Marketing techniques in television advertisements of food and drinks directed at children in Spain, 2012.

Science.gov (United States)

León-Flández, Karimen; Royo-Bordonada, Miguel Ángel; Moya-Geromini, María Ángeles; Bosqued-Estefanía, María José; López-Jurado, Lázaro; Damián, Javier

2018-07-01

To analyse marketing techniques used in television advertisements of food and drinks (AFDs) directed to children, and their nutritional quality. This is a cross-sectional study of television AFDs directed to children in Spain over 7 days in 2012. Primary appeal, persuasive and nutritional marketing techniques, and links to Internet were registered. The foods were classified according to their nutritional quality using an international codification system and the UK nutrient profile model. Frequency of AFDs using marketing techniques and percentages for unhealthy products were calculated. Taste and fun were the main primary appeals used. Persuasive and nutritional marketing techniques and links to Internet were used in 61%, 68.5% and 65.2% of AFDs, respectively. These techniques were more common during weekdays, enhanced protection time slots and on channels with particular appeal to children. More than two-thirds of AFDs using these techniques were for unhealthy products, reaching 96.2% of AFDs with premium offers and gifts. There is an extensive use of marketing techniques in television AFDs directed to children in Spain. Most products advertised were unhealthy, so stronger governmental regulations are required.

Motivational techniques to improve self-care in hemophilia: the need to support autonomy in children.

Science.gov (United States)

Bérubé, Sarah; Mouillard, Florine; Amesse, Claudine; Sultan, Serge

2016-01-11

In pediatric hemophilia, caregivers are facing unique challenges to adherence and self-care in children and adolescents with hemophilia. Hemophilia treatment requires adequate prophylaxis and on-demand treatment, as well as a clear behavioral strategy to limit risk-taking in terms of physical exercise and diet. Medication adherence rates of hemophilia patients have been reported to decrease during late childhood and adolescence. In the developing child, moving safely from parent-care to self-care is one of the greatest challenges of integrative care within this domain. There is a clear need for initiatives designed to increase an individual's motivation for treatment and self-care activities. Among motivational approaches, the self-determination perspective offers a useful framework to explain how the transition to self-care can be facilitated. We discuss how motivation regarding hemophilia treatment may be increased through parental autonomy support and we offer examples of applied communication techniques to facilitate autonomy-supportive caregiving. Although it has not yet been tested in the context of hemophilia, these communication techniques could potentially help caregivers promote adherence and self-care in children. Confronted by unique challenges to adherence and self-care, caregivers of children with hemophilia should move from an exclusive focus on illness-management education to an integrative strategy, including motivation-enhancing communication. The self-determination perspective provides important proximal objectives (e.g. autonomy support) to maintain optimal adherence in adolescents as they move from parent-care to self-care. Future research initiatives should address the practice of these communication techniques and evaluate them in the context of hemophilia.

Effectiveness of the Touch Math Technique in Teaching Basic Addition to Children with Autism

Science.gov (United States)

Yikmis, Ahmet

2016-01-01

This study aims to reveal whether the touch math technique is effective in teaching basic addition to children with autism. The dependent variable of this study is the children's skills to solve addition problems correctly, whereas teaching with the touch math technique is the independent variable. Among the single-subject research models, a…

Anemia and Iron Deficiency in Children With Potential Celiac Disease.

Science.gov (United States)

Repo, Marleena; Lindfors, Katri; Mäki, Markku; Huhtala, Heini; Laurila, Kaija; Lähdeaho, Marja-Leena; Saavalainen, Päivi; Kaukinen, Katri; Kurppa, Kalle

2017-01-01

Active screening for celiac disease frequently detects seropositive children with normal villous morphology (potential celiac disease). It remains unclear whether these subjects should be treated. We here investigated the prevalence of anemia and iron deficiency in children with potential and mucosal atrophy celiac disease. The prospective study involved 19 children with potential disease, 67 with partial or subtotal villous atrophy (P/SVA), and 16 with total villous atrophy (TVA). Twenty-three healthy children comprised the control group. The groups were compared for various clinical, histological, and laboratory parameters and hepcidin. The prevalence of abnormal parameters was as follows (controls, potential celiac disease, P/SVA, and TVA, respectively): anemia 0%, 15%, 22%, and 63%; low iron 5%, 0%, 14%, and 50%; increased transferrin receptor 1 5%, 16%, 20%, and 47%; low ferritin 0%, 21%, 35%, and 87%; and low transferrin saturation 10%, 11%, 41%, and 71%. One subject had low folate and none had low vitamin B12. The median values for hemoglobin, total iron, ferritin, and transferrin saturation were significantly lower and transferrin receptor 1 values higher in TVA group compared with other groups. After a median of 7 months on a gluten-free diet hemoglobin, total iron, ferritin, and albumin in children with P/SVA exceeded the baseline values in the potential celiac disease group. The development of anemia and iron deficiency in celiac disease is a continuum and may already be present in children with normal villous morphology, advocating an early diagnosis and possible dietary treatment of these patients.

Sweep visually evoked potentials and visual findings in children with West syndrome.

Science.gov (United States)

de Freitas Dotto, Patrícia; Cavascan, Nívea Nunes; Berezovsky, Adriana; Sacai, Paula Yuri; Rocha, Daniel Martins; Pereira, Josenilson Martins; Salomão, Solange Rios

2014-03-01

West syndrome (WS) is a type of early childhood epilepsy characterized by progressive neurological development deterioration that includes vision. To demonstrate the clinical importance of grating visual acuity thresholds (GVA) measurement by sweep visually evoked potentials technique (sweep-VEP) as a reliable tool for evaluation of the visual cortex status in WS children. This is a retrospective study of the best-corrected binocular GVA and ophthalmological features of WS children referred for the Laboratory of Clinical Electrophysiology of Vision of UNIFESP from 1998 to 2012 (Committee on Ethics in Research of UNIFESP n° 0349/08). The GVA deficit was calculated by subtracting binocular GVA score (logMAR units) of each patient from the median values of age norms from our own lab and classified as mild (0.1-0.39 logMAR), moderate (0.40-0.80 logMAR) or severe (>0.81 logMAR). Associated ophthalmological features were also described. Data from 30 WS children (age from 6 to 108 months, median = 14.5 months, mean ± SD = 22.0 ± 22.1 months; 19 male) were analyzed. The majority presented severe GVA deficit (0.15-1.44 logMAR; mean ± SD = 0.82 ± 0.32 logMAR; median = 0.82 logMAR), poor visual behavior, high prevalence of strabismus and great variability in ocular positioning. The GVA deficit did not vary according to gender (P = .8022), WS type (P = .908), birth age (P = .2881), perinatal oxygenation (P = .7692), visual behavior (P = .8789), ocular motility (P = .1821), nystagmus (P = .2868), risk of drug-induced retinopathy (P = .4632) and participation in early visual stimulation therapy (P = .9010). The sweep-VEP technique is a reliable tool to classify visual system impairment in WS children, in agreement with the poor visual behavior exhibited by them. Copyright © 2013 European Paediatric Neurology Society. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Deuterium dilution technique for body composition assessment: resolving methodological issues in children with moderate acute malnutrition

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Fabiansen, Christian; Yaméogo, Charles W; Devi, Sarita

2017-01-01

Childhood malnutrition is highly prevalent and associated with high mortality risk. In observational and interventional studies among malnourished children, body composition is increasingly recognised as a key outcome. The deuterium dilution technique has generated high-quality data on body...... composition in studies of infants and young children in several settings, but its feasibility and accuracy in children suffering from moderate acute malnutrition requires further study. Prior to a large nutritional intervention trial among children with moderate acute malnutrition, we conducted pilot work...... quality when using the deuterium dilution technique in malnutrition studies in field conditions, and may encourage a wider use of isotope techniques....

Prosthetic Rehabilitation in Children: An Alternative Clinical Technique

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nádia Carolina Teixeira Marques

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Complete and partial removable dentures have been used successfully in numerous patients with oligodontia and/or anodontia. However, there is little information in the literature regarding the principles and guidelines to prosthetic rehabilitation for growing children. This case report describes the management of a young child with oligodontia as well as the treatment planning and the prosthetic rehabilitation technique.

PEDAGIGOCAL TECHNIQUE OF BUILDING THE CULTURE OF INTERPERSONAL RELATIONS IN PRESCHOOL CHILDREN AT ART CLASSES

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Svetlana Vyacheslavovna Kahnovich

2013-10-01

Full Text Available The article looks at the pedagogical technique of building the culture of interpersonal relations in preschool children at the local and modular level. Interpersonal relations are viewed as the module and art classes as the local level. The research is timely as it can assist in studying the problem of moral development of preschool children by building the culture of interpersonal relations by artistic education means. The study presents novelty concluding from the survey of scientific literature. The process of building the culture of interpersonal relations in children has not been properly studied by preschool pedagogy. The task of the present study is to elaborate a pedagogical technique to build the culture of interpersonal relations between children at art classes. The article discusses ‘technological’ criteria (term by G.K. Selevko and presents interactive principles of the pedagogical technique. Group activities alongside with individual ones were viewed as organizational forms of art classes. Building the culture of interpersonal relations in preschool children at art classes is closely connected with the development of their personality, a child’s  consciousness, their motivational and conceptual spheres during their gradual moral development at various levels - emotional (attitude, axiological level, psychic (intentional cognitive processes, activity (artistic and interpersonal literacy. Graphic (projective methods were used to analyze age dynamics of ethical and moral development. The conclusion describes a set of pedagogical conditions for efficient building of the culture of interpersonal relations in children at art classes.  Goal. To elaborate a pedagogical technique for building the culture of interpersonal relations in preschool children at art classes. The technique can be applied at local and modular level.Methods and Methodology. The pedagogical technique is aimed at building the culture of interpersonal relations

Identification of organic acids as potential biomarkers in the urine of autistic children using gas chromatography/mass spectrometry.

Science.gov (United States)

Kałużna-Czaplińska, Joanna; Żurawicz, Ewa; Struck, Wiktoria; Markuszewski, Michał

2014-09-01

There is a need to identify metabolic phenotypes in autism as they might each require unique approaches to prevention. Biological markers can help define autism subtypes and reveal potential therapeutic targets. The aim of the study was to identify alterations of small molecular weight compounds and to find potential biomarkers. Gas chromatography/mass spectrometry was employed to evaluate major metabolic changes in low molecular weight urine metabolites of 14 children with autism spectrum disorders vs. 10 non-autistic subjects. The results prove the usefulness of an identified set of 21 endogenous compounds (including 14 organic acids), whose levels are changed in diseased children. Gas chromatography/mass spectrometry method combined with multivariate statistical analysis techniques provide an efficient way of depicting metabolic perturbations of diseases, and may potentially be applicable as a novel strategy for the noninvasive diagnosis and treatment of autism. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Deuterium dilution technique for body composition assessment: resolving methodological issues in children with moderate acute malnutrition.

Science.gov (United States)

Fabiansen, Christian; Yaméogo, Charles W; Devi, Sarita; Friis, Henrik; Kurpad, Anura; Wells, Jonathan C

2017-08-01

Childhood malnutrition is highly prevalent and associated with high mortality risk. In observational and interventional studies among malnourished children, body composition is increasingly recognised as a key outcome. The deuterium dilution technique has generated high-quality data on body composition in studies of infants and young children in several settings, but its feasibility and accuracy in children suffering from moderate acute malnutrition requires further study. Prior to a large nutritional intervention trial among children with moderate acute malnutrition, we conducted pilot work to develop and adapt the deuterium dilution technique. We refined procedures for administration of isotope doses and collection of saliva. Furthermore, we established that equilibration time in local context is 3 h. These findings and the resulting standard operating procedures are important to improve data quality when using the deuterium dilution technique in malnutrition studies in field conditions, and may encourage a wider use of isotope techniques.

Drainage-related ultrasonography (DRUS): a novel technique for discriminating obstructive and nonobstructive hydroureters in children.

Science.gov (United States)

Kajbafzadeh, Abdol-Mohammad; Mehdizadeh, Mehrzad; Aryan, Zahra; Ebadi, Maryam; Esfahani, Shadi Abdar; Montaser-Kouhsari, Laleh; Elmi, Azadeh; Talab, Saman Shafaat; Sadeghi, Zhina

2015-06-01

Despite advances in urologic imaging, the paucity of an optimal technique that accurately clarifies obstructive and nonobstructive hydroureter exists. This study was conducted to introduce a novel and modified ultrasonographic technique, known as drainage-related ultrasonography (DRUS), discriminating obstructive and nonobstructive, nonrefluxing hydroureter. A total of 358 children (mean age, 3.7 years) with 418 nonrefluxing hydroureter were included. These children were composed of two groups of obstructive nonrefluxing (141 children with 157 dilated ureters) and nonobstructive, nonrefluxing (217 children with 261 hydroureter). The definite diagnosis regarding the subtype of hydroureter was derived from appropriate investigation. The maximum diameter of the dilated ureter, which was observed on ultrasonography, was recorded before and after 3 h of catheterization, as D1 and D2, respectively. To assess the D ratio, a formula was developed, that is, [(|D1 - D2|)/D1] × 100. Values were recorded and cutoff points were set to discriminate between subtypes. Obstructive versus nonobstructive subtypes of nonrefluxing hydroureter were clarified with 78.5 % sensitivity and 83.4 % specificity, by setting a cutoff point of 22 % for the D ratio. Regardless of the cutoff point assigned to the reduction in D (D2 compared with D1), DRUS revealed 93.9 % sensitivity, 80.6 % specificity, 63.2 % positive predictive value, and 97.4 % negative predictive value in discriminating upper from lower obstruction. DRUS affords favorable results in terms of differentiating between obstructive and nonobstructive, nonrefluxing hydroureter, as well as between upper and lower obstruction in obstructive cases. It has the potential to become an efficient imaging modality in the diagnostic algorithm of hydroureter.

Kata Techniques Training Consistently Decreases Stereotypy in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Science.gov (United States)

Bahrami, Fatimah; Movahedi, Ahmadreza; Marandi, Sayed Mohammad; Abedi, Ahmad

2012-01-01

The effects of 14 weeks of Kata techniques training on stereotypic behaviors of children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) were investigated. The study included 30 eligible (diagnosed ASD, school age) children with ages ranging from 5 to 16 years whom they assigned to an exercise (n = 15) or a no-exercise control group (n = 15). Participants of…

Airway resistance measurements in pre-school children with asthmatic symptoms : The interrupter technique

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Kooi, EMW; Schokker, S; van der Molen, T; Duiverman, EJ

Measuring airway resistance in pre-school children with the interrupter technique has proven to be feasible and reliable in daily clinical practice and research settings. Whether it contributes to diagnosing asthma in pre-schoot children still remains uncertain. From the results of previous studies

An exploratory study investigating children's perceptions of dental behavioural management techniques.

Science.gov (United States)

Davies, E Bethan; Buchanan, Heather

2013-07-01

Behaviour management techniques (BMTs) are utilised by dentists to aid children's dental anxiety (DA). Children's perceptions of these have been underexplored, and their feedback could help inform paediatric dentistry. To explore children's acceptability and perceptions of dental communication and BMTs and to compare these by age, gender, and DA. A total of sixty-two 9- to 11-year-old school children participated in the study. Children's acceptability of BMTs was quantified using a newly developed Likert scale, alongside exploration of children's experiences and perceptions through interviews. anova and t-tests explored BMT acceptability ratings by age, gender, and DA. Thematic analysis was used to analyse interviews. Statistical analyses showed no effect of age, gender, or DA upon BMT acceptability. Children generally perceived the BMTs as acceptable or neutral; stop signals were the most acceptable, and voice control the least acceptable BMT. Beneficial experiences of distraction and positive reinforcement were common. Children described the positive nature of their dentist's communication and BMT utilisation. Dental anxiety did not affect children's perceptions of BMTs. Children were generally positive about dentist's communication and established BMTs. Children's coping styles may impact perceptions and effectiveness of BMTs and should be explored in future investigations. © 2012 John Wiley & Sons Ltd, BSPD and IAPD.

The Effect of Karate Techniques Training on Communication Deficit of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders

Science.gov (United States)

Bahrami, Fatimah; Movahedi, Ahmadreza; Marandi, Sayed Mohammad; Sorensen, Carl

2016-01-01

This investigation examined the long term effect of Karate techniques training on communication of children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Thirty school aged children with ASD were randomly assigned to an exercise (n = 15) or a control group (n = 15). Participants in the exercise group were engaged in 14 weeks of Karate techniques training.…

The Effect of Karate Techniques Training on Communication Deficit of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders.

Science.gov (United States)

Bahrami, Fatimah; Movahedi, Ahmadreza; Marandi, Sayed Mohammad; Sorensen, Carl

2016-03-01

This investigation examined the long term effect of Karate techniques training on communication of children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Thirty school aged children with ASD were randomly assigned to an exercise (n = 15) or a control group (n = 15). Participants in the exercise group were engaged in 14 weeks of Karate techniques training. Communication deficit at baseline, post-intervention (week 14), and at 1 month follow up were evaluated. Exercise group showed significant reduction in communication deficit compared to control group. Moreover, reduction in communication deficit in the exercise group at one month follow up remained unchanged compared to post-intervention time. We concluded that teaching Karate techniques to children with ASD leads to significant reduction in their communication deficit.

Isotope technique in JPS dam surveillance: its potential

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sabri Hassan

2006-01-01

Controlling seepage is one of the most important requirements for safe dams. Any leakage at an earth embankment may be potentially dangerous since rapid internal erosion may quickly enlarge an initially minor defect. Thus dam owners need to have thorough surveillance programs that can forewarn of impending problems from seepage or other factors influencing the safety of dams. In carrying out dam surveillance works, all possible efforts should be considered and foreseeing the potential of isotope technique, JPS (Department of Irrigation and Drainage, Malaysia) and MINT (Malaysian Institute for Nuclear Technology Research) participated actively in the UNDP/RCA/IAEA program under RAS/8/093 project sponsored by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Through these activities, it was noted that the technique demonstrated very promising potentials such as in assisting dam site selections, site investigations, watershed studies, dam and reservoir design, leakage investigations and sediments related issues, the two latter ones being relatively critical during the operational life of the dam. Establishment of baseline isotopic characteristics (or fingerprint), hydrochemistry, electrical conductivity and temperature profiles is underway for all JPS dams to be later utilized in diagnosing seepage related issues it is suggested that application of this technique be extended to other dam owners nationwide. (Author)

Puzzling with potential: dynamic testing of analogical reasoning in children

OpenAIRE

Stevenson, Claire Elisabeth

2012-01-01

Assessment procedures are frequent in children's school careers; however, measuring potential for learning has remained a puzzle. Dynamic testing is a method to assess cognitive potential that includes training in the assessment process. The goal of this thesis project was to develop a new dynamic test of analogical reasoning for school children. The main aims were to (1) investigate factors that influence children’s differences in performance and change during dynamic testing and (2) examine...

Second cancers in children treated with modern radiotherapy techniques

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schneider, Uwe; Lomax, Antony; Timmermann, Beate

2008-01-01

Background and Purpose: The scattered radiation from the treatment volume might be more significant for children than for adults and, as a consequence, modern radiotherapy treatment techniques such as IMRT and passive proton therapy could potentially increase the number of secondary cancers. In this report, secondary cancer risk resulting from new treatment technologies was estimated for an adult prostate patient and a child. Material and methods: The organ equivalent dose (OED) concept with a linear-exponential, a plateau and a linear dose-response curve was applied to dose distributions of an adult prostate patient and a child with a rhabdomyosarcoma of the prostate. Conformal radiotherapy, IMRT with 6 MV photons and proton therapy were planned. OED (cancer risk) was estimated for the whole body, the rectum and the bladder. In addition, relative cumulative risk was calculated. Results: Secondary cancer risk in the adult is not more than 15% it increased when IMRT or passive proton therapy was compared to conventional treatment planning. In the child, risk remains practically constant or was even reduced for proton therapy. The cumulative risk in the child relative to that in the adult can be as large as 10-15. Conclusions: By a comparison between an adult patient and a child treated for a disease of the prostate, it was shown that modern radiotherapy techniques such as IMRT and proton therapy (active and passive) do not increase the risk for secondary cancers

Persuasive techniques used in television advertisements to market foods to UK children.

Science.gov (United States)

Boyland, Emma J; Harrold, Joanne A; Kirkham, Tim C; Halford, Jason C G

2012-04-01

The aim of this study was to quantify the nature and extent of use of persuasive marketing techniques in television advertisements (adverts) to promote foods to children. Popular UK commercial television channels broadcasting children's/family viewing were recorded for 2 days (6 am-10 pm) every month in 2008 and recordings were screened for adverts. Eighteen thousand eight hundred and eighty eight adverts were for food and these were coded for peak/non-peak children's viewing time and representation of core (healthy)/non-core (unhealthy)/miscellaneous foods. The analysis assessed use of persuasive appeals, premium offers, promotional characters (brand equity and licensed characters), celebrity endorsers and website promotion in food adverts. Promotional characters, celebrity endorsers and premium offers were used more frequently to promote non-core than core foods, even on dedicated children's channels. Brand equity characters featured on a greater proportion of food adverts than licensed characters. A food brand website was promoted in a third of food adverts (websites are not covered by the statutory regulation on food advertising). This extensive analysis of television adverts demonstrated that the use of persuasive marketing techniques to promote unhealthy foods was extensive in broadcasting popular with children despite regulations. Further studies should incorporate an analysis of the content of websites promoted during food adverts. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Direct comparison of unloading compliance and potential drop techniques in J-integral testing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

McGowan, J.J.; Nanstad, R.K.

1984-01-01

Single-specimen J-integral testing is performed commonly with the unloading compliance technique. Use of modern instrumentation techniques and powerful desktop computers have made this technique a standard. However, this testing technique is slow and tedious, with the loading rate fixed at a slow quasi-static rate. For these reasons the dc potential drop technique was investigated for crack length measurement during a J-integral test. For direct comparison, both unloading compliance and potential drop were used simultaneously during a J-integral test. The results showed good agreement between the techniques. However, the potential drop technique showed an offset in crack length due to plastic blunting processes. Taking this offset into account, J/sub Ic/ values calculated by both techniques compared well

Direct magnification technique of radiographs of the hand in children with chronic renal insufficiency

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ponhold, W.; Balzar, E.

1984-04-01

The characteristic changes of renal osteopathy in the hand are shown by the X-rays of seven children with end stage renal disease using the direct magnification technique. All children had pathologic conditions in the hands. Most frequently tunnelation, spiculae in the phalanges and metaphyseal translucent bands in the forearm were seen. Less constantly acroosteolyses and generalized osteoporosis could be observed. The X-rays of the hands using the direct magnification technique with rare earth film-screen system and a microfocus X-ray tube are sufficient to determine renal osteopathy. If clinical symptoms are present, X-rays of other parts of the skeleton are necessary. By using the above mentioned radiologic technique the radiographic diagnostic effort could be minimized.

Respiratory gated radiotherapy: current techniques and potential benefits

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Giraud, P.; Campana, F.; Rosenwald, J.C.; Cosset, J.M.; Reboul, F.; Garcia, R.; Clippe, S.; Carrie, C.; Dubray, B.

2003-01-01

Respiration-gated radiotherapy offers a significant potential for improvement in the irradiation of tumor sites affected by respiratory motion such as lung, breast and liver tumors. An increased conformality of irradiation fields leading to decreased complications rates of organs at risk (lung, heart...) is expected. Respiratory gating is in line with the need for improved precision required by radiotherapy techniques such as 3D conformal radiotherapy or intensity modulated radiotherapy. Reduction of respiratory motion can be achieved by using either breath hold techniques or respiration synchronized gating techniques. Breath-hold techniques can be achieved with active, in which airflow of the patient is temporarily blocked by a valve, or passive techniques, in which the patient voluntarily breath-hold. Synchronized gating techniques use external devices to predict the phase of the respiration cycle while the patient breaths freely. These techniques presently investigated in several medical centers worldwide. Although promising, the first results obtained in lung and liver cancer patients require confirmation. Physical, technical and physiological questions still remain to be answered. This paper describes the most frequently used gated techniques and the main published clinical reports on the use of respiration-gated radiotherapy in order to evaluate the impact of these techniques. (author)

Feeding Techniques for Children Who Have Cleft Lip and Palate.

Science.gov (United States)

Klein, Marsha Dunn

This pamphlet on feeding techniques for children who have cleft lip and palate emphasizes the role of the parent as part of a team involving many specialists. The pamphlet begins with explanations of complete and incomplete separations of the lip, unilateral and bilateral cleft lips, corrective surgical procedures, etc. The importance of weight…

Awareness of eSafety and Potential Online Dangers among Children and Teenagers

Science.gov (United States)

Zilka, Gila Cohen

2017-01-01

Aim/Purpose: Awareness of eSafety and potential online dangers for children and teenagers. Background: The study examined eSafety among children and teenagers from their own perspectives, through evaluations of their awareness level of eSafety and of potential online dangers. Methodology: This is a mixed-method study with both quantitative and…

Embedding Repetition (Takrir Technique in Developing Al-Quran Memorizing Mobile Application for Autism Children

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Senan Norhalina

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Nowadays, there are various types of learning materials used in the process of teaching and learning of Al-Quran including the use of mobile application. However, the features of mobile application that are appropriate for the process of memorizing the Al-Quran, especially for the needs of children with autism is still limited. Thus, this paper proposes an interactive Al-Quran mobile application namely iHafaz to facilitate autism children recite and memorizing Al-Quran. A takrir (repetition technique in Islamic learning approach is embedded in this mobile application in order to assist autism children memorizing the Al-Quran easily. This mobile application consists of two main modules which are Hafaz (Memorize and Latihan (Exercise. Result from the user testing shows that 72.4% of respondents agree that the takrir technique embedded in the mobile application able to improve the usability of the mobile application in helping the autism children to recite and memorize the Al-Quran easily.

Detection and sizing of cracks using potential drop techniques based on electromagnetic induction

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sato, Yasumoto; Kim, Hoon

2011-01-01

The potential drop techniques based on electromagnetic induction are classified into induced current focused potential drop (ICFPD) technique and remotely induced current potential drop (RICPD) technique. The possibility of numerical simulation of the techniques is investigated and the applicability of these techniques to the measurement of defects in conductive materials is presented. Finite element analysis (FEA) for the RICPD measurements on the plate specimen containing back wall slits is performed and calculated results by FEA show good agreement with experimental results. Detection limit of the RICPD technique in depth of back wall slits can also be estimated by FEA. Detection and sizing of artificial defects in parent and welded materials are successfully performed by the ICFPD technique. Applicability of these techniques to detection of cracks in field components is investigated, and most of the cracks in the components investigated are successfully detected by the ICFPD and RICPD techniques. (author)

Identification of Potential Fishing Grounds Using Geospatial Technique

Science.gov (United States)

Abdullah, Muhammad

2016-07-01

Fishery resources surveys using actual sampling and data collection methods require extensive ship time and sampling time. Informative data from satellite plays a vital role in fisheries application. Satellite Remote Sensing techniques can be used to detect fish aggregation just like visual fish identification ultimately these techniques can be used to predict the potential fishing zones by measuring the parameters which affect the distribution of fishes. Remote sensing is a time saving technique to locate fishery resources along the coast. Pakistan has a continental shelf area of 50,270 km2 and coastline length of 1,120 km. The total maritime zone of Pakistan is over 30 percent of the land area. Fishery plays an important role in the national economy. The marine fisheries sector is the main component, contributing about 57 percent in terms of production. Fishery is the most important economic activity in the villages and towns along the coast, and in most of the coastal villages and settlements it is the sole source of employment and income generation. Fishing by fishermen is done on the sole basis of repeated experiments and collection of information from other fishermen. Often they are in doubt about the location of potential fishing zones. This leads to waste of time and money, adversely affecting fishermen incomes and over or under-exploitation of fishing zones. The main purpose of this study was to map potential fishing grounds by identifying various environmental parameters which impact fish aggregation along the Pakistan coastline. The primary reason of this study is the fact that the fishing communities of Pakistan's coastal regions are extremely poor and lack knowledge of the modern tools and techniques that may be incorporated to enhance their yield and thus, improve their livelihood. Using geospatial techniques in order to accurately map the potential fishing zones based on sea surface temperature (SST) and chlorophyll -a content, in conjunction with

Direct magnification technique of radiographs of the hand in children with chronic renal insufficiency

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ponhold, W.; Balzar, E.

1984-01-01

The characteristic changes of renal osteopathy in the hand are shown by the X-rays of seven children with end stage renal disease using the direct magnification technique. All children had pathologic conditions in the hands. Most frequently tunnelation, spiculae in the phalanges and metaphyseal translucent bands in the forearm were seen. Less constantly acroosteolyses and generalized osteoporosis could be observed. The X-rays of the hands using the direct magnification technique with rare earth film-screen system and a microfocus X-ray tube are sufficient to determine renal osteopathy. If clinical symptoms are present, X-rays of other parts of the skeleton are necessary. By using the above mentioned radiologic technique the radiographic diagnostic effort could be minimized. (orig.) [de

The Random-Map Technique: Enhancing Mind-Mapping with a Conceptual Combination Technique to Foster Creative Potential

Science.gov (United States)

Malycha, Charlotte P.; Maier, Günter W.

2017-01-01

Although creativity techniques are highly recommended in working environments, their effects have been scarcely investigated. Two cognitive processes are often considered to foster creative potential and are, therefore, taken as a basis for creativity techniques: knowledge activation and conceptual combination. In this study, both processes were…

Behavior guidance techniques in Pediatric Dentistry: attitudes of parents of children with disabilities and without disabilities.

Science.gov (United States)

de Castro, Alessandra Maia; de Oliveira, Fabiana Sodré; de Paiva Novaes, Myrian Stella; Araújo Ferreira, Danielly Cunha

2013-01-01

This study compared the parental acceptance of pediatric behavior guidance techniques (BGT). Forty parents of children without disabilities (Group A) and another 40 parents of children with disabilities (Group B) were selected. Each BGT was explained by a single examiner and it was presented together with a photograph album. After that parents evaluated the acceptance in: totally unacceptable, somewhat acceptable, acceptable, and totally acceptable. Results indicated that in Group A, the BGT based on communicative guidance was accepted by most participants. In Group B, just one mother considered totally unacceptable the voice control method and other two, tell-show-do. For both groups, the general anesthesia was the less accepted BGT. There was statistically significant difference in acceptance for protective stabilization with a restrictive device in Group B. Children's parents with and without disabilities accepted behavioral guidance techniques, but basic techniques showed higher rates of acceptance than advanced techniques. ©2013 Special Care Dentistry Association and Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Hereditary spherocytosis and partial splenectomy in children: review of surgical technique and the role of imaging

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hollingsworth, Caroline L.; Rice, Henry E.

2010-01-01

The risks associated with total splenectomy, including overwhelming postsplenectomy infection, have led to an interest in the use of partial splenectomy as an alternative surgical option for children with congenital hemolytic anemias and hypersplenism. Partial splenectomy, a procedure designed to remove enough spleen to improve anemia and avoid complications of splenic sequestration while preserving splenic function, has shown promise in children. Radiologic imaging is essential for the preoperative evaluation and postoperative care for children undergoing partial splenectomy and offers a broad range of critical clinical information essential for care of these complex children. It is imperative for radiologists involved in the care of these children to be familiar with the surgical technique and imaging options for these procedures. This article reviews the surgical technique as well as the current status of various diagnostic imaging options used for children undergoing partial splenectomy, highlighting technical aspects and specific clinical information obtained by each modality. (orig.)

Hereditary spherocytosis and partial splenectomy in children: review of surgical technique and the role of imaging

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Hollingsworth, Caroline L. [Duke University Medical Center, Department of Radiology, Box 3808, Durham, NC (United States); Rice, Henry E. [Duke University Medical Center, Department of Surgery, Durham, NC (United States)

2010-07-15

The risks associated with total splenectomy, including overwhelming postsplenectomy infection, have led to an interest in the use of partial splenectomy as an alternative surgical option for children with congenital hemolytic anemias and hypersplenism. Partial splenectomy, a procedure designed to remove enough spleen to improve anemia and avoid complications of splenic sequestration while preserving splenic function, has shown promise in children. Radiologic imaging is essential for the preoperative evaluation and postoperative care for children undergoing partial splenectomy and offers a broad range of critical clinical information essential for care of these complex children. It is imperative for radiologists involved in the care of these children to be familiar with the surgical technique and imaging options for these procedures. This article reviews the surgical technique as well as the current status of various diagnostic imaging options used for children undergoing partial splenectomy, highlighting technical aspects and specific clinical information obtained by each modality. (orig.)

Craniospinal radiotherapy in children: Electron- or photon-based technique of spinal irradiation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chojnacka, M.; Skowronska-Gardas, A.; Pedziwiatr, K.; Morawska-Kaczynska, M.; Zygmuntowicz-Pietka, A.; Semaniak, A.

2010-01-01

Background: The prone position and electron-based technique for craniospinal irradiation (CSI) have been standard in our department for many years. But this immobilization is difficult for the anaesthesiologist to gain airway access. The increasing number of children treated under anaesthesia led us to reconsider our technique. Aim: The purpose of this study is to report our new photon-based technique for CSI which could be applied in both the supine and the prone position and to compare this technique with our electron-based technique. Materials and methods: Between November 2007 and May 2008, 11 children with brain tumours were treated in the prone position with CSI. For 9 patients two treatment plans were created: the first one using photons and the second one using electron beams for spinal irradiation. We prepared seven 3D-conformal photon plans and four forward planned segmented field plans. We compared 20 treatment plans in terms of target dose homogeneity and sparing of organs at risk. Results: In segmented field plans better dose homogeneity in the thecal sac volume was achieved than in electron-based plans. Regarding doses in organs at risk, in photon-based plans we obtained a lower dose in the thyroid but a higher one in the heart and liver. Conclusions: Our technique can be applied in both the supine and prone position and it seems to be more feasible and precise than the electron technique. However, more homogeneous target coverage and higher precision of dose delivery for photons are obtained at the cost of slightly higher doses to the heart and liver. (authors)

METHODS AND TECHNIQUES OF TEACHING CHILDREN OF PRE-SCHOOL AGE THE SPORTS DANCE

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VARNACOVA ELEONORA

2016-12-01

Full Text Available The article exposes some conclusions about the influence of the sports dance on the multilateral development of a preschool child`s personality. The author presents methods and techniques used in the didactic activity of teaching-learning the sports dance in groups of children of under school age. At the same time, she outlines the methods of organizing systematically her classes and the fact that the teacher is free to choose the time when to deliver theoretical courses or have practical classes taking in consideration the children`s individual abilities.

Is the Clavicula Pro Humero Technique of Value for Reconstruction After Resection of the Proximal Humerus in Children?

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Barbier, Dominique; De Billy, Benoît; Gicquel, Philippe; Bourelle, Sophie; Journeau, Pierre

2017-10-01

There are several options for reconstruction of proximal humerus resections after wide resection for malignant tumors in children. The clavicula pro humero technique is a biologic option that has been used in the past, but there are only scant case reports and small series that comment on the results of the procedure. Because the longevity of children mandates a reconstruction with potential longevity not likely to be achieved by other techniques, the clavicula pro humero technique may be a potential option in selected patients. (1) How successful is the clavicula pro humero procedure in achieving local tumor control? (2) What is the frequency of nonunion? (3) What are the complications of the procedure? (4) What scores do patients achieve (on the Musculoskeletal Tumor Society (MSTS) and the Toronto Extremity Salvage Score (TESS) after this procedure? Four university hospitals performed the clavicula pro humero technique in eight children aged 8 to 18 years between June 2006 and February 2014. During that period, general indications for this approach included all reconstructions of the proximal humerus for malignant tumors in children older than 8 years. All patients were followed for a mean of 40 months (range, 25-86 months); one patient was lost to followup before 2 years. The tumor resections removed the rotator cuff muscles in all patients, glenohumeral joint in five, and deltoid muscle in three. The median length of the bone defect after resection was 20 cm (range, 7-25 cm). It was reduced to 9 cm (range, 0-17 cm) or 27% (range, 0%-64%) of the total humerus length after clavicular rotation. Direct osteosynthesis (one patient), induced membrane technique (one patient), or vascularized fibular autograft (six patients) was used to complete the defect after rotation of the clavicle if necessary. Presence of union (defined as bone healing before 10 months, as assessed by disappearance of the osteotomy on AP and lateral view radiographs), and complications were

The potential efficacy of cognitive-behavioral therapy in the treatment of siblings of children with special needs

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Mojca Petrič

2016-08-01

Full Text Available In this article, we present the empirical findings on psychosocial adjustment of siblings of children with special needs, as well as cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT and its techniques as a potential treatment choice. We conclude that most siblings adjust rather well to having a brother/sister with special needs. Still, they are dealing with more challenges and difficulties than siblings of children with typical development, such as having a role of a caregiver, or experiencing stigmatizing interactions with their peers or others, some also develop psychological and/or adjustment problems. There have been some sibling support programs, but little research has been conducted to address their efficacy, and the current findings are contradictory. Considering the challenges the siblings are facing, we believe CBT is a reasonable treatment option.

Puzzling with potential : dynamic testing of analogical reasoning in children

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Stevenson, Claire Elisabeth

2012-01-01

Assessment procedures are frequent in children's school careers; however, measuring potential for learning has remained a puzzle. Dynamic testing is a method to assess cognitive potential that includes training in the assessment process. The goal of this thesis project was to develop a new dynamic

Removing a tick: proper technique in children

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Susana Rueda Pérez

2012-06-01

Full Text Available There is medical consensus on the need to remove the tick within 24 hours the mite parasites to the human host, to avoid possible complications. The preferred way is by gently traction the mite, aided by forceps without twisting or chokes with toxic agents, because of the possibility that the mite excretes bacteria mixed with substances. The average time of extraction is estimated between one or three minutes. In children parasitized by ticks this amount of time can be excessive when it’s necessary restraint without the consent of the minor. Using this technique we reduce the time to seconds and the damage caused to the skin is minimal.

Creative Potential and Conceptual Tempo in Preschool Children.

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Broberg, Gayle Christensen; Moran, James D., III

1988-01-01

Individual stylistic variations of creative potential and conceptual tempo were investigated in 61 preschool children. No differences between reflective and impulsive preschoolers were found on the ideational fluency measure. Conceptual tempo scores revealed greater originality scores for the fast/accurate and slow/inaccurate groups compared to…

Metacarpal lengthening in children: comparison of three different techniques in 15 consecutive cases.

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Dana, C; Aurégan, J-C; Salon, A; Guéro, S; Glorion, C; Pannier, S

2016-09-22

Metacarpal lengthening is a useful procedure to address hand deficiencies in children. In this study, we aimed to compare the results of three different techniques from one consecutive clinical series of hand deficiencies. A total of 15 metacarpal lengthenings have been performed in 12 children aged from 9 to 14 years. The callotasis technique was used in seven cases, the two-stage distraction-graft technique in four cases and the single-stage lengthening in four cases. All the metacarpals healed with bone. The lengthening obtained was a mean of 13 mm (range 8-21 mm), a mean of 22 mm (range 13-32 mm) and a mean of 12 mm (range 9-15 mm), respectively, in the three different techniques. The healing index was longer for callotasis (81 days/cm) compared with the other techniques (41 days/cm and 46 days/cm, respectively). We observed one case of fracture after callotasis and one after distraction-graft. One patient underwent tenolysis of the extensor mechanism after single-stage lengthening. In conclusion, distraction graft and single-stage lengthening may be valuable alternatives to callotasis. IV; therapeutic study; multi-case series. © The Author(s) 2016.

The Optical Flow Technique on the Research of Solar Non-potentiality

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Liu, Ji-hong; Zhang, Hong-qi

2010-06-01

Several optical flow techniques, which have being applied to the researches of solar magnetic non-potentiality recently, have been summarized here. And a few new non-potential parameters which can be derived from them have been discussed, too. The main components of the work are presented as follows: (1) The optical flow techniques refers to a series of new image analyzing techniques arisen recently on the researches of solar magnetic non-potentiality. They mainly include LCT (local correlation tracking), ILCT (inductive equation combining with LCT), MEF (minimum energy effect), DAVE (differential affine velocity estimator) and NAVE (nonlinear affine velocity estimator). Their calculating and applying conditions, merits and deficiencies, all have been discussed detailedly in this work. (2) Benefit from the optical flow techniques, the transverse velocity fields of the magnetic features on the solar surface may be determined by a time sequence of high-quality images currently produced by high-resolution observations either from the ground or in space. Consequently, several new non-potential parameters may be acquired, such as the magnetic helicity flux, the induced electric field in the photosphere, the non-potential magnetic stress (whose area integration is the Lorentz force), etc. Then we can determine the energy flux across the photosphere, and subsequently evaluate the energy budget. Former works on them by small or special samples have shown that they are probably related closely to the erupting events, such as flare, filament eruptions and coronal mass ejections.

Asthma severity, child security, and child internalizing: using story stem techniques to assess the meaning children give to family and disease-specific events.

Science.gov (United States)

Winter, Marcia A; Fiese, Barbara H; Spagnola, Mary; Anbar, Ran D

2011-12-01

Children with persistent asthma are at increased risk for mental health problems. Although mechanisms of effect are not yet known, it may be that children are less trusting of the family as a source of support and security when they have more severe asthma. This study tested whether asthma severity is related to children's perceptions of insecurity in the family, and whether insecurity is in turn associated with child adjustment. Children (N = 168; mean age = 8 years) completed story stems pertaining to routine family events (e.g., mealtimes) and ambiguous but potentially threatening asthma events such as tightness in the chest. Responses were evaluated for the extent to which appraisals portrayed the family as responding in cohesive, security-provoking ways. Asthma severity was assessed by both objective lung function testing and primary caregiver report. Caregivers reported child symptomatology. Beyond medication adherence, caregiver education, and child age and gender, greater asthma severity predicted more internalizing and externalizing symptoms. Greater asthma severity, assessed using spirometry (but not parent report), was related to less secure child narratives of the family, which in turn related to more child internalizing symptoms. Results suggest that asthma can take a considerable toll on children's feelings of security and mental health. Furthermore, given the difficulty in assessing young children's perceptions, this study helps demonstrate the potential of story stem techniques in assessing children's appraisals of illness threat and management in the family.

Event-related potentials during visual selective attention in children of alcoholics.

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van der Stelt, O.; Gunning, W.B.; Snel, J.; Kok, A.

1998-01-01

Event-related potentials (ERPs) were recorded from 50 7-18 yr old children of alcoholics (COAs) and 50 age- and sex-matched control children while they performed a visual selective attention task. The task was to attend selectively to stimuli with a specified color (red or blue) in an attempt to

GIS-based bivariate statistical techniques for groundwater potential analysis (an example of Iran)

Science.gov (United States)

Haghizadeh, Ali; Moghaddam, Davoud Davoudi; Pourghasemi, Hamid Reza

2017-12-01

Groundwater potential analysis prepares better comprehension of hydrological settings of different regions. This study shows the potency of two GIS-based data driven bivariate techniques namely statistical index (SI) and Dempster-Shafer theory (DST) to analyze groundwater potential in Broujerd region of Iran. The research was done using 11 groundwater conditioning factors and 496 spring positions. Based on the ground water potential maps (GPMs) of SI and DST methods, 24.22% and 23.74% of the study area is covered by poor zone of groundwater potential, and 43.93% and 36.3% of Broujerd region is covered by good and very good potential zones, respectively. The validation of outcomes displayed that area under the curve (AUC) of SI and DST techniques are 81.23% and 79.41%, respectively, which shows SI method has slightly a better performance than the DST technique. Therefore, SI and DST methods are advantageous to analyze groundwater capacity and scrutinize the complicated relation between groundwater occurrence and groundwater conditioning factors, which permits investigation of both systemic and stochastic uncertainty. Finally, it can be realized that these techniques are very beneficial for groundwater potential analyzing and can be practical for water-resource management experts.

Breaking Barriers with Collaborative Language Practices in a Multiethnic Classroom: A Potential Model for Immigrant Children

Science.gov (United States)

Tarim, Seyda Deniz

2018-01-01

Children's spontaneous peer-group interactions were video-recorded and analyzed using techniques of ethnography and talk-in interaction. The examples illustrate how the children socialize novices to language practices and other culturally appropriate practices used in their peer-group communities. The children's translation work is a discursive…

Identifying High Academic Potential in Australian Aboriginal Children Using Dynamic Testing

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Chaffey, Graham W.; Bailey, Stan B.; Vine, Ken W.

2015-01-01

The primary purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of dynamic testing as a method for identifying high academic potential in Australian Aboriginal children. The 79 participating Aboriginal children were drawn from Years 3-5 in rural schools in northern New South Wales. The dynamic testing method used in this study involved a…

The use of different techniques for determination of pitting corrosion potential of austenitic stainless steel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Eskelinen, P.; Forsen, O.; Onnela, J.; Ylaesaari, S.; Haenninen, H.

1992-01-01

Three different techniques for pitting corrosion potential measurement on austenitic stainless steel (Fe18Cr10Ni) were compared: conventional polarization method, a new Avesta electrochemical corrosion measurement cell and a scratch technique. Special attention was paid to the effects of crevice corrosion during pitting corrosion potential measurement and to their elimination. Development of a rapid test technique for reliable pitting corrosion potential determination was aimed at and resulted from comparison of the different techniques

Wound complications after chemo-port placement in children: Does closure technique matter?

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Muncie, Colin; Herman, Richard; Collier, Anderson; Berch, Barry; Blewett, Christopher; Sawaya, David

2018-03-01

Wound dehiscence after chemo-port placement is a rare but potentially significant complication. We hypothesize that by using a simple running skin closure technique during chemo-port placement the rate of wound dehiscence and overall wound complications can be significantly decreased. IRB approval was obtained and patients port from June 2012 to April 2016 were analyzed. Data collected on patients included patient demographics, skin closure type, and wound complications within 30days. Chi-square was performed to examine the univariate association with skin closure technique and wound dehiscence. Logistic regression was performed to examine the multivariable association between skin closure type and wound dehiscence and to compute odds ratios. There were 259 ports placed in this cohort: 125 used simple running skin closure technique, and 134 used the subcuticular skin closure. Patients were found to not have any difference in rate of dehiscence or overall wound complications based on gender, age, location of port, or use of steroids or chemotherapy within 1week of port placement. When compared, only 1 case (0.80%) in the simple running group vs 10 cases (7.46%) in the subcuticular group experienced a wound dehiscence [unadjusted OR=14.07 (1.69, 116.99) p=0.0144]. When comparing overall wound complications the simple running group had 3 (2.4%) versus 12 (8.96%) in the subcuticular group [unadjusted OR=4.78 (1.27, 17.94) p=0.0203]. When adjusting for port-number both dehiscence and overall wound complications remained statistically significant. We conclude that the simple running skin closure for chemo-port placement in children has superior outcomes in regards to prevention of dehiscence and overall wound related complications when compared to the subcuticular technique. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

What do potential jurors know about police interrogation techniques and false confessions?

Science.gov (United States)

Leo, Richard A; Liu, Brittany

2009-01-01

Psychological police interrogation methods in America inevitably involve some level of pressure and persuasion to achieve their goal of eliciting confessions of guilt from custodial suspects. In this article, we surveyed potential jurors about their perceptions of a range of psychological interrogation techniques, the likelihood that such techniques would elicit a true confession from guilty suspects, and the likelihood that such techniques could elicit a false confession from innocent suspects. Participants recognized that these interrogation techniques may be psychologically coercive and may elicit true confessions, but believed that psychologically coercive interrogation techniques are not likely to elicit false confessions. The findings from this survey study indicate that potential jurors believe that false confessions are both counter- intuitive and unlikely, even in response to psychologically coercive interrogation techniques that have been shown to lead to false confessions from the innocent. This study provides empirical support for the idea that expert witnesses may helpfully inform jurors about the social science research on psychologically coercive interrogation methods and how and why such interrogation techniques can lead to false confessions. (c) 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Confocal Laser Endomicroscopy in Neurosurgery: A New Technique with Much Potential

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David Breuskin

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Technical innovations in brain tumour diagnostic and therapy have led to significant improvements of patient outcome and recurrence free interval. The use of technical devices such as surgical microscopes as well as neuronavigational systems have helped localising tumours as much as fluorescent agents, such as 5-aminolaevulinic acid, have helped visualizing pathologically altered tissue. Nonetheless, intraoperative instantaneous frozen sections and histological diagnosis remain the only method of gaining certainty of the nature of the resected tissue. This technique is time consuming and does not provide close-to-real-time information. In gastroenterology, confocal endoscopy closed the gap between tissue resection and histological examination, providing an almost real-time histological diagnosis. The potential of this technique using a confocal laser endoscope EndoMAG1 by Karl Storz Company was evaluated by our group on pig brains, tumour tissue cell cultures, and fresh human tumour specimen. Here, the authors report for the first time on the results of applying this new technique and provide first confocal endoscopic images of various brain and tumour structures. In all, the technique harbours a very promising potential to provide almost real-time intraoperative diagnosis, but further studies are needed to provide evidence for the technique’s potential.

Comparison of different anesthesia techniques during esophagogastroduedenoscopy in children: a randomized trial.

Science.gov (United States)

Patino, Mario; Glynn, Susan; Soberano, Mark; Putnam, Philip; Hossain, Md Monir; Hoffmann, Clifford; Samuels, Paul; Kibelbek, Michael J; Gunter, Joel

2015-10-01

Esophagogastroduedenoscopy (EGD) in children is usually performed under general anesthesia. Anesthetic goals include minimization of airway complications while maximizing operating room (OR) efficiency. Currently, there is no consensus on which anesthetic technique best meets these goals. We performed a prospective randomized study comparing three different anesthetic techniques. To evaluate the incidence of respiratory complications (primary aim) and institutional efficiency (secondary aim) among three different anesthetic techniques in children undergoing EGD. Subjects received a standardized inhalation induction of anesthesia followed by randomization to one of the three groups: Group intubated, sevoflurane (IS), Group intubated, propofol (IP), and Group native airway, nonintubated, propofol (NA). Respiratory complications included minor desaturation (SpO2 between 94% and 85%), severe desaturation (SpO2 < 85%), apnea, airway obstruction/laryngospasm, aspiration, and/or inadequate anesthesia during the endoscopy. Evaluation of institutional efficiency was determined by examining the time spent during the different phases of care (anesthesia preparation, procedure, OR stay, recovery, and total perioperative care). One hundred and seventy-nine children aged 1-12 years (median 7 years; 4.0, 10.0) were enrolled (Group IS N = 60, Group IP N = 59, Group NA N = 61). The incidence of respiratory complications was higher in the Group NA (0.459) vs Group IS (0.033) or Group IP (0.086) (P < 0.0001). The most commonly observed complications were desaturation, inadequate anesthesia, and apnea. There were no differences in institutional efficiency among the three groups. Respiratory complications were more common in Group NA. The use of native airway with propofol maintenance during EGD does not offer advantages with respect to respiratory complications or institutional efficiency. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

[Platelet rich plasma (PRP): potentialities and techniques of extraction].

Science.gov (United States)

Pacifici, L; Casella, F; Maggiore, C

2002-01-01

This paper describes the various techniques of platelet-rich plasma (PRP) extraction codified in recent years and their use potential is evaluated. PRP is one of the techniques with which at the moment it is attempted to modulate and facilitate the cure of a wound. The use of PRP is based on the theoretical premise that by concentrating platelets the effects of the growth factors (PDGF, TGF-beta, IGF-I and -II) so released will be increased. Marx's original technique is described above all. This prescribes the sampling of a unit of blood (450-500 ml) and the use of a cell separator. We then analysed the technique of Marx and Hannon in which the quantity of blood sampled is reduced to 150 ml, and the two simplified techniques of the Sacchi and Bellanda group. Finally, a new PRP extraction technique is described. We conclude that platelet gel allows access to autologous growth factors which by definition are neither toxic nor immunogenic and are capable of accelerating the normal processes of bone regeneration. PRP can thus be considered a useful instrument for increasing the quality and final quantity of regenerated bone in oral and maxillo-facial surgery operations.

Maternal perception of fever in children by tactile technique how valid it is

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jalil, J.; Bashir, F.

2014-01-01

To determine the validity of tactile technique as a tool for fever assessment in children by mothers. Study Design: A cohort study. Place and Duration of Study: The study was conducted at the department of Paediatrics, Combined Military Hospital, Bahawalpur, Pakistan, from September 2007 to September 2009. Patients and Methods: Convenient sampling technique was employed. Three hundred and ninety three children between the ages of 6 months and 5 years, brought to hospital by mothers with history of prolonged fever (7 days or more) perceived by tactile technique. Children were not supposed to be necessarily febrile at the time of enrollment. A six hourly temperature recording was done. Moreover, whenever mothers felt that their child is febrile by using tactile method of their choice, axillary thermometry was done irrespective of the number of recordings. Standard mercury thermometry by axillary technique (without adding a degree to measured value) was chosen. Reading of more than 99.50 Fahrenheit (37.50 centigrade) was labeled as fever. Cases that remained fever free for five days were labeled afebrile and discharged. Mothers were advised to watch for fever for one week at home and to report back immediately if they felt that their child has fever, confirmed by a single tactile measurement. Those who reported back were readmitted and subjected to the same method of monitoring and recording as was applied on first admission. Data was analyzed using SPSS version 17. Descriptive statistics were applied to calculate the frequencies, means and standard deviations. Results: Among the 392 children 58.4% were males and 41.4% were females. The mean age was 24.4 +-14.39 months. Majority had a history of fever of 5 to 24 days (70.2%). In only 184 (46.93%) patients fever was confirmed. In 208 (53.08%) patients no fever was recorded and were discharged. Twenty one patients reported back with fever. However, fever was confirmed in only 11 patients. In summary, a total of 195 (49

Potential drop technique for monitoring stress corrosion cracking growth

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Neves, Celia F.C.; Schvartzman, Monica M.A.M.; Moreira, Pedro A.L.D.P.L.P.

2002-01-01

Stress corrosion cracking is one of most severe damage mechanisms influencing the lifetime of components in the operation of nuclear power plants. To assess the initiation stages and kinetics of crack growth as the main parameters coming to residual lifetime determination, the testing facility should allow active loading of specimens in the environment which is close to the real operation conditions of assessed component. Under cooperation of CDTN/CNEN and International Atomic Energy Agency a testing system has been developed by Nuclear Research Institute, Czech Republic, that will be used for the environmentally assisted cracking testing at CDTN/CNEN. The facility allows high temperature autoclave corrosion mechanical testing in well-defined LWR water chemistry using constant load, slow strain rate and rising displacement techniques. The facility consists of autoclave and refreshing water loop enabling testing at temperatures up to 330 deg C. Active loading system allows the maximum load on a specimen as high as 60 kN. The potential drop measurement is used to determine the instant crack length and its growth rate. The paper presents the facility and describes the potential drop technique, that is one of the most used techniques to monitor crack growth in specimens under corrosive environments. (author)

Awareness of eSafety and Potential Online Dangers among Children and Teenagers

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Gila Cohen Zilka

2017-09-01

Background\tThe study examined eSafety among children and teenagers from their own perspectives, through evaluations of their awareness level of eSafety and of potential online dangers. Methodology: This is a mixed-method study with both quantitative and qualitative elements. The study includes questionnaires and interviews. A total of 345 participants from Israel completed questionnaires; 90 children and teenagers were interviewed from among the participants. Contribution: The study examined the awareness of children and youths of safe online surfing. It also examined the degree of exposure of children and youths to positive and negative aspects of the Internet. This study illustrates the dual potential of Internet use within the context of eSafety, as seen through the eyes of children and teenagers. Characteristics of use of the Internet are liable to increase the danger to and the bullying of youths and by youths in the digital domain. It also demonstrates the promises of using the Internet for productive learning and leisure activities. Findings: Findings show that the children and teenagers who participated in the study reported a medium-high level of awareness. Issues that participants were concerned about included avoiding contact with strangers and cyberbullying, not necessarily by strangers, but also by friends. Recommendations for Practitioners\t: It is important to examine how children perceive online events for the purpose of examining their statements regarding eSafety and the way they view problematic or dangerous online events, as well as how they believe they can cope with them. Recommendation for Researchers: The study recommends incorporating in future studies individual case studies and allowing participants to express how they perceive complex online situations. Impact on Society: This study illustrates the dual potential, positive and negative aspects, of Internet use within the context of eSafety, as seen through the eyes of children and

Potential in-class strategies to increase children's vegetable consumption.

