Blame and responsibility in the context of youth produced sexual imagery: the role of teacher empathy and rape myth acceptance

This study examined Pre-Service Teachers’ (PSTs; N ¼ 92; 75% women, 25% men) tendency to blame students or to feel responsibility when confronted with different vignettes of the sharing of youth produced sexual images. Self-report measures of empathy and rape myth acceptance were collected. Findings showed that PSTs felt more responsible for girl targets depending on the vignette type. Moreover, they blamed the target more in the attention seeking vignette compared to other vignette types. Finally, PSTs who tended to blame the target showed lower levels of empathic concern and higher levels of rape myth acceptance. Implications for teaching education are discusse

Multiple drug-susceptibility screening in Mycobacterium bovis: new nucleotide polymorphisms in the embB gene among ethambutol susceptible strains

Objectives: Pyrazinamide-resistant Mycobacterium bovis isolates of animal origin were assessed for drug susceptibility to five antituberculosis drugs by the agar based Middlebrook 7H11 method as gold standard as well as by a simplified, dichotomous resazurin microtitre assay (d-REMA). Methods: A total of 53 M. bovis isolates were typed and tested against isoniazid, rifampin, streptomycin, ethambutol, kanamycin and the control drug pyrazinamide. On the basis of the results obtained, pncA and embB genes were PCR-amplified and DNA-sequenced for all isolates. Results: All M. bovis isolates, classified into 21 spoligotype/MIRU-VNTR profiles, were resistant to pyrazinamide by both methods, as expected. The pncA gene sequencing confirmed the presence of the resistance-conferring H57D mutation. All strains were found to be susceptible to the other five drugs by the agar based gold standard method. The d-REMA was in agreement with these results for all five drugs, with the exception of 12 isolates, which showed ambiguous and therefore inconclusive results in ethambutol testing. Mutations in the embB gene were observed in all 53 isolates: four new single-nucleotide polymorphisms were identified. No association was found between embB genetic profiles and ethambutol resistance results by the gold standard. Conclusion: All M. bovis isolates were sensitive to the most common antituberculosis drugs used for treatment. There was a good agreement between the d-REMA assay and the agar based reference method. Among ethambutol susceptible isolates, four new embB mutations were found

Nonconsensual dissemination of sexual images among adolescents: associations with depression and self-esteem

The nonconsensual dissemination of sexual images is a form of image-based sexual abuse that is relatively common among adolescents. However, literature on this issue with adolescent samples is relatively scarce. Therefore, this study is aimed at investigating how this phenomenon varies based on gender and sexual orientation, along with its association with depression and self-esteem. Participants were 728 secondary school students in Sweden (50.4% girls and 46.4% boys; 14.4% lesbian, gay, bisexual [LGB+]) aged from 12 to 19 years (M = 14.35, SD = 1.29). A survey was administered during school hours, including a measure assessing the nonconsensual dissemination of sexual images, the short version of the Moods and Feelings Questionnaire, and the Rosenberg’s Self-Esteem Scale. Results showed that LGB+ participants were more likely to indicate that they were victimized compared to their heterosexual peers, while no differences were observed for gender. Being the target of nonconsensual dissemination of sexual images was positively associated with depression, whereas no significant associations were yielded for self-esteem. Based on the findings from this study, we suggest raising adolescent awareness in relation to the nonconsensual dissemination of sexual images as a form of sexual abuse that can have detrimental effects on those who are targeted. Such educational programs should be inclusive of sexual minority adolescents, as they are at a particular risk of being the target of nonconsensual dissemination of sexual images. Psychological support should be provided to the targets of this form of abuse, through both school and online counseling. Future research should adopt longitudinal designs while recruiting diverse samples

Thalamic connectivity topography in newborns with spina bifida: association with neurological functional level but not developmental outcome at 2 years

