The role of co-parenting alliance as a mediator between trait anxiety, family system maladjustment, and parenting stress in a sample of non-clinical Italian parents

This study investigated the role of co-parenting alliance in mediating the influence of parents' trait anxiety on family system maladjustment and parenting stress. A sample of 1606 Italian parents (803 mothers and 803 fathers) of children aged one to 13 years completed measures of trait anxiety (State Trait Anxiety Inventory-Y), co-parenting alliance (Parenting Alliance Measure), family system maladjustment (Family Assessment Measure-III), and parenting stress (Parenting Stress Inventory-Short Form). These variables were investigated together comparing two structural equations model-fitting including both partners. A model for both mothers and fathers was empirically devised as a series of associations between parent trait anxiety (independent variable), family system maladjustment and parenting stress (dependent variables), mediated by coparenting alliance, with the insertion of cross predictions between mothers and fathers and correlations between dependent variables for both parents. Results indicated that the relation between mothers and fathers' trait anxiety, family system maladjustment and parenting stress was mediated by the level of co-parenting alliance. Understanding the role of couples' co-parenting alliance could be useful during the family assessment and/or treatment, since it is an efficient and effective tool to improve the family system maladjustment and stress

The Parental Reflective Functioning Questionnaire in Mothers and Fathers of School-Aged Children

Research on parental reflective functioning (PRF)—defined as parents’ capacity to comprehend the developing mind of their child, reflect upon it, and hold in mind the inner life of the child—has mostly involved mothers of infants and young children, and rarely fathers and parents of school-aged children. The present study sought to extend research on PRF by examining aspects of the construct that are still scarcely explored, such as the role of gender and attachment; to investigate whether there were differences between mothers’ and fathers’ PRF and whether there were differences in PRF related to the gender and age of the child; and, finally, to assess the association between PRF and each parent’s attachment style. The Parental Reflective Functioning Questionnaire (PRFQ) and the Attachment Style Questionnaire (ASQ) were administered to a community sample of mothers and fathers of 385 children aged 3–10 years. A multi-group factor analysis supported the hypothesized three-factor model among both fathers and mothers. Univariate and multivariate analyses of variance showed that mothers had higher levels of interest and curiosity in their children’s mental states than fathers. Parents of daughters showed higher pre-mentalizing modes than parents of sons. Parents of preschool children showed less nonmentalizing modes than parents of children aged 8–10. Correlations between PRFQ and ASQ showed that both mothers’ and fathers’ interest in thinking about their child’s internal experience and in taking the child’s perspective were correlated with higher levels of secure attachment style. Research implications are discussed

Neuregulin 4 Boosts the Efficacy of Anti-ERBB2 Neutralizing Antibodies

ERBB4 is a tyrosine kinase receptor reported to exert both oncogenic and tumor suppressor activities. These paradoxical effects were suggested to stem from different ERBB4 homo-/hetero-dimers and/or isoforms. By stratifying breast cancer patients for clinical and molecular subtypes and ERBB4 mRNA abundance, we here report that higher ERBB4 levels correlate with longer relapse-free survival in breast cancer patients of HER2-enriched and luminal A molecular subtypes, proposing a cancer-protecting role for this receptor in these specific subgroups. We also observed that HER2-enriched breast cancers express intermediate ERBB4 mRNA levels compared to luminal and triple-negative/basal-like subgroups, which displayed the highest and the lowest levels, respectively. Inspired by these clinical data, we tested the activation of ERBB4 by Neuregulins as a potential anticancer strategy for HER2+ breast cancers. To this end, we employed two HER2+ breast cancer cellular models (BT474 and SKBR3), which express intermediate/high and low ERBB4 levels, respectively. Cell proliferation and motility were evaluated on these cellular models following treatments with Neuregulin 1 (NRG1), which activates both ERBB3 and ERBB4, or Neuregulin 4 (NRG4), which specifically activates ERBB4. Both NRG1 and NRG4 were used alone or in combination with anti-ERBB2 neutralizing antibodies, namely trastuzumab and pertuzumab. In vitro treatment with NRG1 on BT474 cells restrained cell growth and reduced the anti-proliferative efficacy of trastuzumab. In contrast, treatment with NRG1 on SKBR3 cells increased cell proliferation and migration, and partially or completely impaired the anti-proliferative/anti-migratory action of trastuzumab and/or pertuzumab. Importantly, in both the cell lines, treatment with NRG4 robustly potentiated the anti-proliferative action of trastuzumab and pertuzumab. Collectively, our data in HER2+ breast cancer cells highlight that NRG1 may exert both pro- and anti-proliferative effects, and may reduce the efficacy of anti-HER2 agents, whereas NRG4 may boost the anti-proliferative effects of anti-ERBB2 agents. We propose a provocative paradigm shift in the field of growth factors in cancer progression, suggesting the administration of ERBB4 ligands, such as Neuregulin 4, as a strategy to improve the efficacy of anti-ERBB2 agents

