Occurrences of flesh flies (Diptera: Sarcophagidae) on human cadavers in Switzerland, and their importance as forensic indicators.

From 1993 to 2008, criminal investigations were conducted in the western part of Switzerland with special attention to blowfly and flesh fly species in order to estimate the post-mortem interval when requested by the police authorities. Flesh flies were found in only 33 cases out of 160. Five species of the genus Sarcophaga were identified (S. africa, S. argyrostoma, S. caerulescens, S. similis and S. sp.). The main species found on corpses (larval stage) was S. argyrostoma. The thermal constant (K) calculated for this species in Switzerland is 380.6 ± 16.3 (mean ± S.D.) degree-days. With the exception of S. caerulescens, found three times in the larval stage on corpses, the three other species are of minor forensic importance. S. argyrostoma is found during summer and indoors. This species colonises dead bodies, usually the same day as blowfly species, and it could be used to estimate the post-mortem interval. Other species are discussed in the light of current knowledge on their biology and ecology. It is recommended that voucher material be deposited in a museum, allowing further studies by relevant specialists, thereby helping investigators and avoiding misidentifications.

The HER2 amplicon in breast cancer: Topoisomerase IIA and beyond

HER2 gene amplification is observed in about 15% of breast cancers. The subgroup of HER2-positive breast cancers appears to be heterogeneous and presents complex patterns of gene amplification at the locus on chromosome 17q12-21. The molecular variations within the chromosome 17q amplicon and their clinical implications remain largely unknown. Besides the well-known TOP2A gene encoding Topoisomerase IIA, other genes might also be amplified and could play functional roles in breast cancer development and progression. This review will focus on the current knowledge concerning the HER2 amplicon heterogeneity, its clinical and biological impact and the pitfalls associated with the evaluation of gene amplifications at this locus, with particular attention to TOP2A and the link between TOP2A and anthracycline benefit. In addition it will discuss the clinical and biological implications of the amplification of ten other genes at this locus (MED1, STARD3, GRB7, THRA, RARA, IGFPB4, CCR7, KRT20, KRT19 and GAST) in breast cancer.

Investigative links between cognitive function and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity in elementary physical education

Research has noted both physical and psychosocial benefits when children participate in regular physical activity. Recent studies are indicating that there may also be academic benefits and that students may be more efficient learners with participation in physical activity. This study investigated the influence of acute moderate-to-vigorous physical activity on four cognitive functions: planning, attention, simultaneous processing, and successive processing. Three classes (59 students) were each tested twice using a balanced design (intervention, balance, and control groups). It was found that the intervention group had a large increase in planning abiHty (ES = 1.67) when compared to the balance (ES = .80) and control (ES = -.89) groups. On the three remaining cognitive functions, the intervention group showed effect sizes similar to that of the balance and control groups. These results indicate that improved planning after physical activity may playa role in improving student performance.

Investigating the effects of arousal state on cognitive performance in individuals with and without mild head injury

We examined the cognitive and emotional sequelae following mild head injury (MHI; e.g., concussion) in high-functioning individuals and whether persons with MHI pre~ent, both physiologically and via self-report, in a manner different from (i.e., underaroused) that of persons who have no history of head injury. We also investigated the effect arousal state ~as on the cognitive performance of this population. Using a quasiexperimental research design (N = 91), we examined changes in attention, working memory, and cognitive flexibility (subtests ofthe WAIS-III, 1997,WMS-III, 1997, & DKEFS, 2002) as a function of manipulated arousal (i.e., induced psychosocial stress/activation; reduced activation/relaxation). In addition to self-reported arousal and state anxiety (State-Trait Anxiety Inventory; Speilberger, 1983a) measures, physiological indices of arousal state (i.e., electrodermal responsivity, heart rate, and respiration activity) were recorded (via Polygraph Professional Suite, 2008) across a 2.5 hour interval while completing various cognitive tasks. Students also completed the Post-concussive Symptom Checklist (Gouvier et aI., 1992). The results demonstrate that university students who report a history ofMHI (i.e., "altered state of consciousness") experience significantly lower levels of anxiety, were physiologically underaroused, and were less responsive to stressors in their environment, compared to their non-~HI cohorts. As expected, cognitive flexibility (but not other neuropsychological measures of cognition) was advantaged with increased stress, and disadvantaged with reduced stress, in persons with reported MHI, but not for those without reported MHI which provided limited support for our hypothesis. Further, university students who had no complaints related to their previous MHI endorsed a greater number of traditional post-concussive symptoms in terms of intensity, duration and frequency as compared to students who did not report a MHI. The underarousal in traumatic brain injury has been associated with (ventromedial prefrontal cortex) VMPFC disruption and may be implicated in MHI generally. Students who report sustaining a previous MHI may be less able to physiologically respond and/or cognitively appraise, stressful experiences as compared to their no-MHI cohort and experience persistent, long-lasting consequences despite the subtle nature of a history of head injury.

