High phenotypic correlations among siblings with autism and pervasive developmental disorders

The objective of this study was to examine familial factors influencing clinical variation in sibships that contained at least 2 children affected with autism or another form of pervasive developmental disorder (PDD). The sample included a total of 60 families, 23 with multiple cases of PDD and 37 with a single affected child. Measurements of IQ, adaptive behaviors in socialization and communication, and autistic symptoms were taken on all affected children. A high intraclass correlation, especially on IQ and an index of social behaviors, was observed between affected children from the same family. In contrast, low correlations were observed on measurements of IQ and adaptive behavior between affected and unaffected children from the same family. These data indicate that variation in severity of PDD is influenced by familial, and probably genetic, mechanisms. The results are discussed in relation to current theories on the genetics of autism and the heritable mechanisms underlying variations in clinical severity. © 1996 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Beverage Intake and Associated Nutrient Contribution for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians: Secondary Analysis of a National Dietary Survey 2012–2013

Beverages contribute significantly to dietary intake. Research exploring the impact of beverage types on nutrient intake for Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people is limited. A secondary analysis of the Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Survey 2012–2013 (n = 4109) was undertaken. The daily intake, percentage of consumers, and contribution to total nutrient intake was estimated for 12 beverage categories. Beverage intake contributed to 17.4% of total energy, 27.0% of total calcium, 26.3% of total vitamin C, and 46.6% of total sugar intake. The most frequently consumed beverage categories for children (aged 2 to 18 years) were water, fruit juice/drinks, soft drinks, and cordial; and for adults, water, tea, coffee and soft drinks. The primary sources of beverages with added sugar were fruit juice/drinks (for children), tea (for people living remotely), coffee (for adults in metropolitan/regional areas) and soft drinks (for everyone). Actions to modify beverage intake to improve health should maintain the positive nutrient attributes of beverage intake. This analysis of a large-scale national dietary survey provides benchmarking of beverage intake to support program and policy development to modify intake where this is determined as a priority by the community.     

Serological identification of thymocyte differentiation antigens

We have examined subfractions of human thymocytes for the expression of novel differentiation antigens. Non-HLA alloantisera procured from multiparous women served as antibody probes. Thymocytes from five individuals were sequentially separated by discontinuous Percoll density gradient centrifugation and a peanut agglutinin (PNA) panning technique. Subfractions were selected and examined for their relative intensity of HLA class I and CD1 antigens as determined by cytofluorometric analysis. Two subfractions were characterized as follows: an immature population (Fr6 PNA-) expressed a high level of CD1 (OKT6 binding) antigen and a low level of class I HLA antigen; and a more mature fraction (Fr3 PNA-) expressed minimal amounts of CD1 antigen and relatively high levels of HLA class I molecules. Fr6 PNA+ and Fr3 PNA- thymocytes were tested for their reactivity with a panel of non-HLA alloantibodies as determined by cytofluorometric analysis. We observed that three alloantibodies demonstrated strong fluorescence staining with Fr6 PNA+ thymocytes only, whereas three other alloantibodies reacted with both the Fr6 PNA+ and the Fr3 PNA- subfractions. All six alloantibodies failed to react with peripheral T cells. However, the six antibodies did react with a panel of cultured T lymphoblastoid leukemic cells and fresh leukemic T cells. Blocking studies demonstrated that these alloantibodies do not bind beta 2-microglobulin-associated determinants. These results suggest that the alloantibodies detect thymocyte differentiation antigens (TDA) that are shared by or are cross-reactive with antigens expressed on certain leukemia T cells. The non-beta 2m-associated TDA antigens are not expressed on normal resting T cells.     

Cardiorespiratory fitness and body mass index values in 9-year-old rural Norwegian children

Aim: To describe cardiorespiratory fitness and body mass index (BMI) values in a representative population of 9-year-old Norwegian children in two rural communities and compare present values with previous findings.
Methods: Two hundred and fifty-nine 9-year-old children were invited, and 256 participated in this study. Maximal oxygen uptake was directly measured during a continuous progressive treadmill protocol. Body mass and height were also measured.
Results: The mean ± SD relative maximal oxygen uptake was 52.8 ± 6.5 for boys and 46.9 ± 7.2 mL/kg/min for girls. Eight percent of the boys and 16.8% of the girls were classified as overweight, and 1.6% of the boys and 6.9% of the girls as obese. Mean age, body mass, height and Ponderal index were not significantly different between sexes. Girls had a higher BMI than boys (p = 0.05).
Conclusion: Compared to earlier Norwegian studies, children's BMI values seem to have increased substantially. This increase is most pronounced in girls. When assessing these differences using the PI, this increase is less marked. Comparing maximal oxygen uptake data with that in earlier Nordic studies, there is no evidence that fitness has declined among 9-year olds. However, the limitations of the few earlier studies make reliable comparisons difficult.     

CORR Insights®: What Differences in Morphologic Features of the Knee Exist Among Patients of Various Races? A Systematic Review

Clinical Orthopaedics and Related Research® -     

Fostering hand washing before lunch by students attending a special needs young adult program

A multiple baseline across groups design was used to investigate the effects of a treatment package on hand washing before lunch by five students with disabilities who attended a young adult educational program. To evaluate hand washing, a lotion called Glo Germ was applied to participants’ hands. Glo Germ is visible under a black light, which allowed the quality of hand washing to be assessed by comparing the amount visible before and after hand washing using a 3-point scale. Following a baseline period in which hand washing was assessed, participants were exposed to a hand washing training procedure, which improved one participant's hand washing. Next, a lottery system was imposed in which the number of lottery tickets earned each day depended on the quality of hand washing, specifically, on the rating assigned (0, 1, or 2). This condition was associated with improved hand washing by the other four participants. Finally, a condition adding feedback to the lottery system resulted in further improvements in the quality of hand washing for all participants. Follow up data indicated modest maintenance of hand washing after lunch. These results suggest that treatment packages similar to that used in the present study merit further investigation and that Glo Germ is of value in ascertaining the quality of hand washing.