The social adjustment in preschool age. The role of socio-emotional competence and teacher-child relationship quality on peer acceptance

Little attention has been given to the processes by which the qualities of the teacher–child relationship (e.g., close, dependent, or conflictive) and children’s social behavior are related to young children’s social adjustment in early childhood (Palermo et al., 2007). The present dissertation, divided in three studies, investigated the direct and indirect contribution of children’s individual characteristics, quality of teacher-child relationships, and social behavior in an integrated model of peer acceptance. Study 1 aims at evaluating the internal consistency and the factorial validity of the full Student Teacher Relationship Scale (STRS) and Social Competence and Behavior Evaluation scale (SCBE-30) that represent two instruments widely used in international research to measure the teachers’ perception of their relationships with each child and of children’s social competent/incompetent behaviors. To date, no study has examined the factorial validity of the scales, using both Exploratory Factorial Analysis (EFA) and Confirmatory Factorial Analysis (CFA) in Italian children aged from 3 to 6 years. Using the results of study 1, study 2 aims at examining the relations between the quality of teacher-child relationship, children’s social-emotional behavior and peer acceptance (likability) in a sample of Italian preschool-aged children. Contrary to other studies, we used multiple informants (teachers, children themselves, and peers) and multiple methods (interviews with children, sociometric testing, and assessment scales). Study 3 aims at analyzing the relations between the quality of teacher-child relationship, children’s social-emotional behavior (anxiety-withdrawal, anger-aggression, and social competence), and peer likability in a longitudinal perspective. Less attention is given to the relation between withdrawal behavior and school adjustment over time. Given the small sample size, our hypotheses regarding the relation between anxiety-withdrawal and peer likability was somewhat exploratory.Our findings revealed that the modified three-factor versions of the STRS and SCBE-30 scales can be considered valid instruments for examining the quality of teacher-child relationships and children’s social behavior. The original structures of the STRS scale with three correlated factors (conflict, closeness, and dependency) and of SCBE-30 scale with three correlated factors (social competence, anger-aggression, and anxiety-withdrawal) were replicated.In line with other international research, the current work confirmed the processes by which the quality of teacher-child relationship (positive versus negative) may predict children’s social behavior and peer likeability. The positive emotional connection between teachers and children promoted children’s competent social behavior, and in turn, social competent behavior resulted as the only behavior related to peer acceptance. The results of the longitudinal study showed that socially competent behavior play an important role over time. The greater social competence displayed by children during time 1 and their progress during time 2, the more acceptable were they by their classmates. An important result regarded the effect of aggressive behavior on peer likeability. In our sample, aggressive behavior showed a long term effect on peer acceptance. Moreover, our results demonstrated that anxiety-withdrawal behavior was not related to peer likeability over time. In conclusion, the present dissertation suggests the importance of giving systematic attention to the study of teacher-child relationship and of children’s social behavior, beginning with the first years of kindergarten, through instruments widely used in international research. In addition, this present work demonstrated that children who showed close, warm interaction with teachers and cooperative play with peers, tended to be more accepted by other children, while aggressive or withdrawn children , tended to have negative relationships with teachers and to engage in disruptive play with peers. Children who are able to navigate the preschool environment effectively may benefit from these early social experiences as they enter primary school. Conversely, the transition to primary school may be more critical for anxious-withdrawn, or angry-aggressive children, who meet with difficulty in the preschool/kindergarten’s social arena

Relationship lending in a financial turmoil

We investigate whether the shape of relations between banks and firms has had a detectable effect in mitigating the credit contraction that followed Lehman's default in September 2008. Using micro data on a large sample of Italian firms, we analyze the relation between firms' debt concentration and credit availability. We show that firms borrowing from a higher number of banks suffered on average a larger contraction in bank credit and a higher probability of experiencing a reduction in outstanding bank debt. The same results hold for firms diversifying their borrowing, concentrating a smaller proportion with the main bank. The stability of the bank-firm relationship, measured by its duration, also appears to have been of some value in mitigating the credit restriction. Our results also suggest the existence of a different regime in credit supply towards firms experiencing a reduction in outstanding bank debt. If there is a contraction in credit, the decrease is limited if relations are more intense i.e. a lower number of financial institutions from which the firm borrows, more concentrated lending and relations of greater duration. The opposite is true for firms with positive credit growth.relationship lending, financial crisis

Cross-Informant Assessment of Children’s Sympathy: Disentangling Trait and State Agreement