Science.gov (United States)

Sharp, Gemma; Pettigrew, Simone; Wright, Shannon; Pratt, Iain S; Blane, Sally; Biagioni, Nicole

2017-06-01

The Crunch&Sip programme is a school-based nutrition initiative designed to increase the fruit, vegetable and water intakes of primary-school children. In recognition of the notable deficits in children's vegetable consumption, the present study explored the receptivity of school staff to a realignment of the Crunch&Sip programme to feature a primary focus on vegetable consumption. This involved investigating school staff members' perceptions of relevant barriers, motivators and facilitators. A multi-method approach was adopted that involved four focus groups and a survey (administered in paper and online formats) containing a mixture of open- and closed-ended items. Western Australia. Staff from Western Australian schools participated in the focus groups (n 37) and survey (n 620). School staff were strongly supportive of modifying the Crunch&Sip programme to focus primarily on children's vegetable consumption and this was generally considered to be a feasible change to implement. Possible barriers identified included children's taste preferences and a perceived lack of parental support. Suggested strategies to overcome these barriers were education sessions for parents and children, teachers modelling vegetable consumption for their students and integrating vegetable-related topics into the school curriculum. School staff are likely to support the introduction of school-based nutrition programmes that specifically encourage the consumption of vegetables. Potential barriers may be overcome through strategies to engage parents and children.

Success rate and risk factors of failure of the induced membrane technique in children: a systematic review.

Science.gov (United States)

Aurégan, Jean-Charles; Bégué, Thierry; Rigoulot, Guillaume; Glorion, Christophe; Pannier, Stéphanie

2016-12-01

The induced membrane technique was designed by Masquelet et al. to address segmental bone defects of critical size in adults. It has been used after bone defects of traumatic, infectious and tumoral origin with satisfactory results. Recently, it has been used in children but, after an initial enthusiasm, several cases of failure have been reported. The purpose of this study was to assess the success rate and the risk factors of failure of the induced membrane for children. We conducted a systematic review of all the studies reporting the results of the induced membrane technique to address bone defects of critical size in children. Our primary outcome was the success rate of the technique defined as a bone union before any iterative surgery. Our secondary outcomes were the complications and the risk factors of failure. We searched Medline via Pubmed, EMBASE and the Cochrane Library. Twelve studies, including 69 patients, met the inclusion criteria. There were 41 boys and 28 girls. Mean age at surgery was 10 years. Mean size of resection was 12.38 cm and the mean time between the two stages was 5.86 months. Mean rate of bone union after the two stages of the induced membrane technique was 58% (40/69) but this rate increased to 87% after revision surgeries (60/69). Main complications were non-unions (19/69), lysis of the graft (6/69) and fractures of the bone graft (6/69). Only 1/69 deep infection was reported. Other non specific complications were regularly reported such limb length discrepancies, joint stiffness and protruding wires. Risk factor of failure that could be suspected comprised the resection of a malignant tumour, a bone defect located at the femur, a wide resection, a long time between the two stages, an unstable osteosynthesis and a bone graft associating autograft to other graft materials. The induced membrane technique is suitable for bone defects of critical size in children. It is a reliable technique with no need of micro vascular surgery

Visual evoked potentials of mildly mentally retarded and control children.

Science.gov (United States)

Gasser, T; Pietz, J; Schellberg, D; Köhler, W

1988-10-01

Visual evoked potentials (VEPs) were recorded from 25 10- to 13-year-old mildly mentally retarded children and compared with those from 31 control children of the same age-range. Correlations of VEPs with age were weak, but a relationship between VEPs and IQ was demonstrated for the control group. The retarded group had significantly longer latencies and higher amplitude peaks than the control group, with the differences occurring primarily over non-specific cortex and for secondary components. Analysis also showed that the retarded group were neurophysiologically heterogeneous. Since the same children had been analyzed earlier by quantitative EEG methods, comparisons are made with respect to these two methods of investigating brain function.

Radiotracer technique to predict irritation potential of soap

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Castaneda, S.S.; Garcia, T.Y.; Santos, F.L.

1990-01-01

The application of a radiotracer technique using tritiated water to predict the irritation potentials of some soap products is demonstrated. Collagen films are treated with 0.5% and 1.0% soap solutions and tritiated water then incubated at 50 degrees centigrade for 24 hours. After incubation, the uptake of tritiated water by the collagen films was measured by liquid scintillation counting. (Auth.). 6 refs., 2 tabs

Rotatory and collic vestibular evoked myogenic potential testing in normal-hearing and hearing-impaired children.

Science.gov (United States)

Maes, Leen; De Kegel, Alexandra; Van Waelvelde, Hilde; Dhooge, Ingeborg

2014-01-01

Vertigo and imbalance are often underestimated in the pediatric population, due to limited communication abilities, atypical symptoms, and relatively quick adaptation and compensation in children. Moreover, examination and interpretation of vestibular tests are very challenging, because of difficulties with cooperation and maintenance of alertness, and because of the sometimes nauseatic reactions. Therefore, it is of great importance for each vestibular laboratory to implement a child-friendly test protocol with age-appropriate normative data. Because of the often masked appearance of vestibular problems in young children, the vestibular organ should be routinely examined in high-risk pediatric groups, such as children with a hearing impairment. Purposes of the present study were (1) to determine age-appropriate normative data for two child-friendly vestibular laboratory techniques (rotatory and collic vestibular evoked myogenic potential [cVEMP] test) in a group of children without auditory or vestibular complaints, and (2) to examine vestibular function in a group of children presenting with bilateral hearing impairment. Forty-eight typically developing children (mean age 8 years 0 months; range: 4 years 1 month to 12 years 11 months) without any auditory or vestibular complaints as well as 39 children (mean age 7 years 8 months; range: 3 years 8 months to 12 years 10 months) with a bilateral sensorineural hearing loss were included in this study. All children underwent three sinusoidal rotations (0.01, 0.05, and 0.1 Hz at 50 degrees/s) and bilateral cVEMP testing. No significant age differences were found for the rotatory test, whereas a significant increase of N1 latency and a significant threshold decrease was noticeable for the cVEMP, resulting in age-appropriate normative data. Hearing-impaired children demonstrated significantly lower gain values at the 0.01 Hz rotation and a larger percentage of absent cVEMP responses compared with normal-hearing children

Application of Statistical Potential Techniques to Runaway Transport Studies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Eguilior, S.; Castejon, F.; Parrondo, J. M.

2001-01-01

A method is presented for computing runaway production rate based on techniques of noise-activated escape in a potential is presented in this work. A generalised potential in 2D momentum space is obtained from the deterministic or drift terms of Langevin equations. The diffusive or stochastic terms that arise directly from the stochastic nature of collisions, play the role of the noise that activates barrier crossings. The runaway electron source is given by the escape rate in such a potential which is obtained from an Arrenius-like relation. Runaway electrons are those skip the potential barrier due to the effect of stochastic collisions. In terms of computation time, this method allows one to quickly obtain the source term for a runway electron transport code.(Author) 11 refs

Assessing children's ultraviolet radiation exposure: the potential usefulness of a colorimeter.

Science.gov (United States)

Eckhardt, L; Mayer, J A; Creech, L; Johnston, M R; Lui, K J; Sallis, J F; Elder, J P

1996-12-01

This study evaluated the colorimeter as an objective measure of children's ultraviolet (UV) radiation exposure. Fifty-eight children, ages 6 to 9 years, attended two summer measurement sessions, with 46 attending a subsequent winter session. Comparisons between summer sessions for the L* scale showed that only the upper arm significantly changed in the tanner direction, while b* scale values indicated significant tanning for all body sites. All exposed body sites changed significantly in the less tan direction between summer and winter measurements. Using colorimeters to objectively measure children's UV exposure has potential applications for skin cancer prevention programs.

The effect of drawing and writing technique on the anxiety level of children undergoing cancer treatment.

Science.gov (United States)

Altay, Naime; Kilicarslan-Toruner, Ebru; Sari, Çigdem

2017-06-01

To determine the effect of the drawing and writing technique on the anxiety level of children undergoing cancer treatment in hospital. Research was conducted in the haematology-oncology clinic of a university hospital, using a quasi-experimental design (pre-and-post intervention evaluations of a single group). The sample comprised 30 hospitalised children aged 9-16 years. Data were collected with Socio-demographic form, clinical data form, and the State Anxiety Inventory. The institution gave written approval for the study and parents provided written consent. Drawing, writing and mutual story-telling techniques were used as part of a five-day programme. Children were asked to draw a picture of a hospitalised child and write a story about this drawing. After drawing and writing, mutual storytelling were used to more constructive story with positive feelings. The drawing, writing techniques was implemented on the first and third days of the programme and mutual storytelling was implemented on the second and fourth days. Data were reported as percentages and frequencies and the intervention effect analysed with the Wilcoxon test. The average age of children was 12.56 years ± 2.67 and 76.7% were girls. The mean age diagnosis and mean treatment duration were 11.26 years ± 3.17 and 16.56 months ± 20.75 respectively. Most of the children (50%) had leukaemia and were receiving chemotherapy (66.7%). In most cases (76.7%) the mother was the primary caregiver. Scores on the State Anxiety Inventory were lower-indicating lower anxiety-after the intervention (36.86 ± 4.12 than before it (40.46 ± 4.51) (p < 0.05). The therapeutic intervention reduced children's state anxiety. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Applied potential tomography. A new noninvasive technique for measuring gastric emptying

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Avill, R.; Mangnall, Y.F.; Bird, N.C.; Brown, B.H.; Barber, D.C.; Seagar, A.D.; Johnson, A.G.; Read, N.W.

1987-01-01

Applied potential tomography is a new, noninvasive technique that yields sequential images of the resistivity of gastric contents after subjects have ingested a liquid or semisolid meal. This study validates the technique as a means of measuring gastric emptying. Experiments in vitro showed an excellent correlation between measurements of resistivity and either the square of the radius of a glass rod or the volume of water in a spherical balloon when both were placed in an oval tank containing saline. Altering the lateral position of the rod in the tank did not alter the values obtained. Images of abdominal resistivity were also directly correlated with the volume of air in a gastric balloon. Profiles of gastric emptying of liquid meals obtained using applied potential tomography were very similar to those obtained using scintigraphy or dye dilution techniques, provided that acid secretion was inhibited by cimetidine. Profiles of emptying of a mashed potato meal using applied potential tomography were also very similar to those obtained by scintigraphy. Measurements of the emptying of a liquid meal from the stomach were reproducible if acid secretion was inhibited by cimetidine. Thus, applied potential tomography is an accurate and reproducible method of measuring gastric emptying of liquids and particulate food. It is inexpensive, well tolerated, easy to use, and ideally suited for multiple studies in patients, even those who are pregnant

Applied potential tomography. A new noninvasive technique for measuring gastric emptying

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Avill, R.; Mangnall, Y.F.; Bird, N.C.; Brown, B.H.; Barber, D.C.; Seagar, A.D.; Johnson, A.G.; Read, N.W.

1987-04-01

Applied potential tomography is a new, noninvasive technique that yields sequential images of the resistivity of gastric contents after subjects have ingested a liquid or semisolid meal. This study validates the technique as a means of measuring gastric emptying. Experiments in vitro showed an excellent correlation between measurements of resistivity and either the square of the radius of a glass rod or the volume of water in a spherical balloon when both were placed in an oval tank containing saline. Altering the lateral position of the rod in the tank did not alter the values obtained. Images of abdominal resistivity were also directly correlated with the volume of air in a gastric balloon. Profiles of gastric emptying of liquid meals obtained using applied potential tomography were very similar to those obtained using scintigraphy or dye dilution techniques, provided that acid secretion was inhibited by cimetidine. Profiles of emptying of a mashed potato meal using applied potential tomography were also very similar to those obtained by scintigraphy. Measurements of the emptying of a liquid meal from the stomach were reproducible if acid secretion was inhibited by cimetidine. Thus, applied potential tomography is an accurate and reproducible method of measuring gastric emptying of liquids and particulate food. It is inexpensive, well tolerated, easy to use, and ideally suited for multiple studies in patients, even those who are pregnant.

Use of a novel laparoscopic gastrostomy technique in children with severe epidermolysis bullosa.

Science.gov (United States)

Patel, Kamlesh; Wells, Jonathan; Jones, Rosie; Browne, Fiona; Moss, Celia; Parikh, Dakshesh

2014-05-01

Supplementing nutrition in children with severe epidermolysis bullosa (EB) is challenging because of skin and mucosal fragility. Percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy is contraindicated in EB, whereas more invasive open surgical gastrostomy placement can be complicated by chronic leakage. The aim of the study was to review the efficacy and acceptability, in children with severe EB, of our modified 2-port laparoscopic approach using the Seldinger technique with serial dilatation and tube insertion through a peel-away sheath. Retrospective review of children with EB who underwent laparoscopic feeding gastrostomy at our centre since 2009. Seven children (6 severe generalised recessive dystrophic EB, 1 non-Herlitz junctional EB; 2 girls, 5 boys) underwent modified laparoscopic gastrostomy placement at median age 4.85 years (range 1.0-8.8), with fundoplication for gastro-oesophageal reflux in 1 case, with follow-up for 0.3 to 3.9 years. The procedure was well tolerated with oral feeds usually given after 4 hours and whole protein gastrostomy feeds within 24 hours in 6 patients. Improved growth was reflected in mean weight and height z scores: -1.36 (range -2.6 to 0.5) to -0.61 (range -2.34 to 2.0) and -1.09 (range -2.42 to 1.0) to 0.71 (range -1.86 to 1.0), respectively. Postoperatively, 5 patients experienced minor local complications: minimal leakage without skin damage in 3 and transient peristomal granulation rapidly responsive to topical treatment in 2; this followed acute gastrostomy site infection in 1. There was no leakage after the immediate postoperative period. We conclude that our less-invasive laparoscopic gastrostomy technique is effective and better tolerated in children with severe EB, at least in the medium term, than open gastrostomy placement. Longer follow-up is required.

Lymphoscintigraphy (LS) in infants and children: techniques and scintigraphic patterns

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Somerville, J.; Parsons, G.; Howman-Giles, R.; Lewis, G.; Uren, R.; Mansberg, R.

1999-01-01

Full text: Radionuclide imaging of the lymphatic system with intradermal injection of radiopharmaceutical is a rapid, safe and simple technique for the evaluation of lymphatic abnormalities in infants and children. 99 Tc m -antimony sulphide colloid is the agent of choice. The radiopharmaceutical (dose 5 mBq in 0.1 ml) is injected intradermally into both limbs being investigated. Emla cream is useful to reduce the initial discomfort of the injection. Imaging is performed immediately for approximately 30-60 min to assess the flow rate and lymph channels to the draining node fields. Further imaging at 2 and 4 h may be necessary. Normal LS in the lower limbs shows the tracer to pass into lymphatics almost immediately and channels are usually visualized within 5 min. In the lower limbs, symmetrical lymph flow to nodes are seen in the groin, iliac and paravertebral region with activity later seen in the liver. In 31 patients studied over the last 3 years, 17 studies were normal and 14 were abnormal: Klippel-Trenaunay-Weber syndrome (n = 4) with delayed flow and dermal backflow; congenital lymph/vascular malformations (n = 6) with various delayed flow patterns and focal accumulations; congenital lymphoedema (n 3) and pulmonary lymphangiectasia (n = 1). Aplasia and hypoplasia of lymph systems are readily identified. In conclusion, LS is a valuable diagnostic technique to assess lymph flow and diagnose lymphatic malformations and the causes of lymphoedema in children

Intracranial auditory detection and discrimination potentials as substrates of echoic memory in children.

Science.gov (United States)

Liasis, A; Towell, A; Boyd, S

1999-03-01

In children, intracranial responses to auditory detection and discrimination processes have not been reported. We, therefore, recorded intracranial event-related potentials (ERPs) to both standard and deviant tones and/or syllables in 4 children undergoing pre-surgical evaluation for epilepsy. ERPs to detection (mean latency = 63 ms) and discrimination (mean latency = 334 ms) were highly localized to areas surrounding the Sylvian fissure (SF). These potentials reflect activation of different neuronal populations and are suggested to contribute to the scalp recorded auditory N1 and mismatch negativity (MMN).

[Visual evoked potentials in management of amblyopia in children].

Science.gov (United States)

Gromová, M; Gerinec, A

2010-11-01

The authors want to point out the possibility of using the visual evoked potentials (VEP) in the diagnostic process of amblyopia, especially in preverbal children. We also researched the possibility of screening for amblyopia with VEP in young patients with anisometropia without strabismus being present, especially those who come from affected families. The authors followed changes in the course of an occlusion therapy and suggest that VEP could be used to predict a success of the amblyopia therapy. We analyzed group of 45 pediatric patients ages 2-10 years who were investigated in years 2006-2009 at Pediatric Ophthalmology Department of Children University Hospital in Bratislava with amblyopia. This group was compared with a control group of 25 healthy children. The cause of amblyopia in a majority of children (29 patients) was hyperopic anisometropia, 13 children had hyperopic isometropia, 3 patients had myopia over -3D. These causes in 22 children were combined with strabismus. The monocular pattern of VEP was evaluated in all patients. In cooperative children (25) we also evaluated binocular pattern of VEP. 18 patients with amblyopia had a second VEP evaluation done during the occlusion therapy, among those were 23 amblyopic eyes. The time frame from the first VEP evaluation to the second VEP evaluation was 1-11 months, average 5,1 months. The material was statistically evaluated. Our study showed statistically significant prolongation of the latency of both P and N2 waves (p = 0.01) in children with amblyopia.This can be used in diagnostic process of amblyopia in preverbal children as well as in the screening for amblyopia. We also followed changes during the occlusion therapy and we discovered persistent prolongation of the latency of the P wave and also changes in the amplitudes (p = 0.05) During repeated measurements and with applied therapy one can follow the dynamics of amblyopia, course of therapy by VEP changes. Results of our research suggest a great

Searching Nearest Potential of Children with Intellectual Disability – Dynamic Assessment

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kulesza Ewa Maria

2015-08-01

Full Text Available The article discussed the issue of the diagnosis with the use of task-support-task procedure. A theoretical model of diagnosis based on the concepts by L. S. Vygotski, R. Case, and A. Bandura was described and developed. The model was tested on a group of non-disabled preschool children, and children with mild and moderate intellectual disability who were paired up accordingly to their mental age. Each pair was given a set of developmentally adapted tasks. The tool (44 tasks was reliable and valid. The task-support-task procedure significantly affected the level of the task performance in all the children and allowed to define the scope of potential abilities, especially in the children with mild and moderate intellectual disabilities. Most of the task they did fell into the zone of proximal development.

Long latency auditory evoked potentials in children with cochlear implants: systematic review.

Science.gov (United States)

Silva, Liliane Aparecida Fagundes; Couto, Maria Inês Vieira; Matas, Carla Gentile; Carvalho, Ana Claudia Martinho de

2013-11-25

The aim of this study was to analyze the findings on Cortical Auditory Evoked Potentials in children with cochlear implant through a systematic literature review. After formulation of research question and search of studies in four data bases with the following descriptors: electrophysiology (eletrofisiologia), cochlear implantation (implante coclear), child (criança), neuronal plasticity (plasticidade neuronal) and audiology (audiologia), were selected articles (original and complete) published between 2002 and 2013 in Brazilian Portuguese or English. A total of 208 studies were found; however, only 13 contemplated the established criteria and were further analyzed; was made data extraction for analysis of methodology and content of the studies. The results described suggest rapid changes in P1 component of Cortical Auditory Evoked Potentials in children with cochlear implants. Although there are few studies on the theme, cochlear implant has been shown to produce effective changes in central auditory path ways especially in children implanted before 3 years and 6 months of age.

Children's (Pediatric) CT (Computed Tomography)

Medline Plus

Full Text Available ... children. top of page What are some common uses of the procedure? CT is used to help ... is done because a potential abnormality needs further evaluation with additional views or a special imaging technique. ...

Appraisals of Intervention: The Mother's versus the Culprit's Behavior as Determinants of Children's Evaluations of Discipline Techniques.

Science.gov (United States)

Siegal, Michael; Cowen, Jan

1984-01-01

Twenty children in each of five groups (mean ages in years and months of 5-9, 8-9, 11-9, 14-7, and 17-8) were asked to evaluate the disciplinary techniques employed by mothers over a range of situations in which a culprit was described as having transgressed. Children's disciplinary preferences were examined, and ratings of different techniques…

Continuous monitoring of back-wall stress corrosion cracking propagation by means of potential drop techniques

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sato, Yasumoto; Atsumi, Takeo; Shoji, Tetsuo

2006-01-01

In order to investigate the applicability of the potential drop techniques to the continuous monitoring of stress corrosion cracking (SCC) propagation, SCC tests were performed in a sodium thiosulfate solution at room temperature using plate specimens with weldments. The SCC propagation was monitored using the techniques of direct current potential drop (DCPD), alternating current potential drop (ACPD) and modified induced current potential drop (MICPD) on the reverse side that on which the SCC existed and effectiveness of each technique for the continuous monitoring from the reverse side of SCC was compared from the viewpoints of sensitivity to the crack propagation and measurement stability. The MICPD and DCPD techniques permit continuous monitoring of the back-wall SCC propagation, which initiates from a fatigue pre-crack at a depth of about 4 mm, from which it propagates through more than 80% of the specimen thickness. The MICPD technique can decrease the effect of the current flowing in the direction of the crack length by focusing the induced current into the local area of measurement using induction coils, so that the sensitivity of the continuous monitoring of the back wall SCC propagation is higher than that of the DCPD and ACPD techniques. (author)

Novel Method for Sizing Metallic Bottom Crack Depth Using Multi-frequency Alternating Current Potential Drop Technique

OpenAIRE

Li Yuting; Gan Fangji; Wan Zhengjun; Liao Junbi; Li Wenqiang

2015-01-01

Potential drop techniques are of two types: the direct current potential drop (DCPD) technique and alternating current potential drop (ACPD) technique, and both of them are used in nondestructive testing. ACPD, as a kind of valid method in sizing metal cracks, has been applied to evaluate metal structures. However, our review of most available approaches revealed that some improvements can be done in measuring depth of metal bottom crack by means of ACPD, such as accuracy and sensitivity of s...

Therapeutic techniques and their use for children with disabilities at school age

OpenAIRE

KOLÁŘOVÁ, Marie

2013-01-01

The topic of this bachelor thesis are therapheutical techniques and the way they are used in helping school-age children with disabilities. The theoretical part of this thesis defines the terms "therapy", "therapist" and ?comprehensive rehabilitation system?. Comprehensive rehabilitation system comprises not only occupational, social and pedagogical resources, but primarily also therapeutic resources that include (but are not limited to) therapies (e.g. ergotherapy, animal-assisted therapy, m...

Obesity prevention: Comparison of techniques and potential solution

Science.gov (United States)

Zulkepli, Jafri; Abidin, Norhaslinda Zainal; Zaibidi, Nerda Zura

2014-12-01

Over the years, obesity prevention has been a broadly studied subject by both academicians and practitioners. It is one of the most serious public health issue as it can cause numerous chronic health and psychosocial problems. Research is needed to suggest a population-based strategy for obesity prevention. In the academic environment, the importance of obesity prevention has triggered various problem solving approaches. A good obesity prevention model, should comprehend and cater all complex and dynamics issues. Hence, the main purpose of this paper is to discuss the qualitative and quantitative approaches on obesity prevention study and to provide an extensive literature review on various recent modelling techniques for obesity prevention. Based on these literatures, the comparison of both quantitative and qualitative approahes are highlighted and the justification on the used of system dynamics technique to solve the population of obesity is discussed. Lastly, a potential framework solution based on system dynamics modelling is proposed.

Optimum conditions for the determination of ionization potentials, appearance potentials and fine structure in ionization efficiency curves using edd technique

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Selim, Ezzat T.; El-Kholy, S.B.; Zahran, Nagwa F.

1978-01-01

The optimum conditions for determining ionization potentials as well as fine structure in electron impact ionization efficiency curves are studied using energy distribution difference technique. Applying these conditions to Ar + , Kr + , CO + 2 and N + from N 2 , very good agreement is obtained when compared with results determined by other techniques including UV spectroscopy. The merits and limitation of the technique are also discussed

Potential savings from redetermining disability among children receiving supplemental security income benefits.

Science.gov (United States)

Pulcini, Christian D; Kotelchuck, Milton; Kuhlthau, Karen A; Nozzolillo, Alixandra A; Perrin, James M

2012-01-01

To compare the costs of redetermining disability to potential savings in Supplemental Security Income payments associated with different strategies for implementing Continuing Disability Reviews (CDRs) among children potentially enrolled in SSI from 2012 to 2021. We reviewed publicly available reports from the Social Security Administration and Government Accountability Office to estimate costs and savings. We considered CDRs for children ages 1-17 years, excluding mandated low-birth weight and age 18 redeterminations that SSA routinely has performed. If in 2012 the Social Security Administration performs the same number of CDRs for children as in 2010 (16,677, 1% of eligibles) at a cessation rate of 15%, the agency would experience net savings of approximately $145 million in benefit payments. If CDR numbers increased to the greatest level ever (183,211, 22% of eligibles, in 1999) at the same cessation rate, the agency would save approximately $1.6 billion in benefit payments. Increasing the numbers of CDRs for children represents a considerable opportunity for savings. Recognizing the dynamic nature of disability, the agency could reassess the persistence of disability systematically; doing so could free up resources from children who are no longer eligible and help the agency better direct its benefits to recipients with ongoing disability and whose families need support to meet the extra costs associated with raising a child with a major disability. Copyright © 2012 Academic Pediatric Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Assessment and validation of bronchodilation using the interrupter technique in preschool children.

Science.gov (United States)

Mele, Laura; Sly, Peter D; Calogero, Claudia; Bernardini, Roberto; Novembre, Elio; Azzari, Chiara; de Martino, Maurizio; Lombardi, Enrico

2010-07-01

To determine and validate a cut-off value for bronchodilation using the interrupter resistance (Rint) in preschool children. Rint was measured in 60 healthy children (age range 2.7-6.4 years) before and after salbutamol inhalation (200 microg). Four potential methods for assessing BDR were evaluated: percent change from baseline, percent change of predicted values, absolute change in Rint, and change in Z-score. These cut-off values, determined as the fifth percentile of the healthy group, were applied to children referred for the assessment of recurrent wheezing, classified on the basis of acute symptoms and/or abnormal chest examination into symptomatic (n = 60, age range 2.9-6.1 years) and asymptomatic (n = 60, age range 2.5-5.7 years) groups. The cut-off values for bronchodilation calculated in healthy children were: -32% baseline; -33% predicted; -0.26 kPa L(-1) sec; and -1.25 Z-scores. Assessing BDR in children with a history of wheezing by either a decrease in absolute Rint or a decrease in Z-score gave sensitivity, specificity, negative predictive value, and positive predictive value all >80% for detecting children with current respiratory symptoms. Both a decrease in Rint > or =0.26 kPa L(-1) sec and a decrease in Z-score of > or =1.25 are appropriate for assessing BDR in preschool children with a history of recurrent wheezing. As Z-score is a more general solution, we recommend using a change in Z-score to determine BDR in preschool children. Further longitudinal studies will be required to determine the clinical utility of measuring BDR in managing lung disease in such children.

Patterns in consumption of potentially erosive beverages among adolescent school children in the Netherlands

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Gambon, D.L.; Brand, H.S.; Boutkabout, C.; Levie, D.; Veerman, E.C.I.

2011-01-01

AIM: To determine the frequency of intake and patterns in consumption of potentially erosive beverages in school children in the Netherlands. METHODS: A cross-sectional, single centre study was performed among 502 school children in Rotterdam, in age varying between 12 and 19 years. Data on

An effective bleaching technique for non-vital, discoloured teeth in children and adolescents.

LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

Leith, Rona

2009-08-01

Discolouration of a permanent incisor may have a significant social impact on children and adolescents. Intervention should be minimally destructive of tooth tissue and should not compromise future restorative options. This paper reviews the technique of inside\\/outside bleaching, and proposes it as an efficient, effective and acceptable method for use in the compliant younger patient with an unaesthetic non-vital tooth.

An examination of marketing techniques used to promote children's vitamins in parenting magazines.

Science.gov (United States)

Basch, Corey Hannah; Roberts, Katherine J; Ethan, Danna; Samayoa-Kozlowsky, Sandra

2014-11-26

More than a third of children and adolescents in the United States take vitamins even though professional medical organizations do not endorse their use in healthy children. Regardless of their efficacy, children's vitamin products are aggressively promoted. Therefore, the goal of this study was to describe and analyze advertisements related to vitamins in the following three popular parenting magazines, Parents, Parenting Early Years, and Parenting School Years. A total of 135 magazines across four years were reviewed.  There were 207 advertisements for children's vitamins, all in the form of chewy or gummy.  None of these advertisements included a dosage or a warning.  Almost all (92.3%) included a cartoon in the advertisement.  Almost a quarter (23.2%) of the advertisements promoted their product with the theme of prevention and more than half (51.2%) included the theme of peace of mind.  Parenting magazines are a popular medium for providing exposure to products geared towards children.  Companies that market children's vitamins in these magazines can increase awareness among parents of the risks by providing warning and dosage information in their advertisements.  Magazines can also play a role by encouraging responsible marketing and providing editorial content on children's vitamins and potential consequences of pediatric overdose.

Disciplinary style and child abuse potential: association with indicators of positive functioning in children with behavior problems.

Science.gov (United States)

Rodriguez, Christina M; Eden, Ann M

2008-06-01

Reduction of ineffective parenting is promoted in parent training components of mental health treatment for children with externalizing behavior disorders, but minimal research has considered whether disciplinary style and lower abuse risk could also be associated with positive functioning in such children. The present study examined whether lower dysfunctional disciplinary style and child abuse risk was associated with children's positive self-concept, adaptive attributional style, and hopefulness. Recruited from children undergoing treatment for disruptive behavior disorders, 69 mother-child dyads participated, with maternal caregivers reporting on their disciplinary style and abuse potential and children reporting independently on their positive functioning (adaptive attributional style, overall self-concept, and hopelessness). Findings supported the hypothesized association, with lower scores on mothers' dysfunctional discipline style and abuse potential significantly predicting children's reported positive functioning. Future research directions pertaining to more adaptive functioning in children with behavior problems are discussed.

Spatial Analysis for Potential Water Catchment Areas using GIS: Weighted Overlay Technique

Science.gov (United States)

Awanda, Disyacitta; Anugrah Nurul, H.; Musfiroh, Zahrotul; Dinda Dwi, N. P.

2017-12-01

The development of applied GIS is growing rapidly and has been widely applied in various fields. Preparation of a model to obtain information is one of the benefits of GIS. Obtaining information for water resources such as water catchment areas is one part of GIS modelling. Water catchment model can be utilized to see the distribution of potential and ability of a region in water absorbing. The use of overlay techniques with the weighting obtained from the literature from previous research is used to build the model. Model builder parameters are obtained through remote sensing interpretation techniques such as land use, landforms, and soil texture. Secondary data such as rock type maps are also used as water catchment model parameters. The location of this research is in the upstream part of the Opak river basin. The purpose of this research is to get information about potential distribution of water catchment area with overlay technique. The results of this study indicate the potential of water catchment areas with excellent category, good, medium, poor and very poor. These results may indicate that the Upper river basin is either good or in bad condition, so it can be used for better water resources management policy determination.

Ultrathin Silicon Sheet in the Management of Unilateral Post-traumatic Temporo-Mandibuar Joint Ankylosis in Children: A Good Alternative to Conventional Techniques.

Science.gov (United States)

Aggarwal, Sushil Kumar; Ankur, Bhatnagar; Jain, R K

2015-09-01

We have described a new technique of using ultra-thin silicon sheet (0.2 mm) between two transected bony ends for temporo-mandibular joint (TMJ) ankylosis in children with advantages of short operative time, minimal foreign material insertion and faster recovery time post-operatively which makes our technique a good alternative to conventional techniques. Our study is a non-randomized prospective study conducted on 10 children aged between 4 and 15 years who presented to our tertiary care institute with severe trismus after traumatic injury and were willing to undergo this new technique. The main outcome measure taken into consideration was difference between pre-operative, intra-operative (on table) and post-operative mouth opening (minimum 2 years follow-up). The pre-operative mouth opening in our cases varied from 1 to 5 mm. The intra-operative mouth opening achieved ranged from 2.8 to 3.2 cm. The mouth opening was about more than 2.7 cm in all our cases at 2 years of follow-up. Our technique is a good alternative to conventional techniques used for TMJ ankylosis in children but few more randomized controlled trials are required to assess its effectiveness in comparison to conventional techniques and for universal adoption of this technique.

Potential immediate hypersensitivity reactions following immunization in preschool aged children in Victoria, Australia.

Science.gov (United States)

Baxter, C-M; Clothier, H J; Perrett, K P

2018-04-06

Immediate hypersensitivity reactions (IHR) are rare but potentially serious adverse events following immunization (AEFI). Surveillance of Adverse Events following Vaccination in the Community (SAEFVIC) is an enhanced passive surveillance system that collects, analyses and reports information about AEFI in Victoria, Australia. We describe the incidence, timing and type of potential IHR following vaccination in preschool children reported over an 8-year period. A total of 2110 AEFI were reported in 1620 children, of which 23.5% (496) were classified as potential IHR. Of these, 37.1% (184) were suspected to be IgE-mediated, (including anaphylaxis, angioedema and/or urticaria) and 83.5% (414) occurred within 15 minutes of vaccination. The incidence of potential IHR was 5.4 per 100,000 doses, with that of suspected IgE-mediated IHR being 2.0 per 100,000 doses. The incidence of anaphylaxis was extremely low (0.13 per 100,000 doses) and is consistent with other published studies. Potential IHR following immunization should be reported to appropriate local pharmacovigilance systems and patients reviewed by specialists able to evaluate, investigate and manage future vaccinations.

The arithmetic problem size effect in children: an event-related potential study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Leen eVan Beek

2014-09-01

Full Text Available This study used for the first time event-related potentials (ERPs to examine the well-known arithmetic problem size effect in children. The electrophysiological correlates of this problem size effect have been well documented in adults, but such information in children is lacking. In the present study, 22 typically developing 12-year-olds were asked to solve single-digit addition problems of small (sum ≤ 10 and large problem size (sum > 10 and to speak the solution into a voice key while ERPs were recorded. Children displayed similar early and late components compared to previous adult studies on the problem size effect. There was no effect of problem size on the early components P1, N1 and P2. The peak amplitude of the N2 component showed more negative potentials on left and right anterior electrodes for large additions compared to small additions, which might reflect differences in attentional and working memory resources between large and small problems. The mean amplitude of the late positivity component (LPC, which follows the N2, was significantly larger for large than for small additions at right parieto-occipital electrodes, in line with previous adult data. The ERPs of the problem size effect during arithmetic might be a useful neural marker for future studies on fact retrieval impairments in children with mathematical difficulties.

The Effect of Therapeutic Clowning on Handwashing Technique and Microbial Colonization in Preschool Children.

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Arıkan, Duygu; Gürarslan Baş, Nazan; Kurudirek, Fatma; Baştopcu, Ayşe; Uslu, Hakan

2018-05-15

This study aimed to determine the effect of therapeutic clowning on handwashing technique and microbial colonization in preschool children. This randomized controlled trial was conducted using pre-test and post-test experimental and control groups. The study was conducted between March and June 2016 in two kindergartens in eastern Turkey. The study was completed with a total of 195 students, including 90 students in the experimental group and 105 students in the control group. A questionnaire was used for data collection. This questionnaire included sections about the subjects' descriptive characteristics and the results of the bacterial cultures of their hand swabs. For the collection of these swabs, the subjects were informed in advance, and samples were collected at predetermined times. The swabs were analyzed to determine the bacterial colonization of the subjects' hands. Clowns and video activities were used as intervention tools in the study. In the post-test, the microbial growth was ≤10 3 in 68.9% and >10 3 in 31.1% of the subjects in the experimental group. In contrast, the growth was ≤10 3 in 34.3% and >10 3 in 65.7% of the control group subjects. The difference in the post-test microbial growths of the two groups was statistically significant (p < .000). The hygienic handwashing technique taught in the therapeutic clowning and videos reduced the bacterial colonization on the preschool children's hands by 50%. Moreover, this method was effective in reducing the growth rate of coliform bacteria that indicate undesirable, poor hygiene of the hands. Considering these results, we recommend that pediatric healthcare professionals use entertaining methods such as those involving clowns to teach and guide children regarding hygienic handwashing techniques. © 2018 Sigma Theta Tau International.

Auditory evoked potentials: predicting speech therapy outcomes in children with phonological disorders

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Renata Aparecida Leite

2014-03-01

Full Text Available OBJECTIVES: This study investigated whether neurophysiologic responses (auditory evoked potentials differ between typically developed children and children with phonological disorders and whether these responses are modified in children with phonological disorders after speech therapy. METHODS: The participants included 24 typically developing children (Control Group, mean age: eight years and ten months and 23 children clinically diagnosed with phonological disorders (Study Group, mean age: eight years and eleven months. Additionally, 12 study group children were enrolled in speech therapy (Study Group 1, and 11 were not enrolled in speech therapy (Study Group 2. The subjects were submitted to the following procedures: conventional audiological, auditory brainstem response, auditory middle-latency response, and P300 assessments. All participants presented with normal hearing thresholds. The study group 1 subjects were reassessed after 12 speech therapy sessions, and the study group 2 subjects were reassessed 3 months after the initial assessment. Electrophysiological results were compared between the groups. RESULTS: Latency differences were observed between the groups (the control and study groups regarding the auditory brainstem response and the P300 tests. Additionally, the P300 responses improved in the study group 1 children after speech therapy. CONCLUSION: The findings suggest that children with phonological disorders have impaired auditory brainstem and cortical region pathways that may benefit from speech therapy.

MR urography in children. Pt. 1. How we do the F0 technique

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Vivier, Pierre-Hugues; Dacher, Jean-Nicolas [University Hospital of Rouen, Department of Radiology, Rouen (France); University of Rouen, LITIS Laboratory EA 4108, School of Medicine and Pharmacy, Rouen (France); Dolores, Michael [University Hospital of Rouen, Department of Radiology, Rouen (France); Taylor, Melissa [Ambroise Pare Hospital, Department of Paediatrics, Boulogne Billancourt (France); Elbaz, Frederic; Liard, Agnes [University Hospital of Rouen, Department of Pediatric Surgery, Rouen (France)

2010-05-15

MR urography (MRU) has been widely accepted as a substitute to intravenous urography for investigating children with a dilated urinary tract after preliminary assessment by US and voiding cystourethrography. Hydronephrosis is by far the main indication for MRU because upper tract dilatation is a frequent condition in infants and children. Recent advances in technology have allowed MR to go beyond morphology and to assess renal function parameters such as split renal function and drainage. In this article we report our routine practice of the F0 MRU technique. The main advantages of our protocol are no requirement for general anaesthesia, no bladder catheterization, use of low-dose gadolinium-based contrast agent (0.05-0.1 mmol/kg) and total acquisition time of 30 min or less. (orig.)

An evaluation of children's metered-dose inhaler technique for asthma medications.

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Burkhart, Patricia V; Rayens, Mary Kay; Bowman, Roxanne K

2005-03-01

Regardless of the medication delivery system, health care providers need to teach accurate medication administration techniques to their patients, educate them about the particular nuances of the prescribed delivery system (eg, proper storage), and reinforce these issues at each health encounter. A single instruction session is not sufficient to maintain appropriate inhaler techniques for patients who require continued use. Providing written steps for the administration technique is helpful so that the patient can refer to them later when using the medication. The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute's "Practical Guide for the Diagnosis and Management of Asthma" recommends that practitioners follow these steps for effective inhaler technique training when first prescribing an inhaler: 1. Teach patients the steps and give written instruction handouts. 2. Demonstrate how to use the inhaler step-by-step. 3. Ask patients to demonstrate how to use the inhaler. Let the patient refer to the handout on the first training. Then use the handout asa checklist to assess the patient's future technique. 4. Provide feedback to patients about what they did right and what they need to improve. Have patients demonstrate their technique again, if necessary. The last two steps should be performed (ie, demonstration and providing feedback on what patients did right and what they need to improve) at every subsequent visit. If the patient makes multiple errors, it is advisable to focus on improving one or two key steps at a time. With improvements in drug delivery come challenges, necessitating that practitioners stay current with new medication administration techniques. Teaching and reinforcing accurate technique at each health care encounter are critical to help ensure medication efficacy for patients with asthma. Since one fifth of children in the study performed incorrect medication technique even after education, checklists of steps for the correct use of inhalation devices

Participation of Children in Medical Decision-Making: Challenges and Potential Solutions.

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Jeremic, Vida; Sénécal, Karine; Borry, Pascal; Chokoshvili, Davit; Vears, Danya F

2016-12-01

Participation in healthcare decision-making is considered to be an important right of minors, and is highlighted in both international legislation and public policies. However, despite the legal recognition of children's rights to participation, and also the benefits that children experience by their involvement, there is evidence that legislation is not always translated into healthcare practice. There are a number of factors that may impact on the ability of the child to be involved in decisions regarding their medical care. Some of these factors relate to the child, including their capacity to be actively involved in these decisions. Others relate to the family situation, sociocultural context, or the underlying beliefs and practices of the healthcare provider involved. In spite of these challenges to including children in decisions regarding their clinical care, we argue that it is an important factor in their treatment. The extent to which children should participate in this process should be determined on a case-by-case basis, taking all of the potential barriers into account.

Results of a bone splint technique for the treatment of lower limb deformities in children with type I osteogenesis imperfecta

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Dasheng Lin

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Background: Children with osteogenesis imperfecta (OI can suffer from frequent fractures and limb deformities, resulting in impaired ambulation. Osteopenia and thin cortices complicate orthopedic treatment in this group. This study evaluates the clinical results of a bone splint technique for the treatment of lower limb deformities in children with type I OI. The technique consists of internal plating combined with cortical strut allograft fixation. Materials and Methods: We prospectively followed nine children (five boys, four girls with lower limb deformities due to type I OI, who had been treated with the bone splint technique (11 femurs, four tibias between 2003 and 2006. The fracture healing time, deformity improvement, ambulation ability and complications were recorded to evaluate treatment effects. Results: At the time of surgery the average age in our study was 7.7 years (range 5-12 years. The average length of followup was 69 months (range 60-84 months. All patients had good fracture healing with an average healing time of 14 weeks (range 12-16 weeks and none experienced further fractures, deformity, or nonunion. The fixation remained stable throughout the procedure in all cases, with no evidence of loosening or breakage of screws and the deformity and mobility significantly improved after surgery. Of the two children confined to bed before surgery, one was able to walk on crutches and the other needed a wheelchair. The other seven patients could walk without walking aids or support like crutches. Conclusions: These findings suggest that the bone splint technique provides good mechanical support and increases the bone mass. It is an effective treatment for children with OI and lower limb deformities.

Purposeful Collections: Exploiting the Potential of Children's Literature in the Classroom

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Boyd, Maureen; Montgomery, Lydia; Paterson, Devon; Schrag, Jolene

2006-01-01

Purposefully selected collections of literature can extend, contrast or illuminate an experience or perspective to effectively exploit the potential of children's literature to shape curriculum and engage student learning. This paper offers a practical framework for creating purposeful collections of literature. As an illustration of this process,…

Dynamic distance direct ophthalmoscopy, a novel technique to assess accommodation in children

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Mihir Kothari

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Aim: To describe and compare dynamic distance direct ophthalmoscopy (DDDO with dynamic retinoscopy (DR in assessment of accommodation in children. Materials and Methods: This prospective observational study had four components. Component 1: to understand the characteristic digital images of DDDO. Component 2: to compare DDDO with DR for detection of accommodative defects in children (1-16 years. Component 3: to compare DDDO with DR for the detection of completeness of pharmacologically induced cycloplegia in children (5-16 years and Component 4: to assess which one of the two techniques was more sensitive to detect onset of cycloplegia after instillation of 1% cyclopentolate eye drops. Results: Component 1: image analysis of DDDO on two subjects (7 years and 35 years demonstrated superior pupillary crescent that progressively disappeared with increasing accommodation. Concurrently an inferior crescent appeared that became bigger in size with increasing accommodation. Component 2: the prevalence of defects in accommodation was 3.3% (33/1000 children. Three had unilateral accommodation failure. Sensitivity of DDDO was 94%, specificity 100%, positive predictive value 100%, negative predictive value 99%, and clinical agreement (kappa 0.97. Component 3: in the detection of completeness of pharmacologically induced cycloplegia (n=30, the sensitivity of DDDO was 94%, specificity 96%, positive predictive value 97%, negative predictive value 93% and kappa 0.9. DR had two false positives. DDDO had one false negative. Component 4: DDDO detected onset of pharmacologically induced cycloplegia 5 min earlier than DR (n=5. Conclusion: DDDO is a novel, simple, clinical and reliable method to assess accommodation in young children. This test can assess the accommodative response of both eyes simultaneously.

Free-breathing quantification of hepatic fat in healthy children and children with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease using a multi-echo 3-D stack-of-radial MRI technique.

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Armstrong, Tess; Ly, Karrie V; Murthy, Smruthi; Ghahremani, Shahnaz; Kim, Grace Hyun J; Calkins, Kara L; Wu, Holden H

2018-05-04

In adults, noninvasive chemical shift encoded Cartesian magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and single-voxel magnetic resonance (MR) spectroscopy (SVS) accurately quantify hepatic steatosis but require breath-holding. In children, especially young and sick children, breath-holding is often limited or not feasible. Sedation can facilitate breath-holding but is highly undesirable. For these reasons, there is a need to develop free-breathing MRI technology that accurately quantifies steatosis in all children. This study aimed to compare non-sedated free-breathing multi-echo 3-D stack-of-radial (radial) MRI versus standard breath-holding MRI and SVS techniques in a group of children for fat quantification with respect to image quality, accuracy and repeatability. Healthy children (n=10, median age [±interquartile range]: 10.9 [±3.3] years) and overweight children with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) (n=9, median age: 15.2 [±3.2] years) were imaged at 3 Tesla using free-breathing radial MRI, breath-holding Cartesian MRI and breath-holding SVS. Acquisitions were performed twice to assess repeatability (within-subject mean difference, MD within ). Images and hepatic proton-density fat fraction (PDFF) maps were scored for image quality. Free-breathing and breath-holding PDFF were compared using linear regression (correlation coefficient, r and concordance correlation coefficient, ρ c ) and Bland-Altman analysis (mean difference). Phepatic PDFF measurements and improved image quality, compared to standard breath-holding MR techniques.

An evaluation of nutritional status of children in Anganwadi Centre of Hyderabad district of Andhra Pradesh stateusing WHO z- score technique

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Shanawaz

2013-01-01

Full Text Available BACKGROUND In India the nationwide Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS uses the I.A.P criteria to grade under nutrition. The current WHO recommendation is to use Z score or the standard deviation system to grade under nutrition. Although widely recommended the z scores have not been widely used in India, especially in community based studies. AIMS & OBJECTIVES 1. To assess the socio-demographic profile of 0-72 months age group of children. 2. To find out the nutritional status of children using WHO z- score technique. METHODOLOGY A cross sectional, community-based was done in ICDS Anganwadi centers among the 400 ICDS children (0-6 years RESULTS There are (47.5% undernourished and (16.5% severely malnourished children according to WHO z score technique. Males (49.5% are comparatively more under nourished than females (45.5%. Female infants (31.2% are less undernourished when compared to male infants (50%. Literacy of mother had significance over the nutritional status of their children (p˂0.05. CONCLUSION The present study shows that there are still many children who are undernourished and severely malnourished in our country, even after 36 years of ICDS services. There is need to use WHO standards at the grass route levels to correctly identify the burden of under nutrition. Z score technique is simple to use, reliable and easy to understand at grass route level by health workers.

Food and beverage TV advertising to young children: Measuring exposure and potential impact.

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Harris, Jennifer L; Kalnova, Svetlana S

2018-04-01

Children of all ages are vulnerable to influence from exposure to unhealthy food advertisements, but experts raise additional concerns about children under 6 due to their more limited cognitive abilities. Most companies in the U.S. Children's Food and Beverage Advertising Initiative (CFBAI) industry self-regulatory program pledge to not direct any advertising to children under 6. However, young children also watch programming primarily directed to older children and thus may view food-related advertising despite companies' pledges. Research is required to understand the amount and potential impact of this exposure on preschool-age children. Study 1 uses Nielsen advertising exposure data to compare preschoolers' (2-5 years) and older children's (6-11 years) exposure to food advertising in 2015. Preschoolers viewed on average 3.2 food ads daily on children's programming, just 6% fewer compared to 6- to 11-year-olds; over 60% were placed by CFBAI-participating companies. Study 2 exposed young children (N = 49) in a child-care setting to child-directed food ads, measured their attitudes about the ads and advertised brands, and compared responses by 4- to 5-year-olds and 6- to 7-year olds. Most children indicated that they liked the child-directed ads, with media experience associated with greater liking for both age groups. Ad liking and previous consumption independently predicted brand liking for both age groups, although previous consumption was a stronger predictor for older children. Despite pledges by food companies to not direct advertising to children under age 6, preschoolers continue to view advertisements placed by these companies daily, including on children's programming. This advertising likely increases children's preferences for nutritionally poor advertised brands. Food companies and media companies airing children's programming should do more to protect young children from advertising that takes advantage of their vulnerabilities. Copyright © 2017

Contribution of radioimmunological techniques on the management of undernourished children in Senegal

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mbodj, M.; Gassama, S.S.; Sow, H.T.; Ndoye, O.; Ndong, B.; Diarra, M.; Sarr, M.; Diagne, I.; Diouf, S.

2007-01-01

Malnutrition in children continues to be a major health burden in Senegal. The main objective of this study was to discuss the existence of a thyroid disease induced by the various deficiencies, among which iodine, in these children and to assess the effects of the treatment on the thyroid function. Materials and methods Sixty eight children divided in a random way in two groups according to the addition or not of marine algae Hypnea to the traditional nutritional supplementation were included in the study. To appreciate at the same time the nutritional and biological state and to follow the evolution under treatment, the anthropometric parameters were the ratios: weight/age, weight/size, and height/age. Radioimmunoassays of free T3, free T4 and immunoradiometric assays of TSH were carried out in undernourished children before and after supplementation enriched or not in algae. Other blood parameters were measured among them protides, magnesium, and hemoglobin. Results They showed two types of biological abnormalities: low T3 syndrome (8.6%), compensated functional hypothyroidism (9%). The treatment induced neither iodine overload, nor thyroid disease. Conclusion In the program of nutritional rehabilitation, the isotopic techniques allow us to establish the low prevalence (17.6%) of the disturbances of the thyroid function (low T3 syndrome and compensated functional hypothyroidism, thus providing the differential diagnosis), and to confirm the absence of any thyroid disease induced by the iodine supply of the marine algae Hypnea. (authors)

Television advertising of foodstuffs potentially detrimental to oral health--a content analysis and comparison of children's and primetime broadcasts.

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Chestnutt, I G; Ashraf, F J

2002-06-01

The study aimed to examine the nature, content and duration of advertisements broadcast during children's television; determine the proportion of advertisements promoting food; identify the potential of the food advertised to be detrimental to oral health; and to compare the nature and content of advertisements aimed at children with those transmitted during evening 'primetime' television. Children's and primetime television, broadcast on a main independent terrestrial channel in South Wales were video recorded, 237 and 42 hours being analysed in total. Analysis of the recording resulted in a total of 3,236 commercials, of which 2,345 were broadcast during children's television and 891 in primetime. During children's TV, 62.5% of advertising time was devoted to foodstuffs, significantly greater (Padvertising foods during primetime. Of the time spent advertising foods, during children's television 73.4% was devoted to products deemed potentially detrimental to oral health (primarily high in sugar), compared to 18.6% similarly categorised during evening television. Commercials for products which have the potential to adversely affect oral health constitute a large proportion of advertising time during children's television. Current codes of the Independent Television Commission governing advertising directed at children should be reviewed.

Critique: Can Children with AD/HD Learn Relaxation and Breathing Techniques through Biofeedback Video Games?

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Wright, Craig; Conlon, Elizabeth

2009-01-01

This article presents a critique on K. Amon and A. Campbell's "Can children with AD/HD learn relaxation and breathing techniques through biofeedback video games?". Amon and Campbell reported a successful trial of a commercially available biofeedback program, "The Wild Divine", in reducing symptoms of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)…

Weekday and weekend food advertising varies on children's television in the USA but persuasive techniques and unhealthy items still dominate.

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Vilaro, M J; Barnett, T E; Watson, A M; Merten, J W; Mathews, A E

2017-01-01

In 2006, food industry self-regulatory efforts aimed to balance the mix of food advertisements to limit children's exposure to unhealthy food products. An update to these efforts proposed to eliminate all unhealthy advertisements during peak child viewing times and implement uniform nutrition criteria by December, 2013. Marketing techniques are not currently addressed in self-regulatory efforts. The food industry's pledge prompted researchers to conduct a content analysis to assess nutritional quality and presence of persuasive marketing techniques in child-directed food and beverage advertisements. Content analysis. 32 h of children's television programming were recorded in February, 2013. Three independent coders assessed the nutritional content of food and beverage advertisements using the UK Nutrition Profiling System and assessed presence of persuasive techniques (PTs) using a rating form developed for this study. Overall, 13.75% of advertisements promoted a food or beverage product. Most food advertisements, 54.6%, represented unhealthy products and 95.48% of food advertisements contained at least one PT. The number of PTs was not significantly different for healthy (M = 4.98, SD = 2.07) and unhealthy food advertisements (M = 4.66, SD = 1.82) however food advertisements aimed at children used significantly more PTs (M = 5.5, SD = 1.43) than those targeting adults (M = 1.52, SD = 1.54), t (153) = 11.738, P food advertisements compared to weekday morning children's programming. While a majority of food-related advertisements represented unhealthy items, advertisements airing during Saturday morning programming featured fewer food advertisements overall and were more frequently for healthier items compared to weekdays. Industry self-regulation may not be effective for reducing overall unhealthy ad exposure but may play a role in reduced exposure on weekends. Despite policy efforts, additional changes are needed to improve ad exposure

Potential of extracellular microRNAs as biomarkers of acetaminophen toxicity in children

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Yang, Xi, E-mail: Xi.Yang@fda.hhs.gov [Division of Systems Biology, National Center for Toxicological Research, Food and Drug Administration, 3900 NCTR Road, Jefferson, AR (United States); Salminen, William F., E-mail: Willie.Salminen@parexel.com [Division of Systems Biology, National Center for Toxicological Research, Food and Drug Administration, 3900 NCTR Road, Jefferson, AR (United States); Shi, Qiang, E-mail: Qiang.Shi@fda.hhs.gov [Division of Systems Biology, National Center for Toxicological Research, Food and Drug Administration, 3900 NCTR Road, Jefferson, AR (United States); Greenhaw, James, E-mail: James.Greenhaw@fda.hhs.gov [Division of Systems Biology, National Center for Toxicological Research, Food and Drug Administration, 3900 NCTR Road, Jefferson, AR (United States); Gill, Pritmohinder S., E-mail: PSGill@uams.edu [Department of Pediatrics, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR (United States); Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology Section, Arkansas Children' s Hospital, Little Rock, AR (United States); Bhattacharyya, Sudeepa, E-mail: SBhattacharyya2@uams.edu [Department of Pediatrics, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR (United States); Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology Section, Arkansas Children' s Hospital, Little Rock, AR (United States); Beger, Richard D., E-mail: Richard.Beger@fda.hhs.gov [Division of Systems Biology, National Center for Toxicological Research, Food and Drug Administration, 3900 NCTR Road, Jefferson, AR (United States); Mendrick, Donna L., E-mail: Donna.Mendrick@fda.hhs.gov [Division of Systems Biology, National Center for Toxicological Research, Food and Drug Administration, 3900 NCTR Road, Jefferson, AR (United States); Mattes, William B., E-mail: William.Mattes@fda.hhs.gov [Division of Systems Biology, National Center for Toxicological Research, Food and Drug Administration, 3900 NCTR Road, Jefferson, AR (United States); and others

2015-04-15

Developing biomarkers for detecting acetaminophen (APAP) toxicity has been widely investigated. Recent studies of adults with APAP-induced liver injury have reported human serum microRNA-122 (miR-122) as a novel biomarker of APAP-induced liver injury. The goal of this study was to examine extracellular microRNAs (miRNAs) as potential biomarkers for APAP liver injury in children. Global levels of serum and urine miRNAs were examined in three pediatric subgroups: 1) healthy children (n = 10), 2) hospitalized children receiving therapeutic doses of APAP (n = 10) and 3) children hospitalized for APAP overdose (n = 8). Out of 147 miRNAs detected in the APAP overdose group, eight showed significantly increased median levels in serum (miR-122, -375, -423-5p, -30d-5p, -125b-5p, -4732-5p, -204-5p, and -574-3p), compared to the other groups. Analysis of urine samples from the same patients had significantly increased median levels of four miRNAs (miR-375, -940, -9-3p and -302a) compared to the other groups. Importantly, correlation of peak serum APAP protein adduct levels (an indicator of the oxidation of APAP to the reactive metabolite N-acetyl-para-quinone imine) with peak miRNA levels showed that the highest correlation was observed for serum miR-122 (R = 0.94; p < 0.01) followed by miR-375 (R = 0.70; p = 0.05). Conclusion: Our findings demonstrate that miRNAs are increased in children with APAP toxicity and correlate with APAP protein adducts, suggesting a potential role as biomarkers of APAP toxicity. - Highlights: • Serum miR-122 and miR-375 levels were increased in children with APAP overdose. • Urine levels of miR-375 and miR-940 were increased in the APAP overdose group. • Peak serum miR-122 levels were correlated with peak serum APAP protein adducts.

