bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Supporting insensitive mothers: the Vilnius randomized control trial of video‐feedback intervention to promote maternal sensitivity and infant attachment security
Authors: Kalinauskiene L. , Cekuoliene D. , Van IJzendoorn M. H. , Bakermans‐Kranenburg M. J. , Juffer F. , Kusakovskaja I. 
Published: March 2009

AbstractObjective  This randomized control trial examined the effects of a short‐term, interaction‐focused and attachment‐based video‐feedback intervention (VIPP: video‐feedback intervention to promote positive parenting).Design  VIPP effect on mothers' sensitive responsiveness and infant–mother attachment security was evaluated in a sample (n = 54) of low sensitive, non‐clinical, middle class Lithuanian mothers.Methods  Maternal sensitivity was assessed in a free play session with the Ainsworth's sensitivity scale, and attachment security was observed using the Attachment Q sort for home observations.Results  We found that the intervention mothers indeed significantly improved their sensitive responsiveness through participation in our VIPP. The effect size was large according to Cohen's criteria, d = 0.78. VIPP enhanced maternal sensitive responsiveness even when maternal age, educational level, depression, daily hassles, efficacy, infant gender, and infant negative and positive affect were controlled for. However, attachment security in the VIPP infants was not enhanced after the intervention, compared with the control infants, and the infants did not seem to be differentially susceptible to the increase in maternal sensitivity dependent on their temperamental reactivity.Conclusion  We suggest that a relatively brief and low‐cost programme can provide effective support for mothers who lack sensitivity in the interactions with their infants.
A pilot study of the Incredible Years Teacher Training programme and a curriculum unit on social and emotional skills in community pre‐schools in Jamaica
Authors: Baker‐Henningham H. , Walker S. , Powell C. , Gardner J. Meeks 
Published: March 2009

AbstractBackground  School‐based interventions involving teacher and/or child training have been shown to benefit teacher practices and to prevent conduct problems and improve children's social and emotional competence in developed countries; however, we are aware of no reports from a developing country. We conducted a pilot study of the Incredible Years Teacher Training programme and a curriculum unit on social and emotional skills based on concepts and activities drawn from the Incredible Years Dina Dinosaur Classroom Curriculum to determine if this approach is appropriate for use with Jamaican pre‐school teachers and children.Methods  Five pre‐schools in Kingston, Jamaica were randomly assigned to an intervention (3 pre‐schools with 15 classrooms) or control (2 pre‐schools with 12 classrooms) condition. Intervention involved seven whole‐day teacher workshops using the Incredible Years Teacher Training programme supplemented by 14 child lessons in each class. The project was evaluated through structured observations of four categories of teacher behaviour and four observer ratings: two rating scales of child behaviour and two rating scales of classroom atmosphere.Results  Significant intervention benefits were found to teachers' behaviour with increased positive behaviour [b = 7.9; 95% confidence interval (CI): 3.5, 12.3], reduced negative behaviour (b =−3.5; 95% CI: −6.6, −0.2) and increases in the extent to which teachers promoted children's social and emotional skills (b = 46.4; 95% CI: 11.0, 81.7). The number of teacher commands was not significantly reduced (b =−2.71; 95% CI: −6.01, 0.59). Significant intervention benefits were found to ratings of child behaviour with an increase in children's appropriate behaviour (b = 5.7, 95% CI: 1.0, 10.8) and in children's interest and enthusiasm (b = 7.2, 95% CI: 0.9, 13.5). Intervention also benefited classroom atmosphere with increases in opportunities provided for children to share and help each other (b = 1.3, 95% CI: 0.5, 2.1) and in teacher warmth (b = 1.3, 95% CI: 0.9, 1.8).Conclusion  This is a promising approach for improving the emotional climate of Jamaican pre‐school classrooms and for improving child behaviour and participation.
Implications of family environment and language development: comparing typically developing children to those with spina bifida
Authors: Vachha B. , Adams R. 
Published: March 2009

