bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Maternal parenting stress and its correlates in families with a young child with cerebral palsy
Authors: Glenn S. , Cunningham C. , Poole H. , Reeves D. , Weindling M. 
Published: December 2008

AbstractObjective  To investigate factors predicting parenting stress in mothers of pre‐school children with cerebral palsy.Method  Eighty mothers and children participated. Mothers completed the Parenting Stress Index (PSI) and the following measures of family functioning: family support, family cohesion and adaptability, coping strategies, family needs and locus of control. Children were assessed using the Griffiths Scales and the Gross Motor Function measure. The child's home environment was assessed using Home Observation for Measuring the Environment.Results  Mothers had higher mean total PSI scores than the means for the typical sample; 43% had total PSI scores above the threshold for clinical assessment. Cluster analysis demonstrated five distinct clusters of families, more than half of whom were coping well. High stress items were role restriction, isolation and poor spouse support, and having a child who was perceived as less adaptable and more demanding. Lower stress items indicated that this sample of mothers found their children emotionally reinforcing and had close emotional bonds. Regression analysis showed that the factors most strongly related to parenting stress levels were high family needs, low family adaptability and cognitive impairment in the child.Conclusions  The results confirmed the individuality of families, and that individual characteristics of coping and feeling in control, together with family support and cohesion, are associated with variation in amount of stress experienced in parenting a child with cerebral palsy.
Parenting, autonomy and self‐care of adolescents with Type 1 diabetes
Authors: Dashiff C. , Vance D. , Abdullatif H. , Wallander J. 
Published: December 2008

AbstractBackground  During adolescence diabetes creates a juncture of very complex disease management demands with developmental needs, including the striving of adolescents for greater autonomy. Parents' concerns and fears about the teen's diabetes self‐management abilities during this time can heighten parental attachment behaviour and affect the parents' ability to support autonomy development necessary for effective self‐care. Maternal parenting processes may be especially important for those adolescents who have Type 1 diabetes because mothers are the primary caregivers.Purpose  Based on attachment theory, the aim was to test a model of the influence of mother–adolescent developmental conflict, maternal separation anxiety and maternal inhibition of autonomy and relatedness on cognitive autonomy and self‐care of adolescents with Type 1 diabetes.Method  A total of 131 families with an adolescent, aged 11–15 years, contributed data annually across three waves. Mothers and adolescents completed paper‐and‐pencil measures and two interaction scenarios that were coded by trained staff from audio‐tapes. The adolescent also completed a structured interview and questionnaire to assess self‐care.Results  Maternal separation anxiety when adolescents were 11–15 years of age directly predicted cognitive autonomy at 1‐year follow‐up, and that cognitive autonomy was directly related to self‐care 1 year later, but did not mediate between separation anxiety and self‐care.Conclusions  Future investigation of the influence of separation anxiety of parents on adolescent autonomy development is warranted, as well as the contribution of autonomy development to diabetes self‐management behaviours of adolescents.
Deficits in motor co‐ordination and attention at 3 years of age predict motor deviations in 6.5‐year‐old children who needed neonatal intensive care
Authors: Hemgren E. , Persson K. 
Published: December 2008

