The growth of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) throughout the world requires a review... more The growth of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) throughout the world requires a review of the provision of assistance to them in all areas, where multidisciplinary assistance should be provided. A systematic review found that clinicians have limited capacity to care for people with ASD and that specialized autism education programs need to be developed. The purpose of this study is to analysis of the effectiveness of the training program "Rehabilitation of children with autism spectrum disorder" for primary healthcare specialists. Methods. At the first stage, a multidisciplinary team was created, and the content course was discussed based on the competences that are of need at the primary care level specialists. As a result of the discussion, a professional development program (here in after referred to as the Program) was developed for two credits (60 hours). To study the effectiveness of the Program on the final day, feedback was received from listeners using QR codes, anonymously. For a more in-depth analysis, interviews were conducted with various primary care specialists who participated in the Program. Results. 9 participants of the training program completed the survey, of which 3 had less than 5 years of work experience; from 6-10 years-1; and more than 10 years-5. All participants gave the highest score in assessing the presentation material; productivity, usefulness and relevance of the work done. Conclusions. The advanced training course for primary care specialists allowed us to identify further directions for improving the program. The feedback received about the program indicates the quality of the product, which was developed directly by a multidisciplinary team. It is necessary to continue work in this area with a larger coverage of program participants.
The general transcription factor IIE (TFIIE) is essential for transcription initiation by RNA pol... more The general transcription factor IIE (TFIIE) is essential for transcription initiation by RNA polymerase II (RNA pol II) via direct interaction with the basal transcription/DNA repair factor IIH (TFIIH). TFIIH harbors mutations in two rare genetic disorders, the cancer-prone xeroderma pigmentosum (XP) and the cancer-free, multisystem developmental disorder trichothiodystrophy (TTD). The phenotypic complexity resulting from mutations affecting TFIIH has been attributed to the nucleotide excision repair (NER) defect as well as to impaired transcription. Here, we report two unrelated children showing clinical features typical of TTD who harbor different homozygous missense mutations in GTF2E2 (c.448G>C [p.Ala150Pro] and c.559G>T [p.Asp187Tyr]) encoding the beta subunit of transcription factor IIE (TFIIEb). Repair of ultraviolet-induced DNA damage was normal in the GTF2E2 mutated cells, indicating that TFIIE was not involved in NER. We found decreased protein levels of the two TFIIE subunits (TFIIEa and TFIIEb) as well as decreased phosphorylation of TFIIEa in cells from both children. Interestingly, decreased phosphorylation of TFIIEa was also seen in TTD cells with mutations in ERCC2, which encodes the XPD subunit of TFIIH, but not in XP cells with ERCC2 mutations. Our findings support the theory that TTD is caused by transcriptional impairments that are distinct from the NER disorder XP.
This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative... more This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY
... Savo ruožtu miesto vietovė Garliava yra nutolusi vos 10 km nuo didmiesčio centro – Kauno, dėl... more ... Savo ruožtu miesto vietovė Garliava yra nutolusi vos 10 km nuo didmiesčio centro – Kauno, dėl ko aplinkos tarša gali būti didesnė, ribotos galimybės pa-būti gryname ore, kas gali neigiamai veikti pagyvenusių miesto moterų sveikatą ir ... Chiu HC, Chen CM, Huang CJ, Mau LW. ...
