Helping Children Cope with Stress

Stress is a response to change or conflict. It is usually considered to be negative and damaging. However, not all forms or levels of stress are bad. Competing in sports and achieving in school or at work are examples of positive stressors. Stress becomes negative when the pressures surrounding these and other situations become too great or when several small stressors occur at once, and one can no longer adjust. It is becoming evident that this type of stress overload is taking its toll on children as well as adults. This publication explains how stress exists in your child\u27s world from infancy through the teen years. You will learn how to recognize signs of stress and help your child express, understand, and manage pressure. Suggestions on preventing excessive stress for your child also are provided

Utjecaj etanola na miorelaksirajuće djelovanje diazepama u štakora

Interaction of ethanol with benzodiazepines can lead to enhanced therapeutic anxyolytic, sedative and hypnotic effect but also can augment unwanted effects such as drowsiness, confusion, amnesia and impaired coordination. In this study we investigated the interaction between ethanol and diazepam and its influence on muscle strength in rats using the grip-strength meter. Three doses of ethanol (0.4, 0.6 and 0.8 g kg-1 of body mass, b.m.) and diazepam (0.75, 1.5 and 7.5 mg kg-1 b.m.) were used in experiments. Single substances and their combinations were tested. The myorelaxant effect of ethanol, measured as grip force (expressed in grams), was dose-dependent. The lowest dose (0.4 g kg-1 b.m.) failed to affect muscle strength while the strongest effect was observed with the highest dose of ethanol (0.8 g kg-1 b.m.) and it lasted for 75 min. Diazepam dose-dependently reduced muscle strength too. However, when ethanol was combined with diazepam (1.5 mg kg-1 b.m.), more enhanced muscle relaxation occurred than by either drug alone. Namely, two lower doses of ethanol (0.4 and 0.6 g kg-1 b.m) enhanced the myorelaxant effect of diazepam for additional 26 and 46%, respectively when measured after 15 min. The myorelaxation was the most pronounced when the highest dose of ethanol (0.8 g kg-1 b.m.) was combined with diazepam: from complete muscle relaxation observed after 15 min, it gradually decreased to 91% at 45th min and to 24% at 105th min after the beginning of the treatment. The results of this preclinical investigation showed that ethanol enhanced the muscle relaxant effect of diazepam. This enhancement as well as duration of the effect was dependent of the applied dose of ethanol.Konzumacija etanola može dovesti do pojačanog anksiolitičkog, sedativnog i hipnotskog djelovanja benzodiazepina, a može i pojačati njihove neželjene reakcije, kao što su vrtoglavica, konfuzija, amnezija i poremećena koordinacija. Cilj ovog rada bio je ispitati miorelaksirajući učinak diazepama i etanola kod štakora koristeći »metodu jačine stiska«. Također se željelo utvrditi u kojoj dozi te u kolikoj mjeri primjena etanola može pojačati djelovanje diazepama. Stoga su u ispitivanja korištene tri doze etanola (0.4, 0.6, i 0.8 g kg-1 tjelesne mase, t.m.) i diazepama (0.75, 1.5, i 7.5 mg kg-1 t.m.). Miorelaksirajuće je djelovanje ispitivano nakon jednokratne primjene obje supstance pojedinačno kao i u njihovoj kombinaciji. Miorelaksirajući učinak etanola kao i diazepama pojedinačno bio je ovisan o dozi. Što je doza bila veća, to je učinak bio jači, a vrijeme njegova trajanja bilo je dulje. Kod istodobne primjene diazepama (1.5 mg kg-1 t.m.) s različitim dozama etanola, miorelaksirajuće se djelovanje značajno pojačalo i produljilo u odnosu na ispitivane supstance pojedinačno. Pritom je učinak bio najjače izražen u prvih 15 min, a potom je postupno slabio. Naime, u tom je vremenu najmanja doza etanola korištena u ovom radu pojačala miorelaksirajuće djelovanje diazepama za dodatnih 26%, srednja za čak 46% dok je u kombinaciji s najvećom dozom etanola nastupila potpuna mišićna relaksacija koja je postupno, tijekom vremena, slabila da bi 105 min nakon primjene supstancija iznosila 24%. Stoga rezultati ovog pretkliničkog ispitivanja pokazuju da etanol, ovisno o dozi, pojačava miorelaksirajuće djelovanje diazepama kod eksperimentalnih životinja. Ono je trajalo dulje što je doza etanola u kombinaciji s diazepamom bila veća

