School victimization and psychosocial adjustment among Eastern European adopted adolescents across Europe.

BACKGROUND: Little is known about bullying experienced by internationally adopted teens residing in Europe. OBJECTIVES: Within the framework of an international research effort involving several European countries, the main goal of this study was to explore the experiences of bullying victimization suffered by adopted adolescents, as well as its impact on their psychological adjustment. METHODS: The sample consisted of 199 adolescents born in Eastern European countries and adopted in France (n = 50), Italy (n = 59), Norway (n = 25) and Spain (n = 65). RESULTS: More than half of the adopted adolescents had been exposed to some form of peer victimization in the previous 2 months, with verbal harassment and social exclusion being the most common forms of victimization. Differences between receiving countries were not statistically significant, suggesting a common pattern for Eastern European adopted adolescents living in Western Europe. More frequent experiences of peer victimization were associated with more psychological difficulties among the adopted adolescents. CONCLUSIONS: Findings highlight that adopted adolescents might have considerable difficulties in social integration with peers; these experiences of peer victimization might play an important role hindering their psychosocial adjustment. The socioemotional development of adopted people is not only linked to their pre-adoptive experiences; factors in their daily lives (i.e., peer relationships) may also be associated with their psychological adjustment later in life. Interventions are needed to promote the real inclusion of these groups of children in their social and educational contexts.

Early childhood adversity and non-affective psychosis: a study of refugees and international adoptees in Sweden.

BACKGROUND: Previous Scandinavian studies have shown increased levels of psychiatric morbidity in young refugees and international adoptees with an origin outside Europe. This study investigated their risk of non-affective psychotic disorders (NAPD) and whether this risk is influenced by early childhood adversity, operationalised as age at adoption/residency, and/or gender. METHODS: Register study in Swedish national cohorts born 1972-1990 including 21 615 non-European international adoptees, 42 732 non-European refugees that settled in Sweden at age 0-14 years and 1 610 233 Swedish born. The study population was followed from age 18 to year 2016 for hospitalisations with a discharge diagnosis of NAPD. Hazard ratios (HRs) were calculated in gender stratified Cox regression models, adjusted for household income at age 17. RESULTS: The adjusted risks of NAPD were 2.33 [95% confidence interval (CI) 2.07-2.63] for the international adoptees and 1.92 (1.76-2.09) for the former child refugees, relative to the Swedish-born population. For the international adoptees there was a stepwise gradient for NAPD by age of adoption from adjusted HR 1.66 (1.29-2.03) when adopted during the first year of life to adjusted HR 4.56 (3.22-6.46) when adopted at ages 5-14 years, with a similar risk pattern in women and men. Age at residency did not influence the risk of NAPD in the refugees, but their male to female risk ratio was higher than in Swedish-born and the adoptees. CONCLUSION: The risk pattern in the international adoptees gives support to a link between early childhood adversity and NAPD. Male gender increased the risk of NAPD more among the refugees.

Analysis of antibiotic resistance and genetic profile of conjunctival bacteria flora before and after cataract surgery.

PURPOSE: To analyze antibiotic resistance and genetic profile of conjunctival bacteria flora before and after cataract surgery with the focus on coagulase-negative staphylococci (CNS) during cataract surgery and discuss the implications of this colonization as a potential risk of acquiring endophthalmitis. METHODS: After approval of the institutional review board and informed consent from patients had been obtained, conjunctival swabs for culture from 59 patients undergoing cataract surgery were taken of the fellow eye at baseline (C0) and from the eye to be operated before (T0) and after (T1) irrigation with povine-iodine 5%, and at the end of surgery (T2). Genes responsible for virulence (mecA, ica and atlE) and antibiotic profile were determined; strain clonality of persistent colonizing Staphylococcus epidermidis strains was established by the Multi-locus sequence typing (MLST). RESULTS: The frequency of CNS was significantly reduced in T1 (13.6%) from 81.4% in T0 and 86.4% in C0. The frequency of mecA, ica and atlE genes was 34.4%, 37.5% and 61.4%, respectively; and methicillin phenotypic resistance was 35.4%. S. epidermidis was the most frequent species isolated in every time point. MLST revealed in 7 patients 100% coincidence of the seven alleles of the S. epidermidis isolated previous to povine-iodine 5% disinfection and at the end of the surgery. CNS isolates from T1 or T2 corresponded to the same species, antibiotic and virulence profile as those isolates from C0 or T0. CONCLUSION: Povidone-iodine 5% prophylaxis before surgery significantly reduced conjunctival contamination; in those that persisted, the source of contamination was mostly the patient's microbiota confirmed by the MLST system.

