Inner city disadvantage and family functioning.

PubMed

Clark, A F; Barrett, L; Kolvin, I

2000-06-01

The co-existence of types of social, environmental and family disadvantage and domains of family dysfunction is explored through individual interviews and use of the Family Assessment Device in a cross-sectional study of 143 inner city families. The dependence upon social welfare by the family and the overall degree of disadvantage experienced both correlate significantly with all forms of family dysfunction. Marital disruption, poor physical care of the home or of the child(ren) and poor quality of mothering correlate significantly with difficulties both in role allocation and in affective involvement. Those families suffering more types of environmental disadvantage are more likely also to be dysfunctional in each domain of family life. Some possible mechanisms for these associations are highlighted and their implications for planning of effective interventions discussed.

Family Functioning, Social Impairment, and Symptoms Among Adolescents with Bipolar Disorder

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Keenan-Miller, Danielle; Peris, Tara; Axelson, David; Kowatch, Robert A.; Miklowitz, David J.

2012-01-01

Objective: Impaired social functioning is common among youth with bipolar disorder (BD), emerges in multiple settings, and persists over time. However, little is known about factors associated with poor peer and family functioning in the early-onset form of BD. Using a sample of adolescents with BD I or II, we examined which symptoms of BD,…

Resilience amongst Australian Aboriginal Youth: An Ecological Analysis of Factors Associated with Psychosocial Functioning in High and Low Family Risk Contexts

PubMed Central

Hopkins, Katrina D.; Zubrick, Stephen R.; Taylor, Catherine L.

2014-01-01

We investigate whether the profile of factors protecting psychosocial functioning of high risk exposed Australian Aboriginal youth are the same as those promoting psychosocial functioning in low risk exposed youth. Data on 1,021 youth aged 12–17 years were drawn from the Western Australian Aboriginal Child Health Survey (WAACHS 2000–2002), a population representative survey of the health and well-being of Aboriginal children, their families and community contexts. A person-centered approach was used to define four groups of youth cross-classified according to level of risk exposure (high/low) and psychosocial functioning (good/poor). Multivariate logistic regression was used to model the influence of individual, family, cultural and community factors on psychosocial outcomes separately for youth in high and low family-risk contexts. Results showed that in high family risk contexts, prosocial friendship and low area-level socioeconomic status uniquely protected psychosocial functioning. However, in low family risk contexts the perception of racism increased the likelihood of poor psychosocial functioning. For youth in both high and low risk contexts, higher self-esteem and self-regulation were associated with good psychosocial functioning although the relationship was non-linear. These findings demonstrate that an empirical resilience framework of analysis can identify potent protective processes operating uniquely in contexts of high risk and is the first to describe distinct profiles of risk, protective and promotive factors within high and low risk exposed Australian Aboriginal youth. PMID:25068434

Older adults' mental health function and patient-centered care: does the presence of a family companion help or hinder communication?

PubMed

Wolff, Jennifer L; Roter, Debra L

2012-06-01

Late-life mental health disorders are prevalent, costly, and commonly under-diagnosed and under-treated. To investigate whether family companion presence in routine primary care visits helps or hinders patient-centered processes among older adults with poor mental health function. Observational study of accompanied (n = 80) and unaccompanied (n = 310) primary care patients ages 65 and older. Audio-taped medical visit communication, coded with the Roter Interactional Analysis System, and three process measures: visit duration (in minutes), patient/companion verbal activity, and a ratio of patient-centered communication, adjusted for patient age, gender, race, and physical function. Participants were stratified by SF-36 mental health subscale (MCS) using two approaches (1) standardized population midpoint to delineate "good" (50+) and "poor" health (< 50) and (2) clinically derived cut-points (<35; 35-49; 50+). When patients with poor mental health were accompanied by a family companion, patient/companions provided less psychosocial information, physicians engaged in less question-asking and partnership-building, and both patient/companions and physicians contributed more task-oriented, biomedical discussion. Accompanied patients with poor mental health were less likely to experience patient-centered communication relative to unaccompanied patients (aOR = 0.21; 95% CI: 0.06, 0.68); no difference was observed for patients with good mental health (aOR = 1.02; 95% CI: 0.46, 2.27). Verbal activity was comparable for accompanied patients/companions and unaccompanied patients in both mental health strata. Medical visits were 2.3 minutes longer when patients with good mental health were accompanied (b = 2.31; p = 0.006), but was comparable for patients with poor mental health (b = -0.37; p = 0.827). Study findings were amplified in the lowest functioning mental health subgroup (MCS < 35): medical visits were shorter, and communication was least patient-centered (p = 0.019) when these patients were accompanied. Older adults with poor mental health function may experience more communication challenges in the form of shorter visits and less patient-centered communication when a family companion is present.

Consumerism in healthcare can be detrimental to child health: lessons from children with functional abdominal pain.

PubMed

Lindley, K J; Glaser, D; Milla, P J

2005-04-01

To determine prognostic indicators in children with severe functional abdominal pain (FAP) and to test the hypothesis that "healthcare consumerism" in these families might be deleterious to the child. Retrospective analysis of a cohort of 23 children aged <16 years fulfilling the Rome II diagnostic criteria for FAP during the period December 1997 to February 2001. Poor outcome was defined as continued pain and failure to return to normal functioning >12 months after onset. Poor outcome was associated with refusal to engage with psychological services, involvement of more than three consultants, lodging of a manipulative complaint with hospital management by the child's family, and lack of development of insight into psychosocial influences on symptoms. Three of four adverse prognostic indicators reflected healthcare consumerism by the families. Actions of families who lack insight into their child's illness may perpetuate FAP in childhood. A culture of parental consumerism in healthcare, however well intentioned, needs to be accompanied by robust systems to protect the interests of the child.

Quality of life discordance between terminal cancer patients and family caregivers: a multicenter study.

PubMed

Lee, Yong Joo; Kim, Jung Eun; Choi, Youn Seon; Hwang, In Cheol; Hwang, Sun Wook; Kim, Young Sung; Kim, Hyo Min; Ahn, Hong Yup; Kim, So Jin

2016-07-01

Research studies on quality of life (QOL) discordance between cancer patients and family caregivers are limited, and the results are inconsistent. The objective of this study was to examine QOL discordance between patients and family caregivers in a hospice setting and to identify factors associated with the discordance. We enrolled 178 patient-family caregiver pairs from six tertiary hospital hospice palliative care units in South Korea in this cross-sectional study. To establish groupings based on patient and family caregiver QOL levels, we measured the QOL of patient and family caregiver pairs using the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire Core 15 for Palliative Care and the Caregiver QOL Index-Cancer, respectively. Pairs were categorized into the following three groups: both good QOL pairs, only poor patient QOL, and only poor family caregiver QOL. Factors associated with only poor patient or only poor family caregiver QOL were compared to both good QOL pairs. A stepwise multivariate regression model was used to identify relevant factors. The QOL of family caregivers did not correlate significantly (P = 0.227) with QOL in terminally ill cancer patients. As well, poor emotional function in patients was the only significant factor associated with the only poor patient QOL group [adjusted odds ratio (aOR), 4.1; 95 % confidence interval (CI), 1.5-11.5]. However, emotionally distressed family caregivers (aOR, 10.2; 95 % CI, 2.8-37.5), family caregivers who professed a religion (aOR, 4.1; 95 % CI, 1.5-11.3), and family caregivers with low social support (aOR, 3.9; 95 % CI, 1.5-10.6) were independent predictors for the only poor family caregiver QOL group. Assessing the respective emotional status of both the patient and family caregiver is needed in hospice care to reduce the gap in QOL between the two groups. Further, more attention should be paid to the lack of social support for family caregivers.

Typology of perceived family functioning in an American sample of patients with advanced cancer.

PubMed

Schuler, Tammy A; Zaider, Talia I; Li, Yuelin; Hichenberg, Shira; Masterson, Melissa; Kissane, David W

2014-08-01

Poor family functioning affects psychosocial adjustment and the occurrence of morbidity following bereavement in the context of a family's coping with advanced cancer. Family functioning typologies assist with targeted family-centered assessment and intervention to offset these complications in the palliative care setting. Our objective was to identify the number and nature of potential types in an American palliative care patient sample. Data from patients with advanced cancer (N = 1809) screened for eligibility for a larger randomized clinical trial were used. Cluster analyses determined whether patients could be classified into clinically meaningful and coherent groups, based on similarities in their perceptions of family functioning across the cohesiveness, expressiveness, and conflict resolution subscales of the Family Relations Index. Patients' reports of perceived family functioning yielded a model containing five meaningful family types. Cohesiveness, expressiveness, and conflict resolution appear to be useful dimensions by which to classify patient perceptions of family functioning. "At risk" American families may include those we have called hostile, low-communicating, and less-involved. Such families may benefit from adjuvant family-centered psychosocial services, such as family therapy. Copyright © 2014 American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Running in Place: How American Families are Faring in a Changing Economy and an Individualistic Society.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zill, Nicholas; Nord, Christine Winquist

The reasons given for the apparent decline in family well-being include weakened family values, poor parenting, detrimental behavior of parents and young people, and social and economic forces in the larger society that make it difficult for families to perform their functions well. So great is the concern that some observers are convinced that…

Family partnership and education interventions to reduce dietary sodium by patients with heart failure differ by family functioning.

PubMed

Dunbar, Sandra B; Clark, Patricia C; Stamp, Kelly D; Reilly, Carolyn M; Gary, Rebecca A; Higgins, Melinda; Kaslow, Nadine

2016-01-01

Determine if family functioning influences response to family-focused interventions aimed at reducing dietary sodium by heart failure (HF) patients. Lowering dietary sodium by HF patients often occurs within the home and family context. Secondary analysis of 117 dyads randomized to patient and family education (PFE), family partnership intervention (FPI) or usual care (UC). Dietary sodium measures were obtained from 3-day food record and 24-h urine samples. In the poor family functioning groups, FPI and PFE had lower mean urine sodium than UC (p < .05) at 4 months, and FPI remained lower than UC at 8 months (p < .05). For good family functioning groups, FPI and PFE had lower mean sodium levels by 3-day food record at 4 and 8 months compared to the UC group. Optimizing family-focused interventions into HF clinical care maybe indicated. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The importance of family functioning, mental health and social and emotional well-being on child oral health.

PubMed

Renzaho, A M N; de Silva-Sanigorski, A

2014-07-01

To examine the strength of associations between child oral health and aspects of the home environment (child behaviour, parental psychological distress and family functioning) in a large sample of 1- to 12-year-old Australian children. The current study used data from the 2006 Victorian Child Health and Wellbeing Study. Data were obtained on 4590 primary carers. Measures of the family environment included the level of family functioning, parental psychological distress, child's emotion and behavioural problems and the family structure. The odds of children having good oral health status were lower with increasing parental psychological distress and poor family functioning across all age groups, and lower with increasing child mental health or conduct problems among children aged 4 years or older. Socioeconomic factors were also related to child oral health status, but this was significant only among children aged 4-7 years, with the odds of children having good oral health status 68% higher in households with a yearly income ≥AUD$ 60 000 compared with households with income <$20 000 (P < 0.05). In order to address inequities in the experience of poor oral health, solutions that encompass social, economic and psychosocial dimensions will be required. Integrating intervention strategies that promote oral, healthy family functioning and the mental health of parents and children into existing systems reaching vulnerable community members may improve child oral health outcomes and reduce the unequal distribution of oral disease across the social gradient. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Consumerism in healthcare can be detrimental to child health: lessons from children with functional abdominal pain

PubMed Central

Lindley, K; Glaser, D; Milla, P

2005-01-01

Aims: To determine prognostic indicators in children with severe functional abdominal pain (FAP) and to test the hypothesis that "healthcare consumerism" in these families might be deleterious to the child. Methods: Retrospective analysis of a cohort of 23 children aged <16 years fulfilling the Rome II diagnostic criteria for FAP during the period December 1997 to February 2001. Poor outcome was defined as continued pain and failure to return to normal functioning >12 months after onset. Results: Poor outcome was associated with refusal to engage with psychological services, involvement of more than three consultants, lodging of a manipulative complaint with hospital management by the child's family, and lack of development of insight into psychosocial influences on symptoms. Three of four adverse prognostic indicators reflected healthcare consumerism by the families. Conclusions: Actions of families who lack insight into their child's illness may perpetuate FAP in childhood. A culture of parental consumerism in healthcare, however well intentioned, needs to be accompanied by robust systems to protect the interests of the child. PMID:15781917

Family functioning, parental psychological distress, child behavioural problems, socio-economic disadvantage and fruit and vegetable consumption among 4-12 year-old Victorians, Australia.

PubMed

Renzaho, A M N; Kumanyika, S; Tucker, K L

2011-09-01

The aim of this analysis was to assess relationships between family functioning, parental psychological distress, child behaviour difficulties and fruit and vegetable (F&V) consumption among 4-12-year-old children in Victoria, Australia. We used the 2006 Victorian Child's Health and wellbeing data set that included 3370 randomly selected primary caregivers of 4-12-year-old children interviewed between October 2005 and March 2006. Behavioural problems were measured using the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire; level of family functioning was measured using the McMaster Family Assessment Device-General Functioning Scale and parental psychological distress was measured using the Kessler-6 scale. The mean number of servings consumed per day was 2.2 (95% CI: 2.1, 2.3) for fruit and 2.0 (95% CI: 1.9, 2.1) for vegetables. The proportion of children meeting the minimum daily age-specific recommendation was 87.8% (95% CI: 86.4, 89.1%) for fruit and 36.5% (95% CI: 34.5, 38.5) for vegetables. Children with behaviour difficulties, low levels of prosocial behaviours and from poorly functioning households consumed fewer servings of F&V than children who did not experience any environment stressors or behavioural problems. Although parental psychological distress was not associated with fruit intake, daughters of parents who reported higher levels of psychological distress consumed fewer servings of vegetables than daughters of parents who reported lower levels of psychological distress. Child behavioural problems and family functioning and to some extent parental psychological distress were associated with F&V consumption. Programmes aimed at promoting F&V consumption in children should target those families with children experiencing behavioural problems or poorly functioning households.

Mother-Child Discrepancy in Perceived Family Functioning and Adolescent Developmental Outcomes in Families Experiencing Economic Disadvantage in Hong Kong.

PubMed

Leung, Janet T Y; Shek, Daniel T L; Li, Lin

2016-10-01

Though growing attention has been devoted to examining informant discrepancies of family attributes in social science research, studies that examine how interactions between mother-reported and adolescent-reported family functioning predict adolescent developmental outcomes in underprivileged families are severely lacking. The current study investigated the difference between mothers and adolescents in their reports of family functioning, as well as the relationships between mother-reported and adolescent-reported family functioning and adolescent developmental outcomes in a sample of 432 Chinese single-mother families (mean age of adolescents = 13.7 years, 51.2 % girls, mean age of mothers = 43.5 years, 69.9 % divorced) experiencing economic disadvantage in Hong Kong. Polynomial regression analyses were conducted to assess whether discrepancy in family functioning between mother reports and adolescent reports predicted resilience, beliefs in the future, cognitive competence, self-efficacy and self-determination of adolescents. The results indicated that adolescents reported family functioning more negatively than did their mothers. Polynomial regression analyses showed that the interaction term between mothers' reports and adolescents' reports of family functioning predicted adolescent developmental outcomes in Chinese single-mother families living in poverty. Basically, under poor adolescent-reported family functioning, adolescent development would be relatively better if their mothers reported more positive family functioning. In contrast, under good adolescent-reported family functioning, adolescents expressed better developmental outcomes when mothers reported lower levels of family functioning than those mothers who reported higher levels of family functioning. The findings provide insights on how congruency and discrepancy between informant reports of family functioning would influence adolescent development. Theoretical and practical implications of the findings are discussed.

The Role of Stress Exposure and Family Functioning in Internalizing Outcomes of Urban Families

PubMed Central

Henry, David B.; Tolan, Patrick H.; Strachan, Martha K.

2013-01-01

Although research suggests that stress exposure and family functioning are associated with internalizing problems in adolescents and caregivers, surprisingly few studies have investigated the mechanisms that underlie this association. To determine whether family functioning buffers the development of internalizing problems in stress-exposed families, we assessed the relation between stress exposure, family functioning, and internalizing symptoms among a large sample of inner-city male youth and their caregivers living in poverty across five waves of data collection. We hypothesized that stress exposure and family functioning would predict development of subsequent youth and caregiver internalizing problems and that family functioning would moderate this relation, with higher functioning families demonstrating greater resiliency to stress exposure. We used a longitudinal, prospective design to evaluate whether family functioning (assessed at waves one through four) activated or buffered the effects of stress exposure (assessed at wave one) on subsequent internalizing symptoms (assessed at waves four and five). Stress from Developmental Transitions and family functioning were significant predictors of depressive symptoms and anxiety in youth; however, family functioning did not moderate the relation. Family functioning mediated the relation between stress from Daily Hassles and internalizing outcomes suggesting that poor parenting practices, low structure, and low emotional cohesion activate depression and anxiety in youth exposed to chronic and frequent everyday stressors. Surprisingly, only family functioning predicted depressive symptoms in caregivers. Results validate the use of a comprehensive, multi-informant assessment of stress when investigating internalizing outcomes in youth and support using family-based interventions in the treatment and prevention of internalizing. PMID:25601821

The Role of Stress Exposure and Family Functioning in Internalizing Outcomes of Urban Families.

PubMed

Sheidow, Ashli J; Henry, David B; Tolan, Patrick H; Strachan, Martha K

2014-11-01

Although research suggests that stress exposure and family functioning are associated with internalizing problems in adolescents and caregivers, surprisingly few studies have investigated the mechanisms that underlie this association. To determine whether family functioning buffers the development of internalizing problems in stress-exposed families, we assessed the relation between stress exposure, family functioning, and internalizing symptoms among a large sample of inner-city male youth and their caregivers living in poverty across five waves of data collection. We hypothesized that stress exposure and family functioning would predict development of subsequent youth and caregiver internalizing problems and that family functioning would moderate this relation, with higher functioning families demonstrating greater resiliency to stress exposure. We used a longitudinal, prospective design to evaluate whether family functioning (assessed at waves one through four) activated or buffered the effects of stress exposure (assessed at wave one) on subsequent internalizing symptoms (assessed at waves four and five). Stress from Developmental Transitions and family functioning were significant predictors of depressive symptoms and anxiety in youth; however, family functioning did not moderate the relation. Family functioning mediated the relation between stress from Daily Hassles and internalizing outcomes suggesting that poor parenting practices, low structure, and low emotional cohesion activate depression and anxiety in youth exposed to chronic and frequent everyday stressors. Surprisingly, only family functioning predicted depressive symptoms in caregivers. Results validate the use of a comprehensive, multi-informant assessment of stress when investigating internalizing outcomes in youth and support using family-based interventions in the treatment and prevention of internalizing.

Family functioning in the families of psychiatric patients: a comparison with nonclinical families.

PubMed

Trangkasombat, Umaporn

2006-11-01

To examine family functioning in the families of psychiatric patients. Families of psychiatric patients and nonclinical families were compared. There were 60 families in each group. The instrument included a semistructured interview of family functioning and the Chulalongkorn Family Inventory (CFI), a self-report questionnaire designed to assess the perception of one's family. From the assessment by semistructured interview, 83.3% of psychiatric families and 45.0% of nonclinical families were found to be dysfunctional in at least one dimension. The difference was statistically significant (p < 0.001). The average number of dysfunctional dimensions in the psychiatric families was significantly higher than in the nonclinical control group, 3.5 +/- 1.9 and 0.98 +/- 1.5 respectively, p < 0.0001. The CFI scores of the psychiatric families were significantly lower than the control group, reflecting poor family functioning. The dysfunctions were mostly in the following dimensions: problem-solving, communication, affective responsiveness, affective involvement, and behavior control. Psychiatric families faced more psychosocial stressors and the average number of stressors was higher than the control families, 88.3% vs. 56.7% and 4.2 +/- 2.7 vs. 1.3 +/- 1.47 stressors respectively, p < 0.0001. Family functioning of psychiatric patients was less healthy than the nonclinical control. The present study underlined the significance of family assessment and family intervention in the comprehensive care of psychiatric patients.

Work, Health, and Family at Older Ages in Japan

PubMed Central

Raymo, James M.; Liang, Jersey; Kobayashi, Erika; Sugihara, Yoko; Fukaya, Taro

2010-01-01

In this paper, we investigate ways in which the relationship between health and labor force exit at older ages is moderated by family characteristics. Using two waves of data from a national sample of older Japanese men collected 1999 and 2002, we estimate logistic regression models for labor force exit beyond age 63 as a function of health change, family characteristics, and their interactions. We confirm that poor health is strongly associated with labor force exit and find evidence that moderating influences of family context depend upon the level of health. However, results are only partially consistent with hypotheses that the relationship between health and the likelihood of labor force exit should be stronger for (a) those with good health and family incentives to exit the labor force and (b) those with poor health and family incentives to remain in the labor force. PMID:23082037

Role of a new Rho family member in cell migration and axon guidance in C. elegans.

PubMed

Zipkin, I D; Kindt, R M; Kenyon, C J

1997-09-05

Rho family GTPases are thought to regulate actin-dependent processes, but their functions in vivo are still poorly understood. We have investigated the function of a new, widely expressed Rho family member in C. elegans by analyzing mutations in the endogenous gene. Activated and null alleles all inhibit cell migration, demonstrating that this protein is required for cell migration in vivo. Only a small subset of the migrations inhibited by activating mutations are inhibited by null mutations, suggesting that considerable functional redundancy exists within this system. Our findings support this conclusion and show that mig-2 functions redundantly with another pathway to regulate nuclear migration. Surprisingly, activated alleles also cause misguided axon growth, suggesting that Rho family GTPases may couple guidance cues to process outgrowth.

Determinants of quality of life in children with psychiatric disorders.

PubMed

Bastiaansen, Dennis; Koot, Hans M; Ferdinand, Robert F

2005-08-01

To assess factors that, in addition to childhood psychopathology, are associated with Quality of Life (QoL) in children with psychiatric problems. In a referred sample of 252 8 to 18-year-olds, information concerning QoL, psychopathology and a broad range of child, parent, and family/ social network factors was obtained from children, parents, teachers and clinicians. Poor child, parent, and clinician reported QoL was associated with child psychopathology, but given the presence of psychopathology, also with child factors, such as low self-esteem, and poor social skills, and family/social network factors, such as poor family functioning, and poor social support. In multiple linear regression analyses the importance of parent factors, such as parenting stress, was almost negligible. To increase QoL of children with psychiatric problems, treatment of symptoms is important, but outcome might improve if treatment is also focussed on other factors that may affect QoL. Results are discussed in relation to current treatment programs.

Risk factors for childhood obesity in elementary school-age Taiwanese children.

PubMed

Chen, Jyu-Lin; Kennedy, Christine; Yeh, Chao-Hsing; Kools, Susan

2005-01-01

A cross-sectional study design was used to examine factors that contribute to high relative weight in children in Taiwan. A total sample of 331 Chinese children (ages 7 and 8) and their parents participated in the study. Parents completed questionnaires regarding demographic information, family functioning, parenting styles, physical activity, and dietary intake. Children completed physical fitness tests and questionnaires regarding physical activity, dietary intake, coping strategies, and self-esteem. The weight-for-length index was used to measure children's relative weight. The findings revealed that four variables contributed to higher weight-for-length index in boys compared with girls and explained 37.7% of the variance: high maternal body mass index, poor aerobic capacity, healthy family role functioning, and poor family affective responsiveness. Two variables were found to contribute to higher weight-for-length index in girls and explained 12.8% of the variance: high household income and high maternal body mass index. Taken together, the results indicate the importance of assessment of children's weight status, maternal weight status, and family functioning as part of routine child health care and the need for developmentally appropriate and gender-specific approaches to prevent childhood obesity.

Adolescent Deliberate Self-Harm: Linkages to Emotion Regulation and Family Emotional Climate

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sim, Leslie; Adrian, Molly; Zeman, Janice; Cassano, Michael; Friedrich, William N.

2009-01-01

Parents' responses to their children's emotional expressivity have been shown to significantly influence children's subsequent psychosocial functioning. This study hypothesized that adolescents' deliberate self-harm (DSH) may be an outcome associated with poor emotion regulation as well as an invalidating family environment. The mediational role…

Validity of the Family Asthma Management System Scale with an urban African-American sample.

PubMed

Celano, Marianne; Klinnert, Mary D; Holsey, Chanda Nicole; McQuaid, Elizabeth L

2011-06-01

To examine the reliability and validity of the Family Asthma Management System Scale for low-income African-American children with poor asthma control and caregivers under stress. The FAMSS assesses eight aspects of asthma management from a family systems perspective. Forty-three children, ages 8-13, and caregivers were interviewed with the FAMSS; caregivers completed measures of primary care quality, family functioning, parenting stress, and psychological distress. Children rated their relatedness with the caregiver, and demonstrated inhaler technique. Medical records were reviewed for dates of outpatient visits for asthma. The FAMSS demonstrated good internal consistency. Higher scores were associated with adequate inhaler technique, recent outpatient care, less parenting stress and better family functioning. Higher scores on the Collaborative Relationship with Provider subscale were associated with greater perceived primary care quality. The FAMSS demonstrated relevant associations with asthma management criteria and family functioning for a low-income, African-American sample.

Modifiable factors associated with caregiver burden among family caregivers of terminally ill Korean cancer patients.

PubMed

Yoon, Seok-Joon; Kim, Jong-Sung; Jung, Jin-Gyu; Kim, Sung-Soo; Kim, Samyong

2014-05-01

Higher caregiver burden is associated with poor quality of life among family caregivers. However, in Korea, very few studies have examined factors associated with caregiver burden. The present study investigated factors associated with caregiver burden among family caregivers of terminally ill Korean cancer patients, particularly modifiable factors as a potential target of intervention strategies. A cross-sectional study using self-administered questionnaires was performed. Sixty-four family caregivers of terminally ill cancer patients who were admitted to the hospice-palliative care unit of a university hospital in South Korea were included. To identify caregiver burden, the Caregiver Reaction Assessment scale (CRA) was used in this study. Time spent in providing care per day, number of visits per week from other family members, family functioning, and a positive subscale, self-esteem, of the CRA were deemed as modifiable factors. Other sociodemographic, caregiving characteristics of the subjects were non-modifiable factors. Longer time spent providing care per day, fewer weekly visits from other family members, poor family functioning, and low self-esteem were considered as modifiable factors associated with caregiver burden. Low monthly income and the spouse being the family caregiver were non-modifiable factors. Our study has practical significance in that it identifies modifiable factors that can be used to devise intervention strategies. Developing and applying such intervention strategies for alleviating the factors associated with high caregiver burden could be important for improving the quality of life of both patients and their families.

Inhibitory Control in Siblings Discordant for Exposure to Maternal Smoking during Pregnancy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Micalizzi, Lauren; Marceau, Kristine; Brick, Leslie A.; Palmer, Rohan H.; Todorov, Alexandre A.; Heath, Andrew C.; Evans, Allison; Knopik, Valerie S.

2018-01-01

Maternal smoking during pregnancy (SDP) has been linked to poorer offspring executive function across development, but SDP does not occur independent of other familial risk factors. As such, poor and inconsistent control for potential confounds, notably shared familial (i.e., genetic and environmental) confounds, preclude concluding causal effects…

Memory binding and white matter integrity in familial Alzheimer’s disease

PubMed Central

Saarimäki, Heini; Bastin, Mark E.; Londoño, Ana C.; Pettit, Lewis; Lopera, Francisco; Della Sala, Sergio; Abrahams, Sharon

2015-01-01

Binding information in short-term and long-term memory are functions sensitive to Alzheimer’s disease. They have been found to be affected in patients who meet criteria for familial Alzheimer’s disease due to the mutation E280A of the PSEN1 gene. However, only short-term memory binding has been found to be affected in asymptomatic carriers of this mutation. The neural correlates of this dissociation are poorly understood. The present study used diffusion tensor magnetic resonance imaging to investigate whether the integrity of white matter structures could offer an account. A sample of 19 patients with familial Alzheimer’s disease, 18 asymptomatic carriers and 21 non-carrier controls underwent diffusion tensor magnetic resonance imaging, neuropsychological and memory binding assessment. The short-term memory binding task required participants to detect changes across two consecutive screens displaying arrays of shapes, colours, or shape-colour bindings. The long-term memory binding task was a Paired Associates Learning Test. Performance on these tasks were entered into regression models. Relative to controls, patients with familial Alzheimer’s disease performed poorly on both memory binding tasks. Asymptomatic carriers differed from controls only in the short-term memory binding task. White matter integrity explained poor memory binding performance only in patients with familial Alzheimer’s disease. White matter water diffusion metrics from the frontal lobe accounted for poor performance on both memory binding tasks. Dissociations were found in the genu of corpus callosum which accounted for short-term memory binding impairments and in the hippocampal part of cingulum bundle which accounted for long-term memory binding deficits. The results indicate that white matter structures in the frontal and temporal lobes are vulnerable to the early stages of familial Alzheimer’s disease and their damage is associated with impairments in two memory binding functions known to be markers for Alzheimer’s disease. PMID:25762465

Memory binding and white matter integrity in familial Alzheimer's disease.

PubMed

Parra, Mario A; Saarimäki, Heini; Bastin, Mark E; Londoño, Ana C; Pettit, Lewis; Lopera, Francisco; Della Sala, Sergio; Abrahams, Sharon

2015-05-01

Binding information in short-term and long-term memory are functions sensitive to Alzheimer's disease. They have been found to be affected in patients who meet criteria for familial Alzheimer's disease due to the mutation E280A of the PSEN1 gene. However, only short-term memory binding has been found to be affected in asymptomatic carriers of this mutation. The neural correlates of this dissociation are poorly understood. The present study used diffusion tensor magnetic resonance imaging to investigate whether the integrity of white matter structures could offer an account. A sample of 19 patients with familial Alzheimer's disease, 18 asymptomatic carriers and 21 non-carrier controls underwent diffusion tensor magnetic resonance imaging, neuropsychological and memory binding assessment. The short-term memory binding task required participants to detect changes across two consecutive screens displaying arrays of shapes, colours, or shape-colour bindings. The long-term memory binding task was a Paired Associates Learning Test. Performance on these tasks were entered into regression models. Relative to controls, patients with familial Alzheimer's disease performed poorly on both memory binding tasks. Asymptomatic carriers differed from controls only in the short-term memory binding task. White matter integrity explained poor memory binding performance only in patients with familial Alzheimer's disease. White matter water diffusion metrics from the frontal lobe accounted for poor performance on both memory binding tasks. Dissociations were found in the genu of corpus callosum which accounted for short-term memory binding impairments and in the hippocampal part of cingulum bundle which accounted for long-term memory binding deficits. The results indicate that white matter structures in the frontal and temporal lobes are vulnerable to the early stages of familial Alzheimer's disease and their damage is associated with impairments in two memory binding functions known to be markers for Alzheimer's disease. © The Author (2015). Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Guarantors of Brain. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Family Partner Intervention Influences Self-Care Confidence and Treatment Self-Regulation in Patients with Heart Failure

PubMed Central

Stamp, Kelly D.; Dunbar, Sandra B.; Clark, Patricia C.; Reilly, Carolyn M.; Gary, Rebecca A.; Higgins, Melinda; Ryan, Richard M

2015-01-01

Background Heart failure self-care requires confidence in one’s ability and motivation to perform a recommended behavior. Most self-care occurs within a family context, yet little is known about the influence of family on heart failure self-care or motivating factors. Aims To examine the association of family functioning and the self-care antecedents of confidence and motivation among heart failure participants and determine if a family partnership intervention would promote higher levels of perceived confidence and treatment self-regulation (motivation) at four and eight months compared to patient-family education or usual care groups. Methods Heart failure patients (N = 117) and a family member were randomized to a family partnership intervention, patient-family education or usual care groups. Measures of patient’s perceived family functioning, confidence, motivation for medications and following a low-sodium diet were analyzed. Data were collected at baseline, four and eight months. Results Family functioning was related to self-care confidence for diet (p=.02) and autonomous motivation for adhering to their medications (p=.05 and diet p=0.2). The family partnership intervention group significantly improved confidence (p=.05) and motivation (medications (p=.004; diet p=.012) at four months whereas patient-family education group and usual care did not change. Conclusion Perceived confidence and motivation for self-care was enhanced by family partnership intervention, regardless of family functioning. Poor family functioning at baseline contributed to lower confidence. Family functioning should be assessed to guide tailored family-patient interventions for better outcomes. PMID:25673525

Family functioning, social support and depression after traumatic brain injury.

PubMed

Leach, L R; Frank, R G; Bouman, D E; Farmer, J

1994-10-01

Functional outcome after traumatic brain injury (TBI) is thought to be dependent upon effective social support and avoidance of depressive episodes. Research indicates that post-injury changes often occur in the family's functioning, hence impacting the family's ability to provide the needed social support. Social support, in turn, has been hypothesized to work as a buffer between significant life event and levels of depressive symptoms. Thus poor social support after a TBI, due to changes in family functioning, could result in depressive episodes for the person with a TBI. This paper empirically examines this question by investigating whether social support is predictive of depression in persons who have sustained a TBI. Thirty-nine persons who had sustained TBI were interviewed to assess their family functioning, perceived social support, and current depressive symptomatology. The results showed that the effective use of problem-solving and behavioural coping strategies by the family in response to TBI was significantly related to lower levels of depression in the person who sustained the TBI. However, perceived social support was not predictive of depression.

Family economic empowerment and mental health among AIDS-affected children living in AIDS-impacted communities: evidence from a randomised evaluation in southwestern Uganda.

PubMed

Han, Chang-Keun; Ssewamala, Fred M; Wang, Julia Shu-Huah

2013-03-01

The authors examine whether an innovative family economic empowerment intervention addresses mental health functioning of AIDS-affected children in communities heavily impacted by HIV/AIDS in Uganda. A cluster randomised controlled trial consisting of two study arms, a treatment condition (n=179) and a control condition (n=118), was used to examine the impact of the family economic empowerment intervention on children's levels of hopelessness and depression. The intervention comprised matched children savings accounts, financial management workshops and mentorship. Data were collected at baseline and 12 months post-intervention. Using multivariate analysis with several socioeconomic controls, the authors find that children in the treatment condition (receiving the intervention) report significant improvement in their mental health functioning. Specifically, the intervention reduces hopelessness and depression levels. On the other hand, children in the control condition (not receiving the intervention) report no changes on both measures. The findings indicate that children with poor mental health functioning living in communities affected by HIV/AIDS may benefit from innovative family economic empowerment interventions. As measures of mental health functioning, both hopelessness and depression have long-term negative psychosocial and developmental impacts on children. These findings have implications for public health programmes intended for long-term care and support of children living in resource poor AIDS-impacted communities.

Family Economic Empowerment and Mental Health Among AIDS-Affected Children Living in AIDS-Impacted Communities: Evidence from a Randomized Evaluation in Southwestern Uganda

PubMed Central

Han, Chang-Keun; Ssewamala, Fred M.; Wang, Julia Shu-Huah

2012-01-01

OBJECTIVE We examine whether an innovative family economic empowerment intervention addresses mental health functioning of AIDS-affected children in communities heavily impacted by HIV/AIDS in Uganda. METHODS A cluster randomized controlled trial (RCT) consisting of two study arms: a treatment condition (n=179) and a control condition (n=118) was used to examine the impact of the family economic empowerment intervention on children’s levels of hopelessness and depression. The intervention comprised of matched children savings accounts, financial management workshops, and mentorship. Data were collected at baseline and 12 months post-intervention. RESULTS Using multivariate analysis with several socio-economic controls, we find that children in the treatment condition (receiving the intervention) report significant improvement in their mental health functioning. Specifically, the intervention reduces hopelessness and depression levels. On the other hand, children in the control condition (not receiving the intervention) report no changes on both measures. CONCLUSIONS The findings indicate that children with poor mental health functioning living in communities affected by HIV/AIDS may benefit from innovative family economic empowerment interventions. As measures of mental health functioning, both hopelessness and depression have long-term negative psychosocial and developmental impacts on children. These findings have implications for public health programs intended for long-term care and support of children living in resource poor, AIDS-impacted communities. PMID:23410851

Family functioning is associated with depressive symptoms in caregivers of acute stroke survivors.

PubMed

Epstein-Lubow, Gary P; Beevers, Christopher G; Bishop, Duane S; Miller, Ivan W

2009-06-01

To determine whether family functioning is uniquely associated with caregiver depressive symptoms in the immediate aftermath of stroke. Cross-sectional data from the baseline assessment of an intervention study for stroke survivors and their families. Neurology inpatient service of a large urban hospital. Stroke survivors (n=192), each with a primary caregiver. The mean age of stroke survivors was 66 years, and most, 57%, were men (n=110). The mean age of caregivers was 57 years, and 73% (n=140) of the caregivers were women. Eighty-five percent of caregivers were white. Not applicable. Measures were chosen to assess caregivers' depressive symptoms (Centers for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale), family functioning (Family Assessment Device), and additional factors such as health status (Medical Outcomes Study 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey) and stroke survivors' cognitive abilities (modified Mini-Mental State Examination) and functional impairments (FIM and Frenchay Activities Index). Depressive symptoms were mild to moderate in 14% and severe in 27% of caregivers. Family functioning was assessed as unhealthy in 34% of caregiver-patient dyads. In statistical regression models, caregiver depression was associated with patients' sex, caregivers' general health, and family functioning. Forty-one percent of caregivers experienced prominent depressive symptoms after their family member's stroke. Higher depression severity in caregivers was associated with caring for a man, and having worse health and poor family functioning. After stroke, the assessment of caregivers' health and family functioning may help determine which caregivers are most at risk for a depressive syndrome.

The Protective Role of the Family and Social Support Network in a Sample of HIV-Positive African American Women: Results of a Pilot Study

PubMed Central

Robbins, Michael; Szapocznik, José; Tejeda, Manuel; Samuels, Deanne; Ironson, Gail; Antoni, Michael

2005-01-01

This study examined the role of family functioning and social support in protecting HIV-positive African American women from the adverse psychological consequences associated with deterioration in their CD4 cell count. Participants were 38 African American HIV-positive women who had recently given birth. Results demonstrated that changes in CD4 cell counts were inversely predictive of psychological distress and were moderated by family functioning and social support satisfaction. Women with good family functioning were less affected by changes in their CD4 cell counts, and women with poor family functioning were more emotionally responsive to changes in CD4 cell count. Unexpectedly, women from families where conflicts tended to be clearly laid out and discussed were also more responsive to both changes in CD4 cell counts. Interventions are recommended that increase a client’s social support satisfaction, foster an adaptive level of connectedness to family, and enhance the family’s range of conflict resolution styles. PMID:16609750

No direct association among respiratory function, disease control and family functioning in a sample of Mexican children with intermittent asthma.

PubMed

Rodriguez-Orozco, Alain Raimundo; Núñez-Tapia, Rosa María; Ramírez-Silva, Armando; Gómez-Alonso, Carlos

2013-05-15

Asthma has been linked to family disfunctioning and poor control of the disease.This study was conducted to analyze the interactions between the level of intermittent asthma control, family functioning and respiratory function and between quality of life of asthmatic patients and their caregivers.7 to 15 years old children with intermittent asthma were included. Asthma Control Test Questionnaire, Pediatric Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire (PAQLQ) test, and flowmetry were applied to children and Pediatric Asthma Caregiver´s Quatily of Life Questionnaire (PAQCLQ) and the Family Functioning Perception Test (FF-SIL) were applied to their parents.The most affected areas of family functioning in dysfunctional families were adaptability and permeability. A medium to high strength of association was founded between the emotional function of parents and the emotional function of children, R2=0.552. The most remarkable associations were among parents' limitation of activities and parents' emotional function (r=0.837), parents' limitation of activities and child's emotional function (r=0.722), parents' emotional role and limitation of activities (r=0.837), parents' emotional role and emotional functioning of children with asthma (r=0.743) and the limitation of activities of children with asthma and the emotional function of children with asthma (r=0.870).No direct associations were founded among respiratory function, disease control and family functioning in Mexican children with intermittent asthma and emotional function of parents and children were associated in both groups.

[Study on the correlation among adolescents' family function, negative life events stress amount and suicide ideation].

PubMed

Zhang, Dongdong; Chen, Ling; Yin, Dan; Miao, Jinping; Sun, Yehuan

2014-07-01

To explore the correlation between suicide ideation and family function & negative life events, as well as other influential factors in adolescents, thus present a theoretical base for clinicians and school staff to develop intervention for those problems. By adopting current situation random sampling method, Self-Rating Idea of Suicide Scale, Adolescent Self-Rating Life Events Check List and Family APGAR Index were used to assess adolescents at random in a hygiene vocational school in Changzhou City, Jiangsu Province and a collage in Wuhu City, Anhui Province. 3700 questionnaires were granted, 3675 questionnaires were collected, among which 3620 were valid. Chi-square test, t-test, and univariate logistic regression were employed in univariate analysis, multivariate logistic regression was used in multivariate analysis. The detection rate of suicide ideation is 7.0%, and the top five suicide ideation characteristics were: poor academic performance (33.6%), serious family functional impairment (25.8%), lower-middle academic performance (11.7%), bad economic conditions (10.8%) and study in Grade Three (9.9%). Multiple logistic regression showed that the following three high-level stress amount in negative life events are most crucial for suicide ideation. They are "relationships" (OR = 1.135, 95% CI 1.071 - 1. 202), "academic pressure" (OR = 1.169, 95% CI 1.101 - 1.241), and "external events" (OR = 1.278, 95% CI 1.187 - 1.376). What' s more, the stress of attending higher grades (OR = 1.980, 95% CI 1.302 - 3.008), poor academic performance (OR = 7.206, 95% CI 1.745 - 9.789), moderate family functional impairment (OR = 2.562, 95% CI 1.527 - 2.892) and its serious level (OR = 8.287, 95% CI 3.154 - 6.917) are also influential factors for suicide ideation. Severe family functional impairment and high-level stress amount of negative life events produced the main factors of suicide ideation. Therefore, necessary and sufficient support should be given to adolescents by families and schools.

Family Relationships and Psychosocial Dysfunction Among Family Caregivers of Patients With Advanced Cancer.

PubMed

Nissen, Kathrine G; Trevino, Kelly; Lange, Theis; Prigerson, Holly G

2016-12-01

Caring for a family member with advanced cancer strains family caregivers. Classification of family types has been shown to identify patients at risk of poor psychosocial function. However, little is known about how family relationships affect caregiver psychosocial function. To investigate family types identified by a cluster analysis and to examine the reproducibility of cluster analyses. We also sought to examine the relationship between family types and caregivers' psychosocial function. Data from 622 caregivers of advanced cancer patients (part of the Coping with Cancer Study) were analyzed using Gaussian Mixture Modeling as the primary method to identify family types based on the Family Relationship Index questionnaire. We then examined the relationship between family type and caregiver quality of life (Medical Outcome Survey Short Form), social support (Interpersonal Support Evaluation List), and perceived caregiver burden (Caregiving Burden Scale). Three family types emerged: low-expressive, detached, and supportive. Analyses of variance with post hoc comparisons showed that caregivers of detached and low-expressive family types experienced lower levels of quality of life and perceived social support in comparison to supportive family types. The study identified supportive, low-expressive, and detached family types among caregivers of advanced cancer patients. The supportive family type was associated with the best outcomes and detached with the worst. These findings indicate that family function is related to psychosocial function of caregivers of advanced cancer patients. Therefore, paying attention to family support and family members' ability to share feelings and manage conflicts may serve as an important tool to improve psychosocial function in families affected by cancer. Copyright © 2016 American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine. All rights reserved.

The Family Life Project: an epidemiological and developmental study of young children living in poor rural communities.

PubMed

Vernon-Feagans, Lynne; Cox, Martha

2013-10-01

About 20% of children in the United States have been reported to live in rural communities, with child poverty rates higher and geographic isolation from resources greater than in urban communities. There have been surprisingly few studies of children living in rural communities, especially poor rural communities. The Family Life Project helped fill this gap by using an epidemiological design to recruit and study a representative sample of every baby born to a mother who resided in one of six poor rural counties over a 1-year period, oversampling for poverty and African American. 1,292 children were followed from birth to 36 months of age. This monograph described these children and used a cumulative risk model to examine the relation between social risk and children's executive functioning, language development, and behavioral competence at 36 months. Using both the Family Process Model of development and the Family Investment Model of development, observed parenting was examined over time in relation to child functioning at 36 months. Different aspects of observed parenting were examined as mediators/moderators of risk in predicting child outcomes. Results suggested that cumulative risk was important in predicting all three major domains of child outcomes and that positive and negative parenting and maternal language complexity were mediators of these relations. Maternal positive parenting was found to be a buffer for the most risky families in predicting behavioral competence. In a final model using both family process and investment measures, there was evidence of mediation but with little evidence of the specificity of parenting for particular outcomes. Discussion focused on the importance of cumulative risk and parenting in understanding child competence in rural poverty and the implications for possible intervention strategies that might be effective in maximizing the early development of these children.

Risk factors for poor work functioning of persons with schizophrenia in rural China.

PubMed

Ran, Mao-Sheng; Chen, Sheying; Chen, Elaina Y; Ran, Bo-Yu; Tang, Cui-Ping; Lin, Fu-Rong; Li, Li; Li, Si-Gan; Mao, Wen-Jun; Hu, Shi-Hui

2011-11-01

The long-term work performance of persons with schizophrenia in the community is unclear. This study examined the status of long-term work functioning and the predictors of poor work status among patients with schizophrenia in a Chinese rural area. A 10-year follow-up investigation (1994-2004) of a cohort (n = 510) of persons with schizophrenia was conducted in Xinjin County, Chengdu, China. Compared with baseline data, work functioning of patients with schizophrenia deteriorated after 10 years. The rates of not working increased significantly from 12.0% in 1994 to 23.0% in 2004. Bivariate analyses showed that the poor work functioning in 2004 was significantly associated with male gender, older age, older age of first onset, higher level of education, longer duration of illness, lower family economic status, lack of caregivers, poor work status in 1994, living in shabby or unstable house, marked symptoms, and higher score on the Social Disability Screening Schedule (SDSS). In multiple logistic regression analyses, higher score of SDSS and poor work status in 1994 were identified as unique predictors of poor work status in 2004. The status of work functioning of persons with schizophrenia decreased over the course of the illness. The risk factors for poor work functioning and specific socio-cultural environment should be considered in planning community mental health services and rehabilitation for these patients.

Family functioning in the context of parental bipolar disorder: associations with offspring age, sex, and psychopathology.

PubMed

Freed, Rachel D; Tompson, Martha C; Wang, Christine H; Otto, Michael W; Hirshfeld-Becker, Dina R; Nierenberg, Andrew A; Henin, Aude

2015-02-01

Previous research has shown that families with a parent who has bipolar disorder (BD) may experience family functioning difficulties. However, the association between family functioning and psychopathology among offspring of parents with BD, and offspring characteristics that may moderate this association, remains poorly understood. This study examined the cross-sectional associations between family functioning (cohesion, expressiveness, and conflict) and psychopathology in 117 offspring (ages 5-18) of 75 parents with BD. We also examined whether age and sex differences moderated these associations. We measured offspring psychopathology by examining current dimensional symptoms and DSM-IV emotional and behavioral disorders. Correlational analyses indicated that higher family conflict and lower cohesion were associated with higher internalizing and externalizing symptoms in offspring. Lower family cohesion was also associated with current offspring mood disorders. Moderation analyses indicated, first, that the link between lower family cohesion and internalizing symptoms was stronger for younger offspring compared to older offspring. Second, higher family conflict and current mood disorder were associated in younger males but not in older males or in females. Results remained the same after controlling for parental anxiety or substance use disorder comorbidity. Our study highlights the importance of accounting for family functioning when working with offspring at risk for BD, while also recognizing that the connections between family functioning and offspring outcomes are complex and differ based on offspring sex and developmental stage. PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved.

QUALITY OF LIFE AND HEALTH SELF-PERCEPTION IN CHILDREN WITH POOR SCHOOL PERFORMANCE.

PubMed

Rezende, Bárbara Antunes; Lemos, Stela Maris Aguiar; Medeiros, Adriane Mesquita de

2017-01-01

To examine the association between quality of life and health self-perception of children with poor school performance, considering sociodemographic factors. An analytical, observational, cross-sectional study was conducted with 99 children aged 7 to 12 years receiving specialized educational assistance. Parents and legal guardians answered questions concerning the sociodemographic profile. For an assessment of the quality of life and proposed domains (autonomy, functioning, leisure, and family), the children completed the Autoquestionnarie Qualité de Vie Enfant Imagé (AUQEI) and answered a question concerning their self-perceived health. Data were analyzed using multiple linear regression, considering a 5% significance level. Among the evaluated children, 69 (69.7%) male participants with mean age of 8.7±1.5, 27% self-assessed their health status as poor/very poor, and 36.4% of the children reported having impaired quality of life. As for the domains assessed by AUQEI, there was statistical significance in the associations between family with age, autonomy with economic classification, and leisure and functioning with self-perceived health. The quality of life of children with academic underachievement is associated with their health self-perception and sociodemographic characteristics.

Family Functioning in First-Episode and Chronic Psychosis: The Role of Patient's Symptom Severity and Psychosocial Functioning.

PubMed

Koutra, Katerina; Triliva, Sofia; Roumeliotaki, Theano; Basta, Maria; Lionis, Christos; Vgontzas, Alexandros N

2016-08-01

The aim of the present study was to assess the relationship between illness-related characteristics, such as symptom severity and psychosocial functioning, and specific aspects of family functioning both in patients experiencing their first episode of psychosis (FEP) and chronically ill patients. A total of 50 FEP and 50 chronic patients diagnosed with schizophrenia or bipolar disorder (most recent episode manic severe with psychotic features) and their family caregivers participated in the study. Family functioning was evaluated in terms of cohesion and flexibility (FACES IV Package), expressed emotion (FQ), family burden (FBS) and caregivers' psychological distress (GHQ-28). Patients' symptom severity (BPRS) and psychosocial functioning (GAS) were assessed by their treating psychiatrist within 2 weeks from the caregivers' assessment. Increased symptom severity was associated with greater dysfunction in terms of family cohesion and flexibility (β coefficient -0.13; 95 % CI -0.23, -0.03), increased caregivers' EE levels on the form of emotional overinvolvement (β coefficient 1.03; 95 % CI 0.02, 2.03), and psychological distress (β coefficient 3.37; 95 % CI 1.29, 5.45). Family burden was found to be significantly related to both symptom severity (β coefficient 3.01; 95 % CI 1.50, 4.51) and patient's functioning (β coefficient -2.04; 95 % CI -3.55, -0.53). No significant interaction effect of chronicity was observed in the afore-mentioned associations. These findings indicate that severe psychopathology and patient's low psychosocial functioning are associated with poor family functioning. It appears that the effect for family function is significant from the early stages of the illness. Thus, early psychoeducational interventions should focus on patients with severe symptomatology and impaired functioning and their families.

Validity of the Family Asthma Management System Scale with an Urban African-American Sample

PubMed Central

Klinnert, Mary D.; Holsey, Chanda Nicole; McQuaid, Elizabeth L.

2011-01-01

Objective To examine the reliability and validity of the Family Asthma Management System Scale for low-income African-American children with poor asthma control and caregivers under stress. The FAMSS assesses eight aspects of asthma management from a family systems perspective. Methods Forty-three children, ages 8–13, and caregivers were interviewed with the FAMSS; caregivers completed measures of primary care quality, family functioning, parenting stress, and psychological distress. Children rated their relatedness with the caregiver, and demonstrated inhaler technique. Medical records were reviewed for dates of outpatient visits for asthma. Results The FAMSS demonstrated good internal consistency. Higher scores were associated with adequate inhaler technique, recent outpatient care, less parenting stress and better family functioning. Higher scores on the Collaborative Relationship with Provider subscale were associated with greater perceived primary care quality. Conclusions The FAMSS demonstrated relevant associations with asthma management criteria and family functioning for a low-income, African-American sample. PMID:19776230

The impact of family violence, family functioning, and parental partner dynamics on Korean juvenile delinquency.

PubMed

Kim, Hyun-Sil; Kim, Hun-Soo

2008-12-01

The present study was aimed at determining the family factors related to juvenile delinquency and identifying the effect of family violence, family functioning, parental partner dynamics, and adolescents' personality on delinquent behavior among Korean adolescents. A cross-sectional study was performed using an anonymous, self-reporting questionnaire. The subjects for this study consisted of 1,943 Korean adolescents, including 1,236 students and 707 juvenile delinquents, using a proportional stratified random sampling method. Compared to student adolescents, delinquent adolescents perceived their parents as having a higher level of dysfunctional parental partner dynamics, poorer family functioning, and a higher level of family violence. Furthermore, delinquent adolescents were more likely to report a greater incidence of antisocial personality tendencies, a higher level of psychosomatic symptoms and frustration, and higher frequencies of delinquent behavior compared to student adolescents. Antisocial personality tendency and gender had the largest significant total effects on delinquent behavior, followed by family violence, psychosomatic symptoms, family functioning, parental partner dynamics and need frustration. On the other hand, family functioning and parental partner dynamics had the largest indirect effect on delinquent behavior. Gender, antisocial personality tendency, and family violence, in that order, had the largest direct effects on delinquent behavior. In conclusion, it is apparent from the results of the present study that delinquent Korean adolescents perceived and experienced significantly more family dysfunction, family violence, and poor parental partner dynamics than did non-delinquents.

Learning from Real-Life Problems: Functional Education in Bangladesh.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Islam, Mahmood Aminul

1980-01-01

Describes a program in Bangladesh designed to make the rural poor understand their social and economic problems in order to begin to bring about change through their own efforts. The program is functional education and includes topics in family planning, health, housing, nutrition, and agriculture. (Author/SA)

Self-concept in children and adolescents with epilepsy: The role of family functioning, mothers' emotional symptoms and ADHD.

PubMed

Ekinci, Ozalp; Isik, Uğur; Gunes, Serkan; Yildirim, Canan; Killi, Yunus; Guler, Gülen

2016-09-01

This study aimed to identify the associated factors of poor self-concept in children and adolescents with epilepsy. Fifty-three patients with uncomplicated epilepsy (aged 7-18years) and 28 healthy controls were included. Study measures included the Piers-Harris 2 Self-Concept Scale, Family Assessment Device (FAD), Turgay DSM-IV based ADHD rating Scale (T-DSM-IV-S), Conners' Teacher Rating Scale (CTRS-R), Beck Depression Inventory and State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI). Neurology clinic charts were reviewed for the epilepsy-related variables. While the Piers-Harris 2 total score was not significantly different between the groups, patients with epilepsy had lower (poorer) scores on freedom from anxiety and popularity subscales. Linear regression analysis revealed that the problem solving, affective responsiveness, general functioning and communication scores of FAD; total and inattentiveness scores of T-DSM-IV-S and mothers' Beck scores were associated with the total score of Piers-Harris 2. Epilepsy-related factors were not found to be associated with self-concept scores. Poor self-concept in children with epilepsy is associated with negative family functioning, mothers' emotional symptoms and ADHD, especially the symptoms of inattentiveness. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Family social environment in childhood and self-rated health in young adulthood

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Background Family social support, as a form of social capital, contributes to social health disparities at different age of life. In a life-course epidemiological perspective, the aims of our study were to examine the association between self-reported family social environment during childhood and self-reported health in young adulthood and to assess the role of family functioning during childhood as a potential mediating factor in explaining the association between family breakup in childhood and self-reported health in young adulthood. Methods We analyzed data from the first wave of the Health, Inequalities and Social Ruptures Survey (SIRS), a longitudinal health and socio-epidemiological survey of a random sample of 3000 households initiated in the Paris metropolitan area in 2005. Sample-weighted logistic regression analyses were performed to determine the association between the quality of family social environment in childhood and self-rated health (overall health, physical health and psychological well-being) in young adults (n = 1006). We used structural equation model to explore the mediating role of the quality of family functioning in childhood in the association between family breakup in childhood and self-rated health in young adulthood. Results The multivariate results support an association between a negative family social environment in childhood and poor self-perceived health in adulthood. The association found between parental separation or divorce in childhood and poor self-perceived health in adulthood was mediated by parent-child relationships and by having witnessed interparental violence during childhood. Conclusion These results argue for interventions that enhance family cohesion, particularly after family disruptions during childhood, to promote health in young adulthood. PMID:22192716

Insurance coverage and financial burden for families of children with special health care needs.

PubMed

Chen, Alex Y; Newacheck, Paul W

2006-01-01

To examine the role of insurance coverage in protecting families of children with special health care needs (CSHCN) from the financial burden associated with care. Data from the 2001 National Survey of Children with Special Health Care Needs were analyzed. We built 2 multivariate regression models by using "work loss/cut back" and "experiencing financial problems" as the dependent variables, and insurance status as the primary independent variable of interest while adjusting for income, race/ethnicity, functional limitation/severity, and other sociodemographic predictors. Approximately 29.9% of CSHCN live in families where their condition led parents to report cutting back on work or stopping work completely. Families of 20.9% of CSHCN reported experiencing financial difficulties due to the child's condition. Insurance coverage significantly reduced the likelihood of financial problems for families at every income level. The proportion of families experiencing financial problems was reduced from 35.7% to 23.0% for the poor and 44.9% to 24.5% for low-income families with continuous insurance coverage (P < .01 for both comparisons). Similarly, the proportion of parents having to cut back or stop work was reduced from 42.8% to 35.9% for the poor (P < .05) and 43.5% to 33.9% for low-income families (P < .01). Continuous health insurance coverage provides protection from financial burden and hardship for families of CSHCN in all income groups. This evidence is supportive of policies designed to promote universal coverage for CSHCN. However, many poor and low-income families continue to experience work loss and financial problems despite insurance coverage. Hence, health insurance should not be viewed as a solution in itself, but instead as one element of a comprehensive strategy to provide financial safety for families with CSHCN.

The role of family and maternal factors in childhood obesity.

PubMed

Gibson, Lisa Y; Byrne, Susan M; Davis, Elizabeth A; Blair, Eve; Jacoby, Peter; Zubrick, Stephen R

2007-06-04

To investigate the relationship between a child's weight and a broad range of family and maternal factors. Cross-sectional data from a population-based prospective study, collected between January 2004 and December 2005, for 329 children aged 6-13 years (192 healthy weight, 97 overweight and 40 obese) and their mothers (n=265) recruited from a paediatric hospital endocrinology department and eight randomly selected primary schools in Perth, Western Australia. Height, weight and body mass index (BMI) of children and mothers; demographic information; maternal depression, anxiety, stress and self-esteem; general family functioning; parenting style; and negative life events. In a multilevel model, maternal BMI and family structure (single-parent v two-parent families) were the only significant predictors of child BMI z scores. Childhood obesity is not associated with adverse maternal or family characteristics such as maternal depression, negative life events, poor general family functioning or ineffective parenting style. However, having an overweight mother and a single-parent (single-mother) family increases the likelihood of a child being overweight or obese.

Home-based family intervention for low-income children with asthma: a randomized controlled pilot study.

PubMed

Celano, Marianne P; Holsey, Chanda Nicole; Kobrynski, Lisa J

2012-04-01

Low-income African American children have disproportionately higher asthma morbidity and mortality. Education alone may not address barriers to asthma management due to psychosocial stress. This study evaluated the efficacy of a home-based family intervention integrating asthma education and strategies to address stress using a community-based participatory research model. Children age 8 to 13 with poorly controlled asthma and their caregivers were recruited from an urban hospital and an asthma camp. Caregivers with elevated scores on a stress measure were enrolled. Forty-three families were randomized to the 4- to 6-session Home Based Family Intervention (HBFI) or the single session of Enhanced Treatment as Usual (ETAU). All families received an asthma action plan and dust mite covers; children performed spirometry and demonstrated MDI/spacer technique at each home visit. The HBFI addressed family-selected goals targeting asthma management and stressors. Asthma management, morbidity, family functioning, and caregiver stress were assessed at baseline, postintervention, and 6 months after the intervention. ED visits and hospitalizations were ascertained by medical record review for a year after intervention completion. Only one child (5%) in HBFI had an asthma-related hospitalization compared to 7 patients (35%) in ETAU in the year following intervention. Participants in both groups demonstrated improved asthma management and family functioning, and reduced ED visits, symptom days, missed school days, and caregiver stress, but there were no differential treatment effects. The results suggest that a home-based intervention addressing medical and psychosocial needs may prevent hospitalizations for children with poorly controlled asthma and caregivers under stress. (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved.

Coming out during adolescence: Perceived parents' reactions and internalized sexual stigma.

PubMed

Baiocco, Roberto; Fontanesi, Lilybeth; Santamaria, Federica; Ioverno, Salvatore; Baumgartner, Emma; Laghi, Fiorenzo

2016-08-01

Disclosing sexual orientation to parents is a challenging developmental task for lesbian and gay adolescents. The aim of the study is to investigate parental negative reaction to coming out, which is associated with high levels of internalized sexual stigma and psychological problems. Participants' perceptions of their parents' reactions, age at coming out, gender, parental political orientation and religiosity, family functioning, and internalized sexual stigma were assessed in 150 Italian homosexual adolescents. Findings confirm that negative parental reactions are connected to poor family functioning and strong beliefs in traditional values. Path analysis results identified that negative reaction to coming out mediates the effect between a more rigid family functioning and internalized sexual stigma. Implications for clinical and social fields are discussed. © The Author(s) 2014.

The mediating effects of family functioning on psychosocial outcomes in healthy siblings of children with sickle cell disease.

PubMed

Gold, Jeffrey I; Treadwell, Marsha; Weissman, Lina; Vichinsky, Elliott

2011-12-01

Children with siblings coping with chronic illness experience stresses and disruptions in daily life as families work together to care for the affected child. Research suggests that children and adolescents with sickle cell disease (SCD) may be at risk for adjustment problems, impaired psychosocial functioning, and reduced quality of life. These potential stressors affect the child with SCD as well as their caregivers and other family members. This study examined the role of family functioning on the psychosocial functioning of healthy siblings of children with SCD. Participants were 65 healthy African-American siblings of children with SCD with a mean age of 11.19 years (range: 7-16) and their primary caregiver. Caregivers completed questionnaires assessing family functioning and child adjustment including demographic surveys, the Family Relations Scale (FRS), and the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL). Increased number of emergency room visits (β = -0.28, P < 0.05) predicted poor psychosocial adjustment in siblings. Family functioning mediated this effect (β = 0.27; P < 0.05). High levels of family expressiveness (total score, r = -0.34; P < 0.01), support (total score, r = -0.54; P = 0.001), and low levels of family conflict (total score, r = 0.41; P < 0.001) were associated with improved adjustment among healthy siblings of children with SCD. Awareness of the possible negative psychosocial outcomes of living with a sister or a brother with SCD is important for clinicians. In particular, interventions that focus on family expressiveness, support, and conflict are indicated for this population. Copyright © 2011 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Early physical health conditions and school readiness skills in a prospective birth cohort of U.S. children.

PubMed

Kull, Melissa A; Coley, Rebekah Levine

2015-10-01

Extant research identifies associations between early physical health disparities and impaired functioning in adulthood, but limited research examines the emergence of these associations in the early years of children's lives. This study draws on data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study Birth Cohort (ECLS-B; N = 5900) to assess whether a host of early health indicators measured from birth to age five are associated with children's cognitive and behavioral skills at age five. After adjusting for child and family characteristics, results revealed that children's neonatal risks (prematurity or low birth weight) and reports of poor health and hospitalizations were associated with lower cognitive skills, and neonatal risks and poor health predicted lower behavioral functioning at age five. Some of the association between neonatal risks and school readiness skills were indirect, functioning through children's poor health and hospitalization. Analyses further found that associations between early physical health and children's school readiness skills were consistent across subgroups defined by family income and child race/ethnicity, suggesting generalizability of results. Findings emphasize the need for more interdisciplinary research, practice, and policy related to optimizing child well-being across domains of physical health and development in the early years of life. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The Strengths of Poor Families. Research Brief. Publication #2009-26

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Valladares, Sherylls; Moore, Kristin Anderson

2009-01-01

In the minds of many people, poor families equal problem families. Indeed, that perception is not surprising, giving compelling evidence of the harsh effects that poverty can have on family life and child well-being. However, far less attention has been paid to the strengths that many poor families have and the characteristics that they may share…

The challenge of annotating protein sequences: The tale of eight domains of unknown function in Pfam.

PubMed

Goonesekere, Nalin C W; Shipely, Krysten; O'Connor, Kevin

2010-06-01

The Pfam database is an important tool in genome annotation, since it provides a collection of curated protein families. However, a subset of these families, known as domains of unknown function (DUFs), remains poorly characterized. We have related sequences from DUF404, DUF407, DUF482, DUF608, DUF810, DUF853, DUF976 and DUF1111 to homologs in PDB, within the midnight zone (9-20%) of sequence identity. These relationships were extended to provide functional annotation by sequence analysis and model building. Also described are examples of residue plasticity within enzyme active sites, and change of function within homologous sequences of a DUF. Copyright 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Withholding and withdrawing of life support from patients with severe head injury.

PubMed

O'Callahan, J G; Fink, C; Pitts, L H; Luce, J M

1995-09-01

To characterize the withholding or withdrawing of life support from patients with severe head injury. San Francisco General Hospital, a city and county hospital with a Level I trauma center. A standardized questionnaire was used to collect data on demographics and functional outcome of severely head-injured (Glasgow Coma Score of < or = 7) patients admitted to the medical-surgical intensive care unit, and to interview the patients' physician and family members. Forty-seven patients who were admitted to a medical-surgical intensive care unit over a 1-yr period. Twenty-four patients had life support withheld or withdrawn, and 23 patients did not. Physician and family separately assessed patient's probable functional outcome, degree of communication between them, reasons important in recommending or deciding on discontinuation of life support, and the result of action taken. Six months later, the families reviewed the process of their decision, how well physician(s) had communicated, and what might have improved communication. Of 24 patients with life support discontinued, 22 died; two were discharged from the hospital. Twenty-three of the 24 patients had a poor prognosis on admission. Of the 23 patients who were continued on life support for the duration of their hospitalization, ten had a poor (p < .001) prognosis on admission. Prognosis improved for two patients from the first group and five from the latter. Family's assessment of prognosis agreed with physician's assessment in 22 of the 24 patients from whom life support was discontinued (p < .001). Physicians' ability to convey the prognosis appeared to influence families' assessments. Physicians' considerations in recommending limitation of care and families' considerations in making decisions were the same, primarily an inevitably poor prognosis. Neither physician nor families cited cost or availability of care as a deciding factor. Two families disagreed with the recommendation to limit care after initial agreement because the patients' prognosis improved from "likely death" to "vegetative." Care was therefore continued, and both patients remained vegetative 6 months after admission to the hospital and discharge to chronic care facilities. Life support is commonly withheld or withdrawn from patients with severe head injury at San Francisco General Hospital, and usually it is accompanied by death. A reciprocal consideration exists in most cases between the physician and family making the difficult decision to limit care. Care is provided for patients whose families request it despite physician recommendations.

Evaluating family function in caring for a geriatric group: Family APGAR applied for older adults by home care nurses.