COMORBIDITIES AND SYNDEMICS IN THE COVID-19 AGE: CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR BRINGING SEPARATED BRANCHES OF MEDICINE CLOSER TO EACH OTHER

The Corona Virus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) as a unique disaster has stressed the extreme importance of the three issues for medicine, society and humanity in general: comorbidity, pandemic and syndemic. There are many reasons why the study of comorbidities and syndemics of COVID-19 is of great importance for researchers, clinicians and health policy makers who are responsible for health care organization and funding in a bid to develop more effective and efficient prevention and treatmen t. Thinking about COVID-19 through a syndemics concept and taking biological, psychological, social and spiritual dimensions into account, physicians could be more effective in clinical practice and community-based interventions. The outcome of SARSCoV- 2 infection is determined by the virus-host interaction, with pathogenicity of SARS-CoV-2 being related to the presence of comorbid diseases. The risk for severe COVID-19 clinical manifestations and death increases with age of patients and comorbidity. General mechanisms of multi-system dysfunction and multi-organ damage reported in COVID-19 are probably related to ubiquitous expression of ACE2 in many tissues and its important role in the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS) functioning. Physicians all over the world should be aware of COVID-19 related comorbidities, multisystem disorders and syndemics, as well as treatment and preventive strategies. COVID-19 age is a right time to reconsider the state of science and practice in comorbidity medicine field from the both epistemological and treatment perspective. Comorbidities and multimorbidities are indifferent to medical specializations, so the integrative and complementary medicine is an imperative in the both education and practice. Shifting the paradigm from vertical and mono-morbid interventions to comorbidity, multimorbidity and multi-system disease approaches enhances effectiveness and efficiency of human resources utilization. The aim of this review is to summarize the theoretical concepts and clinical experience and research regarding comorbidity in general, and specifically related to the COVID-19 pandemic, syndemics and infodemic

A tüdőrák molekuláris diagnosztikája

Development of the target therapies of lung cancer was a rapid process which fundamentally changed the pathological diagnosis as well. Furthermore, molecular pathology became essential part of the routine diagnostics of lung cancer. These changes generated several practical problems and in underdeveloped countries or in those with reimbursement problems have been combined with further challenges. The central and eastern region of Europe are characterized by similar problems in this respect which promoted the foundation of NSCLC Working Group to provide up to date protocols or guidelines. This present paper is a summary of the molecular pathology and target therapy guidelines written with the notion that it has to be upgraded continuously according to the development of the field

Hemothorax as the first manifestation of idiopathic pulmonary arteriovenous malformation

Background: Pulmonary arteriovenous malformations (PAVM) are rare pulmonary vascular anomalies and hemothorax as a presenting feature of PAVM is a very rare occurrence. Case presentation: A 45-year old woman presented with chest pain and breathlessness. A chest x-ray showed left-sided pleural effusion. An emergency MSCT scan with contrast showed no signs of pulmonary embolism but instead a probable AV malformation was shown. Diagnostic thoracocentesis revealed hemorrhagic exudate with negative cytology and microbiology findings. Thoracic drainage was performed resulting with complete regression of hemothorax. Three months later, patient was treated with transcatheter embolization of PAVM with good clinical outcome. Conclusions: We have shown that management of PAVM related hemothorax initially by thoracic drainage followed by later on performed catheter embolization of the PAVM could lead to a successful outcome

