Characteristics and outcomes of school refusal in Hiroshima, Japan: proposals for network therapy.

The authors conducted a study on children undergoing treatment at major school refusal treatment centers in Hiroshima Prefecture. On the whole, school refusal in the prefecture was found to peak between 13 and 14 years of age. By age group, the main reason for school refusal in elementary school group was parent-child relationship with separation anxiety. Given additional problems such as neglect at home and complicated social situations in their schools, junior high school students were found to present diverse symptoms from introversion and self-analysis to extroversion, neglect of studies, and delinquency. Among high school students, there were more cases suffering withdrawal and schizophrenia spectrum disorders. The major task regarding treatment seems to lie in how to treat complex cases combining different problems. We summarized herein the studies we have carried out and propose a model for a network therapy system based on functional liaisons between treatment centers. With this system, a child psychiatric medical facility plays the part of a liaison center for the overall network system.</p

Prevalência de anemia em escolares de escolas públicas de Maringá-PR, 2008

A anemia é um problema de saúde pública que afeta tanto países desenvolvidos quanto os em desenvolvimento. O objetivo deste estudo foi de estimar a prevalência de anemia em crianças que ingressaram no primeiro ano do Ensino Fundamental das escolas públicas do município de Maringá-PR, no ano de 2008 e os fatores associados à sua ocorrência. Estudo transversal realizado nas 57 escolas públicas de Maringá-PR, com população amostral probabilística constituída de 371 escolares. A dosagem de hemoglobina (Hb) foi feita pelo HemoCue, e a anemia classificada pelo critério estabelecido pela Organização Mundial da Saúde, Hb <11,5g/dL. Foram realizadas análises univariada e multivariada com regressão logística para as variáveis relacionadas ao evento. A prevalência da anemia foi de 39,3%. Foi verificada associação significativa entre anemia e número de filhos, verificando-se que em famílias com mais de 3 filhos a criança tem 8,6 vezes mais chance de ter a doença quando comparada à outras famílias. A prevalência da anemia nos escolares ingressantes foi elevada no município,evidenciando a necessidade de implementação e adoção de ações efetivas para sua prevenção e controle

Reduction of lung metastasis, cell invasion, and adhesion in mouse melanoma by statin-induced blockade of the Rho/Rho-associated coiled-coil-containing protein kinase pathway

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Melanomas are highly malignant and have high metastatic potential; hence, there is a need for new therapeutic strategies to prevent cell metastasis. In the present study, we investigated whether statins inhibit tumor cell migration, invasion, adhesion, and metastasis in the B16BL6 mouse melanoma cell line.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The cytotoxicity of statins toward the B16BL6 cells were evaluated using a cell viability assay. As an experimental model, B16BL6 cells were intravenously injected into C57BL/6 mice. Cell migration and invasion were assessed using Boyden chamber assays. Cell adhesion analysis was performed using type I collagen-, type IV collagen-, fibronectin-, and laminin-coated plates. The mRNA levels, enzyme activities and protein levels of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) were determined using RT-PCR, activity assay kits, and Western blot analysis, respectively; the mRNA and protein levels of vary late antigens (VLAs) were also determined. The effects of statins on signal transduction molecules were determined by western blot analyses.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We found that statins significantly inhibited lung metastasis, cell migration, invasion, and adhesion at concentrations that did not have cytotoxic effects on B16BL6 cells. Statins also inhibited the mRNA expressions and enzymatic activities of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs). Moreover, they suppressed the mRNA and protein expressions of integrin α₂, integrin α₄, and integrin α₅and decreased the membrane localization of Rho, and phosphorylated LIM kinase (LIMK) and myosin light chain (MLC).</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The results indicated that statins suppressed the Rho/Rho-associated coiled-coil-containing protein kinase (ROCK) pathways, thereby inhibiting B16BL6 cell migration, invasion, adhesion, and metastasis. Furthermore, they markedly inhibited clinically evident metastasis. Thus, these findings suggest that statins have potential clinical applications for the treatment of tumor cell metastasis.</p

PKN3 is the major regulator of angiogenesis and tumor metastasis in mice

PKN, a conserved family member related to PKC, was the first protein kinase identified as a target of the small GTPase Rho. PKN is involved in various functions including cytoskeletal arrangement and cell adhesion. Furthermore, the enrichment of PKN3 mRNA in some cancer cell lines as well as its requirement in malignant prostate cell growth suggested its involvement in oncogenesis. Despite intensive research efforts, physiological as well as pathological roles of PKN3 in vivo remain elusive. Here, we generated mice with a targeted deletion of PKN3. The PKN3 knockout (KO) mice are viable and develop normally. However, the absence of PKN3 had an impact on angiogenesis as evidenced by marked suppressions of micro-vessel sprouting in ex vivo aortic ring assay and in vivo corneal pocket assay. Furthermore, the PKN3 KO mice exhibited an impaired lung metastasis of melanoma cells when administered from the tail vein. Importantly, PKN3 knock-down by small interfering RNA (siRNA) induced a glycosylation defect of cell-surface glycoproteins, including ICAM-1, integrin β1 and integrin α5 in HUVECs. Our data provide the first in vivo genetic demonstration that PKN3 plays critical roles in angiogenesis and tumor metastasis, and that defective maturation of cell surface glycoproteins might underlie these phenotypes