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Development Study (development + study)
Kinds of Development Study Selected AbstractsFirst positive reactions to cannabis constitute a priority risk factor for cannabis dependenceADDICTION, Issue 10 2009Yann Le Strat ABSTRACT Aim To assess the association between first reactions to cannabis and the risk of cannabis dependence. Design A cross-sectional population-based assessment in 2007. Setting A campus in a French region (Champagne-Ardennes). Participants A total of 1472 participants aged 18,21 years who reported at least one life-time cannabis consumption, of 3056 students who were screened initially [the Susceptibility Addiction Gene Environment (SAGE) study]. Measurements Positive and negative effects of first cannabis consumptions, present cannabis dependence and related risk factors were assessed through questionnaires. Findings The effects of first cannabis consumptions were associated dose-dependently with cannabis dependence at age 18,21 years, both according to the transversal approach of the SAGE study and to the prospective cohort of the Christchurch Health and Development Study (CHDS) assessed at the age of 25 years. Participants of the SAGE study who reported five positive effects of their first cannabis consumption had odds of life-time cannabis dependence that were 28.7 (95% confidence interval: 14.6,56.5) higher than those who reported no positive effects. This association remains significant after controlling for potentially confounding factors, including individual and familial variables. Conclusions This study suggests an association between positive reactions to first cannabis uses and risk of life-time cannabis dependence, this variable having a central role among, and through, other risk factors. [source] Tests of causal linkages between cannabis use and psychotic symptomsADDICTION, Issue 3 2005David M. Fergusson ABSTRACT Aim To examine possible causal linkages between cannabis use and psychosis using data gathered over the course of a 25-year longitudinal study. Design A 25-year longitudinal study of the health, development and adjustment of a birth cohort of 1265 New Zealand children (635 males, 630 females). Setting The Christchurch Health and Development Study, a general community sample. Participants A total of 1055 participants from the Christchurch Health and Development Study (CHDS) cohort for whom data on cannabis use and psychotic symptoms were available on at least one occasion from 18, 21 and 25 years. Measurements As part of this study, data were gathered on frequency of cannabis use and psychotic symptoms at ages 18, 21 and 25 years. Findings Regression models adjusting for observed and non-observed confounding suggested that daily users of cannabis had rates of psychotic symptoms that were between 1.6 and 1.8 times higher (P < 0.001) than non-users of cannabis. Structural equation modelling suggested that these associations reflected the effects of cannabis use on symptom levels rather than the effects of symptom levels on cannabis use. Conclusions The results of the present study add to a growing body of evidence suggesting that regular cannabis use may increase risks of psychosis. The present study suggests that: (a) the association between cannabis use and psychotic symptoms is unlikely to be due to confounding factors; and (b) the direction of causality is from cannabis use to psychotic symptoms. [source] A longitudinal study of cannabis use and mental health from adolescence to early adulthoodADDICTION, Issue 4 2000Rob McGee Aims. To examine the longitudinal association between cannabis use and mental health. Design. Information concerning cannabis use and mental health from 15 to 21 years was available for a large sample of individuals as part of a longitudinal study from childhood to adulthood. Participants. Participants were enrolled in the Dunedin Multidisciplinary Health and Development Study, a research programme on the health, development and behaviour of a large group of New Zealanders born between 1 April 1972 and 31 March 1973. Measurements. Cannabis use and identification of mental disorder was based upon self-report as part of a general assessment of mental health using a standard diagnostic interview. Daily smoking and alcohol use at age 15 were assessed by self-report. Indices of family socio-economic status, family climate and parent - child interaction were formed using information gathered from parent report and behavioural observations over early childhood. Childhood behaviour problems were assessed by parent and teacher report. Attachment to parents was assessed in adolescence. Findings. Cross-sectional associations between cannabis use and mental disorder were significant at all three ages. Both outcome variables shared similar pathways of low socio-economic status and history of behaviour problems in childhood, and low parental attachment in adolescence. Mental disorder at age 15 led to a small but significantly elevated risk of cannabis use at age 18; by contrast, cannabis use at age 18 elevated the risk of mental disorder at age 21. The latter association