Zalety i szanse wykorzystania animaloterapii w resocjalizacji młodzieży niedostosowanej społecznie

The article addresses the issue of animal therapy in the rehabilitation of socially challenged youth. Personality of troubled young adults can be characterized by some deficits: poor school competencies, low self-esteem, problems to communicate with other people (regardless of their age), a distorted picture of the world which leads to misunderstandings in interpersonal relations, helplessness in difficult life situations; finally lack of self-control, disability to delay self-gratification, impulsiveness and egocentricity. When combination of such negative personality features occurs, very often traditional rehabilitation techniques fail. This is the sufficient reason for engaging alternative approaches aimed at helping socially maladjusted youngsters. The publication contains characteristics of some selected methods of the animal therapy, mainly the ones that engage animals such as dogs, cats and horses. It reveals some advantages of this ancillary and natural method as well as beneficial influence of animals on the negative personality traits of youth with behavioral distortions.Artykuł przedstawia problematykę zastosowania terapii z wykorzystaniem zwierząt– animaloterapii w resocjalizacji młodzieży niedostosowanej społecznie. Osobowość tejmłodzieży charakteryzuje się następującymi deficytami: niskie kompetencje szkolne, niskasamoocena, nieumiejętność komunikowania się z innymi ludźmi niezależnie od wieku, zniekształcony obrazem świata, co prowadzi do nieporozumień i błędów w kontaktach interpersonalnych, problem z radzeniem sobie w trudnych sytuacjach życiowych, brak kontroli nad sobą oraz samokontroli, brak umiejętności odraczania gratyfikacji, impulsywność i egocentryzm. W przypadku takich negatywnych cech osobowościowych tradycyjne metody resocjalizacyjne często zawodzą. Dlatego warto sięgać po alternatywne formy oddziaływań, ukierunkowane na pomoc młodzieży niedostosowanej społecznie. Publikacja zawiera opis wybranych metod animaloterapii, głównie terapii z pomocą psa, kota oraz konia. Ukazuje zalety tej pomocniczej, naturalnej metody oraz korzystny wpływ zwierząt na wymienione negatywne cechy sobowości młodzieży z zaburzeniami w zachowaniu

Współpraca nauczycieli szkoły podstawowej ogólnodostępnej z rodzicami uczniów ze spektrum zaburzeń autystycznych w edukacji

The article concerns children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) who attend mainstream school as part of inclusive education, and discusses the role of parent-teacher collaboration. ASD is a highly heterogeneous disorder with symptoms manifested differently across subgroups of children. Symptoms may vary from milder forms, including high-functioning autism, to severe autism spectrum disorders, where the affected children do not speak. The article describes behavioral patterns of children with ASD, including the triad of impairment: impaired communication, impaired social interactions, and restricted, repetitive patterns of behaviors or interests. Inclusive education requires parent-teacher collaboration based on shared goals and community values, which results in good partnership, mutual help and information exchange. Parents know very well the reactions and specific problems of their children, while teachers can provide professional assistance in solving complex educational problems resulting from the unique, individual needs of a child. Because of that, parent-teacher collaboration is crucial for successful and effective inclusive education. Niniejszy artykuł dotyczy dzieci ze spektrum autyzmu (ASD), które uczęszczają do szkoły ogólnodostępnej oraz współpracy nauczycieli z rodzicami. Dzieci te nie stanowią jednorodnej grupy diagnostycznej. Objawy autyzmu mogą być różne od postaci lekkiej, wówczas osoby dotknięte tym zaburzeniem uważa się za wysokofunkcjonujące, aż po postać głęboką, gdy dzieci te nie mówią. Artykuł zawiera opis cech i zachowań dziecka z ASD z uwzględnieniem triady autystycznych zaburzeń: problemów w interakcjach społecznych, zaburzeń komunikacji oraz powtarzalnych, sztywnych wzorców zachowań i aktywności. Jednym z założeń edukacji włączającej jest wzajemna współpraca nauczycieli z rodzicami na bazie wspólnego celu i wartości wspólnotowych. Współpraca to partnerskie relacje, wspólne działania oraz wzajemna wymiana informacji rodziców i nauczycieli. Nikt tak jak rodzice nie zna reakcji i specyficznych problemów swojego dziecka, natomiast nauczyciele ze względu na wykonywany zawód służą profesjonalną pomocą w rozwiązywaniu złożonych problemów edukacyjnych wynikających ze specjalnych potrzeb dziecka. Z tego względu współpraca rodziców i nauczycieli jest niezbędna dla skutecznej edukacji włączającej

