Resilience in Children and Adolescents during the Covid-19 pandemic

Purpose: The coronavirus pandemic has affected people's lives. Children and adolescents are a a group affected by the consequences of the pandemic. The purpose of this study was to investigate the levels of resilience in children and adolescents in relation to school grade, gender and school performance during the Covid-19 pandemic. Methods: In the present study 836 primary and secondary school students completed an online questionnaire on resilience during the second and third wave of the pandemic Covid-19 in Greece. Results: Primary school students reported higher levels of resilience as compared to junior high school and high school students. Furthermore, resilience levels were higher for primary and high school girls, while the reverse was true only for high school students. School performance positively correlated with resilience. Conclusion: It appears that children are better able to cope with challenges and stress demonstrating a capacity to recover from stress, adversity, failure, challenge, or even trauma. The results have implications about the design and the implementation of primary and secondary prevention of social emotional programs in the school community.

Pathophysiology of Peripheral Precocious Puberty in girls: an overview

Precocious puberty can be distinguished in central, or peripheral, based on the presence or absence of the Hypothalamic- Pituitary- Gonadal axis activation. The pathogenesis of peripheral precocious puberty (PPP) is based mainly on excessive estrogenic exposure, either endogenous or exogenous. The congenital causes of PPP include McCune- Albright syndrome (MAS) and Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia (CAH). The main causes of acquired PPP are oestrogen producing tumours, which are mainly of ovarian or adrenal origin, hypothyroidism and environmental oestrogens or substances with estrogenic function.

The Relationship Between Mathematical Abilities and Phonological Awareness Skills in Greek Students

Background: Research indicates that phonological awareness is correlated to mathematical abilities. There are, however, little evidence in Greek language. Purpose: The purpose of this research is to identify whether there is a relationship between phonological awareness (PA) and mathematical skills in monolingual Greek 1st Graders. Although Greek language differs from English in morphology and phoneme-grapheme correspondence, similar findings are expected as in international literature. Method: The present study assessed 45 children, students of 1st Grade in non-verbal IQ, reading, Rapid Automatized Naming (RAN), Phonological Awareness (PA) and mathematical skills. Results and conclusions: Correlation analysis showed that there is a significant correlate between mathematical abilities and PA, and RAN. In addition, mathematical skills correlate to reading abilities and age of the participant. Regression analysis also revealed a correlation between mathematical abilities and PA, and RAN.

Substance use by an adolescent with a history of childhood cancer: the role of counseling in risk management

Background: Childhood cancer survivors may have a tendency to risk-taking. Adolescents with a history of childhood cancer experience psychological and neurocognitive long-term effects that also impact negatively their social life. Adolescents are exposed to many risk factors in order to be socially accepted, such as drug use, alcohol use, as well as provocative behavior at school and in the wider social environment. Therefore, the counseling process is vital, to cope with the negative effects of the disease and ensure a positive adjustment in adulthood. Case Report: The present case study is focused on an adolescent male with a history of childhood cancer (acute lymphoblastic leukemia) who suffered cognitive effects on his memory that resulted in poor school performance and stress and reported cannabis use. The counseling intervention was based on the combination of cognitive-behavioral and systemic approach, and family counseling, with the aim to enhance the adolescent’s socialization through psychosocial interventions. The duration of the counseling was seventeen sessions. The results of the intervention showed that the initial goal of the student was achieved, i.e. to socialize with his peers and to give up substance use. At the same time, the adolescent discovered many hidden aspects of himself, learned to trust, to communicate without fear and shame, to set limits in the relationships with his family and to claim his rights. The psychological, emotional and moral support of childhood cancer survivors by mental health professionals is important, even years after treatment, to ensure adolescent smooth personal development and social integration.

Fertility preservation in ovary pathologies in pediatric patients

Purpose: To study cases with ovarian torsion or ovarian tumors and hemorrhagic cysts and to review those who underwent ovary sparing surgery in a follow up period of 1 month, 3 months and 1 year. Methods: A prospective study of 46 youth and adolescent patients, from 6 to 16 years old, were prospectively studied from October 2015 to October 2020, in a single tertiary care children's hospital. All underwent radical or ovary- sparing operative management, due to ovarian torsion or ovarian tumor/cyst. Statistical analysis was performed with SPSS (ve 24 SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL,USA). Results: Sixteen patients underwent radical surgery, while ovary sparing surgery was performed in thirty three. Overall, 5 were diagnosed with ovarian torsion, 11 with ovarian or fallopian tube torsion due to hemorrhagic cyst or tumor and 30 with ovarian tumor (23 benign and 7 malignant). Benign or malignant etiology was confirmed through biopsy. Ultrasound was used for diagnosis in all patients, while CT scan or MRI only in 18 cases, especially in those with strong indications of tumor pathology. Initial operation was performed laparoscopically in 30% of patients, without any conversion to open surgery. In all patients postoperative ovarian ultrasound imaging was performed 1 and 3 months after surgery. An ultrasound follow-up 12 months postoperatively was performed in 38 patients. Conclusion: Ovarian-sparing operations are safe for ovarian torsion and benign ovarian tumors and conferred successful clinical outcomes of low recurrence and repeated surgery rates. It is also a viable approach in children and young girls in an attempt to preserve future fertility.