reflected the extent to which cannabis dependence and other externalizing disorders at age 21 were predicted by earlier level of involvement with cannabis. Conclusions. The findings suggest that the primary causal direction leads from mental disorder to cannabis use among adolescents and the reverse in early adulthood. Both alcohol use and cigarette smoking had independent associations with later mental health disorder. [source] Installing the communities that care prevention system: implementation progress and fidelity in a randomized controlled trialJOURNAL OF COMMUNITY PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 3 2008Rose K. Quinby This article describes the degree to which high fidelity implementation of the Communities That Care (CTC) prevention operating system was reached during the first 18 months of intervention in 12 communities in the Community Youth Development Study, a 5-year group randomized controlled trial designed to test the efficacy of the CTC system. CTC installation in these communities included the delivery of six CTC trainings from certified CTC trainers at each site, the active involvement of locally selected and community-based CTC community coordinators, ongoing monitoring of progress using the CTC milestones and benchmarks, and proactive technical assistance and coaching. CTC implementation fidelity ratings averaged across three groups of raters show that between 89% and 100% of the CTC milestones in the first four phases of CTC implementation were "completely met" or "majority met" in the 12 intervention communities, indicating that the first four phases of the CTC system have been well implemented in the communities in this trial. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [source] Timing of Parental Separation and Attachment to Parents in Adolescence: Results of a Prospective Study from Birth to Age 16JOURNAL OF MARRIAGE AND FAMILY, Issue 1 2000Lianne Woodward Using prospective longitudinal data from the Christchurch Health and Development Study (CHDS), this paper examines the effects of parental separation on the quality of adolescents' attachment to parents and their perceptions of parental care and overprotection during childhood. Exposure to parental separation was significantly associated with lower attachment to parents in adolescence and more negative perceptions of maternal and paternal care and protection during childhood. When examined in relation to the developmental timing of first separation, a linear relationship between the age at first separation and later parental attachment and perceived parent,child relations was found. The younger the age of the child at the time of separation, the lower their subsequent parental attachment and the more likely they were to perceive both their mother and father as less caring and more overprotective. No gender differences were found in children's responses to parental separation. These findings persisted after control for the confounding effects of family social background, marital conflict, parenting, child behavior, and remarriage. Results supported the importance of the early childhood years for the development of a secure and enduring attachment relationship between children and their parents. [source] Longitudinal Studies of Anger and Attention Span: Context and Informant EffectsJOURNAL OF PERSONALITY, Issue 2 2010Jungmeen Kim ABSTRACT This study examined stabilities of informant and context (home vs. classroom) latent factors regarding anger and attention. Participants included children from the National Institute of Child Health and Development Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development who were measured at 54 months, first grade, and third grade. Latent factors of anger and attention span were structured using different indicators based on mothers', fathers', caregivers', teachers', and observers' reports. We used structural equation modeling to examine the autoregressive effects within a context (stability), the concurrent associations between home and classroom contexts, and informant effects. The results indicated that for both anger and attention (1) there were significant informant effects that influenced stability in a context, (2) there was higher stability in home context than nonhome context, and (3) stability within a context increased over time. The findings suggested that anger was more prone to context effects and informant effects than attention. [source] Assessing interaction effects in linear measurement error modelsJOURNAL OF THE ROYAL STATISTICAL SOCIETY: SERIES C (APPLIED STATISTICS), Issue 1 2005Li-Shan Huang Summary., In a linear model, the effect of a continuous explanatory variable may vary across groups defined by a categorical variable, and the variable itself may be subject to measurement error. This suggests a linear measurement error model with slope-by-factor interactions. The variables that are defined by such interactions are neither continuous nor discrete, and hence it is not immediately clear how to fit linear measurement error models when interactions are present. This paper gives a corollary of a theorem of Fuller