AbstractIntroduction  This study examines the effect of family environment on language performance in children with myelomeningocele compared with age‐ and education‐matched controls selected from the same geographic region.Methods  Seventy‐five monolingual (English) speaking children with myelomeningocele [males: 30; ages: 7–16 years; mean age: 10 years 1 month, standard deviation (SD) 2 years 7 months] and 35 typically developing children (males: 16; ages 7–16 years; mean age: 10 years 9 months, SD 2 years 6 months) participated in the study. The Comprehensive Assessment of Spoken Language (CASL) and the Wechsler tests of intelligence were administered individually to all participants. The CASL measures four subsystems: lexical, syntactic, supralinguistic and pragmatic. Parents completed the Family Environment Scale (FES) questionnaire and provided background demographic information. Standard independent sample t‐tests, chi‐squared and Fisher's exact tests were used to make simple comparisons between groups for age, socio‐economic status, gender and ethnicity. Spearman correlation coefficients were used to detect associations between language and FES data. Group differences for the language and FES scores were analysed with a multivariate analysis of variance at a P‐value of 0.05.Results  For the myelomeningocele group, both Spearman correlation and partial correlation analyses revealed statistically significant positive relationships for the FES ‘intellectual–cultural orientation’ (ICO) variable and language performance in all subsystems (P < 0.01). For controls, positive associations were seen between: (1) ICO and lexical/semantic and syntactic subsystems; and (2) FES ‘independence’ and lexical/semantic and supralinguistic tasks.Conclusions  The relationship between language performance and family environment appears statistically and intuitively sound. As in our previous study, the positive link between family focus on intellectually and culturally enhancing activities and language performance among children with myelomeningocele and shunted hydrocephalus remains robust. Knowledge of this relationship should assist parents and professionals in supporting language development through activities within the natural learning environment.
Sibling separation and psychological problems of double AIDS orphans in rural China – a comparison analysis
Authors: Gong J. , Li X. , Fang X. , Zhao G. , Lv Y. , Zhao J. , Lin X. , Zhang L. , Chen X. , Stanton B. 
Published: March 2009

AbstractObjective  We investigated the psychological impact of sibling separation among children who lost both of their parents to AIDS and were placed in group care or kinship care settings in rural China.Methods  Comparative analysis of cross‐sectional survey data among 155 children among whom 96 experienced sibling separation. Trauma symptoms (Anxiety, Depression, Anger, Post‐traumatic stress, Dissociation, Sexual concerns) were compared between the AIDS orphans who experienced sibling separation and those who did not using analysis of variance and multivariate analysis of covariance.Results  Among the participants (47.7% girls) with an average age of 12.4 years, univariate and multivariate analyses showed that separation from siblings was associated with significantly higher scores in anxiety, depression, anger and dissociation before or after controlling for gender, age, care arrangement, number of household replacement, trusting relationship with the current caregivers and perceived quality of current living condition. Sibling separation among orphans was not associated with level of post‐traumatic stress and sexual concerns.Conclusion  AIDS orphans separated from their siblings suffered from increased psychological distress compared with those who remained with their siblings. The data in the current study suggest that care arrangement for AIDS orphan should include accommodating the siblings together or providing them with opportunities for frequent contact and/or communication with each other. Appropriate psychological counselling should be given to those orphans experiencing sibling separation.
Visceral fat accumulation is a significant risk factor for white matter lesions in Japanese type 2 diabetic patients
Authors: Anan F. , Masaki T. , Eto T. , Iwao T. , Shimomura T. , Umeno Y. , Eshima N. , Saikawa T. , Yoshimatsu H. 
Published: March 2009

AbstractBackground  The presence of white matter lesions (WML) is an important prognostic factor for the development of stroke. The elevated visceral fat accumulation (VFA) has been reported to be closely related to the development of atherosclerosis. This preliminary study was therefore designed to test the hypothesis that the presence of WML correlates with VFA and insulin resistance in type 2 diabetic patients not receiving insulin treatment.Material and methods  Based on brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), 95 type 2 diabetic patients were divided into two groups: WML‐positive group (aged 59 ± 7 years, mean ± SD n = 37) and WML‐negative group (aged 58 ± 5, years, n = 58). The level of blood glucose was assessed by fasting plasma glucose (FPG), fasting immunoreactive insulin, homeostasis model assessment (HOMA) index, and haemoglobin A1c. The fat distribution was evaluated by measuring the visceral fat accumulation by abdominal computerized tomography at the umbilical level.Results  The body mass index was higher in the WML‐positive group than in the WML‐negative group (P < 0·005). Plasma levels of triglycerides were higher while high‐density lipoprotein cholesterol was lower in the WML‐positive group than in the WML‐negative group (P < 0·05 and P < 0·01, respectively). FPG (P < 0·01), insulin concentrations (P < 0·0001), HOMA index (P < 0·0001) and VFA (<0·0001) levels were higher in the WML‐positive group than in the WML‐negative group. Multivariate logistic analysis revealed that WML was independently predicted by the high VFA and insulin resistance (P < 0·001, P < 0·0001, respectively).Conclusions  The results of this preliminary study indicate that the presence of WML was associated with the high VFA and insulin resistance in Japanese patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Further larger cohort studies are warranted to confirm these findings.
Significance of white blood cell count and its subtypes in patients with acute coronary syndrome
Authors: Huang G. , Zhong X.‐N. , Zhong B. , Chen Y.‐Q. , Liu Z.‐Z. , Su L. , Ling Z.‐Y. , Cao H. , Yin Y.‐H. 
Published: March 2009

