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Background Depression is common and frequently undiagnosed among college students. Social networking sites are popular among college students and can include displayed depression references. The purpose of this study was to evaluate college students' Facebook disclosures that met DSM criteria for a depression symptom or a major depressive episode (MDE). Methods We selected public Facebook profiles from sophomore and junior undergraduates and evaluated personally written text: “status updates.” We applied DSM criteria to one year of status updates from each profile to determine prevalence of displayed depression symptoms and MDE criteria. Negative binomial regression analysis was used to model the association between depression disclosures and demographics or Facebook use characteristics. Results A total of 200 profiles were evaluated, profile owners were 43.5% female with a mean age of 20 years. Overall, 25% of profiles displayed depressive symptoms and 2.5% met criteria for MDE. Profile owners were more likely to reference depression if they averaged at least one online response from their friends to a status update disclosing depressive symptoms (exp(B)=2.1, p<0.001), or if they used Facebook more frequently (p<0.001). Conclusion College students commonly display symptoms consistent with depression on Facebook. Our findings suggest that those who receive online reinforcement from their friends are more likely to discuss their depressive symptoms publicly on Facebook. Given the frequency of depression symptom displays on public profiles, SNSs could be an innovative avenue for combating stigma surrounding mental health conditions, or for identifying students at risk for depression.

Polymorphisms in IL-2, IL-6, IL-10, and IFN-gamma genes are associated with their protein production after anti-CD3/CD28 stimulation. The profound effect of the IL-2 gene polymorphism in homozygous individuals may serve as a marker for those that could mount the most vigorous allo- or autoimmune responses, or perhaps become tolerant more easily.

Polymorphisms in the regulatory regions of cytokine genes are associated with high and low cytokine production and may modulate the magnitude of alloimmune responses following transplantation. Ethnicity influences allograft half-life and the incidence of acute and chronic rejection. We have questioned whether ethnic-based differences in renal allograft survival could be due in part to inheritance of cytokine polymorphisms. To address that question, we studied the inheritance patterns for polymorphisms in several cytokine genes (IL-2, IL-6, IL-10, TNF-a, TGF-b, and IFNg) within an ethnically diverse study population comprised of 216 Whites, 58 Blacks, 25 Hispanics, and 31 Asians. Polymorphisms were determined by allele-specific polymerase chain reaction and restriction fragment length analysis. We found striking differences in the distribution of cytokine polymorphisms among ethnic populations. Specifically, significant differences existed between Blacks and both Whites and Asians in the distribution of the polymorphic alleles for IL-2. Blacks, Hispanics and Asians demonstrated marked differences in the inheritance of IL-6 alleles and IL-10 genotypes that result in high expression when compared with Whites. Those of Asian descent exhibited an increase in IFN-g genotypes that result in low expression as compared to Whites. In contrast, we did not find significant ethnic-based differences in the inheritance of polymorphic alleles for TNF-a. Our results show that the inheritance of certain cytokine gene polymorphisms is strongly associated with ethnicity. These differences may contribute to the apparent influence of ethnicity on allograft outcome.

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The objective of this study was to determine associations between displayed depression symptoms on Facebook and self-reported depression symptoms using a clinical screen. Public Facebook profiles of undergraduates from two universities were examined for displayed depression references. Profiles were categorized as depression symptom displayers or non-displayers. Participants completed an online PHQ-9 depression scale. Analyses examined associations between PHQ-9 score and depression symptom displayers versus non-displayers. The mean PHQ-9 score for non-displayers was 4.7 (SD= 4.0), the mean PHQ-9 score for depression symptom displayers was 6.4 (SD=5.1; p=0.018). A trend approaching significance was noted that participants who scored into a depression category by their PHQ-9 score were more likely to display depression symptom references. Displayed references to depression symptoms were associated with self-reported depression symptoms.

BackgroundThe American Diabetes Association recommends a family‐centered approach that addresses each family's specific type 1 diabetes self‐management barriers.ObjectiveTo assess an intervention that tailored delivery of self‐management resources to families' specific self‐management barriers.SubjectsAt two sites, 214 children 8‐16 years old with type 1 diabetes and their parent(s) were randomized to receive tailored self‐management resources (intervention, n = 106) or usual care (n = 108).MethodsOur intervention (1) identified families' self‐management barriers with a validated survey, (2) tailored self‐management resources to identified barriers, and (3) delivered the resources as four group sessions coordinated with diabetes visits. Mixed effects models with repeated measures were fit to A1c as well as parent and child QOL during the intervention and 1 year thereafter.ResultsParticipants were 44% youth (8‐12 years) and 56% teens (13‐16 years). No intervention effect on A1c or QOL was shown, combining data from sites and age groups. Analyzing results by site and age group, post‐intervention A1c for teens at one site declined by 0.06 more per month for intervention teens compared to usual care (P < 0.05). In this group, post‐intervention A1c declined significantly when baseline A1c was >8.5 (−0.08, P < 0.05), with an even larger decline when baseline A1c was >10 (−0.19, P < 0.05). In addition, for these teens, the significant improvements in A1c resulted from addressing barriers related to motivation to self‐manage. Also at this site, mean QOL increased by 0.61 points per month more during the intervention for parents of intervention youth than for usual care youth (P < 0.05).ConclusionsTailored self‐management resources may improve outcomes among specific populations, suggesting the need to consider families' self‐management barriers and patient characteristics before implementing self‐management resources.

The performance of FCR checklist elements was enhanced by checklist implementation and associated with changes in family engagement and more positive perceptions of safety climate. Implementing the checklist improves delivery of FCRs, impacting quality and safety of care.