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Guided by the life course perspective, this study investigated the developmental antecedents of contact, closeness/warmth, and negativity in young adults' relationships with their parents. Taking the developmental systems approach, we considered interindividual differences in not only initial levels of parenting quality in early adolescence (Grade 6) but also developmental changes in parenting quality across adolescence (Grades 6-12) as predictors of young adult-parent relationship quality. Data were from a large sample of young adults (N = 1,631; M[subscript age] = 22.84; 57% female; 90% White; 25% received free/reduced-price school lunch in Grade 6) followed from the fall of Grades 6 to 12 at eight time points, plus a young adult assessment. Using multivariate latent growth curve modeling, we identified a nuanced pattern of predictors of the three relationship dimensions. Higher initial levels of and lower rates of decline in parental involvement across adolescence predicted more young adult contact with mothers and fathers. Higher initial levels of parental warmth and parental involvement, as well as lower rates of decline in parental warmth, predicted greater closeness/warmth with mothers and fathers in young adulthood. Higher initial levels of and lower rates of decline in effective discipline predicted less young adult negativity toward mothers and fathers. These results held even when accounting for important adolescent and young adult covariates (adolescent sex and race, adolescent family income and structure, adolescent aggressive behavior tendencies, young adult living arrangement). The study offers new insights into how parenting practices in adolescence contribute to parent-child relationship in young adulthood.

We examined whether participation in adolescent substance use prevention programming can enhance long-term resilience into adulthood such that individuals were better able to cope with adversities during the initial months of the COVID-19 pandemic, yielding benefits for the individuals, their partners/spouses, and children; 197 adults (28-30 years old) who entered the PROSPER randomized trial of substance use prevention programming as 6th graders and subsequently had become parents--and 128 of their partners--participated in two waves of long-term follow-up data collection. Respondents completed questionnaires on substance use, adjustment, parenting quality, and children's mood and behavior problems 15 years after baseline, and again via an online survey in the first three months of the COVID-19 pandemic. Results were mixed, with some indications of better adjustment of PROSPER intervention compared to control participants during the early phase of the pandemic (less increase in alcohol use and less decrease in parenting warmth) and their children (lower levels of externalizing and internalizing problems) but several null results as well (no differences in other substance use behaviors, other parenting measures, or parent depression). Adolescent substance use prevention programs can foster long-term individual and interpersonal resilience factors that allow participants--as well as their children--to adapt and cope with unforeseen periods of acute stress and adversity with less deterioration in health and well-being.

The human transcriptome contains many types of noncoding RNAs, which rival the number of protein-coding species. From long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) that are over 200 nucleotides long to piwi-interacting RNAs (piRNAs) of only 20 nucleotides, noncoding RNAs play important roles in regulating transcription, epigenetic modifications, translation, and cell signaling. Roles for noncoding RNAs in disease mechanisms are also being uncovered, and several species have been identified as potential drug targets. On May 11-14, 2021, the Keystone eSymposium Noncoding RNAs: Biology and Applications brought together researchers working in RNA biology, structure, and technologies to accelerate both the understanding of RNA basic biology and the translation of those findings into clinical applications.

Endothelial cell (EC) activation is an early hallmark in the pathogenesis of chronic vascular diseases. MicroRNA-181b (Mir181b) is an important anti-inflammatory mediator in the vascular endothelium affecting endotoxemia, atherosclerosis, and insulin resistance. Herein, we identify that the drug methotrexate (MTX) and its downstream metabolite adenosine exert anti-inflammatory effects in the vascular endothelium by targeting and activating Mir181b expression. Both systemic and endothelial-specific Mir181a2b2-deficient mice develop vascular inflammation, white adipose tissue (WAT) inflammation, and insulin resistance in a diet-induced obesity model. Moreover, MTX attenuated diet-induced WAT inflammation, insulin resistance, and EC activation in a Mir181a2b2-dependent manner. Mechanistically, MTX attenuated cytokine-induced EC activation through a unique adenosine-adenosine receptor A3-SMAD3/4-Mir181b signaling cascade. These findings establish an essential role of endothelial Mir181b in controlling vascular inflammation and that restoring Mir181b in ECs by high-dose MTX or adenosine signaling may provide a potential therapeutic opportunity for anti-inflammatory therapy.

