Single Subject (single + subject)

Distribution by Scientific Domains


Selected Abstracts


School-based prevention and intervention programs for children with emotional disturbance: A review of treatment components and methodology

PSYCHOLOGY IN THE SCHOOLS, Issue 2 2009
Linda A. Reddy
School practitioners and educators are frequently challenged by the diverse and pervasive academic, social, and behavioral needs of children at risk for and with emotional disturbance. The present article examines the outcome literature on school-based prevention and intervention programs by systematically reviewing the key treatment interventions and methodology used. A total of 29 investigations including 1,405 children and adolescents were reviewed and coded on 41 variables across three dimensions (i.e., sample characteristics, treatment components, and methodology). Single subject and group design studies were included. Behavioral and/or cognitive behavioral treatment approaches were primary used. Deficit-based assessment and treatment approaches (i.e., problem behaviors) were predominately used in the outcome literature with few investigations incorporating strength-based outcome approaches. Findings are discussed in relation to previous research. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [source]


Construction of periventricular white matter hyperintensity maps by spatial normalization of the lateral ventricles

HUMAN BRAIN MAPPING, Issue 7 2009
Cynthia Jongen
Abstract Subcortical and periventricular white matter hyperintensities (WMHs) may have different associations with cognition and pathophysiology. The aim of the present study is to develop an automated method for construction of periventricular WMH maps that enables the analysis of between-group differences in WMH location and characteristics in the periventricular region without the requirement of prior boundary definition. To avoid influence of WMHs on spatial normalization, a reference image of the lateral ventricles was constructed based on images of 24 subjects. Construction was not biased to a single subject. WMHs were segmented by k-nearest neighbor-based classification of magnetic resonance inversion recovery and fluid attenuated inversion recovery images. Cerebrospinal fluid segmentations of individual subjects were nonrigidly mapped to the reference image of the lateral ventricles. The subject's WMHs were transformed to the reference space accordingly. Spatial normalization accuracy was validated using measures of overlap and of displacement relative to the boundary of the lateral ventricles. After spatial normalization, the boundaries of the lateral ventricles closely matched the reference image and in an area of ,1 cm around the lateral ventricles the relative displacement was less than 1 mm. To illustrate the method, it was applied to 61 patients with Type 2 diabetes and 26 control subjects, whereupon periventricular WMH maps were constructed and compared. The proposed method is particularly suited to analyze WMH distribution differences at the level of the lateral ventricles between large groups of patients. Hum Brain Mapp, 2009. © 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source]


Spatiotemporal mapping of cortical activity accompanying voluntary movements using an event-related beamforming approach

HUMAN BRAIN MAPPING, Issue 3 2006
Douglas Cheyne
Abstract We describe a novel spatial filtering approach to the localization of cortical activity accompanying voluntary movements. The synthetic aperture magnetometry (SAM) minimum-variance beamformer algorithm was used to compute spatial filters three-dimensionally over the entire brain from single trial neuromagnetic recordings of subjects performing self-paced index finger movements. Images of instantaneous source power ("event-related SAM") computed at selected latencies revealed activation of multiple cortical motor areas prior to and following left and right index finger movements in individual subjects, even in the presence of low-frequency noise (e.g., eye movements). A slow premovement motor field (MF) reaching maximal amplitude ,50 ms prior to movement onset was localized to the hand area of contralateral precentral gyrus, followed by activity in the contralateral postcentral gyrus at 40 ms, corresponding to the first movement-evoked field (MEFI). A novel finding was a second activation of the precentral gyrus at a latency of ,150 ms, corresponding to the second movement-evoked field (MEFII). Group averaging of spatially normalized images indicated additional premovement activity in the ipsilateral precentral gyrus and the left inferior parietal cortex for both left and right finger movements. Weaker activations were also observed in bilateral premotor areas and the supplementary motor area. These results show that event-related beamforming provides a robust method for studying complex patterns of time-locked cortical activity accompanying voluntary movements, and offers a new approach for the localization of multiple cortical sources derived from neuromagnetic recordings in single subject and group data. Hum. Brain Mapping 2005. © 2005 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source]


Safety and tolerability of high-dosage coenzyme Q10 in Huntington's disease and healthy subjects,

