Trends and Opportunities for Bridging Prevention Science and US Federal Policy.

Prevention science sheds light on complex social policy problems, yet its social impact cannot reach full potential without the uptake of research evidence by policymakers. This mixed-methods study examined the US federal legislation pertaining to justice-involved youth to reveal opportunities for strengthening the use of prevention science in legislation. The results indicated that research language, particularly references to the type of study (e.g., longitudinal) or methodology (e.g., data mining), within bills predicted bill progression out of committee and enactment. Rigorous scientific methods may either lend credence to a bill during its progression in the legislative process or may be infused in language during mark-up and negotiation of bills that successfully progress in Congress. In-depth bill coding illustrated the ways that research has been used in legislation to define problems, reinforce effective practice, generate knowledge through research and evaluation, and disseminate findings. A prominent implication of these findings is that policies could be used to improve data monitoring and evaluation capacity in ways that enhance the implementation of evidence-based interventions. The comprehensive use of research in legislation increases the likelihood that policies reach their intended outcomes and benefit those they are designed to serve.

Alpha-synucleinopathy reduces NMNAT3 protein levels and neurite formation that can be rescued by targeting the NAD+ pathway.

Parkinson's disease is characterized by the deposition of α-synuclein, which leads to synaptic dysfunction, the loss of neuronal connections and ultimately progressive neurodegeneration. Despite extensive research into Parkinson's disease pathogenesis, the mechanisms underlying α-synuclein-mediated synaptopathy have remained elusive. Several lines of evidence suggest that altered nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+) metabolism might be causally related to synucleinopathies, including Parkinson's disease. NAD+ metabolism is central to the maintenance of synaptic structure and function. Its synthesis is mediated by nicotinamide mononucleotide adenylyltransferases (NMNATs), but their role in Parkinson's disease is not known. Here we report significantly decreased levels of NMNAT3 protein in the caudate nucleus of patients who have died with Parkinson's disease, which inversely correlated with the amount of monomeric α-synuclein. The detected alterations were specific and significant as the expression levels of NMNAT1, NMNAT2 and sterile alpha and TIR motif containing 1 (SARM1) were not significantly different in Parkinson's disease patients compared to controls. To test the functional significance of these findings, we ectopically expressed wild-type α-synuclein in retinoic acid-differentiated dopaminergic SH-SY5Y cells that resulted in decreased levels of NMNAT3 protein plus a neurite pathology, which could be rescued by FK866, an inhibitor of nicotinamide phosphoribosyltransferase that acts as a key enzyme in the regulation of NAD+ synthesis. Our results establish, for the first time, NMNAT3 alterations in Parkinson's disease and demonstrate in human cells that this phenotype together with neurite pathology is causally related to α-synucleinopathy. These findings identify alterations in the NAD+ biosynthetic pathway as a pathogenic mechanism underlying α-synuclein-mediated synaptopathy.

How substance use prevention research gets used in United States federal policy.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: The growing body of research evidence on substance use and substance use disorder (SU/SUD) prevention could be leveraged to strengthen the intended impact of policies that address SU/SUD. The aim of the present study was to explore how research was used in United States federal legislation that emphasized SU/SUD prevention. DESIGN: Using a mixed-methods approach, we assessed whether the use of research predicted a bill's legislative progress. We randomly sampled 10 bills that represented different types of research keywords to examine how research was used in these bills, applying content analysis. SETTING: United States Congress. PARTICIPANTS/CASES: Federal legislation introduced between the 101st and the 114th Congresses (1989-2017; n = 1866). MEASUREMENTS: The quantitative outcome measures were bills' likelihood of passing out of committee and being enacted. Qualitative outcomes included the ways research was used in legislation. FINDINGS: Bills that used any research language were 2.2 times more likely to pass out of committee (OR = 2.18; 95% CI, 1.75, 2.72) and 82% more likely to be enacted (OR = 1.82; 95% CI, 1.23, 2.69) than bills not using research language. Bills using dissemination words were 57% more likely to pass out of committee (OR = 1.57; CI, 1.08, 2.28) and analysis words were 93% more likely (OR = 1.93; 95% CI, 1.51, 2.47) than bills not using dissemination or analysis words. Research was used to (i) define the problem to justify legislative action, (ii) address the problem by providing funding, and (iii) address the problem through industry regulations. However, there was a lack of research use that targets underlying risk and protective factors. CONCLUSIONS: In the US Congress, substance use and substance use disorder prevention bills that use research language appear to be more likely to progress in the legislative cycle than bills that do not, suggesting that legislation using research may be viewed as more credible.