for the situation of correcting measurement errors in a linear model with slope-by-factor interactions. In particular, the error-corrected estimate of the coefficients and its asymptotic variance matrix are given in a more easily assessable form. Simulation results confirm the asymptotic normality of the coefficients in finite sample cases. We apply the results to data from the Seychelles Child Development Study at age 66 months, assessing the effects of exposure to mercury through consumption of fish on child development for females and males for both prenatal and post-natal exposure. [source] Birthweight and paternal involvement predict early reproduction in British women: Evidence from the National Child Development StudyAMERICAN JOURNAL OF HUMAN BIOLOGY, Issue 2 2010Daniel Nettle There is considerable interest in the mechanisms maintaining early reproduction in the most socioeconomically disadvantaged groups in developed countries. Previous research has suggested that differential exposure to early-life factors such as low birthweight and lack of paternal involvement during childhood may be relevant. Here, we used longitudinal data on the female cohort members from the UK National Child Development Study (n = 3,014,4,482 depending upon variables analyzed) to investigate predictors of early reproduction. Our main outcome measures were having a child by age 20, and stating at age 16 an intended age of reproduction of 20 years or lower. Low paternal involvement during childhood was associated with increased likelihood of early reproduction (O.R. 1.79,2.25) and increased likelihood of early intended reproduction (O.R. 1.38,2.50). Low birthweight for gestational age also increased the odds of early reproduction (O.R. for each additional s.d. 0.88) and early intended reproduction (O.R. for each additional s.d. 0.81). Intended early reproduction strongly predicted actual early reproduction (O.R. 5.39, 95% CI 3.71,7.83). The results suggest that early-life factors such as low birthweight for gestational age, and low paternal involvement during childhood, may affect women's reproductive development, leading to earlier target and achieved ages for reproduction. Differential exposure to these factors may be part of the reason that early fertility persists in socioeconomically disadvantaged groups. We discuss our results with respect to the kinds of interventions likely to affect the rate of teen pregnancy. Am. J. Hum. Biol., 2010. © 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] The Course and Quality of Intimate Relationships Among Psychologically Distressed MothersAMERICAN JOURNAL OF ORTHOPSYCHIATRY, Issue 1 2010Lauren M. Papp The longitudinal course and quality of intimate relationships were tested in relation to maternal depressive symptoms in a sample of 1,275 families from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development. Assessments of mothers' intimate relationship status, intimate relationship quality, and depressive symptoms were obtained on 11 occasions from the birth of a child through age 15. Consistent with predictions, results from hierarchical linear models indicated that maternal depressive symptoms over time were associated with a lower probability of being married and lower levels of relationship quality. The strength of the association between relationship quality and depression was stronger than the linkage between relationship course and depression. Sociodemographic characteristics (e.g., mother age, child gender, ethnicity) were more predictive of trajectories of relationship course than relationship quality. Findings are discussed in terms of efforts to prevent and treat the longitudinal interplay between poor intimate relationship functioning and partners' psychopathology and its implications for the overall health and well-being of parents, couples, and children. [source] Childhood Maltreatment and Antisocial Behavior: Comparison of Self-Reported and Substantiated MaltreatmentAMERICAN JOURNAL OF ORTHOPSYCHIATRY, Issue 2 2008Carolyn A. Smith PhD Although accurate assessment of maltreatment is critical to understanding and interrupting its impact on the life course, comparison of different measurement approaches is rare. The goal of this study is to compare maltreatment reports from official Child Protective Services (CPS) records with retrospectively self-reported measures. Research questions address the prevalence and concordance of each type of measure, their relationship to social disadvantage, and their prediction to four antisocial outcomes in adolescence and early adulthood including arrest, self-reported violence, general offending, and illegal drug use. Data to address this comparison come from the Rochester Youth Development Study (RYDS), a longitudinal panel study of 1,000 adolescents. Findings indicate that self-reported retrospective maltreatment is somewhat more prevalent (29%) than official substantiated maltreatment (21%). Among those with official reports, in young adulthood about half self-reported maltreatment, whereas 37% of those self-reporting have an official report. In general, both sources suggest that maltreatment