This study evaluated emerging adult effects of the PROmoting School-Community-University Partnerships to Enhance Resilience (PROSPER) universal prevention delivery system implemented in middle schools. Twenty-eight rural school districts were randomized to intervention and control conditions, with 1985 nineteen-year-old participants (90.6% White, 54.1% female) evaluated through age 25. Intent-to-treat, multi-level, point-in-time analyses of covariance and growth analyses were conducted. Outcomes were assessed with self-report measures of substance misuse (lifetime, current, frequency) and conduct problem behaviors. Analyses showed very limited point-in-time effects; there were growth pattern effects on measures of illicit drugs, non-prescribed drugs, cigarettes, and drug problems. When risk moderation was observed, it favored higher-risk participants. These emerging adult effects concerning slower growth of lifetime misuse combine with more robust adolescent stage findings to support PROSPER's public health value.

Introduction: This study examined the role of family functioning in predicting family adherence to health-protective behaviors (HPBs) aimed at reducing COVID-19 spread. Pre-COVID-19 family functioning, disruptions to family functioning (cohesion, conflict, routines), and family chaos during the COVID-19 pandemic were tested as pathways to HPB adherence. Method: We utilized a sample of N = 204 families, comprising parents who had children ([M.sub.age] = 4.17). Parents ([M.sub.age] = 27.43) completed one survey prior to COVID-19 onset in the United States, and twice during COVID-19, at a 2-week interval. Structural equation modeling was used to test three potential pathways between prepandemic family-level functioning and HPB adherence during the COVID-19 pandemic. Results: Findings indicated that families with higher levels of chaos during COVID-19 demonstrated consistently lower HPB adherence across all three models. Additionally, disruptions in family cohesion from pre-COVID was associated with lower levels of parent and child HPB adherence. Family conflict was indirectly associated with HPB adherence via family chaos during COVID-19; whereas family routines were not associated with HPB adherence at all. Discussion: These findings suggest that family functioning is a meaningful predictor of HPB adherence. Family-based support may be effective in improving HPB adherence by focusing on promoting cohesion and reducing conflict and chaos for families coping with reduced community support and resources. Strategies for family-based supports are discussed. Public Significance Statement Adherence to health-protective behaviors was a critical public health strategy for reducing spread of the COVID-19 virus. Stay-at-home mandates disrupted family functioning, which in turn undermined health-protective behavior adherence. Findings suggest that support efforts to minimize disruptions to family relationships can improve health-protective behavior adherence, potentially reducing virus transmission during early stages of the pandemic. Keywords: COVID-19, health-protective behaviors, family relationships, family processes, social distancing Supplemental materials: https://doi.org/10.1037/fsh0000649.supp, Community strategies, including school, child-care, and public recreation area closures, combined with health-protective beliavior (HPB) strategies including increased personal hygiene, wearing protective face masks, and social distancing (e.g., working from [...]

