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Successive Days (successive + day)
Selected AbstractsYoung infants' vocalizations towards mother versus stranger: associations with the infant,mother relationshipINFANT AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT, Issue 5 2005Susanne Völker Abstract Infants' differential vocal response (DVR) towards their mother and a female stranger at 3 months of age has been predominantly investigated as an index of early cognitive functioning. The present study explored the relationship between DVR and different infant and mother indicators of the developing relationship quality in a sample of 23 mother,infant dyads. Mother,infant interactions and stranger,infant interactions were videotaped during home visits when the infants were 3 months old. At the age of 12 months, infants' behaviour was assessed in the Ainsworth's strange situation. In both assessments, mothers noted the infants' behavioural states on 3 successive days. Results revealed a specific relation between DVR and the emotional atmosphere of the early mother,infant interaction. Particularly, DVR was less pronounced in favour of the mother when the mother displayed emotional expressions defined as rejection. DVR is discussed as an index that may indicate both infant emotional engagement and infant cognitive competencies. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Effects of pentoxifylline on coagulation profile and disseminated intravascular coagulation incidence in Egyptian septic neonatesJOURNAL OF CLINICAL PHARMACY & THERAPEUTICS, Issue 3 2010M. Adel Msc Summary Background and objectives:, Neonatal sepsis is frequently associated with pathological activation of the coagulation system, leading to microcirculatory derangement and multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS). The key role in the pathogenesis of sepsis has been attributed to proinflammatory cytokines. These trigger the development of disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) via the tissue factor-dependent pathway of coagulation. Pentoxifylline (PTX), a methylxanthine derivative that is used in peripheral vascular disease, has the potential to modify inflammatory response. The current work was designed to evaluate the potential protective effects of PTX against sepsis-induced microcirculatory derangement in Egyptian neonates. Methods:, A double-blind placebo-controlled quasi-randomized design was used. Thirty-seven neonates with sepsis were randomly allocated into two groups. Seventeen patients were given PTX (5 mg/kg/h for 6 h; for 6 successive days). Twenty patients received equivalent volume of normal saline and represented the placebo group. Prothrombin time (PT), Activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT), fibrinogen, d -dimer, C-reactive protein (CRP), complete blood count (CBC), also hemodynamic parameters comprising arterial blood pressure, heart rate, capillary refill and urinary output were assessed in both groups before and after treatment. Results:, Coagulation parameters in the two groups showed no significant differences. However, a higher incidence of DIC was observed in the placebo group neonates. PTX significantly lowered the percentage of bleeding (P = 0·0128) and less frequent use of FFP was observed in the PTX group (35·53% in PTX group vs. 80% in placebo group, P = 0·003). Incidence of MODS was significantly lower (P = 0·037) and hospital stay duration of survivors was significantly shorter (P = 0·044) in the PTX treated-infants. Conclusion:, Pentoxifylline protects against sepsis-induced microcirculatory derangement in neonates. It significantly lowered the incidence of bleeding and MODS and shortened the length of hospital stay. [source] Gender- and Age-Related Differences in the Association Between Social Relationship Quality and Trait Levels of Salivary CortisolJOURNAL OF RESEARCH ON ADOLESCENCE, Issue 2 2008Alan Booth The majority of studies linking individual differences in the quality of social relationships and activity of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis have focused on the early development of attachment between infants and their caregivers. Later in development, during middle childhood and adolescence, the parallel HPA links to age-appropriate social relationships with peers, parents, and siblings remain largely unspecified. This study addressed this knowledge gap. Early morning saliva samples were obtained from 367 children in middle childhood (ages 6,10) and 357 adolescents (M age=11,16 years) on two successive days 1 year apart and assayed for cortisol. Latent state,trait modeling was employed to separate variance in cortisol levels attributable to "stable trait-like" versus "state or situational specific" sources to minimize the high