Exhaled breath profiling using broadband quantum cascade laser-based spectroscopy in healthy children and children with asthma and cystic fibrosis.

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van Mastrigt, E; Reyes-Reyes, A; Brand, K; Bhattacharya, N; Urbach, H P; Stubbs, A P; de Jongste, J C; Pijnenburg, M W

2016-04-08

Exhaled breath analysis is a potential non-invasive tool for diagnosing and monitoring airway diseases. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and electrochemical sensor arrays are the main techniques to detect volatile organic compounds (VOC) in exhaled breath. We developed a broadband quantum cascade laser spectroscopy technique for VOC detection and identification. The objective of this study was to assess the repeatability of exhaled breath profiling with broadband quantum cascade laser-based spectroscopy and to explore the clinical applicability by comparing exhaled breath samples from healthy children with those from children with asthma or cystic fibrosis (CF). Healthy children and children with stable asthma or stable CF, aged 6-18 years, were included. Two to four exhaled breath samples were collected in Tedlar bags and analyzed by quantum cascade laser spectroscopy to detect VOCs with an absorption profile in the wavenumber region between 832 and 1262.55 cm(-1). We included 35 healthy children, 39 children with asthma and 15 with CF. Exhaled breath VOC profiles showed poor repeatability (Spearman's rho  =  0.36 to 0.46) and agreement of the complete profiles. However, we were able to discriminate healthy children from children with stable asthma or stable CF and identified VOCs that were responsible for this discrimination. Broadband quantum cascade laser-based spectroscopy detected differences in VOC profiles in exhaled breath samples between healthy children and children with asthma or CF. The combination of a relatively easy and fast method and the possibility of molecule identification makes broadband quantum cascade laser-based spectroscopy attractive to investigate the diagnostic and prognostic potential of volatiles in exhaled breath.

The resource potential of social protection of children with disabilities and the efficiency of its use

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E. R. Kalimullina

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Over a long period of reforms, political, economic and social situation in the Russian Federation has changed significantly. Formed during transformation of the Russian economy, economic relations provoked a change in established patterns of socio-economic behavior of the population that determined the need for significant changes in the system of social security of citizens, especially in the social protection of families raising children with disabilities. Over the past five years has taken significant steps to improve the legislative norms regulating the situation of children with disabilities, which served as the preamble to the achievement of certain positive results, however, economic and social support for families raising children with disabilities, remains low. Equally important is the fact that the appearance of a fundamentally new for Russia, economic, social and institutional relations in this field has necessitated the study of various economic foundations of social protection of children with disabilities. To date this subject, though its importance was not considered in scientific research that determines the relevance of this dissertation work, its scientific and practical importance. The article discusses the conceptual basis of the resource potential of social protection of children with disabilities in the framework of the modern economic realities of the state policy on social-the shield of the population. A key aspect of the research was to determine the qualitative and quantitative level of resources, required to fully meet all the needs of potential customers, that is children with disabilities. The syllogism of the study is to identify criteria for the effectiveness of the services provided to children with disabilities the use of the resource potential of bodies of social protection.

Hunger in children in the United States: potential behavioral and emotional correlates.

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Kleinman, R E; Murphy, J M; Little, M; Pagano, M; Wehler, C A; Regal, K; Jellinek, M S

1998-01-01

Results from a recent series of surveys from 9 states and the District of Columbia by the Community Childhood Hunger Identification Project (CCHIP) provide an estimate that 4 million American children experience prolonged periodic food insufficiency and hunger each year, 8% of the children under the age of 12 in this country. The same studies show that an additional 10 million children are at risk for hunger. The current study examined the relationship between hunger as defined by the CCHIP measure (food insufficiency attributable to constrained resources) and variables reflecting the psychosocial functioning of low-income, school-aged children. The study group included 328 parents and children from a CCHIP study of families with at least 1 child under the age of 12 years living in the city of Pittsburgh and the surrounding Allegheny County. A two-stage area probability sampling design with standard cluster techniques was used. All parents whose child was between the ages of 6 and 12 years at the time of interview were asked to complete a Pediatric Symptom Checklist, a brief parent-report questionnaire that assesses children's emotional and behavioral symptoms. Hunger status was defined by parent responses to the standard 8 food-insufficiency questions from the CCHIP survey that are used to classify households and children as "hungry," "at-risk for hunger," or "not hungry." In an area probability sample of low-income families, those defined as hungry on the CCHIP measure were significantly more likely to have clinical levels of psychosocial dysfunction on the Pediatric Symptom Checklist than children defined as at-risk for hunger or not hungry. Analysis of individual items and factor scores on the Pediatric Symptom Checklist showed that virtually all behavioral, emotional, and academic problems were more prevalent in hungry children, but that aggression and anxiety had the strongest degree of association with experiences of hunger. Children from families that

Lung magnetic resonance imaging for pneumonia in children

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liszewski, Mark C.; Goerkem, Suereyya; Sodhi, Kushaljit S.; Lee, Edward Y.

2017-01-01

Technical factors have historically limited the role of MRI in the evaluation of pneumonia in children in routine clinical practice. As imaging technology has advanced, recent studies utilizing practical MR imaging protocols have shown MRI to be an accurate potential alternative to CT for the evaluation of pneumonia and its complications. This article provides up-to-date MR imaging techniques that can be implemented in most radiology departments to evaluate pneumonia in children. Imaging findings in pneumonia on MRI are also reviewed. In addition, the current literature describing the diagnostic performance of MRI for pneumonia is discussed. Furthermore, potential risks and limitations of MRI for the evaluation of pneumonia in children are described. (orig.)

Lung magnetic resonance imaging for pneumonia in children.

Science.gov (United States)

Liszewski, Mark C; Görkem, Süreyya; Sodhi, Kushaljit S; Lee, Edward Y

2017-10-01

Technical factors have historically limited the role of MRI in the evaluation of pneumonia in children in routine clinical practice. As imaging technology has advanced, recent studies utilizing practical MR imaging protocols have shown MRI to be an accurate potential alternative to CT for the evaluation of pneumonia and its complications. This article provides up-to-date MR imaging techniques that can be implemented in most radiology departments to evaluate pneumonia in children. Imaging findings in pneumonia on MRI are also reviewed. In addition, the current literature describing the diagnostic performance of MRI for pneumonia is discussed. Furthermore, potential risks and limitations of MRI for the evaluation of pneumonia in children are described.

Lung magnetic resonance imaging for pneumonia in children

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Liszewski, Mark C. [Montefiore Medical Center and Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Department of Radiology, Division of Pediatric Radiology, Bronx, NY (United States); Goerkem, Suereyya [Erciyes University School of Medicine, Department of Radiology, Pediatric Radiology Section, Kayseri (Turkey); Sodhi, Kushaljit S. [Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Department of Radiodiagnosis and Imaging, Chandigarh (India); Lee, Edward Y. [Boston Children' s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Department of Radiology, Boston, MA (United States)

2017-10-15

Technical factors have historically limited the role of MRI in the evaluation of pneumonia in children in routine clinical practice. As imaging technology has advanced, recent studies utilizing practical MR imaging protocols have shown MRI to be an accurate potential alternative to CT for the evaluation of pneumonia and its complications. This article provides up-to-date MR imaging techniques that can be implemented in most radiology departments to evaluate pneumonia in children. Imaging findings in pneumonia on MRI are also reviewed. In addition, the current literature describing the diagnostic performance of MRI for pneumonia is discussed. Furthermore, potential risks and limitations of MRI for the evaluation of pneumonia in children are described. (orig.)

Gastrointestinal ultrasound in neonates, infants and children

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lobo, Maria Luisa; Roque, Mariana

2014-01-01

Today US plays an important and increasing role in the assessment of many, partially age-specific conditions in the GI tract in neonates, infants and children. Knowledge of the potential capabilities of US and its restrictions together with a skillful performance of GI US examination can provide essential anatomic and functional diagnostic information in many pediatric GI disorders. The aim of this review is to highlight the potential of ultrasound (US) in the evaluation of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract in neonates, infants and children. Basic and potential applications of modern US tools in pediatric GI tract are addressed, the GI US examination technique is discussed – including some common and/or typical clinical applications of and indications for US

Multi-technique quantitative analysis and socioeconomic considerations of lead, cadmium, and arsenic in children's toys and toy jewelry.

Science.gov (United States)

Hillyer, Margot M; Finch, Lauren E; Cerel, Alisha S; Dattelbaum, Jonathan D; Leopold, Michael C

2014-08-01

A wide spectrum and large number of children's toys and toy jewelry items were purchased from both bargain and retail vendors and analyzed for arsenic, cadmium, and lead metal content using multiple analytical techniques, including flame and furnace atomic absorption spectroscopy as well as X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy. Particularly dangerous for young children, metal concentrations in toys/toy jewelry were assessed for compliance with current Consumer Safety Product Commission (CPSC) regulations (F963-11). A conservative metric involving multiple analytical techniques was used to categorize compliance: one technique confirmation of metal in excess of CPSC limits indicated a "suspect" item while confirmation on two different techniques warranted a non-compliant designation. Sample matrix-based standard addition provided additional confirmation of non-compliant and suspect products. Results suggest that origin of purchase, rather than cost, is a significant factor in the risk assessment of these materials with 57% of toys/toy jewelry items from bargain stores non-compliant or suspect compared to only 15% from retail outlets and 13% if only low cost items from the retail stores are compared. While jewelry was found to be the most problematic product (73% of non-compliant/suspect samples), lead (45%) and arsenic (76%) were the most dominant toxins found in non-compliant/suspect samples. Using the greater Richmond area as a model, the discrepancy between bargain and retail children's products, along with growing numbers of bargain stores in low-income and urban areas, exemplifies an emerging socioeconomic public health issue. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Carotid artery intima-media thickness measurement in children with normal and increased body mass index: a comparison of three techniques.

Science.gov (United States)

El Jalbout, Ramy; Cloutier, Guy; Cardinal, Marie-Hélène Roy; Henderson, Mélanie; Lapierre, Chantale; Soulez, Gilles; Dubois, Josée

2018-05-09

Common carotid artery intima-media thickness is a marker of subclinical atherosclerosis. In children, increased intima-media thickness is associated with obesity and the risk of cardiovascular events in adulthood. To compare intima-media thickness measurements using B-mode ultrasound, radiofrequency (RF) echo tracking, and RF speckle probability distribution in children with normal and increased body mass index (BMI). We prospectively measured intima-media thickness in 120 children randomly selected from two groups of a longitudinal cohort: normal BMI and increased BMI, defined by BMI ≥85th percentile for age and gender. We followed Mannheim recommendations. We used M'Ath-Std for automated B-mode imaging, M-line processing of RF signal amplitude for RF echo tracking, and RF signal segmentation and averaging using probability distributions defining image speckle. Statistical analysis included Wilcoxon and Mann-Whitney tests, and Pearson correlation coefficient and intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC). Children were 10-13 years old (mean: 11.7 years); 61% were boys. The mean age was 11.4 years (range: 10.0-13.1 years) for the normal BMI group and 12.0 years (range: 10.1-13.5 years) for the increased BMI group. The normal BMI group included 58% boys and the increased BMI group 63% boys. RF echo tracking method was successful in 79 children as opposed to 114 for the B-mode method and all 120 for the probability distribution method. Techniques were weakly correlated: ICC=0.34 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.27-0.39). Intima-media thickness was significantly higher in the increased BMI than normal BMI group using the RF techniques and borderline for the B-mode technique. Mean differences between weight groups were: B-mode, 0.02 mm (95% CI: 0.00 to 0.04), P=0.05; RF echo tracking, 0.03 mm (95% CI: 0.01 to 0.05), P=0.01; and RF speckle probability distribution, 0.03 mm (95% CI: 0.01 to 0.05), P=0.002. Though techniques are not interchangeable, all showed

Effect of nutritional rehabilitation on acquired growth hormone resistance in malnourished children using radioisotopic technique

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

El-Nabarawy, F.S.; Nour Eldin, A.M.

2003-01-01

The present study was undertaken to clarify the influence of nutrition on growth hormone resistance in children who were suffering from prologed protein energy malnutrition (PEM). The plasma levels of glucose and serum levels of insulin, free triiodothyronine (FT 3 ), free teraiodothyronine (FT 4 ), thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH), growth hormone (GH), insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) and insulin like growth factor binding protein-3 (IGFBP-3) were analyzed by radioisotopic techniques in 7 children with marasmus (mean age 5.29 1.01) and 14 children with unexplained short stature (stunted) (mean age 6.21 1.72) before and after nutritional rehabilitation. At the basal condition of laboratory investigations, the GH level was significantly higher in the two malnourished groups compared to control (P< 0.01), whereas, plasma glucose levels and insulin concentrations did not differ significantly between the two malnourished groups and the control

Technique and clinical applications of full-inflation and end-exhalation controlled-ventilation chest CT in infants and young children

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Long, F.R.; Castile, R.G.

2001-01-01

Background. The inability of young children to cooperate with breath holding limits the usefulness of chest CT. Objective. To describe the technique and utility of a non-invasive method called controlled-ventilation CT (CVCT) for obtaining motion-free full-inflation and end-exhalation images of the lung in infants and young children. Materials and methods. Eighty-seven children (ages 1 week to 5 years, mean 2 years) underwent CVCT of the chest during suspended respiration at full-lung inflation and end-exhalation for a variety of clinical indications. Respiratory pauses were produced using conscious sedation and positive-pressure face-mask ventilation. Forty-one of 87 children had recordings of respiratory motion during CVCT. Results. Respiratory pause lengths increased with age (P < 0.003), were highly reproducible (r = 0.85), and lasted sufficiently long to be practical for full-inflation (24 ± 9 s) and end-exhalation (12 ± 5 s) CT scanning. Full-inflation CVCT was useful in evaluating tracheal and bronchial stenosis, bronchial wall thickening, early bronchiectasis, bronchial fistula, extent of interstitial fibrosis, and lung nodules. End-exhalation CVCT was useful in evaluating tracheomalacia and air trapping. Conclusion. Controlled-ventilation chest CT is a practical and reliable technique that promises to be clinically useful for a number of clinical indications in infants and young children. (orig.)

Minority mothers' healthcare beliefs, commonly used alternative healthcare practices, and potential complications for infants and children.

Science.gov (United States)

Hannan, Jean

2015-06-01

Complementary and alternative healthcare practices have increased substantially in the United States especially with low-income ethnic minority mothers. These mothers often have provider mistrust, language barriers, differing health belief systems, and as a result are less likely to seek preventive health screening, access healthcare services, and use alternative remedies for their infants and children that are potentially harmful or lethal. Therefore, the purpose of this article is to examine healthcare beliefs, commonly used alternative healthcare practices, and their potential complications for infants and children. A search of CINAHL and PubMed (1980-2012) was conducted using the following terms: alternative healthcare practice, mothers' health beliefs, cultural health beliefs, folk remedies, and infant health practices. Given the changing U.S. population and an increasing immigrant population, examining alternative healthcare practices mothers use for their infants and children is especially important for providers in addressing healthcare for this group. The use of alternative healthcare practices is rarely discussed by parents with healthcare providers for fear of disapproval. When interviewing ethnic minority mothers and caregivers questions should include the use of alternative healthcare practices for infants and children and information regarding the potential dangers should be provided to them. ©2014 American Association of Nurse Practitioners.

Mansonella, including a Potential New Species, as Common Parasites in Children in Gabon.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gaël Mourembou

Full Text Available Like other tropical African countries, Gabon is afflicted by many parasitic diseases, including filariases such as loiasis and mansonellosis. This study aimed to assess the prevalence of these two filarial diseases in febrile and afebrile children using quantitative real-time PCR and standard PCR assays coupled with sequencing.DNA from blood specimens of 1,418 Gabonese children (1,258 febrile and 160 afebrile were analyzed. Overall, filarial DNA was detected in 95 (6.7% children, including 67 positive for M. perstans (4.7%, which was the most common. M. perstans was detected in 61/1,258 febrile children (4.8% and 6/160 afebrile children (3.8%, P = 0.6. Its prevalence increased statistically with age: 3.5%, 7.7% and 10.6% in children aged ≤ 5, 6-10 and 11-15 years, respectively. M. perstans prevalence was significantly higher in Koulamoutou and Lastourville (12% and 10.5%, respectively than in Franceville and Fougamou (2.6% and 2.4%, respectively. Loa loa was detected in seven febrile children including one co-infection with M. perstans. Finally, 21 filarial DNA positive were negative for M. perstans and Loa loa, but ITS sequencing could be performed for 12 and allowed the identification of a potential new species of Mansonella provisionally called "DEUX". Mansonella sp. "DEUX" was detected only in febrile children.Further study should be performed to characterize Mansonella sp. "DEUX" and evaluate the clinical significance of mansonellosis in humans.

Radionuclide angiocardiography. Improved diagnosis and quantitation of left-to-right shunts using area ratio techniques in children

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Alderson, P.O.; Jost, R.G.; Strauss, A.W.; Boonvisut, S.; Markham, J.

1975-01-01

A comparison of several reported methods for detection and quantitation of left-to-right shunts by radionuclides was performed in 50 children. Count ratio (C2/C1) techniques were compared with the exponential extrapolation and gamma function area ratio techniques. C2/C1 ratios accurately detected shunts and could reliably separate shunts from normals, but there was a high rate of false positives in children with valvular heart disease. The area ratio methods provided more accurate shunt quantitation and a better separation of patients with valvular heart disease than did the C2/C1 ratio. The gamma function method showed a higher correlation with oximetry than the exponential method, but the difference was not statistically significant. For accurate shunt quantitation and a reliable separation of patients with valvular heart disease from those with shunts, area ratio calculations are preferable to the C2/C1 ratio

[Parents separation or divorce. Potential effects on children and recommendations to parents and pediatricians].

Science.gov (United States)

Roizblatt S, Arturo; Leiva F, Valentina M; Maida S, Ana Margarita

2018-04-01

When divorce or separation of a couple occurs, children will no longer live with both parents at the same time. There may be multiple causes for divorce, and both literature and our own experien ce as child mental health providers, report some short- and long-term consequences for children, especially where the divorce has been conflictive. In these cases, increased risk of developing be havioral disorders, poor school performance, and substance abuse has been documented as well as consequences in adult life with higher risk of psychiatric pathologies or difficulties in interpersonal relationships, if an intervention that addresses some potentially traumatic situations for children is not done. Pediatricians are in a privileged relationship with children and their families in order to detect signs of parental discord and altered mental health in children. Children behaviors as a result of divorce and parental conflict will depend on the age of the child and stage of development, and it is important to recognize them in order to intervene properly. This article proposes some guidelines for parents. Good management of high conflict situations related to divorce may prevent some of the consequences that these can have on children.

Marketing foods to children through product packaging: prolific, unhealthy and misleading.

Science.gov (United States)

Mehta, Kaye; Phillips, Clare; Ward, Paul; Coveney, John; Handsley, Elizabeth; Carter, Patricia

2012-09-01

To investigate marketing techniques used on the packaging of child-oriented products sold through supermarkets. Food and beverage products which met criteria for 'marketed to children' were recorded as child-oriented. The products were analysed for food categories, nutritional value, and type and extent of marketing techniques used. A major supermarket chain in Adelaide, South Australia. Child-oriented food and beverage products. One hundred and fifty-seven discrete products were marketed to children via product packaging; most (75·2 %) represented non-core foods, being high in fat or sugar. Many marketing techniques (more than sixteen unique marketing techniques) were used to promote child-oriented food products. Claims about health and nutrition were found on 55·5 % of non-core foods. A median of 6·43 marketing techniques per product was found. The high volume and power of marketing non-core foods to children via product packaging in supermarkets should be of concern to policy makers wanting to improve children's diet for their health and to tackle childhood obesity. Claims about health or nutrition on non-core foods deserve urgent attention owing to their potential to mislead and confuse child and adult consumers.

Safety on Judo Children: Methodology and Results

OpenAIRE

Sacripanti, Attilio; De Blasis, Tania

2017-01-01

Many doctors although they have not firsthand experience of judo, describe it as a sport unsuitable for children. Theoretically speaking falls derived by Judo throwing techniques,could be potentially dangerous,especially for kids,if poorly managed.A lot of researches were focalized on trauma or injuries taking place in judo, both during training and competition The goal of this Research is to define and apply a scientific methodology to evaluate the hazard in falls by judo throws for children...

Techniques and problems in studying intestinal absorption with radioactive isotopes in children

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

James, W.P.T.; Waterlow, J.C.

1976-01-01

Radioactive isotopes give substantial promise for assisting the study of gastrointestinal absorption in children in that they allow reduction or elimination of the collection of blood, urine and faeces specimens. These operations are particularly difficult and unreliable in infants, on whom greatest interest in paediatric gastroenterology is centred in the tropics. Here intestinal malabsorption is most commonly associated with malnutrition, lactose intolerance, gastroenteritis, parasitic infestation and iron-deficiency anaemia. Two general techniques that have been employed are whole-body counting and analyses of 14 CO 2 exhaled in the breath after the feeding of 14 C-labelled nutrients. The former is advantageous if radionuclides suitable for the test at hand exist; the latter may be hard to interpret because of problems in the distribution and metabolism of the nutrient and intermediary products. Proper selection and understanding of the tests is particularly important in paediatric work, where the use of radioactive tracer techniques is unacceptable merely for the convenience of the investigator. (author)

A neural basis for the visual sense of number and its development: A steady-state visual evoked potential study in children and adults

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Joonkoo Park

2018-04-01

Full Text Available While recent studies in adults have demonstrated the existence of a neural mechanism for a visual sense of number, little is known about its development and whether such a mechanism exists at young ages. In the current study, I introduce a novel steady-state visual evoked potential (SSVEP technique to objectively quantify early visual cortical sensitivity to numerical and non-numerical magnitudes of a dot array. I then examine this neural sensitivity to numerical magnitude in children between three and ten years of age and in college students. Children overall exhibit strong SSVEP sensitivity to numerical magnitude in the right occipital sites with negligible SSVEP sensitivity to non-numerical magnitudes, the pattern similar to what is observed in adults. However, a closer examination of age differences reveals that this selective neural sensitivity to numerical magnitude, which is close to absent in three-year-olds, increases steadily as a function of age, while there is virtually no neural sensitivity to other non-numerical magnitudes across these ages. These results demonstrate the emergence of a neural mechanism underlying direct perception of numerosity across early and middle childhood and provide a potential neural mechanistic explanation for the development of humans’ primitive, non-verbal ability to comprehend number. Keywords: Numerosity, Steady-state visual evoked potential, Child development, Visual cortex, Approximate number system

Conventional and Piecewise Growth Modeling Techniques: Applications and Implications for Investigating Head Start Children's Early Literacy Learning

Science.gov (United States)

Hindman, Annemarie H.; Cromley, Jennifer G.; Skibbe, Lori E.; Miller, Alison L.

2011-01-01

This article reviews the mechanics of conventional and piecewise growth models to demonstrate the unique affordances of each technique for examining the nature and predictors of children's early literacy learning during the transition from preschool through first grade. Using the nationally representative Family and Child Experiences Survey…

Electromagnetic forming - a potentially viable technique for accelerator technology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rajawat, R.K.; Desai, S.V.; Kulkarni, M.R.; Dolly Rani; Nagesh, K.V.; Sethi, R.C.

2003-01-01

Modern day accelerator development encompasses a myriad technologies required for their diverse needs. Whereas RF, high voltage, vacuum, cryogenics etc., technologies meet their functional requirements, high finish lapping processes, ceramic-metal joining, oven brazing, spark erosion or wire cutting etc., are a must to meet their fabrication requirements. Electromagnetic (EM) forming technique falls in the latter category and is developed as a special technology. It is currently catering to the development as a nuclear reactor technology, but has the potential to meet accelerator requirements too. This paper highlights the general principle of its working, simple design guidelines, advantages, and suggests some specific areas where this could benefit accelerator technologies

Lead dust in broken hill homes--a potential hazard for young children?

Science.gov (United States)

Boreland, F; Lyle, D M; Wlodarczyk, J; Balding, W A; Reddan, S

2002-01-01

To determine the potential hazard posed by indoor lead dust to young children in Broken Hill, a silver-lead-zinc mining town in outback Australia, and the degree to which lead flux is influenced by factors such as geographical location, house construction type and condition. 116 homes were selected and 93 (80%) studied from 10 localities in Broken Hill during the spring of 1995. Lead flux was measured using 85 mm diameter polystyrene petri dishes. Dishes were placed in four rooms of each house to collect dust over a six-to-eight-week period. Data on the location, condition and construction type of each house were recorded. Multiple linear regression was used to determine predictors of lead flux. Flux data were log transformed for the analysis. Average household lead flux varied nearly seven-fold across districts from a low of 166 (distant from the mines), to a high of 1,104 microg/m2/30-day period (adjacent to the mines). Houses that were 'adequately sealed' had 2.9 times the lead flux, and 'poorly sealed' houses 4.3 times the flux, of 'very well sealed' houses. Construction material did not significantly affect these flux levels, and no statistically significant interactions were found between house condition and location or house type. Many Broken Hill homes have high levels of lead flux that pose a potential risk to young children. Quantification of this hazard provides useful information for the community that can help focus efforts on actions required to minimise lead dust in the home. Household dust is a potential source of lead for young children in at-risk communities. Information on lead flux in homes can assist these communities and public health agencies to better understand and deal more effectively with the problem.

Validity and reliability of instruments to assess potential mediators of children's physical activity: A systematic review

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Brown, H.; Hume, C.; Chin A Paw, J.M.M.

2009-01-01

This paper aimed to (1) identify potential mediators reported in children's physical activity interventions; and (2) review the psychometric properties of measures of potential mediators included in such interventions. A systematic search of the literature was conducted and studies that reported

Managing water resources in Malaysia: the use of isotope technique and its potential

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Keizrul Abdullah

2006-01-01

This keynote address discusses the following subjects; state of Malaysia water resources, water related problem i.e floods, water shortage (droughts), water quality, river sedimentation, water resources management and the ongoing and potential application of isotope techniques in river management

Maturation of long latency auditory evoked potentials in hearing children: systematic review.

Science.gov (United States)

Silva, Liliane Aparecida Fagundes; Magliaro, Fernanda Cristina Leite; Carvalho, Ana Claudia Martinho de; Matas, Carla Gentile

2017-05-15

To analyze how Auditory Long Latency Evoked Potentials (LLAEP) change according to age in children population through a systematic literature review. After formulation of the research question, a bibliographic survey was done in five data bases with the following descriptors: Electrophysiology (Eletrofisiologia), Auditory Evoked Potentials (Potenciais Evocados Auditivos), Child (Criança), Neuronal Plasticity (Plasticidade Neuronal) and Audiology (Audiologia). Level 1 evidence articles, published between 1995 and 2015 in Brazilian Portuguese or English language. Aspects related to emergence, morphology and latency of P1, N1, P2 and N2 components were analyzed. A total of 388 studies were found; however, only 21 studies contemplated the established criteria. P1 component is characterized as the most frequent component in young children, being observed around 100-150 ms, which tends to decrease as chronological age increases. The N2 component was shown to be the second most commonly observed component in children, being observed around 200-250 ms.. The other N1 and P2 components are less frequent and begin to be seen and recorded throughout the maturational process. The maturation of LLAEP occurs gradually, and the emergence of P1, N1, P2 and N2 components as well as their latency values are variable in childhood. P1 and N2 components are the most observed and described in pediatric population. The diversity of protocols makes the comparison between studies difficult.

The use of potential drop techniques for the evaluation of environment assisted cracking of austenitic alloys

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lidar, P.; Hwang, I.S.; Ballinger, R.G.

1992-01-01

The DC potential drop technique has been adapted for strain measurements. An AC potential drop technique has been developed for crack detection. It has been demonstrated that a DC with switched polarity can have a strain accuracy of ±0.12% after yielding and a multi-frequency AC system with up to 200 kHz frequency can have a sensitivity of 50 μm for crack detection. The techniques have been applied to environment assisted cracking tests of Ni-Cr-Fe alloys in 350 degrees C water and austenitic stainless steel in 288 degrees C water using both static and dynamic loading. Long term signal stability is maintained given: (1) rigid probe attachments; (2) local preamplification; and (3) adequate lead grounding and shielding. The AC potential drop technique is found to be more suitable for constant load than for dynamic loading and is also compatible with aggressive environments. During dynamic loading, sensitivity can be significantly reduced due to serrated yielding. An analytical model has been developed to predict the DC and AC potential drops in a round bar geometry. A sensitivity analysis has been made to determine test to test variation associated with variations in supplied current, specimen dimensions, and probe spacing. Multifrequency analysis shows that the measured data agrees with the prediction at frequencies up to about 100 kHz. Above 100 kHz induced signal in the probes results in increases in potential drop and phase angle. The induced signal is reproducible and therefore may be related to the crack mouth opening displacement

Auditory event-related potentials in children with benign epilepsy with centro-temporal spikes.

Science.gov (United States)

Tomé, David; Sampaio, Mafalda; Mendes-Ribeiro, José; Barbosa, Fernando; Marques-Teixeira, João

2014-12-01

Benign focal epilepsy in childhood with centro-temporal spikes (BECTS) is one of the most common forms of idiopathic epilepsy, with onset from age 3 to 14 years. Although the prognosis for children with BECTS is excellent, some studies have revealed neuropsychological deficits in many domains, including language. Auditory event-related potentials (AERPs) reflect activation of different neuronal populations and are suggested to contribute to the evaluation of auditory discrimination (N1), attention allocation and phonological categorization (N2), and echoic memory (mismatch negativity--MMN). The scarce existing literature about this theme motivated the present study, which aims to investigate and document the existing AERP changes in a group of children with BECTS. AERPs were recorded, during the day, to pure and vocal tones and in a conventional auditory oddball paradigm in five children with BECTS (aged 8-12; mean=10 years; male=5) and in six gender and age-matched controls. Results revealed high amplitude of AERPs for the group of children with BECTS with a slight latency delay more pronounced in fronto-central electrodes. Children with BECTS may have abnormal central auditory processing, reflected by electrophysiological measures such as AERPs. In advance, AERPs seem a good tool to detect and reliably reveal cortical excitability in children with typical BECTS. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Novel Method for Sizing Metallic Bottom Crack Depth Using Multi-frequency Alternating Current Potential Drop Technique

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Li Yuting

2015-10-01

Full Text Available Potential drop techniques are of two types: the direct current potential drop (DCPD technique and alternating current potential drop (ACPD technique, and both of them are used in nondestructive testing. ACPD, as a kind of valid method in sizing metal cracks, has been applied to evaluate metal structures. However, our review of most available approaches revealed that some improvements can be done in measuring depth of metal bottom crack by means of ACPD, such as accuracy and sensitivity of shallow crack. This paper studied a novel method which utilized the slope of voltage ratio-frequency curve to solve bottom crack depth by using a simple mathematic equation based on finite element analysis. It is found that voltage ratio varies linearly with frequency in the range of 5-15 Hz; this range is slightly higher than the equivalent frequency and lower than semi-permeable frequency. Simulation and experiment show that the novel method can measure the bottom crack depth accurately.

Novel Method for Sizing Metallic Bottom Crack Depth Using Multi-frequency Alternating Current Potential Drop Technique

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Yuting; Gan, Fangji; Wan, Zhengjun; Liao, Junbi; Li, Wenqiang

2015-10-01

Potential drop techniques are of two types: the direct current potential drop (DCPD) technique and alternating current potential drop (ACPD) technique, and both of them are used in nondestructive testing. ACPD, as a kind of valid method in sizing metal cracks, has been applied to evaluate metal structures. However, our review of most available approaches revealed that some improvements can be done in measuring depth of metal bottom crack by means of ACPD, such as accuracy and sensitivity of shallow crack. This paper studied a novel method which utilized the slope of voltage ratio-frequency curve to solve bottom crack depth by using a simple mathematic equation based on finite element analysis. It is found that voltage ratio varies linearly with frequency in the range of 5-15 Hz; this range is slightly higher than the equivalent frequency and lower than semi-permeable frequency. Simulation and experiment show that the novel method can measure the bottom crack depth accurately.

Posttraumatic stress among young urban children exposed to family violence and other potentially traumatic events.

Science.gov (United States)

Crusto, Cindy A; Whitson, Melissa L; Walling, Sherry M; Feinn, Richard; Friedman, Stacey R; Reynolds, Jesse; Amer, Mona; Kaufman, Joy S

2010-12-01

This study examines the relationship between the number of types of traumatic events experienced by children 3 to 6 years old, parenting stress, and children's posttraumatic stress (PTS). Parents and caregivers provided data for 154 urban children admitted into community-based mental health or developmental services. By parent and caregiver report, children experienced an average of 4.9 different types of potentially traumatic events. Nearly one quarter of the children evidenced clinically significant PTS. Posttraumatic stress was positively and significantly related to family violence and other family-related trauma exposure, nonfamily violence and trauma exposure, and parenting stress. Additionally, parenting stress partially mediated the relationship between family violence and trauma exposure and PTS. This study highlights the need for early violence and trauma exposure screening in help-seeking populations so that appropriate interventions are initiated. Copyright © 2010 International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies.

Impact of the Z potential technique on reducing the sperm DNA fragmentation index, fertilization rate and embryo development.

Science.gov (United States)

Duarte, Carlos; Núñez, Víctor; Wong, Yat; Vivar, Carlos; Benites, Elder; Rodriguez, Urso; Vergara, Carlos; Ponce, Jorge

2017-12-01

In assisted reproduction procedures, we need to develop and enhance new protocols to optimize sperm selection. The aim of this study is to evaluate the ability of the Z potential technique to select sperm with intact DNA in non-normospermic patients and evaluate the impact of this selection on embryonic development. We analyzed a total of 174 human seminal samples with at least one altered parameter. We measured basal, post density gradients, and post density gradients + Z potential DNA fragmentation index. To evaluate the impact of this technique on embryo development, 54 cases were selected. The embryo development parameters evaluated were fertilization rate, cleavage rate, top quality embryos at the third day and blastocysts rate. We found significant differences in the study groups when we compared the sperm fragmentation index by adding the Z potential technique to density gradient selection vs. density gradients alone. Furthermore, there was no significant difference in the embryo development parameters between the low sperm fragmentation index group vs. the moderate and high sperm fragmentation index groups, when selecting sperms with this new technique. The Z potential technique is a very useful tool for sperm selection; it significantly reduces the DNA fragmentation index and improves the parameters of embryo development. This technique could be considered routine for its simplicity and low cost.

Mathematical analysis of the dimensional scaling technique for the Schroedinger equation with power-law potentials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ding Zhonghai; Chen, Goong; Lin, Chang-Shou

2010-01-01

The dimensional scaling (D-scaling) technique is an innovative asymptotic expansion approach to study the multiparticle systems in molecular quantum mechanics. It enables the calculation of ground and excited state energies of quantum systems without having to solve the Schroedinger equation. In this paper, we present a mathematical analysis of the D-scaling technique for the Schroedinger equation with power-law potentials. By casting the D-scaling technique in an appropriate variational setting and studying the corresponding minimization problem, the D-scaling technique is justified rigorously. A new asymptotic dimensional expansion scheme is introduced to compute asymptotic expansions for ground state energies.

Development of technique for diagnostics of social reserves of development of collective labour potential

OpenAIRE

Голубєв, Станіслав Миколайович

2015-01-01

The problems of diagnostics of social reserves of the collective labour potential are considered in the article. The aim of this study is to develop diagnostic techniques of social reserves of the collective labour potential in the work and the essence of the concept of "social reserves" as a subject of study of economics and their features in the study of collective labour potential. The use of these reserves can increase the efficiency of the labour collective processes by improving coopera...

Event-related potentials during visual selective attention in children of alcoholics.

Science.gov (United States)

van der Stelt, O; Gunning, W B; Snel, J; Kok, A

1998-12-01

Event-related potentials were recorded from 7- to 18-year-old children of alcoholics (COAs, n = 50) and age- and sex-matched control children (n = 50) while they performed a visual selective attention task. The task was to attend selectively to stimuli with a specified color (red or blue) in an attempt to detect the occurrence of target stimuli. COAs manifested a smaller P3b amplitude to attended-target stimuli over the parietal and occipital scalp than did the controls. A more specific analysis indicated that both the attentional relevance and the target properties of the eliciting stimulus determined the observed P3b amplitude differences between COAs and controls. In contrast, no significant group differences were observed in attention-related earlier occurring event-related potential components, referred to as frontal selection positivity, selection negativity, and N2b. These results represent neurophysiological evidence that COAs suffer from deficits at a late (semantic) level of visual selective information processing that are unlikely a consequence of deficits at earlier (sensory) levels of selective processing. The findings support the notion that a reduced visual P3b amplitude in COAs represents a high-level processing dysfunction indicating their increased vulnerability to alcoholism.

Potentialities of some surface characterization techniques for the development of titanium biomedical alloys

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P.S. Vanzillotta

2004-09-01

Full Text Available Bone formation around a metallic implant is a complex process that involves micro- and nanometric interactions. Several surface treatments, including coatings were developed in order to obtain faster osseointegration. To understand the role of these surface treatments on bone formation it is necessary to choose adequate characterization techniques. Among them, we have selected electron microscopy, profilometry, atomic force microscopy (AFM and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS to describe them briefly. Examples of the potentialities of these techniques on the characterization of titanium for biomedical applications were also presented and discussed. Unfortunately more than one technique is usually necessary to describe conveniently the topography (scanning electron microsocopy, profilometry and/or AFM and the chemical state (XPS of the external layer of the material surface. The employment of the techniques above described can be useful especially for the development of new materials or products.

77 FR 11119 - Request for Nominations of Children's Healthcare Quality Measures for Potential Inclusion in the...

Science.gov (United States)

2012-02-24

... Nominations of Children's Healthcare Quality Measures for Potential Inclusion in the CHIPRA 2013 Improved Core... quality for potential inclusion in the CHIPRA 2013 Improved Core Set of Health Care Quality Measures (the... inclusion, more information, including a copyright release (if applicable) and full measure specifications...

[The new potentials of magneto-laser therapy and electrostimulation in children with cleft palate and upper lip].

Science.gov (United States)

Gerasimenko, M Iu; Filatova, E V; Borisenko, O V; Levchenkova, V D; Grishina, N V; Spiridonova, N Z; Shevchenko, E Iu; Goncharenko, L L

2000-01-01

The paper presents rationale for design of new procedures of physiotherapy in children with expanded palate and upper lip; morphofunctional features of prenatal and early postnatal formation of central nervous system; a multilayer technique of magneto-laser radiation to the projection of the anterior central gyrus and the technique of electrostimulation by the system of the wink reflex which can influence central mechanisms of regulation and adaptation before and early after uranoplasty and cheiloplasty.

The potential for social media to educate farm families about health and safety for children.

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Gualtieri, Lisa

2012-01-01

Social media has the potential to reach farm families to educate them about health and safety for children. It offers advantages over traditional approaches because of the shorter time between creation and distribution and because of the greater reach and engagement possible. Recommendations are provided for how government agencies and the private sector can learn about and use social media to promote health and safety for children as a supplement to traditional approaches.

Factors promoting or potentially impeding school success: disparities and state variations for children with special health care needs.

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Bethell, Christina; Forrest, Christopher B; Stumbo, Scott; Gombojav, Narangerel; Carle, Adam; Irwin, Charles E

2012-04-01

School success predicts many pathways for health and well-being across the life span. Factors promoting or potentially impeding school success are critical to understand for all children and for children with special health care needs (CSHCN), whose life course trajectories are already impacted by their chronic health problems. The 2007 National Survey of Children's Health was used (1) to estimate national and state prevalence and within and across states disparities in factors promoting school success (engagement, participation, safety) or potentially impeding success (missing school, grade repetition, school identified problems) for all children and CSHCN and (2) to evaluate associations with CSHCN service need complexity and presence of emotional, behavioral or developmental problems (EBD) as well as with school case management policies in states. Among school age children, 60 % experienced all three factors promoting school success (49.3-73.8 % across states), dropping to 51.3 % for CSHCN (39.4-64.7 % across states) and to 36.2 % for the 40 % of all CSHCN who have both more complex service needs and EBD. CSHCN were more likely to experience factors potentially impeding school success. After accounting for child factors, CSHCN living in states requiring case management in schools for children with disabilities were less likely to experience grade repetition (OR 0.65). Within-state disparities between non-CSHCN and CSHCN varied across states. Threats to school success for US children are pervasive and are especially pronounced for CSHCN with more complex needs and EBD. Findings support broad, non-condition specific efforts to promote school success for CSHCN and consideration of state school policies, such as case management.

Posttraumatic Stress among Young Urban Children Exposed to Family Violence and Other Potentially Traumatic Events

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Crusto, Cindy A.; Whitson, Melissa L.; Walling, Sherry N.; Feinn, Richard; Friedman, Stacey R.; Reynolds, Jesse; Amer, Mona; Kaufman, Joy S.

2014-01-01

This study examines the relationship between the number of types of traumatic events experienced by children 3 to 6 years old, parenting stress, and children’s posttraumatic stress (PTS). Parents/caregivers provided data for 154 urban children admitted into community-based mental health and/or developmental services. By parent/caregiver report, children experienced an average of 4.9 different types of potentially traumatic events. Nearly one-quarter of the children evidenced clinically significant PTS. PTS was positively and significantly related to family violence and other family-related trauma exposure, nonfamily violence/trauma exposure, and parenting stress. Additionally, parenting stress partially mediated the relationship between family violence/trauma exposure and PTS. This study highlights the need for early violence/trauma exposure screening in help-seeking populations so that appropriate interventions are initiated. PMID:21171132

Health-Related Quality of Life in Children with Celiac Disease: A Study Based on the Critical Incident Technique

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Carlo Catassi

2013-11-01

Full Text Available Celiac Disease (CD is a chronic autoimmune disease triggered by dietary gluten. Gluten avoidance, which is the only available treatment for CD, could impact on quality of life of children with CD. We present the results of a qualitative study on the emotional impact of gluten free diet (GFD on the everyday life of children affected with CD. We investigated 76 celiac patients aged 2–18 years (average age: 9.5 years. By using the Critical Incident Technique (CIT, we defined emotions related to difficulties and awkward situations experienced by the patients. Written answers to open-ended questions from either children (older than 8 years and parents (children younger than 8 years were analyzed qualitatively. We found 80 dilemmas experienced in three different arenas (food situations at school, meals at home, meals outside and characterized lived experiences of children with CD in everyday life (specific emotions, difficulties in relationships and in management of daily life. Children with CD experience strong emotions related to the GFD, permeating several aspects of everyday life. These dilemmas may be missed by a conventional, questionnaire-based approach to the psycho-social consequences of CD treatment.

Differences in attentional functioning between preterm and full-term children underline the importance of new neuropsychological detection techniques.

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Giordano, V; Fuiko, R; Leiss, U; Brandstetter, S; Hayde, M; Bartha-Doering, E; Klebermaß-Schrehof, K; Weiler, L J

2017-04-01

The aim of this study was to investigate specific attentional components in preterm born children who had not yet started school. Between January and December 2011, we assessed 52 preterm and 52 full-term children aged between five years five months and six years two months, of comparable age and gender, at the Medical University of Vienna. Different attentional components were evaluated through selected subtests of the Test of Attentional Performance and the German version of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children. Each child's behaviour was also evaluated using parental ratings and descriptive item-based evaluation during neuropsychological assessment. Children born preterm showed poor attentional performance in sustained attention, focused attention and distractibility, as well as reductions in processing speed in divided attention and flexibility tasks. Children born preterm also showed decreased volitional attention compared with automatic attention. No problems were detected in alertness or inhibition. In addition, a higher rate of aborted tests, decreased motivation and poorer parental ratings were detected among the preterm population compared with full-term born children. Our results highlighted differences in attentional functioning between preterm and full-term children, indicating the importance of new neuropsychological techniques for the detection of specific attentional disorders. ©2016 Foundation Acta Paediatrica. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Surma eye cosmetic in Afghanistan: a potential source of lead toxicity in children.

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McMichael, J R; Stoff, B K

2018-02-01

Surma is a traditional eye cosmetic used as an eyeliner for infants in Afghanistan, as well as in many other countries in Asia, the Middle East, and Africa. Surma has been reported to contain lead and to be a potential source of lead toxicity in children, which can lead to permanent damage to multiple organ systems. To our knowledge, assessment for lead in surma found in Afghanistan has not been performed. We determined the quantitative lead content of a convenience sample of 10 surma products acquired in Afghanistan. Analysis revealed that 70% of surma samples contained high levels of lead (range 35-83%). The remaining samples contained low levels of lead (range 0.04-0.17%). The majority of surma samples contained very high levels of lead, a troubling finding that could potentially correlate with lead toxicity in Afghan children. Making available lead-free surma alternatives and providing health education, for both healthcare professionals and the general population, in locations where surma use is prevalent and for those involved in care of refugees and immigrants from Afghanistan, may be strategies to prevent lead poisoning in children. What is Known: • Surma is a traditional cosmetic used as an eyeliner for infants in Afghanistan as well as in many countries in Asia, the Middle East, and Africa. • Surma has been reported to contain lead and to be a source of lead toxicity in children. What is New: • Assessment for lead content in surma found in Afghanistan has not been performed. • In this convenience sample of 10 surma products acquired in Afghanistan, 70% contained very high levels of lead.

Contribution of time-activity pattern and microenvironment to black carbon (BC) inhalation exposure and potential internal dose among elementary school children

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Jeong, Hyeran; Park, Donguk

2017-09-01

The aims of this study were to quantify the contributions of activities or microenvironments (MEs) to daily total exposure to and potential dose of black carbon (BC). Daily BC exposures (24-h) were monitored using a micro-aethalometer micoAeth AE51 with forty school-aged children living in an urban area in Korea from August 2015 to January 2016. The children's time-activity patterns and the MEs they visited were investigated by means of a time-activity diary (TAD) and follow-up interviews with the children and their parents. Potential inhaled dose was estimated by multiplying the airborne BC concentrations (μg/m3) we monitored for the time the children spent in a particular ME by the inhalation rate (IR, m3/h) for the time-activity performed. The contribution of activities and MEs to overall daily exposure to and potential dose of BC was quantified. Overall mean daily potential dose was equal to 24.1 ± 10.6 μg/day (range: 6.6-46.3 μg/day). The largest contribution to BC exposure and potential dose (51.9% and 41.7% respectively) occurred in the home thanks to the large amount of time spent there. Transportation was where children received the most intense exposure to (14.8%) and potential dose (20.2%) of BC, while it accounted for 7.6% of daily time. School on weekdays during the semester was responsible for 20.3% of exposure and 22.5% of potential dose. Contribution to BC exposure and potential dose was altered by several time-activity parameters, such as type of day (weekdays vs. weekends; school days vs. holidays), season, and gender. Traveling by motor vehicle and subway showed more elevated exposure or potential dose intensity on weekdays or school days, probably influenced by the increased surrounding traffic volumes on these days compared to on weekends or holidays. This study may be used to prioritize targets for minimizing children's exposure to BC and to indicate outcomes of BC control strategies.

Detection of EnteroinvasiveEscherichia coli by PCR technique in Children with Diarrhea

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v Aein

2014-11-01

Full Text Available Background & aim: EnteroinvasiveEscherichia coliis one of the important agents of invasion to intestinal epithelial cells, damage and cell death which due to dysentery. The aim of this study wastoDetection of EnteroinvasiveEscherichia coli by PCR technique from Children’s Diarrheain yasuj. Methods:This cross-sectional study was performed on 200 stool samples taken from children with diarrhea in Yasuj. After initial identification of E.coli strains by culture and biochemical tests, EIEC gene such as ipaH detected by PCR technicque and antibiotic susceptibility of isolates was evaluated by using disc diffusion (CLSI method. Results: Out of all examined samples, 16(8% EIEC were separated. Antibiotic susceptibility test showed that the most susceptible antibiotic is ciprofloxacin for EIEC and also most resistant antibiotic is ceftizoxime. Conclusion: Results showed that EIEC strains have a moderate prevalence than other studies in our study area. Therefore, for importance of this strain to producing dysentery, hospital-wide surveillance using molecular techniques hase been proposed in other regions of country.

Understanding neighborhood environment related to Hong Kong children's physical activity: a qualitative study using nominal group technique.

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Gang He

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Relationships between the neighborhood environment and children's physical activity have been well documented in Western countries but are less investigated in ultra-dense Asian cities. The aim of this study was to identify the environmental facilitators and barriers of physical activity behaviors among Hong Kong Chinese children using nominal group technique. METHODS: Five nominal groups were conducted among 34 children aged 10-11 years from four types of neighborhoods varying in socio-economic status and walkability in Hong Kong. Environmental factors were generated by children in response to the question "What neighborhood environments do you think would increase or decrease your willingness to do physical activity?" Factors were prioritized in order of their importance to children's physical activity. RESULTS: Sixteen unique environmental factors, which were perceived as the most important to children's physical activity, were identified. Factors perceived as physical activity-facilitators included "Sufficient lighting", "Bridge or tunnel", "Few cars on roads", "Convenient transportation", "Subway station", "Recreation grounds", "Shopping malls with air conditioning", "Fresh air", "Interesting animals", and "Perfume shop". Factors perceived as physical activity-barriers included "People who make me feel unsafe", "Crimes nearby", "Afraid of being taken or hurt at night", "Hard to find toilet in shopping mall", "Too much noise", and "Too many people in recreation grounds". CONCLUSIONS: Specific physical activity-related environmental facilitators and barriers, which are unique in an ultra-dense city, were identified by Hong Kong children. These initial findings can inform future examinations of the physical activity-environment relationship among children in Hong Kong and similar Asian cities.

Understanding neighborhood environment related to Hong Kong children's physical activity: a qualitative study using nominal group technique.

Science.gov (United States)

He, Gang; Cerin, Ester; Huang, Wendy Y; Wong, Stephen H

2014-01-01

Relationships between the neighborhood environment and children's physical activity have been well documented in Western countries but are less investigated in ultra-dense Asian cities. The aim of this study was to identify the environmental facilitators and barriers of physical activity behaviors among Hong Kong Chinese children using nominal group technique. Five nominal groups were conducted among 34 children aged 10-11 years from four types of neighborhoods varying in socio-economic status and walkability in Hong Kong. Environmental factors were generated by children in response to the question "What neighborhood environments do you think would increase or decrease your willingness to do physical activity?" Factors were prioritized in order of their importance to children's physical activity. Sixteen unique environmental factors, which were perceived as the most important to children's physical activity, were identified. Factors perceived as physical activity-facilitators included "Sufficient lighting", "Bridge or tunnel", "Few cars on roads", "Convenient transportation", "Subway station", "Recreation grounds", "Shopping malls with air conditioning", "Fresh air", "Interesting animals", and "Perfume shop". Factors perceived as physical activity-barriers included "People who make me feel unsafe", "Crimes nearby", "Afraid of being taken or hurt at night", "Hard to find toilet in shopping mall", "Too much noise", and "Too many people in recreation grounds". Specific physical activity-related environmental facilitators and barriers, which are unique in an ultra-dense city, were identified by Hong Kong children. These initial findings can inform future examinations of the physical activity-environment relationship among children in Hong Kong and similar Asian cities.

Electrical impedance scanning - application of this new technique for lymph node evaluation in children

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mentzel, Hans-Joachim; Malich, Ansgar; Freesmeyer, Martin; Boettcher, Joachim; Vogt, Susanna; Kaiser, Werner A. [Institute of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, University of Jena, Bachstrasse 18, 07740 Jena (Germany); Kentouche, Karim; Gruhn, Bernd; Zintl, Felix [Department of Pediatrics, University of Jena, Jena (Germany); Schneider, Gerlind [Department of Otorhinolaryngology, University of Jena, Jena (Germany); Anderson, Roselle [Siemens-Elema, Elema (Sweden)

2003-07-01

Precise assessment of lymph nodes is crucial to the choice of therapy and prediction of outcome in cases of malignancy. Electrical impedance scanning (EIS) is being experimentally investigated for potential use as a diagnostic tool for differentiation of malignant lesions. Malignancies show different electrical properties with changes in conductivity and capacitance that can be analysed by EIS. Using a TransScan TS-2000 (TransScan Medical, Migdal Ha'Emek, Israel, distributed by Siemens-Elema AB, Solna, Sweden), EIS has been used in various studies for the identification of breast cancer as well as for characterisation of superficial lesions. To evaluate the reliability of EIS for classifying lymph nodes in a pediatric population with sonographically suspicious lesions and to prove its accuracy. The study population consisted of 77 children (42 boys, 35 girls) aged 1.1-17.1 years. All EIS results were compared to either histopathological findings or long-term follow-up investigations. Sensitivity for malignancies using EIS was 75% and specificity was 87%. The negative predictive value was 93% and the positive predictive value was 60%. This study suggests the potential usefulness of EIS as an additional imaging modality for the differentiation of lymph-node diseases in children. The histopatholgical spectrum of malignant lymph node transformation in children compared to studies in adults, and the characteristic meltdown in inflammatory or granulomatous transformed nodes, pose challenges to differentiation based on sonographic evaluation, and also to EIS classification. (orig.)

Percutaneous endoscopic colostomy of the left colon: a new technique for management of intractable constipation in children.

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Rawat, David J; Haddad, Munther; Geoghegan, Niamh; Clarke, Simon; Fell, John M

2004-07-01

The antegrade colonic enema is accepted as effective for management of intractable constipation in children when conventional bowel management has failed. This study describes experience with a new, minimally invasive technique, the distal antegrade colonic enema, which involves percutaneous endoscopic colostomy of the left colon. Fifteen children with refractory constipation and soiling who had radiographic evidence of megarectum and/or distal colonic delay were selected for the procedure. The junction of the descending and the sigmoid colon was identified colonoscopically, and the percutaneous endoscopic colostomy tube, through which antegrade distal colonic enema are administered, was inserted. Fourteen children underwent distal percutaneous endoscopic colostomy insertion. The median time required for the procedure was 30 minutes (20-50 minutes). Excluding one child (technical difficulties with percutaneous endoscopic colostomy placement), median post-procedural hospital stay was 4 days (2-27 days). Thirteen children were no longer soiling, and improvement in quality of life was reported at 2 months' follow-up. At 6 months' follow-up, 90% of children were clean during intervals between enemas. All children evaluated at 12 months' follow-up remained clean. Median duration of follow-up was 12.5 months (2-51 months). The distal percutaneous endoscopic colostomy is a simple alternative to established methods for delivery of antegrade enemas. It is less invasive and on reversal leaves only minor scarring.

Advanced techniques in magnetic resonance imaging of the brain in children with ADHD

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pastura, Giuseppe; Mattos, Paulo; Gasparetto, Emerson Leandro; Araujo, Alexandra Prufer de Queiroz Campos

2011-01-01

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) affects about 5% of school-aged child. Previous published works using different techniques of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) have demonstrated that there may be some differences between the brain of people with and without this condition. This review aims at providing neurologists, pediatricians and psychiatrists an update on the differences between the brain of children with and without ADHD using advanced techniques of magnetic resonance imaging such as diffusion tensor imaging, brain volumetry and cortical thickness, spectroscopy and functional MRI. Data was obtained by a comprehensive, non-systematic review of medical literature. The regions with a greater number of abnormalities are splenium of the corpus callosum, cingulated gyrus, caudate nucleus, cerebellum, striatum, frontal and temporal cortices. The brain regions where abnormalities are observed in studies of diffusion tensor, volumetry, spectroscopy and cortical thickness are the same involved in neurobiological theories of ADHD coming from studies with functional magnetic resonance imaging. (author)

Advanced techniques in magnetic resonance imaging of the brain in children with ADHD

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pastura, Giuseppe [Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil). Instituto de Puericultura e Pediatria Martagao Gesteira. Dept. de Pediatria; Mattos, Paulo [Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil). Instituto de Puericultura e Pediatria Martagao Gesteira. Dept. de Psiquiatria; Gasparetto, Emerson Leandro [Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil). Instituto de Puericultura e Pediatria Martagao Gesteira. Dept. de Radiologia; Araujo, Alexandra Prufer de Queiroz Campos [Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil). Instituto de Puericultura e Pediatria Martagao Gesteira. Dept. de Neuropediatria

2011-04-15

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) affects about 5% of school-aged child. Previous published works using different techniques of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) have demonstrated that there may be some differences between the brain of people with and without this condition. This review aims at providing neurologists, pediatricians and psychiatrists an update on the differences between the brain of children with and without ADHD using advanced techniques of magnetic resonance imaging such as diffusion tensor imaging, brain volumetry and cortical thickness, spectroscopy and functional MRI. Data was obtained by a comprehensive, non-systematic review of medical literature. The regions with a greater number of abnormalities are splenium of the corpus callosum, cingulated gyrus, caudate nucleus, cerebellum, striatum, frontal and temporal cortices. The brain regions where abnormalities are observed in studies of diffusion tensor, volumetry, spectroscopy and cortical thickness are the same involved in neurobiological theories of ADHD coming from studies with functional magnetic resonance imaging. (author)

Analysis of electrically evoked compound action potential of the auditory nerve in children with bilateral cochlear implants.