PubMed

Wang, Mei-Wen; Huang, Yi-Yu

2016-06-01

Family function is an essential factor affecting older adults' health. However, there has been no appropriate method to assess the family function of most older adults with fragility or poor health status. The present study aimed to explore the differences and relevance of family function estimated by home care nurses and the older adults, and to determine if nurses could represent older adults to provide the estimation. Study participants were 50 older adults who were aged older 65 years and were taken care of at home by well-trained nurses. The present study used the Family APGAR as the questionnaire. We compared the results evaluated by the older adults and their home care nurses. The results included the level of dysfunction and the total scores of the questionnaire. The paired t-test and McNemar-Bowker test were used for the analysis. Family function could be leveled as "good," "moderate dysfunction" and "severe dysfunction" according to the scores. The family function levels estimated by nurses showed no significant differences to the patients' condition (P = 0.123 > 0.05). Comparing the total scores of the older adults with those of their own home care nurses, the results showed a moderate to nearly high correlation (R = 0.689/P < 0.001). Caring time might be the factor affecting the result. The present study provides a way of helping physicians to ascertain older adults' family problems much earlier and to improve the their health status by enhancing family support. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2015; ●●: ●●-●●. © 2015 Japan Geriatrics Society.

CHILD-REARING AND FAMILY RELATIONSHIP PATTERNS OF THE VERY POOR.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

CHILMAN, CATHERINE S.

STUDIES ON THE POOR'S PATTERNS OF CHILD-REARING AND FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS ARE SUMMARIZED AND COMPARED WITH STUDIES ON IDEAL PATTERNS OF CHILD-READING AND LIFE. EDUCATIONALLY ACHIEVING FAMILIES GIVE THE CHILD FREEDOM WITHIN CONSISTENT LIMITS AND A WIDE RANGE OF PARENT-GUIDED EXPERIENCES. VERY POOR FAMILIES LIMIT FREEDOM FOR EXPLORATION AND HAVE A…

Children in Poverty: The State of Milwaukee's Children.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Social Development Commission, Milwaukee, WI.

This publication presents data and descriptive information on the status of poor children and families in Milwaukee (Wisconsin). The analysis of the information suggests that the children are poor because their families are poor and that only providing their families with adequate employment and family supports will lift these children out of the…

Parents of children with dyslexia: cognitive, emotional and behavioural profile.

PubMed

Bonifacci, Paola; Montuschi, Martina; Lami, Laura; Snowling, Margaret J

2014-05-01

Within a dimensional view of reading disorders, it is important to understand the role of environmental factors in determining individual differences in literacy outcome. In the present study, we compared a group of 40 parents of children with dyslexia (PDys) with a group of 40 parents of typically developing children. The two parent groups did not differ in socioeconomic status or nonverbal IQ. Participants were assessed on cognitive (IQ, digit span) and literacy (reading fluency and accuracy) tasks, phonological awareness and verbal fluency measures. Questionnaires addressed reading history, parental distress, family functioning, anxiety and depression. The PDys group performed worse in all literacy measures and more frequently reported a history of poor reading; they also showed more parental distress. There were no differences between the two groups in depression or family functioning and no differences between mothers and fathers. Findings indicate that PDys show a cognitive profile consistent with the broader phenotype of dyslexia (i.e. reading impairment and poor phonological awareness), whereas, considering the emotional profile, the impact of dyslexia on the family system is limited to parental distress associated with the perception of having a child with specific needs. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Moderating effects of the family environment for parental mediation and pathological internet use in youths.

PubMed

Chng, Grace S; Li, Dongdong; Liau, Albert K; Khoo, Angeline

2015-01-01

Pathological Internet use (PIU) occurs when excessive Internet use results in addictive symptoms that exert detrimental consequences on one's overall functioning and well-being. Poor family functioning has been found to be associated with youths' addictive Internet use, and parental use of active and restrictive mediation has been found to reduce online risk. The current study aims to test if parental active and restrictive mediation strategies are negatively associated with youths' PIU. Additionally, it also tests the effectiveness of these strategies as a function of the broader family environment with measures of parent-child attachment, family communication, and the youth's comfort with living at home. The data of 3,079 students in Singapore were analyzed through a series of logistic regressions. The results revealed that the family environment for students with PIU was significantly less positive. Only restrictive mediation was found to be negatively associated with PIU. This relation was stronger for higher levels of attachment, communication, and comfort at home, implying that the effectiveness of restrictive mediation varies with the degree of warmth and support in the general family environment. The implications are discussed.

Family dynamics in families with children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.

PubMed

Chu, Kangkang; Li, Shasha; Chen, Yixin; Wang, Mingchun

2012-10-01

Development of adjunctive family therapy for the treatment of children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in China requires a detailed understanding of the family dynamics of these families. Assess the family dynamics of families with children who have ADHD in Nanjing, China. Forty-six children 10 to 17 years of age treated at the Nanjing Brain Hospital for ADHD and 46 control children of the same age and gender from schools in Nanjing completed the 19-item Questionnaire of Systematic Family Dynamics (QSFD) which assesses four dimensions of family functioning: Family Atmosphere, Individuation, Moral Absolutism, and Personal Responsibility for Psychological Problems. There were no differences between groups in the perceived causes of psychological problems but the ADHD children reported a poorer family atmosphere, less independence from parents, and more ambiguity about 'right' and 'wrong' in the family. After adjustment for the potential confounding effects of parental education and family economic status, the findings of poorer family atmosphere and less individuation in the ADHD children remained statistically significant. The internal consistency of the four dimensions of the QSFD as completed by the children were poor (alpha=0.44-0.53). This preliminary study on the family dynamics of families with children that have ADHD finds that the ADHD children report a poor family atmosphere and little independence from parents. Further work is needed to validate the methods for assessing family dynamics in Chinese families, particularly when using children as informants, but this method provides valuable information that could be used as the focus of adjunctive family therapy to augment the traditional pharmacological and behavioral approaches to the treatment of ADHD.

Family dynamics in families with children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

PubMed Central

Chu, Kangkang; Li, Shasha; Chen, Yixin; Wang, Mingchun

2012-01-01

Background Development of adjunctive family therapy for the treatment of children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in China requires a detailed understanding of the family dynamics of these families. Aim Assess the family dynamics of families with children who have ADHD in Nanjing, China. Methods Forty-six children 10 to 17 years of age treated at the Nanjing Brain Hospital for ADHD and 46 control children of the same age and gender from schools in Nanjing completed the 19-item Questionnaire of Systematic Family Dynamics (QSFD) which assesses four dimensions of family functioning: Family Atmosphere, Individuation, Moral Absolutism, and Personal Responsibility for Psychological Problems. Results There were no differences between groups in the perceived causes of psychological problems but the ADHD children reported a poorer family atmosphere, less independence from parents, and more ambiguity about ‘right’ and ‘wrong’ in the family. After adjustment for the potential confounding effects of parental education and family economic status, the findings of poorer family atmosphere and less individuation in the ADHD children remained statistically significant. The internal consistency of the four dimensions of the QSFD as completed by the children were poor (alpha=0.44-0.53). Conclusion This preliminary study on the family dynamics of families with children that have ADHD finds that the ADHD children report a poor family atmosphere and little independence from parents. Further work is needed to validate the methods for assessing family dynamics in Chinese families, particularly when using children as informants, but this method provides valuable information that could be used as the focus of adjunctive family therapy to augment the traditional pharmacological and behavioral approaches to the treatment of ADHD. PMID:25328351

miR-200 family promotes podocyte differentiation through repression of RSAD2

PubMed Central

Li, Zhigui; Yin, Hongqiang; Hao, Shuang; Wang, Lifeng; Gao, Jing; Tan, Xiaoyue; Yang, Zhuo

2016-01-01

Mature podocytes are highly differentiated cells with several characteristic phenotypic features that are involved in the glomerular filtration function. During kidney development, a series of changes of the morphological characteristics and cellular functions may happen in podocytes. The miR-200 family functions in various biological and pathological processes. But the underlying molecular mechanisms of miR-200 family that functions in podocyte differentiation remain poorly understood. Herein is shown that miR-200a, miR-200b and miR-429 are significantly upregulated during the differentiation of podocytes, with highest upregulation of miR-200a. In these cells, restraint of miR-200 family by RNA interference assay revealed a prominent inhibition of cell differentiation. More intriguingly, miR-200 family directly inhibited the radical S-adenosyl methionine domain-containing protein 2 (RASD2) expression. Moreover, further upregulation of RSAD2 combining with restraint of miR-200 family revealed a promotion of podocyte dedifferentiation and proliferation. In addition, the expression of RSAD2 is consistent with that of in vitro podocyte differentiation in prenatal and postnatal mouse kidney, and significantly down-regulated during the kidney development. Together, these findings indicate that miR-200 family may potentially promote podocyte differentiation through repression of RSAD2 expression. Our data also demonstrate a novel role of the antiviral protein RSAD2 as a regulator in cell differentiation. PMID:27251424

Do Adolescent Sexual Behavior and Intention to Engage in Sexual Behavior Change in High School Years in Hong Kong?

PubMed

Shek, D T L; Leung, H

2016-02-01

In this study we examined sexual behavior and intention to engage in sexual behavior among Chinese high school students in Hong Kong using 6 waves of data collected over 6 years. We also focused on the related sociodemographic and family correlates. DESIGN, SETTING, PARTICIPANTS, INTERVENTIONS, AND MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: A 6-year longitudinal study was conducted. At each wave, a questionnaire was used to collect data on sociodemographic characteristics, positive youth development, and family functioning in the respondents. Individual growth curve models showed that adolescent sexual behavior and intention increased over time. Adolescents with higher levels of positive youth development reported lower levels of past sexual behavior. Youths from better-off and higher functioning families increased their sexual behavior at slower rates than did youths from families with economic disadvantage and poor family functioning. Regarding intention to have sex, older adolescents reported higher levels of intention. Youngsters with higher levels of perceived family functioning and positive youth development reported lower levels of initial intention. Adolescent boys increased their intention at a faster rate than did girls. Findings from the study identified risk factors (ie, age, gender, and economic disadvantage) and protective factors (ie, healthy family functioning, positive youth development) that influence the levels and growth rates of adolescent sexual behavior and intention. Implications for future research and interventions are discussed. Copyright © 2016 North American Society for Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The moderating role of emotional competence in suicidal ideation among Chinese university students.

PubMed

Kwok, Sylvia Y C L

2014-04-01

To explore the relationship among perceived family functioning, emotional competence and suicidal ideation and to examine the moderating role of emotional competence in suicidal ideation. Previous studies have highlighted that poor family relationships and emotional symptoms are significant predictors of suicidal ideation. However, the roles of perceived family functioning and emotional competence in predicting suicidal ideation have not been given adequate attention. A cross-sectional survey using convenience sampling. A questionnaire was administered to 302 university students from February-April in 2011 in Hong Kong. The means, standard deviations and Cronbach's alphas of the variables were computed. Pearson correlation analyses and hierarchical regression analyses were performed. Hierarchical regression analyses showed that perceived high family functioning and emotional competence were significant negative predictors of suicidal ideation. Further analyses showed that parental concern, parental control and creative use of emotions were significant predictors of suicidal ideation. Emotional competence, specifically creative use of emotions, was found to moderate the relationship between perceived family functioning and suicidal ideation. The findings support the family ecological framework and provide evidence for emotional competence as a resilience factor that buffers low family functioning on suicidal ideation. Suggested measures to decrease suicidal ideation include enhancing parental concern, lessening parental control, developing students' awareness, regulation and management of their own emotions, fostering empathy towards others' emotional expression, enhancing social skills in sharing and influencing others' emotions and increasing the positive use of emotions for the evaluation and generation of new ideas. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Social Capital and Child Welfare.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jack, Gordon; Jordan, Bill

1999-01-01

Examines social and economic inequalities in the United Kingdom. Demonstrates how children's welfare and family functioning are crucially dependent upon locally available social support. Argues that building social capital in poor communities is more effective in promoting children's welfare than is present emphasis on formal child-protection and…

Family Functioning Differences Across the Deployment Cycle in British Army Families: The Perceptions of Wives and Children.

PubMed

Pye, Rachel E; Simpson, Leanne K

2017-09-01

Military deployment can have an adverse effect on a soldier's family, though little research has looked at these effects in a British sample. We investigated wives' of U.K.-serving soldiers perceptions of marital and family functioning, across three stages of the deployment cycle: currently deployed, postdeployment and predeployed, plus a nonmilitary comparison group. Uniquely, young (aged 3.5-11 years) children's perceptions of their family were also investigated, using the parent-child alliance (PCA) coding scheme of drawings of the family. Two hundred and twenty British military families of regular service personnel from the British Army's Royal Armoured Corps, were sent survey packs distributed with a monthly welfare office newsletter. Wives were asked to complete a series of self-report items, and the youngest child in the family between the ages of 3.5 and 11 years was asked to draw a picture of their family. Complete data were available for 78 military families, and an additional 34 nonmilitary families were recruited via opportunity sampling. Results indicated wives of currently deployed and recently returned personnel were less satisfied with their family and its communication, and children's pictures indicated higher levels of dysfunctional parent-child alliance, whereas predeployed families responded similarly to nonmilitary families. Marital satisfaction was similar across all groups except predeployed families who were significantly more satisfied. Nonmilitary and predeployed families showed balanced family functioning, and currently and recently deployed families demonstrated poor family functioning. In comparison to nonmilitary families, predeployed families showed a large "spike" in the rigidity subscale of the Family Adaptability and Cohesion Evaluation Scale IV. Wives' perceptions of family functioning, but not marital satisfaction, differed between the deployment groups. The results from the coded children's drawings correlated with the self-report measures from the wife/mother, indicating that children's drawings could be a useful approach when working with younger children in this area. It is tentatively suggested that the differences across deployment stage on family functioning could be mediated not only by communication difficulties between deployed personnel and their families, but also by its effect on the children in the family. Larger-scale longitudinal research is needed to investigate this further. Reprint & Copyright © 2017 Association of Military Surgeons of the U.S.

ADHD and autistic traits, family function, parenting style, and social adjustment for Internet addiction among children and adolescents in Taiwan: a longitudinal study.

PubMed

Chen, Yi-Lung; Chen, Sue-Huei; Gau, Susan Shur-Fen

2015-04-01

This longitudinal study investigated the prevalence, predictors, and related factors for Internet addiction among elementary and junior high school students in Taiwan. A convenient sample of grades 3, 5, and 8 students (n = 1153) was recruited from six elementary and one junior high schools. They were assessed during the beginning and the end of the spring semester of 2013. Internet addiction was examined by the Chen Internet Addiction Scale (CIAS). Other factors were screened using the Chinese version of the Autism Spectrum Quotient (AQ) for autistic trait, the Parental Bonding Instrument (PBI) for parenting, the Family APGAR for family support, the Social Adjustment Inventory for Children and Adolescents for social function, and the Swanson, Nolan, and Pelham, version IV scale (SNAP-IV) for ADHD symptoms. The prevalence of Internet addiction decreased from 11.4% to 10.6%. Male, low family support, poor social adjustment, and high ADHD-related symptoms were related to Internet addiction. However, there was an inverse relationship between autistic traits and Internet addiction. Further, its predictivity could be accounted by poor academic performance, male, and protective parenting style. Internet addiction is not uncommon among youths in Taiwan. The predictors identified in this study could be the specific measures for the development of a prevention program for Internet addiction in the youth population. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Poor Response Inhibition as a Predictor of Problem Drinking and Illicit Drug Use in Adolescents at Risk for Alcoholism and Other Substance Use Disorders

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nigg, Joel T.; Wong, Maria M.; Martel, Michelle M.; Jester, Jennifer M.; Puttler, Leon I.; Glass, Jennifer M.; Adams, Kenneth M.; Fitzgerald, Hiram E.; Zucker, Robert A.

2006-01-01

Objective: To evaluate the predictive power of executive functions, in particular, response inhibition, in relation to alcohol-related problems and illicit drug use in adolescence. Method: A total of 498 children from 275 families from a longitudinal high-risk study completed executive function measures in early and late adolescence and lifetime…

Childhood socioeconomic status and risk in early family environments: predictors of global sleep quality in college students.

PubMed

Counts, Cory J; Grubin, Fiona C; John-Henderson, Neha A

2018-06-01

Low socioeconomic status (SES) in childhood associates with poor sleep quality in adulthood. Separately, childhood family environments shape health into adulthood. Here, we investigated whether these early life factors independently or interactively inform global sleep quality in college students. Cross-sectional. College students at a state university (N = 391). As a measure of childhood SES, we asked participants to consider their families' socioeconomic standing relative to the rest of the society during their childhood. We used the Risky Family questionnaire to measure adversity and the presence of warmth and affection in the family environment during childhood, and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index as a measure of current global sleep quality. We used linear regressions adjusting for age and sex to examine relationships between childhood SES, risk in childhood family environments, and global sleep quality. Lower childhood SES and greater risk in childhood family environments independently predicted poor sleep quality. Importantly, in low-risk family environments, there was no significant difference in sleep quality as a function of childhood SES. However, students who were from low childhood SES backgrounds who also reported high levels of risk in their early family environments had the worst sleep quality. Findings highlight the importance of considering socioeconomic and family environments in childhood as informants of sleep quality across the lifespan. Compromised sleep quality in college students could affect academic performance and health over time. Copyright © 2018 National Sleep Foundation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Developing communality: family-centered programs to improve children's health and well-being.

PubMed Central

Schor, E. L.

1995-01-01

Despite decades of enormous investment in research and public programs, the United States continues to face pandemics of preventable health problems such as low birth weight, teenage pregnancy, drug abuse, and interpersonal violence. With some justification, these problems have been blamed on the failings of families. The reasons why families may function poorly in their child-rearing roles have not been coherently or vigorously addressed by our social policies; sometimes these policies have aggravated the problems. This paper provides background to allow a better understanding of families' role in the social determination of children's health, and argues for programs and policies that assist families through the creation of social supports embedded in communities that are characterized by trust and mutual obligation. PMID:10101380

Associations between the structural and functional aspects of social relations and poor mental health: a cross-sectional register study.

PubMed

Hansen, Lise Røntved; Pedersen, Stinna Bibi; Overgaard, Charlotte; Torp-Pedersen, Christian; Ullits, Line Rosenkilde

2017-11-03

Social relations influence mental health through different pathways. To capture the complexity of social relations, it is beneficial to consider both the structural (e.g., reachability of social network and social integration) and functional (e.g., instrumental and emotional support) aspects of the concept. Both aspects are rarely investigated simultaneously. This study aimed to examine the association between the structural and functional aspects of social relations and poor mental health. The study was designed as a cross-sectional register study. We used data on mental health and social relations from 15,839 individuals aged 16-92 years with a mean age of 49.0 years (SD 17.9) who responded to The North Denmark Region Health Survey 2013 among residents in Northern Jutland, Denmark. The 12-Item Short-Form Health Survey measured mental health; a cut-off point of 44.5 was used to dichotomize participants into poor and good mental health. The categorization of social relations was inspired by Berkman et al.'s conceptual model of social relations and health. The analyses were performed with survey logistic regression. We found that 21.6% (n = 3422) of participants reported poor mental health, and 59% (n = 2020) of these were women. Being in contact with family and friends less than once a month statistically significantly increased the risk for poor mental health (Family OR = 1.78, 95% CI = 1.51-2.10 and Friends OR = 2.65, 95% CI = 2.30-3.06). The individuals who were not in contact with their network as often as they liked had a significantly higher risk for poor mental health (OR = 2.40, 95% CI = 2.20-2.62). Lack of instrumental support was associated with a higher risk for poor mental health (OR = 2.81, 95% CI = 2.26-3.48). We found an interaction between age and emotional support; the youngest population had the highest risk for poor mental health when they did not have access to emotional support (Young OR = 5.26, 95% CI = 3.91-7.09; Adult OR = 3.69, 95% CI = 3.17-4.30; and Elderly OR = 2.73, 95% CI = 2.23-3.34). Both structural and functional aspects of social relations were associated with poor mental health in our study. Rarely being in contact with friends and a lack of network reachability were associated with poor mental health. Likewise, low levels of emotional and instrumental support were associated with poor mental health.

Social Ecology of Child Soldiers: Child, Family, and Community Determinants of Mental Health, Psychosocial Wellbeing, and Reintegration in Nepal

PubMed Central

Kohrt, Brandon A.; Jordans, Mark J.D.; Tol, Wietse A.; Perera, Em; Karki, Rohit; Koirala, Suraj; Upadhaya, Nawaraj

2013-01-01

This study employs social ecology to evaluate psychosocial wellbeing in a cross-sectional sample of 142 former child soldiers in Nepal. Outcome measures included the Depression Self Rating Scale (DSRS), Child Posttraumatic Stress Scale (CPSS), and locally developed measures of function impairment and reintegration. At the child level, traumatic exposures, especially torture, predicted poor outcomes, while education improved outcomes. At the family level, conflict-related death of a relative, physical abuse in the household, and loss of wealth during the conflict predicted poor outcomes. At the community level, living in high caste Hindu communities predicted fewer reintegration supports. Ultimately, social ecology is well-suited to identify intervention foci across ecological levels, based on community differences in vulnerability and protective factors. PMID:21088102

How well do parental and peer relationships in adolescence predict health in adulthood?

PubMed

Landstedt, Evelina; Hammarström, Anne; Winefield, Helen

2015-07-01

Although health effects of social relationships are well-researched, long-term health consequences of adolescent family as well as peer relationships are poorly understood. The aim of the study was to explore the prospective importance of parental and peer social relationships in adolescence on internalising and functional somatic symptoms in adulthood. Data were drawn from four waves of the Northern Swedish Cohort Study, response rate 94.3%, N=1001. Outcome variables were internalising and functional somatic symptoms at the ages of 21, 30 and 42. Relationship variables at age 16 were poor parental contact and three indicators of poor peer relationships. Associations were assessed in multivariate ordinal logistic regressions with adjustment for confounders and baseline health. Results show that the main relationships-related predictors of adult internalising symptoms were self-rated poor peer relationships in terms of spending time alone during after-school hours and poor parental relationship. Functional somatic symptoms on the other hand were most strongly associated with poor parental contact and not being happy with classmates at age 16. The quality of parental and peer relationships in adolescence predicts adult mental and functional somatic health as much as 26 years later, even when accounting for confounders and adolescent symptomatology. This study extends past research by exploring how both adolescent parental and peer relationships (self-reported as well as teacher reported) predict adult self-reported health. © 2015 the Nordic Societies of Public Health.

Molecular evolution of the crustacean hyperglycemic hormone family in ecdysozoans

PubMed Central

2010-01-01

Background Crustacean Hyperglycemic Hormone (CHH) family peptides are neurohormones known to regulate several important functions in decapod crustaceans such as ionic and energetic metabolism, molting and reproduction. The structural conservation of these peptides, together with the variety of functions they display, led us to investigate their evolutionary history. CHH family peptides exist in insects (Ion Transport Peptides) and may be present in all ecdysozoans as well. In order to extend the evolutionary study to the entire family, CHH family peptides were thus searched in taxa outside decapods, where they have been, to date, poorly investigated. Results CHH family peptides were characterized by molecular cloning in a branchiopod crustacean, Daphnia magna, and in a collembolan, Folsomia candida. Genes encoding such peptides were also rebuilt in silico from genomic sequences of another branchiopod, a chelicerate and two nematodes. These sequences were included in updated datasets to build phylogenies of the CHH family in pancrustaceans. These phylogenies suggest that peptides found in Branchiopoda and Collembola are more closely related to insect ITPs than to crustacean CHHs. Datasets were also used to support a phylogenetic hypothesis about pancrustacean relationships, which, in addition to gene structures, allowed us to propose two evolutionary scenarios of this multigenic family in ecdysozoans. Conclusions Evolutionary scenarios suggest that CHH family genes of ecdysozoans originate from an ancestral two-exon gene, and genes of arthropods from a three-exon one. In malacostracans, the evolution of the CHH family has involved several duplication, insertion or deletion events, leading to neuropeptides with a wide variety of functions, as observed in decapods. This family could thus constitute a promising model to investigate the links between gene duplications and functional divergence. PMID:20184761

Sleep disturbance in family caregivers of children who depend on medical technology: A systematic review.

PubMed

Keilty, Krista; Cohen, Eyal; Ho, Michelle; Spalding, Karen; Stremler, Robyn

2015-01-01

Society relies on family caregivers of children who depend on medical technology (e.g. mechanical ventilation), to provide highly skilled and vigilant care in their homes 24 hours per day. Sleep disturbance is among the most common complaints of these caregivers. The purpose of this review is to systematically examine studies reporting on sleep outcomes in family caregivers of technology dependent children. All relevant databases were systematically searched: MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycINFO and CINAHL. Given the heterogeneity of the studies, a qualitative analysis was completed and thus results of this review are presented as a narrative. Thirteen studies were retrieved that met eligibility criteria for inclusion. All of the studies reported on family caregivers of children with medical complexity living at home. Moreover, all of the studies relied entirely on self-report, not objective sleep measures. No intervention studies were found. Sleep disturbance was found to be common (51-100%) along with caregiver reports of poor sleep quality. Sleep quantity was seldom measured, but was found in the few studies that did, to be approximately 6 hours, or less than recommendations for optimal health and daytime function. Multiple caregiver, child and environmental factors were also identified that may negatively influence caregiver sleep, health and daytime function. Findings of this review suggest that family caregivers of children with medical complexity who depend on medical technology achieve poor sleep quality and quantity that may place them at risk of the negative consequences of sleep deprivation. Recommendations for practice include that health care providers routinely assess for sleep disturbance in this vulnerable population. The review also suggests that studies using objective sleep measurement are needed to more fully characterize sleep and inform the development of targeted interventions to promote sleep in family caregivers of technology dependent children.

Affiliate stigma and depression in caregivers of children with Autism Spectrum Disorders in China: Effects of self-esteem, shame and family functioning.

PubMed

Zhou, Ting; Wang, Yiting; Yi, Chunli

2018-06-01

The present study aimed to investigate affiliate stigma and depression in caregivers of children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) in China and to examine the predictive effects of self-esteem, shame proneness and family functioning. Two hundred and sixty-three primary caregivers of children with autism in Mainland China participated in the survey. The results suggested that affiliate stigma in caregivers of children with autism was prevalent and severe; their depressive symptoms were significantly more severe than the national norm of the similar age group. Low self-esteem, high shame proneness and poor family adaptability were associated with experience of affiliate stigma and heightened depressive symptoms. Affiliate stigma partially mediated the links between self-esteem/ shame proneness/family adaptability and depression levels. This study was the first one to measure affiliate stigma on caregivers of children with ASD in mainland China using a quantitative method. The results highlight the necessity and importance of de-stigmatization for the caregivers of children with autism and suggest that interventions to improve self-esteem, reduce experience of shame and to enhance family functioning might be effective. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

[Influence of perceived social support and functioning on the quality of life of patients with schizophrenia and their caregivers].

PubMed

Gutiérrez-Maldonado, José; Caqueo-Urízar, Alejandra; Ferrer-García, Marta; Fernández-Dávila, Paula

2012-05-01

Perception of social support and functioning of patients with schizophrenia and their primary caregivers and its relationship to quality of life are described. Forty-five patients and their 45 relatives, treated at the Mental Health Services in Arica, Chile, participated. Both patients and caregivers in the study have a poor perception of social support with regard to extra-family people, as well as a low social integration. However, patients showed adequate capacity to function within their immediate family. Unlike what was found in developed countries, these patients showed moderate levels of quality of life, with a strong relationship with perceptions of the social support they receive from family and significant others and the ability to establish and maintain social contacts. Quality of life of primary caregivers is linked to patients' ability to establish and maintain social contacts within the family group, as in other social instances, such as keeping a job. The results of the study suggest the need to consider the design and application of programs of support for these patients and their caregivers, with the central aim of the social functioning of the above-mentioned patients and their familiar and community integration.

Parental attitude, depression, anxiety in mothers, family functioning and breath-holding spells: A case control study.

PubMed

Eliacik, Kayi; Bolat, Nurullah; Kanik, Ali; Sargin, Enis; Selkie, Ellen; Korkmaz, Nurhan; Baydan, Figen; Akar, Ebru; Sarioglu, Berrak

2016-05-01

This study aimed to identify differences in the antenatal stressful life events, parenting style, family functioning, depression and anxiety of mothers who have children with breath-holding spells (BHS) compared with controls. This case control study divided 66 children into a group of children with BHS and a control group, with the children's ages ranging between 6 months and 5 years of age. This study explored underlying anxiety and depression in mothers as well as functioning of their families. Socio-demographical data and stressful life events that the mother experienced during pregnancy were analysed. In order to evaluate the effects of family structure, depression and anxiety in mothers on BHS in children, the Family Assessment Device, and both the Parental Attitude Research Instrument and the Beck Depression Inventory as well as the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory were used to assess both groups. Exposure to stressful life events during pregnancy (P < 0.001), depressive traits (P < 0.001), state-trait anxiety (P < 0.001), overprotective maternal characteristics (P = 0.027) and most of the family functioning subscales were found to be significantly different between BHS and control groups. The association of anxiety, depression, prenatal stressful events and poor family functioning in mothers who have children with BHS is significantly higher than controls. An evaluation of these problems may be beneficial in the management of BHS. © 2016 The Authors. Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health © 2016 Paediatrics and Child Health Division (Royal Australasian College of Physicians).

Suicidality in pediatric bipolar disorder: predictor or outcome of family processes and mixed mood presentation?

PubMed Central

Algorta, Guillermo Pérez; Youngstrom, Eric A; Frazier, Thomas W; Freeman, Andrew J; Youngstrom, Jennifer Kogos; Findling, Robert L

2011-01-01

Objective Pediatric bipolar disorder (PBD) involves a potent combination of mood dysregulation and interpersonal processes, placing these youth at significantly greater risk of suicide. We examined the relationship between suicidal behavior, mood symptom presentation, family functioning, and quality of life (QoL) in youth with PBD. Methods Participants were 138 youths aged 5–18 years presenting to outpatient clinics with DSM-IV diagnoses of bipolar I disorder (n = 27), bipolar II disorder (n = 18), cyclothymic disorder (n = 48), and bipolar disorder not otherwise specified (n = 45). Results Twenty PBD patients had lifetime suicide attempts, 63 had past or current suicide ideation, and 55 were free of suicide ideation and attempts. Attempters were older than nonattempters. Suicide ideation and attempts were linked to higher depressive symptoms, and rates were even higher in youths meeting criteria for the mixed specifier proposed for DSM-5. Both suicide ideation and attempts were associated with lower youth QoL and poorer family functioning. Parent effects (with suicidality treated as outcome) and child effects (where suicide was the predictor of poor family functioning) showed equally strong evidence in regression models, even after adjusting for demographics. Conclusions These findings underscore the strong association between mixed features and suicidality in PBD, as well as the association between QoL, family functioning, and suicidality. It is possible that youths are not just a passive recipient of family processes, and their illness may play an active role in disrupting family functioning. Replication with longitudinal data and qualitative methods should investigate both child and parent effect models. PMID:21320255

Suicidality in pediatric bipolar disorder: predictor or outcome of family processes and mixed mood presentation?

PubMed

Algorta, Guillermo Pérez; Youngstrom, Eric A; Frazier, Thomas W; Freeman, Andrew J; Youngstrom, Jennifer Kogos; Findling, Robert L

2011-02-01

Pediatric bipolar disorder (PBD) involves a potent combination of mood dysregulation and interpersonal processes, placing these youth at significantly greater risk of suicide. We examined the relationship between suicidal behavior, mood symptom presentation, family functioning, and quality of life (QoL) in youth with PBD. Participants were 138 youths aged 5-18 years presenting to outpatient clinics with DSM-IV diagnoses of bipolar I disorder (n=27), bipolar II disorder (n=18), cyclothymic disorder (n=48), and bipolar disorder not otherwise specified (n=45). Twenty PBD patients had lifetime suicide attempts, 63 had past or current suicide ideation, and 55 were free of suicide ideation and attempts. Attempters were older than nonattempters. Suicide ideation and attempts were linked to higher depressive symptoms, and rates were even higher in youths meeting criteria for the mixed specifier proposed for DSM-5. Both suicide ideation and attempts were associated with lower youth QoL and poorer family functioning. Parent effects (with suicidality treated as outcome) and child effects (where suicide was the predictor of poor family functioning) showed equally strong evidence in regression models, even after adjusting for demographics. These findings underscore the strong association between mixed features and suicidality in PBD, as well as the association between QoL, family functioning, and suicidality. It is possible that youths are not just a passive recipient of family processes, and their illness may play an active role in disrupting family functioning. Replication with longitudinal data and qualitative methods should investigate both child and parent effect models. © 2011 John Wiley and Sons A/S.

FACT SHEET ON WOMEN'S EARNINGS IN POOR FAMILIES.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Women's Bureau (DOL), Washington, DC.

IN 1964 THERE WERE 6.8 MILLION FAMILIES LIVING IN POVERTY. THE INCIDENCE OF POVERTY AMONG FAMILIES WOULD BE GREATER, HOWEVER, IF IT WERE NOT FOR THE CONTRIBUTION MADE BY WORKING WIVES TO FAMILY INCOME. NEARLY 5 MILLION OF THE FAMILIES LIVING IN POVERTY WERE HUSBAND-WIFE FAMILIES. OF ALL HUSBAND-WIFE FAMILIES, ONLY 6 PERCENT WERE POOR IF THE WIFE…

The Affordable Housing Crisis: Residential Mobility of Poor Families and School Mobility of Poor Children.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Crowley, Sheila

2003-01-01

Helping poor families increase their residential stability can have direct bearing on school stability and student academic achievement. Discusses the role of housing in child and family wellbeing; residential mobility and school performance; residential mobility and housing problems; housing affordability; (federal housing policy); homeownership;…

Emerging role of CCN family proteins in tumorigenesis and cancer metastasis (Review).

PubMed

Li, Jun; Ye, Lin; Owen, Sioned; Weeks, Hoi Ping; Zhang, Zhongtao; Jiang, Wen G

2015-12-01

The CCN family of proteins comprises the members CCN1, CCN2, CCN3, CCN4, CCN5 and CCN6. They share four evolutionarily conserved functional domains, and usually interact with various cytokines to elicit different biological functions including cell proliferation, adhesion, invasion, migration, embryonic development, angiogenesis, wound healing, fibrosis and inflammation through a variety of signalling pathways. In the past two decades, emerging functions for the CCN proteins (CCNs) have been identified in various types of cancer. Perturbed expression of CCNs has been observed in a variety of malignancies. The aberrant expression of certain CCNs is associated with disease progression and poor prognosis. Insight into the detailed mechanisms involved in CCN-mediated regulation may be useful in understanding their roles and functions in tumorigenesis and cancer metastasis. In this review, we briefly introduced the functions of CCNs, especially in cancer.

[Devaluation of the African Financial Community franc and the dietary strategies of families in Bamako (Mali)].

PubMed

Ag Bendech, M; Chauliac, M; Gerbouin-Rerolle, P; Kante, N; Malvy, D J

1997-01-01

This survey, conducted in 1996, evaluated changes in the way families feed themselves caused by the effects of devaluation of the CFA franc. It involved semi-directed interviews with 64 subjects from various socio-economic backgrounds (affluent, middle-class, poor). The subjects spoke of the difficulties of daily life, lack of money and rapid, unpredictable rises in the prices of essential goods caused by the devaluation. They did not understand the reasons for the devaluation, which has caused rapid changes in the social conditions and nutrition of urban families and has exacerbated the inequality of access to foodstuffs. Affluent families have adopted strategies that increase the family food budget, compensating for price increases. The meals of poor and middle-class families have been directly affected in both structure and content. Poor families have been particularly badly affected. All the changes in strategy, and substitutions of one product for another described by middle-class families were already being used by the poor families before devaluation.

Family functioning and mental health in runaway youth: association with posttraumatic stress symptoms.

PubMed

Thompson, Sanna J; Cochran, Gerald; Barczyk, Amanda N

2012-10-01

This study examined the direct effects of physical and sexual abuse, neglect, poor family communication and worries concerning family relationships, depression, anxiety, and dissociation on posttraumatic stress symptoms. Runaway youth were recruited from emergency youth shelters in New York and Texas. Interviews were completed with 350 youth who averaged 15 years of age. Structural equation modeling was used to examine family functioning, maltreatment, depression, dissociation, and anxiety in relation to posttraumatic stress symptoms. Results indicated that direct effects of family relationship worry to dissociation, β = .77, p < .001; depression, β = .85, p < .001; and anxiety, β = .90, p < .001 were significant, as were relationships between family communication and youth dissociation, β = .42, p < .001; depression, β = .46, p < .001; and anxiety, β = .32, p < .001. No significant effects of physical/sexual abuse or neglect were found. Higher levels of dissociation, β = .21, p < .001 and anxiety symptoms, β = .34, p = .01 were positively and significantly associated with posttraumatic stress symptoms, but depression was not. Findings underscore the critical role of family relationships in mental health symptoms experienced by runaway adolescents. Copyright © 2012 International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies.

Making Poor Choices? Demand Rationalities and School Choice in a Chilean Local Education Market

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bonal, Xavier; Verger, Antoni; Zancajo, Adrián

2017-01-01

Although the literature on school choice rationalities is extensive, different authors interpret the processes of school choice for poor families in different ways. Positions vary between those that consider that poor families have the same capacity to choose as middle class families and those that value structural factors as constraints for…

Familial psychosocial risk classes and preschooler body mass index: The moderating effect of caregiver feeding style.

PubMed

Horodynski, Mildred A; Brophy-Herb, Holly E; Martoccio, Tiffany L; Contreras, Dawn; Peterson, Karen; Shattuck, Mackenzie; Senehi, Neda; Favreau, Zachary; Miller, Alison L; Sturza, Julie; Kaciroti, Niko; Lumeng, Julie C

2018-04-01

Early child weight gain predicts adolescent and adult obesity, underscoring the need to determine early risk factors affecting weight status and how risk factors might be mitigated. Socioeconomic status, food insecurity, caregiver depressive symptomology, single parenthood, and dysfunctional parenting each have been linked to early childhood weight status. However, the associations between these risk factors and children's weight status may be moderated by caregiver feeding styles (CFS). Examining modifiable factors buffering risk could provide key information to guide early obesity intervention efforts. This analysis used baseline data from the Growing Healthy project that recruited caregivers/child dyads (N = 626) from Michigan Head Start programs. Caregivers were primarily non-Hispanic white (62%) and African American (30%). After using latent class analysis to identify classes of familial psychosocial risk, CFS was tested as a moderator of the association between familial psychosocial risk class and child body mass index (BMI) z-score. Latent class analysis identified three familial psychosocial risk classes: (1) poor, food insecure and depressed families; (2) poor, single parent families; and (3) low risk families. Interactive effects for uninvolved feeding styles and risk group indicated that children in poor, food insecure, and depressed families had higher BMI z-scores compared to children in the low risk group. Authoritative feeding styles in low risk and poor, food insecure, and depressed families showed lower child BMI z-scores relative to poor, single parent families with authoritative feeding styles. Uninvolved feeding styles intensified the risk and an authoritative feeding style muted the risk conferred by living in a poor, food-insecure, and depressed family. Interventions that promote responsive feeding practices could help decrease the associations of familial psychosocial risks with early child weight outcomes. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The first seventy admissions to an adolescent unit in Edinburgh: general characteristics and treatment outcome.

PubMed

Framrose, R

1975-04-01

1. The clinical functioning of the Young People's Unit, Edinburgh is described. This involves a relatively permissive, democratic "milieu". Psychotherapeutic efforts are devoted to the resolution of family psychopathology and the achievement of maturational progress for the adolescent. 2. Data on the first seventy admittions to the Unit were examined. Two-thirds of the patients were diagnosed "developmental crisis"; the majority of these also had a personality disorder. 3. Assessments of family functioning showed high levels of disturbance and psychiatric morbidity among the parents. The adolescents had mutually good, positive relationships with their opposite-sexed parents, but markedly negative ones with the same-sexed parents. This was not in accordance with the usual findings in "normal" families. Delinquent and impulsive patients showed uniformly negative family attitudes. 4. A simple estimation of treatment outcome at discharge gave results comparable to those of other units, with 70 per cent of patients rated as improved. Neurotic and psychotic patients had a relatively better outcome. Tension-discharge personality disorder and a history of very disruptive or antisocial behaviour were associated with poor outcome. 5. The poor response of very disturbed, impulsive adolescents to this type of therapeutic regime is discussed. These individuals do not appear to have sufficient personality resources and organization to benefit from this type of treatment. Emerging from this is a suggestion for an increased provision of specialized units offering containment and intensive care to the very disturbed adolescent.

The family economic status and outcome of people with schizophrenia in Xinjin, Chengdu, China: 14-year follow-up study.

PubMed

Ran, Mao-Sheng; Yang, Lawrence H; Liu, Yu-Jun; Huang, Debbie; Mao, Wen-Jun; Lin, Fu-Rong; Li, Jie; Chan, Cecilia Lai-Wan

2017-05-01

Little is known about whether family economic status might influence the long-term (e.g. over 10 years) outcome of persons with schizophrenia in the community. To examine the differences in outcome at 14-year follow-up of persons with schizophrenia from high versus low family economic status backgrounds in a Chinese rural area. A prospective 14-year follow-up study was conducted in six townships in Xinjin County, Chengdu, China. All participants with schizophrenia ( n = 510) were identified in an epidemiological investigation of 123,572 people aged 15 years and older and followed up from 1994 to 2008. Individuals from low family economic status (

War experiences, general functioning and barriers to care among former child soldiers in Northern Uganda: the WAYS study.

PubMed

Amone-P'Olak, Kennedy; Jones, Peter; Meiser-Stedman, Richard; Abbott, Rosemary; Ayella-Ataro, Paul Stephen; Amone, Jackson; Ovuga, Emilio

2014-12-01

Exposure to war is associated with considerable risks for long-term mental health problems (MHP) and poor functioning. Yet little is known about functioning and mental health service (MHS) use among former child soldiers (FCS). We assessed whether different categories of war experiences predict functioning and perceived need for, sources of and barriers to MHS among FCS. Data were drawn from an on-going War-affected Youths (WAYS) cohort study of FCS in Uganda. Participants completed questionnaires about war experiences, functioning and perceived need for, sources of and barriers to MHS. Regression analyses and parametric tests were used to assess between-group differences. Deaths, material losses, threat to loved ones and sexual abuse significantly predicted poor functioning. FCS who received MHS function better than those who did not. Females reported more emotional and behavioural problems and needed MHS more than males. FCS who function poorly indicated more barriers to MHS than those who function well. Stigma, fear of family break-up and lack of health workers were identified as barriers to MHS. Various war experiences affect functioning differently. A significant need for MHS exists amidst barriers to MHS. Nevertheless, FCS are interested in receiving MHS and believe it would benefit them. © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Faculty of Public Health. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Early life adversity reduces stress reactivity and enhances impulsive behavior: Implications for health behaviors

PubMed Central

Lovallo, William R.

2012-01-01

Altered reactivity to stress, either in the direction of exaggerated reactivity or diminished reactivity, may signal a dysregulation of systems intended to maintain homeostasis and a state of good health. Evidence has accumulated that diminished reactivity to psychosocial stress may signal poor health outcomes. One source of diminished cortisol and autonomic reactivity is the experience of adverse rearing during childhood and adolescence. The Oklahoma Family Health Patterns Project has examined a cohort of 426 healthy young adults with and without a family history of alcoholism. Regardless of family history, persons who had experienced high degrees of adversity prior to age 16 had a constellation of changes including reduced cortisol and heart rate reactivity, diminished cognitive capacity, and unstable regulation of affect, leading to behavioral impulsivity and antisocial tendencies. We present a model whereby this constellation of physiological, cognitive, and affective tendencies is consistent with altered central dopaminergic activity leading to changes in brain function that may foster impulsive and risky behaviors. These in turn may promote greater use of alcohol other drugs along with adopting poor health behaviors. This model provides a pathway from early life adversity to low stress reactivity that forms a basis for risky behaviors and poor health outcomes. PMID:23085387

Family adjustment and parenting stress when an infant has serious liver disease: the Australian experience.

PubMed

Bowden, Michael R; Stormon, Michael; Hardikar, Winita; Ee, Looi C; Krishnan, Usha; Carmody, Diana; Jermyn, Vicki; Lee, Mee-Mee; O'Loughlin, Edward V; Sawyer, Janine; Beyerle, Kathe; Lemberg, Daniel A; Day, Andrew S; Paul, Campbell; Hazell, Philip

2015-06-01

Parenting stress, problems in family functioning, and lack of fathers' engagement in treatment are associated with poor quality of life in children with chronic illnesses. The aim of the present study was to examine these characteristics in families of infants with serious liver disease in Australia, to inform the provision of mental health care for these families. From September 2009 to May 2013, 42 parents of infants recently diagnosed as having serious liver disease (defined as liver disease that may require transplantation in the future) completed questionnaires about family function, impact of the infant's illness on the family, parent stress symptoms, and fathers' engagement in the care of the child. Participants were recruited from 4 metropolitan children's hospitals in Australia. Parents reported psychological symptoms at similar rates to normative populations. Their reports of family functioning were significantly below mean scores in previously published populations with a medically ill family member (population mean 1.89; mothers mean 1.59; fathers mean 1.61, P < 0.001). Disruption to family roles was significantly correlated with psychological symptoms for mothers (r = 0.48, P < 0.01) and fathers (r = 0.31, P < 0.05). Greater helpfulness of fathers was correlated with lower depression in mothers (r = -0.35, P < 0.05), and fathers' anxiety was correlated with their increased engagement (r = 0.40, P < 0.01). When parents report the presence of psychological symptoms, symptoms are likely to be present in both parents and are associated with difficulties adjusting to disrupted family roles. Father engagement may be protective of mothers' mental health.

Emotional well-being in children with epilepsy: Family factors as mediators and moderators.

PubMed

Goodwin, Shane W; Wilk, Piotr; Karen Campbell, M; Speechley, Kathy N

2017-11-01

Our objective was to examine the relationships of factors associated with children's emotional well-being 2 years after diagnosis, and to examine if these relationships are mediated or moderated by family factors. Data came from a multicenter prospective cohort study of children with newly diagnosed epilepsy from across Canada (Health-Related Quality of Life in Children with Epilepsy Study; HERQULES, n = 373). Emotional well-being was assessed using the Quality of Life in Childhood Epilepsy Questionnaire (QOLCE-55). The relationships between clinical factors, family factors, and emotional well-being were assessed using multiple regression analyses. Family functioning, family stress, and repertoire of resources that the families had to adapt to stressful events were significantly associated with poor emotional well-being 2 years after diagnosis (p < 0.05) in the multivariable analysis. The effect of parental depressive symptoms was partially mediated by family functioning and family stress (p < 0.01 and p = 0.02, respectively). Family resources acted as a moderator in the relationship between severity of epilepsy and emotional well-being (p < 0.05). Based on our findings, efforts to strengthen the family environment may warrant attention. We suggest that clinicians take a family centered care approach by including families in treatment planning. Family centered care has been shown to improve family well-being and coping and in turn may reduce the impact of clinical factors on emotional well-being to improve long-term health-related quality of life. Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2017 International League Against Epilepsy.

Longitudinal Follow-up of Families and Young Children With Traumatic Brain Injury

PubMed Central

Keenan, Heather T.; Runyan, Desmond K.; Nocera, Maryalice

2008-01-01

OBJECTIVES To examine the stability of functional outcomes 2 years after injury among children who sustained a traumatic brain injury (TBI) before 2 years of age and to examine the characteristics of the families caring for these children. METHODS All North Carolina-resident children who were hospitalized between January 2000 and December 2001 in any of the state’s 9 PICUs and survived a TBI that occurred on or before their second birthday were eligible to participate in the prospective cohort study. Child health status, use of ancillary medical resources, and family characteristics were assessed through maternal caregiver interviews ~2 years after injury. Comparisons were made among injury types (inflicted versus noninflicted). RESULTS There were 112 children who survived a TBI during the 2-year study period. Fifty-seven (79%) of the 72 maternal caregivers who had completed an interview 1 year after the child’s injury participated in the year 2 interview. Most children (67%) had an outcome of mild disability or better at year 2, with 45% functioning at an age-appropriate level. Children’s outcomes did not differ significantly at year 2 according to the mechanism of injury. The majority (67%) of children retained their Pediatric Overall Performance Category scores from year 1 to year 2. Children who changed were as likely to show improvement as deterioration. Children differed very little across time, as measured with the Stein-Jessup Functional Status II (Revised) scale. Families tended to have multiple environmental factors that could put their children at risk for poor developmental outcomes, including living below the poverty level (22%) and low social capital (39%). CONCLUSIONS The children in this cohort had relatively stable functional outcomes from year 1 to year 2 after injury. This population of children remains very vulnerable to poor developmental outcomes secondary to the effects of their TBI and environmental factors. PMID:16585326

Family Function and Self-esteem among Chinese University Students with and without Grandparenting Experience: Moderating Effect of Social Support

PubMed Central

Shi, Jingyu; Wang, Lu; Yao, Yuhong; Su, Na; Zhao, Xudong; Zhan, Chenyu

2017-01-01

This study examines the association between family function and self-esteem of Chinese university students with grandparenting experience, and explores the moderating effects of social support in this link. Two thousand five hundred thirty university students (1372 males and 1158 females) from a Chinese university completed the Perceived Social Support Scale, the Rosenberg’s Self-esteem Scale, and the Family Assessment Device (FAD). Six hundred and forty-five (25.69%) students reported grandparenting experience and they reported lower scores on self-esteem and social support than the students raised only by their parents. The grandparenting group scored higher on such dimensions of family functioning as Communication, Role, Affective Involvement, Affective Responsiveness, and General Family Function (GF) than their counterpart group. For both groups, self-esteem scores were positively correlated with social support scores, while negatively correlated with FAD all sub-scale scores. Hierarchical regression analysis showed that for the students with grandparenting experience the social support moderated the relationship between GF and self-esteem. When students reported a high level of social support, those with low GF score reported higher scores in self-esteem than those with low self-esteem. However, in case of low social support, there were no differences in self-esteem between groups with high and low GF scores. These findings suggest that social support plays a positive role to relieve the adverse impact of poor family function on self-esteem of the adolescents with grandparenting experience. In addition, the significance and limitations of the results will be discussed. PMID:28611720

Family Function and Self-esteem among Chinese University Students with and without Grandparenting Experience: Moderating Effect of Social Support.

PubMed

Shi, Jingyu; Wang, Lu; Yao, Yuhong; Su, Na; Zhao, Xudong; Zhan, Chenyu

2017-01-01

This study examines the association between family function and self-esteem of Chinese university students with grandparenting experience, and explores the moderating effects of social support in this link. Two thousand five hundred thirty university students (1372 males and 1158 females) from a Chinese university completed the Perceived Social Support Scale, the Rosenberg's Self-esteem Scale, and the Family Assessment Device (FAD). Six hundred and forty-five (25.69%) students reported grandparenting experience and they reported lower scores on self-esteem and social support than the students raised only by their parents. The grandparenting group scored higher on such dimensions of family functioning as Communication, Role, Affective Involvement, Affective Responsiveness, and General Family Function (GF) than their counterpart group. For both groups, self-esteem scores were positively correlated with social support scores, while negatively correlated with FAD all sub-scale scores. Hierarchical regression analysis showed that for the students with grandparenting experience the social support moderated the relationship between GF and self-esteem. When students reported a high level of social support, those with low GF score reported higher scores in self-esteem than those with low self-esteem. However, in case of low social support, there were no differences in self-esteem between groups with high and low GF scores. These findings suggest that social support plays a positive role to relieve the adverse impact of poor family function on self-esteem of the adolescents with grandparenting experience. In addition, the significance and limitations of the results will be discussed.

Mutant phenotypes for thousands of bacterial genes of unknown function

DOE PAGES

Price, Morgan N.; Wetmore, Kelly M.; Waters, R. Jordan; ...

2018-05-16

One-third of all protein-coding genes from bacterial genomes cannot be annotated with a function. Here, to investigate the functions of these genes, we present genome-wide mutant fitness data from 32 diverse bacteria across dozens of growth conditions. We identified mutant phenotypes for 11,779 protein-coding genes that had not been annotated with a specific function. Many genes could be associated with a specific condition because the gene affected fitness only in that condition, or with another gene in the same bacterium because they had similar mutant phenotypes. Of the poorly annotated genes, 2,316 had associations that have high confidence because theymore » are conserved in other bacteria. By combining these conserved associations with comparative genomics, we identified putative DNA repair proteins; in addition, we propose specific functions for poorly annotated enzymes and transporters and for uncharacterized protein families. Lastly, our study demonstrates the scalability of microbial genetics and its utility for improving gene annotations.« less

Mutant phenotypes for thousands of bacterial genes of unknown function

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Price, Morgan N.; Wetmore, Kelly M.; Waters, R. Jordan

One-third of all protein-coding genes from bacterial genomes cannot be annotated with a function. Here, to investigate the functions of these genes, we present genome-wide mutant fitness data from 32 diverse bacteria across dozens of growth conditions. We identified mutant phenotypes for 11,779 protein-coding genes that had not been annotated with a specific function. Many genes could be associated with a specific condition because the gene affected fitness only in that condition, or with another gene in the same bacterium because they had similar mutant phenotypes. Of the poorly annotated genes, 2,316 had associations that have high confidence because theymore » are conserved in other bacteria. By combining these conserved associations with comparative genomics, we identified putative DNA repair proteins; in addition, we propose specific functions for poorly annotated enzymes and transporters and for uncharacterized protein families. Lastly, our study demonstrates the scalability of microbial genetics and its utility for improving gene annotations.« less

Family Correlates of Adjustment Profiles in Mexican-Origin Female Adolescents

PubMed Central

Bámaca-Colbert, Mayra Y.; Gayles, Jochebed G.; Lara, Rebecca

2013-01-01

This study used a person-centered approach to examine patterns of adjustment along psychological (i.e., depression, self-esteem, anxiety) and academic (i.e., academic motivation) domains in a sample (N = 338) of Mexican-origin female adolescents. Four adjustment profiles were identified. A High Functioning (n = 173) group, which exhibited high positive adjustment and academic functioning, an Average Functioning (n = 83) group, who exhibited average psychological and academic functioning, an Academically Oriented and Stressed (n = 19) group, who exhibited high academic motivation, but poor psychological functioning in anxiety and negative affect, and a Low Functioning” (n = 25) group, who exhibited poor adjustment overall. Further, paternal and maternal parenting characteristics (i.e., autonomy granting, parent-adolescent conflict, and supportive parenting) were differentially related to Mexican-origin female adolescents’ profiles, providing further evidence for the existence of the profiles. Results contribute to the current literature on Latino adolescents and highlight the importance of examining psychological and academic domains concurrently to determine how these two domains of adjustment are linked among this population. PMID:23678230

Psychosocial functioning and risk factors among siblings of children with cancer: An updated systematic review.

PubMed

Long, Kristin A; Lehmann, Vicky; Gerhardt, Cynthia A; Carpenter, Aubrey L; Marsland, Anna L; Alderfer, Melissa A

2018-06-01

Siblings' psychosocial adjustment to childhood cancer is poorly understood. This systematic review summarizes findings and limitations of the sibling literature since 2008, provides clinical recommendations, and offers future research directions. MEDLINE/Pubmed, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, and PsycINFO were searched for articles related to siblings, psychosocial functioning, and pediatric cancer. After systematic screening, studies meeting inclusion criteria were rated for scientific merit, and findings were extracted and synthesized. In total, 102 studies were included (63 quantitative, 35 qualitative, 4 mixed-methods). Methodological limitations are common. Mean levels of anxiety, depression, and general adjustment are similar across siblings and comparisons, but symptoms of cancer-related posttraumatic stress are prevalent. School-aged siblings display poorer academic functioning and more absenteeism but similar peer relationships as peers. Quality of life findings are mixed. Adult siblings engage in higher levels of risky health behaviors and may have poorer health outcomes than comparisons. Risk factors for poor sibling adjustment include lower social support, poorer family functioning, lower income, non-White race, and shorter time since diagnosis, but findings are inconsistent. Qualitative themes include siblings' maturity, compassion, and autonomy, but also strong negative emotions, uncertainty, family disruptions, limited parental support, school problems, altered friendships, and unmet needs. Despite methodological limitations, research indicates a strong need for sibling support. Clinical recommendations include identifying at-risk siblings and developing interventions to facilitate family communication and increase siblings' social support, cancer-related knowledge, and treatment involvement. Future longitudinal studies focusing on mechanisms and moderators of siblings' adjustment would inform timing and targets of psychosocial care. Copyright © 2018 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

TMEM16 proteins: unknown structure and confusing functions.

PubMed

Picollo, Alessandra; Malvezzi, Mattia; Accardi, Alessio

2015-01-16

The TMEM16 family of membrane proteins, also known as anoctamins, plays key roles in a variety of physiological functions that range from ion transport to phospholipid scrambling and to regulating other ion channels. The first two family members to be functionally characterized, TMEM16A (ANO1) and TMEM16B (ANO2), form Ca(2+)-activated Cl(-) channels and are important for transepithelial ion transport, olfaction, phototransduction, smooth muscle contraction, nociception, cell proliferation and control of neuronal excitability. The roles of other family members, such as TMEM16C (ANO3), TMEM16D (ANO4), TMEM16F (ANO6), TMEM16G (ANO7) and TMEM16J (ANO9), remain poorly understood and controversial. These homologues were reported to be phospholipid scramblases, ion channels, to have both functions or to be regulatory subunits of other channels. Mutations in TMEM16F cause Scott syndrome, a bleeding disorder caused by impaired Ca(2+)-dependent externalization of phosphatidylserine in activated platelets, suggesting that this homologue might be a scramblase. However, overexpression of TMEM16F has also been associated with a remarkable number of different ion channel types, raising the possibility that this protein might be involved in both ion and lipid transports. The recent identification of an ancestral TMEM16 homologue with intrinsic channel and scramblase activities supports this hypothesis. Thus, the TMEM16 family might have diverged in two or three different subclasses, channels, scramblases and dual-function channel/scramblases. The structural bases and functional implication of such a functional diversity within a single protein family remain to be elucidated and the links between TMEM16 functions and human physiology and pathologies need to be investigated. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A PR-1-like Protein of Fusarium oxysporum Functions in Virulence on Mammalian Hosts*

PubMed Central

Prados-Rosales, Rafael C.; Roldán-Rodríguez, Raquel; Serena, Carolina; López-Berges, Manuel S.; Guarro, Josep; Martínez-del-Pozo, Álvaro; Di Pietro, Antonio

2012-01-01

The pathogenesis-related PR-1-like protein family comprises secreted proteins from the animal, plant, and fungal kingdoms whose biological function remains poorly understood. Here we have characterized a PR-1-like protein, Fpr1, from Fusarium oxysporum, an ubiquitous fungal pathogen that causes vascular wilt disease on a wide range of plant species and can produce life-threatening infections in immunocompromised humans. Fpr1 is secreted and proteolytically processed by the fungus. The fpr1 gene is required for virulence in a disseminated immunodepressed mouse model, and its function depends on the integrity of the proposed active site of PR-1-like proteins. Fpr1 belongs to a gene family that has expanded in plant pathogenic Sordariomycetes. These results suggest that secreted PR-1-like proteins play important roles in fungal pathogenicity. PMID:22553200

Family economic strengthening and mental health functioning of caregivers for AIDS-affected children in rural Uganda.

PubMed

Wang, Julia Shu-Huah; Ssewamala, Fred M; Han, Chang-Keun

In sub-Saharan Africa, many extended families assume the role of caregivers for children orphaned by AIDS (AIDS-affected children). The economic and psychological stress ensued from caregiving duties often predispose caregivers to poor mental health outcomes. Yet, very few studies exist on effective interventions to support these caregivers. Using data from a randomized controlled trial called Suubi-Maka ( N = 346), this paper examines whether a family economic strengthening intervention among families caring for AIDS-affected children (ages 12-14) in Uganda would improve the primary caregivers' mental health functioning. The Suubi-Maka study comprised of a control condition ( n = 167) receiving usual care for AIDS-affected children, and a treatment condition ( n = 179) receiving a family economic strengthening intervention, including matched savings accounts, and financial planning and management training to incentivize families to save money for education and/or family-level income generating projects. This paper uses data from baseline/pre-intervention (wave 1) interviews with caregivers and 12-month post-intervention initiation (wave 2). The caregiver's mental health measure adapted from previous studies in sub- Saharan Africa had an internal consistency of .88 at wave 1 and .90 at wave 2. At baseline, the two study groups did not significantly differ on caregiver's mental health functioning. However, at 12-month follow-up, multiple regression analysis located significant differences between the two study groups on mental health functioning. Specifically, following the intervention, caregivers in the treatment condition reported positive improvements on their mental health functioning, especially in the symptom areas of obsession-compulsion, interpersonal sensitivity, hostility, and psychoticism. Findings point to a need for programs and policies aimed at supporting caregivers of AIDS-affected children to begin to consider incorporating family-level economic strengthening components in their usual care protocols, especially in low-resource countries of sub-Saharan Africa. Economic empowerment programming may help enhance the well-being of caregivers and their families.

Family economic strengthening and mental health functioning of caregivers for AIDS-affected children in rural Uganda

PubMed Central

Wang, Julia Shu-Huah; Ssewamala, Fred M.; Han, Chang-Keun

2015-01-01

In sub-Saharan Africa, many extended families assume the role of caregivers for children orphaned by AIDS (AIDS-affected children). The economic and psychological stress ensued from caregiving duties often predispose caregivers to poor mental health outcomes. Yet, very few studies exist on effective interventions to support these caregivers. Using data from a randomized controlled trial called Suubi-Maka (N = 346), this paper examines whether a family economic strengthening intervention among families caring for AIDS-affected children (ages 12–14) in Uganda would improve the primary caregivers’ mental health functioning. The Suubi-Maka study comprised of a control condition (n = 167) receiving usual care for AIDS-affected children, and a treatment condition (n = 179) receiving a family economic strengthening intervention, including matched savings accounts, and financial planning and management training to incentivize families to save money for education and/or family-level income generating projects. This paper uses data from baseline/pre-intervention (wave 1) interviews with caregivers and 12-month post-intervention initiation (wave 2). The caregiver’s mental health measure adapted from previous studies in sub- Saharan Africa had an internal consistency of .88 at wave 1 and .90 at wave 2. At baseline, the two study groups did not significantly differ on caregiver’s mental health functioning. However, at 12-month follow-up, multiple regression analysis located significant differences between the two study groups on mental health functioning. Specifically, following the intervention, caregivers in the treatment condition reported positive improvements on their mental health functioning, especially in the symptom areas of obsession–compulsion, interpersonal sensitivity, hostility, and psychoticism. Findings point to a need for programs and policies aimed at supporting caregivers of AIDS-affected children to begin to consider incorporating family-level economic strengthening components in their usual care protocols, especially in low-resource countries of sub-Saharan Africa. Economic empowerment programming may help enhance the well-being of caregivers and their families. PMID:26246846

Family Impacts among Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: The Role of Health Care Quality

PubMed Central

Zuckerman, Katharine E.; Lindly, Olivia J.; Bethell, Christina D.; Kuhlthau, Karen

2014-01-01

Objectives To compare health care quality and family employment and financial impacts among children with special health care needs (CSHCN) with autism spectrum disorder (CSHCN+ASD), CSHCN with functional limitations (CSHCN+FL), and CSHCN lacking these conditions (other CSHCN). To test whether high health care quality was associated with reduced family impacts among CSHCN+ASD. Methods Data from the 2009-2010 National Survey of CSHCN were used to compare 3025 CSHCN+ASD, 6505 CSHCN+FL, and 28 296 other CSHCN. Weighted multivariate logistic regression analyses examined six age-relevant, federally-defined health care quality indicators and five family financial and employment impact indicators. Two composite measures were additionally used: (1) receipt of care that met all age-relevant quality indicators; and (2) had ≥ two of the five adverse family impacts. Results Across all health care quality indicators CSHCN+ASD fared poorly, with only 7.4% meeting all age-relevant indicators. CSHCN+ASD had worse health care quality than other CSHCN, including CSHCN+FL. CSHCN+ASD also had high rates of adverse family impact, with over half experiencing two or more adverse impacts. Rates of adverse family impact were higher in CSHCN+ASD than other CSHCN, including CSHCN+FL. Among CSHCN+ASD, those whose health care that met federal quality standards were less likely to have multiple adverse family impacts than CSHCN+ASD whose health care did not meet federal quality standards. Conclusions CSHCN+ASD are more prone to experience poor health care quality and family impacts than other CSHCN, even CSHCN+FL. Receipt of care meeting federal quality standards may potentially lessen adverse family impacts for CSHCN+ASD. PMID:24976352

Cumulative family risks across income levels predict deterioration of children’s general health during childhood and adolescence

PubMed Central

Seo, Dong-Chul

2017-01-01

Family is considered an important agent in the health development of children. This process is significant but quite complex because the prevalence of potential risk factors in the family can hinder children’s health. This study examined if multiple family risks might have cumulative effect on children and youth’s health across various levels of household income. The data in this study were drawn from the 2011–2012 U.S. National Survey of Children’s Health (N = 79,601). A cumulative family risk (CFR) index was developed, which included such constructs as single-parenthood, unstable employment, large family, parenting stress, poor maternal education, poor maternal general health and poor maternal mental health. Multiple logistic regression analyses showed that CFR level was significantly related to children and youth’s poor health outcome (p < .001). When poverty levels were considered, however, the impact of CFRs on children and youth’s health was attenuated. The impact of CFRs was higher on children and youth from affluent families than on those from poor families. Overall there was a consistent pattern of trend in the point estimate as well as confidence limits as levels of affluence and numbers of family risk increased although some of the confidence intervals overlapped. Living in disadvantaged families might serve as a protective factor against CFRs possibly through repeated exposure to hardships and subsequent formation of resilience among some of the disadvantaged children. PMID:28520758

SPECIAL PROBLEMS REPORT, ADULT EDUCATION PROGRAMS FOR RURAL POPULATION IN PAKISTAN AND SUGGESTIONS FOR THEIR IMPROVEMENT.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

ALI KHAN, ANSAR

THE AUTHOR DISCUSSES THE NEED FOR FUNCTIONAL, SEQUENTIAL PROGRAMS OF LITERACY, VOCATIONAL, LIBERAL, POLITICAL, AND HUMAN RELATIONS EDUCATION IN RURAL AREAS OF PAKISTAN. PROBLEMS AND CHALLENGES ARE SEEN IN THE OCCUPATIONAL CASTE SYSTEM, FAMILY STRUCTURES, ATTITUDES TOWARD THE EDUCATION OF BOYS AND GIRLS, POOR MEANS OF TRANSPORTATION AND…

Combining employment and family in Europe: the role of family policies in health.

PubMed

Artazcoz, Lucía; Cortès, Imma; Puig-Barrachina, Vanessa; Benavides, Fernando G; Escribà-Agüir, Vicenta; Borrell, Carme

2014-08-01

The objectives of this study were: (i) to analyse the relationship between health status and paid working hours and household composition in the EU-27, and (ii) to examine whether patterns of association differ as a function of family policy typologies and gender. Cross-sectional study based on data from the 5th European Working Conditions Survey of 2010. The sample included married or cohabiting employees aged 25-64 years from the EU-27 (10,482 men and 8,882 women). The dependent variables were self-perceived health status and psychological well-being. Irrespective of differences in family policy typologies between countries, working long hours was more common among men, and part-time work was more common among women. In Continental and Southern European countries, employment and family demands were associated with poor health status in both sexes, but more consistently among women. In Anglo-Saxon countries, the association was mainly limited to men. Finally, in Nordic and Eastern European countries, employment and family demands were largely unassociated with poor health outcomes in both sexes. The combination of employment and family demands is largely unassociated with health status in countries with dual-earner family policy models, but is associated with poorer health outcomes in countries with market-oriented models, mainly among men. This association is more consistent among women in countries with traditional models, where males are the breadwinners and females are responsible for domestic and care work. © The Author 2013. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Public Health Association. All rights reserved.