Recobrimento polimerico de ureia em leito de jorro bidimensional

Orientador: Sandra Cristina dos Santos RochaDissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Faculdade de Engenharia QuimicaResumo: Neste trabalho objetivou-se o recobrimento polimérico de uréia em leito de jorro bidimensional, enfatizando características físicas importantes para o armazenamento e transporte do fertilizante. Através de um planejamento experimental completo de dois níveis pôde-se verificar quantitativamente a relação da eficiência do processo, do crescimento da partícula, da cinética de crescimento da partícula, e de propriedades físicas (tamanho, densidade aparente, esfericidade e capacidade de retenção de umidade do grânulo) com as variáveis operacionais: vazão de ar de jorro, temperatura de ar de jorro, pressão de ar de atomização e vazão de suspensão de recobrimento. Os grânulos de uréia comercial na faixa de 1680 a 2000 J.1IIl, foram recobertos com uma suspensão aquosa de Eudragit®, em leito de jorro bidimensional construído em acrílico, com base angulada de 55°, nas seguintes condições operacionais: vazão de ar de jorro de 1,33 x 10-2 a 1,66x 10-2 kgls, temperatura de ar de jorro de 50 a 70°C, pressão de ar de autorização de 1,38 x 10+5 a 2,07 x 10+5 Pa e vazão de suspensão de recobrimento de 1,077 x 10-2 a 1,425 x 10-2 kgls. Verificou-se que a eficiência do processo, bem como o crescimento da partícula, são influenciados positivamente pela vazão de suspensão, pressão de ar de atomização e negativamente pela temperatura do ar de jorro e pela vazão de ar de jorro, como também por interações dessas variáveis. Um ajuste linear para a cinética de crescimento da partícula apresentou-se satisfatório, no entanto, observou-se que a maioria dos ensaios apresentou uma cinética linear composta de duas etapas. A suspensão polimérica de Eudragit® proporcionou uma melhoria na capacidade de retenção de umidade do grânulo de até 4 vezes em relação à uréia não recoberta. O crescimento da partícula foi inferior a 6% em massa, o que não influenciou na densidade aparente, no tamanho do grânulo e na esfericidade da uréia recoberta. Através de microfotografia verificou-se a influência das variáveis operacionais na qualidade do recobrimento, como uniformidade e rugosidade do filmeAbstract: The objective of this work was the coating of urea with polymeric film in a two­dimensional spouted bed, enhancing storage and handling properties. An experimental design was utilized to investigate the relationship between operational variables such as: air flow rate, air temperature, air atomizinng pressure and coating suspension flow rate, and efficiency of the process, particles growth, particles growth kinetics and physical properties (grain size, bulk density, sphericity and moisture holding capacity). Grains of commercial urea, in the range of 1680 - 2000 J.11D, were coated with Eudragit® aqueous suspension, in a two-dimensional spouted bed niade in plexiglass, with slanted base angle of the 55°, in the following operational conditions: air flow rate fiom 1.33 x 10-2 to 1.66x 10-2 kgls, air temperature from 50 to 70°C, air atomizing pressure fiom 1.38 x 10+5 to 2.07 x 10+5 Pa and coating suspension flow rate ftom 1.077 x 10-2 to 1.425 x 10-2 kg/s. The experimental results showed that the efficiency ofthe process and the particles growth were influenced positively by air atomizing pressure and coating suspension flow rate, and were influenced negatively by air flow rate and air temperature, and a1so by the interactions of theses variables. A satisfactory linear fit was obtained for particles growth kinetics, however the majority of the experiments exhibited a linear kinetics composite of the two distinguished stages. The polymeric suspension of Eudragit® improved up to 4 times the moisture holding capacity of coated urea in relation of uncoated urea. The bulk density, grain size and sphericity were independent of operational conditions and were c10se to the values of uncoated urea, because the particle growth was lower than 6 % in mass. Optical microphoto showed the coated urea aspect and influence of operational conditions on the surface characteristics, such as uniformity and roughnessMestradoEngenharia de ProcessosMestre em Engenharia Químic

