The emerging role of mesenchymal stem cell-derived extracellular vesicles to ameliorate hippocampal NLRP3 inflammation induced by binge-like ethanol treatment in adolescence

Our previous studies have reported that activation of the NLRP3(NOD-,LRR-and pyrin domain-containing protein 3)-inflammasome complex in ethanol-treated astrocytes and chronic alcohol-fed mice could be associated with neuroinflammation and brain damage.Mesenchymal stem cell-derived extracellular vesicles(MSC-EVs)have been shown to restore the neuroinflammatory response,along with myelin and synaptic structural alterations in the prefrontal cortex,and alleviate cognitive and memory dysfunctions induced by binge-like ethanol treatment in adolescent mice.Considering the therapeutic role of the molecules contained in mesenchymal stem cell-derived extracellular vesicles,the present study analyzed whether the administration of mesenchymal stem cell-derived extracellular vesicles isolated from adipose tissue,which inhibited the activation of the NLRP3 inflammasome,was capable of reducing hippocampal neuroinflammation in adolescent mice treated with binge drinking.We demonstrated that the administration of mesenchymal stem cell-derived extracellular vesicles ameliorated the activation of the hippocampal NLRP3 inflammasome complex and other NLRs inflammasomes(e.g.,pyrin domain-containing 1,caspase recruitment domain-containing 4,and absent in melanoma 2,as well as the alterations in inflammatory genes(interleukin-1β,interleukin-18,inducible nitric oxide synthase,nuclear factor-kappa B,monocyte chemoattractant protein-1,and C–X3–C motif chemokine ligand 1)and miRNAs(miR-21a-5p,miR-146a-5p,and miR-141-5p)induced by binge-like ethanol treatment in adolescent mice.Bioinformatic analysis further revealed the involvement of miR-21a-5p and miR-146a-5p with inflammatory target genes and NOD-like receptor signaling pathways.Taken together,these findings provide novel evidence of the therapeutic potential of MSC-derived EVs to ameliorate the hippocampal neuroinflammatory response associated with NLRP3 inflammasome activation induced by binge drinking in adolescence.

Alexithymia, Psychopathology and Alcohol Misuse in Adolescence: A Population Based Study on 3556 Teenagers

Objectives: To analyze the association between alexithymia and alcohol intake during adolescence, also in relation to psychopathology, in order to identify psychological risk factors for alcohol misuse. Method: 3556 students [mean age (range) 14.5 years (11-18)] were recruited in the Padua area. Each was administered a set of three questionnaires: the Toronto Alexithymia Scale for children (TAS-20) to measure alexithymia, the Questionnaire Adolescent Saturday evening (QAS) to estimate of alcohol intake, and the Youth Self-Report (YSR 11-18) to value psychopathology. Results: Externalizing problems appeared to increase with age and with the amount of alcohol consumed, unlike internalizing problems. The prevalence of alexithymia was 18%, decreasing with age, and it was not associated with alcohol consumption, and used except in younger subjects (≤13), for whom a positive correlation was observed between alexithymia, internalizing problems and alcohol intake. Conclusions: Younger adolescents are more psycho-emotionally vulnerable (internalizing problems and alexithymia) and at a greater risk of alcohol misuse.

Study on Iron Nutritional Status in Adolescence

A study on iron-deficiency anemia (IDA) in adolescence was conducted among 478 teen-age students in Shanghai. The study indicated that the intake of nutrients among the students was generally insufficient. The lack of protein, calcium, Vitamin A, Vitamin B_1, and Vitamin B_2 was more serious. The morbidities of IDA among male and female students were 15.8 and 32.6%, respectively, higher in the female group (P<0.01). The iron-deficiency sufferers among male and female students were 46.8 and 61.8%, respectively, also higher in the female group (P<0.01). The causes of IDA were analyzed by the method of stepwise regression. In a study of the effect of IDA on intelligence and physical development in adolescents, we found that there was no significant effect of IDA on intelligence quotient (IQ) and school performance. However, the speed and endurance capabilities of students of both sexes were correlated directly with hemoglobin level. In female students, the speed capability was correlated directly with the serum ferritin content. On the basis of these findings, a special 3-month school lunch program was initiated. The results indicate that a comprehensive, rational, and balanced diet is beneficial to hemoglobin, free erythrocyte porphyrin, and serum ferritin contents and improves adolescent development. 1990 Academic Press. Inc.

