Fatores associados a sintomas depressivos em estudantes do ensino médio de São Paulo, Brasil

OBJECTIVE: To assess factors associated with depression symptoms in high school students. METHODS: A cross-sectional study involving high school students was conducted in the city of São Paulo, Brazil, 2001. A total of 724 students aged 14-18 years answered questionnaires on life and health conditions. Another questionnaire was applied to working (44.8%) and unemployed (22.9%) students to collect information on working conditions. Factors associated to depressive disorders were analyzed using multiple logistic regression controlled for occupational status. RESULTS: Overall prevalence rate of depression was 7.5%. Rates according to gender were 39 (10.3%) in females and 15 (4.3%) in males. The multiple logistic regression analysis showed that factors associated with depressive disorders were: poor self-perception of health (OR=5.78), being female (OR = 2.45), and alcohol consumption (OR=2.35). CONCLUSIONS: The study results showed that sociodemographic, lifestyle and health variables were associated with symptoms of depression in this population. These ndings suggest that it is important to have mental health professionals available in high schools for early detection of mental conditions and student counseling.OBJETIVO: Investigar os fatores associados a sintomas depressivos em estudantes do ensino médio. MÉTODOS: Foi realizado estudo transversal com estudantes residentes no Município de São Paulo, Brasil, em 2001. O total de 724 estudantes com idades entre 14 e 18 anos preencheram questionários de condições de vida e saúde. Dentre eles, os estudantes trabalhadores (44,8%) e desempregados (22,9%) também responderam a um outro questionário de condições de trabalho. A regressão logística foi utilizada para determinar os fatores associados para apresentar distúrbios depressivos, utilizando-se a "situação ocupacional" para ajustar o modelo. RESULTADOS: A prevalência dos sintomas depressivos na população estudada foi de 7,5%; as taxas de acordo com o sexo foram de 39 (10,3%) e 15 (4,3%) nos adolescentes dos sexos feminino e masculino, respectivamente. A regressão logística mostrou que os fatores associados aos distúrbios depressivos são: baixo escore na auto-avaliação da saúde (OR=5,78), ser do sexo feminino (OR=2,45) e consumo de bebidas alcoólicas (OR=2,35). CONCLUSÕES: Os resultados mostraram que variáveis sociodemográficas, de estilo de vida e de saúde estavam associadas aos distúrbios depressivos. Esses achados sugerem a importância de que profissionais de saúde mental em escolas de ensino médio efetuem rastreio para reconhecer precocemente problemas mentais e fornecer aconselhamento aos estudantes.FAPESPCNP

Euler-Heisenberg lagrangians and asymptotic analysis in 1+1 QED, part 1: Two-loop

We continue an effort to obtain information on the QED perturbation series at high loop orders, and particularly on the issue of large cancellations inside gauge invariant classes of graphs, using the example of the l - loop N - photon amplitudes in the limit of large photons numbers and low photon energies. As was previously shown, high-order information on these amplitudes can be obtained from a nonperturbative formula, due to Affleck et al., for the imaginary part of the QED effective lagrangian in a constant field. The procedure uses Borel analysis and leads, under some plausible assumptions, to a number of nontrivial predictions already at the three-loop level. Their direct verification would require a calculation of this `Euler-Heisenberg lagrangian' at three-loops, which seems presently out of reach. Motivated by previous work by Dunne and Krasnansky on Euler-Heisenberg lagrangians in various dimensions, in the present work we initiate a new line of attack on this problem by deriving and proving the analogous predictions in the simpler setting of 1+1 dimensional QED. In the first part of this series, we obtain a generalization of the formula of Affleck et al. to this case, and show that, for both Scalar and Spinor QED, it correctly predicts the leading asymptotic behaviour of the weak field expansion coefficients of the two loop Euler-Heisenberg lagrangians.Comment: 28 pages, 1 figures, final published version (minor modifications, refs. added

Answer changing in multiple choice assessment change that answer when in doubt – and spread the word!

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Several studies during the last decades have shown that answer changing in multiple choice examinations is generally beneficial for examinees. In spite of this the common misbelief still prevails that answer changing in multiple choice examinations results in an increased number of wrong answers rather than an improved score. One suggested consequence of newer studies is that examinees should be informed about this misbelief in the hope that this prejudice might be eradicated. This study aims to confirm data from previous studies about the benefits of answer changing as well as pursue the question of whether students informed about the said advantageous effects of answer changing would indeed follow this advice and change significantly more answers. Furthermore a look is cast on how the overall examination performance and mean point increase of these students is affected.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The answer sheets to the end of term exams of 79 3^rdyear medical students at the University of Munich were analysed to confirm the benefits of answer changing. Students taking the test were randomized into two groups. Prior to taking the test 41 students were informed about the benefits of changing answers after careful reconsideration while 38 students did not receive such information. Both groups were instructed to mark all answer changes made during the test.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Answer changes were predominantly from wrong to right in full accordance with existing literature resources. It was shown that students who had been informed about the benefits of answer changing when in doubt changed answers significantly more often than students who had not been informed. Though students instructed on the benefits of changing answers scored higher in their exams than those not instructed, the difference in point increase was not significant.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Students should be informed about the benefits of changing initial answers to multiple choice questions once when in reasonable doubt about these answers. Furthermore, reconsidering answers should be encouraged as students will heed the advice and change more answers than students not so instructed.</p

