Noodlottige kindermishandeling: ‘n literatuuroorsig en die profiel in die Suid-Vrystaat (1995-2003) Fatal child abuse: a literature review and the profile in the Southern Free State (1995-2003)

Agtergrond Kindermishandeling is \'n sosiale probleem met verreikende gevolge. Ernstige onderrapportering van gevalle vind plaas, en geen studies kon opgespoor word wat die Suid-Afrikaanse konteks van die probleem ondersoek nie. In hierdie studie is gepoog om die profiel van die slagoffers van noodlottige kindermishandeling in die Suid-Vrystaat te ondersoek. Metodes Alle kindersterftes van kinders van tien jaar en jonger is uit die register van sterftes by die SAPD- (Suid-Afrikaanse Polisiediens-) lykshuis, Bloemfontein, geïdentifiseer. Hierdie sterftes se verslae is vir gevalle van noodlottige kindermishandeling geëvalueer. Irrelevante verslae is geëlimineer totdat \'n groep moontlike gevalle van noodlottige kindermishandeling verkry is. In gevalle waar daar twyfel oor die oorsaak van dood was, is \'n kliniese assistent in Geregtelike Geneeskunde geraadpleeg. In sommige gevalle het die assistent aanbeveel dat \'n geskiedenis uit polisieverslae verkry moes word. Indien gevalle nie op so \'n wyse bevestig kon word nie, is dit in die sogenaamde ‘grys area\' ingesluit. Negentien gevalle is geïdentifiseer en vier is in die grys area geplaas. Resultate Uit die 19 gevalle was die meerderheid vroulik (14). Die mediaanouderdom van slagoffers was twee jaar. Die slag-offers toon \'n eweredige verspreiding t.o.v. ras. Geen patroon kon geïdentifiseer word in die jaarlikse en maandelikse verspreiding van sterftes nie. Die meeste van die slagoffers, 73.7% (14 van 19 gevalle), was van normale massa, en geen slagoffers het aan \'n wanvoedingsiekte gely nie. Hoofbese-rings was die algemeenste oorsaak van sterftes (63.2%), gevolg deur veelvuldige beserings (21.2%). Gevolgtrekking Indien dokters bedag is op die tekens van kindermishandeling, kan gevalle vroeg geïdentifiseer word. Sodoende kan \'n beduidende verlaging in mortaliteit en morbiditeit bewerkstellig Introduction Child abuse is a social problem with far-reaching consequences. Serious underreporting of cases occurs, and no studies could be found which investigates the South African context of the problem. In this study we aimed to determine the profile of victims of fatal child abuse in the Southern Free State. Methods All child deaths of children 10 years and younger in the period 1 January 1995 to 31 December 2003 were identified in the register of deaths at the SA Police Mortuary, Bloemfontein. The reports of these deaths were evaluated to identify possible cases of fatal child abuse. Irrelevant reports were eliminated until a group of possible cases of fatal child abuse were identified. In cases where there was uncertainty about the cause of death, a registrar in Forensic Medicine was consulted. In some cases she advised that a history be obtained from police reports. Cases which could not be confirmed in this way were included in a so-called grey area. Nineteen cases were identified, and a further 4 placed in the grey area. Results Of the 19 cases, the majority were female (14). The median age of cases was 2 years. Cases showed an even distribution regarding race. No patterns regarding annual or monthly distribution were found. Most victims, 73.7% (14 of 19 cases), were of normal weight and no victims suffered from malnutrition. Head injuries were the most common cause of death (63.2%) followed by multiple injuries (21.2%). Conclusion If doctors are aware of the signs of child abuse cases can be identified early. In this way a significant decrease in mortality and morbidity can occur. word.South African Family Practice Vol. 49 (9) 2007: pp. 1

“When my Autism Broke”: A Qualitative Study Spotlighting Autistic Voices on Menopause

Autistic women often struggle with the onset of menstruation, a key transition point in the female reproductive lifespan. Presently, there is no research investigating how autistic people navigate the menopausal transition, and whether it poses additional challenges in addition to those already faced by neurotypical women. As a preliminary participatory study in this area, we conducted an online focus group with seven autistic individuals, aged 49-63 years (median=64.5 years) and assigned female at birth, to explore the state of knowledge about the menopause in autism, difficulties the menopause might bring, support that might be needed, and what questions require scientific investigation. Thematic analysis of the discussion generated three themes: 1)Lack of knowledge and understanding; 2)Cracking the mask and adaptive functioning; and 3)Finding support. Themes suggested a lack of professional knowledge, understanding and communication about menopause for autistic people, and an absence of support. Menopause was discussed as heightening pre-existing and generating new cognitive, social, emotional and sensory difficulties. This study illustrates the need for greater focus of attention towards how autistic people cope with the major life transition of menopause

