Serum protein changes in a rat model of chronic pain show a correlation between animal and humans

In previous works we showed the overexpression of some proteins in biological fluids from patients suffering chronic pain. In this proteomic study we analysed serum from a rat model of neuropathic pain obtained by the chronic constriction injury (CCI) of sciatic nerve, at two time intervals, 2 and 5 weeks after the insult, to find proteins involved in the expression or mediation of pain. Sham-operated and CCI rats were treated with saline or indomethacin. Two weeks after ligation, we identified three serum proteins overexpressed in CCI rats, two of which, alpha-1-macroglobulin and vitamin D-binding protein (VDBP), remained increased 5 weeks post-surgery; at this time interval, we found increased levels of further proteins, namely apolipoprotein A-I (APOA1), apolipoprotein E (APOE), prostaglandin-H2 D-isomerase (PTGDS) and transthyretin (TTR), that overlap the overexpressed proteins found in humans. Indomethacin treatment reversed the effects of ligation. The qPCR analysis showed that transcript levels of APOA1, APOE, PTGDS and VDBP were overexpressed in the lumbar spinal cord (origin of sciatic nerve), but not in the striatum (an unrelated brain region), of CCI rats treated with saline 5 weeks after surgery, demonstrating that the lumbar spinal cord is a possible source of these proteins

Variables influencing executive functioning in preschool hearing-impaired children implanted within 24 months of age: an observational cohort study

Executive Functions (EFs) are fundamental to every aspect of life. The present study was implemented to evaluate factors influencing their development in a group of preschools orally educated profoundly deaf children of hearing parents, who received CI within two years of age. Methods Twenty-five preschool CI children were tested using the Battery for Assessment of Executive Functions (BAFE) to assess their flexibility, inhibition and non-verbal visuo-spatial working memory skills. The percentage of children performing in normal range was reported for each of the EF subtests. Mann-Whitney and Kruskal-Wallis were performed to assess differences between gender, listening mode and degree of parents’ education subgroups. The Spearman Rank Correlation Coefficient was calculated to investigate the relationship between EF scores audiological and linguistic variables. Results Percentages ranging from 76% to 92% of the children reached adequate EF scores at BAFE. Significant relations (p<0.05) were found between EFs and early intervention, listening and linguistic skills. Further, CI children from families with higher education level performed better at the response shifting, inhibitory control and attention flexibility tasks. Economic income correlated significantly with flexibility and inhibitory skills. Females performed better than males only in the attention flexibility task. Conclusions The present study is one of the first to focus attention on the development of EFs in preschool CI children, providing an initial understanding of the characteristics of EFs at the age when these skills emerge. Clinical practice must pay increasing attention to these aspects which are becoming the new emerging challenge of rehabilitation programs

Diritti umani e soggetti vulnerabili. Violazioni, trasformazioni, aporie

Il volume intende indagare percorsi sviluppati su argomenti decisivi del dibattito filosofico-giuridico contemporaneo: la società multiculturale e i problemi dell'integrazione; l'articolarsi della differenza e le molteplici configurazioni della discriminazione; le inedite forme della schiavitù; le concezioni dell'eguaglianza, dell'autonomia e della solidarietà nei contesti dello Stato di diritto costituzionale e in quello della società cosiddetta "globale"; i controversi rapporti tra relativismo e universalismo; nonché l'articolazione di un pensiero normativo che, procedendo per argomenti, si innesta negli spazi, concreti, della vita sociale e istituzionale

Child language skills before and after cochlear implant activation: input from the mother and acoustic environmental contribution