is associated with a higher prevalence of antisocial behavior. It is not clear that combining sources of information improves prediction. [source] Does Voting History Matter?AMERICAN JOURNAL OF POLITICAL SCIENCE, Issue 1 2009Analysing Persistence in Turnout Individuals who vote in one election are more likely to vote in the next. Yet modelling the causal relationship between past and current voting decisions is intrinsically difficult, as this positive association can exist due to habit formation or unobserved heterogeneity. This article overcomes this problem using longitudinal data from the British National Child Development Study (NCDS) to examine voter turnout across three elections. It distinguishes between unobserved heterogeneity caused by fixed individual characteristics and the initial conditions problem, which occurs when voting behavior in a previous, but unobserved, period influences current voting behavior. It finds that, controlling for fixed effects, unobserved heterogeneity has little impact on the estimated degree of habit in voter turnout; however, failing to control for initial conditions reduces the estimate by a half. The results imply that voting in one election increases the probability of voting in a subsequent election by 13%. [source] The Returns to Academic and Vocational Qualifications in BritainBULLETIN OF ECONOMIC RESEARCH, Issue 3 2002Lorraine Dearden This paper uses data from the 1991 sweep of the National Child Development Study (NCDS) and the 1998 Labour Force Survey (LFS) to provide a comprehensive analysis of the labour market returns to academic and vocational qualifications. The results show that the wage premia from academic qualifications are typically higher than from vocational qualifications. However, this gap is reduced somewhat, when we control for the amount of time taken to acquire different qualifications. This is particularly important for vocational courses, which generally take shorter time periods to complete. In the paper we also investigate how returns vary by gender, subsequent qualifications, and the natural ability of individuals. Finally, by comparing the NCDS results with those from the LFS, we estimate the bias that can result from not controlling for factors such as ability, family background and measurement error. The results reveal that the estimated returns in the NCDS equations controlling for ability, family background and measurement error are similar to the simple OLS estimates obtained with the LFS, which do not control for these factors. This suggests that the biases generally offset one another. [source] Substance misuse amongst young people in non-school settings: challenges to practitioners and policy makersCHILD ABUSE REVIEW, Issue 4 2009Patrick McCrystal Abstract Over the past two decades the levels of substance misuse amongst children and young people have increased at a global level generally and within the UK in particular. Some school aged young people are considered to be at an increased risk to substance misuse, particularly those outside mainstream school. However, the literature on substance use by these young people remains comparatively limited. This paper explores this issue through an investigation of cannabis use trends amongst the High Risk Booster Sample of the Belfast Youth Development Study, a longitudinal study of adolescent substance use. It focuses upon the cannabis use patterns of young people excluded from school and those attending Emotional and Behavioural Difficulty units from the age of 11,16 years, groups who are historically categorised as vulnerable to substance misuse. The experience of these young people provides evidence to highlight the contemporary challenges facing policy makers and practitioners when addressing substance use and misuse use amongst these young people. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] A Process Model of Attachment,Friend Linkages: Hostile Attribution Biases, Language Ability, and Mother,Child Affective Mutuality as Intervening MechanismsCHILD DEVELOPMENT, Issue 6 2008Nancy L. McElwain This study identified mechanisms through which child,mother attachment security at 36 months was associated with mother- and teacher-reported friendship quality at 3rd grade. Data from a subsample of 1,071 children (536 boys) participating in the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development were used. Separate structural equation models were tested for mother and teacher reports of peer functioning. For both models, the total indirect effect between attachment security and friendship quality was significant. Tests of specific indirect effects indicated that attachment security was associated with friendship quality via greater mother,child affective mutuality and better language ability at 54 months and fewer hostile attributions (teacher model only) and greater peer competence at first grade. The findings highlight interpersonal and intrapersonal mechanisms of attachment,friend linkages. [source] Infant Temperament Moderates Relations Between Maternal Parenting in Early Childhood and Children's Adjustment in First GradeCHILD