Holomorphic Extension from Weakly Pseudoconcave CR Manifolds

Let M be a smooth locally embeddable CR manifold, having some CR dimension m and some CR codimension d. We find an improved local geometric condition on M which guarantees, at a point p on M, that germs of CR distributions are smooth functions, and have extensions to germs of holomorphic functions on a full ambient neighborhood of p. Our condition is a form of weak pseudoconcavity, closely related to essential pseudoconcavity as introduced in [HN1]. Applications are made to CR meromorphic functions and mappings. Explicit examples are given which satisfy our new condition,but which are not pseudoconcave in the strong sense. These results demonstrate that for codimension d > 1, there are additional phenomena which are invisible when d = 1

Higher order Levi forms on homogeneous CR manifolds

We investigate the nondegeneracy of higher order Levi forms on weakly nondegenerate homogeneous CR manifolds. Improving previous results, we prove that general orbits of real forms in complex flag manifolds have order less or equal than 3 and the compact ones less or equal 2. Finally we construct by Lie extensions weakly nondegenerate CR vector bundles with arbitrary orders of nondegeneracy

Behavioural Differences in Sensorimotor Profiles: A Comparison of Preschool-Aged Children with Sensory Processing Disorder and Autism Spectrum Disorders

Sensory Processing Disorders (SPDs) define dysfunctions in modulating, organising, and using information from several sensory channels for regulating motor, behavioural, emotional and attention responses. Although SPD can be identified also as an isolated condition in young children, its presence in Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) population is really frequent. The study purpose is to explore the SPD clinical expression and the putative correlation with several behavioural aspects both in children with ASD and in those with isolated SPD. Therefore, 43 preschool-aged children (25 ASD vs. 18 SPD) were recruited, and their parents completed three questionnaires (Developmental Profile-3, Sensory Processing Measure–Preschool, Repetitive Behaviour Scale-Revised) to evaluate behavioural alterations and developmental levels. The main result is that both ASD and SPD groups had significantly sensory-related behavioural symptoms, although ASD children seem to be more impaired in all areas. Several significant correlations were found between sensory processing difficulties and repetitive behaviours, but in the SPD group a specific relationship between Body Awareness and Ritualistic/Sameness Behaviour was found. Conversely, in the ASD group, more diffuse interlinks between sensory processing difficulties and motor behaviours were significant. In conclusion, the present study confirms the key role of sensory–motor skills in early diagnosis and intervention among children at risk for neurodevelopmental disorders

Language-Related Skills in Bilingual Children With Specific Learning Disorders

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to better understand the characteristics of the language-related skills of bilingual children with specific learning disorders (SLD). The aim is achieved by analyzing language-related skills in a sample of bilingual (Italian plus another language) and Italian monolingual children, with and without SLD. Patients and methods: A total of 72 minors aged between 9 and 11 were recruited and divided into four groups: 18 Italian monolingual children with SLD, 18 bilingual children with SLD, 18 Italian monolingual children without SLD, and 18 bilingual children without SLD. Each child underwent tests to evaluate different aspects of language skills: lexical and grammar, metalanguage and executive functions. Results: With regard to lexical and grammatical skills, the conditions of SLD and bilingualism both impact naming in terms of total number of errors for words with low frequency of use, while the condition of SLD has an effect on semantic errors for words with low frequency of use. The condition of bilingualism impacts on the total errors for words with high frequency of use and on circumlocution-type errors for words with low frequency of use. There were significant effects of bilingualism and SLD on the metalinguistic test for understanding implicit meaning, and an impact of SLD on phonological awareness was also found. Conclusion: The results suggest that both SLD and bilingualism have an effect on some lexical skills, in particular for words with low frequency of use. Both conditions, bilingualism and SLD, seem to impact on metalinguistic abilities that depend on lexical knowledge. These findings reinforce the importance of improving understanding of the neuropsychological profile of bilingual children with SLD

Gevrey local solvability in locally integrable structures

We consider a locally integrable real-analytic structure, and we investigate the local solvability in the category of Gevrey functions and ultradistributions of the complex d' naturally induced by the de Rham complex. We prove that the so-called condition Y(q) on the signature of the Levi form, for local solvability of d' u=f, is still necessary even if we take f in the classes of Gevrey functions and look for solutions u in the corresponding spaces of ultradistributions.Comment: 12 page

Pre-Discharge Predictors of 1-Year Rehospitalization in Adolescents and Young Adults with Severe Mental Disorders: A Retrospective Cohort Study

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Readmissions of youths hospitalized for a severe mental disorder are common events and bear a remarkable human, social, and economic burden. The current study aimed at evaluating predictors of 1-year rehospitalization in a sample of adolescents and young adults with severe mental disorders. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Data for ≤25-year-old inpatients with a severe mental disorder and consecutively admitted between 1 January 2016 and 30 June 2019 were collected. Subjects were retrospectively assessed over a follow-up period of one year after the index discharge to track readmissions—i.e., the primary outcome variable. Standard descriptive statistics were used. The association between variables and 1-year rehospitalization was estimated using the univariate Cox proportional hazards regression model. We then carried out a multivariable Cox regression model, also estimating the covariate-adjusted survivor function. Hazard ratios (HRs) with related 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) were provided. RESULTS: The final sample included 125 individuals. The multivariable Cox regression model estimated that co-occurring substance use disorders (HR = 2.14; 95% CI: 1.08 to 4.26; p = 0.029) and being admitted for a suicide attempt (HR = 2.49; 95% CI: 1.13 to 5.49; p = 0.024) were both significant predictors of 1-year rehospitalization. CONCLUSIONS: Our study showed that comorbid substance use disorders and being admitted for a suicide attempt were predictors of early readmission in youths with severe mental disorders. Although their generalizability is limited, our findings could contribute to improve the quality of young patients’ mental health care by identifying vulnerable subjects who may benefit from tailored interventions to prevent rehospitalizations

