Search

Introduction: Children's personal narratives are an important source of knowledge about experiences generating both positive and negative emotions, as well as about revealed psychological needs. The Global Tales protocol used in the study allows e.g. to identify those that directly relate to functioning in the school environment. Research Aim: The aim of the research was to identify significant situations in the narratives of 10-year-old children in response to the six prompts of the Global Tales protocol, and to identify linguistic means of expressing emotions and psychological needs in the context of telling about experiences related to school functioning of the surveyed children. Method: Twenty-five 10-year-old children without diagnosed developmental dysfunctions took part in the study conducted using the Global Tales protocol. After the children's responses were transcribed, a qualitative and quantitative analysis was carried out to identify significant situations generating positive and negative emotions and to recognize the linguistic means of expressing emotions and psychological needs in children's narratives. Results: The study made it possible to identify what significant experiences revealed in children's narratives generate positive and negative emotions, what part of them relate to the school environment and functioning as a student, how children construct narratives about situations that are significant in the linguistic layer, including in the context of the use of universal units of natural language, and what psychological needs are revealed in children's statements about experiences related to events related to the school environment. Conclusions: The research will complete an important area of knowledge about children's use of language to express emotions and needs related to significant situations in school functioning. The Global Tales protocol can be used as a tool for the psychological-linguistic analysis of children's narratives in late school age.

W artykule podjęto problematykę dotyczącą znaczenia relacji rodzic-dziecko dla zaangażowania rodziców w podejmowanie wspólnych inicjacji czytelniczych z dziećmi. Badania ilościowe przeprowadzone w grupie rodziców dzieci ze specjalnymi potrzebami rozwojowymi (N=198) oraz bez specjalnych potrzeb rozwojowych (N=194) pozwoliły na ustalenie związków pomiędzy deklarowanym przez obie badane grupy rodziców zaangażowaniem w podejmowanie wczesnych inicjacji czytelniczych a przejawianymi przez nich zachowaniami wspierającymi lub przymusowymi, samooceną własnych zachowań w kontakcie z dzieckiem oraz oceną zachowań dziecka, a także na rozpoznanie predyktorów zaangażowania rodziców dzieci ze specjalnymi potrzebami rozwojowymi i bez specjalnych potrzeb rozwojowych w podejmowanie wspólnych inicjacji czytelniczych z dziećmi. Wyniki badań wskazują m.in., że głównym predyktorem zaangażowania rodziców w podejmowanie wspólnych inicjacji czytelniczych w obu badanych grupach są działania wspierające/zaangażowane. Dodatkowo w grupie rodziców ze specjalnymi potrzebami rozwojowymi wskazano na mediacyjną rolę dokonywanej przez rodziców dzieci ze specjalnymi potrzebami rozwojowymi oceny zachowań dziecka w relacji między ujawnianymi przez nich zachowaniami wspierającymi/zaangażowanymi a zaangażowaniem w podejmowanie wczesnych inicjacji czytelniczych z dziećmi.