DEVELOPMENT, Issue 1 2008Anne Dopkins Stright A differential susceptibility hypothesis proposes that children may differ in the degree to which parenting qualities affect aspects of child development. Infants with difficult temperaments may be more susceptible to the effects of parenting than infants with less difficult temperaments. Using latent change curve analyses to analyze data from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Study of Early Child Care, the current study found that temperament moderated associations between maternal parenting styles during early childhood and children's first-grade academic competence, social skills, and relationships with teachers and peers. Relations between parenting and first-grade outcomes were stronger for difficult than for less difficult infants. Infants with difficult temperaments had better adjustment than less difficult infants when parenting quality was high and poorer adjustment when parenting quality was lower. [source] The Genetic and Environmental Origins of Language Disability and AbilityCHILD DEVELOPMENT, Issue 2 2004Frank M. Spinath This study investigated whether genes affect language impairment to the same extent as they affect differences in language ability following up an earlier study of 579 four-year-old twins with low language performance and their cotwins (Viding et al., in press). The present study selected low-language twins from 6,963 pairs of twins from the Twins Early Development Study assessed for vocabulary and grammar by their parents at 2, 3, and 4 years of age. For impaired groups corresponding to the lowest scoring 5% and 10% at each age, twin concordances and model-fitting analyses indicated substantial genetic influence on the mean difference between affected children and the population (h2g), generally higher than for individual differences for the entire sample (h2). [source] Change in Family Income-to-Needs Matters More for Children with LessCHILD DEVELOPMENT, Issue 6 2001Eric Dearing Hierarchical linear modeling was used to model the dynamics of family income-to-needs for participants of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Study of Early Child Care (N= 1,364) from the time that children were 1 through 36 months of age. Associations between change in income-to-needs and 36-month child outcomes (i.e., school readiness, receptive language, expressive language, positive social behavior, and behavior problems) were examined. Although change in income-to-needs proved to be of little importance for children from nonpoor families, it proved to be of great importance for children from poor families. For children in poverty, decreases in income-to-needs were associated with worse outcomes and increases were associated with better outcomes. In fact, when children from poor families experienced increases in income-to-needs that were at least 1 SD above the mean change for poor families, they displayed outcomes similar to their nonpoor peers. The practical importance and policy implications of these findings are discussed. [source] Dynamic Patterns of Time Use in AdolescenceCHILD DEVELOPMENT, Issue 2 2001Michael J. Shanahan Patterns of time use are tangible representations of individual identity and the meaning of age groups in the life course. How do young people allocate their time to multiple domains of involvement, including the school, workplace, family, and peer group? Drawing on longitudinal data from the Youth Development Study (N= 1,010), a person-centered analytic strategy was used to describe configurations of time use through the high school years. Over half of the students were engaged in many domains, although a substantial percentage of students focused their time on one or two domains outside the school. Students who were highly engaged in multiple domains tended to remain so across grade levels, whereas students focused on one or two domains frequently changed their commitments. Plans for school, grade point average, future orientations that emphasize marriage and good citizenship, and gender significantly predicted time-use patterns. These findings elucidate connections among school, work, and other contexts through the high school years. [source] Migration, family structure and children's well-being: a multi-level analysis of the second generation of the 1958 Birth Cohort StudyCHILDREN & SOCIETY, Issue 4 2002Georgia Verropoulou The relationship between moving home, family structure and children's well-being, is examined in the National Child Development Study (NCDS) Second-Generation. Well-being is measured as attainment in maths and reading, and on two behavioural assessments. Multivariate multi-level modelling allows for heterogeneity both within and between families. We find little to no association between moving home and children's well-being. Associations between family living arrangements and children's development appear to be mediated by human, financial and social capital, but not, on average, worsened by geographical mobility. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Oral health-related quality of life in a birth cohort of 32-year oldsCOMMUNITY DENTISTRY AND ORAL EPIDEMIOLOGY, Issue 4 2008Herenia P. Lawrence Abstract,,, Objectives:, To describe oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) among New Zealand adults and assess the relationship between clinical measures of oral health status and a well-established OHRQoL measure, controlling for sex, socioeconomic status (SES) and use of dental services. Methods:, A birth cohort of 924 dentate adults (participants in the Dunedin Multidisciplinary Health and Development Study) was systematically examined for dental caries, tooth loss, and periodontal attachment loss (CAL) at age 32 years. OHRQoL was measured using the 14-item Oral Health Impact Profile questionnaire (OHIP-14). The questionnaire also collected data on each study member's occupation, self-rated oral health and reasons for seeing a dental care provider. SES was determined from each individual's occupation at age 32 years. Results:, The mean total OHIP-14 score was 8.0 (SD 8.1); 23.4% of the cohort reported one or more OHIP problems ,fairly often' or ,very often'. When the prevalence of impacts ,fairly/very often' was modeled using logistic regression, having untreated caries, two or more sites with CAL of 4+ mm and 1 or more teeth missing by age 32 years remained significantly associated with OHRQoL, after adjusting for sex and ,episodic' dental care. Multivariate analysis using Poisson regression determined that being in the low SES group was also associated with the mean number of impacts (extent) and the rated severity of impacts. Conclusions:, OHIP-14 scores were significantly associated with clinical oral health status indicators, independently of sex and socioeconomic inequalities in oral health. The prevalence of impacts (23.4%) in the cohort was significantly greater than age- and sex-standardized estimates from Australia (18.2%) and the UK (15.9%). [source] Dental neglect and dental health among 26-year-olds in the Dunedin Multidisciplinary Health and Development StudyCOMMUNITY DENTISTRY AND ORAL EPIDEMIOLOGY, Issue 6 2000W. Murray Thomson Abstract ,Objectives: To test a modification of a previously-reported six-item dental neglect scale and examine its association with dental health and service-use among young adults. Methods: Of the 980 26-year-old participants in the Dunedin Multidisciplinary Health and Development Study, 973 completed the scale and 930 underwent dental examination. Sociodemographic and dental service-use data were collected using a self-report questionnaire. Results: Factor analysis showed that five of the original six items loaded on the scale, and responses to those items were summed to give a dental neglect scale score for each participant. Scale scores were normally distributed (mean=13.0; SD=3.6; range 5 to 25), and a median split created higher and lower dental neglect groups. A higher proportion of the higher neglect group group: (i) were male; (ii) rated their dental health and dental appearance as below average; (iii) brushed their teeth infrequently; (iv) had extensive plaque deposits; (v) used dental services only when they had a problem; (vi) had not recently seen a dentist; (vii) had lost at least one permanent tooth because of caries, and (viii) had a greater number of decayed tooth surfaces. Conclusions: Although further examination of its validity and reliability is indicated, the dental neglect scale appears to hold promise for use in dental health promotion, not only in highlighting population groups or individuals who would benefit from intensive health promotion efforts, but also in the evaluation of health promotion interventions. [source] Anonymous non-response analysis in the ABCD cohort study enabled by probabilistic record linkagePAEDIATRIC & PERINATAL EPIDEMIOLOGY, Issue 3 2009M. Tromp Summary Selective non-response is an important threat to study validity as it can lead to selection bias. The Amsterdam Born Children and their Development study (ABCD-study) is a large cohort study addressing the relationship between life style, psychological conditions, nutrition and sociodemographic background of pregnant women and their children's health. Possible selective non-response and selection bias in the ABCD-study were analysed using national perinatal registry data. ABCD-study data were linked with national perinatal registry data by probabilistic medical record linkage techniques. Differences in the prevalence of relevant risk factors (sociodemographic and care-related factors) and birth outcomes between respondents and non-respondents were tested using Pearson chi-squared tests. Selection bias (i.e. bias in the association between risk factors and specific outcomes) was analysed by regression analysis with and without adjustment for participation status. The ABCD non-respondents were significantly younger, more often non-western, and more often multiparae. Non-respondents entered antenatal care later, were more often under supervision of an obstetrician and had a spontaneous delivery more often. Non-response however, was not significantly associated with preterm birth (odds ratio 1.10; 95% CI 0.93, 1.29) or low birthweight (odds ratio 1.16; 95% CI 