CHILDHOOD DEPRESSION. Exploring the association between family violence and other psychosocial factors in low-income Brazilian schoolchildren

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Background Childhood depression affects the morbidity, mortality and life functions of children. Individual, family and environmental factors have been documented as psychosocial risk factors for childhood depression, especially family violence, which results in inadequate support, low family cohesion and poor communication. This study investigates the association between psychosocial depression factors in low-income schoolchildren and reveals the potential trouble spots, highlighting several forms of violence that take place within the family context. Methods The study was based on a cross-sectional analysis of 464 schoolchildren aged between 6 and 10, selected by random sampling from a city in the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Socio-economic, family and individual variables were investigated on the strength of the caregivers’ information and organized in blocks for analysis. A binary logistic regression model was applied, according to hierarchical blocks. Results The final hierarchical regression analysis showed that the following variables are potential psychosocial factors associated with depression in childhood: average/poor relationship with the father (OR 3.24, 95% CI 1.32-7.94), high frequency of victimization by psychological violence (humiliation) (OR 6.13, 95% CI 2.06-18.31), parental divorce (OR 2.89, 95% CI 1.14-7.32) and externalizing behavior problems (OR 3.53 IC 1.51-8.23). Conclusions The results point to multiple determinants of depressive behavior in children, as well as the potential contribution of psychological family violence. The study also reveals potential key targets for early intervention, especially for children from highly vulnerable families. PMID:22776354

Conservation and diversification of the miR166 family in soybean and potential roles of newly identified miR166s.

PubMed

Li, Xuyan; Xie, Xin; Li, Ji; Cui, Yuhai; Hou, Yanming; Zhai, Lulu; Wang, Xiao; Fu, Yanli; Liu, Ranran; Bian, Shaomin

2017-02-01

microRNA166 (miR166) is a highly conserved family of miRNAs implicated in a wide range of cellular and physiological processes in plants. miR166 family generally comprises multiple miR166 members in plants, which might exhibit functional redundancy and specificity. The soybean miR166 family consists of 21 members according to the miRBase database. However, the evolutionary conservation and functional diversification of miR166 family members in soybean remain poorly understood. We identified five novel miR166s in soybean by data mining approach, thus enlarging the size of miR166 family from 21 to 26 members. Phylogenetic analyses of the 26 miR166s and their precursors indicated that soybean miR166 family exhibited both evolutionary conservation and diversification, and ten pairs of miR166 precursors with high sequence identity were individually grouped into a discrete clade in the phylogenetic tree. The analysis of genomic organization and evolution of MIR166 gene family revealed that eight segmental duplications and four tandem duplications might occur during evolution of the miR166 family in soybean. The cis-elements in promoters of MIR166 family genes and their putative targets pointed to their possible contributions to the functional conservation and diversification. The targets of soybean miR166s were predicted, and the cleavage of ATHB14-LIKE transcript was experimentally validated by RACE PCR. Further, the expression patterns of the five newly identified MIR166s and 12 target genes were examined during seed development and in response to abiotic stresses, which provided important clues for dissecting their functions and isoform specificity. This study enlarged the size of soybean miR166 family from 21 to 26 members, and the 26 soybean miR166s exhibited evolutionary conservation and diversification. These findings have laid a foundation for elucidating functional conservation and diversification of miR166 family members, especially during seed development or under abiotic stresses.

Social ecology of child soldiers: child, family, and community determinants of mental health, psychosocial well-being, and reintegration in Nepal.

PubMed

Kohrt, Brandon A; Jordans, Mark J D; Tol, Wietse A; Perera, Em; Karki, Rohit; Koirala, Suraj; Upadhaya, Nawaraj

2010-11-01

This study employed a social ecology framework to evaluate psychosocial well-being in a cross-sectional sample of 142 former child soldiers in Nepal. Outcome measures included the Depression Self Rating Scale (DSRS), Child Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Symptom Scale (CPSS), and locally developed measures of functional impairment and reintegration. Hierarchical linear modeling was used to examine the contribution of factors at multiple levels. At the child level, traumatic exposures, especially torture, predicted poor outcomes, while education improved outcomes. At the family level, conflict-related death of a relative, physical abuse in the household, and loss of wealth during the conflict predicted poor outcomes. At the community level, living in high caste Hindu communities predicted lack of reintegration supports. Ultimately, social ecology is well suited to identify intervention foci across ecological levels based on community differences in vulnerability and protective factors.

Risk factors for poor attendance in a family-based pediatric obesity intervention program for young children.

PubMed

Williams, Natalie A; Coday, Mace; Somes, Grant; Tylavsky, Frances A; Richey, Phyllis A; Hare, Marion

2010-01-01

This study examined the role of demographic characteristics, psychological factors, and family functioning on attendance in a randomized controlled trial of a family-based pediatric obesity program. Participants included 155 children between the ages of 4 and 7 years (M age = 5.77, 57.4% female, 73.6% black, M body mass index = 25.5) and their primary caregivers who were randomized to the treatment group. Three groups of participants were created based on their patterns of attendance during the program: (1) noncompleters, (2) partial completers, and (3) completers. Results indicated no differences among the attendance groups in child gender, child body mass index, or child psychological functioning. Significant group differences were found with respect to race/ethnicity, parent marital status, and family income, such that noncompleters were more likely to be racial/ethnic minorities, to living in single parent households, and to have lower incomes than partial completers and completers. After controlling for the effects of these sociodemographic risk factors, noncompleters, and partial completers reported more family dysfunction characterized by high levels of disengagement than completers. Adapting existing weight management programs to include a focus on family engagement in the early stages of treatment may help to improve participation in family-based obesity interventions targeting high risk, socioeconomically disadvantaged youth.

Income and assets of Social Security beneficiaries by type of benefit.

PubMed

Grad, S

1989-01-01

The SIPP data have provided a first look at the relative economic status of various types of Social Security beneficiaries. They have shown that the different types of Social Security beneficiaries face very different economic circumstances. Retired workers and wife beneficiaries have the highest family incomes adjusted for family size. Aged widows and minor children have the lowest family incomes, with high proportions of poor or near poor. And disabled workers are in between, but also have high proportions of poor or near poor. Retired-worker and wife beneficiary households also have considerably more asset holdings than disabled-worker or widow beneficiary households. Beneficiaries with high family incomes are very likely to live with relatives and to rely heavily on the relatives' income. The high-income families tend to have non-means-tested sources of family income other than Social Security amounting to substantial proportions of their total income and to have high asset holdings. Conversely, beneficiaries with low family incomes are very likely to live alone or with nonrelatives, to rely heavily on Social Security and means-tested benefits, and to have low asset holdings. A majority of ever-poor beneficiaries (with the exception of widow beneficiaries) are poor in only some months of a year. This situation is not consistent with the stereotype of beneficiaries living on fixed incomes. But the change in poverty status is often due to a change in the income of other family members rather than of the beneficiary. And in some cases, a change in poverty status occurs with little or no change in income as the cost of living rises.

Pathways of Risk and Resilience: Impact of a Family Resilience Program on Active-Duty Military Parents.

PubMed

Saltzman, William R; Lester, Patricia; Milburn, Norweeta; Woodward, Kirsten; Stein, Judith

2016-12-01

Over the past decade, studies into the impact of wartime deployment and related adversities on service members and their families have offered empirical support for systemic models of family functioning and a more nuanced understanding of the mechanisms by which stress and trauma reverberate across family and partner relationships. They have also advanced our understanding of the ways in which families may contribute to the resilience of children and parents contending with the stressors of serial deployments and parental physical and psychological injuries. This study is the latest in a series designed to further clarify the systemic functioning of military families and to explicate the role of resilient family processes in reducing symptoms of distress and poor adaptation among family members. Drawing upon the implementation of the Families Overcoming Under Stress (FOCUS) Family Resilience Program at 14 active-duty military installations across the United States, structural equation modeling was conducted with data from 434 marine and navy active-duty families who participated in the FOCUS program. The goal was to better understand the ways in which parental distress reverberates across military family systems and, through longitudinal path analytic modeling, determine the pathways of program impact on parental distress. The findings indicated significant cross-influence of distress between the military and civilian parents within families, families with more distressed military parents were more likely to sustain participation in the program, and reductions in distress among both military and civilian parents were significantly mediated by improvements in resilient family processes. These results are consistent with family systemic and resilient models that support preventive interventions designed to enhance family resilient processes as an important part of comprehensive services for distressed military families. © 2016 Family Process Institute.

Poor glycemic control as a reason for referral of diabetes patients to specialists in Israel

PubMed Central

Fogelman, Yacov; Karkabi, Khaled; Goldfracht, Margalit

2016-01-01

Aims/introduction Family physicians face the dilemma of when to refer patients with diabetes to specialists. This study examined attitudes of family physicians to referring patients with poor glucose control to diabetes specialists. Materials and methods At continuous medical education courses, family physicians were asked to respond anonymously, as to whether they generally manage the diabetes of their patients, and specifically those with poor glycemic control (HbA1c>9.0%). Results Of 470 respondents, 426 (90%) reported that they generally manage their patients’ diabetes; 202 (43%) reported that they manage the diabetes of patients with HbA1c>9.0%. Board certification in family medicine and affiliation to a health maintenance organization, but not sex, age, years of professional experience, or the proportion of patients with diabetes at their clinics, were associated with referral practices. Conclusions Family medicine residency and organizational support appear to promote treatment by family physicians of patients with poorly controlled diabetes in the primary care setting. PMID:27124172

The HSP70 family and cancer

PubMed Central

Murphy, Maureen E.

2013-01-01

The HSP70 family of heat shock proteins consists of molecular chaperones of approximately 70kDa in size that serve critical roles in protein homeostasis. These adenosine triphosphatases unfold misfolded or denatured proteins and can keep these proteins in an unfolded, folding-competent state. They also protect nascently translating proteins, promote the cellular or organellar transport of proteins, reduce proteotoxic protein aggregates and serve general housekeeping roles in maintaining protein homeostasis. The HSP70 family is the most conserved in evolution, and all eukaryotes contain multiple members. Some members of this family serve specific organellar- or tissue-specific functions; however, in many cases, these members can function redundantly. Overall, the HSP70 family of proteins can be thought of as a potent buffering system for cellular stress, either from extrinsic (physiological, viral and environmental) or intrinsic (replicative or oncogenic) stimuli. As such, this family serves a critical survival function in the cell. Not surprisingly, cancer cells rely heavily on this buffering system for survival. The overwhelming majority of human tumors overexpress HSP70 family members, and expression of these proteins is typically a marker for poor prognosis. With the proof of principle that inhibitors of the HSP90 chaperone have emerged as important anticancer agents, intense focus has now been placed on the potential for HSP70 inhibitors to assume a role as a significant chemotherapeutic avenue. In this review, the history, regulation, mechanism of action and role in cancer of the HSP70 family are reviewed. Additionally, the promise of pharmacologically targeting this protein for cancer therapy is addressed. PMID:23563090

Characterization of Stress in Low-Income, Inner-City Mothers of Children with Poorly Controlled Asthma.

PubMed

Bellin, Melissa H; Collins, Kathryn S; Osteen, Philip; Kub, Joan; Bollinger, Mary Elizabeth; Newsome, Angelica; Lewis-Land, Cassie; Butz, Arlene M

2017-12-01

The goal of this longitudinal analysis was to characterize factors associated with the experience of life stress in low-income, inner-city mothers of minority children with high-risk asthma.Participants (n = 276) reported on family demographics, child asthma control and healthcare utilization, social support, contemporary life difficulties (housing, finances, violence exposure) measured by the validated Crisis in Family Systems scale, and daily stress. Latent growth curve modeling examined predictors of life stress across 12 months as a function of home and community difficulties, asthma-specific factors, and social support. Mothers were primarily single (73%), unemployed (55%), and living in extreme poverty with most (73%) reporting an annual family income <$20,000 (73%). The children were young (mean age = 5.59, SD = 2.17), African-American (96%), and had poorly controlled asthma (94%) at study enrollment. Higher daily stress was associated with financial difficulties, safety concerns in the home and community, and housing problems. Access to social support was consistently related to reduced stress. The only asthma-specific factor associated with life stress was healthcare utilization, with more emergency services for asthma related to higher daily stress. Findings underscore the clinical significance of assessing diverse home and community stressors and social support in low-income, inner-city caregivers of children with poorly controlled asthma.

Translation and validation of the Danish version of the brief family assessment measure III in a sample of acutely admitted elderly medical patients.

PubMed

Shamali, Mahdi; Konradsen, Hanne; Lauridsen, Jørgen T; Østergaard, Birte

2017-11-13

Family functioning plays a pivotal role in the adaptation to illness of both individuals and families, especially among elderly patients. The Brief Family Assessment Measure Third Edition (Brief FAM-III) is among the most frequently used self-report instruments that measures family functioning. However, no Danish translation or measure of its psychometric properties in a Danish population is available. The purpose of this study was to translate the Brief FAM-III into Danish and then evaluate its psychometric properties in elderly patients. The Brief FAM-III was translated into Danish using the forward-backward translation procedure and examined its psychometric properties in 60 elderly patients (aged over 65) consecutively admitted to an acute medical ward. Internal consistency reliability was assessed by Cronbach's alpha coefficients, and confirmatory factor analysis was used to examine the construct validity of the Brief FAM-III. Evaluation of the Danish version of the Brief FAM-III confirmed the three-factor structure (General Scale, Self-Rating Scale and Dyadic Relationships Scale) identified in the original instrument. However, goodness-of-fit indicators showed a relatively poor model fit. Cronbach's alpha for the total scales of Brief FAM-III was 0.94 suggesting good internal consistency. The Danish version of the Brief FAM-III demonstrated satisfactory validity and reliability to assess family functioning among acutely admitted elderly Danish patients. We suggest that it may also be useful for monitoring family functioning over time or determining the effects of therapeutic interventions in elderly medical patients; however, further testing is recommended. © 2017 Nordic College of Caring Science.

Ultra-low input transcriptomics reveal the spore functional content and phylogenetic affiliations of poorly studied arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi

PubMed Central

Beaudet, Denis; Chen, Eric C H; Mathieu, Stephanie; Yildirir, Gokalp; Ndikumana, Steve; Dalpé, Yolande; Séguin, Sylvie; Farinelli, Laurent; Stajich, Jason E; Corradi, Nicolas

2018-01-01

Abstract Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) are a group of soil microorganisms that establish symbioses with the vast majority of land plants. To date, generation of AMF coding information has been limited to model genera that grow well axenically; Rhizoglomus and Gigaspora. Meanwhile, data on the functional gene repertoire of most AMF families is non-existent. Here, we provide primary large-scale transcriptome data from eight poorly studied AMF species (Acaulospora morrowiae, Diversispora versiforme, Scutellospora calospora, Racocetra castanea, Paraglomus brasilianum, Ambispora leptoticha, Claroideoglomus claroideum and Funneliformis mosseae) using ultra-low input ribonucleic acid (RNA)-seq approaches. Our analyses reveals that quiescent spores of many AMF species harbour a diverse functional diversity and solidify known evolutionary relationships within the group. Our findings demonstrate that RNA-seq data obtained from low-input RNA are reliable in comparison to conventional RNA-seq experiments. Thus, our methodology can potentially be used to deepen our understanding of fungal microbial function and phylogeny using minute amounts of RNA material. PMID:29211832

Adaptive functioning in pediatric epilepsy: contributions of seizure-related variables and parental anxiety.

PubMed

Kerne, Valerie; Chapieski, Lynn

2015-02-01

Young people with epilepsy are less likely to achieve the level of independence attained by their peers. We examined the seizure-related variables that placed a group of 97 pediatric patients with intractable seizures at risk for poor adaptive functioning. Analyses evaluated both the direct effects of the medical variables and indirect effects that were mediated through increased parental anxiety about their child's epilepsy. Higher numbers of anticonvulsants, presence of seizures that secondarily generalize, longer duration of seizure disorder, and younger age at onset were all identified as risk factors for poor adaptive functioning. Depending on the specific behavioral domain of adaptive functioning, the effects were sometimes direct and sometimes indirect. Lower levels of parental education and positive family history of seizures were associated with higher levels of parental anxiety. Interventions that target parental anxiety about seizures may mitigate the deleterious effects of epilepsy on social development. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Family Factors Predict Treatment Outcome for Pediatric Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

PubMed Central

Peris, Tara S.; Sugar, Catherine A.; Bergman, R. Lindsey; Chang, Susanna; Langley, Audra; Piacentini, John

2012-01-01

Objective To examine family conflict, parental blame, and poor family cohesion as predictors of treatment outcome for youth receiving family-focused cognitive behavioral therapy (FCBT) for obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD). Methods We analyzed data from a sample of youth who were randomized to FCBT (n = 49; 59% male; mean age = 12.43 years) as part of a larger randomized clinical trial. Youngsters and their families were assessed by an independent evaluator (IE) pre- and post- FCBT using a standardized battery of measures evaluating family functioning and OCD symptom severity. Family conflict and cohesion were measured via parent self-report on the Family Environment Scale (FES; Moos & Moos, 1994) and parental blame was measured using parent self-report on the Parental Attitudes and Behaviors Scale (PABS; Peris, 2008b). Symptom severity was rated by IE’s using the Children’s Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale (CY-BOCS; Scahill et al., 1997). Results Families with lower levels of parental blame and family conflict and higher levels of family cohesion at baseline were more likely to have a child who responded to FCBT treatment even after adjusting for baseline symptom severity compared to families who endorsed higher levels of dysfunction prior to treatment. In analyses using both categorical and continuous outcome measures, higher levels of family dysfunction and difficulty in higher number of domains of family functioning were associated with lower rates of treatment response. In addition, changes in family cohesion predicted response to FCBT controlling for baseline symptom severity. Conclusions Findings speak to the role of the family in treatment for childhood OCD and highlight potential targets for future family interventions. PMID:22309471

Family factors predict treatment outcome for pediatric obsessive-compulsive disorder.

PubMed

Peris, Tara S; Sugar, Catherine A; Bergman, R Lindsey; Chang, Susanna; Langley, Audra; Piacentini, John

2012-04-01

To examine family conflict, parental blame, and poor family cohesion as predictors of treatment outcome for youths receiving family-focused cognitive behavioral therapy (FCBT) for obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). We analyzed data from a sample of youths who were randomized to FCBT (n = 49; 59% male; M age = 12.43 years) as part of a larger randomized clinical trial. Youths and their families were assessed by an independent evaluator (IE) pre- and post-FCBT using a standardized battery of measures evaluating family functioning and OCD symptom severity. Family conflict and cohesion were measured via parent self-report on the Family Environment Scale (Moos & Moos, 1994), and parental blame was measured using parent self-report on the Parental Attitudes and Behaviors Scale (Peris, Benazon, et al., 2008b). Symptom severity was rated by IEs using the Children's Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale (Scahill et al., 1997). Families with lower levels of parental blame and family conflict and higher levels of family cohesion at baseline were more likely to have a child who responded to FCBT treatment even after adjusting for baseline symptom severity compared with families who endorsed higher levels of dysfunction prior to treatment. In analyses using both categorical and continuous outcome measures, higher levels of family dysfunction and difficulty in more domains of family functioning were associated with lower rates of treatment response. In addition, changes in family cohesion predicted response to FCBT, controlling for baseline symptom severity. Findings speak to the role of the family in treatment for childhood OCD and highlight potential targets for future family interventions. PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved.

Six Pathways to Healthy Child Development and Academic Success: The Field Guide to Comer Schools in Action

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Comer, James P., Ed.; Joyner, Edward T., Ed.; Ben-Avie, Michael, Ed.

2004-01-01

Children and adolescents who enjoy healthy growth and development along six primary pathways are the students who learn well and achieve success in school and in life. But children from poorly functioning families and impoverished social networks too often find themselves without adequate preparation and support for the academic challenges that…

A Latent Class Analysis of Family Characteristics Linked to Youth Offending Outcomes.

PubMed

Chng, Grace S; Chu, Chi Meng; Zeng, Gerald; Li, Dongdong; Ting, Ming Hwa

2016-11-01

There were two aims to this study: firstly, to identify family subtypes of Singaporean youth offenders based on eight family variables. Secondly, the associations of these family subtypes with youth offending outcomes were tested. With a sample of 3,744 youth, a latent class analysis was first conducted based on eight family variables. Multivariate analyses and a Cox regression were subsequently performed to analyze the associations of the family classes with age at first arrest, age at first charge, and recidivism. A three-class solution was found to have the best fit to the data: (1) intact functioning families had little family risk; (2) families with criminality had higher probabilities of family criminality, of drug/alcohol abuse, and of being nonintact; and (3) poorly managed families received the poorest parenting and were more likely to be nonintact. Youth offenders from the latter two classes were arrested and charged at younger ages. Additionally, they reoffended at a quicker rate. Family backgrounds matter for youth offending outcomes. Interventions have to be multifaceted and targeted at the family in order to mitigate the risk of young offenders from developing into pathological adult criminals.

A Latent Class Analysis of Family Characteristics Linked to Youth Offending Outcomes

PubMed Central

Chu, Chi Meng; Zeng, Gerald; Li, Dongdong; Ting, Ming Hwa

2016-01-01

Objectives: There were two aims to this study: firstly, to identify family subtypes of Singaporean youth offenders based on eight family variables. Secondly, the associations of these family subtypes with youth offending outcomes were tested. Methods: With a sample of 3,744 youth, a latent class analysis was first conducted based on eight family variables. Multivariate analyses and a Cox regression were subsequently performed to analyze the associations of the family classes with age at first arrest, age at first charge, and recidivism. Results: A three-class solution was found to have the best fit to the data: (1) intact functioning families had little family risk; (2) families with criminality had higher probabilities of family criminality, of drug/alcohol abuse, and of being nonintact; and (3) poorly managed families received the poorest parenting and were more likely to be nonintact. Youth offenders from the latter two classes were arrested and charged at younger ages. Additionally, they reoffended at a quicker rate. Conclusions: Family backgrounds matter for youth offending outcomes. Interventions have to be multifaceted and targeted at the family in order to mitigate the risk of young offenders from developing into pathological adult criminals. PMID:28736458

Functional outcomes of child and adolescent ODD symptoms in young adult men

PubMed Central

Burke, Jeffrey D.; Rowe, Richard; Boylan, Khrista

2013-01-01

Background ODD is considered to be a disorder of childhood, yet evidence suggests that prevalence rates of the disorder are stable into late adolescence and trajectories of symptoms persist into young adulthood. Functional outcomes associated with ODD through childhood and adolescence include conflict within families, poor peer relationships, peer rejection and academic difficulties. Little examination of functional outcomes in adulthood associated with ODD has been undertaken. Method Data for the present analyses come from a clinic referred sample of 177 boys aged 7 to 12 followed up annually to age 18 and again at age 24. Annual parental report of psychopathology through adolescence was used to predict self-reported functional outcomes at 24. Results Controlling for parent reported symptoms of ADHD, CD, depression and anxiety, ODD symptoms from childhood through adolescence predicted poorer age 24 functioning with peers, poorer romantic relationships, a poorer paternal relationship, and having nobody who would provide a recommendation for a job. CD symptoms predicted workplace problems, poor maternal relationship, lower academic attainment and violent injuries. Only parent reported ODD symptoms and child reported CD symptoms predicted a composite of poor adult outcomes. Conclusion ODD is a disorder that significantly interferes with functioning, particularly in social or interpersonal relationships. The persistence of impairment associated with ODD into young adulthood calls for a reconsideration of ODD as a disorder limited to childhood. PMID:24117754

Childhood Epilepsy and Asthma: Family Strengths Associated with Child Adaptation.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Austin, Joan Kessner

This study aimed to describe demographic, seizure, and family characteristics associated with good and poor adaptation to childhood epilepsy and contrast them with demographic, asthma, and family characteristics associated with good and poor adaptation to childhood asthma. Children with asthma were selected as a comparison sample because epilepsy…

Pathways from problems in adolescent family relationships to midlife mental health via early adulthood disadvantages – a 26-year longitudinal study

PubMed Central

Kiviruusu, Olli; Karvonen, Sakari; Rahkonen, Ossi; Huurre, Taina

2017-01-01

Poor childhood family conditions have a long-term effect on adult mental health, but the mechanisms behind this association are unclear. Our aim was to study the pathways from problematic family relationships in adolescence to midlife psychological distress via disadvantages in early adulthood. Participants of a Finnish cohort study at the age of 16 years old in 1983 were followed up at ages 22, 32 and 42 years old (N = 1334). Problems in family relationships were measured with poor relationship with mother and father, lack of parental support in adolescent’s individuation process and poor home atmosphere, and mental health was assessed using Kessler’s Psychological Distress Scale (K10). We analyzed the indirect effects of adolescent family relations on mental health at age 42 years old via various disadvantages (somatic and psychological symptoms, relationship/marital status, low education/unemployment and heavy drinking) at ages 22 and 32 years old. Problematic adolescent family relationships were associated with midlife psychological distress in women (0.19; 95% CI 0.11, 0.26) and men (0.13; 95% CI 0.04, 0.21). However, after adjustment for adolescent psychological symptoms, the association was only significant for women (0.12; 95% CI 0.04, 0.20). Poor family relationships were associated with various disadvantages in early adulthood. The association from poor family relationships (16 years old) to psychological distress (42 years old) was in part mediated via psychological symptoms in women (0.03; 95% CI 0.01, 0.04) and men (0.02; 95% CI 0.00, 0.04) and in women also via heavy drinking in early adulthood (0.02; 95% CI 0.00, 0.03). Adolescent family relationships have a role in determining adult mental health. Targeted support addressing psychological well-being and hazardous drinking for adolescents with problematic family relationships might prevent disadvantages in early adulthood, and further prevent poor midlife mental health. PMID:28552985

Pathways from problems in adolescent family relationships to midlife mental health via early adulthood disadvantages - a 26-year longitudinal study.

PubMed

Berg, Noora; Kiviruusu, Olli; Karvonen, Sakari; Rahkonen, Ossi; Huurre, Taina

2017-01-01

Poor childhood family conditions have a long-term effect on adult mental health, but the mechanisms behind this association are unclear. Our aim was to study the pathways from problematic family relationships in adolescence to midlife psychological distress via disadvantages in early adulthood. Participants of a Finnish cohort study at the age of 16 years old in 1983 were followed up at ages 22, 32 and 42 years old (N = 1334). Problems in family relationships were measured with poor relationship with mother and father, lack of parental support in adolescent's individuation process and poor home atmosphere, and mental health was assessed using Kessler's Psychological Distress Scale (K10). We analyzed the indirect effects of adolescent family relations on mental health at age 42 years old via various disadvantages (somatic and psychological symptoms, relationship/marital status, low education/unemployment and heavy drinking) at ages 22 and 32 years old. Problematic adolescent family relationships were associated with midlife psychological distress in women (0.19; 95% CI 0.11, 0.26) and men (0.13; 95% CI 0.04, 0.21). However, after adjustment for adolescent psychological symptoms, the association was only significant for women (0.12; 95% CI 0.04, 0.20). Poor family relationships were associated with various disadvantages in early adulthood. The association from poor family relationships (16 years old) to psychological distress (42 years old) was in part mediated via psychological symptoms in women (0.03; 95% CI 0.01, 0.04) and men (0.02; 95% CI 0.00, 0.04) and in women also via heavy drinking in early adulthood (0.02; 95% CI 0.00, 0.03). Adolescent family relationships have a role in determining adult mental health. Targeted support addressing psychological well-being and hazardous drinking for adolescents with problematic family relationships might prevent disadvantages in early adulthood, and further prevent poor midlife mental health.

Structure-Based Phylogenetic Analysis of the Lipocalin Superfamily.

PubMed

Lakshmi, Balasubramanian; Mishra, Madhulika; Srinivasan, Narayanaswamy; Archunan, Govindaraju

2015-01-01

Lipocalins constitute a superfamily of extracellular proteins that are found in all three kingdoms of life. Although very divergent in their sequences and functions, they show remarkable similarity in 3-D structures. Lipocalins bind and transport small hydrophobic molecules. Earlier sequence-based phylogenetic studies of lipocalins highlighted that they have a long evolutionary history. However the molecular and structural basis of their functional diversity is not completely understood. The main objective of the present study is to understand functional diversity of the lipocalins using a structure-based phylogenetic approach. The present study with 39 protein domains from the lipocalin superfamily suggests that the clusters of lipocalins obtained by structure-based phylogeny correspond well with the functional diversity. The detailed analysis on each of the clusters and sub-clusters reveals that the 39 lipocalin domains cluster based on their mode of ligand binding though the clustering was performed on the basis of gross domain structure. The outliers in the phylogenetic tree are often from single member families. Also structure-based phylogenetic approach has provided pointers to assign putative function for the domains of unknown function in lipocalin family. The approach employed in the present study can be used in the future for the functional identification of new lipocalin proteins and may be extended to other protein families where members show poor sequence similarity but high structural similarity.

Residual Barriers for Utilization of Maternal and Child Health Services: Community Perceptions From Rural Pakistan

PubMed Central

Memon, Zahid; Zaidi, Shehla; Riaz, Atif

2016-01-01

Low utilization of maternal and child care services in rural areas has constrained Pakistan from meeting targets of Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) 4 and 5. This study explores community barriers in accessing Maternal and Child Health (MCH) services in ten remote rural districts of Pakistan. It further presents how the barriers differ across a range of MCH services, and also whether the presence of Community Health Workers (CHWs) reduces client barriers. Qualitative methods were used involving altogether sixty focus group discussions with mothers, their spouses and community health workers. Low awareness, formidable distances, expense, and poorly functional services were the main barriers reported, while cultural and religious restrictions were lesser reported. For preventive services including antenatal care (ANC), facility deliveries, postnatal care (PNC), childhood immunization and family planning, the main barrier was low awareness. Conversely, formidable distances and poorly functional services were the main reported constraints in the event of maternal complications and acute child illnesses. The study also found that clients residing in areas served by CHWs had better awareness only of ANC and family planning, while other MCH services were overlooked by the health worker program. The paper highlights that traditional policy emphasis on health facility infrastructure expansion is not likely to address poor utilization rates in remote rural areas. Preventive MCH services require concerted attention to building community awareness, task shifting from facility to community for services provision, and re-energization of CHW program. For maternal and child emergencies there is strong community demand to utilize health facilities, but this will require catalytic support for transport networks and functional health care centers. PMID:26925902

Does race influence conflict between nursing home staff and family members of residents?

PubMed

Abrahamson, Kathleen; Pillemer, Karl; Sechrist, Jori; Suitor, Jill

2011-11-01

This study examines the influence of race on perceived similarity and conflict between nursing home staff and family members of residents. Despite evidence that the caregiving experience varies by race for both family and professional caregivers, little is known about how race plays a role in staff conflict with residents' family members. We used a representative sample of Certified Nursing Assistants (CNAs) to test relationships between race, treatment from family members, similarity to family members in expectations for care by CNAs, and conflicts with family members concerning aspects of resident care. Results of structural equation modeling indicated that race was not a predictor of staff perception of conflict with family members or of poor treatment from residents' families. However, Black nursing assistants were more likely to perceive that their own expectations of nursing care are dissimilar from those of residents' family members. Dissimilarity predicted reports of poor treatment from family members, and poor treatment was a positive predictor of perception of conflict. The personal long-term nature of nursing home care necessitates a high level of connectedness between family caregivers and nursing home staff. Results highlight the importance of establishing organizational pathways for communication of expectations between nursing staff and residents' families.

The ubiquilin gene family: evolutionary patterns and functional insights

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background Ubiquilins are proteins that function as ubiquitin receptors in eukaryotes. Mutations in two ubiquilin-encoding genes have been linked to the genesis of neurodegenerative diseases. However, ubiquilin functions are still poorly understood. Results In this study, evolutionary and functional data are combined to determine the origin and diversification of the ubiquilin gene family and to characterize novel potential roles of ubiquilins in mammalian species, including humans. The analysis of more than six hundred sequences allowed characterizing ubiquilin diversity in all the main eukaryotic groups. Many organisms (e. g. fungi, many animals) have single ubiquilin genes, but duplications in animal, plant, alveolate and excavate species are described. Seven different ubiquilins have been detected in vertebrates. Two of them, here called UBQLN5 and UBQLN6, had not been hitherto described. Significantly, marsupial and eutherian mammals have the most complex ubiquilin gene families, composed of up to 6 genes. This exceptional mammalian-specific expansion is the result of the recent emergence of four new genes, three of them (UBQLN3, UBQLN5 and UBQLNL) with precise testis-specific expression patterns that indicate roles in the postmeiotic stages of spermatogenesis. A gene with related features has independently arisen in species of the Drosophila genus. Positive selection acting on some mammalian ubiquilins has been detected. Conclusions The ubiquilin gene family is highly conserved in eukaryotes. The infrequent lineage-specific amplifications observed may be linked to the emergence of novel functions in particular tissues. PMID:24674348

Punishment and Welfare: Paternal Incarceration and Families' Receipt of Public Assistance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sugie, Naomi F.

2012-01-01

The United States criminal justice and welfare systems are two important government institutions in the lives of the poor. Despite many theoretical discussions about their relationship, their operation at the level of offenders and families remains poorly understood. This paper utilizes Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing data to examine how…

Children With Medical Complexity: An Emerging Population for Clinical and Research Initiatives

PubMed Central

Kuo, Dennis Z.; Agrawal, Rishi; Berry, Jay G.; Bhagat, Santi K. M.; Simon, Tamara D.; Srivastava, Rajendu

2011-01-01

Children with medical complexity (CMC) have medical fragility and intensive care needs that are not easily met by existing health care models. CMC may have a congenital or acquired multisystem disease, a severe neurologic condition with marked functional impairment, and/or technology dependence for activities of daily living. Although these children are at risk of poor health and family outcomes, there are few well-characterized clinical initiatives and research efforts devoted to improving their care. In this article, we present a definitional framework of CMC that consists of substantial family-identified service needs, characteristic chronic and severe conditions, functional limitations, and high health care use. We explore the diversity of existing care models and apply the principles of the chronic care model to address the clinical needs of CMC. Finally, we suggest a research agenda that uses a uniform definition to accurately describe the population and to evaluate outcomes from the perspectives of the child, the family, and the broader health care system. PMID:21339266

[INFLUENCE OF SOCIAL FACTORS ON PERSONAL SOCIAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL ADAPTATION AND FUNCTIONAL STATE OF THE CNS IN NORTHERN CHILDREN].

PubMed

Iovleva, N N; Soroko, S I

2015-06-01

The results of the socio-psychological and psycho-physiological study of children and adolescents rural secondary school in a remote area of the Arkhangelsk region were studied. It was found that the poor situation of children in families at social risk leads to a decrease in their school performance, motivation to succeed and, in some cases, to reduce their personal social and psychological adaptation. However, in general, the level of personal social and psychological adaptation in the majority of surveyed students is high enough. As complementary social institutions, the family and the school, in some cases, can compensate for a number of adverse social and psychological factors. Pupils from social risk groups functional state of the central nervous system has been significantly reduced compared with children who are brought up in affluent families. In the North adverse social factors may increase the effects of the harsh climatic conditions and are an important risk factor for children's health.

The crystal structure of Erwinia amylovora AmyR, a member of the YbjN protein family, shows similarity to type III secretion chaperones but suggests different cellular functions

PubMed Central

Bartho, Joseph D.; Bellini, Dom; Wuerges, Jochen; Demitri, Nicola; Toccafondi, Mirco; Schmitt, Armin O.; Zhao, Youfu; Walsh, Martin A.

2017-01-01

AmyR is a stress and virulence associated protein from the plant pathogenic Enterobacteriaceae species Erwinia amylovora, and is a functionally conserved ortholog of YbjN from Escherichia coli. The crystal structure of E. amylovora AmyR reveals a class I type III secretion chaperone-like fold, despite the lack of sequence similarity between these two classes of protein and lacking any evidence of a secretion-associated role. The results indicate that AmyR, and YbjN proteins in general, function through protein-protein interactions without any enzymatic action. The YbjN proteins of Enterobacteriaceae show remarkably low sequence similarity with other members of the YbjN protein family in Eubacteria, yet a high level of structural conservation is observed. Across the YbjN protein family sequence conservation is limited to residues stabilising the protein core and dimerization interface, while interacting regions are only conserved between closely related species. This study presents the first structure of a YbjN protein from Enterobacteriaceae, the most highly divergent and well-studied subgroup of YbjN proteins, and an in-depth sequence and structural analysis of this important but poorly understood protein family. PMID:28426806

The crystal structure of Erwinia amylovora AmyR, a member of the YbjN protein family, shows similarity to type III secretion chaperones but suggests different cellular functions.

PubMed

Bartho, Joseph D; Bellini, Dom; Wuerges, Jochen; Demitri, Nicola; Toccafondi, Mirco; Schmitt, Armin O; Zhao, Youfu; Walsh, Martin A; Benini, Stefano

2017-01-01

AmyR is a stress and virulence associated protein from the plant pathogenic Enterobacteriaceae species Erwinia amylovora, and is a functionally conserved ortholog of YbjN from Escherichia coli. The crystal structure of E. amylovora AmyR reveals a class I type III secretion chaperone-like fold, despite the lack of sequence similarity between these two classes of protein and lacking any evidence of a secretion-associated role. The results indicate that AmyR, and YbjN proteins in general, function through protein-protein interactions without any enzymatic action. The YbjN proteins of Enterobacteriaceae show remarkably low sequence similarity with other members of the YbjN protein family in Eubacteria, yet a high level of structural conservation is observed. Across the YbjN protein family sequence conservation is limited to residues stabilising the protein core and dimerization interface, while interacting regions are only conserved between closely related species. This study presents the first structure of a YbjN protein from Enterobacteriaceae, the most highly divergent and well-studied subgroup of YbjN proteins, and an in-depth sequence and structural analysis of this important but poorly understood protein family.

Re-Examining the Associations between Family Backgrounds and Children's Cognitive Developments in Early Ages

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tu, Yu-Kang; Law, Graham R.

2010-01-01

A recent English study found that children from poor families who did well in cognitive tests at age three are expected to be overtaken in the cognitive test by the age of seven by children from rich families who did poorly in cognitive tests at age three. The conclusion was that family background seems to have a dominant influence on a child's…

The pediatrician and family planning in a very poor community. An appraisal of experiences in the Tufts Delta Health Center, Bolivar County, Mississippi.

PubMed

Hansen, C M

1972-06-01

Family planning services should be of prime interest to all pediatricians because of their direct relationship to the health and well-being of mothers and children. The Tufts Delta Health Center is a pilot demonstration project in community health services which serves a poor rural black population in northern Bolivar County in Mississippi. 154 women were seen for family planning services during the first 1 1/2 years. They were given oral contraceptives or IUDs and during the initial 15 months of the program, contraception was effective in 82% of the cases. 62% of the original 154 mothers were still effective contraceptors after about 3 1/2 years in the program. Family planning services are important where maternal and infant death rates are high, since they allow for child spacing in poor families which may already have large numbers of children. Due to lack of funds or inability to obtain oral contraceptives on behalf of the physician, many patients were unable to practice family planning before this program. Family planning represents only one of a number of services that must be made available to poor families in the context of their total health needs.

Not just maternalism: marriage and fatherhood in American welfare policy.

PubMed

Geva, Dorit

2011-01-01

The United States' 1996 welfare reforms are often interpreted as a historical break in transitioning from supporting motherhood to commodifiying women's labor. However, this cannot account for welfare reform's emphasis upon heterosexual marriage and fatherhood promotion. The paper traces continuities and shifts in over a century of familial regulation through American welfare policy, specifying the place of marriage promotion within welfare policy. Up until 1996, families were key sites of intervention through which the American welfare state was erected, especially through single women as mothers - not wives. However, as of the 1960s, concern with African American men's "failed" familial commitments turned policymakers toward concern over marriage promotion for women and men. While marriage "disincentives" for aid recipients were lifted in the 1960s, the 1996 reforms structured a new form of nuclear family governance actively promoting marriage rooted in, but distinct from, the previous. Given the historical absence of welfare policies available to poor men, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families' (TANF) marriage promotion policies have positioned poor women as nodes connecting the state to poor men, simultaneously structuring poor women as breadwinners, mothers, and wives. Recent welfare reform has also started to target poor men directly, especially in fatherhood and marriage promotion initiatives. The article highlights how, in addition to workfare policies, marriage promotion is a neoliberal policy shifting risk to the shoulders of the poor, aiming to produce "strong families" for the purposes of social security.

Self-Perceived Participation and Autonomy at 1-Year Post Stroke: A Part of the Stroke Arm Longitudinal Study at the University of Gothenburg (SALGOT Study).

PubMed

Törnbom, Karin; Hadartz, Kristin; Sunnerhagen, Katharina S

2018-04-01

Identifying factors predicting the long-term outcome of participation and autonomy after stroke is essential for developing individualized rehabilitation interventions. The aim was to describe self-assessed participation and autonomy and to explore factors associated with the same at 1 year post stroke. Participants consisted of 79 persons (mean age = 67) with a first-time stroke at the 1-year follow-up. To investigate perceived participation and autonomy at 1 year, a self-assessment questionnaire, the Impact on Participation and Autonomy-English version (IPA-E) was used. Multivariate logistic regression models were performed using age, gender, stroke severity, and functional dependency at discharge as potential contributors to the perceived level of participation and autonomy. A high percentage (70%-88%) evaluated their functions as fair to very good within all domains of the IPA-E at 1 year post stroke. However, around a fifth experienced their Family role as poor to very poor. Participants' functional dependency at discharge significantly influenced the outcome for the domains of Family role (odds ratio [OR] = 5.66, P < .01), Social relations (OR = 3.23, P < .03), and Autonomy indoors (OR = 3.44, P < .04) at 1 year post stroke. Aspects of the Family role domain deserve further attention in interventions aimed at improving participation and autonomy at 1 year post stroke. The results also indicate that supporting indoor autonomy and social relations of persons with stroke during the acute rehabilitation is important to enhance participation and autonomy at 1 year post stroke. Copyright © 2018 National Stroke Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Health-related quality of life of Chinese people with schizophrenia in Hong Kong and Taipei: a cross-sectional analysis.

PubMed

Chan, Sally Wai-chi; Hsiung, Ping-Chuan; Thompson, David R; Chen, Shin-Chia; Hwu, Hai-Gwo

2007-06-01

Health-related quality of life is an important outcome indicator of mental health. We assessed the perception of health-related quality of life of persons with schizophrenia in Hong Kong and Taipei. In-person survey interviews were conducted using the Chinese World Health Organization Quality of Life Scale--Brief Version. A convenience sample was recruited from psychiatric outpatient departments: 176 from Hong Kong and 80 from Taipei. We found that both groups were significantly less satisfied with their psychological and social relationship domains compared to other domains. Poor mental health predicted poor perception of health-related quality of life. Schizophrenia has an impact on many aspects of a person's functioning. A rehabilitation model that takes into account symptoms, financial situation, family support, and social functioning is required.

Examining the Relationship between Home Literacy Environment and Neural Correlates of Phonological Processing in Beginning Readers with and without a Familial Risk for Dyslexia: An fMRI Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Powers, Sara J.; Wang, Yingying; Beach, Sara D.; Sideridis, Georgios D.; Gaab, Nadine

2016-01-01

Developmental dyslexia is a language-based learning disability characterized by persistent difficulty in learning to read. While an understanding of genetic contributions is emerging, the ways the environment affects brain functioning in children with developmental dyslexia are poorly understood. A relationship between the home literacy…

Punishment and Welfare: Paternal Incarceration and Families' Receipt of Public Assistance.

PubMed

Sugie, Naomi F

2012-01-01

The United States criminal justice and welfare systems are two important government institutions in the lives of the poor. Despite many theoretical discussions about their relationship, their operation at the level of offenders and families remains poorly understood. This paper utilizes Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing data to examine how recent paternal incarceration is associated with families' receipt of TANF, food stamps, and Medicaid/SCHIP. Results robust to multiple tests find that incarceration is not related to subsequent TANF receipt but is significantly associated with increased receipt of food stamps and Medicaid/SCHIP. The findings suggest that greater government involvement among poor families is an unexpected consequence of mass imprisonment; however, increased participation does not include TANF-the cash assistance program of most concern to theorists.

Welfare, Work and Raising Children: Conversations with Twenty-One Maine Families.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hastedt, Christine B.; Smith, Rebekah J.

Five years after the massive overhaul of the nation's welfare system, 21 Maine families receiving public assistance spoke about their lives during welfare reform. The following were among the key themes that emerged throughout the conversations: (1) those leaving Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) often remain poor or very nearly poor;…

Race, Class, and Family Intervention: Engaging Parents and Families for Academic Success

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sampson, William Alfred

2007-01-01

In recent times, actor, comedian, and educator, Bill Cosby sparked a national debate over the role of poor black families in raising their children. Additionally, scholars including Reginald Clark, Annette Lareau, John Ogbu, Javier Tapia, James Comer, and William A. Sampson have done research that suggests that many poor black and Latino families…

Longitudinal study of depression and health status in pregnant women: incidence, course and predictive factors.

PubMed

Escribà-Agüir, Vicenta; Royo-Marqués, Manuela; Artazcoz, Lucía; Romito, Patrizia; Ruiz-Pérez, Isabel

2013-03-01

The aim of this study was to determine the effect of isolated psychological intimate partner violence and psychosocial factors (social support and alcohol or drug use by a partner/family member) on psychological well-being (depression or poor self-perceived health status) at 5 and 12 months post-partum. A longitudinal cohort study was carried out with a consecutive sample of 1,400 women in their first trimester of pregnancy, who attended the prenatal programme in the Valencia Region (Spain) in 2008 and were followed up at 5 months and 12 months post-partum. A logistic regression model was fitted using generalized estimating equations, to assess the effect of isolated psychological intimate partner violence, social support, alcohol consumption and illicit drug use problems by a partner or family member on subsequent psychological well-being at follow-up. We observed a decrease in the incidence of poorer psychological well-being (post-partum depression and poor self-perceived health status) at 12 months post-partum. The strongest predictor of poor psychological well-being was depression (AOR = 6.83, 95 % CI: 3.44-13.58) or poor self-perceived health status (AOR = 5.34, 95 % CI: 2.37-12.02) during pregnancy. Isolated psychological IPV increased the risk of a deterioration in psychological well-being. Having a tangible social network was also a predictor of both post-partum depression and poor self-perceived health status. The effect of functional social support varied according to the type of psychological well-being indicator being used. Problems of alcohol consumption or illicit drug use by a partner or family member were a predictor of post-partum depression only. Psychological well-being during the first year after birth is highly affected by isolated psychological IPV and psychosocial factors.

How can clinical ethics guide the management of comorbidities in the child with Rett syndrome?

PubMed

Downs, Jenny; Forbes, David; Johnson, Michael; Leonard, Helen

2016-08-01

Rett syndrome is a rare disorder caused by a mutation in the MECP2 gene. Those affected generally have severe functional impairments, and medical comorbidities such as scoliosis and poor growth are common. There is a paucity of information on the natural history of many rare disorders and an even greater deficit of evidence to guide best practice. The population-based and longitudinal Australian Rett Syndrome Database established in 1993 has supported investigations of the natural history of Rett syndrome and effectiveness of treatments. This paper reviews the disorder Rett syndrome and evidence for the management of scoliosis and poor growth within a clinical ethics framework. Compared with conservative management, we have shown that spinal fusion is associated with reduced mortality and better respiratory health. We have also shown that gastrostomy insertion is associated with subsequent weight gain. Family counselling for both procedures necessarily must include family perspectives and careful clinical attention to their needs and wishes. Vignettes describing family decision-making and experiences are presented to illustrate the principals of beneficence and autonomy in determining the best interests of the child and family. A blend of evidence-based practice with a strong clinical ethics framework has capacity to build existing strengths in families and reduce the negative impacts of disability and in so doing, optimise the health and wellbeing of those with Rett syndrome. © 2016 Paediatrics and Child Health Division (The Royal Australasian College of Physicians).

Poor Kids in a Rich Nation: Eating the Seed Corn.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Garrett, Patricia

This paper examines the problem of having many poor children in the wealthy United States and the need to find answers to this problem. Despite much recent talk about "family values," the dominant U.S. ideology holds that family welfare is a private rather than a public responsibility. Poor children are seen as a special population that diverts…

Religious construction of a first episode of psychosis in urban Brazil.

PubMed

Redko, Cristina

2003-12-01

Religion plays an important role in the lives of people with psychosis. Based on fieldwork with 21 families living in poor neighborhoods of São Paulo, Brazil, this article examines how youth suffering a first episode of psychosis resort to religion for help (including, Catholicism, Pentecostalism, Candomblé, and Umbanda) and how this frames their experience of psychosis and that of their family members. For young people, the personal articulation of religious idioms and signifiers served to communicate, elaborate and transform their experience of psychosis. Family members resorted to religion as a source of healing, complementary to psychiatric treatment, as well as for personal relief and comfort. For youth, involvement with religion worked in both 'progressive' and 'regressive' ways, to improve and, at times, to diminish functioning and well-being.

Effects of family treatment on parenting beliefs among caregivers of youth with poorly controlled asthma.

PubMed

Ellis, Deborah A; King, Pamela; Naar-King, Sylvie; Lam, Phebe; Cunningham, Phillippe B; Secord, Elizabeth

2014-10-01

Caregiver involvement is critical in ensuring optimal adolescent asthma management. The study investigated whether multisystemic therapy (MST), an intensive home-based family therapy, was superior to family support for changing beliefs regarding asthma-related positive parenting among caregivers of African-American youth with poorly controlled asthma. The relationship between parenting beliefs and asthma management at the conclusion of the intervention was also assessed. A randomized controlled trial was conducted with 167 adolescents with moderate-to-severe, persistent, poorly controlled asthma and their primary caregivers. Families were randomly assigned to MST or family support (FS), a home-based family support condition. Data were collected at baseline and 7-month posttest. Changes in caregiver ratings of importance and confidence for engaging in asthma-related positive parenting were assessed through questionnaire. Illness management was assessed by the Family Asthma Management System Scale. Participation in MST was associated with more change in caregiver beliefs as compared with FS for both importance (t = 2.39, p = .02) and confidence (t = 2.04, p = .04). Caregiver beliefs were also significantly related to youth controller medication adherence at the conclusion of treatment (importance: r = .21, p = .01; confidence: r = .23, p = .004). Results support the effectiveness of MST for increasing parental beliefs in the value of asthma-related positive parenting behaviors and parental self-efficacy for these behaviors among families of minority adolescents with poorly controlled asthma.

Social Integration of Children with Intellectual Disabilities from Poor Rural Families of the Republic of Moldova

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Belibova, Silvia

2016-01-01

This article addresses the issue of integration of children with mental retardation from poor rural families of Moldovan society. Thus, the article analyses the current results of the data conducted for inclusion of children in society, social networks of children and their families being considered. The article also proves the existence of…

Family members' experiences of driving disruption after acquired brain injury.

PubMed

Liang, Phyllis; Fleming, Jennifer; Gustafsson, Louise; Griffin, Janelle; Liddle, Jacki

2017-01-01

1) To explore family members' lived experiences of driving disruption at early and later stages of the recovery continuum following acquired brain injury (ABI). 2) To describe health-related quality of life of family members of individuals with ABI who are experiencing driving disruption. Mixed methods phenomenological research approach. Semi-structured interviews and health-related quality of life questionnaires were conducted with 15 family members of individuals with ABI (early group: 1-12 months post-injury, n = 6; later group: >1 year post-injury, n = 9). Two main themes were identified: Different for everyone: how driving disruption affects families, and Making it harder: context of driving disruption. The challenges of driving disruption were reported more frequently and with a more intense focus by family members who were caring for their relative for more than 1 year post-injury. This group also reported higher caregiver strain and poorer health-related quality of life. Reduced satisfaction with life, poor mental health and affected family functioning were reported by both groups. Driving disruption impacts on family members and has long-lasting consequences. It is important for clinicians to work with family members to manage these challenges even years after ABI and consider individual contextual factors.

Relationship between symptoms of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and family functioning: a community-based study.

PubMed

Cussen, Alexandra; Sciberras, Emma; Ukoumunne, Obioha C; Efron, Daryl

2012-02-01

This study examined the relationship between family functioning and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms in an Australian community-based sample. Children were screened for ADHD in their second year of formal schooling. Two hundred and two (202) primary caregivers completed validated measures of family quality of life (QoL), parent mental health, parenting styles and parental relationship quality. Compared with controls, parents of children screening positive for ADHD reported poorer family QoL in the domains of emotional impact (mean difference [MD] -20.1; 95% CI -38.2 to -1.9, p = 0.03) and impact on family activities (MD -17.2; 95% CI -27.9 to -6.5, p = 0.002), less parental warmth (MD -3.4; 95% CI -6.0 to -0.9, p = 0.01) and higher parental depression (MD 6.8; 95% CI 1.8 to 11.7, p = 0.009) and anxiety (MD 6.2; 95% CI 1.7 to 10.6, p = 0.008) after adjusting for socio-demographic characteristics and child conduct symptoms. Parents of children screening positive for ADHD reported higher stress (MD 4.5; 95% CI 1.2 to 7.1, p = 0.007) and more inconsistent (MD 3.0; 95% CI 1.2 to 4.8, p = 0.002) and hostile (MD = 2.2; 95% CI 1.0 to 3.4, p = 0.001) parenting after adjusting for socio-demographic factors only. No difference in parental relationship quality and parental inductive reasoning was identified. These findings suggest a strong association between poor family functioning and ADHD symptoms and carry implications for comprehensive ADHD management and the importance of seeing the child within the family context.

Ultra-low input transcriptomics reveal the spore functional content and phylogenetic affiliations of poorly studied arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi.

PubMed

Beaudet, Denis; Chen, Eric C H; Mathieu, Stephanie; Yildirir, Gokalp; Ndikumana, Steve; Dalpé, Yolande; Séguin, Sylvie; Farinelli, Laurent; Stajich, Jason E; Corradi, Nicolas

2017-12-02

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) are a group of soil microorganisms that establish symbioses with the vast majority of land plants. To date, generation of AMF coding information has been limited to model genera that grow well axenically; Rhizoglomus and Gigaspora. Meanwhile, data on the functional gene repertoire of most AMF families is non-existent. Here, we provide primary large-scale transcriptome data from eight poorly studied AMF species (Acaulospora morrowiae, Diversispora versiforme, Scutellospora calospora, Racocetra castanea, Paraglomus brasilianum, Ambispora leptoticha, Claroideoglomus claroideum and Funneliformis mosseae) using ultra-low input ribonucleic acid (RNA)-seq approaches. Our analyses reveals that quiescent spores of many AMF species harbour a diverse functional diversity and solidify known evolutionary relationships within the group. Our findings demonstrate that RNA-seq data obtained from low-input RNA are reliable in comparison to conventional RNA-seq experiments. Thus, our methodology can potentially be used to deepen our understanding of fungal microbial function and phylogeny using minute amounts of RNA material. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Kazusa DNA Research Institute.

US Fertility Prevention as Poverty Prevention

PubMed Central

Romero, Diana; Agénor, Madina

2009-01-01

Purpose This paper examines the impact of the United States (US) welfare reform family-cap policy on the childbearing decisions of poor and low-income women by posing two complementary questions, both placed within a broader historical context. Specifically, it raises an empirical question pertaining to the family cap’s effectiveness and a social justice question pertaining to the policy’s ethical and legal justification in terms of human and reproductive rights. Methods In order to address the first question, a thorough review of past and current research pertaining to the family cap at both the state and national level is provided. The second question is addressed with an overview of international human and reproductive rights documents of relevance to the family-cap policy, as well as an analysis of the covenants’ numerous components with which the family cap is in conflict. Finally, this paper situates the family cap in its historical context by investigating previous governmental attempts to control and regulate the reproductive health and rights of poor women and women of color in the US. Main findings The majority of empirical analyses of the family cap have found that the policy has not had an impact on poor women’s reproductive health behaviors. In addition, the exclusive application of this policy to poor women receiving cash assistance is demonstrated to be in violation of 8 international human and reproductive rights documents, several of which the US is a signatory. Conclusion These two findings make a strong case that policymakers and social and health researchers alike critically re-examine whether a policy that has not achieved its ostensible goal and is applied in a disparate manner—primarily to poor women and families, and women of color—should continue to be implemented by the states. PMID:19879450

US fertility prevention as poverty prevention: an empirical question and social justice issue.

PubMed

Romero, Diana; Agénor, Madina

2009-01-01

This paper examines the impact of the US welfare reform family-cap policy on the childbearing decisions of poor and low-income women by posing two complementary questions, both placed within a broader historical context. Specifically, it raises an empirical question pertaining to the family cap's effectiveness and a social justice question pertaining to the policy's ethical and legal justification in terms of human and reproductive rights. To address the first question, a thorough review of past and current research pertaining to the family cap at both the state and national levels is provided. The second question is addressed with an overview of international human and reproductive rights documents of relevance to the family-cap policy, as well as an analysis of the covenants' numerous components with which the family cap is in conflict. Finally, this paper situates the family cap in its historical context by investigating previous governmental attempts to control and regulate the reproductive health and rights of poor women and women of color in the United States. The majority of empirical analyses of the family cap have found that the policy has not had an impact on poor women's reproductive health behaviors. In addition, the exclusive application of this policy to poor women receiving cash assistance is demonstrated to be in violation of eight international human and reproductive rights documents, several of which the US is a signatory. These two findings make a strong case that policy makers and social and health researchers alike critically reexamine whether a policy that has not achieved its ostensible goal and is applied in a disparate manner-primarily to poor women and families and women of color-should continue to be implemented by the states.

MRF Family Genes Are Involved in Translation Control, Especially under Energy-Deficient Conditions, and Their Expression and Functions Are Modulated by the TOR Signaling Pathway[OPEN

PubMed Central

Lee, Du-Hwa; Park, Seung Jun; Ahn, Chang Sook

2017-01-01

Dynamic control of protein translation in response to the environment is essential for the survival of plant cells. Target of rapamycin (TOR) coordinates protein synthesis with cellular energy/nutrient availability through transcriptional modulation and phosphorylation of the translation machinery. However, mechanisms of TOR-mediated translation control are poorly understood in plants. Here, we report that Arabidopsis thaliana MRF (MA3 DOMAIN-CONTAINING TRANSLATION REGULATORY FACTOR) family genes encode translation regulatory factors under TOR control, and their functions are particularly important in energy-deficient conditions. Four MRF family genes (MRF1-MRF4) are transcriptionally induced by dark and starvation (DS). Silencing of multiple MRFs increases susceptibility to DS and treatment with a TOR inhibitor, while MRF1 overexpression decreases susceptibility. MRF proteins interact with eIF4A and cofractionate with ribosomes. MRF silencing decreases translation activity, while MRF1 overexpression increases it, accompanied by altered ribosome patterns, particularly in DS. Furthermore, MRF deficiency in DS causes altered distribution of mRNAs in sucrose gradient fractions and accelerates rRNA degradation. MRF1 is phosphorylated in vivo and phosphorylated by S6 kinases in vitro. MRF expression and MRF1 ribosome association and phosphorylation are modulated by cellular energy status and TOR activity. We discuss possible mechanisms of the function of MRF family proteins under normal and energy-deficient conditions and their functional link with the TOR pathway. PMID:29084871

The Environment of Childhood Poverty

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Evans, Gary W.

2004-01-01

Poor children confront widespread environmental inequities. Compared with their economically advantaged counterparts, they are exposed to more family turmoil, violence, separation from their families, instability, and chaotic households. Poor children experience less social support, and their parents are less responsive and more authoritarian.…

Depression and its association with self-esteem, family, peer and school factors in a population of 9586 adolescents in southern Taiwan.

PubMed

Lin, Huang-Chi; Tang, Tze-Chun; Yen, Ju-Yu; Ko, Chin-Hung; Huang, Chi-Fen; Liu, Shu-Chun; Yen, Cheng-Fang

2008-08-01

The aim of the present study was to gain insight into the prevalence of depression and its association with self-esteem, family, peer and school factors in a large-scale representative Taiwanese adolescent population. A total of 12,210 adolescent students were recruited into the present study. Subjects with a score >28 on the Center for Epidemiological Studies' Depression Scale were defined as having significant depression; the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, Adolescent Family and Social Life Questionnaire and Family C-APGAR Index were applied to assess subjects' self-esteem, family, peer and school factors. The association between depression and correlates were examined on t-test and chi(2) test. The significant factors were further included in logistic regression analysis. Among 9586 participants (response rate: 86.3%), the prevalence of depression was 12.3%. The risk factors associated with depression in univariate analysis included female gender, older age, residency in urban areas, lower self-esteem, disruptive parental marriage, low family income, family conflict, poorer family function, less satisfaction with peer relationships, less connectedness to school, and poor academic performance. After adjusting the effects of sex, age and location, only subjects with lower self-esteem, higher family conflict, poorer family function, lower rank and decreased satisfaction in their peer group, and less connectedness to school were prone to depression on logistic regression. The prevalence of depression is high in Taiwanese adolescents, and the multiple factors of family, peer, school and individuals are associated with adolescent depression. The factors identified in the present study may be helpful when designing and implementing preventive intervention programs.

Work-family conflict and self-rated health among Japanese workers: How household income modifies associations.

PubMed

Kobayashi, Tomoko; Honjo, Kaori; Eshak, Ehab Salah; Iso, Hiroyasu; Sawada, Norie; Tsugane, Shoichiro

2017-01-01

To examine associations between work-family conflict and self-rated health among Japanese workers and to determine whether the associations differed by household income. Data was derived from the Japan Public Health Center-based Prospective Study for the Next Generation in Saku area in 2011-2012 (7,663 men and 7,070 women). Multivariate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for poor self-rated health by work-family conflict consisting of two dimensions (work-to-family and family-to-work conflicts) were calculated by gender and household income. Multivariate ORs of high work-to-family and family-to-work conflicts for poor self-rated health were 2.46 (95% CI; 2.04-2.97) for men and 3.54 (95% CI; 2.92-4.30) for women, with reference to the low work-to-family and family-to-work conflicts (p-value for gender interaction = 0.02). Subgroup analysis indicated that health effects of work-family conflict were likely to be more evident in the low income group only among women. Work-family conflict was associated with poor self-rated health among middle-aged Japanese men and women; its health impact was relatively stronger among women, and particularly economically disadvantaged women.

Work–family conflict and self-rated health among Japanese workers: How household income modifies associations

PubMed Central

Kobayashi, Tomoko; Honjo, Kaori; Eshak, Ehab Salah; Iso, Hiroyasu; Sawada, Norie; Tsugane, Shoichiro

2017-01-01

To examine associations between work–family conflict and self-rated health among Japanese workers and to determine whether the associations differed by household income. Data was derived from the Japan Public Health Center-based Prospective Study for the Next Generation in Saku area in 2011–2012 (7,663 men and 7,070 women). Multivariate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for poor self-rated health by work–family conflict consisting of two dimensions (work-to-family and family-to-work conflicts) were calculated by gender and household income. Multivariate ORs of high work-to-family and family-to-work conflicts for poor self-rated health were 2.46 (95% CI; 2.04–2.97) for men and 3.54 (95% CI; 2.92–4.30) for women, with reference to the low work-to-family and family-to-work conflicts (p-value for gender interaction = 0.02). Subgroup analysis indicated that health effects of work–family conflict were likely to be more evident in the low income group only among women. Work–family conflict was associated with poor self-rated health among middle-aged Japanese men and women; its health impact was relatively stronger among women, and particularly economically disadvantaged women. PMID:28207757

Basic Facts about Low-Income Children: Children under 18 Years, 2013. Fact Sheet

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jiang, Yang; Ekono, Mercedes; Skinner, Curtis

2015-01-01

Children under 18 years represent 23 percent of the population, but they comprise 33 percent of all people in poverty. Among all children, 44 percent live in low-income families and approximately one in every five (22 percent) live in poor families. Being a child in a low-income or poor family does not happen by chance. Parental education and…

The Lincoln Parish Family Planning Program and Its Implications for Reducing Reproductive Wastage in the Rural Poor.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Beasley, Joseph D.; And Others

The Lincoln Parish Family Planning Program, a 1968 pilot study designed in cooperation with the Louisiana State Board of Health, is described. The major purpose of the program was to design a program of medical care for the rural poor which would provide mothers in Lincoln Parish with information and services needed to plan family size. Sections…

Functional and Mental Health Outcomes of the Joint Effects of Spousal Health: The Potential Threats of "Concordant Frailty".

PubMed

Lu, Wan-Hsuan; Chiou, Shu-Ti; Chen, Liang-Kung; Hsiao, Fei-Yuan

2016-04-01

Existing studies have indicated that caring for a person with disabilities in a family could result in strong adverse impacts on the health of his or her spouse. However, little is known about the potential joint burden and interactive patterns in a family when both spouses are in poor health. The objective of this study was to evaluate the impacts of self and spousal health statuses on the physical and mental health outcomes of older people in Taiwan. Retrospective observational study. The Social Environment and Biomarkers of Aging Study (SEBAS), Taiwan. Data of 1123 study participants from the SEBAS were retrieved for analysis and all participants were divided into 4 groups based on their self-rated and spousal health status: good self-good spousal health (GG), good self-poor spousal health (GP), poor self-good spousal health (PG), and poor self-poor spousal health (PP). Multinomial logistic regression models were used to evaluate the associations of the different health statuses of couples to disabilities of physical function, daily activity disabilities (activities of daily living, or ADLs, and instrumental activities of daily living, or IADLs) and depressive symptoms. Subgroup analyses were conducted for middle-aged (aged 53 to 64) and older (aged 65 and older) adults to examine whether the impacts of spousal health statuses on the physical and mental health outcomes increased with age. The adjusted multinomial logistic regressions showed that people in the PP group were at the highest risk for difficulties in physical function, daily activities, and depressive symptoms. This association was more significant in the elderly population than the middle-aged group. Elderly PP couples were associated with a 7-fold increase in risk of acquiring a disability of physical function (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 7.5, 95% confidence interval [CI] 2.4-23.6, P < .01), an 8-fold increase in risk of an IADL disability (aOR 8.5, 95% CI 4.1-17.5, P < .01), a 47-fold increase in risk of an ADL disability (aOR 47.3, 95% CI 5.8-387.7, P < .01), and a 10-fold increase in risk of depressive symptoms (aOR 10.6, 95% CI 4.8-23.4, P < .01), compared with the elderly GG groups. This is the first study to demonstrate that when both people in a couple have poor health status, it is a significant risk factor regarding difficulties in physical activities, daily activity disabilities, and depressive symptoms. This effect was particularly stronger in elderly couples compared with middle-aged couples. Copyright © 2016 AMDA – The Society for Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Sleep problems as a mediator of the association between parental education levels, perceived family economy and poor mental health in children.

