Intergenerational transmission of attachment. Family interactive dynamics and psychopathology: what kind of relationship in adolescence?

Introduction: this work is an example of empirical research. The aim was to look to the possible transgenerational influence between parents and adolescents attachment bond to their respective parents, infant armonic and/or disarmonic development and functional or dysfunctional family interactions. Methodology: 40 families with adolescents aged from 12 to 18 years (μ = 14.575, σ = 1.716) coming for a psychodiagnostic evaluation were tested with Lausanne Trilogue Play, Parental Bonding Instrument, Child Behaviour Checklist and Youth Self Report. Hypothesis: a) is there an association between the adolescent’s perceived attachment relationship with his parents and his psychopathological symptoms? In this case a non parametric test for k independent groups was performed. b) is there an association between parents-adolescent interactive dynamics and the parents’ perceived attachment relationship with their parents (adolescent’s grand-parents). In this case correlations and non-parametric test for k independent groups were performed. Results: a) we found significant statistical differences (p < .05) between adolescent psychopathology and the quality of perceived relationship with both the mother and the father. b) we found positive correlations between quality of relationship between the mother and her father (adolescent grandfather) and the scores of some LTP scales concerning normative function; moreover we found negative correlations between the father and his mother (adolescent’s grandmother) and the scores of some LTP scales concerning affective function. Conclusion: these results underline a significant association between the internal working model of the mother and her ways to interact and manage the relation with her adolescent son; this is a clinical evidence too. Another relevant result is the association between adolescent’s psychopathology and his internal working model. Clinical applications regarding these findings should be taken in account when psychotherapeutically working with adolescents and their families

Base excision repair intermediates are mutagenic in mammalian cells

Base excision repair (BER) is the main pathway for repair of DNA damage in mammalian cells. This pathway leads to the formation of DNA repair intermediates which, if still unsolved, cause cell lethality and mutagenesis. To characterize mutations induced by BER intermediates in mammalian cells, an SV-40 derived shuttle vector was constructed carrying a site-specific lesion within the recognition sequence of a restriction endonuclease. The mutation spectra of abasic (AP) sites, 5′-deoxyribose-5-phosphate (5′dRp) and 3′-[2,3-didehydro-2,3-dideoxy-ribose] (3′ddR5p) single-strand breaks (ssb) in mammalian cells was analysed by RFLP/PCR and mutation frequency was estimated by quantitative PCR. Point mutations were the predominant events occurring at all BER intermediates. The AP site-induced mutation spectrum supports evidence for the ‘A-rule’ and is also consistent with the use of the 5′ neighbouring base to instruct nucleotide incorporation (5′-rule). Preferential adenine insertion was also observed after in vivo replication of 5′dRp or 3′ddR5p ssb. We provide original evidence that not only the abasic site but also its derivatives ‘faceless’ BER intermediates are mutagenic, with a similar mutation frequency, in mammalian cells. Our findings support the hypothesis that unattended BER intermediates could be a constant threat for genome integrity as well as a spontaneous source of mutations

Emotional Difficulties in Adolescence: Psychopathology and Family Interactions.

Introduction. Several studies on developmental age have investigated aspects relating to emotional competence, and alexithymia in particular, showing that it is associated with behavioral problems in childhood and adolescence. Some such research has focused on the relationship between emotional difficulties and family interactions assuming a link between the quality of family relationships and a child\u2019s emotional competence. Subjects and Methods. The aims of the present study were: 1) to compare a group of psychiatric adolescents with a group of \u201chealthy\u201d adolescents in terms of any alexithymia and its relationship with the former\u2019s psychopathological issues; 2) to clarify the relationship, if any, between psychopathology, alexithymia and family interaction patterns in our sample of psychiatric adolescents. The experimental group consisted of 41 psychiatric adolescents and the control group of 41 students matched for gender and age. The Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20) was used to identify any alexithymic traits, the Youth Self Report (YSR) 11-18 and the CBCL to detect any psycho-behavioral problems, and the Lausanne Trilogue Play (LTP) to analyze family interactions. Results. There was a higher prevalence of alexithymia among the adolescents with mental health problems than in the control group, and a correlation between their scores for internalizing problems and alexithymia. In the experimental group, adolescents with internalizing problems, somatic complaints and attention difficulties belonged to families revealing high levels of parental conflict. As for alexithymia, adolescents\u2019 difficulty identifying emotions correlated significantly with the same trait in their mothers. This feature also seemed to be associated with better family interactions. Conclusion. Our study confirms the importance of family relationships in the development of emotional skills, and highlights how deficiencies in the development of emotional competence are strongly associated with psychopathologies in adolescence. In the light of these findings, it is advisable in clinical practice to provide psychotherapeutic interventions for teens and their parents