Chunibyo:A Postmodern Lacanian Symptom Happening in Abjected Adolescence

Chunibyo, a new Japanese slang term, which roughly translates to "fourteen sick", usually occurs among middle school students. Most of the"patients"are teenagers, who see themselves as grown adults and believe they have special power. According to Lacan's theory, this symptom would disappear when people enter the symbolic order. However, some remain"sick"even after they have grown up. In this essay, conceptual explanation will be given to this symptom based on the theory of"abjection",while linking Chunibyo to the epistemological process of paranoiac knowledge rooted in Lacan's psychic synthesis. Afterward,Chunibyo will be analyzed in terms of contemporaneity and spatiality. Some effective ways to treat Chunibyo will also be discussed in the last section.

Popularity, likeability, and risk-taking in middle adolescence

This study investigated the roles of adolescent popularity and likeability in eight domains of risk-taking in Australian grade 9 students (53% girls). The eight domains included previously examined areas of aggressive behaviours, alcohol use, and sexual intercourse, and areas where there is scarce information, including antisocial activities, unprotected intercourse, body image-related risk-taking, unsafe road practices, and stranger-related risk-taking. The results indicated a clear association between popularity and higher risk-taking in five of the eight domains. This is contrasted with likeability, which was not directly related to risk-taking aside from one two-way interaction with gender for sexual intercourse. The findings demonstrate the importance of including a broader range of risk-taking activities when considering popularity, particularly stranger-related risk-taking.

The Process by Which Girls Who Develop Type 1 Diabetes before School Age Acquire Self-Management Skills during Puberty and Adolescence

Our aim was to clarify the process by which girls who develop type 1 diabetes before school age acquire self-management skills during puberty and adolescence. We conducted semi-structured interviews with such women who had reached adolescence, and analyzed the results using the modified grounded theory approach (M-GTA). We found the process to be composed of eight categories: Girls begin to feel they understand their own bodies;Girls give precedence to fun, and forget about their disease;Girls build a foundation for taking control of their physical health;Girls feel “out of sync” with their physical sensations;Girls gain new awareness of their disease due to discrimination and comparing themselves to others;Girls revisit their lifestyle and diabetes care practices, with an eye to their future;Girls employ the wisdom and knowledge they have gained from experience;Girls are frustrated at diabetes’ relent-less presence in their lives. The learning process could be roughly divided into two periods: a period dominated by annoyance, where girls prioritize fun activities and try to forget about their disease, and a period where they leverage their wisdom to revisit their care behaviors and change their lifestyle.

The Onset of Schizophrenia in Adolescence: Developments from a Structural and Clinical Point of View

In 1899, Kraepelin identified schizophrenia as early dementia. The precocity of the onset of schizophrenia may be verified in psychotic episodes in the clinic of adolescence, which this article explores both from the point of view of psychoanalytic theory, and from the point of view of its clinic, in particular regarding the transference of the psychotic adolescent. It departs from the importance of differential diagnosis in relation to neurosis, using the guidelines of Freud about the loss of reality, then studies the contributions of Lacan in relation to that which returns from the real when not included in the symbolic. Finally, it articulates the drive theory to identify the issue of jouissance in transference.