PubMed

Bøe, Tormod; Hysing, Mari; Stormark, Kjell Morten; Lundervold, Astri J; Sivertsen, Børge

2012-12-01

The aim of this study was to investigate the association between familial socioeconomic status (SES) and children's sleep problems, and the role of sleep problems as a mediator between familial SES and childhood mental health problems. Participants were 5781 11-13 year old children from the Bergen Child Study. Data were collected on family economy, parental education, and children's difficulties initiating and/or maintaining sleep (DIMS), time in bed (TIB) and self-reported mental health problems using the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ). Sleep problems were significantly more common in children from lower SES families. Children from families with poor and average perceived family economy had significantly higher odds of reporting DIMS compared to children from families with very good economy (ORs=3.5 and 1.7, respectively). The odds were reduced by 12-36% adjusting for poor parental health and single parenting, but remained significant. Children from families with a poor economy had increased odds of a short TIB, both in the crude model (OR=1.9) and adjusted for parental characteristics (OR=2.2). Maternal education level was significantly associated with short TIB. Path analysis was conducted to investigate the potential mediating role of DIMS in the relationship between SES and mental health. The significant direct association between perceived family economy and SDQ total problems score was partially mediated by a significant indirect effect of sleep problems. Sleep problems are common among children from families with a lower SES and may be a potential mechanism through which low SES is translated into mental health problems. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Effect of Variation in Diacylglycerol Kinase Eta (DGKH) Gene on Brain Function in a Cohort at Familial Risk of Bipolar Disorder

PubMed Central

Whalley, Heather C; Papmeyer, Martina; Romaniuk, Liana; Johnstone, Eve C; Hall, Jeremy; Lawrie, Stephen M; Sussmann, Jessika E; McIntosh, Andrew M

2012-01-01

Several lines of evidence indicate that the diacylglycerol kinase eta (DGKH) gene is implicated in the etiology of bipolar disorder (BD). However, the functional neural mechanisms of DGKH's risk association remain unknown. Therefore, we examined the effects of three haplotype-tagging risk variants in DGKH (single nucleotide polymorphisms rs9315885, rs1012053, and rs1170191) on brain activation using a verbal fluency functional magnetic resonance imaging task. The subject groups consisted of young individuals at high familial risk of BD (n=81) and a comparison group of healthy controls (n=75). Individuals were grouped based on risk haplotypes described in previous studies. There was a significant risk haplotype*group interaction in the left medial frontal gyrus (BA10, involving anterior cingulate BA32), left precuneus, and right parahippocampal gyrus. All regions demonstrated greater activation during the baseline condition than sentence completion. Individuals at high familial risk for BD homozygous for the DGKH risk haplotype demonstrated relatively greater activation (poor suppression) of these regions during the task vs the low-risk haplotype subjects. The reverse pattern was seen for the control subjects. These findings suggest that there are differential effects of the DGKH gene in healthy controls vs the bipolar high-risk group, which manifests as a failure to disengage default-mode regions in those at familial risk carrying the risk haplotype. PMID:22048461

[The year 2000: one billion couples of child-bearing age].

PubMed

Lintong, L J

1988-04-01

Out of 1 billion couples there are only 124 million who use modern and effective contraceptives. World abortions number 33 million/year. 250 million sexually active women of child-bearing age in developing countries outside China do not use modern and effective contraceptives. Fertility control costs on the average US$2.5 billion a year in each developing country, 20% of which is assistance from developed countries. Expanding the family planning service to the 250 million sexually active child-bearing aged women costs an additional U.S. $5 billion yearly. A family planning accessibility survey was conducted by the Population Crisis Committee. PCC divided the countries into 2 categories: Developed and developing countries. The 110 countries (15 developed and 95 developing) covered 96% of the world population. The survey placed the countries in 5 classes according to accessibility levels: Excellent, good, fair, poor, very poor. The developed countries were analyzed according to effective contraceptive methods, service to the poor and minorities, sex education in the schools, and family planning information and advertisement. The developing countries were analyzed according to effective contraceptive methods, performance of service and distribution, public information and education, private sector participation, government finance and policies. Of the 15 developed countries, 43% were excellent, 22% good, 24% fair, and 2% poor. Of the 95 developing countries, 5 were excellent, 10 good, 16 fair, and 64 either poor or very poor countries in respect to family planning accessibility. In the face of a population explosion in the year 2000, many countries lack of government support for family planning programs. After 30 years of world effort in population control, half of the world population still has no effective family planning services.

Maternal mental health and the persistence of food insecurity in poor rural families.

PubMed

Lent, Megan D; Petrovic, Lindsay E; Swanson, Josephine A; Olson, Christine M

2009-08-01

Little is known about the causal relationship between and the mechanisms linking depression and food insecurity. Our purpose was to examine these knowledge gaps. Chi-squared analysis of longitudinal data from 29 rural upstate New York families followed for three years and qualitative analysis of interviews were used to identify associations and mechanisms. Depressive symptoms (p=.009) and poor mental health (p=.01) in mothers limited the likelihood families would leave food insecurity. This relationship was mediated through limiting the employment of adult family members and operated in three ways: preventing the depressed household member from working, preventing a different household member from working, and limiting access to childcare for depressed children so adults could work. Poor mental health is associated with keeping families food-insecure by limiting their employment. High-quality, accessible mental health care is needed for poverty-associated food insecurity to be alleviated.

High Stakes: Time Poverty, Testing and the Children of the Working Poor. Working Paper Series.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chin, Margaret M.; Newman, Katherine S.

Two public policy shifts in the past 10 years--the move from welfare to work and the end of social promotion in school--are intertwined in their implementation in the lives of working poor families. This report draws on ethnographic data from a 6-year study of working poor families in New York City over the period in which welfare reform became a…

Children's Food Allergies: Development of the Food Allergy Management and Adaptation Scale.

PubMed

Klinnert, Mary D; McQuaid, Elizabeth L; Fedele, David A; Faino, Anna; Strand, Matthew; Robinson, Jane; Atkins, Dan; Fleischer, David M; Hourihane, Jonathan O'B; Cohen, Sophia; Fransen, Hannah

2015-07-01

Develop a measure that evaluates effective pediatric food allergy (FA) management, child and parent FA anxiety, and integration of FA into family life. A semistructured family interview was developed to evaluate FA management using a pilot sample (n = 27). Rating scales evaluated eight dimensions of FA management (FAMComposite), child anxiety, parent anxiety, and overall balanced integration (BI). Families of children with IgE-mediated food allergies (n = 60, child age: 6-12) were recruited for interview and rating scale validation. FAMComposite was correlated with physician ratings for families' food avoidance and reaction response readiness. FA anxiety was correlated with general anxiety measures for children, but not parents. Parents' FA anxiety was correlated with expectations of negative outcomes from FA. Low BI was associated with poor quality of life and negative impact on family functioning. Preliminary analyses support Food Allergy Management and Adaptation Scale validity as a measure of family adaptation to pediatric FA. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society of Pediatric Psychology. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Socioeconomic disparities in the quality of life in children with cancer or brain tumors: the mediating role of family factors.

PubMed

Litzelman, Kristin; Barker, Emily; Catrine, Kristine; Puccetti, Diane; Possin, Peggy; Witt, Whitney P

2013-05-01

This study aimed to determine if and to what extent (i) socioeconomic disparities exist in the health-related quality of life (QOL) of children with cancer or brain tumors and healthy children; and (ii) family functioning and burden mediate the relationship between socioeconomic status and children's QOL. In this cross-sectional study, parents of children ages 2-18 with (n = 71) and without (n = 135) cancer or brain tumors completed in-person interviewer-assisted surveys assessing sociodemographics (including income and parental education), child QOL (measure: PedsQL), family functioning (measure: Family Adaptability and Cohesion Evaluation Scale IV) and burden (measure: Impact on the Family Scale). For children with cancer, clinical characteristics were captured through medical record abstraction. Multiple linear regression was used to determine the relationship between income and child QOL; the interaction between group status and income was assessed. Staged multivariate regression models were used to assess the role of family factors in this relationship among children with cancer. In multivariate analyses, the effect of income differed by cancer status; lower income was associated with worse QOL in children with cancer but not among healthy children. Among children with cancer, this relationship was significantly attenuated by family burden. Significant socioeconomic disparities exist in the QOL of children with cancer. Family factors partially explain the relationship between low income and poor QOL outcomes among these children. Lower-income families may have fewer resources to cope with their child's cancer. Increased support, monitoring, and referrals to reduce burden for these families may lead to improved QOL in children with cancer. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Quality of life, social functioning, family structure, and treatment history associated with crack cocaine use in youth from the general population.

PubMed

Narvaez, Joana C M; Pechansky, Flávio; Jansen, Karen; Pinheiro, Ricardo T; Silva, Ricardo A; Kapczinski, Flávio; Magalhães, Pedro V

2015-01-01

To assess the relationship between crack cocaine use and dimensions of quality of life and social functioning in young adults. This was a cross-sectional, population-based study involving 1,560 participants in Pelotas, Brazil. Crack cocaine use and abuse were investigated using the Alcohol, Smoking and Substance Involvement Screening Test (ASSIST) inventory. Outcomes of interest were quality of life, religiosity, and social functioning in terms of education, occupational status, family structure, and medical treatment history. Lifetime crack cocaine use was associated with poor quality of life, worse functioning, impaired academic performance, and lower religious involvement. A greater maternal presence and higher paternal absence were more also more pronounced in crack cocaine users, who were also more likely to seek psychological and psychiatric treatment than the general population. Quality of life was severely impacted by crack cocaine use, especially in terms of general and physical health. Social functioning also differed between the general population and crack users, who had lower educational attainment and religious involvement. Maternal presence, paternal absence, and mental health-seeking behaviors were also more frequent among crack cocaine users, although these individuals reported lower rates of treatment satisfaction. Crack cocaine users also had significant social impairment, so that interventions involving family management and a greater focus on general health, quality of life, and functioning may make crucial contributions to the recovery of this group.

POVERTY'S CHILDREN, A VIEW OF POOR FAMILIES BASED ON RESEARCH SPONSORED BY THE HEALTH AND WELFARE COUNCIL OF THE NATIONAL CAPITAL AREA.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

JACKSON, LUTHER P.

ONE OF A SERIES OF PUBLICATIONS DERIVED FROM THE CHILD REARING STUDY (CRS) OF LOW-INCOME FAMILIES IN WASHINGTON, D.C., THIS PAMPHLET ATTEMPTS TO REFUTE THE POPULAR MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT THE POOR. CRS FINDINGS SHOW THAT SUCH FAMILIES DO NOT NEGLECT THEIR CHILDREN BUT RATHER ARE FORCED BY THEIR CIRCUMSTANCES TO TRAIN THEM TO BE INDEPENDENT. POOR…

Trickling Down: Are Rural and Rural Poor Family Incomes Responsive to Regional Economic Growth? Institute for Research on Poverty, Discussion Papers No. 210-74.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Weber, Bruce A.

The past decade has seen a number of studies of how the poverty incidence (the percentage of families below the poverty line) of certain demographic groups changes in response to economic growth. The question of whether regional economic growth trickles down to rural and rural poor families was examined by statistically estimating the relationship…

The impact of different benefit packages of Medical Financial Assistance Scheme on health service utilization of poor population in rural China.

PubMed

Hao, Yanhua; Wu, Qunhong; Zhang, Zhenzhong; Gao, Lijun; Ning, Ning; Jiao, Mingli; Zakus, David

2010-06-17

Since 2003 and 2005, National Pilot Medical Financial Assistance Scheme (MFA) has been implemented in rural and urban areas of China to improve the poorest families' accessibility to health services. Local governments of the pilot areas formulated various benefit packages. Comparative evaluation research on the effect of different benefit packages is urgently needed to provide evidence for improving policy-making of MFA. This study was based on a MFA pilot project, which was one component of Health VIII Project conducted in rural China. This article aimed to compare difference in health services utilization of poor families between two benefit package project areas: H8 towns (package covering inpatient service, some designated preventive and curative health services but without out-patient service reimbursement in Health VIII Project,) and H8SP towns (package extending coverage of target population, covering out- patient services and reducing co-payment rate in Health VIII Supportive Project), and to find out major influencing factors on their services utilization. A cross-sectional survey was conducted in 2004, which used stratified cluster sampling method to select poor families who have been enrolled in MFA scheme in rural areas of ChongQing. All family members of the enrolled households were interviewed. 748 and 1129 respondents from two kinds of project towns participated in the survey. Among them, 625 and 869 respondents were included (age>/=15) in the analysis of this study. Two-level linear multilevel model and binomial regressions with a log link were used to assess influencing factors on different response variables measuring service utilization. In general, there was no statistical significance in physician visits and hospitalizations among all the respondents between the two kinds of benefit package towns. After adjusting for major confounding factors, poor families in H8SP towns had much higher frequency of MFA use (beta = 1.17) and less use of hospitalization service (OR = 0.7 (H8SP/H8), 95%CI (0.5, 1.0)) among all the respondents. While calculating use of hospital services among those who needed, there was significant difference (p = 0.032) in percentage of hospitalization use between H8SP towns (46%) and H8 towns (33%). Meanwhile, the non-use but ought-to-use hospitalization ratio of H8SP (54%) was lower than that of H8 (67 %) towns. This indicated that hospitalization utilizations had improved in H8SP towns among those who needed. Awareness of MFA detailed benefit package and presence of physician diagnosed chronic disease had significant association with frequency of MFA use and hospitalizations. There was no significant difference in rate of borrowing money for illness treatment between the two project areas. Large amount of medical debt had strong association with hospitalization utilization. The new extended benefit package implemented in pilot towns significantly increased the poor families' accessibility to MFA package in H8SP than that of H8 towns, which reduced poor families' demand of hospitalization services for their chronic diseases, and improved the poor population's utilization of out-patient services to some degree. It can encourage poor people to use more outpatient services thus reduce their hospitalization need. Presence of chronic disease and hospitalization had strong association with the presence of large amount of medical debt, which indicated that: although establishment of MFA had facilitated accessibility of poor families to this new system, and improved service utilization of poor families to some degree, but its role in reducing poor families' medical debt resulted from chronic disease and hospitalization was still very limited. Besides, the following requirements of MFA: co-payment for in-patient services, ceiling and deductibles for reimbursement, limitations on eligibility for diseases reimbursement, also served as most important obstacles for poor families' access to health care. Therefore, there is great need to improve MFA benefit package design in the future, including extending to cover out-patient services, raising ceiling for reimbursement, removing deductibles of MFA, reducing co-payment rate, and integrating MFA with New Rural Cooperative Medical Scheme more closely so as to provide more protection to the poor families.

Adolescent alcohol use: social determinants and the case for early family-centered prevention. Family-focused prevention of adolescent drinking.

PubMed Central

Schor, E. L.

1996-01-01

The family plays a central role in the use of alcohol by children and adolescents, yet preventive interventions rarely focus on the family. Early drinking and much subsequent use of alcohol by children and adolescents is sanctioned and sometimes encouraged by their families. Unlike experimentation with alcohol, problem drinking is associated with low levels of family social support and with dysfunctional coping strategies of families that may lead children to use drinking as an adaptive behavior. While risk-factor research has advanced understanding of alcohol use by children and youth, the poor predictive power of individual risks has limited its contribution to successful interventions. On the other hand, protective factors, provided by relationships within and outside the family, can be preventive and health promoting. Parents influence their children's drinking through family interactions, modeling and reinforcing standards, and attitudes that children learn and use to guide their behavior in new situations. Thus, parental influences endure. This article argues that interventions to prevent alcohol abuse should be designed to help parents to carry out their parental functions. This can be accomplished by providing social support, resources, and education for parents, as well as developing extra-familial sources of social support and socialization for children and adolescents. PMID:8982525

Altered RECQL5 expression in urothelial bladder carcinoma increases cellular proliferation and makes RECQL5 helicase activity a novel target for chemotherapy

PubMed Central

Patterson, Karl; Arya, Lovleen; Bottomley, Sarah; Morgan, Susan; Cox, Angela; Catto, James; Bryant, Helen E.

2016-01-01

RECQ helicases are a family of enzymes with both over lapping and unique functions. Functional autosomal recessive loss of three members of the family BLM, WRN and RECQL4, results in hereditary human syndromes characterized by cancer predisposition and premature aging, but despite the finding that RECQL5 deficient mice are cancer prone, no such link has been made to human RECQL5. Here we demonstrate that human urothelial carcinoma of the bladder (UCC) has increased expression of RECQL5 compared to normal bladder tissue and that increasing RECQL5 expression can drive proliferation of normal bladder cells and is associated with poor prognosis. Further, by expressing a helicase dead RECQL5 and by depleting bladder cancer cells of RECQL5 we show that inhibition of RECQL5 activity has potential as a new target for treatment of UCC. PMID:27764811

Discovery of SCORs: Anciently derived, highly conserved gene-associated repeats in stony corals.

PubMed

Qiu, Huan; Zelzion, Ehud; Putnam, Hollie M; Gates, Ruth D; Wagner, Nicole E; Adams, Diane K; Bhattacharya, Debashish

2017-10-01

Stony coral (Scleractinia) genomes are still poorly explored and many questions remain about their evolution and contribution to the success and longevity of reefs. We analyzed transcriptome and genome data from Montipora capitata, Acropora digitifera, and transcriptome data from 20 other coral species. To our surprise, we found highly conserved, anciently derived, Scleractinia COral-specific Repeat families (SCORs) that are abundant in all the studied lineages. SCORs form complex secondary structures and are located in untranslated regions and introns, but most abundant in intergenic DNA. These repeat families have undergone frequent duplication and degradation, suggesting a 'boom and bust' cycle of invasion and loss. We speculate that due to their surprisingly high sequence identities across deeply diverged corals, physical association with genes, and dynamic evolution, SCORs might have adaptive functions in corals that need to be explored using population genomic and function-based approaches. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Associations between poor health and school-related behavior problems at the child and family levels: a cross-sectional study of migrant children and adolescents in southwest urban China.

PubMed

Zhang, Jing-Jing; Li, Ning-Xiu; Liu, Chao-Jie

2010-06-01

Due to urbanization in China, the numbers of migrant children and adolescents in urban environments have increased. Previous studies have indicated that children and adolescents are more likely to suffer from health problems and poor school achievement. The present study identified associations between poor health and school-related behavior problems (ie, learning attitudes and learning disabilities [LL], antisocial behavior and risk behavior [AR], and social adaptation and role function [SR]) at the child and family levels. A cross-sectional design was used. Seven hundred and eighty-one participants were recruited in inclusive settings. Correlational analysis was conducted to assess the associations between demographic variables and the primary study variables. Logistic regression analysis was used to determine which study factors were the strongest predictors of general health problems. School-aged migrants who had poorer health tended to be more likely to suffer from school-related behavior problems. Poor health was also found to hinder scholastic achievement in migrant children and adolescents through a higher prevalence of school-related behavior problems, including negative learning attitudes and learning disabilities, antisocial behavior and risk behavior, and social maladjustment. Health risk factors included inappropriate parental education methods, fewer classmates, and less social support. Health and individual risk factors should be explored further to determine their causal role in migrant children and adolescents with school-related behavior problems. These results have implications for future school health education for these students.

Bone marrow failure unresponsive to bone marrow transplant is caused by mutations in thrombopoietin.

PubMed

Seo, Aaron; Ben-Harosh, Miri; Sirin, Mehtap; Stein, Jerry; Dgany, Orly; Kaplelushnik, Joseph; Hoenig, Manfred; Pannicke, Ulrich; Lorenz, Myriam; Schwarz, Klaus; Stockklausner, Clemens; Walsh, Tom; Gulsuner, Suleyman; Lee, Ming K; Sendamarai, Anoop; Sanchez-Bonilla, Marilyn; King, Mary-Claire; Cario, Holger; Kulozik, Andreas E; Debatin, Klaus-Michael; Schulz, Ansgar; Tamary, Hannah; Shimamura, Akiko

2017-08-17

We report 5 individuals in 3 unrelated families with severe thrombocytopenia progressing to trilineage bone marrow failure (BMF). Four of the children received hematopoietic stem cell transplants and all showed poor graft function with persistent severe cytopenias even after repeated transplants with different donors. Exome and targeted sequencing identified mutations in the gene encoding thrombopoietin ( THPO ): THPO R99W, homozygous in affected children in 2 families, and THPO R157X, homozygous in the affected child in the third family. Both mutations result in a lack of THPO in the patients' serum. For the 2 surviving patients, improvement in trilineage hematopoiesis was achieved following treatment with a THPO receptor agonist. These studies demonstrate that biallelic loss-of-function mutations in THPO cause BMF, which is unresponsive to transplant due to a hematopoietic cell-extrinsic mechanism. These studies provide further support for the critical role of the MPL-THPO pathway in hematopoiesis and highlight the importance of accurate genetic diagnosis to inform treatment decisions for BMF. © 2017 by The American Society of Hematology.

Family planning use among urban poor women from six cities of Uttar Pradesh, India.

PubMed

Speizer, Ilene S; Nanda, Priya; Achyut, Pranita; Pillai, Gita; Guilkey, David K

2012-08-01

Family planning has widespread positive impacts for population health and well-being; contraceptive use not only decreases unintended pregnancies and reduces infant and maternal mortality and morbidity, but it is critical to the achievement of Millennium Development Goals. This study uses baseline, representative data from six cities in Uttar Pradesh, India to examine family planning use among the urban poor. Data were collected from about 3,000 currently married women in each city (Allahabad, Agra, Varanasi, Aligarh, Gorakhpur, and Moradabad) for a total sample size of 17,643 women. Participating women were asked about their fertility desires, family planning use, and reproductive health. The survey over-sampled slum residents; this permits in-depth analyses of the urban poor and their family planning use behaviors. Bivariate and multivariate analyses are used to examine the role of wealth and education on family planning use and unmet need for family planning. Across all of the cities, about 50% of women report modern method use. Women in slum areas generally report less family planning use and among those women who use, slum women are more likely to be sterilized than to use other methods, including condoms and hormonal methods. Across all cities, there is a higher unmet need for family planning to limit childbearing than for spacing births. Poorer women are more likely to have an unmet need than richer women in both the slum and non-slum samples; this effect is attenuated when education is included in the analysis. Programs seeking to target the urban poor in Uttar Pradesh and elsewhere in India may be better served to identify the less educated women and target these women with appropriate family planning messages and methods that meet their current and future fertility desire needs.

Men Do Matter: Ethnographic Insights on the Socially Supportive Role of the African American Uncle in the Lives of Inner-City African American Male Youth

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Richardson, Joseph B., Jr.

2009-01-01

This article examines the role of the African American uncle as a vital yet overlooked form of social support and social capital in the lives of adolescent African American male sons living in single-female-headed households. Research rarely examines the affective roles and functions of men in Black families; moreover, poor urban Black male youth…

Closing the poor-rich gap in contraceptive use in urban Kenya: are family planning programs increasingly reaching the urban poor?

PubMed

Fotso, Jean Christophe; Speizer, Ilene S; Mukiira, Carol; Kizito, Paul; Lumumba, Vane

2013-08-27

Kenya is characterized by high unmet need for family planning (FP) and high unplanned pregnancy, in a context of urban population explosion and increased urban poverty. It witnessed an improvement of its FP and reproductive health (RH) indicators in the recent past, after a period of stalled progress. The objectives of the paper are to: a) describe inequities in modern contraceptive use, types of methods used, and the main sources of contraceptives in urban Kenya; b) examine the extent to which differences in contraceptive use between the poor and the rich widened or shrank over time; and c) attempt to relate these findings to the FP programming context, with a focus on whether the services are increasingly reaching the urban poor. We use data from the 1993, 1998, 2003 and 2008/09 Kenya demographic and health survey. Bivariate analyses describe the patterns of modern contraceptive use and the types and sources of methods used, while multivariate logistic regression models assess how the gap between the poor and the rich varied over time. The quantitative analysis is complemented by a review on the major FP/RH programs carried out in Kenya. There was a dramatic change in contraceptive use between 2003 and 2008/09 that resulted in virtually no gap between the poor and the rich in 2008/09, by contrast to the period 1993-1998 during which the improvement in contraceptive use did not significantly benefit the urban poor. Indeed, the late 1990s marked the realization by the Government of Kenya and its development partners, of the need to deliberately target the poor with family planning services. Most urban women use short-term and less effective methods, with the proportion of long-acting method users dropping by half during the review period. The proportion of private sector users also declined between 2003 and 2008/09. The narrowing gap in the recent past between the urban poor and the urban rich in the use of modern contraception is undoubtedly good news, which, coupled with the review of the family program context, suggests that family planning programs may be increasingly reaching the urban poor.

Associations Among Family Environment, Sustained Attention, and School Readiness for Low-Income Children

PubMed Central

Razza, Rachel A.; Martin, Anne; Brooks-Gunn, Jeanne

2011-01-01

In this study, we examined the developmental pathways from children’s family environment to school readiness within a low-income sample (N = 1,046), with a specific focus on the role of sustained attention. Six distinct factors of the family environment representing maternal parenting behaviors, the physical home environment, and maternal mental health at 3 years of age were explored as independent predictors of children’s observed sustained attention as well as cognitive and behavioral outcomes at 5 years of age. Children were grouped by poverty status (poor vs. near-poor). Results suggest specificity in the associations among attention (focused attention and lack of impulsivity) and its correlates, with different patterns emerging by poverty status group. Overall, the family environment was largely unrelated to children’s sustained attention. For both groups, focused attention was associated with receptive vocabulary; however, it partially mediated the association between maternal lack of hostility and receptive vocabulary only among the near-poor. In addition, lack of impulsivity was associated with both receptive vocabulary and externalizing behaviors but only for the poor group. Findings indicate sustained attention as a potential target for efforts aimed at enhancing school readiness among predominantly poor children. PMID:20677860

A Look at Poor Dads Who Don't Pay Child Support. Discussion Papers. Assessing the New Federalism: An Urban Institute Program To Assess Changing Social Policies.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sorensen, Elaine; Zibman, Chava

The barriers that poor fathers face in paying child support and how existing programs assist them were studied and contrasted to the barriers faced by poor custodial mothers using data from the National Survey of America's Families (NSAF). Efforts to serve these fathers through Temporary Assistance for Needy Families welfare-to-work grants, and…

Functional outcomes of child and adolescent oppositional defiant disorder symptoms in young adult men.

PubMed

Burke, Jeffrey D; Rowe, Richard; Boylan, Khrista

2014-03-01

Oppositional defiant disorder(ODD) is considered to be a disorder of childhood, yet evidence suggests that prevalence rates of the disorder are stable into late adolescence and trajectories of symptoms persist into young adulthood. Functional outcomes associated with ODD through childhood and adolescence include conflict within families, poor peer relationships, peer rejection, and academic difficulties. Little examination of functional outcomes in adulthood associated with ODD has been undertaken. Data for the present analyses come from a clinic referred sample of 177 boys aged 7-12 followed up annually to age 18 and again at age 24. Annual parental report of psychopathology through adolescence was used to predict self-reported functional outcomes at 24. Controlling for parent reported symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), Conduct disorder (CD), depression and anxiety, ODD symptoms from childhood through adolescence predicted poorer age 24 functioning with peers, poorer romantic relationships, a poorer paternal relationship, and having nobody who would provide a recommendation for a job. CD symptoms predicted workplace problems, poor maternal relationship, lower academic attainment, and violent injuries. Only parent reported ODD symptoms and child reported CD symptoms predicted a composite of poor adult outcomes. Oppositional defiant disorder is a disorder that significantly interferes with functioning, particularly in social or interpersonal relationships. The persistence of impairment associated with ODD into young adulthood calls for a reconsideration of ODD as a disorder limited to childhood. © 2013 The Authors. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry © 2013 Association for Child and Adolescent Mental Health.

Family adaptation to cerebral palsy in adolescents: A European multicenter study.

PubMed

Guyard, Audrey; Michelsen, Susan I; Arnaud, Catherine; Fauconnier, Jerome

2017-02-01

Factors promoting family adaptation to child's disability are poorly studied together. The aim of the study was to describe the family adaptation to disability and to identify determinants associated with using a global theoretical model. 286 families of teenagers [13-17 years] with cerebral palsy (CP) from 4 European disability registers were included and visited at home. Face to face interviews were performed in order to measure parental distress, perceived impact in various dimensions of family life, family resources and stressors. Relationships were modelled with structural equations. 31.8% of parents living with an adolescent with CP showed clinically significant high stress requiring professional assistance. The main stressors were the level of motor impairment and behavioural disorders in adolescent. A good family functioning was the best protective factor. Respite in care and a parents' positive attitude were significantly related to less parental distress. Material support, socioeconomical level, marital status or parental qualifications did not appear to be significant protector factors. Particular attention must be paid not only on physical condition but also on adolescent psychological problems to improve family adaptation. Families at risk of experiencing severe distress should be targeted early and proactive caregiver interventions on the whole family should be performed. Family is a dynamic system: facing disability, it tries to recover its balance with available resources and its perception of the situation. Literature highlights potential stressors and protecting factors that could affect the disabled child's family adaptation but few papers study a global model including most of these factors. This study validated a global theoretical model of family adaptation to disability at adolescence. It identified behaviour disorders and motor impairment level as main stressors, family functioning as the largest protecting factors, and equipment and financial support as non significant protective factors. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

"Breaking the chain of poverty": family planning, community involvement, and the Population Council-Office of Economic Opportunity alliance.

PubMed

Nelson, Jennifer

2014-01-01

The Office of Economic Opportunity-Population Council program is an example of a mid-twentieth-century federal government/private foundation cooperative effort to place family planning and maternal health at the center of a fight against entrenched poverty. These joint efforts were the trend in family planning and maternal health provision by the 1960s and had two overlapping but also contradictory goals. The first was to provide contraceptive services to poor women to reduce the numbers of poor children, thus relieving the poor of added mouths to feed. Popular fears of a population explosion, mounting welfare rolls, and an increase in the numbers of African Americans receiving welfare fueled this goal. The second aim, however, was to expand comprehensive maternal health services to help reduce poverty by increasing poor women's involvement in and control over the health institutions that could have significant impact on their lives. While the first goal pivoted on encouraging poor women to bear fewer children, the second sought to integrate poor women into community healthcare delivery systems.

Linking Family Economic Hardship to Early Childhood Health: An Investigation of Mediating Pathways.

PubMed

Hsu, Hui-Chin; Wickrama, Kandauda A S

2015-12-01

The underlying mechanisms through which family economic adversity influences child health are less understood. Taking a process-oriented approach, this study examined maternal mental health and investment in children, child health insurance, and child healthcare as mediators linking family economic hardship (FEH) to child health. A structural equation modeling was applied to test the hypothesized mediating model. After adjustment for sociodemographic risk factors, results revealed: (1) a significant direct path linking FEH to poor child health (effect size = .372), and (2) six significant mediating pathways (total effect size = .089). In two mediating pathways, exposures to FEH undermined mothers' mental health: in the first pathway poor maternal mental health led to decreased parental investment, which, in turn, contributed to poor child health, whereas in the second pathway the adverse effect of poor maternal mental health was cascaded through child unmet healthcare need, which resulted in poor child health. One pathway involved child insurance status, where the effect of FEH increased the likelihood to be uninsured, which led to unmet healthcare need, and, in turn, to poor health. Three pathways involved preventive care: in one pathway FEH contributed to poor preventive care, which led to unmet healthcare need and then to poor health; in the other two pathways where poor preventive care respectively gave rise to decreased investment in children or poor maternal mental health, which further contributed to poor child health. Results suggest that the association between FEH and children's health is mediated by multiple pathways.

Socioeconomic Disparities in the Quality of Life in Children with Cancer or Brain Tumors: The Mediating Role of Family Factors

PubMed Central

Litzelman, Kristin; Barker, Emily; Catrine, Kristine; Puccetti, Diane; Possin, Peggy; Witt, Whitney P

2012-01-01

Objective This study aimed to determine if and to what extent: (1) socioeconomic disparities exist in the health-related quality of life (QOL) of children with cancer or brain tumors and healthy children; and (2) family functioning and burden mediate the relationship between socioeconomic status and children’s QOL. Methods In this cross-sectional study, parents of children ages 2–18 with (n=71) and without (n=135) cancer or brain tumors completed in-person interviewer-assisted surveys assessing sociodemographics (including income and parental education), child QOL (measure: PedsQL), family functioning (measure: FACES IV) and burden (measure: Impact on the Family Scale). For children with cancer, clinical characteristics were captured through medical record abstraction. Multiple linear regression was used to determine the relationship between income and child QOL; the interaction between group status and income was assessed. Staged multivariate regression models were used to assess the role of family factors in this relationship among children with cancer. Results In multivariate analyses, the effect of income differed by cancer status; lower income was associated with worse QOL in children with cancer, but not among healthy children. Among children with cancer, this relationship was significantly attenuated by family burden. Conclusions Significant socioeconomic disparities exist in the QOL of children with cancer. Family factors partially explain the relationship between low income and poor QOL outcomes among these children. Lower income families may have fewer resources to cope with their child’s cancer. Increased support, monitoring, and referrals to reduce burden for these families may lead to improved QOL in children with cancer. PMID:22645071

Acute functional deterioration in a child with cerebral palsy

PubMed Central

Smyth, Elizabeth; Kaliaperumal, Chandrasekaran; Leonard, Jane; Caird, John

2012-01-01

We describe a case of acute functional deterioration in a 13-year-old girl with severe spastic diplegia (GMFCS III) and a new diagnosis of diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG). She presented with acute deterioration in mobility and motor function over 1 month, which was associated with dysarthria, dysphagia and behavioural change. Her mother had noticed subtle functional deterioration over the 2 months prior to this. Her physiotherapist who was concerned about her acute functional deterioration referred her for emergency review. Neurological imaging revealed a diffuse pontine lesion consistent with DIPG. She was subsequently referred to oncology. She deteriorated further, clinically, over the next few days and following discussion with the team; her family opted for palliative treatment, given the poor prognosis associated with DIPG. PMID:23257647

Family obligation values as a protective and vulnerability factor among low-income adolescent girls.

PubMed

Milan, Stephanie; Wortel, Sanne

2015-06-01

Adolescents' beliefs about family obligation often reflect cultural variations in their family context, and thus are important for understanding development among diverse youth. In this study, we test hypotheses about the role of family obligation values in risk behavior and mental health in a sample of 194 low-income adolescent girls (mean age = 15.2; 58% Latina, 28% African-American/Black). We hypothesized that family obligation values can be both a protective and vulnerability factor, depending on the type of outcome and the presence of other risk factors. Across the sample, higher family obligation values tended to occur with indicators of positive family functioning (e.g., more frequent communication, less maternal hostility) based on mother and adolescent reports. As hypothesized, family obligation values moderated the relationship between established risk factors and adjustment in distinct ways, such that high family obligation values decreased risk in some domains (i.e., a protective factor) but increased risk in other domains (i.e., a vulnerability factor). Specifically, high family obligation values diminished the relationship between peer norms for risky behavior (sex and substance use) and individual engagement in those behaviors. At the same time, high family obligation values magnified the relationship between exposure to negative life events and poor mental health (PTSD and depressive symptoms). The results suggest that family obligation is an important but complex aspect of development among diverse adolescent girls.

Quality of life in patients with visual impairment in Ibadan: a clinical study in primary care.

PubMed

Adigun, Kehinde; Oluleye, Tunji S; Ladipo, Modupe Ma; Olowookere, Samuel Anu

2014-01-01

Visual function is important for optimal orientation in functional and social life, and has an effect on physical and emotional well-being. Visual impairment, therefore, leads to restrictions in all aspects of daily living and is related to quality of life. The aim of this study was to provide information on the causes of visual impairment in patients presenting to their family physician, the spectrum of impairment, and its impact on quality of life for these patients. This descriptive cross-sectional study of 375 adult patients with ocular symptoms was performed in the general outpatient department of the University College Hospital, Ibadan, from July to September, 2009. After checking their presenting visual acuity, the patients were interviewed using the Vision-Related Quality of Life questionnaire to determine the impact of visual impairment on their quality of life. Ophthalmic examinations were performed to determine the causes of visual impairment. The results were analyzed using proportions and percentages. The main causes of visual impairment were cataracts (58.7%), refractive error (19.4%), and glaucoma (2.9%). Visual impairment was found to be associated with advancing age, low education, and unemployment (P<0.001). Most patients (85.1%) were found to have good quality of life overall. Quality of life was found to be poor in the domains of visual function (64.2%) and social interaction (50.9%). Quality of life was found to be related to the degree of visual impairment, ie, blind patients reported poor quality of life (41.4%) when compared with those having low vision (8.6%) or near normal vision (2.4%, P<0.001). This study identified poor quality of life in patients with a higher degree of visual impairment. Family physicians need to identify these visually impaired patients early and make timely referrals.

Autosomal recessive atrial dilated cardiomyopathy with standstill evolution associated with mutation of Natriuretic Peptide Precursor A.

PubMed

Disertori, Marcello; Quintarelli, Silvia; Grasso, Maurizia; Pilotto, Andrea; Narula, Nupoor; Favalli, Valentina; Canclini, Camilla; Diegoli, Marta; Mazzola, Silvia; Marini, Massimiliano; Del Greco, Maurizio; Bonmassari, Roberto; Masè, Michela; Ravelli, Flavia; Specchia, Claudia; Arbustini, Eloisa

2013-02-01

Atrial dilatation and atrial standstill are etiologically heterogeneous phenotypes with poorly defined nosology. In 1983, we described 8-years follow-up of atrial dilatation with standstill evolution in 8 patients from 3 families. We later identified 5 additional patients with identical phenotypes: 1 member of the largest original family and 4 unrelated to the 3 original families. All families are from the same geographic area in Northeast Italy. We followed up the 13 patients for up to 37 years, extended the clinical investigation and monitoring to living relatives, and investigated the genetic basis of the disease. The disease was characterized by: (1) clinical onset in adulthood; (2) biatrial dilatation up to giant size; (3) early supraventricular arrhythmias with progressive loss of atrial electric activity to atrial standstill; (4) thromboembolic complications; and (5) stable, normal left ventricular function and New York Heart Association functional class during the long-term course of the disease. By linkage analysis, we mapped a locus at 1p36.22 containing the Natriuretic Peptide Precursor A gene. By sequencing Natriuretic Peptide Precursor A, we identified a homozygous missense mutation (p.Arg150Gln) in all living affected individuals of the 6 families. All patients showed low serum levels of atrial natriuretic peptide. Heterozygous mutation carriers were healthy and demonstrated normal levels of atrial natriuretic peptide. Autosomal recessive atrial dilated cardiomyopathy is a rare disease associated with homozygous mutation of the Natriuretic Peptide Precursor A gene and characterized by extreme atrial dilatation with standstill evolution, thromboembolic risk, preserved left ventricular function, and severely decreased levels of atrial natriuretic peptide.

Illness invalidation from spouse and family is associated with depression in diabetic patients with first superficial diabetic foot ulcers.

PubMed

Sehlo, Mohammad G; Alzahrani, Owiss H; Alzahrani, Hasan A

(1) To assess the prevalence of depressive disorders in a sample of diabetic patients with their first superficial diabetic foot ulcer. (2) To evaluate the association between illness invalidation from spouse, family, and depressive disorders in those patients. Depressive disorders and severity were diagnosed by the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Axis Ι disorders, clinical version, and the spouse and family scales of the Illness Invalidation Inventory, respectively (3*I). Physical functioning was also assessed using the Physical Component of The Short Form 36 item health-related quality of life questionnaire. The prevalence of depressive disorders was 27.50% (22/80). There was a significant decrease in physical health component summary mean score and a significant increase in ulcer size, Center for Epidemiologic Studies-Depression Scale, spouse discounting, spouse lack of understanding, and family discounting mean scores in the depressed group compared to the non-depressed group. Higher levels of spouse discounting, spouse understanding, and family discounting were significant predictors of diagnosis of depressive disorders and were strongly associated with increased severity of depressive symptoms in diabetic patients with first superficial diabetic foot ulcers. Poor physical functioning was associated with increased depressive symptom severity. This study demonstrated that illness invalidation from spouse and family is associated with diagnosis of depressive disorders and increased severity of depressive symptoms in diabetic patients with first superficial diabetic foot ulcers. © The Author(s) 2015.

The Deserving Poor, the Family, and the U.S. Welfare System

PubMed Central

Moffitt, Robert A.

2015-01-01

Contrary to the popular view that the U.S. welfare system has been in a contractionary phase after the expansions of the welfare state in the 1960s, welfare spending resumed steady growth after a pause in the 1970s. However, while aggregate spending is higher than ever, there has been a redistribution away from non-elderly and non-disabled families to families with older adults and to families with recipients of disability programs, a redistribution away from non-elderly nondisabled single parent families to married parent families, and a redistribution of transfers away from the poorest families to those with higher incomes. These redistributions likely reflect long-standing, and perhaps increasing, conceptualizations by U.S. society of which poor are deserving and which are not. PMID:26047935

Psychosocial stressors and lung function in youth ages 10-17: an examination by stressor, age and gender.

PubMed

Bandoli, G; Ghosh, J K; von Ehrenstein, O; Ritz, B

2017-06-01

Research on the impact of psychosocial stressors on child and adolescent lung function is uncommon, and has primarily relied either on parents' own stress measures or parent-reported stressors the child experienced, which may be a poor proxy for perceived stress in older children and adolescents. We performed multivariate linear regression of spirometry measures (FVC, FEV1 and FEF25-75) and psychosocial stressors in 584 adolescents in the Los Angeles Family and Neighborhood Survey. We examined family conflict, unsafe neighborhood or school, and the absence of a father in models stratified by gender, adjusting for PM2.5 and potential confounders. We observed reductions in lung function in males related to the absence of a father in the house (FEV1: -176.2 ml, 95% CI -322.7, -29.7) and family conflict (FEV1: -156.2 ml, 95% CI -327.8, 15.5); associations were stronger in older males ages 15-17 years for each stressor (P for interaction of age and sex was 0.009 and 0.06, respectively). This research informs a very small literature on psychosocial stressors and lung function in adolescents. Our finding of differential vulnerability by age and gender warrants further exploration of adolescent psychosocial stressor response on lung function. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Faculty of Public Health. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Beyond the sniffer: frontal sinuses in Carnivora.

PubMed

Curtis, Abigail A; Van Valkenburgh, Blaire

2014-11-01

Paranasal sinuses are some of the most poorly understood features of mammalian cranial anatomy. They are highly variable in presence and form among species, but their function is not well understood. The best-supported explanations for the function of sinuses is that they opportunistically fill mechanically unnecessary space, but that in some cases, sinuses in combination with the configuration of the frontal bone may improve skull performance by increasing skull strength and dissipating stresses more evenly. We used CT technology to investigate patterns in frontal sinus size and shape disparity among three families of carnivores: Canidae, Felidae, and Hyaenidae. We provide some of the first quantitative data on sinus morphology for these three families, and employ a novel method to quantify the relationship between three-dimensional sinus shape and skull shape. As expected, frontal sinus size and shape were more strongly correlated with frontal bone size and shape than with the morphology of the skull as a whole. However, sinus morphology was also related to allometric differences among families that are linked to biomechanical function. Our results support the hypothesis that frontal sinuses most often opportunistically fill space that is mechanically unnecessary, and they can facilitate cranial shape changes that reduce stress during feeding. Moreover, we suggest that the ability to form frontal sinuses allows species to modify skull function without compromising the performance of more functionally constrained regions such as the nasal chamber (heat/water conservation, olfaction), and braincase (housing the brain and sensory structures). © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Parental attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder predicts child and parent outcomes of parental friendship coaching treatment.

PubMed

Griggs, Marissa Swaim; Mikami, Amori Yee

2011-12-01

This study investigated the impact of parental attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms on the peer relationships and parent-child interaction outcomes of children with ADHD among families completing a randomized controlled trial of parental friendship coaching (PFC) relative to control families. Participants were 62 children with ADHD (42 boys and 20 girls, 6 through 10 years old) and their parents. Approximately half of the families received PFC (a 3-month parent training intervention targeting the peer relationships of children with ADHD), and the remainder represented a no-treatment control group. Parental inattention predicted equivalent declines in children's peer acceptance in both treatment and control families. However, treatment amplified differences between parents with high versus low ADHD symptoms for some outcomes: Control families declined in functioning regardless of parents' symptom levels. However, high parental inattention predicted increased child peer rejection and high parental inattention and impulsivity predicted decreased parental facilitation among treated families (indicating reduced treatment response). Low parental symptoms among treated families were associated with improved functioning in these areas. For other outcomes, treatment attenuated differences between parents with high versus low ADHD symptoms: Among control parents, high parental impulsivity was associated with increasing criticism over time, whereas all treated parents showed reduced criticism regardless of symptom levels. Follow-up analyses indicated that the parents experiencing poor treatment response are likely those with clinical levels of ADHD symptoms. Results underscore the need to consider parental ADHD in parent training treatments for children with ADHD. Copyright © 2011 American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Multisystemic Therapy Improves the Patient-Provider Relationship in Families of Adolescents with Poorly Controlled Insulin Dependent Diabetes

PubMed Central

Carcone, April Idalski; Ellis, Deborah A.; Chen, Xinguang; Naar-King, Sylvie; Cunningham, Phillippe B.; Moltz, Kathleen

2015-01-01

Objective The purpose of this study was to determine if Multisystemic Therapy (MST), an intensive, home and community-based family treatment, significantly improved patient-provider relationships in families where youth had chronic poor glycemic control. Methods One hundred forty-six adolescents with type 1 or 2 diabetes in chronic poor glycemic control (HbA1c ≥ 8%) and their primary caregivers were randomly assigned to MST or a telephone support condition. Caregiver perceptions of their relationship with the diabetes multidisciplinary medical team were assessed at baseline and treatment termination with the Measure of Process of Care-20. Results At treatment termination, MST families reported significant improvement on the Coordinated and Comprehensive Care scale and marginally significant improvement on the Respectful and Supportive Care scale. Improvements on the Enabling and Partnership and Providing Specific Information scales were not significant. Conclusions Results suggest MST improves the ability of the families and the diabetes treatment providers to work together. PMID:25940767

Chronic Functional Constipation and Encopresis in Children in Relationship with the Psychosocial Environment

PubMed Central

Olaru, Claudia; Trandafir, Laura; Gimiga, Nicoleta; Olaru, Radian A.; Stefanescu, Gabriela; Ciubotariu, Gabriela; Burlea, Marin; Iorga, Magdalena

2016-01-01

Functional constipation is an issue for both the patient and his/her family, affecting the patient's psychoemotional balance, social relations, and their harmonious integration in the school environment. We aimed to highlight the connection between chronic constipation and encopresis and the patient's psychosocial and family-related situation. Material and Method. 57 patients with ages spanning from 6 to 15 were assessed within the pediatric gastroenterology ward. Sociodemographic, medical, and psychological data was recorded. The collected data was processed using the SPSS 20 software. Results. The study group consisted of 57 children diagnosed with encopresis (43 boys (75.44%) and 14 girls (24.56%)), M = 10.82 years. It was determined that most of the children came from urban families with a poor socioeducational status. We identified a level of studies of 11.23 ± 5.56 years in mothers, while fathers had an average number of 9.35 ± 4.53 years of study. We also found a complex relationship between encopretic episodes and school performances (F = 7.968, p = 0.001, 95% Cl). Children with encopresis were found to have more anxiety/depression symptoms, greater social problems, more disruptive behavior, and poorer school performance. Conclusions. The study highlights the importance of the family environment and socioeconomic factors in manifestations of chronic constipation and encopresis. PMID:27990158

Chronic Functional Constipation and Encopresis in Children in Relationship with the Psychosocial Environment.

PubMed

Olaru, Claudia; Diaconescu, Smaranda; Trandafir, Laura; Gimiga, Nicoleta; Olaru, Radian A; Stefanescu, Gabriela; Ciubotariu, Gabriela; Burlea, Marin; Iorga, Magdalena

2016-01-01

Functional constipation is an issue for both the patient and his/her family, affecting the patient's psychoemotional balance, social relations, and their harmonious integration in the school environment. We aimed to highlight the connection between chronic constipation and encopresis and the patient's psychosocial and family-related situation. Material and Method . 57 patients with ages spanning from 6 to 15 were assessed within the pediatric gastroenterology ward. Sociodemographic, medical, and psychological data was recorded. The collected data was processed using the SPSS 20 software. Results . The study group consisted of 57 children diagnosed with encopresis (43 boys (75.44%) and 14 girls (24.56%)), M = 10.82 years. It was determined that most of the children came from urban families with a poor socioeducational status. We identified a level of studies of 11.23 ± 5.56 years in mothers, while fathers had an average number of 9.35 ± 4.53 years of study. We also found a complex relationship between encopretic episodes and school performances ( F = 7.968, p = 0.001, 95% Cl). Children with encopresis were found to have more anxiety/depression symptoms, greater social problems, more disruptive behavior, and poorer school performance. Conclusions . The study highlights the importance of the family environment and socioeconomic factors in manifestations of chronic constipation and encopresis.

Lineage-specific evolution of cnidarian Wnt ligands.

PubMed

Hensel, Katrin; Lotan, Tamar; Sanders, Steve M; Cartwright, Paulyn; Frank, Uri

2014-09-01

We have studied the evolution of Wnt genes in cnidarians and the expression pattern of all Wnt ligands in the hydrozoan Hydractinia echinata. Current views favor a scenario in which 12 Wnt sub-families were jointly inherited by cnidarians and bilaterians from their last common ancestor. Our phylogenetic analyses clustered all medusozoan genes in distinct, well-supported clades, but many orthologous relationships between medusozoan Wnts and anthozoan and bilaterian Wnt genes were poorly supported. Only seven anthozoan genes, Wnt2, Wnt4, Wnt5, Wnt6, Wnt 10, Wnt11, and Wnt16 were recovered with strong support with bilaterian genes and of those, only the Wnt2, Wnt5, Wnt11, and Wnt16 clades also included medusozoan genes. Although medusozoan Wnt8 genes clustered with anthozoan and bilaterian genes, this was not well supported. In situ hybridization studies revealed poor conservation of expression patterns of putative Wnt orthologs within Cnidaria. In polyps, only Wnt1, Wnt3, and Wnt7 were expressed at the same position in the studied cnidarian models Hydra, Hydractinia, and Nematostella. Different expression patterns are consistent with divergent functions. Our data do not fully support previous assertions regarding Wnt gene homology, and suggest a more complex history of Wnt family genes than previously suggested. This includes high rates of sequence divergence and lineage-specific duplications of Wnt genes within medusozoans, followed by functional divergence over evolutionary time scales. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

The Situation Analysis Study of the family planning program in Kenya.

PubMed

Miller, R A; Ndhlovu, L; Gachara, M M; Fisher, A A

1991-01-01

A new, relatively "quick and clean" operations research approach called a "situation analysis" was developed for examining the strengths and weaknesses of the family planning program of Kenya. Field research teams visited a stratified random sample of 99 of the Ministry of Health's approximately 775 service delivery points. Observation techniques and interviewing were used to collect information on program components and on the quality of care provided to new family planning clients during the observation day. As late as 1986, the Kenya program was rated "weak" and "poor" in the international literature. The Kenya Situation Analysis Study found a functioning, integrated maternal and child health/family planning program serving large numbers of clients, with an emphasis on oral contraceptives and Depo-Provera (and an underemphasis on permanent methods). Although a number of program problems were revealed by the study, overall, in terms of performance, a rating of "moderate" is suggested as more appropriate for Kenya's national family planning program today. In terms of the quality of care, a "moderate to moderate-high" rating is suggested.

Raising Resilient Children during Tough Economic Times

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tom, A.; Yuen, S.; Fong, G.; Nemoto, M.; Hisatake, T.; Choy, A.; Chang, W.

2009-01-01

Financial hardship can result from many different circumstances--a poor economy, the loss of a job, underemployment, the prolonged illness of a family member, divorce, poor money management, or a combination of several factors. Whatever the cause, the resulting impact on a family can be stressful for all members, including children. Stress from…

Mental Health Needs of Poor Suburban and Rural Children and Their Families

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Robbins, Vestena; Dollard, Norin; Armstrong, Beth Jordan; Kutash, Krista; Vergon, Keren S.

2008-01-01

The inverse relationship between economic status and mental illness is well established. Less is known, however, about the nature of this relationship. A comparison of poor suburban and rural youth receiving services for their emotional and behavioral problems revealed more similarities than differences. Family income increased during the first…

Pro-Poor PRIMR: Improving Early Literacy Skills for Children from Low-Income Families in Kenya

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Piper, Benjamin; Jepkemei, Evelyn; Kibukho, Kennedy

2015-01-01

Children from low-income families are at risk of learning outcome difficulties, particularly in literacy. Various studies link poor literacy results with performance later in primary and secondary school, and suggest that poverty, literacy skills and weak instructional methods combine to drastically limit the educational opportunities for many…

The Economic Demography of Mass Poverty.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Abegaz, Berhanu, Ed.

1986-01-01

The four papers in this volume discuss various facets of the poverty-demography interaction: the rationale for the desired family size of the poor, the problems of attaining such size, the effect of family size/structure on household economy, and the future well-being of the children of the poor. "Mass Poverty, Demography, and Development…

Executive functioning in low birth weight children entering kindergarten.

PubMed

Miller, S E; DeBoer, M D; Scharf, R J

2018-01-01

Poor executive functioning is associated with life-long difficulty. Identification of children at risk for executive dysfunction is important for early intervention to improve neurodevelopmental outcomes. This study is designed to examine relationships between birthweight and executive functioning in US children during kindergarten. Our hypothesis was that children with higher birthweights would have better executive function scores. We evaluated data from 17506 US children from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Kindergarten 2011 cohort. Birthweight and gestational age were obtained by parental survey. Executive functions were directly assessed using the number reverse test and card sort test to measure working memory and cognitive flexibility, respectively. Teacher evaluations were used for additional executive functions. Data were analyzed using SAS to run all linear and logistical regressions. For every kilogram of birthweight, scores of working memory increased by 1.47 (P<0.001) and cognitive flexibility increased by 0.28 (P<0.001) independent of gender, gestational age, parental education, and family income. Low birthweight infants were 1.5 times more likely to score in the bottom 20% of children on direct assessment OR=1.49 (CI 1.21-1.85) and OR=1.55 (CI 1.26-1.91). Infants born low birthweight are at increased risk of poor executive functioning. As birthweight increases executive function scores improve, even among infants born normal weight. Further evaluation of this population including interventions and progression through school is needed.

Effects of maltreatment and parental schizophrenia spectrum disorders on early childhood social-emotional functioning: a population record linkage study.

PubMed

Matheson, S L; Kariuki, M; Green, M J; Dean, K; Harris, F; Tzoumakis, S; Tarren-Sweeney, M; Brinkman, S; Chilvers, M; Sprague, T; Carr, V J; Laurens, K R

2017-12-01

Childhood maltreatment and a family history of a schizophrenia spectrum disorder (SSD) are each associated with social-emotional dysfunction in childhood. Both are also strong risk factors for adult SSDs, and social-emotional dysfunction in childhood may be an antecedent of these disorders. We used data from a large Australian population cohort to determine the independent and moderating effects of maltreatment and parental SSDs on early childhood social-emotional functioning. The New South Wales Child Development Study combines intergenerational multi-agency data using record linkage methods. Multiple measures of social-emotional functioning (social competency, prosocial/helping behaviour, anxious/fearful behaviour; aggressive behaviour, and hyperactivity/inattention) on 69 116 kindergarten children (age ~5 years) were linked with government records of child maltreatment and parental presentations to health services for SSD. Multivariable analyses investigated the association between maltreatment and social-emotional functioning, adjusting for demographic variables and parental SSD history, in the population sample and in sub-cohorts exposed and not exposed to parental SSD history. We also examined the association of parental SSD history and social-emotional functioning, adjusting for demographic variables and maltreatment. Medium-sized associations were identified between maltreatment and poor social competency, aggressive behaviour and hyperactivity/inattention; small associations were revealed between maltreatment and poor prosocial/helping and anxious/fearful behaviours. These associations did not differ greatly when adjusted for parental SSD, and were greater in magnitude among children with no history of parental SSD. Small associations between parental SSD and poor social-emotional functioning remained after adjusting for demographic variables and maltreatment. Childhood maltreatment and history of parental SSD are associated independently with poor early childhood social-emotional functioning, with the impact of exposure to maltreatment on social-emotional functioning in early childhood of greater magnitude than that observed for parental SSDs. The impact of maltreatment was reduced in the context of parental SSDs. The influence of parental SSDs on later outcomes of maltreated children may become more apparent during adolescence and young adulthood when overt symptoms of SSD are likely to emerge. Early intervention to strengthen childhood social-emotional functioning might mitigate the impact of maltreatment, and potentially also avert future psychopathology.

Children working on the streets in Brazil: predictors of mental health problems.

PubMed

Maciel, Mariana R; Mello, Andrea F; Fossaluza, Victor; Nobrega, Luciana P; Cividanes, Giuliana C; Mari, Jair J; Mello, Marcelo F

2013-03-01

The objective of this study was to determine which factors predict higher risk for mental health problems in children working on the streets. We studied a sample of families that had at least one child working on the streets, from October 2008 to March 2009. The instruments applied were the parent version strengths and difficulties questionnaire (SDQ), the childhood trauma questionnaire (CTQ) for children and caregivers, the WorldSAFE core questionnaire, the global assessment of relational functioning scale (GARF), the schedule for affective disorders and schizophrenia for school-age children (K-SADS), and a socio-demographic questionnaire. 191 children between 7 and 14 years of age were analyzed; 126 (66%) were working on the streets, and 65 were siblings who did not work on the streets. Multivariate analysis showed that mental health problems in the caregivers, violent behaviors of the caregivers toward the children, absence of a partner living in the house, and lower levels of family functioning increased the risk of mental health problems in the children. Caregivers reported severe forms of physical punishment against their children in 62% of cases. Caregivers who had suffered sexual abuse and emotional negligence in childhood were more violent with their children. Factors that increased risk for mental health symptoms in these children were caregivers' psychopathology, physical punishment at home, single-parent structure, and poor family functioning. Work on the streets did not influence the children's mental health, when multiple risk factors were considered; family characteristics were the most significant in this sample.

A systematic review of the impact of stroke on social support and social networks: associated factors and patterns of change.

PubMed

Northcott, Sarah; Moss, Becky; Harrison, Kirsty; Hilari, Katerina

2016-08-01

Identify what factors are associated with functional social support and social network post stroke; explore stroke survivors' perspectives on what changes occur and how they are perceived. The following electronic databases were systematically searched up to May 2015: Academic Search Complete; CINAHL Plus; E-journals; Health Policy Reference Centre; MEDLINE; PsycARTICLES; PsycINFO; and SocINDEX. PRISMA guidelines were followed in the conduct and reporting of this review. All included studies were critically appraised using the Critical Appraisal Skills Program tools. Meta-ethnographic techniques were used to integrate findings from the qualitative studies. Given the heterogeneous nature of the quantitative studies, data synthesis was narrative. Seventy research reports met the eligibility criteria: 22 qualitative and 48 quantitative reporting on 4,816 stroke survivors. The qualitative studies described a contraction of the social network, with non-kin contact being vulnerable. Although family were more robust network members, significant strain was observed within the family unit. In the quantitative studies, poor functional social support was associated with depression (13/14 studies), reduced quality of life (6/6 studies) and worse physical recovery (2/2 studies). Reduced social network was associated with depression (7/8 studies), severity of disability (2/2 studies) and aphasia (2/2 studies). Although most indicators of social network reduced post stroke (for example, contact with friends, 5/5 studies), the perception of feeling supported remained relatively stable (4/4 studies). Following a stroke non-kin contact is vulnerable, strain is observed within the family unit, and poor social support is associated with depressive symptoms. © The Author(s) 2015.

Effects of poverty on academic failure and delinquency in boys: a change and process model approach.

PubMed

Pagani, L; Boulerice, B; Vitaro, F; Tremblay, R E

1999-11-01

Using data from the Montreal Longitudinal-Experimental Study, we examined the impact of poverty (and its correlate, family configuration status) on academic placement and self-reported delinquency in boys at age 16. We then investigated whether the relation between family economic hardship and antisocial behaviour is direct or indirect by considering the value of parenting practices and academic failure as process variables in the model. Data included official records, and parent, teacher, and self-reports. The temporal intensity of poverty was classified into five categories: never-poor; always-poor; poor-earlier; poor-later; and transitory-poverty. Family configuration status was classified by both temporal characteristics and number of marital transitions: intact-family; short-term-single; long-term-single; short-term-remarried; long-term-remarried; and multiple-marital-transitions. Results revealed that when maternal education and early childhood behaviour were controlled, poverty had an effect on both academic failure and extreme delinquency. This effect was independent of family configuration status. Although they both significantly predicted extreme delinquency on their own, academic failure and parental supervision did not mediate the relationship between poverty and delinquency. Divorce increased the risk of theft and fighting at age 16, regardless of financial hardship. Parental supervision only helped explain the effects of divorce on boys' fighting.

Welfare Policies and Black Families.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Trader, Harriet Peat

1979-01-01

The family is an important resource for minority persons, and many minority families depend on public welfare for their survival. This article offers a compact analysis of how welfare policies often work to the disadvantage of poor Black families. (Author)

[PERSONALIZED APPROACH TO PATIENT WITH CHRONIC WOUND IN FAMILY MEDICINE].

PubMed

Sinožić, T; Katić, M; Kovačević, J

2016-01-01

It can be said that the occurrence and development of wounds, healing, delayed healing, and the notion of chronic wound are some of the basic characteristics of all living beings. When it comes to people, there are a number of processes that take place during wound healing, and even under ideal circumstances, they create a functionally less valuable skin tissue, along with structural and functional changes. Fibrosis in the form of hypertrophic scars and keloids, contractures and adhesions are examples of excessive healing. Microcirculation is significantly different from healthy skin circulation with consequential formation of local hypoxia and stagnation in lymph flow with edema. Poor functionality of the scar tissue, particularly in the areas exposed to stronger forces, can cause forming of wounds. Such wounds are hard to heal despite the inexistence of other possible reasons for delayed healing, precisely because of their poor functionality and placement. The presence of wound requiring long-term treatment affects all areas of patient life and leads to decline in the quality of life. Exemplified by case presentation of a patient with post-traumatic wound in the scar area, in our office we showed a model of care based on the principle of overall personalized care with the biopsychosocial approach. Diagnostic and therapeutic procedures included wound assessment, biofilm and lymphedema detection, assessment of the patient’s psychosocial status, risk factors for wound healing, vascular ultrasound diagnostics, carboxytherapy as specialized adjuvant therapy, use of modern wound dressings, and compression therapy. Supportive psychotherapy was conducted in positive communication environment during treatment. In this way, in an atmosphere of cooperation with the patient, it was possible not only to influence the process of wound healing as the primary objective, but also to improve the quality of the patient’s life, as well as to influence our professional satisfaction with the results achieved. Family doctors are involved in the care of chronic wound patients as part of the multidisciplinary team of experts. Additional specific knowledge and skills are required for such care in order to ensure overall quality care as a supplement of the existing knowledge, skills and working experience in family medicine.

The development of postinstitutionalized versus parent-reared Russian children as a function of age at placement and family type.

PubMed

McCall, Robert B; Muhamedrahimov, Rifkat J; Groark, Christina J; Palmov, Oleg I; Nikiforova, Natalia V; Salaway, Jennifer; Julian, Megan M

2016-02-01

A total of 149 children, who spent an average of 13.8 months in Russian institutions, were transferred to Russian families of relatives and nonrelatives at an average age of 24.7 months. After residing in these families for at least 1 year (average = 43.2 months), parents reported on their attachment, indiscriminately friendly behavior, social-emotional competencies, problem behaviors, and effortful control when they were 1.5-10.7 years of age. They were compared to a sample of 83 Russian parents of noninstitutionalized children, whom they had reared from birth. Generally, institutionalized children were rated similarly to parent-reared children on most measures, consistent with substantial catch-up growth typically displayed by children after transitioning to families. However, institutionalized children were rated more poorly than parent-reared children on certain competencies in early childhood and some attentional skills. There were relatively few systematic differences associated with age at family placement or whether the families were relatives or nonrelatives. Russian parent-reared children were rated as having more problem behaviors than the US standardization sample, which raises cautions about using standards cross-culturally.

Work-family conflict and self-rated health among dwellers in Minia, Egypt: Financial strain vs social support.

PubMed

Eshak, E S; Kamal, N N; Seedhom, A E; Kamal, N N

2018-04-01

Egypt's economic reform is accompanied by both financial and social strains. Due to lack of evidence, we examined the associations between work-family conflict in its 2 directions, work-to-family conflicts (WFCs), and family-to-work conflicts (FWCs) and self-rated health in Minia, Egypt, and whether the association will vary by being financially responsible for others and by the level of perceived social support. A cross-sectional study that included 1021 healthy participants aged 18-60 years from Minia district. Data on participants' work-family conflict, social, and demographic data and individual self-rated health were collected by a questionnaire survey. Multivariable logistic regression analyses were used to calculate the odds ratios (ORs) with its 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for poor self-rated health according to categories of work-family conflict. There were significant positive associations between the poor self-rated health and both high WFC and FWC. Compared with participants with low WFC and low FWC, participants with high WFC low FWC, low WFC high FWC, and high WFC high FWC had multivariable-adjusted ORs (95% CIs) for poor self-rated health of 6.93 (3.02-13.13), 2.09 (1.06-4.12), and 10.05 (4.98-20.27), respectively. Giving financial support to others but not the level of perceived social support from others was an effect modifier of the association. Work-family conflict was positively associated with the self-report of poor health, especially in those who were financially responsible for other family members. Copyright © 2018 The Royal Society for Public Health. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Family-wide Structural Characterization and Genomic Comparisons Decode the Diversity-oriented Biosynthesis of Thalassospiramides by Marine Proteobacteria*

PubMed Central

Zhang, Weipeng; Lu, Liang; Lai, Qiliang; Zhu, Beika; Li, Zhongrui; Xu, Ying; Shao, Zongze; Herrup, Karl; Moore, Bradley S.; Ross, Avena C.; Qian, Pei-Yuan

2016-01-01

The thalassospiramide lipopeptides have great potential for therapeutic applications; however, their structural and functional diversity and biosynthesis are poorly understood. Here, by cultivating 130 Rhodospirillaceae strains sampled from oceans worldwide, we discovered 21 new thalassospiramide analogues and demonstrated their neuroprotective effects. To investigate the diversity of biosynthetic gene cluster (BGC) architectures, we sequenced the draft genomes of 28 Rhodospirillaceae strains. Our family-wide genomic analysis revealed three types of dysfunctional BGCs and four functional BGCs whose architectures correspond to four production patterns. This correlation allowed us to reassess the “diversity-oriented biosynthesis” proposed for the microbial production of thalassospiramides, which involves iteration of several key modules. Preliminary evolutionary investigation suggested that the functional BGCs could have arisen through module/domain loss, whereas the dysfunctional BGCs arose through horizontal gene transfer. Further comparative genomics indicated that thalassospiramide production is likely to be attendant on particular genes/pathways for amino acid metabolism, signaling transduction, and compound efflux. Our findings provide a systematic understanding of thalassospiramide production and new insights into the underlying mechanism. PMID:27875306

Parents of children referred to a sleep laboratory for disordered breathing reported anxiety, daytime sleepiness and poor sleep quality.

PubMed

Cadart, Marion; De Sanctis, Livio; Khirani, Sonia; Amaddeo, Alessandro; Ouss, Lisa; Fauroux, Brigitte

2018-07-01

We evaluated the impact that having a child with sleep-disordered breathing had on their parents, including their own sleep quality. Questionnaires were completed by 96 parents of 86 children referred for a sleep study or control of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) or noninvasive ventilation (NIV) at the sleep laboratory of the Necker Hospital, Paris, France, between October 2015 and January 2016. The questionnaires evaluated anxiety and depression, family functioning, the parents' quality of life, daytime sleepiness and sleep quality. The children had a mean age of seven ±five years and most of the responses (79%) came from their mothers. These showed that 26% of parents showed moderate-to-severe anxiety, 8% moderate-to-severe depression, 6% complex family cohesion, 59% moderate-to-severe daytime sleepiness and 54% poor sleep quality. Anxiety was higher in mothers than in fathers (p < 0.001). The questionnaire scores did not differ according to the child's age, the results of the sleep studies or the CPAP or NIV treatment. The symptoms seem to be more commonly related to the child's underlying disease than their sleep-disordered breathing. The parents of children referred to a sleep laboratory reported frequent anxiety, daytime sleepiness and poor sleep quality. ©2018 Foundation Acta Paediatrica. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Parenting Children With Borderline Intellectual Functioning: A Unique Risk Population

PubMed Central

Fenning, Rachel M.; Baker, Jason K.; Baker, Bruce L.; Crnic, Keith A.

