Development of Preventive Measures to Prevent School Absenteeism in Twente

Van Liere, A., Ritzen, H., & Brand-Gruwel, S. (2011, August). Development of Preventive Measures to Prevent School Absenteeism in Twente. Paper presented at 14th Biennial Conference for Research on Learning and Instruction of EARLI, Exeter, England.This research studies the relationship between school policy regarding school-absenteeism of pre-vocational education schools and pupil's self-experiences regarding school and school-absenteeism. School-absenteeism is a big problem for pupils, as well as for the school and the environment. School-absenteeism is an indicator for early school leaving and is also related to risky behavior. Initially schools took measures by addressing school management and tackling disciplinary problems. Yet, often personal factors like physical/psychological/cognitive problems and negative self-experiences are important factors related to school-absenteeism that are left unaddressed. This research consists of two questionnaires. One questionnaire measures the school policy of 10 pre-vocational education schools. The other questionnaire measures self-experiences of 700 pupils of 3 selected pre-vocational education schools. Both questionnaires will be conducted in the region of Twente in the Netherlands. The results of this research are translated to preventive measures which the schools in the region can use to further improve their policies and practices to prevent school-absenteeism(Convenant, 2008; Van Bijsterveldt-Vliegenthart, 2010)

Psychometric Properties of the Persian Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index for Adolescents

Both cross-sectional and longitudinal studies show that poor sleep is a health concern related to further psychological and physiological issues during adolescence. To assess subjective sleep quality and sleep patterns among adults, the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) is a well and internationally established tool. Here, we established the psychometric properties of the Persian version of the PSQI for adolescents.; A total of 1477 adolescents (mean age: 15.47 years; 53.2% females) took part in the study. They completed a booklet on sociodemographic information, the Persian version of the PSQI for adolescents, and the Adolescent Sleep Hygiene Scale (ASHS). We relied on classical test reliability approaches of exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses.; Classical exploratory factor analysis yielded the seven-factor solution, with concurrent confirmation and overlap with the dimensions of the ASHS, although correlation coefficients were small to medium. A further factor analysis yielded a four-factor solution, explaining 72% of the variance of the PSQI. Further, three out of these four factors predicted the ASHS overall score.; The Persian version of the PSQI for adolescents showed satisfactory psychometric properties. It follows that the Persian PSQI is a suitable tool to assess sleep quality and sleep patterns among adolescents

Levetiracetam as an adjunctive treatment for mania: a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial

BACKGROUND: Levetiracetam is an anticonvulsant with a low side effect profile and favorable properties for individuals with bipolar I disorder during their manic phase. Despite initial promising results until about 2008, it appears that this track of research has not been followed-up. To counter this, we tested the influence of adjuvant levetiracetam on acute mania, compared to placebo. More specifically, we performed a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial among inpatients with bipolar disorder I during their acute phase of mania. METHODS: A total of 72 inpatients (mean age: 33.98 years; 23.6% females) with diagnosed bipolar disorder I and during their acute manic phase were randomly assigned either to the adjuvant levetiracetam (250 mg to a maximum of 1,500 mg) or to the placebo condition. Standard medication was lithium at therapeutic dosages. At baseline, participants completed a series of self-rating questionnaires covering sociodemographic information and subjective sleep. Subjective sleep was re-assessed 24 days later at the end of the study. Experts rated participants' acute state of mania with the Young Mania Rating Scale at baseline and at day 12 and day 24. Participants' cognitive performance was assessed at baseline and at day 24 at the end of the study. RESULTS: Over time, mania scores significantly decreased (large effect size), but more so in the levetiracetam condition, compared to the placebo condition (medium effect size). Likewise, over time, subjective sleep improved (large effect size), but more so in the levetiracetam condition, compared to the placebo condition (large effect size). Over time, cognitive performance improved (large effect size), irrespective of the study condition. CONCLUSIONS: Compared to placebo, adjuvant levetiracetam to lithium improved symptoms of mania, as rated by experts, and subjective sleep quality. Adjuvant levetiracetam had no further favorable (or detrimental) impact on cognitive performance

Associations between morning salivary cortisol and blood cortisol in individuals with Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome: A meta-analysis

Background: Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) may be associated with an increase in hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical axis activity (HPA AA). We reviewed research comparing morning salivary and blood (serum and plasma) cortisol concentrations of individuals with OSAS to those of healthy controls. Methods: We made a systematic search without any restrictions of the PubMed/Medline, Scopus, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science databases for relevant articles published up to August 25, 2019. Results: Sixteen studies were analyzed in this meta-analysis; five studies compared morning salivary concentrations, five compared serum concentrations, four compared plasma cortisol concentrations, and two compared both salivary and plasma concentrations. In pediatric samples, compared to healthy controls, those with OSAS had significantly lower saliva morning cortisol concentrations (MD = -0.13 µg/dl; 95% CI: 0.21, -0.04; P = 0.003). In contrast, no significant differences were observed for serum cortisol concentrations, plasma cortisol concentrations, or salivary morning cortisol concentrations between adults with and without OSAS (p = 0.61, p = 0.17, p = 0.17). Conclusion: Cortisol concentrations did not differ between adults with OSAS and healthy controls. In contrast, morning salivary cortisol concentrations were lower in children with OSAS, compared to healthy controls. Given that a reduced HPA AA is observed among individuals with chronic stress, it is conceivable that children with OSAS are experiencing chronic psychophysiological stress

Polymorphisms of ATP-binding cassette, sub-family A, member 4 (rs560426 and rs481931) and non-syndromic cleft lip/palate: A meta-analysis