Parents, Preschools, and the Developmental Niches of Young Children: A Study in Four Western Cultures.

Recent years have witnessed increasing attention to early childhood education and care as a foundation for children's successful development in school and beyond. The great majority of children in postindustrial societies now attend preschools or daycare, making this setting a major part of their culturally constructed developmental niches. Although an extensive literature demonstrates the importance of parental involvement or engagement in their children's schools, relationships between parents and their children's preschools have received scant attention in the research literature. This paper aims to address that gap through a mixed-methods cross-cultural study of parents and preschools in four Western countries: Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, and the United States. Following an introduction to national systems of preschool in each country, parents' involvement and ideas about the family-school relationship are presented, drawing from parental diaries and from semistructured interviews (n = 110). Results indicate areas of cross-cultural similarity but also some differences, especially between the U.S. sample and the three European samples. Discussion addresses the question of how preschools and parents can work together to create optimal developmental niches for their young children. The authors also suggest that parent-preschool relationships deserve greater attention by both researchers and program developers.

Developmental Continuity and Change in the Cultural Construction of the "Difficult Child": A Study in Six Western Cultures.

This study explores the cultural construction of "difficult" temperament in the first 2 years of life, as well as the logistical and thematic continuity across infancy and childhood in what mothers perceive as difficult. It extends earlier work regarding older children in six cultural sites: Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Spain, Sweden, and the United States. In order to compare temperament profiles across sites, a "derived etic" version of standard temperament scales is constructed, and then examined in relation to mothers' global ratings of how "difficult" the child is to manage. Results are compared to the earlier report. Negative Mood and low Adaptability tend to be problematic in most sites in both age groups. High Activity and Intensity increase in their relevance to difficulty from the first 2 years to early childhood. In some sites, dispositions such as low Approach become less difficult to manage. Of particular note are culturally unique patterns of continuity that appear to be related to larger cultural themes. These results have implications for our theoretical understanding of parenting, as well as for educational and clinical practice.

Commentary-Enlarging Concepts, Refining Methods, Improving Interventions.

As illustrated by the articles in this special issue, the research into ethnic identity in adoption is making significant progress. At the same time, it faces new challenges in the definition of concepts, the use of appropriate methods of study, and the consideration of implications for professional interventions. This commentary offers additional thoughts about these three areas in an effort to complete the new perspectives opened by the foregoing articles.

Exercise training can induce cardiac autophagy at end-stage chronic conditions: insights from a graft-versus-host-disease mouse model.

INTRODUCTION: Chronic graft-versus-host disease (cGVHD) is a frequent cause of morbimortality after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT), and severely compromises patients' physical capacity. Despite the aggressive nature of the disease, aerobic exercise training can positively impact survival as well as clinical and functional parameters. We analyzed potential mechanisms underlying the recently reported cardiac function improvement in an exercise-trained cGVHD murine model receiving lethal total body irradiation and immunosuppressant treatment (Fiuza-Luces et al., 2013. Med Sci Sports Exerc 45, 1703-1711). We hypothesized that a cellular quality-control mechanism that is receiving growing attention in biomedicine, autophagy, was involved in such improvement. METHODS: BALB/C female mice (aged 8wk) with cGVHD were randomly assigned to a control/exercise group (n=12/11); the exercise group underwent moderate-intensity treadmill training during 11wk after allo-HSCT. In the hearts of those few mice surviving the entire 11wk period (n=2/5), we studied molecular markers of: macroautophagy induction, preservation of contractile/structural proteins, oxidative capacity, oxidative stress, antioxidant defense, and mitochondrial dynamics. RESULTS: Mainly, exercise training increased the myocardial content of the macroautophagy markers LC3BII, Atg12, SQSTM1/p62 and phospho-ULK1 (S555), as well as of α-tubuline, catalase and glutathione reductase (all p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that exercise training elicits a positive autophagic adaptation in the myocardium that may help preserve cardiac function even at the end-stage of a devastating disease like cGVHD. These preliminary findings might provide new insights into the cardiac exercise benefits in chronic/debilitating conditions.

Internalizing Problems in Adopted Eastern European Adolescents: The Role of the Informant, Early Adversity and Post-Adoption Processes.

