Firearm-related injury is now the leading cause of death among children and teens. We continue to fail to protect our youth from a preventable cause of death.
Affect-biased attention as emotion regulation Todd, Rebecca M; Cunningham, William A; Anderson, Adam K ...
Trends in cognitive sciences,
07/2012, Volume:
16, Issue:
7
Journal Article
Peer reviewed
Open access
The affective biasing of attention is not typically considered to be a form of emotion regulation. In this article, we argue that ‘affect-biased attention’ – the predisposition to attend to certain ...categories of affectively salient stimuli over others – provides an important component of emotion regulation. Affect-biased attention regulates subsequent emotional responses by tuning one's filters for initial attention and subsequent processing. By reviewing parallel research in the fields of emotion regulation and affect-biased attention, as well as clinical and developmental research on individual differences in attentional biases, we provide convergent evidence that habitual affective filtering processes, tuned and re-tuned over development and situation, modulate emotional responses to the world. Moreover, they do so in a manner that is proactive rather than reactive.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZRSKP
More than 652 000 people in the US died from firearm injuries between 1999 and 2018.1 Given that firearms are embedded within US culture (in 2018, 21.9% of individuals owned a firearm and 35.2% lived ...in households with firearms2) evidence-based public health measures and policies that enhance firearm safety are needed. Firearm injuries are multifaceted; for example, there are nearly twice as many nonfatal firearm injuries as deaths, and assaults comprise a majority of nonfatal injuries while suicides comprise a majority of deaths.3 In this Viewpoint, we narrowed the scope to firearm mortality trends from 1999 to 2018 and current regional/demographic trends available from US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention WISQARS/WONDER.1,4
Nationwide firearm-related mortality rates increased in 2015-17 after remaining relatively stable in 1999-2014. Recent increases are reflected across most states and demographics to varying degrees, ...which suggests a worsening epidemic of firearm mortality that is geographically and demographically broad. In both time periods the fractions of firearm deaths due to suicide and homicide remained consistent.Rates of firearm homicides, suicides, and unintentional deaths in the US are 25.2, 8.0, and 6.2 times higher, respectively, than rates in other developed countries.1 These grave statistics are magnified by the fact that age-adjusted firearm mortality rates in the US, after remaining relatively stable from 1999 to 2014, increased for three consecutive years (exhibit 1). The increases are apparent across most demographics and mechanisms of death (exhibits 2 and 3).We used death records from the Wide-ranging Online Data for Epidemiologic Research (WONDER) tool maintained by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)2 to construct state-specific mortality trajectories and determine how mortality increases seen in 201517, relative to 1999-2014, are reflected across states and subpopulations. Most subpopulations have seen recent increases in firearm mortality, as shown in online appendix exhibits 1-3,3 with many states showing increases in firearm mortality across nearly all demographics and subcategories. Prior analyses have shown how national trends break down by age, race/ethnicity, and mechanism of death,4 but none have displayed state-level variability in those trends.
Lack of maintenance on vacant neighborhood lots is associated with higher levels of depression, anxiety, and stress for nearby residents. Overgrown grasses and dense brush provide hiding spots for ...criminals and space to conduct illicit activities. This study builds upon previous research by investigating greening programs that engage community members to conduct routine maintenance on vacant lots within their neighborhoods. The Clean & Green program is a community‐based solution that facilitates resident‐driven routine maintenance of vacant lots in a midsized, Midwestern city. We use mixed effects regression to compare assault and violent crime counts on streets where vacant lot(s) are maintained by community members (N = 216) versus streets where vacant lots were left alone (N = 446) over a 5‐year timeframe (2009–2013). Street segments with vacant lots maintained through the Clean & Green program had nearly 40% fewer assaults and violent crimes than street segments with vacant, abandoned lots, which held across 4 years with a large sample and efforts to test counterfactual explanations. Community‐engaged greening programs may not only provide a solution to vacant lot maintenance, but also work as a crime prevention or reduction strategy. Engaging the community to maintain vacant lots in their neighborhood reduces costs and may increase the sustainability of the program.
Highlights
Blighted and abandoned properties generate substantial costs and risk for postindustrial cities.
Community‐engaged maintenance of properties can reduce blight and increase social cohesion.
We compare levels of crime on streets with ‘greened’ versus unmaintained vacant lots.
Community greened lots may reduce blight and crime at lower cost to cities and build social capital.
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FZAB, GIS, IJS, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, SAZU, SBCE, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK, VSZLJ
This Viewpoint argues that academic medical centers should address firearm violence through clinical care, education of health care professionals, research, and public policy discussions.
Limiting firearm access is essential to decreasing teen suicide. Previous efforts have focused on household firearms; however, less is known about firearm access and possession among teens at ...increased suicide risk. Our objective was to estimate prevalence of firearm possession and access among high school-aged teens with recent depression and/or lifetime history of suicidality (DLHS).
We conducted a probability-based, cross-sectional Web survey of 1914 parent-teen dyads between June 24, 2020, and July 22, 2020, with data weighted to generate a nationally representative sample of US teenagers (aged 14-18). Logistic regression analyses examined the difference between teens with and without DLHS for: (1) personal firearm possession, (2) perceived firearm access, and (3) method of firearm attainment.
