Aggressiveness in Adopted and Non-Adopted Teens: The Role of Parenting, Attachment Security, and Gender

The aim of this study was to examine the relationship among aggressiveness, parenting practices, and attachment security in adolescents, assessing maternal and paternal effects separately. Two different subsamples of adolescents between 12 and 16 years old participated in the study (n = 157): 67 adopted adolescents (61.2% girls) and 90 non-adopted adolescents (56.7% girls). Partial and full mediation models were analyzed in multi-group structural equation models (using maximum likelihood estimates), allocating non-adoptive and adoptive adolescents into two different groups. Results showed that whereas acceptance/involvement of each parent predicted attachment security towards the corresponding parental figure, only the father’s coercion/imposition predicted aggressiveness, and only attachment security to the mother was a (negative) predictor of adolescent’s aggressiveness. The partial mediation model provided the most parsimonious explanation for the data, showing no differences between adopted and non-adopted subsamples and supporting a good model fit for both boys and girls in a multi-group invariance analysis. The implications of these results are discussed in light of the protective effects of care relationships in early adolescence (vs. late adolescence) as well as the differential role of parent figures.This research was funded by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitivity (PSI2012-35471), the Gipuzkoa Provincial Council (DG17/04), and the Basque Government Research Groups (‘Culture, Cognition, and Emotion’ Consolidated Group; IT1187-19)

Factor reumatoideo, anticuerpos antipéptidos citrulinados y actividad de la enfermedad en pacientes con artritis reumatoidea

Introducción: la artritis reumatoidea es una enfermedad inflamatoria crónica y multisistémica de causa autoinmune.Los anticuerpos antipéptidos citrulinados constituyen una herramienta importante para el diagnóstico de esta enfermedad. Objetivo: determinar la relación de los anticuerpos factor reumatoideo y antipéptidos citrulinados de segunda y tercera  generación, con indicadores clínicos y serológicos de actividad de la enfermedad en pacientes con artritis reumatoidea establecida. Material y métodos: participaron 88 pacientes con artritis reumatoidea establecida y se determinaron la proteína C reactiva, la velocidad de sedimentación globular, el índice de actividad de la enfermedad basado en el conteo de 28 articulaciones (DAS 28). Los autoanticuerpos factor reumatoideo y antipéptidos citrulinados de segunda y tercera generación se cuantificaron mediante el ensayo de inmunoabsorción ligado a enzimas. Resultados: se observó asociación entre la positividad de proteína C reactiva y la presencia de todos los autoanticuerpos. El factor reumatoideo y los anticuerpos antipéptidos citrulinados mostraron correlación positiva con la velocidad de sedimentación globular y con el DAS 28. Solamente los anticuerpos antipéptidos citrulinados se asociaron con una actividad moderada o alta de la enfermedad. Conclusiones: los anticuerpos antipéptidos citrulinados de segunda y tercera generación tienen gran valor para la identificación de pacientes con un curso más severo de la enfermedad en la artritis reumatoidea establecida.Palabras clave: artritis reumatoidea, autoanticuerpos, factor reumatoideo, antipéptidos citrulinados, enfermedad autoinmune, indicadores clínicos, indicadores serológicos.ABSTRACTIntroduction: rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic inflammatory disease, multisystem and with autoimmune cause. Antibodies anti- citrullinated peptides are an important tool for the diagnosis of this disease. Objective: to determine the relationship of rheumatoid factor, anti-mutated citrullinated vimentin and anti-citrullinated peptides of second and third generation antibodies, with clinical and serological indicators of disease activity in patients with established rheumatoid arthritis. Material and methods: 88 patients with established rheumatoid arthritis participated in the study and C reactive protein, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, disease activity score based on the count of 28 joints (DAS 28) and autoantibodies were measured.  Rheumatoid factor and anti-citrullinated peptides of second and third generation autoantibodies were quantified by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Results: association between C reactive protein and the presence of all autoantibodies was observed. Rheumatoid factor and anti-citrullinated peptides antibodies of second and third generation showed positive correlation with ESR and DAS 28. Only anti-citrullinated peptide antibodies were associated with a moderate or high disease activity. Conclusions: anti-citrullinated peptide antibodies of second and third generation are of great value for identifying patients with more severe disease course in established rheumatoid arthritis.Keys words: rheumatoid arthritis, autoantibodies, rheumatoid factor, anti- citrullinated peptides, autoimmune disease, clinical indicators, serological indicators.</p

