Temporarily increased TGFß following radon spa correlates with reduced pain while serum IL-18 is a general predictive marker for pain sensitivity.

Sustained pain relief following radon spa therapy in patients suffering from chronic painful diseases has been well described. But still, the underlying mechanisms are not fully understood. We conducted the prospective and explorative RAD-ON01 study which included 103 patients who suffered from chronic painful musculoskeletal disorders of the spine and/or joints and present here the data of the examination of pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines in the serum of the patients before and at weeks 6, 12 and 30 after therapy. While TNFα, IL-1ß, IFNγ, IL-1Ra and IL-10 were not altered, TGFß was temporarily significantly (p = 0.013) elevated 6 weeks after therapy. Importantly, this elevation positively correlated with lowered pain sensitivity (r = 0.41). Further, the amount of IL-18 in the serum positively correlated with lowered pain sensitivity. Therefore, IL-18 can be considered as predictive marker for pain sensitivity of radon spa patients. We conclude that alterations in TGFß and general IL-18 levels in serum have prognostic and predictive value in situations of lowered pain by exposure of patients to very low-doses of radiation as it is the case in radon spa.

Improving self-regulated learning of preschool children: evaluation of training for kindergarten teachers.

BACKGROUND: In the context of lifelong learning, self-regulated learning is an important competence. Children between 4 and 6 years of age are at a crucial step in their life to develop self-regulatory competence. That is why their kindergarten teachers play an important role as instructors as well as role models. AIM: This study tested the effects of self-regulation training for kindergarten teachers concerning their own self-regulation and methods to foster self-regulation in children at preschool age whom they were teaching. SAMPLE: In this study, 35 German kindergarten teachers and 97 children participated. All adult participants were graduated kindergarten teachers. METHOD: The kindergarten teachers were tested with a questionnaire 2 weeks before and after the training. At the same time, the preschoolers were interviewed. A waiting control group design was applied. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: The results obtained by means of analyses of variance show that the self-regulation of the kindergarten teachers as well as the self-regulated learning of preschoolers whose kindergarten teachers took part in the training improved significantly. The results indicate that it is possible to improve self-regulated learning of preschool children by a training programme for kindergarten teachers.