AbstractBackground  A total of 189 children without major impairments who needed neonatal intensive care (NIC) were followed up at ages 3 and 6.5 years.Aim  To determine the prevalence of different motor deviations at age 6.5 years and the co‐occurrence of attention deficits; also, to analyse the predictive ability of motor co‐ordination and attention assessments at age 3 years for motor deviations at 6.5 years.Method  A combined assessment of motor performance and behaviour (CAMPB) was used at the 3‐year examination. The Test of Motor Impairment (TOMI) and the Motor‐Perceptual Development (MPU) were used together with the criteria of the diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (DSM‐IV‐TR) to define motor deviations.Results  At 6.5 years 64% of the children showed a motor deviation either as a delay according to MPU, a problem according to TOMI or Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) according to DSM‐IV‐TR. Higher proportions of children with attention deficit (50%) were found in the DCD group. The predictive ability of CAMPB was analysed in two ways: when all children with either a co‐ordination or attention deficit, or both, at 3 years were considered to be at risk for motor deviations at 6.5 years, the sensitivity reached 78% and the specificity was 42%. But when only the 3 year olds with a combined deficit were considered to be at risk, the sensitivity was 37% and the specificity 89%; however, a positive predictive value of 86% was reached.Conclusion  At 6.5 years of age a majority of NIC children with no major impairments showed motor deviations. To fulfil the DCD criteria in DSM‐IV‐TR, a strict definition of motor deviations is recommended. Attention deficits are more prevalent among children with DCD. Deficits in motor co‐ordination and/or attention in 3‐year‐old children are strong predictors of motor deviations and, especially, of DCD at 6.5 years of age.
Assistive devices and cerebral palsy: factors influencing the use of assistive devices at home by children with cerebral palsy
Authors: Huang I‐C. , Sugden D. , Beveridge S. 
Published: December 2008

AbstractBackground  There is a growing awareness of the significance of gaining insights into device users' needs in their everyday usage in order to maximize the potential of assistive device intervention. However, current studies in this field are likely to focus more upon adult users' or adult carers' perspectives and, accordingly, the opinions of young users seem to be overlooked. In order to take the gap into consideration, this study aimed to explore the usability of assistive devices at home by children with cerebral palsy and consider the underlying factors related to the device usage in this setting mainly from the children's perspectives.Methods  Semi‐structured interviews were adopted as the main data collection instrument. A total of 30 participants were involved in the study, including 15 Taiwanese children with cerebral palsy and 15 mothers.Results  The results showed a low frequency of device use at home by the participating children. Four factors leading to low device use at home were identified, including children's reluctance, mothers' perspectives, physical environmental barriers and device‐related barriers.Conclusions  The results highlight the need, when considering the usability of assistive devices, to take into account three interactive factors, namely, the personal, device and environmental factors. They also demonstrate the importance of taking children's different developmental stages and unique personal experiences into consideration in understanding the influence of assistive device intervention for children with cerebral palsy.
Effectiveness of physical therapy interventions for children with cerebral palsy: a systematic review
Authors: Reading Richard 
Published: December 2008

.

Anttila H.,
Autti‐Rämö I.,
Suoranta J.,
Mäkelä M. &
Malmivaara A.
(
2008
)

,
8
,
14
.

DOI: 10.1186/1471‐2431‐8‐14
.
Aim  To assess the effectiveness of physical therapy (PT) interventions on functioning in children with cerebral palsy (CP).Methods  A search was made in Medline, Cinahl, PEDro and the Cochrane Library for the period from 1990 to February 2007. Only randomized controlled trials (RCTs) on PT interventions in children with diagnosed CP were included. Two reviewers independently assessed the methodological quality and extracted the data. The outcomes measured in the trials were classified using the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health.Results  Twenty‐two trials were identified. Eight intervention categories were distinguished. Four trials were of high methodological quality. Moderate evidence of effectiveness was established for two intervention categories: effectiveness of upper extremity treatments on attained goals and active supination, and of prehensile hand treatment and neurodevelopmental therapy (NDT) or NDT twice a week on developmental status, and of constraint‐induced therapy on amount and quality of hand use. Moderate evidence of ineffectiveness was found of strength training on walking speed and stride length. Conflicting evidence was found for strength training on gross motor function. For the other intervention categories the evidence was limited because of low methodological quality and the statistically insignificant results of the studies.Conclusion  Because of limitations in methodological quality and variations in population, interventions and outcomes, mostly limited evidence on the effectiveness of most PT interventions is available through RCTs. Moderate evidence was found for some effectiveness of upper extremity training. Well‐designed trials are needed especially for focused PT interventions.
Hygiene interventions for prevention of cytomegalovirus infection among childbearing women: systematic review
Authors: Reading Richard 
Published: December 2008

.