Diagnostic effectiveness of anti-citrullinated peptides antibodies of second and third generations for rheumatoid arthritis

Introduction: Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease characterized by the presence of antibodies against citrullinated peptides, which are one of the indicators for the diagnosis of a disease.  The usefulness of different methods for the determination of these antibodies in the diagnosis of Cuban patients with rheumatoid arthritis is necessary to be established.Objective: To establish the diagnostic effectiveness of the second (anti-CCP2) and third (anti-CCP3) generation assays for the determination these antibodies against citrullinated peptides in Cuban patients with rheumatoid arthritis.Material and method: 101 patients with rheumatoid arthritis, 58 patients with other rheumatic and inflammatory diseases, and 43 healthy persons participated in the study. The diagnostic efficiency of rheumatoid factor (RF), anti-CCP2 and anti-CCP3 antibodies were determined using ELISA test, by calculating sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values.Results: The anti-CCP2 assay showed a better balance of sensitivity (48.5 %) and specificity (98.0 %).  The lower sensibility was observed for RF (40.3%) when the specificity was set at 98 %. Specificity increased to 100% when anti-CCP2 and RF assays were used. All autoantibodies showed association with C-reactive protein and correlation with erythrocyte sedimentation rate. Only anti-CCP2 antibodies showed no correlation with the DAS28 clinical indicator.Conclusions: Anti-CCP2 antibodies are the ones of greater effectiveness in the diagnosis of Cuban patients with rheumatoid arthritis. RF identification allows to identify seronegative anti-CCP2 patients; therefore, the combination of both immunoassays leads to an improvement in the diagnostic effectiveness.  Keywords: Rheumatoid arthritis, cyclic citrullinated peptide, antibodies, anti-CCP2, anti-CCP3, diagnosis.</p

Validación Mexicana de la Escala de Integración de Experiencias de Vida Estresantes, Versión Corta

Adapting by making meaning of adverse life situations such as unavoidable losses and other stressful events throughout life is crucial for people to maintain their physical and mental well-being. Holland et al. (2010, 2014) created and validated two versions -long and short- of a scale to assess the degree of adaptation of an individual to a loss or a stressful event. To adapt and validate the Integration of Stressful Life Experiences Scale–Short Form (ISLES-SF) to Mexican Spanish, an instrumental study was carried out. In the exploratory factorial analysis, the sample consisted of 227 participants (M=19.51, SD=1.67) and in the confirmatory factorial analysis, 550 participated (M=19.86, SD=3.38). Each factorial analysis corroborated the bifactorial structure, with a good fit of the model, satisfactory internal reliability, and good construct and instrumental validity, similar to the original scale validations.Adaptarse dando sentido a las situaciones adversas de la vida como las pérdidas inevitables a lo largo de la vida y otros eventos estresantes es crucial para que las personas mantengan su bienestar físico y psíquico. Holland et al. (2010, 2014) crearon y validaron dos versiones -larga y corta- de una escala para evaluar el grado de adaptación de un individuo ante una pérdida o un evento estresante. Con el objetivo de adaptar y validar al español mexicano Integration of Stressful Life Experiences Scale–Short Form (ISLES-SF) se llevó a cabo un estudio instrumental. En el análisis factorial exploratorio la muestra fue de 227 participantes (M=19.51, DT=1.67) y en el análisis factorial confirmatorio participaron 550 (M=19.86, DT=3.38). Ambos análisis factoriales corroboraron la estructura bifactorial, con un buen ajuste del modelo, una satisfactoria fiabilidad interna y una buena validez de constructo e instrumental, similar a las validaciones de la escala original

Validación preliminar del Método para la Evaluación de la Mentalización en el Contexto Interpersonal (MEMCI)

