Reappraisal is an effective emotion regulation strategy in children with Tourette syndrome and ADHD.

Difficulties in emotion regulation (ER) have been associated with several psychiatric disorders, emphasizing a need for a greater understanding of the concept and its associations with disruptive behavior. We aimed to study the ER strategy of cognitive reappraisal with an experimental test to increase our knowledge of emotional processes in child psychopathology. In the present study, we examined emotional reactivity and cognitive reappraisal with a computer task in 160 medication-naïve children aged 8-12 comprising four groups: Fifty-eight children with Tourette syndrome (TS), 26 children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), 19 children with TS and ADHD, and 57 typically developing controls. The use of cognitive reappraisal reduced negative affect across all participants and the ability to reappraise was positively correlated with age, whereas reactivity was not. Overall, groups did not differ in reactivity or regulation success. Looking at specific differences within groups, however, only the ADHD group did not significantly decrease negative affect when reappraising. Finally, the use of strategies considered to be efficacious was correlated with regulation success, whereas the use of a less adaptive strategy related to suppression was associated with reactivity, but not regulation of emotions. The study was limited by small, clinical contrast groups and a lack of blinding to diagnostic status in the coding of verbal strategies employed during the task. Cognitive reappraisal appears to be a beneficial ER strategy for children regardless of diagnostic status. Our findings indicate that children can learn and employ an adaptive ER strategy when instructed in the technique, even in the presence of attention problems, which is highly relevant to therapeutic approaches to dysregulated behavior

A computational model of excitation and contraction in uterine myocytes from the pregnant rat

Aberrant uterine myometrial activities in humans are major health issues. However, the cellular and tissue mechanism(s) that maintain the uterine myometrium at rest during gestation, and that initiate and maintain long-lasting uterine contractions during delivery are incompletely understood. In this study we construct a computational model for describing the electrical activity (simple and complex action potentials), intracellular calcium dynamics and mechanical contractions of isolated uterine myocytes from the pregnant rat. The model reproduces variant types of action potentials – from spikes with a smooth plateau, to spikes with an oscillatory plateau, to bursts of spikes – that are seen during late gestation under different physiological conditions. The effects of the hormones oestradiol (via reductions in calcium and potassium selective channel conductance), oxytocin (via an increase in intracellular calcium release) and the tocolytic nifedipine (via a block of L-type calcium channels currents) on action potentials and contractions are also reproduced, which quantitatively match to experimental data. All of these results validated the cell model development. In conclusion, the developed model provides a computational platform for further investigations of the ionic mechanism underlying the genesis and control of electrical and mechanical activities in the rat uterine myocytes

The Puzzle of Emotion Regulation: Development and Evaluation of the Tangram Emotion Coding Manual for Children.

The ability to regulate one's emotions is crucial to engaging successfully in social contexts. Difficulties in emotion regulation are seen in multiple psychiatric disorders, prompting an increased interest in the concept. Suitable methods for assessing emotion regulation, however, are lacking. In this study, we investigated the interrater and intrarater reliability, construct validity, and content validity of a new observational method for evaluating children's emotion regulation abilities (a complex puzzle task) in a sample of 62 children without psychiatric disorders and 23 children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) aged 7-12, using intra-class correlation coefficients for the reliability analyses and Spearman's rank-order correlations for analyses of convergent and discriminant validity. A panel of experts examined the content validity of the test, and Mann-Whitney U-tests were used to investigate the ability of the test to differentiate the non-clinical group from the ADHD group. Results showed a high level of interrater and intrarater reliability of the test. There was mixed evidence for convergent and discriminant validity as expected due to the novelty and experimental nature of the test, making it difficult to compare with questionnaire-based measures. Content validity analysis was satisfactory, and the group comparison showed that the test differentiated the groups on the primary outcome measure. Overall, the measure demonstrated high feasibility and satisfactory psychometric properties. The generic nature of the test makes it suitable for use across psychiatric disorders and age groups with potential relevance in both research and clinical settings

Subjective and Objective Results of Native Anterior Vaginal Wall Repair in Local Anesthesia: A 10-Year Follow-Up

Abstract Introduction and Hypothesis: This follow-up study evaluates long-term subjective and objective outcome of native tissue anterior vaginal wall repair using local anesthesia. Methods: 72 women were operated. At 10-year follow-up anatomical results were evaluated by clinical examination. Furthermore, the women filled in a validated symptom and quality of life questionnaire. Results: Forty women (56%) completed the 10-year follow-up. Eighteen women (25%) had died within the ten-year follow-up period and fourteen women (19%) were lost to follow-up. Six (15%) of the women who came for follow-up had been reoperated for anterior vaginal wall prolapse within the 10-year follow-up period and were analysed as a separate group. Of the 40 women who came for the 10-year clinical examination none had stage 0 pelvic organ prolapse. Twenty (50%) women had stage 1, whereas, 13 (32%) had stage 2 and 1 (3%) had stage 3 pelvic organ prolapse. Ten years after surgery, 28 women (70%) had no bulge symptoms. Six (15%) of the women experienced bulge symptoms at the time of follow-up. Ten years postoperatively, 30 (75%) of the women in an overall quality of life assessment considered their condition improved after surgery. Conclusion: At 10-year follow-up 70% of women were relieved from their bulge symptoms and 75% still considered themselves better or much better than before the operation. However, 15% of women had been reoperated and 15% still experienced bulge symptoms