In conclusion, the results of the present studies show how schizotypal symptoms may develop following child psychiatric psychopathology and how these symptoms unfavorably influence a persons__... Show moreIn conclusion, the results of the present studies show how schizotypal symptoms may develop following child psychiatric psychopathology and how these symptoms unfavorably influence a persons__ quality of life. It is important for clinicians to be aware of the complex dynamics of psychopathology and the higher risk for adult schizotypal symptomatology following behavioral problems and psychiatric disorders at child and adolescent age. Show less
In this thesis, four studies on children and adolescents with Down syndrome are described. The first study showed that the number of live births of children with Down syndrome in the Netherlands... Show moreIn this thesis, four studies on children and adolescents with Down syndrome are described. The first study showed that the number of live births of children with Down syndrome in the Netherlands remained stable over the period 1997-2007 on 14.6 per 10,000 births. Of these, 85% were live born. In the second study is observed that growth retardation in children with Down syndrome meanly occurs in three critical periods of growth, resulting in shorter final stature and smaller head circumference than the general Dutch population shows. Furthermore, Dutch children with Down syndrome have alarmingly high prevalence rates of overweight and obesity during childhood and adolescence. The third study showed that eight-year-old children with Down syndrome have an average developmental delay of four years, more often have emotional and behavioral problems, and have a less favorable health-related quality of life (HRQoL) compared with children from the general population. Children with Down syndrome and recurrent respiratory tract infections showed relatively more delayed development. In the fourth study, results showed that adolescents with Down syndrome remain dependent to a large degree and have serious difficulties in functioning socially. Additionally, results showed that serious problem behavior is highly prevalent in adolescents with Down syndrome. Show less
Cannabinoids are a group of terpenophenolic compounds and are naturally found in the cannabis plant (Cannabis sativa L). _9-Tetrahydrocannabinol (_9-THC) is the psychoactive cannabinoid. The high... Show moreCannabinoids are a group of terpenophenolic compounds and are naturally found in the cannabis plant (Cannabis sativa L). _9-Tetrahydrocannabinol (_9-THC) is the psychoactive cannabinoid. The high lipophilicity of _9-THC is a hindering factor in the further development of this compound into a large scale pharmaceutical product. In an effort to generate highly polar derivatives of _9-THC, we screened 206 alkane degrading bacterial strains. In total, eight derivatives were produced on milligram. All of these biotransformation products harbored modified alkyl chains, with hydroxy, carboxy and ester functionalities. We also investigated the potential of cell suspension culture of Catharanthus Roseus to transform _9-THC. Unlike bacterial strains, Catharanthus Roseus cells transformed _9-THC to its glycosylated and additionally hydroxylated derivatives. The behavioral effects of __9-THC are mediated by the centra l CB1 receptor in rats. CB1 receptors show high degree of sequence conservation in vertebrates. We used zebrafish embryos as a model to study the behavioral effects of cannabinoids. We conclude that cannabinoids have behavioural effects in zebrafish that are comparable to some of those reported in the literature for mammals. In particular, the acute exposure response resembles behavioural effects reported for adult. This suggests that some similarity in cannabinoid response pathways between zebrafish and mammals exists. We also performed the metabolomic profiling of zebrafish embryos treated with the concentrations of CB1 agonist and antagonist used in behavioural assays. The results of behavioural assays were successfully correlated with the metabolomic data of zebrafish embryos. Show less