Risk Assessments at Birth Predict Kindergarten Achievement and Involvement with Child Protective Services.

Screening for family risk factors at birth is one way that early childhood programs and practitioners can identify families who might benefit from prevention efforts. Some prevention programs currently use cumulative risk (i.e., total number of risk factors present) to determine eligibility for services. More recently, however, person-centered approaches that take into account combinations of risk (versus cumulative risk) have emerged as an approach that could complement current risk assessment methods and illuminate the extent to which classes of family risk are associated with different outcomes in early childhood. Grounded in ecological theory, we tested cumulative family risk and latent classes of family risk at birth as predictors of kindergarten outcomes and mother-reported involvement with Child Protective Services (CPS). Families in the Fragile Families and Child Well-being Study were included in this study if they had medical records data available at the child's birth as well as children's age 5 kindergarten outcomes (N = 757). Cumulative risk was positively associated with children's attention problems, letter-word recognition skills, CPS involvement, and both covariates (i.e., child's diagnosed disability status and mother's ethnicity/race), but not aggression or social skill problems. In terms of latent classes, children from higher risk classes tended to fare significantly worse on kindergarten outcomes and were more likely to have reported involvement with CPS when compared to the lower risk classes. Implications are discussed related to primary prevention, the merits of screening for risk, and comparisons between cumulative risk and classes of risk approaches.

Trajectories of sleep in Child Protective Services (CPS)-referred children predict externalizing and internalizing symptoms in early childhood.

BACKGROUND: Previous studies have established links between poor sleep and negative developmental outcomes. However, it remains unclear whether young maltreated children demonstrate atypical sleep patterns and whether sleep duration is associated with emotional and behavioral problems. OBJECTIVE: Explore trajectories of sleep among Child Protective Services (CPS)-referred children and examine whether sleep duration is significantly associated with externalizing and internalizing symptoms, even when controlling for the home environment. PARTICIPANTS: Participants included 197 children (Mage at first assessment = 10.24 months, SD = 6.39) whose parents were referred to CPS due to allegations of maltreatment. METHODS: Parents completed sleep diaries for their children at up to five time-points and the preschool version of the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) when children were approximately 2 years of age (Mage = 26.40 months, SD = 3.36). The Home Observation for Measurement of the Environment Scale (HOME) assessed the quality of the early home environment. RESULTS: Results from latent growth curve modeling demonstrated that CPS-referred children significantly varied (B = 3.28, SE = 0.90, p < .001) in the amount they slept in a 24-hour period at baseline (i.e., 4.1 months of age), and the amount of total sleep in a 24-hour period significantly decreased across time (B1 = -0.03, SE = 0.01, p < .001). When controlling for characteristics of the home environment, total sleep in a 24-hour period at baseline significantly inversely predicted externalizing (B = -1.03, SE = 0.06, p < .001) and internalizing symptoms (B = -0.19, SE = 0.03, p < .001) in early childhood. CONCLUSIONS: This study is an important first step in exploring trajectories of sleep among CPS-referred children. Findings underscore sleep as a promising target for interventions aimed at promoting regulation and highlight the need for future research to examine sleep in maltreated children as a predictor of later developmental outcomes.

Trajectories of maternal aggression in early childhood: Associations with parenting stress, family resources, and neighborhood cohesion.

BACKGROUND: The effects of family risk on parenting can be ameliorated or exacerbated depending on factors internal (e.g., appraisals, regulation) and external (e.g., resources, social support) to the role of parenting. Therefore, it is important to distinguish between sources of stress when exploring associations with parenting behaviors. OBJECTIVE: We aimed to identify trajectories of maternal aggression among families across various levels of risk, and explore associations with factors internal and external to parenting. PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING: Participants included children in large U.S. cities born between 1998 and 2000, followed through age 9, in the Fragile Families and Child Well-being Study with medical records data available (N = 3529). METHOD: Latent growth curve modeling was conducted to identify trajectories of maternal aggression measured through a survey at child age 3, 5, and 9. Correlates of maternal aggression (i.e., family risk for maltreatment, income-to-poverty ratios, maternal education, parenting stress, and neighborhood cohesion) were measured through medical records and maternal surveys at birth, age 1, and age 3. RESULTS: Maternal aggression similarly declined between child age 3 and 9 across low-, moderate-, and high-risk families. Across all families, neighborhood social cohesion was significantly, negatively associated with maternal aggression, (ß's = -.20 to -.28, p's < .001) and increases in parenting stress were significant predictors among Low Risk (ß = .12, p = .006) and High Risk (ß = .10, p = .02) families. CONCLUSION: The results suggest that families could benefit from supportive neighborhood environments or parenting stress reduction techniques, regardless of level of risk at birth.

