[Interventions for Children and Adolescents Living in Foster or Institutional Care - A Systematic Review]. / Interventionen für Kinder und Jugendliche, die in Pflegefamilien oder Jugendhilfeeinrichtungen leben ­ ein systematisches Review.

Children or adolescents living in foster or institutional care received so far insufficient consideration in therapy intervention research. At the same time, they are a high-risk group for developing mental illness. The aim of this systematic review is to record evidence-based psychotherapeutic interventions of the past 15 years on a national and international level that address children and young people living in foster care and youth welfare institutions and their mental health. Through a systematic literature research, interventions for the target group described were identified and analyzed about their specificity and evidence. From 170 publications, ten interventions with sufficient evidence could be included in the present analysis. The result of the current literature research shows that further specialized psychiatric-psychotherapeutic interventions for children in foster care and youth welfare institutions are necessary. Regarding the transferability to the German youth welfare and health system, cross-system and interdisciplinary cooperation is needed. Hereafter further research is required to establish specific and evidence-based intervention approaches.

Development and Digital Light Processing 3D Printing of a Vitrimer Composed of Glycerol 1,3-Diglycerolate Diacrylate and Tetrahydrofurfuryl Methacrylate.

The development of biobased reshapable and repairable vitrimers has received extensive attention due to the growing focus on an environmentally friendly society. Therefore, the objective of this research was to synthesize sustainable polymers with an environmentally friendly strategy combining the benefits of renewable resources, UV curing, and vitrimers. Two biobased monomers, glycerol 1,3-diglycerolate diacrylate and tetrahydrofurfuryl methacrylate, were chosen for the preparation of UV-curable resins and tested by real-time photorheometry and RT-FTIR spectroscopy to determine their suitability for digital light processing (DLP) 3D printing. DLP 3D-printed polymer showed shape memory, weldability, and repairability capabilities by triggering the dynamic transesterification process at high temperatures. The vitrimer with a weight ratio of 60:40 of glycerol 1,3-diglycerolate diacrylate and tetrahydrofurfuryl methacrylate showed shape memory properties with a recovery ratio of 100% and a 7-fold improved tensile strength compared to the original sample, confirming efficient weldability and repairability.

In situ preparation of compounds using silanized mPEG inspired by talc-like structures.

Composite materials show improved properties compared to pristine materials, in particular when the filler is dispersed homogeneously in the matrix. For polymer-clay composites, different strategies exist to improve clay mineral dispersion in the polymer matrix. In this study, an innovative approach is suggested which consists of forming a talc-like structure directly in a polymer matrix using a silanized polymer as the silicon source. Poly(ethylene glycol) methyl ether of different average molar masses (Mn = 350, 500, 750, 1900 g mol-1) were functionalized with (3-isocyanatopropyl)triethoxysilane and added to the ethanolic solutions of magnesium nitrate. 1H-29Si CPMAS solid state NMR experiments revealed partial condensation of silane compounds, and FTIR analysis confirmed the presence of both Si-O and Mg-O bonds, but an additional proof of the Si-O-Mg bond is needed to prove the formation of such a structure.

The epidemiology of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and Alzheimer's disease (AD) in community-living seniors: protocol of the MemoVie cohort study, Luxembourg.

BACKGROUND: Cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease (AD) are increasingly considered a major public health problem. The MemoVie cohort study aims to investigate the living conditions or risk factors under which the normal cognitive capacities of the senior population in Luxembourg (≥ 65 year-old) evolve (1) to mild cognitive impairment (MCI) - transitory non-clinical stage - and (2) to AD. Identifying MCI and AD predictors undeniably constitutes a challenge in public health in that it would allow interventions which could protect or delay the occurrence of cognitive disorders in elderly people. In addition, the MemoVie study sets out to generate hitherto unavailable data, and a comprehensive view of the elderly population in the country. METHODS/DESIGN: The study has been designed with a view to highlighting the prevalence in Luxembourg of MCI and AD in the first step of the survey, conducted among participants selected from a random sample of the general population. A prospective cohort is consequently set up in the second step, and appropriate follow-up of the non-demented participants allows improving the knowledge of the preclinical stage of MCI. Case-control designs are used for cross-sectional or retrospective comparisons between outcomes and biological or clinical factors. To ensure maximal reliability of the information collected, we decided to opt for structured face to face interviews. Besides health status, medical and family history, demographic and socio-cultural information are explored, as well as education, habitat network, social behavior, leisure and physical activities. As multilingualism is expected to challenge the cognitive alterations associated with pathological ageing, it is additionally investigated. Data relative to motor function, including balance, walk, limits of stability, history of falls and accidents are further detailed. Finally, biological examinations, including ApoE genetic polymorphism are carried out. In addition to standard blood parameters, the lipid status of the participants is subsequently determined from the fatty acid profiles in their red blood cells. The study obtained the legal and ethical authorizations. DISCUSSION: By means of the multidisciplinary MemoVie study, new insights into the onset of cognitive impairment during aging should be put forward, much to the benefit of intervention strategies as a whole.