Harvey J. &
Dennis C.‐L.
(
2008
)

,
63
,
440
–
450
.
Aim  This paper is a report of a systematic review to examine the effectiveness of preventive interventions to reduce congenital cytomegalovirus transmission and infection among women of childbearing age.Background  Congenital cytomegalovirus has been identified as the leading infectious cause of damage to the growing fetus in developed countries, including Down's syndrome, fetal alcohol syndrome and spina bifida. Despite the prevalence and consequences of this infection, it has a low profile and pregnant mothers are often unaware of the risks and protective behaviours related to its transmission. Women with children in day care and nurses working with children are particularly at risk of acquiring the virus.Data sources  A computerized literature search for papers up to 1 December 2007 was performed using MEDLINE (from 1950), EMBASE (from 1980) and CINAHL (from 1982).Review methods  Both authors independently reviewed studies that met inclusion criteria and assigned a quality rating determined by the number of validity criteria met. Differences were discussed until consensus was reached.Findings  Differences in hygiene behaviour changes were most statistically significant for pregnant, seronegative women. Although the methodological quality of the three included studies was not strong, seroconversion rates consistently decreased as cytomegalovirus education and support increased.Conclusion  Nurses can act as preventive agents for cytomegalovirus infection through education about hygiene precautions during antenatal care and through preventive measures in the workplace. The review findings suggest that educational interventions in hygiene practices have the potential to be a feasible, large‐scale, primary prevention strategy.
Obesity in children. Part 2: prevention and management
Authors: Reading Richard 
Published: December 2008

.

Kipping R. R.,
Jago R. &
Lawlor D. A.
(
2008
)

,
337
,
a1848
.

DOI: 10.1136/bmj.a1848
.
Summary points

Few obesity prevention interventions have been shown to be effective in children.
Comprehensive strategies that tackle diet and physical activity as well as providing psychosocial support and environmental change may help prevent obesity.
Community‐based interventions aimed at changing activity levels, dietary knowledge and eating behaviour may be useful but need evaluation for effectiveness and cost‐effectiveness.
Specialist treatment may include treatment with sibutramine or orlistat in children over 12 years of age, although long‐term studies are needed.
Surgery is recommended only in adolescents with extreme obesity, in limited circumstances, but the benefits need to be balanced against the possible side effects.
Valvular heart disease and the use of cabergoline for the treatment of prolactinoma
Authors: Herring Neil , Szmigielski Cezary , Becher Harald , Karavitaki Niki , Wass John A. H. 
Published: December 2008

SummaryObjective  The use of high doses of the ergot‐derived dopamine agonist cabergoline (> 3 mg/day), especially with cumulative doses > 4000 mg, has been associated with an increase in cardiac valvular thickening and significant (moderate to severe) regurgitation. Whether lower doses commonly used in the treatment of prolactinomas (0·25–3 mg/week) are also associated with significant valvulopathy is controversial. The mitral valve tenting area, a subclinical index of leaflet stiffening, has also been correlated with the cumulative dose of cabergoline and severity of valvular regurgitation.Design/patients/measurements  We performed transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) on 50 prolactinoma patients (48% macroprolactinomas, 52% microprolactinomas, 30 male, 20 female, age 51·2 ± 2·2 years, mean ± SEM) who had been taking cabergoline for 6·6 ± 0·5 years (range 1–13 years) with cumulative doses of 443 ± 53 mg, to determine the prevalence of significant valvular thickening (> 0·5 cm) and regurgitation, and measured the mitral valve tenting area and height. The results were compared to those from age‐ and sex‐matched controls with normal left ventricular function.Results  No significant valvular thickening or regurgitation of any valve was detected in the prolactinoma group and the prevalence of mild valvular regurgitation was not higher than in the case–control group. The mitral valve tenting area and height were not significantly greater than in the control group. There was no correlation between tenting area or height and cumulative cabergoline dose.Conclusions  We found no evidence of increased mitral valve tenting area/height, valvular thickening or significant regurgitation with the long‐term administration of the commonly used doses of cabergoline to treat prolactinoma.
Indication of antagonistic interaction between climate change and erosion on plant species richness and soil properties in semiarid Mediterranean ecosystems
Authors: GARCÍA‐FAYOS PATRICIO , BOCHET ESTHER 
Published: December 2008