Many studies have investigated the role of individual and environmental factors in language development in children with cochlear implants (CIs) (Majorano et al., 2016; Szagun & Schramm, 2016). However, few studies have provided a longitudinal description of children\u2019s language development before and after CI activation. Objective. The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between environmental factors (the mother\u2019s input and the acoustic environment) and language skills in three children before and after CI activation. The specific aims are: 1) to investigate the relationship between characteristics of the mother\u2019s input and the child\u2019s language skills; 2) to assess the relationship between exposure to different acoustic environments and the children\u2019s language development. Methods. Three mother-child dyads were recruited from the \u201cGuglielmo da Saliceto\u201d Hospital in Piacenza, Italy. All the sample were implanted patients who fulfilled the following criteria: 1) CI activation before 3 years of age; 2) bilateral sensorineural hearing loss; 3) exclusive use of oral language; 4) no syndromes; 5) participation in a hearing and verbal rehabilitation program; 6) Italian monolingual normal hearing parents. Table 1 summarizes the characteristics of the sample. Mother-infant interactions were assessed twice, just before cochlear implantation and three months after CI activation. Mother\u2019s prohibitive phrases and facilitative language techniques (explanation, labelling, open and closed ended questions, directives) and children\u2019s language production were considered. Moreover, sound environment data from data logging (speech-in-quiet and speech-in-noise) were considered. Results. The children displayed different linguistic profiles. The first child increased his canonical babbling by 33% and his variegated babbling by 5%. The second child showed a 16% increase of canonical babbling, while the third child showed no production increase. Meanwhile, the mothers of the first and second child displayed a slight increase in phrases of: explanation (5% and 1%, respectively); labelling (7% and 2%); open ended questions (1% and 0,5%) and a decrease in prohibitions (4% and 7%). The mother of the third child, though, displayed a reverse profile, with fewer explanations (2%), labelling things (1%), open ended question (3%) and more prohibitive phrases (3%). The first and second child spent more time in speech in quiet (28% and 29%, respectively), while the second and the third child were more exposed to a voice in a noisy environment (35% and 45%, respectively). Table 2 shows the data of child spontaneous production, mother's input and children\u2019s time of exposure to different acoustic scenes. Conclusion. The data show that both mother\u2019s input (higher use of explanations, labelling, open and closed questions associated with a decrease in directives and prohibitive phrases) and acoustic environment characteristics (larger amount of speech in quiet) are related to the language development of children with CIs. In addition, there seems to be a co-occurrence between the quality of maternal inputs and the type of environmental acoustic exposure (higher proportion of speech in quiet). However, this is a preliminary study and a larger sample should be observed in order to enhance our understanding of the specific contributions of environmental and individual factors

The relationship between mothers' well-being and their communication with children with cochlear implants.

Background: Many studies have shown that the mothers with children with Cochlear Implants (CIs) could display high distress, negative coping strategies and dysfunctional communication with their children. However, few studies have investigated if there are a correlation between the well-being of the mothers and the communication inputs they give to the child. The aim of this study is to analyse, with a multimethod approach, if there is a correlation between stress, coping strategies and the communicative style of the mothers with children with CI, before and after CI activation. Methods: Twelve mothers with deaf children, were recruited from the \u2018Guglielmo da Saliceto\u2019 Hospital in Piacenza, participated in the study. Before the surgery and after three months of CI activation, the mother-child interactions were observed during semi-structured activity at the hospital, to codify the spontaneous linguistic production of the mother, and the Italian version of the Parenting Stress Index (Abidin, 1983) and the Italian version of Coping orientation to the problems experienced (Carver et al., 1989) were administered. Findings: Data analysis shown a correlation between emotional experience and mother\u2019s distress, specifically the mothers\u2019 anger and their negative perception of their children\u2019s behaviour [r=.757; p= .007], between lack of social support and mothers\u2019 high levels of negative emotion [r=.846; p=.001] and between elaboration of the diagnosis and realistic expectations about the child\u2019s disability [r=.667; p=.025]. Moreover, a correlation between mothers\u2019 frequency of prohibitions during interaction and a) mothers\u2019 distress expressed [r=.637; p=.035], b) their total score of psychological stress reported [r=0.611; p=0.46]. Conclusion: The data show that both the mothers' feelings about the diagnosis and the social support received are related both to their well-being and their communication with children. Specifically, mothers\u2019 feeling about diagnosis could affect mother-child interactions. These preliminary findings could have implication for clinical practice and the implementation of supportive intervention programmes for mothers after CIs activation, focused on the direct observation of the mother-child interaction