Background: A number of genes are associated with the incidence of non-syndromic cleft lip/palate (NSCL/P). Studies have shown a significant association between polymorphisms of ATP-binding cassette, sub-family A, member 4 (ABCA4) with the risk of NSCL/P. The present meta-analysis assessed the association between ABCA4 polymorphisms (rs560426 and rs481931) and the NSCL/P risk by reviewing case-control studies. Methods: Four databases (Scopus; Cochrane Library; Web of Science; and PubMed) were searched for articles published up to June 2020. The Review Manager 5.3 software was used to calculate the crude odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI). Both subgroup analyses for ethnicity and source of controls and a meta-regression related to publication year were conducted. Results: Of 94 retrieved studies, 12 were analyzed in this meta-analysis (2859 NSCL/P patients and 3792 controls for ABCA4 rs560426 polymorphism and 1333 NSCL/P patients and 1884 controls for ABCA4 rs481931 polymorphism). Overall, there was no significant association between both polymorphisms and the risk of NSCL/P. However, subgroup analysis demonstrated that there was a higher risk of NSCL/P for specific models: the allelic model (OR = 1.13; p = 0.03), the homozygote model (OR = 1.53; p = 0.04), and the recessive model (OR = 1.30; p = 0.03) in the Asian ethnicity for the rs560426 polymorphism. Conclusion: The findings confirmed that the NSCL/P risk was significantly associated with the G allele and GG genotype of rs560426 polymorphism but not for rs481931 polymorphism. There were no associations between both polymorphisms (rs560426 and rs481931) and the NSCL/P risk in those of European descent and the mixed ethnicitie

When Non-Suicidal Self-Injury Predicts Non-Suicidal Self-Injury and Poor Sleep—Results from a Larger Cross-Sectional and Quasi-Longitudinal Study

Poor sleep is associated with a higher risk of non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) as a proxy of unfavorable emotion regulation. In the present study, we tested the hypothesis that past non-suicidal self-injury was associated with current non-suicidal self-injury and with current subjective sleep patterns. To this end, a larger sample of young adults were assessed. A total of 2374 adults (mean age: 27.58 years; 39.6% females) completed a series of self-rating questionnaires covering sociodemographic information, past and current NSSIs, suicide attempts, and current sleep patterns, including experiencing nightmares. Past NSSIs predicted current NSSIs. Current sleep patterns had a modest impact on the association between past and current NSSIs. Compared to male participants, female participants did not report more sleep complaints or more current NSSIs, but more past NSSIs. Past NSSIs predicted the occurrences of nightmares and suicide attempts. The best predictor of current NSSI was the remembered past NSSI, while current poor sleep was only modestly associated with current NSSI. Further indicators of current NSSI and poor sleep were suicide attempts and nightmares within the last six months. Overall, it appears that poor emotion regulation should be considered as underlying factor to trigger and maintain non-suicidal self-injury-related behavior and poor sleep. Further, unlike previous studies, which focused on the possible influence of sleep patterns on NSSIs, the aim of the present study paradigm was to investigate NSSIs on sleep patterns

Erythrocyte Phospholipid Molecular Species and Fatty Acids of Down Syndrome Children Compared with Non-affected Siblings

The majority of children with Down syndrome (DS) develop Alzheimer's disease (AD) at an early age. Although long-chain n-3 fatty acids (FA) are protective of neurodegeneration, little is known about the FA status in DS. In the present study, we aimed to investigate whether children with DS presented altered plasma and erythrocyte membrane phospholipids (PL) FA composition, when compared with their non-affected siblings. Venous blood samples were analysed for plasma and erythrocyte membrane FA composition by TLC followed by GC techniques. Lipid molecular species were determined by electrospray ionisation/tandem MS (ESI-MS/MS). FA analysis measured by standard GC showed an increased concentration of MUFA and a decreased concentration of plasmalogens in major PL fractions, but there were no differences in the concentrations of arachidonic acid or DHA. However, as identified by ESI-MS/MS, children with DS had increased levels of the following erythrocyte PL molecular species: 16 : 0–16 : 0, 16 : 0–18 : 1 and 16 : 0–18 : 2n-6, with reduced levels of 16 : 0–20 : 4n-6 species. Children with DS presented significantly higher levels of MUFA in both plasma and erythrocyte membrane, as well as higher levels of saturated and monounsaturated molecular species. Of interest was the almost double proportion of 16 : 0–18 : 2n-6 and nearly half the proportion of 16 : 0–20 : 4n-6 of choline phosphoacylglycerol species in children with DS compared with their non-affected siblings. These significant differences were only revealed by ESI-MS/MS and were not observed in the GC analysis. Further investigations are needed to explore molecular mechanisms and to test the association between the pathophysiology of DS and the risk of AD

A Comprehensive Review on the Role of Non-Coding RNAs in the Pathophysiology of Bipolar Disorder

Aim: Bipolar disorder is a multifactorial disorder being linked with dysregulation of several genes. Among the recently acknowledged factors in the pathophysiology of bipolar disorder are non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs). Methods: We searched PubMed and Google Scholar databases to find studies that assessed the expression profile of miRNAs, lncRNAs and circRNAs in bipolar disorder. Results: Dysregulated ncRNAs in bipolar patients have been enriched in several neuron-related pathways such as GABAergic and glutamatergic synapses, morphine addiction pathway and redox modulation. Conclusion: Altered expression of these transcripts in bipolar disorder provides clues for identification of the pathogenesis of this disorder and design of targeted therapies for the treatment of patients. Keywords: bipolar disorder; circRNA; lncRNA; miRNA