2009-01-01

Parenting was examined among families of children with borderline intelligence in comparison to families of typically developing children and children with developmental delays. Parenting data were obtained at child age 5 via naturalistic home observation. Mothers of children with borderline intelligence exhibited less positive and less sensitive parenting behaviors than did other mothers and were least likely to display a style of positive engagement. Children with borderline intelligence were not observed to be more behaviorally problematic than other children; however, their mothers perceived more externalizing symptoms than did mothers of typically developing children. Findings suggest the importance of mothers’ explanatory models for child difficulties and highlight children with borderline intelligence as uniquely at risk for poor parenting. PMID:17295551

Feeding method and health outcomes of children with cerebral palsy.

PubMed

Rogers, Brian

2004-08-01

Disorders of feeding and swallowing are common in children with cerebral palsy. Feeding and swallowing disorders have significant implications for development, growth and nutrition, respiratory health, gastrointestinal function, parent-child interaction, and overall family life. Assessments need to be comprehensive in scope and centered around the medical home. Oral feeding interventions for children with cerebral palsy may be effective in promoting oral motor function, but have not been shown to be effective in promoting feeding efficiency or weight gain. Feeding gastrostomy tubes are a reasonable alternative for children with severe feeding and swallowing problems who have had poor weight gain. Copyright 2004 Elsevier Inc.

Persistence, Privilege, and Parenting: The Comparative Study of Intergenerational Mobility

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smeeding, Timothy M., Ed.; Erikson, Robert, Ed.; Jantti, Markus, Ed.

2011-01-01

Americans like to believe that theirs is the land of opportunity, but the hard facts are that children born into poor families in the United States tend to stay poor and children born into wealthy families generally stay rich. Other countries have shown more success at lessening the effects of inequality on mobility--possibly by making public…

A Tale of Two Classes: The Black Poor and the Black Middle Class.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lewin, Arthur

1991-01-01

To understand the African-American family, the African-American poor and middle class must be investigated. Extra costs mean that it is much harder for African Americans to reach the middle class. Ways to improve the economic status of African-American families and to increase the middle class are discussed. (SLD)

Minimum Wage Increases and the Working Poor. Changing Domestic Priorities Discussion Paper.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mincy, Ronald B.

Most economists agree that the difficulties of targeting minimum wage increases to low-income families make such increases ineffective tools for reducing poverty. This paper provides estimates of the impact of minimum wage increases on the poverty gap and the number of poor families, and shows which factors are barriers to decreasing poverty…

The role of poverty in explaining health variations in 7-year-old children from different family structures: findings from the UK Millennium Cohort Study.

PubMed

Pearce, Anna; Lewis, Hannah; Law, Catherine

2013-02-01

Despite rises in reconstituted and lone-parent families, relatively little is known about how the health of children in different family types varies, and the extent to which any differences might be explained by poverty. The authors examined this using cross-sectional data on 13 681 seven-year-olds from the Millennium Cohort Study. The authors estimated RRs and 95% CIs for having poor physical (general health, long-standing illness, injury, overweight, asthma, fits) and mental health (using strengths and difficulties scores) according to family structure using Poisson regression. The authors adjusted for confounders (aRR) and then investigated the role of poverty as a mediator by entering a poverty score (based on income, receipt of benefits, subjective poverty and material deprivation) into the main model. Children living in reconstituted and lone-parent families were at a slight increased risk of poor health compared with those living with two natural parents. Adjusting for poverty tended to remove the elevated risk of poor physical health in children living in lone-parent and reconstituted families. However, for the mental health outcomes, poverty tended to remove the elevated risk for lone parents but not for reconstituted families. For example, the aRR for borderline-abnormal total difficulties fell from 1.45 (1.22 to 1.72) to 1.34 (1.13 to 1.59) in children living in reconstituted families and from 1.29 (1.14 to 1.45) to 1.05 (0.92 to 1.19) in those living with lone parents. Poor physical and mental health was slightly more prevalent in children living in lone-parent or reconstituted families. Poverty reduction may help to reduce these differences, especially for children living with lone parents; however, alternative mechanisms should be also explored, particularly for children living in reconstituted families.

Trajectories of health-related quality of life among family caregivers of individuals with dementia: A home-based caregiver-training program matters.

PubMed

Kuo, Li-Min; Huang, Huei-Ling; Liang, Jersey; Kwok, Yam-Ting; Hsu, Wen-Chuin; Liu, Chin-Yi; Shyu, Yea-Ing L

To determine distinct courses of change in health-related quality of life (HRQoL) among family caregivers of individuals with dementia and how participating in a home-based caregiver-training program affects the probability of belonging to each course. Sixty three caregivers were in the intervention group, and 66 caregivers were in the control group of a single-blinded randomized clinical trial. Two distinct trajectories of HRQoL were identified: a well-functioning trajectory and a poor-functioning trajectory. Caregivers who received the training program were more likely than those who did not have a well-functioning trajectory of HRQoL over 18 months. This trajectory included bodily pain (b = 1.02, odds ratio [OR] = 2.76), general health perception (b = 1.28, OR = 3.60), social functioning (b = 1.12, OR = 3.05), vitality (b = 1.51, OR = 4.49), general mental health (b = 1.08, OR = 2.94), and mental component summary (b = 1.27, OR = 3.55). Home-based caregiver training can be considered as part of the protocol for managing patients with dementia and their caregivers. NCT02667951. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Mothers' functioning and children's symptoms 5 years after a SCUD missile attack.

PubMed

Laor, N; Wolmer, L; Cohen, D J

2001-07-01

The authors assessed the long-term consequences of the SCUD missile attack in Israel on children as a function of their mothers' psychological functioning, family cohesion, and the event itself. Five years after the Gulf War, the authors assessed the internalizing, externalizing, stress, and posttraumatic symptoms of 81 children aged 8-10 years whose homes were damaged in the SCUD missile attack, as well as general and posttraumatic symptoms, defensive style, and object relations in their mothers. There was a significant decrease in severity in most symptom domains and an increase in avoidant symptoms in the children. Greater severity of symptoms was associated with being displaced, living in a family with inadequate cohesion, and having a mother with poor psychological functioning. The association between the symptoms of children and mothers was stronger among the younger children. Posttraumatic symptoms increased in one-third of the children and decreased in one-third over the last 30 months of the study. Severe posttraumatic symptoms were reported in 8% of the children. Despite a continuous decrease in symptom severity, risk factors identified shortly after the Gulf War continued to exert their influence on children 5 years after the traumatic exposure.

Family income and young adolescents’ perceived social position: associations with self-esteem and life satisfaction in the UK Millennium Cohort Study

PubMed Central

Bannink, Rienke; Pearce, Anna

2016-01-01

Background Self-esteem and life satisfaction are important aspects of positive mental health in young people, and both are socially distributed. However, the majority of evidence is based on socioeconomic characteristics of the family. As children enter adolescence and gain independence, perceptions of their own social position are likely to influence mental health. Design and objectives Using data on 11-year-olds from the UK Millennium Cohort Study, we investigated associations of both family income and young adolescents’ perception of their social position with self-esteem and life satisfaction. We hypothesised that there would be differences in the impact of perceived social position on positive mental health when investigating the full scale scoring distribution or the bottom of the distribution. Therefore, we estimated proportional odds for having greater positive mental health (across the distribution of scores) and ORs for poor outcomes (lowest 10% scores). Results The likelihood of greater self-esteem and life satisfaction increased with income; similarly, the risk of having poor self-esteem and life satisfaction increased as income decreased. Young adolescents who perceived their family as poorer than their friends (instead of about the same) were less likely to have greater self-esteem and life satisfaction and were more likely to have poor outcomes. Young adolescents who perceived their family as richer were more likely to have poor self-esteem, but were not less likely to have greater self-esteem. For life satisfaction, young adolescents who perceived their families as richer were less likely to have greater and more likely to have poor life satisfaction. Conclusions Policies to redistribute income in families with children are likely to benefit the mental health of young people. However, it is also important to consider the impact of social comparison on young people's mental health as they enter adolescence. PMID:26957529

Longitudinal change in parent and child functioning after internet-delivered cognitive-behavioral therapy for chronic pain.

PubMed

Law, Emily F; Fisher, Emma; Howard, Waylon J; Levy, Rona; Ritterband, Lee; Palermo, Tonya M

2017-10-01

Theoretical models of pediatric chronic pain propose longitudinal associations between children's pain experiences and parent and family factors. A large body of cross-sectional research supports these models, demonstrating that greater parent distress and maladaptive parenting behaviors are associated with greater child disability. Family-based cognitive-behavioral therapy interventions have been developed for youth with chronic pain which aim to improve child disability and reduce maladaptive parenting behaviors. However, little is known about temporal, longitudinal associations between parent and child functioning in this population. In the present study, we conducted a secondary analysis of data from 138 families of youth with chronic pain aged 11 to 17 years old who received family-based cognitive-behavioral therapy delivered through the Internet as part of a randomized controlled trial. Measures of child disability, parent protective behavior, and parent distress were obtained at pretreatment, immediate posttreatment, 6-month follow-up, and 12-month follow-up. Latent growth modeling indicated that child disability, parent protective behavior, and parent distress improved with treatment over the 12-month study period. Latent growth modeling for parallel processes indicated that higher parent distress at pretreatment predicted less improvement in child disability over 12 months. No other predictive paths between parent and child functioning were significant. These findings indicate that parent distress may increase the risk of poor response to psychological pain treatment among youth with chronic pain. At present, parent distress is not routinely targeted in psychological interventions for pediatric chronic pain. Research is needed to determine optimal strategies for targeting parent and family factors in the treatment of pediatric chronic pain.

Social inequalities in self-rated health: A comparative cross-national study among 32,560 Nordic adolescents.

PubMed

Torsheim, Torbjørn; Nygren, Jens M; Rasmussen, Mette; Arnarsson, Arsæll M; Bendtsen, Pernille; Schnohr, Christina W; Nielsen, Line; Nyholm, Maria

2018-02-01

We aimed to estimate the magnitude of socioeconomic inequality in self-rated health among Nordic adolescents (aged 11, 13 and 15 years) using the Family Affluence Scale (a composite measure of material assets) and perceived family wealth as indicators of socioeconomic status. Data were collected from the Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) survey in 2013-2014. A sample of 32,560 adolescents from Denmark, Norway, Finland, Iceland, Greenland and Sweden was included in the study. Age-adjusted regression analyses were used to estimate associations between fair or poor self-rated health and the ridit scores for family affluence and perceived wealth. The pooled relative index of inequality of 2.10 indicates that the risk of fair or poor health was about twice as high for young people with the lowest family affluence relative to those with the highest family affluence. The relative index of inequality for observed family affluence was highest in Denmark and lowest in Norway. For perceived family wealth, the pooled relative index of inequality of 3.99 indicates that the risk of fair or poor health was about four times as high for young people with the lowest perceived family wealth relative to those with the highest perceived family wealth. The relative index of inequality for perceived family wealth was highest in Iceland and lowest in Greenland. Social inequality in self-rated health among adolescents was found to be robust across subjective and objective indicators of family affluence in the Nordic welfare states.

Differences in problem behaviour among ethnic minority and majority preschoolers in the Netherlands and the role of family functioning and parenting factors as mediators: the Generation R Study.

PubMed

Flink, Ilse J E; Jansen, Pauline W; Beirens, Tinneke M J; Tiemeier, Henning; van IJzendoorn, Marinus H; Jaddoe, Vincent W V; Hofman, Albert; Raat, Hein

2012-12-19

Studies have shown that, compared to native counterparts, preschoolers from ethnic minorities are at an increased risk of problem behaviour. Socio-economic factors only partly explain this increased risk. This study aimed to further unravel the differences in problem behaviour among ethnic minority and native preschoolers by examining the mediating role of family functioning and parenting factors. We included 4,282 preschoolers participating in the Generation R Study, an ethnically-diverse cohort study with inclusion in early pregnancy. At child age 3 years, parents completed the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL/1,5-5); information on demographics, socio-economic status and measures of family functioning (maternal psychopathology; general family functioning) and parenting (parenting stress; harsh parenting) were retrieved from questionnaires. CBCL Total Problems scores in each ethnic subgroup were compared with scores in the Dutch reference population. Mediation was evaluated using multivariate regression models. After adjustment for confounders, preschoolers from ethnic minorities were more likely to present problem behaviour than the Dutch subgroup (e.g. CBCL Total Problems Turkish subgroup (OR 7.0 (95% CI 4.9; 10.1)). When considering generational status, children of first generation immigrants were worse off than the second generation (P<0.01). Adjustment for socio-economic factors mediated the association between the ethnic minority status and child problem behaviour (e.g. attenuation in OR by 54.4% (P<0.05) from OR 5.1 (95% CI 2.8; 9.4) to OR 2.9 (95% CI 1.5; 5.6) in Cape Verdean subgroup). However, associations remained significant in most ethnic subgroups. A final adjustment for family functioning and parenting factors further attenuated the association (e.g. attenuation in OR by 55.5% (P<0.05) from OR 2.2 (95% CI 1.3; 4.4) to OR 1.5 (95% CI 1.0; 2.4) in European other subgroup). This study showed that preschoolers from ethnic minorities and particularly children of first generation immigrants are at an increased risk of problem behaviour compared to children born to a Dutch mother. Although socio-economic factors were found to partly explain the association between the ethnic minority status and child problem behaviour, a similar part was explained by family functioning and parenting factors. Considering these findings, it is important for health care workers to also be attentive to symptoms of parental psychopathology (e.g. depression), poor family functioning, high levels of parenting stress or harsh parenting in first and second generation immigrants with young children.

Is family sense of coherence a protective factor against the obesogenic environment?

PubMed

Speirs, Katherine E; Hayes, Jenna T; Musaad, Salma; VanBrackle, Angela; Sigman-Grant, Madeleine

2016-04-01

Despite greater risk for poor nutrition, inactivity, and overweight, some low-income children are able to maintain a healthy weight. We explore if a strong family sense of coherence (FSOC) acts as a protective factor against childhood obesity for low-income preschool children. Families with a strong FSOC view challenges as predictable, understandable, worthy of engaging, and surmountable. Data were collected from 321 low-income mothers and their preschool children in five states between March 2011 and May 2013. FSOC was assessed using the Family Sense of Coherence Scale. A 16-item checklist was used to assess practicing healthy child behaviors (fruit and vegetable consumption and availability, physical activity, and family meals) and limiting unhealthy child behaviors (sweetened beverage and fast food consumption, energy dense snack availability, and screen time). Child body mass index (BMI) z-scores were calculated from measured height and weight. FSOC was significantly associated with practicing healthy child behaviors (β = 0.32, p < .001). We did not find a statistically significant association between FSOC and limiting unhealthy child behaviors or child BMI z-scores in fully adjusted models. Our results suggest the importance of family functioning in predicting health behaviors around food consumption and availability, physical activity, and family meals. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Work-Family Conflict, Sleep, and Mental Health of Nursing Assistants Working in Nursing Homes.

PubMed

Zhang, Yuan; Punnett, Laura; Nannini, Angela

2017-07-01

Work-family conflict is challenging for workers and may lead to depression, anxiety, and overall poor health. Sleep plays an important role in the maintenance of mental health; however, the role of sleep in the association between work-family conflict and mental health is not well-studied. Questionnaires were collected from 650 nursing assistants in 15 nursing homes. Multivariate linear regression modeling demonstrated that increased work-family conflict was associated with lower mental health scores (β = -2.56, p < .01). More work-family conflict was correlated with more job demands, less job control, less social support, and longer work hours. Poor sleep quality, but not short sleep duration, mediated the association between work-family conflict and mental health. Workplace interventions to improve nursing assistants' mental health should increase their control over work schedules and responsibilities, provide support to meet their work and family needs, and address healthy sleep practices.

Is there a conflicted surrogate syndrome affecting quality of care in nursing homes?

PubMed

Kidder, Samuel W; Smith, David A

2006-03-01

Is there a point at which family complaints about care cease to be constructive and become excessive and counterproductive? Do excessive complaint behaviors represent a "conflicted surrogate syndrome" that is indicative of psychopathology in the family member or family system? Can this psychopathology result in avoidance behavior by the nursing staff sufficient to result in poor care? While many family/resident complaints are valid and should be viewed as constructive there are occasions when excessive complaints by the family of a nursing facility resident are a result of psychiatric illness or psychological problems in the family member(s) or are evidence of an abnormality in the family system. This series of brief case reports is offered to create discussion of what might be termed a "conflicted surrogate syndrome" that may result in avoidance behavior by staff and consequent poor care.

Quality of life in relation to physical, psychosocial and socioeconomic conditions among reindeer-herding Sami.

PubMed

Daergo, Laila; Edin-Liljegren, Anette; Sjölander, Per

2008-02-01

To analyse different aspects of health-related quality of life factors among members of reindeer-herding families. Cross-sectional study based on data from a comprehensive survey. The health-related quality of life (SF-36) factors were analysed on 99 (56 men, 43 women) adult members of reindeer-herding families. Comparisons were made between the reindeer-herding family members and a Swedish reference population. Associations between mental and physical component summary measures and a number of sociodemographic, biomedical, physical, psychosocial and socio-economic variables were analysed with multivariate regression statistics. Men scored higher than women on physical and social function and vitality. The average scores on the subscales for the reindeer-herding family members were similar to those of the Swedish reference population, except for reindeer-herding men who scored higher on physical function and lower on bodily pain. For women, the quality of life was related to age, sense of coherence, lifestyle and behavioural variables, as well as to issues such as diseases among close relatives, social networks and the economy of their business. For men, it was mainly related to musculoskeletal pain conditions, age, sense of coherence and physical and psychosocial working conditions. Men and women of the reindeer-herding families need partly different conditions to enjoy a high quality of life. From the results, it might be predicted that poor somatic and psychosocial health, increased intrusion from exploiters on the grazing land and declining profit in reindeer husbandry constitute important threats to a good quality of life among members of reindeer-herding families.

Child Poverty Higher and More Persistent in Rural America. National Issue Brief Number 97

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schaefer, Andrew; Mattingly, Marybeth; Johnson, Kenneth M.

2016-01-01

The negative consequences of growing up in a poor family are well known. Poor children are less likely to have timely immunizations, have lower academic achievement, are generally less engaged in school activities, and face higher delinquency rates in adolescent years. Each of these has adverse impacts on their health, earnings, and family status…

Poverty Dynamics and Academic Trajectories of Children of Immigrants

PubMed Central

Zhang, Liwei

2017-01-01

Using Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten Class of 1998–1999 (ECLS-K), we investigated the relationship between poverty and academic trajectories for children in immigrant families in the United States. We used family socioeconomic status (SES) which considers parental education, parental occupation, and family income to define poverty in correspondence with the U.S. federal poverty threshold. Three dimensions of poverty were examined including depth (i.e., not-poor, near-poor, poor or extreme poor), stability (i.e., continuously or intermittently), and duration (i.e., for how many times in poverty). Our results indicated that living in poverty, particularly when it was extreme, volatile, and for long spell could compromise children’s reading and math achievements during the first nine schooling years. Children of immigrants were doing as well as, if not better than, children of native-borns in certain areas (i.e., math) or in facing of certain pattern of poverty (i.e., long-spell). However, deep poverty and volatile changes in family SES could compromise academic achievements for children of immigrants throughout their first nine years of schooling, a period holds important key to their future success. Implications to practice and policy as well as future directions were discussed. PMID:28926964

Poverty Dynamics and Academic Trajectories of Children of Immigrants.

PubMed

Zhang, Liwei; Han, Wen-Jui

2017-09-16

Using Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten Class of 1998-1999 (ECLS-K), we investigated the relationship between poverty and academic trajectories for children in immigrant families in the United States. We used family socioeconomic status (SES) which considers parental education, parental occupation, and family income to define poverty in correspondence with the U.S. federal poverty threshold. Three dimensions of poverty were examined including depth (i.e., not-poor, near-poor, poor or extreme poor), stability (i.e., continuously or intermittently), and duration (i.e., for how many times in poverty). Our results indicated that living in poverty, particularly when it was extreme, volatile, and for long spell could compromise children's reading and math achievements during the first nine schooling years. Children of immigrants were doing as well as, if not better than, children of native-borns in certain areas (i.e., math) or in facing of certain pattern of poverty (i.e., long-spell). However, deep poverty and volatile changes in family SES could compromise academic achievements for children of immigrants throughout their first nine years of schooling, a period holds important key to their future success. Implications to practice and policy as well as future directions were discussed.

Profiling Hyporheic Microbial Community Nitrogen Cycle and Carbohydrate Active Enzyme Gene Abundances across Seasons

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nelson, W. C.; Graham, E.; Stegen, J.

2016-12-01

The hyporheic zone (HZ) is the permanently inundated sediment layer between a surface channel and adjacent groundwater-saturated sediments. It has been hypothesized to play a major role in macronutrient (C, N, P) cycling in rivers. The correlation between community taxonomic composition dynamics and functional gene representation is poorly understood for hyporheic communities. To explore how microbial communities respond to temporal changes in environmental conditions, metagenomes were derived from communities captured in sterile sandpacks deployed within the HZ of the Columbia River. HMM databases were used to enumerate protein families present. Functional classification of reads allowed a general assessment of community function over time, while targeted assembly of specific genes enabled investigation of the diversity of organisms encoding these functions. Preliminary analysis of nitrogen cycle pathways shows most gene families examined to have quite steady representation across seasons, with most observed changes being less than an order of magnitude. Analysis of ammonia oxidation genes showed bacterial ammonia oxidizers (AOB) to be stably present across the year, while the archaeal amoA gene increased in late summer, peaking sharply in November, mirroring results from 16S rRNA amplicon analysis which showed an increase in Thaumarcheal OTUs during that same period. Most glycosyl hydrolase GH families had low representation. Highly abundant classes of GH included the GH94 (beta-glucosidase), GH95 (1-2-alpha-L-fucosidase) and GH103 (lytic transglycosylase) families, suggesting activity on plant, fungus and insect polysaccharides and peptidoglycans. Further work is investigating the taxonomy of the sequences identified, to determine how changes in the community composition contribute to the stable gene family profiles observed. These results are intended to work towards a greater understanding of the role of species diversity and functional redundancy in the dynamics of community composition in response to changes in environmental conditions and stochastic processes. In addition, it will serve as a foundation enabling modeling of generalized microbial function in the hyporheic zone, improving our ability to predict fluxes of carbon and nitrogen through riverine systems.

Cumulative psychosocial risk, parental socialization, and child cognitive functioning: A longitudinal cascade model.

PubMed

Wade, Mark; Madigan, Sheri; Plamondon, Andre; Rodrigues, Michelle; Browne, Dillon; Jenkins, Jennifer M

2018-06-01

Previous studies have demonstrated that various psychosocial risks are associated with poor cognitive functioning in children, and these risks frequently cluster together. In the current longitudinal study, we tested a model in which it was hypothesized that cumulative psychosocial adversity of mothers would have deleterious effects on children's cognitive functioning by compromising socialization processes within families (i.e., parental competence). A prospective community birth cohort of 501 families was recruited when children were newborns. At this time, mothers reported on their current psychosocial circumstances (socioeconomic status, teen parenthood, depression, etc.), which were summed into a cumulative risk score. Families were followed up at 18 months and 3 years, at which point maternal reflective capacity and cognitive sensitivity were measured, respectively. Child cognition (executive functioning, theory of mind, and language ability) was assessed at age 4.5 using age-appropriate observational and standardized tasks. Analyses controlled for child age, gender, number of children in the home, number of years married, and mothers' history of adversity. The results revealed significant declines in child cognition as well as maternal reflective capacity and cognitive sensitivity as the number of psychosocial risks increased. Moreover, longitudinal path analysis showed significant indirect effects from cumulative risk to all three cognitive outcomes via reflective capacity and cognitive sensitivity. Findings suggest that cumulative risk of mothers may partially account for child cognitive difficulties in various domains by disrupting key parental socialization competencies. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved).

Complete Reversible Refolding of a G-Protein Coupled Receptor on a Solid Support

PubMed Central

Di Bartolo, Natalie; Compton, Emma L. R.; Warne, Tony; Edwards, Patricia C.; Tate, Christopher G.; Schertler, Gebhard F. X.; Booth, Paula J.

2016-01-01

The factors defining the correct folding and stability of integral membrane proteins are poorly understood. Folding of only a few select membrane proteins has been scrutinised, leaving considerable deficiencies in knowledge for large protein families, such as G protein coupled receptors (GPCRs). Complete reversible folding, which is problematic for any membrane protein, has eluded this dominant receptor family. Moreover, attempts to recover receptors from denatured states are inefficient, yielding at best 40–70% functional protein. We present a method for the reversible unfolding of an archetypal family member, the β1-adrenergic receptor, and attain 100% recovery of the folded, functional state, in terms of ligand binding, compared to receptor which has not been subject to any unfolding and retains its original, folded structure. We exploit refolding on a solid support, which could avoid unwanted interactions and aggregation that occur in bulk solution. We determine the changes in structure and function upon unfolding and refolding. Additionally, we employ a method that is relatively new to membrane protein folding; pulse proteolysis. Complete refolding of β1-adrenergic receptor occurs in n-decyl-β-D-maltoside (DM) micelles from a urea-denatured state, as shown by regain of its original helical structure, ligand binding and protein fluorescence. The successful refolding strategy on a solid support offers a defined method for the controlled refolding and recovery of functional GPCRs and other membrane proteins that suffer from instability and irreversible denaturation once isolated from their native membranes. PMID:26982879

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Jakeman, John D.; Narayan, Akil; Zhou, Tao

We propose an algorithm for recovering sparse orthogonal polynomial expansions via collocation. A standard sampling approach for recovering sparse polynomials uses Monte Carlo sampling, from the density of orthogonality, which results in poor function recovery when the polynomial degree is high. Our proposed approach aims to mitigate this limitation by sampling with respect to the weighted equilibrium measure of the parametric domain and subsequently solves a preconditionedmore » $$\\ell^1$$-minimization problem, where the weights of the diagonal preconditioning matrix are given by evaluations of the Christoffel function. Our algorithm can be applied to a wide class of orthogonal polynomial families on bounded and unbounded domains, including all classical families. We present theoretical analysis to motivate the algorithm and numerical results that show our method is superior to standard Monte Carlo methods in many situations of interest. In conclusion, numerical examples are also provided to demonstrate that our proposed algorithm leads to comparable or improved accuracy even when compared with Legendre- and Hermite-specific algorithms.« less

Investigating the Role of RIO Protein Kinases in Caenorhabditis elegans

PubMed Central

Raymant, Greta; Bertram, Sonja E.; Esmaillie, Reza; Nadarajan, Saravanapriah; Breugelmans, Bert; Hofmann, Andreas; Gasser, Robin B.; Colaiácovo, Monica P.; Boag, Peter R.

2015-01-01

RIO protein kinases (RIOKs) are a relatively conserved family of enzymes implicated in cell cycle control and ribosomal RNA processing. Despite their functional importance, they remain a poorly understood group of kinases in multicellular organisms. Here, we show that the C. elegans genome contains one member of each of the three RIOK sub-families and that each of the genes coding for them has a unique tissue expression pattern. Our analysis showed that the gene encoding RIOK-1 (riok-1) was broadly and strongly expressed. Interestingly, the intestinal expression of riok-1 was dependent upon two putative binding sites for the oxidative and xenobiotic stress response transcription factor SKN-1. RNA interference (RNAi)-mediated knock down of riok-1 resulted in germline defects, including defects in germ line stem cell proliferation, oocyte maturation and the production of endomitotic oocytes. Taken together, our findings indicate new functions for RIOK-1 in post mitotic tissues and in reproduction. PMID:25688864

The bioactive acidic serine- and aspartate-rich motif peptide.

PubMed

Minamizaki, Tomoko; Yoshiko, Yuji

2015-01-01

The organic component of the bone matrix comprises 40% dry weight of bone. The organic component is mostly composed of type I collagen and small amounts of non-collagenous proteins (NCPs) (10-15% of the total bone protein content). The small integrin-binding ligand N-linked glycoprotein (SIBLING) family, a NCP, is considered to play a key role in bone mineralization. SIBLING family of proteins share common structural features and includes the arginine-glycine-aspartic acid (RGD) motif and acidic serine- and aspartic acid-rich motif (ASARM). Clinical manifestations of gene mutations and/or genetically modified mice indicate that SIBLINGs play diverse roles in bone and extraskeletal tissues. ASARM peptides might not be primary responsible for the functional diversity of SIBLINGs, but this motif is suggested to be a key domain of SIBLINGs. However, the exact function of ASARM peptides is poorly understood. In this article, we discuss the considerable progress made in understanding the role of ASARM as a bioactive peptide.

Interleukin-17B Antagonizes Interleukin-25-Mediated Mucosal Inflammation.

PubMed

Reynolds, Joseph M; Lee, Young-Hee; Shi, Yun; Wang, Xiaohu; Angkasekwinai, Pornpimon; Nallaparaju, Kalyan C; Flaherty, Stephanie; Chang, Seon Hee; Watarai, Hiroshi; Dong, Chen

2015-04-21

The interleukin-17 (IL-17) family of cytokines has emerged as a critical player in inflammatory diseases. Among them, IL-25 has been shown to be important in allergic inflammation and protection against parasitic infection. Here we have demonstrated that IL-17B, a poorly understood cytokine, functions to inhibit IL-25-driven inflammation. IL-17B and IL-25, both binding to the interleukin-17 receptor B (IL-17RB), were upregulated in their expression after acute colonic inflammation. Individual inhibition of these cytokines revealed opposing functions in colon inflammation: IL-25 was pathogenic but IL-17B was protective. Similarly opposing phenotypes were observed in Citrobacter rodentium infection and allergic asthma. Moreover, IL-25 was found to promote IL-6 production from colon epithelial cells, which was inhibited by IL-17B. Therefore, our data demonstrate that IL-17B is an anti-inflammatory cytokine in the IL-17 family. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Dlg3 Trafficking and Apical Tight Junction Formation Is Regulated by Nedd4 and Nedd4-2 E3 Ubiquitin Ligases

PubMed Central

Van Campenhout, Claude A.; Eitelhuber, Andrea; Gloeckner, Christian J.; Giallonardo, Patrizia; Gegg, Moritz; Oller, Heide; Grant, Seth G.N.; Krappmann, Daniel; Ueffing, Marius; Lickert, Heiko

2011-01-01

Summary The Drosophila Discs large (Dlg) scaffolding protein acts as a tumor suppressor regulating basolateral epithelial polarity and proliferation. In mammals, four Dlg homologs have been identified; however, their functions in cell polarity remain poorly understood. Here, we demonstrate that the X-linked mental retardation gene product Dlg3 contributes to apical-basal polarity and epithelial junction formation in mouse organizer tissues, as well as to planar cell polarity in the inner ear. We purified complexes associated with Dlg3 in polarized epithelial cells, including proteins regulating directed trafficking and tight junction formation. Remarkably, of the four Dlg family members, Dlg3 exerts a distinct function by recruiting the ubiquitin ligases Nedd4 and Nedd4-2 through its PPxY motifs. We found that these interactions are required for Dlg3 monoubiquitination, apical membrane recruitment, and tight junction consolidation. Our findings reveal an unexpected evolutionary diversification of the vertebrate Dlg family in basolateral epithelium formation. PMID:21920314

Emerging roles for the BAI1 protein family in the regulation of phagocytosis, synaptogenesis, neurovasculature, and tumor development

PubMed Central

Cork, Sarah M.

2011-01-01

While G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) have received considerable attention for their biological activity in a diversity of physiological functions and have become targets for therapeutic intervention in many diseases, the function of the cell adhesion subfamily of GPCRs remains poorly understood. Within this group, the family of brain angiogenesis inhibitor molecules (BAI1-3) has become increasingly appreciated for their diverse roles in biology and disease. In particular, recent findings suggest emerging roles for BAI1 in the regulation of phenomena including phagocytosis, synaptogenesis, and the inhibition of tumor growth and angiogenesis via the processing of its extracellular domain into secreted vasculostatins. Here we summarize the known biological features of the BAI proteins, including their structure, proteolysis events, and interacting partners, and their recently identified ability to regulate certain signaling pathways. Finally, we discuss the potential of the BAIs as therapeutics or targets for diseases as varied as cancer, stroke, and schizophrenia. PMID:21509575

Phylogenetic-Derived Insights into the Evolution of Sialylation in Eukaryotes: Comprehensive Analysis of Vertebrate β-Galactoside α2,3/6-Sialyltransferases (ST3Gal and ST6Gal)

PubMed Central

Teppa, Roxana E.; Petit, Daniel; Plechakova, Olga; Cogez, Virginie; Harduin-Lepers, Anne

2016-01-01

Cell surface of eukaryotic cells is covered with a wide variety of sialylated molecules involved in diverse biological processes and taking part in cell–cell interactions. Although the physiological relevance of these sialylated glycoconjugates in vertebrates begins to be deciphered, the origin and evolution of the genetic machinery implicated in their biosynthetic pathway are poorly understood. Among the variety of actors involved in the sialylation machinery, sialyltransferases are key enzymes for the biosynthesis of sialylated molecules. This review focus on β-galactoside α2,3/6-sialyltransferases belonging to the ST3Gal and ST6Gal families. We propose here an outline of the evolutionary history of these two major ST families. Comparative genomics, molecular phylogeny and structural bioinformatics provided insights into the functional innovations in sialic acid metabolism and enabled to explore how ST-gene function evolved in vertebrates. PMID:27517905

A Generalized Sampling and Preconditioning Scheme for Sparse Approximation of Polynomial Chaos Expansions

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Jakeman, John D.; Narayan, Akil; Zhou, Tao

We propose an algorithm for recovering sparse orthogonal polynomial expansions via collocation. A standard sampling approach for recovering sparse polynomials uses Monte Carlo sampling, from the density of orthogonality, which results in poor function recovery when the polynomial degree is high. Our proposed approach aims to mitigate this limitation by sampling with respect to the weighted equilibrium measure of the parametric domain and subsequently solves a preconditionedmore » $$\\ell^1$$-minimization problem, where the weights of the diagonal preconditioning matrix are given by evaluations of the Christoffel function. Our algorithm can be applied to a wide class of orthogonal polynomial families on bounded and unbounded domains, including all classical families. We present theoretical analysis to motivate the algorithm and numerical results that show our method is superior to standard Monte Carlo methods in many situations of interest. In conclusion, numerical examples are also provided to demonstrate that our proposed algorithm leads to comparable or improved accuracy even when compared with Legendre- and Hermite-specific algorithms.« less

A Generalized Sampling and Preconditioning Scheme for Sparse Approximation of Polynomial Chaos Expansions

DOE PAGES

Jakeman, John D.; Narayan, Akil; Zhou, Tao

2017-06-22

We propose an algorithm for recovering sparse orthogonal polynomial expansions via collocation. A standard sampling approach for recovering sparse polynomials uses Monte Carlo sampling, from the density of orthogonality, which results in poor function recovery when the polynomial degree is high. Our proposed approach aims to mitigate this limitation by sampling with respect to the weighted equilibrium measure of the parametric domain and subsequently solves a preconditionedmore » $$\\ell^1$$-minimization problem, where the weights of the diagonal preconditioning matrix are given by evaluations of the Christoffel function. Our algorithm can be applied to a wide class of orthogonal polynomial families on bounded and unbounded domains, including all classical families. We present theoretical analysis to motivate the algorithm and numerical results that show our method is superior to standard Monte Carlo methods in many situations of interest. In conclusion, numerical examples are also provided to demonstrate that our proposed algorithm leads to comparable or improved accuracy even when compared with Legendre- and Hermite-specific algorithms.« less

Consequences of Growing Up Poor.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Duncan, Greg J., Ed.; Brooks-Gunn, Jeanne, Ed.

The consequences and correlates of growing up poor as well as the mechanisms through which poverty influences children are explored. This book is organized with a primary focus on research findings and a secondary concern with policy implications. The chapters are: (1) "Poor Families, Poor Outcomes: The Well-Being of Children and Youth" (Jeanne…

What Kids Get from Parents: Packages of Parental Involvement across Complex Family Forms

PubMed Central

Carlson, Marcia J.

2013-01-01

While demographers have continued to document the notable family changes that have occurred in recent decades, the nature of family functioning across diverse family forms is less well understood. In particular, we know little about the level and quality of parental investment that children receive across a range of contemporary family types. In this paper, we use data from a recent U.S. urban birth cohort to examine the ‘package’ of parental involvement that young children receive in two key domains across family types. We aggregate parent-child engagement across three potential parent(-figures)—biological mothers, biological fathers (resident or non-resident), and resident social fathers—and also assess the child’s household income. We examine parental investments at child age 5 and changes in investments between child ages 1 and 5 by family structure categories. Overall, we find that children living with both of their married biological parents are advantaged with respect to both economic resources and parental engagement, while children living with single mothers—or their mother and a cohabiting social father—fare especially poorly in both domains; children in married social-father families receive higher overall levels of parental engagement than those in biological-father families but are much less economically advantaged. Our research sheds light on how changing family demography is related to parental investments in children, which may have implications for public policies designed to support disadvantaged families. PMID:24644373

Self-competence Among Early and Middle Adolescents Affected by Maternal HIV/AIDS

PubMed Central

Marelich, William D.; Murphy, Debra A.; Payne, Diana L.; Herbeck, Diane M.; Schuster, Mark A.

2012-01-01

Adolescent children of mothers with HIV face a host of stressors that place them at increased risk for poor outcomes. Using covariance structure analysis, this study examines adolescent risk outcomes and their relationships to maternal health, as well as the potentially protective factors of family environment and self-competence. The final model indicated that poor maternal health was negatively related to a protective family environment, which in turn was negatively related to adolescent risk outcomes. A protective family environment was also positively related to adolescent self-competence, which was negatively related to adolescent risk outcomes. Implications of the study are discussed, including how these findings can influence interventions aimed at reducing the risk for poor outcomes among adolescent youth with HIV-infected mothers. PMID:22485061

Impact of family support on psychiatric disorders and seizure control in patients with juvenile myoclonic epilepsy.

PubMed

Jayalakshmi, Sita; Padmaja, Gaddamanugu; Vooturi, Sudhindra; Bogaraju, Anand; Surath, Mohandas

2014-08-01

Psychiatric disorders (PDs) are frequently observed in patients with juvenile myoclonic epilepsy (JME). In this study, we aimed to assess factors associated with PDs in patients with JME. Retrospective analysis of data of 90 consecutive patients with JME was performed. Assessment of DSM-IV Axis I clinical disorders was done using Structured Clinical Interview for Axis I. Diagnosis of PDs is made when the score exceeds the threshold provided by the DSM-IV. We also applied the Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF) scale which is part of the multiaxial evaluation of the DSM-IV (Axis-V). Using seizure frequency score at presentation, we classified subjects into controlled and uncontrolled groups. In the current cohort, 29 (32.2%) patients were diagnosed with PDs. Fewer patients with PDs had family support (48.3% vs. 83.6%; p=0.001). Lifetime prevalence of PDs was higher among patients with current PDs (96.6% vs. 18.0%; p<0.0001). Subthreshold illness was not different between the groups (17.2% vs. 27.9%; p=0.204). Mean GAF was higher in patients without PDs than in patients with PDs (89.19±6.92 vs. 64.22±9.76; p<0.0001). Patients with PDs had lower seizure control (7.8% vs. 73.1%; p<0.0001) compared with patients without PDs. Logistic regression analysis for factors associated with diagnosis of PDs revealed that none of the factors significantly affected the odds of seizure control. Patients with lack of family support had poor seizure control (0% vs. 36.9%; p<0.0001); 51.7% of patients with JME with PDs reported lack of family support. Patients with family support had lower lifetime prevalence of PDs (30.8% vs. 76.0%; p<0.0001), whereas patients with JME without family support had lower levels of education (8.0% vs. 35.4%; p=0.009). Lack of family support is associated with poor seizure control and higher incidence of PDs in patients with JME. Lack of family support increases neither the odds of PDs nor seizure control. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Moving into poverty during childhood is associated with later sleep problems.

PubMed

Sivertsen, Børge; Bøe, Tormod; Skogen, Jens Christoffer; Petrie, Keith J; Hysing, Mari

2017-09-01

A social gradient in sleep has been demonstrated across the life span, but previous studies have been cross-sectional and used self-reported socioeconomic status (SES) indicators. Using registry-based data on family income trajectories, the current study examined the association between relative poverty in childhood and subsequent sleep in adolescence. Data on family income during 2004-2010 was obtained from the National Income Registry. Poverty was defined as household income <60% of the mean national income. Information on self-reported sleep was based the youth@hordaland-survey (n = 8873) conducted in 2012 when the adolescents were 16-19 years old. Latent class analysis (LCA) was used to identify trajectories of family household poverty, and analysis of variance and general linear models were used to examine associations between income trajectories and sleep, adjusting for confounders. LCA identified four classes: 'never poor', two classes characterized by moving in or out of poverty, and 'chronically poor'. Compared to the 'never poor' group, adolescents from families in the 'moving into poverty' group displayed worse sleep across most sleep measures, including shorter sleep, lower sleep efficiency, and more nocturnal wake time (but not sleep onset latency). Neither adolescents from families who had moved out of poverty by increasing family income, nor the 'chronically poor' group differed significantly from the reference group. The study found that downward socioeconomic mobility was associated with increased adolescent sleep problems. More studies are required on the mechanisms that may account for the association, to find targeted and effective strategies to prevent short sleep duration in adolescents from families with unstable financial circumstances. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

An integration programme of poverty alleviation and development with family planning.

PubMed

1997-04-01

The State Council (the central government) recently issued a Circular for Speeding Up the Integration of Poverty Alleviation and Development with the Family Planning Programme during the Ninth Five-year Plan (1996-2000). The Circular was jointly submitted by the State Family Planning Commission and the Leading Group for Poverty Alleviation and Development. The document sets the two major tasks as solving the basic needs for food and clothing of the rural destitute and the control of over-rapid growth of China's population. Practice indicates that a close Integration Programme is the best way for impoverished farmers to alleviate poverty and become better-off. Overpopulation and low educational attainments and poor health quality of population in backward areas are the major factors retarding socioeconomic development. Therefore, it is inevitable to integrate poverty alleviation with family planning. It is a path with Chinese characteristics for a balanced population and sustainable socioeconomic development. The targets of the Integration Programme are as follows: The first is that preferential policies should be worked out to guarantee family planning acceptors, especially households with an only daughter or two daughters, are the first to be helped to eradicate poverty and become well-off. They should become good examples for other rural poor in practicing fewer but healthier births, and generating family income. The second target is that the population plans for the poor counties identified by the central government and provincial governments must be fulfilled. This should contribute to breaking the vicious circle of poverty leading to more children, in turn generating more poverty. The circular demands that more efforts should focus on the training of cadres for the Integrated Programme and on services for poor family planning acceptors. full text

A thought on the integration of poverty relief with family planning.

PubMed

Yang, K

1997-01-01

This article discusses the relationship between population growth and poverty in China, the issue of overpopulation in poor areas, and the need for programs that integrate population control with economic development. The number of Chinese living in poverty declined from about 250 million in 1978 to 80 million in 1993. In March 1994, the government initiated a poverty relief program that aimed to eliminate all poverty by 2001. By 1995, the number of poor declined to 65 million. The causes of poverty are numerous, but include overpopulation. Over the decades, demographic trends in poor areas reveal higher fertility, lower mortality, and higher growth. Poverty appears to be concentrated in 18 provinces and autonomous regions. Poor areas have higher rates of early marriage, early childbirth, and multiple children. Poor areas also have higher rates of disabilities and disease and lower levels of education. Poor areas have double the national percentage of illiterates. Many people living in poor areas are disadvantaged by poor transportation, remote locations, backward production methods, and a lack of a social security system. Scientific knowledge about contraception and quality child care are difficult to diffuse in poor areas. The size of the population denominator directly affects per capita income and per capita grain production. Increases in population put pressure on investment resources for production and development. A larger work force adds to the problem of unemployment. A large population size puts pressure on arable land. Poor areas need a better educated population. Sustainable development requires fertility decline. Integrated family planning programs popularize slogans such as "stabilize grain yield, increase income, and control population growth." Integrated programs have had variable success. Countermeasures must be taken to prevent the association of large families with wealth. Leadership is essential.

Do race, neglect, and childhood poverty predict physical health in adulthood? A multilevel prospective analysis

PubMed Central

Nikulina, Valentina

2015-01-01

Childhood neglect and poverty often co-occur and both have been linked to poor physical health outcomes. In addition, Blacks have higher rates of childhood poverty and tend to have worse health than Whites. This paper examines the unique and interacting effects of childhood neglect, race, and family and neighborhood poverty on adult physical health outcomes. This prospective cohort design study uses a sample (N = 675) of court-substantiated cases of childhood neglect and matched controls followed into adulthood (Mage = 41). Health indicators (C-Reactive Protein [CRP], hypertension, and pulmonary functioning) were assessed through blood collection and measurements by a registered nurse. Data were analyzed using hierarchical linear models to control for clustering of participants in childhood neighborhoods. Main effects showed that growing up Black predicted CRP and hypertension elevations, despite controlling for neglect and childhood family and neighborhood poverty and their interactions. Multivariate results showed that race and childhood adversities interacted to predict adult health outcomes. Childhood family poverty predicted increased risk for hypertension for Blacks, not Whites. In contrast, among Whites, childhood neglect predicted elevated CRP. Childhood neighborhood poverty interacted with childhood family poverty to predict pulmonary functioning in adulthood. Gender differences in health indicators were also observed. The effects of childhood neglect, childhood poverty, and growing up Black in the United States are manifest in physical health outcomes assessed 30 years later. Implications are discussed. PMID:24189205

A Qualitative Study on the Interconnected Nature of HIV, Water, and Family.

PubMed

Ramirez-Ortiz, Daisy; Zolnikov, Tara Rava

2017-03-01

Human immunodeficiency virus infection/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) and poor access to water are two primary global health issues. Poor access to water may significantly affect families infected with HIV and result in adverse social and health consequences. A qualitative study used semi-structured interviews to understand health and social outcomes of families after the implementation of water interventions in rural Kenya. One major sub-theme emerged during this research, which included the effects of water on an HIV-affected family. Prior to the water interventions, common adverse health effects from lack of nutrition, water, and poor hygiene were experienced. After receiving access to water, nutrition and hygiene were improved and additional time was gained and used to reinforce relationships and spread awareness about HIV/AIDS. This study provides need-based evidence for access to safe drinking water in order to decrease adverse health outcomes and improve the quality of life for HIV-affected individuals.

The function of the yeast molecular chaperone Sse1 is mechanistically distinct from the closely related hsp70 family.

PubMed

Shaner, Lance; Trott, Amy; Goeckeler, Jennifer L; Brodsky, Jeffrey L; Morano, Kevin A

2004-05-21

The Sse1/Hsp110 molecular chaperones are a poorly understood subgroup of the Hsp70 chaperone family. Hsp70 can refold denatured polypeptides via a C-terminal peptide binding domain (PBD), which is regulated by nucleotide cycling in an N-terminal ATPase domain. However, unlike Hsp70, both Sse1 and mammalian Hsp110 bind unfolded peptide substrates but cannot refold them. To test the in vivo requirement for interdomain communication, SSE1 alleles carrying amino acid substitutions in the ATPase domain were assayed for their ability to complement sse1Delta yeast. Surprisingly, all mutants predicted to abolish ATP hydrolysis (D8N, K69Q, D174N, D203N) complemented the temperature sensitivity of sse1Delta and lethality of sse1Deltasse2Delta cells, whereas mutations in predicted ATP binding residues (G205D, G233D) were non-functional. Complementation ability correlated well with ATP binding assessed in vitro. The extreme C terminus of the Hsp70 family is required for substrate targeting and heterocomplex formation with other chaperones, but mutant Sse1 proteins with a truncation of up to 44 C-terminal residues that were not included in the PBD were active. Remarkably, the two domains of Sse1, when expressed in trans, functionally complement the sse1Delta growth phenotype and interact by coimmunoprecipitation analysis. In addition, a functional PBD was required to stabilize the Sse1 ATPase domain, and stabilization also occurred in trans. These data represent the first structure-function analysis of this abundant but ill defined chaperone, and establish several novel aspects of Sse1/Hsp110 function relative to Hsp70.

Basic Facts about Low-Income Children: Children 6 through 11 Years, 2015. Fact Sheet

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jiang, Yang; Granja, Maribel R.; Koball, Heather

2017-01-01

Among all children under 18 years in the U.S., 43 percent live in low-income families and 21 percent--approximately one in five--lives in a poor family. This means that children are overrepresented among our nation's poor; they represent 23 percent of the population but comprise 33 percent of all people in poverty. Many more children live in…

Basic Facts about Low-Income Children: Children under 18 Years, 2015. Fact Sheet

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jiang, Yang; Granja, Maribel R.; Koball, Heather

2017-01-01

Among all children under 18 years in the U.S., 43 percent live in low-income families and 21 percent--approximately one in five--lives in a poor family. This means that children are overrepresented among our nation's poor; they represent 23 percent of the population but comprise 33 percent of all people in poverty. Many more children live in…

Basic Facts about Low-Income Children: Children under 3 Years, 2015. Fact Sheet

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jiang, Yang; Granja, Maribel R.; Koball, Heather

2017-01-01

Among all children under 18 years in the U.S., 43 percent live in low-income families and 21 percent--approximately one in five--lives in a poor family. This means that children are overrepresented among our nation's poor; they represent 23 percent of the population but comprise 33 percent of all people in poverty. Many more children live in…

Basic Facts about Low-Income Children: Children under 6 Years, 2015. Fact Sheet

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jiang, Yang; Granja, Maribel R.; Koball, Heather

2017-01-01

Among all children under 18 years in the U.S., 43 percent live in low-income families and 21 percent--approximately one in five--lives in a poor family. This means that children are overrepresented among our nation's poor; they represent 23 percent of the population but comprise 33 percent of all people in poverty. Many more children live in…

Basic Facts about Low-Income Children: Children 12 through 17 Years, 2015. Fact Sheet

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jiang, Yang; Granja, Maribel R.; Koball, Heather

2017-01-01

Among all children under 18 years in the U.S., 43 percent live in low-income families and 21 percent--approximately one in five--lives in a poor family. This means that children are overrepresented among our nation's poor; they represent 23 percent of the population but comprise 33 percent of all people in poverty. Many more children live in…

The Popeye domain containing genes: essential elements in heart rate control

PubMed Central

Schindler, Roland F.; Poon, Kar Lai; Simrick, Subreena

2012-01-01

The Popeye domain containing (Popdc) gene family displays preferential expression in skeletal muscle and heart. Only recently a significant gain in the understanding of the function of Popdc genes in the heart has been obtained. The Popdc genes encode membrane proteins harboring an evolutionary conserved Popeye domain, which functions as a binding domain for cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP). Popdc proteins interact with the two-pore channel TREK-1 and enhance its current. This protein interaction is modulated by cAMP. Null mutations of members of the Popdc gene family in zebrafish and mouse are associated with severe cardiac arrhythmia phenotypes. While in zebrafish an atrioventricular block was prevalent, in mouse a stress-induced sinus bradycardia was observed, which was due to the presence of sinus pauses. Moreover, the phenotype develops in an age-dependent manner, being absent in the young animal and becoming increasingly severe, as the animals grow older. This phenotype is reminiscent of the sick sinus syndrome (SSS), which affects mostly the elderly and is characterized by the poor ability of the cardiac pacemaker to adapt the heart rate to the physiological demand. While being a prevalent disease, which is responsible for a large fraction of pacemaker implantations in Western countries, SSS is poorly understood at the molecular level. It is therefore expected that the study of the molecular basis of the stress-induced bradycardia in Popdc mice will shed new light on the etiology of pacemaker disease. PMID:24282731

The Popeye domain containing genes: essential elements in heart rate control.

PubMed

Schindler, Roland F; Poon, Kar Lai; Simrick, Subreena; Brand, Thomas

2012-12-01

The Popeye domain containing (Popdc) gene family displays preferential expression in skeletal muscle and heart. Only recently a significant gain in the understanding of the function of Popdc genes in the heart has been obtained. The Popdc genes encode membrane proteins harboring an evolutionary conserved Popeye domain, which functions as a binding domain for cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP). Popdc proteins interact with the two-pore channel TREK-1 and enhance its current. This protein interaction is modulated by cAMP. Null mutations of members of the Popdc gene family in zebrafish and mouse are associated with severe cardiac arrhythmia phenotypes. While in zebrafish an atrioventricular block was prevalent, in mouse a stress-induced sinus bradycardia was observed, which was due to the presence of sinus pauses. Moreover, the phenotype develops in an age-dependent manner, being absent in the young animal and becoming increasingly severe, as the animals grow older. This phenotype is reminiscent of the sick sinus syndrome (SSS), which affects mostly the elderly and is characterized by the poor ability of the cardiac pacemaker to adapt the heart rate to the physiological demand. While being a prevalent disease, which is responsible for a large fraction of pacemaker implantations in Western countries, SSS is poorly understood at the molecular level. It is therefore expected that the study of the molecular basis of the stress-induced bradycardia in Popdc mice will shed new light on the etiology of pacemaker disease.

Coping Resources and Self-Rated Health among Latina Breast Cancer Survivors

PubMed Central

Nápoles, Anna M.; Ortíz, Carmen; O’Brien, Helen; Sereno, Andrea B.; Kaplan, Celia P.

2013-01-01

Purpose/Objectives To examine relationships between coping resources and self-rated health among Latina breast cancer survivors (BCS). Design Cross-sectional telephone survey. Setting Four Northern California counties. Sample 330 Latina BCS within 1–5 years of diagnosis. Methods Telephone survey conducted by bilingual-bicultural interviewers. Main Research Variables Predictors were sociodemographic and clinical factors, cancer self-efficacy (adapted Cancer Behavior Inventory-B, ver. 2), spirituality (Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy Quality of Life Measurement System Spiritual Well-being Scale, ver. 4) social support from family/friends and oncologists (adapted Helgeson’s Social Support Scales). Outcomes were functional limitations and self-rated health. Findings Mean age was 58 years; 70% were Mexican; and most had ≤ a high school education. About 60% had a mastectomy; about 90% were within 2–3 years of diagnosis. Approximately one-fourth of women reported functional limitations (73; 22.1%) and poor/fair self-rated health (89; 27%). Unemployment (AOR=7.06; 95% CI 2.04, 24.46), mastectomy (AOR=2.67; 95% CI 1.06, 6.77), and comorbidity (AOR=4.09; 95% CI 1.69, 9.89) were associated with higher risk of functional limitations; cancer self-efficacy had a protective effect (AOR=0.40, 95% CI 0.18, 0.90). Comorbidity was associated with higher risk of poor/fair self-rated health (AOR=4.95; 95% CI 2.13, 11.47); cancer self-efficacy had a protective effect (AOR=0.30; 95% CI 0.13, 0.66). Conclusions Comorbidity places Latina BCS at increased risk of poor health. Cancer self-efficacy deserves more attention as a potentially modifiable protective factor. Implications for Nursing Practice Nurses need to assess the impact of comorbidity on functioning and can reinforce a sense of clinician support and control over cancer. PMID:21875840

[Exploring relocation stress and diabetes control in the elderly residents of long-term care facilities].

PubMed

Yang, Yueh-Ying; Chen, Shu-Ming; Kuo, Chien-Lin; Lee, Hsin-Ju

2014-12-01

Stress and glycemic control have a significant and positive relationship. However, elderly diabetic patients who are relocated involuntarily to an institution often exhibit poor control of blood sugar. Few studies have addressed the relationship between relocation stress and diabetes control. This study explores the relationship between relocation stress and glycemic control in seniors with diabetes in nursing homes. This study used a cross-sectional descriptive correlation design with a convenience sampling method to recruit 88 elderly diabetes patients who had relocated to a nursing home within the past 1 year. The structural questionnaires used in this study adopted a personal and disease characteristics datasheet and the modified Chinese-version Relocation Appraisal Scale (RAS). SPSS (Window 18.0 version) was used for statistical analyses. Those participants with diabetes who relocated involuntary, had low functional independence, lived with their family prior to admission, had poor health, or were diagnosed with depression faced a significantly higher risk of poor diabetes control. The significant predictors for diabetes control were: low functional independence and relocation stress, which accounted for 45.7% of the total variance for diabetes control. The result of this study may be referenced to help reduce relocation stress and help improve glycemic control in recently institutionalized seniors with diabetes.

Identification of a novel PHEX mutation in a Chinese family with X-linked hypophosphatemic rickets using exome sequencing.

PubMed

Yuan, Lamei; Wu, Song; Xu, Hongbo; Xiao, Jingjing; Yang, Zhijian; Xia, Hong; Liu, An; Hu, Pengzhi; Lu, Anjie; Chen, Yulan; Xu, Fengping; Deng, Hao

2015-01-01

Familial hypophosphatemic rickets (HR), the most common inherited form of rickets, is a group of inherited renal phosphate wasting disorders characterized by growth retardation, rickets with bone deformities, osteomalacia, poor dental development, and hypophosphatemia. The purpose of this study was to identify the genetic defect responsible for familial HR in a four-generation Chinese Han pedigree by exome sequencing and Sanger sequencing. Clinical features include skeletal deformities, teeth abnormalities, hearing impairments and variable serum phosphate level in patients of this family. A novel deletion mutation, c.1553delT (p.F518Sfs*4), was identified in the X-linked phosphate regulating endopeptidase homolog gene (PHEX). The mutation is predicted to result in prematurely truncated and loss-of-function PHEX protein. Our data suggest that exome sequencing is a powerful tool to discover mutation(s) in HR, a disorder with genetic and clinical heterogeneity. The findings may also provide new insights into the cause and diagnosis of HR, and have implications for genetic counseling and clinical management.

Dental caries in Victorian nursing homes.

PubMed

Silva, M; Hopcraft, M; Morgan, M

2014-09-01

The poor oral health of nursing home residents is the cause of substantial morbidity and has major implications relating to health care policy. The aim of this study was to measure dental caries experience in Australians living in nursing homes, and investigate associations with resident characteristics. Clinical dental examinations were conducted on 243 residents from 19 nursing homes in Melbourne. Resident characteristics were obtained from nursing home records and interviews with residents, family and nursing home staff. Two dental examiners assessed coronal and root dental caries using standard ICDAS-II criteria. Residents were elderly, medically compromised and functionally impaired. Most required assistance with oral hygiene and professional dental care was rarely utilized. Residents had high rates of coronal and root caries, with a mean 2.8 teeth with untreated coronal caries and 5.0 root surfaces with untreated root caries. Functional impairment and irregular professional dental care were associated with higher rates of untreated tooth decay. There were no significant associations with medical conditions or the number of medications taken. Nursing home residents have high levels of untreated coronal and root caries, particularly those with high needs due to functional impairment but poor access to professional services. © 2014 Australian Dental Association.

Attributions and behaviours of parents abused as children: a mediational analysis of the intergenerational continuity of child maltreatment (Part II).

PubMed

Dixon, Louise; Hamilton-Giachritsis, Catherine; Browne, Kevin

2005-01-01

This study extends previous research (Dixon, Browne, & Hamilton-Giachritsis, 2004) by exploring the mediational properties of parenting styles and their relation to risk factors in the intergenerational cycle of child maltreatment. Families with newborns where at least one of the parents was physically and/or sexually abused as a child (AP families) were compared, in terms of parents' attributions and behaviour, to families where the parents had no childhood history of victimization (NAP families). Information was collected from 4351 families (135 AP families) by community nurses as part of the 'health visiting' service. The same health visitor visited each family twice at home when the child was 4 to 6 weeks and 3 to 5 months of age, to assess behavioural indicators of positive parenting. Within 13 months after birth, 9 (6.7%) AP families were referred for maltreating their own child in comparison to 18 (.4%) NAP families. Assessments found a significantly higher number of risk factors and measures indicating poor parenting for AP families. Mediational analysis found that intergenerational continuity of child maltreatment was explained to a larger extent (62% of the total effect) by the presence of poor parenting styles together with the three significant risk factors (parenting under 21 years, history of mental illness or depression, residing with a violent adult). The three risk factors alone were less explanatory (53% of the total effect). This study provides an explanation for why a minority of parents abused in childhood go on to maltreat their own infant, evidencing poor parenting styles and mediating risk factors. Hence, prevention may be enhanced in AP families by the promotion of 'positive parenting' in addition to providing additional support to young parents, tackling mental illness/depression and domestic violence problems.

Docking, thermodynamics and molecular dynamics (MD) studies of a non-canonical protease inhibitor, MP-4, from Mucuna pruriens.

PubMed

Kumar, Ashish; Kaur, Harmeet; Jain, Abha; Nair, Deepak T; Salunke, Dinakar M

2018-01-12

Sequence and structural homology suggests that MP-4 protein from Mucuna pruriens belongs to Kunitz-type protease inhibitor family. However, biochemical assays showed that this protein is a poor inhibitor of trypsin. To understand the basis of observed poor inhibition, thermodynamics and molecular dynamics (MD) simulation studies on binding of MP-4 to trypsin were carried out. Molecular dynamics simulations revealed that temperature influences the spectrum of conformations adopted by the loop regions in the MP-4 structure. At an optimal temperature, MP-4 achieves maximal binding while above and below the optimum temperature, its functional activity is hampered due to unfavourable flexibility and relative rigidity, respectively. The low activity at normal temperature is due to the widening of the conformational spectrum of the Reactive Site Loop (RSL) that reduces the probability of formation of stabilizing contacts with trypsin. The unique sequence of the RSL enhances flexibility at ambient temperature and thus reduces its ability to inhibit trypsin. This study shows that temperature influences the function of a protein through modulation in the structure of functional domain of the protein. Modulation of function through appearance of new sequences that are more sensitive to temperature may be a general strategy for evolution of new proteins.

Estimating Elasticity for Residential Electricity Demand in China

PubMed Central

Shi, G.; Zheng, X.; Song, F.

2012-01-01

Residential demand for electricity is estimated for China using a unique household level dataset. Household electricity demand is specified as a function of local electricity price, household income, and a number of social-economic variables at household level. We find that the residential demand for electricity responds rather sensitively to its own price in China, which implies that there is significant potential to use the price instrument to conserve electricity consumption. Electricity elasticities across different heterogeneous household groups (e.g., rich versus poor and rural versus urban) are also estimated. The results show that the high income group is more price elastic than the low income group, while rural families are more price elastic than urban families. These results have important policy implications for designing an increasing block tariff. PMID:22997492

Estimating elasticity for residential electricity demand in China.

PubMed

Shi, G; Zheng, X; Song, F

2012-01-01

Residential demand for electricity is estimated for China using a unique household level dataset. Household electricity demand is specified as a function of local electricity price, household income, and a number of social-economic variables at household level. We find that the residential demand for electricity responds rather sensitively to its own price in China, which implies that there is significant potential to use the price instrument to conserve electricity consumption. Electricity elasticities across different heterogeneous household groups (e.g., rich versus poor and rural versus urban) are also estimated. The results show that the high income group is more price elastic than the low income group, while rural families are more price elastic than urban families. These results have important policy implications for designing an increasing block tariff.

Use of relational agents to improve family communication in type 1 diabetes: Methods

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Physiological and environmental risk factors interact to undermine blood glucose control during early adolescence. This has been documented to be associated with family conflict and poor adherence to diabetes management tasks. Family Teamwork is an efficacious program demonstrated to enhance family ...

Family poverty and trajectories of children's emotional and behavioural problems: the moderating roles of self-regulation and verbal cognitive ability.

PubMed

Flouri, Eirini; Midouhas, Emily; Joshi, Heather

2014-08-01

Socio-economic disadvantage is strongly associated with children's emotional (internalising) and behavioural (externalising) problems. Self-regulation and verbal cognitive ability have been related to children's emotional and behavioural resilience to socio-economic disadvantage. Despite being inter-related, self-regulation and verbal cognitive ability have not been examined jointly as promoting resilience in young children. This study investigated the roles of self-regulation and verbal cognitive ability in children's emotional and behavioural resilience to family socio-economic disadvantage from early to middle childhood (ages 3, 5, and 7 years; N = 16,916; 49 % girls). Using multivariate response growth curve modelling, we found that the relationship between socio-economic disadvantage and internalising problems was stronger for children with lower verbal cognitive ability. Also, poor children with high and low levels of self-regulation showed a widening gap in both emotional and behavioural problems over time. Poor and non-poor children alike benefited from self-regulation, but poor children appeared to be more vulnerable to low self-regulation. Self-regulation and verbal cognitive ability seem to be important protective factors for young children growing up in poor families.

Poor versus rich children with epilepsy have the same clinical course and remission rates but a less favorable social outcome: A population-based study with 25 years of follow-up.

PubMed

Camfield, Carol; Camfield, Peter; Smith, Bruce

2016-11-01

To explore the influence of several estimates of family socioeconomic status on the long-term clinical course and social outcomes of children with epilepsy. The Nova Scotia childhood epilepsy cohort is population based and includes all children in this Canadian province who developed epilepsy between 1977 and 1985. Eligible patients had ≥10 years of follow-up. Children with childhood absence epilepsy were excluded. Total family income at seizure onset was assessed at seizure onset and classified as "poor" (first quintile), "adequate" (second to third quintiles), and "well-off" (fourth to fifth quintiles). We also assessed parental education and home ownership. Social outcome was assessed in those with normal intelligence who were ≥18 years of age at the end of follow-up using a semistructured interview that explored eight adverse effects. Of 584 patients, 421 (72%) were included. Average follow-up was 26 ± 5.6 years. Overall 137 families (33%) had "poor" income, 159 (38%) had "adequate income," and 125 (30%) were "well-off." Terminal remission of epilepsy occurred in 65% of the poor, 61% of the adequate, and 61% of the well-off (p = ns). Intractable epilepsy, status epilepticus, number of antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) used, and the number of generalized tonic-clonic or focal with secondary generalization seizures through the clinical course was the same in all groups. Home ownership did not predict remission. Neither paternal nor maternal education was associated with remission. Poor children had significantly more adverse social outcomes including failure to graduate from high school, unemployment, personal poverty, inadvertent pregnancy, and psychiatric diagnoses. In Nova Scotia with universal health care, coming from a poor or more affluent family does not seem to affect the clinical course or long-term seizure outcome of childhood epilepsy. Unfortunately children from poor families are less likely to have a good social outcome. Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2016 International League Against Epilepsy.

Minor Children of Palliative Patients: A Systematic Review of Psychosocial Family Interventions

PubMed Central

Krattenmacher, Thomas; Beierlein, Volker; Grimm, Johann Christian; Bergelt, Corinna; Romer, Georg; Möller, Birgit

2012-01-01

Abstract Although the whole family is affected by a parent's palliative disease, palliative care research does not yet routinely consider patients' minor children. Children's and adolescents' psychosocial functioning may be impaired during prolonged parental disease with poor prognosis. Therefore, more and more health care providers are establishing clinical initiatives for families of palliative patients with minor children. However, the number of these family interventions, as well as their theoretical and empirical backgrounds and evidence base, has yet to be determined. The purpose of this study was to systematically review structured and published interventions for this target group, as well as empirical studies on these interventions. The evidence base and impact of interventions on families were considered. Literature published between 1980 and present focusing on psychosocial family-, child- or parent-centered interventions during palliative care was retrieved from PsycINFO®, Embase, MEDLINE®, CINAHL®, and PSYNDEX databases. Five interventions met the inclusion criteria. Programs focused on different populations, had diverse empirical and theoretical backgrounds and features, and were evaluated by studies of varying methodological quality. This systematic review illustrates the lack of well designed and elaborated intervention concepts and evaluation studies in this field, highlighting the necessity of conceptual and methodological rigor to inform clinical practice on a sustainable basis in the future. PMID:22849598

Sleep, anxiety and fatigue in family members of patients admitted to the intensive care unit: a questionnaire study.