The aim of the study was to identify the determinants of dyslexic and non-dyslexic students’ choice of reading strategies for exams, as well as the mediating factors – in this case, exam stress – in the relationship between perceived educational support and the use of specific reading strategies. The study groups consisted of students diagnosed with dyslexia (N=540) and students without dyslexia (N=540), aged 14 to 15 years. The tools used in the study were the Metacognitive Awareness of Reading Strategies Inventory, developed by Mokhtari and Reichard, the Students’ Perceived Sources of Test Anxiety, developed by Bonaccio and Reeve, and the Educational Support Questionnaire, developed by Gindrich. The study followed a correlational design. Descriptive statistics, Pearson’s r correlations, and regression analysis were used to analyze the results using model templates for PROCESS for SPSS and SAS (Hayes, 2018). The study established relationships between perceived educational support and the declared use of particular reading strategies (global, support, and reading problem-solving strategies) and stressors in exam situations. The results of the study indicate that only among dyslexic students was there a moderating role of exam stress in the relationship between perceived educational support and the declared choice of global reading strategies.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), around 1 million children worldwide are diagnosed with tuberculosis each year. The Bacillus Calmette–Guérin (BCG) vaccine has been used around the world for over 100 years. The complications of the BCG vaccination can occur in about 0,06% of children and include local or systemic adverse reactions. Due to the close analogy between the vaccine strain and other species of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTBC), molecular methods are recommended for differential diagnosis of Vaccine adverse events (VAE) after BCG. The ability to quickly and specifically identify BCG is important in view of different treatment regimens. The aim of the study was to assess the usefulness of genetic testing for Mycobacterium bovis BCG in the paraffin-embedded specimens’ methods. We describe two cases of VAE in immune-compromised children presenting with osteoarticular changes that had been clinically suspected of tuberculosis and led to molecular identification through GeneXpert, GenoType MTBC, and Spoligotyping. Results: Mycobacterium bovis BCG was detected in osteoarticular changes embedded in paraffin block of two patients. Conclusion: Genetic tests using paraffin-embedded materials allow for quick identification and differential diagnosis of patients with Tuberculosis and VAE after BCG. This is an important issue, especially in cases where the tissue has only been submitted for histopathological examination without microbiological diagnostics for tuberculosis.

Despite numerous studies on dyslexia, there is still a lack of empirical data on the factors determining the functioning of students with dyslexia in the context of written exams. Therefore, the aim of the study is to identify the relationship between sources of stress in an exam situation and the reported use of reading strategies by dyslexic students in terms of motivation and therapeutic interventions in the educational environment. This descriptive-analytical study used data from a larger project focused on children with and without dyslexia. The research sample (n = 640) included girls (n = 280) and boys (n = 360) aged between 14 and 15 years (M = 14.40, SD = 0.55), attending the 7th or 8th grade in Polish mainstream primary schools. Random and intentional sampling was used. All students completed four questionnaires. The results were analyzed using regression analysis in Model templates for PROCESS v4 for SPSS by Hayes. The study showed significant weak and moderate positive correlations between the sources of exam stress and the reading strategies reported by students, ranging from 0.186 to 0.570, as well as significant moderate and strong correlations between reading strategies and experienced educational support, ranging from 0.229 to 0.505, and between reading strategies and motivation to read, ranging from 0.582 to 0.701. The type of stress source significantly influenced the selection of specific reading strategies. Motivation acted as a mediator, while educational support was a moderator in the relationship between exam stress and the reported use of reading strategies. Based on our results, the source of stress may be perceived as factors activating metacognitive mechanisms aimed at selecting appropriate strategies for working with texts. Researchers and teachers should be aware of the need to undertake activities to support students with dyslexia focused on developing the ability to recognize the sources of exam stress and select effective coping strategies.

Abstract Background Gastrointestinal tract function and it’s integrity are controlled by a number of peptides whose secretion is influenced by severe inflammation. In stomach the main regulatory peptide is ghrelin. For upper small intestine cholecystokinin and lower small intestine glucagon-like peptide- 1 are secreted, while fibroblast growth factor-21 is secreted by several organs, including the liver, pancreas, and adipose tissue [12]. Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation causes serious mucosal damage, which can reflect on this peptides. Methods The aim of the study was to determine fasting plasma concentrations of ghrelin, cholecystokinin, glucagon- like peptide-1, and fibroblast growth factor-21, and their gene expressions, before and 6 months after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.27 children were studied, control group included 26 healthy children. Results Acute graft versus host disease was diagnosed in 11 patients (41%, n = 27). Median pre-transplantation concentrations of gastrointestinal peptides, as well as their gene expressions, were significantly lower in studied group compared with the control group. Only median of fibroblast growth factor-21 concentration was near-significantly higher before stem cell transplantation than in the control group. The post–hematopoietic transplant results revealed significantly higher concentrations of the studied peptides (except fibroblast growth factor-21) and respective gene expressions as compare to pre transplant results. Median glucagone like peptide-1 concentrations were significantly decreased in patients with features of acute graft versus host disease. Moreover, negative correlation between glucagone like peptide-1 concentrations and acute graft versus host disease severity was found. Conclusions Increased concentrations and gene expressions of gastrointestinal tract regulation peptides can be caused by stimulation of regeneration in the severe injured organ. Measurement of these parameters may be a useful method of assessment of severity of gastrointestinal tract complications of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.

