Correlation between secosteroid-induced vitamin D receptor activity in melanoma cells and computer-modeled receptor binding strength

To define the interaction of novel secosteroids produced by the action of cytochrome P450scc with vitamin D receptor (VDR), we used a human melanoma line overexpressing VDR fused with enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) and tested the ligand induced translocation of VDR from the cytoplasm to the nucleus. Hydroxyderivatives of vitamin D(3) with a full length (D(3)) side chain and hydroxy-secosteroids with a shortened side chain (pD) stimulated VDR translocation and inhibited proliferation, however, with different potencies. In general the D(3) were more potent than pD analogues. Molecular modeling of the binding of the secosteroids to the VDR genomic binding pocket (G-pocket) correlated well with the experimental data for VDR translocation. In contrast, docking scores for the non-genomic binding site of the VDR were poor. In conclusion, both the length of the side chain and the number and position of hydroxyl groups affect the activation of VDR by novel secosteroids.     

Stress in the Courtroom: Call for research

Recent acts of violence against judges highlight the growing number of occupational stressors that judges encounter. In addition to threats of violence, judges often deal with substantial workloads, traumatic cases, and the pressure of making significant decisions. It is important to understand these stressors, because they could negatively affect judges' abilities to handle evidence, protect jurors, and make decisions. Approaches (work-related burnout, compassion fatigue, and vicarious traumatization) to assessing work-related stress, and their corresponding scales (Maslach Burnout Inventory, Compassion Fatigue Self-Test, Traumatic Stress Institute Belief Scale), are presented, as a first step in developing a scale to assess the extent and prevalence of judge stress. Following assessment research, researchers should develop intervention strategies to alleviate problematic sources of stress for judges.     

Juror perceptions of false confessions versus witness recantations

In false confessions, someone confesses to a crime but then later retracts that confession, whereas in witness recantations, an eyewitness testifies but then later revokes that testimony. The revocations are conceptually similar, but they differ in the author of the revocation – the defendant versus a third party. The current study examines differences in juror perceptions of the legitimacy of false confessions versus witness recantations, and also takes contextual influences (coercion and crime severity) into account. False confessions were found to be judged more harshly than witness recantations, but, surprisingly, levels of coercion and the severity of the crime did not influence decision-making in the manner that the original hypotheses predicted. Implications for the application of this research are discussed.