198 research outputs found
Patterns and Predictors of Parent-Child Endorsement Discrepancies among Youth at Chronic-Risk for Depression
Depressive disorders are some of the most common mental health problems among U.S. adolescents, particularly among Latino youth (Merikangas et al., 2010; Twenge & Nolen-Hoeksema, 2002). When parents and their children provide ratings on the presence and severity of the child’s depressive symptoms, their ratings show only low to moderate agreement (Mascendaro et al., 2012). Research has shown that parent–child discrepancies in ratings of youth emotional and behavioral problems are linked to factors such as parental depression and ethnicity. However, discrepancies research has focused primarily on European American families in clinical settings. Subsequently, research has failed to examine discrepancies in populations with the highest levels of unmet need and much less is known about patterns of parent–child endorsement agreement in depressive symptoms among ethnic minority families in community samples. Using a sample of 313 low-income, predominantly Latino students at chronic risk for depression, the present study addressed methodological limitations by utilizing Latent Class Analysis (LCA) to uncover patterns of parent–child endorsement of core diagnostic depressive symptoms. Three classes emerged, including classes characterized by high endorsement and agreement (HH), low endorsement and agreement (LH), and high youth endorsement and low agreement (HCL). Multinomial regression models revealed that prior mental health service use, higher comorbid externalizing problems, and parental Spanish interview language were associated with HCL class membership, in which parents under-reported core depressive symptoms, relative to youth themselves. In contrast, youth age, youth gender, youth ethnicity, parental depression, and parental education were not associated with endorsement agreement classes. Findings provide evidence that cultural and clinical factors impact parental endorsement of youth depression and suggest that psychoeducation aimed at increasing parental awareness of youth depression and minimizing stigma may increase access to mental health services among youth with chronic depression
Bias versus Context Models for Integrating Multi-Informant Reports of Youth Mental Health
Best practices in youth mental health assessment entail collecting reports from multiple informants. However, multi-informant reports commonly yield different estimates of youth mental health (i.e., informant discrepancies), resulting in various clinical decision-making challenges and necessitating strategies for integrating them. Two leading theoretical models exist for interpreting informant discrepancies. Whereas one model posits that informant discrepancies reflect rater biases and thus depress measurement validity (i.e., bias models), the other posits that they reflect meaningful variations in behavior across social contexts (e.g., home, school) and thus enhance measurement validity (i.e., context models). Although greater empirical support exists for context models relative to bias models, measurement models extending from both bias (i.e., Trifactor Model [TFM]) and context (i.e., Trait Score Satellite Model [TSSM]) models have been developed. Across two studies, I rigorously compared the TFM and TSSM. In Study 1, a systematic review of TFM and TSSM research (n = 47) revealed that, relative to TFM studies, TSSM studies were more likely to include (a) informants who varied in where they observe behavior (e.g., parent [home] vs. teacher [school]) and (b) more informants. In Study 2, I subjected these models to validation testing using a sample (n = 134) that included three informants’ reports of adolescent social anxiety and independent ratings of adolescent behavior within peer interactions. I found satisfactory fit for both models when integrating all three informants’ reports. However, when predicting well-established, independent criterion variables (i.e., observed behavior, referral status), the primary score derived from the TSSM outperformed each individual informant’s report, a composite of informants’ reports, and the primary TFM-derived score. Relative to the TFM, the TSSM (a) more closely aligns with best practices in evidence-based assessment of youth mental health, and (b) more effectively integrates multi-informant reports in data conditions where informant discrepancies reflect valid information. When using measurement models designed to integrate multi-informant reports, users of these models must subject them to rigorous validation testing to discern their applicability to the data conditions in which they will be applied. In turn, integrating multi-informant reports requires explicitly linking theory, quantitative methodology, and empirical support observed within relevant data conditions
Developing Muslim Communties in the Philippines Through Transformational Leadership: an Islamic Perspective
This research concludes that development of Muslim communities in the Philippinesprimarily relies on local initiatives and people\u27s assertive character to institute behavioralreform. It entails a transformation process involving all sectors of the society in such a waythat true and committed Muslim leaders will emerge to provide direction and at the same timeorchestrate the development of the communities.It is therefore argued that transformationalleadership is the most appropriate model that could improve the living conditions of Muslimsin the Philippines Firstly, this study provides the empirical evidence that leaders and followersbelieve that it is through Islamic leadership that their communities can be developed. Secondly, thehistory of the leadership of Prophet Mohammad and his four caliphs proved that Islamic leadership isindeed transformational leadership one, hence, they deserve to be emulated by Muslims
Dietary phytogenics and galactomannan oligosaccharides in low fish meal and fish oil-based diets for European sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax) juveniles: effects on gill structure and health and implications on oxidative stress status.