Infatuation and Lovesickness on Sleep Quality and Dreams in Adolescence

Background: Infatuation and lovesickness are widespread and significant experiences in adolescence. Less is known about the connection between infatuation/lovesickness and sleep. The few studies, examining the link between infatuation and sleep quality show inconsistent results. The link between lovesickness and sleep as well as the link between infatuation/lovesickness and dreams has not been investigated yet. The aim of this study was to examine whether infatuation and lovesickness are linked to sleep quality and dreams in adolescents. Methods: A self-assessment online questionnaire was constructed to assess adolescents’ infatuation, lovesickness, sleep quality and dreams. In total, data of 630 adolescents and young adults (150 males, 480 females;aged 16 - 21) were analyzed in this study. Results: Infatuation did not relate to overall sleep quality and dreams. Sleep disturbances, as a component of overall sleep quality, were more frequent in infatuated adolescents. Adolescents currently suffering from lovesickness reported a significantly lower sleep quality, more negative dreams and nightmares. Furthermore, nightmares influenced them more strongly the next day. Conclusions: The associations between infatuation/lovesickness and sleep provide evidence for the far reaching effects of infatuation and lovesickness in adolescents’ lives. The fact that lovesickness leads to lower sleep quality and more negative dreams should be integrated in new approaches of insomnia treatment.

Adolescence dysfunctional uterine bleeding:perspectives from the combination of traditional Chinese medicine and modern medicine

Because their endocrine system is not yet developmentally mature,adolescent girls are prone to dysfunctional uterine bleeding caused by insufficiency of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis.The view of modern medicine is mainly aimed at the secretory function of sex hormones,such as estrogen and progesterone.However,it causes distress to patients because of the susceptibility of their treatment to endocrine system disorders.Traditional Chinese medicine considers the damage to the function of the Conception Vessel and Thoroughfare Vessel as the key to the disease.In this way,we guide the use of traditional Chinese medicine and acupuncture and achieve good results.The pathogenesis and management of functional uterine bleeding in adolescence are discussed from two medical perspectives in this article.

Internalized symptoms in adolescence as predictors of mental health in adulthood in the Northern Swedish cohort

Although mental health symptoms in children and adolescents are shown to predict young adult mental health outcomes, long-term prospective studies of childhood cohorts are few. The aim of the present study was to analyze the prospective importance of internalized mental health symptoms in adolescence for internalized symptoms in adulthood. Methods: A community-based prospective longitudinal cohort provided information by questionnaire about psychological status at age 16 and 43 (n=1010, representing 94.3% of those still alive). Socio-demographic variables which were indicative of possible childhood adversity (parental class, absence, illness, unemployment, relationship, crowding, number of moves) were treated as confounders and controlled for in ordinal regression. Results: For both women and men, internalizing mental health symptoms reported at 16 significantly predicted the same outcome at 43 years, after controlling for previous adverse environmental conditions (OR =1.2 for women, 1.3 for men). Conclusion: In this representative cohort studied over 27 years with excellent retention rates, the occurrence of self-reported worry, panic and sadness in mid-adolescence significantly increased the likelihood of similar states in middle adulthood.

Nuss procedure for the correction of pectus excavatum by using double braces in adolescence

Objective To investigate the indication,feasibility and technique of minimally invasive Nuss procedure with thoracoscope by using double braces in the treatment of wide-scope pectus excavatum repairing in adolescence. Methods 31 patients including 24 boys and 7 girls,suffered from pectus excavtum were corrected by Nuss procedure under thoracoscope. The average age

Pathogenesis of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in children and adolescence: From “two hit theory” to “multiple hit model”

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease(NAFLD) has become the dominant form of chronic liver disease in children and adolescents with the increasing prevalence of obesity worldwide. NAFLD represents a wide spectrum of conditions, ranging from fatty liver-which generally follows a benign, non-progressive clinical course-to non-alcoholic steatohepatitis, a subset of NAFLD that may progress to cirrhosis and end-stage liver disease or liver carcinoma. The underlying pathophysiological mechanism of "pediatric" NAFLD remains unclear, although it is strongly associated with obesity and insulin resistance. In this review we provide a general overview on the current understanding of NAFLD in children and adolescents, which underpins practice, enabling early diagnosis and appropriate therapeutic intervention for this life-threatening liver disease.

