The Paths of Mental Health: The Effects of Co-Detention on Children's Development

This article offers a descriptive analysis of the co-detention phenomenon in the Italian context. Our aim is to focus on the process of keeping children in prison with their detained parental figures and to analyse the environmental conditions in the prison context. The paper describes, in particular, contextual risk factors from the child’s psycho-social development (as well as resilience variables) which are connected to a stay in prison. This analysis is aimed at a multi-dimensional perspective of the concept of risk, related to the phenomenon of co-detention, and as a means to identify different developmental paths. Moreover, it describes certain guidelines on how to structure primary prevention programs to assess and contain the risk of psychopathology and neuropsychiatric conditions in children, as well as in adults

Supramolecular organization of new chiral π-conjugated oligomers: synthesis and spectroscopic study

π-Conjugated polymers and oligomers are widely used as organic semiconductors in devices such as field-effect transistors (OFET), light-emitting diodes (OLED) and solar cells (OPV)1; in the last years, a very important role in this field has been played by olygothiophenes2. Their optoelectronic properties (structure of the absorption bands, fluorescence efficiency, charge and exciton transport) depend not only on the chemical nature and the conformation assumed, but also on their supramolecular organization in the solid state. In particular, the introduction of chiral groups can be used to drive their self-assembly. We shall summarize our recent results about the supramolecular aggregation of three new chiral π- conjugated oligomers, consisting of an aromatic central ring (1,4-hydroquinone, benzo[1,2-b:4,5-b′]dithiophene- 4,8-diol, 1,4-diketopyrrolo[3,4-c]pyrrole) functionalized with two (S)-3,7-dimethyl-1-octyl groups and connected to two 2,2'-bithienyl units. In particular, we shall discuss: a) the synthetic route developed for the preparation of these new molecules;b) the characterization of their supramolecular aggregates in solution and of their thin films through optical (UV-VIS, fluorescence) and chiroptical (electronic circular dichroism) spectroscopies, in connection with optical microscopy investigation

THE QUALITY OF LIFE IN CHILDREN WITH CEREBRAL PALSY

Background: Cerebral palsy (CP) is the most common pediatric disability causing long-term functional limitations. CP remarkably influences the life of those affected and their families. For this reason it is important and necessary to direct attention not only type of the CP, but also the impact the disorder has on the child, parents, siblings and the entire family as a whole. The aim of this study was to assess the impact of CP on the child’s quality of life, considering parents’ perceptions about their child's illness, in order to underline the impact the illness has not only on the child but also his/her family. Methods: The study included both parents of the 36 subjects enrolled (19 males and 17 females), with established CP diagnosis. The effect of CP on the families was assessed using the Impact of Childhood Illness Scale. This questionnaire assesses the quality of life in children with epilepsy and other chronic pathologies and in their families. All questions refer to effect to the illness family. The scale comprises 30 questions divided into four sections: impact of illness and its treatment ; impact on development and child s adjustment; impact on parents and impact on the family. Descriptive analyses were used for data analysis and it is also calculated the rank correlation coefficient Spearman’s rho. Results and conclusion: The mothers’ group presents little higher average scores than the group of fathers in two four subscales or in the basement “Impact on the child” and “Family impact on the organization”. This could be due to the fact that mothers are concerned most of the child's caregiver, living most of all the difficulties that entails; mothers show greater concerns than fathers. In subscale “Impact on parents” the average score of the answers of the group of mothers coincide with that of the fathers; the experience and the experience of his son's illness is analogous for both parents. No significant differences were found from the correlational analysis between the individual items of the subscales and the different forms of CP. In families of children with CP, strategies for optimizing caregiver physical and psychological health include supports for behavioral management and daily functional activities as well as stress management and self-efficacy techniques

ADDICTIONS SUBSTANCE FREE DURING LIFESPAN

The addictions substance free is an umbrella definition comprises internet addiction, sexual addiction, gambling pathological, workholism, videogames and computer addiction. Actually, the technological addictions is frequent in young adolescents. The term Digital Natives indicates the children born in an information system of learning and communication different from that of the generations previous. This temporal range was strongly characterized by growing presence of technological communication toolsin daily life. The effects of hyper-exposition to technological tools tend to create a relational virtuality without a body is born,therefore, already within the family ties and during adolescence he moved to the digital socialization network. The technological object it interacts between the adolescent and the world of peers and adults, becoming the facilitator object that as the psychotropic substance, it conveys new modes of communicatio

FACIT collagen (1alpha-chain) is expressed by hemocytes and epidermis during the inflammatory response of the ascidian Ciona intestinalis

