‘Message to dentist’: Facilitating communication with dentally anxious children

Dental anxiety affects children worldwide and can have negative consequences on oral health. This study aimed to evaluate a novel communication aid ‘message to dentist’ (MTD), as part of a wider cognitive behavioural therapy approach to reduce dental anxiety in young patients. Dentally anxious children, aged 9−16 years, were invited to complete the MTD proforma, before and following their course of treatment. They scored how worried they were and their anticipated pain levels on a scale of 1−10 (10 being the worst outcome). They also wrote down their coping plans and post-treatment reflections. One hundred and five children, from a UK general dental practice and a hospital clinic, were included. They had a mean age of 11.6 years, and 65% were female. There was a significant reduction in self-report worry (from 4.9 to 2.1) and anticipated pain (from 5.1 to 2.0) scores (p 0.05, paired t-test). Many children (30%) used listening to music/audiobook as a coping strategy. Thematic analysis revealed concerns around pain, uncertainty, errors and specific procedures. The MTD proforma proved an effective means of facilitating communication between anxious children and the dental team, allowing them to identify their worries and make personalised coping plans

Sex effects on structural maturation of the limbic system and outcomes on emotional regulation during adolescence

Though adolescence is a time of emerging sex differences in emotions, sex-related differences in the anatomy of the maturing brain has been under-explored over this period. The aim of this study was to investigate whether puberty and sexual differentiation in brain maturation could explain emotional differences between girls and boys during adolescence. We adapted a dedicated longitudinal pipeline to process structural and diffusion images from 335 typically developing adolescents between 14 and 16 years. We used voxel-based and Regions of Interest approaches to explore sex and puberty effects on brain and behavioral changes during adolescence. Sexual differences in brain maturation were characterized by amygdala and hippocampal volume increase in boys and decrease in girls. These changes were mediating the sexual differences in positive emotional regulation as illustrated by positive attributes increase in boys and decrease in girls. Moreover, the differential maturation rates between the limbic system and the prefrontal cortex highlighted the delayed maturation in boys compared to girls. This is the first study to show the sex effects on the differential cortico/subcortical maturation rates and the interaction between sex and puberty in the limbic system maturation related to positive attributes, reported as being protective from emotional disorders.Peer reviewe

Single-Cell Transcriptional Analysis of Neuronal Progenitors

AbstractThe extraordinary cellular heterogeneity of the mammalian nervous system has largely hindered the molecular analysis of neuronal identity and diversity. In order to uncover mechanisms involved in neuronal differentiation and diversification, we have monitored the expression profiles of individual neurons and progenitor cells collected from dissociated tissue or captured from intact slices. We demonstrate that this technique provides a sensitive and reproducible representation of the single-cell transcriptome. In the olfactory system, hundreds of transcriptional differences were identified between olfactory progenitors and mature sensory neurons, enabling us to define the large variety of signaling pathways expressed by individual progenitors at a precise developmental stage. Finally, we show that regional differences in gene expression can be predicted from transcriptional analysis of single neuronal precursors isolated by laser capture from defined areas of the developing brain

The use of new digital information and communication technologies in psychological counseling during the CoViD-19 pandemic

The use of digital information and communication technologies (ICTs) has enabled many professionals to continue to provide their services during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, little is known about the adoption of ICTs by psychologists and the impact of such technologies on their practice. This study aimed to explore psychologists’ practices related with the use of ICTs before and during the COVID-19 lockdown, to identify the main changes that the pandemic has brought and the impact that such changes have had on their practice with clients, and also identify the factors that potentially have affected such changes. The Portuguese Psychologists Association announced the study, and 108 psychologists responded to an online survey during the mandatory lockdown. The results showed that these professionals continued to provide their services due to having adopted ICTs. Comparing with face-to-face interventions, psychologists recognized that additional precautions/knowledge were needed to use such technologies. Despite the challenges identified, they described the experience with the use of ICTs as positive, meeting clients’ adherence, and yielding positive results. Psychologists with the most years of professional experience maintained their services the most, but those with average experience showed the most favorable attitudes toward the use of technologies and web-based interventionsThis research was supported by Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (FCT) through R&D Units funding (UIDB/05210/2020), and through a doctoral grant (SFRH/BD/138723/2018) awarded to Andreia Geraldo.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Benefits of parent training in the rehabilitation of deaf or hard of hearing children of hearing parents: a systematic review