Consequences of bullying victimization in childhood and adolescence:A systematic review and meta-analysis

AIM To identify health and psychosocial problems associated with bullying victimization and conduct a meta-analysis summarizing the causal evidence.METHODS A systematic review was conducted using Pub Med, EMBASE, ERIC and Psyc INFO electronic databases up to 28 February 2015. The study included published longitudinal and cross-sectional articles that examined health and psychosocial consequences of bullying victimization. All meta-analyses were based on qualityeffects models. Evidence for causality was assessed using Bradford Hill criteria and the grading system developed by the World Cancer Research Fund.RESULTS Out of 317 articles assessed for eligibility, 165 satisfied the predetermined inclusion criteria for meta-analysis.Statistically significant associations were observed between bullying victimization and a wide range of adverse health and psychosocial problems. The evidence was strongest for causal associations between bullying victimization and mental health problems such as depression, anxiety, poor general health and suicidal ideation and behaviours. Probable causal associations existed between bullying victimization and tobacco and illicit drug use. CONCLUSION Strong evidence exists for a causal relationship between bullying victimization, mental health problems and substance use. Evidence also exists for associations between bullying victimization and other adverse health and psychosocial problems, however, there is insufficient evidence to conclude causality. The strong evidence that bullying victimization is causative of mental illness highlights the need for schools to implement effective interventions to address bullying behaviours.

Cognitive Development of Adolescence

People often connect caprice,menace,violence,sedition and other negative words with adolescents.But how far can society influence the development of adolescence? This paper focuses on analyzing Piaget's formal operational thinking,controversies about formal operational thinking and other approaches toward adolescent thinking.Limitations in the existing research and suggestions for further research will be brought forward afterwards.

A Modern Framework of Adolescence Health Programs

Adolescence represents a sensitive time period during an individual’s development during which physical, psychological, and social risk factors for non-communicable diseases are established. As such, there is a necessity to engage adolescents in planning and decision-making processes that will affect their future health. This paper describes the need for more innovative and transversal actions, starting from the utility of a multidisciplinary and systemic approach to health. One way in which this can be achieved is by shifting adolescent health programs (AHPs) from a clinically oriented to an education-based model. In particular, AHPs need to consider a personalized and systemic approach to the well-being of adolescents in order to potentiate their strengths and improve weaknesses, enhancing self-esteem, empowerment, and resilience. This is in line with the complexity of human physiology and psychology, as well as scientific evidence showing that several factors significantly influence health status including lifestyle, social context, emotional experiences, and cognitive skills, as demonstrated by the AVATAR Project (“A new purpose for promotion and eVAluation of healTh and well-being Among healthy teenageRs”). This project—which provides a new framework for AHPs—was carried out in Italy and enrolled healthy students as subjects, and aimed to promote well-being in adolescents using a systemic and multistake-holder approach that involved creating a network composed of the different figures and environments around adolescents and moving toward a more school-based and student-centered approach to adolescent health education.

Double Aortic Arch in Adolescence: A Case Report

Introduction: Double aortic arch (DAA) is the most frequently encountered vascular ring malformation characterized by a complete encirclement of the trachea and esophagus by the aortic arch with a wide clinical spectrum. Objective: The aim of this study is to describe a case of DAA in adolesecents. Case Presentation: An 11-year-old boy was admitted for chronic productive cough which initially was diagnosed with pulmonary arterial hypertension. The final diagnosis was DAA which was established after chest computed tomography (CT) scan. Conclusion: Establishing a diagnosis of DAA in adolescents requires thorough understanding and clinical skills in performing diagnostic steps. The management of heart failure symptoms and other comorbidities is essential while preparing for its definite therapy.

