Role of Charge Patterning and Hydrophobicity in Peptide-Based Complex Coacervates.

Complex coacervation has emerged as a powerful model for studying the self-assembly of intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs) in biological condensates in cells. We characterized the phase behavior and rheology of coacervates formed from peptides with regular repeating sequences to examine the effects of charge patterning and hydrophobicity on coacervate stability and material properties. Our results show that increasing the size of charged blocks enhances salt resistance via electrostatic cooperativity, while incorporating small hydrophobic segments further stabilizes coacervates and increases viscosity through hydrophobic clustering.

Early detection of posttraumatic stress disorder in children.

Surviving trauma patients are at an increased risk for developing posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms. An estimated 1 million American children develop some form (acute, chronic) of PTSD every year. The purpose of this study was to benchmark detection of PTSD in children at our trauma center against the national average and develop a guideline that would identify children who might need referral for screening prior to discharge.