Endothelial function assessment in atherosclerosis: Comparison of brachial artery flow‑mediated vasodilation and peripheral arterial tonometry

INTRODUCTION Endothelial dysfunction, characterized by the loss of nitric oxide bioavailability, is a key element in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis and an important prognostic factor in cardiovascular diseases. Therefore, the development of reliable, safe, and noninvasive methods of endothelial function assessment is important for their use in cardiovascular risk stratification. Brachial artery flow‑mediated dilation (FMD) is widely used in research but technical difficulties and problems with calibration between laboratories limit its clinical use. Reactive hyperemia–peripheral artery tonometry (RH‑PAT, EndoPAT) has been developed as a simpler, cheaper, and potentially more reproducible method. OBJECTIVES We aimed to investigate associations between RH‑PAT and FMD in relation to atherosclerotic risk factor profile. PATIENTS AND METHODS The study involved 80 subjects (52 men, 28 women) aged 43.6 ±14.8 years, with moderate‑to‑low cardiovascular risk (mean SCORE, 2.2% ±2%), in whom FMD, RH‑PAT, and intima–media thickness (IMT) were determined. RESULTS The reactive hyperemia index (RHI) measured by RH‑PAT correlated with FMD (r = 0.35, P <0.01). However, no significant correlation was observed between RHI and IMT, SCORE, or the number of classical atherosclerotic risk factors (hypertension, smoking, diabetes, hypercholesterolemia), while FMD was significantly correlated with IMT (r = –0.53, P <0.001), risk factors (r = –0.55, P <0.05), and SCORE (r = –0.4, P <0.05). CONCLUSIONS Despite its technical requirements, FMD is a more sensitive method than RH‑PAT in evaluating the effect of classical atherosclerotic risk factors on vascular endothelial function. Microvasculature response during RH‑PAT needs to be further studied, including the assessment of nonendothelial factors that may affect the measurements, before RH‑PAT becomes the universal tool for the evaluation of the endothelial cells

Treatment of denture-related stomatitis improves endothelial function assessed by flow-mediated vascular dilation

Introduction: The presence of oral inflammation has recently been linked with the pathogenesis of cardiovascular diseases. While numerous studies have described links between periodontitis and endothelial dysfunction, little is known about the influence of denture-related stomatitis (DRS) on cardiovascular risk. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine whether the treatment of DRS can lead to improvement of the clinical measures of vascular dysfunction. Material and methods: The DRS patients were treated with a local oral antifungal agent for 3 weeks. Blood pressure, flow-mediated dilatation (FMD) and nitroglycerine-mediated vascular dilatation (NMD) were measured during three study visits: before treatment, one day and two months after conclusion of antifungal therapy. Results: Flow-mediated dilatation measurements showed significant improvement of endothelial function 2 months after treatment (FMD median 5%, 95 CI: 3–8.3 vs. 11%, 95% CI: 8.8–14.4; p < 0.01), while there was no difference in control, endothelium-independent vasorelaxations (NMD; median = 15.3%, 95% CI: 10.8–19.3 vs. 12.7%, 95% CI: 10.6–15; p = 0.3). Other cardiovascular parameters such as systolic (median = 125 mm Hg; 95% CI: 116–129 vs. 120 mm Hg, 95% CI: 116–126; p = 0.1) as well as diastolic blood pressure and heart rate (median = 65.5 bpm, 95% CI: 56.7–77.7 vs. 71 bpm, 95% CI: 66.7–75; p = 0.5) did not change during or after the treatment. Conclusions: Treatment of DRS is associated with improvement of endothelial function. Since endothelial dysfunction is known to precede the development of severe cardiovascular disorders such as atherosclerosis and hypertension, patients should be more carefully screened for DRS in general dental practice, and immediate DRS treatment should be advised