El objetivo de este estudio fue realizar una validación preliminar de un instrumento diseñado para evaluar mentalización en adultos (Método para la Evaluación de la Mentalización en el Contexto Interpersonal, MEMCI). Una muestra de 97 estudiantes (72% mujeres) y una muestra de 10 pacientes (50% mujeres) participaron en el estudio. Los participantes completaron el MEMCI junto con medidas de empatía, teoría de la mente y apego. El análisis factorial sugirió una estructura de dos dimensiones (mentalización de pensamientos/mentalización de sentimientos y de otros estados mentales subyacentes a la conducta) que explicaban el 75,26% de la varianza. La consistencia interna fue alta y el acuerdo entre jueces adecuado. En cuanto a la validez, la puntuación total del instrumento correlacionó alto con las puntuaciones en función reflexiva. También correlacionó significativamente con empatía, apego y teoría de la mente. Asimismo, diferenció pacientes con trastorno límite de personalidad de la población normal

Valor diagnóstico de la combinación de nueve marcadores tumorales en neoplasias

Muchos &nbsp;marcadores &nbsp;tumorales &nbsp;(MT) &nbsp;no &nbsp;son &nbsp;específicos &nbsp;a &nbsp;un &nbsp;tipo &nbsp;particular &nbsp;de &nbsp;cáncer &nbsp;y &nbsp;el &nbsp;nivel de uno de ellos puede aumentar como consecuencia de más de un tipo de cáncer, por lo que se utilizan en combinación para lograr mayor efectividad diagnóstica. Este trabajo se propone evaluar el valor diagnóstico de la combinación de nueve MT utilizados en diagnóstico de neoplasia tanto de forma individual como combinados. Se realizó un estudio retrospectivo entre enero 2013 y mayo de 2015 en el Laboratorio Clínico del Centro de Investigaciones Médico Quirúrgicas de La Habana a &nbsp;100 &nbsp;pacientes &nbsp;con &nbsp;diagnóstico &nbsp;de &nbsp;cáncer &nbsp;o &nbsp;sospecha &nbsp;clínica &nbsp;de &nbsp;neoplasia &nbsp;oculta &nbsp;a &nbsp;quienes &nbsp;se les &nbsp;determinaron &nbsp;los &nbsp;marcadores &nbsp;tumorales: &nbsp;antígeno &nbsp;carbohidrato &nbsp;(CA) &nbsp;19.9, &nbsp;CA &nbsp;72.4, &nbsp;CA &nbsp;125, CA &nbsp;15.3, &nbsp;antígeno &nbsp;carcinoembrionario &nbsp;(CEA), &nbsp;componente &nbsp;de &nbsp;la &nbsp;citoqueratina &nbsp;19 &nbsp;(Cyfra &nbsp;21-1), gonadotropina coriónica (HCG), ferritina y antígeno prostático de superficie (PSA). En todos los MT se observó un incremento del valor de corte sobre el valor límite superior de referencia mayor al 8%. En conjunto, la sensibilidad, especificidad, valor predictivo positivo (VPP) y valor predictivo negativo fueron de 23%, 99%, 96% y 51%, respectivamente. Para un valor de corte de 50 la especificidad y el VPP aumentaron a 99,6% y 97,5%, respectivamente. El uso de los 9 marcadores tumorales en conjunto mostró ser útil en el proceso de diagnóstico de pacientes con enfermedad neoplásica.&nbsp; Palabras &nbsp;clave: &nbsp;marcadores &nbsp;tumorales, &nbsp;CA &nbsp;19.9, &nbsp;CA &nbsp;72.4, &nbsp;CA &nbsp;125, &nbsp;CA &nbsp;15.3, &nbsp;CEA, &nbsp;Cyfra &nbsp;21-1, HCG, Ferritina y PSA Abstract: Many &nbsp;tumor &nbsp;markers &nbsp;are &nbsp;not &nbsp;specific &nbsp;to &nbsp;a &nbsp;particular &nbsp;type &nbsp;of &nbsp;cancer &nbsp;and &nbsp;the &nbsp;level &nbsp;of &nbsp;one &nbsp;of &nbsp;them may increase as a result of more than one type of cancer, that’s why they are used in combination to achieve greater diagnostic effectiveness. This work aims to evaluate the diagnostic value of the combination of nine tumor markers commonly used in diagnosis of neoplasia both individually and in combination. A retrospective study from January 2013 to May 2015 was conducted at the Clinical Laboratory of the Center for Medical and Surgical Research in Havana, in 100 patients with cancer diagnosis or clinical suspicion of occult malignancy and to whom carbohydrate antigen (CA) 19.9, 72.4, &nbsp;CA &nbsp;125, &nbsp;CA &nbsp;15.3, &nbsp;carcinoembryonic &nbsp;antigen &nbsp;(CEA), &nbsp;component &nbsp;cytokeratin &nbsp;19 &nbsp;(CYFRA &nbsp;21-1), chorionic gonadotropin (HCG), ferritin and prostate surface antigen (PSA) tumor markers were identified. An increase of cutoff value above the upper limit reference value in all higher TM 8% was observed. Overall, the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV) and negative predictive value were 23 %, 99 %, 96 % and 51 %, respectively. For a cut value of 50 specificity and PPV, they increased to 99.6% and 97.5%, respectively. The use of 9 tumor markers together showed to be useful in the process of diagnosing patients with neoplastic disease. Key words: tumor markers, CA 19.9, CA 72.4, CA 125, CA 15.3, CEA, Cyfra 21-1, HCG, Ferritina and PSA