An effective replacement for fish meal (FM) and fish oil (FO) based on plant-based raw materials in the feed of marine fish species is necessary for the sustainability of the aquaculture sector. However, the use of plant-based raw materials to replace FM and FO has been associated with several negative health effects, some of which are related to oxidative stress processes that can induce functional and morphological alterations in mucosal tissues. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of dietary oligosaccharides of plant origin (5,000 ppm; galactomannan oligosaccharides, GMOS) and a phytogenic feed additive (200 ppm; garlic oil and labiatae plant extract mixture, PHYTO) on the oxidative stress status and mucosal health of the gills of juvenile European sea bass (Dicentrarchus
labrax). The experimental diets, low FM and FO diets (10%FM/6%FO) were supplemented with GMOS from plant origin and PHYTO for 63 days. GMOS and PHYTO did not significantly affect feed utilization, fish growth, and survival. GMOS and PHYTO downregulated the expression of b-act, sod, gpx, cat, and gr in the gills of the fish compared with that in fish fed the control diet. The expression of hsp70 and ocln was upregulated and downregulated, respectively, in the GMOS group compared with that in the control group, whereas the expression of zo-1 was downregulated in the PHYTO group compared with that in the GMOS group. The morphological, histopathological, immunohistochemical, and biochemical parameters of the fish gills were mostly unaffected by GMOS and PHYTO. However, the PHYTO group had lower incidence of lamellar fusion than did the control group after 63 days. Although the tissular distribution of goblet cells was unaffected by GMOS and PHYTO, goblet cell size showed a decreasing trend ( 1211%) in the GMOS group. GMOS and PHYTO significantly reduced the concentration of PCNA+ in the epithelium of the gills. The above findings indicated that GMOS and PHYTO in low FM/FO-based diets protected the gill epithelia of D. labrax from oxidative stress by modulating the expression of oxidative enzyme-related genes and reducing the density of PCNA+ cells in the gills of the fish
Dietary phytogenics and galactomannan oligosaccharides in low fish meal and fish oil-based diets for European sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax) juveniles: Effects on gut health and implications on in vivo gut bacterial translocation
European sea bass were fed four low FM/FO (10%/6%) diets containing galactomannan oligosaccharides (GMOS), a mixture of garlic oil and labiatae plants oils (PHYTO), or a combination of both functional products (GMOSPHYTO) for 63 days before exposing the fish to an intestinal Vibrio anguillarum infection combined with crowding stress. In order to evaluate functional diets efficacy in terms of gut health maintenance, structural, cellular, and immune intestinal status were evaluated by optical and electron microscopy and gene expression analyses. A semi-automated software was adapted to determine variations in goblet cell area and mucosal mucus coverage during the challenge test. Feeding with functional diets did not affect growth performance; however, PHYTO and GMOS dietary inclusion reduced European sea bass susceptibility to V. anguillarum after 7 days of challenge testing. Rectum (post-ileorectal valve) showed longer (p = 0.001) folds than posterior gut (pre-ileorectal valve), whereas posterior gut had thicker submucosa (p = 0.001) and higher mucus coverage as a result of an increased cell density than rectum. Functional diets did not affect mucosal fold length or the grade of granulocytes and lymphocytes infiltration in either intestinal segment. However, the posterior gut fold area covered by goblet cells was smaller in fish fed GMOS (F = 14.53; p = 0.001) and PHYTO (F = 5.52; p = 0.019) than for the other diets. PHYTO (F = 3.95; p = 0.049) reduced posterior gut goblet cell size and increased rodlet cell density (F = 3.604; p = 0.068). Dietary GMOS reduced submucosal thickness (F = 51.31; p = 0.001) and increased rodlet cell density (F = 3.604; p = 0.068) in rectum. Structural TEM analyses revealed a normal intestinal morphological pattern, but the use of GMOS increased rectum microvilli length, whereas the use of PHYTO increased (p 640.10) Ocln, N-Cad and Cad-17 posterior gut gene expression. After bacterial intestinal inoculation, posterior gut of fish fed PHYTO responded in a more controlled and belated way in terms of goblet cell size and mucus coverage in comparison to other treatments. For rectum, the pattern of response was similar for all dietary treatments, however fish fed GMOS maintained goblet cell size along the challenge test
Functional additives in a selected european sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax) genotype: effects on the stress response and gill antioxidant response to hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) treatment.