moment-to-moment variation in basal adrenocortical activity. During adolescence but not middle childhood, and for girls but not boys, lower levels of "trait cortisol" were associated with poor quality social relationships. The pattern was robust, extending to the quality of relationships with parents, siblings, and peers. Importantly, the relationship was independent of the rates of internalizing or externalizing problem behavior. We found that isolating the variance in cortisol levels attributable to stable intrinsic sources revealed an interpretable pattern that linked individual differences in basal HPA activity to social relationships during adolescence. Studies are needed to reveal the biosocial mechanisms involved in the establishment of this gender- and age-specific phenomenon and to decipher whether or not individual differences in this hormone-behavior link are adaptive. [source] Storm prediction over Europe using the ECMWF Ensemble Prediction SystemMETEOROLOGICAL APPLICATIONS, Issue 3 2002Roberto Buizza Three severe storms caused great damage in Europe in December 1999. The first storm hit Denmark and Germany on 3 and 4 December, and the other two storms crossed France and Germany on 26 and 28 December. In this study, the performance of the Ensemble Prediction System (EPS) at the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecast (ECMWF) in predicting these intense storms is investigated. Results indicate that the EPS gave early indications of possible severe storm occurrence, and was especially useful when the deterministic TL319L60 forecasts issued on successive days were highly inconsistent. These results indicate that the EPS is a valuable tool for assessing quantitatively the risk of severe weather and issuing early warnings of possible disruptions. The impact of an increase of the ensemble system horizontal resolution (TL255 integration from a TL511 analysis instead of the operational TL159 integration from a TL319 analysis) on the system performance is also investigated. Results show that the resolution increase enhances the ensemble performance in predicting the position and the intensity of intense storms. Copyright © 2002 Royal Meteorological Society. [source] Oral administration of a centrally acting ghrelin receptor agonist to conscious rats triggers defecationNEUROGASTROENTEROLOGY & MOTILITY, Issue 1 2009A. D. Shafton Abstract, Agonists of ghrelin receptors that cross the blood,brain barrier, but not ghrelin itself, administered peripherally (intravenous or subcutaneous), cause defecation by acting on centres in the lumbo-sacral spinal cord. It is not established whether orally administered ghrelin receptor agonists can have this action. We tested GSK894281 for its effectiveness at the ghrelin receptor and its ability to cross the blood,brain barrier. GSK894281 was effective at the human and rat ghrelin receptors at 1,10 nmol L,1, but was >1000-fold less potent at the motilin receptor. It achieved a similar blood concentration by oral or intravenous administration. Oral bioavailability was 74% and brain : blood ratio at steady state was 0.7 : 1. GSK894281 administered orally (1,100 mg kg,1) caused a prompt, dose-related production of faecal pellets; at 10 mg kg,1 faecal output was four times greater than after carrier. The output was the greatest in the first half hour and subsided over the next 90 min. At an oral dose of 10 mg kg,1, the compound was effective on eight successive days. Faecal output was, on average, increased threefold over control in the 2 h after administration on each of the 8 days. This dose also significantly increased food consumption. Rats showed no adverse behavioural effects to the drug on a single application, but at the end of a week of administration they avoided the gavaging pipette. Oral administration of ghrelin receptor agonists that enter the central nervous system could possibly be used to relieve acute cases of constipation or to clear the bowel for colonoscopy. [source] Methodological issues related to exhaled nitric oxide measurement in children aged four to six yearsPEDIATRIC PULMONOLOGY, Issue 2 2005Edward Napier MBBS Abstract This study was designed to test five methodological issues related to measurement of fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FENO) in children aged 4,6 years using commercially available apparatus. Participants attended two randomly selected schools. A respiratory questionnaire was completed. Measurements of FENO were made on successive days, using a NIOX® analyzer employing standard or modified methodologies. Ninety-one children participated in the study (mean age, 5.3 years; 46 boys). Using a standard methodology (n,=,61), FENO was successfully measured in 28 (46%) children, 1/12 aged 4 years, 12/25 aged 5 years, and 