The use of multiple informants (e.g., caregivers and teachers) is recommended to obtain a comprehensive profile of children’s social emotional development. Evidence to date indicates that only a small-to-moderate degree of convergence exists between different informants’ assessments of children’s social-emotional functioning, especially when the contexts of such informants’ observations are also different. However, whether caregivers and teachers primarily disagree about children’s dispositional emotional tendencies or situational emotional fluctuations remains unclear. In this study, we investigated the extent to which caregivers and teachers converged in their evaluation of children’s dispositional and state sympathy (i.e., a relatively internal and low visibility emotional response of concern for another’s wellbeing) in a nationally representative sample of Swiss children (N = 1,273) followed from 6 to 12 years of age. Using analyses based in latent state–trait theory, we found that caregivers and teachers showed moderate-to-large agreement (r = .510) at the dispositional, trait level of children’s sympathy, but only a small level of agreement in their assessments of children’s situational, state-like manifestations of sympathy (r = .123). These findings highlight the differential convergence of adults’ ratings of one core dimension of children’s social-emotional development, i.e., sympathy, at the dispositional and situational levels, and, relatedly the need to investigate the reasons behind discrepancies at both levels of analysis. We elaborate on practical implications for designing social-emotional screening tools across different informants and contexts

Orthogonal analysis of mitochondrial function in Parkinson’s disease patients

The etiopathology of Parkinson’s disease has been associated with mitochondrial defects at genetic, laboratory, epidemiological, and clinical levels. These converging lines of evidence suggest that mitochondrial defects are systemic and causative factors in the pathophysiology of PD, rather than being mere correlates. Understanding mitochondrial biology in PD at a granular level is therefore crucial from both basic science and translational perspectives. In a recent study, we investigated mitochondrial alterations in fibroblasts obtained from PD patients assessing mitochondrial function in relation to clinical measures. Our findings demonstrated that the magnitude of mitochondrial alterations parallels disease severity. In this study, we extend these investigations to blood cells and dopamine neurons derived from induced pluripotent stem cells reprogrammed from PD patients. To overcome the inherent metabolic heterogeneity of blood cells, we focused our analyses on metabolically homogeneous, accessible, and expandable erythroblasts. Our results confirm the presence of mitochondrial anomalies in erythroblasts and induced dopamine neurons. Consistent with our previous findings in fibroblasts, we observed that mitochondrial alterations are reversible, as evidenced by enhanced mitochondrial respiration when PD erythroblasts were cultured in a galactose medium that restricts glycolysis. This observation indicates that suppression of mitochondrial respiration may constitute a protective, adaptive response in PD pathogenesis. Notably, this effect was not observed in induced dopamine neurons, suggesting their distinct bioenergetic behavior. In summary, we provide additional evidence for the involvement of mitochondria in the disease process by demonstrating mitochondrial abnormalities in additional cell types relevant to PD. These findings contribute to our understanding of PD pathophysiology and may have implications for the development of novel biomarkers and therapeutic strategies.</p

Prevalence of protein intake below recommended in community‐dwelling older adults: a meta‐analysis across cohorts from the PROMISS consortium

European Horizon 2020 PROMISS Project ‘PRevention Of Malnutrition In Senior Subjects in the EU’, (grant agreement no. 678732). The content only reflects the author’s view and the commission is not responsible for any use that may be made of the information it contains.Background: Lower protein intake in older adults is associated with loss of muscle mass and strength. The present study aimed to provide a pooled estimate of the overall prevalence of protein intake below recommended (according to different cut-off values) among community-dwelling older adults, both within the general older population and within specific subgroups. Methods: As part of the PRevention Of Malnutrition In Senior Subjects in the EU (PROMISS) project, a meta-analysis was performed using data from four cohorts (from the Netherlands, UK, Canada, and USA) and four national surveys [from the Netherlands, Finland (two), and Italy]. Within those studies, data on protein and energy intake of community-dwelling men and women aged ≥55 years were obtained by either a food frequency questionnaire, 24 h recalls administered on 2 or 3 days, or food diaries administered on 3 days. Protein intake below recommended was based on the recommended dietary allowance of 0.8 g/kg body weight (BW)/d, by using adjusted BW (aBW) instead of actual BW. Cut-off values of 1.0 and 1.2 were applied in additional analyses. Prevalences were also examined for subgroups according to sex, age, body mass index (BMI), education level, appetite, living status, and recent weight loss. Results: The study sample comprised 8107 older persons. Mean ± standard deviation protein intake ranged from 64.3 ± 22.3 (UK) to 80.6 ± 23.7 g/d [the Netherlands (cohort)] or from 0.94 ± 0.38 (USA) to 1.17z ± 0.30 g/kg aBW/d (Italy) when related to BW. The overall pooled prevalence of protein intake below recommended was 21.5% (95% confidence interval: 14.0–30.1), 46.7% (38.3–55.3), and 70.8% (65.1–76.3) using the 0.8, 1.0, and 1.2 cut-off value, respectively. A higher prevalence was observed among women, individuals with higher BMI, and individuals with poor appetite. The prevalence differed only marginally by age, education level, living status, and recent weight loss. Conclusions: In community-dwelling older adults, the prevalence of protein intake below the current recommendation of 0.8 g/kg aBW/d is substantial (14–30%) and increases to 65–76% according to a cut-off value of 1.2 g/kg aBW/d. To what extent the protein intakes are below the requirements of these older people warrants further investigation.publishersversionpublishe

