Adjustment in Childhood Brain Tumor Survival: Child, Mother, and Teacher Report

Examined the adjustment of 6- to 18-year-old children and adolescents(n = 38) 2 to 5 years postdiagnosis of brain tumor with respectto standardized measures of anxiety and depression; self-perceptions;and adaptive living skills. Child, mother, and teacher reportdata were used. Maternal adjustment (anxiety and depression,parenting stress) was also assessed. Children and adolescentssurviving brain tumors reported themselves to be generally withinthe normal range. However, maternal ratings of social problemswere higher than normative scores and significantly lower thannorms on social problems, scholastic competence, and communicationskills. Teacher ratings on the Teacher Rating Form were allwithin normal limits. Maternal adjustment measures were withinthe normal range, although the Parent-Child Dysfunctional Interactionsubscale of the Parenting Stress Index was elevated. No differencesin scores were found between children in regular and specialeducation, or between children who had received radiation andthose who did not. This sample of survivors of pediatric braintumors and their mothers had relatively mild problems in adjustment,supporting a competency-based view of the adaptation of pediatricpatients and their families.     

Association of haplotypes in the beta-chemokine locus with multiple sclerosis

Linkage studies in multiple sclerosis (MS) identified several susceptibility loci. One of these regions includes chromosome 17q11 where a meta-analysis of data from three genome scans suggested linkage. This region encodes a cluster of genes for beta-chemokines or CC chemokine ligands (CCLs), which may be involved in the development of MS lesions. Here we aimed to test if CCL alleles and haplotypes are associated with MS. Using methods of linkage and association, we observed deviations from the expected 50% transmission of haplotypes from unaffected parents to their affected children at CCL2, CCL11-CCL8-CCL13 and CCL3 within the investigated 1.85 MB chromosomal segment. Analyses of the linkage disequilibrium map support that variants with possible relevance to MS can be located within these subregions. Identification of MS associated CCL variants may have direct clinical significance, as it can lead to the design of small competitive antagonists of these molecules with beneficial effects in the treatment of patients with early and active disease.     

Neurectodermal differentiation of extraskeletal myxoid chondrosarcoma: a classical feature?

Extraskeletal myxoid chondrosarcoma (EMC) is a phenotypically and genotypically distinct entity with a protracted course. A documented case of an extraskeletal myxoid chondrosarcoma characterized by a t(9; 17) (q22; q11) translocation with a neuroendocrine and neural differentiation is reported.     

On the various manifestations of spontaneous autoimmune diabetes in rodent models

Autoimmune (type 1) diabetes mellitus in mouse, rat, and humans shares several features, including T lymphocyte infiltration into pancreatic islets and a dependence on permissive class II major histocompatibility complex (MHC) alleles. We report here on an experimental model involving mice that express influenza hemagglutinin (HA) under the control of the insulin promoter and, at the same time, a transgenic class II MHC-restricted T cell receptor (TcR) specific for an HA peptide. These mice spontaneously develop islet infiltrates resembling those found in NOD mice and most animals become diabetic within 8 weeks of age. Because of the availability of a clonotypic TcR antibody, we can be confident that the Ins-HA transgene does not induce any measurable alterations in the vast majority of T cells with the transgenic TcR in primary and secondary lymphoid organs. Continuous export of large numbers of HA-specific lymphocytes from the thymus was not required for the manifestation of the disease since mice thymectomized at 3 days after birth still developed the disease albeit with smaller infiltrates.     

The Use of Seclusions and Physical Restraints: Just How Consistent Are We?

