Social anxiety in pre-adolescent children: what do we know about maintenance?

The cognitive theory of social anxiety disorder (SAD) is one of the most widely accepted accounts of the maintenance of the disorder in adults, yet it remains unknown if, or to what extent, the same cognitive and behavioral maintenance mechanisms that occur in adult SAD also apply to SAD among pre-adolescent children. In contrast to the adult literature, current models of SAD in children mostly account for etiology and maintenance processes are given limited attention. Consequently, their clinical utility for the treatment of SAD in children may be limited. This narrative review, first, critically examines the different theoretical conceptualizations of the maintenance of social anxiety in the child and adult literature and illustrates how these have resulted in different treatment approaches and clinical understanding. Second, it reviews the available evidence relating to hypotheses about the maintenance of SAD in children as derived from adult cognitive and etiological models. Third, it highlights the need to attend directly to child specific maintenance mechanisms in SAD, to draw on cognitive theory, and to account for the influence of childhood-specific contextual (e.g. family and school-based interactions) and developmental factors on children's social experiences

Heritability of subcortical volumetric traits in mesial temporal lobe epilepsy.

OBJECTIVES: We aimed to 1) determine if subcortical volume deficits are common to mesial temporal lobe epilepsy (MTLE) patients and their unaffected siblings 2) assess the suitability of subcortical volumetric traits as endophenotypes for MTLE. METHODS: MRI-based volume measurements of the hippocampus, amygdala, thalamus, caudate, putamen and pallidium were generated using an automated brain reconstruction method (FreeSurfer) for 101 unrelated 'sporadic' MTLE patients [70 with hippocampal sclerosis (MTLE+HS), 31 with MRI-negative TLE], 83 unaffected full siblings of patients and 86 healthy control subjects. Changes in the volume of subcortical structures in patients and their unaffected siblings were determined by comparison with healthy controls. Narrow sense heritability was estimated ipsilateral and contralateral to the side of seizure activity. RESULTS: MTLE+HS patients displayed significant volume deficits across the hippocampus, amygdala and thalamus ipsilaterally. In addition, volume loss was detected in the putamen bilaterally. These volume deficits were not present in the unaffected siblings of MTLE+HS patients. Ipsilaterally, the heritability estimates were dramatically reduced for the volume of the hippocampus, thalamus and putamen but remained in the expected range for the amygdala. MRI-negative TLE patients and their unaffected siblings showed no significant volume changes across the same structures and heritability estimates were comparable with calculations from a healthy population. CONCLUSIONS: The findings indicate that volume deficits for many subcortical structures in 'sporadic' MTLE+HS are not heritable and likely related to acquired factors. Therefore, they do not represent suitable endophenotypes for MTLE+HS. The findings also support the view that, at a neuroanatomical level, MTLE+HS and MRI-negative TLE represent two distinct forms of MTLE

Widespread extrahippocampal NAA/(Cr+Cho) abnormalities in TLE with and without mesial temporal sclerosis

MR spectroscopy has demonstrated extrahippocampal NAA/(Cr+Cho) reductions in medial temporal lobe epilepsy with (TLE-MTS) and without (TLE-no) mesial temporal sclerosis. Because of the limited brain coverage of those previous studies, it was, however, not possible to assess differences in the distribution and extent of these abnormalities between TLE-MTS and TLE-no. This study used a 3D whole brain echoplanar spectroscopic imaging (EPSI) sequence to address the following questions: (1) Do TLE-MTS and TLE-no differ regarding severity and distribution of extrahippocampal NAA/(Cr+Cho) reductions? (2) Do extrahippocampal NAA/(Cr+Cho) reductions provide additional information for focus lateralization? Forty-three subjects (12 TLE-MTS, 13 TLE-no, 18 controls) were studied with 3D EPSI. Statistical parametric mapping (SPM2) was used to identify regions of significantly decreased NAA/(Cr+Cho) in TLE groups and in individual patients. TLE-MTS and TLE-no had widespread extrahippocampal NAA/(Cr+Cho) reductions. NAA/(Cr+Cho) reductions had a bilateral fronto-temporal distribution in TLE-MTS and a more diffuse, less well defined distribution in TLE-no. Extrahippocampal NAA/(Cr+Cho) decreases in the single subject analysis showed a large inter-individual variability and did not provide additional focus lateralizing information. Extrahippocampal NAA/(Cr+Cho) reductions in TLE-MTS and TLE-no are neither focal nor homogeneous. This reduces their value for focus lateralization and suggests a heterogeneous etiology of extrahippocampal spectroscopic metabolic abnormalities in TLE

