1 expression, various clinicopathologic features, and patient prognosis were evaluated by univariate and multivariate analyses. RESULTS: LAMP1 expression was greater in the DLBCL tissues than in the reactive hyperplasia tissues. High LAMP1 expression was significantly associated with a high international prognostic index (score, 3-5; P = .023) and elevated lactate dehydrogenase level (P = .028). Moreover, high LAMP1 expression (P = .026), elevated serum lactate dehydrogenase level (P = .011), and high international prognostic index (P < .001) were independently associated with worse overall survival and progression-free survival. CONCLUSION: These data provide the first evidence that LAMP1 expression is associated with a poor prognosis in patients with DLBCL.

Small Change Makes a Big Splash: The Role of Working Self-Concept in the Effects of Stereotype Threat on Memory.

Assuming that the principle of an active-self account holds true in real life, priming certain constructs could selectively activate a working self-concept, which in turn guides behavior. The current study involved two experiments that examined the relationships between stereotypic identity, working self-concept, and memory performance in older adults. Specifically, Study 1 tested whether a stereotype threat can affect older adults' working self-concept and memory performance. A modified Stroop color naming task and a separate recognition task showed that a stereotype threat prime altered the activation of the working self-concept and deteriorated the older adults' memory performance. Additionally, the working self-concept mediated the effect of stereotype threat on memory performance. Accordingly, we designed Study 2 to assess whether priming different identities can alter the working self-concept of the elderly and buffer the stereotype threat effect on memory performance. The results not only were the same as Study 1 but also revealed that activating multiple identities could mitigate the stereotype threat. These results support an active-self account and the efficacy of stereotype threat intervention. This intervention strategy may be able to be used in real situations to help the elderly alleviate stereotype threats and memory impairment.

High KIF2A expression predicts unfavorable prognosis in diffuse large B cell lymphoma.

Kinesin family member 2A (KIF2A), a conserved motor protein, plays a critical role in the pathogenesis and prognosis of several malignant tumors. The aim of the present study was to investigate KIF2A expression in diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL), evaluate the association between KIF2A expression and the clinical parameters of the disease, and determine its prognostic value. KIF2A expression was evaluated in 134 DLBCL and 57 reactive hyperplasia samples using immunohistochemistry on a tissue microarray. The correlations between KIF2A expression with clinical parameters and prognosis were estimated using univariate and multivariate analyses. The expression of KIF2A was significantly higher in DLBCL tissue samples compared with those from subjects with reactive hyperplasia (P=0.002). Furthermore, increased expression of KIF2A protein in DLBCL was related to Ann Arbor stage (P=0.027) and international prognostic index (IPI) score (P=0.01). The survival analysis showed that KIF2A expression (P=0.016), serum LDH level (P=0.049), and IPI score (P<0.001) were independent prognostic markers for DLBCL. Our findings also confirmed that downregulating KIF2A expression decreased tumor cell viability, accompanied by downregulation of pAKT levels. Taken together, these data provide the first evidence that increased KIF2A expression predicts poor prognosis in patients with DLBCL, and a rationale for treatment of DLBCL by targeting KIF2A.

The Effect of Overconfidence on Persistent Behavior: The Mediation Effect of "I Think I Can Do It" Rather Than "I'm Attracted To It".

The present study explored the effects of state overconfidence on persistent behavior with consideration of feasibility and desirability as mediators. The persistent behaviors of 61 participants (35 women, 26 men; M age = 20.9 yr, SD = 1.9), placed in overconfidence and under-confidence groups based on random positive or negative bogus feedback, were measured. Results showed that participants with overconfidence were more persistent in solving problems than were those with under-confidence. Further mediation analyses revealed that the rating of the feasibility rather than the desirability of the task mediated the influence of state overconfidence on persistent behaviors. These findings provided future support for the self-justification hypothesis, and addressed arguments regarding the origins of overconfidence.