PubMed

Day, Alex; Haj-Bakri, Samer; Lubchansky, Stephanie; Mehta, Sangeeta

2013-05-24

Family members of critically ill patients often experience increased incidence of physical and mental health issues. One of the first ways family members suffer is by losing sleep. The purpose of this study is to understand sleep quality, levels of fatigue and anxiety, and factors contributing to poor sleep in adult family members of critically ill patients. A questionnaire was designed to evaluate sleep, fatigue and anxiety during the intensive care unit (ICU) admission. We incorporated three validated instruments: General Sleep Disturbance Scale (GSDS), Beck Anxiety Index (BAI) and Lee Fatigue Scale (NRS-F). Adult family members of patients in ICU for more than 24 hours were approached for questionnaire completion. Patient demographics were recorded. The study population consisted of 94 respondents, (49.1 ± 12.9 years, 52.7% male); 43.6% were children and 21.3% were spouses of ICU patients. Sleep quality was rated as poor/very poor by 43.5% of respondents, and good/very good by 15.2%. The most common factors contributing to poor sleep were anxiety (43.6%), tension (28.7%) and fear (24.5%). Respondents' most common suggestions to improve sleep were more information regarding the patient's health (24.5%) and relaxation techniques (21.3%). Mean GSDS score was 38.2 ± 19.3, with 58.1% of respondents experiencing moderate to severe sleep disturbance. Mean BAI was 12.3 ± 10.2, with 20.7% of respondents experiencing moderate to severe anxiety. Mean NRS-F was 3.8 ± 2.5, with 57.6% of respondents experiencing moderate to high fatigue. Family members who spent one or more nights in the hospital had significantly higher GSDS, BAI and NRS-F scores. The patient's Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE) II score at survey completion correlated significantly with family members' GSDS, BAI and NRS-F. The majority of family members of ICU patients experience moderate to severe sleep disturbance and fatigue, and mild anxiety.

[The impact of family characteristics in sexual risk behaviour of teens].

PubMed

Lavielle-Sotomayor, Pilar; Jiménez-Valdez, Fanianel; Vázquez-Rodríguez, Arturo; Aguirre-García, María del Carmen; Castillo-Trejo, Martha; Vega-Mendoza, Santa

2014-01-01

To assess risk sexual behaviour in adolescents and its relationship with family characteristics. In a representative and random sample of 909 teenagers, their sex life, structure, satisfaction and family dynamics were evaluated. It was used chi-squared test, in order to compare the frequency of family negative characteristics between the groups of adolescents with and without risky sexual behaviors. The early onset of sexual life was more frequent in adolescents with dysfunctional expression of affection in their families, and single-parent or nuclear family structure. The lack of condom use was associated with a lack of affection, and a poor comunication within the family. Having more than three partners was related to the expression of affection and the degree of satisfaction of the teenager with his family. Unplanned pregnancies and sex transmission diseases were most frequent in adolescents belonging to extended families with a poor expression of affection. The level of communication, the monitoring of conduct, the warmth and proximity play a very important role as protectors of sexual risk behaviour in teens.

Patient-Related Determinants of Glycaemic Control in People with Type 2 Diabetes in the Gulf Cooperation Council Countries: A Systematic Review.

PubMed

Alramadan, Mohammed J; Afroz, Afsana; Hussain, Sultana Monira; Batais, Mohammed Ali; Almigbal, Turky H; Al-Humrani, Hassan Ahmad; Albaloshi, Ahmed; Romero, Lorena; Magliano, Dianna J; Billah, Baki

2018-01-01

The aim of this systematic review is to assess patient-related factors affecting glycaemic control among people with type 2 diabetes in the Arabian Gulf Council countries. MEDLINE, Embase, PsycINFO, CINAHL, and Cochrane CENTRAL databases were searched from their date of inception to May 2016. Two researchers independently identified eligible studies and assessed the risk of bias. A total of 13 studies met the inclusion criteria. One study was population based, six recruited participants from multiple centres, and the remaining were single centred. The majority of the studies were of low to moderate quality. Factors associated with poor glycaemic control include longer duration of diabetes, low level of education, poor compliance to diet and medication, poor attitude towards the disease, poor self-management behaviour, anxiety, depression, renal impairment, hypertension, and dyslipidaemia. Healthcare providers should be aware of these factors and provide appropriate education and care especially for those who have poor glycaemic control. Innovative educational programs should be implemented in the healthcare systems to improve patient compliance and practices. A variation in the results of the included studies was observed, and some potentially important risk factors such as dietary habits, physical activity, family support, and cognitive function were not adequately addressed. Further research is needed in this area.

Phylogenomics and sequence-structure-function relationships in the GmrSD family of Type IV restriction enzymes.

PubMed

Machnicka, Magdalena A; Kaminska, Katarzyna H; Dunin-Horkawicz, Stanislaw; Bujnicki, Janusz M

2015-10-23

GmrSD is a modification-dependent restriction endonuclease that specifically targets and cleaves glucosylated hydroxymethylcytosine (glc-HMC) modified DNA. It is encoded either as two separate single-domain GmrS and GmrD proteins or as a single protein carrying both domains. Previous studies suggested that GmrS acts as endonuclease and NTPase whereas GmrD binds DNA. In this work we applied homology detection, sequence conservation analysis, fold recognition and homology modeling methods to study sequence-structure-function relationships in the GmrSD restriction endonucleases family. We also analyzed the phylogeny and genomic context of the family members. Results of our comparative genomics study show that GmrS exhibits similarity to proteins from the ParB/Srx fold which can have both NTPase and nuclease activity. In contrast to the previous studies though, we attribute the nuclease activity also to GmrD as we found it to contain the HNH endonuclease motif. We revealed residues potentially important for structure and function in both domains. Moreover, we found that GmrSD systems exist predominantly as a fused, double-domain form rather than as a heterodimer and that their homologs are often encoded in regions enriched in defense and gene mobility-related elements. Finally, phylogenetic reconstructions of GmrS and GmrD domains revealed that they coevolved and only few GmrSD systems appear to be assembled from distantly related GmrS and GmrD components. Our study provides insight into sequence-structure-function relationships in the yet poorly characterized family of Type IV restriction enzymes. Comparative genomics allowed to propose possible role of GmrD domain in the function of the GmrSD enzyme and possible active sites of both GmrS and GmrD domains. Presented results can guide further experimental characterization of these enzymes.

Family income and young adolescents' perceived social position: associations with self-esteem and life satisfaction in the UK Millennium Cohort Study.

PubMed

Bannink, Rienke; Pearce, Anna; Hope, Steven

2016-10-01

Self-esteem and life satisfaction are important aspects of positive mental health in young people, and both are socially distributed. However, the majority of evidence is based on socioeconomic characteristics of the family. As children enter adolescence and gain independence, perceptions of their own social position are likely to influence mental health. Using data on 11-year-olds from the UK Millennium Cohort Study, we investigated associations of both family income and young adolescents' perception of their social position with self-esteem and life satisfaction. We hypothesised that there would be differences in the impact of perceived social position on positive mental health when investigating the full scale scoring distribution or the bottom of the distribution. Therefore, we estimated proportional odds for having greater positive mental health (across the distribution of scores) and ORs for poor outcomes (lowest 10% scores). The likelihood of greater self-esteem and life satisfaction increased with income; similarly, the risk of having poor self-esteem and life satisfaction increased as income decreased. Young adolescents who perceived their family as poorer than their friends (instead of about the same) were less likely to have greater self-esteem and life satisfaction and were more likely to have poor outcomes. Young adolescents who perceived their family as richer were more likely to have poor self-esteem, but were not less likely to have greater self-esteem. For life satisfaction, young adolescents who perceived their families as richer were less likely to have greater and more likely to have poor life satisfaction. Policies to redistribute income in families with children are likely to benefit the mental health of young people. However, it is also important to consider the impact of social comparison on young people's mental health as they enter adolescence. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/

Role of gender, family, lifestyle and psychological factors in self-rated health among urban adolescents in Peru: a school-based cross-sectional survey.

PubMed

Sharma, Bimala; Nam, Eun Woo; Kim, Dohyeong; Yoon, Young Min; Kim, Yeunju; Kim, Ha Yun

2016-02-03

We examined the role of gender, family, lifestyle and psychological factors in self-rated health. Cross-sectional study. A total of 970 randomly selected students from 11 secondary schools in Lima and Callao, Peru, participated in 2014. Self-rated health was measured with a single item: 'In general, how would you rate your health?' Responses were arranged along a five-point Likert-type scale: 'excellent', 'very good', 'good', 'fair' and 'poor'. The outcome variable was dichotomised as 'good' (excellent, very good or good) or 'poor/fair' (poor or fair). We calculated adjusted ORs (AORs) and 95% CIs for poor/fair self-rated health using multivariate logistic regression analyses at 3-graded levels. 32.5% of the respondents had fair/poor self-rated health, 23.7% of the total males and 40.0% of the total female samples. Males were less likely to have poor/fair self-rated health (AOR 0.61; CI 0.41 to 0.91). Poor family support strongly increased the likelihood of having poor/fair self-rated health (no support, (AOR 3.15; CI 1.63 to 6.09); low support, (AOR 2.50; CI 1.29 to 4.85)). The other associated variables were missed meals due to a shortage of food (AOR 1.97; CI 1.15 to 3.36), television watching during leisure time (AOR 1.70; CI 1.09 to 2.67), low physical activity (AOR 1.49; CI 1.03 to 2.15), school absenteeism (AOR 1.54; CI 1.03 to 2.31) and perceived life satisfaction (AOR 0.28; CI 0.15 to 0.25). Gender, missing meals due to a shortage of food, family support, physical activity and life satisfaction influenced self-rated health among adolescents in Peru. Interventions that focus on promoting physical activity for at least 1 h each day for 3 or more days per week, food security and strengthening supportive family roles may improve self-rated health during adolescence. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/

Perceptions and types of support coming from families caring for patients suffering from advanced illness in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo.

PubMed

Lofandjola, Jacques Masumbuku; Sumaili, Ernest Kiswaya; Mairiaux, Philippe; Petermans, Jean

2017-08-01

Perceptions of families who take care of patients suffering from advanced illness are rarely considered in Kinshasa medical practices; nevertheless, these families are the main actors involved in such care. The objective of this present study was to illustrate, in a Congolese context, the perceptions of families on the care of patients suffering from advanced illness, and to identify the possible aids provided by healthcare facilities. A qualitative study was performed among focus groups in six hospitals in Kinshasa. Each group included eight members. We gathered factors that could negatively influence the care of a patient suffering from advanced disease. Such factors included: scarcity of and inaccessibility to painkillers, economic resilience, poor quality treatment, lack of psychological counselling, seeking alternative solutions and poor communication between caregivers and patients. In contrast, the study also showed that relatives caring for these patients often receive support from the wider family and from cult members. This study focuses on the miscommunication between healthcare workers and patients, poor management in advanced illness as well as a lack of psychological support from caregivers. The findings can serve as basis for further research in palliative care.

What Works for Increasing Family Income and Parental Employment: Lessons from Experimental Evaluations of Programs and Interventions. Fact Sheet. Publication #2007

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hashim, Kyleen; Moore, Kristin A.

2010-01-01

Children living in lower-income and poor families are more likely to suffer from poor physical and mental health, engage in risky and delinquent behaviors, fare worse academically, and drop out of school than children from more advantaged backgrounds. Higher income does not guarantee protection from these risks, but is associated with a range of…

Poor Families in 2001: Parents Working Less and Children Continue To Lag Behind. Child Trends Research Brief.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wertheimer, Richard

With increasing unemployment in the United States, the nation has seen a drop in the percentage of children in poverty with one or more parents in the workforce, a reverse of trends evident in the late 1990s. This research brief presents a statistical snapshot of working poor families with children in 2001. Analyses revealed that in 2001 children…

Are the Poor Needy? Are the Needy Poor? The Distribution of Student Loans and Grants by Family Income Quartile in Canada

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Usher, Alex

2004-01-01

This study is one part of a two-part inquiry into subsidies for post-secondary education in Canada. Based on a combination of administrative and survey data, the study estimates the distribution of student loans and grants by family income quartile. The estimates suggest that roughly 40 percent of all loans and grants go to students from families…

School, family and adolescent smoking.

PubMed

Yañez, Aina; Leiva, Alfonso; Gorreto, Lucia; Estela, Andreu; Tejera, Elena; Torrent, Maties

2013-01-01

The socio-cultural environment is an important factor involved with the onset of smoking during adolescence. Initiation of cigarette smoking occurs almost exclusively during this stage. In this context we aimed to analyze the association of school and family factors with adolescent smoking by a cross-sectional study of 16 secondary schools randomly selected from the Balearic Islands involved 3673 students and 530 teachers. The prevalence of regular smoking (at least one cigarette per week) was 4.8% among first year students, 11.6% among second year students, 14.1% among third year students, 20.9% among fourth year students and 22% among teachers. Among first and second year students, there were independent associations between regular smoking and adolescents' perception of being allowed to smoke at home, belonging to a single parent family, poor relationship with parents, poor academic performance, lack of interest in studies and teachers' perception of smoking in the presence of pupils. Among third and fourth year students, there were independent associations between regular smoking and poor relationship with parents, adolescents' perception of being allowed to smoke at home, poor academic performance, lack of control over student misbehavior and the school attended. The school policies and practices affect student related health behavior regarding smoking, independent of individual and family factors.

Setting the record straight.

PubMed

Moran, T

1998-12-01

This article examines the effect of the proposed limitation of funds for family planning direct services by the Texas Department of Health (TDH). A plan was unveiled by the TDH that called for cuts from Title V (Maternal and Child Health) to phase out family planning direct service delivery and increase population-based services. This proposal would mean that by 2000 at least 28,500 low-income women would have difficulty in receiving family planning services and obstetrical and gynecological services. During the 1998 Scripps Howard Texas poll, it was shown that majority of Texans support addition in public funding of family planning services for poor women, but it would result to a more expensive tax increase. Advocates of family planning were apprehensive on the effect of inaccessible family planning services among young and poor women. On the other hand, promoters of the Title V cuts claimed that family planning service is like any other clinical service that would be ineffective unless it takes into account the community and prevention dynamics.

Family conflict and academic performance of first-year Asian American undergraduates.

PubMed

Bahrassa, Nazneen F; Syed, Moin; Su, Jenny; Lee, Richard M

2011-10-01

This three-study investigation examined risk and protective factors for poor academic performance among Asian American first-year undergraduates. Students were surveyed prior to starting college and their GPA was collected after their first semester in college. Family conflict as a significant risk factor for poor academic performance was examined in all three studies. The results indicate that higher family conflict prior to college was related to lower first-semester college GPA, after controlling for standardized test scores and high school rank (Studies 1-3). Even though psychological distress was related to both family conflict and GPA, it did not mediate the relationship between family conflict and GPA (Studies 2 and 3). In terms of protective factors, the results indicate that life satisfaction buffered the negative effects of family conflict on first-semester college GPA (Study 3). Together, these findings support the need to take into account family variables and psychological well-being in the academic performance of Asian American students as they transition from high school to college.

Unmeasured costs of a child's death: perceived financial burden, work disruptions, and economic coping strategies used by American and Australian families who lost children to cancer.

PubMed

Dussel, Veronica; Bona, Kira; Heath, John A; Hilden, Joanne M; Weeks, Jane C; Wolfe, Joanne

2011-03-10

Financial concerns represent a major stressor for families of children with cancer but remain poorly understood among those with terminally ill children. We describe the financial hardship, work disruptions, income loss, and coping strategies of families who lost children to cancer. Retrospective cross-sectional survey of 141 American and 89 Australian bereaved parents whose children died between 1990 and 1999 and 1996 to 2004, respectively, at three tertiary-care pediatric hospitals (two American, one Australian). Response rate: 63%. Thirty-four (24%) of 141 families from US centers and 34 (39%) of 88 families from the Australian center reported a great deal of financial hardship resulting from their children's illness. Work disruptions were substantial (84% in the United States, 88% in Australia). Australian families were more likely to report quitting a job (49% in Australia v 35% in the United States; P = .037). Sixty percent of families lost more than 10% of their annual income as a result of work disruptions. Australians were more likely to lose more than 40% of their income (34% in Australia v 19% in the United States; P = .035). Poor families experienced the greatest income loss. After accounting for income loss, 16% of American and 22% of Australian families dropped below the poverty line. Financial hardship was associated with poverty and income loss in all centers. Fundraising was the most common financial coping strategy (52% in the United States v 33% in Australia), followed by reduced spending. In these US and Australian centers, significant household-level financial effects of a child's death as a result of cancer were observed, especially for poor families. Interventions aimed at reducing the effects of income loss may ease financial distress.

Risks for Early Substance Involvement Associated with Parental Alcoholism and Parental Separation in an Adolescent Female Cohort*

PubMed Central

Waldron, Mary; Vaughan, Ellen L.; Bucholz, Kathleen K.; Lynskey, Michael T.; Sartor, Carolyn E.; Duncan, Alexis E.; Madden, Pamela A.F.; Heath, Andrew C.

2014-01-01

Background We examined timing of substance involvement as a joint function of parental history of alcoholism and parental separation during childhood. Method Data were drawn from a large cohort of female like-sex twins [n = 613 African Ancestry (AA), n = 3550 European or other Ancestry (EA)]. Cox proportional hazards regression was conducted predicting age at first use of alcohol, first alcohol intoxication, first use and regular use of cigarettes, and first use of cannabis and other illicit drugs from dummy variables coding for parental alcoholism and parental separation. Propensity score analysis was also conducted comparing intact and separated families by predicted probability of parental separation. Results In EA families, increased risk of substance involvement was found in both alcoholic and separated families, particularly through ages 10 or 14 years, with risk to offspring from alcoholic separated families further increased. In AA families, associations with parental alcoholism and parental separation were weak and with few exceptions statistically nonsignificant. While propensity score findings confirmed unique risks observed in EA families, intact and separated AA families were poorly matched on risk-factors presumed to predate parental separation, especially parental alcoholism, requiring cautious interpretation of AA survival-analytic findings. Conclusion For offspring of European ancestry, parental separation predicts early substance involvement that is not explained by parental alcoholism nor associated family background characteristics. Additional research is needed to better characterize risks associated with parental separation in African American families. PMID:24647368

Risks for early substance involvement associated with parental alcoholism and parental separation in an adolescent female cohort.

PubMed

Waldron, Mary; Vaughan, Ellen L; Bucholz, Kathleen K; Lynskey, Michael T; Sartor, Carolyn E; Duncan, Alexis E; Madden, Pamela A F; Heath, Andrew C

2014-05-01

We examined timing of substance involvement as a joint function of parental history of alcoholism and parental separation during childhood. Data were drawn from a large cohort of female like-sex twins [n=613 African Ancestry (AA), n=3550 European or other ancestry (EA)]. Cox proportional hazards regression was conducted predicting age at first use of alcohol, first alcohol intoxication, first use and regular use of cigarettes, and first use of cannabis and other illicit drugs from dummy variables coding for parental alcoholism and parental separation. Propensity score analysis was also conducted comparing intact and separated families by predicted probability of parental separation. In EA families, increased risk of substance involvement was found in both alcoholic and separated families, particularly through ages 10 or 14 years, with risk to offspring from alcoholic separated families further increased. In AA families, associations with parental alcoholism and parental separation were weak and with few exceptions statistically nonsignificant. While propensity score findings confirmed unique risks observed in EA families, intact and separated AA families were poorly matched on risk-factors presumed to predate parental separation, especially parental alcoholism, requiring cautious interpretation of AA survival-analytic findings. For offspring of European ancestry, parental separation predicts early substance involvement that is not explained by parental alcoholism nor associated family background characteristics. Additional research is needed to better characterize risks associated with parental separation in African American families. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

The conformational dynamics of the mitochondrial Hsp70 chaperone.

PubMed

Mapa, Koyeli; Sikor, Martin; Kudryavtsev, Volodymyr; Waegemann, Karin; Kalinin, Stanislav; Seidel, Claus A M; Neupert, Walter; Lamb, Don C; Mokranjac, Dejana

2010-04-09

Heat shock proteins 70 (Hsp70) represent a ubiquitous and conserved family of molecular chaperones involved in a plethora of cellular processes. The dynamics of their ATP hydrolysis-driven and cochaperone-regulated conformational cycle are poorly understood. We used fluorescence spectroscopy to analyze, in real time and at single-molecule resolution, the effects of nucleotides and cochaperones on the conformation of Ssc1, a mitochondrial member of the family. We report that the conformation of its ADP state is unexpectedly heterogeneous, in contrast to a uniform ATP state. Substrates are actively involved in determining the conformation of Ssc1. The J protein Mdj1 does not interact transiently with the chaperone, as generally believed, but rather is released slowly upon ATP hydrolysis. Analysis of the major bacterial Hsp70 revealed important differences between highly homologous members of the family, possibly explaining tuning of Hsp70 chaperones to meet specific functions in different organisms and cellular compartments. 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Preferences for autonomy in end-of-life decision making in modern Korean society.

PubMed

Kim, Su Hyun

2015-03-01

The demand for autonomy in medical decision making is increasing among Korean people, but it is not well known why some people prefer autonomy in decision making but others do not. The aim of this study was to determine the extent to which Korean adults wished to exercise autonomy in the process of decision making regarding end-of-life treatment and to determine whether economic issues and family functioning, in particular, were associated with preferences for participation in decision making in Korean people. This study was a cross-sectional correlational study using a survey. Data were collected using structured questionnaires from 354 patients or their families who visited ambulatory departments at two general hospitals in South Korea, recruited by the proportionate quota sampling method. Data analysis was performed using multinomial logistic regression analyses. The study was approved by the hospitals' directors and the ethics committee of Kyungpook National University Hospital. Written informed consent was given by all participants. A majority of Korean people wanted to make autonomous decisions regarding treatment at the end of life. Preferences for autonomous decision making regarding end-of-life treatment, rather than relying on family, showed a significant increase in association with poor family functioning and low income. Results of this study suggested the necessity for development of alternatives to a dominant traditional "family-centered" approach in Korean people, in order to enhance end-of-life decision making for people who wish to take an active role in the decision-making process. Healthcare providers need to examine not only patients' preferred decision-making style but also any reasons for their choice, in particular, family conflict and financial burden. © The Author(s) 2014.

Factors discriminating among profiles of resilience and psychopathology in children exposed to intimate partner violence (IPV).

PubMed

Graham-Bermann, Sandra A; Gruber, Gabrielle; Howell, Kathryn H; Girz, Laura

2009-09-01

To evaluate the social and emotional adjustment of 219 children in families with varying levels of intimate partner violence (IPV) using a model of risk and protection. To explore factors that differentiate children with poor adjustment from those with resilience. Mothers who experienced IPV in the past year and their children ages 6-12 were interviewed. Standardized measures assessed family violence, parenting, family functioning, maternal mental health, and children's adjustment and beliefs. Using cluster analysis, all cases with valid data on the Child Behavior Checklist, Child Depression Inventory, General Self-Worth and Social Self-Competence measures were described by four profiles of children's adjustment: Severe Adjustment Problems (24%); children who were Struggling (45%); those with Depression Only (11%); and Resilient (20%) with high competence and low adjustment problems. Multinomial logistic regression analyses showed children in the Severe Problems cluster witnessed more family violence and had mothers higher in depression and trauma symptoms than other children. Resilient and Struggling children had mothers with better parenting, more family strengths and no past violent partner. Parents of children with Severe Problems were lacking these attributes. The Depressed profile children witnessed less violence but had greater fears and worries about mother's safety. Factors related to the child, to the mother and to the family distinguish different profiles of adjustment for children exposed to IPV who are living in the community. Resilient children have less violence exposure, fewer fears and worries, and mothers with better mental health and parenting skills, suggesting avenues for intervention with this population. Findings suggest that child adjustment is largely influenced by parent functioning. Thus, services should be targeted at both the child and the parent. Clinical interventions shaped to the unique needs of the child might also be tested with this population.

TMBIM3/GRINA is a novel unfolded protein response (UPR) target gene that controls apoptosis through the modulation of ER calcium homeostasis

PubMed Central

Rojas-Rivera, D; Armisén, R; Colombo, A; Martínez, G; Eguiguren, A L; Díaz, A; Kiviluoto, S; Rodríguez, D; Patron, M; Rizzuto, R; Bultynck, G; Concha, M L; Sierralta, J; Stutzin, A; Hetz, C

2012-01-01

Transmembrane BAX inhibitor motif-containing (TMBIM)-6, also known as BAX-inhibitor 1 (BI-1), is an anti-apoptotic protein that belongs to a putative family of highly conserved and poorly characterized genes. Here we report the function of TMBIM3/GRINA in the control of cell death by endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress. Tmbim3 mRNA levels are strongly upregulated in cellular and animal models of ER stress, controlled by the PERK signaling branch of the unfolded protein response. TMBIM3/GRINA synergies with TMBIM6/BI-1 in the modulation of ER calcium homeostasis and apoptosis, associated with physical interactions with inositol trisphosphate receptors. Loss-of-function studies in D. melanogaster demonstrated that TMBIM3/GRINA and TMBIM6/BI-1 have synergistic activities against ER stress in vivo. Similarly, manipulation of TMBIM3/GRINA levels in zebrafish embryos revealed an essential role in the control of apoptosis during neuronal development and in experimental models of ER stress. These findings suggest the existence of a conserved group of functionally related cell death regulators across species beyond the BCL-2 family of proteins operating at the ER membrane. PMID:22240901

TMBIM3/GRINA is a novel unfolded protein response (UPR) target gene that controls apoptosis through the modulation of ER calcium homeostasis.

PubMed

Rojas-Rivera, D; Armisén, R; Colombo, A; Martínez, G; Eguiguren, A L; Díaz, A; Kiviluoto, S; Rodríguez, D; Patron, M; Rizzuto, R; Bultynck, G; Concha, M L; Sierralta, J; Stutzin, A; Hetz, C

2012-06-01

Transmembrane BAX inhibitor motif-containing (TMBIM)-6, also known as BAX-inhibitor 1 (BI-1), is an anti-apoptotic protein that belongs to a putative family of highly conserved and poorly characterized genes. Here we report the function of TMBIM3/GRINA in the control of cell death by endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress. Tmbim3 mRNA levels are strongly upregulated in cellular and animal models of ER stress, controlled by the PERK signaling branch of the unfolded protein response. TMBIM3/GRINA synergies with TMBIM6/BI-1 in the modulation of ER calcium homeostasis and apoptosis, associated with physical interactions with inositol trisphosphate receptors. Loss-of-function studies in D. melanogaster demonstrated that TMBIM3/GRINA and TMBIM6/BI-1 have synergistic activities against ER stress in vivo. Similarly, manipulation of TMBIM3/GRINA levels in zebrafish embryos revealed an essential role in the control of apoptosis during neuronal development and in experimental models of ER stress. These findings suggest the existence of a conserved group of functionally related cell death regulators across species beyond the BCL-2 family of proteins operating at the ER membrane.

Genomic characterisation of Wongabel virus reveals novel genes within the Rhabdoviridae.

PubMed

Gubala, Aneta J; Proll, David F; Barnard, Ross T; Cowled, Chris J; Crameri, Sandra G; Hyatt, Alex D; Boyle, David B

2008-06-20

Viruses belonging to the family Rhabdoviridae infect a variety of different hosts, including insects, vertebrates and plants. Currently, there are approximately 200 ICTV-recognised rhabdoviruses isolated around the world. However, the majority remain poorly characterised and only a fraction have been definitively assigned to genera. The genomic and transcriptional complexity displayed by several of the characterised rhabdoviruses indicates large diversity and complexity within this family. To enable an improved taxonomic understanding of this family, it is necessary to gain further information about the poorly characterised members of this family. Here we present the complete genome sequence and predicted transcription strategy of Wongabel virus (WONV), a previously uncharacterised rhabdovirus isolated from biting midges (Culicoides austropalpalis) collected in northern Queensland, Australia. The 13,196 nucleotide genome of WONV encodes five typical rhabdovirus genes N, P, M, G and L. In addition, the WONV genome contains three genes located between the P and M genes (U1, U2, U3) and two open reading frames overlapping with the N and G genes (U4, U5). These five additional genes and their putative protein products appear to be novel, and their functions are unknown. Predictive analysis of the U5 gene product revealed characteristics typical of viroporins, and indicated structural similarities with the alpha-1 protein (putative viroporin) of viruses in the genus Ephemerovirus. Phylogenetic analyses of the N and G proteins of WONV indicated closest similarity with the avian-associated Flanders virus; however, the genomes of these two viruses are significantly diverged. WONV displays a novel and unique genome structure that has not previously been described for any animal rhabdovirus.

The influence of parental education on child mental health in Spain.

PubMed

Sonego, Michela; Llácer, Alicia; Galán, Iñaki; Simón, Fernando

2013-02-01

To analyze the association between parental education and offspring's mental health in a nationally representative Spanish sample, and assess the contribution of other socioeconomic factors to the association. We conducted a secondary analysis of data on 4- to 15-year-olds participating in the 2006 Spanish National Health Survey. Mental health was assessed using the parent-reported Strengths & Difficulties Questionnaire. Parents' respective educational levels were summarized in a single variable. Univariate and multivariate analyses, controlling for family-, child- and parent-related characteristics, were used to study the association. The final sample comprised 5,635 children. A strong association between parental education and parent-reported child mental health was observed among 4- to 11-year-olds, with odds ratios (ORs) increasing as parental educational level decreased. Where both parents had a sub-university level, maternal education showed a stronger association than did paternal education. Following adjustment for covariates, parental education continued to be the strongest risk factor for parent-reported child mental health problems, OR = 3.7 (95% CI 2.4-5.8) for the lowest educational level, but no association was found among 12- to 15-year-olds. Male sex, immigrant status, activity limitation, parent's poor mental health, low social support, poor family function, single-parent families, low family income and social class were associated with parent-reported child mental health problems in both age groups. Our results show that there is a strong association between parental education and parent-reported child mental health, and that this is indeed stronger than that for income and social class. Among adolescents, however, the effect of parental education would appear to be outweighed by other factors.

Informal and formal support among community-dwelling Japanese American elders living alone in Chicagoland: an in-depth qualitative study.

PubMed

Lau, Denys T; Machizawa, Sayaka; Doi, Mary

2012-06-01

A key public health approach to promote independent living and avoid nursing home placement is ensuring that elders can obtain adequate informal support from family and friends, as well as formal support from community services. This study aims to describe the use of informal and formal support among community-dwelling Nikkei elders living alone, and explore perceived barriers hindering their use of such support. We conducted English and Japanese semi-structured, open-ended interviews in Chicagoland with a convenience sample of 34 Nikkei elders age 60+ who were functionally independent and living alone; 9 family/friends; and 10 local service providers. According to participants, for informal support, Nikkei elders relied mainly on: family for homemaking and health management; partners for emotional and emergency support; friends for emotional and transportation support; and neighbors for emergency assistance. Perceived barriers to informal support included elders' attitudinal impediments (feeling burdensome, reciprocating support, self-reliance), family-related interpersonal circumstances (poor communication, distance, intergenerational differences); and friendship/neighbor-related interpersonal situations (difficulty making friends, relocation, health decline/death). For formal support, Nikkei elders primarily used adult day care/cultural programs for socializing and learning and in-home care for personal/homemaking assistance and companionship. Barriers to formal support included attitudinal impediments (stoicism, privacy, frugality); perception of care (incompatibility with services, poor opinions of in-home care quality); and accessibility (geographical distance, lack of transportation). In summary, this study provides important preliminary insights for future community strategies that will target resources and training for support networks of Nikkei elders living alone to maximize their likelihood to age in place independently.

Juvenile bipolar disorder and suicidality: a review of the last 10 years of literature.

PubMed

Halfon, Natacha; Labelle, Réal; Cohen, David; Guilé, Jean-Marc; Breton, Jean-Jacques

2013-03-01

Although children and adolescents with bipolar disorder (BD) are at elevated risk for suicide, little research to date has been conducted on suicidality in this population. The purpose of this descriptive review of the past 10 years of scientific literature on suicidality in youths with BD was to identify the risk and protective factors associated with this phenomenon, and to discuss the implications for research and clinical practice. Searches on Medline and PsycINFO databases for the period from early 2002 to mid-2012 yielded 16 relevant articles, which were subsequently explored using an analysis grid. Note that the authors employed a consensus analysis approach at all stages of the review. Four primary categories of risk factors for suicidality in youths with BD were identified: demographic (age and gender), clinical (depression, mixed state or mixed features specifier, mania, anxiety disorders, psychotic symptoms, and substance abuse), psychological (cyclothymic temperament, hopelessness, poor anger management, low self-esteem, external locus of control, impulsivity and aggressiveness, previous suicide attempts, and history of suicide ideation, non-suicidal self-injurious behaviors and past psychiatric hospitalization), and family/social (family history of attempted suicide, family history of depression, low quality of life, poor family functioning, stressful life events, physical/sexual abuse, and social withdrawal). Youths with BD who experienced more complex symptomatic profiles were at greater risk of suicidality. Few protective factors associated with suicidality have been studied among youths with BD. One protective factor was found in this descriptive literature review: the positive effects of dialectical behavior therapy. This article allows a better appreciation of the risk and protective factors associated with suicidality among youth with BD. Greater awareness of risk factors is the first step in suicide prevention.

FAMILY EMPIDIDAE.

PubMed

Rafael, José Albertino; Câmara, Josenir Teixeira

2016-06-14

Empididae is one of the biggest families of Diptera with around 3,000 known species. The family is poorly known in Colombia, with only six species reported and this work provides information on their distribution. No endemic genera or species have been recorded to date from Colombia.

Identification of HECT E3 ubiquitin ligase family genes involved in stem cell regulation and regeneration in planarians.

PubMed

Henderson, Jordana M; Nisperos, Sean V; Weeks, Joi; Ghulam, Mahjoobah; Marín, Ignacio; Zayas, Ricardo M

2015-08-15

E3 ubiquitin ligases constitute a large family of enzymes that modify specific proteins by covalently attaching ubiquitin polypeptides. This post-translational modification can serve to regulate protein function or longevity. In spite of their importance in cell physiology, the biological roles of most ubiquitin ligases remain poorly understood. Here, we analyzed the function of the HECT domain family of E3 ubiquitin ligases in stem cell biology and tissue regeneration in planarians. Using bioinformatic searches, we identified 17 HECT E3 genes that are expressed in the Schmidtea mediterranea genome. Whole-mount in situ hybridization experiments showed that HECT genes were expressed in diverse tissues and most were expressed in the stem cell population (neoblasts) or in their progeny. To investigate the function of all HECT E3 ligases, we inhibited their expression using RNA interference (RNAi) and determined that orthologs of huwe1, wwp1, and trip12 had roles in tissue regeneration. We show that huwe1 RNAi knockdown led to a significant expansion of the neoblast population and death by lysis. Further, our experiments showed that wwp1 was necessary for both neoblast and intestinal tissue homeostasis as well as uncovered an unexpected role of trip12 in posterior tissue specification. Taken together, our data provide insights into the roles of HECT E3 ligases in tissue regeneration and demonstrate that planarians will be a useful model to evaluate the functions of E3 ubiquitin ligases in stem cell regulation. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Possible Directions for an Australian Family Policy. Discussion Paper No. 1.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Edgar, Don

Family policy makers must first understand changes taking place and factors influencing Australian society so that they can then ease the burden on the disadvantaged poor. Growing affluence, increasing de-institutionalization of women's roles, later marriage, delayed and smaller families and an elongated family life duration are among the trends…

Family Income, School Attendance, and Academic Achievement in Elementary School

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Morrissey, Taryn W.; Hutchison, Lindsey; Winsler, Adam

2014-01-01

Low family income is associated with poor academic achievement among children. Higher rates of school absence and tardiness may be one mechanism through which low family income impacts children's academic success. This study examines relations between family income, as measured by receipt of free or reduced-price lunch, school attendance, and…

Escherichia coli YqjA, a Member of the Conserved DedA/Tvp38 Membrane Protein Family, Is a Putative Osmosensing Transporter Required for Growth at Alkaline pH

PubMed Central

Kumar, Sujeet

2015-01-01

ABSTRACT The ability to persist and grow under alkaline conditions is an important characteristic of many bacteria. In order to survive at alkaline pH, Escherichia coli must maintain a stable cytoplasmic pH of about 7.6. Membrane cation/proton antiporters play a major role in alkaline pH homeostasis by catalyzing active inward proton transport. The DedA/Tvp38 family is a highly conserved membrane protein family of unknown function present in most sequenced genomes. YqjA and YghB are members of the E. coli DedA family with 62% amino acid identity and partially redundant functions. We have shown that E. coli with ΔyqjA and ΔyghB mutations cannot properly maintain the proton motive force (PMF) and is compromised in PMF-dependent drug efflux and other PMF-dependent functions. Furthermore, the functions of YqjA and YghB are dependent upon membrane-embedded acidic amino acids, a hallmark of several families of proton-dependent transporters. Here, we show that the ΔyqjA mutant (but not ΔyghB) cannot grow under alkaline conditions (ranging from pH 8.5 to 9.5), unlike the parent E. coli. Overexpression of yqjA restores growth at alkaline pH, but only when more than ∼100 mM sodium or potassium is present in the growth medium. Increasing the osmotic pressure by the addition of sucrose enhances the ability of YqjA to support growth under alkaline conditions in the presence of low salt concentrations, consistent with YqjA functioning as an osmosensor. We suggest that YqjA possesses proton-dependent transport activity that is stimulated by osmolarity and that it plays a significant role in the survival of E. coli at alkaline pH. IMPORTANCE The ability to survive under alkaline conditions is important for many species of bacteria. Escherichia coli can grow at pH 5.5 to 9.5 while maintaining a constant cytoplasmic pH of about 7.6. Under alkaline conditions, bacteria rely upon proton-dependent transporters to maintain a constant cytoplasmic pH. The DedA/Tvp38 protein family is a highly conserved but poorly characterized family of membrane proteins. Here, we show that the DedA/Tvp38 protein YqjA is critical for E. coli to survive at pH 8.5 to 9.5. YqjA requires sodium and potassium for this function. At low cation concentrations, osmolytes, including sucrose, can facilitate rescue of E. coli growth by YqjA at high pH. These data are consistent with YqjA functioning as an osmosensing cation-dependent proton transporter. PMID:25917916

Representation of analysis results involving aleatory and epistemic uncertainty.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Johnson, Jay Dean; Helton, Jon Craig; Oberkampf, William Louis

2008-08-01

Procedures are described for the representation of results in analyses that involve both aleatory uncertainty and epistemic uncertainty, with aleatory uncertainty deriving from an inherent randomness in the behavior of the system under study and epistemic uncertainty deriving from a lack of knowledge about the appropriate values to use for quantities that are assumed to have fixed but poorly known values in the context of a specific study. Aleatory uncertainty is usually represented with probability and leads to cumulative distribution functions (CDFs) or complementary cumulative distribution functions (CCDFs) for analysis results of interest. Several mathematical structures are available for themore » representation of epistemic uncertainty, including interval analysis, possibility theory, evidence theory and probability theory. In the presence of epistemic uncertainty, there is not a single CDF or CCDF for a given analysis result. Rather, there is a family of CDFs and a corresponding family of CCDFs that derive from epistemic uncertainty and have an uncertainty structure that derives from the particular uncertainty structure (i.e., interval analysis, possibility theory, evidence theory, probability theory) used to represent epistemic uncertainty. Graphical formats for the representation of epistemic uncertainty in families of CDFs and CCDFs are investigated and presented for the indicated characterizations of epistemic uncertainty.« less

Evolutionary interplay between sister cytochrome P450 genes shapes plasticity in plant metabolism.

PubMed

Liu, Zhenhua; Tavares, Raquel; Forsythe, Evan S; André, François; Lugan, Raphaël; Jonasson, Gabriella; Boutet-Mercey, Stéphanie; Tohge, Takayuki; Beilstein, Mark A; Werck-Reichhart, Danièle; Renault, Hugues

2016-10-07

Expansion of the cytochrome P450 gene family is often proposed to have a critical role in the evolution of metabolic complexity, in particular in microorganisms, insects and plants. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying the evolution of this complexity are poorly understood. Here we describe the evolutionary history of a plant P450 retrogene, which emerged and underwent fixation in the common ancestor of Brassicales, before undergoing tandem duplication in the ancestor of Brassicaceae. Duplication leads first to gain of dual functions in one of the copies. Both sister genes are retained through subsequent speciation but eventually return to a single copy in two of three diverging lineages. In the lineage in which both copies are maintained, the ancestral functions are split between paralogs and a novel function arises in the copy under relaxed selection. Our work illustrates how retrotransposition and gene duplication can favour the emergence of novel metabolic functions.

Low Family Income and Behavior Problems in Norwegian Preschoolers: Is Child Emotionality a Marker for Sensitivity of Influence?

PubMed

Bøe, Tormod; Hysing, Mari; Zachrisson, Henrik Daae

2016-04-01

Poor children have higher rates of mental health problems than more affluent peers, also in progressive welfare states such as Norway. Temperamental characteristics may render some children more sensitive to the adverse influence of poor economy. This study examined the direct associations between family income-to-needs and mental health and assessed moderation by early temperamental characteristics (i.e., emotionality). Using data from the Norwegian Mother and Child Cohort Study, associations between income-to-needs across children's first 3 years and internalizing and externalizing problems when children were 5 years old were examined. Differential sensitivity to family income-to-needs was assessed by investigating how emotionality, when children were one-and-a-half and 3 years old, moderated these associations. Significant main effects of income-to-needs and emotionality and a significant interaction effect between income-to-needs and emotionality were found for externalizing problems, but not for internalizing problems. Children in poor families with an emotionally reactive temperament had higher scores on externalizing problems when they were 5 compared with their less emotionally reactive peers.

The interaction of family background and personal education on depressive symptoms in later life.

PubMed

Schaan, Barbara

2014-02-01

This study assesses the interaction between personal education and family background during childhood on depressive symptoms in later life by applying Ross & Mirowsky's resource substitution and structural amplification theory of health and education. OLS regression models are estimated using data from the "Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe" (SHARE), which covers information on current social and health status as well as retrospective life histories from 20,716 respondents aged 50 or older from thirteen European countries. Higher education helps to overcome the negative consequences of a poor family background. Since people from poor families are less likely to attain higher educational levels, they lack exactly the resource they need in order to overcome the negative consequences their non-prosperous background has on depressive symptoms. Thus, low family background and low personal education amplify each other. Examining the processes described by theory of resource substitution and structural amplification over different age groups from midlife to old-age suggests that the moderating effect of education remains constant over age among people coming from a poor family background. However, there is some evidence for a decrease with age in the buffering effect of a well-off family background on depressive symptoms among the low educated group. Furthermore, the educational gap in depression diverges with age among individuals originating from a well-off family background. Taken together the results cautiously allude to the conclusion that three processes - cumulative (dis-)advantage, age-as-leveler, and persistent inequalities - might take place. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Intergenerational Mobility, Sibling Inequality and Borrowing Constraints.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gaviria, Alejandro

2002-01-01

Studies differences in social mobility between rich and poor families. Finds that borrowing constraints retard social mobility among the poor by preventing poor parents from investing optimally in their children's human capital. Also finds that sibling inequality appears to be independent of parental wealth. (Contains 18 references.) (Author/PKP)

Germline Genetic IKZF1 Variation and Predisposition to Childhood Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia.

PubMed

Churchman, Michelle L; Qian, Maoxiang; Te Kronnie, Geertruy; Zhang, Ranran; Yang, Wenjian; Zhang, Hui; Lana, Tobia; Tedrick, Paige; Baskin, Rebekah; Verbist, Katherine; Peters, Jennifer L; Devidas, Meenakshi; Larsen, Eric; Moore, Ian M; Gu, Zhaohui; Qu, Chunxu; Yoshihara, Hiroki; Porter, Shaina N; Pruett-Miller, Shondra M; Wu, Gang; Raetz, Elizabeth; Martin, Paul L; Bowman, W Paul; Winick, Naomi; Mardis, Elaine; Fulton, Robert; Stanulla, Martin; Evans, William E; Relling, Mary V; Pui, Ching-Hon; Hunger, Stephen P; Loh, Mignon L; Handgretinger, Rupert; Nichols, Kim E; Yang, Jun J; Mullighan, Charles G

2018-05-14

Somatic genetic alterations of IKZF1, which encodes the lymphoid transcription factor IKAROS, are common in high-risk B-progenitor acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and are associated with poor prognosis. Such alterations result in the acquisition of stem cell-like features, overexpression of adhesion molecules causing aberrant cell-cell and cell-stroma interaction, and decreased sensitivity to tyrosine kinase inhibitors. Here we report coding germline IKZF1 variation in familial childhood ALL and 0.9% of presumed sporadic B-ALL, identifying 28 unique variants in 45 children. The majority of variants adversely affected IKZF1 function and drug responsiveness of leukemic cells. These results identify IKZF1 as a leukemia predisposition gene, and emphasize the importance of germline genetic variation in the development of both familial and sporadic ALL. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

MultiComponent Exercise and theRApeutic lifeStyle (CERgAS) intervention to improve physical performance and maintain independent living among urban poor older people--a cluster randomised controlled trial.

PubMed

Loh, Debbie Ann; Hairi, Noran Naqiah; Choo, Wan Yuen; Mohd Hairi, Farizah; Peramalah, Devi; Kandiben, Shathanapriya; Lee, Pek Ling; Gani, Norlissa; Madzlan, Mohamed Faris; Abd Hamid, Mohd Alif Idham; Akram, Zohaib; Chu, Ai Sean; Bulgiba, Awang; Cumming, Robert G

2015-02-11

The ability of older people to function independently is crucial as physical disability and functional limitation have profound impacts on health. Interventions that either delay the onset of frailty or attenuate its severity potentially have cascading benefits for older people, their families and society. This study aims to develop and evaluate the effectiveness of a multiComponent Exercise and theRApeutic lifeStyle (CERgAS) intervention program targeted at improving physical performance and maintaining independent living as compared to general health education among older people in an urban poor setting in Malaysia. This cluster randomised controlled trial will be a 6-week community-based intervention programme for older people aged 60 years and above from urban poor settings. A minimum of 164 eligible participants will be recruited from 8 clusters (low-cost public subsidised flats) and randomised to the intervention and control arm. This study will be underpinned by the Health Belief Model with an emphasis towards self-efficacy. The intervention will comprise multicomponent group exercise sessions, nutrition education, oral care education and on-going support and counselling. These will be complemented with a kit containing practical tips on exercise, nutrition and oral care after each session. Data will be collected over four time points; at baseline, immediately post-intervention, 3-months and 6-months follow-up. Findings from this trial will potentially provide valuable evidence to improve physical function and maintain independence among older people from low-resource settings. This will inform health policies and identify locally acceptable strategies to promote healthy aging, prevent and delay functional decline among older Malaysian adults. ISRCTN22749696.

Familial acute necrotizing encephalopathy without RANBP2 mutation: Poor outcome.

PubMed

Nishimura, Naoko; Higuchi, Yoshihisa; Kimura, Nobusuke; Nozaki, Fumihito; Kumada, Tomohiro; Hoshino, Ai; Saitoh, Makiko; Mizuguchi, Masashi

2016-11-01

Most childhood cases of acute necrotizing encephalopathy (ANE) involve neither family history nor recurrence. ANE occasionally occurs, however, as a familial disorder or recurs in Caucasian patients. A mutation of RAN-binding protein 2 (RANBP2) has been discovered in more than one half of familial or recurrent ANE patients. In contrast, there has been no report of this mutation in East Asia. Here, we report the first sibling cases of typical ANE in Japan, with poor outcome. DNA analysis of genes associated with ANE or other encephalopathies, including RANBP2 and carnitine palmitoyl transferase II (CPT2), indicated neither mutations nor disease-related polymorphisms. On literature review, recurrent or familial ANE without the RANBP2 mutation has a more severe outcome and greater predilection for male sex than that with the RANBP2 mutation. This suggests that there are unknown gene mutations linked to ANE. © 2016 Japan Pediatric Society.

Familial risk moderates the association between sleep and zBMI in children.

PubMed

Bagley, Erika J; El-Sheikh, Mona

2013-08-01

A cumulative risk approach was used to examine the moderating effect of familial risk factors on relations between actigraphy-based sleep quantity (minutes) and quality (efficiency) and sex- and age-standardized body mass index (zBMI). The sample included 124 boys and 104 girls with a mean age of 10.41 years (SD = 0.67). Children wore actigraphs for 1 week, and their height and weight were assessed in the lab. After controlling for potential confounds, multiple regression analyses indicated that sleep minutes predicted children's zBMI and that both sleep minutes and efficiency interacted with family risk in the prediction of zBMI. The association between poor sleep and zBMI was especially evident for children exposed to higher levels of family risk. Findings suggest that not all children who exhibit poor sleep are at equal risk for higher zBMI and that familial and contextual conditions need to be considered in this link.

Is the association between posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms and poor health due to a common familial or genetic factor?

PubMed Central

Roy-Byrne, Peter P.; Noonan, Carolyn; Afari, Niloofar; Buchwald, Dedra; Goldberg, Jack

2010-01-01

Objective The objective of this study was to identify genetic, familial and environmental contributions to the association between posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms and poor health. Methods A community sample of 1852 twin pairs was assessed for symptoms of PTSD [with the Impact of Events Scale (IES)] and self-reported global health status using a single five-level question. An ordinal logistic regression model estimated odds ratio/s (OR) for the association between PTSD and health status. Within-pair analysis assessed confounding by familial and genetic factors and adjusted for the possible confounding influence of age, sex, race, education and self-reported physician diagnosis of depression. Results The IES was strongly and significantly associated with self-reported health [OR = 1.8; 95% confidence interval (95% CI) = 1.5–2.2; highest quartile vs. lowest quartile]. This association remained significant in within-pair analysis (OR = 1.3; 95% CI=1.0–1.7), but after further adjustment for sociodemographics and depression, it was no longer significant (Ptrend=.17). Separate analysis by zygosity did not show differential effect in monozygotic or dizygotic pairs. Conclusion These findings suggest that the association between PTSD symptoms and poor health is, in part, due to familial confounding and sociodemographic factors. Little evidence of confounding by genetic factors was found. These findings suggest that early prevention efforts would have the greatest potential for improving poor health in PTSD-prone patients, whereas later intervention efforts directed at treating PTSD may have a more limited impact on improving poor health. PMID:16950376

Do race, neglect, and childhood poverty predict physical health in adulthood? A multilevel prospective analysis.

PubMed

Nikulina, Valentina; Widom, Cathy Spatz

2014-03-01

Childhood neglect and poverty often co-occur and both have been linked to poor physical health outcomes. In addition, Blacks have higher rates of childhood poverty and tend to have worse health than Whites. This paper examines the unique and interacting effects of childhood neglect, race, and family and neighborhood poverty on adult physical health outcomes. This prospective cohort design study uses a sample (N=675) of court-substantiated cases of childhood neglect and matched controls followed into adulthood (M(age)=41). Health indicators (C-Reactive Protein [CRP], hypertension, and pulmonary functioning) were assessed through blood collection and measurements by a registered nurse. Data were analyzed using hierarchical linear models to control for clustering of participants in childhood neighborhoods. Main effects showed that growing up Black predicted CRP and hypertension elevations, despite controlling for neglect and childhood family and neighborhood poverty and their interactions. Multivariate results showed that race and childhood adversities interacted to predict adult health outcomes. Childhood family poverty predicted increased risk for hypertension for Blacks, not Whites. In contrast, among Whites, childhood neglect predicted elevated CRP. Childhood neighborhood poverty interacted with childhood family poverty to predict pulmonary functioning in adulthood. Gender differences in health indicators were also observed. The effects of childhood neglect, childhood poverty, and growing up Black in the United States are manifest in physical health outcomes assessed 30 years later. Implications are discussed. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Family Assets and Child Outcomes: Evidence and Directions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Grinstein-Weiss, Michal; Williams Shanks, Trina R.; Beverly, Sondra G.

2014-01-01

For poor families, the possession of assets--savings accounts, homes, and the like--has the potential not only to relieve some of the stress of living in poverty but also to make a better future seem like a real possibility. If children in families that own certain assets fare better than children in families without them, then helping poor…

Family Factors Predict Treatment Outcome for Pediatric Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Peris, Tara S.; Sugar, Catherine A.; Bergman, R. Lindsey; Chang, Susanna; Langley, Audra; Piacentini, John

2012-01-01

Objective: To examine family conflict, parental blame, and poor family cohesion as predictors of treatment outcome for youths receiving family-focused cognitive behavioral therapy (FCBT) for obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Method: We analyzed data from a sample of youths who were randomized to FCBT (n = 49; 59% male; M age = 12.43 years) as…

Poverty and power

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hampton, J.

1974-07-01

The percent of total annual income spent on energy by US poor income status families is 19.89%. in comparison upper-middle income families spend 5.95% of total annual income on energy. Governmental policy can either emphasize the needs of corporations or the needs of people. The trickle down concept of social welfare, which actually lines the wallets of middle class pickpockets, must be replaced by a policy that does not forever doom the poor to second-class citizenship. (1 table)

Preschool Executive Functions, Single-Parent Status, and School Quality Predict Diverging Trajectories of Classroom Inattention in Elementary School

PubMed Central

Sasser, Tyler R.; Beekman, Charles R.; Bierman, Karen L.

2016-01-01

A sample of 356 children recruited from Head Start (58% European American, 25% African American, and 17% Hispanic; 54% girls; Mage ¼ 4.59 years) were followed longitudinally from prekindergarten through fifth grade. Latent profile analyses of teacher-rated inattention from kindergarten through third grade identified four developmental trajectories: stable low (53% of the sample), stable high (11.3%), rising over time (16.4%), and declining over time (19.3%). Children with stable low inattention had the best academic outcomes in fifth grade, and children exhibiting stable high inattention had the worst, with the others in between. Self-regulation difficulties in preschool (poor executive function skills and elevated opposition–aggression) differentiated children with rising versus stable low inattention. Elementary schools characterized by higher achievement differentiated children with declining versus stable high inattention. Boys and children from single-parent families were more likely to remain high or rise in inattention, whereas girls and children from dual-parent families were more likely to remain low or decline in inattention. PMID:25200465

Preschool executive functions, single-parent status, and school quality predict diverging trajectories of classroom inattention in elementary school.

PubMed

Sasser, Tyler R; Beekman, Charles R; Bierman, Karen L

2015-08-01

A sample of 356 children recruited from Head Start (58% European American, 25% African American, and 17% Hispanic; 54% girls; M age = 4.59 years) were followed longitudinally from prekindergarten through fifth grade. Latent profile analyses of teacher-rated inattention from kindergarten through third grade identified four developmental trajectories: stable low (53% of the sample), stable high (11.3%), rising over time (16.4%), and declining over time (19.3%). Children with stable low inattention had the best academic outcomes in fifth grade, and children exhibiting stable high inattention had the worst, with the others in between. Self-regulation difficulties in preschool (poor executive function skills and elevated opposition-aggression) differentiated children with rising versus stable low inattention. Elementary schools characterized by higher achievement differentiated children with declining versus stable high inattention. Boys and children from single-parent families were more likely to remain high or rise in inattention, whereas girls and children from dual-parent families were more likely to remain low or decline in inattention.

Identification of a BET family bromodomain/casein kinase II/TAF-containing complex as a regulator of mitotic condensin function.

PubMed

Kim, Hyun-Soo; Mukhopadhyay, Rituparna; Rothbart, Scott B; Silva, Andrea C; Vanoosthuyse, Vincent; Radovani, Ernest; Kislinger, Thomas; Roguev, Assen; Ryan, Colm J; Xu, Jiewei; Jahari, Harlizawati; Hardwick, Kevin G; Greenblatt, Jack F; Krogan, Nevan J; Fillingham, Jeffrey S; Strahl, Brian D; Bouhassira, Eric E; Edelmann, Winfried; Keogh, Michael-Christopher

2014-03-13

Condensin is a central regulator of mitotic genome structure with mutants showing poorly condensed chromosomes and profound segregation defects. Here, we identify NCT, a complex comprising the Nrc1 BET-family tandem bromodomain protein (SPAC631.02), casein kinase II (CKII), and several TAFs, as a regulator of condensin function. We show that NCT and condensin bind similar genomic regions but only briefly colocalize during the periods of chromosome condensation and decondensation. This pattern of NCT binding at the core centromere, the region of maximal condensin enrichment, tracks the abundance of acetylated histone H4, as regulated by the Hat1-Mis16 acetyltransferase complex and recognized by the first Nrc1 bromodomain. Strikingly, mutants in NCT or Hat1-Mis16 restore the formation of segregation-competent chromosomes in cells containing defective condensin. These results are consistent with a model where NCT targets CKII to chromatin in a cell-cycle-directed manner in order to modulate the activity of condensin during chromosome condensation and decondensation. Copyright © 2014 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Prevalence and predictors of posttraumatic stress symptoms in parents of children with ongoing treatment for cancer in South China: a multi-centered cross-sectional study.

PubMed

Shi, Lei; Gao, Yulin; Zhao, Jiubo; Cai, Ruiqing; Zhang, Ping; Hu, Yanqun; Li, Zhiying; Li, Yajie

2017-04-01

Parents of children with ongoing cancer treatment are exposed to risks of developing posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS), but little is known about the prevalence and predictors of PTSS among Chinese parents of children with cancer. This study aimed to examine the predictors of PTSS, and explored the correlation of depression, resilience, and family functions with severe PTSS. This cross-sectional survey was conducted from May 2014 to September 2015 among the parents of cancer children treated in four general hospitals in South China. PTSS in the parents were measured using post-traumatic stress checklist-civilian version (PCL-C). Multiple regression analyses were performed to evaluate the predictive values of depression, resilience, family functioning, and the demographic variables for severe PTSS. A total of 279 parents (192 mothers and 87 fathers) participated in the survey. Severe PTSS, as defined by a PCL-C score ≥50, were reported in 32.97% (n = 92) of the total participants, 26.44% (23/87) in the fathers and 35.94% (69/192) in the mothers. The level of PTSS was positively correlated with depression (r = 0.782, P < 0.01) and a poor general family function (r = 0.325, P < 0.01) and negatively correlated with resilience (r = -0.236, P < 0.01). Multivariate analyses indicated that depression, general family function, gender, and education level were significant predictive factors of severe PTSS in the overall parents, accounting for 64.2% of the variance in the prediction of PTSS (R 2  = 0.642, F = 122.602, P = 0.000). For the mothers, depression and family function accounted for 66.5% of the variance in the prediction of PTSS (R 2  = 0.665, F = 187.451, P = 0.000); for the fathers, depression and educational level accounted for 58.8% of the variance in the prediction of PTSS (R 2  = 0.588, F = 59.829, P = 0.000). Parents, especially the mothers, of children with ongoing treatment for cancer are at risk of developing PTSS. Supportive psychological interventions to attenuate the negative emotions of the parents and improve their family functions are important means to promote their natural protective mechanisms to cope with the stressful events.

Child Poverty and Its Lasting Consequence. Low-Income Working Families. Paper 21

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ratcliffe, Caroline; McKernan, Signe-Mary

2012-01-01

One in six newborns were born poor over the past 40 years, and nearly half remained poor half their childhoods. These persistently poor children are nearly 90 percent more likely than never-poor children to enter their 20s without completing high school and are four times more likely to give birth outside of marriage during their teenage years.…

Family interaction and a supportive social network as salutogenic factors in childhood atopic illness.

PubMed

Gustafsson, Per A; Kjellman, N-I Max; Björkstén, Bengt

2002-02-01

The role of psycho-social factors in the development of allergy was studied prospectively in 82 infants with a family history of atopy. The family participated in a standardized family test when the children were 18 months old. The ability to adjust to demands of the situation ('adaptability'), and the balance between emotional closeness and distance ('cohesion'), were assessed from videotapes by independent raters. Families rated as functional in both of these aspects were classified as 'functional', otherwise as 'dysfunctional'. The social network, life events, atopic symptoms (based on postal inquiries regarding symptoms answered by the parents, and on physical examinations), psychiatric symptoms, and socio-economic circumstances of the families were evaluated when the children were 18 months and 3 years of age. The children were classified as atopic (asthmatic symptoms or eczema) or as non-atopic. All but two children with atopic disease at 3 years of age had atopic disease before 18 months of age, while 32 of 60 children with atopic disease at 18 months of age had no problems by 3 years of age. An unbalanced family interplay at 18 months was associated with a relative risk (RR) of 1.99 for continuing atopic illness at 3 years of age (1.18 < RR < 3.37, p = 0.01). There was a weak positive confounding effect for smoking (RR reduced by 7%), eczema on three or more localizations (RR reduced by 4.5%), and the amount of cat allergen in household dust (RR reduced by 3%). Recovery from atopic illness between 18 months and 3 years of age was four times as probable in families with functional interaction and a good social supportive network when children were 18 months of age, than in dysfunctional families with a poor social network (74% versus 20% p < 0.01). Children with asthmatic symptoms showed more signs of emotional distress than did healthy children (p = 0.02). Dysfunctional family interaction patterns were more commonly observed in families of children who at 3 years of age still had atopic symptoms, than in children who had recovered. The patterns included expression of emotion and reaction to the needs of others, alternating between total disinterest and over-involvement (p = 0.02), lack of support and rejection of offered support (p = 0.01), a greater number of individual decisions without regard to the other family members (p = 0.04), and indistinct 'generational boundaries' (p = 0.04). We conclude that psychosocial factors, such as family interaction and a supportive social network, play a significant role in the course of atopic illness in early childhood and that measures which enhance family interaction and the social network could influence the course of the disease favorably.

Cardiac-locked bursts of muscle sympathetic nerve activity are absent in familial dysautonomia

PubMed Central

Macefield, Vaughan G; Norcliffe-Kaufmann, Lucy; Axelrod, Felicia B; Kaufmann, Horacio

2013-01-01

Familial dysautonomia (Riley–Day syndrome) is an hereditary sensory and autonomic neuropathy (HSAN type III), expressed at birth, that is associated with reduced pain and temperature sensibilities and absent baroreflexes, causing orthostatic hypotension as well as labile blood pressure that increases markedly during emotional excitement. Given the apparent absence of functional baroreceptor afferents, we tested the hypothesis that the normal cardiac-locked bursts of muscle sympathetic nerve activity (MSNA) are absent in patients with familial dysautonomia. Tungsten microelectrodes were inserted percutaneously into muscle or cutaneous fascicles of the common peroneal nerve in 12 patients with familial dysautonomia. Spontaneous bursts of MSNA were absent in all patients, but in five patients we found evidence of tonically firing sympathetic neurones, with no cardiac rhythmicity, that increased their spontaneous discharge during emotional arousal but not during a manoeuvre that unloads the baroreceptors. Conversely, skin sympathetic nerve activity (SSNA), recorded in four patients, appeared normal. We conclude that the loss of phasic bursts of MSNA and the loss of baroreflex modulation of muscle vasoconstrictor drive contributes to the poor control of blood pressure in familial dysautonomia, and that the increase in tonic firing of muscle vasoconstrictor neurones contributes to the increase in blood pressure during emotional excitement. PMID:23165765

Understanding burn injuries in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children: protocol for a prospective cohort study

PubMed Central

Ivers, Rebecca Q; Hunter, Kate; Clapham, Kathleen; Coombes, Julieann; Fraser, Sarah; Lo, Serigne; Gabbe, Belinda; Hendrie, Delia; Read, David; Kimble, Roy; Sparnon, Anthony; Stockton, Kellie; Simpson, Renee; Quinn, Linda; Towers, Kurt; Potokar, Tom; Mackean, Tamara; Grant, Julian; Lyons, Ronan A; Jones, Lindsey; Eades, Sandra; Daniels, John; Holland, Andrew J A

2015-01-01

Introduction Although Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in Australia have higher risk of burns compared with non-Aboriginal children, their access to burn care, particularly postdischarge care, is poorly understood, including the impact of care on functional outcomes. The objective of this study is to describe the burden of burns, access to care and functional outcomes in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in Australia, and develop appropriate models of care. Methods and analysis All Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children aged under 16 years of age (and their families) presenting with a burn to a tertiary paediatric burn unit in 4 Australian States (New South Wales (NSW), Queensland, Northern Territory (NT), South Australia (SA)) will be invited to participate. Participants and carers will complete a baseline questionnaire; follow-ups will be completed at 3, 6, 12 and 24 months. Data collected will include sociodemographic information; out of pocket costs; functional outcome; and measures of pain, itch and scarring. Health-related quality of life will be measured using the PedsQL, and impact of injury using the family impact scale. Clinical data and treatment will also be recorded. Around 225 participants will be recruited allowing complete data on around 130 children. Qualitative data collected by in-depth interviews with families, healthcare providers and policymakers will explore the impact of burn injury and outcomes on family life, needs of patients and barriers to healthcare; interviews with families will be conducted by experienced Aboriginal research staff using Indigenous methodologies. Health systems mapping will describe the provision of care. Ethics and dissemination The study has been approved by ethics committees in NSW, SA, NT and Queensland. Study results will be distributed to community members by study newsletters, meetings and via the website; to policymakers and clinicians via policy fora, presentations and publication in peer-reviewed journals. PMID:26463225

On the right track. The integrated IEC campaign succeeds in recruiting many acceptors in a fishing commune.

PubMed

Hata, K

1995-01-01

The Population and Family Planning Committee of Quangnam Danang Province's integrated information, education, and communication (IEC) campaign promotes late marriage, having two children, and spacing births from 3 to 5 years. The total fertility rate (TFR) in the province is 3.4. One urgent priority of the committee is to tackle poverty by reducing the rapid rate of natural population increase in rural areas. Xa Cam Ha is a poor, rice-producing commune of population 11,114 in which family planning used to be widely unaccepted among families. TFR in the commune is now slightly less than 3. The steady promotion of the Population and Family Planning Program has encouraged couples to accept and practice family planning such that the rate of natural increase fell from 2.0% in 1985 to 1.8% in 1994. Financial incentives are also offered to family planning acceptors; poor acceptors are eligible for loans from the People's Committee to start income-generating activities. More and more couples are accepting family planning.

Poverty, Family Process, and the Mental Health of Immigrant Children in Canada

PubMed Central

Beiser, Morton; Hou, Feng; Hyman, Ilene; Tousignant, Michel

2002-01-01

Objectives. This study examined the differential effects of poverty on the mental health of foreign-born children, Canadian-born children of immigrant parents, and children of nonimmigrant parents. Methods. Secondary analysis of data from a national Canadian study of children between 4 and 11 years of age was conducted. Results. Compared with their receiving-society counterparts, foreign-born children were more than twice as likely to live in poor families, but they had lower levels of emotional and behavioral problems. The effect of poverty on children's mental health among long-term immigrant and receiving-society families was indirect and primarily mediated by single-parent status, ineffective parenting, parental depression, and family dysfunction. In comparison, the mental health effect of poverty among foreign-born children could not be explained by the disadvantages that poor families often suffer. Conclusions. Poverty may represent a transient and inevitable part of the resettlement process for new immigrant families. For long-stay immigrant and receiving-society families, however, poverty probably is not part of an unfolding process; instead, it is the nadir of a cycle of disadvantage. PMID:11818295

Working Poor Families in the Chicago Metropolitan Area. Statistical Profile and Proceedings of the Working Poor Policy Forum (Chicago, Illinois, December 8, 1993).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Latino Inst., Chicago, IL.

A statistical profile of the working poor in Chicago (Illinois) and the proceedings of the Working Poor Policy Forum held to discuss the findings of the profile are presented. In America it is supposed to be impossible to work and remain chronically poor, but in fact this is not the case. There are many ways to define the income working families…

The impact of displacement on the expression of depressive disorder and social functioning among the war refugees.