BACKGROUND: Internationally adopted children who suffered early institutionalization are at risk of a late onset of internalizing problems in adolescence. Both pre-adoption, adversity-related, and post-adoption factors predict variability in internalizing problems in this population. Previous studies have suggested different patterns of parent-adolescent informant discrepancies in adoptive dyads METHOD: We analyzed internalizing problems among 66 adolescents internationally adopted from Russia to Spanish families using both the parent- and self-report version of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire and comparing them with a low-risk, community group (n = 30). We assessed pre-adoption and post-adoption factors and evaluated cross-informant discrepancies. RESULTS: Internationally adopted adolescents exhibited more internalizing problems by parent-report than community adolescents, but there were no differences by self-report. Adopted youth showed no discrepancies between parent and self-report, whereas community adolescents reported more internalizing symptoms than their parents. Pre-adoption adversity-related factors predicted parent-reported internalizing problems, while post-adoption factors predicted self-reported internalizing problems. CONCLUSIONS: Parent-adolescent informant discrepancies in adopted adolescents from Eastern Europe for internalizing symptoms were lower than in community adolescents. Both adversity-related factors and the lived experience of adoption may influence the development of internalizing symptoms in internationally adopted adolescents.

Synthesis and characterization of novel dendrons bearing amino-nitro-substituted azobenzene units and oligo(ethylene glycol) spacers: thermal, optical properties, Langmuir blodgett films and liquid-crystalline behaviour.

In this work, we report the synthesis and characterization of a novel series of first and second generation Fréchet type dendrons bearing amino-nitro substituted azobenzene units and tetra(ethylene glycol) spacers. These compounds were fully characterized by FTIR, 1H and 13C-NMR spectroscopies, and their molecular weights were determined by MALDI-TOF-MS. The thermal properties of the obtained dendrons were studied by TGA and DSC and their optical properties by absorption spectroscopy in solution and cast film. Molecular calculations were performed in order to determine the optimized geometries of these molecules in different environments. Besides, Langmuir and Langmuir Blodgett films were prepared with the first generation dendrons that were shown to be amphiphilic. Finally, some of the dendrons showed a liquid crystalline behaviour, which was studied by light polarized microscopy as a function of the temperature in order to determine the transition temperatures and the structure of the mesophase.

Pyrene-fullerene C60 dyads as light-harvesting antennas.

A series of pyrene-fullerene C60 dyads bearing pyrene units (PyFC12, PyFPy, Py2FC12 and PyFN) were synthesized and characterized. Their optical properties were studied by absorption and fluorescence spectroscopies. Dyads were designed in this way because the pyrene moeities act as light-harvesting molecules and are able to produce "monomer" (PyFC12) or excimer emission (PyFPy, Py2FC12 and PyFN). The fluorescence spectra of the dyads exhibited a significant decrease in the amount of pyrene monomer and excimer emission, without the appearance of a new emission band due to fullerene C60. The pyrene fluorescence quenching was found to be almost quantitative, ranging between 96%-99% depending on the construct, which is an indication that energy transfer occurred from one of the excited pyrene species to the fullerene C60.

[Micropterus salmoides (Pisces: Centrarchidae) reproduction in the Gustavo Diaz Ordaz reservoir, Sinaloa, México]. / Reproducción de Micropterus salmoides (Pisces: Centrarchidae), en el embalse Gustavo Díaz Ordaz, Sinaloa, México.

Micropterus salmoides is an important fish species for sport fishing activities, condition that has promoted its introduction to different reservoirs in Mexico and worldwide. With the aim to improve its fisheries management, this research dealt with some reproductive aspects of this species in the Gustavo Diaz Ordaz reservoir, where it was studied from August 2008 through March 2011. To this end, we obtained 938 specimens, with gillnets of different sizes, to determine their total length (Lt, in cm), weight (Pt, in g), sex, gonadosomatic index, condition factor, fecundity and size at first maturity. Lt and Pt ranged from 15.9 to 63 cm (37.4 +/- 78.0) and 57 to 4431 g (731.7 +/- 619.0), respectively. The Pt-Lt relationship showed a positive allometric growth, with no significant difference between males and females (F = 0.9955, p = 0.3187). The male: female ratio obtained was 1:0.83. Mass spawning lasted from December to April. Size at first maturity was 33.7 cm and average fecundity was 32294 +/- 12878.7 oocytes/female. The gonadosomatic index was low from May through November, and increased between January and March. The condition factor was high before the spawning season and decreased after the reproductive period. We recommend a fishing ban from January to March, and to allow the capture size between 33 and 40 cm.

Spectroelectrochemistry at screen-printed electrodes: determination of dopamine.

