SDQ (Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire): identification of children readers behavioral characteristics

O objetivo deste estudo foi verificar características comportamentais em crianças com desenvolvimento típico de leitura, utilizando o Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ). Este breve questionário é uma medida útil em psicopatologia aplicada a crianças e jovens de 4 a 16 anos. O SDQ é dividido em cinco sub-escalas: problemas no comportamento pró-social, hiperatividade, problemas emocionais, de conduta e de relacionamento. Participaram da pesquisa pais e professores de 74 crianças, que cursavam a 2ª, 3ª ou 4ª séries em uma escola pública de São Paulo. As crianças não apresentavam alterações no desenvolvimento geral e na linguagem, e nem problemas escolares. Pais e professores responderam ao questionário. As respostas ao SDQ diferiram entre pais e professores, e de acordo com o sexo e a série escolar das crianças. Estas diferenças podem refletir mudanças comportamentais e de comunicação, conseqüência de situações vivenciadas no período do desenvolvimento no qual se encontram.The purpose of this study was to verify behavioral characteristics of children with typical reading development by means of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ). This brief questionnaire is a useful measure in psychopathology applied to children and young people from 4 to 16 years. The SDQ is divided in five subscales: prosocial behavior problems, hyperactivity, and emotional, conduct and relationship problems. The participants were parents and teachers of 74 children, attending 2nd,, 3rd, or 4th grades in a public school in the city of São Paulo. The children had no general development and language disorders, and scholars problems. Parents and teachers answered the questionnaires. The answers to the SDQ differed between parents and teachers, and regarding to children's gender and grade. These differences may reflect communication and behavioral changes resulting from experienced situations in children's present developmental stage

Autobiographical and semantic memory of adolescent drug users

BACKGROUND: Psychiatric disorders in infancy and adolescence may impair the access to the memory of facts and events occurred during these periods. OBJECTIVE: The main purpose of this study was to investigate the autobiographical and semantic memory of a group of adolescent drug users and a control group of adolescent non-users. METHODS: Twenty-five males participated in each group between 13 and 17 years old. Two questionnaires were applied: Kihlstrom e Schacter (1995) for semantic memory and Borrini et al. (1989) for autobiographical memory. RESULTS: The group of drug users had more difficulties in accessing autobiographical memory (p = 0.0205) and semantic memory (p = 0.0057). CONCLUSIONS: Some hypotheses might be raised: users presented cognitive complications that make difficult the access to long-term memories, as well as others related to the dynamics of drug use.CONTEXTO: Transtornos psiquiátricos na infância e adolescência podem prejudicar o acesso às memórias de fatos e eventos ocorridos durante esse período. OBJETIVO: O objetivo deste estudo foi investigar as memórias autobiográfica e semântica de adolescentes usuários e não usuários de drogas. MÉTODOS: Participaram de cada grupo 25 adolescentes do gênero masculino, com idades entre 13 e 17 anos. Dois questionários foram aplicados: Kihlstrom e Schacter (1995), que avalia a memória semântica e Borrini et al. (1989), que avalia a memória autobiográfica. RESULTADOS: O grupo de usuários de drogas apresentou maior dificuldade para acessar as memórias autobiográfica (p = 0,0205) e semântica (p = 0,0057). CONCLUSÕES: Algumas hipóteses podem ser levantadas: usuários apresentam complicações cognitivas que dificultam o acesso às memórias de longo prazo, e também outras causas relacionadas à dinâmica do uso de drogas

Tempo de latência e exatidão para leitura e nomeação em crianças escolares: estudo piloto