Based on previous cloning and sequencing study, real-time PCR and in situ hybridization assays of the inflamed body wall of LPS-injected Ciona intestinalis showed the enhanced gene expression of a collagen with FACIT structural features (Ci-type IX-Col 1a-chain). By using specific antibodies raised against an opportunely chosen Ci-type IX-Col synthetic peptide, the fibroblast property of hemocytes challenged in vitro with LPS (at 4 h) was displayed by flow cytometry, while immunocytochemistry identified hemocytes with large granules (morula cells) as collagen-producing cells. Hemocyte lysate supernatant analyzed in immunoblotting contained a 60 kDa band identifiable as 1a-chain-Ci-type IX-Col. Observations of body wall sections (immunohistochemistry method) supported the role of hemocytes and showed that epidermis expressed Ci-type IX-Col 1a-chain in the time course of the inflammatory reaction (within 24 h). Transcript and protein were mainly found in the epidermis that outlined the proximal side of the tunic matrix (at 24 h after LPS injection), in cells associated with the epidermis at 4 and 192 h. In conclusion, the C. intestinalis inflammatory response to LPS challenge appeared to be composed of a complex reaction set, and for the first time we showed in ascidians a granulation tissue with FACIT-collagen production that could participate in inflammation and wound healing. Like in vertebrates, C. intestinalis acute inflammatory reactions result in a regulated pattern of tissue repair with collagen expression during remodelling. Ci-type IX-Col could be involved in a network of non-fibril-forming collagens that participates in the organization of extracellular matrix and defense responses

Infantile-Onset Charcot–Marie–Tooth Disease With Pyramidal Features and White Matter Abnormalities Due to a De novo MORC2 Gene Variant: A Case Report and Brief Review of the Literature

Background: Charcot–Marie–Tooth (CMT) is the most frequent group of inherited neuropathies and includes several heterogeneous phenotypes. Over 80 causative genes have been described so far. Variants in the microrchidia family CW-type zinc finger 2 (MORC2) gene have been described in several axonal polyneuropathy (CMT2) patients with childhood or adult onset. Occasionally more complex phenotypes with delayed milestones, severe hypotonia, intellectual disability, dystonic postures, pyramidal signs, and neuroimaging abnormalities have been reported. Case Presentation: We report on a patient with a de novo MORC2 gene variant (c.1181A>G p.Tyr394Cys) with a history of developmental delay, axial hypotonia, progressive gait disorder with dystonic features, and intentional tremor. At the age of 8 years, he showed bilateral pyramidal signs (clonus, increased tendon reflexes, and Babinski sign) and bilateral pes cavus. The first neuroimaging performed at the age of 3 years demonstrated white matter abnormalities in the posterior periventricular zone, in the frontal lobes bilaterally and at the midbrain, stable during childhood and adolescence. Nerve conduction studies (NCS) were negative until the age of 15 years, when a sensory axonal neuropathy appeared. The association between pyramidal signs and neuropathy due to the MORC2 gene variant is increasingly being highlighted, although a neuroradiological correlate is evident only in about half of the cases. Longitudinal nerve conduction velocity (NCV) are helpful to identify late-onset features and provide useful information for diagnosis in patients with rare neurogenetic disorders. Conclusions: Characterization of complex neurological disorders is important to delineate the expanding phenotypic spectrum of MORC2-related disease, to confirm if possible the pathogenicity of the variants and to deepen the genotype–phenotype correlation

Internalizing symptoms in children affected by childhood absence epilepsy: A preliminary study

Introduction: Childhood absence epilepsy (CAE) is a common type of pediatric idiopathic generalized epilepsy, characterized by multiple seizures of typical absence, with typical EEG pattern consisting in bilateral synchronous and symmetrical discharges of generalized 3 Hz spike-wave (SWDs). Recently, some researchers have suggested that the underlying epileptogenic mechanism of absence seizures selectively involves the frontal cortical circuits, also supported by video-electroencephalography data(3). These data may be considered as a new window in CAE comprehension and management, particularly about symptoms different from seizure that children affected may present. In this light, aim of the present study is evaluating the presence of internalizing problems in prepubertal children affected by CAE. Material and methods: 18 patients (10 females, 8 males) ranging age from 8-11 years (mean age 9.36 ± 1.32) affected by typical CAE were recruited. Control group was composed by 43 subjects (32 females, 11 males) (mean age 8.54 ± 2.01). All subjects were screened for internalizing symptoms with SAFA-A scale and CDI test. Results: The two groups were comparable for age (p=0.117) and sex distribution (p=0.251). CAE children showed significantly higher score than controls for anxiety (p<0.001) and depressive symptoms screening tests (p<0.001) (Table 1). Conclusions: Results of present study suggest the importance of screening for anxiety and depressive signs in CAE children, in order to optimize their management beyond the exclusive idea to control and stop epileptic seizure only