The UK clinical eye research strategy: refreshing research priorities for clinical eye research in the UK

OBJECTIVES: To validate and update the 2013 James Lind Alliance (JLA) Sight Loss and Vision Priority Setting Partnership (PSP)'s research priorities for Ophthalmology, as part of the UK Clinical Eye Research Strategy. METHODS: Twelve ophthalmology research themes were identified from the JLA report. They were allocated to five Clinical Study Groups of diverse stakeholders who reviewed the top 10 research priorities for each theme. Using an online survey (April 2021-February 2023), respondents were invited to complete one or more of nine subspecialty surveys. Respondents indicated which of the research questions they considered important and subsequently ranked them. RESULTS: In total, 2240 people responded to the survey (mean age, 59.3 years), from across the UK. 68.1% were female. 68.2% were patients, 22.3% healthcare professionals or vision researchers, 7.1% carers, and 2.1% were charity support workers. Highest ranked questions by subspecialty: Cataract (prevention), Cornea (improving microbial keratitis treatment), Optometric (impact of integration of ophthalmic primary and secondary care via community optometric care pathways), Refractive (factors influencing development and/or progression of refractive error), Childhood onset (improving early detection of visual disorders), Glaucoma (effective and improved treatments), Neuro-ophthalmology (improvements in prevention, diagnosis and treatment of neurodegeneration affecting vision), Retina (improving prevention, diagnosis and treatment of dry age-related macular degeneration), Uveitis (effective treatments for ocular and orbital inflammatory diseases). CONCLUSIONS: A decade after the initial PSP, the results refocus the most important research questions for each subspecialty, and prime targeted research proposals within Ophthalmology, a chronically underfunded specialty given the substantial burden of disability caused by eye disease

Abstracts from the 5th International Conference for Healthcare and Medical Students (ICHAMS)