Husbandry practices in aquaculture production may lead to stress processes and oxidative stress damages on fish tissues. Functional ingredients have profiled as suitable candidates for reinforcing the fish antioxidant response and stress tolerance. In addition, selective breeding strategies have also demonstrated a correlation between fish growth and stress reactiveness, which
may be a key component in species domestication. The present study evaluates the potential of three different functional additives for gill endogenous antioxidant capacity and stress relief in a growth selected genotype of European sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax) juveniles fed low-FM/FO diets. For this purpose, after 72 days of a feeding trial, all fish were subjected to an oxidative stress challenge consisting of a 1 h bath exposure to hydrogen peroxide (H2O2 ) at a total concentration of 50 ppm.
The functional additives induced a better recovery from the stress process, with a higher reduction in fish circulating plasma cortisol 24 h after oxidative stress. In addition, the functional additives induced higher catalase gill gene expression in response to the oxidative stress insult
Prospects of tourism in Malaysia: A situational study focusing on socio-cultural and environmental aspects
Malaysia is perhaps one of the most unique countries of the world, being
strategically situated on the gate-way location of global routes with a
wonderful eco-environmental setting. Being a pluralistic society, it inherits
its own traditional culture with harmonious integration of the diverse ethnic
groups living in a very peaceful and politically stable situation. With all its
economic potentials, Malaysia has recently emerged as a newly-developed
nation with a huge infrastructural growth in its industrial and manufacturing
sectors. Due to these developments and other eloquent features, people from
abroad become largely attracted to this land and thus, they frequently arrive
here as visitors and tourists. As recently as in the year 2005, it is reported
that at least 16.7 million international tourists from outside visited Malaysia
bringing about 30 billion ringgit in terms of foreign currency in this country
(see Badruddin et.al. 2007). At present, tourism may be regarded as the
largest service-oriented industry in Malaysia contributing a great economic
share in the national GDP and provides employment to a bulk of the
population in the country. It brings civic pride and social prestige for
Malaysia by making a kind of international linkages in global context. It
takes Malaysian culture abroad and people from outside can get the touch of
the unique Muslim heritage in Malaysian context. Based on this positive
assumption, this proposed research will generate information in regard to
knowing about the present situation of tourism in Malaysian context. Side by
side, it is also recognized that tourism often damages eco-environments of a
particular region of the country, which are over-used by the tourists. The
natural habitats are dislocated, and also there occurs enormous social
impacts on local values and community culture. From that perspective the
paper is designed to deal with the issue of tourism in Malaysia from both
positive and negative perspectives; and thus it will generate a discourse to
conceptualize a rational framework for Malaysian tourism
An unusual case of autoimmune pancreatitis presenting as pancreatic mass and obstructive jaundice: a case report and review of the literature
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Autoimmune pancreatitis is a rare chronic inflammatory pancreatic disease that is increasingly being diagnosed worldwide. As a result of overlap in clinical and radiological features, it is often misdiagnosed as pancreatic cancer. We report the case of a patient with autoimmune pancreatitis that was initially misdiagnosed as pancreatic cancer.</p> <p>Case presentation</p> <p>A 31-year-old Caucasian man presented to our hospital with epigastric pain, jaundice and weight loss. His CA 19-9 level was elevated, and computed tomography and endoscopic ultrasound revealed a pancreatic head mass abutting the portal vein. Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreaticography showed narrowing of the biliary duct and poor visualization of the pancreatic duct. Fine-needle aspiration biopsy revealed atypical ductal epithelial cells, which raised clinical suspicion of adenocarcinoma. Because of the patient's unusual age for the onset of pancreatic cancer and the acuity of his symptoms, he was referred to a tertiary care center for further evaluation. His immunoglobulin G4 antibody level was 365 mg/dL, and repeat computed tomography showed features typical of autoimmune pancreatitis. The patient's symptoms resolved with corticosteroid therapy.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Autoimmune pancreatitis is a rare disease with an excellent response to corticosteroid therapy. Its unique histological appearance and response to corticosteroid therapy can reduce unnecessary surgical procedures. A thorough evaluation by a multidisciplinary team is important in rendering the diagnosis of autoimmune pancreatitis.</p
CONQUER Scleroderma: Association of Gastrointestinal Tract Symptoms in Early Disease With Resource Utilization
OBJECTIVES: SSc is associated with increased health-care resource utilization and economic burden. The Collaborative National Quality and Efficacy Registry (CONQUER) is a US-based collaborative that collects longitudinal follow-up data on SSc patients withparticipants.