0.98, 1.37) after adjustment for sociodemographic risk factors. The associations found between risk factors and adverse pregnancy outcomes were similar for respondents and non-respondents. Anonymised record linkage of cohort study data with national registry data indicated that selective non-response was present in the ABCD-study, but selection bias was acceptably low and did not influence the main study questions. [source] Is adiposity across life associated with subsequent hysterectomy risk?BJOG : AN INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF OBSTETRICS & GYNAECOLOGY, Issue 2 2008Findings from the 1946 British birth cohort study Objective, To examine the associations between adiposity at time points from early life onwards and subsequent hysterectomy risk. Design, Prospective birth cohort study. Setting, England, Scotland and Wales. Population, Women from the Medical Research Council National Survey of Health and Development study, with complete data on hysterectomy status (n= 1790). Methods, Survival analysis methods were used to examine the associations between body mass index at time points across life and subsequent hysterectomy rates. Main outcome measure, Self-reported hysterectomy with or without oophorectomy. Results, From 20 years onwards, those women who were classified as underweight had lower hysterectomy rates, and from 36 years onwards, those women who were overweight had higher hysterectomy rates than those who were normal weight. Women who were obese in adolescence and early adulthood had lower rates of hysterectomy than those who were normal weight, although numbers categorised as obese at these ages were small. Women who were obese in later adulthood had higher subsequent rates of hysterectomy. Greater increases in weight between ages 36 and 53 years were associated with higher rates of hysterectomy in later adulthood. These results were not explained by parity, age at menarche or socio-economic position. Conclusions, These results suggest that variation in hysterectomy rates may be partially explained by variation in adiposity, and so with the recent changes in levels of overweight and obesity in populations, there may be increasing demand for gynaecological treatments in the future. [source] Succinimide formation at Asn 55 in the complementarity determining region of a recombinant monoclonal antibody IgG1 heavy chainJOURNAL OF PHARMACEUTICAL SCIENCES, Issue 10 2009Boxu Yan Abstract We investigated the formation and stability of succinimide, an intermediate of deamidation events, in recombinant monoclonal antibodies (mAbs). During the course of an analytical development study of an IgG1 mAbs, we observed that a specific antibody population could be separated from the main product by cation-exchange (CEX) chromatography. The cell-based bioassay measured a ,70% drop in potency for this fraction. Liquid chromatography time-of-flight mass spectrometry (LC,TOF/MS) and tandem mass spectrometry (LC,MS/MS) analyses showed that the modified CEX fraction resulted from the formation of a succinimide intermediate at Asn 55 in the complementarity determining region (CDR) of the heavy chain. Biacore assay revealed a ,50% decrease in ligand binding activity for the succinimide-containing Fab with respect to the native Fab. It was found that the succinimide form existed as a stable intermediate with a half-life of ,3 h at 37°C and pH 7.6. Stress studies indicated that mildly acidic pH conditions (pH 5) favored succinimide accumulation, causing a gradual loss in potency. Hydrolysis of the succinimide resulted in a further drop in potency. The implications of the succinimide formation at Asn 55, a highly conserved residue among IgG1 (mAbs), are discussed. © 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc. and the American Pharmacists Association J Pharm Sci 98:3509,3521, 2009 [source] The extent and nature of family alcohol and drug use: findings from the belfast youth development studyCHILD ABUSE REVIEW, Issue 6 2008Andrew Percy Abstract Using data from an ongoing longitudinal study of adolescent drug use, this study examines the proportion of teenagers living with parents who are problem alcohol or drug users. Around two per cent of parents report high levels of problem drinking and one per cent report problem drug use. If a broader definition of hazardous drinking is used, the proportion of teenagers exposed increases to over 15 per cent. When substance use is examined at a family level (taking account of alcohol and drug use amongst dependent children in addition to that of parents), the proportion of families experiencing some form of substance use is considerable. These findings add further support to the call for increased recognition of the needs of dependent children within adult treatment services when working with parents. Likewise, the reduction of harm to children as a result of parental substance use should be an increasingly important priority for family support services. This is likely to be achieved through the closer integration of addiction and family services. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] | |||||||||||||||||||