University of Colorado Colorado Springs

Tandem-repeat galectins are a family of proteins containing two carbohydrate recognition domains (CRDs) with affinity to various glycoproteins and glycolipids involved in cell signaling. Galectin-4 is expressed in intestinal epithelial cells, and galectin-8 is essential in regulating cell adhesion and immune response. Misregulation of both tandem-repeat galectins is linked to variable cancer cell behavior. Structure models for the membrane-bound forms of galectin-4 and galectin-8 were constructed from X-ray reflectivity measurements coupled with molecular dynamics for galectin-4. The proteins were bound to lipid monolayers containing their respective ligands, gangliosides GM1 or GM3, to determine the membrane-bound structure. Galectin-4 contains two CRDs with weak affinity for GM1, and it bound with both CRDs arranged near the membrane while dynamically sampling alternative conformations. Galectin-8, in contrast, contains only one CRD with tight binding to GM3, and one CRD was pointed towards the membrane while the other oriented away from the membrane. Shortening the peptide linker between the CRDs altered protein binding to the membrane, suggesting the linker likely facilitates stabilizing contacts between the CRDs. Overall, this work helps to illustrate the conformational dynamics of tandem-repeat galectins, emphasizing the roles of ligand affinity, linker peptide dynamics, and contacts between CRDs.

Life satisfaction is an important component of well-being to consider in relation to cognitive function due to its modifiability, potential utility in public health policy, and associations with cognitive health outcomes. However, little is known about the directionality of the association between life satisfaction and cognitive function, and past longitudinal work has yielded mixed findings. Using a coordinated data analytic approach, the current research used data from five longitudinal studies with at least three co-occurring waves of life satisfaction and cognitive function assessments, including over 60,000 individuals aged 50 years and older across multiple countries. Bivariate latent growth curve models and random intercept cross-lagged panel models were used to model between- and within-person associations and to test the potentially bidirectional association between life satisfaction and cognitive function over time. Findings revealed modest between- and within-person associations between life satisfaction and cognitive function. At the between-person level, individuals with higher life satisfaction also had higher cognitive function, and the two constructs changed together across time. However, initial levels of one did not predict long-term change trajectories in the other. At the within-person level, declines in life satisfaction predicted subsequent declines in cognitive function, and vice versa. The current research advances our understanding of the relationship between life satisfaction and cognitive function, suggesting that these constructs change together in the long term and predict changes in each other in the short term. Findings provide observational evidence for the potential utility of life satisfaction in promoting healthy cognitive aging. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).

The Body Image Concern Inventory (BICI) is a brief self-report measure of dysmorphic concern, which is characterized by intense preoccupation with perceived flaw(s) in one's appearance. Previous investigations of the factor structure of the BICI have demonstrated mixed findings, and further investigation within Western populations is particularly needed among men. While sexual minority men are known to exhibit heightened body image disturbance compared to their heterosexual counterparts, the structural validity of the BICI has not been evaluated within this population. As such, we investigated the factor structure of the BICI within a sample of sexual minority men in an iterative fashion according to models tested or called for in prior research. First, we examined a one-, two-, and three-factor first order structure of the BICI using confirmatory factor analysis. None of these structures provided an excellent fit to the current sample across multiple indices (e.g., comparative fit index [CFI] < 0.90, root mean square error of approximation [RMSEA] > 0.08). Next, we examined higher-order models of two- and three-factor structures of the BICI, which also did not adequately fit the data (e.g., CFI < 0.90, RMSEA >0.08). Finally, we employed exploratory factor analysis, which revealed a three-factor model that slightly differed from previously supported three-factor models. Factor loadings suggested subpar item functioning of four of nineteen items on the BICI (i.e., items 3, 4, 12, and 13), implications of which are discussed.