O1: Assessing the protective effect of dexrazoxane against doxorubicin-induced toxicity in HL-1 cardiomyocytes Yvonne Sweeney, Hugh O’Neill, Garry Duffy O2: Role of KCNQ1 in epithelial barrier repair Daniel Creegan, Viviana Bustos, Brian J. Harvey O3: The suitability of non-small cell lung cancer cytology preparations for the analysis of anaplastic lymphoma kinase gene rearrangements Alexander Dalphy, Anthony O’Grady, Elaine Kay O4: Penetrating keratoplasty and descemet’s stripping automated endothelial keratoplasty may lead to deterioration in glaucoma management Katarzyna Samelska, Justyna Izdebska, Anna Kurowska O5: The effect of Resolvin D1 on normal and cystic fibrosis human bronchial epithelium Rena Al-Zubaidy, Magdalena Mroz, Brian Harvey O6: Validity of clinical assessment compared with plantar fascia thickness on ultrasound for plantar fasciitis: a cross-sectional study Ryan Fagan, Helen French, Vanessa Cuddy, Jennifer Ashton, Michelle Clarke P1: Undergraduate medical research in Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries: A descriptive study of students’ views Zaid Sayedalamin, Mukhtiar Baig, Osama Almutairi, Hassan Allam, Taher F. Halawa, Hazem M. Atta P2: Positive fluid balance as a prognostic factor in children with sepsis during first 3 hours of resuscitation in intensive care unit Linda Sirone, Renars Erts, Jana Pavare P3: Patients on aspirin: Too little or too much? Louis Richter, Joseph Morris, Irene Oglesby, Eimear Dunne, Dermot Kenny P4: Beta catenin/TCF4 activation reduces KCNQ1 current in colonic monolayers Ibrahim Mohammed Mahdi Khayyat, Viviana Bustos Salgado, Brian J. Harvey P5: Size Matters. Abdominal aortic aneurysm: adherence to surveillance imaging guidelines Jonavan Tan, Daragh Moneley, Austin Leahy, Patricia Fitzgerald P6: Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography in the west of Ireland: Procedural outcomes and peri-procedural complications Evelyn Fennelly, Grace Harkin, John Lee P7: The effect of the extracellular redox environment on polyamine-platelet interactions Erica O’Sullivan, Brian Kirby, Sarah O’Neill P8: Functionalized gold nanoparticles: preliminary data on in vitro toxicity and comparative photothermal effect Diana Gonciar, Teodora Mocan, Cristian Matea, Lucian Mocan, Cornel Iancu P9: Imaging proteasomal inhibition after seizures in the brain: A study into cellular activity in the hippocampus of epileptic transgenic mice Chloe Doran, Sarah Hoolahan, Tobias Engel P10: Investigating the ability of the Olfactory epithelial stem cells to differentiate into glial cells by assessing cell morphology and marker expression Maha Alkhattab, Tijna Alekseeva, William Lackington, Fergal O’Brien P11: Beaumont Hospital cystic fibrosis service audit and annual report Nabeehah Moollan, Chloe Doran, Noel Gerry McElvaney, Cedric Gunaratnam P12: Quick cognitive screening: the 6-item cognitive impairment test and the temporal orientation score Lorraine Scanlon, Noeleen Brady, Suzanne Timmons P13: Granular analysis of causes of peritoneal dialysis technique failure in the first six months of therapy Richard Bresler, Zita Abreu, Stefan Trohonel, Joanne Bargman P14: Job satisfaction of surgeons working in hajj pilgrimage: a multicenter study Ahmad A. Mirza, Ahmed Badrek-Amoudi, Rakan H. Aun, Hussam A. Senan, Abdulrahim A. Mirza, Mohammed S. Binsaad, Mian U. Farooq P15: Investigation of the role of Bok using wild-type, bax-, bok-, and bax/bok-double-deficient mice Saheli Nandi, Beatrice D’Orsi, Jochen Prehn P16: Is it possible to predict resistance of an organism to stress based on the level of corticosterone? Mariia Zharova, Pavel Umrukhin P17: Investigating the strength model of self-regulation (ego depletion) and medical decision making and error in medical students Wendy Evans-Uhegbu, Frank Doyle, Hope Kudryashova, Derek Dorris, Anthony Cummins P18: Does bladder drainage with intermittent catheterisation preserve kidney function in boys with posterior urethral valves? Jemma Doheny-Shanley, Mark Woodward, Wesley Hayes P19: Investigating the role of Stonin 2, a Clathrin Mediated Endocytosis adaptor protein, in altered hippocampal synaptic transmission characterized in schizophrenia Marina Yostos, David Cotter, Melanie Focking P20: Predicting complications after colon resection Samantha Stancu, Florin Iordache, Bogdan A. Popescu P21: Knowledge, attitude and practice of the methods of primary and secondary prevention of cervical cancer among NYSC members in Lagos state, Nigeria Muhammad-Mujtaba A. Akanmu, Alero A. Robert, Ezekiel O. Oridota P22: Incidental glucose and lipid metabolisms disorders among office workers: a cross sectional study Ahmad A. Mirza, Ali K. Alzahrani, Omar Alfarhan, Essam Nour Eldin P23: Differentiating clinically significant spinal injuries; a review of emergency department presentations Bronagh MacManus, Owen Keane, Patrick Hillery, James Lee, Hugh O’Reilly, Niamh Collins P24: Pattern of renal colic occurrence due to urinary stones during Ramadan and other months of the year at King Abdulaziz Medical City, Riyadh, KSA Ibrahim Abu saq, Abdullah Al Mufarrih, Muath Jaafari, Abdullah Al Mahayni, Amen Bawazir, Sultan Alkhateeb P25: Proteomic analysis reveals novel AIB1 co-factors that may contribute to acquired endocrine resistance in breast cancer Amenah Dhannoon, Damir Vareslija, Arnold Hill, Leonie Young P26: Improving sedation practice in general ICU in Beaumont Hospital Declan Donoghue, Criona Walsh, Aileen McCabe, John Pope, Saturnino Pasco, Caroline Fallon, Don Solanki, Fiona Kiernan, Sinead Galvin, Jquan Mucvimicc, Johanna Mulvihill P27: Diagnosis and control of hypertension as indicators of the level of awareness among relatives of medical students Ahmad A. Mirza, Soha A. Elmosry P28: Evaluation of the antitumor potential from extracts of endemic plants of Brazilian caatinga against melanoma and hepatocarcinoma Lorenza Andres Ameida De Souza, Yuri de Oliveira, Diego Menezes, Alene Vanessa Santos P29: The role of Chromogranin A as a biomarker in drug resistant neuroblastoma Ahmad Zaki Asraf, Raymond Stallings, Olga Piskareva, Ross Conlon P30: Membrane sweep at term gestation in CUMH; a case-control study Siún Sweeney-Landers, Cathy Burke P31: Study of the variability of glucose levels in patients with diabetes undergoing continuous glucose monitoring Paraic Behan, Seamus Sreenan P32: Inflammatory cytokine response to decreased plasma alpha-1 antitrypsin levels in individuals with the MZ genotype Ahmed Organjee, Tatsiana Crosbie-Staunton, Emer Reeves, Noel McElvaney P33: Analysing the role of SRC-1 in breast cancer stem cell formation and activity Crystal Mieres, Leonie Young, Sara Charmsaz P34: Screening Streptococcus pneumoniae isolates for virulence genes Aya Al-Jalamdeh, Mary Corcoran, Martha McElligott, Niall Stevens, Hilary Humphreys P35: Assessment of the relevance of admission clerking criteria taught to medical students at King Abdulaziz University to real hospital practice Rashid Barnawi, Abdulaziz Ghurab, Sultan Alfaer, Hassan Balubaid, Kamal Hanbazazah, Mohammed Bukhari P36: Pattern of emergency department visits during Hajj period Mohammed Alsakkaf, Ahmad Mirza, Amrallah Mohammed P37: Anti-Dengue activity of Aspergillus terreus (sulochrin); An in vitro study Anastasia Pratanata, Maria Nathania, Tsabita Annisa, Beti Dewi P38: The comorbidome in alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency Kuok Zhen Lee, Tomas P. Carroll, Laura Fee, Noel G. McElvaney P39: MLO-Y4 cells behave more like osteocytes in response to mechanical stimulation when cultured in 3D Rachel C. White, Robert T Brady, Fergal O’Brie

