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Collaborative, proactive anti-bullying interventions and policies that strive to create and sustain a safe environment for all adolescents.IntroductionSchool bullying reaches across all ages and grades, and is associated with serious mental health issues such as suicide, homicide, and other acts of violence. According to the U.S. Department of Education and Justice (2011), 37% of middle school students reported being victims of bullying. Bullying is a subtype of aggression, but is different from other types of altercations in that it is characterized as an unequal relationship between the bully and the victim (Olweus, 1993); consists of a series of repetitive behaviors as opposed to a specific, isolated incident (MacNeil 8c Newel, 2004); and is intentional. For instance, the bully's intention is to hurt another by repetitively engaging in harmful behaviors based on a perceived imbalance of power (Kowalski, Limber, & Agatston, 2008).There are several different types of bullying that are classified as physical, verbal, relational, and cyber bullying. Physical bullying may involve hitting, punching, threatening acts, and kicking. Verbal bullying includes such actions as name-calling or teasing. Relational bullying (also known as social aggression) involves spreading rumors or excluding someone from others or events (Espelage 8c Swearer, 2003), ignoring others, spreading nasty rumors, leaving hurtful messages on desks, making prank phone calls, and/or giving "death stares." Finally, cyber bullying is using technology to harass, exclude, or degrade another through such means as instant messaging, e-mail, chat rooms, and videos using cell phones, social networking sites, etc. (Espelage, 2004).Although similarities exist between each of these types of bullying, there are subtle distinctions, such as gender differences. Males tend to engage in more physical types of aggression, whereas females use more relational types of aggression (Carbone-Lopez, Esbensen, 8c Brick, 2010). Males who bully are often taller and/or stronger than their victims (McMaster, Connolly, Pepler, 8c Craig, 2002), and tend to choose victims that are physically weaker and shorter or based on friend choice or another's clothing. Females tend to choose victims based on looks, affect, weight, or good grades (Harris, 2004). Furthermore, females are more likely than males to be victims of sexual bullying such as sexual innuendos and unwanted sexual attention. This type of aggression usually begins during the middle-school years, and bridges the gap between bullying and dating violence with the potential to worsen into other forms of abuse (Fredland, 2008) throughout adulthood.Bullying behaviors are most often experienced between sixth and eighth grades, with a decline in upper grade levels (U.S. Department of Education and Justice, 2011). Yet, it is speculated that this decline is not necessarily due to a decrease in bullying, but rather due to a reduction in reporting of incidents, and/or a transformation into more adult forms of aggression such as sexual harassment (Fredland, 2008). Peers usually view these more adult forms of bullying as more socially acceptable.Aggressive behaviors can be seen along a continuum with the bully at one end of the scale, the victim at the other end, with bully-victims and spectators somewhere in between (Espelage, 2004). Despite the role one plays in a bullying incident-whether it is the victim, bully, bullyvictim, or bystander-all are impacted by this aggressive act.Both school counselors and teachers share the goal of nurturing student development, yet each professional strives to reach this goal through different paradigms. Studies reveal a positive association amongst classroom guidance, academic achievement, and personal/social growth, yet collaboration is rare (Stringer, Reynolds, 8c Simpson, 2003) despite school counselors' unique education to integrate school counseling goals with those of the school curriculum. …

Adolescents in a southeastern, rural school were given the Five Factor Wellness Inventory and a survey to examine the relationship between bullying and wellness. A significant correlation between an aggregate score of bullying and total wellness (r = −.43, p Language: en

Anxiolytic and possible side effects of clonidine 150 μg compared to midazolam 7.5 mg for premedication in surgical wisdom tooth extraction were evaluated. In a prospective, randomized, double-blind crossover trial, ten patients undergoing bilateral wisdom tooth surgery received clonidine or midazolam orally 1 h before the treatment. Patients receiving midazolam for the first surgery received clonidine at the second surgery and vice versa. The anxiolytic efficacy was evaluated with a visual analogue scale (VAS) upon admission and 30, 50 and 60 min after administration of the medication. Patient satisfaction was recorded on a VAS after surgery and 7 days postoperatively. As soon as 30 min after administration of midazolam (p

School counselors at all grade levels are faced with student suicidal ideation on a regular basis. As the primary mental health providers at their sites, school counselors are the ideal professiona...