PKA and PDE4D3 anchoring to AKAP9 provides distinct regulation of cAMP signals at the centrosome

Previous work has shown that the protein kinase A (PKA)–regulated phosphodiesterase (PDE) 4D3 binds to A kinase–anchoring proteins (AKAPs). One such protein, AKAP9, localizes to the centrosome. In this paper, we investigate whether a PKA–PDE4D3–AKAP9 complex can generate spatial compartmentalization of cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) signaling at the centrosome. Real-time imaging of fluorescence resonance energy transfer reporters shows that centrosomal PDE4D3 modulated a dynamic microdomain within which cAMP concentration selectively changed over the cell cycle. AKAP9-anchored, centrosomal PKA showed a reduced activation threshold as a consequence of increased autophosphorylation of its regulatory subunit at S114. Finally, disruption of the centrosomal cAMP microdomain by local displacement of PDE4D3 impaired cell cycle progression as a result of accumulation of cells in prophase. Our findings describe a novel mechanism of PKA activity regulation that relies on binding to AKAPs and consequent modulation of the enzyme activation threshold rather than on overall changes in cAMP levels. Further, we provide for the first time direct evidence that control of cell cycle progression relies on unique regulation of centrosomal cAMP/PKA signals

Efficacy and safety of venous angioplasty of the extracranial veins for multiple sclerosis. Brave Dreams Study (Brain Venous Drainage Exploited Against Multiple Sclerosis): study protocol for a randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic inflammatory demyelinating disease of the central nervous system with a disabling progressive course. Chronic cerebrospinal venous insufficiency (CCSVI) has recently been described as a vascular condition characterized by restricted venous outflow from the brain, mainly due to blockages of the internal jugular and azygos veins. Despite a wide variability among studies, it has been found to be associated with MS. Data from a few small case series suggest possible improvement of the clinical course and quality of life by performing percutaneous balloon angioplasty (PTA) of the stenotic veins.Study design and methodsThis is a multicenter, randomized, parallel group, blinded, sham-controlled trial to assess the efficacy and safety of PTA. Participants with relapsing remitting MS or secondary progressive MS and a sonographic diagnosis of CCSVI will be enrolled after providing their informed consent. Each participant will be centrally randomized to receive catheter venography and PTA or catheter venography and sham PTA. Two primary end points with respect to efficacy at 12 months are (1) a combined end point obtained through the integration of five functional indicators, walking, balance, manual dexterity, bladder control, and visual acuity, objectively measured by instruments; and (2) number of new brain lesions measured by T2-weighted MRI sequences. Secondary end points include annual relapse rate, change in Expanded Disability Status Scale score, proportion of patients with zero, one or two, or more than two relapses; fatigue; anxiety and depression; general cognitive state; memory/attention/calculus; impact of bladder incontinence; and adverse events. Six hundred seventy-nine patients will be recruited. The follow-up is scheduled at 12 months. Patients, treating neurologists, trained outcome assessors, and the statistician in charge of data analysis will be masked to the assigned treatment. DISCUSSION: The study will provide an answer regarding the efficacy of PTA on patients' functional disability in balance, motor, sensory, visual and bladder function, cognitive status, and emotional status, which are meaningful clinical outcomes, beyond investigating the effects on inflammation. In fact, an important part of patients' expectations, sustained and amplified by anecdotal data, has to do precisely with these functional aspects.Trial registrationClinicaltrials.gov NCT01371760

Evaluating the Student-Teacher Relationship Scale in Italian Young Children: An Exploratory Structural Equation Modeling Approach

The study analyzed the factorial and concurrent validity of the Student-Teacher Relationship Scale (STRS) using an Exploratory Structural Equation Modeling (ESEM) approach. Participants were 368 Italian children aged 3 to 6 (M = 4.60, SD = 0.98). The three-factor ESEM solution fit the data better than the classical confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) model and the measurement invariance of the scale was confirmed across sex and age (3-4 vs. 5-6 years) groups. The concurrent validity of the STRS was investigated within the ESEM approach using children’s social behaviors as validity criteria. Findings supported the goodness of ESEM over CFA and attested to the validity of the STRS to understanding the teacher-child relationship quality in young children