15/24 aged 6 years (trend test P,=,0.01). On the first assessment, FENO could be determined in more boys than girls (64% vs. 30%, respectively, P,=,0.008), but this gender difference was not apparent on the second assessment. Exhaled NO was reproducible over a 24-hr period; the mean difference between repeated measurements of natural log (ln) FENO was 0.016 parts per billion (ppb) (95% confidence limits, ,0.479, 0.511), n,=,20. Data from 35 assessments showed that values of FENO did not alter over nine individual, successive measurements. Use of a modified methodology in 30 children increased success in obtaining FENO, but these values were unreliable. In conclusion, measurements of FENO can be obtained in the majority of 5- and 6-year-old but not 4-year-old children. Exhaled NO measurements were reproducible over a 24-hr interval, and did not change over up to nine expiratory maneuvers in these young children. Pediatr Pulmonol. 2005; 40:97,104. © 2005 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Effects of an environmental enrichment using a drum can on behavioral, physiological and productive characteristics in fattening beef cattleANIMAL SCIENCE JOURNAL, Issue 3 2006Toshie ISHIWATA ABSTRACT To evaluate the effects of environmental enrichment on behavioral, physiological and productive characteristics, 71 Japanese Black × Holstein steers (8 months of age; 299.5 ± 22.6 kg) were allocated to three pens in two repetitive experiments. Pen C (n = 11 and 12) consisted of a feeding alley for grain feed, a trough for dry hay, a water bowl and a resting space as a control pen. Pen D (n = 12 and 12) included a drum can (58 cm diameter ×,90 cm height) containing hay. Pen GD (n = 12 and 12) included a drum can that was placed around artificial plastic turf (30 × 120 cm) for grooming. The drum cans were removed after 5 months of installation. Behavioral observations were made for 2 h at 10 min intervals after feeding on three successive days each month for 10 months. Agonistic interactions were also continuously observed for 1 h after feeding to assess the dominance order (DO). Sampling blood and measuring bodyweight were performed bimonthly. The steers used the drum can frequently for 3 months after installation (1st, 2nd, 3rd months vs 4 months, all P < 0.05). The frequency of total eating of grain feed and hay was higher in pen D and pen GD than in pen C (both P < 0.01), while it was lowest in pen GD after removal of the drum can (P < 0.05). Grooming at the drum can was observed more frequently in pen GD than in pen D (P < 0.05). After they finished eating the grain feed, they ate hay at the drum can that contained additional hay rather than at the trough for hay (P < 0.01). Plasma dopamine concentrations were higher in pen D than in pen C (P < 0.05), and serum triglyceride concentrations were higher in pen C than in pen GD (P < 0.05) during the installation of the drum can. After removal of the drum can, serum total cholesterol concentrations became higher in pen D and GD than in pen C (both P < 0.05). Average daily gain correlated positively with the frequency of eating hay at the drum can in pen D (rs = 0.52, P < 0.01). In pen GD, the frequency of using the drum can correlated negatively with DO (rs = ,0.59, P < 0.01). Carcass belly fat was thicker in pens D and GD than in pen C (both P < 0.01). In pen GD, the frequency of eating hay (rs = 0.79, P < 0.01) and grooming at the drum can (rs = 0.63, P < 0.05) correlated positively with the marbling score. Although social factor affected the steers using the drum can, installing it in the early fattening stage encouraged the steers to eat and groom there and resulted in better carcass characteristics through the prolonged physiological positive effects. [source] Occupational injuries by hour of day and day of week: a 20-year studyAUSTRALIAN AND NEW ZEALAND JOURNAL OF PUBLIC HEALTH, Issue 6 2006Eric Wigglesworth Objective: To examine by hour of day and day of week the 750,000 compensation claims that were lodged by male workers in Queensland, Australia, during the 20-year period from 1968 to 1988, including an investigation into some possible reasons for the increased number of claims on Mondays and the reduced number of claims on Fridays. Method: The study was based on the collection entitled Industrial Accident Statistics (Bulletin 79), published annually by the Australian Bureau of Statistics, Queensland office. This was the only State collection to include data on compensated injuries categorised by hour of day and day of week. There was no Australia-wide dataset of compensated occupational injuries. Results: Compensation claims were not evenly distributed through the working week. There were more injuries on Mondays (23.6% of the total) than on Tuesdays (21.8%), than on Wednesdays (20.3%), than on Thursdays (18%), than on Fridays (16.3%). There were more injuries in the mornings than in the afternoons for every day of the working week. Conclusions and Implications: This study confirms the existence of a steady reduction in workers' compensation injury claims on successive days of the working week. One possible explanation for this finding is offered as a basis for further research into the reasons for this trend. Hopefully, the results of these and later studies may suggest remedial measures that will help reduce the number of occupational injuries. [source] Systemic immunosuppressant therapy in childhoodCLINICAL & EXPERIMENTAL DERMATOLOGY, Issue 4 2002David Atherton The indications for systemic immunosuppressant therapy are much the same in children as in adults. Perhaps the most important difference is the need in a child to consider more carefully the patient's likely future therapy requirements. This need reflects a justifiable anxiety concerning the longer-term toxicity associated with some of these drugs. It is obvious that special attention should be paid to the dosage regimens that are appropriate in children. However, otherwise the principles of treatment are essentially the same as in adults. This talk will focus on the use of azathioprine in atopic eczema, methotrexate in psoriasis and linear morphoea, and intravenous methylprednisolone in severe muco-cutancous erythema multiforme and toxic epidermal necrolysis. The value of azathioprine as a treatment for severe childhood eczema was greatly increased by the elucidation of the metabolic pathways for this drug, and by the development of an assay for thiopurine methyl transferase to allow detection of those at greatest risk of myelosuppression. We now treat children with normal TPMT levels with 3 mg/kg per day with gratifying therapeutic response and limited requirement for monitoring of blood counts and liver function. More recently we have successfully treated TPMTHL heterozygotes with doses of around 1.5 mg/kg per day. We now consider azathioprine as superior to cyclosporin as a systemic therapy for atopic eczema. The value of methotrexate in adults with plaque psoriasis and generalized pustular psoriasis is well established. It is equally useful in children with these disorders, and the most appropriate dosage appears to be in the region of 0.3,0.4 mg/kg as a single weekly dose. Children generally tolerate oral therapy well. Methotrexate also appears helpful in arresting the progression of linear morphoea, both in the case of coup de sabre lesions and progressive hemi-facial atrophy, and in limb lesions that are interfering with joint mobility or are causing profound lipoatrophy. Intravenous methylprednisolone appears to be of value in several acute dermatoses in childhood, but is most commonly used at Great Ormond Street Hospital in the hope of arresting progression of severe muco-cutaneous erythema multiforme and toxic epidermal necrolysis. Various dose regimens are used in children, but in our unit we use a dose of 20,30 mg/kg per day, up to a maximum of 500 mg, for 3 successive days. Each dose is given over period of 2 h with frequent monitoring of vital signs, particularly blood pressure. [source] Inhibition of calcineurin increases monocarboxylate transporters 1 and 4 protein and glycolytic enzyme activities in rat soleus muscleCLINICAL AND EXPERIMENTAL PHARMACOLOGY AND PHYSIOLOGY, Issue 3 2005Masataka Suwa SUMMARY 1.,The present study was designed to examine the role of calcineurin in muscle metabolic components by the administration of the specific calcineurin inhibitor cyclosporine A (CsA) to rats. 2.,Male Wistar rats were divided into either a CsA-treated group (CT) or a vehicle-treated group (VT). Cyclosporine A was administered subcutaneously to rats at a rate of 25 mg/kg bodyweight per day for 10 successive days. Thereafter, changes in muscle enzyme activities and glucose transporter (GLUT)-4 and monocarboxylate transporter (MCT)-1 and MCT-4 proteins in the slow-twitch soleus and fast-twitch extensor digitorum longus (EDL) muscles were examined. 3.,There was a significant increase in MCT-1 and MCT-4 proteins in the soleus muscle in the CT group, but not in the EDL muscle. The activities of hexokinase, pyruvate kinase and lactate dehydrogenase in the soleus muscle also increased significantly in the CT group, but a similar increase in enzyme activity was not seen in EDL muscle. The activities of citrate synthase or malate dehydrogenase and the GLUT-4 protein content were not altered by CsA treatment in either the soleus or EDL muscles. 4.,These results seem to imply that calcineurin negatively regulates the components of glucose/lactate metabolism, except for GLUT-4, especially in slow-twitch muscle. [source] | |||||||||||||