The objective of this study was to observe the latency time and the number of right answers for equivalent stimuli in naming pictures and in the reading aloud of isolated words, considering the attributes of the written material (frequency of occurrence and word length). The participants were pupils from the 2nd to 4th grades of the fundamental education of a public municipal school of the City of São Paulo; pupils had no general alterations in their development, language or school performance. The reading test was composed of 32 words balanced for frequency of occurrence in the written material and word length. The naming test consisted of pictures with names equivalent to those of the reading test. The stimuli were presented individually on the screen of a computer by a piece of software specific for the analysis of the latency time and accuracy of answers. The number of right answers and the latency time for response were analyzed. For the latency time, it was observed the influence of the variables of the written material, namely, that longer or low frequency words were accessed more slowly by all children. As to the number of right answers, there was no statistical difference between the grades at the reading test. However, with age and schooling, pupils become quicker to initiate the reading of isolated words and to name equivalent pictures.O objetivo deste estudo foi verificar o tempo de latência e o número de acertos para estímulos equivalentes em nomeação de figuras e leitura de palavras isoladas em voz alta, considerando os atributos do material escrito (freqüência de ocorrência e extensão da palavra). Os participantes foram crianças de 2ª a 4ª séries do ensino fundamental de uma escola pública e municipal da cidade de São Paulo, sem alterações gerais de desenvolvimento, de linguagem e escolares. A prova de leitura foi constituída por 32 palavras, balanceadas por freqüência de ocorrência no material escrito e extensão da palavra. A prova de nomeação foi constituída por figuras com nomes equivalentes às palavras da prova de leitura. Os estímulos foram apresentados individualmente na tela de um computador com software específico para análise do tempo de latência e das respostas. Foram analisados o número de acertos e o tempo de latência para as respostas. Para o tempo de latência, foi observada a influência das variáveis do material escrito, ou seja, palavras de baixa freqüência e de maior extensão foram acessadas mais lentamente por todas as crianças. Quanto ao número de respostas corretas, não houve diferença estatística entre as séries escolares na prova de leitura. Porém, com a idade e a escolarização, as crianças tornam-se mais rápidas para iniciar a leitura de palavras isoladas e para nomear figuras equivalentes

Tempo de latência e exatidão para leitura e nomeação em crianças escolares: estudo piloto

The objective of this study was to observe the latency time and the number of right answers for equivalent stimuli in naming pictures and in the reading aloud of isolated words, considering the attributes of the written material (frequency of occurrence and word length). The participants were pupils from the 2nd to 4th grades of the fundamental education of a public municipal school of the City of São Paulo; pupils had no general alterations in their development, language or school performance. The reading test was composed of 32 words balanced for frequency of occurrence in the written material and word length. The naming test consisted of pictures with names equivalent to those of the reading test. The stimuli were presented individually on the screen of a computer by a piece of software specific for the analysis of the latency time and accuracy of answers. The number of right answers and the latency time for response were analyzed. For the latency time, it was observed the influence of the variables of the written material, namely, that longer or low frequency words were accessed more slowly by all children. As to the number of right answers, there was no statistical difference between the grades at the reading test. However, with age and schooling, pupils become quicker to initiate the reading of isolated words and to name equivalent pictures.O objetivo deste estudo foi verificar o tempo de latência e o número de acertos para estímulos equivalentes em nomeação de figuras e leitura de palavras isoladas em voz alta, considerando os atributos do material escrito (freqüência de ocorrência e extensão da palavra). Os participantes foram crianças de 2ª a 4ª séries do ensino fundamental de uma escola pública e municipal da cidade de São Paulo, sem alterações gerais de desenvolvimento, de linguagem e escolares. A prova de leitura foi constituída por 32 palavras, balanceadas por freqüência de ocorrência no material escrito e extensão da palavra. A prova de nomeação foi constituída por figuras com nomes equivalentes às palavras da prova de leitura. Os estímulos foram apresentados individualmente na tela de um computador com software específico para análise do tempo de latência e das respostas. Foram analisados o número de acertos e o tempo de latência para as respostas. Para o tempo de latência, foi observada a influência das variáveis do material escrito, ou seja, palavras de baixa freqüência e de maior extensão foram acessadas mais lentamente por todas as crianças. Quanto ao número de respostas corretas, não houve diferença estatística entre as séries escolares na prova de leitura. Porém, com a idade e a escolarização, as crianças tornam-se mais rápidas para iniciar a leitura de palavras isoladas e para nomear figuras equivalentes

Indole-3-Carbinol Inhibits the Growth of Endometriotic Lesions by Suppression of Microvascular Network Formation

Endometriosis represents an estrogen‑dependent disorder with a complex pathophysiol‑ ogy. Phytochemicals are promising candidates for endometriosis therapy, because they simulta‑ neously target different cellular processes involved in the pathogenesis of endometriosis. Herein, we analyzed whether indole‑3‑carbinol (I3C) suppresses the development of endometriotic lesions, which were surgically induced by fixation of uterine tissue samples (diameter: 2 mm) from female BALB/c donor mice to the peritoneum of recipient animals. The mice received either I3C or ve‑ hicle (control) by peroral administration once per day. Growth, cyst formation, cell proliferation, microvascularization and protein expression of the lesions were assessed by high‑resolution ultra‑ sound imaging, caliper measurements, histology, immunohistochemistry and Western blotting. I3C inhibited the vascularization and growth of endometriotic lesions without inducing anti‑angiogenic and anti‑proliferative side effects on reproductive organs. This was associated with a significantly reduced number of proliferating stromal and endothelial cells and a lower expression of the pro‑ angiogenic signaling molecules vascular endothelial growth factor receptor‑2 (VEGFR2), phospho‑ inositide 3‑kinase (PI3K) and phosphorylated extracellular signal‑regulated kinase (pERK) within I3C‑treated lesions when compared to controls. These findings indicate that I3C effectively inhibits endometriotic lesion formation in mice. Thus, further studies should clarify whether I3C may be also beneficial for the prevention and therapy of the human disease

