Eating disorders, including anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa and binge eating disorder, are psychiatric conditions associated with high mortality rates, particularly due to suicide. Although eating disorders are strongly associated with suicidal ideation, attempts, and fatalities, the precise relationship between these conditions remains poorly understood. While substantial genetic influences have been identified for both eating disorders and suicidality, the shared genetics contributing to their co-occurrence remain unclear. In this study, we utilized a multivariate approach to examine the shared genetic architecture of eating disorder symptoms, suicidal thoughts and behaviors in ~20,000 participants from the COVID-19 Psychiatry and Neurological Genetics (COPING) study. We applied individual-level structural equation modeling to explore the factor structure underlying eating disorder symptoms and suicidal ideation, followed by genetic correlation analyses. We modeled the general factor of susceptibility to eating disorders and suicidal ideation that was as strongly genetically influenced as both conditions, with mean SNP heritability of 9%. Importantly, despite the frequent co-occurrence of eating disorders with other psychiatric conditions, our findings highlight the specificity of the relationship between eating disorders and suicidality, independent of other co-occurring psychopathology, such as depression and anxiety. This specificity highlights the need for targeted approaches in understanding the shared susceptibility factors.

When making decisions, people tend to look back and forth between the alternatives until they eventually make a choice. Eye-tracking research has established that these shifts in attention are strongly linked to choice outcomes. A predominant framework for understanding the dynamics of the choice process, and thus the effects of attention, is sequential sampling of information. However, existing methods for estimating the attention parameters in these models are computationally costly and overly flexible, and yield estimates with unknown precision and bias. Here we propose an estimation method that relies on a link between sequential sampling models and random utility models (RUM). This method uses familiar econometric tools (i.e., logistic regression) and yields estimates that appear to be unbiased and relatively precise compared to existing methods, in a small fraction of the computation time. The RUM thus appears to be a useful tool for estimating the effects of attention on choice.

Invasive plants can gain a foothold in new environments by manipulating soil conditions through allelopathy or through the disruption of associations between native plants and their mycorrhizal associates. The resulting changes in soil conditions can affect the recovery of habitats long after the invasive plant has been removed. We conducted a series of greenhouse experiments to examine the effects of soil conditioned by pale swallow-wort [Vincetoxicum rossicum (Kleopow) Barbarich; Apocynaceae], on the growth of native plants. Additionally, we tested the effects of aqueous extracts of common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca L.; Apocynaceae), a related plant with known allelopathic effects, on the regrowth of V. rossicum from transplanted root crowns. Soil from a 15-yr-old V. rossicum infestation reduced seedling emergence in A. syriaca as well as in V. rossicum itself. Conversely, the same soil had no effect on the growth of mature A. syriaca plants. Soil conditioned by V. rossicum growth in the greenhouse had no effect on the biomass and percentage cover generated by two restoration seed mixes. Soil conditioned by A. syriaca, however, yielded lower biomass and percentage cover from both seed mixes. In contrast to the allelopathic effects of A. syriaca on seedlings, aqueous extracts of A. syriaca increased aboveground plant growth in V. rossicum. Our results suggest that the effects of V. rossicum–conditioned soil on native plants are concentrated at the seedling establishment phase. Additionally, the use of diverse native seed mixes shows great potential for restoring productivity to ecosystems affected by V. rossicum.

OBJECTIVES/GOALS: Determine how a history of unpredictable foot shock in mice affects brain wide patterns of neural activation to future stressors. Additionally, we aimed to characterize how the paraventricular nucleus of the thalamus (PVT) is involved in the fear sensitization process. METHODS/STUDY POPULATION: We used a mouse model of stress enhanced fear learning, where stressed mice are first subjected to a series of unpredictable foot shocks in a novel context while control mice undergo exposure to the novel context without experiencing foot shock. Mice are then left undisturbed for 28 days, following which they are exposed to a single foot shock in a novel context. Mice are tested in the second context 24 hours after single shock, and the amount of time spent frozen in the context provides a measure of fear sensitization. Whole brain patterns of activation during the second context test will be assessed via whole brain optical clearing with antibody staining of immediate early genes. The role of the PVT in fear sensitization will be characterized using chemogenetic approaches. RESULTS/ANTICIPATED RESULTS: Our preliminary results demonstrate that mice display enhanced fear acquisition long after the initial experience of unpredictable shocks. We anticipate to identify regions previously implicated in fear learning and novel regions not previously described through our brain clearing approach. In addition, we anticipate chemogenetic inhibition of the PVT will reduce freezing to an auditory cue associated with the shock in the second context but not to the context itself. DISCUSSION/SIGNIFICANCE: Our findings will provide a comprehensive view of how a history of unpredictable stress affects whole brain processing of subsequent stressful experiences, and describe the role of the PVT in cued fear sensitization.

Helium or neopentane can be used as surrogate gas fill for deuterium (D2) or deuterium-tritium (DT) in laser-plasma interaction studies. Surrogates are convenient to avoid flammability hazards or the integration of cryogenics in an experiment. To test the degree of equivalency between deuterium and helium, experiments were conducted in the Pecos target chamber at Sandia National Laboratories. Observables such as laser propagation and signatures of laser-plasma instabilities (LPI) were recorded for multiple laser and target configurations. It was found that some observables can differ significantly despite the apparent similarity of the gases with respect to molecular charge and weight. While a qualitative behaviour of the interaction may very well be studied by finding a suitable compromise of laser absorption, electron density, and LPI cross sections, a quantitative investigation of expected values for deuterium fills at high laser intensities is not likely to succeed with surrogate gases.

Negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT) has significantly advanced wound care and continues to find new applications. Its effects at a molecular level however, remain a subject of debate. The aim of this systematic review is to summarize the current evidence regarding the molecular mechanisms of action of NPWT. Medline, Embase, EBSCO databases and clinical trial registries were searched from inception to January 2023. Clinical studies, animal models or in-vitro studies that quantitatively or semi-quantitatively evaluated the influence of NPWT on growth factors, cytokine or gene-expression in the circulation or wound-bed were included. Risk of Bias assessment was performed using the RoBANS tool for non-randomized studies, the COCHRANE's Risk of Bias 2(ROB-2) tool for randomized clinical studies, OHAT tool for in-vitro studies or the SYRCLE tool for animal model studies. A descriptive summary was collated and the aggregated data is presented as a narrative synthesis. This review included 19 clinical studies, 11 animal studies and 3 in-vitro studies. The effects of NPWT on 43 biomarkers and 17 gene expressions were studied across included studies. NPWT stimulates modulation of numerous local and circulating cytokines and growth factor expressions to promote an anti-inflammatory profile. This is most likely achieved by downregulation of TNFα, upregulation of VEGF, TGF-β and fibronectin.