Neuropsychological Alterations in Children Affected by Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome

Sleep-related breathing disorders are a group of clinical conditions ranging from habitual snoring to obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) during the lifespan. In children, other risk factors are represented by adenotonsillar hypertrophy, rhinitis, nasal structure alteration, cleft palate, velopharyngeal flap surgery, pharyngeal masses, craniofacial malformations, genetic syndrome (i.e. Down syndrome, Crouzon syndrome, and Apert syndrome), genetic hypoplasia mandibular (i.e. Pierre Robin syndrome, Treacher Collins syndrome, Shy-Drager syndrome, and Cornelia De Lange syndrome), craniofacial traumas, chronic or seasonal rhinitis, asthma, neuromuscular syndromes, brainstem pathologies (i.e. Arnold-Chiari malformation and Joubert syndrome), achondroplasia, and mucopolysaccharidosis. OSAS may affect the executive functioning such as motivational ability, planning, behavior modulation, ability to complete an action program, identification of functional strategies to achieve the goal, problem solving, flexibility, monitoring and self-assessment of behavior in relation to results, change of task, or behavior in the light of emerging information, which may be all impaired by nocturnal intermittent hypoxia also during the developmental age. The clinical presentation of OSAS can mimic other neurobehavioral symptoms, such as ADHD syndrome, learning problems, or can exacerbate the Fragile X syndrome, and generalized non-convulsive epilepsy symptoms

Changes in sputum composition during 15min of sputum induction in healthy subjects and patients with asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

SummaryIntroductionThe use of sputum induction by inhalation of hypertonic saline to study the cellular and biochemical composition of the airways allows noninvasive sampling of the airways content and identification of markers of airways inflammation.ObjectiveThe present study aimed to identify possible changes in the cellular composition of induced sputum between samples obtained sequentially (three periods of 5min each) during one sputum induction. Moreover, difference between these samples and the mixed one (mixture of samples obtained after 5, 10 and 15min of induction) was investigated.MethodsForty-six subjects (10 healthy volunteers, 12 patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and 24 patients with asthma) (mean age 53.0±14.0yr, forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) 71.8±19.0% pred) produced sputum after three consecutive 5min periods of hypertonic (4.5%) saline inhalation. Stained cytospins from the three periods separately and from the mixed sample were produced and analyzed.ResultsThe mean percentage of neutrophils, eosinophils, lymphocytes and epithelial cells did not change significantly in samples obtained consecutively after 5, 10 and 15min of the induction procedure. There was no significant difference in the cellular composition of samples obtained after 5, 10 and 15min of induction and the cellular composition of the mixed sample (P=0.06).ConclusionThe separate analysis of induced sputum from three consecutive sampling and the mixed sample did not demonstrate significant changes in their cellular composition. Fifteen minutes induction procedure with the fixed concentration of hypertonic saline and processing of the mixed sample can be recommended for clinical settings and clinical trials

Neuropsychological Alterations in Children Affected by Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome

Sleep-related breathing disorders are a group of clinical conditions ranging from habitual snoring to obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) during the lifespan. In children, other risk factors are represented by adenotonsillar hypertrophy, rhinitis, nasal structure alteration, cleft palate, velopharyngeal flap surgery, pharyngeal masses, craniofacial malformations, genetic syndrome (i.e. Down syndrome, Crouzon syndrome, and Apert syndrome), genetic hypoplasia mandibular (i.e. Pierre Robin syndrome, Treacher Collins syndrome, Shy-Drager syndrome, and Cornelia De Lange syndrome), craniofacial traumas, chronic or seasonal rhinitis, asthma, neuromuscular syndromes, brainstem pathologies (i.e. Arnold-Chiari malformation and Joubert syndrome), achondroplasia, and mucopolysaccharidosis. OSAS may affect the executive functioning such as motivational ability, planning, behavior modulation, ability to complete an action program, identification of functional strategies to achieve the goal, problem solving, flexibility, monitoring and self-assessment of behavior in relation to results, change of task, or behavior in the light of emerging information, which may be all impaired by nocturnal intermittent hypoxia also during the developmental age. The clinical presentation of OSAS can mimic other neurobehavioral symptoms, such as ADHD syndrome, learning problems, or can exacerbate the Fragile X syndrome, and generalized nonconvulsive epilepsy symptoms