BackgroundNeuroblastoma is the most common pediatric extracranial tumor with varied prognoses, but the survival of treated refractory or relapsing patients remains poor.ObjectiveThis analysis presents the outcomes of children with neuroblastoma undergoing MIBG therapy in Poland in 2006-2019.Study DesignA retrospective cohort of 55 patients with refractory or relapsed neuroblastoma treated with I-131 MIBG in Poland in 2006-2019 was analyzed. The endpoints were overall survival (OS), event-free survival (EFS), cumulative incidence (CI) of second cancers and CI of hypothyroidism. Survival curves were estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method and compared between the cohorts by the log-rank test. Cox modeling was adopted to estimate hazard ratios for OS and EFS, considering factors with P < 0.2.ResultsFifty-five patients with a median age of 78.4 months (range 18-193) with neuroblastoma underwent one or more (4 patients) courses of MIBG I-131 therapy. Fifteen patients were not administered chemotherapy, 3 children received standard-dose chemotherapy, and 37 patients were administered high-dose chemotherapy (HDCT) (busulfan-melphalan in 24 and treosulfan-based in 12 patients). Forty-six patients underwent stem cell transplantation, with autologous (35 patients), haploidentical (6), allogeneic (4), and syngeneic grafts (1). The median time from first MIBG therapy to SCT was 22 days. Children with relapsing tumors had inferior OS compared to those with primary resistant disease (21.2% vs 58.7%, p=0.0045). Survival was better in patients without MYCN gene amplification. MIBG therapy was never curative, except in patients further treated with HDCT with stem cell rescue irrespective of the donor type. 31 patients were referred for immune therapy after MIBG therapy, and the 5-year OS in this group was superior to the untreated children (55.2% vs 32.7%, p=0.003), but the difference in the 5-year EFS was not significant (25.6% vs 32.9%, p=ns). In 3 patients, a second malignancy was diagnosed. In 19.6% of treated children, hypothyroidism was diagnosed within 5 years after MIBG therapy.ConclusionMIBG therapy can be incorporated into the therapeutic strategy of relapsed or resistant neuroblastoma patients as preconditioning with HDCT rather than stand-alone therapy. Follow-up is required due to the incidence of thyroid failure and risk of second cancers.

The association between acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), non-Langerhans cell histiocytosis (non-LCH), and hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH), to the best of our knowledge, has not been published to date. Juvenile xanthogranuloma (JXG), as a type of non-LCH, is usually a benign disease limited to the skin. Systemic involvement is rarely reported. The present case report describes a 15-year-old boy diagnosed with disseminated JXG involving skin and bone marrow concurrent with severe symptoms of HLH during ALL therapy. Examination of immunoglobulin heavy chain genes in B-cell precursor leukemic blasts and histiocytes in the skin and bone marrow revealed identical rearrangements, confirming clonal relationship between both diseases. Implementation of corticosteroids, vinblastine, etoposide, cyclosporine, and tocilizumab resulted in partial skin lesion resolution with no improvement of bone marrow function; therefore, hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) was eventually performed. The patient's hematological and general status has improved gradually; however, remarkable recovery of skin lesions was observed after empirical antitubercular therapy. Mycobacterium spp. infection should be considered as a possible secondary HLH trigger. Triple association of ALL, non-LCH, and HLH highlights heterogeneity of histiocytic disorders and possible common origin of dendritic and lymphoid cells.