The present study is a systematic review on the effectiveness of Parent Training (PT) and coaching in deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) rehabilitation programs which reviews and synthesizes the existing body of evidence to assess the benefits of these programs in enhancing parents’ sensitivity, responsivity and promoting language development in DHH children during the first years after HA fitting or CI activation. Five published studies met the Population, Intervention, Comparison and Outcomes (PICO) inclusion criteria and were eligible to be included, but heterogeneity in terms of the study design, interventions and outcomes did not allow for performing a meta-analysis. All included studies shared the view that a parent’s learning is a circular (rather than frontal) process, and the results appear promising in terms of enhancing parents’ responsiveness and promoting DHH child language development. Nevertheless, the available evidence was judged to not be robust enough due to limitations in the studies’ designs. Further high-quality evidence is needed to evaluate the true degree of clinical value and the cost effectiveness of PT programs aimed at increasing parents’ responsiveness to their DHH childre

Parasympathetic reactivity and disruptive behavior problems in young children during interactions with mothers and other adults

Disruptive behavior problems are among the most commonly occurring forms of childhood psychopathology and show considerable stability beginning in early childhood. Investigations of the biological underpinnings of behavior problems have revealed that the influences of the parasympathetic branch of the autonomic nervous system on cardiac functions are central to self-regulation. Parasympathetic regulation of heart rate is indexed via respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA). Suppression of RSA during challenging emotional and cognitive tasks is associated with better emotional and behavioral functioning in preschoolers. However, the relationship between RSA suppression and preschool social functioning is still unclear. Further, direct relationships between behavior problems and RSA reactivity within command-based play tasks (i.e., child instructed to build 3 towers) with parents and other adults have yet to be examined. The present study experimentally evaluated the relationship between child RSA reactivity and adult (mother vs. staff) commands requiring child compliance during command-based play tasks in children ages 3-8 with and without disruptive behavior disorders (N=43). Child RSA suppression in response to commands was examined as a predictor of child command compliance during experimental play tasks and of general child behavior problems, and was compared across command-based interactions with mothers versus staff. Less RSA suppression in the context of mothers’ play-based commands was associated with more severe behavioral problems (p=.046). In the context of staff play-based commands, more RSA suppression was associated with more severe behavior problems (p=.009), an effect that was significant only among boys (p<.000). Further, greater child RSA suppression predicted greater compliance with mother-given commands (p=.017), but was unrelated to compliance with staff-given commands. The relationship between child RSA suppression and compliance with mother-given commands was moderated by child age, such that the effect of RSA suppression on child compliance was stronger for younger children than older children. Findings suggest that RSA reactivity to social demands, and the functional association between RSA suppression and behavioral compliance, vary by social context (i.e., mother vs. other adult command-givers) and identify child factors (i.e., age, gender) that influence these associations. This work may inform efforts to identify a biomarker of early childhood behavior problems

Direct-to-consumer marketing of psychological treatments: a randomized controlled trial