A new device to perform spectroelectrochemical measurements in the UV/visible spectral region using screen-printed electrodes has been developed. Neurotransmitter dopamine has been selected as a proof of concept of the capabilities of the new device. The results obtained have allowed us both to study the oxidation mechanism of dopamine and to carry out the spectroelectrochemical detection of this neurotransmitter. Differences in dopamine oxidation mechanism have been observed depending on the initial concentration. Thus, dopamine concentrations lower than 10(-3) M led to a higher generation of dopaminochrome and its derivatives with a band centered at 305 nm, which was the best wavelength to determine dopamine spectrophotometrically at these concentrations. However, if dopamine concentration is higher than 10(-3) M, dopaminoquinone is stable enough to use its maximum of absorbance, 395 nm, to detect this neurotransmitter. Dopamine concentration can also be calculated from the electrochemical data in spectroelectrochemistry, the results being comparable to that obtained from spectroscopic data. Comparison between spectrophotometric and electrochemical determinations demonstrates that the two methods measure this analyte indistinctively, proving that spectroelectrochemistry represents an autovalidated technique. Partial least-squares regression has also been used, obtaining good results in the full dopamine concentration range. Finally, as spectroelectrochemistry is an intrinsically trilinear technique, PARAFAC has been used to study the effect of probable interfering species.

Spatial scanning spectroelectrochemistry. Study of the electrodeposition of Pd nanoparticles at the liquid/liquid interface.

Spatial scanning spectroelectrochemistry is a new analytical technique that provides spectral information at different distances from an electrified liquid/liquid interface where an electrochemical process takes place. As a proof of concept, we have studied two different electrochemical processes at the electrified liquid/liquid interface: (1) Ru(bpy)(3)(2+) transfer through the water/1,2-dichloroethane interface and (2) electrodeposition of Pd nanoparticles at the water/1,2-dichloroethane interface. The instrumental setup developed consists of a movable slit for the light beam to sample at well-defined positions on both sides of the interface, providing important information about the chemical process occurring. If the slit is scanned at different distances from the interface during an electrochemical experiment, a complete picture of the reactions and equilibria in the diffusion layer can be obtained. For example, in the case of the Ru(bpy)(3)(2+), the experiments show clearly how the complex is transferred from one phase to the other. In the case of electrosynthesis of Pd nanoparticles, it is demonstrated that nanoparticles are not only deposited at the interface but diffuse to the aqueous bulk solution. These in situ observations were confirmed by ex situ experiments using transmission electron microscopy.

Attachment representations in internationally adopted children.

Using the Story Stem Assessment Profile, attachment representations were analyzed in a group of 40 internationally adopted children studied after an average of 40 months since their adoption. These children were compared to 58 children living with their birth families and with no experience of maltreatment, and to 50 children who were living in Spanish institutions. All of the children were between four and eight years of age at the time of study. Findings indicated that the adoptees' representations were more negative than those of the control group, but similar to those of the institutionalized children. The associations between different indicators of attachment representations, as well as the role of adopted children's characteristics (pre-adoption experiences, adoption age, time with the adoptive family) were also analyzed. The results showed a long-term impact of early adversity, a certain degree of heterogeneity in the attachment representations' of both the adopted and the institutionalized children, and the role played by certain background and individual variables.

Changes in Attachment Disorder symptoms in children internationally adopted and in residential care.

BACKGROUND: A high incidence of Reactive Attachment Disorder (RAD) and Disinhibited Social Engagement Disorder (DSED) has been reported for children with experiences of trauma and other forms of adversity. OBJECTIVE: The present study aims to explore symptoms of RAD and DSED in children in two protection alternatives (international adoption and residential care) after experiences of early adversity. PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING: The participants were 146 children: 40 children adopted into Spanish families from Russia, 49 children in residential care in Spanish institutions (40.8% in long-term foster centers) and 57 community comparison children. METHODS: The Relationship Problems Questionnaire was used to explore both RAD and DSED. All adoptive parents and institutional caregivers retrospectively reported the problems at time of placement (Wave 0), as well as the symptoms observed at the time of the study, with children aged 4-8 years old (Wave 1). At this stage, the assessment of the community comparison group was added. RESULTS: Adopted and children in residential care presented high levels of RAD and DSED symptoms at placement. For adoptees, previous experiences of abuse and neglect were marginally associated with the initial presence of RAD symptoms and a significant recovery was observed after an average of three years in their families, with a certain level of longitudinal continuity between initial and later assessments. In children currently placed in long-term residential centers in Spain, DSED symptoms worsened from W0 to W1. CONCLUSIONS: Adoption appears to be an effective intervention that promotes recovery of RAD and DSED symptomatology after early adversity, whereas institutionalization causes negative effects.

Adoption and trauma: Risks, recovery, and the lived experience of adoption.