Maternal nutrition and the risk of preeclampsia

La prééclampsie est responsable du quart des mortalités maternelles et est la deuxième cause de décès maternels associés à la grossesse au Canada et dans le monde. L’identification d’une stratégie efficace pour la prévention de la prééclampsie est une priorité et un défi primordial dans les milieux de recherche en obstétrique. Le rôle des éléments nutritifs dans le développement de la prééclampsie a récemment reçu davantage d’attention. Plusieurs études cliniques et épidémiologiques ont été menées pour déterminer les facteurs de risque alimentaires potentiels et examiner les effets d’une supplémentation nutritive dans le développement de troubles hypertensifs de la grossesse. Pour déterminer les effets de suppléments antioxydants pris pendant la grossesse sur le risque d’hypertension gestationnelle (HG) et de prééclampsie, un essai multicentrique contrôlé à double insu a été mené au Canada et au Mexique (An International Trial of Antioxidants in the Prevention of Preeclampsia – INTAPP). Les femmes, stratifiées par risque, étaient assignées au traitement expérimental quotidien (1 gramme de vitamine C et 400 UI de vitamine E) ou au placebo. En raison des effets secondaires potentiels, le recrutement pour l’essai a été arrêté avant que l’échantillon complet ait été constitué. Au total, 2640 femmes éligibles ont accepté d’être recrutées, dont 2363 (89.5%) furent incluses dans les analyses finales. Nous n’avons retrouvé aucune évidence qu’une supplémentation prénatale de vitamines C et E réduisait le risque d’HG et de ses effets secondaires (RR 0,99; IC 95% 0,78-1,26), HG (RR 1,04; IC 95% 0,89-1,22) et prééclampsie (RR 1,04; IC 95% 0,75-1,44). Toutefois, une analyse secondaire a révélé que les vitamines C et E augmentaient le risque de « perte fœtale ou de décès périnatal » (une mesure non spécifiée au préalable) ainsi qu’une rupture prématurée des membranes avant terme. Nous avons mené une étude de cohorte prospective chez les femmes enceintes recrutées dans l’INTAPP afin d’évaluer les relations entre le régime alimentaire maternel en début et fin de grossesse et le risque de prééclampsie et d’HG. Un questionnaire de fréquence alimentaire validé était administré deux fois pendant la grossesse (12-18 semaines, 32-34 semaines). Les analyses furent faites séparément pour les 1537 Canadiennes et les 799 Mexicaines en raison de l’hétérogénéité des régimes alimentaires des deux pays. Parmi les canadiennes, après ajustement pour l’indice de masse corporelle (IMC) précédant la grossesse, le groupe de traitement, le niveau de risque (élevé versus faible) et les autres facteurs de base, nous avons constaté une association significative entre un faible apport alimentaire (quartile inférieur) de potassium (OR 1,79; IC 95% 1,03-3,11) et de zinc (OR 1,90; IC 95% 1,07-3,39) et un risque augmenté de prééclampsie. Toujours chez les Canadiennes, le quartile inférieur de consommation d’acides gras polyinsaturés était associé à un risque augmenté d’HG (OR 1,49; IC 95% 1,09-2,02). Aucun des nutriments analysés n’affectait les risques d’HG ou de prééclampsie chez les Mexicaines. Nous avons entrepris une étude cas-témoins à l’intérieur de la cohorte de l’INTAPP pour établir le lien entre la concentration sérique de vitamines antioxydantes et le risque de prééclampsie. Un total de 115 cas de prééclampsie et 229 témoins ont été inclus. Les concentrations de vitamine E ont été mesurées de façon longitudinale à 12-18 semaines (avant la prise de suppléments), à 24-26 semaines et à 32-34 semaines de grossesse en utilisant la chromatographie liquide de haute performance. Lorsqu’examinée en tant que variable continue et après ajustement multivarié, une concentration de base élevée de gamma-tocophérol était associée à un risque augmenté de prééclampsie (quartile supérieur vs quartile inférieur à 24-26 semaines : OR 2,99, IC 95% 1,13-7,89; à 32-34 semaines : OR 4,37, IC 95% 1,35-14,15). Nous n’avons pas trouvé de lien entre les concentrations de alpha-tocophérol et le risque de prééclampsie. En résumé, nous n’avons pas trouvé d’effets de la supplémentation en vitamines C et E sur le risque de prééclampsie dans l’INTAPP. Nous avons toutefois trouvé, dans la cohorte canadienne, qu’une faible prise de potassium et de zinc, tel qu’estimée par les questionnaires de fréquence alimentaire, était associée à un risque augmenté de prééclampsie. Aussi, une plus grande concentration sérique de gamma-tocophérol pendant la grossesse était associée à un risque augmenté de prééclampsie.