Science.gov (United States)

Caldas, Fernanda Ferreira; Cardoso, Carolina Costa; Barreto, Monique Antunes de Souza Chelminski; Teixeira, Marina Santos; Hilgenberg, Anacléia Melo da Silva; Serra, Lucieny Silva Martins; Bahmad Junior, Fayez

2016-01-01

The cochlear implant device has the capacity to measure the electrically evoked compound action potential of the auditory nerve. The neural response telemetry is used in order to measure the electrically evoked compound action potential of the auditory nerve. To analyze the electrically evoked compound action potential, through the neural response telemetry, in children with bilateral cochlear implants. This is an analytical, prospective, longitudinal, historical cohort study. Six children, aged 1-4 years, with bilateral cochlear implant were assessed at five different intervals during their first year of cochlear implant use. There were significant differences in follow-up time (p=0.0082) and electrode position (p=0.0019) in the T-NRT measure. There was a significant difference in the interaction between time of follow-up and electrode position (p=0.0143) when measuring the N1-P1 wave amplitude between the three electrodes at each time of follow-up. The electrically evoked compound action potential measurement using neural response telemetry in children with bilateral cochlear implants during the first year of follow-up was effective in demonstrating the synchronized bilateral development of the peripheral auditory pathways in the studied population. Copyright © 2015 Associação Brasileira de Otorrinolaringologia e Cirurgia Cérvico-Facial. Published by Elsevier Editora Ltda. All rights reserved.

Ludwig's angina in children anesthesiologist's nightmare: Case series and review of literature

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Maitree Pandey

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Ludwig's angina is potentially lethal, rapidly spreading cellulitis of the floor of mouth and neck. The anticipated difficult airway becomes even more challenging when it occurs in children. In children, the larynx is positioned relatively higher in the neck, and one does not have the option for blind nasal intubation or awake fiberoptic, which otherwise is the technique of choice in adult patients. We present the clinical course of 16 children and highlight various problems encountered during the anesthetic management of six children who required emergency surgical drainage under general anesthesia.

Percutaneous intramedullary decompression, curettage, and grafting with medical-grade calcium sulfate pellets for unicameral bone cysts in children: a new minimally invasive technique.

Science.gov (United States)

Dormans, John P; Sankar, Wudbhav N; Moroz, Leslie; Erol, Bülent

2005-01-01

Several treatment options exist for unicameral bone cysts (UBCs), including observation, steroid injection, bone marrow injection, and curettage and bone grafting. These are all associated with high recurrence rates, persistence, and occasional complications. Newer techniques have been described, most with variable success and only short follow-up reported. Because of these factors, a new minimally invasive percutaneous technique was developed for the treatment of UBCs in children. Twenty-eight children with UBCs who underwent percutaneous intramedullary decompression, curettage, and grafting with medical-grade calcium sulfate (MGCS) pellets by the senior author (J.P.D.) between April 2000 and April 2003 were analyzed as part of a pediatric musculoskeletal tumor registry at a large tertiary children's hospital. Four patients were lost to follow-up, and the remaining 24 patients had an average follow-up of 21.9 months (range 4-48 months). Twelve patients were followed for at least 24 months. Six of the 24 children had received previous treatment of their UBC, most often at an outside institution. Follow-up was performed through clinical evaluation and radiographic review. Postoperative radiographs at most recent follow-up showed complete healing, defined as more than 95% opacification, in 22 of 24 patients (91.7%). One patient (4.2%) demonstrated partial healing, defined as 80% to 95% opacification. One patient had less than 80% radiographic healing (4.2%). All 24 patients returned to full activities and were asymptomatic at most recent follow-up. The only complication noted was a superficial suture abscess that occurred in one patient; this resolved with local treatment measures. The new minimally invasive technique of percutaneous intramedullary decompression, curettage, and grafting with MGCS pellets demonstrates favorable results with low complication and recurrence rates compared with conventional techniques. The role of intramedullary decompression as a part

Working Memory and Reinforcement Schedule Jointly Determine Reinforcement Learning in Children: Potential Implications for Behavioral Parent Training

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Elien Segers

2018-03-01

Full Text Available Introduction: Behavioral Parent Training (BPT is often provided for childhood psychiatric disorders. These disorders have been shown to be associated with working memory impairments. BPT is based on operant learning principles, yet how operant principles shape behavior (through the partial reinforcement (PRF extinction effect, i.e., greater resistance to extinction that is created when behavior is reinforced partially rather than continuously and the potential role of working memory therein is scarcely studied in children. This study explored the PRF extinction effect and the role of working memory therein using experimental tasks in typically developing children.Methods: Ninety-seven children (age 6–10 completed a working memory task and an operant learning task, in which children acquired a response-sequence rule under either continuous or PRF (120 trials, followed by an extinction phase (80 trials. Data of 88 children were used for analysis.Results: The PRF extinction effect was confirmed: We observed slower acquisition and extinction in the PRF condition as compared to the continuous reinforcement (CRF condition. Working memory was negatively related to acquisition but not extinction performance.Conclusion: Both reinforcement contingencies and working memory relate to acquisition performance. Potential implications for BPT are that decreasing working memory load may enhance the chance of optimally learning through reinforcement.

[Management of moderate to severe pediatric concealed penis in children by Devine's technique via incision between the penis and scrotum].

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Xin-Sheng; Liu, Shi-Xiong; Xiang, Xue-Yan; Zhang, Wen-Gang; Tang, Da-Xing

2014-04-01

To search for a simple and effective surgical approach to the management of moderate to severe pediatric concealed penis in children. We used Devine's technique via incision between the penis and scrotum in the treatment of 68 cases of moderate to severe pediatric concealed penis. The patients were aged 3 -13 (mean 6.5) years, 30 with moderate and 38 with severe pediatric concealed penis. This strategy achieved good near- and long-term effects and satisfactory appearance of the penis, which was similar to that of circumcision. At 3 months after surgery, the penile length was 3 - 5.2 cm, averaging (2.35 +/- 0.35) cm. Devine's technique via incision between the penis and scrotum is a simple and effective surgical option for moderate to severe pediatric concealed penis in children.

The potential of folk tabletop games in the development of the intelligence and creativity of children

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Mariia Baisheva

2017-11-01

Full Text Available The modern education is dominantly targeted at the left hemisphere. It draws insufficient attention to the harmonization of the functioning of both brain hemispheres. This has a negative impact on the development of the abilities of children and is especially detrimental to boys and those children who are brought up in the natural environment. In this regard, one of the solutions is folk tabletop games, but their potential in the development of the intelligence and creativity of children has been insufficiently explored. The goal of the research is to identify and substantiate the potential of the Sakha’s tabletop games for the development of the intellectual and creative abilities of children aged 5-7 years. The scientific novelty of the research consists in the fact that the problem under study enriches the theoretical and methodological bases of using tabletop games in the intellectual development of children in preschool education. The study was carried out longitudinally. The following was studied: the influence of games on the development of intellectual, creative, and insight abilities of children aged 5-7 years, as well as their interconditionality. The obtained results are discussed from the point of view of their correspondence with both the data available in science and the hypothesis of the study. The discussion emphasizes that the tabletop games of the Sakha are the most meaningfully represented in the study as the functional space for the development of intellectual and creative abilities of children. In the conclusion, it is emphasized that folk tabletop games are the means for qualitative enrichment of all the basic factors of intelligence in operations, contents, and final products of thinking. The study has proven the idea of treating tabletop games as a substantial source of development of the harmonious activity of both brain hemispheres.

Cardiovascular CT angiography in neonates and children: Image quality and potential for radiation dose reduction with iterative image reconstruction techniques

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tricarico, Francesco; Hlavacek, Anthony M.; Schoepf, U.J.; Ebersberger, Ullrich; Nance, John W.; Vliegenthart, Rozemarijn; Cho, Young Jun; Spears, J.R.; Secchi, Francesco; Savino, Giancarlo; Marano, Riccardo; Bonomo, Lorenzo; Schoenberg, Stefan O.; Apfaltrer, Paul

2013-01-01

To evaluate image quality (IQ) of low-radiation-dose paediatric cardiovascular CT angiography (CTA), comparing iterative reconstruction in image space (IRIS) and sinogram-affirmed iterative reconstruction (SAFIRE) with filtered back-projection (FBP) and estimate the potential for further dose reductions. Forty neonates and children underwent low radiation CTA with or without ECG synchronisation. Data were reconstructed with FBP, IRIS and SAFIRE. For ECG-synchronised studies, half-dose image acquisitions were simulated. Signal noise was measured and IQ graded. Effective dose (ED) was estimated. Mean absolute and relative image noise with IRIS and full-dose SAFIRE was lower than with FBP (P < 0.001), while SNR and CNR were higher (P < 0.001). Image noise was also lower and SNR and CNR higher in half-dose SAFIRE studies compared with full-and half-dose FBP studies (P < 0.001). IQ scores were higher for IRIS, full-dose SAFIRE and half-dose SAFIRE than for full-dose FBP and higher for half-dose SAFIRE than for half-dose FBP (P < 0.05). Median weight-specific ED was 0.3 mSv without and 1.36 mSv with ECG synchronisation. The estimated ED of half-dose SAFIRE studies was 0.68 mSv. IR improves image noise, SNR, CNR and subjective IQ compared with FBP in low-radiation-dose paediatric CTA and allows further dose reductions without compromising diagnostic IQ. (orig.)

Cardiovascular CT angiography in neonates and children: Image quality and potential for radiation dose reduction with iterative image reconstruction techniques

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tricarico, Francesco [Medical University of South Carolina, Ashley River Tower, Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, Charleston, SC (United States); Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, ' ' A. Gemelli' ' Hospital, Department of Bioimaging and Radiological Sciences, Rome (Italy); Hlavacek, Anthony M. [Medical University of South Carolina, Ashley River Tower, Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, Charleston, SC (United States); Children' s Hospital, Medical University of South Carolina, Division of Pediatric Cardiology, Charleston, SC (United States); Schoepf, U.J. [Medical University of South Carolina, Ashley River Tower, Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, Charleston, SC (United States); Children' s Hospital, Medical University of South Carolina, Division of Pediatric Cardiology, Charleston, SC (United States); Medical University of South Carolina, Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Charleston, SC (United States); Ebersberger, Ullrich [Medical University of South Carolina, Ashley River Tower, Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, Charleston, SC (United States); Heart Centre Munich-Bogenhausen, Department of Cardiology and Intensive Care Medicine, Munich (Germany); Nance, John W. [Medical University of South Carolina, Ashley River Tower, Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, Charleston, SC (United States); Johns Hopkins Hospital, The Russell H. Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, Baltimore, MD (United States); Vliegenthart, Rozemarijn [Medical University of South Carolina, Ashley River Tower, Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, Charleston, SC (United States); University Medical Centre Groningen/University of Groningen, Centre for Medical Imaging - North East Netherlands, Department of Radiology, Groningen (Netherlands); Cho, Young Jun [Medical University of South Carolina, Ashley River Tower, Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, Charleston, SC (United States); Konyang University School of Medicine, Department of Radiology, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of); Spears, J.R. [Medical University of South Carolina, Ashley River Tower, Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, Charleston, SC (United States); Secchi, Francesco [Medical University of South Carolina, Ashley River Tower, Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, Charleston, SC (United States); University of Milan School of Medicine IRCCS Policlinico San Donato, Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, Radiology Unit, Milan (Italy); Savino, Giancarlo; Marano, Riccardo; Bonomo, Lorenzo [Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, ' ' A. Gemelli' ' Hospital, Department of Bioimaging and Radiological Sciences, Rome (Italy); Schoenberg, Stefan O. [University Medical Centre Mannheim, Medical Faculty Mannheim - Heidelberg University, Institute of Clinical Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Mannheim (Germany); Apfaltrer, Paul [Medical University of South Carolina, Ashley River Tower, Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, Charleston, SC (United States); University Medical Centre Mannheim, Medical Faculty Mannheim - Heidelberg University, Institute of Clinical Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Mannheim (Germany)

2013-05-15

To evaluate image quality (IQ) of low-radiation-dose paediatric cardiovascular CT angiography (CTA), comparing iterative reconstruction in image space (IRIS) and sinogram-affirmed iterative reconstruction (SAFIRE) with filtered back-projection (FBP) and estimate the potential for further dose reductions. Forty neonates and children underwent low radiation CTA with or without ECG synchronisation. Data were reconstructed with FBP, IRIS and SAFIRE. For ECG-synchronised studies, half-dose image acquisitions were simulated. Signal noise was measured and IQ graded. Effective dose (ED) was estimated. Mean absolute and relative image noise with IRIS and full-dose SAFIRE was lower than with FBP (P < 0.001), while SNR and CNR were higher (P < 0.001). Image noise was also lower and SNR and CNR higher in half-dose SAFIRE studies compared with full-and half-dose FBP studies (P < 0.001). IQ scores were higher for IRIS, full-dose SAFIRE and half-dose SAFIRE than for full-dose FBP and higher for half-dose SAFIRE than for half-dose FBP (P < 0.05). Median weight-specific ED was 0.3 mSv without and 1.36 mSv with ECG synchronisation. The estimated ED of half-dose SAFIRE studies was 0.68 mSv. IR improves image noise, SNR, CNR and subjective IQ compared with FBP in low-radiation-dose paediatric CTA and allows further dose reductions without compromising diagnostic IQ. (orig.)

Clinical application of multifocal visual evoked potentials in children with epilepsy caused by intracranial disease

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yukawa, Eiichi; Kim, Yeong-Jin; Kawasaki, Kensuke; Yoshii, Toshiaki; Hara, Yoshiaki

2006-01-01

We investigated whether visual field defects could be objectively evaluated using multifocal visual evoked potential (m-VEP) in two children with epilepsy caused by intracranial disease in whom it was difficult to measure the visual field. To determine normal waves in m-VEP, recording was performed using a visual evoked response imaging system (VERIS) Junior Science program (Mayo, Aichi, Japan) in 20 healthy children (20 eyes) peak latency and amplitude were used for assessment. In the two children with epilepsy, m-VEPs were recorded, and compared with the results of static perimetry or the lesions observed by Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI). In the 20 healthy children, there was no significant difference in the peak latency or amplitude among 4 quadrants by one-way analysis of variance. m-VEP in the children with epilepsy showed abnormal waves, corresponding to the visual field defects in the static perimetry or the lesions observed by MRI. Objective evaluation of visual field defects using m-VEP may be useful in children with epilepsy caused by intracranial disease in whom kinetic/static perimetry as a subjective examination is difficult. (author)

The intra-individual reproducibility of flash-evoked potentials in a sample of children.

Science.gov (United States)

Schellberg, D; Gasser, T; Köhler, W

1987-07-01

Visual evoked potentials (VEPs) to flash stimuli were recorded twice from 26 children aged 10-13 years, with an intersession interval of about 10 months. Test-retest reliability was poor for recordings taken from scalp locations overlying non-specific cortex and somewhat better for specific cortex. The size of consistency coefficients (i.e. correlations within session) showed that noise and artefacts were not the decisive factors which lower reliability. A comparison with retest correlations of broad band parameters of the EEG at rest for the same sample showed, to our surprise, smaller retest reliability for VEP parameters. Variability of the VEP in children over time seems to be a substantial as its well-known inter-individual variability.

Potential utility of MRI in the evaluation of children at risk of renal scarring

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Chan Yuleung; Chan Kamwing; Roebuck, D.J.; Chu, W.C.W.; Metreweli, C. [Dept. of Diagnostic Radiology and Organ Imaging, Chinese Univ. of Hong Kong, Shatin (China); Yeung Chungkwong; Lee Kimhung [Dept. of Surgery, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Prince of Wales Hospital, Shatin, Hong Kong (China)

1999-11-01

Background. Gadolinium-enhanced MRI has recently been employed in the diagnosis of acute pyelonephritis. Its potential utility in the diagnosis of renal scars in children is unknown. Objective. To evaluate the potential utility of MRI using fat-saturated T1-weighted (T1-W) and post-gadolinium, short-tau inversion-recovery (STIR) sequences in detecting renal scarring by comparison with technetium dimercaptosuccinic acid ({sup 99} {sup m}Tc-DMSA) renal scintigraphy in children at risk of renal scarring. Materials and methods. A group of 24 children with spina bifida and neurogenic bladder or anorectal anomaly was studied. No patient had a history of acute pyelonephritis. Documented urinary tract infection (UTI) was present in 10 children (42 %). The remaining 14 (58 %) children had a history of asymptomatic bacteriuria. None had clinical signs or symptoms of acute UTI at the time of the study. {sup 99} {sup m}Tc-DMSA and MRI were performed to detect renal scarring. {sup 99} {sup m}Tc-DMSA scans were supplemented with pinhole imaging. MRI of the kidneys employed a fat-saturated T1-W sequence and a post-gadolinium STIR sequence employing a short echo time. Results. Of the kidneys studied, 33 % (n = 16) had evidence of a renal parenchymal defect suggestive of scarring on {sup 99} {sup m}Tc-DMSA. The concordance in the detection of a scarred kidney by post-gadolinium STIR sequence and {sup 99} {sup m}Tc-DMSA is 94 %; that by fat-saturated T1-W sequence and {sup 99} {sup m}Tc-DMSA is 82 %; that by both sequences (positive result on either sequence) and {sup 99} {sup m}Tc-DMSA is 100 %. Using {sup 99} {sup m}Tc-DMSA as the gold standard, MRI had a sensitivity of 100 % and a specificity of 78 % in the diagnosis of a scarred kidney. The concordance in the detection of a scarred zone by post-gadolinium STIR sequence and {sup 99} {sup m}Tc-DMSA is 68 %; that by fat-saturated T1-W sequence and DMSA is 44 %; that by both sequences (positive result on either sequence) and {sup 99

Potential utility of MRI in the evaluation of children at risk of renal scarring

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chan Yuleung; Chan Kamwing; Roebuck, D.J.; Chu, W.C.W.; Metreweli, C.; Yeung Chungkwong; Lee Kimhung

1999-01-01

Background. Gadolinium-enhanced MRI has recently been employed in the diagnosis of acute pyelonephritis. Its potential utility in the diagnosis of renal scars in children is unknown. Objective. To evaluate the potential utility of MRI using fat-saturated T1-weighted (T1-W) and post-gadolinium, short-tau inversion-recovery (STIR) sequences in detecting renal scarring by comparison with technetium dimercaptosuccinic acid ( 99 m Tc-DMSA) renal scintigraphy in children at risk of renal scarring. Materials and methods. A group of 24 children with spina bifida and neurogenic bladder or anorectal anomaly was studied. No patient had a history of acute pyelonephritis. Documented urinary tract infection (UTI) was present in 10 children (42 %). The remaining 14 (58 %) children had a history of asymptomatic bacteriuria. None had clinical signs or symptoms of acute UTI at the time of the study. 99 m Tc-DMSA and MRI were performed to detect renal scarring. 99 m Tc-DMSA scans were supplemented with pinhole imaging. MRI of the kidneys employed a fat-saturated T1-W sequence and a post-gadolinium STIR sequence employing a short echo time. Results. Of the kidneys studied, 33 % (n = 16) had evidence of a renal parenchymal defect suggestive of scarring on 99 m Tc-DMSA. The concordance in the detection of a scarred kidney by post-gadolinium STIR sequence and 99 m Tc-DMSA is 94 %; that by fat-saturated T1-W sequence and 99 m Tc-DMSA is 82 %; that by both sequences (positive result on either sequence) and 99 m Tc-DMSA is 100 %. Using 99 m Tc-DMSA as the gold standard, MRI had a sensitivity of 100 % and a specificity of 78 % in the diagnosis of a scarred kidney. The concordance in the detection of a scarred zone by post-gadolinium STIR sequence and 99 m Tc-DMSA is 68 %; that by fat-saturated T1-W sequence and DMSA is 44 %; that by both sequences (positive result on either sequence) and 99 m Tc-DMSA is 84 %. MRI had a sensitivity of 84 % and a specificity of 86 % in the diagnosis of a

A review of DTCA techniques: Appraising their success and potential impact on medication users.

Science.gov (United States)

Babar, Zaheer-Ud-Din; Siraj, Ashna Medina; Curley, Louise

2018-03-01

subsequent success in sales. However some techniques, although beneficial to pharmaceutical promotion, need to be monitored by policymakers and regulatory advisors, as they have the potential to negatively impact consumer health knowledge. Overall, through this review it is evident that there are a number if techniques that employed by pharmaceutical marketers to augment the success of pharmaceutical promotion. While these techniques may be beneficial to pharmaceutical companies and might increase awareness amongst consumers, it is important to be critical of them, as they have the potential to be exploited by pharmaceutical marketers. This review indicated that although some techniques are successful and appear to be satisfactory in providing information to consumers, other techniques need to be appraised more closely. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Strategies to avoid the loss of developmental potential in more than 200 million children in the developing world.

Science.gov (United States)

Engle, Patrice L; Black, Maureen M; Behrman, Jere R; Cabral de Mello, Meena; Gertler, Paul J; Kapiriri, Lydia; Martorell, Reynaldo; Young, Mary Eming

2007-01-20

This paper is the third in the Child Development Series. The first paper showed that more than 200 million children under 5 years of age in developing countries do not reach their developmental potential. The second paper identified four well-documented risks: stunting, iodine deficiency, iron deficiency anaemia, and inadequate cognitive stimulation, plus four potential risks based on epidemiological evidence: maternal depression, violence exposure, environmental contamination, and malaria. This paper assesses strategies to promote child development and to prevent or ameliorate the loss of developmental potential. The most effective early child development programmes provide direct learning experiences to children and families, are targeted toward younger and disadvantaged children, are of longer duration, high quality, and high intensity, and are integrated with family support, health, nutrition, or educational systems and services. Despite convincing evidence, programme coverage is low. To achieve the Millennium Development Goals of reducing poverty and ensuring primary school completion for both girls and boys, governments and civil society should consider expanding high quality, cost-effective early child development programmes.

The Use of the Technique of «Theme Photobooks» in the Work with Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders or Intellectual Disorders

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Veksler D.

2016-12-01

Full Text Available The technique of «Theme Photobooks» is chosen out of the method of phototherapy and is developed by a group of American specialists in the process of remedial work with children or adults with disturbance of devel¬opment or autistic spectrum disorders. «Theme Photobooks» are an optional tool for remedial activities with children, enabling their development. Activities with Theme Photobooks consist of several stages: choice of an interesting or relevant for the child topic, selection of the objects for photographing, creation of photobooks (selection of images, their placement, making up the inscription to the photo, creation of the stories based on the pictures. The use of the technique of «Theme Photobooks» increases the intensity of communication pro¬cesses, which leads to the normalization of the child’s behaviour and considerably extends the chances of social integration. The article contracts the technique of «Theme Photobooks» with the methods PECS and «Social Stories», it also gives examples of activities with children with autistic spectrum disorders, beginning from the stage of the acquaintance of the teacher with the child to the selection of photos for the Theme Photobook «Rules of Behaviour Outdoors»

Food packaged with toys: an investigation on potential obesogenic effects in Indian children.

Science.gov (United States)

Gregori, Dario; Gulati, Achal; Hochdorn, Alexander; Ballali, Simonetta; Paramesh, Haralappa; Kumar, Malathi; Baldi, Ileana

2014-09-01

To investigate, in a large pan Indian sample of school children, whether gadgets (toys) added to food increase food consumption, and if contemporary exposure to TV and/or advertising is a further promoting factor. A total of 1,680 Indian children were first randomized to food exposure with or without toy and then to a five-level exposure to TV viewing and advertising according to a 2 × 5 full factorial ad libitum eating design study. The sample size was computed to detect a difference of 20 Kcal of caloric intake (assuming the same standard deviation of 20 Kcal in both groups) between "food with gadget" (Toy) and "food alone" (No Toy) groups in each level of the exposure to TV and advertising factor, given an alpha error equal to 0.05 and a power of 0.90. Mean caloric intake both in "Toy" and "No Toy" group was around 223 Kcal. When considering exposure to TV and advertising, mean values varied negligibly between 222 and 225 Kcal. According to linear models for the effect of gadget and exposure to TV and/or advertising on children's intake, no significant adjusted associations were found, neither as main effects nor as interactions. Food consumption by children is not influenced by the presence of added toys, even after adjustment for several potential confounding factors. The city where they live and age significantly influences Indian children's caloric intake.

Maternal buffering of fear-potentiated startle in children and adolescents with trauma exposure.

Science.gov (United States)

van Rooij, Sanne J H; Cross, Dorthie; Stevens, Jennifer S; Vance, L Alexander; Kim, Ye Ji; Bradley, Bekh; Tottenham, Nim; Jovanovic, Tanja

2017-02-01

Parental availability influences fear expression and learning across species, but the effect of maternal buffering on fear learning in humans is unknown. Here we investigated the effect of maternal availability during fear conditioning in a group of children (ages 8-10) and adolescents (ages 11-13) from a low-income population with a range of trauma exposure. Acoustic startle response data were collected to measure fear-potentiated startle (FPS) in 104 participants. A total of 62 participants were tested with the mother available and 42 when the mother was not in the testing room. We observed that maternal availability during fear conditioning interacted with age to affect FPS discrimination between CS+ and CS-. In line with previous findings suggesting an absence of maternal buffering in adolescents, fear discrimination was affected by maternal availability only in children. Second, we observed that the effect of maternal buffering on FPS discrimination in children was not influenced by maternally reported warmth. In conclusion, we demonstrated that maternal availability improved discrimination in children, regardless of the quality of the relationship. Adolescents discriminated irrespective of maternal status, suggesting that childhood may be a sensitive period for environmental influences on key processes such as learning of danger and safety signals.

Potential determinants of obesity among children and adolescents in Germany: results from the cross-sectional KiGGS study

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Prinz-Langenohl Reinhild

2009-02-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Obesity among children and adolescents is a growing public health problem. The aim of the present paper is to identify potential determinants of obesity and risk groups among 3- to 17-year old children and adolescents to provide a basis for effective prevention strategies. Methods Data were collected in the German Health Interview and Examination Survey for Children and Adolescents (KiGGS, a nationally representative and comprehensive data set on health behaviour and health status of German children and adolescents. Body height and weight were measured and body mass index (BMI was classified according to IOTF cut-off points. Statistical analyses were conducted on 13,450 non-underweight children and adolescents aged 3 to 17 years. The association between overweight, obesity and several potential determinants was analysed for this group as well as for three socio-economic status (SES groups. A multiple logistic regression model with obesity as the dependent variable was also calculated. Results The strongest association with obesity was observed for parental overweight and for low SES. Furthermore, a positive association with both overweight (including obesity and obesity was seen for maternal smoking during pregnancy, high weight gain during pregnancy (only for mothers of normal weight, high birth weight, and high media consumption. In addition, high intakes of meat and sausages, total beverages, water and tea, total food and beverages, as well as energy-providing food and beverages were significantly associated with overweight as well as with obesity. Long sleep time was negatively associated with obesity among 3- to 10-year olds. Determinants of obesity occurred more often among children and adolescents with low SES. Conclusion Parental overweight and a low SES are major potential determinants of obesity. Families with these characteristics should be focused on in obesity prevention.

Changes of Transient Visual Evoked Potentials in Dyslexic Children

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Ka Yan Leung

2011-05-01

Full Text Available Objectives: To investigate the characteristics of Visual Evoked Potentials (VEP in dyslexics. Methods: Fourteen children, 7 dyslexics and 7 control, aged 7 to 8 years were recruited. All dyslexic subjects were diagnosed by clinical psychologist. All subjects are from mainstream primary schools in Hong Kong, using Chinese and Cantonese as their primary written and spoken language, having normal visual acuity and IQ. Children with reported emotional or behavioral problems or binocular vision problem were excluded. All the subjects participated in pattern-reversal VEP measurements binocularly with 1000msec recording time. Four conditions of stimulations (checkersize: 180 min of arc were applied. (15-Hz at 15% contrast (25-Hz at 1% contrast (315-Hz at 15% contrast (415-Hz at 1% contrast Results: At 15% contrast stimulus, dyslexic subjects showed smaller amplitudes in both frequencies compared with the control group, especially in higher frequency. At 1% contrast stimulus, dyslexic subjects also showed smaller amplitudes in both frequencies and obvious reduction was observed at the later part of the recording period. No observable difference was showed in the latency of both contrast conditions. Conclusion: The attenuated VEP responses in higher frequency at low contrast condition in dyslexic group showed the changes of the transient visual response and this implies an abnormality in magnocellular pathway in dyslexia.

Potential Risk Estimation Drowning Index for Children (PREDIC): a pilot study from Matlab, Bangladesh.

Science.gov (United States)

Borse, N N; Hyder, A A; Bishai, D; Baker, T; Arifeen, S E

2011-11-01

Childhood drowning is a major public health problem that has been neglected in many low- and middle-income countries. In Matlab, rural Bangladesh, more than 40% of child deaths aged 1-4 years are due to drowning. The main objective of this paper was to develop and evaluate a childhood drowning risk prediction index. A literature review was carried out to document risk factors identified for childhood drowning in Bangladesh. The Newacheck model for special health care needs for children was adapted and applied to construct a childhood drowning risk index called "Potential Risk Estimation Drowning Index for Children" (PREDIC). Finally, the proposed PREDIC Index was applied to childhood drowning deaths and compared with the comparison group from children living in Matlab, Bangladesh. This pilot study used t-tests and Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curve to analyze the results. The PREDIC index was applied to 302 drowning deaths and 624 children 0-4 years old living in Matlab. The results of t-test indicate that the drowned children had a statistically (t=-8.58, p=0.0001) significant higher mean PREDIC score (6.01) than those in comparison group (5.26). Drowning cases had a PREDIC score of 6 or more for 68% of the children however, the comparison group had 43% of the children with score of 6 or more which was statistically significant (t=-7.36, p<0.001). The area under the curve for the Receiver Operating Characteristic curve was 0.662. Index score construction was scientifically plausible; and the index is relatively complete, fairly accurate, and practical. The risk index can help identify and target high risk children with drowning prevention programs. PREDIC index needs to be further tested for its accuracy, feasibility and effectiveness in drowning risk reduction in Bangladesh and other countries. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Predictors of change in music therapy with children and adolescents: The role of therapeutic techniques

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Gold, Christian; Wigram, Tony; Voracek, Martin

2006-01-01

and burdens on their social environment showed greater improvement when music therapy was limited to discipline-specific music therapy techniques and did not include other media such as play therapy elements. The findings indicate the importance of being aware about a therapy method's specific strengths......  Music therapy has been shown to be efficacious in experimental studies. However, there is little empirical research knowledge about what elements of music therapy influence its effectiveness in clinical practice. Children and adolescents with psychopathology (N = 75) were assessed before...

Application of A Computer Animation Technique to Assist the Teaching of Pre-Handwriting Skills to Children with Coordination Difficulties/Dyspraxia

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Othman Muhammad Fakri

2017-01-01

Full Text Available We have proposed a method to assist children with coordination difficulties or dyspraxia to improve their handwriting skills. We have chosen an animation technique called ‘Rotoscopy’, a method that normally been used in animation and film production and adapted it to Rotoscopy Prehandwriting Interface (RPI prototypes using the interactive whiteboard (IWB as interaction device. The motivation of this research is to discover how efficient if Rotoscopy is used beyond its normal purposes? Does it give benefits in terms of behavioural and motivational aspect rather than commercial and profit point of view? Implementation of RPI prototypes has taken place through series of workshops with a teacher and a group of children with handwriting difficulties at a special education school in Caerphilly, Cardiff, United Kingdom. In the workshops children were given pre-handwriting activities in two different environments. They have been trained to use RPI prototypes and IWB as well as using pen and paper. Their activities and action has been observed and recorded using video camera. Evaluation method is based-on video analysis of children’s pre-handwriting result and their reaction and motivation during the workshop. It was learnt that majority of children who used RPI prototypes and IWB have produced better results in terms of accuracy of the drawing as compared to results of pen and paper activities. Furthermore the children are more motivated to use the prototypes and IWB rather than using pen and paper. The study’s contribution includes offering a new way to improve children’s prehandwriting skills using computer animation technique and touch-based devices.

Children's Negotiations of Visualization Skills during a Design-Based Learning Experience Using Nondigital and Digital Techniques

Science.gov (United States)

Smith, Shaunna

2018-01-01

In the context of a 10-day summer camp makerspace experience that employed design-based learning (DBL) strategies, the purpose of this descriptive case study was to better understand the ways in which children use visualization skills to negotiate design as they move back and forth between the world of nondigital design techniques (i.e., drawing,…

Healthcare Access for Iraqi Refugee Children in Texas: Persistent Barriers, Potential Solutions, and Policy Implications.

Science.gov (United States)

Vermette, David; Shetgiri, Rashmi; Al Zuheiri, Haidar; Flores, Glenn

2015-10-01

To identify access barriers to healthcare and potential interventions to improve access for Iraqi refugee children. Four focus groups were conducted using consecutive sampling of Iraqi refugee parents residing in the US for 8 months to 5 years. Eight key-informant interviews also were conducted with employees of organizations serving Iraqi refugee families, recruited using snowball sampling. Focus groups and interviews were audiotaped, transcribed, and analyzed using margin coding and grounded theory. Iraqi refugees identified provider availability, Medicaid maintenance and renewal, language issues, and inadequate recognition of post-traumatic stress disorder as barriers to care for their children. Interviewees cited loss of case-management services and difficulties in understanding the Medicaid renewal process as barriers. Potential interventions to improve access include community-oriented efforts to educate parents on Medicaid renewal, obtaining services, and accessing specialists. Given the enduring nature of language and Medicaid renewal barriers, policies addressing eligibility alone are insufficient.

Effects of Grammatical Categories on Children's Visual Language Processing: Evidence from Event-Related Brain Potentials

Science.gov (United States)

Weber-Fox, Christine; Hart, Laura J.; Spruill, John E., III

2006-01-01

This study examined how school-aged children process different grammatical categories. Event-related brain potentials elicited by words in visually presented sentences were analyzed according to seven grammatical categories with naturally varying characteristics of linguistic functions, semantic features, and quantitative attributes of length and…

The impact of reconstruction techniques on observer performance for the detection and characterization of small pulmonary nodules in chest CT of children under 13 years

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Verhagen, Martijn V.; Smets, Anne M. J. B.; van Schuppen, Joost; Deurloo, Eline E.; Schaefer-Prokop, Cornelia

2018-01-01

To compare three different reconstruction techniques of CT data for the detection of pulmonary nodules in children under 13 years. Secondly to assess the prevalence of perifissural nodular opacities. The study consisted of chest CTs of 31 children (median age 6.9 years, range 2.1-12.7), of whom 17

Flash visual evoked potentials in patients with periventricular leucomalacia in children less than 1 year of age

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Jitendra Jethani

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Background and Aim: Children with periventricular leucomalacia (PVL are known to have visual impairment of various forms starting from reduced vision, field defects, congnitive problems, and problems with hand eye coordination. There is very scant data/literature on the visual evoked potentials (VEPs at an early age in children with PVL. We did a study to evaluate the flash visual evoked potentials (fVEPs in children with PVL less than 1 year of age. Materials and Methods: A total of nine children diagnosed as having PVL on magnetic resonance imaging were included in the study. The mean age was 9.7μ 3.5 months. All children underwent handheld fVEPs under sedation at two different flash frequencies 1.4 and 8 Hz. Results: The mean latency of N1 and P1 on stimulation with 1.4 Hz was 47.9μ 15.2 and 77.7μ 26.0 ms, respectively. However, on stimulation with 8 Hz the mean latency of N1 and P1 was 189.8μ 25.6 and 238.4μ 33.6 ms, respectively. The mean amplitude with 1.4 Hz and 8 stimulation frequency was 5.6μ 4.5 and 5.59μ 3 mV, respectively. Conclusion: We have found for the first time that there is a change in the latency and the delay occurs at 8 Hz frequency but not at 1.4 Hz. We also conclude that amplitudes by fVEPs may be normal even in presence of periventricular changes. The amplitudes of fVEPs are not reliable in children with PVL.

Service system finance: implications for children with depression and manic depression.

Science.gov (United States)

Glied, S; Neufeld, A

2001-06-15

An estimated 6.2% of children in the United States satisfy the criteria for a depression diagnosis, but approximately half of this group do not receive necessary treatment. Thus it is important to consider potential barriers to use through service system finance. This article reviews three major types of changes affecting access: parity legislation, managed care, and public contracting. How these developments will affect children with depression and manic depression (DMD) is unclear. To better understand the potential effects on children with DMD, this review uses new data from the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey to describe the service use patterns of this population. These children have higher levels of expenditures, higher rates of inpatient use, and higher rates of Medicaid payment than do other children with mental health diagnoses; they also are overrepresented among the costliest cases of mental illness in children. Children with DMD pay a relatively low out-of-pocket share, suggesting that parity efforts focusing only on copayments and deductibles will have little effect on the absolute out-of-pocket burden for these children. Because children with DMD are overrepresented among high utilizers of health services, health care rationing arrangements or techniques, such as utilization review and capitation, may place this population at particular risk.

Some Cognitive Consequences of Maternal Intervention Techniques: A Longitudinal Study.

Science.gov (United States)

Hess, Robert D.; McDevitt, Teresa M.

1984-01-01

Examines the relationship between mothers' intervention techniques in both teaching and disciplining and children's school-related abilities. Mothers' techniques were assessed when their children were age 4, and children's academic abilities were measured at ages 4, 5, 6, and 12. Among other results, direct control tactics were negatively…

Strategic approaches and assessment techniques-Potential for knowledge brokerage towards sustainability

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sheate, William R.; Partidario, Maria Rosario

2010-01-01

The role of science in policy and decision-making has been an issue of intensive debate over the past decade. The concept of knowledge brokerage has been developing in this context contemplating issues of communication, interaction, sharing of knowledge, contribution to common understandings, as well as to effective and efficient action. For environmental and sustainability policy and decision-making the discussion has addressed more the essence of the issue rather than the techniques that can be used to enable knowledge brokerage. This paper aims to contribute to covering this apparent gap in current discussion by selecting and examining empirical cases from Portugal and the United Kingdom that can help to explore how certain environmental and sustainability assessment approaches can contribute, if well applied, to strengthen the science-policy link. The cases show that strategic assessment approaches and techniques have the potential to promote knowledge brokerage, but a conscious effort will be required to design in genuine opportunities to facilitate knowledge exchange and transfer as part of assessment processes.

Hepaticoduodenostomy as a technique for biliary anastomosis in ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Hepaticoduodenostomy as a technique for biliary anastomosis in children with choledochal cyst: ... anastomotic technique in cases of choledochal cyst in children. Ann Pediatr Surg 13:78–80 c 2017 .... versus hepaticojejunostomy after resection of choledochal cyst: a systematic review and meta-analysis. J Pediatr Surg ...

Urinary fructose: a potential biomarker for dietary fructose intake in children.

Science.gov (United States)

Johner, S A; Libuda, L; Shi, L; Retzlaff, A; Joslowski, G; Remer, T

2010-11-01

Recently, urinary fructose and sucrose excretion in 24-h urine have been established experimentally as new biomarkers for dietary sugar intake in adults. Our objective was to investigate 1) whether the fructose biomarker is also applicable in free-living children and 2) for what kind of sugar it is standing for. Intakes of added and total sugar (including additional sugar from fruit and fruit juices) were assessed by 3-day weighed dietary records in 114 healthy prepubertal children; corresponding 24-h urinary fructose excretion was measured photometrically. The associations between dietary sugar intakes and urinary fructose excretion were examined using linear regression models. To determine whether one of the two sugar variables may be better associated with the urinary biomarker, the statistical Pitman's test was used. Added and total sugar correlated significantly with urinary fructose, but the linear regression indicated a weak association between intake of added sugar and urinary log-fructose excretion (β=0.0026, R(2)=0.055, P=0.01). The association between total sugar intake and log-urinary fructose (β=0.0040, R(2)=0.181, Pestimation of total sugar intake than for the estimation of added dietary sugar intake in children. However, as excreted fructose stems almost exclusively from the diet (both from food-intrinsic and added intakes), it can be assumed that urinary fructose represents a potential biomarker for total dietary fructose intake, irrespective of its source.

Somatosensory evoked potentials in children with autism | Azouz ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

SSEPs) changesamong children with autism, and their relation to somatosensory manifestations and severity of autism. Subjects: Thirty children with autism aged 2–12 years were included in the study, all of them fulfilling criteria of the Diagnostic ...

MRI study on the cortical thickness of occipital lobe in children with ametropic amblyopia

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Du Hanjian; Wang Jian; Li Chuan; Zhang Jiuquan; Chen Li; Liu Bo

2008-01-01

Objective: To study cortical thickness of the occipital lobe in children with ametropic amblyopia by using MRI technique and the FreeSurfer software. Methods: Nine children with ametropic amblyopia were included in the amblyopic group and 8 normal children were included in the control group. All the children underwent brain MRI on the Siemens Avanto 1.5 T scanner. For the cortical thickness analysis, 3-demensional MPRAGE images were collected and analyzed with FreeSurfer software package. Cortical thickness of related regions in the occipital lobe (including the cuneus, later occipital, lingual, and pericalcarine gyri) were recorded and compared. Results: The cortical thickness of the lingual, pericalcarine gyri on the left hemisphere and the cuneus, lateraloccipital, lingual gyri on the right hemisphere in amblyopic group were lower than the control group (P<0.05). Conclusion: Morphological changes existed in the occipital lobe in ametropic amblyopic children. The analysis technique with the FreeSurfer package has a potential value in the clinical application. (authors)

Comparison of techniques to evaluate the quantification of Candida spp. in HIV-infected children.

Science.gov (United States)

Cerqueira, Daniella Ferraz; Portela, Maristela Barbosa; Soares, Rosangela Maria De Araujo; De Souza, Ivete Pomarico Ribeiro; Castro, Gloria Fernanda

2009-01-01

This study sought to compare techniques used to make a quantified evaluation of Candida spp. in children infected with HIV. Twenty-four HIV-infected children (age 3 to 13) were selected. Three sterilized swabs were used for each child: one for the dorsum of the tongue, one for the hard palate mucosa, and one for the right jugal mucosa; each swab was rubbed for 10 seconds and transferred to sterilized test tubes containing 1 mL of 0.9% saline solution. Candida spp. growth was observed in 95.8% of all samples, including 95.7% of tongue samples (Group T), 87.0% of saliva samples, 56.6% of hard palate mucosa samples (Group P), and 47.8% of right jugal mucosa samples (Group J). There was no statistical difference in Candida spp. growth between saliva samples and Group T samples, although both had higher growth compared to Groups P and J (p < 0.05; chi(2)). Regarding the sensitivity of each site for positive Candida spp. growth, Group T samples showed 69.5%, while saliva samples showed 52.2%, Group P samples showed 21.7%, and Group J samples showed 13.04%, with no significant statistical difference between Group T and saliva; however, both were more sensitive than Groups J and P (p < 0.05, chi(2)). It was concluded that whole stimulated saliva and swabbing the tongue were considered satisfactory for measuring Candida spp. in HIV-infected children.

If I shouldn't spank, what should I do? Behavioural techniques for disciplining children.

Science.gov (United States)

Tidmarsh, L

2000-05-01

To provide family physicians with a guide for evaluating discipline problems, giving suggestions for parental guidance, and diagnosing problems when discipline guidance fails. A MEDLINE and PsycINFO search from 1990 to the present produced articles reviewing research on aspects of discipline. Case-control studies, expert opinion, and position statements published by the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Canadian Paediatric Society were chosen as a basis for this article. In a special supplement in 1996, a pediatric journal reviewed the controversy of spanking as an effective disciplinary method, with comments by noted researchers and clinicians. Other authors reviewed research evaluating discipline techniques. Discipline problems require evaluation of children, parents, and parent-child relationships, including assessment of child development and evaluation of parenting skills and parental stressors. Parents can learn techniques more effective than spanking. Physicians can review discipline strategies and guide parents through difficult situations. Monitoring progress is important, and immediate reassessment of the situation if techniques are failing or referral to a specialist will increase the chances of a successful intervention. Discipline problems are complex and require careful assessment. Guiding parents during these types of problems requires close follow up and reevaluation when methods do not have the expected effect.

[Potential effects of screen media on cognitive development among children under 3 years old: review of literature].

Science.gov (United States)

Brzozowska, Inga; Sikorska, Iwona

2016-01-01

The literature review regarding potential effects of screen media on cognitive development among children under 3 years old, is presented. In this article, cognitive aspects of development include acquisition of language, attention, learning and later school performance. The constant increase of children's access to television is noted, indicating that 60% of infants and toddlers watch TV regularly for 1-2 hours per day. The review included 40 articles and book chapters of significant such as Anderson, Barr, Christakis, Zimmerman, Meltzoff, Courage, Setliff, Troseth. The data was selected from electronic databases of scientific publications: Psychology & Behavioral Sciences Collection, Social Sciences Full Text (H.W. Wilson) and Humanities Full Text (H.W. Wilson) available in Poland. Cited articles provide evidence of the negative impact of exposure to television, media and video on the cognitive functioning of children under 3 years old. The potential impact of watching TV for difficulties in ability to focus attention appears as a core danger. Furthermore, studies suggest a possible connection between early exposure to television and ADHD as well as difficulties with language acquisition, learning and poorer school results.

An event-related potential study of working memory in children

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

LIU Rong; GUO Chunyan; JIANG Yang

2006-01-01

To examine the neural mechanisms of working memory in children, event-related potentials (ERPs) were recorded from the 12―13 year-old while they performed a delayed match-to-sample task. The ERP results revealed that new and studied objects both evoked a late positive ERP component peaking around 350 ms during the working memory process. New objects evoke a more positive ERP waveform than the studied objects. The scalp distribution showed that the frontal-central electrode sites were associated with object working memory processes. When tracking new or studied targets among visual distracters, ERPs of targets and distracters revealed differential responses as early as 150 ms. The visual targets evoked larger and more positive ERP responses than the distracters. The typical old-new effect was observed between ERPs of studied and new distracters. However, ERPs of new and studied targets differed at about 250 ms, in which new targets evoked more positive-going and slightly earlier ERP responses. In addition, a P3a component was found for new targets only, and was absent in ERPs of studied targets at frontal and central sites. The present study results reveal the spatial and temporal characteristics of neural mechanisms underlying working memory in children, some of which are distinct from those in adults.

The Potential of Digital Technologies for Transforming Informed Consent Practices with Children and Young People in Social Research

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sarah Parsons

2015-12-01

Full Text Available How children and young people understand and exercise their autonomy, engagement and decision-making is fundamental to learning how to become active and engaged citizens, and to be socially included. Digital technologies are increasingly an integral part of children’s everyday lives and, therefore, valuable tools for supporting social inclusion. This paper discusses how digital technologies might positively support autonomy, engagement and decision-making through the lens of informed consent practices within social research. Current research practices are dominated by paper-based methods for obtaining informed consent which could be exclusionary for children and young people generally, and children with additional learning and support needs in particular. Digital technologies (laptops, PCs, tablet devices, smartphones offer the potential to support accessibility and understanding of ideas and activities, as well as engagement with and autonomy in decision-making and participation. This paper explores this potential as well as the challenges that researchers may face in this context.

A modified technique for craniospinal irradiation in children designed to reduce acute and late radiation toxicity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Phillips, Claire; Sexton, Maree

2004-01-01

Craniospinal irradiation is an important technique for the treatment of a number of paediatric malignancies. The conventional technique uses photons for all fields and does not exploit the benefits of CT and computer planning systems. The present paper describes a modification of the conventional technique in which both photons and electrons are used for the spinal field (mixed-beam technique). Computed tomography images and a planning computer are used for the selection of field junctions, electron beam energy and dosimetry. The intention of the technique is to reduce radiotherapy toxicity. A discussion of the potential benefits is presented Copyright (2004) Blackwell Publishing Asia Pty Ltd

New technique for herniotomy in children: A clinical trial ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Objective This study aimed to assess the necessity of hernial sac ligation after its transection in herniotomy in children and to compare the recurrence and complication rates between two methods of hernial repair in children (the classic method with ligation of the hernial sac and a new method without sac ligation).

Clinical definition of respiratory viral infections in young children and potential bronchiolitis misclassification.

Science.gov (United States)

Megalaa, Rosemary; Perez, Geovanny F; Kilaikode-Cheruveettara, Sasikumar; Kotwal, Nidhi; Rodriguez-Martinez, Carlos E; Nino, Gustavo

2018-01-01

Viral respiratory infections are often grouped as a single respiratory syndrome named 'viral bronchiolitis', independently of the viral etiology or individual risk factors. Clinical trials and guidelines have used a more stringent definition of viral bronchiolitis, including only the first episode of wheezing in children less than 12 months of age without concomitant respiratory comorbidities. There is increasing evidence suggesting that this definition is not being followed by pediatric care providers, but it is unclear to what extent viral respiratory infections are currently misclassified as viral bronchiolitis using standard definitions. We conducted a retrospective analysis of hospitalized young children (≤3 years) due to viral respiratory infections. Bronchiolitis was defined as the first wheezing episode less than 12 months of age. Demographic variables and comorbidities were obtained by electronic medical record review. The study comprised a total of 513 hospitalizations (n=453). Viral bronchiolitis was diagnosed in 144 admissions (28.1%). Notably, we identified that the majority of children diagnosed with bronchiolitis (63%) were misclassified as they had prior episodes of wheezing. Many children with bronchiolitis misclassification had significant comorbidities, including prematurity (51%), neuromuscular conditions (9.8%), and congenital heart disease (9.8%). Misclassification of bronchiolitis is a common problem that may lead to inappropriate management of viral respiratory infections in young children. A comprehensive approach that takes into consideration viral etiology and individual risk factors may lead to a more accurate clinical assessment of this condition and would potentially prevent bronchiolitis misclassification. © American Federation for Medical Research (unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2018. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.

The Potential of AI Techniques for Remote Sensing

Science.gov (United States)

Estes, J. E.; Sailer, C. T. (Principal Investigator); Tinney, L. R.

1984-01-01

The current status of artificial intelligence AI technology is discussed along with imagery data management, database interrogation, and decision making. Techniques adapted from the field of artificial intelligence (AI) have significant, wide ranging impacts upon computer-assisted remote sensing analysis. AI based techniques offer a powerful and fundamentally different approach to many remote sensing tasks. In addition to computer assisted analysis, AI techniques can also aid onboard spacecraft data processing and analysis and database access and query.

Potential weekly intake of artificial food colours by 3-14-year-old children in Brazil.

Science.gov (United States)

Toledo, M C; Guerchon, M S; Ragazzi, S

1992-01-01

The Potential Weekly Intake (PWI) of artificial food colours by 3-14-year-old children living in the District of Barão Geraldo, Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil, was estimated on the basis of average consumption data of artificially coloured food and analytically determined colour concentration in foodstuffs ingested. Coloured food consumption data were obtained through dietary recall interviews and collection of the packages and/or labels of the coloured foods consumed during a two-week period. Colours found in the individual types of foods detected through the consumption survey were identified and determined by methods that included wool dyeing and polyamide column extractions, ascending paper chromatography and spectrophotometry. The results showed that all artificial colours used in the composition of 83 commercial food products, including jellies, juices, soft drinks, syrups and 57 different candies, were permitted for use in food in Brazil the year the survey was conducted (1986), in amounts below those prescribed by law. Statistical analysis performed to compare the PWI for different population groups demonstrated that young male children, especially from lower social classes, were most exposed to artificial colours. Comparison of the estimated potential intakes with the toxicologically Acceptable Daily Intake (ADI) showed that consumption of Amaranth, Sunset Yellow, Indigotine and Tartrazine by all children in the study represented approximately 24%, 3%, 0.05% and 0.4%, of the actual ADI values, respectively.

Potential Cost-Effectiveness of an Influenza Vaccination Program Offering Microneedle Patch for Vaccine Delivery in Children.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Carlos Wong

Full Text Available The influenza vaccine coverage rate of children is low in Hong Kong. Microneedle patches (MNPs is a technology under development for painless delivery of vaccines. This study aimed to examine the potential clinical outcomes and direct medical costs of an influenza program offering MNP vaccine to children who have declined intramuscular (IM vaccine in Hong Kong.A decision model was designed to compare potential outcomes between IM vaccine program and a program offering MNP vaccine to those declined IM vaccine (IM/MNP program in a hypothetical cohort of children over one-year time horizon. The model outcomes included direct medical cost, influenza infection rate, mortality rate, and quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs loss. Model inputs were retrieved from published literature. Sensitivity analyses were performed to examine the robustness of model results.In base-case analysis, IM/MNP program was more costly per child (USD19.13 versus USD13.69; USD1 = HKD7.8 with lower influenza infection rate (98.9 versus 124.8 per 1,000 children, hospitalization rate (0.83 versus 1.05 per 1,000 children and influenza-related mortality rate (0.00042 versus 0.00052 per 1,000 children when compared to IM program. The incremental cost per QALY saved (ICER of IM/MNP program versus IM program was 27,200 USD/QALY. Using gross domestic product (GDP per capita of Hong Kong (USD40,594 as threshold of willingness-to-pay (WTP per QALY, one-way sensitivity analysis found ICER of IM/MNP to exceed WTP when duration of illness in outpatient setting was 1.39-time of IM vaccine cost. In 10,000 Monte Carlo simulations, IM/MNP program was the preferred option in 57.28% and 91.68% of the time, using 1x and 3x GDP per capita as WTP threshold, respectively.Acceptance of IM/MNP program as the preferred program was subject to the WTP threshold, duration of illness in outpatient settings, and cost of MNP vaccine.

Improved abdominal MRI in non-breath-holding children using a radial k-space sampling technique

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lee, Jong Hyuk; Choi, Young Hun; Cheon, Jung Eun; Lee, So Mi; Cho, Hyun Hae; Kim, Woo Sun; Kim, In One [Seoul National University Children' s Hospital, Department of Radiology, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Shin, Su Mi [SMG-SNU Boramae Medical Center, Department of Radiology, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

2015-06-15

Radial k-space sampling techniques have been shown to reduce motion artifacts in adult abdominal MRI. To compare a T2-weighted radial k-space sampling MRI pulse sequence (BLADE) with standard respiratory-triggered T2-weighted turbo spin echo (TSE) in pediatric abdominal imaging. Axial BLADE and respiratory-triggered turbo spin echo sequences were performed without fat suppression in 32 abdominal MR examinations in children. We retrospectively assessed overall image quality, the presence of respiratory, peristaltic and radial artifact, and lesion conspicuity. We evaluated signal uniformity of each sequence. BLADE showed improved overall image quality (3.35 ± 0.85 vs. 2.59 ± 0.59, P < 0.001), reduced respiratory motion artifact (0.51 ± 0.56 vs. 1.89 ± 0.68, P < 0.001), and improved lesion conspicuity (3.54 ± 0.88 vs. 2.92 ± 0.77, P = 0.006) compared to respiratory triggering turbo spin-echo (TSE) sequences. The bowel motion artifact scores were similar for both sequences (1.65 ± 0.77 vs. 1.79 ± 0.74, P = 0.691). BLADE introduced a radial artifact that was not observed on the respiratory triggering-TSE images (1.10 ± 0.85 vs. 0, P < 0.001). BLADE was associated with diminished signal variation compared with respiratory triggering-TSE in the liver, spleen and air (P < 0.001). The radial k-space sampling technique improved the quality and reduced respiratory motion artifacts in young children compared with conventional respiratory-triggered turbo spin-echo sequences. (orig.)