Combined aza-Michael and radical photopolymerization reactions for enhanced mechanical properties of 3D printed shape memory polymers.

3D printed shape memory polymers (SMP) were formed by combining aza-Michael addition and light initiated radical polymerization. Amine consumption and acrylate conversion were monitored by 1H-NMR and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopies. Dynamic mechanical analysis and cyclic thermomechanical tensile tests enabled direct observation of the polymer network changes. Increased homogeneity of the 3D network and enhanced SMP properties were achieved after the reaction between residual acrylate functions trapped in the vitrified medium with the secondary amines formed during the process. This allows the fabrication of shape memory objects by 3D printing.

Characterizing the spatio-temporal dynamics of the neural events occurring prior to and up to overt recognition of famous faces.

Although it is generally acknowledged that familiar face recognition is fast, mandatory, and proceeds outside conscious control, it is still unclear whether processes leading to familiar face recognition occur in a linear (i.e., gradual) or a nonlinear (i.e., all-or-none) manner. To test these two alternative accounts, we recorded scalp ERPs while participants indicated whether they recognize as familiar the faces of famous and unfamiliar persons gradually revealed in a descending sequence of frames, from the noisier to the least noisy. This presentation procedure allowed us to characterize the changes in scalp ERP responses occurring prior to and up to overt recognition. Our main finding is that gradual and all-or-none processes are possibly involved during overt recognition of familiar faces. Although the N170 and the N250 face-sensitive responses displayed an abrupt activity change at the moment of overt recognition of famous faces, later ERPs encompassing the N400 and late positive component exhibited an incremental increase in amplitude as the point of recognition approached. In addition, famous faces that were not overtly recognized at one trial before recognition elicited larger ERP potentials than unfamiliar faces, probably reflecting a covert recognition process. Overall, these findings present evidence that recognition of familiar faces implicates spatio-temporally complex neural processes exhibiting differential pattern activity changes as a function of recognition state.

Antimicrobial effects of mustard oil-containing plants against oral pathogens: an in vitro study.

BACKGROUND: The present study examines the antimicrobial activity of nasturtium herb (Tropaeoli maji herba) and horseradish root (Armoraciae rusticanae radix) against clinically important oral bacterial pathogens involved in periodontitis, gingivitis, pulpitis, implantitis and other infectious diseases. METHODS: A total of 15 oral pathogens, including members of the genera Campylobacter, Fusobacterium, Prevotella, Parvimonas, Porphyromonas, Tanerella, Veillonella, and HACEK organisms, were exposed to [1] a combination of herbal nasturtium and horseradish using a standardized gas test and [2] a mixture of synthetic Isothiocyantes (ITCs) using an agardilution test. Headspace gas chromatography mass spectrometry was employed to quantify the amount of allyl-, benzyl-, and 2- phenyl- ethyl-ITC. RESULTS: With exception of Veillonella parvula, all tested species were highly susceptible to herbal nasturtium and horseradish in the gas test with minimal inhibitory concentrations (MICs) between 50/20 mg and 200/80 mg and to synthetic ITCs in the agardilution with MICs between 0.0025 and 0.08 mg ITC/mL, respectively. Minimal bactericidal concentrations extended from 0.005 mg ITC/mL to 0.34 mg ITC/mL. CONCLUSIONS: ITCs may be considered an interesting alternative to antibiotics for prevention and treatment of oropharyngeal infections, periodontitis and related diseases. Furthermore, the suitability of ITCs for endocarditis prophylaxis in dental procedures might be worth further investigation.

Neural Networks Are Promising Tools for the Prediction of the Viscosity of Unsaturated Polyester Resins.