PubMed

Radanović-Grgurić, Ljiljana; Barkić, Jelena; Filaković, Pavo; Koić, Oliver; Laufer, Davor; Petek, Anamarija; Mandić, Nikola

2009-12-01

Our research objective was to estimate the characteristics of major depressive disorder and social adaptation of women displaced during the war in Croatia in the early 1990s. We aimed to establish the relationship between major depressive disorder and displacement and study its impact on the outcome of depression in order to improve treatment and avoid possible complications. A group of 20 women, 35 to 55 years of age, displaced some time during the 199l.-1995. war in Croatia were compared to 27 women of the same age but with no experience of exile. All the patients suffered from major depressive disorder based upon DSM-IV diagnostic criteria. The Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression, the Zung Self Rating Depression Scale and the Social Adaptation Self-evaluation Scale were used. The objective intensity of depression of the displaced significantly decreased over time but not their personal experience of depression. All depressed patients manifested poor social adaptation. Many aspects of social functioning remained poor even after the improvement of depressive disorder. Displacement characteristics were: the length of time spent in exile, the place, and the circumstances of displacement regarding the members of the family accompanying the displaced women. These characteristics significantly influenced the expression of their major depressive disorder as well as social functioning. Displaced persons/refugees are at high risk of developing depressive disorder. Recognition of all risk factors and early diagnosis of depressive disorder followed by appropriate treatment could decrease the risk of chronic and complicated depression as well as the risk of poor social adaptation.

Sleep, anxiety and fatigue in family members of patients admitted to the intensive care unit: a questionnaire study

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Introduction Family members of critically ill patients often experience increased incidence of physical and mental health issues. One of the first ways family members suffer is by losing sleep. The purpose of this study is to understand sleep quality, levels of fatigue and anxiety, and factors contributing to poor sleep in adult family members of critically ill patients. Methods A questionnaire was designed to evaluate sleep, fatigue and anxiety during the intensive care unit (ICU) admission. We incorporated three validated instruments: General Sleep Disturbance Scale (GSDS), Beck Anxiety Index (BAI) and Lee Fatigue Scale (NRS-F). Adult family members of patients in ICU for more than 24 hours were approached for questionnaire completion. Patient demographics were recorded. Results The study population consisted of 94 respondents, (49.1 ± 12.9 years, 52.7% male); 43.6% were children and 21.3% were spouses of ICU patients. Sleep quality was rated as poor/very poor by 43.5% of respondents, and good/very good by 15.2%. The most common factors contributing to poor sleep were anxiety (43.6%), tension (28.7%) and fear (24.5%). Respondents' most common suggestions to improve sleep were more information regarding the patient's health (24.5%) and relaxation techniques (21.3%). Mean GSDS score was 38.2 ± 19.3, with 58.1% of respondents experiencing moderate to severe sleep disturbance. Mean BAI was 12.3 ± 10.2, with 20.7% of respondents experiencing moderate to severe anxiety. Mean NRS-F was 3.8 ± 2.5, with 57.6% of respondents experiencing moderate to high fatigue. Family members who spent one or more nights in the hospital had significantly higher GSDS, BAI and NRS-F scores. The patient's Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE) II score at survey completion correlated significantly with family members' GSDS, BAI and NRS-F. Conclusion The majority of family members of ICU patients experience moderate to severe sleep disturbance and fatigue, and mild anxiety. PMID:23705988

Tubby family proteins are adapters for ciliary trafficking of integral membrane proteins

PubMed Central

Shimada, Issei S.; Loriot, Evan

2017-01-01

The primary cilium is a paradigmatic organelle for studying compartmentalized signaling; however, unlike soluble protein trafficking, processes targeting integral membrane proteins to cilia are poorly understood. In this study, we determine that the tubby family protein TULP3 functions as a general adapter for ciliary trafficking of structurally diverse integral membrane cargo, including multiple reported and novel rhodopsin family G protein–coupled receptors (GPCRs) and the polycystic kidney disease–causing polycystin 1/2 complex. The founding tubby family member TUB also localizes to cilia similar to TULP3 and determines trafficking of a subset of these GPCRs to neuronal cilia. Using minimal ciliary localization sequences from GPCRs and fibrocystin (also implicated in polycystic kidney disease), we demonstrate these motifs to be sufficient and TULP3 dependent for ciliary trafficking. We propose a three-step model for TULP3/TUB-mediated ciliary trafficking, including the capture of diverse membrane cargo by the tubby domain in a phosphoinositide 4,5-bisphosphate (PI(4,5)P2)-dependent manner, ciliary delivery by intraflagellar transport complex A binding to the TULP3/TUB N terminus, and subsequent release into PI(4,5)P2-deficient ciliary membrane. PMID:28154160

Brief report: Service implementation and maternal distress surrounding evaluation recommendations for young children diagnosed with autism

PubMed Central

Warren, Zachary; Vehorn, Alison; Dohrmann, Elizabeth; Newsom, Cassandra; Taylor, Julie Lounds

2014-01-01

There is limited evidence surrounding the ability of families of children with autism spectrum disorders to access and implement recommended interventions following diagnosis. The distress a family may encounter with regard to inability to access recommended services is also poorly understood. In this study, we present preliminary data regarding implementation of clinical recommendations following autism spectrum disorder diagnosis as well as associations of implementation with maternal functioning. In total, 75 mothers of young children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder through a university-based preschool autism clinic returned surveys regarding access to recommended services as well as maternal mental health and distress. Results indicate that while families were able to implement numerous recommendations, specific categories of intervention were less likely to be received. Challenges implementing recommended services were not related to increased maternal distress. These results suggest that despite potential barriers toward accessing some specific recommended services following diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder, many families may be quite successful in implementing many other core recommended services and that failure to access such services may not necessarily negatively impact maternal mental health and distress. PMID:23045221

The catalytic mechanism of dye-decolorizing peroxidase DyP may require the swinging movement of an aspartic acid residue.

PubMed

Yoshida, Toru; Tsuge, Hideaki; Konno, Hiroki; Hisabori, Toru; Sugano, Yasushi

2011-07-01

The dye-decolorizing peroxidase (DyP)-type peroxidase family is a unique heme peroxidase family. The primary and tertiary structures of this family are obviously different from those of other heme peroxidases. However, the details of the structure-function relationships of this family remain poorly understood. We show four high-resolution structures of DyP (EC1.11.1.19), which is representative of this family: the native DyP (1.40 Å), the D171N mutant DyP (1.42 Å), the native DyP complexed with cyanide (1.45 Å), and the D171N mutant DyP associated with cyanide (1.40 Å). These structures contain four amino acids forming the binding pocket for hydrogen peroxide, and they are remarkably conserved in this family. Moreover, these structures show that OD2 of Asp171 accepts a proton from hydrogen peroxide in compound I formation, and that OD2 can swing to the appropriate position in response to the ligand for heme iron. On the basis of these results, we propose a swing mechanism in compound I formation. When DyP reacts with hydrogen peroxide, OD2 swings towards an optimal position to accept the proton from hydrogen peroxide bound to the heme iron. © 2011 The Authors Journal compilation © 2011 FEBS.

Parental Separation, Parental Alcoholism, and Timing of First Sexual Intercourse

PubMed Central

Waldron, Mary; Doran, Kelly A.; Bucholz, Kathleen K.; Duncan, Alexis E.; Lynskey, Michael T.; Madden, Pamela A. F.; Sartor, Carolyn E.; Heath, Andrew C.

2015-01-01

Purpose We examined timing of first voluntary sexual intercourse as a joint function of parental separation during childhood and parental history of alcoholism. Methods Data were drawn from a birth cohort of female like-sex twins (n=569 African Ancestry [AA], n=3415 European or other Ancestry [EA]). Cox proportional hazards regression was conducted predicting age at first sex from dummy variables coding for parental separation and parental alcoholism. Propensity score analysis was also employed comparing intact and separated families, stratified by predicted probability of separation. Results Earlier sex was reported by EA twins from separated and alcoholic families, compared to EA twins from intact nonalcoholic families, with effects most pronounced through age 14. Among AA twins, effects of parental separation and parental alcoholism were largely nonsignificant. Results of propensity score analyses confirmed unique risks from parental separation in EA families, where consistent effects of parental separation were observed across predicted probability of separation. For AA families there was poor matching on risk-factors presumed to predate separation, which limited interpretability of survival-analytic findings. Conclusions In European American families, parental separation during childhood is an important predictor of early-onset sex, beyond parental alcoholism and other correlated risk-factors. To characterize risk for African Americans associated with parental separation, additional research is needed where matching on confounders can be achieved. PMID:25907653

The Arabidopsis PLAT domain protein1 is critically involved in abiotic stress tolerance.

PubMed

Hyun, Tae Kyung; van der Graaff, Eric; Albacete, Alfonso; Eom, Seung Hee; Großkinsky, Dominik K; Böhm, Hannah; Janschek, Ursula; Rim, Yeonggil; Ali, Walid Wahid; Kim, Soo Young; Roitsch, Thomas

2014-01-01

Despite the completion of the Arabidopsis genome sequence, for only a relatively low percentage of the encoded proteins experimental evidence concerning their function is available. Plant proteins that harbour a single PLAT (Polycystin, Lipoxygenase, Alpha-toxin and Triacylglycerol lipase) domain and belong to the PLAT-plant-stress protein family are ubiquitously present in monocot and dicots. However, the function of PLAT-plant-stress proteins is still poorly understood. Therefore, we have assessed the function of the uncharacterised Arabidopsis PLAT-plant-stress family members through a combination of functional genetic and physiological approaches. PLAT1 overexpression conferred increased abiotic stress tolerance, including cold, drought and salt stress, while loss-of-function resulted in opposite effects on abiotic stress tolerance. Strikingly, PLAT1 promoted growth under non-stressed conditions. Abiotic stress treatments induced PLAT1 expression and caused expansion of its expression domain. The ABF/ABRE transcription factors, which are positive mediators of abscisic acid signalling, activate PLAT1 promoter activity in transactivation assays and directly bind to the ABRE elements located in this promoter in electrophoretic mobility shift assays. This suggests that PLAT1 represents a novel downstream target of the abscisic acid signalling pathway. Thus, we showed that PLAT1 critically functions as positive regulator of abiotic stress tolerance, but also is involved in regulating plant growth, and thereby assigned a function to this previously uncharacterised PLAT domain protein. The functional data obtained for PLAT1 support that PLAT-plant-stress proteins in general could be promising targets for improving abiotic stress tolerance without yield penalty.

The Arabidopsis PLAT Domain Protein1 Is Critically Involved in Abiotic Stress Tolerance

PubMed Central

Eom, Seung Hee; Großkinsky, Dominik K.; Böhm, Hannah; Janschek, Ursula; Rim, Yeonggil; Ali, Walid Wahid; Kim, Soo Young; Roitsch, Thomas

2014-01-01

Despite the completion of the Arabidopsis genome sequence, for only a relatively low percentage of the encoded proteins experimental evidence concerning their function is available. Plant proteins that harbour a single PLAT (Polycystin, Lipoxygenase, Alpha-toxin and Triacylglycerol lipase) domain and belong to the PLAT-plant-stress protein family are ubiquitously present in monocot and dicots. However, the function of PLAT-plant-stress proteins is still poorly understood. Therefore, we have assessed the function of the uncharacterised Arabidopsis PLAT-plant-stress family members through a combination of functional genetic and physiological approaches. PLAT1 overexpression conferred increased abiotic stress tolerance, including cold, drought and salt stress, while loss-of-function resulted in opposite effects on abiotic stress tolerance. Strikingly, PLAT1 promoted growth under non-stressed conditions. Abiotic stress treatments induced PLAT1 expression and caused expansion of its expression domain. The ABF/ABRE transcription factors, which are positive mediators of abscisic acid signalling, activate PLAT1 promoter activity in transactivation assays and directly bind to the ABRE elements located in this promoter in electrophoretic mobility shift assays. This suggests that PLAT1 represents a novel downstream target of the abscisic acid signalling pathway. Thus, we showed that PLAT1 critically functions as positive regulator of abiotic stress tolerance, but also is involved in regulating plant growth, and thereby assigned a function to this previously uncharacterised PLAT domain protein. The functional data obtained for PLAT1 support that PLAT-plant-stress proteins in general could be promising targets for improving abiotic stress tolerance without yield penalty. PMID:25396746

Predictors of parent-child agreement on child anxiety diagnoses on the ADIS-IV-C/P.

PubMed

Hamblin, Rebecca J; Salloum, Alison; Andel, Ross; Nadeau, Joshua M; McBride, Nicole M; Lewin, Adam B; Storch, Eric A

2016-11-30

Diagnostic agreement between parents' and children's reports on children's anxiety problems is notoriously poor; however, very few investigations have examined specific predictors of inter-rater agreement on child anxiety diagnoses. This study examined predictors of categories of parent and child diagnostic endorsement on the Anxiety Disorders Interview Schedule for Children-IV. One hundred eight children (ages 7-13) and their parents completed structured diagnostic interviews for non-OCD/PTSD anxiety diagnoses and paper and pencil measures of functioning and impairment in a variety of domains. Parent-child agreement was statistically significant for social phobia and separation anxiety disorder, but was overall poor for all anxiety diagnoses. Externalizing disorder status, family accommodation frequency, and child rated impairment in various domains differentially predicted informant discrepancies for different anxiety disorders. These data are among the first to suggest variables that may explain parent-child concordance. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd.

Linking Family Characteristics with Poor Peer Relations: The Mediating Role of Conduct Problems

PubMed Central

Bierman, Karen Linn; Smoot, David L.

2012-01-01

Parent, teacher, and peer ratings were collected for 75 grade school boys to test the hypothesis that certain family interaction patterns would be associated with poor peer relations. Path analyses provided support for a mediational model, in which punitive and ineffective discipline was related to child conduct problems in home and school settings which, in turn, predicted poor peer relations. Further analyses suggested that distinct subgroups of boys could be identified who exhibited conduct problems at home only, at school only, in both settings, or in neither setting. Boys who exhibited cross-situational conduct problems were more likely to experience multiple concurrent problems (e.g., in both home and school settings) and were more likely than any other group to experience poor peer relations. However, only about one-third of the boys with poor peer relations in this sample exhibited problem profiles consistent with the proposed model (e.g., experienced high rates of punitive/ineffective home discipline and exhibited conduct problems in home and school settings), suggesting that the proposed model reflects one common (but not exclusive) pathway to poor peer relations. PMID:1865049

Perceptions of family planning among low-income men in Western Kenya.

PubMed

Wambui, T; Ek, A-C; Alehagen, S

2009-09-01

Men have rarely been involved in either receiving or providing information on sexuality, reproductive health or birth spacing. They have also been ignored or excluded in one way or the other from participating in many family planning programmes as family planning is viewed as a woman's affair. To describe the perceptions of family planning among low-income men in Western Kenya. A qualitative study using focus group interviews and content analysis was conducted, with 64 men aged 15-54 years participating actively. Perceptions of family planning were manifold. For example, some perceived it as meaning having the number of children one is able to provide for. Most men knew about traditional and modern methods of birth control, although their knowledge was poor and misconceived. Modern methods were thought to give side effects, discouraging family planning. Low instances of family planning were also because of the fact that culturally, children are considered wealth. A law advocating family size limitation was regarded as necessary for the future. Men's perceptions of family planning are manifold. Their knowledge about contraception is poor and sometimes misconceived. Preferences regarding a child's gender are strong, thus attitudes and cultural beliefs that might hinder family planning have to be considered. A policy on male contraception and contraceptive services is seen as necessary.

Influence of family dynamics on burden among family caregivers in aging Japan

PubMed Central

Kusaba, Tesshu; Sato, Kotaro; Fukuma, Shingo; Yamada, Yukari; Matsui, Yoshinori; Matsuda, Satoshi; Ando, Takashi; Sakushima, Ken; Fukuhara, Shunichi

2016-01-01

Background. Long-term care for the elderly is largely shouldered by their family, representing a serious burden in a hyper-aging society. However, although family dynamics are known to play an important role in such care, the influence of caring for the elderly on burden among caregiving family members is poorly understood. Objective. To examine the influence of family dynamics on burden experienced by family caregivers. Methods. We conducted a cross-sectional study at six primary care clinics, involving 199 caregivers of adult care receivers who need long-term care. Participants were divided into three groups based on tertile of Index of Family Dynamics for Long-term Care (IF-Long score), where higher scores imply poorer relationships between care receivers and caregiving family: best, <2; intermediate, 2 to <5; worst, ≥5. The mean differences in burden index of caregivers (BIC-11) between the three groups were estimated by linear regression model with adjustment for care receiver’s activity of daily living and cognitive function. Results. Mean age of caregivers was 63.2 years (with 40.7% aged ≥ 65 years). BIC-11 scores were higher in the worst IF-Long group (adjusted mean difference: 4.4, 95% confidence interval: 1.2 to 7.5) than in the best IF-Long group. We also detected a positive trend between IF-Long score and BIC-11 score (P-value for trend <0.01). Conclusion. Our findings indicate that family dynamics strongly influences burden experienced by caregiving family members, regardless of the care receiver’s degree of cognitive impairment. These results underscore the importance of evaluating relationships between care receivers and their caregivers when discussing a care regimen for care receivers. PMID:27450988

[Vulnerability to depression in children and adolescents: update and perspectives].

PubMed

Purper-Ouakil, D; Michel, G; Mouren-Siméoni, M-C

2002-01-01

Depression in children and adolescents is associated with poor psychosocial functioning, high psychiatric comorbidity, risk of recurrent episodes or onset of bipolar disorder. These findings emphasize the importance of early identification of children and adolescents having elevated risk for future depression and further development, evaluation and greater availability of prevention strategies. Our review aims an update about depressive vulnerability in children and adolescents in the perspective of better identification of at-risk populations and targeting of prevention programs. Psychopathology, in particular anxiety and disruptive disorders are well identified risk-factors for later depression. Subclinical depressive symptomatology, also termed "demoralization", also identifies high-risk populations, likely to become incident cases of depression. It is still unclear whether this condition is prodromal depression, a specific clinical entity or the expression of biological and/or cognitive vulnerability. Familial risk for depressive disorders involves both genetic and psychosocial factors. Marital discord, poor communication and dysfunctional parenting practices are often present in families with affective disorders and can be implicated in increased depressive vulnerability in the offspring. Research on individual vulnerability in children and adolescents has focused on temperamental and cognitive characteristics. Temperament traits describe individual differences in reactivity and behavior. High emotionality, defined as the tendency to become upset easily and intensely has been associated with an increased risk for subsequent major depression. However, as the majority of high scorers will not become depressive cases, emotionality should not be the only criterion for selection of at-risk populations. Cognitive style including poor self esteem, low social competence and negative attributions are also associated with increased likelihood of depressive symptoms, but their predictive value for the onset of clinical depressive episodes needs further investigation. Familial and individual vulnerability is likely to heighten the depressogenic impact of life events and psycho-social adversity. Prevention interventions have been developed in the United States for children and adolescents at-risk for depression. In France, clinicians witness growing demands from families with affective illness concerned with risk of parent-child transmission of depressive vulnerability, prevention and early identification of symptoms. To meet this kind of emerging needs and to prevent family dysfunction, a preventive program targets offspring of depressed parents and uses clinician-based family approaches. Family and individual sessions aim a better understanding of illness experience and encourage the parents to identify and foster resilience in their children. Another type of preventive intervention focuses on children and adolescents with subclinical depressive symptoms, eventually associated with behavioral problems ou high level of parental conflict, recruited in school settings. These school-based interventions combine cognitive and social problem-solving techniques. Both familial and school-based preventive interventions have proven applicable and promising in high-risk children and adolescents. Perspectives are more systematic identification of risk groups, including youngsters with past or current non affective symptoms who might benefit from depression prevention, long-term evaluation and cross-cultural applications of prevention programs.

Boosting Family Income to Promote Child Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Duncan, Greg J.; Magnuson, Katherine; Votruba-Drzal, Elizabeth

2014-01-01

Families who live in poverty face disadvantages that can hinder their children's development in many ways, write Greg Duncan, Katherine Magnuson, and Elizabeth Votruba-Drzal. As they struggle to get by economically, and as they cope with substandard housing, unsafe neighborhoods, and inadequate schools, poor families experience more stress in…

Resilience of Families Living in Poverty

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mullin, Walter J.; Arce, Miguel

2008-01-01

The purpose of this paper is to examine the ways that community social workers reflect the established literature on family resilience. This exploratory study involved semistructured group interviews with community social workers from an urban agency that serves families who are poor. The analysis was completed by comparing Walsh's "Key Processes…

Strengthening Fragile Families through Research and Practice

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bembry, James X.

2011-01-01

Almost one third of all children in the United States are born to unmarried parents. This figure is even higher among poor and minority populations. Because of their heightened risk for economic and social problems and family dissolution, disadvantaged, unmarried parents have been called "fragile families." In 2002 the Bush administration…

Implementing a Conditional Cash Transfer Program in Two American Cities: Early Lessons from Family Rewards 2.0

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dechausay, Nadine; Miller, Cynthia; Quiroz-Becerra, Victoria

2014-01-01

In 2007, New York City launched the first test of a conditional cash transfer program in the United States. Called Family Rewards, the program sought to break the intergenerational cycle of poverty by offering cash assistance to poor families to reduce immediate hardship, but conditioned this assistance on families' efforts to improve their…

Correlation between Family Environment and Suicidal Ideation in University Students in China

PubMed Central

Zhai, Hui; Bai, Bing; Chen, Lu; Han, Dong; Wang, Lin; Qiao, Zhengxue; Qiu, Xiaohui; Yang, Xiuxian; Yang, Yanjie

2015-01-01

Background: This study investigated the association between suicidal ideation and family environment. The sample included 5183 Chinese university students. A number of studies on suicidal ideation have focused on individuals rather than families. This paper reviews the general principles of suicidal ideation and the consequences resulting from the family environment. Methods: This study used six different colleges as the dataset, which included 2645 males and 2538 females. Students were questioned with respect to social demographics and suicidal ideation factors. The data were analyzed with factor and logistic analyses to determine the association between suicidal ideation and poor family environment. Results: The prevalence of suicidal ideation was 9.2% (476/5183). Most participants with suicidal ideation had significant similarities: they had poor family structures and relationships, their parents had unstable work, and their parents used improper parenting styles. Female students were more likely to have suicidal thoughts than male students. Conclusions: This study shows that suicidal ideation is a public health issue among Chinese university students and demonstrates the importance of considering the family environment when examining university students’ suicidal ideation. Understanding family-related suicidal ideation risk factors can help to predict and prevent suicides among university students. PMID:25633031

Correlation between family environment and suicidal ideation in university students in China.

PubMed

Zhai, Hui; Bai, Bing; Chen, Lu; Han, Dong; Wang, Lin; Qiao, Zhengxue; Qiu, Xiaohui; Yang, Xiuxian; Yang, Yanjie

2015-01-27

This study investigated the association between suicidal ideation and family environment. The sample included 5183 Chinese university students. A number of studies on suicidal ideation have focused on individuals rather than families. This paper reviews the general principles of suicidal ideation and the consequences resulting from the family environment. This study used six different colleges as the dataset, which included 2645 males and 2538 females. Students were questioned with respect to social demographics and suicidal ideation factors. The data were analyzed with factor and logistic analyses to determine the association between suicidal ideation and poor family environment. The prevalence of suicidal ideation was 9.2% (476/5183). Most participants with suicidal ideation had significant similarities: they had poor family structures and relationships, their parents had unstable work, and their parents used improper parenting styles. Female students were more likely to have suicidal thoughts than male students. This study shows that suicidal ideation is a public health issue among Chinese university students and demonstrates the importance of considering the family environment when examining university students' suicidal ideation. Understanding family-related suicidal ideation risk factors can help to predict and prevent suicides among university students.

Unmeasured Costs of a Child's Death: Perceived Financial Burden, Work Disruptions, and Economic Coping Strategies Used by American and Australian Families Who Lost Children to Cancer

PubMed Central

Dussel, Veronica; Bona, Kira; Heath, John A.; Hilden, Joanne M.; Weeks, Jane C.; Wolfe, Joanne

2011-01-01

Purpose Financial concerns represent a major stressor for families of children with cancer but remain poorly understood among those with terminally ill children. We describe the financial hardship, work disruptions, income loss, and coping strategies of families who lost children to cancer. Methods Retrospective cross-sectional survey of 141 American and 89 Australian bereaved parents whose children died between 1990 and 1999 and 1996 to 2004, respectively, at three tertiary-care pediatric hospitals (two American, one Australian). Response rate: 63%. Results Thirty-four (24%) of 141 families from US centers and 34 (39%) of 88 families from the Australian center reported a great deal of financial hardship resulting from their children's illness. Work disruptions were substantial (84% in the United States, 88% in Australia). Australian families were more likely to report quitting a job (49% in Australia v 35% in the United States; P = .037). Sixty percent of families lost more than 10% of their annual income as a result of work disruptions. Australians were more likely to lose more than 40% of their income (34% in Australia v 19% in the United States; P = .035). Poor families experienced the greatest income loss. After accounting for income loss, 16% of American and 22% of Australian families dropped below the poverty line. Financial hardship was associated with poverty and income loss in all centers. Fundraising was the most common financial coping strategy (52% in the United States v 33% in Australia), followed by reduced spending. Conclusion In these US and Australian centers, significant household-level financial effects of a child's death as a result of cancer were observed, especially for poor families. Interventions aimed at reducing the effects of income loss may ease financial distress. PMID:21205758

Effects of paraplegia on quality of life and family economy among patients with spinal cord injuries in selected hospitals of Sri Lanka.

PubMed

Kalyani, H H N; Dassanayake, S; Senarath, U

2015-06-01

The study was conducted with the aim of assessing the effects of paraplegia caused by spinal cord injuries on the quality of life of patients and their family economy. A descriptive cross-sectional study. The study was carried out in Accident Service, Orthopedic and Neurosurgery Units of the National Hospital of Sri Lanka and the Spinal Injury Unit of Rehabilitation Hospital Ragama. One hundred traumatic paraplegic patients were included as the study sample. Modified Ferrans and Powers quality of life index: spinal cord injury version was used to measure the quality of life. Pre- and post-family economic data were collected using an interviewer-administered questionnaire. Quality of Life was calculated under four major components. Paraplegics' family component (mean=3.50) and social, economic aspects (mean=3.24) are considerably good when compared with health and functioning (mean=2.83) and psychological (mean=2.78) components. Also the study revealed that expenditures are significantly high (P=0.001) and income is significantly less (P=0.001) after injury than before. Quality of life is relatively good on family and social aspects, whereas the physical and psychological aspects are somewhat poor. Regarding family economy, expenses are significantly high and earnings are significantly less after the injury. Contribution to the income from self-employment shows the most significant decline. Findings suggest that the family economy of such patients should be supported.

The views of key stakeholders in Zimbabwe on the introduction of postgraduate family medicine training: A qualitative study.

PubMed

Sururu, Cherifa; Mash, Robert

2017-09-12

Strengthening primary health care (PHC) is a priority for all effective health systems, and family physicians are seen as a key member of the PHC team. Zimbabwe has joined a number of African countries that are seriously considering the introduction of postgraduate family medicine training. Implementation of training, however, has not yet happened. To explore the views of key stakeholders on the introduction of postgraduate family medicine training. Key academic, governmental and professional stakeholders in Zimbabwean health and higher education systems. Twelve semi-structured interviews were conducted with purposively selected key stakeholders. Data were recorded, transcribed and analysed using the framework method. Anticipated benefits: More effective functioning of PHC and district health services with reduced referrals, improved access to more comprehensive services and improved clinical outcomes. Opportunities: International trend towards family medicine training, government support, availability of a small group of local trainers, need to revise PHC policy. Anticipated barriers: Family medicine is unattractive as a career choice because it is largely unknown to newly qualified doctors and may not be recognised in private sector. There is concern that advocacy is mainly coming from the private sector. Threats: Economic conditions, poor remuneration, lack of funding for resources and new initiatives, resistance from other specialists in private sector. Stakeholders anticipated significant benefits from the introduction of family medicine training and identified a number of opportunities that support this, but also recognised the existence of major barriers and threats to successful implementation.

Low family income and behavior problems in Norwegian preschoolers: Is child emotionality a marker for sensitivity of influence?

PubMed Central

Bøe, Tormod; Hysing, Mari; Zachrisson, Henrik Daae

2016-01-01

Background Poor children have higher rates of mental health problems compared to more affluent peers, also in progressive welfare states like Norway. Temperamental characteristics may render some children more sensitive to the adverse influence of poor economy. Objective The current study examined the direct associations between family income-to-needs and mental health, and assessed moderation by early temperamental characteristics (i.e., emotionality). Method Using data from the Norwegian Mother and Child Cohort Study, associations between income-to-needs across children's first three years, and internalizing and externalizing problems when children were five years old were examined. Differential sensitivity to family income-to-needs was assessed by investigating how emotionality, when children were one-and-a-half and three years old, moderated these associations. Results Significant main effects of income-to-needs and emotionality, and a significant interaction effect between income-to-needs and emotionality was found for externalizing problems, but not for internalizing problems. Conclusion Children in poor families with an emotionally reactive temperament had higher scores on externalizing problems when they were five compared to their less emotionally reactive peers. PMID:27035694

Quality of life in children with new-onset epilepsy

PubMed Central

Ferro, Mark A.; Camfield, Carol S.; Huang, Wenyi; Levin, Simon D.; Smith, Mary Lou; Wiebe, Samuel; Zou, Guangyong

2012-01-01

Objectives: To assess health-related quality of life (HRQL) over 2 years in children 4−12 years old with new-onset epilepsy and risk factors. Methods: Data are from a multicenter prospective cohort study, the Health-Related Quality of Life Study in Children with Epilepsy Study (HERQULES). Parents reported on children's HRQL and family factors and neurologists on clinical characteristics 4 times. Mean subscale and summary scores were computed for HRQL. Individual growth curve models identified trajectories of change in HRQL scores. Multiple regression identified baseline risk factors for HRQL 2 years later. Results: A total of 374 (82) questionnaires were returned postdiagnosis and 283 (62%) of eligible parents completed all 4. Growth rates for HRQL summary scores were most rapid during the first 6 months and then stabilized. About one-half experienced clinically meaningful improvements in HRQL, one-third maintained their same level, and one-fifth declined. Compared with the general population, at 2 years our sample scored significantly lower on one-third of CHQ subscales and the psychosocial summary. After controlling for baseline HRQL, cognitive problems, poor family functioning, and high family demands were risk factors for poor HRQL 2 years later. Conclusions: On average, HRQL was relatively good but with highly variable individual trajectories. At least one-half did not experience clinically meaningful improvements or declined over 2 years. Cognitive problems were the strongest risk factor for compromised HRQL 2 years after diagnosis and may be largely responsible for declines in the HRQL of children newly diagnosed with epilepsy. PMID:23019268

Rural exposure during medical education and student preference for future practice location - a case of Botswana.

PubMed

Arscott-Mills, Tonya; Kebaabetswe, Poloko; Tawana, Gothusang; Mbuka, Deogratias O; Makgabana-Dintwa, Orabile; Sebina, Kagiso; Kebaetse, Masego; Mokgatlhe, Lucky; Nkomazana, Oathokwa

2016-06-10

Botswana's medical school graduated its first class in 2014. Given the importance of attracting doctors to rural areas the school incorporated rural exposure throughout its curriculum. This study explored the impact of rural training on students' attitudes towards rural practice. The University of Botswana family medicine rural training sites, Maun and Mahalapye. The study used a mixed-methods design. After rural family medicine rotations, third- and fifth-year students were invited to complete a questionnaire and semi-structured interview. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics and thematic analysis. The thirty-six participants' age averaged 23 years and 48.6% were male. Thirtythree desired urban practice in a public institution or university. Rural training did not influence preferred future practice location. Most desired specialty training outside Botswana but planned to practice in Botswana. Professional stagnation, isolation, poorly functioning health facilities, dysfunctional referral systems, and perceived lack of learning opportunities were barriers to rural practice. Lack of recreation and poor infrastructure were personal barriers. Many appreciated the diversity of practice and supportive staff seen in rural practice. Several considered monetary compensation as an enticement for rural practice. Only those with a rural background perceived proximity to family as an incentive to rural practice. The majority of those interviewed plan to practice in urban Botswana, however, they did identify factors that, if addressed, may increase rural practice in the future. Establishing systems to facilitate professional development, strengthening specialists support, and deploying doctors near their home towns are strategies that may improve retention of doctors in rural areas.Keyords: rural health, student perceptions.

Neprilysins: an evolutionarily conserved family of metalloproteases that play important roles in reproduction in Drosophila.

PubMed

Sitnik, Jessica L; Francis, Carmen; Hens, Korneel; Huybrechts, Roger; Wolfner, Mariana F; Callaerts, Patrick

2014-03-01

Members of the M13 class of metalloproteases have been implicated in diseases and in reproductive fitness. Nevertheless, their physiological role remains poorly understood. To obtain a tractable model with which to analyze this protein family's function, we characterized the gene family in Drosophila melanogaster and focused on reproductive phenotypes. The D. melanogaster genome contains 24 M13 class protease homologs, some of which are orthologs of human proteases, including neprilysin. Many are expressed in the reproductive tracts of either sex. Using RNAi we individually targeted the five Nep genes most closely related to vertebrate neprilysin, Nep1-5, to investigate their roles in reproduction. A reduction in Nep1, Nep2, or Nep4 expression in females reduced egg laying. Nep1 and Nep2 are required in the CNS and the spermathecae for wild-type fecundity. Females that are null for Nep2 also show defects as hosts of sperm competition as well as an increased rate of depletion for stored sperm. Furthermore, eggs laid by Nep2 mutant females are fertilized normally, but arrest early in embryonic development. In the male, only Nep1 was required to induce normal patterns of female egg laying. Reduction in the expression of Nep2-5 in the male did not cause any dramatic effects on reproductive fitness, which suggests that these genes are either nonessential for male fertility or perform redundant functions. Our results suggest that, consistent with the functions of neprilysins in mammals, these proteins are also required for reproduction in Drosophila, opening up this model system for further functional analysis of this protein class and their substrates.

Functional neurological symptom disorders in a pediatric emergency room: diagnostic accuracy, features, and outcome.

PubMed

de Gusmão, Claudio M; Guerriero, Réjean M; Bernson-Leung, Miya Elizabeth; Pier, Danielle; Ibeziako, Patricia I; Bujoreanu, Simona; Maski, Kiran P; Urion, David K; Waugh, Jeff L

2014-08-01

In children, functional neurological symptom disorders are frequently the basis for presentation for emergency care. Pediatric epidemiological and outcome data remain scarce. Assess diagnostic accuracy of trainee's first impression in our pediatric emergency room; describe manner of presentation, demographic data, socioeconomic impact, and clinical outcomes, including parental satisfaction. (1) More than 1 year, psychiatry consultations for neurology patients with a functional neurological symptom disorder were retrospectively reviewed. (2) For 3 months, all children whose emergency room presentation suggested the diagnosis were prospectively collected. (3) Three to six months after prospective collection, families completed a structured telephone interview on outcome measures. Twenty-seven patients were retrospectively assessed; 31 patients were prospectively collected. Trainees' accurately predicted the diagnosis in 93% (retrospective) and 94% (prospective) cohorts. Mixed presentations were most common (usually sensory-motor changes, e.g. weakness and/or paresthesias). Associated stressors were mundane and ubiquitous, rarely severe. Families were substantially affected, reporting mean symptom duration 7.4 (standard error of the mean ± 1.33) weeks, missing 22.4 (standard error of the mean ± 5.47) days of school, and 8.3 (standard error of the mean ± 2.88) of parental workdays (prospective cohort). At follow-up, 78% were symptom free. Parental dissatisfaction was rare, attributed to poor rapport and/or insufficient information conveyed. Trainees' clinical impression was accurate in predicting a later diagnosis of functional neurological symptom disorder. Extraordinary life stressors are not required to trigger the disorder in children. Although prognosis is favorable, families incur substantial economic burden and negative educational impact. Improving recognition and appropriately communicating the diagnosis may speed access to treatment and potentially reduce the disability and cost of this disorder. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Hot and cold executive functions in youth with psychotic symptoms.

PubMed

MacKenzie, L E; Patterson, V C; Zwicker, A; Drobinin, V; Fisher, H L; Abidi, S; Greve, A N; Bagnell, A; Propper, L; Alda, M; Pavlova, B; Uher, R

2017-12-01

Psychotic symptoms are common in children and adolescents and may be early manifestations of liability to severe mental illness (SMI), including schizophrenia. SMI and psychotic symptoms are associated with impairment in executive functions. However, previous studies have not differentiated between 'cold' and 'hot' executive functions. We hypothesized that the propensity for psychotic symptoms is specifically associated with impairment in 'hot' executive functions, such as decision-making in the context of uncertain rewards and losses. In a cohort of 156 youth (mean age 12.5, range 7-24 years) enriched for familial risk of SMI, we measured cold and hot executive functions with the spatial working memory (SWM) task (total errors) and the Cambridge Gambling Task (decision-making), respectively. We assessed psychotic symptoms using the semi-structured Kiddie Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia interview, Structured Interview for Prodromal Syndromes, Funny Feelings, and Schizophrenia Proneness Instrument - Child and Youth version. In total 69 (44.23%) youth reported psychotic symptoms on one or more assessments. Cold executive functioning, indexed with SWM errors, was not significantly related to psychotic symptoms [odds ratio (OR) 1.36, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.85-2.17, p = 0.204). Poor hot executive functioning, indexed as decision-making score, was associated with psychotic symptoms after adjustment for age, sex and familial clustering (OR 2.37, 95% CI 1.25-4.50, p = 0.008). The association between worse hot executive functions and psychotic symptoms remained significant in sensitivity analyses controlling for general cognitive ability and cold executive functions. Impaired hot executive functions may be an indicator of risk and a target for pre-emptive early interventions in youth.

Demographic Characteristics, Phenomenology, Comorbidity, and Family History in 200 Individuals With Body Dysmorphic Disorder

PubMed Central

Phillips, Katharine A.; Menard, William; Fay, Christina; Weisberg, Risa

2005-01-01

The authors examined characteristics of body dysmorphic disorder in the largest sample for which a wide range of clinical features has been reported. The authors also compared psychiatrically treated and untreated subjects. Body dysmorphic disorder usually began during adolescence, involved numerous body areas and behaviors, and was characterized by poor insight, high comorbidity rates, and high rates of functional impairment, suicidal ideation, and suicide attempts. There were far more similarities than differences between the currently treated and untreated subjects, although the treated subjects displayed better insight and had more comorbidity. PMID:16000674

The Ufm1 Cascade

PubMed Central

Daniel, Jens; Liebau, Eva

2014-01-01

The ubiquitin-fold modifier 1 (Ufm1) is a posttranslational modifier that belongs to the ubiquitin-like protein (UBL) family. Ufm1 is present in nearly all eukaryotic organisms, with the exception of fungi. It resembles ubiquitin in its ability to be ligated to other proteins, as well as in the mechanism of ligation. While the Ufm1 cascade has been implicated in endoplasmic reticulum functions and cell cycle control, its biological role still remains poorly understood. In this short review, we summarize the current state of Ufm1 research and its potential role in human diseases, like diabetes, ischemic heart disease and cancer. PMID:24921187

A Rare Case of Renal Impairment Caused by Primary Hypothyroidism.

PubMed

Choy, Joleen; Yaxley, Julian; Yaxley, William

2018-05-01

An association between hypothyroidism and renal impairment has rarely been reported in the literature. We describe a case of hypothyroidism that was associated with otherwise unexplained acute kidney impairment, which was reversed with treatment. A 21-year-old female patient presented to her family physician with myalgia, and preliminary investigations revealed an elevated level of creatine kinase and poor renal function. Primary hypothyroidism was diagnosed and no other apparent etiology for renal failure could be identified despite extensive investigations by the Nephrology Department. Notably, the patient's renal impairment showed prompt resolution following thyroid hormone replacement.

Stopping Liver Cancer's Rogue COP | Center for Cancer Research

Cancer.gov

Liver cancer is the fourth most common cancer type and the third leading cause of cancer death worldwide. Many liver tumors are actually metastases, tumors seeded in the liver by cancer cells from another organ, but hepatocellular carcinomas (HCCs), the most common liver tumors, are a heterogeneous family of cancers that arise in hepatocytes, the functional cells of the liver. HCCs are often associated with cirrhosis or liver scarring. Because of the variation in tumor phenotypes, the poor understanding of the molecular origins of these tumors, and the increasing number of diagnoses especially in the US, HCC is a major clinical challenge.

Concentrations of the urinary pyrethroid metabolite 3-phenoxybenzoic acid in farm worker families in the MICASA study

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Trunnelle, Kelly J., E-mail: kjtrunnelle@ucdavis.edu; Bennett, Deborah H.; Ahn, Ki Chang

Indoor pesticide exposure is a growing concern, particularly from pyrethroids, a commonly used class of pesticides. Pyrethroid concentrations may be especially high in homes of immigrant farm worker families who often live in close proximity to agricultural fields, and are faced with poor housing conditions, causing higher pest infestation and more pesticide use. We investigate exposure of farm worker families to pyrethroids in a study of mothers and children living in Mendota, CA within the population-based Mexican Immigration to California: Agricultural Safety and Acculturation (MICASA) Study. We present pyrethroid exposure based on an ELISA analysis of urinary metabolite 3-phenoxybenzoic acidmore » (3PBA) levels among 105 women and 103 children. The median urinary 3PBA levels (children=2.56 ug/g creatinine, mothers=1.46 ug/g creatinine) were higher than those reported in population based studies for the United States general population, but similar to or lower than studies with known high levels of pyrethroid exposure. A positive association was evident between poor housing conditions and the urinary metabolite levels, showing that poor housing conditions are a contributing factor to the higher levels of 3PBA seen in the urine of these farm worker families. Further research is warranted to fully investigate sources of exposure. - Highlights: • We investigate exposure of farm worker families to pyrethroids. • We present pyrethroid exposure based on an ELISA analysis of urinary 3PBA levels. • 3PBA levels were higher than those reported for the U.S. general population. • Poor housing conditions may be associated with pyrethroid exposure.« less

Vouchers, Class Size Reduction, and Student Achievement: Considering the Evidence.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Molnar, Alex

Proponents of private school vouchers argue that vouchers empower poor families and raise the academic achievement of poor children. They also argue that vouchers may improve achievement by forcing the public schools to compete in an education marketplace in which poor parents hold the power of the purse. Juxtaposed against this issue of vouchers…

The Crisis of the Near Poor

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Newman, Katherine S.; Tan Chen, Victor

2007-01-01

This article focuses on the "missing class," the near poor whose incomes place them above the poverty line, but well below the middle class. Near-poor families with two parents and two children subsist on $20,000 to $40,000 a year, which disqualifies them for virtually all public subsidies, but is a far cry from what they need to be…

Socioeconomic variation, number competence, and mathematics learning difficulties in young children.

PubMed

Jordan, Nancy C; Levine, Susan C

2009-01-01

As a group, children from disadvantaged, low-income families perform substantially worse in mathematics than their counterparts from higher-income families. Minority children are disproportionately represented in low-income populations, resulting in significant racial and social-class disparities in mathematics learning linked to diminished learning opportunities. The consequences of poor mathematics achievement are serious for daily functioning and for career advancement. This article provides an overview of children's mathematics difficulties in relation to socioeconomic status (SES). We review foundations for early mathematics learning and key characteristics of mathematics learning difficulties. A particular focus is the delays or deficiencies in number competencies exhibited by low-income children entering school. Weaknesses in number competence can be reliably identified in early childhood, and there is good evidence that most children have the capacity to develop number competence that lays the foundation for later learning.

Child and adolescent psychopathology: spiritual and religious perspectives.

PubMed

Mabe, P Alex; Josephson, Allan M

2004-01-01

This article addresses the relationship between children's religious beliefs and spiritual practices and the presence of psychopathology. Study of this subject represents a formidable task due to the complexity and diversity of the constructs involved, heterogeneity in religious beliefs and practices, and the difficulty in discriminating between the independent effects of religion and culture. Nevertheless, broad links between child psychopathology and spiritual/religious beliefs and practices are proposed. On the whole, the available empiric data suggest that religion is primarily health promoting in direct, positive benefits for children and in indirect, positive effects through parent and family functioning, although there are isolated exceptions. When spirituality and religious beliefs/practices are associated with negative mental health outcomes in children or their families, evidence points to "poorness-of-fit," based on an interaction between the child's psychopathology and aspects and religious beliefs/practice. Clinical implications of the findings and proposels are outlined.

Long Term Physical Health Consequences of Adverse Childhood Experiences

PubMed Central

Monnat, Shannon M.; Chandler, Raeven Faye

2015-01-01

This study examined associations between adverse childhood family experiences and adult physical health using data from 52,250 US adults aged 18–64 from the 2009–2012 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS). We found that experiencing childhood physical, verbal, or sexual abuse, witnessing parental domestic violence, experiencing parental divorce, and living with someone who was depressed, abused drugs or alcohol, or who had been incarcerated were associated with one or more of the following health outcomes: self-rated health, functional limitations, diabetes, and heart attack. Adult socioeconomic status and poor mental health and health behaviors significantly mediated several of these associations. The results of this study highlight the importance of family-based adverse childhood experiences on adult health outcomes and suggest that adult SES and stress-related coping behaviors may be crucial links between trauma in the childhood home and adult health. PMID:26500379

Developmental outcomes of toddlers of young Latina mothers: Cultural, family, and parenting factors.

PubMed

Grau, Josefina M; Duran, Petra A; Castellanos, Patricia; Smith, Erin N; Silberman, Stephanie G; Wood, Lauren E

2015-11-01

Children of adolescent mothers are at risk for poor developmental outcomes. This study is among the first to examine how cultural, family, and parenting factors prospectively predict the cognitive and language development of children of young Latina mothers (N=170; Mage=17.9 years). Mothers were interviewed and observed interacting with their children at 18 months (W1). Children were tested at 18 (W1) and 24 (W2) months. Mothers' cultural orientation (W1) was related to aspects of the childrearing environment (W1), which in turn had implications for the children's development (W2). Specifically, a stronger orientation toward American culture was related to higher mother-reported engagement in parenting by their own mothers (grandmothers), which in turn predicted stronger gains in cognitive and expressive language functioning from W1 to W2. A stronger Latino orientation related to the display of more directiveness and greater mother-reported engagement by the children's biological fathers; directiveness, in turn, predicted fewer gains in cognitive functioning only when father engagement was low and did not predict expressive language development. Finally, mothers' display of more positive affect, a stronger American orientation, and higher grandmother engagement uniquely predicted gains in W2 expressive language functioning. Implications for intervention are discussed. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Developmental Outcomes of Toddlers of Young Latina Mothers: Cultural, Family, and Parenting Factors

PubMed Central

Grau, Josefina M.; Duran, Petra A.; Castellanos, Patricia; Smith, Erin N.; Silberman, Stephanie G.; Wood, Lauren

2015-01-01

Children of adolescent mothers are at risk for poor developmental outcomes. This study is among the first to examine how cultural, family, and parenting factors prospectively predict the cognitive and language development of children of young Latina mothers (N=170; Mage = 17.9 years). Mothers were interviewed and observed interacting with their children at 18 months (W1). Children were tested at 18 (W1) and 24 (W2) months. Mothers’ cultural orientation (W1) was related to aspects of the childrearing environment (W1), which in turn had implications for the children's development (W2). Specifically, a stronger orientation toward American culture was related to higher mother-reported engagement in parenting by their own mothers (grandmothers), which in turn predicted stronger gains in cognitive and expressive language functioning from W1 to W2. A stronger Latino orientation related to the display of more directiveness and greater mother-reported engagement by the children's biological fathers; directiveness, in turn, predicted fewer gains in cognitive functioning only when father engagement was low and did not predict expressive language development. Finally, mothers’ display of more positive affect, a stronger American orientation, and higher grandmother engagement uniquely predicted gains in W2 expressive language functioning. Implications for intervention are discussed. PMID:26454205

Escherichia coli YqjA, a Member of the Conserved DedA/Tvp38 Membrane Protein Family, Is a Putative Osmosensing Transporter Required for Growth at Alkaline pH.

PubMed

Kumar, Sujeet; Doerrler, William T

2015-07-01

The ability to persist and grow under alkaline conditions is an important characteristic of many bacteria. In order to survive at alkaline pH, Escherichia coli must maintain a stable cytoplasmic pH of about 7.6. Membrane cation/proton antiporters play a major role in alkaline pH homeostasis by catalyzing active inward proton transport. The DedA/Tvp38 family is a highly conserved membrane protein family of unknown function present in most sequenced genomes. YqjA and YghB are members of the E. coli DedA family with 62% amino acid identity and partially redundant functions. We have shown that E. coli with ΔyqjA and ΔyghB mutations cannot properly maintain the proton motive force (PMF) and is compromised in PMF-dependent drug efflux and other PMF-dependent functions. Furthermore, the functions of YqjA and YghB are dependent upon membrane-embedded acidic amino acids, a hallmark of several families of proton-dependent transporters. Here, we show that the ΔyqjA mutant (but not ΔyghB) cannot grow under alkaline conditions (ranging from pH 8.5 to 9.5), unlike the parent E. coli. Overexpression of yqjA restores growth at alkaline pH, but only when more than ∼100 mM sodium or potassium is present in the growth medium. Increasing the osmotic pressure by the addition of sucrose enhances the ability of YqjA to support growth under alkaline conditions in the presence of low salt concentrations, consistent with YqjA functioning as an osmosensor. We suggest that YqjA possesses proton-dependent transport activity that is stimulated by osmolarity and that it plays a significant role in the survival of E. coli at alkaline pH. The ability to survive under alkaline conditions is important for many species of bacteria. Escherichia coli can grow at pH 5.5 to 9.5 while maintaining a constant cytoplasmic pH of about 7.6. Under alkaline conditions, bacteria rely upon proton-dependent transporters to maintain a constant cytoplasmic pH. The DedA/Tvp38 protein family is a highly conserved but poorly characterized family of membrane proteins. Here, we show that the DedA/Tvp38 protein YqjA is critical for E. coli to survive at pH 8.5 to 9.5. YqjA requires sodium and potassium for this function. At low cation concentrations, osmolytes, including sucrose, can facilitate rescue of E. coli growth by YqjA at high pH. These data are consistent with YqjA functioning as an osmosensing cation-dependent proton transporter. Copyright © 2015, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Examining the Costs and Benefits of Family Rewards 2.0: A Conditional Cash Transfer Program in Two American Cities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rudd, Timothy; Rodriguez, Jonathan; Greenberg, David

2016-01-01

Family Rewards was an innovative approach to poverty reduction in the United States that was modelled on the conditional cash transfer (CCT) programs common in lower- and middle-income countries. The program offered cash assistance to poor families to reduce immediate hardship, provided they met certain criteria related to family health care,…

[Characteristics of HBV transmission in families with HBsAg-positive fathers and familial clustering of HBV infection].

PubMed

Yang, Y; Jin, L; He, Y L; Liu, J F; Wang, J; Wang, K; Ma, X H; Li, Q; Feng, Y L; Yan, Z; Yi, R T; Chen, T Y; Zhao, Y R

2016-04-01

To investigate the characteristics of hepatitis B virus (HBV) transmission among family members in families with familial clustering of HBV infection and poor outcomes, as well as the prevalence and distribution characteristics of HBsAg in offspring with different parental HBsAg status. The general information of each member in families with poor outcomes were collected from 2007 to 2010, and serological test was performed to analyze the prevalence and distribution of HBsAg in family members. The chi-square test or Fisher's exact test was used to analyze and compare the sex of offspring and the prevalence of HBsAg in them in 266 nuclear families with different paternal and maternal HBsAg status. The positive rates of HBsAg in parents, siblings, children, and spouses of the probands were 20%, 88.2%, 76.8%, and 9.5%, respectively. The nuclear families with HBsAg-positive fathers and HBsAg-negative mothers had a significantly increased proportion of male offspring (male/female ratio = 2.02) compared with those with HBsAg-positive mothers and HBsAg-negative fathers (1.22) or those with HBsAg-negative fathers and mothers (0.96). In addition, in the nuclear families with HBsAg-positive fathers and HBsAg-negative mothers, the male offspring had a significantly higher HBsAg positive rate than female offspring (37.4% vs 13.8%), while in those with HBsAg-positive mothers and HBsAg-negative fathers or those with HBsAg-negative fathers and mothers, HBsAg positive rate showed no significant difference between male and female offspring. In families with familial clustering of HBV infection and poor outcomes, mother-to-child transmission is still the major route of HBV transmission, but father-to-child transmission also plays a role in HBV transmission in this special population. Positive HBsAg in fathers is associated with the increased proportion of male offspring, and father-to-son transmission of HBV is higher than father-to-daughter transmission.

Exploration of Individual and Family Factors Related to Community Reintegration in Veterans With Traumatic Brain Injury.

PubMed

Moriarty, Helene; Winter, Laraine; Robinson, Keith; True, Gala; Piersol, Catherine; Vause-Earland, Tracey; Iacovone, Dolores Blazer; Holbert, Laura; Newhart, Brian; Fishman, Deborah; Short, Thomas H

2015-01-01

Community reintegration (CR) poses a major problem for military veterans who have experienced a traumatic brain injury (TBI). Factors contributing to CR after TBI are poorly understood. To address the gap in knowledge, an ecological framework was used to explore individual and family factors related to CR. Baseline data from an intervention study with 83 veterans with primarily mild to moderate TBI were analyzed. Instruments measured CR, depressive symptoms, physical health, quality of the relationship with the family member, and sociodemographics. Posttraumatic stress disorder and TBI characteristics were determined through record review. Five variables that exhibited significant bivariate relationships with CR (veteran rating of quality of relationship, physical functioning, bodily pain, posttraumatic stress disorder diagnosis, and depressive symptoms) were entered into hierarchical regression analysis. In the final analysis, the five variables together accounted for 35% of the variance, but only depression was a significant predictor of CR, with more depressed veterans exhibiting lower CR. Efforts to support CR of Veterans with TBI should carefully assess and target depression, a modifiable factor. © The Author(s) 2015.

Predicting the binding preference of transcription factors to individual DNA k-mers.

PubMed

Alleyne, Trevis M; Peña-Castillo, Lourdes; Badis, Gwenael; Talukder, Shaheynoor; Berger, Michael F; Gehrke, Andrew R; Philippakis, Anthony A; Bulyk, Martha L; Morris, Quaid D; Hughes, Timothy R

2009-04-15

Recognition of specific DNA sequences is a central mechanism by which transcription factors (TFs) control gene expression. Many TF-binding preferences, however, are unknown or poorly characterized, in part due to the difficulty associated with determining their specificity experimentally, and an incomplete understanding of the mechanisms governing sequence specificity. New techniques that estimate the affinity of TFs to all possible k-mers provide a new opportunity to study DNA-protein interaction mechanisms, and may facilitate inference of binding preferences for members of a given TF family when such information is available for other family members. We employed a new dataset consisting of the relative preferences of mouse homeodomains for all eight-base DNA sequences in order to ask how well we can predict the binding profiles of homeodomains when only their protein sequences are given. We evaluated a panel of standard statistical inference techniques, as well as variations of the protein features considered. Nearest neighbour among functionally important residues emerged among the most effective methods. Our results underscore the complexity of TF-DNA recognition, and suggest a rational approach for future analyses of TF families.

Comparing private sector family planning services to government and NGO services in Ethiopia and Pakistan: how do social franchises compare across quality, equity and cost?

PubMed Central

Shah, Nirali M; Wang, Wenjuan; Bishai, David M

2011-01-01

Policy makers in developing countries need to assess how public health programmes function across both public and private sectors. We propose an evaluation framework to assist in simultaneously tracking performance on efficiency, quality and access by the poor in family planning services. We apply this framework to field data from family planning programmes in Ethiopia and Pakistan, comparing (1) independent private sector providers; (2) social franchises of private providers; (3) non-government organization (NGO) providers; and (4) government providers on these three factors. Franchised private clinics have higher quality than non-franchised private clinics in both countries. In Pakistan, the costs per client and the proportion of poorest clients showed no differences between franchised and non-franchised private clinics, whereas in Ethiopia, franchised clinics had higher costs and fewer clients from the poorest quintile. Our results highlight that there are trade-offs between access, cost and quality of care that must be balanced as competing priorities. The relative programme performance of various service arrangements on each metric will be context specific. PMID:21729919

Comparing private sector family planning services to government and NGO services in Ethiopia and Pakistan: how do social franchises compare across quality, equity and cost?

PubMed

Shah, Nirali M; Wang, Wenjuan; Bishai, David M

2011-07-01

Policy makers in developing countries need to assess how public health programmes function across both public and private sectors. We propose an evaluation framework to assist in simultaneously tracking performance on efficiency, quality and access by the poor in family planning services. We apply this framework to field data from family planning programmes in Ethiopia and Pakistan, comparing (1) independent private sector providers; (2) social franchises of private providers; (3) non-government organization (NGO) providers; and (4) government providers on these three factors. Franchised private clinics have higher quality than non-franchised private clinics in both countries. In Pakistan, the costs per client and the proportion of poorest clients showed no differences between franchised and non-franchised private clinics, whereas in Ethiopia, franchised clinics had higher costs and fewer clients from the poorest quintile. Our results highlight that there are trade-offs between access, cost and quality of care that must be balanced as competing priorities. The relative programme performance of various service arrangements on each metric will be context specific.

Respiratory Syncytial Virus: Virology, Reverse Genetics, and Pathogenesis of Disease

PubMed Central

Fearns, Rachel; Graham, Barney S.

2016-01-01

Human respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is an enveloped, nonsegmented negative-strand RNA virus of family Paramyxoviridae. RSV is the most complex member of the family in terms of the number of genes and proteins. It is also relatively divergent and distinct from the prototype members of the family. In the past 30 years, we have seen a tremendous increase in our understanding of the molecular biology of RSV based on a succession of advances involving molecular cloning, reverse genetics, and detailed studies of protein function and structure. Much remains to be learned. RSV disease is complex and variable, and the host and viral factors that determine tropism and disease are poorly understood. RSV is notable for a historic vaccine failure in the 1960s involving a formalin-inactivated vaccine that primed for enhanced disease in RSV naïve recipients. Live vaccine candidates have been shown to be free of this complication. However, development of subunit or other protein-based vaccines for pediatric use is hampered by the possibility of enhanced disease and the difficulty of reliably demonstrating its absence in preclinical studies. PMID:24362682

Cognitive and evoked response measures of information processing in schizophrenics with and without a family history of schizophrenia.

PubMed

Asarnow, R F; Cromwell, R L; Rennick, P M

1978-10-01

Twenty-four male schizophrenics, 12 (SFH) with schizophrenia in the immediate family and 12 (SNFH) with no evidence of schizophrenia in the family background, and 24 male control subjects, 12 highly educated (HEC), and 12 minimally educated (MEC), were assessed for premorbid social adjustment and were administered the Digit Symbol Substitution Test, a size estimation task, and the EEG average evoked response (AER) at different levels of stimulus intensity. As predicted from the stimulus redundancy formulation, the SFH patients were poorer in premorbid adjustment, were less often paranoid, functioned at a lower level of cognitive efficiency (poor digit symbol and greater absolute error on size estimation), were more chronic, and, in some respects, had size estimation indices of minimal scanning. Contrary to prediction, the SFH group had the strongest and most sustained augmenting response on AER, while the SNFH group shifted from an augmenting to a reducing pattern of response. The relationship between an absence of AER reducing and the presence of cognitive impairment in the SFH group was a major focus of discussion.

Familial Risk Moderates the Association Between Sleep and zBMI in Children

PubMed Central

El-Sheikh, Mona

2013-01-01

Objective A cumulative risk approach was used to examine the moderating effect of familial risk factors on relations between actigraphy-based sleep quantity (minutes) and quality (efficiency) and sex- and age-standardized body mass index (zBMI). Methods The sample included 124 boys and 104 girls with a mean age of 10.41 years (SD = 0.67). Children wore actigraphs for 1 week, and their height and weight were assessed in the lab. Results After controlling for potential confounds, multiple regression analyses indicated that sleep minutes predicted children’s zBMI and that both sleep minutes and efficiency interacted with family risk in the prediction of zBMI. The association between poor sleep and zBMI was especially evident for children exposed to higher levels of family risk. Conclusions Findings suggest that not all children who exhibit poor sleep are at equal risk for higher zBMI and that familial and contextual conditions need to be considered in this link. PMID:23699749

Assessing the Cost-Effectiveness of Family Connections

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

DePanfilis, Diane; Dubowitz, Howard; Kunz, James

2008-01-01

Objective: To assess the cost-effectiveness of two alternate forms of Family Connections (FC), a child neglect prevention program, in relation to changes in risk and protective factors and improvements in child safety and behavioral outcomes. Methods: In the original FC study, a sample of 154 families (473 children) in a poor, urban neighborhood,…

Head Start Participants, Programs, Families and Staff in 2013

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Walker, Christina

2014-01-01

Head Start programs provide poor children and their families with comprehensive early education and support services. Each year, programs are required to submit a Program Information Report (PIR) to the Office of Head Start on participating children, pregnant women, and families, as well as the staff serving the Head Start population. In 2013, the…

Kentucky's Children: County Data Book, 1994.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kentucky Kids Count Consortium.

This report provides a statistical portrait of Kentucky children's well-being, by county and in the state overall. Part 1 of the report, "Young Families in Peril," profiles poverty in the state, noting that the vast majority of poor families are working, married-couple households; however, families with household heads younger than 30…

More than Memories: Studying Home Movies and the Families Who Made Them

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Uhrich, Andy

2008-01-01

Unfairly viewed as poorly made and unwatchable, home movies actually constitute a wide variety of events and images that make them an invaluable and largely unexplored resource for scholars and researchers. The images captured in home movies--first birthdays, parades, vacations, family gatherings, etc.--were originally made by family members to…

Parental Engagement in a Reggio Emilia-Inspired Head Start Program

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smith, Stephanie C.

2014-01-01

In the United States, progressive education programs have historically failed to take hold among low-income families, even when that population has been their initial focus. Instead, these programs tend to become popular among middle-class or affluent families. Some research suggests that working-class/poor families' expectations of education may…

The Afro-American Family.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alexander, Benjamin H.

If the black family is to survive, blacks must go into the community, seek out their poor, teach them, minister to them, and Work with them to solve their problems. Black youth, in particular, need support and encouragement. The most successful black children come from two-parent homes. Hence the percentage of black families--35%--headed by a…

Fungus-Specific Sirtuin HstD Coordinates Secondary Metabolism and Development through Control of LaeA

PubMed Central

Kawauchi, Moriyuki; Nishiura, Mika

2013-01-01

The sirtuins are members of the NAD+-dependent histone deacetylase family that contribute to various cellular functions that affect aging, disease, and cancer development in metazoans. However, the physiological roles of the fungus-specific sirtuin family are still poorly understood. Here, we determined a novel function of the fungus-specific sirtuin HstD/Aspergillus oryzae Hst4 (AoHst4), which is a homolog of Hst4 in A. oryzae yeast. The deletion of all histone deacetylases in A. oryzae demonstrated that the fungus-specific sirtuin HstD/AoHst4 is required for the coordination of fungal development and secondary metabolite production. We also show that the expression of the laeA gene, which is the most studied fungus-specific coordinator for the regulation of secondary metabolism and fungal development, was induced in a ΔhstD strain. Genetic interaction analysis of hstD/Aohst4 and laeA clearly indicated that HstD/AoHst4 works upstream of LaeA to coordinate secondary metabolism and fungal development. The hstD/Aohst4 and laeA genes are fungus specific but conserved in the vast family of filamentous fungi. Thus, we conclude that the fungus-specific sirtuin HstD/AoHst4 coordinates fungal development and secondary metabolism via the regulation of LaeA in filamentous fungi. PMID:23729383

Seeking structural specificity: direct modulation of pentameric ligand-gated ion channels by alcohols and general anesthetics.

PubMed

Howard, Rebecca J; Trudell, James R; Harris, R Adron

2014-01-01

Alcohols and other anesthetic agents dramatically alter neurologic function in a wide range of organisms, yet their molecular sites of action remain poorly characterized. Pentameric ligand-gated ion channels, long implicated in important direct effects of alcohol and anesthetic binding, have recently been illuminated in renewed detail thanks to the determination of atomic-resolution structures of several family members from lower organisms. These structures provide valuable models for understanding and developing anesthetic agents and for allosteric modulation in general. This review surveys progress in this field from function to structure and back again, outlining early evidence for relevant modulation of pentameric ligand-gated ion channels and the development of early structural models for ion channel function and modulation. We highlight insights and challenges provided by recent crystal structures and resulting simulations, as well as opportunities for translation of these newly detailed models back to behavior and therapy.

Seeking Structural Specificity: Direct Modulation of Pentameric Ligand-Gated Ion Channels by Alcohols and General Anesthetics

PubMed Central

Trudell, James R.; Harris, R. Adron

2014-01-01

Alcohols and other anesthetic agents dramatically alter neurologic function in a wide range of organisms, yet their molecular sites of action remain poorly characterized. Pentameric ligand-gated ion channels, long implicated in important direct effects of alcohol and anesthetic binding, have recently been illuminated in renewed detail thanks to the determination of atomic-resolution structures of several family members from lower organisms. These structures provide valuable models for understanding and developing anesthetic agents and for allosteric modulation in general. This review surveys progress in this field from function to structure and back again, outlining early evidence for relevant modulation of pentameric ligand-gated ion channels and the development of early structural models for ion channel function and modulation. We highlight insights and challenges provided by recent crystal structures and resulting simulations, as well as opportunities for translation of these newly detailed models back to behavior and therapy. PMID:24515646

Cognitive and behavioural dispositions in offspring at high risk for alcoholism.

PubMed

Kumar, Rajesh; Kumar, Keshav Janakiprasad; Benegal, Vivek

2018-06-01

Offspring with family history of alcoholism are considered to be at high risk for alcoholism. The present study sought to expand our understanding of cognitive and behavioural dispositions associated with executive control and self-regulation in alcohol naïve offspring with and without family history of alcoholism. Sample comprised of alcohol naive offspring in two groups: (i) at high risk (n = 34) and (ii) at low risk for alcoholism (n = 34). Both groups were matched on age (+/-1 year), education (+/-1 year) and gender. Measures used were: Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview, Family Interview for Genetic Studies, Socio-demographic Data Sheet, Annett's Handedness Questionnaire, Barratt's Impulsiveness Scale-version 11, Digit Span Test, Spatial Span Test, Tower of London, Wisconsin Card Sorting Test, Iowa Gambling Task (IGT) and Game of Dice Task (GDT). Results showed that alcohol naive offspring at high risk for alcoholism reported significantly high impulsivity and demonstrated significant differences on executive functions and decision making tasks. Correlation analysis revealed that high impulsivity was significantly associated with poor performance on explicit decision making task (GDT) and executive function task (WCST). There was no significant correlation between two decision making tasks (IGT and GDT) in both groups and performance on IGT was not significantly associated with impulsivity and executive functions. The present study indicates cognitive and behavioural dispositions in alcohol naive offspring at high risk for alcoholism and support the sub-optimal balance between reflective and impulsive system responsible for addiction. Furthermore, present study supports separability between two different types of decision making tasks. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The Home and the ‘Hood: Associations between Housing and Neighborhood Contexts and Adolescent Functioning

PubMed Central

Elliott, Margaret C.; Leventhal, Tama; Shuey, Elizabeth A.; Lynch, Alicia Doyle; Coley, Rebekah Levine

2014-01-01

Adolescents from low-income families face various opportunities and constraints as they develop, with possible ramifications for their well-being. Two contexts of particular importance are the home and the neighborhood. Using adolescent data from the first two waves of the Three City Study (N = 1,169), this study explored associations among housing problems and neighborhood disorder with adolescents’ socioemotional problems, and how these associations varied by parental monitoring and gender. Results of hierarchical linear models suggest that poor quality housing was most predictive of the functioning of girls and of adolescents with restrictive curfews, whereas neighborhood disorder was a stronger predictor for boys. Implications for future research on associations between housing and neighborhood contexts and adolescent development are discussed. PMID:27019574

Annual Research Review: Improved nutrition--pathway to resilience.