Enhanced arsenite removal by superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles in-situ synthesized on a commercial cube-shape sponge : adsorption-oxidation mechanism

Altres ajuts: Acord transformatiu CRUE-CSICHypothesis: The easy aggregation of superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPION) greatly reduces their adsorption performance for removing arsenic (As) from polluted water. We propose to exploit the porosity and good diffusion properties of a cube-shaped cellulose sponge for loading SPION to reduce the aggregation and to develop a composite adsorbent in the cm-scale that could be used for industrial applications. Experiments: SPION were in-situ synthesized by co-precipitation using a commercial cube-shaped sponge (MetalZorb®) as support. The morphology, iron-oxide phase, adsorption performance and thermodynamic parameters of the composite adsorbent were determined to better understand the adsorption process. X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) was used to investigate the chemical state of the adsorbed As(III). Findings: The adsorption of the supported SPION outperforms the unsupported SPION (ca. 14 times higher adsorption capacity). The modelling of the adsorption isotherms and the kinetic curves indicated that chemisorption is controlling the adsorption process. The thermodynamic analysis shows that the adsorption retains the spontaneous and endothermic character of the unsupported SPION. The XAS results revealed an adsorption-oxidation mechanism in which the adsorbed As(III) was partially oxidized to less toxic As(V) by the hydroxyl free radical (•OH) generated from Fe(III) species and by the hydroxyl groups

Physical activity in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease on long-term oxygen therapy: a cross-sectional study

Background and aim: There are few studies evaluating physical activity (PA) in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) on long-term oxygen therapy (LTOT). Aim: To assess PA in hypoxemic COPD patients on LTOT. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, we compared lung function, arterial blood gases, respiratory and peripheral muscle strength, 6-min walking distance (6MWD), daily energy expenditure and steps, and health-related quality of life (HRQL) in COPD patients on LTOT (LTOT group) versus two groups of control patients not needing LTOT: with (HYPOX) and without (COPD) exercise-induced desaturations. Results: Groups did not differ as regards demographics, anthropometrics, peripheral or respiratory muscle strength. Compared to the other groups, LTOT patients had more severe airway obstruction and lung hyperinflation, greater number and severity of comorbidities, shorter 6MWD, as well as lower mean SpO2 during 6MWD and worse quality of life. LTOT patients had a lower daily energy expenditure, shorter time spent &gt; 3.0 METs and longer sedentary time compared to the COPD group, and less daily steps compared to the other groups. No significant difference in any parameter of PA was found between COPD and HYPOX. In LTOT patients, daily steps showed a strong correlation with 6MWD, and a moderate correlation with airway obstruction, level of oxygenation, comorbidities and quality of life but not with peripheral and respiratory muscle strength. In COPD and HYPOX patients, daily steps were strongly correlated with 6MWD and level of oxygenation as assessed by PaO2/FiO2. There was no significant correlation between mean SpO2 and 6MWD in any group. Conclusion: COPD patients on LTOT perform less physical activity than patients not needing LTOT, both with and without exercise-induced desaturations. Patients with exercise-induced desaturations do not perform less physical activity than those without

Study on the reflectivity properties of spherically bent analyser crystals

Corrigendum (J. Synchrotron Rad. - 2017 : 24, 545-546). DOI: 10.1107/S1600577516019287.Peer reviewe

