An individual rehabilitation program: evaluation by Parkinsonian patients and their physiotherapists.

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this work was to study the feasibility of an individual Parkinson disease (PD) rehabilitation program based on each patient's prevalent symptoms and to determine the effects of this program on patient's quality of life as well as the level of patient's and physiotherapist's satisfaction with the program. PATIENTS AND METHODS: In association with physiotherapists with expertise in PD, a physical medicine and rehabilitation physician, we elaborated a physical therapy program based on the core areas for physical therapy in PD: transfers; posture; balance and falls; physical capacity and inactivity. Within this program, we selected exercises tailored to each patient's main impairment and proposed this selection to their local physiotherapist for three months. Quality of life was evaluated with PDQ-39 at baseline and after three months of the individualized physical therapy program. We built an anonymous satisfaction questionnaire for patients and physiotherapists that was filled out at the end of the program. RESULTS: One hundred and three individuals with moderately advanced but clinically stable idiopathic PD were included. Significant improvement was found for the emotional well-being, bodily discomfort and stigma domain (P ≤ 0.05). No significant improvement was found for the other PDQ-39 domains. The mean global satisfaction figures for this program were 6.0 ± 2.4 and 7.2 ± 2.1 for patients and physiotherapists respectively. Most of the patients felt improved by the physiotherapy program and especially for transfer, balance, gait, and mobility. CONCLUSION: Our study found evidence of the potential benefits of a patient-tailored physiotherapy program. Such a program was feasible and had a favorable impact on patients' quality of life and on physiotherapists' practices for PD patients. Specific physiotherapy may be effective to limit physical mobility impairment. Our results also pointed out that physiotherapy may be efficient to confine the negative impact of social isolation, pain and emotional reactions. Such a program should be associated with a therapeutic education intervention such as encouraging patients to perform physical therapy exercises alone.

Classic Kaposi's sarcoma in southern Sardinia, Italy.

The first examination of classical Kaposi's sarcoma incidence in southern Sardinia (Italy) in 1998-2002 found the highest rate recorded in the island of 2.49 per 100 000 per year (standardised).

Self-efficacy beliefs as shapers of children's aspirations and career trajectories.

This prospective study tested with 272 children a structural model of the network of sociocognitive influences that shape children's career aspirations and trajectories. Familial socioeconomic status is linked to children's career trajectories only indirectly through its effects on parents' perceived efficacy and academic aspirations. The impact of parental self-efficacy and aspirations on their children's perceived career efficacy and choice is, in turn, entirely mediated through the children's perceived efficacy and academic aspirations. Children's perceived academic, social, and self-regulatory efficacy influence the types of occupational activities for which they judge themselves to be efficacious both directly and through their impact on academic aspirations. Perceived occupational self-efficacy gives direction to the kinds of career pursuits children seriously consider for their life's work and those they disfavor. Children's perceived efficacy rather than their actual academic achievement is the key determinant of their perceived occupational self-efficacy and preferred choice of worklife. Analyses of gender differences reveal that perceived occupational self-efficacy predicts traditionality of career choice.

IgE receptor type I-dependent tyrosine phosphorylation of phospholipid scramblase.

To identify new effectors of IgE receptor (FcepsilonRI) signaling, we purified proteins from FcepsilonRI-stimulated RBL-2H3 rat mast cells on anti-phosphotyrosine beads and generated mouse monoclonal antibodies (mAb) against these proteins. Two mAbs bound to a protein that was identified as a new isoform of phospholipid scramblase (PLSCR) after screening an RBL-2H3 cDNA expression library. This isoform differed from PLSCR1 by the absence of an exon 3-encoded sequence and by an insert coding six QGPY(P/A)GP repeats. The PLSCR family of proteins is responsible for a redistribution of phospholipids across the plasma membrane. Although rat PLSCR is a 37-kDa protein, anti-phosphotyrosine immunoblots revealed the presence of 37-49 kDa phosphoproteins in the material immunoprecipitated with either anti-PLSCR mAb but not with unrelated monoclonal or polyclonal antibodies. Depletion of PLSCR resulted in the absence of these phosphoproteins. Additional experiments led to the identification of these phosphoproteins as phospho-PLSCR itself. Stimulation of RBL-2H3 cells upon FcepsilonRI engagement resulted in a dramatic increase in PLSCR tyrosine phosphorylation. A comparison of the relative amounts of phospho-PLSCR and nonphosphorylated PLSCR demonstrated that only a tiny fraction was thus modified, indicating a finely targeted involvement of PLSCR in FcepsilonRI signaling. Thus, this study reports the cloning of a new isoform of PLSCR, as well as the first observation that a member of the PLSCR family is a target for tyrosine kinases and is involved in signaling by an immune receptor. These findings open new perspectives on the role of phospholipid scramblases and to the mechanisms involved in their regulation.