Parental separation and child adjustment : longitudinal perspective and risk factors

Malgré de nombreuses études qui soutiennent l'idée que les enfants ayant vécu la rupture de leurs parents rencontrent un plus haut niveau de difficultés affectives et comportementales que les enfants de familles intactes, certaines questions restent à éclaircir. Notamment, les données empiriques existantes ne conduisent pas à des conclusions précises quant au moment exact de l’apparition de ces difficultés. De plus, ce n'est pas clair si ces difficultés sont associées à la séparation en soi, ou à bien d'autres facteurs liés à la séparation. Cette thèse est constituée de deux articles empiriques. Le premier examine l’adaptation de l’enfant avant et après la séparation en fonction du sexe et de l'âge au moment de la séparation. Le second article présente une étude qui a pour objectif de départager l’importance des facteurs parentaux et contextuels et celle de la séparation parentale pour expliquer l’adaptation de l’enfant. Les participants proviennent de l'Étude Longitudinale du Développement des Enfants du Québec (ÉLDEQ, 1998-2006). À chaque enquête de l'ÉLDEQ, une entrevue structurée réalisée auprès de la mère a permis d'évaluer les niveaux d’hyperactivité/impulsivité, d’anxiété et d’agressivité physique de l’enfant. Pendant cette entrevue, les mères ont également répondu à des questions sur la qualité de leurs pratiques parentales et sur le revenu du ménage. Finalement, un questionnaire auto-administré à la mère a permis d'évaluer ses propres symptômes de dépression et d'anxiété. La première étude inclus 143 enfants de familles séparées et 1705 enfants de familles intactes. Deux sous-groupes ont été créés selon que l’enfant ait vécu la séparation entre 2 et 4 ans, ou entre 4 et 6 ans. L’adaptation de l'enfant a été évaluée à un temps de mesure avant la séparation et à deux temps de mesure après la séparation. Les résultats de cette première étude démontrent qu’avant la séparation, les enfants de familles intactes et séparées ne se distinguent pas significativement quant à leurs niveaux d’hyperactivité/impulsivité et d’anxiété. Par contre, ces difficultés deviennent significativement plus élevées chez les enfants de familles séparées après la rupture des parents. D’autres parts, le niveau d’agressivité physique est plus élevé chez les enfants de la séparation indépendamment du temps de mesure. Finalement, les différences entre les deux groupes d’enfants ne dépendent pas du sexe ou de l’âge au moment de la séparation. La deuxième étude inclus 358 enfants de 8 ans qui ont vécu la séparation de leurs parents, et 1065 enfants du même âge provenant de familles intactes. Après avoir contrôlé pour le sexe de l’enfant, les résultats ont démontré que lorsqu’on tient compte de la contribution des symptômes maternels de dépression et d'anxiété, de la qualité des pratiques parentales et du revenu du ménage dans l’adaptation de l’enfant, la séparation parentale ne demeurent plus liée aux niveaux d’anxiété et d'agressivité physique de l’enfant. Par contre, la relation entre la séparation parentale et l’hyperactivité/impulsivité de l’enfant demeure significative. Les résultats présentés dans les articles sont discutés ainsi que leurs implications.