AbstractWe analyzed the consequences of climate change and the increase in soil erosion, as well as their interaction on plant and soil properties in semiarid Mediterranean shrublands in Eastern Spain. Current models on drivers of biodiversity change predict an additive or synergistic interaction between drivers that will increase the negative effects of each one. We used a climatic gradient that reproduces the predicted climate changes in temperature and precipitation for the next 40 years of the wettest and coldest end of the gradient; we also compared flat areas with 20° steep hillslopes. We found that plant species richness and plant cover are negatively affected by climate change and soil erosion, which in turn negatively affects soil resistance to erosion, nutrient content and water holding capacity. We also found that plant species diversity correlates weakly with plant cover but strongly with soil properties related to fertility, water holding capacity and resistance to erosion. Conversely, these soil properties correlate weaker with plant species cover. The joint effect of climate change and soil erosion on plant species richness and soil characteristics is antagonistic. That is, the absolute magnitude of change is smaller than the sum of both effects. However, there is no interaction between climate change and soil erosion on plant cover and their effects fit the additive model. The differences in the interaction model between plant cover and species richness supports the view that several soil properties are more linked to the effect that particular plant species have on soil processes than to the quantity and quality of the plant cover and biomass they support. Our findings suggest that plant species richness is a better indicator than plant cover of ecosystems services related with soil development and protection to erosion in semiarid Mediterranean climates.
Soil carbon sequestrations by nitrogen fertilizer application, straw return and no‐tillage in China's cropland
Authors: LU FEI , WANG XIAOKE , HAN BING , OUYANG ZHIYUN , DUAN XIAONAN , ZHENG HUA , MIAO HONG 
Published: December 2008

AbstractSoil as the largest global carbon pool has played a great role in sequestering the atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2). Although global carbon sequestration potentials have been assessed since the 1980s, few investigations have been made on soil carbon sequestration (SCS) in China's cropland. China is a developing country and has a long history of agricultural activities. Estimation of SCS potentials in China's cropland is very important for assessing the potential measures to prevent the atmospheric carbon rise and predicting the atmospheric CO2 concentration in future. After review of the available results of the field experiments in China, relationships between SCS and nitrogen fertilizer application, straw return and no‐tillage (NT) practices were established for each of the four agricultural regions. According to the current agricultural practices and their future development, estimations were made on SCS by nitrogen fertilizer application, straw return and NT in China's cropland. In the current situation, nitrogen fertilizer application, straw return and zero tillage can sequester 5.96, 9.76 and 0.800 Tg C each year. Carbon sequestration potential will increase to 12.1 Tg C yr−1 if nitrogen is fertilized on experts' recommendations. The carbon sequestration potentials of straw return and NT can reach 34.4 and 4.60 Tg C yr−1 when these two techniques are further popularized. In these measures, straw return is the most promising one. Full popularization of straw return can reduce 5.3% of the CO2 emission from fossil fuel combustion in China in 1990, which meets the global mean CO2 reduction requested by the Kyoto Protocol (5.2%). In general, if more incentive policies can be elaborated and implemented, the SCS in China's cropland will be increased by about two times. So, popularization of the above‐mentioned agricultural measures for carbon sequestration can be considered as an effective tool to prevent the rapid rise of the atmospheric CO2 in China.
Comparison of gas use efficiency and treatment uniformity in a forest ecosystem exposed to elevated [CO2] using pure and prediluted free‐air CO2 enrichment technology
Authors: LEWIN KEITH F. , NAGY JOHN , ROBERT NETTLES W. , COOLEY DAVID M. , ROGERS ALISTAIR 
Published: December 2008

