Translational Research and Youth Development

Borrowing the term “translational research” (TR) from medicine, along with some of the ideas and practices that define it, holds promise as a way of linking research more closely to the practice of youth development. However, doing so entails substantial adaptation. TR is more than a new name for applied research. It comprehends the sequence of very different kinds of research that connect new knowledge with practice and ultimately with enhanced youth development. Research syntheses and evidence-based programs and practices are central to TR, which draws on a variety of research methods and traditions, including epidemiology, “basic” research, evaluation, and implementation science. Syntheses are needed in all these areas along with communication among researchers representing them as well as with practitioners. The flow of information is bi-directional; research is informed by practice and practitioners conduct research.     

Understanding Youth Development From the Practitioner's Point of View: A Call for Research on Effective Practice

This article calls for research on the expertise of youth development practitioners. We argue for studies focused on understanding youth practice from practitioners' points of view—as they experience and enact it—with the aim of contributing findings and frameworks that are helpful to their work and learning. To improve youth programs, first, it is essential to better understand the challenges frontline staff face in their work. We review evidence showing that running a program and facilitating youth development is more challenging and multidimensional than is generally appreciated. Second, it is essential to understand the strategies effective practitioners employ to address these challenges. Studies indicate that the expertise of frontline staff is central to program impact; we review findings suggesting the diverse, contextually-attuned skills this expertise entails. Case studies in three domains of decision-making (designing programs, youth's motivation, and ethical dilemmas) are used to provide a vision for this research.     

Impact of Switching Youth With Diabetes to Insulin Degludec in Clinical Practice

Objective: Many youth with diabetes struggle to meet glycemic targets. The new ultralong duration of action of insulin degludec (iDeg) holds potential to ameliorate missed doses of basal insulin and improve glycemic control in youth with diabetes.Methods: A retrospective chart review was undertaken of youth age 13 to <24 years in our practice with type 1 diabetes (T1D) or type 2 diabetes (T2D) who had been switched from glargine or detemir to iDeg to evaluate the impact of this transition on glycemic control.Results: Glycated hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) in youth with T1D (n = 82) remained stable during 6 months of treatment with iDeg (10.1 ± 2.11% &lsqb;87 ± 23 mmol/mol] at start of iDeg compared to 10.1 ± 2.12% &lsqb;87 ± 23 mmol/mol] at 6 months of treatment), whereas in youth with T2D (n = 16), HbA1c significantly declined from 10.6 ± 2.3% (92 ± 25 mmol/mol) to 8.3 ± 2.2% (67 ± 24 mmol/mol) (P = .0024).Conclusion: In youth switched to iDeg, which in our practice is commonly due to ineffectiveness of the patient's current regimen, the outcome differences we saw may be due to preserved beta-cell function in youth with T2D. It remains to be seen whether there are benefits of transition to iDeg in youth with T1D beyond glycemic outcomes, such as reduction in ketosis and episodes of diabetic ketoacidosis.Abbreviations: DKA = diabetic ketoacidosis; DPV = Diabetes-Patienten-Verlaufsdokumentation (German/Austrian Prospective Diabetes Follow-Up Registry); HbA1c = glycated hemoglobin A1c; iDeg = insulin degludec; T1D = type 1 diabetes; T2D = type 2 diabetes     

A Theoretical and Empirical Examination of Identity as Coping: Linking Coping Resources to the Self Processes of African American Youth

Spencer's (1995) Phenomenological Variant of Ecological Systems Theory is presented as a theoretical framework to integrate issues of context, coping, and identity in human development. The relation of coping supports (i.e., cultural socialization and spirituality) to psychological well-being was investigated for a sample of low resource African American youth. Results suggest that employment of religion and spirituality and cultural pride as a form of coping is important in the development of a healthy sense of self and a healthy sense of self in relation to others, especially among Black adolescent boys. The finding was not replicated among girls, suggesting the need to investigate other forms of support.     