Plasma Polymerised Organic Thin Films-A Study on the Structural, Electrical and Nonlinear Optical Properties for Possible Applications

This proposed thesis is entitled “Plasma Polymerised Organic Thin Films: A study on the Structural, Electrical, and Nonlinear Optical Properties for Possible Applications. Polymers and polymer based materials find enormous applications in the realm of electronics and optoelectronics. They are employed as both active and passive components in making various devices. Enormous research activities are going on in this area for the last three decades or so, and many useful contributions are made quite accidentally. Conducting polymers is such a discovery, and eversince the discovery of conducting polyacetylene, a new branch of science itself has emerged in the form of synthetic metals. Conducting polymers are useful materials for many applications like polymer displays, high density data storage, polymer FETs, polymer LEDs, photo voltaic devices and electrochemical cells. With the emergence of molecular electronics and its potential in finding useful applications, organic thin films are receiving an unusual attention by scientists and engineers alike. This is evident from the vast literature pertaining to this field appearing in various journals. Recently, computer aided design of organic molecules have added further impetus to the ongoing research activities in this area. Polymers, especially, conducting polymers can be prepared both in the bulk and in the thinfilm form. However, many applications necessitate that they are grown in the thin film form either as free standing or on appropriate substrates. As far as their bulk counterparts are concerned, they can be prepared by various polymerisation techniques such as chemical routes and electrochemical means. A survey of the literature reveals that polymers like polyaniline, polypyrrole, polythiophene, have been investigated with a view to studying their structural electrical and optical properties. Among the various alternate techniques employed for the preparation of polymer thin films, the method of plasma polymerisation needs special attention in this context. The technique of plasma polymerisation is an inexpensive method and often requires very less infra structure. This method includes the employment of ac, rf, dc, microwave and pulsed sources. They produce pinhole free homogeneous films on appropriate substrates under controlled conditions. In conventional plasma polymerisation set up, the monomer is fed into an evacuated chamber and an ac/rf/dc/ w/pulsed discharge is created which enables the monomer species to dissociate, leading to the formation of polymer thin films. However, it has been found that the structure and hence the properties exhibited by plasma polymerized thin films are quite different from that of their counterparts produced by other thin film preparation techniques such as electrochemical deposition or spin coating. The properties of these thin films can be tuned only if the interrelationship between the structure and other properties are understood from a fundamental point of view. So very often, a through evaluation of the various properties is a pre-requisite for tailoring the properties of the thin films for applications. It has been found that conjugation is a necessary condition for enhancing the conductivity of polymer thin films. RF technique of plasma polymerisation is an excellent tool to induce conjugation and this modifies the electrical properties too. Both oxidative and reductive doping can be employed to modify the electrical properties of the polymer thin films for various applications. This is where organic thin films based on polymers scored over inorganic thin films, where in large area devices can be fabricated with organic semiconductors which is difficult to achieve by inorganic materials. For such applications, a variety of polymers have been synthesized such as polyaniline, polythiophene, polypyrrole etc. There are newer polymers added to this family every now and then. There are many virgin areas where plasma polymers are yet to make a foray namely low-k dielectrics or as potential nonlinear optical materials such as optical limiters. There are also many materials which are not been prepared by the method of plasma polymerisation. Some of the materials which are not been dealt with are phenyl hydrazine and tea tree oil. The advantage of employing organic extracts like tea tree oil monomers as precursors for making plasma polymers is that there can be value addition to the already existing uses and possibility exists in converting them to electronic grade materials, especially semiconductors and optically active materials for photonic applications. One of the major motivations of this study is to synthesize plasma polymer thin films based on aniline, phenyl hydrazine, pyrrole, tea tree oil and eucalyptus oil by employing both rf and ac plasma polymerisation techniques. This will be carried out with the objective of growing thin films on various substrates such as glass, quartz and indium tin oxide (ITO) coated glass. There are various properties namely structural, electrical, dielectric permittivity, nonlinear optical properties which are to be evaluated to establish the relationship with the structure and the other properties. Special emphasis will be laid in evaluating the optical parameters like refractive index (n), extinction coefficient (k), the real and imaginary components of dielectric constant and the optical transition energies of the polymer thin films from the spectroscopic ellipsometric studies. Apart from evaluating these physical constants, it is also possible to predict whether a material exhibit nonlinear optical properties by ellipsometric investigations. So further studies using open aperture z-scan technique in order to evaluate the nonlinear optical properties of a few selected samples which are potential nonlinear optical materials is another objective of the present study. It will be another endeavour to offer an appropriate explanation for the nonlinear optical properties displayed by these films. Doping of plasma polymers is found to modify both the electrical conductivity and optical properties. Iodine is found to modify the properties of the polymer thin films. However insitu iodine doping is tricky and the film often looses its stability because of the escape of iodine. An appropriate insitu technique of doping will be developed to dope iodine in to the plasma polymerized thin films. Doping of polymer thin films with iodine results in improved and modified optical and electrical properties. However it requires tools like FTIR and UV-Vis-NIR spectroscopy to elucidate the structural and optical modifications imparted to the polymer films. This will be attempted here to establish the role of iodine in the modification of the properties exhibited by the films