The study aims to assess the role of social support, sociocultural adjustment, and other social a... more The study aims to assess the role of social support, sociocultural adjustment, and other social and demographic factors in international students' mental health. In total, 193 international first-year students studying Health and Technology Sciences in Lithuania filled out a self-report questionnaire. The study revealed that overall 59% of international students had symptoms of depression and 36%-of anxiety. Students' well-being was sufficient in 56% of the cases. The regression analyses were conducted to test the role of sociocultural adjustment, social support, English reading skills, and the study field for mental health and well-being. The multivariate regression model revealed that sociocultural adjustment is a stronger predictor compared to social support for depressiveness (βs = 0.42), anxiety (βs = 0.30), psychosomatic symptoms (βs = − 0.24), and subjective health (βs = 0.16), though social support was a stronger independent predictor for well-being (βs = 0.37). Moreover, sociocultural adjustment and social support were stronger predictors than gender, while English reading skills and study field were non-significant indicators. Worldwide, 5.67 million higher education students were studying abroad in 2018, and this number is growing every year 1. Studying in another country can be a great opportunity, albeit difficult and challenging. Studies show that the challenges the international students face are bigger than those of local students 2. A lot of difficulties may arise during foreign students' sociocultural adjustment to a new environment which could lead to the worsening of their psychological well-being and mental health. Some studies 3 show that international students experience greater social isolation than the locals as they usually do not have strong social support in their new environment. A study by Han et al. reveals that because of the need to adapt to a new culture and a lack of social support, international students are classified as a group at risk, and they are more likely to have a variety of psychological problems 4. However, sociocultural adjustment and social support are both modifiable factors. Therefore, it is important to understand what role do they play in the mental health of international students and which one is a stronger predictor of those indicators. This knowledge might help the universities to choose and implementing effective methods and programmes which would ensure better mental health of the international students. This study aimed to assess the importance of sociocultural adjustment, social support, and other social and demographic factors for the students' mental health (depressiveness, anxiety, well-being, subjective health evaluation, and psychosomatic symptoms). Based on the previous literature it can be hypothesised that sociocultural adjustment, social support, and other social factors do affect the students' mental health. Unfortunately, not many studies on these topics have been conducted in Eastern European countries, postsoviet countries or the countries where English or other popular languages do not dominate. Most studies with international students are done mainly in multicultural, mostly English-speaking countries 5 and it might be problematic to extrapolate those results to countries with different sociocultural, and historical contexts, such as Post-soviet or other Eastern European countries. Studies about international students related to small-scale languages are also relatively scarce. It can be assumed that the issues raised above for countries with less popular languages are even more pressing, even if studies are conducted in a lingua franca. The findings of this study might enclose how international students adjust to the cultural environment where they can't communicate well with people from the host culture due to the language and cultural barrier and which prevents them from participating in intercultural social activities and from engaging in the host society 6. Problems international students are facing in Lithuania due to the language barrier might be similar to those where the local language
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, Nov 22, 2022
This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative... more This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY
The growth of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) throughout the world requires a review... more The growth of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) throughout the world requires a review of the provision of assistance to them in all areas, where multidisciplinary assistance should be provided. A systematic review found that clinicians have limited capacity to care for people with ASD and that specialized autism education programs need to be developed. The purpose of this study is to analysis of the effectiveness of the training program "Rehabilitation of children with autism spectrum disorder" for primary healthcare specialists. Methods. At the first stage, a multidisciplinary team was created, and the content course was discussed based on the competences that are of need at the primary care level specialists. As a result of the discussion, a professional development program (here in after referred to as the Program) was developed for two credits (60 hours). To study the effectiveness of the Program on the final day, feedback was received from listeners using QR codes, anonymously. For a more in-depth analysis, interviews were conducted with various primary care specialists who participated in the Program. Results. 9 participants of the training program completed the survey, of which 3 had less than 5 years of work experience; from 6-10 years-1; and more than 10 years-5. All participants gave the highest score in assessing the presentation material; productivity, usefulness and relevance of the work done. Conclusions. The advanced training course for primary care specialists allowed us to identify further directions for improving the program. The feedback received about the program indicates the quality of the product, which was developed directly by a multidisciplinary team. It is necessary to continue work in this area with a larger coverage of program participants.
The general transcription factor IIE (TFIIE) is essential for transcription initiation by RNA pol... more The general transcription factor IIE (TFIIE) is essential for transcription initiation by RNA polymerase II (RNA pol II) via direct interaction with the basal transcription/DNA repair factor IIH (TFIIH). TFIIH harbors mutations in two rare genetic disorders, the cancer-prone xeroderma pigmentosum (XP) and the cancer-free, multisystem developmental disorder trichothiodystrophy (TTD). The phenotypic complexity resulting from mutations affecting TFIIH has been attributed to the nucleotide excision repair (NER) defect as well as to impaired transcription. Here, we report two unrelated children showing clinical features typical of TTD who harbor different homozygous missense mutations in GTF2E2 (c.448G>C [p.Ala150Pro] and c.559G>T [p.Asp187Tyr]) encoding the beta subunit of transcription factor IIE (TFIIEb). Repair of ultraviolet-induced DNA damage was normal in the GTF2E2 mutated cells, indicating that TFIIE was not involved in NER. We found decreased protein levels of the two TFIIE subunits (TFIIEa and TFIIEb) as well as decreased phosphorylation of TFIIEa in cells from both children. Interestingly, decreased phosphorylation of TFIIEa was also seen in TTD cells with mutations in ERCC2, which encodes the XPD subunit of TFIIH, but not in XP cells with ERCC2 mutations. Our findings support the theory that TTD is caused by transcriptional impairments that are distinct from the NER disorder XP.