Among high school-aged teens, 22.6% (95% confidence interval CI, 19.4-25.8) reported DLHS, 11.5% (95% CI, 8.7-14.3) reported personal firearm possession, and 44.2% (95% CI, 40.2-48.2) endorsed firearm access. Teens experiencing DLHS had increased perceived access (adjusted odds ratio, 1.56; 95% CI, 1.07-2.28) compared with non-DLHS peers. There was no association between DLHS and personal firearm possession (adjusted odds ratio, 0.97; 95% CI, 0.47-2.00). Among teens reporting firearm possession, those with DLHS were more likely to have acquired it by buying/trading for it (odds ratio, 5.66; 95% CI, 1.17-27.37) and less likely receiving it as a gift (odds ratio, 0.06; 95% CI, 0.01-0.36).
High school-aged teens experiencing DLHS have higher perceived firearm access compared with lower-risk peers. Providers should speak directly to high school-aged teens at increased suicide risk about firearm access, in addition to counseling parents.
Purpose We investigated the 3-dimensional morphological arrangement of KIT positive interstitial cells of Cajal in the human bladder and explored their structural interactions with neighboring cells. ...Materials and Methods Human bladder biopsy samples were prepared for immunohistochemistry/confocal or transmission electron microscopy. Results Whole mount, flat sheet preparations labeled with anti- KIT (Merck, Darmstadt, Germany) contained several immunopositive interstitial cell of Cajal populations. A network of stellate interstitial cells of Cajal in the lamina propria made structural connections with a cholinergic nerve plexus. Vimentin positive cells of several morphologies were present in the lamina propria, presumably including fibroblasts, interstitial cells of Cajal and other cells of mesenchymal origin. Microvessels were abundant in this region and branched, elongated KIT positive interstitial cells of Cajal were found discretely along the vessel axis with each perivascular interstitial cell of Cajal associated with at least 6 vascular smooth muscle cells. Detrusor interstitial cells of Cajal were spindle-shaped, branched cells tracking the smooth muscle bundles, closely associated with smooth muscle cells and vesicular acetylcholine transferase nerves. Rounded, nonbranched KIT positive cells were more numerous in the lamina propria than in the detrusor and were immunopositive for anti-mast cell tryptase. Transmission electron microscopy revealed cells with the ultrastructural characteristics of interstitial cells of Cajal throughout the human bladder wall. Conclusions The human bladder contains a network of KIT positive interstitial cells of Cajal in the lamina propria, which make frequent connections with a cholinergic nerve plexus. Novel perivascular interstitial cells of Cajal were discovered close to vascular smooth muscle cells, suggesting interstitial cells of Cajal-vascular coupling in the bladder. KIT positive detrusor interstitial cells of Cajal tracked smooth muscle bundles and were associated with nerves, perhaps showing a functional tri-unit controlling bladder contractility.
Human astrovirus (HAstV) is a known cause of viral gastroenteritis in children worldwide, but HAstV can cause also severe and systemic infections in immunocompromised patients. There are three clades ...of HAstV: classical, MLB, and VA/HMO. While all three clades are found in gastrointestinal samples, HAstV-VA/HMO is the main clade associated with meningitis and encephalitis in immunocompromised patients. To understand how the HAstV-VA/HMO can infect the central nervous system, we investigated its sequence-divergent capsid spike, which functions in cell attachment and may influence viral tropism. Here we report the high-resolution crystal structures of the HAstV-VA1 capsid spike from strains isolated from patients with gastrointestinal and neuronal disease. The HAstV-VA1 spike forms a dimer and shares a core beta-barrel structure with other astrovirus capsid spikes but is otherwise strikingly different, suggesting that HAstV-VA1 may utilize a different cell receptor, and an infection competition assay supports this hypothesis. Furthermore, by mapping the capsid protease cleavage site onto the structure, the maturation and assembly of the HAstV-VA1 capsid is revealed. Finally, comparison of gastrointestinal and neuronal HAstV-VA1 sequences, structures, and antigenicity suggests that neuronal HAstV-VA1 strains may have acquired immune escape mutations. Overall, our studies on the HAstV-VA1 capsid spike lay a foundation to further investigate the biology of HAstV-VA/HMO and to develop vaccines and therapeutics targeting it.
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DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Firearm injury is a leading cause of injury-related morbidity and mortality in the United States. We sought to systematically identify and summarize existing literature on clinical firearm injury ...prevention screening and interventions. We conducted a systematic search of PubMed, Web of Science, Cumulative Index of Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), PsycInfo, and ClinicalTrials.gov for English-language original research (published 1992-2014) on clinical screening methods, patient-level firearm interventions, or patient/provider attitudes on the same. Unrelated studies were excluded through title, abstract, and full-text review, and the remaining articles underwent data abstraction and quality scoring. Of a total of 3,260 unique titles identified, 72 were included in the final review. Fifty-three articles examined clinician attitudes/practice patterns; prior training, experience, and expectations correlated with clinicians' regularity of firearm screening. Twelve articles assessed patient interventions, of which 6 were randomized controlled trials. Seven articles described patient attitudes; all were of low methodological quality. According to these articles, providers rarely screen or counsel their patients-even high-risk patients-about firearm safety. Health-care-based interventions may increase rates of safe storage of firearms for pediatric patients, suicidal patients, and other high-risk groups. Some studies show that training clinicians can increase rates of effective firearm safety screening and counseling. Patients and families are, for the most part, accepting of such screening and counseling. However, the current literature is, by and large, not high quality. Rigorous, large-scale, adequately funded studies are needed.
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