Structural brain network analysis in families multiply affected with bipolar I disorder

Disrupted structural connectivity is associated with psychiatric illnesses including bipolar disorder (BP). Here we use structural brain network analysis to investigate connectivity abnormalities in multiply affected BP type I families, to assess the utility of dysconnectivity as a biomarker and its endophenotypic potential. Magnetic resonance diffusion images for 19 BP type I patients in remission, 21 of their first degree unaffected relatives, and 18 unrelated healthy controls underwent tractography. With the automated anatomical labelling atlas being used to define nodes, a connectivity matrix was generated for each subject. Network metrics were extracted with the Brain Connectivity Toolbox and then analysed for group differences, accounting for potential confounding effects of age, gender and familial association. Whole brain analysis revealed no differences between groups. Analysis of specific mainly frontal regions, previously implicated as potentially endophenotypic by functional magnetic resonance imaging analysis of the same cohort, revealed a significant effect of group in the right medial superior frontal gyrus and left middle frontal gyrus driven by reduced organisation in patients compared with controls. The organisation of whole brain networks of those affected with BP I does not differ from their unaffected relatives or healthy controls. In discreet frontal regions, however, anatomical connectivity is disrupted in patients but not in their unaffected relatives. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved

Evaluating learning technologies: frameworks and case studies

Evaluation frameworks have been developed for studying learning technology. In this paper, we review their application to a number of evaluation projects, reflect on recent developments in the area of evaluation and illustrate how these frameworks have been applied by reflecting on the methods employed in three contrasting case studies. Each case study is an evaluation of an innovative use of information technology. The first case study describes the evaluation activities related to the technology-enhanced components of an introductory physics course for distance learners, 'Physical World', focusing on the evaluation of multimedia tutorials. The second case study discusses an evaluation project focusing on the impact of networked technologies on learning at school level, the 'ImpaCT2' evaluation, and describes the methods used in tracking use of technology both at school and at home. The third case study involves the evaluation of a history website on a full time higher education course, 'The History of the USA'