Spina bifida affects spinal cord and cerebral development, leading to motor and cognitive delay. We investigated whether there are associations between thalamocortical connectivity topography, neurological function, and developmental outcomes in open spina bifida. Diffusion tensor MRI was used to assess thalamocortical connectivity in 44 newborns with open spina bifida who underwent prenatal surgical repair. We quantified the volume of clusters formed based on the strongest probabilistic connectivity to the frontal, parietal, and temporal cortex. Developmental outcomes were assessed using the Bayley III Scales, while the functional level of the lesion was assessed by neurological examination at 2 years of age. Higher functional level was associated with smaller thalamo-parietal, while lower functional level was associated with smaller thalamo-temporal connectivity clusters (Bonferroni-corrected P < 0.05). Lower functional levels were associated with weaker thalamic temporal connectivity, particularly in the ventrolateral and ventral anterior nuclei. No associations were found between thalamocortical connectivity and developmental outcomes. Our findings suggest that altered thalamocortical circuitry development in open spina bifida may contribute to impaired lower extremity function, impacting motor function and independent ambulation. We hypothesize that the neurologic function might not merely be caused by the spinal cord lesion, but further impacted by the disruption of cerebral neuronal circuitry

Le implicazioni dell'aspettativa genitoriale sull'outcome di trattamento: uno studio RCT con placebo

Introduzione: I disturbi dello Spettro Autistico sono disturbi del neurosviluppo caratterizzati da deficit nelle abilità socio-comunicative e per la presenza di comportamenti ristretti e stereotipati. Alta è l’incidenza in questi disturbi di problematiche gastro-intestinali, tali per cui la ricerca si è orientata verso l’indagine della correlazione tra i due disturbi. Obiettivi: L’obiettivo di questo studio è stato indagare il possibile effetto dell’aspettativa dei genitori di un gruppo di bambini autistici sottoposto a trattamento con probiotico, controllato con placebo, sui report di valutazione conclusiva effettuati dai genitori stessi. Materiale e Metodi: L’Intervista sull’Aspettativa Genitoriale (IAG), implementata per l’obiettivo, è stata somministrata a tutte le madri dei 63 bambini che avevano terminato il protocollo sperimentale. Sono stati presi in considerazione sei strumenti di valutazione, tra interviste e questionari auto-somministrati, a cui i genitori sono stati sottoposti prima e dopo il trattamento. Risultati: I risultati mostrano una significativa tendenza da parte dei genitori dei bambini che alla baseline presentavano un quadro di sintomi e di competenze peggiore ad aspettarsi il trattamento con placebo. Inoltre, i genitori che avevano l’impressione di aver ricevuto il placebo restituivano alla valutazione finale dei quadri di maggiore compromissione, sia per gravità dei sintomi che per deficit di competenze. Conclusioni: I risultati suggeriscono di utilizzare la massima cautela nel considerare i resoconti genitoriali quali fonti di informazioni relativamente all’efficacia di un trattamento, ai quali vanno sempre accompagnate valutazioni svolte da clinici il più possibile in cieco, non solo rispetto all’assegnazione al gruppo sperimentale, ma anche rispetto alle aspettative specifiche dei genitori

Probing the catalytically essential residues of the alpha-L-fucosidase from the hyperthermophilic archaeon Sulfolobus solfataricus