The Effect of Gamma Radiation on the Ageing of Sulfur Cured Nr/Csm and Nbr/Csm Rubber Blends Reinforced By Carbon Black

In this work the effect of the gamma-radiation dose on ageing of carbon black reinforced elastomeric materials was studied. The compounds based on natural rubber/chlorosulfonated rubber blend (NR/CSM) and butadiene acrylonitrile rubber/chlorosulfonated rubber blend (NBR/CSM) (50 50 w/w) with different loadings (0, 20, 40, 50, 60, 80 and 100 phr) of the filler with the average particle size of 40 nm were cured by sulfur. The obtained elastomeric composites were subjected to radiation doses (100, 200, 300 and 400 kGy) in the presence of oxygen. The changes of material mechanical properties were estimated after radiation accelerated ageing. By using Fourier transform infrared measurements (ATR-FTIR) it was assessed that after exposure to doses of 100 kGy alcohols, ethers, lactones, anhydrides, esters and carboxylic acids are formed in materials. The formation of shorter polyene sequences and aromatic rings in aged samples are assumed on the basis of the obtained spectra

Curing and Mechanical Properties of Chlorosulphonated Polyethylene Rubber Blends

In this paper, the curing and mechanical properties of two series of prepared blends, i.e., chlorosulphonated polyethylene (CSM)/isobutylene-co-isoprene (IIR) rubber blends and chlorosulphonated polyethylene (CSM)/chlorinated isobutylene-co-isoprene (CIIR) rubber blends were carried out. Blends were prepared using a two-roll mill at a temperature of 40-50 degrees C. The curing was assessed using a Monsanto oscillating disc rheometer R-100. The process of vulcanization accelerated sulfur of pure rubbers and their blends was carried out in an electrically heated laboratory hydraulic press under a pressure of about 4 MPa and 160 degrees C. The stress-strain experiments were performed using a tensile tester machine (Zwick 1425). Results indicate that the scorch time, t(s2), and optimum cure time, t(c90), increase with increasing CSM content in both blends. The value of modulus at 100 and 300% elongation and tensile strength increases with increasing CSM content, whereas elongation at break shows a decreasing trend The enhancement in mechanical properties was supported by data of crosslink density in these samples obtained from swelling measurement and scanning electron microscopy studies of the rubber blends fractured surfaces

Chromosome 7 gain and DNA hypermethylation at the HOXA10 locus are associated with expression of a stem cell related HOX-signature in glioblastoma.

BACKGROUND: HOX genes are a family of developmental genes that are expressed neither in the developing forebrain nor in the normal brain. Aberrant expression of a HOX-gene dominated stem-cell signature in glioblastoma has been linked with increased resistance to chemo-radiotherapy and sustained proliferation of glioma initiating cells. Here we describe the epigenetic and genetic alterations and their interactions associated with the expression of this signature in glioblastoma. RESULTS: We observe prominent hypermethylation of the HOXA locus 7p15.2 in glioblastoma in contrast to non-tumoral brain. Hypermethylation is associated with a gain of chromosome 7, a hallmark of glioblastoma, and may compensate for tumor-driven enhanced gene dosage as a rescue mechanism by preventing undue gene expression. We identify the CpG island of the HOXA10 alternative promoter that appears to escape hypermethylation in the HOX-high glioblastoma. An additive effect of gene copy gain at 7p15.2 and DNA methylation at key regulatory CpGs in HOXA10 is significantly associated with HOX-signature expression. Additionally, we show concordance between methylation status and presence of active or inactive chromatin marks in glioblastoma-derived spheres that are HOX-high or HOX-low, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Based on these findings, we propose co-evolution and interaction between gene copy gain, associated with a gain of chromosome 7, and additional epigenetic alterations as key mechanisms triggering a coordinated, but inappropriate, HOX transcriptional program in glioblastoma