Unsaturated polyester resins are widely used for the preparation of composite materials and fulfill the majority of practical requirements for industrial and domestic applications at low cost. These resins consist of a highly viscous polyester oligomer and a reactive diluent, which allows its process ability and its crosslinking. The viscosity of the initial polyester and the reactive diluent mixture is critical for practical applications. So far, these viscosities were determined by trial and error which implies a time-consuming succession of manipulations, to achieve the targeted viscosities. In this work, we developed a strategy for predicting the viscosities of unsaturated polyesters formulation based on neural networks. In a first step 15 unsaturated polyesters have been synthesized through high-temperature polycondensation using usual monomers. Experimental Hansen solubility parameters (HSP) were determined from solubility experiment with HSPiP software and glass transition temperatures (T g ) were measured by Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC). Quantitative Structure-Property Relationship (QSPR) coupled to multiple linear regressions have been used to get a prediction of Hansen solubility parameters δd, δ p , and δ h from structural composition. A second QSPR regression has been done on glass transition temperature (prediction vs. experimental coefficient of determination R 2 = 0.93) of these unsaturated polyesters. These unsaturated polyesters were next diluted in several solvents with different natures (ethers, esters, alcohol, aromatics for example) at different concentrations. Viscosities at room temperature of these polyesters in solution were finally measured in order to create a database of 220 entries with 7 descriptors (polyester molecular weight, T g , dispersity index Ð, polyester-solvent HSP RED, molar volume of the solvent, δ h of the solvent, concentration of polyester in solvent). The QSPR method for predicting the viscosity from these 6 descriptors proved to be ineffective (R 2 = 0.56) as viscosities exhibit non-linear phenomena. A Neural Network with an optimized number of 12 hidden neurons has been trained with 179 entries to predict the viscosity. A correlation between experimental and predicted viscosities based on 41 testing instances gave a correlation coefficient R 2 of 0.88 and a predicted vs. measured slope of 0.98. Thanks to Neural Networks, new developments with eco-friendly reactive diluents can be accelerated.

Developmental Changes in the Effect of Active Left and Right Head Rotation on Random Number Generation.

Numbers are thought to be spatially organized along a left-to-right horizontal axis with small/large numbers on its left/right respectively. Behavioral evidence for this mental number line (MNL) comes from studies showing that the reallocation of spatial attention by active left/right head rotation facilitated the generation of small/large numbers respectively. While spatial biases in random number generation (RNG) during active movement are well established in adults, comparable evidence in children is lacking and it remains unclear whether and how children's access to the MNL is affected by active head rotation. To get a better understanding of the development of embodied number processing, we investigated the effect of active head rotation on the mean of generated numbers as well as the mean difference between each number and its immediately preceding response (the first order difference; FOD) not only in adults (n = 24), but also in 7- to 11-year-old elementary school children (n = 70). Since the sign and absolute value of FODs carry distinct information regarding spatial attention shifts along the MNL, namely their direction (left/right) and size (narrow/wide) respectively, we additionally assessed the influence of rotation on the total of negative and positive FODs regardless of their numerical values as well as on their absolute values. In line with previous studies, adults produced on average smaller numbers and generated smaller mean FODs during left than right rotation. More concretely, they produced more negative/positive FODs during left/right rotation respectively and the size of negative FODs was larger (in terms of absolute value) during left than right rotation. Importantly, as opposed to adults, no significant differences in RNG between left and right head rotations were observed in children. Potential explanations for such age-related changes in the effect of active head rotation on RNG are discussed. Altogether, the present study confirms that numerical processing is spatially grounded in adults and suggests that its embodied aspect undergoes significant developmental changes.

Inhibition of return and attentional facilitation: Numbers can be counted in, letters tell a different story.

Prior research has provided strong evidence for spatial-numerical associations. Single digits can for instance act as attentional cues, orienting visuo-spatial attention to the left or right hemifield depending on the digit's magnitude, thus facilitating target detection in the cued hemifield (left/right hemifield after small/large digits, respectively). Studies using other types of behaviourally or biologically relevant central cues known to elicit automated symbolic attention orienting effects such as arrows or gaze have shown that the initial facilitation of cued target detection can turn into inhibition at longer stimulus onset asynchronies (SOAs). However, no studies so far investigated whether inhibition of return (IOR) is also observed using digits as uninformative central cues. To address this issue we designed an attentional cueing paradigm using SOAs ranging from 500 ms to 1650 ms. As expected, the results showed a facilitation effect at the relatively short 650 ms SOA, replicating previous findings. At the long 1650 ms SOA, however, participants were faster to detect targets in the uncued hemifield compared to the cued hemifield, showing an IOR effect. A control experiment with letters showed no such congruency effects at any SOA. These findings provide the first evidence that digits not only produce facilitation effects at shorter intervals, but also induce inhibitory effects at longer intervals, confirming that Arabic digits engage automated symbolic orienting of attention.

Spatial attention triggered by eye gaze enhances and speeds up visual processing in upper and lower visual fields beyond early striate visual processing.