Mothers\u2019 emotional experience and communication with their deaf children

Background: The parents\u2019 experience of receiving a diagnosis for their children could be a stressful and traumatic event, especially for mothers. Many studies have shown that these mothers could display high distress (Quittner et al., 2010), dysfunctional coping strategies (Ghasempour et al., 2012) and worse communication with their children (Vanormelingen et al., 2015). However, few studies have focused their attention on comparing these factors before and after the activation of cochlear implants (CIs) in children with a diagnosis of profound bilateral sensorineural hearing loss. The aim of the study is to assess the mothers' emotional experience, the quality of their communication with their children both before and after CI activation. Methods: Eleven mothers with deaf children before CI surgery, recruited from the \u2018Guglielmo da Saliceto\u2019 Hospital in Piacenza, participated in the study, which used a multimethod approach. First, an interview was conducted, focused on the mother\u2019s experience of diagnosis. Second, mother-child interactions were observed during semi-structured activity at the hospital. Finally, the Italian version of the Parenting Stress Index (Abidin, 1983) and the Italian version of Coping orientation to the problems experienced (Carver et al., 1989) were administered in order to assess the mothers\u2019 distress and coping strategies. Findings: Data analysis shown a correlation between emotional experience and mother\u2019s distress, specifically the mothers\u2019 anger and their negative perception of their children\u2019s behaviour [r=.757; p= .007], between lack of social support and mothers\u2019 high levels of negative emotion [r=.846; p=.001] and between elaboration of the diagnosis and realistic expectations about the child\u2019s disability [r=.667; p=.025]. Moreover, a correlation between mothers\u2019 frequency of prohibitions during interaction and a) mothers\u2019 distress expressed [r=.637; p=.035], b) their total score of psychological stress reported [r=0.611; p=0.46]. Conclusion: The data show that both the mothers' feelings about the diagnosis and the social support received are related both to their well-being and their communication with children. Specifically, mothers\u2019 feeling about diagnosis could affect mother-child interactions. These preliminary findings could have implication for clinical practice and the implementation of supportive intervention programmes for mothers after CIs activation, focused on the direct observation of the mother-child interaction

Temporal and prosodic characteristics of infant-directed speech to children with cochlear implants

Infant-directed speech (IDS) quantity and quality are important characteristics affecting child language acquisition (D’Odorico & Jacob, 2006). Language learning in children with cochlear implants (CIs) may benefit from a prosodically richer speech signal and from enhanced mother-child coordination in interaction. However, only a few studies have considered these aspects with children with CIs. This study aims to investigate the prosodic and temporal characteristics of IDS before and after CI activation and their relationship with child language outcomes up to three years after implantation in Italian-speaking children. Participants were 16 dyads of mothers and their children implanted between 10 and 36 months. Fundamental frequency characteristics and pitch range for each mother and mothers’ and children’s vocalizations, overlaps, and within- and between-speaker pauses in interaction were analyzed. Children’s receptive vocabulary after implantation was also considered. Results indicate that children’s vocabulary three years after implantation is negatively predicted by early maternal overlap frequency and positively associated with mothers’ pitch range before implantation. These results suggest a positive role of prosody and temporal characteristics in IDS for children with CIs

Mothers' emotional experiences related to their child's diagnosis of deafness and cochlear implant surgery: Parenting stress and child's language development