The Role of Youth Surveys in Community Youth Development Initiatives

Youth development practitioners and involved citizens can become confused when confronted with multiple approaches to understanding youth needs and improving communities as contexts for youth development. To reduce that confusion, this article describes 3 youth development surveys: the Communities That Care (CTC) Youth Survey; Search Institute's Profiles of Student Life: Attitudes and Behaviors; and the Teen Assessment Project. It also compares the strategies promoted by CTC and Search Institute. This article summarizes the results of an informal study asking representatives of upstate New York communities, that have used the surveys and strategies, about their experiences.     

Linking specification to differentiation

Much of developmental biology is concerned with the processes by which cells become committed to particular fates in a regulated fashion, whereas cell biology addresses, among other things, the variety of differentiated forms and functions that cells can acquire. One open question is how the regulators of the former process lead to attainment of the latter. 'High-level' regulators of cell fate specification include the proneural factors, which drive cells to commit as precursors in the sensory nervous system. Recent research has concentrated on the gene expression events downstream of proneural factor function. Here we summarise this research and describe our own research that has provided clear links between a proneural factor, atonal, and the cell biological programme of ciliogenesis, which is a central aspect of sensory neuron differentiation.     

Effects of the Positive Action Program on Indicators of Positive Youth Development Among Urban Youth

This study evaluated effects of Positive Action, a school-based social-emotional and character development intervention, on indicators of positive youth development (PYD) among a sample of low-income, ethnic minority youth attending 14 urban schools. The study used a matched-pair, cluster-randomized controlled design at the school level. A multiple-measure self-report protocol assessed four key strengths and resources for PYD: self-concept, peer affiliations, ethics, and social skills. Students (n = 1170) were assessed from grades 3 to 8; the duration of the intervention, with drop-outs and late entrants was included in analyses. Growth curve analyses revealed evidence of favorable program effects on each of the four types of resources. The study contributes to PYD research by providing evidence for school-based interventions in low-income, urban contexts for ethnic minority youth.     

Linking retroelements to autoimmunity

In this issue, Stetson et al. (2008) report a mechanism by which host cells avert an autoimmune response to self-nucleic acids. They show that the nuclease Trex1 prevents the accumulation of DNA derived from endogenous retroelements that, if left unchecked, trigger elevated production of type I interferons leading to autoimmunity.     

Linking kinetochore-microtubule binding to the spindle checkpoint

The spindle checkpoint blocks cell-cycle progression until chromosomes are properly attached to the mitotic spindle. Popular models propose that checkpoint proteins associate with kinetochores to produce a "wait anaphase" signal that inhibits anaphase. Recent data suggest that a two-state switch results from using the same kinetochore proteins to bind microtubules and checkpoint proteins. At least eight protein kinases are implicated in spindle checkpoint signaling, arguing that a traditional signal transduction cascade is integral to spindle checkpoint signaling.     

Linking the mitochondrial genotype to the organismal phenotype

One of the grand challenges of the postgenomics era is to mechanistically link the genotype with the phenotype. Here, we consider the link between the mitochondrial genotype and the organismal phenotype that is provided by bioenergetic studies of the electron transport chain. That linkage is pertinent for the fields of molecular ecology and phylogeography as it tests if, and potentially how, natural selection can influence the evolutionary and demographic past of both populations and species. We introduce the mitochondrial genotype in terms of mitochondrial‐encoded genes, nuclear‐encoded genes that produce structural proteins imported into the mitochondria, and mitochondrial DNA–nuclear interactions. We then review the potential for quaternary structure modelling to predict the functional consequence of specific naturally occurring mutations. We discuss how the energy‐producing reactions of oxidative phosphorylation can be used to provide a mechanistic biochemical link between genotype and phenotype. Experimental manipulations can then be used to test the functional consequences of specific mutations in multiple genetic backgrounds. Finally, we examine how mitochondria can influence the organismal mitochondrial phenotype using the examples of lifespan, fertility and starvation resistance and discuss how mitochondria may be involved in establishing both the upper and lower thermal limits of organisms. We conclude that mitochondrial DNA mutations can be important in determining aspects of organism life history. The question that remains to be resolved is how common are these adaptive mutations?