Agresividad y afrontamiento en la adolescencia. Una perspectiva intercultural / Aggressiveness and coping in adolescence. An intercultural perspective

La conducta agresiva es objeto de estudio con la finalidad de comprender los mecanismos básicos que causan y regulan esta conducta. La interculturalidad es una realidad que caracteriza a nuestra escuela y nuestra sociedad y el incremento acentuado en los últimos años de población inmigrante y el aumento de adopciones internacionales han generado en algunos centros un alto porcentaje de alumnos procedentes de otras culturas, lo que ha motivado en algunos centros un incremento de conductas agresivas y antisociales. El objetivo del estudio es analizar la conducta agresiva, los procesos implicados y los mecanismos de afrontamiento en una muestra de 1557 adolescentes entre 12 y 15 años, de Primer Ciclo de Enseñanza Secundaria Obligatoria de centros públicos y concertados de la Comunidad Valenciana, que completaron los instrumentos el Índice de Empatía para Niños y Adolescentes, la Escala de Conducta Prosocial, la Escala de Inestabilidad Emocional, la Escala de Agresividad Física y Verbal, y la Escala de Afrontamiento para Adolescentes. Los resultados confirman diferencias estadísticamente significativas en los comportamientos agresivos y en los recursos de afrontamiento evaluados en función del sexo, el país de nacimiento y el tipo de centro según alberguen mayor número de alumnos procedentes de otros países (AU)

The infantile and juvenile aggressiveness is considered to be a complex phenomenon, with multiple factors that contribute to different aggressive manifestations. This phenomenon has been an object of many investigations, which have the aim to understand the basic mechanisms that cause and regulate this behaviour and it is important to consider that the interculturality is a reality that characterizes our school and our society. The increase of the immigrant population in Spain during the last years and the increase of international adoptions has generated in some schools a high percentage of pupils proceeding from other cultures. This study tries to analyze the presence of aggressive behaviour and the mechanisms of coping in a sample of 1557 adolescents 12 to 15 years old. Instruments used were theInventory of Empathy for Children and Adolescents, the Prosocial Behaviour Scale, the Emotional Instability Scale, the Physical and Verbal Aggression Scale, and the Adolescents Coping Scale. The results show significant differences in physical and verbal aggressives behaviours and in the coping strategies evaluated depending on sex, the country of birth and the presence of students from other countries (AU)

Artificial muscle: movement and position control.

The movement of an all polymeric triple-layer artificial muscle based on polypyrrole (PPy) that work in aqueous solution was characterised. The magnitude and direction of the experimental current control both rate and direction of the movement. The described angle is a linear function of the consumed charge.

La conducta prosocial: una vision de conjunto / Prosocial behavior: a comprehensive view

En el presente trabajo se lleva a cabo una revisión de la evolución histórica que ha experimentado el concepto prosocial, intentando ofrecer una visión actualizada del mismo. Partiendo de la investigación de Gonzalez Portal et al (1989,1992), como marco de referencia, se presentan las perspectivas actuales que gozan de mayor relevancia en esta área. Con objeto de analizar el incremento en la producción cientifica, los autores mas importantes y las áreas de investi-gación que sobre el comportamiento prosocial se han ido desarrollando; se utiliza el material recensionado a lo largo del periodo comprendido entre 1989 y 1997 en la base de datos del Psychological Abstracts.

[Levocabastine versus cetirizine for perennial allergic rhinitis in children]. / Levocabastina contra cetirizina en niños con rinitis alérgica perenne.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the efficacy and safety of levocabastine nasal spray asid cetirizine oral for the treatment of perennial allergic rhinitis in children. MATERIAL AND METHODS: In this randomized, prospective experimental, open clinical trial. We studied 30 children with ages between 6 and 16 years with perennial allergic rhinitis. Group 1, 17 subjects (7 female, 10 male) received cetirizine once daily, 5 mg children weientig less dian 30 k asid 10 mg in children weighing more trw' 30 k during 15 days. Group 2, 13 subjects (7 male, 6 female) received levocabastine 2 puffs BID on each nostril during tbe same time. A nasal symptoms score, nasal peal: flow vid eosinophils in a nasal smear were performed before and after treatment. RESULTS: There were no statistical differences in age, weight, height and arid duration of symptoms. Both groups showed improvement of symptoms via nasal peak flow with no differences between them (intergroup); nasal eosinophils remained unchanged. We for third statistical differences pre vid postreatment in each group (intragroup): Group 1, nasal congestion p = 0.002, ocular itch p = 0.01, sneezing p = 0.007, nasal secretion p = 0.01, nasal itch O = 0.009, total points O = 0.0005. Group 2, nasal congestion O = 0.02, ocular itch p = 0.05, sneezing p = 0.01, nasal secretion p = 0.01, nasal itch p = 0.04, total points p = 0.005. Significant differences were found in nasal peal' flow in Group 1 (p = 0.01) but no differences in eosinophils between file two groups. Side effects: 3 subjects in Group 1 (drowsiness, 1 appetite increase said 1 rhinorrea with epistaxis) vide 1 in Group 2 sensation of facial edema. CONCLUSION: Bofil drugs are effective the clinical relief of symptoms of perennial allergic rhinitis in children vied levocabastine has less side effects.