MOVEMENT DISORDERS, Issue 12 2010
Article first published online: 28 JUL 2010
Abstract Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10), a potential neuroprotective compound, was previously investigated at a dosage of 600 mg/day in Huntington's disease (HD) patients and demonstrated a trend toward slowing disease progression. Higher CoQ10 dosages may prove beneficial. We investigated the tolerability and blood levels associated with 1,200, 2,400, and 3,600 mg/day of CoQ10 in HD and healthy subjects. Twenty-eight subjects (20 HD, 8 healthy) enrolled in a 20-week open-label trial. Subjects started on 1,200 mg/day of CoQ10, increasing every 4 weeks by 1,200 mg to a maximum dosage of 3,600 mg/day. Monthly evaluations included review of adverse events and CoQ10 blood levels. Twenty-three subjects (82%) achieved the target dosage of 3,600 mg/day. Six subjects (2 healthy, 4 HD) withdrew prematurely (gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms in 3, worsening HD in 2, and 1 because of a fall). All three serious adverse events occurred in a single subject, and were deemed unrelated to CoQ10. The most common adverse events seen were GI symptoms. Mean (± SD) CoQ10 blood levels achieved over the course of the trial were as follows: 1.26 ± 1.27 ,g/mL (baseline, n = 28), 5.59 ± 2.24 ,g/mL (1,200 mg/day, week 4, n = 26), 6.38 ± 3.25 ,g/mL (2,400 mg/day, week 8, n = 25), 7.49 ± 4.09 ,g/mL (3,600 mg/day, week 12, n = 23), and 6.78 ± 3.36,g/mL (3,600 mg/day, week 20, n = 20). CoQ10 was well tolerated with over 80% of subjects achieving the target dosage. Dosages of 2,400 mg/day may provide the best balance between tolerability and blood level achieved. Further studies examining the efficacy of 2,400 mg/day are planned. © 2010 Movement Disorder Society. [source]


Cognitive dysfunction 1,2 years after non-cardiac surgery in the elderly

ACTA ANAESTHESIOLOGICA SCANDINAVICA, Issue 10 2000
H. Abildstrom
Background: Postoperative cognitive dysfunction (POCD) is a well-recognised complication of cardiac surgery, but evidence of POCD after general surgery has been lacking. We recently showed that POCD was present in 9.9% of elderly patients 3 months after major non-cardiac surgery. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether POCD persists for 1,2 years after operation. Methods: A total of 336 elderly patients (median age 69 years, range 60,86) was studied after major surgery under general anesthesia. Psychometric testing was performed before surgery and at a median of 7, 98 and 532 days postoperatively using a neuropsychological test battery with 7 subtests. A control group of 47 non-hospitalised volunteers of similar age were tested with the test battery at the same intervals. Results: 1,2 years after surgery, 35 out of 336 patients (10.4%, CI: 7.2,13.7%) had cognitive dysfunction. Three patients had POCD at all three postoperative test sessions (0.9%). From our definition of POCD, there is only a 1:64 000 likelihood that a single subject would have POCD at all three test points by chance. Logistic regression analysis identified age, early POCD, and infection within the first three postoperative months as significant risk factors for long-term cognitive dysfunction. Five of 47 normal controls fulfilled the criteria for cognitive dysfunction 1,2 years after initial testing (10.6%, CI: 1.8,19.4%), i.e. a similar incidence of age-related cognitive impairment as among patients. Conclusion: POCD is a reversible condition in the majority of cases but may persist in approximately 1% of patients. [source]


Assessing effectiveness and efficiency of academic interventions in school psychology journals: 1995,2005

PSYCHOLOGY IN THE SCHOOLS, Issue 2 2010
Ron Bramlett
This article reviews research in the four major school psychology journals: Journal of School Psychology, Psychology in the Schools, School Psychology Quarterly, and School Psychology Review. The function of the review was to provide school psychologists with a summary of academic interventions published through years 1995,2005, synthesize the commonalities of empirically based interventions, and report on the extent to which each article provides the reader the opportunity to understand the effects of the intervention with regard to the amount of instructional time required to implement it. Results of the review suggest that reading is most heavily investigated followed by math and, to a much lesser degree, written expression. Moreover, studies use a variety of designs including single subject and group designs. Finally, it is clear that a limited number of studies evaluate the effectiveness of an intervention with regard to the amount of instructional time needed to implement the intervention. In light of these findings and in addition to the two major functions of the review, recommendations for practice and future research are presented. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [source]


Mutational screening of the cationic trypsinogen gene in a large cohort of subjects with idiopathic chronic pancreatitis