Sociocognitive self-regulatory mechanisms governing transgressive behavior.

This longitudinal research examined a structural model of the self-regulatory mechanisms governing transgressive conduct. Perceived academic and self-regulatory efficacy concurrently and longitudinally deterred transgressiveness both directly and by fostering prosocialness and adherence to moral self-sanctions for harmful conduct. The impact of perceived social self-efficacy was mediated through prosocialness. Moral disengagement and prosocialness affected transgressiveness through the mediating influence of irascible affectivity and hostile rumination. Ruminative affectivity, in turn, both concurrently and longitudinally affected transgressiveness. Moral disengagement also contributed independently to variance in transgressiveness over time. This pattern of relations was obtained after controlling for prior transgressiveness. The structural model was replicated across gender and provided a better fit to the data than did several alternative models.

Prosocial foundations of children's academic achievement.

The present longitudinal research demonstrates robust contributions of early prosocial behavior to children's developmental trajectories in academic and social domains. Both prosocial and aggressive behaviors in early childhood were tested as predictors of academic achievement and peer relations in adolescence 5 years later. Prosocialness included cooperating, helping, sharing, and consoling, and the measure of antisocial aspects included proneness to verbal and physical aggression. Prosocialness had a strong positive impact on later academic achievement and social preferences, but early aggression had no significant effect on either outcome. The conceptual model accounted for 35% of variance in later academic achievement, and 37% of variance in social preferences. Additional analysis revealed that early academic achievement did not contribute to later academic achievement after controlling for effects of early prosocialness. Possible mediating processes by which prosocialness may affect academic achievement and other socially desirable developmental outcomes are proposed.

Self-efficacy pathways to childhood depression.

This prospective research analyzed how different facets of perceived self-efficacy operate in concert within a network of sociocognitive influences in childhood depression. Perceived social and academic inefficacy contributed to concurrent and subsequent depression both directly and through their impact on academic achievement, prosocialness, and problem behaviors. In the shorter run, children were depressed over beliefs in their academic inefficacy rather than over their actual academic performances. In the longer run, the impact of a low sense of academic efficacy on depression was mediated through academic achievement, problem behavior, and prior depression. Perceived social inefficacy had a heavier impact on depression in girls than in boys in the longer term. Depression was also more strongly linked over time for girls than for boys.

Multifaceted impact of self-efficacy beliefs on academic functioning.

This research analyzed the network of psychosocial influences through which efficacy beliefs affect academic achievement. Parents' sense of academic efficacy and aspirations for their children were linked to their children's scholastic achievement through their perceived academic capabilities and aspirations. Children's beliefs in their efficacy to regulate their own learning and academic attainments, in turn, contributed to scholastic achievement both independently and by promoting high academic aspirations and prosocial behavior and reducing vulnerability to feelings of futility and depression. Children's perceived social efficacy and efficacy to manage peer pressure for detrimental conduct also contributed to academic attainments but through partially different paths of affective and self-regulatory influence. The impact of perceived social efficacy was mediated through academic aspirations and a low level of depression. Perceived self-regulatory efficacy was related to academic achievement both directly and through adherence to moral self-sanctions for detrimental conduct and problem behavior that can subvert academic pursuits. Familial socioeconomic status was linked to children's academic achievement only indirectly through its effects on parental aspirations and children's prosocialness. The full set of self-efficacy, aspirational, and psychosocial factors accounted for a sizable share of the variance in academic achievement.