Self-Monitoring: A Behavioral Intervention for Children Attending Head Start

Science.gov (United States)

Riggleman, Samantha

2017-01-01

Addressing the needs of preschoolers with behavioral problems is important, as these issues often have long-term impacts on the outcomes of students (Fox et al., 2002). Self-monitoring strategies and techniques have the potential to improve the outcomes of this population of children. Self-monitoring requires students to pay attention to a…

Enhancing Peer Acceptance of Children with Learning Difficulties: Classroom Goal Orientation and Effects of a Storytelling Programme with Drama Techniques

Science.gov (United States)

Law, Yin-kum; Lam, Shui-fong; Law, Wilbert; Tam, Zoe W. Y.

2017-01-01

Peer acceptance is an important facilitator for the success of inclusive education. The aim of the current study is twofold: (1) to examine how classroom goal orientation is associated with children's acceptance of peers with learning difficulties; and (2) to evaluate the effectiveness of a storytelling programme with drama techniques on…

Auditory perception and attention as reflected by the brain event-related potentials in children with Asperger syndrome.

Science.gov (United States)

Lepistö, T; Silokallio, S; Nieminen-von Wendt, T; Alku, P; Näätänen, R; Kujala, T

2006-10-01

Language development is delayed and deviant in individuals with autism, but proceeds quite normally in those with Asperger syndrome (AS). We investigated auditory-discrimination and orienting in children with AS using an event-related potential (ERP) paradigm that was previously applied to children with autism. ERPs were measured to pitch, duration, and phonetic changes in vowels and to corresponding changes in non-speech sounds. Active sound discrimination was evaluated with a sound-identification task. The mismatch negativity (MMN), indexing sound-discrimination accuracy, showed right-hemisphere dominance in the AS group, but not in the controls. Furthermore, the children with AS had diminished MMN-amplitudes and decreased hit rates for duration changes. In contrast, their MMN to speech pitch changes was parietally enhanced. The P3a, reflecting involuntary orienting to changes, was diminished in the children with AS for speech pitch and phoneme changes, but not for the corresponding non-speech changes. The children with AS differ from controls with respect to their sound-discrimination and orienting abilities. The results of the children with AS are relatively similar to those earlier obtained from children with autism using the same paradigm, although these clinical groups differ markedly in their language development.

The Next Level of Research on Electronic Play: Potential Benefits and Contextual Influences for Children and Adolescents

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dorothy E. Salonius-Pasternak

2005-01-01

Full Text Available Most research on electronic play has focused on its possible negative effects for children and adolescents, and contextual factors such as socioeconomic status (SES and culture are rarely considered. This article considers the potential benefits of electronic play from a psychological perspective, as well as individual and contextual factors that may shape the influence of electronic play for children and adolescents. Demographics of players and the games themselves are presented, and recommendations for research and policy are discussed.

Total pancreatectomy and islet autotransplantation in children for chronic pancreatitis: indication, surgical techniques, postoperative management, and long-term outcomes.

Science.gov (United States)

Chinnakotla, Srinath; Bellin, Melena D; Schwarzenberg, Sarah J; Radosevich, David M; Cook, Marie; Dunn, Ty B; Beilman, Gregory J; Freeman, Martin L; Balamurugan, A N; Wilhelm, Josh; Bland, Barbara; Jimenez-Vega, Jose M; Hering, Bernhard J; Vickers, Selwyn M; Pruett, Timothy L; Sutherland, David E R

2014-07-01

Describe the surgical technique, complications, and long-term outcomes of total pancreatectomy and islet autotransplantation (TP-IAT) in a large series of pediatric patients. Surgical management of childhood pancreatitis is not clear; partial resection or drainage procedures often provide transient pain relief, but long-term recurrence is common due to the diffuse involvement of the pancreas. Total pancreatectomy (TP) removes the source of the pain, whereas islet autotransplantation (IAT) potentially can prevent or minimize TP-related diabetes. Retrospective review of 75 children undergoing TP-IAT for chronic pancreatitis who had failed medical, endoscopic, or surgical treatment between 1989 and 2012. Pancreatitis pain and the severity of pain statistically improved in 90% of patients after TP-IAT (P Puestow procedure (P = 0.018), lower body surface area (P = 0.048), higher islet equivalents (IEQ) per kilogram body weight (P = 0.001), and total IEQ (100,000) (P = 0.004) were associated with insulin independence. By multivariate analysis, 3 factors were associated with insulin independence after TP-IAT: (1) male sex, (2) lower body surface area, and (3) higher total IEQ per kilogram body weight. Total IEQ (100,000) was the single factor most strongly associated with insulin independence (odds ratio = 2.62; P < 0.001). Total pancreatectomy and islet autotransplantation provides sustained pain relief and improved quality of life. The β-cell function is dependent on islet yield. Total pancreatectomy and islet autotransplantation is an effective therapy for children with painful pancreatitis that failed medical and/or endoscopic management.

Visualizing the transient electroosmotic flow and measuring the zeta potential of microchannels with a micro-PIV technique.

Science.gov (United States)

Yan, Deguang; Nguyen, Nam-Trung; Yang, Chun; Huang, Xiaoyang

2006-01-14

We have demonstrated a transient micro particle image velocimetry (micro-PIV) technique to measure the temporal development of electroosmotic flow in microchannels. Synchronization of different trigger signals for the laser, the CCD camera, and the high-voltage switch makes this measurement possible with a conventional micro-PIV setup. Using the transient micro-PIV technique, we have further proposed a method on the basis of inertial decoupling between the particle electrophoretic motion and the fluid electroosmotic flow to determine the electrophoretic component in the particle velocity and the zeta potential of the channel wall. It is shown that using the measured zeta potentials, the theoretical predictions agree well with the transient response of the electroosmotic velocities measured in this work.

Implicit Phonological and Semantic Processing in Children with Developmental Dyslexia: Evidence from Event-Related Potentials

Science.gov (United States)

Jednorog, K.; Marchewka, A.; Tacikowski, P.; Grabowska, A.

2010-01-01

Dyslexia is characterized by a core phonological deficit, although recent studies indicate that semantic impairment also contributes to this condition. In this study, event-related potentials (ERP) were used to examine whether the N400 wave in dyslexic children is modulated by phonological or semantic priming, similarly to age-matched controls.…

Discriminative capacity of bronchodilator response measured with three different lung function techniques in asthmatic and healthy children aged 2 to 5 years

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nielsen, K G; Bisgaard, H

2001-01-01

as compared with placebo in healthy control subjects. Lung function improved to a significantly greater extent in asthmatic children than in control subjects as reflected by all methods. sRaw provided the best discriminative power of such a bronchodilator response, with a sensitivity of 66% and specificity......The primary aim of this study was to quantify and compare bronchodilator responsiveness in healthy and asthmatic children aged 2 to 5 yr. The secondary aim of the study was to compare discriminative capacity (i.e., sensitivity, specificity, and predictive values of the reversibility test......) as measured with the impulse oscillation technique were assessed before and 20 min after inhalation of terbutaline from a pressurized metered-dose inhaler via a metal spacer by 92 children (37 healthy controls and 55 asthmatic subjects). The study of healthy children followed a randomized, double...

Biomarkers to assess potential developmental immunotoxicity in children

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Luster, Michael I.; Johnson, Victor J.; Yucesoy, Berran; Simeonova, Petia P.

2005-01-01

Clinical tests are readily available for assessing severe loss of immune function in children with diseases such as AIDS or primary immunodeficiency. However tests that could reliably identify subtle immune changes, as might be expected to result from exposure to developmental immunotoxic agents, are not readily available. A number of tests are described which we believe have potential applicability for epidemiological studies involving developmental immunotoxicity. Several of the tests, such as T cell receptor rearrangement excision circles (TRECs) and cytokine measurements, while highly relevant from a biological standpoint, may be precluded from use at the current time, for either technical issues or insufficient validation. Immunophenotyping and measurement of serum immunoglobulin levels, on the other hand, are well validated. Yet they may require extraordinary care in experimental design and technical performance in order to obtain data that would consistently detect subtle changes, as these tests are not generally considered highly sensitive. Quantification of the immune response to childhood vaccine, while up to the present used sparingly, may represent an excellent indicator for developmental immunotoxicity when conducted under appropriate conditions

Stress Management for Children and Adolescents.

Science.gov (United States)

Sensor, M. Carol

This handbook was designed to provide a basic introduction to and understanding of stress and its impact upon children. Several coping techniques for children are presented along with the methods with which to teach them. These techniques are intended to provide a resource for school psychologists working with children and adolescents who are…

Vaccination technique, PPD reaction and BCG scarring in a cohort of children born in Guinea-Bissau 2000-2002

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Roth, Adam Anders Edvin; Sodemann, Morten; Jensen, Henrik

2005-01-01

and scarring in Guinea-Bissau. In a cohort of children born in suburban Bissau from March 2000 to July 2002, we assessed a Mantoux test with Purified protein derivative (PPD) (SSI, 2 T.U.) at 2 (2689 children), 6 (N=2148) and 12 months (N=1638) of age, and BCG scar was assessed at 2 (N=2698) and 6 months (N......=2225) of age. In a subgroup of the children the vaccination technique was monitored by direct observation of post-vaccination wheal and route of administration. Three different types of BCG vaccine supplied by the local Extended Programme on Immunization were used. At 6 months of age the rate of PPD...... reactors (>1mm) after BCG vaccination was 25% and the rate of scarring was 89%. One BCG strain was associated with fewer PPD reactors (OR=0.54 (0.31-0.91)) and BCG scars (OR=0.13 (0.05-0.37)) and larger post-vaccination wheals produced more PPD reactions (OR 1.21 (95% CI 1.02-1.43)) and BCG scars (OR 1...

Maternal Perceptions of Mealtimes: Comparison of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder and Children with Typical Development

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Terry K. Crowe

2017-03-01

Full Text Available Background: This study examined mealtime techniques reported by mothers of preschool children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD and mothers of children with typical development (TD. The mothers’ perceived levels of success and sources of information for mealtime techniques were also reported. Method: The participants were 24 mothers of children with ASD (ASD group and 24 mothers of children with typical development (TD group between 3 and 6 years of age. The Background Information Survey and the Mealtime Techniques Interview were administered. Results: The ASD group used significantly more techniques in categories of food appearances, restrictive diets, and vitamin/supplement therapy. The TD group used significantly more techniques in the categories of etiquette and negative consequences. Both groups rated techniques similarly with no significant difference between the perceived rate of success for each category. Finally, 91% of mealtime techniques for both groups were parent generated with few from professionals. Conclusion: The results showed that many of the mothers in both groups used similar mealtime techniques and most implemented techniques that were self-generated with generally moderate perception of success. Occupational therapists should collaboratively work with families to increase mealtime success by recommending interventions that are individualized and family centered.

It's Story Time!: Exploring the Potential of Multimodality in Oral Storytelling to Support Children's Vocabulary Learning

Science.gov (United States)

Lwin, Soe Marlar

2016-01-01

Although many studies have been done on the benefits of parent/teacher-child interactions during shared storybook reading or read'aloud sessions, very few have examined the potential of professional storytellers' oral discourse to support children's vocabulary learning. In those storytelling sessions conducted by professional storytellers, the…

Magnetic resonance imaging acquisition techniques intended to decrease movement artefact in paediatric brain imaging: a systematic review

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Woodfield, Julie; Kealey, Susan

2015-01-01

Attaining paediatric brain images of diagnostic quality can be difficult because of young age or neurological impairment. The use of anaesthesia to reduce movement in MRI increases clinical risk and cost, while CT, though faster, exposes children to potentially harmful ionising radiation. MRI acquisition techniques that aim to decrease movement artefact may allow diagnostic paediatric brain imaging without sedation or anaesthesia. We conducted a systematic review to establish the evidence base for ultra-fast sequences and sequences using oversampling of k-space in paediatric brain MR imaging. Techniques were assessed for imaging time, occurrence of movement artefact, the need for sedation, and either image quality or diagnostic accuracy. We identified 24 relevant studies. We found that ultra-fast techniques had shorter imaging acquisition times compared to standard MRI. Techniques using oversampling of k-space required equal or longer imaging times than standard MRI. Both ultra-fast sequences and those using oversampling of k-space reduced movement artefact compared with standard MRI in unsedated children. Assessment of overall diagnostic accuracy was difficult because of the heterogeneous patient populations, imaging indications, and reporting methods of the studies. In children with shunt-treated hydrocephalus there is evidence that ultra-fast MRI is sufficient for the assessment of ventricular size. (orig.)

Magnetic resonance imaging acquisition techniques intended to decrease movement artefact in paediatric brain imaging: a systematic review

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Woodfield, Julie [University of Edinburgh, Child Life and Health, Edinburgh (United Kingdom); Kealey, Susan [Western General Hospital, Department of Neuroradiology, Edinburgh (United Kingdom)

2015-08-15

Attaining paediatric brain images of diagnostic quality can be difficult because of young age or neurological impairment. The use of anaesthesia to reduce movement in MRI increases clinical risk and cost, while CT, though faster, exposes children to potentially harmful ionising radiation. MRI acquisition techniques that aim to decrease movement artefact may allow diagnostic paediatric brain imaging without sedation or anaesthesia. We conducted a systematic review to establish the evidence base for ultra-fast sequences and sequences using oversampling of k-space in paediatric brain MR imaging. Techniques were assessed for imaging time, occurrence of movement artefact, the need for sedation, and either image quality or diagnostic accuracy. We identified 24 relevant studies. We found that ultra-fast techniques had shorter imaging acquisition times compared to standard MRI. Techniques using oversampling of k-space required equal or longer imaging times than standard MRI. Both ultra-fast sequences and those using oversampling of k-space reduced movement artefact compared with standard MRI in unsedated children. Assessment of overall diagnostic accuracy was difficult because of the heterogeneous patient populations, imaging indications, and reporting methods of the studies. In children with shunt-treated hydrocephalus there is evidence that ultra-fast MRI is sufficient for the assessment of ventricular size. (orig.)

Decrease in lactobacilli in the intestinal microbiota of celiac children with a gluten-free diet, and selection of potentially probiotic strains.

Science.gov (United States)

Lorenzo Pisarello, María J; Vintiñi, Elisa O; González, Silvia N; Pagani, Florencia; Medina, Marcela S

2015-01-01

The intestinal microbiota would be implicated in pathology associated with celiac disease caused by an abnormal immune system reaction against gluten present in cereal grains. The objectives of this work were to detect through basic methods the changes in the composition of the most common genera of bacteria from the intestinal microbiota of symptom-free celiac disease children with a gluten-free diet compared with healthy children from Tucumán and to select lactobacilli (Lb) strains with probiotic potential from the feces of healthy children. Results demonstrated that the feces of celiac children with a gluten-free diet showed significantly lower counts of Lb (P LC4) showed the highest percentage of autoaggregation while Lactobacillus paracasei (LC9) showed high hydrophobicity. Based on these results, LC4 and LC9 were selected, and their use as potential probiotic strains to improve signs and symptoms associated with celiac disease is discussed. This is the first study performed in Argentina concerning the relationship between intestinal microbiota and celiac disease in celiac children with a gluten-free diet. In addition, the development of a probiotic food addressed towards celiac patients and designed with Lb isolated from the feces of healthy children from our province represents a promising alternative to improve the quality of life of celiac patients.

Zeta potential of microfluidic substrates: 1. Theory, experimental techniques, and effects on separations.

Science.gov (United States)

Kirby, Brian J; Hasselbrink, Ernest F

2004-01-01

This paper summarizes theory, experimental techniques, and the reported data pertaining to the zeta potential of silica and silicon with attention to use as microfluidic substrate materials, particularly for microchip chemical separations. Dependence on cation concentration, buffer and cation type, pH, cation valency, and temperature are discussed. The Debye-Hückel limit, which is often correctly treated as a good approximation for describing the ion concentration in the double layer, can lead to serious errors if it is extended to predict the dependence of zeta potential on the counterion concentration. For indifferent univalent electrolytes (e.g., sodium and potassium), two simple scalings for the dependence of zeta potential on counterion concentration can be derived in high- and low-zeta limits of the nonlinear Poisson-Boltzman equation solution in the double layer. It is shown that for most situations relevant to microchip separations, the high-zeta limit is most applicable, leading to the conclusion that the zeta potential on silica substrates is approximately proportional to the logarithm of the molar counterion concentration. The zeta vs. pH dependence measurements from several experiments are compared by normalizing the zeta based on concentration.

Russian Language Development Assessment as a Standardized Technique for Assessing Communicative Function in Children Aged 3–9 Years

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Prikhoda N.A.,

2016-10-01

Full Text Available The article describes the Russian Language Development Assessment, a standardized individual diagnostic tool for children aged from 3 to 9 that helps to assess the following components of a child’s communicative function: passive vocabulary, expressive vocabulary, knowledge of semantic constructs with logical, temporal and spatial relations, passive perception and active use of syntactic and morphological features of words in a sentence, active and passive phonological awareness, active and passive knowledge of syntactic structures and categories. The article provides descriptions of content and diagnostic procedures for all 7 subtests included in the assessment (Passive Vocabulary, Active Vocabulary, Linguistic Operators, Sentence structure, Word Structure, Phonology, Sentence Repetition. Basing on the data collected in the study that involved 86 first- graders of a Moscow school, the article analyzes the internal consistency and construct validity of each subtest of the technique. It concludes that the Russian Language Development Assessment technique can be of much use both in terms of diagnostic purposes and in supporting children with ASD taking into account the lack of standardized tools for language and speech development assessment in Russian and the importance of this measure in general.

Pattern visual evoked potentials in dyslexic versus normal children

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Javad Heravian

2015-01-01

Conclusion: The sensitivity of PVEP has high validity to detect visual deficits in children with dyslexic problem. However, no significant difference was found between dyslexia and normal children using high contrast stimuli.

Prescribing Outdoor Physical Activity to Children: Health Care Providers' Perspectives.

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Christiana, Richard W; James, J Joy; Battista, Rebecca A

2017-01-01

Little evidence exists on health care provider (HCP) prescriptions for children's outdoor physical activity (PA). Semistructured interviews were conducted with 15 children's HCPs to explore perspectives on outdoor PA prescription programs for children and barriers to implementation. Thematic analytic techniques were used to analyze the data. Most participants reported an awareness of health benefits to children being in the outdoors. Ten themes emerged from the data related to 3 thematic categories: (1) current strategies that HCPs are using to promote PA among children, (2) barriers that HCPs see to prescribing outdoor PA, and (3) potential strategies for promoting outdoor PA among children. Assessment of the local outdoor PA environment and resource development must be done prior to a prescription program. HCPs should be skilled in conducting conversations and setting goals related to outdoor PA tailored to the patient. Developing a system for follow-up with patients on established goals should also be included.

Delineation of groundwater potential zones in Theni district, Tamil Nadu, using remote sensing, GIS and MIF techniques

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N.S. Magesh

2012-03-01

Full Text Available Integration of remote sensing data and the geographical information system (GIS for the exploration of groundwater resources has become a breakthrough in the field of groundwater research, which assists in assessing, monitoring, and conserving groundwater resources. In the present paper, various groundwater potential zones for the assessment of groundwater availability in Theni district have been delineated using remote sensing and GIS techniques. Survey of India toposheets and IRS-1C satellite imageries are used to prepare various thematic layers viz. lithology, slope, land-use, lineament, drainage, soil, and rainfall were transformed to raster data using feature to raster converter tool in ArcGIS. The raster maps of these factors are allocated a fixed score and weight computed from multi influencing factor (MIF technique. Moreover, each weighted thematic layer is statistically computed to get the groundwater potential zones. The groundwater potential zones thus obtained were divided into four categories, viz., very poor, poor, good, and very good zones. The result depicts the groundwater potential zones in the study area and found to be helpful in better planning and management of groundwater resources.

Enzyme-potentiated desensitization in children with asthma and mite allergy: a double-blind study.

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Cantani, A; Ragno, V; Monteleone, M A; Lucenti, P; Businco, L

1996-01-01

The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of enzyme-potentiated desensitization (EPD) in children with asthma. Twenty asthmatic children (14 males and 6 females; median age: 8.5 years) were included in the study. They had positive skin tests to Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus (Dpt), no history of other allergy and had suffered from asthma for at least two years. The children were examined before starting the trial, at the first EPD dose, after 8 weeks, at the second EPD dose and 3 months after the second EPD dose. Blood samples for PRIST and RAST were drawn before the first and at the second EPD dose, and at the last follow-up. Conjunctival provocation tests (CPT) and skin test endpoint determinations were performed with dilutions of a freeze-dried Dpt extract (10-100,000 SQ-U/ml) at the start of the trial and at the last follow-up. Parents kept a diary record of the days with asthma and daily drug usage. The children were randomized to receive either two intradermal placebo injections or the active material with an 8-week interval (November 1991 and January 1992). Ten children received EPD and 10 children placebo. The intradermal injection of EPD (0.05 ml) contained 0.01 ml of beta-glucuronidase (40 Fishman units) and 0.04 ml of a mixture of inhalant allergens (1 Noon unit). The placebo injection consisted of buffer solution only. The EPD-treated children had significantly fewer days with asthma (p = 0.00000). In addition, the EPD-treated children used significantly less medication for the management of asthma attacks (p = 0.00000). At the start of the trial, three out of 10 children in the EPD group and two out of 10 in the placebo group reacted only to the highest dose of allergen used in the CPT (100,000 SQ/ml) (NS). At the last follow-up, the threshold dose in the CPT was 100,000 SQ/ml or more in nine out of 10 children in the EPD group and in four out of 10 children of the placebo group (p = 0.0349). At the last follow-up, one child in the

A Longitudinal Study of the TEACCH Program in Different Settings: The Potential Benefits of Low Intensity Intervention in Preschool Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

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D'Elia, Lidia; Valeri, Giovanni; Sonnino, Fabiana; Fontana, Ilaria; Mammone, Alessia; Vicari, Stefano

2014-01-01

We conducted a longitudinal study of 30 preschool children with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) to evaluate the potential benefits of the Treatment and Education of Autistic and related Communication Handicapped Children (TEACCH). Fifteen children following a low intensity TEACCH program were assessed four times for autism severity, adaptive…

Review: Painless EMG in Children

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Mahmoud Mohammadi

2003-12-01

Full Text Available Thanks to new techniques in Pediatric Neurology , nowadays we are more able to detect and differentiate different diseases of the nerves and muscles in children . Although these techniques are sometimes more sensitive and specific than EMG in children, but EMG and NCV study has its specific role in pediatric neurology and this is because of more availability and feasibility of these tests in children . One of the main Limitations of EMG techniques especially in pediatric age group is the pain induced by the insertion of needle electrodes into muscle as well as electrical stimulations needed to do NCV and other studies. So, all the experts in the field are trying to find some methods to reduce the pain induced by this technique . I have tried to introduce some of these methods after a brief explanation about pediatric EMG technique.

Continuous monitoring of back wall stress corrosion cracking growth in sensitized type 304 stainless steel weldment by means of potential drop techniques

OpenAIRE

SATO, Y; ATSUMI, T; SHOJI, T

2007-01-01

Stress corrosion cracking (SCC) tests on welded specimens of sensitized type 304SS with a thickness of 20 mm were performed in sodium thiosulphate solution at room temperature, with continuous monitoring of the SCC growth, using the techniques of modified induced current potential drop (MICPD), alternating current potential drop (ACPD) and direct current potential drop (DCPD). The MICPD and DCPD techniques permit continuous monitoring of the back wall SCC, which initiates from a fatigue pre-c...

Molecular profiling techniques as tools to detect potential unintended effects in genetically engineered maize

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Barros, E

2010-05-01

Full Text Available Molecular Profiling Techniques as Tools to Detect Potential Unintended Effects in Genetically Engineered Maize Eugenia Barros Introduction In the early stages of production and commercialization of foods derived from genetically engineered (GE) plants... systems. In a recent paper published in Plant Biotechnology Journal,4 we compared two transgenic white maize lines with the non-transgenic counterpart to investigate two possible sources of variation: genetic engineering and environmental variation...

Endoscopic Treatment of Vesicoureteral Reflux with Dextranomer/Hyaluronic Acid in Children

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Andrew J. Kirsch

2008-06-01

Full Text Available Purpose. The goal of this review is to present current indications, injectable agents, techniques, success rates, complications, and potential future applications of endoscopic treatment for vesicoureteral reflux (VUR in children. Materials and Methods. The endoscopic method currently achieving one of the highest success rates is the double hydrodistention-implantation technique (HIT. This method employs dextranomer/hyaluronic acid copolymer, which has been used in pediatric urology for over 10 years and may be at present the first choice injectable agent due to its safety and efficacy. Results. While most contemporary series report cure rates of greater than 85% for primary VUR, success rates of complicated cases of VUR may be, depending on the case, significantly lower. Endoscopic treatment offers major advantages to patients while avoiding potentially complicated open surgery. As the HIT method continues to be applied to complex cases of VUR and more outcome data become available, the indication for endoscopic treatment may exceed the scope of primary VUR. Conclusions. Endoscopic injection is emerging as the treatment of choice for VUR in children.

Overview of CT technologies for children

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Frush, Donald P. [Duke University Medical Center, Department of Radiology, Box 3808, Durham, NC (United States)

2014-10-15

Many technical advances in CT have reduced radiation exposure in children and adults. These advances in technology should be used in conjunction with CT techniques such as appropriate patient preparation and intravenous contrast media administration to maximize dose management and image quality. This article summarizes current dose reduction technologies for pediatric CT, noting ranges of dose reduction as well as potential limitations. Discussion includes some of the elusive aspects of assessing image quality and the need for developing personalized CT. (orig.)

Overview of CT technologies for children

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Frush, Donald P.

2014-01-01

Many technical advances in CT have reduced radiation exposure in children and adults. These advances in technology should be used in conjunction with CT techniques such as appropriate patient preparation and intravenous contrast media administration to maximize dose management and image quality. This article summarizes current dose reduction technologies for pediatric CT, noting ranges of dose reduction as well as potential limitations. Discussion includes some of the elusive aspects of assessing image quality and the need for developing personalized CT. (orig.)

Diagnostics of suicidal behavior risks of children and adolescents in educational institutions

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Pavlova T.S.

2014-12-01

Full Text Available The article describes the main techniques used in empirical studies abroad for diagnostics of risks of suicidal behavior in children and adolescents in population sampling: Beck Self-Rating Depression Inventory, The Hopelessness Scale for Children, Inventory of Suicide Orientation, Self-Destructive Thought Assessment Scale, The Life-Attitudes Schedule, A measure of adolescent potential for suicide (MAPS, Multi-Attitude Suicide Tendency Scale in adolescent samples, PATHOS, The Reasons for Living Inventory, Suicide Probability Scale (SPS, Validity of the Self-Harm Behavior Questionnaire

Management of congenital neck lesions in children.

Science.gov (United States)

Erikci, Volkan; Hoşgör, Münevver

2014-09-01

A retrospective clinical trial was conducted to evaluate the clinical features and treatment outcomes and to determine the incidence of complications in children with congenital neck lesions (CNLs) treated at our institution with a special emphasis on thyroglossal duct remnant (TGDR), branchial cleft anomaly (BCA), and dermoid cyst (DC). This series had 72 patients with CNL. The diagnosis of CNL was made by physical examination, ultrasound (US) in most, and for a potential extension of the mass computed tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in a few patients and confirmed by histopathological examination in all of the children. Of the patients in this series, 39 (54.2%) children had thyroglossal duct remnant (TGDR). The most common surgical procedure (n = 36) in these children was Sistrunk's procedure. Four children (10.3%) with TGDR had associated anomalies including Turner syndrome and Morgagni hernia. During the study period, 25 (34.7%) children with branchial cleft anomaly (BCA) were treated and most of these were second branchial anomalies. There were eight children (11.1%) with dermoid cyst (DC). TGDR is the most common CNL and is presented clinically rather late with regard to BCA and DC in this series. Surgical resection is optimal choice of therapy in CNLs not only for aesthetic reasons but also for the recurrent infections and the potential danger of malignancy. Definitive surgery may be associated with high morbidity, especially recurrence. Associated anomalies may be observed, especially in children with TGDR. Although the Sistrunk's procedure is a safe and successful technique, life-threatening complications should also be kept in mind during the management of these lesions and early and adequate surgical treatment is suggested. Copyright © 2014 British Association of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgeons. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

An automated technique to identify potential inappropriate traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) prescriptions.

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Hsuan-Chia; Iqbal, Usman; Nguyen, Phung Anh; Lin, Shen-Hsien; Huang, Chih-Wei; Jian, Wen-Shan; Li, Yu-Chuan

2016-04-01

Medication errors such as potential inappropriate prescriptions would induce serious adverse drug events to patients. Information technology has the ability to prevent medication errors; however, the pharmacology of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is not as clear as in western medicine. The aim of this study was to apply the appropriateness of prescription (AOP) model to identify potential inappropriate TCM prescriptions. We used the association rule of mining techniques to analyze 14.5 million prescriptions from the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database. The disease and TCM (DTCM) and traditional Chinese medicine-traditional Chinese medicine (TCMM) associations are computed by their co-occurrence, and the associations' strength was measured as Q-values, which often referred to as interestingness or life values. By considering the number of Q-values, the AOP model was applied to identify the inappropriate prescriptions. Afterwards, three traditional Chinese physicians evaluated 1920 prescriptions and validated the detected outcomes from the AOP model. Out of 1920 prescriptions, 97.1% of positive predictive value and 19.5% of negative predictive value were shown by the system as compared with those by experts. The sensitivity analysis indicated that the negative predictive value could improve up to 27.5% when the model's threshold changed to 0.4. We successfully applied the AOP model to automatically identify potential inappropriate TCM prescriptions. This model could be a potential TCM clinical decision support system in order to improve drug safety and quality of care. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

The Use of Structural-Acoustic Techniques to Assess Potential Structural Damage From Sonic Booms

Science.gov (United States)

Garrelick, Joel; Martini, Kyle

1996-01-01

The potential impact of supersonic operations includes structural damage from the sonic boom overpressure. This paper describes a study of how structural-acoustic modeling and testing techniques may be used to assess the potential for such damage in the absence of actual flyovers. Procedures are described whereby transfer functions relating structural response to sonic boom signature may be obtained with a stationary acoustic source and appropriate data processing. Further, by invoking structural-acoustic reciprocity, these transfer functions may also be acquired by measuring the radiated sound from the structure under a mechanical drive. The approach is based on the fundamental assumption of linearity, both with regard to the (acoustic) propagation of the boom in the vicinity of the structure and to the structure's response. Practical issues revolve around acoustic far field and source directivity requirements. The technique was implemented on a specially fabricated test structure at Edwards AFB, CA with the support of Wyle Laboratories, Inc. Blank shots from a cannon served as our acoustic source and taps from an instrumented hammer generated the mechanical drive. Simulated response functions were constructed. Results of comparisons with corresponding measurements recorded during dedicated supersonic flyovers with F-15 aircraft are presented for a number of sensor placements.

Patient perspectives: Kundalini yoga meditation techniques for psycho-oncology and as potential therapies for cancer.

Science.gov (United States)

Shannahoff-Khalsa, David S

2005-03-01

The ancient system of Kundalini Yoga (KY) includes a vast array of meditation techniques. Some were discovered to be specific for treating psychiatric disorders and others are supposedly beneficial for treating cancers. To date, 2 clinical trials have been conducted for treating obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). The first was an open uncontrolled trial and the second a single-blinded randomized controlled trial (RCT) comparing a KY protocol against the Relaxation Response and Mindfulness Meditation (RRMM) techniques combined. Both trials showed efficacy on all psychological scales using the KY protocol; however, the RCT showed no efficacy on any scale with the RRMM control group. The KY protocol employed an OCD-specific meditation technique combined with other techniques that are individually specific for anxiety, low energy, fear, anger, meeting mental challenges, and turning negative thoughts into positive thoughts. In addition to OCD symptoms, other symptoms, including anxiety and depression, were also significantly reduced. Elements of the KY protocol other than the OCD-specific technique also may have applications for psycho-oncology patients and are described here. Two depression-specific KY techniques are described that also help combat mental fatigue and low energy. A 7-part protocol is described that would be used in KY practice to affect the full spectrum of emotions and distress that complicate a cancer diagnosis. In addition, there are KY techniques that practitioners have used in treating cancer. These techniques have not yet been subjected to formal clinical trials but are described here as potential adjunctive therapies. A case history demonstrating rapid onset of acute relief of intense fear in a terminal breast cancer patient using a KY technique specific for fear is presented. A second case history is reported for a surviving male diagnosed in 1988 with terminal prostate cancer who has used KY therapy long term as part of a self

[Neurophysiological methods in evaliuation of neurorehabiltation in children].

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Świerczyńska, Anna; Kłusek, Renata; Kaciński, Marek

2016-01-01

The authors reviewed neurophysiological methods, which are used in the evaluation of children referred for neurorehabilitation. Rehabilitation techniques which may stimulate or provoke pathological changes in EEG must be ruled out. Electrophysiological and clinical improvement allow for the extension and intensification of rehabilitation. Normal EEG pattern ensures the safe use of techniques consisting of neuromuscular re-education or passive verticalisation, electrotherapy and thermotherapy. Quantitative and qualitative assessment of cognitive impairment is based on neuropsychological tests and endogenous evoked potentials (most often P300). Presence of cognitive dysfunction needs the use of neuropsychological and neurologopedic therapy. Based on results of exogenous evoked potentials appropriate neurorehabilitation program (physiotherapy, kinezytherapy) can be determined and clinical outcome predicted. EMG allows appropriate usage of applications, patterns and principles in the PNF method (such as compression, stretching, resistance), adapting them optimally to the possibility of a child. ENG estimates conduction in motor and sensory nerves. Based on the results nerve impairment can be localized, severity and character of damage estimated (demyelinating, axonal or complex) and course of the disease and treatment monitored. Short characteristics of 37 children with Guillain-Barre syndrome referred for rehabilitation was presented. Special attention was drawn to floppy infants. Results of neuroelectrophysiological examinations determine suitable rehabilitation program adjusted to the course of central nervous system impairment.

The Effective Use of Symbols in Teaching Word Recognition to Children with Severe Learning Difficulties: A Comparison of Word Alone, Integrated Picture Cueing and the Handle Technique.

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Sheehy, Kieron

2002-01-01

A comparison is made between a new technique (the Handle Technique), Integrated Picture Cueing, and a Word Alone Method. Results show using a new combination of teaching strategies enabled logographic symbols to be used effectively in teaching word recognition to 12 children with severe learning difficulties. (Contains references.) (Author/CR)

An Auditory Go/No-Go Study of Event-Related Potentials in Children with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Steinmann, Tobias P.; Andrew, Colin M.; Thomsen, Carsten E.

2011-01-01

Abstract—In this study event-related potentials (ERPs) were used to investigate the effects of prenatal alcohol exposure on response inhibition identified during task performance. ERPs were recorded during a auditory Go/No Go task in two groups of children with mean age of 12:8years (11years to 14......:7years): one diagnosed with fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) or partial FAS (FAS/PFAS; n = 12) and a control group of children of same age whose mothers abstained from alcohol or drank minimally during pregnancy (n = 11). The children were instructed to push a button in response to the Go stimulus...... trials, suggesting a less efficient early classification of the stimulus. P3 showed larger amplitudes to No-Go vs. Go in both groups. The study has provided new evidence for inhibition deficits in FAS/PFAS subjects identified by ERPs....

Problems and solutions: accounts by parents and children of adhering to chest physiotherapy for cystic fibrosis.

Science.gov (United States)

Williams, Brian; Mukhopadhyay, Somnath; Dowell, Jon; Coyle, Joanne

2007-07-30

Although chest physiotherapy is central to the management of cystic fibrosis (CF), adherence among children is problematic. This study explores accounts by parents and children of the difficulties of adhering to chest physiotherapy for cystic fibrosis, and identifies strategies used by families to overcome these. A qualitative study based on in-depth interviews with 32 children with a diagnosis of cystic fibrosis aged 7 - 17 years, and with 31 parents. Physiotherapy was frequently described as restrictive, threatening to identity and boring, giving rise to feelings of unfairness, inequality, 'difference', and social stigma. Motivation to adhere was influenced by perceptions of effectiveness that depended on external signs evident during or after the physiotherapy. Motivation was enhanced where parents and children visualized the accumulation of mucus. Some parents had developed distraction techniques that improved the experience of chest physiotherapy but had few opportunities to share these with other parents. The experience of physiotherapy is problematic to some parents and children. Furthermore, motivation to overcome these problems may be undermined by perceptions of ineffectiveness. Distraction techniques that change the value that the child places on the time spent doing physiotherapy and that reduces their perception of its duration may improve experience and adherence. The potential of visualization techniques to promote adherence should be investigated further.

Internet food marketing on popular children's websites and food product websites in Australia.

Science.gov (United States)

Kelly, Bridget; Bochynska, Katarzyna; Kornman, Kelly; Chapman, Kathy

2008-11-01

The aim of the present study was to describe the nature and extent of food marketing on popular children's websites and food product websites in Australia. Food product websites (n 119) and popular children's websites (n 196) were selected based on website traffic data and previous research on frequently marketed food brands. Coding instruments were developed to capture food marketing techniques. All references to food on popular children's websites were also classified as either branded or non-branded and according to food categories. Websites contained a range of marketing features. On food product websites these marketing features included branded education (79.0% of websites), competitions (33.6%), promotional characters (35.3%), downloadable items (35.3%), branded games (28.6%) and designated children's sections (21.8%). Food references on popular children's websites were strongly skewed towards unhealthy foods (60.8% v. 39.2% healthy food references; Pfood references for unhealthy foods. Branded food references displayed similar marketing features to those identified on food product websites. Internet food marketing uses a range of techniques to ensure that children are immersed in brand-related information and activities for extended periods, thereby increasing brand familiarity and exposure. The relatively unregulated marketing environment and increasing use of the Internet by children point to the potential increase in food marketing via this medium. Further research is required to investigate the impact of Internet food marketing on children's food preferences and consumption, and regulatory options to protect children.

Potential Selection Effects when Estimating Associations Between the Infancy Peak or Adiposity Rebound and Later Body Mass Index in Children

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Börnhorst, Claudia; Siani, Alfonso; Tornaritis, Michalis

2017-01-01

Introduction:This study aims to evaluate a potential selection effect caused by exclusion of children with non-identifiable infancy peak (IP) and adiposity rebound (AR) when estimating associations between age and BMI at IP and AR and later weight status. Subjects and methods: In 4 744 children.......98). In the total study group, BMI values in infancy and childhood were positively associated with later BMI z-scores where associations increased with age. Associations between BMI velocities and later BMI z-scores were largest at ages 5 and 6. Results differed for children with non-identifiable IP and AR...

Lung ultrasound for the diagnosis of community-acquired pneumonia in children.

Science.gov (United States)

Stadler, Jacob A M; Andronikou, Savvas; Zar, Heather J

2017-10-01

Ultrasound (US) has been proposed as an alternative first-line imaging modality to diagnose community-acquired pneumonia in children. Lung US has the potential benefits over chest radiography of being radiation free, subject to fewer regulatory requirements, relatively lower cost and with immediate bedside availability of results. However, the uptake of lung US into clinical practice has been slow and it is not yet included in clinical guidelines for community-acquired pneumonia in children. The aim of this review is to give an overview of the equipment and techniques used to perform lung US in children with suspected pneumonia and the interpretation of relevant sonographic findings. We also summarise the current evidence of diagnostic accuracy and reliability of lung US compared to alternative imaging modalities in children and critically consider the strengths and limitations of lung US for use in children presenting with suspected community-acquired pneumonia.

Errorless acquiescence training: a potential "keystone" approach to building peer interaction skills in children with severe problem behavior.

Science.gov (United States)

Ducharme, Joseph M; Folino, Anthony; Derosie, Janine

2008-01-01

Errorless acquiescence training (EAT) was developed as a graduated, success-focused, and short-term intervention for building social skills. The approach focuses on building the skill of acquiescence (i.e., teaching children to be flexible with the needs and will of peers). The authors predict that acquiescence would serve as a keystone, that is, a skill that when trained produces widespread improvements in child behavior, including reductions in antisocial behavior. The authors provide EAT to eight children referred to a clinical classroom for severe antisocial behavior. Consistent with errorless paradigms, key intervention components present at the initiation of intervention are systematically faded at a slow enough rate to ensure continued prosocial interactions throughout and following treatment. Children demonstrate substantial increases in acquiescent responding and other prosocial behavior as well as covariant reductions in antisocial behaviors. Acquiescence is discussed in terms of its potential as a keystone for prosocial responding in children with antisocial behavior.

Recurrent potential pulse technique for improvement of glucose sensing ability of 3D polypyrrole

Science.gov (United States)

Cysewska, Karolina; Karczewski, Jakub; Jasiński, Piotr

2017-07-01

In this work, a new approach for using a 3D polypyrrole (PPy) conducting polymer as a sensing material for glucose detection is proposed. Polypyrrole is electrochemically polymerized on a platinum screen-printed electrode in an aqueous solution of lithium perchlorate and pyrrole. PPy exhibits a high electroactive surface area and high electrochemical stability, which results in it having excellent electrocatalytic properties. The studies show that using the recurrent potential pulse technique results in an increase in PPy sensing stability, compared to the amperometric approach. This is due to the fact that the technique, under certain parameters, allows the PPy redox properties to be fully utilized, whilst preventing its anodic degradation. Because of this, the 3D PPy presented here has become a very good candidate as a sensing material for glucose detection, and can work without any additional dopants, mediators or enzymes.

Total Pancreatectomy and Islet Auto-Transplantation in Children for Chronic Pancreatitis. Indication, Surgical Techniques, Post Operative Management and Long-Term Outcomes

Science.gov (United States)

Chinnakotla, Srinath; Bellin, Melena D.; Schwarzenberg, Sarah J.; Radosevich, David M.; Cook, Marie; Dunn, Ty B.; Beilman, Gregory J.; Freeman, Martin L.; Balamurugan, A.N.; Wilhelm, Josh; Bland, Barbara; Jimenez-Vega, Jose M; Hering, Bernhard J.; Vickers, Selwyn M.; Pruett, Timothy L.; Sutherland, David E.R.

2014-01-01

Objective Describe the surgical technique, complications and long term outcomes of total pancreatectomy and islet auto transplantation (TP-IAT) in a large series of pediatric patients. Summary Background Data Surgical management of childhood pancreatitis is not clear; partial resection or drainage procedures often provide transient pain relief, but long term recurrence is common due to the diffuse involvement of the pancreas. Total pancreatectomy (TP) removes the source of the pain, while islet auto transplantation (IAT) potentially can prevent or minimize TP-related diabetes. Methods Retrospective review of 75 children undergoing TP-IAT for chronic pancreatitis who had failed medical, endoscopic or surgical treatment between 1989–2012. Results Pancreatitis pain and the severity of pain statistically improved in 90% of patients after TP-IAT (p =Puestow (p=0.018), lower body surface area (p=0.048), IEQ per Kg Body Weight (p=0.001) and total IEQ (100,000) (0.004) were associated with insulin independence. By multivariate analysis, 3 factors were associated with insulin independence after TP-IAT:(1) male gender, (2) lower body surface area and the (3) higher total IEQ per kilogram body weight. Total IEQ (100,000) was the single factor most strongly associated with insulin independence (OR = 2.62; p value < 0.001). Conclusions TP-IAT provides sustained pain relief and improved quality of life. The β cell function is dependent on islet yield. TP-IAT is an effective therapy for children with painful pancreatitis that fail medical and or endoscopic management PMID:24509206

Lesbian motherhood and mitochondrial replacement techniques: reproductive freedom and genetic kinship.

Science.gov (United States)

Cavaliere, Giulia; Palacios-González, César

2018-02-28

In this paper, we argue that lesbian couples who wish to have children who are genetically related to both of them should be allowed access to mitochondrial replacement techniques (MRTs). First, we provide a brief explanation of mitochondrial diseases and MRTs. We then present the reasons why MRTs are not, by nature, therapeutic. The upshot of the view that MRTs are non-therapeutic techniques is that their therapeutic potential cannot be invoked for restricting their use only to those cases where a mitochondrial DNA disease could be 'cured'. We then argue that a positive case for MRTs is justified by an appeal to reproductive freedom, and that the criteria to access these techniques should hence be extended to include lesbian couples who wish to share genetic parenthood. Finally, we consider a potential objection to our argument: that the desire to have genetically related kin is not a morally sufficient reason to allow lesbian couples to access MRTs. © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2018. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.

Potential uses of remote handling and robotic techniques in the back end of the fuel cycle

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Reynolds, N.P.; Tabe, T.; Fenton, N.; Baumgartner, P.

1984-01-01

Atomic Energy of Canada Limited (AECL) is actively conducting research on used fuel immobilization, used fuel reprocessing, and nuclear fuel waste immobilization and disposal. This paper attempts to identify potential uses of robotics and remote handling techniques in these areas, where their adoption could lead to significant processing, economic and safety advantages

Comparison of Methods of Teaching Children Proper Lifting ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Objective: This study was designed to determine the effects of three teaching methods on children\\'s ability to demonstrate and recall their mastery of proper lifting techniques. Method: Ninety-three primary five and six public school children who had no knowledge of proper lifting technique were assigned into three equal ...

Mental health interventions for children exposed to disasters and terrorism.

Science.gov (United States)

Pfefferbaum, Betty; Newman, Elana; Nelson, Summer D

2014-02-01

The purpose of this review is to describe interventions used with children who are exposed to disasters and terrorism and to present information about the potential benefits of these interventions. A literature search conducted in January 2013 using relevant databases and literature known to the authors that was not generated by the search yielded a total of 85 studies appropriate for review. Intervention approaches used with children exposed to disasters and terrorism included preparedness interventions, psychological first aid, psychological debriefing, psychoeducation, cognitive behavioral techniques, exposure and narrative techniques, eye movement desensitization and reprocessing, and traumatic grief interventions. The investigation of these interventions is complex, and studies varied in methodological rigor (e.g., sample size, the use of control groups, outcomes measured). Given the limitations in the currently available empirical information, this review integrates the literature, draws tentative conclusions about the current state of knowledge, and suggests future directions for study.

Technique of radiotherapy of the neurocranium in children suffering from leucosis

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Thiel, H.J.

1985-11-01

By an irradiation of the neurocranium with doses from 12 to 30 Gy during the combined treatment of ALL in children, an essential reduction of the leukemic manifestation on the meninges as well as an improved curability have been achieved during the last few years. The precision of the irradiation technique is of vital importance, i.e. the occurrence of recurrences on the central nervous system during complete remission after skull irradiation are preponderantly due to a defective irradiation technique. The important factors are a daily reproducible positioning and fixation of the head in an irradiation mask and the adjustment within three dimensions by means of a laser light system. Only cobalt-60 gamma radiation or the ultrahard photons of a linear accelerator with an energy of 4 to 6 MV should be applied. The irradiation is performed with laterally opposite, coplanar and coaxial fields in an isocentric adjustment. The field shape is regulated by individual absorbers adjusted under visual control in a defined position to the patient on a plexiglas plate at the therapy simulator. In order to guarantee an homogeneic dose also to the meninges situated at the field borders and to prevent a ''geographic miss'', the field borders should exceed the cranial calotte by 1 to 2 cm at the frontal, vertical and occipital side. At the base of the skull, special consideration must be given to a sufficient irradiation of the retrobulbar spaces, the frontal meninges situated in the region of the lamina cribrosa and the temporal meninges situated in the region of the deep inner cranial fossae. The dose specification is made in the central ray in the center of the skull. Generally single doses of 2 Gy and weekly doses of 10 Gy are applied. The total dose depends on age, risk group, and treatment aim. (orig./WU).

Technique of radiotherapy of the neurocranium in children suffering from leucosis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Thiel, H.J.

1985-01-01

By an irradiation of the neurocranium with doses from 12 to 30 Gy during the combined treatment of ALL in children, an essential reduction of the leukemic manifestation on the meninges as well as an improved curability have been achieved during the last few years. The precision of the irradiation technique is of vital importance, i.e. the occurrence of recurrences on the central nervous system during complete remission after skull irradiation are preponderantly due to a defective irradiation technique. The important factors are a daily reproducible positioning and fixation of the head in an irradiation mask and the adjustment within three dimensions by means of a laser light system. Only cobalt-60 gamma radiation or the ultrahard photons of a linear accelerator with an energy of 4 to 6 MV should be applied. The irradiation is performed with laterally opposite, coplanar and coaxial fields in an isocentric adjustment. The field shape is regulated by individual absorbers adjusted under visual control in a defined position to the patient on a plexiglas plate at the therapy simulator. In order to guarantee an homogeneic dose also to the meninges situated at the field borders and to prevent a ''geographic miss'', the field borders should exceed the cranial calotte by 1 to 2 cm at the frontal, vertical and occipital side. At the base of the skull, special consideration must be given to a sufficient irradiation of the retrobulbar spaces, the frontal meninges situated in the region of the lamina cribrosa and the temporal meninges situated in the region of the deep inner cranial fossae. The dose specification is made in the central ray in the center of the skull. Generally single doses of 2 Gy and weekly doses of 10 Gy are applied. The total dose depends on age, risk group, and treatment aim. (orig./WU) [de

Airway Clearance Techniques (ACTs)

Science.gov (United States)

... infant or child manage their lung health, watch parents of children with CF and a respiratory therapist talk about the different techniques they use for airway ... Positive Expiratory Pressure High-Frequency Chest Wall Oscillation (the Vest) Follow ...

MDCT evaluation of pulmonary embolism in children and young adults following a lateral tunnel Fontan procedure: optimizing contrast-enhancement techniques

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Prabhu, Sanjay P.; Mahmood, Soran; Sena, Laureen; Lee, Edward Y.

2009-01-01

Pulmonary embolism (PE) is a life-threatening thromboembolic complication in patients who have undergone a Fontan procedure for augmenting pulmonary blood flow in the setting of single-ventricle physiology. In patients following a Fontan procedure, lack of proper contrast agent mixing in the right atrium and sluggish, low-velocity blood flow within the Fontan circulation often results in suboptimal contrast enhancement within the pulmonary artery for evaluating PE. Unfortunately, there is a paucity of information describing the optimal contrast-enhancement technique with multidetector CT (MDCT) for evaluating PE in children and young adults following a Fontan procedure. We illustrate the MDCT imaging findings of suboptimal contrast enhancement within the pulmonary artery, which can be mistaken for PE, in patients following a lateral Fontan procedure, and we discuss MDCT techniques to optimize contrast enhancement within the pulmonary artery in these patients for evaluating PE. The MDCT imaging findings in pediatric and young adult patients following a lateral Fontan procedure and with clinically suspected PE are illustrated. We describe intravenous contrast agent injection techniques that can be used to optimize the contrast enhancement in the pulmonary artery in patients following a lateral Fontan procedure. The use of a suboptimal contrast-enhancement technique led to initial misdiagnosis and incomplete evaluation of PE in the three patients following a lateral Fontan procedure. Imaging in two patients showed that optimal evaluation of thrombosis in the Fontan pathway and PE in the pulmonary arteries can be successfully achieved with simultaneous upper- and lower-limb injections of contrast agent. This series demonstrates that suboptimal contrast enhancement can result in misdiagnosis or incomplete evaluation of PE in children and young adults following a lateral Fontan procedure. Careful attention to optimizing contrast enhancement during MDCT examination for

Assessment of hair cortisol as a potential biomarker for possible adrenal suppression due to inhaled corticosteroid use in children with asthma: A retrospective observational study.

Science.gov (United States)

Smy, Laura; Shaw, Kaitlyn; Amstutz, Ursula; Staub, Michelle; Chaudhry, Shahnaz; Smith, Anne; Carleton, Bruce; Koren, Gideon

2018-06-01

Inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) are the recommended long-term control therapy for asthma in children. However, concern exists regarding potential adrenal suppression with chronic ICS use. Our pilot study reported that hair cortisol in children was 50% lower during ICS therapy than prior to therapy, suggestive of adrenal suppression. To evaluate hair cortisol concentration (HCC) as a potential biomarker for possible adrenal suppression from ICS use in children with asthma. A retrospective observational study was performed at asthma clinics in Vancouver, Winnipeg, and Toronto, Canada. Children (n = 586) were recruited from July 2012 to December 2014 inclusive of those without asthma, with asthma not using ICS, and with asthma using ICS. The most recent three-month HCC was measured by enzyme immunoassay and compared among the groups. Quantile regression analysis was performed to identify factors potentially affecting HCC. The median HCC was not significantly different among the children: No ICS (n = 47, 6.7 ng/g, interquartile range (IQR) 3.7-9.8 ng/g), ICS Treated (n = 360, 6.5 ng/g, IQR 3.8-14.3 ng/g), and Controls (n = 53, 5.8 ng/g, IQR 4.6-16.7 ng/g). 5.6% of the children using ICS had hair cortisol <2.0 ng/g compared to none in the control groups (P < .05, comparing ICS Treated (20/360) to all Controls combined (0/100)) and only half had been exposed to systemic corticosteroids. Age, sex, BMI, and intranasal corticosteroid use were significantly associated with HCC. Results suggest HCC may be a potential biomarker for adrenal suppression as a population of children using ICS with HCC < 2.0 ng/g was identified compared to none in the control groups. Further research is needed to determine if those children have or are at risk of adrenal suppression or insufficiency. Copyright © 2018 The Canadian Society of Clinical Chemists. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Developing an eye-tracking algorithm as a potential tool for early diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder in children.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Natalia I Vargas-Cuentas

Full Text Available Autism spectrum disorder (ASD currently affects nearly 1 in 160 children worldwide. In over two-thirds of evaluations, no validated diagnostics are used and gold standard diagnostic tools are used in less than 5% of evaluations. Currently, the diagnosis of ASD requires lengthy and expensive tests, in addition to clinical confirmation. Therefore, fast, cheap, portable, and easy-to-administer screening instruments for ASD are required. Several studies have shown that children with ASD have a lower preference for social scenes compared with children without ASD. Based on this, eye-tracking and measurement of gaze preference for social scenes has been used as a screening tool for ASD. Currently available eye-tracking software requires intensive calibration, training, or holding of the head to prevent interference with gaze recognition limiting its use in children with ASD.In this study, we designed a simple eye-tracking algorithm that does not require calibration or head holding, as a platform for future validation of a cost-effective ASD potential screening instrument. This system operates on a portable and inexpensive tablet to measure gaze preference of children for social compared to abstract scenes. A child watches a one-minute stimulus video composed of a social scene projected on the left side and an abstract scene projected on the right side of the tablet's screen. We designed five stimulus videos by changing the social/abstract scenes. Every child observed all the five videos in random order. We developed an eye-tracking algorithm that calculates the child's gaze preference for the social and abstract scenes, estimated as the percentage of the accumulated time that the child observes the left or right side of the screen, respectively. Twenty-three children without a prior history of ASD and 8 children with a clinical diagnosis of ASD were evaluated. The recorded video of the child´s eye movement was analyzed both manually by an observer

Screening and identification of APOC1 as a novel potential biomarker for differentiate of mycoplasma pneumoniae in children

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jieqiong Li

2016-12-01

Full Text Available Background: Although mycoplasma pneumoniae (MP is a common cause of community-acquired pneumonia in children, the currently used diagnostic methods are not optimal. Proteomics is increasingly being used to study the biomarkers of infectious diseases. Methods: Label-free quantitative proteomics and liquid chromatography-mass/mass spectrometry were used to analyze the fold change of protein expression in plasma of children with MP pneumonia (MPP, infectious disease control (IDC, and healthy control (HC groups. Selected proteins that can distinguish MPP from HC and IDC were further validated by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA.Results: After multivariate analyses, 27 potential plasma biomarkers were identified to be expressed differently among child MPP, HC, and IDC groups. Among these proteins, SERPINA3, APOC1, ANXA6, KNTC1, and CFLAR were selected for ELISA verification. SERPINA3, APOC1, and CFLAR levels were significantly different among the three groups and the ratios were consistent with the trends of proteomics results. A comparison of MPP patients and HC showed APOC1 had the largest area under the curve (AUC of 0.853, with 77.6% sensitivity and 81.1% specificity. When APOC1 levels were compared between MPP and IDC patients, it also showed a relatively high AUC of 0.882, with 77.6% sensitivity and 88.3% specificity. Conclusion: APOC1 is a potential biomarker for the rapid and noninvasive diagnosis of MPP in children. The present finding may offer new insights into the pathogenesis and biomarker selection of MPP in children.

