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We examined the relationship between parental psychological control and their children's test anxiety in the Chinese cultural context, and tested the mediating role of the children's academic self-efficacy in this relationship. Chinese high-school students (N = 401, 158 boys and 243 girls), aged between 15 and 18 years, completed a self-report survey assessing parental psychological control, academic self-efficacy, and test anxiety. The results showed a positive association between parental psychological control and the students' test anxiety. The students' academic self-efficacy was negatively correlated with parental psychological control and the students' test anxiety. Additionally, results of structural equation modeling indicated that the students' academic self-efficacy partially mediated the effect of their perception of parental psychological control on their test anxiety. These results reveal the negative influence of parental psychological control on their children's test anxiety and identify academic self-efficacy as a mediating variable through which parental psychological control exerts effects on their children's test anxiety.

Height is an important concern in human mate choices. Prior research indicates that people who live in areas with abundant resources differ from those who live in areas with scarce resources regarding height preferences. Based on a health-maximizing principle, we propose a resource availability account for such differences. Compared with women's height preferences, men's height preferences are hypothesized to be more dependent on either financial or caloric resource availability. Specifically, taller females would be more preferred by males who are poor in resources than those who are rich in resources. Results from three studies supported these hypotheses. In Study 1, men from remote areas of China who had lower family income preferred taller women more than those from eastern China who had higher family income. In Study 2, men who were financially dissatisfied preferred taller women more than those who were financially satisfied. In Study 3, men with low caloric status preferred taller women more than men with high caloric status. In addition, women's height preferences in Studies 1, 2 and 3 were less determined by resource availability. These findings suggest that height preferences are changeable, depending on financial or caloric status.

Selective cytopheretic inhibitory device (SCD) therapy is an immunomodulatory treatment provided by a synthetic biomimetic membrane in an extracorporeal circuit, which has shown promise in preclinical large animal models of severe sepsis as well as in clinical trials treating patients with acute kidney injury and multiple organ failure. During SCD therapy, citrate is administered to lower ionized calcium levels in blood for anticoagulation and inhibition of leukocyte activation. Historically, citrate has been known to interfere with sorbent dialysis, therefore, posing a potential issue for the use of SCD therapy with a portable dialysis system. This sorbent dialysis SCD (sorbent SCD) would be well suited for battlefield and natural disaster applications where the water supply for standard dialysis is limited, and the types of injuries in those settings would benefit from SCD therapy. In order to explore the compatibility of sorbent and SCD technologies, a uremic porcine model was tested with the Allient sorbent dialysis system (Renal Solutions Incorporated, Fresenius Medical Care, Warrendale, PA, USA) and concurrent SCD therapy with regional citrate anticoagulation. The hypothesis to be assessed was whether the citrate load required by the SCD could be metabolized prior to recirculation from systemic blood back into the therapeutic circuit. Despite the fact that the sorbent SCD maintained urea clearance without any adverse hematologic events, citrate load for SCD therapy caused an interaction with the sorbent column resulting in elevated, potentially toxic aluminum levels in dialysate and in systemic blood. Alternative strategies to implement sorbent-SCD therapy will be required, including development of alternate urease-sorbent column binding chemistry or further changes to the sorbent-SCD therapeutic circuit along with determining the minimum citrate concentration required for efficacious SCD treatment.

OBJECTIVE: Gram-negative septic shock has a clinical mortality rate approaching 50%. The cause of death is secondary to a systemic inflammatory response syndrome with resulting cardiovascular collapse, ischemic damage to vital organs, and multiple-organ systems failure. Renal tubule cell injury occurs early in septic shock but is not clinically appreciated. Since renal tubule cells appear to play a critical role in the immunoregulation of stress states, renal cell therapy during septic shock may alter the detrimental multiple-organ consequences of systemic Gram-negative infection. The development of a tissue-engineered bioartificial kidney consisting of a conventional hemofiltration cartridge in series with a renal tubule assist device (RAD) containing 109 renal proximal tubule cells may be a new therapeutic approach to this clinical disorder. DESIGN: Laboratory study. SETTING: University medical school. SUBJECTS: Pigs weighing 30-35 kg. INTERVENTIONS: To assess the effect of the bioartificial kidney and the RAD in septic shock, pigs were administered 30 x 10(10) bacteria/kg body weight of Escherichia coli into the peritoneal cavity and within 1 hr were immediately placed in a continuous venovenous hemofiltration extracorporeal circuit with either a sham RAD without cells or a RAD with cells. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: In this animal model, septic shock resulted within hours in acute tubule necrosis in the kidneys of all animals. Renal cell therapy resulted in significantly higher cardiac outputs and renal blood flow rates in treated animals compared with sham controls. RAD treatment also was associated with significantly lower plasma circulating concentrations of interleukin-6 and interferon-gamma compared with sham-treated animals. IL-6 release rates from peripheral blood mononuclear cells isolated from RAD-treated animals were significantly higher after endotoxin stimulation than those isolated from control animals. These physiologic and molecular alterations were associated with nearly a doubling of the average survival time in the RAD-treated group compared with the sham control group. CONCLUSION: These results demonstrate that renal cell therapy ameliorates cardiac and vascular dysfunction, alters systemic cytokine abnormalities, and improves survival time in a large animal model of Gram-negative septic shock. A cell therapeutic approach with a tissue-engineered bioartificial kidney may be a new treatment modality for this current unmet medical need.