Tidal foces as a regulator of star formation in Taurus

Only a few molecular clouds in the Solar Neighborhood exhibit the formation of only low-mass stars. Traditionally, these clouds have been assumed to be supported against more vigorous collapse by magnetic fields. The existence of strong magnetic fields in molecular clouds, however, poses serious problems for the formation of stars and of the clouds themselves. In this {\em Letter}, we review the three-dimensional structure and kinematics of Taurus --the archetype of a region forming only low-mass stars-- as well as its orientation within the Milky way. We conclude that the particularly low star-formation efficiency in Taurus may naturally be explained by tidal forces from the Galaxy, with no need for magnetic regulation or stellar feedback.Comment: Minor changes. 5 pages. Accepted by MNRA

Psychosocial and sociodemographic predictors of attrition in a longitudinal study of major depression in primary care: the predictD-Spain study

Few data exist on the psychosocial factors associated with attrition in longitudinal surveys. This study was undertaken to determine psychosocial and sociodemographic predictors of attrition from a longitudinal study of the onset and persistence of episodes of major depression in primary care

Psychosocial and sociodemographic predictors of attrition in a longitudinal study of major depression in primary care: the predictD-Spain study

Background: Few data exist on the psychosocial factors associated with attrition in longitudinal surveys. This study was undertaken to determine psychosocial and sociodemographic predictors of attrition from a longitudinal study of the onset and persistence of episodes of major depression in primary care. Methods: A systematic random sample of general practice attendees was recruited in seven Spanish provinces between October 2005 and February 2006. Major depression was diagnosed using the Composite International Diagnostic Interview and a set of 39 individual and environmental risk factors for depression were assessed at baseline and after 6 and 12 months of follow-up. Data were analysed using multilevel logistic regression. Results: 7777 primary care attendees aged 18-75 years were selected, of whom 1251 (16.1%) were excluded. Of the remaining 6526, 1084 (16.6%) refused to participate. Thus, 5442 patients (attending 231 family physicians in 41 health centres) were interviewed at baseline, of whom 3804 (70%) and 3567 (66%) remained at 6 and 12 months of follow-up, respectively. The province and sociodemographic factors were stronger predictors of attrition than psychosocial factors. Depression and anxiety had no effect but other psychosocial factors affected attrition. There were different profiles for the patients lost at 12 months when predictors measured at baseline versus 6 months were included. Conclusions: These findings suggest that several psychosocial factors might be considered factors of attrition in primary care cohorts and confirm that baseline characteristics are insufficient for analysing non-response in longitudinal studies, indicating that different retention strategies should be applied for patients interviewed at 6 and 12 months