Genetic variation of 17 autosomal STR loci in the Lahu population from Yunnan and phylogenetic structure exploration among 28 populations

This study evaluated the genetic variation of 17 autosomal short tandem repeat (STR) loci included in the PowerPlex® 18D Kit. Samples of 562 unrelated healthy Lahu individuals living in Yunnan Province in southwestern China were investigated. The data were analyzed to provide information on allele frequencies and other statistical parameters relevant to the forensic population. Of the 17 loci, 16 reached the Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium after Bonferroni correction. A total of 176 alleles were identified in 17 STR loci, and allele frequencies ranged from 0.000 890 to 0.578 292. The combined discrimination power (CPD) and probability of excluding paternity (CPE) of the 17 STR loci were 0.999 999 999 999 999 999 489 and 0.999 998 301 753 122. The genetic relationships among 28 populations were also estimated.     

Medication Adherence App for Food Pantry Clients With Diabetes: A Feasibility Study

Low-income food pantry clients are unable to adhere to the diet and physical activity recommendations of the American Diabetes Association. The aim of the study is to test the feasibility of using a mobile phone app to improve diabetes medication adherence. Clients with uncontrolled type 2 diabetes were enrolled in a mobile phone app featuring 70 days of text message reminders and incentives. The app and the 4-item Morisky Medication Adherence Scale evaluated medication adherence. Clinically significant medication adherence of 93% was achieved with use of the app. Phone app use is feasible among urban low-income clients to improve medication adherence.     

Musculoskeletal pain,depression, and stress among Latino manual laborers in North Carolina

The jobs of Latino manual laborers place their mental and physical health at risk. This study evaluates the associations among musculoskeletal pain, mental health, and work organization in Latino manual laborers. Farmworkers and nonfarmworkers (n = 189) in North Carolina were interviewed for self-reported musculoskeletal pain, depressive symptoms, stress, work safety climate, and precarious job status. More nonfarmworkers than farmworkers had neck and shoulder pain, but they did not differ in other areas of musculoskeletal pain. Depressive symptoms had a significant association with neck and shoulder pain (p < .05). Precariousness had a significant association with back pain (p < .05). Farmworker participants had H-2A visas and were afforded some protection compared to nonfarmworker manual workers. Research is needed to improve policy that relieves pain and improves mental health for all Latino manual workers.     

仡佬族成人指纹白线的研究

目的　探讨仡佬族成人指纹白线的特征 ,为法医学、人类学及临床医学提供参考资料。方法　对贵州省道真县三代均为仡佬族的 2 17名成年人的 43 4侧手、2 170个手指指纹白线出现率进行了观测和统计分析。结果　各指指纹白线出现率为 :男 2 .48% ,女 2 .76% ;每个人指纹白线出现率 (每人有一指以上出现者 )为 :男 17.82 % ,女 18.10 % ;每只手指纹白线出现率 (每指有一条白线以上出现者 )为 :男 10 .89% ,女 11.2 1% ;每只手指指纹白线分布率为 :男 2 .48% ,女 2 .76% ;男女间差异无显著性 ,P >0 .0 5。结论　仡佬族成年人指纹白线出现率较低 ,并以单手、单指、单条白线分布为主。     

EARLY EDUCATION AND CHILDREN WITH SPECIAL NEEDS

Changing issues in the field of preschool education will be discussed, set in the context of two of my studies which have been concerned with children with special needs in 'ordinary' preschool education, one 'pre-Warnock' in Scotland, and the other 'post-Warnock' in the West Midlands. The concept of special needs will then be widened to include children for whom English is a second language, and also gifted children. Finally, the discussion is extended to early education rather than preschool education with a discussion of the dangers of treating preschool education in isolation.     

Tracking the status of language development in language-minority kindergartners

As our world becomes increasingly multicultural in nature, multilingual skills constitute an everyday phenomenon in schools. Since most of the second-language research has focused on school-age students, more research had to be conducted with language-minority students at the kindergarten level in order for psychologists and educators to develop effective and efficient systems for evaluating and tracking the developmental status of young language-minority children. The purpose of this study was to investigate the potential usefulness of a standardized continuous progress measure, the Picture Naming Individual Growth and Development Indicator, to longitudinally assess language development in 23 language-minority children, as well as in 13 native English-speaking children. Results indicated that we could use the Picture Naming Individual Growth and Development Indicator to detect differences in first-language and second-language development in language-minority children, as well as to detect differences between the two groups of children in their expressive English-language skills.     

Providence School Asthma Partnership: School-based Asthma Program for Inner-City Families

Over 3 years, 972 families participated in an after-school asthma program at their child's school. Parents and children attended concurrent 2¹/₂ -hour workshops. Parents were 74% Latino; 45% non-English speaking, with 77% of children on Medicaid. Asthma symptoms were significantly reduced, from multiple times per week to less than once per week on average. Oral steroid use decreased to one third of baseline use. Hospital days decreased from 11% to 2%; emergency visits decreased 35% to 4%; and school days missed decreased 48% to 20%. This program has now become sustainable with both private and Medicaid insurance coverage.     

Ethnic Minorities, Migration and Risk of Undernutrition in Children

Well-controlled, comparative studies suggest that in "food rich" or "resource rich" environments, ethnic minority status is not an independent risk factor for malnutrition. In England, Australia, and the United States, nutrient intake, nutritional status measures and growth are comparable between children of ethnic minorities and non-minority children of similar economic status. Children of recent immigrants are an exception to this generalization, suggesting that recent arrival in a new environment is a risk factor for malnutrition. Family-level studies of intraethnic diversity are required to develop more sensitive and specific profiles of risk factors for malnutrition.