The bioartificial kidney (BAK) consists of a conven- tional hemofiltration cartridge in series with a renal tubule assist device (RAD) containing 10 9 porcine renal proximal tubule cells. BAK replaces filtration, transport, and metabolic and endocrinologic activities of a kidney. Previous work in an acutely uremic dog model demonstrated that BAK ameliorated endotoxin (lipopolysaccharide (LPS))-induced hypotension and altered plasma cytokine levels. To further assess the role of BAK in sepsis in acute renal failure, dogs were nephrecto- mized and 48 h later administered intraperitoneally with 30 10 10 bacteria/kg of E. coli. One hour after bacterial adminis- tration, animals were placed in a continuous venovenous he- mofiltration circuit with either a sham RAD without cells (n 6) or a RAD with cells (n 6). BP, cardiac output, heart rate, pulmonary capillary wedge pressure, and systemic vascular resistance were measured throughout the study. All animals tested were in renal failure, with blood urea nitrogen and serum creatinine concentrations greater than 60 and 6 mg/dl, respec- tively. RAD treatment maintained significantly better cardio- vascular performance, as determined by arterial BP (P 0.05) and cardiac output (P 0.02), for longer periods than sham RAD therapy. Consistently, all sham RAD-treated animals, except one, expired within 2 to 9 h after bacterial administra- tion, whereas all RAD-treated animals survived more than 10 h. Plasma levels of TNF-, IL-10, and C-reactive protein (CRP) were measured during cell RAD and sham RAD treat- ment. IL-10 levels were significantly higher (P 0.01) during the entire treatment interval in the RAD animals compared with sham controls. These data demonstrated in a pilot large animal experiment that the BAK with RAD altered plasma cytokine levels in acutely uremic animals with septic shock. This change was associated with improved cardiovascular per- formance and increased survival time. These results demon- strate that the addition of cell therapy to hemofiltration in an acutely uremic animal model with septic shock ameliorates cardiovascular dysfunction, alters systemic cytokine balance, and improves survival time.

Height is an important concern in human mate choices. Prior research indicates that people who live in areas with abundant resources differ from those who live in areas with scarce resources regarding height preferences. Based on a health-maximizing principle, we propose a resource availability account for such differences. Compared with women's height preferences, men's height preferences are hypothesized to be more dependent on either financial or caloric resource availability. Specifically, taller females would be more preferred by males who are poor in resources than those who are rich in resources. Results from three studies supported these hypotheses. In Study 1, men from remote areas of China who had lower family income preferred taller women more than those from eastern China who had higher family income. In Study 2, men who were financially dissatisfied preferred taller women more than those who were financially satisfied. In Study 3, men with low caloric status preferred taller women more than men with high caloric status. In addition, women's height preferences in Studies 1, 2 and 3 were less determined by resource availability. These findings suggest that height preferences are changeable, depending on financial or caloric status.

We have isolated a murine cDNA encoding a ligand for the Cek7 receptor protein-tyrosine kinase (RPTK), a member of the Eph/Eck RPTK subfamily. Sequence analysis predicts an open reading frame of 209 amino acids with a predicted molecular mass of 24 kDa. The Cek7 ligand shows a 48% sequence identity at the protein level to B61, a ligand for the related Eck RPTK, 30% to the Cek5 ligand, 59% to the recently cloned Ehk1-L, and identity to ELF-1, a recently described ligand for the Mek4 and Sek RPTKs. The expressed Cek7 ligand is functionally active as it induces autophosphorylation of the Cek7 RPTK.