AbstractBackground  Inflammation plays a role in the pathogenesis of coronary atherosclerosis.Materials and methods  Six hundred twenty‐three patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) referred for coronary angiography for the first time in our hospital were enrolled in this study. White blood cell and its subtypes were measured on admission. The study population was divided into three groups based on total white blood cell count and followed up. Clinical end points were major adverse cardiac events (MACEs), including cardiogenic death, stroke, heart failure, non‐fatal myocardial infarction, rehospitalization for angina pectoris.Results  The median age was 68 years (range 31–92) and 64·2% of the patients were men. The median white blood cell count was 6·48 × 109 L−1 (range 2·34–27·10 × 109 L−1). The median follow‐up duration was 21 months (range 1–116) and MACEs occurred in 167 patients. The multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression model revealed that neutrophil count [Relative risk = 1·098, 95% Confidence interval (CI): 1·010–1·193, P = 0·029) was a risk factor for MACEs. The logistic regression model revealed that lymphocyte count [Odds ratio (OR) = 1·075, 95% CI: 1·012–1·142, P = 0·018] and monocyte count (OR = 8·578, 95% CI: 2·687–27·381, P < 0·001) were predictive of stenosis ≥ 75%; Neutrophil proportion (OR = 1·060, 95% CI: 1·007–1·115, P = 0·026), monocyte count (OR = 12·370, 95% CI: 1·298–118·761, P = 0·029) were predictive of the presence of multivessel disease. Kaplan–Meier analysis of short‐term and long‐term cumulative survival showed no significant statistical differences among three groups.Conclusions  Neutrophil count adds prognostic information to MACEs in ACS. Monocyte count and lymphocyte count are predictive of severity of coronary atherosclerosis.
Gravity contributions to the understanding of salt tectonics from the Jebel Cheid area (dome zone, Northern Tunisia)
Authors: Hamdi‐Nasr Imen , Hédi Inoubli Mohamed , Ben Salem Abdelhamid , Tlig Saïd , Mansouri Abdelbaki 
Published: March 2009

ABSTRACTDetailed gravity measurements integrated with geological data were computed to constrain the mechanisms that were active during the emplacement of the Triassic evaporite‐bearing folds of Jebel Cheid from the salt‐dome zone in the Atlassic region. The gravity analysis consists in mapping the contrasting gravity responses: complete Bouguer anomaly, residual anomaly and derivative maps; the main results display a positive amplitude gravity anomaly as the response of Triassic evaporite bodies and important NE–SW‐trending features at the boundaries between the Triassic outcrops and their enveloping strata. In contrast with gravity calculations of a salt dome structure usually resulting in negative gravity anomaly models, the Jebel Cheid clearly expresses a positive gravity anomaly; furthermore, this result is supported by synthetic gravity interpretation.
Operator‐oriented CRS interpolation
Authors: Hoecht German , Ricarte Patrice , Bergler Steffen , Landa Evgeny 
Published: March 2009