Temperamental Dimension and Anxiety Problems in a Clinical Sample of Three- to Six-year old Children: A Study of Variables

In the last few years, many researchers have studied the presence of common dimensions of temperament in subjects with symptoms of anxiety. The aim of this study is to examine the association between temperamental dimensions (high negative affect and activity level) and anxiety problems in clinical preschool children. A total of 38 children, ages 3 to 6 years, from the Infant and Adolescent Mental Health Center of Girona and the Center of Diagnosis and Early Attention of Sabadell and Olot were evaluated by parents and psychologists. Their parents completed several screening scales and, subsequently, clinical child psychopathology professionals carried out diagnostic interviews with children from the sample who presented signs of anxiety. Findings showed that children with high levels of negative affect and low activity level have pronounced symptoms of anxiety. However, children with anxiety disorders do not present different temperament styles from their peers without these pathologies

Perturbação de hiperactividade com défice de atenção : projecto de intervenção

Os problemas de hiperactividade e de défice de atenção constituem uma das perturbações mais frequentes na infância e na adolescência, que mais preocupam os professores no contexto de sala de aula, tendo um impacto inegável na vida escolar de um número considerável de crianças. Apresentamos neste trabalho uma revisão da literatura científica sobre a Perturbação de Hiperactividade com Défice de Atenção (PHDA), tal como aparece definida no DSM-IV-TR (2006), bem como algumas questões relacionadas com a sua etiologia e diagnóstico. A Escala de Conners para Professores e Pais, a análise documental, a observação naturalista, a entrevista realizada à Directora de Turma e os Testes Sociométricos, permitiram-nos concluir que, e segundo o DSM-IV-TR (2006), estamos perante um aluno que preenche os critérios de diagnóstico da PHDA do tipo predominantemente desatento, visto apresentar problemas ao nível da atenção e concentração que o impedem de ter uma prestação académica de acordo com as capacidades que possui. Por outro lado, e apesar de se tratar de um aluno com necessidades educativas especiais, abrangido pelo Decreto-lei 3/2008, constatámos que as únicas estratégias utilizadas pelos docentes da turma consistiram no reforço da autoridade e no reforço do cumprimento de regras, estratégias estas que não consideramos adequadas a esta perturbação. Neste sentido, e dado que os alunos com esta problemática manifestam frequentemente problemas de comportamento e dificuldades de aprendizagem, delineámos um projecto de intervenção, com algumas estratégias cognitivo-comportamentais e educativas com o objectivo de contribuir para melhorar o conhecimento da PHDA dentro da sala de aula e ajudar os professores a lidar com estes alunos em contextos escolares. Assim, gostaríamos de contribuir para a inclusão destes alunos, melhorando o seu relacionamento com os colegas e professores bem como o seu rendimento escolar, autonomia e auto-estima.