High birth weight is a risk factor of dental caries increment during adolescence in Sweden

This study aimed to assess whether birth weight is associated with dental caries during the teenage period. In this register-based cohort study, all children of 13 yrs of age (n = 18,142) who resided in the county of Stockholm, Sweden, in 2000 were included. The cohort was followed until individuals were 19 yrs of age. Information regarding dental caries was collected from the Public Health Care Administration in Stockholm. Data concerning prenatal and perinatal factors and parental socio-demographic determinants were collected from the Swedish Medical Birth Register and National Registers at Statistics Sweden. The final logistic regression model showed that birth weight (≥4000 g), adjusted for potential confounders, was significantly associated with caries increment (DMFT ≥ 1) between 13 and 19 yrs of age (OR: 1.29, 95% CI = 1.13 - 1.48). The relatively enhanced risk OR was further increased from 1.29 to 1.52 in sub- jects with birth weight (≥4600 g). On the contrary, subjects with birth weight (<2500 g) exhibited a sig- nificantly lower risk (OR: 0.67, 95% CI = 0.50 - 0.89) for exhibiting caries experience (DMFT ≥4) at 19 yrs of age. In conclusion, birth weight can be regarded as a predictor for dental caries and birth weight (≥4000 g) is especially a risk factor for caries increment during adolescence.

Pregnancy in adolescence:It is time to get ready for generations Z and Alpha

1.Introduction Pregnancy in adolescents is a significant public health challenge.The adolescent birth rate has fallen due to improvements in public health.However,teenage pregnancy is still a major issue in many parts of the world,both developed and developing countries.Pregnancy in adoles-cence has broad health,economic and social consequences.Nevertheless,different communities vary in terms of both predictors and outcomes of teenage pregnancy.However,in general,those communities with lower levels of education or unsustainable economic status tend to have higher rates of teenage pregnancy.

Ethanol changes Nestin-promoter induced neural stem cells to disturb newborn dendritic spine remodeling in the hippocampus of mice

Adolescent binge drinking leads to long-lasting disorders of the adult central nervous system,particularly aberrant hippocampal neurogenesis.In this study,we applied in vivo fluorescent tracing using NestinCreERT2::Rosa26-tdTomato mice and analyzed the endogenous neurogenesis lineage progression of neural stem cells(NSCs)and dendritic spine formation of newborn neurons in the subgranular zone of the dentate gyrus.We found abnormal orientation of tamoxifen-induced tdTomato+(tdTom^(+))NSCs in adult mice 2 months after treatment with EtOH(5.0 g/kg,i.p.)for 7 consecutive days.EtOH markedly inhibited tdTom^(+)NSCs activation and hippocampal neurogenesis in mouse dentate gyrus from adolescence to adulthood.EtOH(100 mM)also significantly inhibited the proliferation to 39.2%and differentiation of primary NSCs in vitro.Adult mice exposed to EtOH also exhibited marked inhibitions in dendritic spine growth and newborn neuron maturation in the dentate gyrus,which was partially reversed by voluntary running or inhibition of the mammalian target of rapamycinenhancer of zeste homolog 2 pathway.In vivo tracing revealed that EtOH induced abnormal orientation of tdTom+NSCs and spatial misposition defects of newborn neurons,thus causing the disturbance of hippocampal neurogenesis and dendritic spine remodeling in mice.

Rising tide: The global surge of type 2 diabetes in children and adolescents demands action now

Childhood-onset obesity has emerged as a major public healthcare challenge across the globe,fueled by an obesogenic environment and influenced by both genetic and epigenetic predispositions.This has led to an exponential rise in the incidence of type 2 diabetes mellitus in children and adolescents.The looming wave of diabetes-related complications in early adulthood is anticipated to strain the healthcare budgets in most countries.Unless there is a collective global effort to curb the devastation caused by the situation,the impact is poised to be pro-found.A multifaceted research effort,governmental legislation,and effective social action are crucial in attaining this goal.This article delves into the current epidemiological landscape,explores evidence concerning potential risks and consequences,delves into the pathobiology of childhood obesity,and discusses the latest evidence-based management strategies for diabesity.