ABSTRACTIn common‐reflection‐surface imaging the reflection arrival time field is parameterized by operators that are of higher dimension or order than in conventional methods. Using the common‐reflection‐surface approach locally in the unmigrated prestack data domain opens a potential for trace regularization and interpolation. In most data interpolation methods based on local coherency estimation, a single operator is designed for a target sample and the output amplitude is defined as a weighted average along the operator. This approach may fail in presence of interfering events or strong amplitude and phase variations. In this paper we introduce an alternative scheme in which there is no need for an operator to be defined at the target sample itself. Instead, the amplitude at a target sample is constructed from multiple operators estimated at different positions. In this case one operator may contribute to the construction of several target samples. Vice versa, a target sample might receive contributions from different operators. Operators are determined on a grid which can be sparser than the output grid. This allows to dramatically decrease the computational costs. In addition, the use of multiple operators for a single target sample stabilizes the interpolation results and implicitly allows several contributions in case of interfering events. Due to the considerable computational expense, common‐reflection‐surface interpolation is limited to work in subsets of the prestack data. We present the general workflow of a common‐reflection‐surface‐based regularization/interpolation for 3D data volumes. This workflow has been applied to an OBC common‐receiver volume and binned common‐offset subsets of a 3D marine data set. The impact of a common‐reflection‐surface regularization is demonstrated by means of a subsequent time migration. In comparison to the time migrations of the original and DMO‐interpolated data, the results show particular improvements in view of the continuity of reflections events. This gain is confirmed by an automatic picking of a horizon in the stacked time migrations.
Reduction of inhibitor titres by infusion of FVIII gene transduced tolerogenic dendritic cells in haemophilic mice
Authors: SU RUI‐JUN , EPP ANGELA , WU XIAOPING , JOSEPHSON NEIL C. , PIPE STEVEN W. 
Published: March 2009

Background:  The development of anti‐factor VIII (FVIII) inhibitory antibodies is a major complication of FVIII replacement therapy in the management of patients with haemophilia A. Evidence is accumulating that tolerogenic dendritic cells (tDCs) generated in vitro can induce regulatory T cells and promote durable antigen‐specific tolerance in vivo.Objective:  In this study we used human FVIII transgene expressing tDCs to reduce inhibitor formation in haemophilic mice.Methods and results:  The tDCs were generated by cell sorting the CD11clowCD45RBhigh population of cells resulting from culture of lineage negative bone marrow cells in media supplemented with IL‐10 and the neural peptides VIP and PACAP38. Expression of co‐stimulatory molecules CD40, CD80 and CD86 and MHC Class II was negative or low on these cells and they remain unactivated even after stimulation with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) or transduction by foamy virus (FV) vectors. Following transduction by a FV vector expressing a B domain deleted human FVIII transgene, 3–5 × 105 tDCs were infused by tail vein injection into Bal/c haemophilic mice (tDC‐F8) weekly for two doses. Real‐time PCR showed that the transduction efficiency of our FV vector in this population of tDCs was approximately 70%. Subsequently, mice were challenged with four weekly intravenous doses of 0.2 μg rhFVIII. Mice that received no cells (Neg‐Ctrl) and mice that received an equivalent number of non‐transduced tDCs (tDC‐Ctrl) were used as controls. After immunization with rhFVIII, the spleen size, weight and total cell numbers in tDC‐F8 mice were consistently lower than in Neg‐Ctrl and tDC‐Ctrl mice by approximately 50%. Flow cytometry assessment of CD4+ splenocytes showed there were an increased number of cells expressing the regulatory T‐cell markers FOXP3, CD25, CD103, CTLA4 and GITR in tDC‐F8 treated mice. We observed a 60% and 61% reduction in the level of inhibitor titres from tDC‐F8 mice compared with Neg‐Ctrl and tDC‐Ctrl mice. Splenic CD4+ T cell proliferation in response to FVIII stimulation in cells from tDC‐F8 mice was suppressed by approximately 90% compared with proliferation of cells from Neg‐Ctrl and tDC‐Ctrl mice. We also showed that pre‐immunized mice treated with four infusions of hFVIII FV vector transduced tDCs had a reduction in their inhibitor titres by 54% (P < 0.05). No significant change in inhibitor titres were seen in untreated controls or mice given four doses of untransduced tDCs.Summary:  These data indicate that hFVIII gene transduced tolerogenic DCs are useful in decreasing inhibitory antibodies in haemophilic mice. More in vivo studies are in progress to confirm the antigen‐specificity and durability of these effects. Our future studies will focus on isolating and characterizing the regulatory T cell populations induced by in vivo administration of transgene modified tDCs.
Recurrence of inhibitor after orthotopic liver transplantation in severe haemophilia A
Authors: STABLER SALLY , RISKE BRENDA , GERAGHTY SUE 
Published: March 2009

