Attachment influences on understanding of self and others: a cross-cultural study of British and Cypriot college students

The main purpose of the studies conducted in this thesis was to explore relations between attachment representations and individuals' understanding self and others. The first two studies focused on young adults, whereas Study Three involved a sample of children aged between 4 and 6 years. Study One investigated how (a) cultural differences in caregiving practices related to young adults' perceptions of their parents as being caring versus overprotective, (b) perceived parenting and culture impacted on attachment style in relationships with peers, and (c) representations of relationships with parents and peers related to individuals' self- esteem. Cypriot college students (n = 236) were compared with British university undergraduates (n = 168). Compared with their British counterparts, the Cypriot participants perceived their parents to have been more overprotective and were less likely to report secure attachment style in their relationships with peers. Regardless of culture, higher perceived parental care and secure or dismissing attachment style with peers were independently associated with higher self-esteem. The results of Study Two on a sample of 73 Cypriot college students showed that similar relations were observed between attachment representations and self- esteem when attachment was assessed in terms of unconscious internal working models (IWMs) of parental attachment relationships using the Adult Attachment Interview (AAI). Individuals classified as secure or dismissing on the AAI reported higher self-esteem than those in the preoccupied group. Study Two also addressed how attachment representations related to adults' theory of mind abilities, and investigated whether such abilities mediated the relation between attachment and self- esteem. Preoccupied attachment as assessed either by the AAI or self-reported attachment style with peers was associated with slower processing on an adult theory of mind task. However, there was no evidence for theory of mind abilities mediating the relation between attachment and self-esteem. Study Three investigated inter-relations between attachment representations, theory of mind, emotion understanding, and self-view in a sample of 80 Cypriot children with a mean age of 61.5 months. Secure attachment representations were associated with superior theory of mind and emotion understanding, but much weaker relations between attachment representations and self-view were found compared with the results on the adult samples in Studies Two and Three. Moreover, the one significant relation observed between attachment and self-view appeared to be indirect, and was mediated by children's emotion understanding. The results are discussed in terms of (a) the influence of perceived parental attachment on relationships with peers, (b) the discriminant validity of the IWM construct, and (e) the tendency of adults and children to use their mentalising abilities in interpreting and explaining other people's behaviour

On- and Off-Label Uses of Apremilast in Dermatology

Apremilast is an oral small-molecule phosphodiesterase 4 inhibitor with a multilevel immunomodulating mechanism of action. It has received approval in many countries for the use in moderate-tosevere plaque psoriasis and active psoriatic arthritis in adults. Herein, we review the literature concerning the use of apremilast in dermatology, with a focus on both the on- and the off-label uses of this medication in dermatologic conditions. This paper is a systematic overview of all the reported uses of apremilast in dermatology described in the literature so far and was conducted according to the PRISMA Guidelines for systematic reviews. There are several original articles, case series and case reports In the literature that present either encouraging or less promising results concerning the efficacy and safety of apremilast in numerous inflammatory dermatological diseases. Despite the potential effectiveness of apremilast in various indications, however, randomized clinical trials on larger patient cohorts and with long-term follow-up are necessary in order to adequately establish the role of apremilast in dermatology overall

On- and Off-Label Uses of Apremilast in Dermatology

Apremilast is an oral small-molecule phosphodiesterase 4 inhibitor with a multilevel immunomodulating mechanism of action. It has received approval in many countries for the use in moderate-tosevere plaque psoriasis and active psoriatic arthritis in adults. Herein, we review the literature concerning the use of apremilast in dermatology, with a focus on both the on- and the off-label uses of this medication in dermatologic conditions. This paper is a systematic overview of all the reported uses of apremilast in dermatology described in the literature so far and was conducted according to the PRISMA Guidelines for systematic reviews. There are several original articles, case series and case reports In the literature that present either encouraging or less promising results concerning the efficacy and safety of apremilast in numerous inflammatory dermatological diseases. Despite the potential effectiveness of apremilast in various indications, however, randomized clinical trials on larger patient cohorts and with long-term follow-up are necessary in order to adequately establish the role of apremilast in dermatology overall