CAR-T cell. the long and winding road to solid tumors

Adoptive cell therapy of solid tumors with reprogrammed T cells can be considered the "next generation" of cancer hallmarks. CAR-T cells fail to be as effective as in liquid tumors for the inability to reach and survive in the microenvironment surrounding the neoplastic foci. The intricate net of cross-interactions occurring between tumor components, stromal and immune cells leads to an ineffective anergic status favoring the evasion from the host's defenses. Our goal is hereby to trace the road imposed by solid tumors to CAR-T cells, highlighting pitfalls and strategies to be developed and refined to possibly overcome these hurdles

SYSGENET: a meeting report from a new European network for systems genetics

The first scientific meeting of the newly established European SYSGENET network took place at the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI) in Braunschweig, April 7-9, 2010. About 50 researchers working in the field of systems genetics using mouse genetic reference populations (GRP) participated in the meeting and exchanged their results, phenotyping approaches, and data analysis tools for studying systems genetics. In addition, the future of GRP resources and phenotyping in Europe was discussed

T2K ECAL Test–beam Proposal

The T2K experiment will search for the last unknown element of the neutrino mixing matrix. An crucial component of the near detector for this experiment is the electromagnetic calorimeter which is being built in the UK. Testbeam time is requested to test the full ECAL system, validate calibration techniques, and determine the hadronic and electromagnetic energy scale of the calorimeter

Longitudinal analyses of the DNA methylome in deployed military servicemen identify susceptibility loci for post-traumatic stress disorder

In order to determine the impact of the epigenetic response to traumatic stress on post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), this study examined longitudinal changes of genome-wide blood DNA methylation profiles in relation to the development of PTSD symptoms in two prospective military cohorts (one discovery and one replication data set). In the first cohort consisting of male Dutch military servicemen (n=93), the emergence of PTSD symptoms over a deployment period to a combat zone was significantly associated with alterations in DNA methylation levels at 17 genomic positions and 12 genomic regions. Evidence for mediation of the relation between combat trauma and PTSD symptoms by longitudinal changes in DNA methylation was observed at several positions and regions. Bioinformatic analyses of the reported associations identified significant enrichment in several pathways relevant for symptoms of PTSD. Targeted analyses of the significant findings from the discovery sample in an independent prospective cohort of male US marines (n=98) replicated the observed relation between decreases in DNA methylation levels and PTSD symptoms at genomic regions in ZFP57, RNF39 and HIST1H2APS2. Together, our study pinpoints three novel genomic regions where longitudinal decreases in DNA methylation across the period of exposure to combat trauma marks susceptibility for PTSD

Using hippocampal microRNA expression differences between mouse inbred strains to characterise miRNA function

Micro-RNAs (miRNAs) are short, single-stranded, noncoding RNAs that are involved in the regulation of protein-coding genes at the level of messenger RNA (mRNA). They are involved in the regulation of numerous traits, including developmental timing, apoptosis, immune function, and neuronal development. To better understand how the expression of the miRNAs themselves is regulated, we looked for miRNA expression differences among four mouse inbred strains, A/J, BALB/cJ, C57BL/6J, and DBA/2J, in one tissue, the hippocampus. A total of 166 miRNA RT-PCR assays were used to screen RNA pools for each strain. Twenty miRNA species that were markedly different between strains were further investigated using eight individual samples per strain, and 11 miRNAs showed significant differences across strains (p < 0.05). This is the first observation of miRNA expression differences across inbred mice strains. We conducted an in silico correlation analysis of the expression of these differentially expressed miRNAs with phenotype data and mRNA expression to better characterise the effects of these miRNAs on both phenotype and the regulation of mRNA expression. This approach has allowed us to nominate miRNAs that have potential roles in anxiety, exploration, and learning and memory

Neurobiology of rodent self-grooming and its value for translational neuroscience

Self-grooming is a complex innate behaviour with an evolutionarily conserved sequencing pattern and is one of the most frequently performed behavioural activities in rodents. In this Review, we discuss the neurobiology of rodent self-grooming, and we highlight studies of rodent models of neuropsychiatric disorders-including models of autism spectrum disorder and obsessive compulsive disorder-that have assessed self-grooming phenotypes. We suggest that rodent self-grooming may be a useful measure of repetitive behaviour in such models, and therefore of value to translational psychiatry. Assessment of rodent self-grooming may also be useful for understanding the neural circuits that are involved in complex sequential patterns of action.National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (Grant NS025529)National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (Grant HD028341)National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (Grant MH060379