ERK1/2 signaling dominates over RhoA signaling in regulating early changes in RNA expression induced by endothelin-1 in neonatal rat cardiomyocytes

Cardiomyocyte hypertrophy is associated with changes in gene expression. Extracellular signal-regulated kinases 1/2 (ERK1/2) and RhoA [activated by hypertrophic agonists (e.g. endothelin-1)] regulate gene expression and are implicated in the response, but their relative significance in regulating the cardiomyocyte transcriptome is unknown. Our aim was to establish the significance of ERK1/2 and/or RhoA in the early cardiomyocyte transcriptomic response to endothelin-1.Cardiomyocytes were exposed to endothelin-1 (1 h) with/without PD184352 (to inhibit ERK1/2) or C3 transferase (C3T, to inhibit RhoA). RNA expression was analyzed using microarrays and qPCR. ERK1/2 signaling positively regulated approximately 65% of the early gene expression response to ET-1 with a small (approximately 2%) negative effect, whereas RhoA signaling positively regulated approximately 10% of the early gene expression response to ET-1 with a greater (approximately 14%) negative contribution. Of RNAs non-responsive to endothelin-1, 66 or 448 were regulated by PD184352 or C3T, respectively, indicating that RhoA had a more significant effect on baseline RNA expression. mRNAs upregulated by endothelin-1 encoded a number of receptor ligands (e.g. Ereg, Areg, Hbegf) and transcription factors (e.g. Abra/Srf) that potentially propagate the response.ERK1/2 dominates over RhoA in the early transcriptomic response to endothelin-1. RhoA plays a major role in maintaining baseline RNA expression but, with upregulation of Abra/Srf by endothelin-1, RhoA may regulate changes in RNA expression over longer times. Our data identify ERK1/2 as a more significant node than RhoA in regulating the early stages of cardiomyocyte hypertrophy

Lactate Regulates Metabolic and Proinflammatory Circuits in Control of T Cell Migration and Effector Functions

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Running Gauge Coupling in Asymptotically Safe Quantum Gravity

We investigate the non-perturbative renormalization group behavior of the gauge coupling constant using a truncated form of the functional flow equation for the effective average action of the Yang-Mills-gravity system. We find a non-zero quantum gravity correction to the standard Yang-Mills beta function which has the same sign as the gauge boson contribution. Our results fit into the picture according to which Quantum Einstein Gravity (QEG) is asymptotically safe, with a vanishing gauge coupling constant at the non-trivial fixed point.Comment: 27 page

Does Childhood Executive Function Predict Adolescent Functional Outcomes in Girls with ADHD?

We prospectively followed an ethnically and socioeconomically diverse sample of preadolescent girls with ADHD (n = 140) and matched comparison girls (n = 88) over a period of 5 years, from middle childhood through early/mid-adolescence. Our aim was to examine the ability of measures of childhood executive function (EF) to predict functional outcomes in adolescence. Measures of neuropsychological functioning comprised the childhood predictors, with academic, social, and global functioning serving as adolescent criterion measures. Results indicated that childhood EF predicted (a) academic achievement and social functioning across our entire sample (independent of diagnostic group status) and (b) global functioning only in girls with ADHD (independent of IQ). These results highlight the non-specificity of EF deficits and suggest the importance of assessing and developing interventions that target EF impairments, particularly in those at high-risk for negative outcomes, in order to prevent long-term difficulties across a range of important functional domains

The Pseudomonas Quinolone Signal (PQS) Balances Life and Death in Pseudomonas aeruginosa Populations

When environmental conditions deteriorate and become inhospitable, generic survival strategies for populations of bacteria may be to enter a dormant state that slows down metabolism, to develop a general tolerance to hostile parameters that characterize the habitat, and to impose a regime to eliminate damaged members. Here, we provide evidence that the pseudomonas quinolone signal (PQS) mediates induction of all of these phenotypes. For individual cells, PQS, an interbacterial signaling molecule of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, has both deleterious and beneficial activities: on the one hand, it acts as a pro-oxidant and sensitizes the bacteria towards oxidative and other stresses and, on the other, it efficiently induces a protective anti-oxidative stress response. We propose that this dual function fragments populations into less and more stress tolerant members which respond differentially to developing stresses in deteriorating habitats. This suggests that a little poison may be generically beneficial to populations, in promoting survival of the fittest, and in contributing to bacterial multi-cellular behavior. It further identifies PQS as an essential mediator of the shaping of the population structure of Pseudomonas and of its response to and survival in hostile environmental conditions