Th17 responses are not altered by natural exposure to seasonal allergens in pollen-sensitive patients

Background: Allergic rhinitis affects 10–30 % of the global population and this number is likely to increase in the forthcoming years. Moreover, it commonly co-exists with allergic asthma as a chronic allergic respiratory syndrome. While the involvement of Th2 cells in allergy is well understood, alterations of pro-inflammatory Th17 responses remain poorly characterized. The aim of our study was to determine whether natural seasonal allergen exposure causes changes in T cell subset characteristics in patients with allergic rhinitis and asthma. Methods: Sixteen patients with allergic rhinitis/atopic asthma (9M, 7F; age 31.8 ± 12.1) and 16 healthy controls were recruited into the study (9M, 7F; age 31.2 ± 5.3). Blood samples were collected from the patients 1–3 months before pollen season (visit 1), within 7 days of the appearance of pollen/initiation of allergic symptoms (visit 2) and 2 weeks after visit 2 following the introduction of symptomatic treatment with antihistamines (visit 3). Flow cytometry was used to assess major T cell subsets (naïve, central memory, effector memory and CD45RA+ effector) and key T cell cytokine production (IFNγ, IL-17A, TNF and IL-4) using intracellular staining. Data were analyzed using repeated measures ANOVA and paired t test. Results: As expected, an increase in the percentage of IL‐4+ CD4+ cells was observed during natural pollen exposure in patients with allergic respiratory syndrome. No significant changes were observed in the production of other cytokines, including Th17 cells, which tended to be lower than in the control population but unchanged during pollen exposure. Introduction of antihistamine treatment led to only moderate changes in cytokine production from CD4 and CD8 T cells. Selective changes in CD8+ T cells were observed during natural pollen exposure including a decrease in transient cells (with features of CD45RA+ and CD45RO+ cells) and a decrease in the percentage of central memory cells in the peripheral circulation. Within the CD4 cell group the total percentage of CD45RA positive CD4 cells was increased during pollen exposure. Conclusions: Th1 and Th17 responses are not altered during pollen season but allergen exposure affects T cell activation and memory cell status in patients with allergic respiratory syndrome

Denture-related stomatitis is associated with endothelial dysfunction

Oral inflammation, such as periodontitis, can lead to endothelial dysfunction, accelerated atherosclerosis, and vascular dysfunction. The relationship between vascular dysfunction and other common forms of oral infections such as denture-related stomatitis (DRS) is unknown. Similar risk factors predispose to both conditions including smoking, diabetes, age, and obesity. Accordingly, we aimed to investigate endothelial function and major vascular disease risk factors in 44 consecutive patients with dentures with clinical and microbiological features of DRS (n = 20) and without DRS (n = 24). While there was a tendency for higher occurrence of diabetes and smoking, groups did not differ significantly in respect to major vascular disease risk factors. Groups did not differ in main ambulatory blood pressure, total cholesterol, or even CRP. Importantly, flow mediated dilatation (FMD) was significantly lower in DRS than in non-DRS subjects, while nitroglycerin induced vasorelaxation (NMD) or intima-media thickness (IMT) was similar. Interestingly, while triglyceride levels were normal in both groups, they were higher in DRS subjects, although they did not correlate with either FMD or NMD. Conclusions. Denture related stomatitis is associated with endothelial dysfunction in elderly patients with dentures. This is in part related to the fact that diabetes and smoking increase risk of both DRS and cardiovascular disease