Retaining glycosidases promote the hydrolysis of the substrate by following a double-displacement mechanism involving a covalent intermediate. The catalytic residues are a general acid/base catalyst and the nucleophile. Experimental identification of these residues in a specific glycosidase allows for the assigning of the corresponding residues in all of the other enzymes belonging to the same family. By means of sequence alignment, mutagenesis, and detailed kinetic studies of the alpha-fucosidase from Sulfolobus solfataricus (Ssalpha-fuc) (family 29), we show here that the residues, invariant in this family, have the function inferred from the analysis of the 3D structure of the enzyme from Thermotoga maritima (Tmalpha-fuc). These include in Ssalpha-fuc the substrate-binding residues His46 and His123 and the nucleophile of the reaction, previously described. The acid/base catalyst could be assigned less easily. The k(cat) of the Ssalpha-fucGlu292Gly mutant, corresponding to the acid/base catalyst of Tmalpha-fuc, is reduced by 154-fold but could not be chemically rescued. Instead, the Ssalpha-fucGlu58Gly mutant revealed a 4000-fold reduction of k(cat)/K(M) if compared to the wild-type and showed the rescue of the k(cat) by sodium azide at wild-type levels. Thus, our data suggest that a catalytic triad, namely, Glu58, Glu292, and Asp242, is involved in catalysis. Glu58 and Glu292 cooperate in the role of acid/base catalyst, while Asp242 is the nucleophile of the reaction. Our data suggest that in glycosidase family 29 alpha-fucosidases promoting the retaining mechanism with slightly different catalytic machineries coexist

Impact of AREDF‐UA during and after fetal spina bifida repair on postoperative, neonatal and 2‐year neurodevelopmental outcome

OBJECTIVE: Absent or reversed end diastolic flow (AREDF) in umbilical artery (UA) Doppler are known phenomena during fetal interventions such as fetal spina bifida (fSB) repair. The clinical importance of these Doppler findings and the impact on children's outcome is not yet clarified. METHODS: Between 2010 and 2019, 132 patients underwent SB repair at our center. The group with AREDF-UA was compared to the group with normal UA Doppler during the intervention. Primary endpoint was the FIGO-Score of the cardiotocography (CTG) 1, 2, and 6 hours postoperatively and their correlation to the ARED-UA flow. Secondary endpoints were the neonatal parameters and two-year neurodevelopmental outcome assessed using the Bayley Scale of Infant and Toddler Development Third Edition (Bayley-III). RESULTS: None of the fetuses showed AREDF before SB repair. In 107 patients (82%) normal UA-Doppler and in 23 (18%) AREDF-UA was observed during or immediately after SB surgery. AREDF-UA was more often observed after version of the fetus (p = 0.045). 17 (13 %) cases showed AEDF-UA and 6 (5%) cases REDF-UA. On the first day after SB surgery the AREDF-UA disappeared in all 23 cases. No significant difference in the CTGs at 1, 2, and 6 hours postoperatively and on the first postoperative day between the two groups was found (p > 0.05). GA at delivery, UA-pH, 5-minute Apgar and birth weight were comparable between both groups and there was no difference regarding the two-year neurodevelopmental outcome (p >0.05). Also the neurodevelopmental outcome did not differ between children with an absent or a reversed EDF-UA. CONCLUSIONS: The postoperative CTGs after a short-term phase of AREDF-UA during fSB repair normalize similarly as in normal UA-Doppler cases. AREDF-UA during fSB repair did not negatively influence postnatal or 2-year neurodevelopmental outcome compared with a normal UA-flow. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved

Applications in Biocatalysis of Glycosyl Hydrolases from the Hyperthermophilic Archaeon Sulfolobus solfataricus

Carbohydrates serve as structural components and en- ergy sources of cells. More interestingly, however, these biomolecules are involved in a variety of molecular recognition processes in intercellular communication and signal transduction such as cell adhesion, differ- entiation, development and regulation. For these rea- sons, great interest has arisen in carbohydrate-based pharmaceuticals and on the development of techniques for the analysis and synthesis of oligosaccharides. In this respect, enzymes involved in carbohydrates hydrolysis and modification are increasingly being utilised for the bioconversion of sugars, for the synthesis of oligosac- charides with potential application, and for the charac- terisation of carbohydrate compounds of unknown structure. In this review, the enzymology and the applications of three glycosyl hydrolases from the archaeon Sulfolobus solfataricus are described. In particular, we focus on the enzymological properties of a b-glycosidase, an a-xylo- sidase, and an a-fucosidase; their exploitation in oligo- saccharides synthesis will be also described