Combined micro X-ray absorption and fluorescence spectroscopy to map phases of complex systems : the case of sphalerite

Combining micro-X-ray absorption spectroscopy (μXAS) and micro-X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy (μXRF) is a promising approach for the investigation of complex multi-phase systems. In this work, we have employed this approach to investigate natural sphalerite, the most common form of Zinc Sulfide. Spatially resolved elemental distribution maps of common 3d metal atoms (Zn, Cu, Ni, Co, and Fe) are superimposed with chemical speciation and structural parameter maps in order to understand the sphaleriteore-formation process and metamorphosis. Chemical speciation and structural parameters have been obtained by analyzing the μXAS spectra collected in several representative points of the sample, after μXRF mapping. In the present case, this X-ray based approach has permitted to determine the spatial distribution of the Zn species in sphalerite. The presence of two main zincite and smithsonite inclusions has been established, with the latter located close to copper impurity center. Since copper is known to remarkably reduce the corrosion resistance of zinc, resulting in the formation of carbonate as the corrosion product, this implies a possible role of Cu in the growth of the carbonate inclusions. The results obtained highlight the efficiency of this method in univocally identifying the spatial distribution of phases in complex systems, thanks to the simultaneous access to complementary information

Decoupling the adsorption mechanisms of arsenate at molecular level on modified cube-shaped sponge loaded superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles

Altres ajuts: acord transformatiu CRUE-CSICIn this study, a commercial cube-shaped open-celled cellulose sponge adsorbent was modified by in-situ co-precipitation of superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPION) and used to remove As(V) from aqueous solutions. Fe K-edge X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) and TEM identified maghemite as the main iron phase of the SPION nanoparticles with an average size 13 nm. Batch adsorption experiments at 800 mg/L showed a 63% increase of adsorption capacity when loading 2.6 wt.% mass fraction of SPION in the cube-sponge. Experimental determination of the adsorption thermodynamic parameters indicated that the As(V) adsorption on the composite material is a spontaneous and exothermic process. As K-edge XAS results confirmed that the adsorption enhancement on the composite can be attributed to the nanoparticles loaded. In addition, adsorbed As(V) did not get reduced to more toxic As(III) and formed a binuclear corner-sharing complex with SPION. The advantageous cube-shape of the sponge-loaded SPION composite together with its high affinity and good adsorption capacity for As(V), good regeneration capability and the enhanced-diffusion attributed to its open-celled structure make this adsorbent a good candidate for industrial applications

The impact of exercise training on fatigue in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Fatigue can be divided in perceived fatigue, the feeling of exhaustion or lack of energy, and performance fatigue, the reduction in muscle force/activation during a given task. This meta-analysis evaluates the impact of exercise training on fatigue, compared with normal care in patients with COPD

Opportunities and challenges of applying advanced X-ray spectroscopy to actinide and lanthanide N-donor ligand systems

N-donor ligands such as n-Pr-BTP [2,6-bis­(5,6-di­propyl-1,2,4-triazin-3-yl)­pyridine] preferentially bind trivalent actinides (An$^{3+}$) over trivalent lanthanides (Ln$^{3+}$) in liquid–liquid separation. However, the chemical and physical processes responsible for this selectivity are not yet well understood. Here, an explorative comparative X-ray spectroscopy and computational (L3-edge) study for the An/Ln L$_{3}$-edge and the N K-edge of [An/Ln(n-Pr-BTP) $_{3}$](NO$_{3}$)$_{3}$, [Ln(n-Pr-BTP) $_{3}$](CF$_{3}$SO$_{3}$)$_{3}$ and [Ln(n-Pr-BTP) $_{3}$](ClO$_{4}$)$_{3}$ complexes is presented. High-resolution X-ray absorption near-edge structure (HR-XANES) L$_{3}$-edge data reveal additional features in the pre- and post-edge range of the spectra that are investigated using the quantum chemical codes FEFF and FDMNES. X-ray Raman spectroscopy studies demonstrate the applicability of this novel technique for investigations of liquid samples of partitioning systems at the N K-edge