Browsing by Subject "Attachment"

Now showing 1 - 4 of 4
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    Attachment and parental bond: impact on psychopathology, mental health and quality of life of hemodialysis patients: a cross-sectional study
    (BMC, 2023-07-15) De Pasquale, Concetta; Pistorio, Maria Luisa; Veroux, Massimiliano; Sapienza, Gabriella; Florio, Alberto; Hichy, Zira; Ekser, Burcin; Giaquinta, Alessia; Veroux, Pierfrancesco; Surgery, School of Medicine
    Background: Attachment theory represents a reference model for understanding better how pre-existing personality factors can influence the coping with some chronic conditions. The onset of a chronic disease can represent a "threat" to the relationships between the subject and parental figures according to the type of bond that already exists. The aim of our study was to explore attachment styles in a sample of hemodialysis patients, hypothesizing that a secure attachment bond can constitute a protective factor for the quality of life and mental health in this type of patients. Design: We used a cross-sectional design. Methods: Fifty hemodialysis patients were given the following tests: Attachment Style Questionnaire (ASQ) to assess attachment styles, Parental Bonding Instrument (PBI) to assess parental bonding, Short Form Health Survey-36 (SF-36) for perceived quality of life and Middlesex Hospital Questionnaire (MHQ) to detect key psychological symptoms and relevant traits. Results: The results showed that secure attachment style correlated with good general health (r = 0.339; p < 0.05), good mental health (r = 0.547; p < 0.001) and mental component scale (r = 0.373; p < 0.05) of SF-36. Secure attachment was also significantly associated with mental health (B = 1.104; p = .002) of the SF-36. Conclusions: The results confirmed the positive role of a secure attachment style for adequate psychological health. Early identification of patients with dysfunctional attachment styles will make it possible to offer them targeted interventions to improve their ability to accept, adapt and manage the disease and to maintain adequate psychological well-being.
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    INTERNal Experience: How Previous Medical Trauma Influences Identity
    (2018) Chilman, Bailee; Misluk, Eileen
    This arts-based phenomenological study intended to extend themes from Jarrett’s (2016) artsbased phenomenological study, which explored the evolving identity of a graduate art therapy student. The researcher/participant of this study specifically explored how her past medical trauma continues to influence her current personal and professional identity development, while at her current clinical internship at a pediatric hospital. This participant replicated Jarrett’s (2016) methodology by completing the Twenty-StatementTest (TST), following the creation of artwork for six weeks. Upon the completion of data collection, the participant took part in a semi-structured interview with an independent reviewer. The purpose of the independent reviewer was to aid in the process of the interpretive phenomenological systematic analysis, which included the TST responses to recognize and categorize themes to further understand certain influences of one’s personal and professional identity. The researcher utilized three of the four categories that Jarrett (2016) identified; familial, sociocultural, and educational, as a framework for the early development of data analysis. The researcher extended categories in this study to include medical and trauma influences. As a result of this process, further themes evolved in the understanding of how traumatic experiences influence one’s identity. The researcher’s pediatric medical experience influenced the artwork and TST. The results of the interpretive phenomenological systematic analysis indicated that the following eight themes influenced the participant’s personal and professional identity: giving, self, success, interpersonal relationships, mother, somatic experiences, values and memories.
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    Reconceptualizing Disorders of Conduct
    (2015) Stilwell, Barbara M.; Galvin, Matthew R.
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    The Tyrosine Phosphatase PRL Regulates Attachment of Toxoplasma gondii to Host Cells and Is Essential for Virulence
    (American Society for Microbiology, 2022) Yang, Chunlin; Blakely, William J.; Arrizabalaga, Gustavo; Pharmacology and Toxicology, School of Medicine
    The pathogenesis of Toxoplasma gondii is mainly due to tissue damage caused by the repeating lytic cycles of the parasite. Many proteins localized to the pellicle of the parasite, particularly kinases, have been identified as critical regulators of the Toxoplasma lytic cycle. However, little is known about the associated protein phosphatases. Phosphatase of regenerating liver (PRL), a highly conserved tyrosine phosphatase, is an oncoprotein that plays pivotal roles in mammalian cells and typically associates with membranes via a conserved prenylation site. PRL in Toxoplasma has a predicted prenylation motif in the C terminus, like other homologs. We have determined that T. gondii PRL (TgPRL) localizes to the plasma membrane and that disruption of TgPRL results in a defect in the parasite's ability to attach to host cells. This function is dependent on both TgPRL's membrane localization and phosphatase activity. Importantly, in vivo experiments have shown that while mice infected with parental strain parasites die within days of infection, those infected with parasites lacking TgPRL not only survive but also develop immunity that confers protection against subsequent infection with wild-type parasites. Immunoprecipitation experiments revealed that the PRL-CNNM (cyclin M) complex, which regulates intracellular Mg2+ homeostasis in mammalian cells, is also present in Toxoplasma. Consistent with this interaction, parasites lacking TgPRL had higher intracellular Mg2+ levels than the parental or complemented strains, suggesting TgPRL is involved in regulating intracellular Mg2+ homeostasis. Thus, TgPRL is a vital regulator of the Toxoplasma lytic cycle and virulence, showing its potential as a target of therapeutic intervention. IMPORTANCE: Infection with Toxoplasma gondii can lead to severe and even life-threatening diseases in people with compromised or suppressed immune systems. Unfortunately, drugs to combat the parasite are limited, highly toxic, and ineffective against the chronic stage of the parasite. Consequently, there is a strong demand for the discovery of new treatments. A comprehensive understanding of how the parasite propagates in the host cells and which proteins contribute to the parasite's virulence will facilitate the discovery of new drug targets. Our study meets this objective and adds new insights to understanding the lytic cycle regulation and virulence of Toxoplasma by determining that the protein phosphatase TgPRL plays a vital role in the parasite's ability to attach to host cells and that it is essential for parasite virulence.