Hiperactividade : que resposta educativa?

A presente dissertação de mestrado procura estudar a problemática do Distúrbio da Hiperactividade e de Défice de Atenção (D.H.D.A.). É minha intenção ouvir a voz, na primeira pessoa, de docentes que contactam com crianças com esta patologia, olhá-los de uma forma singular e tentar saber como constroem as suas aprendizagens. Esta dissertação divide-se em duas partes. A primeira parte está relacionada com a pesquisa bibliográfica sobre a temática em estudo e, a segunda parte está relacionada com o estudo de campo realizado. Este estudo está organizado por capítulos, o primeiro relata os conceitos que estão associados com o D.H.D.A., como também a observação dos critérios de avaliação e diagnóstico e as formas de intervenção desta problemática. No segundo capítulo está presente uma abordagem teórica aos processos da escola inclusiva de forma a fazer a ligação entre os problemas de comportamento associados à hiperactividade e os problemas de aprendizagem. Seguidamente apresento a análise das possíveis respostas educativas a adoptar pelos professores ao nível curricular. O quinto capítulo representa a pesquisa empírica realizada através de inquéritos por questionário a docentes de três estabelecimentos de ensino. Por fim, apresento a análise dos dados recolhidos assim como algumas conclusões.

Perturbação de hiperactividade e défice de atenção e o desporto

Cabe à Escola promover respostas educativas que eduquem com sucesso todos os alunos, incluindo os com Perturbação de Hiperactividade e Défice de Atenção. Este trabalho centra-se nesta temática e no contributo da actividade física e desportiva nas pessoas com este síndrome. Assim, sabendo que no contexto educativo, os professores são os principais intervenientes no processo de ensino–aprendizagem dos alunos, consideramos pertinente desenvolver um estudo com os docentes de Educação Física a leccionar nas Actividades de Enriquecimento Curricular e os docentes do 1.º Ciclo com variante em Educação Física. Esta investigação tem como principais finalidades verificar se a actividade física e desportiva traz benefícios ao desenvolvimento das crianças com PHDA e procurar conhecer a percepção dos professores, relativamente às estratégias mais adequadas a ter na intervenção com estes alunos. Assim sendo, foi formulado o seguinte problema de investigação: Qual a percepção dos professores (Educação Física das Actividades de Enriquecimento Curricular e Professores do 1º ciclo com variante em Educação Física) relativamente às estratégias mais adequadas na intervenção com alunos do 1º ciclo com Perturbação de Hiperactividade e Défice de Atenção? Foram também definidas duas hipóteses de investigação: 1 – Os professores da amostra apresentam preferência comum por algumas estratégias de intervenção em alunos com Perturbação de Hiperactividade e Défice de Atenção. 2 – Os alunos com Perturbação de Hiperactividade e Défice de Atenção beneficiam mais com a participação em actividades físicas e desportivas quando desenvolvidas com recurso a estratégias específicas. O estudo desenvolvido resulta de uma análise efectuada aos dados recolhidos através de um inquérito por questionário, constituído por perguntas abertas e fechadas. Neste estudo, foi utilizado o método quantitativo no tratamento dos dados resultantes das perguntas fechadas. As perguntas abertas foram submetidas a uma análise de conteúdo. Como análise conclusiva deste trabalho, constatamos que os professores da amostra consideram que o contributo da actividade física e desportiva nos alunos com PHDA é muito importante e que a aplicação de estratégias específicas, que vão ao encontro das áreas de distúrbio do aluno, permite a atenuação/superação das dificuldades. Verificámos também que estes profissionais apresentam preferência comum por um conjunto de estratégias e que, nestes casos, são várias as áreas que beneficiam com a actividade física e desportiva.