This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative... more This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY
... Savo ruožtu miesto vietovė Garliava yra nutolusi vos 10 km nuo didmiesčio centro – Kauno, dėl... more ... Savo ruožtu miesto vietovė Garliava yra nutolusi vos 10 km nuo didmiesčio centro – Kauno, dėl ko aplinkos tarša gali būti didesnė, ribotos galimybės pa-būti gryname ore, kas gali neigiamai veikti pagyvenusių miesto moterų sveikatą ir ... Chiu HC, Chen CM, Huang CJ, Mau LW. ...
The study aims to assess the role of social support, sociocultural adjustment, and other social a... more The study aims to assess the role of social support, sociocultural adjustment, and other social and demographic factors in international students' mental health. In total, 193 international first-year students studying Health and Technology Sciences in Lithuania filled out a self-report questionnaire. The study revealed that overall 59% of international students had symptoms of depression and 36%-of anxiety. Students' well-being was sufficient in 56% of the cases. The regression analyses were conducted to test the role of sociocultural adjustment, social support, English reading skills, and the study field for mental health and well-being. The multivariate regression model revealed that sociocultural adjustment is a stronger predictor compared to social support for depressiveness (βs = 0.42), anxiety (βs = 0.30), psychosomatic symptoms (βs = − 0.24), and subjective health (βs = 0.16), though social support was a stronger independent predictor for well-being (βs = 0.37). Moreover, sociocultural adjustment and social support were stronger predictors than gender, while English reading skills and study field were non-significant indicators. Worldwide, 5.67 million higher education students were studying abroad in 2018, and this number is growing every year 1. Studying in another country can be a great opportunity, albeit difficult and challenging. Studies show that the challenges the international students face are bigger than those of local students 2. A lot of difficulties may arise during foreign students' sociocultural adjustment to a new environment which could lead to the worsening of their psychological well-being and mental health. Some studies 3 show that international students experience greater social isolation than the locals as they usually do not have strong social support in their new environment. A study by Han et al. reveals that because of the need to adapt to a new culture and a lack of social support, international students are classified as a group at risk, and they are more likely to have a variety of psychological problems 4. However, sociocultural adjustment and social support are both modifiable factors. Therefore, it is important to understand what role do they play in the mental health of international students and which one is a stronger predictor of those indicators. This knowledge might help the universities to choose and implementing effective methods and programmes which would ensure better mental health of the international students. This study aimed to assess the importance of sociocultural adjustment, social support, and other social and demographic factors for the students' mental health (depressiveness, anxiety, well-being, subjective health evaluation, and psychosomatic symptoms). Based on the previous literature it can be hypothesised that sociocultural adjustment, social support, and other social factors do affect the students' mental health. Unfortunately, not many studies on these topics have been conducted in Eastern European countries, postsoviet countries or the countries where English or other popular languages do not dominate. Most studies with international students are done mainly in multicultural, mostly English-speaking countries 5 and it might be problematic to extrapolate those results to countries with different sociocultural, and historical contexts, such as Post-soviet or other Eastern European countries. Studies about international students related to small-scale languages are also relatively scarce. It can be assumed that the issues raised above for countries with less popular languages are even more pressing, even if studies are conducted in a lingua franca. The findings of this study might enclose how international students adjust to the cultural environment where they can't communicate well with people from the host culture due to the language and cultural barrier and which prevents them from participating in intercultural social activities and from engaging in the host society 6. Problems international students are facing in Lithuania due to the language barrier might be similar to those where the local language
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, Nov 22, 2022
This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative... more This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY
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