CLINICAL GENETICS, Issue 3 2001
Jm Chen
Several missense mutations, including R122H, N29I, K23R, A16V and D22G, in the cationic trypsinogen gene (PRSS1), have been associated with certain forms of hereditary pancreatitis (HP). Their occurrence in the idiopathic chronic pancreatitis (ICP) and whether novel mutations could be identified in PRSS1 remain to be further evaluated. These were addressed by the mutational screening of the entire coding sequence and the intronic/exonic boundaries of the PRSS1 gene in 221 ICP subjects, using a previously established denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis technique. Among the known PRSS1 mutations, only the R122H was detected in a single subject and the A16V in two subjects in the cohort, strengthening that HP-associated PRSS1 mutations are rare in ICP. Additional missense mutations, including P36R, E79K, G83E, K92N and V123M, were identified once separately. By analogy with the known PRSS1 mutations, predisposition to pancreatitis by some of them, particularly the V123M autolysis cleavage site mutation, is suspected. Functional analysis is expected to clarify their possible medical consequences. [source]


Teacher's PETS: a new observational measure of experiential training interactions

CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY AND PSYCHOTHERAPY (AN INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF THEORY & PRACTICE), Issue 3 2002
Derek Milne
Government policy now stresses the importance of staff training in fostering evidence-based practice, but what is done in the name of training is rarely reported and there are few instruments with which to analyse training. Therefore, the purpose of the present study was to develop a new measure of training processes and mini-outcomes, and to provide a case study illustration. A single subject (N = 1) withdrawal design was used to assess the empirical validity of the measure. The measure (Teacher's PETS) was derived from the applied psychology literature in order to operationalize Kolb's (1984) integrative theory of experiential learning. Reliability and validity assessments were conducted. During the intervention phase of the case study baseline data from PETS were fed back to the trainer. The effectiveness of this intervention was assessed structurally and functionally, in relation to the learners, i.e. mental health staff (N = 31) receiving training in evidence-based practice (psychosocial interventions in severe mental illness). PETS was found to have very good inter-rater reliability (K = 0.84) and promising content, empirical and concurrent validity. The case study illustrated that, at baseline, the training did not correspond to a ,training workshop'. However, the intervention of feedback and modelling resulted in more appropriate training processes and outcomes, which were maintained at a 1-month follow-up assessment. It is concluded that PETS shows promise as an instrument and has the advantage of affording detailed, transactional information to improve the efficiency of training. It may also be useful in relation to clinical supervision. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


The association of psychosocial factors and smoking with periodontal health in a community population

JOURNAL OF PERIODONTAL RESEARCH, Issue 1 2010
L.-J. Chiou
Chiou L-J, Yang Y-H, Hung H-C, Tsai C-C, Shieh T-Y, Wu Y-M, Wang W-C, Hsu T-C. The association of psychosocial factors and smoking with periodontal health in a community population. J Periodont Res 2009; doi: 10.1111/j.1600-0765.2008.01194.x. © 2009 John Wiley & Sons A/S Background and Objective:, The association between psychosocial factors and periodontal disease has been widely reported and might be modified by smoking status. This study investigated the association of periodontal status with psychosocial factors and smoking in a community population. Material and Methods:, A structured questionnaire was administered to a total of 1764 civilian noninstitutional (general population excluding from nursing homes, sanitariums and hospitals) Taiwanese individuals to assess the presence and severity of psychosocial factors [using the 12-item Chinese health questionnaire (CHQ-12)], smoking habits and other related factors. Periodontal status was established using the community periodontal index and by measuring clinical loss of attachment. Results:, Psychological factors and smoking were significantly associated with loss of attachment (odds ratio = 1.69, 95% confidence interval = 1.01,2.77, comparing the CHQ-12 score of , 6 with the CHQ-12 score of 0,2 and p = 0.032 for linear trend; odds ratio = 2.21, 95% confidence interval = 1.45,3.37, comparing smokers with nonsmokers) but not with community periodontal index. The association was found to be stronger among smokers than among nonsmokers. Smokers with a CHQ-12 score of , 6 had a higher odds ratio of loss of attachment (odds ratio = 2.49, 95% confidence interval = 0.91,6.49) than nonsmokers (odds ratio = 1.43, 95% confidence interval = 0.76,2.58). For periodontal health measured using the community periodontal index, married and divorced/widowed subjects tended to have poorer periodontal health (odds ratio = 3.38, 95% confidence interval = 1.26,10.81 and odds ratio = 3.83, 95% confidence interval = 1.21,13.83, respectively) than single subjects among nonsmokers but not among smokers. Conclusion:, Poor mental health had a stronger association with periodontal disease among smokers than among nonsmokers, especially in accumulative attachment loss. Our findings suggest that mental health and smoking might have a synergistic effect on the risk of developing periodontal disease. [source]