OBJECTIVE: The detection of a lateralized visual target is faster when preceded by a face gazing to the location of this stimulus. Here we aimed to clarify the time-course of the visual processing modulated by these reflexive shifts of attention. METHODS: ERPs were measured on 16 subjects performing a speeded location task on a circular checkerboard. The checkerboard target appeared either on the left or right of the upper or lower visual field, and was preceded by a central face orienting its gaze obliquely to one of the four possible corner locations for the target to appear. RESULTS: Congruently cued targets were located faster than incongruently cued targets and were associated with larger and earlier occipital P1 (approximately 110 ms) and occipito-parieto-temporal N1 (approximately 150 ms) components. However, no such attentional modulations were found on the earlier C1 visual component, best observed with a negative polarity for upper visual field stimulations, and thought to originate largely from primary visual cortex. CONCLUSIONS AND SIGNIFICANCE: These results show that reflexive shifts of attention following oblique eye gaze to upper and lower visual fields increase and speed up the processing of visual information beyond the feedforward flow of information in primary visual cortex.

Stepwise emergence of the face-sensitive N170 event-related potential component.

The present study used a parametric design to characterize early event-related potentials (ERP) to face stimuli embedded in gradually decreasing random noise levels. For both N170 and the vertex positive potential (VPP) there was a linear increase in amplitude and decrease in latency with decreasing levels of noise. In contrast, the earlier visual P1 component was stable across noise levels. The P1/N170 dissociation suggests not only a functional dissociation between low and high-level visual processing of faces but also that the N170 reflects the integration of sensorial information into a unitary representation. In addition, the N170/VPP association supports the view that they reflect the same processes operating when viewing faces.

Perception of static eye gaze direction facilitates subsequent early visual processing.

OBJECTIVE: Using event-related potentials (ERPs), it has been recently shown that a reflexive shift of attention following the observation of a dynamic eye gaze cue enhances and speeds up early visual processing of a target presented at the gazed-at location. Here we investigate whether similar early sensory modulations are also elicited by static gaze cues, or if previously described attentional effects were caused mainly by visual motion cues and not by eye gaze direction per se. Furthermore, we explore if these possible attentional orienting effects reflect facilitation of the processing of cued stimuli, inhibition of the unattended stimuli, or both. METHODS: Subjects were presented with a face looking to the right or left visual field (VF), or straight away, before the occurrence of a lateralized target to detect. There were 3 conditions in this nonpredictive cueing task: (1) target presented in the VF indicated by the eye gaze direction (congruent); (2) opposite to the eye gaze direction (incongruent); or (3) preceded by a straight gazing face (neutral). RESULTS: Subjects were faster at detecting congruently than incongruently and neutrally cued targets. Facilitation effects were observed on early ERP components: the occipital P1 and occipito-temporal N1 components were speeded up as early as approximately 100 ms following stimulus onset (P1), and enhanced (P1 and N1) in response to congruent trials, particularly in the right hemisphere. CONCLUSIONS: Spatial attention triggered by static eye gaze direction produces response facilitations - predominantly lateralized to the right hemisphere - from the early sensory stages of visual processing. SIGNIFICANCE: This study provides the first evidence of a speeding up and amplification of early visual processing following attention triggered by static eye gaze perception.

Causal role of spatial attention in arithmetic problem solving: evidence from left unilateral neglect.

Recent behavioural and brain imaging studies have provided evidence for rightward and leftward attention shifts while solving addition and subtraction problems respectively, suggesting that mental arithmetic makes use of mechanisms akin to those underlying spatial attention. However, this hypothesis mainly relies on correlative data and the causal relevance of spatial attention for mental arithmetic remains unclear. In order to test whether the mechanisms underlying spatial attention are necessary to perform arithmetic operations, we compared the performance of right brain-lesioned patients, with and without left unilateral neglect, and healthy controls in addition and subtraction of two-digit numbers. We predicted that patients with left unilateral neglect would be selectively impaired in the subtraction task while being unimpaired in the addition task. The results showed that neglect patients made more errors than the two other groups to subtract large numbers, whereas they were still able to solve large addition problems matched for difficulty and magnitude of the answer. This finding demonstrates a causal relationship between the ability to attend the left side of space and the solving of large subtraction problems. A plausible account is that attention shifts help localizing the position of the answer on a spatial continuum while subtracting large numbers.

Lifelong exposure to multilingualism: new evidence to support cognitive reserve hypothesis.