We have isolated a murine cDNA encoding a ligand for the Cek5 receptor protein-tyrosine kinase (RPTK), a member of the Eph/Eck RPTK subfamily. Sequence analysis predicts an open reading frame of 345 amino acids with a predicted molecular mass of 38 kDa. Metabolic labeling and immunoprecipitation of cells transfected with a cDNA encoding the Cek5 ligand revealed the mature protein to have an apparent molecular mass of 45 kDa. The extracellular domain of the Cek5 ligand shows a 27% sequence identity at the protein level to B61, a ligand for the related Eck RPTK (Bartley, T. D., et al. (1994) Nature 368, 558-560). Consistent with the presence of a transmembrane domain, flow cytometry analysis revealed the Cek5 ligand to be expressed on the cell surface. The expressed Cek5 ligand is functionally active as it induces autophosphorylation of the Cek5 RPTK.

Objective Septic shock has a clinical mortality rate approaching fifty percent. The major clinical manifestations of sepsis are due to the dysregulation of the host's response to infection rather than the direct consequences of the invading pathogen. Central to this initial immunologic response is the activation of leukocytes and microvascular endothelium resulting in cardiovascular instability, lung injury and renal dysfunction. Due to the primary role of leukocyte activation in the sepsis syndrome, a synthetic biomimetic membrane, called a selective cytopheretic device (SCD), was developed to bind activated leukocytes. The incorporation of the SCD along an extracorporeal blood circuit coupled with regional anticoagulation with citrate to lower blood ionized calcium was devised to modulate leukocyte activation in sepsis. Design Laboratory investigation. Setting University of Michigan Medical School. Subjects Pigs weighing 30-35 kg. Interventions To assess the effect of the SCD in septic shock, pigs were administered 30×1010 bacteria/kg body weight of Escherichia coli into the peritoneal cavity and within 1 hr were immediately placed in an extracorporeal circuit containing SCD. Measurements and Main Results In this animal model, the SCD with citrate compared to control groups without the SCD or with heparin anticoagulation ameliorated the cardiovascular instability and lung sequestration of activated leukocytes, reduced renal dysfunction and improved survival time compared to various control groups. This effect was associated with minimal elevations of systemic circulating neutrophil activation. Conclusions These preclinical studies along with two favorable exploratory clinical trials form the basis of an FDA-approved investigational device exemption for a pivotal multicenter, randomized control trial currently underway.

The presence of an extra copy of human chromosome 21 (trisomy 21), especially region 21q22.2, causes many phenotypes in Down syndrome, including mental retardation. To study genes potentially responsible for some of these phenotypes, we cloned a human candidate gene (DYRK) from 21q22.2 and its murine counterpart (Dyrk) that are homologous to the Drosophila minibrain (mnb) gene required for neurogenesis and to the rat Dyrk gene (dual specificity tyrosine phosphorylation regulated kinase). The three mammalian genes are highly conserved,99% identical at the protein level over their 763-amino-acid (aa) open reading frame; in addition, the mammalian genes are 83% identical over 414 aa to the smaller 542-aa mnb protein. The predicted human DYRK and murine Dyrk proteins both contain a nuclear targeting signal sequence, a protein kinase domain, a putative leucine zipper motif, and a highly conserved 13-consecutive-histidine repeat. Fluorescence in situ hybridization and regional mapping data localize DYRK between markers D21S336 and D21S337 in the 21q22.2 region. Northern blot analysis indicated that both human and murine genes encode approximately 6-kb transcripts. PCR screening of cDNA libraries derived from various human and murine tissues indicated that DYRK and Dyrk are expressed both during development and in the adult. In situ hybridization of Dyrk to mouse embryos (13, 15, and 17 days postcoitus) indicates a differential spatial and temporal pattern of expression, with the most abundant signal localized in brain gray matter, spinal cord, and retina. The observed expression pattern is coincident with many of the clinical findings in trisomy 21. Its chromosomal locus (21q22. 2), its homology to the mnb gene, and the in situ hybridization expression patterns of the murine Dyrk combined with the fact that transgenic mice for a YAC to which DYRK maps are mentally deficient suggest that DYRK may be involved in the abnormal neurogenesis found in Down syndrome.

METHODS: Angiogenesis was induced within chambers placed around rat femoral vessels. Hollow semipermeable fibers within the chambers were connected to a “bladder” and access port. Three groups were implanted: fibers with molecular weight cut-off of 50 and 100 kD were compared; in the third group 100 kD fibers were combined with cultured cortical renal tissue. Collected fluid was tapped transcutaneously three times per week for six weeks. Ultrafiltrate volume, BUN, Cr, albumin and total protein were measured.