Potential nutritional and economic effects of replacing juice with fruit in the diets of children in the United States

Science.gov (United States)

Monsivais, Pablo; Rehm, Colin D

2013-01-01

Context Dietary guidance for children emphasizes fruit over fruit juices but little is known about the potential nutritional and economic impact of substituting fruit for juice. Objective To estimate the nutritional and economic effects of substituting whole fruit for juice in the diets of children in the US. Design Secondary analyses using the 2001-2004 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) and a national food price database. Energy, nutrient intakes and diet cost were estimated before and after fruit juices were completely replaced with fruit in three models that emphasized fruits that were fresh, low-cost, and widely-consumed and a fourth model that partially replaced juice with fruit, capping juice at recommended levels. Setting A nationwide, representative sample of children in the US. Participants 7,023 children ages 3-18. Main Outcome Measures Difference in energy, nutrient intakes and diet cost between observed and modeled diets. Results For children who consumed juice, replacement of all juice servings with fresh, whole fruit led to a projected reduction in dietary energy of 233 kJ/day (−2.6% [95% CI −5.1, −0.1%]), an increase in fiber of 4.3 grams/day (+31.1% [95% CI 26.4, 35.9%]) and an increase in diet cost of $0.54/day (+13.3% [95% CI 8.8, 17.8%]). Conclusions Substitution of juice with fresh fruit has the potential to reduce energy intake and improve the adequacy of fiber intake in children’s diets. This would likely increase costs for schools, childcare providers and families. Cost impacts could be minimized by selecting processed fruits but fewer nutritional gains would be achieved. PMID:22566547

Spatial Analysis of Potentially Preventable Pneumonia and Asthma Hospitalizations for Children in the Texas Coastal Bend Area

Science.gov (United States)

Lin, Na

Pneumonia and asthma, two common Ambulatory Care Sensitive Conditions (ACSCs), were two top reasons for the admission of children to the hospitals and emergency rooms in the United States in 2011. Pneumonia and asthma are potentially preventable if the child's environment is properly managed. Underlying vulnerabilities such as low socioeconomic status (SES) and proximity to air pollution play an important role in ACSCs hospitalization. Pneumonia and asthma are two common reasons for hospitalizations among children and missed school days in Texas Coastal Bend Area. This thesis examines the relationships between neighborhood socioeconomic characteristics, meteorological conditions and children ACSCs hospitalization, including pneumonia and asthma among children age 0-17 in this area. Hospital discharge data from 2007 to 2009 based on Zip Code Tabulation Area (ZCTA) were examined along with American Community Survey (ACS) data, air pollution data from Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and temperature data from National Climatic Data Center (NCDC). Hotspot and Local Moran's I analyses were applied to identify the concentrations of the illnesses. Two regressions (OLS and GWR) were applied to identify factors that contribute the most to ACSCs hospitalization. Pearson's correlation was calculated to examine the relationship between meteorological condition and child hospitalization for asthma and pneumonia. A human subject survey was conducted to examine the relationships between neighborhood environment and children asthma cases. The main finding was that children from families with health insurance, children from single father families and children from poor families were more likely to visit hospital for ACSCs and pneumonia care. "Hispanic families" and especially "Hispanic families with father but no mother" also contributed most to child hospitalization for ACSCs and pneumonia, suggesting that family preventative health care education is needed for Hispanic

Mozart K.448 acts as a potential add-on therapy in children with refractory epilepsy.

Science.gov (United States)

Lin, Lung-Chang; Lee, Wei-Te; Wang, Chien-Hua; Chen, Hsiu-Lin; Wu, Hui-Chuan; Tsai, Chin-Lin; Wei, Ruey-Chang; Mok, Hin-Kiu; Weng, Chia-Fen; Lee, Mei-Wen; Yang, Rei-Cheng

2011-03-01

Mozart's Sonata for two pianos in D major, K.448 (Mozart K.448), has been shown to improve mental function, leading to what is known as the Mozart effect. Our previous work revealed that epileptiform discharges in children with epilepsy decreased during and immediately after listening to Mozart K.448. In this study, we evaluated the long-term effects of Mozart K.448 on children with refractory epilepsy. Eleven children with refractory epilepsy were enrolled. All of the patients were diagnosed as having had refractory epilepsy for more than 1 year (range =1 year to 6 years 4 months, mean =3 years 11 months) and had been receiving at least two antiepileptic drugs (AED). During the study period, they listened to Mozart K.448 once a day before bedtime for 6 months. Seizure frequencies were recorded 6 months before they started listening to this music and monthly during the study period. All of the patients remained on the same AEDs during the 6-month study period. Frequencies of seizures were compared before and after listening to Mozart K.448. Eight of eleven patients were seizure free (N=2) or had very good responses (N=6) after 6 months of listening to Mozart K.448. The remaining three (27.3%) showed minimal or no effect (effectiveness Mozart K.448 should be further studied as a potential add-on therapy in the treatment of children with refractory epilepsy. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Two Ports Laparoscopic Inguinal Hernia Repair in Children

OpenAIRE

Ibrahim, Medhat M.

2015-01-01

Introduction. Several laparoscopic treatment techniques were designed for improving the outcome over the last decade. The various techniques differ in their approach to the inguinal internal ring, suturing and knotting techniques, number of ports used in the procedures, and mode of dissection of the hernia sac. Patients and Surgical Technique. 90 children were subjected to surgery and they undergone two-port laparoscopic repair of inguinal hernia in children. Technique feasibility in relation...

Healthy casetas: A potential strategy to improve the food environment in low-income schools to reduce obesity in children in Guatemala City.

Science.gov (United States)

Pehlke, Elisa L; Letona, Paola; Ramirez-Zea, Manuel; Gittelsohn, Joel

2016-01-01

Developing countries have undergone transitions driven by globalization and development, accelerating increases in prevalence of overweight and obesity among children. Schools have been identified as effective settings for interventions that target children's dietary behaviors. In Guatemala, public schools commonly have food kiosks (Casetas) that sell products to children. From July through October 2013, observations during recess, in-depth interviews with school principals (n = 4) and caseta vendors (n = 4), and focus groups with children (n = 48) were conducted. This article explores products available to children at casetas. Factors that affect what casetas offer include regulations and enforcement, vendor investment and earnings, vendor resources, product demand, pricing, and children's preferences. These factors influence the products that are available and children's tendency to purchase them. Potential strategies for improvement include healthy food preparation, price manipulation and promotions, raffles and games to encourage healthier choices, and policy to push toward development of healthier products.

Potential Ambient Energy-Harvesting Sources and Techniques

Science.gov (United States)

Yildiz, Faruk

2009-01-01

Ambient energy harvesting is also known as energy scavenging or power harvesting, and it is the process where energy is obtained from the environment. A variety of techniques are available for energy scavenging, including solar and wind powers, ocean waves, piezoelectricity, thermoelectricity, and physical motions. For example, some systems…

Treatment of funnel chest in children

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Viktor N. Stalmakhovich

2017-10-01

Full Text Available Background. Funnel chest has a relatively high prevalence in the Russian population. Given the high percentage of the unsatisfactory results of thoracoplasty, further research for the development of new treatment methods is needed. Aim. To improve the treatment results for funnel chest in children. Materials and methods. We analyzed the treatment results of 230 children with funnel chest after thoracoplasty. We used 2 surgical techniques: classic thoracoplasty by Nuss (114 children and its modified version by the authors (116 children. The modified technique included two-sided thoracoscopy, partial resection of the deformed rib cartilages, and endoscopic longitudinal transection of the sternal cortical plate, resulting in subcutaneous emphysema along the sternum. Results. The comparison of the 2 surgical techniques showed no significant difference in terms of duration and invasiveness of the procedure. Recurrent episodes of funnel chest were observed in children who had undergone thoracoplasty before 7 years of age, regardless of the technique used. Conclusion. This study revealed that the author’s modified thoracoplasty method was more effective in children > 14 years of age with rigid funnel chest because it allowed the surgeon to decrease the thoracic pressure on the plate and the plate itself on the ribs, facilitating the repositioning of the sternum and preventing the deformation and development of pressure sores on the ribs.

Study of the correlation of brainstem auditory evoked potentials and magnetic resonance imaging in children with spastic cerebral palsy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fobe, Lisete Pessoa de Oliveira

1999-01-01

Central auditory evaluation in 21 children with cerebral palsy was done with brainstem auditory evoked potentials (BAEP) and correlated with brain magnetic resonance imaging findings (MRI); 12 boys and 9 girls between 5 and 12 years old were studied. All children had follow-up at the Institute of Orthopedics and Traumatology of Hospital das Clinicas da Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de Sao Paulo. The control group was done with 17 children, 10 boys and 7 girls (mean age 8.06 years, SD 2.27 years). The BAEP abnormalities were: decrease of latency of wave V; decrease of latency III-V and I-IV intervals at the right side. All patients has MRI supratentorial abnormalities and 11 had brainstem atrophy. The MRI pathologic findings were: ventricular enlargement (n=17 or 80.95%), cortical/subcortical atrophy (n=15 or 71.42%), left brainstem atrophy (n=11 or 52.38%), periventricular leukomalacia (n=10 or 47.61%), infarction in the left middle cerebral artery territory (n=6 or 28.57%), and malformations such as schizencephaly and colpocephaly (n=5 or 23.80%). The findings of the decrease latencies in children with cerebral palsy suggest the contribution of decussating auditory fibers at the lower and upper pons and midbrain, the lack of homogeneity of the surrounding volume of the conductor fibres and the presence of several concurrently active potential generators sources, should be facilitating mechanisms for the nervous input to brainstem. (author)

Study of the correlation of brainstem auditory evoked potentials and magnetic resonance imaging in children with spastic cerebral palsy

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fobe, Lisete Pessoa de Oliveira [Sao Paulo Univ., SP (Brazil). Faculdade de Medicina]. E-mail: lispessoa@yahoo.com

1999-12-01

Central auditory evaluation in 21 children with cerebral palsy was done with brainstem auditory evoked potentials (BAEP) and correlated with brain magnetic resonance imaging findings (MRI); 12 boys and 9 girls between 5 and 12 years old were studied. All children had follow-up at the Institute of Orthopedics and Traumatology of Hospital das Clinicas da Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de Sao Paulo. The control group was done with 17 children, 10 boys and 7 girls (mean age 8.06 years, SD 2.27 years). The BAEP abnormalities were: decrease of latency of wave V; decrease of latency III-V and I-IV intervals at the right side. All patients has MRI supratentorial abnormalities and 11 had brainstem atrophy. The MRI pathologic findings were: ventricular enlargement (n=17 or 80.95%), cortical/subcortical atrophy (n=15 or 71.42%), left brainstem atrophy (n=11 or 52.38%), periventricular leukomalacia (n=10 or 47.61%), infarction in the left middle cerebral artery territory (n=6 or 28.57%), and malformations such as schizencephaly and colpocephaly (n=5 or 23.80%). The findings of the decrease latencies in children with cerebral palsy suggest the contribution of decussating auditory fibers at the lower and upper pons and midbrain, the lack of homogeneity of the surrounding volume of the conductor fibres and the presence of several concurrently active potential generators sources, should be facilitating mechanisms for the nervous input to brainstem. (author)

Exploring the potential of children in crowdsourcing

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Manojlovic, S.; Gavrilo, K.; de Wit, J.; Markopoulos, P.

2016-01-01

Recently, companies and academia have turned to crowdsourcing to stimulate creativity and innovation. Although children's creative nature has been well documented in the design process in co-creation for new products and/or services, this has not yet extended to crowdsourcing. With this paper, we

Airway Clearance Techniques (ACTs)

Medline Plus

Full Text Available ... infant or child manage their lung health, watch parents of children with CF and a respiratory therapist talk about the different techniques they use for airway ... Positive Expiratory Pressure High-Frequency Chest Wall Oscillation (the Vest) Follow ...

Runoff Potentiality of a Watershed through SCS and Functional Data Analysis Technique

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M. I. Adham

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Runoff potentiality of a watershed was assessed based on identifying curve number (CN, soil conservation service (SCS, and functional data analysis (FDA techniques. Daily discrete rainfall data were collected from weather stations in the study area and analyzed through lowess method for smoothing curve. As runoff data represents a periodic pattern in each watershed, Fourier series was introduced to fit the smooth curve of eight watersheds. Seven terms of Fourier series were introduced for the watersheds 5 and 8, while 8 terms of Fourier series were used for the rest of the watersheds for the best fit of data. Bootstrapping smooth curve analysis reveals that watersheds 1, 2, 3, 6, 7, and 8 are with monthly mean runoffs of 29, 24, 22, 23, 26, and 27 mm, respectively, and these watersheds would likely contribute to surface runoff in the study area. The purpose of this study was to transform runoff data into a smooth curve for representing the surface runoff pattern and mean runoff of each watershed through statistical method. This study provides information of runoff potentiality of each watershed and also provides input data for hydrological modeling.

Runoff Potentiality of a Watershed through SCS and Functional Data Analysis Technique

Science.gov (United States)

Adham, M. I.; Shirazi, S. M.; Othman, F.; Rahman, S.; Yusop, Z.; Ismail, Z.

2014-01-01

Runoff potentiality of a watershed was assessed based on identifying curve number (CN), soil conservation service (SCS), and functional data analysis (FDA) techniques. Daily discrete rainfall data were collected from weather stations in the study area and analyzed through lowess method for smoothing curve. As runoff data represents a periodic pattern in each watershed, Fourier series was introduced to fit the smooth curve of eight watersheds. Seven terms of Fourier series were introduced for the watersheds 5 and 8, while 8 terms of Fourier series were used for the rest of the watersheds for the best fit of data. Bootstrapping smooth curve analysis reveals that watersheds 1, 2, 3, 6, 7, and 8 are with monthly mean runoffs of 29, 24, 22, 23, 26, and 27 mm, respectively, and these watersheds would likely contribute to surface runoff in the study area. The purpose of this study was to transform runoff data into a smooth curve for representing the surface runoff pattern and mean runoff of each watershed through statistical method. This study provides information of runoff potentiality of each watershed and also provides input data for hydrological modeling. PMID:25152911

Comparison of congener profiles of polychlorinated biphenyls between Yu-cheng children and a potential food source

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lung Shih-Chun Candice [Research Center for Environmental Changes, Academia Sinica, Taipei (Taiwan); Guo Yu-Liang Leon; Chang Ho-Yuan [Dept. of Environmental and Occupational Health, Coll. of Medicine, National Cheng Kung Univ., Tainan (Taiwan)

2004-09-15

In 1979, about two thousand people in central Taiwan were intoxicated by consumption of the rice oil that was contaminated with polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). This ''Yu-cheng'' incident was one of the two human tragedies which people ingested substantial amounts of PCBs within a short period of time. Some of the follow-up epidemiological studies focused on the children born to the exposed mothers, the Yu-cheng children, since they could be exposed to PCBs via breast-feeding or transplacental transfer. This report presents the results of the serum PCB levels of the 21 Yu-cheng children with a congener-specific analysis. On the other hand, fish consumption is thought to be the single most important exposure route to PCBs to the general public; thus, it is crucial to understand PCB exposure from fish consumption. In a separated study to assess PCB contamination in fish, PCB congener concentrations in tilapia (Oreochromis hybrids), the most popular fish in Taiwan, were evaluated. The consumption quantity of tilapia is the highest throughout the Island. It is mostly farmed in fresh water but can also be bred in saltwater. This report presents the concentrations and profiles in the serums of the Yu-cheng children. The congener profile is compared with PCB profile in the serum of Yu-cheng women reported previously and that in one of the potentially significant exposure source, tilapia, conducted in a separated work. Remarkable similarity between the profile of Yu-cheng children and that of the tilapia is revealed and discussed.

Contribution of radioimmunological techniques on the management of undernourished children in Senegal; Apport des techniques radio-immunologiques pour une meilleure prise en charge de l'enfant malnutri au Senegal

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mbodj, M.; Gassama, S.S.; Sow, H.T.; Ndoye, O.; Ndong, B. [Universite Cheikh-Anta-Diop, Lab. de Biophysique et Medecine Nucleaire, Faculte de Medecine, Dakar-Liberte (Senegal); Diarra, M. [Universite Cheikh-Anta-Diop, Lab. de Biophysique Pharmaceutique, Faculte de Pharmacie (Senegal); Sarr, M.; Diagne, I.; Diouf, S. [Universite Cheikh-Anta-Diop, Institut de Pediatrie Sociale, Dakar (Senegal)

2007-08-15

Malnutrition in children continues to be a major health burden in Senegal. The main objective of this study was to discuss the existence of a thyroid disease induced by the various deficiencies, among which iodine, in these children and to assess the effects of the treatment on the thyroid function. Materials and methods Sixty eight children divided in a random way in two groups according to the addition or not of marine algae Hypnea to the traditional nutritional supplementation were included in the study. To appreciate at the same time the nutritional and biological state and to follow the evolution under treatment, the anthropometric parameters were the ratios: weight/age, weight/size, and height/age. Radioimmunoassays of free T3, free T4 and immunoradiometric assays of TSH were carried out in undernourished children before and after supplementation enriched or not in algae. Other blood parameters were measured among them protides, magnesium, and hemoglobin. Results They showed two types of biological abnormalities: low T3 syndrome (8.6%), compensated functional hypothyroidism (9%). The treatment induced neither iodine overload, nor thyroid disease. Conclusion In the program of nutritional rehabilitation, the isotopic techniques allow us to establish the low prevalence (17.6%) of the disturbances of the thyroid function (low T3 syndrome and compensated functional hypothyroidism, thus providing the differential diagnosis), and to confirm the absence of any thyroid disease induced by the iodine supply of the marine algae Hypnea. (authors)

Xenon ventilation CT using dual-source and dual-energy technique in children with bronchiolitis obliterans: correlation of xenon and CT density values with pulmonary function test results

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Goo, Hyun Woo; Yang, Dong Hyun; Seo, Joon Beom; Chae, Eun Jin; Lee, Jeongjin; Hong, Soo-Jong; Yu, Jinho; Kim, Byoung-Ju; Krauss, Bernhard

2010-01-01

Xenon ventilation CT using dual-source and dual-energy technique is a recently introduced, promising functional lung imaging method. To expand its clinical applications evidence of additional diagnostic value of xenon ventilation CT over conventional chest CT is required. To evaluate the usefulness of xenon ventilation CT using dual-source and dual-energy technique in children with bronchiolitis obliterans (BO). Seventeen children (age 7-18 years; 11 boys) with BO underwent xenon ventilation CT using dual-source and dual-energy technique. Xenon and CT density values were measured in normal and hyperlucent lung regions on CT and were compared between the two regions. Volumes of hyperlucent regions and ventilation defects were calculated with thresholds determined by visual and histogram-based analysis. Indexed volumes of hyperlucent lung regions and ventilation defects were correlated with pulmonary function test results. Effective doses of xenon CT were calculated. Xenon (14.6 ± 6.4 HU vs 26.1 ± 6.5 HU; P 25-75 , (γ = -0.68-0.88, P ≤ 0.002). Volume percentages of xenon ventilation defects (35.0 ± 16.4%)] were not significantly different from those of hyperlucent lung regions (38.2 ± 18.6%). However, mismatches between the volume percentages were variable up to 21.4-33.3%. Mean effective dose of xenon CT was 1.9 ± 0.5 mSv. In addition to high-resolution anatomic information, xenon ventilation CT using dual-source and dual-energy technique demonstrates impaired regional ventilation and its heterogeneity accurately in children with BO without additional radiation exposure. (orig.)

Dysfunction in the fellow eyes of strabismic and anisometropic amblyopic children assessed by visually evoked potentials

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Eric Pinheiro Andrade

Full Text Available ABSTRACT Purpose: To evaluate visual acuity and transient pattern reversal (PR visual evoked potentials (VEPs in the fellow eyes of children with strabismic and/or anisometropic amblyopia. Methods: Children diagnosed with strabismic and/or anisometropic amblyopia were recruited for electrophysiological assessment by VEPs. Monocular grating and optotype acuity were measured using sweep-VEPs and an Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study chart, respectively. During the same visit, transient PR-VEPs of each eye were recorded using stimuli subtending with a visual angle of 60', 15', and 7.5'. Parameters of amplitude (in μV and latency (in ms were determined from VEP recordings. Results: A group of 40 strabismic and/or anisometropic amblyopic children (22 females: 55%, mean age= 8.7 ± 2.2 years, median= 8 years was examined. A control group of 19 healthy children (13 females: 68.4%, mean age= 8.2 ± 2.6 years, median= 8 years was also included. The fellow eyes of all amblyopes had significantly worse optotype acuity (p=0.021 than the control group, regardless of whether they were strabismic (p=0.040 or anisometropic (p=0.048. Overall, grating acuity was significantly worse in the fellow eyes of amblyopes (p=0.016 than in healthy controls. Statistically prolonged latency for visual angles of 15' and 7.5' (p=0.018 and 0.002, respectively was found in the strabismic group when compared with the control group. For the smaller visual stimulus (7.5', statistically prolonged latency was found among all fellow eyes of amblyopic children (p<0.001. Conclusions: The fellow eyes of amblyopic children showed worse optotype and grating acuity, with subtle abnormalities in the PR-VEP detected as prolonged latencies for smaller size stimuli when compared with eyes of healthy children. These findings show the deleterious effects of amblyopia in several distinct visual functions, mainly those related to spatial vision.

Airway Clearance Techniques (ACTs)

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Full Text Available ... Offer their tips for fitting ACTs into daily life Airway Clearance Techniques | Webcast To learn more about how you can help your infant or child manage their lung health, watch parents of children with CF and a respiratory therapist ...

Prescribing Outdoor Physical Activity to Children: Health Care Providers’ Perspectives

Science.gov (United States)

Christiana, Richard W.; James, J. Joy; Battista, Rebecca A.

2017-01-01

Little evidence exists on health care provider (HCP) prescriptions for children’s outdoor physical activity (PA). Semistructured interviews were conducted with 15 children’s HCPs to explore perspectives on outdoor PA prescription programs for children and barriers to implementation. Thematic analytic techniques were used to analyze the data. Most participants reported an awareness of health benefits to children being in the outdoors. Ten themes emerged from the data related to 3 thematic categories: (1) current strategies that HCPs are using to promote PA among children, (2) barriers that HCPs see to prescribing outdoor PA, and (3) potential strategies for promoting outdoor PA among children. Assessment of the local outdoor PA environment and resource development must be done prior to a prescription program. HCPs should be skilled in conducting conversations and setting goals related to outdoor PA tailored to the patient. Developing a system for follow-up with patients on established goals should also be included. PMID:29152542

Safety and potential efficacy of gemfibrozil as a supportive treatment for children with late infantile neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis and other lipid storage disorders.

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Kyeongsoon; Kleinman, Hynda K; Lee, Hahn-Jun; Pahan, Kalipada

2017-06-17

Neuronal Ceroid Lipofuscinosis (NCL), also known as Batten disease, is a group of genetically distinct lysosomal disorders that mainly affect the central nervous system, resulting in progressive motor and cognitive decline primarily in children. Multiple distinct genes involved in the metabolism of lipids have been identified to date with various mutations in this family of diseases. There is no cure for these diseases but some new therapeutic approaches have been tested that offer more hope than the standard palliative care. Many of the therapeutic advances require invasive procedures but some progress in slowing the disease has been found and more options can be expected in the future. We also review the literature on children with disease/conditions other than NCL for the non-invasive use, safety, and tolerability of a lipid-lowering drug, gemfibrozil, as a potential treatment for NCLs. Gemfibrozil has shown efficacy in an animal model of NCL known as CLN2 (late infantile classic juvenile) and has been shown to be safe for lowering lipids in children. Among the 200 non-NCL children found in the published literature who were treated with gemfibrozil for NCL-related problems, only 3 experienced adverse events, including 2 with muscle pain and 1 with localized linear IgA bullous dermatitis. We conclude that gemfibrozil is safe for long-term use in children, causes minimal adverse events, is well tolerated, and may delay the progression of NCLs. Gemfibrozil may potentially be an alternative to more invasive therapeutic approaches currently under investigation and has the potential to be used in combination with other therapeutic approaches.

Children's attitudes towards Electronic Gambling Machines: an exploratory qualitative study of children who attend community clubs.

Science.gov (United States)

Bestman, Amy; Thomas, Samantha; Randle, Melanie; Pitt, Hannah

2017-05-08

This research sought to explore whether children's visual and auditory exposure to Electronic Gambling Machines (EGMs) in community clubs contributed to shaping their attitudes towards these types of potentially harmful gambling products. This research also examined children's knowledge of EGM behaviours in adults within their social networks. Qualitative interviews were conducted with a convenience sample of 45 children in a regional area of New South Wales, Australia. All children had attended a club that contained gambling products in the previous 12 months. Face to face, semi-structured interviews explored a range of themes including recall of and attitudes towards EGMs. Data were analysed using thematic techniques. Four social learning theory concepts-attentional, retention, reinforcement and reproduction-were used to explore the range of processes that influenced children's attitudes towards EGMs. In relation to attentional factors, children recalled having seen EGMs in clubs, including where they were located, auditory stimuli and the physical appearance of EGMs. Children also retained information about the behaviours associated with gambling on EGMs, most prominently why adults gamble on these machines. Attitudes towards EGMs were reinforced by the child's knowledge of adults EGM behaviours. Some older children's attitudes were positively reinforced by the perception that profits from the machines would go back to their local sporting teams. Finally, while some children expressed a desire to reproduce EGM behaviours when they were older, others were concerned about the negative consequences of engaging in this type of gambling. Despite policies that try to prevent children's exposure to EGMs in community venues, children have peripheral exposure to EGMs within these environments. This exposure and children's awareness of gambling behaviours of adults appear to play a role in shaping their attitudes towards EGMs. While further research should explore the

Essential ultrasound techniques of the pediatric airway

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Stafrace, Samuel; Engelhardt, Thomas; Teoh, Wendy H

2016-01-01

Ultrasound of the airways is a technique which has been described in a number of recent articles and reviews highlighting the diagnostic possibilities and simple methodology. However, there is a paucity of information focusing specifically on such methods in children where equipment, technique, a...

Kidney function and blood pressure in preschool-aged children exposed to cadmium and arsenic - potential alleviation by selenium

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Skröder, Helena [Unit of Metals and Health, Institute of Environmental Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm (Sweden); Hawkesworth, Sophie [Medical Research Council (MRC), International Nutrition Group, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK. (United Kingdom); Kippler, Maria [Unit of Metals and Health, Institute of Environmental Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm (Sweden); El Arifeen, Shams [International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b), Dhaka (Bangladesh); Wagatsuma, Yukiko [Department of Clinical Trial and Clinical Epidemiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Japan. (Japan); Moore, Sophie E. [MRC Human Nutrition Research, Cambridge (United Kingdom); Vahter, Marie, E-mail: marie.vahter@ki.se [Unit of Metals and Health, Institute of Environmental Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm (Sweden)

2015-07-15

Background: Early-life exposure to toxic compounds may cause long-lasting health effects, but few studies have investigated effects of childhood exposure to nephrotoxic metals on kidney and cardiovascular function. Objectives: To assess effects of exposure to arsenic and cadmium on kidney function and blood pressure in pre-school-aged children, and potential protection by selenium. Methods: This cross-sectional study was part of the 4.5 years of age (range: 4.4–5.4 years) follow-up of the children from a supplementation trial in pregnancy (MINIMat) in rural Bangladesh, and nested studies on early-life metal exposures. Exposure to arsenic, cadmium and selenium from food and drinking water was assessed by concentrations in children's urine, measured by ICP-MS. Kidney function was assessed by the estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR, n=1106), calculated from serum cystatin C, and by kidney volume, measured by ultrasound (n=375). Systolic and diastolic blood pressure was measured (n=1356) after five minutes rest. Results: Multivariable-adjusted regression analyzes showed that exposure to cadmium, but not arsenic, was inversely associated with eGFR, particularly in girls. A 0.5 µg/L increase in urinary cadmium among the girls (above spline knot at 0.12) was associated with a decrease in eGFR of 2.6 ml/min/1.73 m{sup 2}, corresponding to 0.2SD (p=0.022). A slightly weaker inverse association with cadmium was also indicated for kidney volume, but no significant associations were found with blood pressure. Stratifying on children's urinary selenium (below or above median of 12.6 µg/L) showed a three times stronger inverse association of U-Cd with eGFR (all children) in the lower selenium stratum (B=−2.8; 95% CI: −5.5, −0.20; p=0.035), compared to those with higher selenium (B=−0.79; 95% CI: −3.0, 1.4; p=0.49). Conclusions: Childhood cadmium exposure seems to adversely affect kidney function, but not blood pressure, in this population of young

Kidney function and blood pressure in preschool-aged children exposed to cadmium and arsenic - potential alleviation by selenium

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Skröder, Helena; Hawkesworth, Sophie; Kippler, Maria; El Arifeen, Shams; Wagatsuma, Yukiko; Moore, Sophie E.; Vahter, Marie

2015-01-01

Background: Early-life exposure to toxic compounds may cause long-lasting health effects, but few studies have investigated effects of childhood exposure to nephrotoxic metals on kidney and cardiovascular function. Objectives: To assess effects of exposure to arsenic and cadmium on kidney function and blood pressure in pre-school-aged children, and potential protection by selenium. Methods: This cross-sectional study was part of the 4.5 years of age (range: 4.4–5.4 years) follow-up of the children from a supplementation trial in pregnancy (MINIMat) in rural Bangladesh, and nested studies on early-life metal exposures. Exposure to arsenic, cadmium and selenium from food and drinking water was assessed by concentrations in children's urine, measured by ICP-MS. Kidney function was assessed by the estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR, n=1106), calculated from serum cystatin C, and by kidney volume, measured by ultrasound (n=375). Systolic and diastolic blood pressure was measured (n=1356) after five minutes rest. Results: Multivariable-adjusted regression analyzes showed that exposure to cadmium, but not arsenic, was inversely associated with eGFR, particularly in girls. A 0.5 µg/L increase in urinary cadmium among the girls (above spline knot at 0.12) was associated with a decrease in eGFR of 2.6 ml/min/1.73 m 2 , corresponding to 0.2SD (p=0.022). A slightly weaker inverse association with cadmium was also indicated for kidney volume, but no significant associations were found with blood pressure. Stratifying on children's urinary selenium (below or above median of 12.6 µg/L) showed a three times stronger inverse association of U-Cd with eGFR (all children) in the lower selenium stratum (B=−2.8; 95% CI: −5.5, −0.20; p=0.035), compared to those with higher selenium (B=−0.79; 95% CI: −3.0, 1.4; p=0.49). Conclusions: Childhood cadmium exposure seems to adversely affect kidney function, but not blood pressure, in this population of young

Movements Indicate Threat Response Phases in Children at Risk for Anxiety.

Science.gov (United States)

McGinnis, Ellen W; McGinnis, Ryan S; Muzik, Maria; Hruschak, Jessica; Lopez-Duran, Nestor L; Perkins, Noel C; Fitzgerald, Kate; Rosenblum, Katherine L

2017-09-01

Temporal phases of threat response, including potential threat (anxiety), acute threat (startle, fear), and post-threat response modulation, have been identified as the underlying markers of anxiety disorders. Objective measures of response during these phases may help identify children at risk for anxiety; however, the complexity of current assessment techniques prevent their adoption in many research and clinical contexts. We propose an alternative technology, an inertial measurement unit (IMU), that enables noninvasive measurement of the movements associated with threat response, and test its ability to detect threat response phases in young children at a heightened risk for developing anxiety. We quantified the motion of 18 children (3-7 years old) during an anxiety-/fear-provoking behavioral task using an IMU. Specifically, measurements from a single IMU secured to the child's waist were used to extract root-mean-square acceleration and angular velocity in the horizontal and vertical directions, and tilt and yaw range of motion during each threat response phase. IMU measurements detected expected differences in child motion by threat phase. Additionally, potential threat motion was positively correlated to familial anxiety risk, startle range of motion was positively correlated with child internalizing symptoms, and response modulation motion was negatively correlated to familial anxiety risk. Results suggest differential theory-driven threat response phases and support previous literature connecting maternal child risk to anxiety with behavioral measures using more feasible objective methods. This is the first study demonstrating the utility of an IMU for characterizing the motion of young children to mark the phases of threat response modulation. The technique provides a novel and objective measure of threat response for mental health researchers.

Communication during pediatric asthma visits and child asthma medication device technique 1 month later.

Science.gov (United States)

Sleath, Betsy; Carpenter, Delesha M; Ayala, Guadalupe X; Williams, Dennis; Davis, Stephanie; Tudor, Gail; Yeatts, Karin; Gillette, Chris

2012-11-01

This study investigated how provider demonstration of and assessment of child use of asthma medication devices and certain aspects of provider-patient communication during medical visits is associated with device technique 1 month later. Two hundred and ninety-six children aged 8-16 years with persistent asthma and their caregivers were recruited at five North Carolina pediatric practices. All of the medical visits were audio-tape recorded. Children were interviewed 1 month later and their device technique was observed and rated. If the provider asked the child to demonstrate metered dose inhaler technique during the medical visit, then the child was significantly more likely to perform a greater percentage of inhaler steps correctly 1 month later. Children with higher asthma management self-efficacy scores were significantly more likely to perform a greater percentage of diskus steps correctly. Additionally, children were significantly more likely to perform a greater percentage of diskus steps correctly if the provider discussed a written action plan during the visit. Children were significantly more likely to perform a greater percentage of turbuhaler steps correctly if they asked more medication questions. Providers should ask children to demonstrate their inhaler technique during medical visits so that they can educate children about proper technique and improve child asthma management self-efficacy. Providers should encourage children to ask questions about asthma medication devices during visits and they should discuss asthma action plans with families.

Treatment of Moya Moya disease using indirect surgery technique

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Cezary Grochowski

2016-08-01

Conclusion: Presented technique is preferred among children suffering from moya moya disease because of the safety of the technique and good treatment effects. There is no need to perform by-pass surgery which is also considered as big advantage of presented technique.

A novel, eco-friendly technique for covalent functionalization of graphene nanoplatelets and the potential of their nanofluids for heat transfer applications

Science.gov (United States)

Sadri, Rad; Hosseini, Maryam; Kazi, S. N.; Bagheri, Samira; Zubir, Nashrul; Ahmadi, Goodarz; Dahari, Mahidzal; Zaharinie, Tuan

2017-05-01

In this study, a facile and eco-friendly covalent functionalization technique is developed to synthesize highly stable graphene nanoplatelets (GNPs) in aqueous media. This technique involves free radical grafting of gallic acid onto the surface of GNPs rather than corrosive inorganic acids. Raman spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy are used to confirm the covalent functionalization of GNPs with gallic acid (GAGNPs). The solubility of the GAGNPs in aqueous media is verified using zeta potential and UV-vis spectra measurements. The nanofluid shows significant improvement in thermo-physical properties, indicating its superb potential for various thermal applications.

Dose levels from thoracic and pelvic examinations in two pediatric radiological departments in Norway - a comparison study of dose-area product and radiographic technique

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kjernlie Saether, Hilde; Traegde Martinsen, Anne Catrine; Lagesen, Bente; Platou Holsen, Eva; Oevreboe, Kirsti Marie

2010-01-01

Background: Pediatric doses expressed in dose-area product (DAP) can be retrieved from only a few publications; most of which correlate DAP to patient size or large age spans. In clinical practice age is often the only available parameter describing the patient, and thus, evaluation of dose levels in pediatric radiology on the basis of DAP related to age alone would be useful in optimization work. Purpose: To provide comparable data on age-related DAP from thoracic and pelvic radiological examinations of children, and evaluate the usefulness of comparing age-related DAP and radiographic technique between systems to identify areas with potential for optimization. Material and Methods: DAP, age, and radiographic technique were registered for 575 thoracic examinations and 371 pelvic examinations of children from newborn up to 14 years of age in groups with an age span of 1 year, performed with two digital flat-panel systems and one computed radiography system. Results: DAP varies from 2.2 to 54.0 mGycm2 for thoracic examinations, and from 4.6 to 532.5 mGycm2 for pelvic examinations. There are significant differences in DAP between systems and departments due to differences in technique, equipment, and staff. Conclusion: This study provides comparable data on age-related DAP from thoracic and pelvic radiological examinations of children, which could be used as an input to estimate diagnostic reference levels. The comparison between systems of DAP and radiographic technique has proven useful in identifying areas where there may be a potential for optimization.

Airway Clearance Techniques (ACTs)

Medline Plus

Full Text Available ... how you can help your infant or child manage their lung health, watch parents of children with CF and a respiratory therapist talk about the different techniques they use for airway clearance. Facebook Twitter Email More Related Content Medications Autogenic Drainage ...

Maladaptive cognitive appraisals in children with high-functioning autism: associations with fear, anxiety and theory of mind.

Science.gov (United States)

Sharma, Shilpi; Woolfson, Lisa M; Hunter, Simon C

2014-04-01

Despite the well-documented success of cognitive restructuring techniques in the treatment of anxiety disorders, there is still little clarity on which cognitions underpin fear and anxiety in children with high-functioning autism spectrum disorder. This study examined whether certain cognitive appraisals, known to be associated with fear and anxiety in typically developing groups, may help explain these emotions in children with high-functioning autism spectrum disorder. It also investigated relations between these cognitive appraisals and theory of mind. Appraisals, fear and anxiety were assessed using a vignette approach in 22 children with high-functioning autism spectrum disorders and 22 typically developing children. The two groups differed significantly on all four appraisal types. Anxiety was negatively correlated with future expectancy and positively with problem-focused coping potential in the high-functioning autism spectrum disorder group but was not correlated with appraisals in the typically developing group. The two appraisals associated with fear were emotion-focused coping potential (in the high-functioning autism spectrum disorder group only) and self-accountability (in the typically developing group only). Linear regression analysis found that appraisals of emotion-focused coping potential, problem-focused coping potential and future expectancy were significant predictors of theory-of-mind ability in the high-functioning autism spectrum disorders group. These findings indicate that specific, problematic patterns of appraisal may characterise children with high-functioning autism spectrum disorders.

Mothers of children with externalizing behavior problems: cognitive risk factors for abuse potential and discipline style and practices.

Science.gov (United States)

McElroy, Erika M; Rodriguez, Christina M

2008-08-01

Utilizing the conceptual framework of the Social Information Processing (SIP) model (Milner, 1993, 2000), associations between cognitive risk factors and child physical abuse risk and maladaptive discipline style and practices were examined in an at-risk population. Seventy-three mothers of 5-12-year-old children, who were identified by their therapist as having an externalizing behavior problem, responded to self-report measures pertaining to cognitive risk factors (empathic perspective taking, frustration tolerance, developmental expectations, parenting locus of control), abuse risk, and discipline style and practices. The Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) provided a confirmation of the child's externalizing behaviors independent of the therapist's assessment. The results of this study suggest several cognitive risk factors significantly predict risk of parental aggression toward children. A parent's ability to empathize and take the perspective of their child, parental locus of control, and parental level of frustration tolerance were significant predictors of abuse potential (accounting for 63% of the variance) and inappropriate discipline practices (accounting for 55% of the variance). Findings of the present study provide support for processes theorized in the SIP model. Specifically, results underscore the potential role of parents' frustration tolerance, developmental expectations, locus of control, and empathy as predictive of abuse potential and disciplinary style in an at-risk sample.

Percutaneous Nephrolithotomy in Children

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Romano T. DeMarco

2011-01-01

Full Text Available The surgical management of pediatric stone disease has evolved significantly over the last three decades. Prior to the introduction of shockwave lithotripsy (SWL in the 1980s, open lithotomy was the lone therapy for children with upper tract calculi. Since then, SWL has been the procedure of choice in most pediatric centers for children with large renal calculi. While other therapies such as percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PNL were also being advanced around the same time, PNL was generally seen as a suitable therapy in adults because of the concerns for damage in the developing kidney. However, recent advances in endoscopic instrumentation and renal access techniques have led to an increase in its use in the pediatric population, particularly in those children with large upper tract stones. This paper is a review of the literature focusing on the indications, techniques, results, and complications of PNL in children with renal calculi.

Obesity Rates in Special Populations of Children and Potential Interventions

Science.gov (United States)

Holcomb, Matthew J.; Pufpaff, Lisa A.; McIntosh, David E.

2009-01-01

Childhood obesity has become a problem of epidemic proportions in the United States, but much of the research has focused on prevention and intervention programs, which target the general population of school children. Overlooked in the literature are children with special needs (including autism, genetic disorders, Down syndrome, and Prader-Willi…

PERINATAL ASPHYXIA AS POTENTIAL SOURCE OF CHILDREN WITH DEVELOPMENTAL PSYCHO-MOTOR DIFFICULTIES

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Elizabeta ZISOVSKA

1997-09-01

Full Text Available Besides the great improvement of aostetrics and neanatal intensive care, certain percentage of new born children suffer from perinatal asphyxia (PA and that is one of the first reasons for hypoxic and ischemic brain damage which leads to neuro-developing handicap. In order to show how strong is the correaltion between PA and permanent sequele, an early, precise and prompt diagnosis of asphyxia and its influence on neonatal brain is neccessary.This study presents answers to the following issues.1.Which parameters define precisely the perinatal asphyxia?2.How great is the PA incidence on our material?3.What is the percentage of postasphyxic encephalopathy (PAE in the group of asphyxic new born children?4.Which of these children bear high risk for developmental psycho-motor difficulties?MaterialThe new born children delivered on time in the Clinic of Gynecology and Obstetrics.Methods1.Early diagnosis of PA according to the score consisted of high specific, sensitivity and positive and predictive value2.Consequent neurological check-ups and PAE cathegori-zation for seven days3.Ultrasound examination of CNS through big fontanelle4.Lab analysesResults5.639 successive new born children delivered on time were examined. The included scouring system covers APGAR score at the 5th minute, cardiotocographic record, base deficit in ABS, meconium around the amniotic water. According to this system, 81 child passed the PA , i.e., 14,3/ 1.000 new born children delivered on time. Out of them, 54 have signs of PAE (9,5/1000 new born children delivered on time, i.e., 66,6% of all asphyxia new born children. Classification has been made according to the PAE grade: 34 children survived the first grade (62,9%, 11 children survived the second grade (20,4% and 9 new born children survived the third grade (16,7%. According to data in literature and long year studies of this issue, the children from the group who passed the second and the third grade of PAE have the risk

A Soft Casting Technique for Managing Pediatric Hand and Foot Burns.

Science.gov (United States)

Choi, Young Mee; Nederveld, Cindy; Campbell, Kristen; Moulton, Steven

2018-04-04

Hand and foot burns in children are difficult to dress. The authors have developed a soft casting technique to manage burns to these areas. The aim of this study is to report the outcomes using weekly dressing changes with a soft casting technique to manage pediatric hand and foot burns in the outpatient setting. A retrospective chart review was performed on children with burns to the hands or feet, who underwent dressing changes with a soft casting technique at the Children's Hospital Colorado Burn Center. Soft casting was performed by placing antibiotic ointment-impregnated nonadherent gauze over the burn wound(s), wrapping the extremity using rolled gauze, applying soft cast pad, plaster, soft cast tape, and an elastic bandage. This was changed weekly. Two hundred ninety-eight children with hand burns had a mean age of 16.8 ± 2 months. Two hundred forty-eight children had partial thickness burn injuries (83%), 50 had full thickness burn injuries (17%), and the mean total body surface area (TBSA) was 1 ± 2.4%. The mean time to heal was 10.1 ± 1.7 days for all subjects. Sixty-six children with foot burns were identified with a mean age of 24 ± 2.6 months. Forty-six children had partial thickness injuries (70%), 20 had full thickness burn injuries (30%), and the mean TBSA was 2.3 ± 2.9%. The mean time to heal was 14.1 ± 2.2 days for all subjects. Weekly dressing changes using a soft casting technique are effective for the outpatient management of pediatric hand and foot burns. This method avoids costly inpatient hospital care, reduces the number of painful dressing changes, and allows children to heal in their own environment.

Potential study of bed filtration characteristics in impressed boreholes by radon tracer technique

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Litvinov, A.A.; Pinkenzon, D.B.; Makarov, M.S.; Vinarskij, M.S.

1977-01-01

Potential study of bed filtration characteristics in impressed boreholes by radon tracer method is shown. Effects recorded by radon tracer result from gamma radiation of short-living radon decay daughter products. During filtration of tracer through punched holes, cement stone, and rocks the products are deposited and cause a local effect for 2-3 hours. There is a shortage of short-living products in filtrated radon liquid and for some time (which is necessary for production of notable quantity of new decay products) it is practically not a gamma emitter. It is shown that the feature of effect formation governs the technique for well logging as well as interpretation of the results obtained

Learning Potential Assessment and Adaptation to the Educational Context: The Usefulness of the ACFS for Assessing Immigrant Preschool Children

Science.gov (United States)

Calero, M. Dolores; Mata, Sara; Carles, Rosario; Vives, Carmen; Lopez-Rubio, Sonia; Fernandez-Parra, Antonio; Navarro, Elena

2013-01-01

The objective of this study was to test the usefulness of dynamic assessment for determining cognitive abilities such as classification, auditory and visual memory, pattern sequences, perspective taking, verbal planning, learning potential, and metacognition in immigrant preschool children with and without competence in the dominant language…

Neural Correlates of Belief- and Desire-Reasoning in 7- and 8-Year-Old Children: An Event-Related Potential Study

Science.gov (United States)

Bowman, Lindsay C.; Liu, David; Meltzoff, Andrew N.; Wellman, Henry M.

2012-01-01

Theory of mind requires belief- "and" desire-understanding. Event-related brain potential (ERP) research on belief- and desire-reasoning in adults found mid-frontal activations for both desires and beliefs, and selective right-posterior activations "only" for beliefs. Developmentally, children understand desires before beliefs; thus, a critical…

THE EDUCATIONAL POTENTIAL OF THE FAMILY IN THE FORMATION OF MORAL QUALITIES IN CHILDREN (ON THE EXAMPLE OF THE USA

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lidiya Vladimirovna Osipova

2017-11-01

Full Text Available The urgency of the topic is stipulated by the importance of the problem of moral education of children in the family with the direct involvement of parents as the first educators of a child. The purpose of the study is to identify and describe the educational potential of a family in the moral development of a child (on the example of the USA. The results of the study showed that education of moral qualities of the child in the family by the parents will be effective if the following recommendations of teachers and psychologists are observed: – in the interpretation of meaning and social significance of moral concepts a parent should take into account the age level of intellectual development of the child; – a parent should use the educational power of personal positive example, observing moral standards that the child should learn; – a parent should involve all family members in a child’s life to maintain the homely atmosphere that will strengthen the concept of “home” in the child’s consciousness; – a parent should constantly engage a child in joint activities to provide the child in the future with happy family childhood memories; – a parent should give a competent assessment of the child’s behavior and direct educational impact of moral assessment in the formation of correct behavior of the child. The scope of the results of the study. The results of the study can be used in the process of developing new technologies, methods and techniques of psycho-pedagogical assistance to families in the matters of moral education of children.

Validation of the Emotiv EPOC EEG system for research quality auditory event-related potentials in children.

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Badcock, Nicholas A; Preece, Kathryn A; de Wit, Bianca; Glenn, Katharine; Fieder, Nora; Thie, Johnson; McArthur, Genevieve

2015-01-01

Background. Previous work has demonstrated that a commercial gaming electroencephalography (EEG) system, Emotiv EPOC, can be adjusted to provide valid auditory event-related potentials (ERPs) in adults that are comparable to ERPs recorded by a research-grade EEG system, Neuroscan. The aim of the current study was to determine if the same was true for children. Method. An adapted Emotiv EPOC system and Neuroscan system were used to make simultaneous EEG recordings in nineteen 6- to 12-year-old children under "passive" and "active" listening conditions. In the passive condition, children were instructed to watch a silent DVD and ignore 566 standard (1,000 Hz) and 100 deviant (1,200 Hz) tones. In the active condition, they listened to the same stimuli, and were asked to count the number of 'high' (i.e., deviant) tones. Results. Intraclass correlations (ICCs) indicated that the ERP morphology recorded with the two systems was very similar for the P1, N1, P2, N2, and P3 ERP peaks (r = .82 to .95) in both passive and active conditions, and less so, though still strong, for mismatch negativity ERP component (MMN; r = .67 to .74). There were few differences between peak amplitude and latency estimates for the two systems. Conclusions. An adapted EPOC EEG system can be used to index children's late auditory ERP peaks (i.e., P1, N1, P2, N2, P3) and their MMN ERP component.

Qualitative data collection with children.

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Spratling, Regena; Coke, Sallie; Minick, Ptlene

2012-02-01

Qualitative researchers have clear methods to guide them in data collection with adult participants, but little is known about effective interview techniques with children. The findings from this methodological study on qualitative interviews with children indicate that children are able to articulate their experiences in interviews. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Open laparoscopic access for primary trocar using modified Hasson's technique

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Khan, Abdul R.

2003-01-01

To describe the safety and efficacy of open laproscopic acess for the primary trocar using modified Hasson's technique for laparoscopic surgery in children. All 100 laproscopic procedures performed at King Khalid University Hospital, Riyadh,Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, between January 1999 and April 2001 using modified Hasson's technique were prospectively evaluated.They were aged from 3 months to 12 years. One hunred children who had open laproscopic acess during the study period had diagnosis of acute appendicitis (n=57), impalpable undescended tests (n=29), gallstones (n=5) , varicocele (n==3) and others (n=6). Three children had minor operativecomplications (2cases of pre-peritoneal placement of trocar which were recognized immediately and the other had omental bleedigs). Two children had post-operative complications related to primary acess (one port infection and other port site hematoma). Acess to abdominal cavity was generally secured in in 3-12 minutes (average4+-2). Clincal follow-up ranged from 3-14 months. Open laprascopic acess using modified Hasson's technique was associated with no major or life-threatening complication. Minor operative (3%) and post-operative(2%) complications occured in the first 100 cases. Modified Hasson's technique for primary trocar acessing the abdominal cavity is a safe and effective method, and is recommended for all laproscopic procedures in chidren. (author)

A need for play specialists in Japanese children's wards.

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Tanaka, Kyoko; Yoshikawa, Naomi; Kudo, Noriko; Negishi, Yoshie; Shimizu, Toshiaki; Hayata, Noriko

2010-07-01

The importance of distraction techniques and play therapy for sick children has long been recognised by nurses in the UK and other western countries. Although these techniques are not so well established in Japan there is growing interest in them. The authors conducted a survey and found that children's nurses in Japan appreciated the value of distraction techniques and play therapy. They argue that attitudes to using them on children's wards in Japan are changing, but there is still a lack of training and few play specialists.

Dose reduction in pediatric abdominal CT: use of iterative reconstruction techniques across different CT platforms

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Khawaja, Ranish Deedar Ali; Singh, Sarabjeet; Otrakji, Alexi; Padole, Atul; Lim, Ruth; Nimkin, Katherine; Westra, Sjirk; Kalra, Mannudeep K.; Gee, Michael S.

2015-01-01

Dose reduction in children undergoing CT scanning is an important priority for the radiology community and public at large. Drawbacks of radiation reduction are increased image noise and artifacts, which can affect image interpretation. Iterative reconstruction techniques have been developed to reduce noise and artifacts from reduced-dose CT examinations, although reconstruction algorithm, magnitude of dose reduction and effects on image quality vary. We review the reconstruction principles, radiation dose potential and effects on image quality of several iterative reconstruction techniques commonly used in clinical settings, including 3-D adaptive iterative dose reduction (AIDR-3D), adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction (ASIR), iDose, sinogram-affirmed iterative reconstruction (SAFIRE) and model-based iterative reconstruction (MBIR). We also discuss clinical applications of iterative reconstruction techniques in pediatric abdominal CT. (orig.)

Dose reduction in pediatric abdominal CT: use of iterative reconstruction techniques across different CT platforms

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Khawaja, Ranish Deedar Ali; Singh, Sarabjeet; Otrakji, Alexi; Padole, Atul; Lim, Ruth; Nimkin, Katherine; Westra, Sjirk; Kalra, Mannudeep K.; Gee, Michael S. [MGH Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA (United States)

2015-07-15

Dose reduction in children undergoing CT scanning is an important priority for the radiology community and public at large. Drawbacks of radiation reduction are increased image noise and artifacts, which can affect image interpretation. Iterative reconstruction techniques have been developed to reduce noise and artifacts from reduced-dose CT examinations, although reconstruction algorithm, magnitude of dose reduction and effects on image quality vary. We review the reconstruction principles, radiation dose potential and effects on image quality of several iterative reconstruction techniques commonly used in clinical settings, including 3-D adaptive iterative dose reduction (AIDR-3D), adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction (ASIR), iDose, sinogram-affirmed iterative reconstruction (SAFIRE) and model-based iterative reconstruction (MBIR). We also discuss clinical applications of iterative reconstruction techniques in pediatric abdominal CT. (orig.)

Diagnosis of vertebral fractures in children: is a simplified algorithm-based qualitative technique reliable?

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Adiotomre, E. [Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust UK, Radiology Department, Sheffield (United Kingdom); Sheffield Children' s NHS Foundation Trust, Radiology Department, Sheffield (United Kingdom); Summers, L.; Digby, M. [University of Sheffield UK, Sheffield Medical School, Sheffield (United Kingdom); Allison, A.; Walters, S.J. [University of Sheffield UK, School of Health and Related Research, Sheffield (United Kingdom); Broadley, P.; Lang, I. [Sheffield Children' s NHS Foundation Trust, Radiology Department, Sheffield (United Kingdom); Offiah, A.C. [Sheffield Children' s NHS Foundation Trust, Radiology Department, Sheffield (United Kingdom); University of Sheffield UK, Academic Unit of Child Health, Sheffield (United Kingdom)

2016-05-15

Identification of osteoporotic vertebral fractures allows treatment opportunity reducing future risk. There is no agreed standardised method for diagnosing paediatric vertebral fractures. To evaluate the precision of a modified adult algorithm-based qualitative (ABQ) technique, applicable to children with primary or secondary osteoporosis. Three radiologists independently assessed lateral spine radiographs of 50 children with suspected reduction in bone mineral density using a modified ABQ scoring system and following simplification to include only clinically relevant parameters, a simplified ABQ score. A final consensus of all observers using simplified ABQ was performed as a reference standard for fracture characterisation. Kappa was calculated for interobserver agreement of the components of both scoring systems and intraobserver agreement of simplified ABQ based on a second read of 29 randomly selected images. Interobserver Kappa for modified ABQ scoring for fracture detection, severity and shape ranged from 0.34 to 0.49 Kappa for abnormal endplate and position assessment was 0.27 to 0.38. Inter- and intraobserver Kappa for simplified ABQ scoring for fracture detection and grade ranged from 0.37 to 0.46 and 0.45 to 0.56, respectively. Inter- and intraobserver Kappa for affected endplate ranged from 0.31 to 0.41 and 0.45 to 0.51, respectively. Subjectively, observers' felt simplified ABQ was easier and less time-consuming. Observer reliability of modified and simplified ABQ was similar, with slight to moderate agreement for fracture detection and grade/severity. Due to subjective preference for simplified ABQ, we suggest its use as a semi-objective measure of diagnosing paediatric vertebral fractures. (orig.)

Diagnosis of vertebral fractures in children: is a simplified algorithm-based qualitative technique reliable?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Adiotomre, E.; Summers, L.; Digby, M.; Allison, A.; Walters, S.J.; Broadley, P.; Lang, I.; Offiah, A.C.

2016-01-01

Identification of osteoporotic vertebral fractures allows treatment opportunity reducing future risk. There is no agreed standardised method for diagnosing paediatric vertebral fractures. To evaluate the precision of a modified adult algorithm-based qualitative (ABQ) technique, applicable to children with primary or secondary osteoporosis. Three radiologists independently assessed lateral spine radiographs of 50 children with suspected reduction in bone mineral density using a modified ABQ scoring system and following simplification to include only clinically relevant parameters, a simplified ABQ score. A final consensus of all observers using simplified ABQ was performed as a reference standard for fracture characterisation. Kappa was calculated for interobserver agreement of the components of both scoring systems and intraobserver agreement of simplified ABQ based on a second read of 29 randomly selected images. Interobserver Kappa for modified ABQ scoring for fracture detection, severity and shape ranged from 0.34 to 0.49 Kappa for abnormal endplate and position assessment was 0.27 to 0.38. Inter- and intraobserver Kappa for simplified ABQ scoring for fracture detection and grade ranged from 0.37 to 0.46 and 0.45 to 0.56, respectively. Inter- and intraobserver Kappa for affected endplate ranged from 0.31 to 0.41 and 0.45 to 0.51, respectively. Subjectively, observers' felt simplified ABQ was easier and less time-consuming. Observer reliability of modified and simplified ABQ was similar, with slight to moderate agreement for fracture detection and grade/severity. Due to subjective preference for simplified ABQ, we suggest its use as a semi-objective measure of diagnosing paediatric vertebral fractures. (orig.)