Factors related to women’s psychological distress during the covid-19 pandemic: Evidence from a two-wave longitudinal study

Background. A growing body of research has highlighted the negative effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on women’s mental health. Previous studies showed that women have higher levels of depression, anxiety and PTSD, and worse psychological adjustment than men, which also persisted after the earlier phase of the pandemic. This study aimed to evaluate changes in women’s psychological distress during the pandemic and to evaluate the factors that have a more significant impact in predicting women’s psychological distress. Methods. This two-wave longitudinal study (T1 = Italian first lockdown, and T2 = second phase, when the restrictive measures were eased) involved 893 women (Mage = 36.45, SD = 14.48). Participants provided demographic and health data as well as measures of psychological distress, emotion regulation processes, and ability to tolerate uncertainty. Results. No significant changes were found in women’s psychological distress between T1 and T2, i.e., during and after the first lockdown. Lower social stability status and higher maladaptive emotional coping predicted high psychological distress. Conclusions. Results showed that modifiable psychological variables play a central role in predicting distress and indicated that emotion regulation interventions might be helpful in increasing psychological resilience and mitigating the adverse impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic within the female population

Extreme and long-term drought in the La Plata Basin: event evolution and impact assessment until September 2022

The current drought conditions across the Parana-La Plata Basin (LPB) in Brazil-Argentina have been the worst since 1944. While this area is characterized by a rainy season with a peak from October to April, the hydrological year 2020-2021 was very deficient in rainfall, and the situation extended into the 2021-2022 hydrological year. Below-normal rainfall was dominant in south-eastern Brazil, northern Argentina, Paraguay, and Uruguay, suggesting a late onset and weaker South American Monsoon and the continuation of drier conditions since 2021. In fact, in 2021 Brazilian south and south-east regions faced their worst droughts in nine decades, raising the spectre of possible power rationing given the grid dependence on hydroelectric plants. The Paraná-La Plata Basin drought induced damages to agriculture and reduced crop production, including soybeans and maize, with effects on global crop markets. The drought situation continued in 2022 in the Pantanal region. Dry meteorological conditions are still present in the region at the end of September 2022 with below-average precipitation anomalies. Soil moisture anomaly and vegetation conditions are worst in the lower part of the La Plata Basin, in the southern regions. Conversely, upper and central part of the basin show partial and temporary recovery

Cardiac troponins: from myocardial infarction to chronic disease.

Elucidation of the physiologically distinct subunits of troponin in 1973 greatly facilitated our understanding of cardiac contraction. Although troponins are expressed in both skeletal and cardiac muscle, there are isoforms of troponin I/T expressed selectively in the heart. By exploiting cardiac-restricted epitopes within these proteins, one of the most successful diagnostic tests to-date has been developed: cardiac troponin (cTn) assays. For the past decade, cTn has been regarded as the gold-standard marker for acute myocardial necrosis: the pathological hallmark of acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Whilst cTn is the cornerstone for ruling-out AMI in patients presenting with a suspected acute coronary syndrome (ACS), elevated cTn is frequently observed in those without clinical signs indicative of AMI, often reflecting myocardial injury of 'unknown origin'. cTn is commonly elevated in acute non-ACS conditions, as well as in chronic diseases. It is unclear why these elevations occur; yet they cannot be ignored as cTn levels in chronically unwell patients are directly correlated to prognosis. Paradoxically, improvements in assay sensitivity have meant more differential diagnoses have to be considered due to decreased specificity, since cTn is now more easily detected in these non-ACS conditions. It is important to be aware cTn is highly specific for myocardial injury, which could be attributable to a myriad of underlying causes, emphasising the notion that cTn is an organ-specific, not disease-specific biomarker. Furthermore, the ability to detect increased cTn using high-sensitivity assays following extreme exercise is disconcerting. It has been suggested troponin release can occur without cardiomyocyte necrosis, contradicting conventional dogma, emphasising a need to understand the mechanisms of such release. This review discusses basic troponin biology, the physiology behind its detection in serum, its use in the diagnosis of AMI, and some key concepts and experimental evidence as to why cTn can be elevated in chronic diseases

Transition to Fatherhood

Within the life cycle, becoming parents represents an important event involving psychosocial changes in the life of the couple and that exerts repercussions on adult personality development. The birth of the baby happens within a contest that involves individuals close to the couple but also the extended social network. Parenthood is from some theorists defined as developmental phase or crisis. It is part of a long process that cannot put aside from how the individual represents couple relationship and parenthood and from how he experienced them during his childhood. It depends also on how he feels about having a new role, that is related to the sense of self and to separation and confront with his own parental figures. In conclusion, becoming parents need to give space for the baby, whose birth determines the readjustment of relationships both between parents and external environment and between the two members of the couple. Fatherhood is for some theorists as an object of investment for the period that goes from the beginning of pregnancy to the first months of the infant\u2019s life. The present work provides specific methodological tools to study and better understand the theoretical construct of fatherhood