The sudden loss of kidney function within hours to 7 days is called acute kidney injury (AKI), which is mainly caused by ischemia and reperfusion and involves multiple mechanisms, including epigenetic alterations. SETD7 plays a regulatory role in gene expression by methylating histone and non-histone proteins and has been implicated in inflammatory pathways and diabetic nephropathy. However, its deep implications in AKI are still lacking. In this study, we investigated the role of SETD7 in an experimental model of AKI induced by renal ischemia–reperfusion (I/R). Male C57BL/6 wild-type (WT) and global SETD7 knockout (KO) mice were subjected to unilateral renal ischemia followed by 15 days of reperfusion. To assess the model's success, renal function, injury and fibrosis markers, and morphometric parameters were assessed. Next, SETD7 localization and histone methylation were evaluated. The influence of SETD7 knockout on local and systemic inflammatory cytokines was analyzed.Renal ischemia markedly increased the expression of injury and fibrosis markers in the affected kidney by more than 20-fold compared with WT controls: KIM-1, NGAL, vimentin, COL3 and α-SMA (p < 0.05). SETD7 was found in the cytoplasm. The SETD7 knockout animals presented an attenuated systemic inflammatory response (less than 9-fold compared to WT control, p < 0.05), but not a local. Collectively, these findings indicate that SETD7 plays a significant role in modulating systemic inflammation following renal ischemic injury; inhibiting SETD7 expression and function could be a novel therapeutic strategy to control AKI inflammatory stimuli.
This study revisits the contested relationship between financial vulnerability and compensated dating. We leverage a sample of undergraduate students, who must balance rising educational costs, limited income, and economic hardship against the anticipated benefits of a college education. Regression models estimated whether financial literacy, financial stress, financial hardship, and socioeconomic status were associated with attitudes toward sugar dating, a history of sugar dating, and anticipated willingness to engage in sugar dating. Thematic analyses explored perceived motivations, benefits, and risks. Financial literacy was unrelated to all outcomes. Greater financial stress and financial hardship were associated with both a history of compensated dating and anticipated future engagement, though notably not with attitudes toward compensated dating. Students identifying as poor reported the highest likelihood of compensated dating. Financial necessity often motivated engagement, even as they expressed moral conflict, emotional distress, and concerns about exploitation. Study findings underscore the importance of understanding compensated dating within the broader structural and economic circumstances that shape college students' opportunities, relationships, and behavioral decisions.
Algorithms increasingly determine who gets interviewed, flagged, or passed over in hiring, often without explanation, consistency, or any mechanism for response. Yet the psychological mechanisms through which algorithm-supported decision-making shapes stress responses remain insufficiently specified. This article develops a theoretically grounded framework linking diminished perceived control to stress reactivity in algorithm-mediated decision-making contexts. Drawing on self-determination theory, decision-making process frameworks, and psychological safety, the manuscript integrates empirical evidence from research on AI hiring practices, including findings on Deaf and hard-of-hearing (DHH) individuals navigating applicant tracking systems. The framework identifies three primary mechanisms through which AI-supported decision-making may influence stress reactivity: limited transparency, inconsistent decision processes, and constrained opportunities for feedback. This work offers a foundation for empirical work on how technologically mediated environments shape cognitive appraisal, perceived control, and stress. These dynamics extend beyond hiring to any structured assessment context in applied behavioral and clinical settings.
Learning ObjectivesAfter studying this article, the participant should be able to (1) understand the incidence and trends of pediatric head and neck cancer; (2) identify the common tumors that present in the head and neck region; (3) describe the risk factors and pathogenesis associated with these malignancies, to identify children at risk; and (4) describe and understand the common presentations of these tumors to gain confidence in diagnosing these patients early in practice.SummaryPediatric head and neck malignancies are rare; however, their incidence is rising rapidly, with an incidence of 3.29 diagnoses per 100,000 person-years. These malignancies often present with nonspecific symptoms distinct from adults, making early diagnosis more challenging. Recognizing early symptoms in children is essential to improve treatment and long-term outcomes. This review discusses the incidence, pathogenesis, classification, and presentation of the common pediatric head and neck malignancies, including lymphoma, soft tissue sarcoma, thyroid carcinoma, salivary gland malignancies, bone malignancies, nasopharyngeal carcinoma, and melanoma.
In educational testing, differential item functioning (DIF) examines whether item parameters differ across examinee characteristics. In this study, DIF is viewed not as bias but as item parameter heterogeneity reflecting differential engagement with related subskills. Using recursive partitioning based on parametric logistic item response theory (PL IRTree) models, this study investigated item functioning heterogeneity in a high-stakes reading comprehension test regarding vocabulary, grammar, and gender based on responses of 14,936 examinees. The comparison of Rasch tree, 2PL, 3PL, and 4PL IRTrees showed that the Rasch tree could better capture the structure of the data. The Educational Testing Service (ETS) classification scheme using the Mantel-Haenszel log odds ratio was then used to quantify effect sizes. The Rasch tree yielded 11 nodes, indicating subgroup differences in item difficulty, with seven items showing moderate parameter variation across five nodes. Except for one vocabulary-focused item showing systematic sensitivity to vocabulary knowledge, item parameter variation associated with lexico-grammatical knowledge was small, suggesting limited heterogeneity attributable to these subskills. Gender-related differences in item functioning appeared only within a subgroup of examinees with relatively high grammar-vocabulary scores. PL IRTree models can reveal item-level heterogeneity and the role of correlated subskills in shaping reading comprehension item functioning.