METHODS: CONQUER participants who had completed a baseline and 12-month Gastrointestinal Tract Questionnaire (GIT 2.0) and a Resource Utilization Questionnaire (RUQ) were included in this analysis. Patients were categorized by total GIT 2.0 severity: none-to-mild (0-0.49); moderate (0.50-1.00), and severe-to-very severe (1.01-3.00). Clinical features and medication exposures were examined in each of these categories. The 12-month RUQ responses were summarized by GIT 2.0 score categories at 12 months.
RESULTS: Among the 211 CONQUER participants who met the inclusion criteria, most (64%) had mild GIT symptoms, 26% had moderate symptoms, and 10% severe GIT symptoms at 12 months. The categorization of GIT total severity score by RUQ showed that more upper endoscopy procedures and inpatient hospitalization occurred in the CONQUER participants with severe GIT symptoms. These patients with severe GIT symptoms also reported the use of more adaptive equipment.
CONCLUSION: This report from the CONQUER cohort suggests that severe GIT symptoms result in more resource utilization. It is especially important to understand resource utilization in early disease cohorts when disease activity, rather than damage, primarily contributes to health-related costs of SSc
High fatigue scores in patients with idiopathic inflammatory myopathies: a multigroup comparative study from the COVAD e-survey
Idiopathic inflammatory myopathies (IIMs) confer a significant risk of disability and poor quality of life, though fatigue, an important contributing factor, remains under-reported in these individuals. We aimed to compare and analyze differences in visual analog scale (VAS) scores (0-10 cm) for fatigue (VAS-F) in patients with IIMs, non-IIM systemic autoimmune diseases (SAIDs), and healthy controls (HCs). We performed a cross-sectional analysis of the data from the COVID-19 Vaccination in Autoimmune Diseases (COVAD) international patient self-reported e-survey. The COVAD survey was circulated from December 2020 to August 2021, and details including demographics, COVID-19 history, vaccination details, SAID details, global health, and functional status were collected from adult patients having received at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose. Fatigue experienced 1 week prior to survey completion was assessed using a single-item 10 cm VAS. Determinants of fatigue were analyzed in regression models. Six thousand nine hundred and eighty-eight respondents (mean age 43.8 years, 72% female; 55% White) were included in the analysis. The overall VAS-F score was 3 (IQR 1-6). Patients with IIMs had similar fatigue scores (5, IQR 3-7) to non-IIM SAIDs [5 (IQR 2-7)], but higher compared to HCs (2, IQR 1-5; P < 0.001), regardless of disease activity. In adjusted analysis, higher VAS-F scores were seen in females (reference female; coefficient -0.17; 95%CI -0.21 to -13; P < 0.001) and Caucasians (reference Caucasians; coefficient -0.22; 95%CI -0.30 to -0.14; P < 0.001 for Asians and coefficient -0.08; 95%CI -0.13 to 0.30; P = 0.003 for Hispanics) in our cohort. Our study found that patients with IIMs exhibit considerable fatigue, similar to other SAIDs and higher than healthy individuals. Women and Caucasians experience greater fatigue scores, allowing identification of stratified groups for optimized multidisciplinary care and improve outcomes such as quality of life
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