Matuliene G, Studer R, Lang NP, Schmidlin K, Pjetursson BE, Salvi GE, Bragger U, Zwahlen M. Significance of Periodontal Risk Assessment on the recurrence of periodontitis and tooth loss. J Clin Periodontol 2010; 37: 191–199. doi: 10.1111/j.1600-051X.2009.01508.x. Abstract Aim: To investigate the association of the Periodontal Risk Assessment (PRA) model categories with periodontitis recurrence and tooth loss during supportive periodontal therapy (SPT) and to explore the role of patient compliance. Material and Methods: In a retrospective cohort, PRA was performed for 160 patients after active periodontal therapy (APT) and after 9.5 ± 4.5 years of SPT. The recurrence of periodontitis and tooth loss were analysed according to the patient's risk profile (low, moderate or high) after APT and compliance with SPT. The association of risk factors with tooth loss and recurrence of periodontitis was investigated using logistic regression analysis. Results: In 18.2% of patients with a low-risk profile, in 42.2% of patients with a moderate-risk profile and in 49.2% of patients with a high-risk profile after APT, periodontitis recurred. During SPT, 1.61 ± 2.8 teeth/patient were lost. High-risk profile patients lost significantly more teeth (2.59 ± 3.9) than patients with moderate- (1.02 ± 1.8) or low-risk profiles (1.18 ± 1.9) (Kruskal–Wallis test, p=0.0229). Patients with erratic compliance lost significantly (Kruskal–Wallis test, p=0.0067) more teeth (3.11 ± 4.5) than patients compliant with SPT (1.07 ± 1.6). Conclusions: In multivariate logistic regression analysis, a high-risk patient profile according to the PRA model at the end of APT was associated with recurrence of periodontitis. Another significant factor for recurrence of periodontitis was an SPT duration of more than 10 years.

Die Speicheldrüsen können mittels Sonographie – eine rasch verfügbare und kostengünstige Untersuchung – bestens abgeklärt werden. Nur in seltenen Fällen braucht es ein anderes bildgebendes Verfahren. Anamnese und Befunde deuten auf bestimmte Krankheiten hin, die Sonographie grenzt die Differentialdiagnose weiter ein oder bestätigt eine Diagnose. Raumforderungen müssen mittels Feinnadelpunktion weiter abgeklärt werden. Diese ersetzt jedoch nicht die histologische Klärung.

Myocardial function, intracellular calcium and levels of calcium cycling proteins were analyzed in failing and nonfailing human myocardium. Myocardial function was evaluated by the isometric force-frequency relation, and intracellular calcium was studied by aequorin light emission. When stimulation frequency was increased above 30 min-1, there was a continuous increase in isometric tension development in the nonfailing myocardium. In contrast, in failing myocardium, frequency potentiation of contractile force was blunted or inverse. As a consequence, at higher rates of stimulation, twitch tension was reduced significantly in failing compared to nonfailing human myocardium. Aequorin measurements indicated that the contractile deficit in the failing myocardium at higher rates of stimulation is associated with decreased free intracellular calcium concentration. Western blot analysis indicated that in the failing myocardium protein levels of SR-Ca(2+)- ATPase are significantly reduced and protein levels of Na(+)-Ca(2+)- exchanger are significantly increased. Levels of phospholamban are slightly reduced in the failing myocardium, and ryanodine receptor and calsequestrin protein levels are unchanged. There was a close positive correlation between the protein levels of SR-Ca(2+)-ATPase and frequency potentiation of contractile force. From these data, we conclude that in failing compared to nonfailing human myocardium 1) force-frequency relation is blunted or inverse. 2) Frequency-dependence of contractile force is closely correlated with frequency-dependence of intracellular calcium cycling. 3) Protein levels of SR-Ca(2+)-ATPase may determine frequency-dependence of sarcoplasmic reticulum calcium release. 4) Calcium elimination by an increased number of Na(+)-Ca2-exchanger molecules may be a compensatory mechanism to prevent diastolic calcium accumulation in failing myocardium with a reduced number of SR calcium pumps.

In the present study we quantified angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) mRNA and localized ACE mRNA and protein in the infarcted rat heart. Wistar rats underwent ligation of the left descending coronary artery, resulting in myocardial infarction (MI) or a sham operation. At different times (1-90 days) after surgery (n = 3 each), the heart was removed and divided into the right ventricle (RV), septum (Se) and left ventricle (LV). ACE mRNA was quantified by competitive reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). At 4 and 7 days after MI, we found a 2.8-fold increase of ACE mRNA (n = 3; P < or = 0.05) in the infarcted LV compared with the LV of the sham group. No increases of ACE mRNA were found in the noninfarcted hypertrophied compartments. ACE activity increased 2.6- and 3.6-fold in the infarcted LV at 7 and 90 days after MI, respectively. In situ hybridization and immunohistochemistry showed increased ACE mRNA and protein density in the border zone of the infarcted area, predominantly in the endothelial cells lining capillaries. In the noninfarcted myocardium ACE mRNA and protein were confined to endothelial cells of the larger vessels. From these data we conclude that the intracardiac RAS is involved in the healing of the scar after MI in the rat, possibly giving rise to neovascularization. Furthermore, the data suggest that the intracardiac ACE is not necessarily associated with hypertrophy in the rat heart after MI.