Life expectancy of patients with chronic nonleukemic myeloproliferative disorders.

This study determines, within the frame of current therapeutic possibilities, the impact of chronic nonleukemic myeloproliferative disorders on expected survival. The survival data for 1067 patients (454 with polycythemia vera, 247 with essential thrombocythemia, and 366 with idiopathic myelofibrosis) were collected from 38 Spanish institutions. The actuarial survival probability of each group of patients was compared with that of the age-matched and sex-matched control population. The survival of the patients with polycythemia vera and essential thrombocythemia did not differ from that of the control population (P = 0.92 and, 0.22, respectively), whereas the survival of the patients with idiopathic myelofibrosis was strikingly reduced with respect to the control population (P = 0.0000000007). Thus, in terms of survival, current therapeutic procedures may be considered as quite satisfactory in patients with polycythemia vera and essential thrombocythemia. On the other hand, due to poor survival of patients with idiopathic myelofibrosis, new therapeutic approaches for this condition are clearly needed.

alpha Interferon in the management of essential thrombocythaemia.

Thirteen patients (mean age 60.7 years; female:male ratio 10:3) with essential thrombocythaemia were treated with 3 million units (MU)/day interferon alfa-2b subcutaneously (s.c.) for 12 weeks, with all patients requiring a dose reduction after 4 weeks. The mean pretreatment platelet count was 1,400 x 10(9)/L and megakaryocytes were increased in all cases. Splenomegaly was present in six patients and haemorrhagic phenomena were observed in two. Nine patients (69.2%) had objective responses, including two (15.4%) complete responses (platelets less than 450 x 10(9)/L) which were then maintained with 5 MU interferon twice a week. Acute toxicity consisted of flu-like symptoms in 12 patients. Chronic toxicity (mainly leucopenia) was observed in nine patients. In conclusion, initial therapy and then requiring maintenance therapy at a reduced dose. However, the frequent side effects observed make it advisable to use a low dose of interferon alfa-2b, and to treat only those patients with significant symptoms and signs of thrombocytosis.

[Incidence of monoclonal components in lymphoproliferative syndromes. Apropos of 234 cases ]. / Incidencia de componentes monoclonales en síndromes linfoproliferativos. A propósito de 234 casos.

A series of 234 sera from 104 patients with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL), 77 with Hodgkin's disease (HD) and 53 with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL) was studied by cellulose acetate gel electrophoresis, agarose gel electrophoresis, immunoelectrophoresis and electroimmunodiffusion, in order to assess the incidence and type of monoclonal components (MC) in these diseases. Monoclonal component was found by cellulose acetate gel electrophoresis in 22 of the 234 cases studied (9.8%); agarose gel electrophoresis disclosed MC in 22 other cases (18.8%), all of them showing rates lower than 5.0 g/L. MC was present in 29 of the 104 NHL cases (27.9%), it being characterised as IgM in 16 patients and IgG in 13 others. The MC was observed in 13 of the 21 cases of lymphoplasmacytoid forms, but it was less conspicuous in the remaining histological forms. With regard to HD, MC was present in 5 cases (6.5%), of IgG, type in all instances, and in 10 of the 53 CLL patients (18.9%), IgG in 8 and IgM in two other cases. The methods used in the present study made it possible to detect and characterise MC in about 20% of the lymphoproliferative syndromes studied. It can be inferred that the use of more sensitive techniques would disclose the presence of MC in the majority of B-cell lymphoproliferative syndromes.

Community-oriented medical education: comparison of tracks in Mexico and New Mexico.

Most major innovations in medical education have occurred in a small number of new schools. Attempts to create change in traditional schools are far more complex. Relevant models for such change are few and there is an urgent need for institutions pioneering such changes to learn from each other's experiences. Two conventional medical schools described in this paper have attempted to create community-oriented institutional change by establishing experimental undergraduate curricular tracks. One is in a developing country, Mexico, the other in a technically developed country, the United States. These new tracks in medical education evolved independently of one another, yet they have many similarities and have experienced common problems. A formal exchange between the two schools has led to new insights in medical education and improvements to both programmes. Exchange agreements like the one reported here would be valuable for other medical schools in both developing and technically developed countries.