Promovendo habilidades de solução de problemas interpessoais em crianças / Fostering interpersonal problem solving skills in children

Habilidades de solução de problemas interpessoais - HSPI são importantes para a adaptação psicossocialdos indivíduos. Este trabalho objetivou avaliar a efetividade de um programa para desenvolvimento deHSPI, aplicado por professoras. Participaram 203 alunos do ensino fundamental, com idade entre seis edez anos, e suas professoras. As crianças foram alocadas em dois grupos: intervenção e comparação. Osgrupos foram comparados quanto às habilidades sociais, HSPI, problemas de comportamento edesempenho acadêmico, antes e depois da intervenção, com os instrumentos Sistema de Avaliação deHabilidades Sociais, Child Interpersonal Problem Solving Test e Teste de Desempenho Escolar. Apenas ogrupo de intervenção apresentou melhoras significativas em todas as variáveis investigadas. Destaca-se aimportância de programas preventivos na escola(AU)

First-line treatment and outcome of elderly patients with primary central nervous system lymphoma (PCNSL)--a systematic review and individual patient data meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: To investigate prognosis and effects of first-line therapy in elderly primary central nervous system lymphoma (PCNSL) patients. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A systematic review of studies about first-line therapy in immunocompetent patients ≥60 years with PCNSL until 2014 and a meta-analysis of individual patient data from eligible studies and international collaborators were carried out. RESULTS: We identified 20 eligible studies; from 13 studies, we obtained individual data of 405 patients, which were pooled with data of 378 additional patients (N = 783). Median age and Karnofsky Performance Score (KPS) was 68 years (range: 60-90 years) and 60% (range: 10%-100%), respectively. Treatments varied greatly, 573 (73%) patients received high-dose methotrexate (HD-MTX)-based therapy. A total of 276 patients received whole-brain radiotherapy (median 36 Gy, range 28.5-70 Gy). KPS ≥ 70% was the strongest prognostic factor for mortality [hazard ratio (HR) 0.50, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.41-0.62]. After a median follow-up of 40 months, HD-MTX-based therapy was associated with improved survival (HR 0.70, 95% CI 0.53-0.93). There was no difference between HD-MTX plus oral chemotherapy and more aggressive HD-MTX-based therapies (HR 1.39, 95% CI 0.90-2.15). Radiotherapy was associated with an improved survival, but correlated with an increased risk for neurological side-effects (odds ratio 5.23, 95% CI 2.33-11.74). CONCLUSIONS: Elderly PCNSL patients benefit from HD-MTX-based therapy, especially if combined with oral alkylating agents. More aggressive HD-MTX protocols do not seem to improve outcome. WBRT may improve outcome, but is associated with increased risk for neurological side-effects. Prospective trials for elderly PCNSL patients are warranted.

Development of complex patterns of behavioral orientation to social and physical stimuli in kindergarten children.

The effects of school attendance on the behavior orientation patterns exhibited by children at kindergarten entrance were examined by contingency analysis of videotaped behaviors observed during the first and the seventh month of school attendance. Results indicated that the dependency relations between motor areas do not change from the first to the seventh month, and that behaviors oriented to physical stimuli are organized in two broad patterns which remain unchanged. Teacher-oriented behaviors form a pattern of inactive attention which becomes more pronounced during the seventh month, and seem to be negatively related with work behaviors. Behaviors directed to peers are the most subject to changes during the school year, and tend to overlap with work behaviors in mixed patterns. The patterns which emerge in the second observation period indicate more active social contacts with peers in the seventh school month. They suggest also a progressive differentiation between patterns of social interaction and attention patterns.

Behavior characteristics of children during the first year of kindergarten attendance.

The field research reported in this paper was intended to detect changes occurring in the early behavioral repertoire of children during their first exposure to the classroom environment. Fourteen kindergarten children were observed during structured classroom activities in their first and seventh month of school attendance. Behaviors were videotaped and analysed according to a behavior catalogue which covered six broad areas--visual, facial, head, upper limbs, postures and locomotion. The analysis showed that school experience is related to an increase in peer-oriented and work behavior, while teacher-oriented behaviors tend to decrease, along with a reduction in periods of inactivity and aimless movements. These results and some detected sex and age differences are discussed in terms of environmental effects and developmental tendencies.