The ischemic time window of ectopic endometrial tissue crucially determines its ability to develop into endometriotic lesions

Endometriosis develop from shed endometrial fragments via retrograde menstruation. This afects the survival, proliferation and vascularization of the tissue and its fnal ability to form endometriotic lesions. Within this study, uterine tissue samples from donor mice were precultivated for 24 h or 72 h to simulate avascular periods. Their morphology, microvessel density, apoptotic activity and expression of angiogenesis-related proteins were analyzed in vitro. The formation of endometriotic lesions in vivo was assessed after transplantation of precultivated uterine tissue samples to the abdominal wall and dorsal skinfold chambers by means of high-resolution ultrasound, intravital fuorescence microscopy, histology and immunohistochemistry. In vitro, 72-h-precultivated uterine tissue samples exhibit extensive areas of tissue necrosis and high numbers of apoptotic cells as well as a signifcantly reduced cell and microvessel density. These samples failed to develop into endometriotic lesions. In contrast, the 24-h-precultivated samples showed, that their early vascularization and growth in vivo was improved when compared to controls. This indicates that avascular periods have a strong impact on the survival of ectopic endometrial tissue and the chance for the development of endometriosis

Insulin-like growth factor 1 stimulates the angiogenic activity of adipose tissue-derived microvascular fragments

Angiogenesis in adipose tissue is promoted by insulin-like growth factor 1 signaling. We analyzed whether this regulatory mechanism also improves the angiogenic activity of adipose tissue-derived microvascular fragments. Murine adipose tissue-derived microvascular fragments were cultivated for 24 h in the University of Wisconsin (UW) solution supplemented with vehicle, insulin-like growth factor 1, or a combination of insulin-like growth factor 1 and insulin-like growth factor-binding protein 4. Subsequently, we assessed their cellular composition, viability, proliferation, and growth factor expression. Moreover, cultivated adipose tissue-derived microvascular fragments were seeded onto collagen-glycosaminoglycan scaffolds, which were implanted into dorsal skinfold chambers to study their vascularization and incorporation. Insulin-like growth factor 1 increased the viability and growth factor expression of adipose tissue-derived microvascular fragments without affecting their cellular composition and proliferation. Accordingly, scaffolds containing insulin-like growth factor 1-stimulated adipose tissue-derived microvascular fragments exhibited an enhanced in vivo vascularization and incorporation. These positive insulin-like growth factor 1 effects were reversed by additional exposure of adipose tissue-derived microvascular fragments to insulin-like growth factor-binding protein 4. Our findings indicate that insulin-like growth factor 1 stimulation of adipose tissue-derived microvascular fragments is suitable to improve their vascularization capacity

Protein Kinase CK2 Controls CaV2.1-Dependent Calcium Currents and Insulin Release in Pancreatic β-cells

The regulation of insulin biosynthesis and secretion in pancreatic β-cells is essential for glucose homeostasis in humans. Previous findings point to the highly conserved, ubiquitously expressed serine/threonine kinase CK2 as having a negative regulatory impact on this regulation. In the cell culture model of rat pancreatic β-cells INS-1, insulin secretion is enhanced after CK2 inhibition. This enhancement is preceded by a rise in the cytosolic Ca2+ concentration. Here, we identified the serine residues S2362 and S2364 of the voltage-dependent calcium channel CaV2.1 as targets of CK2 phosphorylation. Furthermore, co-immunoprecipitation experiments revealed that CaV2.1 binds to CK2 in vitro and in vivo. CaV2.1 knockdown experiments showed that the increase in the intracellular Ca2+ concentration, followed by an enhanced insulin secretion upon CK2 inhibition, is due to a Ca2+ influx through CaV2.1 channels. In summary, our results point to a modulating role of CK2 in the CaV2.1-mediated exocytosis of insulin