Searching Nearest Potential of Children with Intellectual Disability--Dynamic Assessment

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Kulesza, Ewa Maria

2015-01-01

The article discussed the issue of the diagnosis with the use of task-support-task procedure. A theoretical model of diagnosis based on the concepts by L. S. Vygotski, R. Case, and A. Bandura was described and developed. The model was tested on a group of non-disabled preschool children, and children with mild and moderate intellectual disability…

Predictors of change in music therapy with children and adolescents: the role of therapeutic techniques.

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Gold, Christian; Wigram, Tony; Voracek, Martin

2007-12-01

Music therapy has been shown to be efficacious in experimental studies. However, there is little empirical research knowledge about what elements of music therapy influence its effectiveness in clinical practice. Children and adolescents with psychopathology (N=75) were assessed before and after participating in individual music therapy with 1 out of 15 music therapists in the Vienna region. Relationships between outcomes (as evaluated by parents) and therapy contents (as reported by therapists) were examined using general linear modelling. Results indicated that clients' symptoms and burdens on their social environment showed greater improvement when music therapy was limited to discipline-specific music therapy techniques and did not include other media such as play therapy elements. The findings indicate the importance of being aware of a therapy method's specific strengths and limitations. More research on the indicated specific ingredients of music therapy intervention is needed.

Improved techniques in data analysis and interpretation of potential fields: examples of application in volcanic and seismically active areas

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G. Florio

2002-06-01

Full Text Available Geopotential data may be interpreted by many different techniques, depending on the nature of the mathematical equations correlating specific unknown ground parameters to the measured data set. The investigation based on the study of the gravity and magnetic anomaly fields represents one of the most important geophysical approaches in the earth sciences. It has now evolved aimed both at improving of known methods and testing other new and reliable techniques. This paper outlines a general framework for several applications of recent techniques in the study of the potential methods for the earth sciences. Most of them are here described and significant case histories are shown to illustrate their reliability on active seismic and volcanic areas.

Special set-up and treatment techniques for the radiotherapy of pediatric malignancies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Martinez, A.; Donaldson, S.S.; Bagshaw, M.A.

1977-01-01

The prevention of serious and long term complications of treatment have become as important a consideration in the therapy of children with malignant disease as the goal of tumor control. This balance requires meticulous treatment planning and attention to the treatment preparation and immobilization techniques when radiotherapy is administered to children. Accurate localization of tumor volume and daily reproducibility is essential for delivering precise irradiation. Four special set-up and treatment techniques which have a specific usefulness in radiotherapy for pediatric malignancies are defined and illustrated with the aid of clinical cases. They include the three point set-up, the split beam technique, the isocentric technique, and the strinking field technique

Percutaneous radiofrequency ablation of osteoid osteomas. Technique and results

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bruners, P.; Penzkofer, T.; Guenther, R. W.; Mahnken, A.

2009-01-01

Purpose: Osteoid osteoma is a benign primary bone tumor that typically occurs in children and young adults. Besides local pain, which is often worse at night, prompt relief due to medication with acetylsalicylic acid (ASS) is characteristic for this bone lesion. Because long-term medication with ASS does not represent an alternative treatment strategy due to its potentially severe side effects, different minimally invasive image-guided techniques for the therapy of osteoid osteoma have been developed. In this context radiofrequency (RF) ablation in particular has become part of the clinical routine. The technique and results of image-guided RF ablation are compared to alternative treatment strategies. Materials and Methods: Using this technique, an often needle-shaped RF applicator is percutaneously placed into the tumor under image guidance. Then a high-frequency alternating current is applied by the tip of the applicator which leads to ionic motion within the tissue resulting in local heat development and thus in thermal destruction of the surrounding tissue including the tumor. Results: The published primary and secondary success rates of this technique are 87 and 83%, respectively. Surgical resection and open curettage show comparable success rates but are associated with higher complication rates. In addition image-guided RF ablation of osteoid osteomas is associated with low costs. (orig.)

Rapid and Objective Assessment of Neural Function in Autism Spectrum Disorder Using Transient Visual Evoked Potentials.

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Paige M Siper

Full Text Available There is a critical need to identify biomarkers and objective outcome measures that can be used to understand underlying neural mechanisms in autism spectrum disorder (ASD. Visual evoked potentials (VEPs offer a noninvasive technique to evaluate the functional integrity of neural mechanisms, specifically visual pathways, while probing for disease pathophysiology.Transient VEPs (tVEPs were obtained from 96 unmedicated children, including 37 children with ASD, 36 typically developing (TD children, and 23 unaffected siblings (SIBS. A conventional contrast-reversing checkerboard condition was compared to a novel short-duration condition, which was developed to enable objective data collection from severely affected populations who are often excluded from electroencephalographic (EEG studies.Children with ASD showed significantly smaller amplitudes compared to TD children at two of the earliest critical VEP components, P60-N75 and N75-P100. SIBS showed intermediate responses relative to ASD and TD groups. There were no group differences in response latency. Frequency band analyses indicated significantly weaker responses for the ASD group in bands encompassing gamma-wave activity. Ninety-two percent of children with ASD were able to complete the short-duration condition compared to 68% for the standard condition.The current study establishes the utility of a short-duration tVEP test for use in children at varying levels of functioning and describes neural abnormalities in children with idiopathic ASD. Implications for excitatory/inhibitory balance as well as the potential application of VEP for use in clinical trials are discussed.

Caring for children with physical disability in Kenya: potential links between caregiving and carers' physical health.

Science.gov (United States)

Geere, J L; Gona, J; Omondi, F O; Kifalu, M K; Newton, C R; Hartley, S

2013-05-01

The health of a carer is a key factor which can affect the well-being of the child with disabilities for whom they care. In low-income countries, many carers of children with disabilities contend with poverty, limited public services and lack assistive devices. In these situations caregiving may require more physical work than in high-income countries and so carry greater risk of physical injury or health problems. There is some evidence that poverty and limited access to health care and equipment may affect the physical health of those who care for children with disabilities. This study seeks to understand this relationship more clearly. A mixed methods study design was used to identify the potential physical health effects of caring for a child with moderate-severe motor impairments in Kilifi, Kenya. Qualitative data from in-depth interviews were thematically analysed and triangulated with data collected during structured physiotherapy assessment. Carers commonly reported chronic spinal pain of moderate to severe intensity, which affected essential activities. However, carers differed in how they perceived their physical health to be affected by caregiving, also reporting positive benefits or denying detrimental effects. Carers focussed on support in two key areas; the provision of simple equipment and support for their children to physically access and attend school. Carers of children with moderate-severe motor impairments live with their own physical health challenges. While routine assessments lead to diagnosis of simple musculoskeletal pain syndromes, the overall health status and situation of carers may be more complex. As a consequence, the role of rehabilitation therapists may need to be expanded to effectively evaluate and support carers' health needs. The provision of equipment to improve their child's mobility, respite care or transport to enable school attendance is likely to be helpful to carers and children alike. © 2012 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Functional MR urography in infants and children. Indications, techniques and requirements; Funktionelle MR-Urografie (fMRU) bei Kindern und Jugendlichen. Indikationen, Techniken und Anforderungen

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Stenzel, Martin; Mentzel, Hans-Joachim [Universitaetsklinikum Jena (Germany). Sektion Paediatrische Radiologie; Darge, Kassa [Children' s Hospital, Philadelphia, PA (United States). Section ' ' Body Imaging' ' ; John, Ulrike [Universitaetsklinikum Jena (Germany). Sektion Paediatrische Nephrologie

2013-03-15

Congenital anomalies of the kidney and urinary tract (CAKUT) need to be diagnosed correctly in early life in order to avoid the need for dialysis and renal transplantation. Traditionally, X-ray, fluoroscopy, computed tomography, and ultrasonography are the imaging methods to assess kidneys and the urinary tract. In infants and children, however, ultrasonography is the imaging method of first choice. In order to analyse the renal, to be more precise, the split renal function, MR urography has the potential for giving that information. More easily, information on morphology and dynamics of urinary flow in the upper renal tract can be obtained, too. Up to now, there is no commercial solution for obtaining split renal function with MR machines, however, two freeware solutions exist (''CHOP-fMRU'' and ''MR Urography''), that fill the gap. This article gives detailed information on patient selection, patient preparation, dedicated MR sequence technique, moreover discusses installation, use, and interpretation of the functional part using the ''CHOP-fMRU'' software. (orig.)

Endocrinological Assessment Of Children With Significant Short Stature Using Radioimmunoassay Techniques

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ghaly, Isis; Hafez, Mona; Shousha, M. A.

2004-01-01

This study was undertaken to determine the prevalence of clinical diagnosis in a group of children with significant short stature, height <-2.5 standard deviation below the mean for age and sex. Forty-nine children-l 8 female and 31 males-were included, mean age was 11.14 yr. (range 1.18 to 19 yr.). Clinical diagnosis, axiological measurements, thyroid profile, growth hormone, autoantibody screening for celiac disease were assessed. The patients were classified into 5 groups: Group I. familial short stature (FSS)and constitutional delay in growth and puberty (CDGP), (12%); group II. growth hormone deficiency (GHD), 54%; group III. Laron type of dwarfism (LTD) (10%); group IV. growth hormone neurosecretory disorder (GHND, 16%); group V. celiac disease (GSE, 8%). From this study the group with short normal variant (FSS-CDGP), uncommonly presents with significant short stature. Cranial CT scan should performed in any child with the diagnosis of GHD to exclude organic causes of GHD. In the group of GHND, a normal GH values to provocative tests does not guarantee sufficient GH secretion and should not be used to exclude these children from hGH treatment. Further investigations by measurement of integrated GH and IGFI may aid in the diagnosis of this disorder. Celiac disease may present only by short stature, therefore antibody screening tests should be a routine investigation for all children presented with unexplained short stature. Patient with GHD showed significant improvement of their GV SDS during treatment with hGH (p=0.021). Also children with GSE showed significant catch up growth after gluten withdrawal from the diet (p=0.029). (Authors)

[The influence of cognitive-behavioral therapy on the P300 potential in children with psychogenic nonepileptic seizures and tension headache].

Science.gov (United States)

Stolarska-Weryńska, Urszula; Steczkowska, Małgorzata; Kaciński, Marek

2016-01-01

Explaining associations between neurophysiological and neuropsychological parameteres in children and improving the measurement methods would lead to a better understanding of the pathogenesis and course of psychosomatic disease. Goal: clinical assessment of the efficacy of cognitive-behavioral therapy in the treatment of psychogenic no- nepileptic seizures and tension type headaches in children. Determining the influence of cognitive behavioral therapy on the cognitive P300 potential and whether P300 parameters in children correlate with neuropsychological parameters. 20 children with nonepileptic psychogenic seizures and 30 children with tension type headaches, aged 11.3 - 17.11 years. The final diagnosis was made in the Paediatric Neurology Clinic. The P300 examination was performed before/after therapy, with/without hyperventilation. A fixed structure therapy was implemented (10 sessions, 90 minutes each), during two weeks of hospitalization or in an outpatient clinic (9 children with tension type headache). The psychological assessment comprised of temperament questionnaires, auditory and visual memory trials, executive function and attention trials, and in some cases also intelligence testing. More significant correlations were found in children with psychogenic seizures: attention parameters correlated negatively with reaction time, and this correlation tended to fade in the second examination, after psychotherapy. In children with tension type headache a statistically insignificant tendency was found of a positive correlation between those parameters. Medium P300 parameteres in this group were better. In 17/20 of children with psychogenic seizures a clinical improvement was observed, in 3 children the symptoms persisted in a 6 month follow up, but of a lower frequency. In 11/27 of chil- dren with tension headache the symptoms persisted, also with a lower frequency. cognitive-behavioral therapy is effective in the reduction of symptoms in many cases of

Comparing the effectiveness of two distraction techniques of inflating balloon and watching cartoon in reducing the vaccination pain among school-age children

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Hassan Robabi

2016-03-01

Full Text Available Background: The pain caused by the invasive procedures, such as vaccination, could be associated with mental tension and tissue damage in children. Therefore, one of the priorities of the healthcare providers is to manage this pain. Regarding this, the present study aimed to evaluate the effect of distraction using inflating balloons and watching cartoons on the intensity of the pain induced by diphtheria tetanus and pertussis (DPT vaccine in school-age children. Methods: This clinical trial was conducted on the school-age children, who referred to Sayyid Al-Shuhada Healthcare Center in Zahedan, Iran, in 2015. In total, 120 patients were selected through convenience sampling technique. The subjects were randomly divided into three groups of 40 cases. The participants of the first group were encouraged to inflate balloons throughout the vaccination process. On the other hand, the subjects of the second group watched a cartoon started two min before the vaccination and lasting to the end of this procedure. No intervention was carried out for the control group. The pain intensity was measured immediately after the vaccination using the Face, Legs, Activity, Cry, Consolability scale (FLACC scale. The data analysis was performed in the SPSS version 22 using the descriptive statistics and one-way ANOVA test. Results: In this study, the mean pain scores were 1.87±1.30, 1.40±0.87, and 3.22±1.38 in the first, second, and control groups, respectively. The results of the ANOVA test revealed a difference between the study groups regarding the pain intensity (P<0.001; however, this difference was not significant. Conclusion: According to the findings of this study, two distraction methods of inflating balloon and watching cartoons could effectively decrease the pain induced by DPT vaccine. Therefore, the use of these techniques is recommended to manage the pain in children since they are inexpensive and have no side effects.

Children's understanding of and motivations for toothbrushing: a qualitative study.

Science.gov (United States)

Gill, P; Stewart, K; Chetcuti, D; Chestnutt, I G

2011-02-01

To explore children's understanding of why they do or do not brush their teeth and their motivations for toothbrushing. Individual semi-structured interviews were conducted with 66 children aged 6-7 years and 10-11 years in four purposively selected primary schools in Cardiff, UK. Data were analysed using a constructive process of Thematic Content Analysis and techniques of open and selective coding. While a routine activity, toothbrushing was prompted rather than monitored by parents and easily fell by the wayside because of tiredness, excitement or distraction. Rationalizations for toothbrushing were poorly formed in the children's accounts and related to 'doom scenarios' such as teeth falling out, or to issues of personal grooming and cleanliness rather than caries prevention. Electric (powered) toothbrushes were popular and had engaged the children's interest. Social and domestic circumstances, such as when children stayed with different parents at different times, impacted on toothbrushing routines. This study has revealed information that is of value in directing oral health education messages, oral health promotion programmes and has identified issues that potentially affect compliance with toothbrushing that merit further investigation. © 2010 John Wiley & Sons A/S.

Mapping of groundwater potential zones in Salem Chalk Hills, Tamil Nadu, India, using remote sensing and GIS techniques.

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Thilagavathi, N; Subramani, T; Suresh, M; Karunanidhi, D

2015-04-01

This study proposes to introduce the remote sensing and geographic information system (GIS) techniques in mapping the groundwater potential zones. Remote sensing and GIS techniques have been used to map the groundwater potential zones in Salem Chalk Hills, Tamil Nadu, India. Charnockites and fissile hornblende biotite gneiss are the major rock types in this region. Dunites and peridodites are the ultramafic rocks which cut across the foliation planes of the gneisses and are highly weathered. It comprises magnesite and chromite deposits which are excavated by five mining companies by adopting bench mining. The thickness of weathered and fracture zone varies from 2.2 to 50 m in gneissic formation and 5.8 to 55 m in charnockite. At the contacts of gneiss and charnockite, the thickness ranges from 9.0 to 90.8 m favoring good groundwater potential. The mine lease area is underlined by fractured and sheared hornblende biotite gneiss where groundwater potential is good. Water catchment tanks in this area of 5 km radius are small to moderate in size and are only seasonal. They remain dry during summer seasons. As perennial water resources are remote, the domestic and agricultural activities in this region depend mainly upon the groundwater resources. The mines are located in gently slope area, and accumulation of water is not observed except in mine pits even during the monsoon period. Therefore, it is essential to map the groundwater potential zones for proper management of the aquifer system. Satellite imageries were also used to extract lineaments, hydrogeomorphic landforms, drainage patterns, and land use, which are the major controlling factors for the occurrence of groundwater. Various thematic layers pertaining to groundwater existence such as geology, geomorphology, land use/land cover, lineament, lineament density, drainage, drainage density, slope, and soil were generated using GIS tools. By integrating all the above thematic layers based on the ranks and

Brief debrisoquin administration to assess central dopaminergic function in children.

Science.gov (United States)

Riddle, M A; Shaywitz, B A; Leckman, J F; Anderson, G M; Shaywitz, S E; Hardin, M T; Ort, S I; Cohen, D J

1986-03-17

Central dopaminergic (DA) function in children was assessed by monitoring plasma-free homovanillic acid (pHVA) levels after brief (18 hour) administration with debrisoquin sulfate, a peripherally active antihypertensive agent that blocks peripheral, but not central, HVA production. Brief debrisoquin administration resulted in marked reductions in pHVA in each of six patients studied. In five of the six patients, post-debrisoquin pHVA levels remained relatively stable over the six-hour period of observation. No significant cardiovascular or behavioral side effects of debrisoquin were observed. The brief debrisoquin administration method appears to be a safe, simple, and potentially valid peripheral technique for evaluating aspects of central dopaminergic function in children with neuropsychiatric disorders. Additional work is needed to further establish this method's validity and reliability.

Event-related potential response to auditory social stimuli, parent-reported social communicative deficits and autism risk in school-aged children with congenital visual impairment

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Joe Bathelt

2017-10-01

Full Text Available Communication with visual signals, like facial expression, is important in early social development, but the question if these signals are necessary for typical social development remains to be addressed. The potential impact on social development of being born with no or very low levels of vision is therefore of high theoretical and clinical interest. The current study investigated event-related potential responses to basic social stimuli in a rare group of school-aged children with congenital visual disorders of the anterior visual system (globe of the eye, retina, anterior optic nerve. Early-latency event-related potential responses showed no difference between the VI and control group, suggesting similar initial auditory processing. However, the mean amplitude over central and right frontal channels between 280 and 320 ms was reduced in response to own-name stimuli, but not control stimuli, in children with VI suggesting differences in social processing. Children with VI also showed an increased rate of autistic-related behaviours, pragmatic language deficits, as well as peer relationship and emotional problems on standard parent questionnaires. These findings suggest that vision may be necessary for the typical development of social processing across modalities.

Enteroclysis in older children and teenagers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kurugoglu, Sebuh; Korman, Ugur; Adaletli, Ibrahim; Selcuk, Dogan

2007-01-01

Enteroclysis (EC) has been widely and successfully used for evaluation of the small bowel in adults for about 30 years. However, despite recently improved intubation and examination techniques, in many paediatric radiology centres it is still not the preferred conventional barium study for the evaluation of small bowel pathology in children. To share our 10 years of experience and review the feasibility of EC in 83 older children and teenagers, in terms of both technique and pathological findings. Between 1996 and 2006, EC was performed by the standard technique described by Herlinger to 83 children between 7 and 18 years of age. The indication for the study was jointly decided by the paediatric radiologist and the clinician. None of the examinations was converted to follow-through studies because of patient refusal or technical failure. Morphological changes, mucosal abnormalities, luminal abnormalities, perienteric structures, the location of the disease, indirect findings regarding the bowel wall and functional information were evaluated. All the children tolerated the procedure without difficulty. Out of 83 patients, 63 had abnormal findings. The spectrum of diagnoses were Crohn disease (n = 23), nonspecific enteritis (n 10), malabsorption (n = 8), intestinal tuberculosis (n = 6), intestinal lymphoma (n = 5), Peutz-Jegher syndrome (n = 3), adhesions (n = 2), Behcet disease (n 2), back-wash ileitis due to ulcerative colitis (n = 2), common-variable immune deficiency (n = 1) and lymphangiectasis (n = 1). EC can easily be performed in children over 7 years of age and when performed using a correct technique it shows high diagnostic performance without any complications in the evaluation of small bowel diseases in older children and teenagers. (orig.)

Fire and children: learning survival skills

Science.gov (United States)

Jeanne H. Block; Jack Block; William S. Folkman

1976-01-01

A number of essentially healthy 5- and 6-year old children were studied to determine their interests in, anxieties about, attitudes toward, and reactions to fire. The relationships of particular personality characteristics of the children and the socialization techniques and teaching strategies of the mothers to the children's perceived attitudes about and...

Is forced oscillation technique the next respiratory function test of choice in childhood asthma.

Science.gov (United States)

Alblooshi, Afaf; Alkalbani, Alia; Albadi, Ghaya; Narchi, Hassib; Hall, Graham

2017-12-26

Respiratory diseases, especially asthma, are common in children. While spirometry contributes to asthma diagnosis and management in older children, it has a limited role in younger children whom are often unable to perform forced expiratory manoeuvre. The development of novel diagnostic methods which require minimal effort, such as forced oscillation technique (FOT) is, therefore, a welcome and promising addition. FOT involves applying external, small amplitude oscillations to the respiratory system during tidal breathing. Therefore, it requires minimal effort and cooperation. The FOT has the potential to facilitate asthma diagnosis and management in pre-school children by faciliting the objective measurement of baseline lung function and airway reactivity in children unable to successfully perform spirometry. Traditionally the use of FOT was limited to specialised centres. However, the availability of commercial equipment resulted in its use both in research and in clinical practice. In this article, we review the available literature on the use of FOT in childhood asthma. The technical aspects of FOT are described followed by a discussion of its practical aspects in the clinical field including the measurement of baseline lung function and associated reference ranges, bronchodilator responsiveness and bronchial hyper-responsiveness. We also highlight the difficulties and limitations that might be encountered and future research directions.

Salivary Fluoride level in preschool children after toothbrushing with standard and low fluoride content dentifrice, using the transversal dentifrice application technique: pilot study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fabiana Jandre Melo

2008-01-01

Full Text Available Objective: To investigate the salivary fluoride concentration in pre-school children after toothbrushing with dentifrice containing standard (1100ppmF/NaF and low (500ppmF/NaF fluoride concentration, using the transversal technique of placing the product on the toothbrush. Methods: Eight children of both sexes, ranging from 4 to 9 years, and 5 years and 6 months of age, participated in the study. The experiment was divided into two phases with a weekly interval. In the first stage, the children used the standard concentration dentifrice for one week, and in the second, the low concentration product. Samples were collected at the end of each experimental stage, at the following times: Before brushing, immediately afterwards, and after 15, 30 and 45 minutes. The fluoride contents were analyzed by the microdiffusion technique. Statistical analysis was done by the analysis of variance ANOVA and Student’s-t test (p<0.05. Results: The salivary fluoride concentration was significantly higher at all times, when the standard concentration product was used. The comparison between the Halogen concentration found before bushing and immediately afterwards, showed that there was a 6.8 times increase in the standard dentifrice (0.19 x 1.29μgF/ml and in the low concentration product, an increase of 20.5 times (0.02 x 0.41μgF/ml. Conclusion: Toothbrushing with both products promoted relevant increases in the salivary fluoride concentration; however, longitudinal studies are necessary to verify the clinical result of this measurement.

Heating and thermal control of brazing technique to break contamination path for potential Mars sample return

Science.gov (United States)

Bao, Xiaoqi; Badescu, Mircea; Sherrit, Stewart; Bar-Cohen, Yoseph; Campos, Sergio

2017-04-01

The potential return of Mars sample material is of great interest to the planetary science community, as it would enable extensive analysis of samples with highly sensitive laboratory instruments. It is important to make sure such a mission concept would not bring any living microbes, which may possibly exist on Mars, back to Earth's environment. In order to ensure the isolation of Mars microbes from Earth's Atmosphere, a brazing sealing and sterilizing technique was proposed to break the Mars-to-Earth contamination path. Effectively, heating the brazing zone in high vacuum space and controlling the sample temperature for integrity are key challenges to the implementation of this technique. The break-thechain procedures for container configurations, which are being considered, were simulated by multi-physics finite element models. Different heating methods including induction and resistive/radiation were evaluated. The temperature profiles of Martian samples in a proposed container structure were predicted. The results show that the sealing and sterilizing process can be controlled such that the samples temperature is maintained below the level that may cause damage, and that the brazing technique is a feasible approach to breaking the contamination path.

Use of vacuum assisted closure in instrumented spinal deformities for children with postoperative deep infections

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Canavese Federico

2010-01-01

Full Text Available Background: Postoperative deep infections are relatively common in children with instrumented spinal deformities, whose healing potential is somewhat compromised. Children with underlying diagnosis of cerebral palsy, spina bifida and other chronic debilitating conditions are particularly susceptible. Vacuum-assisted closure (VAC is a newer technique to promote healing of wounds resistant to treatment by established methods. This article aims to review the efficacy of the VAC system in the treatment of deep spinal infections following spinal instrumentation and fusion in children and adolescents. Materials and Methods: We reviewed 33 patients with deep postoperative surgical site infection treated with wound VAC technique. We reviewed clinical and laboratory data, including the ability to retain the spinal hardware, loss of correction and recurrent infections. Results : All patients successfully completed their wound VAC treatment regime. None had significant loss of correction and one had persistent infection requiring partial hardware removal. The laboratory indices normalized in all but three patients. Conclusions: Wound VAC technique is a useful tool in the armamentarium of the spinal surgeon dealing with patients susceptible to wound infections, especially those with neuromuscular diseases. It allows for retention of the instrumentation and maintenance of the spinal correction. It is reliable and easy to use.

Ultra-processed family foods in Australia: nutrition claims, health claims and marketing techniques.

Science.gov (United States)

Pulker, Claire Elizabeth; Scott, Jane Anne; Pollard, Christina Mary

2018-01-01

To objectively evaluate voluntary nutrition and health claims and marketing techniques present on packaging of high-market-share ultra-processed foods (UPF) in Australia for their potential impact on public health. Cross-sectional. Packaging information from five high-market-share food manufacturers and one retailer were obtained from supermarket and manufacturers' websites. Ingredients lists for 215 UPF were examined for presence of added sugar. Packaging information was categorised using a taxonomy of nutrition and health information which included nutrition and health claims and five common food marketing techniques. Compliance of statements and claims with the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code and with Health Star Ratings (HSR) were assessed for all products. Almost all UPF (95 %) contained added sugars described in thirty-four different ways; 55 % of UPF displayed a HSR; 56 % had nutrition claims (18 % were compliant with regulations); 25 % had health claims (79 % were compliant); and 97 % employed common food marketing techniques. Packaging of 47 % of UPF was designed to appeal to children. UPF carried a mean of 1·5 health and nutrition claims (range 0-10) and 2·6 marketing techniques (range 0-5), and 45 % had HSR≤3·0/5·0. Most UPF packaging featured nutrition and health statements or claims despite the high prevalence of added sugars and moderate HSR. The degree of inappropriate or inaccurate statements and claims present is concerning, particularly on packaging designed to appeal to children. Public policies to assist parents to select healthy family foods should address the quality and accuracy of information provided on UPF packaging.

Feasibility and potential efficacy of the family-centered Prevent-Teach-Reinforce model with families of children with developmental disorders.

Science.gov (United States)

Bailey, Kathleen M; Blair, Kwang-Sun Cho

2015-12-01

This study examined the feasibility and potential efficacy of the family-centered Prevent-Teach-Reinforce (PTR) model with three families of young children with an autism spectrum disorder or language delay with sensory processing problems. Particularly, the study assessed the family adherence to the PTR intervention, changes in child behavior, family use of the Individualized Behavior Rating Scale Tool (IBRST), procedural integrity, and social validity. A multiple-baseline design across families was used to examine the functional relation between parent-implemented PTR intervention and changes in child behavior. Results indicated that the family-centered PTR process was successful in promoting parents to design and implement the PTR intervention plans with fidelity, and the parents' implemented intervention plans were effective in increasing replacement behavior and decreasing problem behavior across children. The results also indicated that the parents successfully used the IBRST to monitor their child's progress and were highly satisfied with the PTR intervention process and outcomes for their children. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Parental Attitudes Toward Advanced Behavior Guidance Techniques Used in Pediatric Dentistry.

Science.gov (United States)

Patel, Monica; McTigue, Dennis J; Thikkurissy, Sarat; Fields, Henry W

2016-01-01

To re-examine parental attitudes toward advanced behavior management techniques in pediatric dentistry and determine whether cost, urgency, and amount of treatment influence parental preferences. Parents viewed previously validated videotaped clinical vignettes of four advanced behavior guidance techniques: (1) passive immobilization; (2) active immobilization; (3) general anesthesia; and (4) oral sedation. The study was conducted in a children's hospital dental clinic and a suburban private pediatric dentistry office. Parents rated overall acceptance of the techniques, and acceptance under specified conditions using an anchored visual analogue scale. One hundred five parents completed the survey; 55 from the children's hospital and 50 from private practice. Oral sedation was rated as the most acceptable technique, followed by general anesthesia, active immobilization, and passive immobilization. As urgency, convenience, and previous experience increased, parental acceptance of the technique increased. As cost of treatment increased, parental acceptance decreased. Ratings between the children's hospital group and private practice group differed, as did the demographic variables of insurance, income, and race. The hierarchy of parental acceptance of advanced behavior guidance techniques is changing with increasing approval of pharmacological management and decreasing approval of physical management. The health care delivery system, urgency, convenience, previous experience, and cost all influence parental acceptance.

GIS-Based bivariate statistical techniques for groundwater potential ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

24

This study shows the potency of two GIS-based data driven bivariate techniques namely ... In the view of these weaknesses , there is a strong requirement for reassessment of .... Font color: Text 1, Not Expanded by / Condensed by , ...... West Bengal (India) using remote sensing, geographical information system and multi-.

[Relationship between magnocellular function and reading skills in children: a study using visual evoked potentials].

Science.gov (United States)

Kobayashi, Tomoka; Inagaki, Masumi; Yamazaki, Hiroko; Kita, Yosuke; Kaga, Makiko; Oka, Akira

2014-11-01

Developmental dyslexia (DD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder that is characterized by difficulties with accurate and/or fluent word recognition and by poor spelling and decoding abilities. The magnocellular deficit theory is one of several hypotheses that have been proposed to explain the pathophysiology of DD. In this study, we investigated magnocellular system dysfunction in Japanese dyslexic children. Subjects were 19 dyslexic children (DD group) and 19 aged-matched healthy children (TD group). They were aged between 7 and 16 years. Reversed patterns of black and white sinusoidal gratings generated at a low spatial frequency, high reversal frequency of 7.5 Hz, and low contrasts were used specifically to stimulate the magnocellular system. We recorded visual evoked potentials (VEP) from the occipital area and examined their relationship with reading and naming tasks, such as the time to read hiragana characters, rapid automatized naming of pictured objects, and phonological manipulation. Compared to the TD group, the DD group showed a significantly lower peak amplitude of VEPs through the complex demodulation method. Structural equation modeling showed that VEP peak amplitudes were related to the rapid automatized naming of pictured objects, and better rapid automatized naming resulted in higher reading skills. There was no correlation between VEP findings and the capacity for phonological manipulation. VEPs in response to the magnocellular system are useful for understanding the pathophysiology of DD. Single phonological deficit may not be sufficient to cause DD.

Evaluation of four techniques for diagnosis of Giardia lamblia in children's stool from Belém city, Para State, Brazil

OpenAIRE

Machado, Ricardo Luiz Dantas; Figueredo, Maria Cristina; Frade, Amanda Farage; Kudó, Mônica Eriko; Silva Filho, Manoel Gomes; Póvoa, Marinete Marins

2001-01-01

Relatamos a comparação de quatro metodologias para o diagnóstico da Giardia lamblia em material fecal de crianças, Belém/PA. A Hematoxilina Férrica e o método direto apresentaram menor positividade, enquanto que o Método de Faust continua uma boa escolha para o diagnóstico e o Ensaio imunoenzimático melhora a qualidade da detecção deste parasito.We report the evaluation of four techniques for Giardia lamblia diagnosis in children's stool. The Iron haematoxilin staining and direct examination ...

The Importance of Self-Esteem to Children and Young People Separated from Their Families.

Science.gov (United States)

Roberts, John

1993-01-01

Offers several definitions of self-esteem and describes some techniques for adults to use to help develop children's and adolescents' self-esteem. These techniques include addressing children by name, using movement games, appropriately praising children, setting clear limits, acknowledging children's feelings, using specific criticism, and…

Associations of maternal stress with children's weight-related behaviours: a systematic literature review.

Science.gov (United States)

O'Connor, S G; Maher, J P; Belcher, B R; Leventhal, A M; Margolin, G; Shonkoff, E T; Dunton, G F

2017-05-01

Low adherence to guidelines for weight-related behaviours (e.g. dietary intake and physical activity) among US children underscores the need to better understand how parental factors may influence children's obesity risk. In addition to most often acting as primary caregiver to their children, women are also known to experience greater levels of stress than men. This study systematically reviewed associations between maternal stress and children's weight-related behaviours. Our search returned 14 eligible articles, representing 25 unique associations of maternal stress with a distinct child weight-related behaviour (i.e. healthy diet [n = 3], unhealthy diet [n = 6], physical activity [n = 7] and sedentary behaviour [n = 9]). Overall, findings for the relationship between maternal stress and children's weight-related behaviours were mixed, with no evidence for an association with children's healthy or unhealthy dietary intake, but fairly consistent evidence for the association of maternal stress with children's lower physical activity and higher sedentary behaviour. Recommendations for future research include prioritizing prospective designs, identifying moderators, and use of high-resolution, real-time data collection techniques to elucidate potential mechanisms. © 2017 World Obesity Federation.

Uniaxial Magnetization Performance of Textured Fe Nanowire Arrays Electrodeposited by a Pulsed Potential Deposition Technique

Science.gov (United States)

Neetzel, C.; Ohgai, T.; Yanai, T.; Nakano, M.; Fukunaga, H.

2017-11-01

Textured ferromagnetic Fe nanowire arrays were electrodeposited using a rectangular-pulsed potential deposition technique into anodized aluminum oxide nanochannels. During the electrodeposition of Fe nanowire arrays at a cathodic potential of - 1.2 V, the growth rate of the nanowires was ca. 200 nm s-1. The aspect ratio of Fe nanowires with a diameter of 30 ± 5 nm reached ca. 2000. The long axis of Fe nanowires corresponded with the direction when a large overpotential during the on-time pulse was applied, whereas it orientated to the direction under the potentiostatic condition with a small overpotential. By shifting the on-time cathode potential up to - 1.8 V, the texture coefficient for the (200) plane, TC200, reached up to 1.94. Perpendicular magnetization performance was observed in Fe nanowire arrays. With increasing TC200, the squareness of Fe nanowire arrays increased up to 0.95 with the coercivity maintained at 1.4 kOe at room temperature. This research result has opened a novel possibility of Fe nanowire arrays that can be applied for a new permanent magnetic material without rare-earth metals.

Torcular pseudomass: a potential diagnostic pitfall in infants and young children

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sampaio, Luisa [Centro Hospitalar de Sao Joao, Department of Neuroradiology, Oporto (Portugal); Morana, Giovanni; Severino, Mariasavina; Tortora, Domenico; Rossi, Andrea [Istituto Giannina Gaslini, Neuroradiology Unit, Genoa (Italy); Leao, Miguel [Centro Hospitalar de Sao Joao, Neuropediatric Unit, Oporto (Portugal)

2017-02-15

Incidental findings on brain MRI may constitute a diagnostic pitfall. We observed an incidental extra-axial midline rounded pseudomass between the torcular Herophili and the occipital squama, with spontaneous resolution, which we called ''torcular pseudomass.'' We investigated the frequency, imaging features, natural history and developmental background of this finding in a large group of infants and young children. We conducted a single-center retrospective study by reviewing all brain MRIs performed in children younger than 3 years between 2007 and 2013 in a specialized pediatric hospital. We looked for soft tissue (minimum 2 mm thick) interposed between the torcula and the occipital squama on midsagittal T1 and T2 images; we recorded the maximal diameters and outcome. Of 2,283 the children who had brain MRIs during the study period, 291 (12.7%, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.11, 0.14) presented with a torcular pseudomass (median age 4 months, range 0 days to 35 months, 56% male). MRI features were the same in all of these children: T1 isointensity and T2 hyperintensity to the cerebral cortex, facilitated diffusion on diffusion-weighted imaging and apparent diffusion coefficient maps, and contrast enhancement. The median diameters were: anteroposterior, 5.8 mm; transverse, 10.5 mm; cranio-caudal, 20.6 mm. Follow-up MRI was available in 34.7% (95% CI: 0.20, 0.40) of the children; median follow-up time was 18 months. Among these children, 35.6% (95% CI: 0.26, 0.45) had total involution, 52.5% (95% CI: 0.26, 0.62) had partial involution and 4.1% (95% CI: 0.05, 0.18) showed stability. Redundant soft tissue in the torcular region, or torcular pseudomass, is not an infrequent finding in infants and young children. It should be considered a physiological tissue, reflecting the postnatal developmental process of the brain and cranial vault, without the need for further investigation or follow-up imaging studies. (orig.)

The Relationship between Structure-Related Food Parenting Practices and Children's Heightened Levels of Self-Regulation in Eating.

Science.gov (United States)

Frankel, Leslie A; Powell, Elisabeth; Jansen, Elena

Food parenting practices influence children's eating behaviors and weight status. Food parenting practices also influence children's self-regulatory abilities around eating, which has important implications for children's eating behaviors. The purpose of the following study is to examine use of structure-related food parenting practices and the potential impact on children's ability to self-regulate energy intake. Parents (n = 379) of preschool age children (M = 4.10 years, SD = 0.92) were mostly mothers (68.6%), Non-White (54.5%), and overweight/obese (50.1%). Hierarchical Multiple Regression was conducted to predict child self-regulation in eating from structure-related food parenting practices (structured meal setting, structured meal timing, family meal setting), while accounting for child weight status, parent age, gender, BMI, race, and yearly income. Hierarchical Multiple Regression results indicated that structure-related feeding practices (structured meal setting and family meal setting, but not structured meal timing) are associated with children's heightened levels of self-regulation in eating. Models examining the relationship within children who were normal weight and overweight/obese indicated the following: a relationship between structured meal setting and heightened self-regulation in eating for normal-weight children and a relationship between family meal setting and heightened self-regulation in eating for overweight/obese children. Researchers should further investigate these potentially modifiable parent feeding behaviors as a protective parenting technique, which possibly contributes to a healthy weight development by enhancing self-regulation in eating.

Testing the potential of geochemical techniques in identifying hydrological systems within landslides in partly weathered marls

Science.gov (United States)

Bogaard, T. A.

2003-04-01

This paper’s objectives are twofold: to test the potential of cation exchange capacity (CEC) analysis for refinement of the knowledge of the hydrological system in landslide areas; and to examine two laboratory CEC analysis techniques on their applicability to partly weathered marls. The NH4Ac and NaCl laboratory techniques are tested. The geochemical results are compared with the core descriptions and interpreted with respect to their usefulness. Both analysis techniques give identical results for CEC, and are plausible on the basis of the available clay content information. The determination of the exchangeable cations was more difficult, since part of the marls dissolved. With the ammonium-acetate method more of the marls are dissolved than with the sodium-chloride method. This negatively affects the results of the exchangeable cations. Therefore, the NaCl method is to be preferred for the determination of the cation fractions at the complex, be it that this method has the disadvantage that the sodium fraction cannot be determined. To overcome this problem it is recommended to try and use another salt e.g. SrCl2 as displacement fluid. Both Alvera and Boulc-Mondorès examples show transitions in cation composition with depth. It was shown that the exchangeable cation fractions can be useful in locating boundaries between water types, especially the boundary between the superficial, rain fed hydrological system and the lower, regional ground water system. This information may be important for landslide interventions since the hydrological system and the origin of the water need to be known in detail. It is also plausible that long-term predictions of slope stability may be improved by knowledge of the hydrogeochemical evolution of clayey landslides. In the Boulc-Mondorès example the subsurface information that can be extracted from CEC analyses was presented. In the Boulc-Mondorès cores deviant intervals of CEC could be identified. These are interpreted as

Use of Acupuncture in Children with Symptoms of Stress: An Exploratory Study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Cínthia Pereira Alves

2013-12-01

Full Text Available This study aimed to evaluate the use of acupuncture on symptoms indicative of anxiety in children. The instruments used were the Child Stress Scale and the Ryodoraku method for energy assessment. Six children participated in this research, aged between six and seven years old. The intervention consisted of twelve sessions for each child. The results indicate that the treatment provided an energy harmony, with potential to reduce the symptoms of stress, such as fear, nervousness, act of nail biting, insomnia and restlessness. However, further studies should be undertaken for effective evaluation of the technique. The study highlights the important interface between psychology and acupuncture, which can be used together to face the problem.

Airway Clearance Techniques (ACTs)

Medline Plus

Full Text Available ... NACFC Carolyn and C Richard Mattingly Leadership in Mental Health Care Award Mary M. Kontos Award NACFC Reflections ... help your infant or child manage their lung health, watch parents of children with CF and a respiratory therapist talk about the different techniques they use for airway clearance. ... Instagram Email Find a Clinical Trial Help us blaze ...

Cervical auscultation in the diagnosis of oropharyngeal aspiration in children: a study protocol for a randomised controlled trial.

Science.gov (United States)

Frakking, Thuy T; Chang, Anne B; O'Grady, Kerry-Ann F; Walker-Smith, Katie; Weir, Kelly A

2013-11-07

Oropharyngeal aspiration (OPA) can lead to recurrent respiratory illnesses and chronic lung disease in children. Current clinical feeding evaluations performed by speech pathologists have poor reliability in detecting OPA when compared to radiological procedures such as the modified barium swallow (MBS). Improved ability to diagnose OPA accurately via clinical evaluation potentially reduces reliance on expensive, less readily available radiological procedures. Our study investigates the utility of adding cervical auscultation (CA), a technique of listening to swallowing sounds, in improving the diagnostic accuracy of a clinical evaluation for the detection of OPA. We plan an open, unblinded, randomised controlled trial at a paediatric tertiary teaching hospital. Two hundred and sixteen children fulfilling the inclusion criteria will be randomised to one of the two clinical assessment techniques for the clinical detection of OPA: (1) clinical feeding evaluation only (CFE) group or (2) clinical feeding evaluation with cervical auscultation (CFE + CA) group. All children will then undergo an MBS to determine radiologically assessed OPA. The primary outcome is the presence or absence of OPA, as determined on MBS using the Penetration-Aspiration Scale. Our main objective is to determine the sensitivity, specificity, negative and positive predictive values of 'CFE + CA' versus 'CFE' only compared to MBS-identified OPA. Early detection and appropriate management of OPA is important to prevent chronic pulmonary disease and poor growth in children. As the reliability of CFE to detect OPA is low, a technique that can improve the diagnostic accuracy of the CFE will help minimise consequences to the paediatric respiratory system. Cervical auscultation is a technique that has previously been documented as a clinical adjunct to the CFE; however, no published RCTs addressing the reliability of this technique in children exist. Our study will be the first to establish the utility

Error and feedback processing in children with ADHD and children with Autistic Spectrum Disorder : An EEG event-related potential study

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Groen, Yvonne; Wijers, Albertus A.; Mulder, Lambertus J. M.; Waggeveld, Brenda; Minderaa, Ruud B.; Althaus, Monika

2008-01-01

Objective: Performance monitoring was investigated in typically developing (TD) children, children with Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD), and Methylphenidate (Mph)-treated and medication-free children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Methods: Subjects performed a feedback-based

Unhealthy food marketing to New Zealand children and adolescents through the internet.

Science.gov (United States)

Vandevijvere, Stefanie; Sagar, Karuna; Kelly, Bridget; Swinburn, Boyd

2017-02-17

To assess the extent and nature of unhealthy food marketing to New Zealand children and adolescents through the internet. Internet traffic data for January 2014 was purchased from AC Nielsen to identify the most popular websites (n=110) among children and adolescents aged 6-17 years. In addition, websites (n=70) of food and beverage brands most frequently marketed to children through television, sports, magazines and Facebook were included. Marketing techniques and features on those websites were analysed. The extent of food marketing on popular non-food websites was low. A wide range of marketing techniques and features was, however, identified on food brand websites, including advercation (87%), viral marketing (64%), cookies (54%), free downloadable items (43%), promotional characters (39%), designated children's sections (19%) and advergaming (13%). Most techniques appeared more frequently on websites specifically targeting children and adolescents, than on other websites targeting the general public. Compared to traditional media, the internet allows food marketers to use engaging techniques to directly interact with children. While the range of marketing techniques and features identified on food brand websites was extensive, the most popular websites among children and adolescents were non-food related, and the extent of food marketing on those websites was found to be low. Additional assessment of food marketing to children through social and other digital media is recommended.

Optimising the measurement of bruises in children across conventional and cross polarized images using segmentation analysis techniques in Image J, Photoshop and circle diameter measurements.

Science.gov (United States)

Harris, C; Alcock, A; Trefan, L; Nuttall, D; Evans, S T; Maguire, S; Kemp, A M

2018-02-01

Bruising is a common abusive injury in children, and it is standard practice to image and measure them, yet there is no current standard for measuring bruise size consistently. We aim to identify the optimal method of measuring photographic images of bruises, including computerised measurement techniques. 24 children aged Photoshop 'ruler' software (Photoshop diameter)). Inter and intra-observer effects were determined by two individuals repeating 11 electronic measurements, and relevant Intraclass Correlation Coefficient's (ICC's) were used to establish reliability. Spearman's rank correlation was used to compare in vivo with computerised measurements; a comparison of measurement techniques across imaging modalities was conducted using Kolmogorov-Smirnov tests. Significance was set at p 0.5 for all techniques, with maximum Feret diameter and maximum Photoshop diameter on conventional images having the strongest correlation with in vivo measurements. There were significant differences between in vivo and computer-aided measurements, but none between different computer-aided measurement techniques. Overall, computer aided measurements appeared larger than in vivo. Inter- and intra-observer agreement was high for all maximum diameter measurements (ICC's > 0.7). Whilst there are minimal differences between measurements of images obtained, the most consistent results were obtained when conventional images, segmented by Image J Software, were measured with a Feret diameter. This is therefore proposed as a standard for future research, and forensic practice, with the proviso that all computer aided measurements appear larger than in vivo. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd and Faculty of Forensic and Legal Medicine. All rights reserved.

Mining for diagnostic information in body surface potential maps: A comparison of feature selection techniques

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

McCullagh Paul J

2005-09-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background In body surface potential mapping, increased spatial sampling is used to allow more accurate detection of a cardiac abnormality. Although diagnostically superior to more conventional electrocardiographic techniques, the perceived complexity of the Body Surface Potential Map (BSPM acquisition process has prohibited its acceptance in clinical practice. For this reason there is an interest in striking a compromise between the minimum number of electrocardiographic recording sites required to sample the maximum electrocardiographic information. Methods In the current study, several techniques widely used in the domains of data mining and knowledge discovery have been employed to mine for diagnostic information in 192 lead BSPMs. In particular, the Single Variable Classifier (SVC based filter and Sequential Forward Selection (SFS based wrapper approaches to feature selection have been implemented and evaluated. Using a set of recordings from 116 subjects, the diagnostic ability of subsets of 3, 6, 9, 12, 24 and 32 electrocardiographic recording sites have been evaluated based on their ability to correctly asses the presence or absence of Myocardial Infarction (MI. Results It was observed that the wrapper approach, using sequential forward selection and a 5 nearest neighbour classifier, was capable of choosing a set of 24 recording sites that could correctly classify 82.8% of BSPMs. Although the filter method performed slightly less favourably, the performance was comparable with a classification accuracy of 79.3%. In addition, experiments were conducted to show how (a features chosen using the wrapper approach were specific to the classifier used in the selection model, and (b lead subsets chosen were not necessarily unique. Conclusion It was concluded that both the filter and wrapper approaches adopted were suitable for guiding the choice of recording sites useful for determining the presence of MI. It should be noted however

[Autologous fat grafting in children].

Science.gov (United States)

Baptista, C; Bertrand, B; Philandrianos, C; Degardin, N; Casanova, D

2016-10-01

Lipofilling or fat grafting transfer is defined as a technique of filling soft tissue by autologous fat grafting. The basic principle of lipofilling is based on a harvest of adipose tissue, followed by a reinjection after treatment. Lipofilling main objective is a volume defect filling, but also improving cutaneous trophicity. Lipofilling specificities among children is mainly based on these indications. Complications of autologous fat grafting among children are the same as those in adults: we distinguish short-term complications (intraoperative and perioperative) and the medium and long-term complications. The harvesting of fat tissue is the main limiting factor of the technique, due to low percentage of body fat of children. Indications of lipofilling among children may be specific or similar to those in adults. There are two types of indications: cosmetic, in which the aim of lipofilling is correcting a defect density, acquired (iatrogenic, post-traumatic scar) or malformation (otomandibular dysplasia, craniosynostosis, Parry Romberg syndrom, Poland syndrom, pectus excavatum…). The aim of functional indications is correcting a velar insufficiency or lagophthalmos. In the paediatric sector, lipofilling has become an alternative to the conventional techniques, by its reliability, safety, reproducibility, and good results. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Lung function measurement in awake young children

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bisgaard, H; Klug, B

1995-01-01

) and transcutaneous measurements of oxygen tension (Ptc,O2) were compared with concomitant measurements of specific airway resistance (sRaw) and forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) by whole body plethysmography and spirometry, respectively, during methacholine challenge in 21 young children aged 4-6 yrs...... to methacholine in young children aged 4-6 yrs. This implies that ZIOS, Rint and Ptc,O2 provide convenient indices of changes in lung function. Their combined use will be useful for monitoring airway diseases of young children.......The aim of the study was to evaluate methods applicable in a clinical setting for monitoring of changes in lung function in awake young children. Impedance measurements by the impulse oscillation technique (ZIOS), respiratory resistance measurements by the interrupter technique (Rint...

Dentistry to the rescue of missing children: A review

Science.gov (United States)

Vij, Nitika; Kochhar, Gulsheen Kaur; Chachra, Sanjay; Kaur, Taranjot

2016-01-01

Today's society is becoming increasingly unsafe for children: we frequently hear about new incidents of missing children, which lead to emotional trauma for the loved ones and expose systemic failures of law and order. Parents can take extra precautions to ensure the safety of their children by educating them about ways to protect themselves and keep important records of the child such as updated color photographs, fingerprints, deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) samples, etc., handy. However, in spite of all efforts, the problem of missing children still remains. Developments in the field of dentistry have empowered dentists with various tools and techniques to play a pivotal role in tracing a missing child. One such tool is Toothprints, a patented arch-shaped thermoplastic dental impression wafer developed by Dr. David Tesini, a paediatric dentist from Massachusetts. Toothprints enables a unique identification of the missing children not only through the bite impression but also through salivary DNA. Besides the use of Toothprints, a dentist can assist investigating agencies in identifying the missing children in multiple ways, including postmortem dental profiling, labeled dental fixtures, DNA extraction from teeth, and serial number engraving on the children's teeth. More importantly, all these tools cause minimal inconvenience to the individual, making a dentist's role in tracking a missing child even more significant. Thus, the simple discipline of maintaining timely dental records with the help of their dentists can save potential hassles for the parents in the future. PMID:27051216

Dentistry to the rescue of missing children: A review.

Science.gov (United States)

Vij, Nitika; Kochhar, Gulsheen Kaur; Chachra, Sanjay; Kaur, Taranjot

2016-01-01

Today's society is becoming increasingly unsafe for children: we frequently hear about new incidents of missing children, which lead to emotional trauma for the loved ones and expose systemic failures of law and order. Parents can take extra precautions to ensure the safety of their children by educating them about ways to protect themselves and keep important records of the child such as updated color photographs, fingerprints, deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) samples, etc., handy. However, in spite of all efforts, the problem of missing children still remains. Developments in the field of dentistry have empowered dentists with various tools and techniques to play a pivotal role in tracing a missing child. One such tool is Toothprints, a patented arch-shaped thermoplastic dental impression wafer developed by Dr. David Tesini, a paediatric dentist from Massachusetts. Toothprints enables a unique identification of the missing children not only through the bite impression but also through salivary DNA. Besides the use of Toothprints, a dentist can assist investigating agencies in identifying the missing children in multiple ways, including postmortem dental profiling, labeled dental fixtures, DNA extraction from teeth, and serial number engraving on the children's teeth. More importantly, all these tools cause minimal inconvenience to the individual, making a dentist's role in tracking a missing child even more significant. Thus, the simple discipline of maintaining timely dental records with the help of their dentists can save potential hassles for the parents in the future.

The associations among family meal frequency, food preparation frequency, self-efficacy for cooking, and food preparation techniques in children and adolescents.

Science.gov (United States)

Woodruff, Sarah J; Kirby, Ashley R

2013-01-01

The purpose of this study was to describe family dinner frequency (FDF) by food preparation frequency (prep), self-efficacy for cooking (SE), and food preparation techniques (techniques) among a small sample in southwestern Ontario, Canada. A cross-sectional survey was administered under the supervision of the research team. After-school programs, sports programs, and 1 elementary school. The sample included 145 participants (41% boys, 59% girls) in grades 4-8. Demographics, prep, SE, techniques, FDF, and family meal attitudes and behaviors. Exploratory 1-way ANOVA and chi-square analyses were used. An ordinal regression analysis was used to determine the associations between FDF with descriptor variables (sex, grade, and ethnicity) and prep, SE, techniques, FDF, and family meal attitudes and behaviors (P < .05). Approximately 59% reported family dinners on 6 or 7 days per week. Half of participants were involved with prep 1-6 times per week. Mean SE was 25.3 (scale 1-32), and girls performed more techniques than boys (P = .02). Participants with greater SE (odds ratio = 1.15) and higher family meal attitudes and behaviors (odds ratio = 1.15) were more likely to have a higher FDF. Future health promotion strategies for family meals should aim at increasing children's and adolescents' SE. Copyright © 2013 Society for Nutrition Education and Behavior. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Evaluation of the nugget diameter in spot welded joints between two steel sheets by means of a potential drop technique

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tohmyoh, Hironori; Ikarashi, Hidetomo; Matsui, Yoichi; Hasegawa, Yuta; Obara, Satoshi

2015-01-01

A potential drop technique which utilizes the electrical circuit used in resistance spot welding is reported. Spot welded samples comprising two steel sheets were inserted between the two Cu electrodes and a constant direct current was supplied between the electrodes. The potential drop between two points, one on each electrode, was determined by analysis for various values of nugget diameter and various values of the contact resistance between the Cu electrodes and the steel sheet sample. The nugget diameter of the spot welded joint could be quantitatively evaluated from the measured potential drop and the equation obtained from the analysis. (paper)

Evaluation of the nugget diameter in spot welded joints between two steel sheets by means of a potential drop technique

Science.gov (United States)

Tohmyoh, Hironori; Ikarashi, Hidetomo; Matsui, Yoichi; Hasegawa, Yuta; Obara, Satoshi

2015-08-01

A potential drop technique which utilizes the electrical circuit used in resistance spot welding is reported. Spot welded samples comprising two steel sheets were inserted between the two Cu electrodes and a constant direct current was supplied between the electrodes. The potential drop between two points, one on each electrode, was determined by analysis for various values of nugget diameter and various values of the contact resistance between the Cu electrodes and the steel sheet sample. The nugget diameter of the spot welded joint could be quantitatively evaluated from the measured potential drop and the equation obtained from the analysis.

Correlation of Self Potential and Ground Magnetic Survey Techniques to Investigate Fluid Seepage in Archaeological site, Sungai Batu, Lembah Bujang, Kedah, Malaysia

OpenAIRE

Tajudeen O. Adeeko; Nordiana M. Muztaza; Taqiuddin M. Zakaria; Nurina Ismail

2018-01-01

One of the substantial of geophysics is to investigate the subsurface condition of the earth (groundwater) using appropriate geophysical techniques. In this research the correlation of self potential (SP) and ground magnetic methods was used to investigate fluid seepage in Archaeological site, Sungai Batu, Lembah Bujang, Kedah, Malaysia. Self-potential method was used to determine flow of water, and Ground magnetic method was used to find object that can influence the result of self potential...

Online marketing of food and beverages to children: a content analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Brady, Jennifer; Mendelson, Rena; Farrell, Amber; Wong, Sharon

2010-01-01

The goal was to assess websites sponsored by food and beverage manufacturers that have pledged to market branded food and beverage products to children responsibly, by ratifying the Children's Food and Beverage Advertising Initiative (CFBAI). A content analysis was conducted of 24 purposively sampled websites sponsored by 10 companies that promote food and beverage products to children. All are participant members of the CFBAI. Of the 24 websites analyzed, the majority targeted children below age 12 (83%). An array of innovative online marketing techniques, most notably free website membership (63%), leader boards (50%), adver-games (79%), and branded downloadable content (76%), were used to encourage children's engagement with branded food and beverage promotions. Food and beverage manufacturers are engaging children with dynamic online marketing techniques that challenge regulatory codes governing broadcast media. These techniques may contradict the spirit of the CFBAI. Innovative regulatory guidelines are needed to address modern marketing media.