Estratégias de socialização do Professor do 1º Ciclo para alunos com perturbações de hiperatividade com défice de atenção

Este trabalho teve como objetivo identificar as estratégias utilizadas pelos docentes do 1º Ciclo do ensino básico com os alunos com PHDA, no intuito de melhorar a capacidade de socialização destes alunos junto dos seus pares, professores e outros intervenientes no seu processo educativo. Através da revisão da literatura, procurou-se compreender a PHDA, em alguns dos seus domínios, nomeadamente, a etiologia do transtorno, os primeiros sinais e sintomas. Recolheu-se informação relativo à inclusão, ao papel da escola, do agente educativo e do professor no processo de socialização. Para a realização do estudo foi selecionada uma metodologia, qualitativa, onde foram efetuadas observações estruturadas, em contexto sala de aula, e entrevistas a cinco professores, dois deles a professores de educação especial. A partir destes instrumentos recolheram-se informações relativo à realidade escolar dos alunos com PHDA e dos seus professores. As conclusões obtidas resultaram da apreciação de grelhas de análise de conteúdo das entrevistas e observações realizadas. A partir da informação recolhida reuniu-se um conjunto de estratégias que podem ser utilizadas para intervir junto dos alunos com PHDA, de forma a ajudá-los a viver num meio escolar socialmente bem, assim como outras informações relativo aos objetivos específicos do estudo.

Estratégias de Intervenção devem ter os docentes para a Inclusão de Alunos com Perturbação Hiperactividade e Défice de Atenção

Este estudo centra-se em aprofundar o conhecimento sobre a Perturbação de hiperactividade com défice de atenção na infância, os problemas associados e a pertinência da intervenção em contexto de sala de aula. Sabe-se que a PHDA afecta um elevado número de crianças e jovens condicionando o seu rendimento escolar e colocando as instituições escolares, os professores e os pais em constante desafio. Problemática qualificada por impulsividade, hiperactividade, e falta de atenção. Neste contexto, é expectável que a escola dinamize acções que permitam uma igualdade de oportunidades, um ensino de qualidade, de transmissão de saberes e desenvolvimento de competências individualizadas, implementando estratégias educativas e pedagógicas centradas na diversidade dos alunos a fim de impulsionar o sucesso escolar. Assim, este trabalho pretende averiguar qual o conhecimento dos professores, do 1º e 2º. Ciclo sobre a PHDA e que práticas educativas empregam. A metodologia utilizada á recolha de dados através de inquérito por questionário. Os resultados demonstram que grande parte dos professores têm conhecimento sobre PHDA, alguns dos quais já tiveram alunos com esta problemática e consideram importante ter formação especializada, dado ser difícil de gerir. Em geral os professores julgam que a PHDA não desaparece e as escolas ainda têm falta de recursos no acompanhamento. No entanto, de uma forma geral os professores consideram importante ter estratégias para aperfeiçoar o desempenho escolar.

Prolonged neglect following unilateral disruption of a prefrontal cortical-dorsal striatal system.

We investigated the potential function of the system formed by connections between the medial prefrontal cortex and the dorsomedial striatum in aspects of attentional function in the rat. It has been reported previously that disconnection of the same corticostriatal circuit produced marked deficits in performance of a serial, choice reaction-time task while sparing the acquisition of an appetitive Pavlovian approach behaviour in an autoshaping task (Christakou et al., 2001). Here, we hypothesized that unilateral disruption of the same circuit would lead to hemispatial inattention, contrasting with the global attention deficit following complete disconnection of the system. Combined unilateral lesions of the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) and the medial caudate-putamen (mCPu) within the same hemisphere produced a severe and long-lasting contralesional neglect syndrome while sparing the acquisition of autoshaping. These results provide further evidence for the involvement of the medial prefrontal-dorsomedial striatal circuit in aspects of attentional function, as well as insight into the nature of neglect deficits following lesions at different levels within corticostriatal circuitry.