Using a Family Stress Model framework, we used quantitative and qualitative methods to investigate the impact of the pandemic on Latinx pregnant and parenting adolescents and their families. Participants were 406 adolescents (ages 14–19) in the southwestern U.S. who participated in a school-based relationship education program for pregnant and parenting adolescents. In the quantitative analysis, we compared self-reported mental health (depressive symptoms, worry, parental stress), coparental relationships (conflict and communication), and parenting of adolescents who participated prior to the pandemic (N = 357; 83.6% female; 84.7% Latinx) with those who participated during the pandemic (N = 49; 74.6% female; 87.8% Latinx). Unexpectedly, the pandemic-period cohort reported fewer depressive symptoms, less parental stress, more frequent coparental communication, and more positive coparental communication and conflict management than the pre-pandemic cohort. For the qualitative analysis, we conducted focus groups and individual interviews with 21 adolescent parents (95.2% female; 90.5% Latinx) from the pandemic-period cohort and analyzed the data using thematic analysis. Participants reported many negative effects of the pandemic, including increased economic and health stress, yet also discussed reduced pressure with school and more time with family members. These findings have important implications for enhancing the well-being of adolescent parents and their children after the pandemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: To develop a clinical risk model to identify individuals at higher risk of developing new‐onset diabetes and who might benefit more from weight loss pharmacotherapy. Materials and Methods: A total of 21 143 patients without type 2 diabetes at baseline from two TIMI clinical trials of stable cardiovascular patients were divided into a derivation (~2/3) and validation (~1/3) cohort. The primary outcome was new‐onset diabetes. Twenty‐seven candidate risk variables were considered, and variable selection was performed using multivariable Cox regression. The final model was evaluated for discrimination and calibration, and for its ability to identify patients who experienced a larger benefit from the weight loss medication lorcaserin in terms of risk of new‐onset diabetes. Results: During a median (interquartile range) follow‐up of 2.3 (1.8–2.7) years, new‐onset diabetes occurred in 1013 patients (7.7%). The final model included five independent predictors (glycated haemoglobin, fasting glucose, age, body mass index, and triglycerides/high‐density lipoprotein). The clinical risk model showed good discrimination (Harrell's C‐indices 0.802, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.788–0.817 and 0.807, 95% CI 0.788–0.826) in the derivation and validation cohorts. The calibration plot demonstrated adequate calibration (2.5‐year area under the curve was 81.2 [79.1–83.5]). While hazard ratios for new‐onset diabetes with a weight‐loss therapy were comparable across risk groups (annual risks of <1%, 1%–5%, and >5%), there was a sixfold gradient in absolute risk reduction from lowest to highest risk group (p = 0.027). Conclusions: The developed clinical risk model effectively predicts new‐onset diabetes, with potential implications for personalized patient care and therapeutic decision making. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Antisocial peer behavior and low parental knowledge of adolescents' activities are key interpersonal risk factors for adolescent substance use. However, how the magnitude of associations between these risk factors and substance use may vary across adolescence remains less well understood. The present study examined the age-varying associations of parental knowledge and antisocial peer behavior with adolescents' substance use (i.e., cigarette use, drunkenness, and marijuana use) using time-varying effect modeling. Using data from the Promoting School-Community-University Partnerships to Enhance Resilience (PROSPER) study, the final sample consists of 8,222 adolescents, followed from Grade 6 to Grade 12 (age 11 to age 18.9), including those who newly joined the schools at the targeted grade levels. Results showed that low parental knowledge and antisocial peer behavior were significantly associated with the use of each of the three substances across the majority of adolescence. The magnitude of the associations between substance use and both risk factors decreased across age, except between peer risk and marijuana use. Further, there was a significant interaction between parent and peer risk factors such that low parental knowledge was less strongly associated with substance use at higher levels of antisocial peer behavior. Findings highlighted early adolescence as an important period to target parent and peer prevention and interventions for reducing early substance use.

In line with family systems theory, we examined patterns of hostile interactions within families and their associations with externalizing problems among early-adolescent children. Using hostility scores based on observational data of six dyadic interactions during a triadic interaction (n = 462; i.e., child-to-mother, mother-to-child, child-to-father, father-to-child, mother-to-father, father-to-mother)--latent profile analysis supported three distinct profiles of hostility. The "low/moderate hostile" profile included families with the lowest levels of hostility across dyads; families in the "mutual parent-child hostile" profile scored higher on parent-child hostility, but lower on interparental hostility; the "hostile parent" profile showed higher levels of parent-to-child and interparental hostility, but lower child-to-parent hostility. Concerning links to youth outcomes, youth in the "mutual parent-child hostile" profile reported the highest level of externalizing problems, both concurrently and longitudinally. These results point to the importance of examining larger family patterns of hostility to fully understand the association between family hostility and youth adjustment.