OBJECTIVE: Investigate the protective effect of multilingualism on cognition in seniors. METHODS: As part of the MemoVie study conducted on 232 non-demented volunteers aged 65 and more, neurogeriatric and neuropsychological evaluations were performed. Participants were classified as presenting either cognitive impairment without dementia (CIND) or being free of any cognitive impairment (CIND-free). Language practices, socio-demographic data and lifestyle habits were recorded. In this retrospective nested case-control design, we used as proxies of multilingualism: number of languages practiced, age of acquisition and duration of practice, emphasizing the temporal pattern of acquisition, and the resulting practice of several languages sequentially or concomitantly during various periods of life. This special angle on the matter offered to our work a dimension particularly original and innovative. RESULTS: 44 subjects (19%) had CIND, the others were cognitively normal. All practiced from 2 to 7 languages. When compared with bilinguals, participants who practiced more than 2 languages presented a lower risk of CIND, after adjustment for education and age (odds ratio (OR) = 0.30, 95% confidence limits (95%CL) = [0.10-0.92]). Progressing from 2 to 3 languages, instead of staying bilingual, was associated with a 7-fold protection against CIND (OR = 0.14, 95%CL = [0.04-0.45], p = 0.0010). A one year delay to reach multilingualism (3 languages practiced being the threshold) multiplied the risk of CIND by 1.022 (OR = 1.022, 95%CL = [1.01-1.04], p = 0.0044). Also noteworthy, just as for multilingualism, an impact of cognitively stimulating activities on the occurrence of CIND was found as well (OR = 0.979, 95%CL = [0.961-0.998], p = 0.033). CONCLUSION: The study did not show independence of multilingualism and CIND. Rather it seems to show a strong association toward a protection against CIND. Practicing multilingualism from early life on, and/or learning it at a fast pace is even more efficient. This protection might be related to the enhancement of cognitive reserve and brain plasticity, thereby preserving brain functions from alterations during aging.

Gray matter volume decreases in elderly patients with schizophrenia: a voxel-based morphometry study.

BACKGROUND: Aged patients (>50 years old) with residual schizophrenic symptoms differ from young patients. They represent a subpopulation with a more unfavorable Kraepelinian course and have an increased risk (up to 30%) for dementia of unknown origin. However, our current understanding of age-related brain changes in schizophrenia is derived from studies that included less than 17% of patients who were older than 50 years of age. This study investigated the anatomical distribution of gray matter (GM) brain deficits in aged patients with ongoing schizophrenia. METHODS: Voxel-based morphometry was applied to 3D-T1 magnetic resonance images obtained from 27 aged patients with schizophrenia (mean age of 60 years) and 40 age-matched normal controls. RESULTS: Older patients with schizophrenia showed a bilateral reduction of GM volume in the thalamus, the prefrontal cortex, and in a large posterior region centered on the occipito-temporo-parietal junction. Only the latter region showed accelerated GM volume loss with increasing age. None of these results could be accounted for by institutionalization, antipsychotic medication, or cognitive scores. CONCLUSIONS: This study replicated most common findings in patients with schizophrenia with regard to thalamic and frontal GM deficits. However, it uncovered an unexpected large region of GM atrophy in the posterior tertiary cortices. The latter observation may be specific to this aged and chronically symptomatic subpopulation, as atrophy in this region is rarely reported in younger patients and is accelerated with age.

A network of occipito-temporal face-sensitive areas besides the right middle fusiform gyrus is necessary for normal face processing.

Neuroimaging studies have identified at least two bilateral areas of the visual extrastriate cortex that respond more to pictures of faces than objects in normal human subjects in the middle fusiform gyrus [the 'fusiform face area' (FFA)] and, more posteriorly, in the inferior occipital cortex ['occipital face area' (OFA)], with a right hemisphere dominance. However, it is not yet clear how these regions interact which each other and whether they are all necessary for normal face perception. It has been proposed that the right hemisphere FFA acts as an isolated ('modular') processing system for faces or that this region receives its face-sensitive inputs from the OFA in a feedforward hierarchical model of face processing. To test these proposals, we report a detailed neuropsychological investigation combined with a neuroimaging study of a patient presenting a deficit restricted to face perception, consecutive to bilateral occipito-temporal lesions. Due to the asymmetry of the lesions, the left middle fusiform gyrus and the right inferior occipital cortex were damaged but the right middle fusiform gyrus was structurally intact. Using functional MRI, we disclosed a normal activation of the right FFA in response to faces in the patient despite the absence of any feedforward inputs from the right OFA, located in a damaged area of cortex. Together, these findings show that the integrity of the right OFA is necessary for normal face perception and suggest that the face-sensitive responses observed at this level in normal subjects may arise from feedback connections from the right FFA. In agreement with the current literature on the anatomical basis of prosopagnosia, it is suggested that the FFA and OFA in the right hemisphere and their re-entrant integration are necessary for normal face processing.