Correlates and predictors of re-incarceration among Turkish adolescent male offenders: A single-center, cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND

Adolescents involved in the legal system are known to be under elevated risk for repeat offending. There may be many reasons for recidivism. Specifically, we aim to investigate the clinical, socio-demographic, and familial factors and psychopathology among adolescents in a penal institution and to determine risk factors for re-incarceration.

METHODS

This single-center cross-sectional survey was conducted at Tarsus Closed Penal Institution for Children and Youth. This institution is for males only, and all male adolescents detained at the center within the study period were evaluated with semi-structured interviews (K-SADS-PL). The adolescents completed Meaning and Purpose of Life Scale, The EPOCH measure of Adolescent Well-being, Family Sense of Belonging Scale, Children's Alexithymia Scale, Beck Depression Inventory, and State-Trait Anxiety Inventory for themselves. Descriptive and inferential analyses were used. P was set at 0.05.

RESULTS

Ninety adolescent offenders with a mean age of 16.6 years (S·D = 0.7) were enrolled. Mean age at first offense was 14.6 years (S·D = 2.1). The most common reason for offenses was reported as as being with peers who were offenders, too (57.8%). Most common diagnoses were substance use (36.7%), attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (33.3%), and conduct disorder (26.7%). Rates of offending and conviction in first-degree relatives were 62.2% and 60.0%, respectively, and most of the adolescents had at least one peer with a criminal record (n = 71, 78.9%). Re-incarcerated adolescents had lower education, committed more violent crimes, and reported elevated use of substances, suicide attempts, and psychopathology. However, in regression analysis, age of onset was the sole predictor of re-incarceration.

CONCLUSION

Turkish male adolescents in forensic settings may be screened for externalizing disorders and referred for treatment. Re-incarcerated Turkish youth may be more susceptible to peer influence, substance use and externalizing disorders. It may be prudent to systematically screen offending youth for psychiatric disorders regardless of the individual's request for treatment and refer identified cases to treatment. Integration of child and adolescent psychiatrists with penal institutions serving youth may help in this regard.

Role of mir-33a, mir-203b, mir361-3p, and mir-424 in hepatocellular carcinoma

Background/aim

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most aggressive cancer types. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small noncoding regulatory RNAs that function posttranscriptionally. miRNA deregulation was observed in the development and progression of HCC. In this study, we aimed to investigate the expression levels of four miRNAs (mir-33a, mir-203b, mir361-3p, and mir-424) in HCC patients in comparison to healthy individuals.

Materials and methods

Venous blood samples were collected from both HCC patients and healthy individuals. In order to determine the relative expression levels of mir-33a, mir-203b, mir361-3p, and hsa-mir-424 in HCC patients, probe-based quantitative real time PCR (qRT-PCR) was performed. The cycle threshold (Ct) results were analyzed according to the 2−∆∆Ct method and statistical analyses were performed by SPSS Statistics version 15 for Windows.

Results

qRT-PCR analysis revealed that the expression levels of mir-33a (fold change: 7.3 and P < 0.001), mir-203b (fold change: 4.6 and P < 0.001), and mir361-3p (fold change: 5.1 and P < 0.001)were downregulated compared to healthy individuals and mir-424 did not show any significant change between HCC patients and controls.

Conclusion

Our results indicated that mir-33a, mir-203b, and mir-361-3p may significantly contribute to tumor pathogenesis in HCC and have potential to be used as a noninvasive biomarker for cancer therapy.

3D ingrowth of bovine articular chondrocytes in biodegradable cryogel scaffolds for cartilage tissue engineering

A feasibility study was undertaken to examine the potential of biodegradable HEMA-lactate-dextran (HEMA-LLA-D)-based cryogels as scaffolds for cartilage tissue engineering. This was a preliminary in vitro study giving essential information on the biocompatibility of cryogels with cartilage cells. HEMA-lactate (HEMA-LLA) and HEMA-LLA-D were synthesized and characterized by different techniques. Cryogel scaffolds with supermacroporous structures were produced by cryogenic treatment of these macromers. Chondrocytes obtained from bovine articular cartilage were seeded onto cylindrical cryogels and cultured. The samples were examined by several microcopical techniques for cell viability and morphological analyses were performed at two culture points. Histological study of the constructs revealed the cells' growth on the surface and within the scaffolds. Confocal microscopical images demonstrated that the majority of live vs. dead cells had been attached to and integrated with the pores of the scaffold. SEM analysis showed round to oval-shaped chondrocytic cells interconnected with each other by communicating junctions. The chondrocytes rapidly proliferated in the cryogels, manifesting that they fully covered the scaffold surface after 9 days and almost filled the spaces in the pores of the scaffold after 15 days of culture. Chondrocytes secreted significant amount of extracellular matrix in the scaffolds and exhibited highly interconnective morphology. Light and transmission electron microscopy revealed groups of active cartilage cells closely apposed to the cryogel. We concluded that cryogel scaffolds could be excellent candidates for cartilage tissue regeneration with their extraordinary properties, including soft, elastic nature, highly open interconnected pore structure and very rapid, controllable swellability.