The logic-based knowledge representation language L/sub LILOG/, which is used to represent both the semantic background knowledge as well as the information extracted from German texts within the LILOG project, is discussed. L/sub LILOG/ integrates frame-like features-value descriptions used in computational linguistics into an order-sorted predicated logic framework. The basis design principles of L/sub LILOG/ and examples of how L/sub LILOG/ is used to model real world knowledge are presented. The implementation of the first LILOG prototype is described. A formal semantics definition is provided. >

The regulation of cytosolic Ca2+ concentration during excitation-contraction coupling is altered in the failing human heart. Previous studies have focused on disturbances in Ca2+ release and reuptake from the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR), whereas functional studies of the cardiac Na(+)-Ca2+ exchanger, another important determinant of myocyte homeostasis, are lacking for the failing human heart. Using a cardiac Na(+)-Ca2+ exchanger cDNA recently cloned from a guinea pig cDNA library, we investigated the gene expression of the cardiac Na(+)-Ca2+ exchanger in relation to the SR Ca(2+)-ATPase. Expression of both genes was quantified in left ventricular myocardium from 24 failing human cardiac explants and 7 control heart samples in relation to beta-myosin heavy chain mRNA by slot blot analysis. Compared with patients with nonfailing hearts, patients with dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM, n = 13) showed a 55% increase in Na(+)-Ca2+ exchanger mRNA levels (P < .05 versus control value) and a 41% increase in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD, n = 11). In the same hearts, SR Ca(2+)-ATPase mRNA levels were decreased by 50% in DCM and by 45% in CAD (P < .05 for both versus control value). There was a positive correlation between Na(+)-Ca2+ exchanger and SR Ca(2+)-ATPase mRNA levels both in normal and failing human hearts, albeit with different slopes and intercepts of the regression line. The Na(+)-Ca2+ exchanger protein levels as assessed by Western blot analysis and normalized to beta-myosin heavy chain protein were increased in DCM and CAD (P < .05 and P < .01 versus control value, respectively), whereas SR Ca(2+)-ATPase protein levels were reduced (P < .05 for both groups versus control values). Thus, the Na(+)-Ca2+ exchanger gene expression is enhanced in failing human hearts and may, in part, compensate for the depressed SR function with regard to diastolic Ca2+ removal.

SUMMARY Withdrawal of chronic antihypertensive therapy with clonidine is known to produce a blood pressure overshoot. It has been reported that the same may occur after a single dose of clonidine. A single, intramuscular dose of clonidine (0.05 mg/kg) produced an overshoot in blood pressure, on the day following administration, in normotensive rats anaesthetized with sodium pentobarbitone. No rebound elevation of mean arterial pressure or of heart rate occurred in conscious, normotensive, spontaneously hypertensive or renal hypertensive rats following this dose of clonidine, nor did it occur in rats anaesthetized with ether. It is suggested that the overshoot phenomenon in rats under barbiturate anaesthesia may involve an interaction between an effect of clonidine and the barbiturate.

Whole-body microvibrations (MV) in three dimensions were measured in 51 volunteers, all medical students, 26 without and 25 with beta-receptor blockade (propranolol), immediately before a practical physiology examination and during the ensuing vacation. Propranolol impeded the increase in MV values in all three axes, significantly those in the z axis (vertical), the differences in MV values between the two measurements being minimal in the beta-receptor blocked group. On the other hand, propranolol enhanced MV in the x axis (anteroposterior) and the y axis (transverse), the y axis difference being significant only in females. Propranolol obviously relieves examination stress: the majority of candidates (52%) felt "quieter" in the examination with than in other similar situations without beta-receptor blockade. Propranolol was, however, without effect on the examination results. The rectified impulse in the z axis when related to body weight (Jz) correlates linearly with the calculated cardiac output. Propranolol, however, reduced cardiac output more than Jz, pointing to a Jz component non-sensitive to beta-receptor blockade. The part played by muscle tonus, mainly reflected in the y axis, thus remains unknown. The large and slow oscillations in the x and y axes, observed particularly in beta-receptor blocked females, might be attributed to diminution in standing ability.