Progress in disseminating and implementing evidence-based psychological treatments (EBPTs) has been gradual. To date, the dominant target for promoting EBPTs in clinical settings has been the education and training of mental health providers, with many consumers remaining unaware of EBPTs' potential benefits. The present study empirically evaluated via a randomized controlled design the preliminary utility of direct-to-consumer (DTC) advertising of psychological treatments (PTs). American and Canadian undergraduate participants (N=344) were randomly assigned to view one of four commercial campaigns via the Internet on three occasions. Each campaign consisted of three different commercials embedded within unrelated content. Campaign content varied across participants, who were assigned to either the [1] Psychological Treatment (PT) campaign (n=98); [2] Psychological Treatment informing about Medication Side Effects (PT-MSE) campaign (n=80); [3] Medication (MED) campaign (n=82); or [4] the Neutral (NEU; i.e., control) campaign (n=84). The groups did not differ significantly on age or gender distribution. Data regarding attitudes about psychological treatment and treatment-seeking behaviors were collected prior to the intervention (T1), one week following the intervention (T2), and at a three-month follow-up evaluation (T3). It was hypothesized that those in the PT and PT-MSE conditions would have improved attitudes about psychological treatment and increased rates of seeking psychological treatment compared to those assigned to MED and NEU. The percentage of participants who newly intended psychological treatment at T2 or T3 differed by condition, with PT-MSE participants significantly more likely to have considered receiving psychological treatment than those in the other conditions. Those in PT were significantly more likely to have planned to receive psychological treatment at T2 or T3 than those in the other conditions. MED participants, as compared to participants in the other conditions, reported significantly increased levels of comfort about psychopharmacological treatment at T3. Baseline reports of DSM-IV symptomatology, stigma toward psychological treatments, media consumption, and nationality all significantly moderated various outcomes related to attitudes toward psychopharmacological and psychological treatment. The present study provides supporting evidence of the preliminary utility and efficacy of DTC marketing of PTs, suggesting that increasing consumer knowledge of PTs may be a worthwhile augmentation to EBPT dissemination and implementation efforts

Profiling ArabidopsisArogenate Dehydratases: Dimerization and Subcellular Localization Patterns

In Arabidopsis, a family of six arogenate dehydratases (ADTs) has been identified which catalyze the terminal step of phenylalanine biosynthesis. ADTs share considerable sequence similarity to bacterial prephenate dehydratases, which form homodimers. The protein-protein interaction profiles of Arabidopsis ADTs were characterized using Yeast-2-Hybrid and Bi-molecular Fluorescence Complementation approaches. Results show that ADT1, but not ADT2, is able to form homo- and heterodimers with all other ADTs in yeast. In contrast, all six ADTs form all possible homo- and heterodimer combinations in ptanta, where they display two different subcellular localization patterns. Most ADT dimers localize to the chloroplast in a stromule-like pattern, but ADT5 dimers also localize in a nuclear-like pattern. Large scale cDNA library screens also identified a number of other putative interactors, suggesting that ADTs may be part of a larger protein complex. This study is the first to characterize the protein-protein interaction profiles of plant ADTs

Therapeutic rupture repair in treatment of military adolescents.

Ruptures in the therapeutic alliance have shown to be a significant predictor of therapy outcomes, with non-repaired ruptures resulting in increased dropout rates of therapy, and repaired ruptures resulting in positive therapy outcomes. This study investigated the impact of alliance ruptures on outcomes of therapy among youth and adolescents, with a specific focus on military youth and adolescents. A sample of 5,640 military adolescents who were treated by 101 therapists were selected for analysis based on inclusion criteria of: a) being aged 13 to 19 years old; and b) attending more than one session of therapy. Each session, clients completed the Outcome Rating Scale to measure well-being, and the Session Rating Scale as a measure of the therapeutic alliance. Clients were coded as either a) No Rupture; b) Rupture Repair; or c) Rupture Non-Repair, based on presence or absence of therapy ruptures, and the final result of ruptures at the end of the therapy process. This study examined comparisons of alliance-outcome relationships by rupture condition, the effect of rupture conditions on premature termination from therapy, and moderation effects of stage-of-therapy ruptures, age, problem type, and therapist effects. Findings showed that there was significantly greater positive change in well-being amongst clients coded as Rupture Repair compared to No Rupture and Rupture Non-Repair. Clients coded as Rupture Non-Repair were more likely to prematurely terminate from therapy and attend a fewer number of sessions compared to Rupture Repair clients. Among Rupture Repair clients, repairs more likely to occur in early sessions of therapy compared to later sessions. Neither age nor problem type was found to act as a moderator on the effect of rupture condition on therapy outcomes. Finally, although there is evidence of between-therapist effects on therapy outcomes, aggregate therapist alliance scores across client caseloads failed to predict an effect on either the intercept and/or slope of the alliance effect on therapy outcomes. In conclusion, monitoring between-session therapy alliance and the presence of ruptures may influence therapy outcomes. Treatment implications and future directions were discussed