Research has yet to verify whether children with greater problems, in more restrictive settings such as inpatient units actually receive more protective interventions such as seclusions/restraints than children in less intrusive settings who should have less need. Despite many strong and conflicting opinions about how these interventions should be used, very little is actually known about when and how seclusions/restraints are in fact used. It is unclear what professions use seclusions/restraints most, in what settings, for which children, how consistently, and with what outcomes. The present research found significant variability in use across the continuum of care which could not be attributed to the severity of children's problems or to the restrictiveness of the setting. The two most similar settings differed the most in their use of these procedures. Patterns of utilization are difficult to explain and are a cause for concern because they suggest possible inconsistencies and use which does not depend upon client needs. Use was significantly but only weakly predicted by age and gender of children with younger males being more likely to receive these interventions. The finding that child and youth care workers in the settings studied were the professionals most likely by far to use these procedures, indicates needs for increased worker involvement in both quality assurance and supportive activities that explore potential for burnout and injury associated with high use.     

Nasal ciliary beat frequency is age independent

Objectives: Evaluate the age-dependency of ciliary beat frequency (CBF) in biopsies after ciliogenesis in culture. Study Design: Retrospective analysis of CBF and ciliary ultrastructure in biopsies and after ciliogenesis from 203 individuals, aged 3 months to 74 years. Methods: All patients with successful culture were included. Ciliogenesis was obtained using the sequential monolayer-suspension culture technique for dissociated nasal epithelial cells. CBF was measured using computerized microscope photometry. Secondary ultrastructural abnormalities were evaluated in transmission electron microscopy. Results: There was no correlation between age and CBF, in either the biopsies (7.0 ± 2.6 Hz; n = 113) or after ciliogenesis in culture (8.1 ± 1.3 Hz; n = 203). Even in individuals older than 70 years, CBF was normal in bioptic material (6.7 ± 1.7 Hz) and after ciliogenesis in culture (7.9 ± 1.0 Hz). Also, in individuals less than 1 year of age CBF was normal in biopsies as well as after ciliogenesis. CBF correlated inversely with the percentage of secondary ultrastructural abnormalities in the biopsies as seen with transmission electron microscopy: 8.1 ± 1.8 Hz when ciliary ultrastructure was normal and 3.5 ± 3.3 Hz in cases of severe secondary ciliary dyskinesia. After ciliogenesis in culture, ciliary ultra-structure was always normal, as was CBF. Conclusion: CBF is age independent but correlates with secondary ultrastructural abnormalities. CBF after ciliogenesis in culture is the intrinsic one.     

A retrospective examination of regional plus general anesthesia in children undergoing open heart surgery

The use of regional anesthesia in combination with general anesthesia for children undergoing cardiac surgery is receiving increasing attention from clinicians. The addition of regional anesthesia may improve clinical outcomes and decrease costs as a result of the reduced need for postoperative mechanical ventilation. The goal of this retrospective chart review was to evaluate whether spinal anesthesia (SAB) or epidural anesthesia (EPID) in combination with general anesthesia was associated with circulatory stability, satisfactory postoperative sedation/analgesia, and a low incidence of adverse effects. The medical records of 50 consecutive children having open heart surgery with SAB or EPID and general anesthesia between September 1996 and December 1997 were reviewed. We found no significant differences in the incidence of clinically significant changes in vital signs, oxygen desaturation, hypercarbia, or vomiting. Patients in the SAB group received significantly more sedative/analgesic interventions than those in the EPID group.     

Theoretical and Experimental Models to Evaluate the Possibility of Corrosion Resistant Concrete for Coastal Offshore Structures

This study built theoretical and practical models to evaluate the corrosion resistance of concrete for coastal offshore structures in Vietnam. A mathematical model was developed in the form of a system of nonlinear partial differential equations characterizing the diffusion “free calcium hydroxide” in a solid of a concrete structure. The model describes the process of non-stationary mass conductivity observed in the “concrete structure—marine environment” system under non-uniform arbitrary initial conditions, as well as combined boundary conditions of the second and third kind, taking into account the nonlinear nature of the coefficients of mass conductivity k and mass transfer β. It was shown that the solution of the boundary value problem of non-stationary mass conductivity allows us to conclude about the duration of the service life of a concrete structure, which will be determined by the processes occurring at the interface: in concrete—mass conductivity, depending on the structural and mechanical characteristics of hydraulic structures, and in the liquid phase—mass transfer, determined by the conditions of interaction at the interface of the indicated phases.