Event-related potential response to auditory social stimuli, parent-reported social communicative deficits and autism risk in school-aged children with congenital visual impairment.

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Bathelt, Joe; Dale, Naomi; de Haan, Michelle

2017-10-01

Communication with visual signals, like facial expression, is important in early social development, but the question if these signals are necessary for typical social development remains to be addressed. The potential impact on social development of being born with no or very low levels of vision is therefore of high theoretical and clinical interest. The current study investigated event-related potential responses to basic social stimuli in a rare group of school-aged children with congenital visual disorders of the anterior visual system (globe of the eye, retina, anterior optic nerve). Early-latency event-related potential responses showed no difference between the VI and control group, suggesting similar initial auditory processing. However, the mean amplitude over central and right frontal channels between 280 and 320ms was reduced in response to own-name stimuli, but not control stimuli, in children with VI suggesting differences in social processing. Children with VI also showed an increased rate of autistic-related behaviours, pragmatic language deficits, as well as peer relationship and emotional problems on standard parent questionnaires. These findings suggest that vision may be necessary for the typical development of social processing across modalities. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Psychological, behavioral and familial factors in obese Cuban children and adolescents.

Science.gov (United States)

Pérez, Lourdes M; García, Keytel; Herrera, Raúl

2013-10-01

The global prevalence of obesity has reached alarming proportions. In Cuba, the rise in numbers of children who are overweight or obese, especially preschoolers and adolescents, is similar to that observed in developed countries. Beyond the physical risk factors, there is evidence that obesity has negative psychological, social, academic and economic effects. Describe the psychological, behavioral and familial factors present in a group of obese children and adolescents in Cuba. This is a qualitative cross-sectional study of 202 obese children and adolescents aged 3-18 years, with an average age of 9.9 years, seen at the Medical-Surgical Research Center (Havana) psychology service from January 2009 through December 2012. Techniques included interviews of patients and parents, projective drawings and the Rotter Incomplete Sentence Blank. Unhealthy eating habits were reported in 96% of obese children and adolescents, and sedentary lifestyles in 88.1%. Emotional state was affected in 80.2%, and in 72.3% there were family attitudes with potential to produce psychological disturbances in children. Psychological, behavioral, and familial factors known to foster development and perpetuation of obesity were observed in the majority of cases. This is a first diagnostic stage that will aid in design and implementation of a psychological intervention program for obese and overweight children and their families.

Children of divorce.

Science.gov (United States)

Waldman, H B

1997-01-01

Limited attention has been directed in the dental literature to the emotional, economic and associated consequences of divorces on children. A general introduction is provided on 1) the numbers of children involved in divorces in different single-parent population groups, with 2) emphasis on the emotional impact of divorce on children and 3) the potential significance for pediatric dental practices.

Fast spin echo MRI techniques. Contrast characteristics and clinical potential

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Melki, P.; Mulkern, R.V.; Dacher, J.N.; Helenon, O.; Higuchi, N.; Oshio, K.; Jolesz, F.; Pourcelot, L.; Einstein, S.

1993-01-01

Based on partial RF echo planar principles, Fast Spin Echo techniques (FSE) were implemented on high field systems. These methods produce image quality and contrast which resemble to conventional spin echo (SE) techniques. By reducing acquisition times by factors between 1.4 and 16 over SE methods, FSE allows for several imaging options usually prohibitive with conventional spin echo (SE) sequences. These include fast scans (especially breathold acquisitions); improved T2 contrast with longer TR intervals; increased spatial resolution with the use of larger image matrices and/or smaller fields of view; and 3D volume imaging with a 3D multislab FSE technique. Contrast features of FSE techniques are directly comparable to those of multiple echo SE sequences using the same echo spacing than FSE methods. However, essential contrast differences existing between the FSE sequences and their routine asymmetric dual SE counterpart can be identified. Decreased magnetic susceptibility effects and increased fat signal present within T2 weighted images compared to conventional dual SE images are due to the use of shorter echo spacings employed in FSE sequences. Off-resonance irradiation inherent to the use of a large number of radio frequency pulses in shown to results in dramatic magnetization contrast transfer effects in FSE images acquired in multislice mode

Prevalence of temporomandibular joint disfunction in children

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Siti Masitoh

2007-07-01

Full Text Available The aim of this study is to get the description on TMJ dysfunction as well as its symptoms including clicking, crepitation, jaw opening restriction and muscle pain in children. Thus the result can be used as an input to the program of TMJ dysfunction prevention and treatment for the children in SDN Sirnasari Village, Ciptasari Pamulihan Subdistrict, Sumedang District. This study is descriptive study using survey technique. The samples for the study are 79 children in elementary school taken by random sampling technique with stratification. TMJ dysfunctions with clicking and crepitation symptoms were detected by palpating and using a stethoscope. Deviation, deflection, and jaw opening restriction symptoms were found out by visual examination. Whereas pain in TMJ supporting muscles was also detected by palpating. The result of the study shows that the number of children developing TMJ dysfunction with symptom of clicking is 34 children (43.03%, crepitation are 4 children (5.06%, deviation are 13 children (16.45%, deflection are 17 children (21.51%, jaw opening restriction are 49 children (62.02%, and pain in TMJ supporting muscles are 69 children (87.34%. From the study, it can be concluded that the highest frequency of TMJ dysfunction symptom in SDN Sirnasari children is a pain in TMJ supporting muscles. It is followed by jaw opening restriction, clicking, deflection, deviation, and the last is crepitation.

Young Children's Color Preferences in the Interior Environment

Science.gov (United States)

Read, Marilyn A.; Upington, Deborah

2009-01-01

This study focuses on children's color preferences in the interior environment. Previous studies highlight young children's preferences for the colors red and blue. The methods of this study used a rank ordering technique and a semi-structured interview process with 3-, 4-, and 5-year-old children. Findings reveal that children prefer the color…

Total Energy Expenditure in Obese Kuwaiti Primary School Children Assessed by the Doubly-Labeled Water Technique

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Lena Davidsson

2016-10-01

Full Text Available The aim of this pilot study was to assess body composition and total energy expenditure (TEE in 35 obese 7–9 years old Kuwaiti children (18 girls and 17 boys. Total body water (TBW and TEE were assessed by doubly-labeled water technique. TBW was derived from the intercept of the elimination rate of deuterium and TEE from the difference in elimination rates of 18O and deuterium. TBW was used to estimate fat-free mass (FFM, using hydration factors for different ages and gender. Fat mass (FM was calculated as the difference between body weight and FFM. Body weight was not statistically different but TBW was significantly higher (p = 0.018 in boys (44.9% ± 3.3% than girls (42.4% ± 3.0%, while girls had significantly higher estimated FM (45.2 ± 3.9 weight % versus 41.6% ± 4.3%; p = 0.014. TEE was significantly higher in boys (2395 ± 349 kcal/day compared with girls (1978 ± 169 kcal/day; p = 0.001. Estimated physical activity level (PAL was significantly higher in boys; 1.61 ± 0.167 versus 1.51 ± 0.870; p = 0.034. Our results provide the first dataset of TEE in 7–9 years old obese Kuwaiti children and highlight important gender differences to be considered during the development of school based interventions targeted to combat childhood obesity.

Mathematics learning on geometry for children with autism

Science.gov (United States)

Widayati, F. E.; Usodo, B.; Pamudya, I.

2017-12-01

The purpose of this research is to describe: (1) the mathematics learning process in an inclusion class and (2) the obstacle during the process of mathematics learning in the inclusion class. This research is a descriptive qualitative research. The subjects were a mathematics teacher, children with autism, and a teacher assistant. Method of collecting data was observation and interview. Data validation technique is triangulation technique. The results of this research are : (1) There is a modification of lesson plan for children with autism. This modification such as the indicator of success, material, time, and assessment. Lesson plan for children with autism is arranged by mathematics teacher and teacher assistant. There is no special media for children with autism used by mathematics teacher. (2) The obstacle of children with autism is that they are difficult to understand mathematics concept. Besides, children with autism are easy to lose their focus.

Contemporary behavior management techniques in clinical pediatric dentistry: out with the old and in with the new?

Science.gov (United States)

Oliver, Kelly; Manton, David John

2015-01-01

Effective behavior management guides children through the complex social context of dentistry utilizing techniques based on a current understanding of the social, emotional, and cognitive development of children. Behavior management techniques facilitate effective communication and establish social and behavioral guidelines for the dental environment. Contemporary parenting styles, expectations, and attitudes of modern parents and society have influenced the use of behavior management techniques with a prevailing emphasis on communicative techniques and pharmacological management over aversive techniques.

Separation and Divorce: Children Want Their Teachers to Know--Meeting the Emotional Needs of Preschool and Primary School Children.

Science.gov (United States)

Frieman, Barry B.

1993-01-01

Examines how the effects of separation and divorce on young children often result in a dramatic change in classroom behavior. Offers early childhood teachers techniques for meeting the emotional needs of children coping with separation and divorce, such as empathetic listening, classroom activities that allow children to express their feelings,…

Family Violence and Other Potentially Traumatic Interpersonal Events Among 9- to 17-Year-Old Children Attending an Outpatient Psychiatric Clinic.

Science.gov (United States)

Hultmann, Ole; Broberg, Anders G

2016-11-01

Among children visiting child and adolescent mental health care (CAM), the prevalence of exposure to family violence (FV) is reported to exceed prevalence in community samples, as are potentially traumatic interpersonal events (IPE) outside the family. The aim of the study was to relate CAM patients' self-reported experiences of violence exposure to their current psychiatric symptoms and to compare patients exposed to violence with patients who reported no exposure. We asked 305 consecutive 9- to 17-year-old patients in CAM about their current and previous exposure to violence in and outside of the family. Prevalence of exposure to any kind of violence was 67%. Reported exposures were 19% to IPE, 21% to FV, and 27% to both. Children exposed to both FV and IPE were more negatively affected by the events than children exposed to FV or IPE only. Children in the FV + IPE group reported more mental health symptoms than those in the no violence (33%) group. In general, IPE was related to the outcome measures only in combination with FV. Degree of violence exposure seemed to have a dose-response relationship with the diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder. © The Author(s) 2015.

A Cultural Psychological Approach to Analyze Intercultural Learning: Potential and Limits of the Structure Formation Technique

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Doris Weidemann

2009-01-01

Full Text Available Despite the huge interest in sojourner adjustment, there is still a lack of qualitative as well as of longitudinal research that would offer more detailed insights into intercultural learning processes during overseas stays. The present study aims to partly fill that gap by documenting changes in knowledge structures and general living experiences of fifteen German sojourners in Taiwan in a longitudinal, cultural-psychological study. As part of a multimethod design a structure formation technique was used to document subjective theories on giving/losing face and their changes over time. In a second step results from this study are compared to knowledge-structures of seven long-term German residents in Taiwan, and implications for the conceptualization of intercultural learning will be proposed. Finally, results from both studies serve to discuss the potential and limits of structure formation techniques in the field of intercultural communication research. URN: urn:nbn:de:0114-fqs0901435

Coblation adenotonsillectomy in children.

Science.gov (United States)

Shakeel, Muhammad; Trinidade, Aaron; Al-Adhami, Ahmed; Supriya, Mrinal; Kubba, Haytham

2012-09-01

To determine re-admission rate for post-tonsillectomy pain; the primary and secondary post-tonsillectomy bleeding rate; the percentage requiring control of post-tonsillectomy bleeding in children undergoing coblation tonsillectomy. A descriptive study. Royal Hospital for Sick Children (Yorkhill Hospital) between 2004 and 2006. All patients who underwent tonsillectomy with or without adenoidectomy by coblation technique. Patients were identified from operation theatre log book and electronic data base of theatre activity. The hospital case notes were reviewed retrospectively to collect data, regarding demographics, indication and type of surgery, grade of operating surgeon, duration of hospital stay, re-attendance and re-admission, and management of complications. A total of 106 children; males (n = 53, 50%), females (n = 53, 50%) with a mean age 6.3 years underwent surgery using coblation technique. Thirty-one percent had a tonsillectomy while 69% underwent an adenotonsillectomy. Of these, 48% had history of recurrent tonsillitis, 43% had obstructive sleep apnoea and 9% suffered predominantly from obstructive symptoms. Eighty-two percent of patients were discharged on the first postoperative day. Only one patient had primary bleeding requiring re-operation. After discharge, 7 patients (6.7%) were re-admitted with secondary bleeding, 3 (2.8%) of whom were taken back to theatre to control the bleeding under general anaesthesia. Coblation tonsillectomy is a useful technique in having a low primary and secondary bleeding rates in children undergoing tonsillectomy and adenotonsillectomy.

Sweet promises: Candy advertising to children and implications for industry self-regulation.

Science.gov (United States)

Harris, Jennifer L; LoDolce, Megan; Dembek, Cathryn; Schwartz, Marlene B

2015-12-01

Candy advertising illustrates limitations of the Children's Food and Beverage Advertising Initiative (CFBAI) self-regulatory program to improve food marketing to children. Participating companies pledge to not advertise candy in child-directed media. Yet independent analyses show that children viewed 65% more candy ads on U.S. television in 2011 than in 2007, before CFBAI implementation. The present research corroborates these findings, characterizes the increase, and examines how CFBAI-participating and non-participating companies use child-targeted techniques and media placement to advertise candy on U.S. television. Content analysis identified child-targeted messages and techniques in 2011 television candy ads, and Nielsen data (2008-2011) quantified candy advertising viewed on children's and other types of television programming. Differences between brands according to CFBAI status and use of child-targeted techniques in ads are evaluated. Data were obtained and analyzed in 2013. CFBAI-company non-approved brands represented 65% of candy ads viewed by children in 2011, up from 45% in 2008, and 77% of these ads contained child-targeted techniques. Although CFBAI companies only placed ads for approved brands on children's networks, 31% of ads viewed by children for CFBAI non-approved brands appeared on networks with higher-than-average youth audiences. CFBAI non-participating companies placed child-targeted candy ads primarily on children's networks. Despite CFBAI pledges, companies continue to advertise candy during programming with large youth audiences utilizing techniques that appeal to children. Both increased CFBAI participation and a more effective definition of "child-directed advertising" are required to reduce children's exposure to targeted advertising for foods that can harm their health. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Nosebleed in children. Background and techniques to stop the flow.

Science.gov (United States)

McDonald, T J

1987-01-01

Nosebleed in children can result from dryness and picking of the resultant crust over the anterior part of the nasal septum, trauma to the nose, juvenile angiofibroma, or disorders of hemostatic mechanisms. In most cases it is not difficult to treat; often the primary care physician can assist a patient by giving instructions over the telephone to a parent. In the office or hospital, the usual measures are firm pressure, placement of a piece of cotton dipped in a cocaine-epinephrine solution, taking of a brief history, application of petrolatum, and taping of the nose. If bleeding persists, anterior nasal packing and, rarely, posterior packing should be performed. Maxillary artery ligation is done in cases of severe epistaxis. Special care must be taken with children who have a bleeding disorder or who are recovering from adenoidectomy.

P300 event-related potentials in children with dyslexia.

Science.gov (United States)

Papagiannopoulou, Eleni A; Lagopoulos, Jim

2017-04-01

To elucidate the timing and the nature of neural disturbances in dyslexia and to further understand the topographical distribution of these, we examined entire brain regions employing the non-invasive auditory oddball P300 paradigm in children with dyslexia and neurotypical controls. Our findings revealed abnormalities for the dyslexia group in (i) P300 latency, globally, but greatest in frontal brain regions and (ii) decreased P300 amplitude confined to the central brain regions (Fig. 1). These findings reflect abnormalities associated with a diminished capacity to process mental workload as well as delayed processing of this information in children with dyslexia. Furthermore, the topographical distribution of these findings suggests a distinct spatial distribution for the observed P300 abnormalities. This information may be useful in future therapeutic or brain stimulation intervention trials.

Local analgesia in paediatric dentistry: a systematic review of techniques and pharmacologic agents.

Science.gov (United States)

Klingberg, G; Ridell, K; Brogårdh-Roth, S; Vall, M; Berlin, H

2017-10-01

To evaluate the evidence supporting effects and adverse effects of local analgesia using different pharmacological agents and injection techniques during dental treatment in children and adolescents aged 3-19 years. A systematic literature search of databases including PubMed, Cochrane, and Scopus was conducted in November 2016. The PRISMA-statement was followed. Two review authors independently assessed the selected randomised control trials for risk of bias and quality. 725 scientific papers were identified. 89 papers were identified to be read in full text of which 80 were excluded. Finally, 9 papers were evaluated for quality and risk of bias. Many of the included papers had methodological shortcomings affecting the possibility to draw conclusions. Information about ethical clearance and consent were missing in some of the included papers. No alarming adverse effects were identified. One study was assessed as having low risk of bias. This reported inferior alveolar nerve block to be more effective than buccal infiltration for dental treatment of mandibular molars, while no differences were found regarding pharmacological agents. At present, there is insufficient evidence in support of any pharmacologic agent or injection technique as being superior compared to others. There is a need for more rigorous studies which also handle the ethical issues of including children in potentially painful studies.

Practical techniques for pediatric computed tomography

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fitz, C.R.; Harwood-Nash, D.C.; Kirks, D.R.; Kaufman, R.A.; Berger, P.E.; Kuhn, J.P.; Siegel, M.J.

1983-01-01

Dr. Donald Kirks has assembled this section on Practical Techniques for Pediatric Computed Tomography. The material is based on a presentation in the Special Interest session at the 25th Annual Meeting of the Society for Pediatric Radiology in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA in 1982. Meticulous attention to detail and technique is required to ensure an optimal CT examination. CT techniques specifically applicable to infants and children have not been disseminated in the radiology literature and in this respect it may rightly be observed that ''the child is not a small adult''. What follows is a ''cookbook'' prepared by seven participants and it is printed in Pediatric Radiology, in outline form, as a statement of individual preferences for pediatric CT techniques. This outline gives concise explanation of techniques and permits prompt dissemination of information. (orig.)

On Maternal Attitude toward Young Children Conceived through in Vitro Fertilization

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Solovyova E.V.,

2015-02-01

Full Text Available We present the results of a comparative study of maternal attitudes towards young children (11-37 months in 135 dyads (cases of spontaneous conception and 135 dyads (children conceived through in vitro fertilization - IVF. Data were collected in 2011-2012 in Center for Family Planning and Reproduction, Moscow, using the following techniques: questionnaire for mothers by M.E. Lantsburg, technique "Parental estimates of children" (M.E. Lantsburg modification of Dembo-Rubinstein techniques, medical history data. It has been shown that women who conceive through IVF, compared with those who conceived spontaneously, more often ignore the baby movements during pregnancy, and child birth often has a significant impact on the change in their lives. The mothers who conceived spontaneously have more realistic expectations about the actual possibilities and abilities of their children; mothers who conceived through IVF, often place inappropriate to their age requirements to the children and have higher expectations of their children

Capturing neuroplastic changes after bimanual intensive rehabilitation in children with unilateral spastic cerebral palsy: A combined DTI, TMS and fMRI pilot study.

Science.gov (United States)

Bleyenheuft, Yannick; Dricot, Laurence; Gilis, Nathalie; Kuo, Hsing-Ching; Grandin, Cécile; Bleyenheuft, Corinne; Gordon, Andrew M; Friel, Kathleen M

2015-01-01

Intensive rehabilitation interventions have been shown to be efficacious in improving upper extremity function in children with unilateral spastic cerebral palsy (USCP). These interventions are based on motor learning principles and engage children in skillful movements. Improvements in upper extremity function are believed to be associated with neuroplastic changes. However, these neuroplastic changes have not been well-described in children with cerebral palsy, likely due to challenges in defining and implementing the optimal tools and tests in children. Here we documented the implementation of three different neurological assessments (diffusion tensor imaging-DTI, transcranial magnetic stimulation-TMS and functional magnetic resonance imaging-fMRI) before and after a bimanual intensive treatment (HABIT-ILE) in two children with USCP presenting differential corticospinal developmental reorganization (ipsilateral and contralateral). The aim of the study was to capture neurophysiological changes and to document the complementary relationship between these measures, the potential measurable changes and the feasibility of applying these techniques in children with USCP. Independent of cortical reorganization, both children showed increases in activation and size of the motor areas controlling the affected hand, quantified with different techniques. In addition, fMRI provided additional unexpected changes in the reward circuit while using the affected hand. Copyright © 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Chest computed tomography in children undergoing extra-corporeal membrane oxygenation: a 9-year single-centre experience

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Goodwin, Susie J.; Calder, Alistair D. [Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Foundation Trust, Radiology Department, London (United Kingdom); Randle, Elise; Iguchi, Akane; Brown, Katherine; Hoskote, Aparna [Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Foundation Trust, Cardiac Intensive Care and ECMO, London (United Kingdom)

2014-06-15

We retrospectively reviewed the imaging findings, indications, technique and clinical impact in children who had undergone chest CT while undergoing extra-corporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO). Radiology and ECMO databases were searched to identify all 19 children who had undergone chest CT (20 scans in total) while on ECMO at our institution between May 2003 and May 2012. We reviewed all CT scans for imaging findings. Chest CT is performed in a minority of children on ECMO (4.5% in our series). Timing of chest CT following commencement of ECMO varied among patient groups but generally it was performed earlier in the neonatal group. Clinically significant imaging findings were found in the majority of chest CT scans. Many scans contained several findings, with most cases demonstrating parenchymal or pleural abnormalities. Case examples illustrate the spectrum of imaging findings, including underlying pathology such as necrotising pneumonia and severe barotrauma, and ECMO-related complications such as tension haemothoraces and cannula migration. The results of chest CT led to a change in patient management in 16 of 19 children (84%). There were no adverse events related to patient transfer. An understanding of scan technique and awareness of potential findings is important for the radiologist to provide prompt and optimal image acquisition and interpretation in appropriate patients. (orig.)

[Influence of chest physiotherapy on gastro-œsophageal reflux in children].

Science.gov (United States)

Reychler, G; Jacques, L; Arnold, D; Scheers, I; Smets, F; Sokal, E; Stephenne, X

2015-05-01

Chest physiotherapy is regularly prescribed for children, particularly in cystic fibrosis. Gastro-oesophageal reflux is common in this disease and is associated with certain chest physiotherapy manoeuvres. To evaluate the influence of two chest physiotherapy techniques on gastro-oesophageal reflux in children. Twenty-nine children were investigated by routine pHmetry. During the examination, they performed two chest physiotherapy manoeuvres in a seated position for 10 minutes each with a 5 minutes rest between them. The two manoeuvres used were a slow expiration technique (ELPr) and positive expiratory pressure (PEP). It was a prospective study and the order of manoeuvres was randomised. The pH traces were analysed blindly when all the studies had been completed. In the sample, 21% of children had gastro-oesophageal reflux during the physiotherapy session. No relationship was found between reflux during physiotherapy and pathological reflux (P=0.411) nor the physiotherapy technique used (P=0.219). The use of these two chest physiotherapy techniques in children in a seated position can produce gastro-oesophageal reflux. Copyright © 2015 SPLF. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Evaluation of a modified two-stage inferior alveolar nerve block technique: A preliminary investigation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ashwin Rao

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Introduction: The two-stage technique of inferior alveolar nerve block (IANB administration does not address the pain associated with “needle insertion” and “local anesthetic solution deposition” in the “first stage” of the injection. This study evaluated a “modified two stage technique” to the reaction of children during “needle insertion” and “local anesthetic solution deposition” during the “first stage” and compared it to the “first phase” of the IANB administered with the standard one-stage technique. Materials and Methods: This was a parallel, single-blinded comparative study. A total of 34 children (between 6 and 10 years of age were randomly divided into two groups to receive an IANB either through the modified two-stage technique (MTST (Group A; 15 children or the standard one-stage technique (SOST (Group B; 19 children. The evaluation was done using the Face Legs Activity Cry Consolability (FLACC; which is an objective scale based on the expressions of the child scale. The obtained data was analyzed using Fishers Exact test with the P value set at <0.05 as level of significance. Results: 73.7% of children in Group B indicated moderate pain during the “first phase” of SOST and no children indicated such in the “first stage” of group A. Group A had 33.3% children who scored “0” indicating relaxed/comfortable children compared to 0% in Group B. In Group A, 66.7% of children scored between 1–3 indicating mild discomfort compared to 26.3% in group B. The difference in the scores between the two groups in each category (relaxed/comfortable, mild discomfort, moderate pain was highly significant (P < 0.001. Conclusion: Reaction of children in Group A during “needle insertion” and “local anesthetic solution deposition” in the “first stage” of MTST was significantly lower than that of Group B during the “first phase” of the SOST.

Teaching Children To Love: 80 Games & Fun Activities for Raising Balanced Children in Unbalanced Times.

Science.gov (United States)

Childre, Doc Lew; Paddison, Sara Hatch, Ed.

Raising children in today's fast-paced society requires love and technique. Ways that parents can teach children to love, teach them values, and help them balance their lives are discussed in this activity book. The text opens with a discussion of heart intelligence (what is sometimes equated with emotional intelligence). Heart intelligence…

Validation of the Emotiv EPOC EEG system for research quality auditory event-related potentials in children

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nicholas A. Badcock

2015-04-01

Full Text Available Background. Previous work has demonstrated that a commercial gaming electroencephalography (EEG system, Emotiv EPOC, can be adjusted to provide valid auditory event-related potentials (ERPs in adults that are comparable to ERPs recorded by a research-grade EEG system, Neuroscan. The aim of the current study was to determine if the same was true for children.Method. An adapted Emotiv EPOC system and Neuroscan system were used to make simultaneous EEG recordings in nineteen 6- to 12-year-old children under “passive” and “active” listening conditions. In the passive condition, children were instructed to watch a silent DVD and ignore 566 standard (1,000 Hz and 100 deviant (1,200 Hz tones. In the active condition, they listened to the same stimuli, and were asked to count the number of ‘high’ (i.e., deviant tones.Results. Intraclass correlations (ICCs indicated that the ERP morphology recorded with the two systems was very similar for the P1, N1, P2, N2, and P3 ERP peaks (r = .82 to .95 in both passive and active conditions, and less so, though still strong, for mismatch negativity ERP component (MMN; r = .67 to .74. There were few differences between peak amplitude and latency estimates for the two systems.Conclusions. An adapted EPOC EEG system can be used to index children’s late auditory ERP peaks (i.e., P1, N1, P2, N2, P3 and their MMN ERP component.

Potential nutritional and economic effects of replacing juice with fruit in the diets of children in the United States.

Science.gov (United States)

Monsivais, Pablo; Rehm, Colin D

2012-05-01

To estimate the nutritional and economic effects of substituting whole fruit for juice in the diets of children in the United States. Secondary analyses using the 2001-2004 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey and a national food prices database. Energy intakes, nutrient intakes, and diet costs were estimated before and after fruit juices were completely replaced with fruit in 3 models that emphasized fruits that were fresh, inexpensive, and widely consumed and in a fourth model that partially replaced juice with fruit, capping juice at recommended levels. A nationwide, representative sample of children in the United States. A total of 7023 children aged 3 to 18 years. Systematic complete or partial replacement of juice with fruit. Difference in energy intakes, nutrient intakes, and diet costs between observed and modeled diets. For children who consumed juice, replacement of all juice servings with fresh, whole fruit led to a projected reduction in dietary energy of 233 kJ/d (-2.6% difference [95% CI, -5.1% to -0.1%]), an increase in fiber of 4.3 g/d (31.1% difference [95% CI, 26.4%-35.9%]), and an increase in diet cost of $0.54/d (13.3% difference [95% CI, 8.8%-17.8%]). Substitution of juice with fresh fruit has the potential to reduce energy intake and improve the adequacy of fiber intake in children's diets. This would likely increase costs for schools, childcare providers, and families. These cost effects could be minimized by selecting processed fruits, but fewer nutritional gains would be achieved.

Vestibular evaluation in children with otitis media with effusion.

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Kolkaila, E A; Emara, A A; Gabr, T A

2015-04-01

Fifty per cent of children with serous otitis media may have some balance disturbances. To evaluate vestibular function in children with otitis media with effusion. The control group comprised 25 children with bilateral normal hearing and middle-ear function. The study group consisted of 30 children with bilateral otitis media with effusion; these were divided into 2 subgroups according to air-bone gap size. Measures included the Arabic Dizziness Handicap Inventory, an imbalance evaluation sheet for children, vestibular bedside tests for children, and air- and bone-conducted vestibular-evoked myogenic potential testing. Arabic Dizziness Handicap Inventory scores and some vestibular bedside test results were significantly abnormal, with normal video-nystagmography results, in children with otitis media with effusion. Air-conducted vestibular-evoked myogenic potentials were recorded in 73 per cent of children with otitis media with effusion, with significantly delayed latencies. Bone-conducted vestibular-evoked myogenic potentials were successfully detected in 100 per cent of children with otitis media with effusion with similar results to the control group. The Arabic Dizziness Handicap Inventory and vestibular bedside tests are valuable tools for detecting vestibular impairment in children. Bone-conducted vestibular-evoked myogenic potentials are useful for vestibular system evaluation.

Analysed potential of big data and supervised machine learning techniques in effectively forecasting travel times from fused data

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ivana Šemanjski

2015-12-01

Full Text Available Travel time forecasting is an interesting topic for many ITS services. Increased availability of data collection sensors increases the availability of the predictor variables but also highlights the high processing issues related to this big data availability. In this paper we aimed to analyse the potential of big data and supervised machine learning techniques in effectively forecasting travel times. For this purpose we used fused data from three data sources (Global Positioning System vehicles tracks, road network infrastructure data and meteorological data and four machine learning techniques (k-nearest neighbours, support vector machines, boosting trees and random forest. To evaluate the forecasting results we compared them in-between different road classes in the context of absolute values, measured in minutes, and the mean squared percentage error. For the road classes with the high average speed and long road segments, machine learning techniques forecasted travel times with small relative error, while for the road classes with the small average speeds and segment lengths this was a more demanding task. All three data sources were proven itself to have a high impact on the travel time forecast accuracy and the best results (taking into account all road classes were achieved for the k-nearest neighbours and random forest techniques.

Surgical treatment of primary gynecomastia in children and adolescents.

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Fischer, Sebastian; Hirsch, Tobias; Hirche, Christoph; Kiefer, Jurij; Kueckelhaus, Maximilian; Germann, Günter; Reichenberger, Matthias A

2014-06-01

Idiopathic gynecomastia is a common diagnosis in children and adolescents. Though medical treatments reveal potentially harmful side effects, surgical interventions are performable in numerous techniques. In children and adolescents, only minimal evidence exists. This retrospective study presents our experiences with two common surgical techniques, namely subcutaneous mastectomy and combination with liposuction. This retrospective study included all patients gynecomastia. Height, weight and grade of gynecomastia according to Simon's classification before surgery were reviewed in all patients' files. Additionally, duration of surgery, inpatient stay and postoperative complications were documented. Follow-up examinations were performed with assessment of scar formation, numbness and retraction of the nipple region. Furthermore, patients were asked to report on general satisfaction with surgery (satisfactory/not satisfactory) and esthetic outcome on a numeric scale (1 = good, 6 = bad). 37 patients underwent surgery for verified idiopathic gynecomastia. Grade of gynecomastia was I° in 13.5% (n = 5), II° in 40.5% (n = 15) and III° in 46% (n = 17) of cases. Subcutaneous mastectomy was applied in 11 patients (group I, 30%) and both subcutaneous mastectomy and liposuction in 26 patients (group II, 70.3%). Postoperative complications occurred in two patients. Long-term follow-up was performed in 32 patients after a median of 34 months (range 6-96 months). Hypertrophic scar formation was seen in one patient (3%) and nipple retraction in two patients (5%). Recurrence of gynecomastia occurred in two patients (5%). Patient rating was satisfactory in 9% of cases and esthetic outcome was received with a median of 2.0 (1-5). In comparing both surgical techniques, combination of mastectomy and liposuction revealed better results in every measure except for surgical duration (median 73 vs. 90 min). Surgical correction of gynecomastia remains a purely elective intervention. In

Easing the Pain of Divorce through Children's Literature.

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Kramer, Pamela A.; Smith, Gail G.

1998-01-01

Describes children's typical reactions to divorce and practical techniques that teachers and caregivers can use in helping children deal with divorce. The use of bibliotherapy is described as a means to help children. An annotated bibliography of select literature is provided, along with descriptions of developmentally appropriate activities that…

An Assessment of the Potential Impact of Fortification of Staples and Condiments on Micronutrient Intake of Young Children and Women of Reproductive Age in Bangladesh

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Magali Leyvraz

2016-09-01

Full Text Available Bangladesh has experienced rapid economic growth and achieved major health improvements in the past decade, but malnutrition rates remain high. A nationally representative study conducted in 2011 assessed the dietary habits of 841 children 24–59 months old, 1428 children 6–14 years old, and 1412 nonpregnant, nonlactating women. The study’s objective was to assess dietary intakes of key micronutrients and the consumption pattern of potentially fortifiable foods, and then to model the potential impact of the fortification of key staple foods. The current intakes of several micronutrients—namely, iron, zinc, folate, vitamin A, and vitamin B12—were found to be insufficient to meet the needs of Bangladesh’s children and women. The fortification of rice with iron and zinc and edible oil with vitamin A has the potential to fill a significant part of the nutrient gap, as these are consumed widely and in significant amounts. Wheat flour and sugar are not as promising food vehicles in the Bangladeshi context, as they were consumed by a smaller portion of the population and in smaller amounts. In conclusion, fortification of rice and oil is recommended to address the large gap in micronutrient intakes.

A NEW TECHNIQUE FOR THE PHOTOSPHERIC DRIVING OF NON-POTENTIAL SOLAR CORONAL MAGNETIC FIELD SIMULATIONS

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Weinzierl, Marion; Yeates, Anthony R. [Department of Mathematical Sciences, Durham University, South Road, Durham DH1 3LE (United Kingdom); Mackay, Duncan H. [School of Mathematics and Statistics, University of St. Andrews, North Haugh, St. Andrews, Fife KY16 9SS (United Kingdom); Henney, Carl J.; Arge, C. Nick, E-mail: marion.weinzierl@durham.ac.uk [Air Force Research Lab/Space Vehicles Directorate, 3550 Aberdeen Avenue SE, Kirtland AFB, NM (United States)

2016-05-20

In this paper, we develop a new technique for driving global non-potential simulations of the Sun’s coronal magnetic field solely from sequences of radial magnetic maps of the solar photosphere. A primary challenge to driving such global simulations is that the required horizontal electric field cannot be uniquely determined from such maps. We show that an “inductive” electric field solution similar to that used by previous authors successfully reproduces specific features of the coronal field evolution in both single and multiple bipole simulations. For these cases, the true solution is known because the electric field was generated from a surface flux-transport model. The match for these cases is further improved by including the non-inductive electric field contribution from surface differential rotation. Then, using this reconstruction method for the electric field, we show that a coronal non-potential simulation can be successfully driven from a sequence of ADAPT maps of the photospheric radial field, without including additional physical observations which are not routinely available.

Spirometry in children.

Science.gov (United States)

Jat, Kana Ram

2013-06-01

Respiratory disorders are responsible for considerable morbidity and mortality in children. Spirometry is a useful investigation for diagnosing and monitoring a variety of paediatric respiratory diseases, but it is underused by primary care physicians and paediatricians treating children with respiratory disease. We now have a better understanding of respiratory physiology in children, and newer computerised spirometry equipment is available with updated regional reference values for the paediatric age group. This review evaluates the current literature for indications, test procedures, quality assessment, and interpretation of spirometry results in children. Spirometry may be useful for asthma, cystic fibrosis, congenital or acquired airway malformations and many other respiratory diseases in children. The technique for performing spirometry in children is crucial and is discussed in detail. Most children, including preschool children, can perform acceptable spirometry. Steps for interpreting spirometry results include identification of common errors during the test by applying acceptability and repeatability criteria and then comparing test parameters with reference standards. Spirometry results depict only the pattern of ventilation, which may be normal, obstructive, restrictive, or mixed. The diagnosis should be based on both clinical features and spirometry results. There is a need to encourage primary care physicians and paediatricians treating respiratory diseases in children to use spirometry after adequate training.

Potential impact of tsetse fly control involving the sterile insect technique

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Feldmann, U.; Dyck, V.A.; Mattioli, R.C.; Jannin, J.

2005-01-01

sterile insect technique (SIT), as a component of area-wide integrated pest management (AW-IPM) programmes to create tsetse-free zones, has been demonstrated in Zanzibar and other locations. This chapter (1) outlines the causal relationship between the T and T problem and food insecurity, malnutrition, poverty, and related disease and development constraints, (2) describes the impact of the problem on African rural communities and the overall economy, and (3) indicates the potential benefits of a reduced T and T burden, or even of its zonal elimination from selected priority areas in support of sustainable rural development. (author)

Value of repeat brain MRI in children with focal epilepsy and negative findings on initial MRI

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jeon, Tae Yeon; Kim, Ji Hye; Lee, Jee Hun; Yoo, So Young; Hwang, Sook Min; Lee, Mun Hyang [Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

2017-08-01

To evaluate the value of repeat brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in identifying potential epileptogenic lesions in children with initial MRI-negative focal epilepsy. Our Institutional Review Board approved this retrospective study and waived the requirement for informed consent. During a 15-year period, 257 children (148 boys and 109 girls) with initial MRI-negative focal epilepsy were included. After re-evaluating both initial and repeat MRIs, positive results at repeat MRI were classified into potential epileptogenic lesions (malformation of cortical development and hippocampal sclerosis) and other abnormalities. Contributing factors for improved lesion conspicuity of the initially overlooked potential epileptogenic lesions were analyzed and classified into lesion factors and imaging factors. Repeat MRI was positive in 21% (55/257) and negative in 79% cases (202/257). Of the positive results, potential epileptogenic lesions comprised 49% (27/55) and other abnormalities comprised 11% of the cases (28/257). Potential epileptogenic lesions included focal cortical dysplasia (n = 11), hippocampal sclerosis (n = 10), polymicrogyria (n = 2), heterotopic gray matter (n = 2), microlissencephaly (n = 1), and cortical tumor (n = 1). Of these, seven patients underwent surgical resection. Contributing factors for new diagnoses were classified as imaging factors alone (n = 6), lesion factors alone (n = 2), both (n = 18), and neither (n = 1). Repeat MRI revealed positive results in 21% of the children with initial MRI-negative focal epilepsy, with 50% of the positive results considered as potential epileptogenic lesions. Enhanced MRI techniques or considering the chronological changes of lesions on MRI may improve the diagnostic yield for identification of potential epileptogenic lesions on repeat MRI.

Value of repeat brain MRI in children with focal epilepsy and negative findings on initial MRI

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jeon, Tae Yeon; Kim, Ji Hye; Lee, Jee Hun; Yoo, So Young; Hwang, Sook Min; Lee, Mun Hyang

2017-01-01

To evaluate the value of repeat brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in identifying potential epileptogenic lesions in children with initial MRI-negative focal epilepsy. Our Institutional Review Board approved this retrospective study and waived the requirement for informed consent. During a 15-year period, 257 children (148 boys and 109 girls) with initial MRI-negative focal epilepsy were included. After re-evaluating both initial and repeat MRIs, positive results at repeat MRI were classified into potential epileptogenic lesions (malformation of cortical development and hippocampal sclerosis) and other abnormalities. Contributing factors for improved lesion conspicuity of the initially overlooked potential epileptogenic lesions were analyzed and classified into lesion factors and imaging factors. Repeat MRI was positive in 21% (55/257) and negative in 79% cases (202/257). Of the positive results, potential epileptogenic lesions comprised 49% (27/55) and other abnormalities comprised 11% of the cases (28/257). Potential epileptogenic lesions included focal cortical dysplasia (n = 11), hippocampal sclerosis (n = 10), polymicrogyria (n = 2), heterotopic gray matter (n = 2), microlissencephaly (n = 1), and cortical tumor (n = 1). Of these, seven patients underwent surgical resection. Contributing factors for new diagnoses were classified as imaging factors alone (n = 6), lesion factors alone (n = 2), both (n = 18), and neither (n = 1). Repeat MRI revealed positive results in 21% of the children with initial MRI-negative focal epilepsy, with 50% of the positive results considered as potential epileptogenic lesions. Enhanced MRI techniques or considering the chronological changes of lesions on MRI may improve the diagnostic yield for identification of potential epileptogenic lesions on repeat MRI

Screening for pragmatic language impairment: The potential of the children's communication checklist

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Ketelaars, M.P.; Cuperus, J.M.; Daal, J.G.H.L. van; Jansonius-Schultheiss, K.; Verhoeven, L.T.W.

2009-01-01

The present study examines the validity of the Dutch Children's Communication Checklist (CCC) for children in kindergarten in a community sample, in order to assess the feasibility of using it as a screening instrument in the general population. Teachers completed the CCC for a representative sample

Working memory in children with mild intellectual disabilities: abilities and training potential

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van der Molen, M.J.

2009-01-01

The two main objectives of this thesis are a) to unravel working memory (WM) strengths and weaknesses in children with mild intellectual disabilities (MID), and b) to investigate if WM can be trained effectively in these children. Chapter 1 provides an introduction to the thesis and encompasses

Producing children in the 21st century: a critical discourse analysis of the science and techniques of monitoring early child development.

Science.gov (United States)

Einboden, Rochelle; Rudge, Trudy; Varcoe, Colleen

2013-11-01

The purpose of this article is to identify the implications of commonly held ideologies within theories of child development. Despite critiques to doing so, developmental theory assumes that children's bodies are unitary, natural and material. The recent explosion of neuroscience illustrates the significance of historical, social and cultural contexts to portrayals of brain development, offering the opportunity for a critical departure in thinking. Instead, this neuroscience research has been taken up in ways that align with biomedical traditions and neoliberal values. This article uses a critical discursive approach, supported by Haraway's ideas of technoscience, to analyse a population-based early child development research initiative. This initiative organises a large-scale surveillance of children's development, operating from the premise that risks to development are best captured early to optimise children's potential. The analysis in this article shows an intermingling of health and economic discourses and clarifies how the child is a figure of significant contemporary social and political interests. In a poignant example of technobiopolitics, the collusion between health research, technologies and the state enrols health professionals to participate in the production of children as subjects of social value, figured as human capital, investments in the future, or alternatively, as waste. The analysis shows how practices that participate in what has become a developmental enterprise also participate in the marginalisation of the very children they intend to serve. Hence, there is the need to rethink practices critically and move towards innovative conceptualisations of child development that hold possibilities to resist these figurations.

[Congenital abnormalities of the aorta in children and adolescents].

Science.gov (United States)

Eichhorn, J G; Ley, S

2007-11-01

Aortic abnormalities are common cardiovascular malformations accounting for 15-20% of all congenital heart disease. Ultrafast CT and MR imaging are noninvasive, accurate and robust techniques that can be used in the diagnosis of aortic malformations. While their sensitivity in detecting vascular abnormalities seems to be as good as that of conventional catheter angiocardiography, at over 90%, they are superior in the diagnosis of potentially life-threatening complications, such as tracheal, bronchial, or esophageal compression. It has been shown that more than 80% of small children with aortic abnormalities benefit directly from the use of noninvasive imaging: either cardiac catheterization is no longer necessary or radiation doses and periods of general anesthesia for interventional catheterization procedures can be much reduced. The most important congenital abnormalities of the aorta in children and adolescents are presented with reference to examples, and the value of CT and MR angiography is documented.

Potential Mediators of Adjustment for Preschool Children Exposed to Intimate Partner Violence

Science.gov (United States)

Miller, Laura E.; Howell, Kathryn H.; Graham-Bermann, Sandra A.

2012-01-01

Objective: Living in a home where violence is present places young children at great risk for developing emotional, behavioral, cognitive, and health problems. While many studies have examined direct relationships between violence exposure and adjustment, fewer have considered how children's mental health problems may interact over time. The…

Children as consumers: advertising and marketing.

Science.gov (United States)

Calvert, Sandra L

2008-01-01

Marketing and advertising support the U.S. economy by promoting the sale of goods and services to consumers, both adults and children. Sandra Calvert addresses product marketing to children and shows that although marketers have targeted children for decades, two recent trends have increased their interest in child consumers. First, both the discretionary income of children and their power to influence parent purchases have increased over time. Second, as the enormous increase in the number of available television channels has led to smaller audiences for each channel, digital interactive technologies have simultaneously opened new routes to narrow cast to children, thereby creating a growing media space just for children and children's products. Calvert explains that paid advertising to children primarily involves television spots that feature toys and food products, most of which are high in fat and sugar and low in nutritional value. Newer marketing approaches have led to online advertising and to so-called stealth marketing techniques, such as embedding products in the program content in films, online, and in video games. All these marketing strategies, says Calvert, make children younger than eight especially vulnerable because they lack the cognitive skills to understand the persuasive intent of television and online advertisements. The new stealth techniques can also undermine the consumer defenses even of older children and adolescents. Calvert explains that government regulations implemented by the Federal Communications Commission and the Federal Trade Commission provide some protection for children from advertising and marketing practices. Regulators exert more control over content on scarce television airwaves that belong to the public than over content on the more open online spaces. Overall, Calvert concludes, children live and grow up in a highly sophisticated marketing environment that influences their preferences and behaviors.

Assessment of sub-division of plantar pressure measurement in children.

Science.gov (United States)

Stebbins, J A; Harrington, M E; Giacomozzi, C; Thompson, N; Zavatsky, A; Theologis, T N

2005-12-01

Methods for the measurement of plantar pressure are poorly defined particularly when describing sub-sections of the plantar surface of the foot in the presence of deformity. The aim of this study was to assess foot pressure measurement in healthy children, using an automatic technique of sub-area definition that has the potential for objective evaluation of treatment of foot deformity. Twelve healthy children were examined on three occasions. Plantar pressure data were collected and time synchronised with force plate and stereophotogrammetric data. The footprint was divided into five sub-sections by using the position of the markers on the foot at mid-stance projected onto the pressure footprint. Repeatability for peak pressure and peak force was assessed. Automatic sub-area definition based on marker placement was found to be reliable in healthy children. A comparison of results revealed that peak vertical force was a more consistent measure than peak pressure for each of the five sub-areas. This suggests that force may be a more appropriate measurement for outcome studies.

Children's daily activities and knowledge acquisition: A case study among the Baka from southeastern Cameroon.

Science.gov (United States)

Gallois, Sandrine; Duda, Romain; Hewlett, Barry; Reyes-García, Victoria

2015-12-24

The acquisition of local knowledge occurs through complex interactions between individual and contextual characteristics: as context changes, so it changes the acquisition of knowledge. Contemporary small-scale societies facing rapid social-ecological change provide a unique opportunity to study the relation between social-ecological changes and the process of acquisition of local knowledge. In this work, we study children's involvement in subsistence related activities (i.e., hunting and gathering) in a context of social-ecological change and discuss how such involvement might condition the acquisition of local knowledge during childhood. We interviewed 98 children from a hunter-gatherer society, the Baka, living in two different villages in southeastern Cameroon and assessed their involvement in daily activities. Using interviews, we collected self-reported data on the main activities performed during the previous 24 h. We describe the frequency of occurrence of daily activities during middle childhood and adolescence and explore the variation in occurrence according to the sex, the age group, and the village of residency of the child. We also explore variation according to the season in which the activity is conducted and to the predicted potential of the activity for the acquisition of local knowledge. Baka children and adolescents engage in subsistence-related activities (i.e., hunting and gathering) and playing more frequently than in other activities (i.e., traditional tales or schooling). Gender differences in children's subsistence activities emerge at an early age. Engagement in activities also varies with age, with adolescents spending more time in agricultural activities, modern leisure (i.e., going to bars), and socializing than younger children. When conducting similar activities, adolescents use more complex techniques than younger children. Subsistence activities, which present a high potential for transmission of local knowledge, continue to be

Imaging of infectious spinal disorders in children and adults

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

James, S.L.J. [Department of Radiology, Royal Orthopaedic Hospital, Birmingham B31 2AP (United Kingdom)]. E-mail: jamesslj@email.com; Davies, A.M. [Department of Radiology, Royal Orthopaedic Hospital, Birmingham B31 2AP (United Kingdom)]. E-mail: wendy.turner@roh.nhs.uk

2006-04-15

The aim of this review article is to outline the imaging of infectious disorders of the spine in adults and children. The clinical presentation, potential routes of infection and the pathogens commonly identified are discussed. The value of different imaging modalities in the diagnosis of spinal infection is presented including radiographic, CT, MR imaging and Nuclear Medicine including PET. The use of image guided techniques for diagnosis and subsequent treatment is briefly covered. The major differential diagnoses of infectious disorders of the spine are identified and contrasted with the typical findings in infection. The use of follow up imaging is evaluated.

Assessment of groundwater potentiality using geophysical techniques in Wadi Allaqi basin, Eastern Desert, Egypt - Case study

Science.gov (United States)

Helaly, Ahmad Sobhy

2017-12-01

Electrical resistivity surveying has been carried out for the determination of the thickness and resistivity of layered media in Wadi Allaqi, Eastern Desert, Egypt. That is widely used geophysical tool for the purpose of assessing the groundwater potential and siting the best locations for boreholes in the unconfined Nubian Sandstone aquifers within the study area. This has been done using thirteen 1D Vertical Electrical Sounding (VES) surveys. 1D-VES surveys provide only layered model structures for the subsurface and do not provide comprehensive information for interpreting the structure and extent of subsurface hydro-geological features. The integration of two-dimensional (2D) geophysical techniques for groundwater prospecting has been done to provide a more detailed identification for the subsurface hydro-geological features from which potential sites for successful borehole locations are recognized. In addition, five magnetic profiles were measured for basement depth determination, expected geological structures and thickness of sedimentary succession that could include some basins suitable for groundwater accumulation as groundwater aquifers.

Conflict control of children with different intellectual levels: an ERP study.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Tongran; Xiao, Tong; Shi, Jiannong; Zhao, Daheng; Liu, Jizhong

2011-02-25

Conflict control is an important cognitive ability in human behavioral regulation. The Eriksen flanker task was employed to explore the neural correlation between conflict control and intelligence with the aid of event-related potential (ERP) techniques. Two groups of early adolescents with different intellectual levels participated in the current study (an intellectually gifted group of 20 children vs. an intellectually average group of 21 children, with mean scores of 43 vs. 35.7 in Cattell's Culture Fair Test, respectively). Behavioral results indicate that the gifted children had better conflict control performances, with increased accuracy and faster response speeds than the intellectually average children. Electrophysiological results further show that the gifted children had more efficient N2 activations during conflict monitoring processing, faster P3 responses over frontal regions, and stronger P3 activations over central-parietal regions during attentional control processing. The difference waveform analysis showed that the gifted children had the weakest N2d activations when elicited by multiple conflicts. N2d amplitudes can be used to distinguish a stimulus conflict from a response conflict, and P3d amplitudes can be used to separate multiple conflicts from a single conflict. The results support the neural efficiency hypothesis of intelligence and shed light on the close relationship between conflict control ability and human intelligence. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

An event-related potential investigation of the acute effects of aerobic and coordinative exercise on inhibitory control in children with ADHD

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sebastian Ludyga

2017-12-01

Full Text Available The current body of evidence suggests that an aerobic exercise session has a beneficial effect on inhibitory control, whereas the impact of coordinative exercise on this executive function has not yet been examined in children with ADHD. Therefore, the present study aims to investigate the acute effects of aerobic and coordinative exercise on behavioral performance and the allocation of attentional resources in an inhibitory control task.Using a cross-over design, children with ADHD-combined type and healthy comparisons completed a Flanker task before and after 20 min moderately-intense cycling exercise, coordinative exercise and an inactive control condition. During the task, stimulus-locked event-related potentials were recorded with electroencephalography.Both groups showed an increase of P300 amplitude and decrease of reaction time after exercise compared to the control condition. Investigating the effect of exercise modality, aerobic exercise led to greater increases of P300 amplitude and reductions in reaction time than coordinative exercise in children with ADHD.The findings suggest that a single exercise bout improves inhibitory control and the allocation of attentional resources. There were some indications that an aerobic exercise session seems to be more efficient than coordinative exercise in reducing the inhibitory control deficits that persist in children with ADHD. Keywords: P300, Executive function, Cognitive performance, Flanker task, Development, Healthy children

A simple technique investigating baseline heterogeneity helped to eliminate potential bias in meta-analyses.

Science.gov (United States)

Hicks, Amy; Fairhurst, Caroline; Torgerson, David J

2018-03-01

To perform a worked example of an approach that can be used to identify and remove potentially biased trials from meta-analyses via the analysis of baseline variables. True randomisation produces treatment groups that differ only by chance; therefore, a meta-analysis of a baseline measurement should produce no overall difference and zero heterogeneity. A meta-analysis from the British Medical Journal, known to contain significant heterogeneity and imbalance in baseline age, was chosen. Meta-analyses of baseline variables were performed and trials systematically removed, starting with those with the largest t-statistic, until the I 2 measure of heterogeneity became 0%, then the outcome meta-analysis repeated with only the remaining trials as a sensitivity check. We argue that heterogeneity in a meta-analysis of baseline variables should not exist, and therefore removing trials which contribute to heterogeneity from a meta-analysis will produce a more valid result. In our example none of the overall outcomes changed when studies contributing to heterogeneity were removed. We recommend routine use of this technique, using age and a second baseline variable predictive of outcome for the particular study chosen, to help eliminate potential bias in meta-analyses. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Potential self-selection bias in a nested case-control study on indoor environmental factors and their association with asthma and allergic symptoms among pre-school children

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bornehag, Carl-Gustaf; Sundell, Jan; Sigsgaard, T.

2006-01-01

, including health, building characteristics of the home, and socioeconomic factors between participating and non-participating families in a nested case-control study on asthma and allergy among children. Information was collected in a baseline questionnaire to the parents of 14,077 children aged 1-6 years...... in a first step. In a second step 2,156 of the children were invited to participate in a case-control study. Of these, 198 cases and 202 controls were finally selected. For identifying potential selection bias, information concerning all invited families in the case-control study was obtained from...

Improving children's dairy food and calcium intake: can intervention work? A systematic review of the literature.

Science.gov (United States)

Hendrie, Gilly A; Brindal, Emily; Baird, Danielle; Gardner, Claire

2013-02-01

Strategies are needed to address the shortfall in children's dairy food and Ca intakes. The present review identified interventions targeting an increase in children's dairy food or Ca intakes, and determined characteristics associated with successful intervention. A systematic literature search identified fourteen intervention studies, published in English, between 1990 and 2010. Studies were evaluated for study population, setting and mode of delivery, dietary targets and outcome measures, measures of intervention intensity, intervention description, the use of behaviour change techniques and intervention effectiveness. Interventions targeting an increase in dairy food or Ca intake. Children aged 5-12 years. Ten of the fourteen studies were considered to be effective. Studies focusing on encouraging intake of dairy foods or Ca alone were all effective, compared with 55 % of studies promoting dairy within the context of a healthy diet. Effective interventions tended to be higher in intensity, provide dairy foods and were delivered across a variety of settings to a range of primary targets. The number of behaviour change techniques used did not differentiate effective and ineffective interventions, but the use of taste exposure and prompting practice appeared to be important for effective intervention. Interventions that target an increase in children's dairy food or Ca intake could potentially increase children's dairy food intake by about one serving daily. Research conducted outside the USA is needed. The review has identified some promising strategies likely to be part of effective interventions for improving dairy and Ca intakes in countries where children's intake is insufficient.

Potential effects of valproate and oxcarbazepine on growth velocity and bone metabolism in epileptic children- a medical center experience.

Science.gov (United States)

Lin, Chien-Ming; Fan, Hueng-Chuen; Chao, Tsu-Yi; Chu, Der-Ming; Lai, Chi-Chieh; Wang, Chih-Chien; Chen, Shyi-Jou

2016-05-03

Children with longstanding use of antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) are susceptible to developing low bone mineral density and an increased fracture risk. However, the literature regarding the effects of AEDs on growth in epileptic children is limited. The aim of this study was to investigate the potential effects of valproate (VPA) and/or oxcarbazepine (OXC) therapy on growth velocity and bone metabolism. Seventy-three ambulatory children (40 boys and 33 girls) with epilepsy, aged between 1 and 18 years (mean age 9.8 ± 4.1 years), were evaluated for growth velocity before and for 1 year after VPA and/or OXC treatment. The bone resorption marker serum tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase 5b (TRAcP5b) and the bone formation marker serum bone-specific alkaline phosphatase (BAP) were measured post-AEDs therapy for 1 year. The difference in growth velocity (ΔHt) and body weight change (ΔWt) between pre- and post-AEDs treatment were -1.0 ± 2.8 cm/year (P effect of VPA and/or OXC therapy on dysregulation of bone metabolism might play a crucial role in physical growth.