Jennifer M. Wang

NEOVASCULARIZATION OF ISCHEMIC MYOCARDIUM BY HUMAN BONE MARROW-DERIVED ANGIOBLASTS PREVENTS CARDIOMYOCYTE APOPTOSIS, REDUCES REMODELING AND IMPROVES CARDIAC FUNCTION

Left ventricular remodeling is a major cause of progressive heart failure and death after myocardial infarction. Although neoangiogenesis within the infarcted tissue is an integral component of the remodeling process, the capillary network is unable to support the greater demands of the hypertrophied myocardium, resulting in progressive loss of viable tissue, infarct extension and fibrous replacement. Here we show that bone marrow from adult humans contains endothelial precursors with phenotypic and functional characteristics of embryonic hemangioblasts, and that these can be used to directly induce new blood vessel formation in the infarct-bed (vasculogenesis) and proliferation of preexisting vasculature (angiogenesis) after experimental myocardial infarction. The neoangiogenesis resulted in decreased apoptosis of hypertrophied myocytes in the peri-infarct region, long-term salvage and survival of viable myocardium, reduction in collagen deposition and sustained improvement in cardiac function. The use of cytokine-mobilized autologous human bone-marrow–derived angioblasts for revascularization of infarcted myocardium (alone or in conjunction with currently used therapies) has the potential to significantly reduce morbidity and mortality associated with left ventricular remodeling.

Preference-for-Solitude and Adjustment Difficulties in Early and Late Adolescence

Social withdrawal has been associated with adjustment difficulties across development. Although much is known about shyness, little is known about preference-for-solitude; even less is known about its relations with adjustment across different periods of adolescence. We examined whether preference-for-solitude might be differentially associated with adjustment difficulties in early and late adolescence. Self- and parent-reports of withdrawal motivations and adjustment were collected from 234 eighth graders (113 boys; M age = 13.43) and 204 twelfth graders (91 boys; M age = 17.25). Results from structural equation modeling demonstrated that above and beyond the effects of shyness, preference-for-solitude was more strongly associated with adjustment difficulties in 8th grade than in 12th grade. Preference-for-solitude was associated with greater anxiety/depression, emotion dysregulation, and lower self-esteem in 8th grade; these relations were not found in 12th grade. Although preference-for-solitude was associated with lower social competence in both 8th and 12th grades, this relation was significantly stronger in 8th grade than in 12th grade. Findings suggest preference-for-solitude has closer ties to maladjustment in early adolescence than in late adolescence. Interventions targeting preferred-solitary youth in early adolescence may be particularly fruitful.

Peer rejection as a social antecedent to rejection sensitivity in youth: The role of relational valuation

Although much is known about the consequences of rejection sensitivity (RS), less is known about its social antecedents, particularly during development. Despite research demonstrating the role of peer rejection in the development and maintenance of problematic social schema like RS, little is known about why some youth are more susceptible to these negative consequences than others. We examined how relational valuation might moderate the effects of peer rejection on RS in a sample of 294 youth (138 boys) who made the transition from middle to high school. Results from path analysis revealed that 8th grade peer rejection was most highly associated with 9th grade RS for youth who held high regard for social relationships. Findings demonstrate the importance of examining cognitive moderators in the links between negative social experiences and problematic social schema, and highlight the need to move beyond simple main effects models for understanding the heterogeneity of rejection.

Prosocial behavior moderates the effects of aggression on young adolescents' friendships

The current study explored how prosocial behavior may moderate how aggression is related to the features of adolescents’ friendships. Young adolescents (N= 910) completed friendship nominations in the fall and spring of their first year of middle school. Behavioral nominations of aggression and prosocial behavior were also collected in the fall. A subsample (N= 374) of adolescents and their reciprocated friends reported on friendship quality. Prosocial behavior moderated how aggression was related to the likelihood of having a mutual best friendship in the fall. Dyadic data analyses also revealed that when prosocial behavior was low, aggression was negatively related to friendship quality. Examination of temporal patterns in best friendships indicated that when prosocial behavior was low, aggression was marginally predictive of having different best friends in the fall and spring relative to having a stable best friendship across the school year.

Microfluidic point-of-care diagnostics for resource-poor environments

Point-of-care (POC) diagnostics have tremendous potential to improve human health in remote and resource-poor settings. However, the design criteria for diagnostic tests appropriate in settings with limited infrastructure are unique and challenging. Here we present a custom optical reader which quantifies silver absorbance from heterogeneous immunoassays. The reader is simple and low-cost and suited for POC diagnostics.

Associations Between Personality and Physical Aggression in Chinese and U.S. Adolescents The Mediating Role of Temper

Youth aggression is a serious global issue, but research identifying personality traits associated with aggression has focused on adults. Little is known about whether similar associations exist during adolescence; even less is known about these associations across cultures. This study examined links between personality and physical aggression in U.S. and Chinese adolescents, and tested whether temper mediates these associations. U.S. (N = 250) and Chinese (N = 199) young adolescents ( X ¯ age = 13.43 years) completed self-reports describing personality, temper, and aggression. Path analyses demonstrated that temper significantly mediated associations from agreeableness and neuroticism to aggression in both samples. The mediating effect of temper was marginally stronger in the Chinese sample than in the U.S. sample, suggesting temper plays a more important role in youth aggression in China than in the United States. Findings highlight the universal role of affect in aggression and demonstrate the importance of cultural context in understanding links between personality and youth aggression.