Maternal and infant NR3C1 and SLC6A4 epigenetic signatures of the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown: when timing matters

Stress exposure during pregnancy is critically linked with maternal mental health and child development. The effects might involve altered patterns of DNA methylation in specific stress-related genes (i.e., glucocorticoid receptor gene, NR3C1, and serotonin transporter gene, SLC6A4) and might be moderated by the gestational timing of stress exposure. In this study, we report on NR3C1 and SLC6A4 methylation status in Italian mothers and infants who were exposed to the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown during different trimesters of pregnancy. From May 2020 to February 2021, 283 mother–infant dyads were enrolled at delivery. Within 24 h from delivery, buccal cells were collected to assess NR3C1 (44 CpG sites) and SLC6A4 (13 CpG sites) methylation status. Principal component (PC) analyses were used to reduce methylation data dimension to one PC per maternal and infant gene methylation. Mother–infant dyads were split into three groups based on the pregnancy trimester (first, second, third), during which they were exposed to the COVID-19 lockdown. Mothers and infants who were exposed to the lockdown during the first trimester of pregnancy had lower NR3C1 and SLC6A4 methylation when compared to counterparts exposed during the second or third trimesters. The effect remained significant after controlling for confounders. Women who were pregnant during the pandemic and their infants might present altered epigenetic biomarkers of stress-related genes. As these epigenetic marks have been previously linked with a heightened risk of maternal psychiatric problems and less-than-optimal child development, mothers and infants should be adequately monitored for psychological health during and after the pandemic

Is Brain-Derived Neurotropic Factor Methylation Involved in the Association Between Prenatal Stress and Maternal Postnatal Anxiety During the COVID-19 Pandemic?

BackgroundThe COVID-19 pandemic is a collective trauma that may expose susceptible individuals to high levels of stress. Pregnant women represent a high-risk population, considering that pregnancy is a period of heightened neuroplasticity and susceptibility to stress through epigenetic mechanisms. Previous studies showed that the methylation status of the BDNF gene is linked with prenatal stress exposure. The goals of this study were (a) to assess the association between pandemic-related stress and postnatal anxiety and (b) to investigate the potential role of maternal BDNF methylation as a significant mediator of this association. MethodsIn the present study, we report data on the association among pandemic-related stress during pregnancy, maternal BDNF methylation, and postnatal anxiety symptoms. Pandemic-related stress and postnatal anxiety were assessed through self-report instruments. BDNF methylation was estimated in 11 CpG sites in DNA from mothers' buccal cells. Complete data were available from 108 mothers. ResultsResults showed that pandemic-related stress was associated with an increased risk of postnatal anxiety, r = 0.20, p < 0.05. CpG-specific BDNF methylation was significantly associated with both prenatal pandemic-related stress, r = 0.21, p < 0.05, and postnatal maternal anxious symptoms, r = 0.25, p = 0.01. Moreover, a complete mediation by the BDNF CpG6 methylation emerged between pandemic-related stress during pregnancy and postnatal maternal anxiety, ACME = 0.66, p < 0.05. ConclusionThese findings suggest that BDNF epigenetic regulation by pandemic-related stress might contribute to increase the risk of anxiety in mothers. Policymakers should prioritize the promotion of health and wellbeing in pregnant women and mothers during the present healthcare emergency

Increase in admission rates and symptom severity of childhood and adolescent anorexia nervosa in Europe during the COVID-19 pandemic: data from specialized eating disorder units in different European countries

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic, associated with confinement and social isolation, seems to have impacted the course of many mental disorders in children and adolescents. An increase in hospital admission rates for juvenile anorexia nervosa (AN) has been documented in many regions of the world. However, data from Europe are scarce. Methods: We asked clinicians in specialized eating disorder units in hospitals of maximum care in France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Sweden, and the Netherlands to report on (i) overall (inpatient and outpatient) and (ii) inpatient admission rates for adolescents with AN during 2019 and 2020. Additionally, a modified version of the COVID Isolation Eating Scale (CIES) was used to assess the child and adolescent psychiatrists’ estimations of a possible increase in symptom severity in children and adolescents with AN during the COVID-19 pandemic and to (iii) inquire about the contributing factors perceived by the caring professionals. Results: Four out of six representatives of European hospitals described a higher rate of overall admissions during the pandemic. Three hospitals out of six reported an increase in inpatient admissions, and two centres had constant high numbers of admissions of both outpatients and inpatients. The clinicians perceived a higher symptom severity in 2020 than in 2019, especially involving more frequent use of social media, longer duration of exercising, and more restrictive eating. They supposed an increase in social media consumption, a perceived “loss of control”, and a lack of in-person assessments and weight controls as the main contributing factors for the deterioration in AN numbers and symptomatology. Conclusions: The COVID-19 pandemic seems to have had a deep impact on symptom severity in AN, which is mirrored by a large increase in admission rates across Europe. An increase in exercise, social media consumption, a perceived “loss of control”, and a lack of face-to-face health care seem to have contributed to this development. Further investigation is required to identify which factors may lead to the increase in incidence and deterioration of childhood and adolescent AN. Possible preventive means for the future could include educating paediatricians and health care workers about AN, regular weight assessment, and home-based treatments