Objectives: The present study aims to assess the emotional experiences, specifically parenting stress, of mothers of children with cochlear implants (CIs), and their children's language development before surgery and at three and six months after CI activation.Methods: Twenty mothers of children with CIs were interviewed before their children's surgery about their experiences in connection with the diagnosis of deafness, the surgery and the activation of the Cl. The Parenting Stress Index questionnaire and the MacArthur-Bates-Communication Development Inventory were administered before the surgery and at 3 and 6 months after the CI activation.Results: Analysis of the qualitative data resulting from the interviews showed that the mothers' emotional experiences before the CI surgery were complex. Mothers reported both positive and negative emotions related to deafness, diagnosis and surgery, benefits of the CI, coping strategies and future expectations. The mothers of children with more advanced lexical production six months after CI activation displayed a high frequency of themes related to positive emotions, thoughts and coping strategies before the surgery. Distress on the part of the mothers, perceptions of difficulties in their child and instances of parent-child dysfunctional interaction were negatively and significantly related to the child's language and communication development.Conclusions: The findings support the importance of assessing the mother's emotional experience in relation to diagnosis and CI activation before the surgery. Implications for clinical practice are discussed: specifically, the importance of the support offered to the parents, aimed at enhancing both their awareness of their expectations about their child's rehabilitation process and their self-efficacy in supporting the child's adaptation to the use of the CI

Sviluppo comunicativo e input linguistico materno nella diade mamma-bambino con impianto cocleare

Introduzione: Gli studi degli ultimi decenni hanno evidenziato gli effetti positivi dell\u2019utilizzo dell\u2019impianto cocleare (IC) nei bambini con sordit\ue0 mostrando, tuttavia, variabilit\ue0 negli outcomes linguistici (de Hogg et al., 2016). In particolare, non \ue8 chiaro il contributo dei fattori individuali e ambientali nello sviluppo del linguaggio (Peterson et al., 2010). Il presente studio ha l\u2019obiettivo di analizzare lo sviluppo linguistico dei bambini con IC, l\u2019input materno e la loro relazione.Metodo: Partecipano allo studio 15 bambini con IC (G-IC, et\ue0 in mesi M =19.73; DS=4.73) e 15 bambini con sviluppo tipico di pari et\ue0 cronologica (EC; G-ST, et\ue0 in mesi M = 19.24, DS=4.03). L'interazione mamma-bambino \ue8 video-osservata prima dell\u2019intervento chirurgico (T1) e tre mesi dopo l\u2019attivazione dell\u2019IC (T2). I bambini con ST sono osservati in corrispondenza della stessa EC. Sono considerati gli enunciati materni, lo sviluppo linguistico spontaneo del bambino e il suo sviluppo lessicale, valutato con il \u2018Primo Vocabolario del Bambino\u2019 (Caselli et al., 2015).Risultati: Le analisi mostrano un aumento significativo da T1 a T2: a) solo per G-ST, del numero di parole prodotte durante l'interazione (Z=-2.666, p=.008) e del vocabolario in produzione (Z=-2.521, p=.012); b) per entrambi i gruppi, del vocabolario in comprensione (G-ST: Z=-2.666, p=.008; G-IC: Z=-2.533, p=.011). Inoltre, i dati suggeriscono uno sviluppo del vocabolario pi\uf9 avanzato per i bambini G-ST rispetto ai G-IC (T1: comprensione: U=5.0, p=.001; produzione: U=13.0, p=.002; T2: comprensione: U=11.5, p=.004; produzione: U=12.0, p=.003). Le correlazioni parziali evidenziano: a) un'associazione positiva tra il numero di domande prodotte dalla madre in T1 e le produzioni comunicative del bambino in T2 (G-ST: r=.665, p=.025; G-IC: r=.837; p=.002); b) una correlazione negativa tra la produzione di enunciati direttivi della madre e la produzione linguistica del bambino (G-ST: r=-.630, p=.032; G-IC: r=-.687, p=.021). Conclusioni: I dati preliminari mostrano un effetto positivo dell'attivazione dell'IC sulla comprensione lessicale, anche se i bambini mostrano un linguaggio caratterizzato da ritardo rispetto ai coetanei con ST. Inoltre, si evidenzia che al maggior utilizzo di enunciati direttivi delle mamme \ue8 associato un livello linguistico meno avanzato dei loro bambini. Le analisi, che necessitano una conferma su un gruppo pi\uf9 ampio di partecipanti, possono offrire spunti di riflessione per la pratica clinica