Colitis-induced oxidative damage of the colon and skeletal muscle is ameliorated by regular exercise in rats: the anxiolytic role of exercise

Epidemiological studies have shown that exercise protects the gastrointestinal tract, reducing the risk of diverticulosis, gastrointestinal haemorrhage and inflammatory bowel disease, while many digestive complaints occurring during exercise are attributed to the adverse effects of exercise on the colon. In order to assess the effects of regular exercise on the pathogenesis of colitis, Sprague-Dawley rats of both sexes were either kept sedentary or given exercise on a running wheel (0.4 km h(-1), 30 min for 3 days week(-1)). At the end of 6 weeks, under anaesthesia, either saline or acetic acid (4%, 1 ml) was given intracolonically. Holeboard tests were performed for the evaluation of anxiety at 24 h before and 48 h after induction of colitis. Increased 'freezing time' in the colitis-induced sedentary group, representing increased anxiety, was reduced in the exercised colitis group (P < 0.05). On the third day following the colonic instillation, the rats were decapitated under brief ether anesthesia and the distal 8 cm of the colons were removed. In the sedentary colitis group, macroscopic and microscopic damage scores, malondialdehyde level and myeloperoxidase activity were increased when compared to the control group (P < 0.01-0.001), while exercise prior to colitis reduced all the measurements with respect to sedentary colitis group (P < 0.05-0.001). The results demonstrate that low-intensity, repetitive exercise protects against oxidative colonic injury, and that this appears to involve the anxiolytic effect of exercise, suggesting that exercise may have a therapeutic value in reducing stress-related exacerbation of colitis.

The healing-promoting effect of saliva on skin burn is mediated by epidermal growth factor (EGF): role of the neutrophils

Local skin trauma induces inflammatory responses resulting in local tissue and distant organ injury. EGF, a polypeptide hormone, mainly produced in saliva, is one of the major accelerators in wound healing. Wistar albino rats of both sexes received either bovine serum albumin or EGF (10 microg/kg) subcutaneously before a circular (18 mm diameter) partial thickness burn was induced. Afterwards, some rats were placed in separate cages to prevent licking, while the others were caged together to allow wound-licking. Treatments were continued for 5 more days and on the 5th day animals were decapitated. Histopathological analysis of skin damage and dermal myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity, as an index for neutrophil activity, were evaluated. Oxidant injury to the liver and intestines was determined by measuring glutathione (GSH) and malondialdehyde (MDA) levels, as well as MPO activity. The results demonstrate that healing of the burn wound on the skin is accelerated by both wound-licking and EGF administration, which also attenuated tissue neutrophil accumulation, suggesting the role of neutrophils as the source of mediators involved in delayed epithelial regeneration. Moreover, local dermal burn results in oxidant injury to the liver, concomitant with significant elevations in hepatic and intestinal GSH levels. Exogenous administration of EGF at physiological doses had no effect on inflammatory responses of the distant organs, while allowing the rats to lick the wound reduced the oxidant injury to the liver. Since saliva or EGF enhances skin wound healing, topical use of EGF-rich artificial saliva merits consideration for its use in burn patients.

The effect of high-dose methylprednisolone on CD34-positive bone marrow cells in the children with acute myeloblastic leukemia

The expression of CD34 antigen on the surface of bone marrow (BM) cells during remission induction was studied in 20 patients with CD34-negative acute myeloblastic leukemia (AML). The patients were given high-dose methylprednisolone (HDMP) alone for one week, after which time mitoxantrone and low-dose Ara-C were added. BM cells from all patients were studied one, two and four weeks after initiation of treatment to evaluate CD34 antigen expression using a three-step peroxidase antiperoxidase staining technique. The mean percentage of CD34-positive BM cells was 5.3% at presentation, increasing to 15.6% in the first week, 12.9% in the second week and 21.7% in the fourth week of therapy. During the same period the mean percentages of the initial BM blasts decreased from 64% to 22%, 7% and 2% in the first, second and fourth weeks of therapy, respectively. The increase in the CD34-positive BM cells one week after HDMP treatment alone suggests that HDMP directly or indirectly stimulates CD34-positive hematopoietic progenitor cells while decreasing BM blasts in patients with AML.

The effect of high-dose methylprednisolone combined chemotherapy on CD34-positive cells in acute lymphoblastic leukemia

The expression of CD34 antigen on the surface of bone marrow cells during remission induction was studied in 27 selected acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) patients who were CD34 negative at presentation and were stratified to receive high-dose methylprednisolone (30 mg/kg/day po) or conventional-dose prednisolone (2 mg/kg/day po). Patients received either induction with L-Asparaginase, vincristine (VCR), and high-dose methylprednisolone [HDMP, 30 mg/kg/day po for 1 week, 20 mg/kg/day po for 1 week, and 20 mg/kg/day po every other day for 2 more weeks (20 patients)], or identical induction in which HDMP was replaced by prednisolone 2 mg/kg/day by mouth for 4 weeks (8 patients). Bone marrow cells from all patients were studied 1,2, and 4 weeks after initiation of treatment for expression of the CD34 antigen using a three-step indirect immunoperoxidase staining technique. In the 20 patients with ALL who received HDMP the percentage of normal bone marrow cells expressing CD34 was significantly higher (p < 0.05) than in the 8 patients who did not receive HDMP. The mean percentage of CD34-positive bone marrow cells during the fourth week was 17.2% in patients with ALL who received HDMP, whereas patients who received 2 mg/kg prednisolone per day had only 6.1% CD34 cells in the marrow. Absolute polymorphonuclear leukocyte (pmnl) count was also significantly higher in the patients who received HDMP in the second and third week of therapy [(absolute pmnl count was 2197.7/mm3 in the second week and 4091.8/mm3 in the fourth week in the patients who received HDMP compared to 974.4/mm3 and 1556.5/mm3 in the patients who did not receive HDMP) (p < 0.05)].(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)