BACKGROUND: Although a very heterogeneous group, adopted persons may present developmental and mental health problems of varying severity. Pre-placement adversity and trauma have often been linked to these problems. It has been also suggested that adoption itself is a psychological trauma, predisposing the individual to emotional difficulties. OBJECTIVES: This article examines the links between early adversity, trauma, and adoption. We begin by defining trauma and then describe the way in which pre-placement adversity can undermine neurobehavioral and interpersonal functioning, increasing the risk for long-term psychological difficulties. Next, we examine children's recovery when placed in a stable adoptive home. Finally, we explore adoption as a lived experience, highlighting contextual and developmental factors that facilitate the person's positive or negative attributions about being adopted, leading to varying patterns of emotional adjustment. CONCLUSIONS: Although pre-placement adversity increases adopted individuals' risk for maladjustment, the human brain and behavior are malleable, and placement in a nurturing adoptive home often facilitates recovery from early adversity, with significant heterogeneity in the extent of recovery within and across domains of functioning. While there is no evidence that early adoption is a trauma for the individual, ongoing negative life circumstances, attachment difficulties, and developmentally-mediated attributions about adoption can undermine the person's self-esteem, identity, relationships, and sense of well-being. Conclusions and suggestions for future research are offered.

Spatulas for operative vaginal birth: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Operative vaginal birth represents an alternative to address problems during the second stage of labor. Obstetricians have access to three different instruments: forceps, vacuum, and spatulas. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the safety and effectiveness of the use of spatulas for operative vaginal birth. SEARCH STRATEGY: MEDLINE/PubMed, Embase, CENTRAL, LILACS, SciELO, ClinicalTrials.gov, and OpenGrey. SELECTION CRITERIA: Randomized controlled studies and non-randomized controlled studies (NRS) were included. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Studies were independently assessed for inclusion, data extraction, and risk of bias. MAIN RESULTS: Nine NRS (n = 16  497 women) compared the use of spatulas versus forceps. Low-certainty evidence suggests that spatulas were not different in terms of failed operative vaginal delivery rate (odds ratio [OR] 0.89, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.53-1.52), but may decrease the incidence of birth canal trauma (OR 0.70, 95% CI 0.54-0.91), birth canal laceration (OR 0.50, 95% CI 0.28-0.91), and neonatal soft-tissue injury (OR 0.19, 95% CI 0.13-0.29). Six NRS (n = 2992 women) compared the use of spatulas versus vacuum. Low-quality evidence suggests that spatulas may decrease failed operative vaginal delivery rate (OR 0.10, 95% CI 0.04-0.26). There were no apparent differences in other maternal and neonatal outcomes. CONCLUSION: Low-certainty evidence suggests that spatulas could be a safe and effective alternative for operative vaginal birth.

Preclinical model for phenotypic correction of dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa by in vivo CRISPR-Cas9 delivery using adenoviral vectors.

Recessive dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa, a devastating skin fragility disease characterized by recurrent skin blistering, scarring, and a high risk of developing squamous cell carcinoma is caused by mutations in COL7A1, the gene encoding type VII collagen, which is the major component of the anchoring fibrils that bind the dermis and epidermis. Ex vivo correction of COL7A1 by gene editing in patients' cells has been achieved before. However, in vivo editing approaches are necessary to address the direct treatment of the blistering lesions characteristic of this disease. We have now generated adenoviral vectors for CRISPR-Cas9 delivery to remove exon 80 of COL7A1, which contains a highly prevalent frameshift mutation in Spanish patients. For in vivo testing, a humanized skin mouse model was used. Efficient viral transduction of skin was observed after excisional wounds generated with a surgical punch on regenerated patient skin grafts were filled with the adenoviral vectors embedded in a fibrin gel. Type VII collagen deposition in the basement membrane zone of the wounded areas treated with the vectors correlated with restoration of dermal-epidermal adhesion, demonstrating that recessive dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa (RDEB) patient skin lesions can be directly treated by CRISPR-Cas9 delivery in vivo.

Children in Institutional Care: Delayed Development and Resilience.

Children exposed to institutional care often suffer from "structural neglect" which may include minimum physical resources, unfavorable and unstable staffing patterns, and social-emotionally inadequate caregiver-child interactions. This chapter is devoted to the analysis of the ill effects of early institutional experiences on resident children's development. Delays in the important areas of physical, hormonal, cognitive, and emotional development are discussed. The evidence for and against the existence of a distinctive set of co-occurring developmental problems in institutionalized children is weighed and found to not yet convincingly demonstrate a "post-institutional syndrome". Finally, shared and non-shared features of the institutional environment and specific genetic, temperamental, and physical characteristics of the individual child are examined that might make a crucial difference in whether early institutional rearing leaves irreversible scars.