Parenting Practices and the Development of Internalizing/ Externalizing Problems in Adolescence

This chapter examines the existing relationship between different types of parental practices and the development of internalizing and externalizing behavioral problems in adolescence. Parental involvement and parenting styles are defined and analyzed as possible parameters of adolescent problems, including bullying and victimization. Special emphasis is given to the distinction between behavioral and psychological parental control. Furthermore, issues such as parent‐adolescent conflict, locus of control, and parental values are discussed as correlates of these problems, since prior research has identified them as either risk or protective factors for child and adolescent social and emotional adaptation

Human iPSC differentiation to retinal organoids in response to IGF1 and BMP4 activation is line- and method-dependent

Induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)‐derived retinal organoids provide a platform to study human retinogenesis, disease modeling, and compound screening. Although retinal organoids may represent tissue structures with greater physiological relevance to the in vivo human retina, their generation is not without limitations. Various protocols have been developed to enable development of organoids with all major retinal cell types; however, variability across iPSC lines is often reported. Modulating signaling pathways important for eye formation, such as those involving bone morphogenetic protein 4 (BMP4) and insulin‐like growth factor 1 (IGF1), is a common approach used for the generation of retinal tissue in vitro. We used three human iPSC lines to generate retinal organoids by activating either BMP4 or IGF1 signaling and assessed differentiation efficiency by monitoring morphological changes, gene and protein expression, and function. Our results showed that the ability of iPSC to give rise to retinal organoids in response to IGF1 and BMP4 activation was line‐ and method‐dependent. This demonstrates that careful consideration is needed when choosing a differentiation approach, which would also depend on overall project aims

Cryopreservation of retinal organoids and applications of RPE cells for disease modelling in retinitis pigmentosa

PhD ThesisGeneration of retinal cells from human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) provides great opportunities for research and therapeutics. In this study, we generated hiPSC-derived retinal cells to evaluate their ability to be cryopreserved, shipped at room temperature (RT), and assess their application in disease modelling by studying the mechanisms causing Retinitis Pigmentosa (RP). To develop an effective cryopreservation protocol for the long-term storage of retinal organoids (ROs), previously published cryopreservation methods were used. The structure and presence of retinal cells in cryopreserved ROs were assessed by immunofluorescence analysis. The ‘Master Liver Supercooling’ protocol was the most promising among all in preserving the overall retinal structure. However, success was limited, and only PRs survived. To assess whether hiPSC-derived ROs can be shipped at RT, ROs were kept at RT for 5 days or shipped internationally for 3 days using a commercial container. The structure, morphology and function of ROs were assessed by immunofluorescence, transmission electron microscopy and electrophysiology, indicating no differences between control, RT incubated and shipped organoids. This study provides an effective shipping method to facilitate the transportation of ROs at RT. To identify the disease mechanisms of RP associated with PRPF31 mutations (known as RP11), proteomic analyses of hiPSCs-retinal pigmented epithelium (RPE) cells from control and RP11- patients were conducted. These showed that RNA splicing, retinoid metabolism and visual perception, and protein folding pathways were affected. RP11-RPE cells were characterised by reduced functional PRPF31 protein and the presence of insoluble aggregates containing mutant PRPF31, misfolded and ubiquitin-conjugated proteins. The waste disposal mechanisms were impaired exacerbating aggregate formation which was associated with cell death activation. Treatment of RP11-RPE cells with rapamycin (autophagy activator) reduced cytoplasmic aggregates and improved cell survival. This thesis highlights the applications of hiPSC-derived retinal cells and provides more insights in cryopreservation, transportation and potential therapeutics for RP

Transformation of Hotel Food Waste into Animal Feed: Two Operational Periods of the Food for Feed Pilot Unit

Food waste represents 25–35% of the European Municipal Solid Waste (MSW), thus its diversion into innovative utilization streams is critical for sustainable waste management and the achievement of circularity. Opportunities are even higher in the island of Crete, Greece, where landfilled food waste is 39% of MSW. In this context, the LIFE-F4F Project implements a pilot scale modified solar drying process that provides an innovative, low-tech and low emissions method for safe transformation of source separated food waste into animal feed