Promotion of Civic Engagement with the Family Leadership Training Institute.

In this efficacy study, both quantitative and qualitative data were used to gauge the effects of the Family Leadership Training Institute (FLTI) on civic knowledge and empowerment, civic engagement, and community health. The sample of 847 FLTI participants and 166 comparison adults completed pretest and posttest surveys. Medium to very large short-term effects were observed in civic literacy, empowerment, and engagement. Results mapping interviews were conducted with a stratified random sample of FLTI graduates (n = 52) to assess long-term (M = 2.73 years) program impact. Most FLTI graduates (86%) sustained meaningful, sometimes transformative, levels of civic engagement after program completion. This engagement involved multiple forms of leadership, most often advocacy, program implementation, and media campaigns; 63% of graduates directed at least some of their activities to marginalized populations. Content analyses of graduates' civic (capstone) projects and results mapping story maps indicated that 81-90% of community activities aligned with public health priorities. Thus, one promising means to promote community health is to empower families to develop leadership skills, become engaged in civic life, and forge connections with diverse constituents.

Is gastroenterology research in decline? A comparison of abstract publication rates from The British Society of Gastroenterology meetings between 1995 and 2005.

BACKGROUND: Reports have suggested that academic medicine may be in decline within the UK. Further evidence suggests that rates of subsequent full publication of abstracts presented at major scientific meetings are low and may be declining. We have compared the publication rates of abstracts presented at meetings of the British Society of Gastroenterology (BSG) between 1995 and 2005 and examined factors associated with full paper publication.  METHODS: Abstracts presented at BSG meetings in 1995 and 2005 were assessed by cross-referencing with multiple databases. Abstract characteristics associated with publication were analysed. RESULTS: There were no differences in overall publication rates, impact factors or time to publication between 1995 and 2005. Overall, basic-science abstracts were twice as likely to achieve full publication than non-basic science. There was a significant fall in the publication rates for case series and audits, and significantly increased rates for fundamental/basic-science abstracts over the study period. There were non-significant increases in publication rates for controlled trials and systematic reviews. In general, publication rates for all predominantly clinically orientated abstracts reduced between the two periods with the most notable fall occurring in nutrition.  CONCLUSIONS: There was no evidence of a decline in overall abstract publication rates between 1995 and 2005. There seemed to be trend for increased publication rates of abstracts using perceived high-quality study methodologies with a corresponding decrease in those with lower quality methods. The proportion of basic-science abstracts is likely to be a determinant of overall full publication rates following scientific meetings.

Is gastroenterology research in decline? A comparison of abstract publication rates from The British Society of Gastroenterology meetings between 1995 and 2005.

Background: Reports have suggested that academic medicine may be in decline within the UK. Further evidence suggests that rates of subsequent full publication of abstracts presented at major scientific meetings are low and may be declining. We have compared the publication rates of abstracts presented at meetings of the British Society of Gastroenterology (BSG) between 1995 and 2005 and examined factors associated with full paper publication.  Methods: Abstracts presented at BSG meetings in 1995 and 2005 were assessed by cross-referencing with multiple databases. Abstract characteristics associated with publication were analysed. Results: There were no differences in overall publication rates, impact factors or time to publication between 1995 and 2005. Overall, basic-science abstracts were twice as likely to achieve full publication than non-basic science. There was a significant fall in the publication rates for case series and audits, and significantly increased rates for fundamental/basic-science abstracts over the study period. There were non-significant increases in publication rates for controlled trials and systematic reviews. In general, publication rates for all predominantly clinically orientated abstracts reduced between the two periods with the most notable fall occurring in nutrition.  Conclusions: There was no evidence of a decline in overall abstract publication rates between 1995 and 2005. There seemed to be trend for increased publication rates of abstracts using perceived high-quality study methodologies with a corresponding decrease in those with lower quality methods. The proportion of basic-science abstracts is likely to be a determinant of overall full publication rates following scientific meetings.