Objective:  Orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) treats both hepatitis C‐associated cirrhosis and haemophilia A with factor VIII activity increasing into the normal range in most patients. However, the results of OLT in haemophilia patients with inhibitors have been mixed. We report the follow‐up factor VIII values after OLT in an inhibitor patent.Methods:  A middle‐aged white male with severe haemophilia A, who had been on immune tolerance for >10 years for a high‐responding factor VIII inhibitor underwent OLT. Factor VIII activity and inhibitor titres were followed over the next 9 months.Summary:  The patient had received factor VIII 40 u kg−1 three times/week for many years, which suppressed inhibitor titres to <2 BU. Higher doses of factor had been used to support him through surgery with good results. At the time of OLT, his inhibitor titre was 0.7BU. He was treated prior to transplant surgery with 116 u kg−1 with smaller doses every 2–4 h with monitoring during the operation. In the next 24 h he required another 300 u kg−1 of factor VIII to maintain activity between 61–122%. On postop days 1 and 2 he received 46 and 35 u kg−1 to maintain mean activity of about 50%. Around Day 6 his requirement for factor VIII increased to 70 u kg−1 daily to maintain the same levels. He was treated for possible acute liver rejection with high dose Solu–Medrol and his requirements for factor VIII decreased so that it was discontinued on day 13 postop. Over the next month, his factor VIII activity increased from 57–91% and he had no bleeding complications. Immune suppression was achieved with tacrolimus, mycophenolate and prednisone, the latter being discontinued about 1 month post OLT. After a peak of factor VIII activity at one month, his level decreased so that it was 52% and 37% at 4 and 6 months, respectively, despite the continuous use of immunosuppression for the OLT. Seven months after transplant, the patient underwent a procedure with a prefactor VIII infusion activity of 25% and a 2 h postinfusion activity of 71% after receiving 50 u kg−1. The Bethesda titre for the inhibitor was 0.9 units at this time. The most recent factor activity has dropped to 19% at 9 months. The patient has not had any bleeds post‐transplantation, however.Conclusions:  1. An inhibitor patient on long‐term immune tolerance underwent successful orthotopic liver transplantation with initial normalization of factor VIII activity.2. Beginning 2 months after OLT and continuing to the present, factor VIII activity gradually decreased associated with detection of a low titre recurrent factor VIII inhibitor.Synthesis of factor VIII by the donor liver is not sufficient for total suppression of the long‐standing inhibitor.
Discrimination between the main activating and inhibitory killer cell immunoglobulin‐like receptor positive natural killer cell subsets using newly characterized monoclonal antibodies
Authors: David Gaëlle , Morvan Maelig , Gagne Katia , Kerdudou Nolwenn , Willem Catherine , Devys Anne , Bonneville Marc , Folléa Gilles , Bignon Jean‐Denis , Retière Christelle 
Published: March 2009

SummaryNatural killer (NK) cells are key components of the innate anti‐viral and anti‐tumour immune responses. NK cell function is regulated by the interaction of killer cell immunoglobulin‐like receptors (KIR) with human leucocyte antigen (HLA) class I molecules. In this study, we report on the generation of KIR‐specific antibodies allowing for discrimination between activating and inhibitory KIR. For this purpose, BALB/c mice were immunized with human KIR2DS2 recombinant protein. The precise specificity of KIR2DS2‐specific clones was determined on KIR‐transfected BW cells and KIR‐genotyped NK cells. When used in combination with EB6 (KIR2DL1/2DS1) or GL183 (KIR2DL2/2DL3/2DS2), two KIR‐specific monoclonal antibodies (mAbs), 8C11 (specific for KIR2DL1/2DL2/2DL3/2DS2) and 1F12 (specific for KIR2DL3/2DS2), discriminated activating KIR2DS1 (8C11− EB6+) from inhibitory KIR2DL1 (8C11+ GL183−) and KIR2DL2 (1F12− GL183+), while excluding the main HLA‐Cw‐specific KIR. Using these mAbs, KIR2DS1 was shown to be expressed on the surface of NK cells from all individuals genotyped as KIR2DS1+ (n = 23). Moreover, KIR2DS1 and KIR2DL1 were independently expressed on NK cells. We also determined the amino acid position recognized by the 8C11 and 1F12 mAbs, which revealed that some KIR2DL1 allele‐encoded proteins are not recognized by 8C11. Because most available anti‐KIR mAbs recognize both inhibitory and activating forms of KIR, these newly characterized antibodies should help assess the expression of activating and inhibitory KIR and their functional relevance to NK biology.