AbstractA direct comparison of treatment uniformity and CO2 use of pure and prediluted free‐air CO2 enrichment (FACE) systems was conducted in a forest ecosystem. A vertical release pure CO2 fumigation system was superimposed on an existing prediluted CO2 fumigation system and operated on alternate days. The FACE system using prediluted CO2 fumigation technology exhibited less temporal and spatial variability than the pure CO2 fumigation system. The pure CO2 fumigation system tended to over‐fumigate the upwind portions of the plot and used 25% more CO2 than the prediluted CO2 fumigation system. The increased CO2 use by the pure CO2 system was exacerbated at low wind speeds. It is not clear if this phenomenon will also be observed in plots with smaller diameters and low‐stature vegetation.
Postfire carbon balance in boreal bogs of Alberta, Canada
Authors: WIEDER R. KELMAN , SCOTT KIMBERLI D. , KAMMINGA KATHERINE , VILE MELANIE A. , VITT DALE H. , BONE TIFFANY , XU BIN , BENSCOTER BRIAN W. , BHATTI JAGTAR S. 
Published: December 2008

AbstractBoreal peatland ecosystems occupy about 3.5 million km2 of the earth's land surface and store between 250 and 455 Pg of carbon (C) as peat. While northern hemisphere boreal peatlands have functioned as net sinks for atmospheric C since the most recent deglaciation, natural and anthropogenic disturbances, and most importantly wildfire, may compromise peatland C sinks. To examine the effects of fire on local and regional C sink strength, we focused on a 12 000 km2 region near Wabasca, AB, Canada, where ombrotrophic Sphagnum‐dominated bogs cover 2280 km2 that burn with a fire return interval of 123±26 years. We characterized annual C accumulation along a chronosequence of 10 bog sites, spanning 1–102 years‐since‐fire (in 2002). Immediately after fire, bogs represent a net C source of 8.9±8.4 mol m−2 yr−1. At about 13 years after fire, bogs switch from net C sources to net C sinks, mainly because of recovery of the moss and shrub layers. Subsequently, black spruce biomass accumulation contributes to the net C sink, with fine root biomass accumulation peaking at 34 years after fire and aboveground biomass and coarse root accumulation peaking at 74 years after fire. The overall C sink strength peaks at 18.4 mol C m−2 yr−1 at 75 years after fire. As the tree biomass accumulation rate declines, the net C sink decreases to about 10 mol C m−2 yr−1 at 100 years‐since‐fire. We estimate that across the Wabasca study region, bogs currently represent a C sink of 14.7±5.1 Gmol yr−1. A decrease in the fire return interval to 61 years with no change in air temperature would convert the region's bogs to a net C source. An increase in nonwinter air temperature of 2 °C would decrease the regional C sink to 6.8±2.3 Gmol yr−1. Under scenarios of predicted climate change, the current C sink status of Alberta bogs is likely to diminish to the point where these peatlands become net sources of atmospheric CO2‐C.
Evaluation of long‐chain alcohols and fatty acids, in combination with alkanes, as markers in the estimation of the composition of four herbages in mixtures
Authors: Lin L. J. , Luo H. L. , Wang H. , Zhang Y. J. , Shu B. 
Published: December 2008

AbstractThe objective of the study was to assess if long‐chain alcohols (alcohols) and long‐chain fatty acids (acids), along with long‐chain alkanes, could be useful as markers in estimating the composition of mixtures containing herbages found in the Inner Mongolia typical steppe in China. Four herbage species, Stipa daicalensis, Stipa grandis, Artemisia frigid and Cleistogenes squarrosa, were collected during the growing season to characterize the alcohol and acid profiles of these herbages. Principal component analysis (PCA) was used to examine between‐species differences in terms of their patterns of alcohols, acids and alkanes. Results confirmed earlier studies that alcohols and acids with even‐numbered carbon chains were predominant and the total concentrations of alcohols or acids were generally higher than those obtained for alkanes. The results of PCA indicated that different marker types provided different discriminatory information. Alcohols and alkanes provided complementary discriminatory information, resulting in the clearest separation between the four species analysed. In choosing which markers to use, the results indicate that using more marker types does not always imply better estimates of the composition of mixtures.