PubMed

Yousafzai, Aisha K; Rasheed, Muneera A; Bhutta, Zulfiqar A

2013-04-01

Early child nutritional deficiencies are prevalent in low- and middle-countries with consequences linked not only to poor survival and growth, but also to poor development outcomes. Children in disadvantaged communities face multiple risks for nutritional deficiencies, yet some children may be less susceptible or may recover more quickly from malnutrition. A greater understanding is needed about factors which moderate the effects of nutrition-related risks and foster resilience to protect against or ameliorate poor development outcomes. A literature review was undertaken from August to December 2011 and updated in August 2012. Key word searches using terms Nutrition, Malnutrition, Child Development, Responsive Care, Stimulation, Low and Middle Income Countries and Resilience were undertaken using PubMed and Psychinfo. Dietary adequacy is critical for growth and development, but current evidence indicates that nutrition supplementation alone is insufficient to foster resilience to protect against, mitigate, and recover from nutritional threats and to promote healthy development. The combination of nutrition interventions with stimulation and responsive care is necessary. Combined nutrition and psychosocial stimulation approaches can potentially work effectively together to promote protective factors and mitigate risks for poor cognitive, motor, social, and affective functioning helping children to adapt in times of adversity. However, there are gaps in our existing knowledge to combine nutrition and psychosocial stimulation interventions effectively and promote these interventions at scale. Research needs to address barriers at the level of family, community, programme, and policy which have prevented thus far the uptake of combined nutrition and psychosocial intervention strategies. Further investigations are needed on how to provide support to caregivers, enabling them to implement appropriate care for feeding and stimulation. Finally, the effect of combined interventions on pathways of care and protective mediators that foster resilience need to be better understood to determine focus areas for content of combined intervention curricula which help families in high-risk settings. © 2012 The Authors. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry © 2012 Association for Child and Adolescent Mental Health.

Family and College Environmental Exposures Mediate the Relationship between Parental Education and Depression among College Students.

PubMed

Zhai, Hui; Chen, Lu; Yang, Yanjie; Sun, Hailian; Pan, Hui; He, Jincai; Zhu, Xiongzhao; Sui, Hong; Wang, Wenbo; Qiu, Xiaohui; Qiao, Zhengxue; Yang, Xiuxian; Yang, Jiarun; Yu, Yunmiao; Ban, Bo; He, Changzhi

2016-01-01

Depression is a major health concern for college students due to its substantial morbidity and mortality. Although low parental education has been identified as a factor in depression in college students, the mechanisms through which parental educational achievement affects students' depression are not well understood. We tested whether adverse family and college environments mediate the relationship between parental educational level and depression among Chinese college students. A total of 5180 respondents were selected using a cross-sectional survey. We examined the association of parental education, adverse family and college environments with depression in college students using the Adolescent Self-Rating Life Events Checklist, Beck Depression Inventory and socio-demographic questionnaires. Lower parental educational level is significantly correlated with depression in college students in our sample. Additionally, low family economic status, paternal or maternal unemployment, long periods spent apart from family, family conflicts, having been scolded and beaten by parents, poor or dissatisfying test performance, conflict with friends, heavy course load and failure in selection processes are also associated with parental education. Low family economic status, paternal or maternal unemployment, long periods spent apart from family, family conflicts, poor or dissatisfying test performance, conflict with friends and heavy course load mediated the relationship between parental education and depression in college students. Adverse family and college environments could explain the influence of parental educational level on depression in college students.

Mental correlates of neuromotoric deviation in 6-year-olds at heightened risk for schizophrenia.

PubMed

McNeil, Thomas F; Cantor-Graae, Elizabeth; Blennow, Gösta

2003-04-01

The meaning and relevance of the increased rates of neuromotoric deviation (ND) observed in patients with schizophrenia and their biological relatives remain unclear. ND could represent free-floating, independent characteristics of individuals in these families vs. signs of an increased risk for current or future mental disorder. The co-temporaneous relationship between ND and mental disorder at 6 years of age was investigated among 31 children with an increased risk for schizophrenia and similar psychoses, defined as having a mother with a history of schizophrenia or unspecified functional psychosis. As compared with high-risk cases with a low level of ND, the subgroup of 10 high-risk offspring showing notably increased rates of ND had significantly more frequent psychiatric diagnoses (typically language disorders and enuresis), poor functioning on global assessment, poor interpersonal competency and high anxiety proneness. Neuromotoric items representing "overflow" (e.g., choreatic movements, tremor) were significantly positively related to each of these mental characteristics. Among high-risk offspring, an increased rate of ND is very clearly associated with increased rates of current mental disorder, and might potentially identify a subgroup with an especially high risk for serious mental disorder in the future.

Does Addiction Run in Families?

MedlinePlus

... generations. It can happen whether the family is rich, poor, or in between. The good news is that many children whose parents had drug problems don't become addicted when they grow up. The chances of addiction are higher, but ...

Factors associated with unhealthy behaviours and health outcomes: a cross-sectional study among Tuscan adolescents (Italy).

PubMed

Lazzeri, Giacomo; Azzolini, Elena; Pammolli, Andrea; Simi, Rita; Meoni, Veronica; Giacchi, Mariano Vincenzo

2014-09-25

We aimed to determine the extent to which three core variables (school environment, peer group and family affluence) were associated with unhealthy behaviours and health outcomes among Tuscan adolescents. The unhealthy behaviours considered were smoking, alcohol consumption, sedentary lifestyle and irregular breakfast consumption; health outcomes were classified as self-reported health, multiple health complaints and life satisfaction. School environment was measured in terms of liking school, school pressure, academic achievement and classmate support; peer groups were evaluated in terms of the number of peers and frequency of peer contact. Family affluence was measured on a socioeconomic scale. Data were taken from the Tuscan 2009/10 survey of "Health Behaviour in School-aged Children", a WHO cross-national survey. A binary logistic multiple regression (95% confidence intervals) was implemented. The total sample comprised 3291 school students: 1135 11-year-olds, 1255 13-year-olds and 901 15-year-olds. Peer group and school environment were associated with unhealthy behaviours such as smoking, alcohol consumption and sedentary lifestyle. Family affluence proved to have less impact on unhealthy behaviours, except in the case of adolescents living in low-income families. Poor health outcomes were directly related to a negative school environment. Regarding the influence of family affluence, the results showed higher odds of life dissatisfaction and poor self-reported health status in medium-income families, while low-income families had higher odds only with regard to life dissatisfaction. A consistent pattern of gender differences was found in terms of both unhealthy behaviours and health outcomes. Unhealthy behaviours are strongly related to the school environment and peer group. A negative school environment proved to have the strongest relation with poor health outcomes.

Socioeconomic, Family, and Pediatric Practice Factors Affecting the Level of Asthma Control

PubMed Central

Bloomberg, Gordon R; Banister, Christina; Sterkel, Randall; Epstein, Jay; Bruns, Julie; Swerczek, Lisa; Wells, Suzanne; Yan, Yan; Garbutt, Jane M

2008-01-01

Background Multiple issues bear on effective control of childhood asthma. Objective To identify factors related to the level of asthma control in children receiving asthma care from community pediatricians. Patients and Methods Data for 362 children participating in an intervention study to reduce asthma morbidity were collected by telephone administered questionnaire. Level of asthma control (“well controlled,” partially controlled,” or “poorly controlled”) was derived from measures of recent impairment (symptoms, activity limitations, albuterol use) and the number of exacerbations in a 12 month period. Data also included demographic characteristics, asthma-related quality of life, pediatric management practices, and medication usage. Univariable and multivariable analyses were used to identify factors associated with poor asthma control and to explore the relationship between control and use of daily controller medications. Results Asthma was “well controlled” for 24% of children, “partially controlled” for 20%, and “poorly controlled” for 56%. Medicaid insurance (p=0.016), the presence of another family member with asthma (p=0.0168), and outside the home maternal employment, (p=0.025), were significant univariable factors associated with poor asthma control. Medicaid insurance had an independent association with poor control (OR 0.49, 95% CI 0.28-0.9). Seventy-six percent of children were reported by parents as receiving a daily controller medication. Comparison of guidelines recommended controller medication with level of control indicated that a higher step level of medication would have been appropriate for 74% of these children. Significantly lower overall quality of life scores were observed in both parents and children with poor control. (ANOVA, p<0.05) Conclusion Despite substantial use of daily controller medication, children with asthma continue to experience poorly controlled asthma and reduced quality of life. While Medicaid insurance and aspects of family structure are significant factors associated with poorly controlled asthma, attention to medication use and quality of life indicators may further reduce morbidity. PMID:19255010

Chironomidae traits and life history strategies as indicators of anthropogenic disturbance.

PubMed

Serra, Sónia R Q; Graça, Manuel A S; Dolédec, Sylvain; Feio, Maria João

2017-07-01

In freshwater ecosystems, Chironomidae are currently considered indicators of poor water quality because the family is often abundant in degraded sites. However, it incorporates taxa with a large ecological and physiological diversity and different sensitivity to impairment. Yet, the usual identification of Chironomidae at coarse taxonomic levels (family or subfamily) masks genus and species sensitivities. In this study, we investigate the potential of taxonomic and functional (traits) composition of Chironomidae to detect anthropogenic disturbance. In this context, we tested some a priori hypotheses regarding the ability of Chironomidae taxonomic and trait compositions to discriminate Mediterranean streams affected by multiple stressors from least-disturbed streams. Both taxonomic and Eltonian trait composition discriminated sites according to their disturbance level. Disturbance resulted in the predicted increase of Chironomidae with higher number of stages with hibernation/diapause and of taxa with resistance forms and unpredicted increase of the proportion of taxa with longer life cycles and few generations per year. Life history strategies (LHS), corresponding to multivoltine Chironomidae that do not invest in hemoglobin and lack strong spring synchronization, were well adapted to all our Mediterranean sites with highly changeable environmental conditions. Medium-size animals favored in disturbed sites where the Mediterranean hydrological regime is altered, but the reduced number of larger-size/carnivore Chironomids suggests a limitation to secondary production. Results indicate that Chironomidae genus and respective traits could be a useful tool in the structural and functional assessment of Mediterranean streams. The ubiquitous nature of Chironomidae should be also especially relevant in the assessment of water bodies naturally poor in other groups such as the Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera, and Trichoptera, such as the lowland rivers with sandy substrates, lakes, or reservoirs.

American marriage in the early twenty-first century.

PubMed

Cherlin, Andrew J

2005-01-01

During the past century the U.S. family system has seen vast changes--in marriage and divorce rates, cohabitation, childbearing, sexual behavior, and women's work outside the home. Andrew Cherlin reviews these historic changes, noting that marriage remains the most common living arrangement for raising children, but that children, especially poor and minority children, are increasingly likely to grow up in single-parent families and to experience family instability. Cherlin describes the economic and cultural forces that have transformed family life. Job market changes have drawn married women into the work force and deprived less-educated men of the blue-collar jobs by which they traditionally supported their families. And effective contraception and legalized abortion have eroded the norm of marriage before childbearing. Cherlin notes that sentiment in favor of marriage appears to be stronger in the United States than in other developed countries. The share of U.S. adults who are likely to marry is higher, but so is the share likely to divorce. U.S. children are also more likely to live in single-parent families at some time in their childhood. Although nearly all Americans, whether poor or well-to-do, hold to marriage as an ideal, today marriage is increasingly optional. To a greater extent than ever before, individuals can choose whether to form a family on their own, in a cohabiting relationship, or in a marriage. Given U.S. patterns of swift transitions into and out of marriage and high rates of single parenthood, American policymakers eager to promote marriage are unlikely to be able to raise U.S. family stability to levels typical of other developed countries. Consequently, a family policy that relies too heavily on marriage will not help the many children destined to live in single-parent and cohabiting families--many of them poor--during their formative years. Assistance must be directed to needy families, regardless of their household structure. Policymakers must craft a careful balance of marriage-based and marriage-neutral programs to provide adequate support to American children.

Are Family Meals as Good for Youth as We Think They Are? A Review of the Literature on Family Meals as They Pertain to Adolescent Risk Prevention

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Skeer, Margie R.; Ballard, Erica L.

2013-01-01

Regular family meals have been shown to reduce adolescents' engagement in various risk behaviors. In this article, we comprehensively examine the literature to review the association between family meals and eight adolescent risk outcomes: alcohol, tobacco, marijuana and other drugs; aggressive and/or violent behaviors; poor school performance;…

The Influence of Family Socialisation on the Success of Girls from Poor Urban Communities in Brazil at School

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Carvalho, Marília

2015-01-01

The principle focus of this article is to understand the influence of socialisation in the family on the success of girls at school. Eight low-income families with children of both sexes in the city of São Paulo, Brazil were studied through interviews and observation methods. It was found that socialisation in the family favoured in girls, and not…

Developmental and Environmental Regulation of Aquaporin Gene Expression across Populus Species: Divergence or Redundancy?

PubMed Central

Cohen, David; Bogeat-Triboulot, Marie-Béatrice; Vialet-Chabrand, Silvère; Merret, Rémy; Courty, Pierre-Emmanuel; Moretti, Sébastien; Bizet, François; Guilliot, Agnès; Hummel, Irène

2013-01-01

Aquaporins (AQPs) are membrane channels belonging to the major intrinsic proteins family and are known for their ability to facilitate water movement. While in Populus trichocarpa, AQP proteins form a large family encompassing fifty-five genes, most of the experimental work focused on a few genes or subfamilies. The current work was undertaken to develop a comprehensive picture of the whole AQP gene family in Populus species by delineating gene expression domain and distinguishing responsiveness to developmental and environmental cues. Since duplication events amplified the poplar AQP family, we addressed the question of expression redundancy between gene duplicates. On these purposes, we carried a meta-analysis of all publicly available Affymetrix experiments. Our in-silico strategy controlled for previously identified biases in cross-species transcriptomics, a necessary step for any comparative transcriptomics based on multispecies design chips. Three poplar AQPs were not supported by any expression data, even in a large collection of situations (abiotic and biotic constraints, temporal oscillations and mutants). The expression of 11 AQPs was never or poorly regulated whatever the wideness of their expression domain and their expression level. Our work highlighted that PtTIP1;4 was the most responsive gene of the AQP family. A high functional divergence between gene duplicates was detected across species and in response to tested cues, except for the root-expressed PtTIP2;3/PtTIP2;4 pair exhibiting 80% convergent responses. Our meta-analysis assessed key features of aquaporin expression which had remained hidden in single experiments, such as expression wideness, response specificity and genotype and environment interactions. By consolidating expression profiles using independent experimental series, we showed that the large expansion of AQP family in poplar was accompanied with a strong divergence of gene expression, even if some cases of functional redundancy could be suspected. PMID:23393587

Developmental and environmental regulation of Aquaporin gene expression across Populus species: divergence or redundancy?

PubMed

Cohen, David; Bogeat-Triboulot, Marie-Béatrice; Vialet-Chabrand, Silvère; Merret, Rémy; Courty, Pierre-Emmanuel; Moretti, Sébastien; Bizet, François; Guilliot, Agnès; Hummel, Irène

2013-01-01

Aquaporins (AQPs) are membrane channels belonging to the major intrinsic proteins family and are known for their ability to facilitate water movement. While in Populus trichocarpa, AQP proteins form a large family encompassing fifty-five genes, most of the experimental work focused on a few genes or subfamilies. The current work was undertaken to develop a comprehensive picture of the whole AQP gene family in Populus species by delineating gene expression domain and distinguishing responsiveness to developmental and environmental cues. Since duplication events amplified the poplar AQP family, we addressed the question of expression redundancy between gene duplicates. On these purposes, we carried a meta-analysis of all publicly available Affymetrix experiments. Our in-silico strategy controlled for previously identified biases in cross-species transcriptomics, a necessary step for any comparative transcriptomics based on multispecies design chips. Three poplar AQPs were not supported by any expression data, even in a large collection of situations (abiotic and biotic constraints, temporal oscillations and mutants). The expression of 11 AQPs was never or poorly regulated whatever the wideness of their expression domain and their expression level. Our work highlighted that PtTIP1;4 was the most responsive gene of the AQP family. A high functional divergence between gene duplicates was detected across species and in response to tested cues, except for the root-expressed PtTIP2;3/PtTIP2;4 pair exhibiting 80% convergent responses. Our meta-analysis assessed key features of aquaporin expression which had remained hidden in single experiments, such as expression wideness, response specificity and genotype and environment interactions. By consolidating expression profiles using independent experimental series, we showed that the large expansion of AQP family in poplar was accompanied with a strong divergence of gene expression, even if some cases of functional redundancy could be suspected.

Correlates of physical function among stroke survivors: an examination of the 2015 BRFSS.

PubMed

Ilunga Tshiswaka, D; Seals, S R; Raghavan, P

2018-02-01

To identify the characteristics of stroke survivors with poor physical function. Cross-sectional. Secondary data analyses were performed with the 2015 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System data set. Unadjusted and adjusted logistic regressions were employed to determine the correlates of poor physical function in stroke survivors. Self-reported difficulty with walking and stairs was used as a proxy for physical function. Characteristics such as age, race, sex, difficulty doing errands alone, difficult dressing or bathing alone, health care coverage, time since last routine checkup, and reported financial difficulty with regard to health care access were examined as contributing factors to physical function. Approximately half of all stroke survivors reported having difficulty with walking and stairs (50.3%). As expected, the odds of reporting difficulty with walking and stairs were higher among stroke survivors aged 40 years and above (p < 0.0001). Interestingly, black/African American and multiracial respondents had higher odds of reporting difficulty with walking and stairs than whites, whereas Hispanic respondents had lower odds of reporting difficulty with walking and stairs than whites (p < 0.0001). Further analyses revealed that the disparity of physical function was preserved (p < 0.0001) after adjusting for age, race, sex, education level, family income, marital status, employment status, health insurance status, affordability of healthcare, and length of time from last doctor's visit. There were racial/ethnic disparities in physical function. Specifically, blacks/ African Americans had a 5.6% increase in the odds of reporting difficulty with walking and stairs than whites. Moreover, Hispanics reported significantly fewer problems than whites. Overall, similar sociocultural patterns in non-stroke and stroke populations were observed in this study. Copyright © 2017 The Royal Society for Public Health. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Young Children in Immigrant Families Face Higher Risk of Food Insecurity. Research Brief. Publication #2009-07

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Capps, Randy; Horowitz, Allison; Fortuny, Karina; Bronte-Tinkew, Jacinta; Zaslow, Martha

2009-01-01

Children in immigrant families are more likely than children in native-born families to face a number of risk factors for poor developmental outcomes, including higher poverty rates, lower household incomes, and linguistic isolation, (for example, when older children and adults in a household have difficulty speaking English). Previous research…

The Therapeutic Alliance and Family Psychoeducation in the Treatment of Schizophrenia: An Exploratory Prospective Change Process Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smerud, Phyllis E.; Rosenfarb, Irwin S.

2008-01-01

Although family psychoeducation has been shown to be highly efficacious in the treatment of schizophrenia, the mechanisms underlying the treatment's success are poorly understood. The therapeutic alliance in behavioral family management (BFM) was examined to determine whether the alliance plays a role in the efficacy of this treatment. One early…

A Dream Denied: The Black Family in the Eighties.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McGhee, James D.

The extremely conservative political climate and the record-breaking recession have effectively destroyed the hopes and dreams of poor black families, and they seriously threaten the existence of an emerging, still fragile, black middle class. Prior to 1960, no more than 10-12 percent of black families could be counted as members of the middle…

Putting Children and Families First: Head Start Programs in 2010. Brief No. 10

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schmit, Stephanie; Ewen, Danielle

2012-01-01

Since its creation in 1965, Head Start has provided high quality early education and comprehensive support services to three- and four-year-olds in poor families. In addition to early learning opportunities, Head Start's comprehensive early childhood development program provides children and families with access to a range of services such as…

Cornell OEO Project: An Exploration in Urban Extension Activity.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ostrander, Edward; And Others

To explore ways of adapting cooperative extension education to help urban poor families solve their home management and consumer problems, the Cornell-OEO project trained and then employed 38 South Brooklyn women as family assistants to work with over 500 local families. The dynamic program changed frequently during its 2 year term as its range…

Not Poor in Spirit: Hope for Kentucky's Low-Income Families and Children.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gall-Clayton, Nancy; Chandler, Betsy, Ed.

This report tells the stories of dozens of low-income families from all parts of Kentucky. It is a personal report, compiled after 4 months of travel and interviews. The report also makes recommendations for improvements in programs designed to serve impoverished families. The introduction discusses the seeming paradoxes of poverty and generosity,…

People with Disabilities: Confronting Obstacles, Old and New. Working & Poor in Wisconsin.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wisconsin Council on Children and Families Inc., Madison.

It is becoming increasingly clear that "work first" solutions to welfare reform such as Wisconsin Works (W-2) are problematic for families with a disabled parent or child. Wisconsin's existing policies are especially ill-tailored to meet the special needs of the following broad categories of low-income families: (1) W-2 families that…

A systematic review of the literature on family functioning across all eating disorder diagnoses in comparison to control families.

PubMed

Holtom-Viesel, Anita; Allan, Steven

2014-02-01

The objectives of this review were to systematically identify and evaluate quantitative research comparing family functioning (a) in eating disorder families with control families, (b) in families with different eating disorder diagnoses (c) perceptions of different family members and (d) the relationship between family functioning and recovery. This adds to the findings of previous reviews of family functioning by including data from control families, the range of diagnoses, and focusing on recovery. Findings were considered in relation to models of family functioning. Using specific search criteria, 17 research papers were identified and evaluated. Findings indicated that eating disorder families reported worse family functioning than control families but there was little evidence for a typical pattern of family dysfunction. A consistent pattern of family dysfunction for different diagnoses was not suggested but patients consistently rated their family as more dysfunctional than one or both of their parents. With respect to outcome and recovery, those with more positive perceptions of family functioning generally had more positive outcomes, irrespective of severity of eating disorder. Conclusions were limited by inconsistent findings and methodological issues. Further research is needed into the relationship between family functioning and outcome and the assessment of family functioning beyond self-report. © 2013.

Association of Psychosocial Conditions, Oral Health, and Dietary Variety with Intellectual Activity in Older Community-Dwelling Japanese Adults.

PubMed

Tomioka, Kimiko; Okamoto, Nozomi; Kurumatani, Norio; Hosoi, Hiroshi

2015-01-01

This study examined the factors related to intellectual activity in community-dwelling elderly persons. Self-administered questionnaires mailed to all people aged ≥65 years in a dormitory suburb in Japan (n = 15,210). The response rate was 72.2%. Analytical subjects (n = 8,910) were those who lived independently and completely answered questions about independent and dependent variables and covariates. Independent variables included psychosocial conditions (i.e., social activities, hobbies, and a sense that life is worth living (ikigai)), oral health (i.e., dental health behaviors and oral function evaluated by chewing difficulties, swallowing difficulties, and oral dryness), and dietary variety measured using the dietary variety score (DVS). A dependent variable was intellectual activity measured using the Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Gerontology Index of Competence. Covariates included age, gender, family structure, pensions, body mass index, alcohol, smoking, medical history, self-rated health, medications, cognitive function, depression, and falling. Logistic regression was used to estimate the odds ratio (OR) for poor intellectual activity. Poor intellectual activity was reported by 28.9% of the study population. After adjustment for covariates and independent variables, poor intellectual activity was significantly associated with nonparticipation in social activities (OR = 1.90, 95%CI = 1.61-2.24), having neither hobbies nor ikigai (3.13, 2.55-3.84), having neither regular dental visits nor daily brushing (1.70, 1.35-2.14), the poorest oral function (1.61, 1.31-1.98), and the lowest DVS quartile (1.96, 1.70-2.26). These results indicate that psychosocial conditions, oral health, and dietary variety are independently associated with intellectual activity in elderly persons. The factors identified in this study may be used in community health programs for maintaining the intellectual activity ability of the elderly.

Hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography for the separation, purification, and quantification of raffinose family oligosaccharides from Lycopus lucidus Turcz.

PubMed

Liang, Tu; Fu, Qing; Li, Fangbing; Zhou, Wei; Xin, Huaxia; Wang, Hui; Jin, Yu; Liang, Xinmiao

2015-08-01

A systematic strategy based on hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography was developed for the separation, purification and quantification of raffinose family oligosaccharides from Lycopus lucidus Turcz. Methods with enough hydrophilicity and selectivity were utilized to resolve the problems encountered in the separation of oligosaccharides such as low retention, low resolution and poor solubility. The raffinose family oligosaccharides in L. lucidus Turcz. were isolated using solid-phase extraction followed by hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography at semi-preparative scale to obtain standards of stachyose, verbascose and ajugose. Utilizing the obtained oligosaccharides as standards, a quantitative determination method was developed, validated and applied for the content determination of raffinose family oligosaccharides both in the aerial and root parts of L. lucidus Turcz. There were no oligosaccharides in the aerial parts, while in the root parts, the total content was 686.5 mg/g with the average distribution: raffinose 66.5 mg/g, stachyose 289.0 mg/g, verbascose 212.4 mg/g, and ajugose 118.6 mg/g. The result provided the potential of roots of L. lucidus Turcz. as new raffinose family oligosaccharides sources for functional food. Moreover, since the present systematic strategy is efficient, sensitive and robust, separation, purification and quantification of oligosaccharides by hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography seems to be possible. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

The Role of Genetics in IBS

PubMed Central

Saito, Yuri A.

2011-01-01

IBS is a common disorder that has been shown to aggregate in families, to affect multiple generations, but not in a manner consistent with a major Mendelian effect. Relatives of an individual with IBS are two to three times as likely to have IBS, with both genders being affected. The estimated genetic liability ranges between 1–20%, with heritability estimates ranging between 0–57%. Although the role of childhood events such as nasogastric tube placement, poor nutrition, abuse, and other stressors have been clearly associated with IBS, these factors have not been studied in families and are unlikely to completely explain the clustering of bowel dysfunction observed in family studies. Furthermore, the familial clustering of IBS does not appear to be explained by psychological traits, based on family studies as well as candidate gene studies of functional variants associated with other psychiatric disorders. To date, over a hundred genetic variants in over 60 genes from various pathways have been studied in a number of candidate gene studies with several positive associations reported. These findings suggest that there may be distinct, as well as shared, molecular underpinnings for IBS and its subtypes. Much new and confirmatory work remains to be performed to elucidate the role of specific genetic variants in IBS development, as well as the specific ways the genes and environment interact to result in IBS susceptibility. PMID:21333900

Prospective Predictors of Suicidal Behavior in BPD at 6 Year Follow-up

PubMed Central

Soloff, Paul H.; Chiappetta, Laurel

2012-01-01

Objective Recurrent suicidal behavior is a defining characteristic of BPD. Although most patients achieve remission of suicidal behaviors over time, 3% to 10% die by suicide, raising the question of whether there is a high risk suicidal subtype in BPD. We are conducting the first longitudinal study of suicidal behavior in BPD to identify prospective predictors of suicide attempts, and characterize BPD patients at highest risk for suicide completion. Method Demographic, diagnostic, clinical and psychosocial risk factors assessed at baseline were examined for predictive association with medically significant suicide attempts using Cox proportional hazards models. Prospective predictors were defined for subjects completing 6 or more years in the study and compared to earlier intervals. Results Among 90 subjects, 25 (27.8%) made at least one suicide attempt in the interval, most occurring in the first two years. Risk of attempt was increased by: a.) low socioeconomic status, b.) poor psychosocial adjustment, c.) a family history of suicide d.) prior psychiatric hospitalization; e.) absence of any outpatient treatment prior to the attempt. Higher global functioning at baseline decreased risk. Conclusion Risk factors predictive of suicide attempts change over time. Acute stressors such as MDD were predictive only in the short term (12 mos.), while poor psychosocial functioning had persistent and long term effects on suicide risk. Half of BPD patients have poor psychosocial outcomes despite symptomatic improvement. A social and vocational rehabilitation model of treatment is needed to decrease suicide risk and optimize long term outcomes in BPD. PMID:22549208

Response of heat shock protein genes of the oriental fruit moth under diapause and thermal stress reveals multiple patterns dependent on the nature of stress exposure.

PubMed

Zhang, Bo; Peng, Yu; Zheng, Jincheng; Liang, Lina; Hoffmann, Ary A; Ma, Chun-Sen

2016-07-01

Heat shock protein gene (Hsp) families are thought to be important in thermal adaptation, but their expression patterns under various thermal stresses have still been poorly characterized outside of model systems. We have therefore characterized Hsp genes and their stress responses in the oriental fruit moth (OFM), Grapholita molesta, a widespread global orchard pest, and compared patterns of expression in this species to that of other insects. Genes from four Hsp families showed variable expression levels among tissues and developmental stages. Members of the Hsp40, 70, and 90 families were highly expressed under short exposures to heat and cold. Expression of Hsp40, 70, and Hsc70 family members increased in OFM undergoing diapause, while Hsp90 was downregulated. We found that there was strong sequence conservation of members of large Hsp families (Hsp40, Hsp60, Hsp70, Hsc70) across taxa, but this was not always matched by conservation of expression patterns. When the large Hsps as well as small Hsps from OFM were compared under acute and ramping heat stress, two groups of sHsps expression patterns were apparent, depending on whether expression increased or decreased immediately after stress exposure. These results highlight potential differences in conservation of function as opposed to sequence in this gene family and also point to Hsp genes potentially useful as bioindicators of diapause and thermal stress in OFM.

Parental separation, parental alcoholism, and timing of first sexual intercourse.

PubMed

Waldron, Mary; Doran, Kelly A; Bucholz, Kathleen K; Duncan, Alexis E; Lynskey, Michael T; Madden, Pamela A F; Sartor, Carolyn E; Heath, Andrew C

2015-05-01

We examined timing of first voluntary sexual intercourse as a joint function of parental separation during childhood and parental history of alcoholism. Data were drawn from a birth cohort of female like-sex twins (n = 569 African ancestry [AA]; n = 3,415 European or other ancestry [EA]). Cox proportional hazards regression was conducted predicting age at first sex from dummy variables coding for parental separation and parental alcoholism. Propensity score analysis was also employed to compare intact and separated families, stratified by predicted probability of separation. Earlier sex was reported by EA twins from separated and alcoholic families, compared to EA twins from intact nonalcoholic families, with effects most pronounced through the age of 14 years. Among AA twins, effects of parental separation and parental alcoholism were largely nonsignificant. Results of propensity score analyses confirmed unique risks from parental separation in EA families, where consistent effects of parental separation were observed across predicted probability of separation. For AA families, there was poor matching on risk factors presumed to predate separation, which limited interpretability of survival-analytic findings. In European American families, parental separation during childhood is an important predictor of early-onset sex, beyond parental alcoholism and other correlated risk factors. To characterize risk for African Americans associated with parental separation, additional research is needed where matching on confounders can be achieved. Copyright © 2015 Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Parent, Teacher, and Student Perspectives on how Corrective Lenses Improve Child Wellbeing and School Function

PubMed Central

Dudovitz, Rebecca N; Izadpanah, Nilufar; Chung, Paul J.; Slusser, Wendelin

2015-01-01

Objectives Up to 20% of school-age children have a vision problem identifiable by screening, over 80% of which can be corrected with glasses. While vision problems are associated with poor school performance, few studies describe whether and how corrective lenses affect academic achievement and health. Further, there are virtually no studies exploring how children with correctable visual deficits, their parents, and teachers perceive the connection between vision care and school function. Methods We conducted a qualitative evaluation of Vision to Learn (VTL), a school-based program providing free corrective lenses to low-income students in Los Angeles. Nine focus groups with students, parents, and teachers from three schools served by VTL explored the relationships between poor vision, receipt of corrective lenses, and school performance and health. Results Twenty parents, 25 teachers, and 21 students from three elementary schools participated. Participants described how uncorrected visual deficits reduced students’ focus, perseverance, and class participation, affecting academic functioning and psychosocial stress; how receiving corrective lenses improved classroom attention, task persistence, and willingness to practice academic skills; and how serving students in school rather than in clinics increased both access to and use of corrective lenses. Conclusions for Practice Corrective lenses may positively impact families, teachers, and students coping with visual deficits by improving school function and psychosocial wellbeing. Practices that increase ownership and use of glasses, such as serving students in school, may significantly improve both child health and academic performance. PMID:26649878

A systematic review of Indigenous caregiver functioning and interventions.

PubMed

Hokanson, Lesli; Quinn, Michael Gerhardt; Schüz, Natalie; de Salas, Kristy; Scott, Jenn

2018-03-21

There is a global increase in chronic, degenerative illnesses that require long-term intervention and support as a result of the aging population. The majority of support needs are met by informal family caregivers. While there have been three decades of research focusing on caregivers in general, the extent to which research has focused on Indigenous caregivers is unclear. Worldwide, Indigenous peoples face severe economic and health disadvantages that may make them even more vulnerable to the negative aspects of informal caregiving. The current systematic review aimed to synthesize the extant literature on Indigenous caregiver functioning and the interventions that are efficacious in alleviating Indigenous caregiver distress. Systematic review Inclusion criteria were peer-reviewed quantitative studies examining Indigenous caregiver functioning or evaluating Indigenous caregiver interventions. 1172 unique records were located in the final search undertaken; only 7 articles, representing 6 unique studies, met the full inclusion criteria. Most studies contained numerous methodological weaknesses that compromised the reliability and validity of findings. Available studies suggest poor health and high burden among Indigenous relative to non-Indigenous caregivers. However, high levels of positive aspects of caregiving were reported in one study. A single intervention study suggests that poor health outcomes among Indigenous caregivers can be alleviated, though the quality and focus of this study was sub-optimal. Overall, there is very little quality evidence around Indigenous caregiver functioning. Future research in this area would benefit from greater adherence to the standards of research that contribute to a strong and reliable evidence base.

Parent, Teacher, and Student Perspectives on How Corrective Lenses Improve Child Wellbeing and School Function.

PubMed

Dudovitz, Rebecca N; Izadpanah, Nilufar; Chung, Paul J; Slusser, Wendelin

2016-05-01

Up to 20 % of school-age children have a vision problem identifiable by screening, over 80 % of which can be corrected with glasses. While vision problems are associated with poor school performance, few studies describe whether and how corrective lenses affect academic achievement and health. Further, there are virtually no studies exploring how children with correctable visual deficits, their parents, and teachers perceive the connection between vision care and school function. We conducted a qualitative evaluation of Vision to Learn (VTL), a school-based program providing free corrective lenses to low-income students in Los Angeles. Nine focus groups with students, parents, and teachers from three schools served by VTL explored the relationships between poor vision, receipt of corrective lenses, and school performance and health. Twenty parents, 25 teachers, and 21 students from three elementary schools participated. Participants described how uncorrected visual deficits reduced students' focus, perseverance, and class participation, affecting academic functioning and psychosocial stress; how receiving corrective lenses improved classroom attention, task persistence, and willingness to practice academic skills; and how serving students in school rather than in clinics increased both access to and use of corrective lenses. for Practice Corrective lenses may positively impact families, teachers, and students coping with visual deficits by improving school function and psychosocial wellbeing. Practices that increase ownership and use of glasses, such as serving students in school, may significantly improve both child health and academic performance.

Cross-cultural communication and use of the family meeting in palliative care.

PubMed

Sharma, Rashmi K; Dy, Sydney M

2011-09-01

Terminally-ill patients and their families often report poor communication and limited understanding of the patient's diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment plan; these deficits can be exacerbated by cross-cultural issues. Although family meetings are frequently recommended to facilitate provider-family communication, a more structured, evidence-based approach to their use may improve outcomes. Drawing on research and guidelines from critical care, palliative care, and cross-cultural communication, we propose a framework for conducting family meetings with consideration for cross-cultural issues.

Behavioral health care for adolescents with poorly controlled diabetes via Skype: does working alliance remain intact?

PubMed

Freeman, Kurt A; Duke, Danny C; Harris, Michael A

2013-05-01

Increasingly various technologies are being tested to deliver behavioral health care. Delivering services via videoconferencing shows promise. Given that the patient-provider relationship is a strong predictor of patient adherence to medical regimens, addressing relationship quality when services are not delivered face-to-face is critical. To that end, we compared the therapeutic alliance when behavioral health care was delivered to youth with poorly controlled type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) and their caregivers in-clinic with the same services delivered via Internet-based videoconferencing (i.e., Skype™). Seventy-one adolescents with poorly controlled T1DM (hemoglobin A1c ≥9%) and one of their caregivers received up to 10 sessions of a family-based behavioral health intervention previously shown to improve adherence to diabetes regimens and family functioning; 32 were randomized to the Skype condition. Youth and caregivers completed the working alliance inventory (WAI), a 36-item measure of therapeutic alliance, at the end of treatment. Additionally, the number of behavioral health sessions completed was tracked. No significant differences in WAI scores were found for those receiving behavioral health care via Skype versus in-clinic. Youth WAI goal and total scores were significantly associated with the number of sessions completed for those in the clinic group. Behavioral health can be delivered to youth with T1DM via Internet-based videoconferencing without significantly impacting the therapeutic relationship. Thus, for those adolescents with T1DM who require specialized behavioral health care that targets T1DM management, Internet-based teleconferencing represents a viable alternative to clinic-based care. © 2013 Diabetes Technology Society.

Behavioral Health Care for Adolescents with Poorly Controlled Diabetes via Skype: Does Working Alliance Remain Intact?

PubMed Central

Freeman, Kurt A.; Duke, Danny C.; Harris, Michael A.

2013-01-01

Background: Increasingly various technologies are being tested to deliver behavioral health care. Delivering services via videoconferencing shows promise. Given that the patient–provider relationship is a strong predictor of patient adherence to medical regimens, addressing relationship quality when services are not delivered face-to-face is critical. To that end, we compared the therapeutic alliance when behavioral health care was delivered to youth with poorly controlled type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) and their caregivers in-clinic with the same services delivered via Internet-based videoconferencing (i.e., Skype™). Methods: Seventy-one adolescents with poorly controlled T1DM (hemoglobin A1c ≥9%) and one of their caregivers received up to 10 sessions of a family-based behavioral health intervention previously shown to improve adherence to diabetes regimens and family functioning; 32 were randomized to the Skype condition. Youth and caregivers completed the working alliance inventory (WAI), a 36-item measure of therapeutic alliance, at the end of treatment. Additionally, the number of behavioral health sessions completed was tracked. Results: No significant differences in WAI scores were found for those receiving behavioral health care via Skype versus in-clinic. Youth WAI goal and total scores were significantly associated with the number of sessions completed for those in the clinic group. Conclusion: Behavioral health can be delivered to youth with T1DM via Internet-based videoconferencing without significantly impacting the therapeutic relationship. Thus, for those adolescents with T1DM who require specialized behavioral health care that targets T1DM management, Internet-based teleconferencing represents a viable alternative to clinic-based care. PMID:23759406

Physician, heal thyself: the paradox of anxiety amongst house officers and work in a teaching hospital.

PubMed

Tan, Susan Mooi Koon; Jong, Sze Chin; Chan, Lai Fong; Jamaludin, Nurul Akmal; Phang, Cheng Kar; Jamaluddin, Nur Shahirah; Shah, Shamsul Azhar

2013-04-01

Anxiety among house officers may impair functioning and health care delivery. This study aimed to determine the association between anxiety among house officers at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Medical Center, sociodemographic and work-related factors. A cross-sectional study using the self-rated and validated Malay Depressive Anxiety and Stress Scale 21, the General Stressor Questionnaire and a sociodemographic questionnaire. Of the 89 house officers, 60.7% were anxious. Multivariate logistic analysis showed work-related challenges, performance pressure (odds ratio [OR] = 9.000, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.812-44.705), poor relationship with supervisors (OR = 5.212, 95% CI = 2.033-3.365), poor relationship with colleagues (OR = 4.642, 95% CI = 1.816-11.866), bureaucratic constraints (OR = 3.810, 95% CI = 1.541-9.415) and poor job prospects (OR = 3.745, 95% CI = 1.505-9.321) strongly associated with anxiety. Family-related stressors were less significant (OR = 1.800, 95% CI = 0.760-4.266) unless they were work related (work-family conflicts [OR = 8.253, 95% CI = 2.652-25.684]). Almost two-thirds of this cohort reported work-related anxiety symptoms. Administrators need to address these mental health needs early. The subsequent improvement in communication skills, conflict resolution and anxiety reduction will result in short- and long-term benefits towards the young doctors's mental health. The cascading impact on these individuals, thus empowered, will be good work-life balance, improved patient care and safety, a satisfying medical career whilst contributing maximally to the country's health care. Copyright © 2013 Wiley Publishing Asia Pty Ltd.

With Farm Workers: Part II--New York

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Halsell, Grace

1978-01-01

Each year, families travel north from the Texas-Mexico border to New York State to plant and clip celery and onions. These migrants suffer from poor health care, have poor housing, sanitation facilities, and education, and work long hours in the fields. (NQ)

PASS2: an automated database of protein alignments organised as structural superfamilies.

PubMed

Bhaduri, Anirban; Pugalenthi, Ganesan; Sowdhamini, Ramanathan

2004-04-02

The functional selection and three-dimensional structural constraints of proteins in nature often relates to the retention of significant sequence similarity between proteins of similar fold and function despite poor sequence identity. Organization of structure-based sequence alignments for distantly related proteins, provides a map of the conserved and critical regions of the protein universe that is useful for the analysis of folding principles, for the evolutionary unification of protein families and for maximizing the information return from experimental structure determination. The Protein Alignment organised as Structural Superfamily (PASS2) database represents continuously updated, structural alignments for evolutionary related, sequentially distant proteins. An automated and updated version of PASS2 is, in direct correspondence with SCOP 1.63, consisting of sequences having identity below 40% among themselves. Protein domains have been grouped into 628 multi-member superfamilies and 566 single member superfamilies. Structure-based sequence alignments for the superfamilies have been obtained using COMPARER, while initial equivalencies have been derived from a preliminary superposition using LSQMAN or STAMP 4.0. The final sequence alignments have been annotated for structural features using JOY4.0. The database is supplemented with sequence relatives belonging to different genomes, conserved spatially interacting and structural motifs, probabilistic hidden markov models of superfamilies based on the alignments and useful links to other databases. Probabilistic models and sensitive position specific profiles obtained from reliable superfamily alignments aid annotation of remote homologues and are useful tools in structural and functional genomics. PASS2 presents the phylogeny of its members both based on sequence and structural dissimilarities. Clustering of members allows us to understand diversification of the family members. The search engine has been improved for simpler browsing of the database. The database resolves alignments among the structural domains consisting of evolutionarily diverged set of sequences. Availability of reliable sequence alignments of distantly related proteins despite poor sequence identity and single-member superfamilies permit better sampling of structures in libraries for fold recognition of new sequences and for the understanding of protein structure-function relationships of individual superfamilies. PASS2 is accessible at http://www.ncbs.res.in/~faculty/mini/campass/pass2.html

GIS-based poverty and population distribution analysis in China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cui, Jing; Wang, Yingjie; Yan, Hong

2009-07-01

Geographically, poverty status is not only related with social-economic factors but also strongly affected by geographical environment. In the paper, GIS-based poverty and population distribution analysis method is introduced for revealing their regional differences. More than 100000 poor villages and 592 national key poor counties are chosen for the analysis. The results show that poverty distribution tends to concentrate in most of west China and mountainous rural areas of mid China. Furthermore, the fifth census data are overlaid to those poor areas in order to gain its internal diversity of social-economic characteristics. By overlaying poverty related social-economic parameters, such as sex ratio, illiteracy, education level, percentage of ethnic minorities, family composition, finding shows that poverty distribution is strongly correlated with high illiteracy rate, high percentage minorities, and larger family member.

Partners in health? Exploring resemblance in health between partners in married and cohabiting couples.

PubMed

Monden, Christiaan

2007-04-01

Sociological theories on family formation and families and health suggest that married and cohabiting partners will resemble each other in health status, positively or negatively. The family is often seen as a health-enhancing agent for individuals. However, there are large health differences among families. This study aims to answer the question whether it is the case that the healthy live with the healthy and individuals with poor health have partners who are also in poor health. Moreover, it examines whether resemblance in health is a consequence of partner choice--educational homogamy in particular--behaviour or shared circumstances. Younger and older couples are compared to investigate whether health resemblance increases over the lifecourse. Analyses of a nationally representative sample of almost 12,000 Dutch couples show that partners are indeed significantly alike with regard to several health indicators. Respondents whose partner reports poor health are almost three times more likely to report poor health than respondents whose partner is in good health. There is a strong accumulation of health problems within households. Partner selection with regard to education causes part of the partner resemblance in health. Less support is found for the hypotheses that risk behaviour, mutual influence or the effects of shared circumstances cause similarity between partners' health status. Surprisingly, partners in older couples, who have been together for a longer time, do not resemble each other significantly more than partners in younger couples. The implications of these findings for sociological theory and social inequalities in health are discussed.

Interdisciplinary collaboration between social workers and dieticians in nutrition education programs for children-at-risk.

PubMed

Shor, Ron

2010-01-01

Bio-psycho-social risk factors may lead to situations of poor nutrition of children. However, despite the multiple risk factors involved in such situations, interdisciplinary collaboration between experts in the psycho-social dimensions and experts in the bio-dimension of poor nutrition has not been a common model of practice. An evaluation was conducted in Israel of the experience of collaboration between social workers and dieticians in leading nutrition-education programs. A qualitative methodology was implemented with 22 participants. The findings illuminate the potential that interdisciplinary collaboration has to enhance the response of each of the professions to the risks for poor nutrition. The barriers affecting collaboration are: (a) role ambiguity about the non-administrative functions of social workers; (b) the dieticians' lack of sufficient familiarity with the life circumstances of low-income families and how to adjust the nutrition-related contents to their circumstances; and (c) difficulties to achieve a balance between the structured methods of knowledge delivery of the dieticians and the less structured methods of intervention of social workers. The findings illuminate the significance of incorporating suitable approaches into the collaboration for reducing these barriers.

[Anxiety and body image among women growing up in families with addiction problem].

PubMed

Lelek, Agnieszka; Betkowska-Korpała, Barbara; Jabłoński, Marcin

2011-01-01

The aim of the study was to analyse the correlation between body image and anxiety symptoms as well as psychological discomfort experienced by women growing up in alcoholic families. The group of 61 women (27 years old on average) was surveyed with Body Self Questionnaire and MMPI-2 personality test questionnaires and the results were measured on Scale 7 (Pt). All the participants also attended psychotherapy sessions focused on disorders resulting from growing up in families with alcohol problems. The analysis showed negative correlation (p < 0.05) between the results of Scale 7 (Pt) and one's body acceptance (r = -0.44), attitude to eating (r = -0.3), femininity disclosure (r = -0.28)and the experience of intimate relations (r = -0.27). The study showed that disordered body image is related to the symptoms described by Scale 7 (Pt): tendency to react with fear, worriment, stronger discomfort in social situations, fear of rejection, difficulties in interpersonal relations, poor self-confidence as well as perfectionism and tensed behaviour. A crucial factor that could improve the effectiveness of therapies for women from alcoholic families appears to be an attempt to combine the experience of oneself in physical and emotional spheres, as well as functioning cognitive schemes.

Protein arginine methyltransferase 5 promotes lung cancer metastasis via the epigenetic regulation of miR-99 family/FGFR3 signaling.

PubMed

Jing, Pengyu; Zhao, Nan; Ye, Mingxiang; Zhang, Yong; Zhang, Zhipei; Sun, Jianyong; Wang, Zhengxin; Zhang, Jian; Gu, Zhongping

2018-07-28

Protein arginine methyltransferase 5 (PRMT5) functions as a tumor initiator to regulate several cancer progressions, such as proliferation and apoptosis, by catalyzing the symmetrical dimethylation (me2s) of arginine residues within targeted molecules. However, the exact role of PRMT5-mediated metastasis in lung cancer is not fully understood. Here, we illustrated its potential effects in lung cancer metastasis in vivo and vitro. PRMT5 was frequently overexpressed in lung tumors, and its expression was positively related to tumor stages, lymphatic metastasis and poor outcome. In this model, PRMT5 repressed the transcription of the miR-99 family by symmetrical dimethylation of histone H4R3, which increased FGFR3 expression and in turn activated Erk1/2 and Akt, leading to cell growth and metastasis in lung cancer. Furthermore, loss of PRMT5 exerted anti-metastasis effects on lung cancer progression by blocking histone-modification of miR-99 family. Overall, this study provides new insights into the PRMT5/miR-99 family/FGFR3 axis in regulating lung cancer progression and identifies PRMT5 as a promising prognostic biomarker and therapeutic target. Copyright © 2018 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The association between teenage motherhood and poor offspring outcomes: A national cohort study across 30 years

PubMed Central

Coyne, Claire A; Långström, Niklas; Rickert, Martin E; Lichtenstein, Paul; D’Onofrio, Brian M

2013-01-01

Teenage motherhood is associated with poor offspring outcomes but these associations may be influenced by offspring birth year because of substantial social changes in recent decades. Existing research also has not examined whether these associations are due to the specific effect of mother’s age at childbirth or factors shared by siblings in a family. We used a population-based cohort study in Sweden comprising all children born from 1960–1989 (N=3,162,239), and a subsample of siblings differentially exposed to maternal teenage childbearing (N=485,259) to address these limitations. We examined the effect of teenage childbearing on offspring violent and nonviolent criminal convictions, poor academic performance, and substance-related problems. Population-wide, teenage childbearing was associated with offspring criminal convictions, poor academic performance, and substance-related problems. The magnitude of these associations increased over time. Comparisons of differentially exposed siblings indicated no within-family association between teenage childbearing and offspring violent and nonviolent criminal convictions or poor academic performance, although offspring born to teenage mothers were more likely to experience substance-related problems than their later-born siblings. Being born to a teenage mother in Sweden has become increasingly associated with negative outcomes across time, but the nature of this association may differ by outcome. Teenage childbearing may be associated with offspring violent and nonviolent criminal convictions and poor academic performance because of shared familial risk factors but may be causally associated with offspring substance-related problems. The findings suggest that interventions to improve offspring outcomes should delay teenage childbearing and target risk factors influencing all offspring of teenage mothers. PMID:23632141

Using the Rasch Measurement Model in Psychometric Analysis of the Family Effectiveness Measure

PubMed Central

McCreary, Linda L.; Conrad, Karen M.; Conrad, Kendon J.; Scott, Christy K; Funk, Rodney R.; Dennis, Michael L.

2013-01-01

Background Valid assessment of family functioning can play a vital role in optimizing client outcomes. Because family functioning is influenced by family structure, socioeconomic context, and culture, existing measures of family functioning--primarily developed with nuclear, middle class European American families--may not be valid assessments of families in diverse populations. The Family Effectiveness Measure was developed to address this limitation. Objectives To test the Family Effectiveness Measure with data from a primarily low-income African American convenience sample, using the Rasch measurement model. Method A sample of 607 adult women completed the measure. Rasch analysis was used to assess unidimensionality, response category functioning, item fit, person reliability, differential item functioning by race and parental status, and item hierarchy. Criterion-related validity was tested using correlations with five other variables related to family functioning. Results The Family Effectiveness Measure measures two separate constructs: The effective family functioning construct was a psychometrically sound measure of the target construct that was more efficient due to the deletion of 22 items. The ineffective family functioning construct consisted of 16 of those deleted items but was not as strong psychometrically. Items in both constructs evidenced no differential item functioning by race. Criterion-related validity was supported for both. Discussion In contrast to the prevailing conceptualization that family functioning is a single construct, assessed by positively and negatively worded items, use of the Rasch analysis suggested the existence of two constructs. While the effective family functioning is a strong and efficient measure of family functioning, the ineffective family functioning will require additional item development and psychometric testing. PMID:23636342

Family functioning in two treatments for adolescent anorexia nervosa.

PubMed

Ciao, Anna C; Accurso, Erin C; Fitzsimmons-Craft, Ellen E; Lock, James; Le Grange, Daniel

2015-01-01

Family functioning impairment is widely reported in the eating disorders literature, yet few studies have examined the role of family functioning in treatment for adolescent anorexia nervosa (AN). This study examined family functioning in two treatments for adolescent AN from multiple family members' perspectives. Participants were 121 adolescents with AN ages 12-18 from a randomized-controlled trial comparing family-based treatment (FBT) to individual adolescent-focused therapy (AFT). Multiple clinical characteristics were assessed at baseline. Family functioning from the perspective of the adolescent and both parents was assessed at baseline and after 1 year of treatment. Full remission from AN was defined as achieving both weight restoration and normalized eating disorder psychopathology. In general, families dealing with AN reported some baseline impairment in family functioning, but average ratings were only slightly elevated compared to published impaired functioning cutoffs. Adolescents' perspectives on family functioning were the most impaired and were generally associated with poorer psychosocial functioning and greater clinical severity. Regardless of initial level of family functioning, improvements in several family functioning domains were uniquely related to full remission at the end of treatment in both FBT and AFT. However, FBT had a more positive impact on several specific aspects of family functioning compared to AFT. Families seeking treatment for adolescent AN report some difficulties in family functioning, with adolescents reporting the greatest impairment. Although FBT may be effective in improving some specific aspects of family dynamics, remission from AN was associated with improved family dynamics, regardless of treatment type. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Starting School at a Disadvantage: The School Readiness of Poor Children. The Social Genome Project

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Isaacs, Julia B.

2012-01-01

Poor children in the United States start school at a disadvantage in terms of their early skills, behaviors, and health. Fewer than half (48 percent) of poor children are ready for school at age five, compared to 75 percent of children from families with moderate and high income, a 27 percentage point gap. This paper examines the reasons why poor…

Over-expression of Thioredoxin-1 mediates growth, survival, and chemoresistance and is a druggable target in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma

PubMed Central

Li, Changping; Thompson, Michael A.; Tamayo, Archito T.; Zuo, Zhuang; Lee, John; Vega, Francisco; Ford, Richard J.; Pham, Lan V.

2012-01-01

Diffuse Large B cell lymphomas (DLBCL) are the most prevalent of the non-Hodgkin lymphomas and are currently initially treated fairly successfully, but frequently relapse as refractory disease, resulting in poor salvage therapy options and short survival. The greatest challenge in improving survival of DLBCL patients is overcoming chemo-resistance, whose basis is poorly understood. Among the potential mediators of DLBCL chemo-resistance is the thioredxoin (Trx) family, primarily because Trx family members play critical roles in the regulation of cellular redox homeostasis, and recent studies have indicated that dysregulated redox homeostasis also plays a key role in chemoresistance. In this study, we showed that most of the DLBCL-derived cell lines and primary DLBCL cells express higher basal levels of Trx-1 than normal B cells and that Trx-1 expression level is associated with decreased patients survival. Our functional studies showed that inhibition of Trx-1 by small interfering RNA or a Trx-1 inhibitor (PX-12) inhibited DLBCL cell growth, clonogenicity, and also sensitized DLBCL cells to doxorubicin-induced cell growth inhibition in vitro. These results indicate that Trx-1 plays a key role in cell growth and survival, as well as chemoresistance, and is a potential target to overcome drug resistance in relapsed/refractory DLBCL. PMID:22447839

Childhood constipation as an emerging public health problem

PubMed Central

Rajindrajith, Shaman; Devanarayana, Niranga Manjuri; Crispus Perera, Bonaventure Jayasiri; Benninga, Marc Alexander

2016-01-01

Functional constipation (FC) is a significant health problem in children and contrary to common belief, has serious ramifications on the lives of children and their families. It is defined by the Rome criteria which encourage the use of multiple clinical features for diagnosis. FC in children has a high prevalence (0.7%-29%) worldwide, both in developed and developing countries. Biopsychosocial risk factors such as psychological stress, poor dietary habits, obesity and child maltreatment are commonly identified predisposing factors for FC. FC poses a significant healthcare burden on the already overstretched health budgets of many countries in terms of out-patient care, in-patient care, expenditure for investigations and prescriptions. Complications are common and range from minor psychological disturbances, to lower health-related quality of life. FC in children also has a significant impact on families. Many paediatric clinical trials have poor methodological quality, and drugs proved to be useful in adults, are not effective in relieving symptoms in children. A significant proportion of inadequately treated children have similar symptoms as adults. These factors show that constipation is an increasing public health problem across the world with a significant medical, social and economic impact. This article highlights the potential public health impact of FC and the possibility of overcoming this problem by concentrating on modifiable risk factors rather than expending resources on high cost investigations and therapeutic modalities. PMID:27570423

Childhood constipation as an emerging public health problem.

PubMed

Rajindrajith, Shaman; Devanarayana, Niranga Manjuri; Crispus Perera, Bonaventure Jayasiri; Benninga, Marc Alexander

2016-08-14

Functional constipation (FC) is a significant health problem in children and contrary to common belief, has serious ramifications on the lives of children and their families. It is defined by the Rome criteria which encourage the use of multiple clinical features for diagnosis. FC in children has a high prevalence (0.7%-29%) worldwide, both in developed and developing countries. Biopsychosocial risk factors such as psychological stress, poor dietary habits, obesity and child maltreatment are commonly identified predisposing factors for FC. FC poses a significant healthcare burden on the already overstretched health budgets of many countries in terms of out-patient care, in-patient care, expenditure for investigations and prescriptions. Complications are common and range from minor psychological disturbances, to lower health-related quality of life. FC in children also has a significant impact on families. Many paediatric clinical trials have poor methodological quality, and drugs proved to be useful in adults, are not effective in relieving symptoms in children. A significant proportion of inadequately treated children have similar symptoms as adults. These factors show that constipation is an increasing public health problem across the world with a significant medical, social and economic impact. This article highlights the potential public health impact of FC and the possibility of overcoming this problem by concentrating on modifiable risk factors rather than expending resources on high cost investigations and therapeutic modalities.

Development of a Health Empowerment Programme to improve the health of working poor families: protocol for a prospective cohort study in Hong Kong

PubMed Central

Fung, Colman Siu Cheung; Yu, Esther Yee Tak; Guo, Vivian Yawei; Kung, Kenny; Ho, Sin Yi; Lam, Lai Ying; Ip, Patrick; Fong, Daniel Yee Tak; Lam, David Chi Leung; Wong, William Chi Wai; Tsang, Sandra Kit Man; Tiwari, Agnes Fung Yee; Lam, Cindy Lo Kuen

2016-01-01

Introduction People from working poor families are at high risk of poor health partly due to limited healthcare access. Health empowerment, a process by which people can gain greater control over the decisions affecting their lives and health through education and motivation, can be an effective way to enhance health, health-related quality of life (HRQOL), health awareness and health-seeking behaviours of these people. A new cohort study will be launched to explore the potential for a Health Empowerment Programme to enable these families by enhancing their health status and modifying their attitudes towards health-related issues. If proven effective, similar empowerment programme models could be tested and further disseminated in collaborations with healthcare providers and policymakers. Method and analysis A prospective cohort study with 200 intervention families will be launched and followed up for 5 years. The following inclusion criteria will be used at the time of recruitment: (1) Having at least one working family member; (2) Having at least one child studying in grades 1–3; and (3) Having a monthly household income that is less than 75% of the median monthly household income of Hong Kong families. The Health Empowerment Programme that will be offered to intervention families will comprise four components: health assessment, health literacy, self-care enablement and health ambassador. Their health status, HRQOL, lifestyle and health service utilisation will be assessed and compared with 200 control families with matching characteristics but will not receive the health empowerment intervention. Ethics and dissemination This project was approved by the University of Hong Kong—the Hospital Authority Hong Kong West Cluster IRB, Reference number: UW 12-517. The study findings will be disseminated through a series of peer-reviewed publications and conference presentations, as well as a yearly report to the philanthropic funding body–Kerry Group Kuok Foundation (Hong Kong) Limited. PMID:26842271

Iranian nursing staff's self-reported general and mental health related to working conditions and family situation.

PubMed

Arsalani, N; Fallahi-Khoshknab, M; Josephson, M; Lagerstrom, M

2012-09-01

There is increasing global evidence that today's work environment results in higher risk of adverse health among nursing staff than among other professions. To investigate self-reported general and mental health among Iranian nursing staff, and associations with organizational, physical and psychosocial working conditions and family situation. 520 nursing personnel from 10 university hospitals in Tehran participated in this cross-sectional study. Data were collected using a validated questionnaire in the Persian language, containing the Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire, physical items from the Nurse Early eXit Study and two scales relating to general health and mental health from the Short Form-36. The Chi-square test with P<0.05 and logistic regression were used to analyse data. Three out of four nursing staff reported overtime work. The self-reported general and mental health rates of participants were poor/fair (38%, 41%), good (44%, 39%) and very good/excellent (18%, 20%), respectively. Family demands were associated with general health but were not associated with mental health. Adverse physical and psychosocial work conditions gave an elevated odds ratio for poor health. Poor general and mental health was associated with adverse working conditions and family demands. Physical and psychosocial working conditions of nursing personnel should be improved. Social facilities such as daycare for children and care for the elderly should be available during work shifts to help Iranian nurses play their family roles. © 2012 The Authors. International Nursing Review © 2012 International Council of Nurses.

A Comparison Study of Single-Parent Families Living on Remote, Rural Islands and in Urban Settings in Japan.

PubMed

Hiratani, Yuko; Hohashi, Naohiro

2016-06-01

Nursing interventions that aim to enhance the family environment are necessary to help single-parent families with children to improve family functioning. The cultural and social factors that are unique to Japan's remote islands should be considered to assess the influence of this unique setting on family functioning. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the family functioning of child-rearing single-parent families living in different environments and to investigate the association between family demographics and family functioning. A self-administered questionnaire, the Japanese version of the Survey of Family Environment, was used to evaluate the sufficiency of family functioning. The participants were families with children enrolled in nurseries and kindergartens who were either living in remote, rural islands or in an urban city on the mainland in Japan. Family functioning was significantly higher for single-parent families living on the islands than for those living in the city in terms of media use, participation in community activities, and the collaboration of family members in child-rearing. Family functioning of single-parent families correlated significantly with household income, the parent's gender, family members' health, and family life cycle. Single-parent families living on Japanese offshore islands maintained family functioning through mutual support and the effective use of information technology. Nevertheless, single-parent families require additional support to improve their healthcare and financial situations.

STUDIES ON RARE AND POORLY KNOWN LEECHES (ANNELIDA: HIRUDINEA: GLOSSIPHONIIDAE) IN EASTERN NORTH AMERICA

EPA Science Inventory

Three taxa within the leech family Glossiphoniidae, Actinobdella inequiannulata, Placobdella hollensis, and Theromyzon spp., though widespread in eastern North America, remain poorly known with respect to their biology and systematics. All three taxa have been collected in New E...

Facial and bodily correlates of family background.

PubMed

Boothroyd, Lynda G; Perrett, David I

2006-09-22

It has been suggested that absence of the father during early childhood has long-reaching effects on reproductive strategy and development of offspring. This paper reports two studies designed to investigate the physical characteristics of daughters associated with father absence. Study 1 used a facial averaging method to produce composite images of faces of women whose parents separated during their childhood (who were 'father absent'), women whose parents remained together, but had poor quality relationships and women whose parents were together and had good quality relationships. Images were then rated by male and female judges. Father absence and poor parental relationships were associated with apparent facial masculinity and reduced attractiveness in daughters. Poor parental relationships were also associated with reduced apparent health. Study 2 compared family background with body measurements and found that father absence or a poor quality relationship between parents were associated with body masculinity (high waist-to-hip ratio) and increased weight-for-height and adiposity. These results highlight the possibility of physical masculinization being associated with purported father absence 'effects'.

Family Economic Hardship and Progression of Poor Mental Health in Middle-Aged Husbands and Wives

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wickrama, K. A. S.; Surjadi, Florensia F.; Lorenz, Frederick O.; Conger, Rand D.; O'Neal, Catherine Walker

2012-01-01

Using prospective data from 370 middle-aged husbands and wives during a 12-year period, we investigated the intra-individual and dyadic influence of family economic hardship on the levels of depressive symptoms of husbands and wives over their middle years. The results suggest that family economic hardship during the early middle years contributes…

The Effects of Economic and Social Stressors on Parenting and Adolescent Adjustment of African-American Families. CEIC Research Brief, No. 109.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Taylor, Ronald

This study examines economic and social stressors and their effects on the parenting styles and adolescent adjustment of African American families. It systematically characterizes and explains the nature of some of the chronic economic and social stressors experienced by poor African American families as they affect parenting and adolescent…

Sexual Intercourse and Pregnancy among African-American Adolescent Girls in High-Poverty Neighborhoods: The Role of Family and Perceived Community Environment. JCPR Working Paper.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Moore, Mignon R.; Chase-Lansdale, P. Lindsay

This study used data from a random sample of African American families living in poor urban communities to examine: how well socialization, supervision, and marital transition hypotheses explained the relationship between family structure and the probability of sexual debut and pregnancy for African American adolescents in disadvantaged…

Child Care Programs Help Parents Find and Keep Jobs: Funding Shortfalls Leave Many Families Without Assistance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mezey, Jennifer

2004-01-01

Child care subsidies help low-income families work and leave welfare, but funding shortfalls are forcing states to enact restrictive policies that are hurting poor families and efforts to promote their employment and earnings. The Administration?s recently proposed FY 2005 budget would make this situation even worse, causing 447,000 children…

Employment Alone is Not Enought for America's Low-Income Children and Families. Living at the Edge Research Brief.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cauthen, Nancy K.; Lu, Hsien-Hen

Families with incomes between the official poverty level and the minimum economic security level face many of the same material hardships and financial pressures that officially poor families face, partly because as their income grows, they lose eligibility for public benefits. This report focuses on the role that public policies play in…

Family and College Environmental Exposures Mediate the Relationship between Parental Education and Depression among College Students

PubMed Central

Yang, Yanjie; Sun, Hailian; Pan, Hui; He, Jincai; Zhu, Xiongzhao; Sui, Hong; Wang, Wenbo; Qiu, Xiaohui; Qiao, Zhengxue; Yang, Xiuxian; Yang, Jiarun; Yu, Yunmiao; Ban, Bo; He, Changzhi

2016-01-01

Background Depression is a major health concern for college students due to its substantial morbidity and mortality. Although low parental education has been identified as a factor in depression in college students, the mechanisms through which parental educational achievement affects students’ depression are not well understood. We tested whether adverse family and college environments mediate the relationship between parental educational level and depression among Chinese college students. Methods A total of 5180 respondents were selected using a cross-sectional survey. We examined the association of parental education, adverse family and college environments with depression in college students using the Adolescent Self-Rating Life Events Checklist, Beck Depression Inventory and socio-demographic questionnaires. Results Lower parental educational level is significantly correlated with depression in college students in our sample. Additionally, low family economic status, paternal or maternal unemployment, long periods spent apart from family, family conflicts, having been scolded and beaten by parents, poor or dissatisfying test performance, conflict with friends, heavy course load and failure in selection processes are also associated with parental education. Low family economic status, paternal or maternal unemployment, long periods spent apart from family, family conflicts, poor or dissatisfying test performance, conflict with friends and heavy course load mediated the relationship between parental education and depression in college students. Conclusions Adverse family and college environments could explain the influence of parental educational level on depression in college students. PMID:26991783

Assessment of a membrane drinking water filter in an emergency setting.

PubMed

Ensink, Jeroen H J; Bastable, Andy; Cairncross, Sandy

2015-06-01

The performance and acceptability of the Nerox(TM) membrane drinking water filter were evaluated among an internally displaced population in Pakistan. The membrane filter and a control ceramic candle filter were distributed to over 3,000 households. Following a 6-month period, 230 households were visited and filter performance and use were assessed. Only 6% of the visited households still had a functioning filter, and the removal performance ranged from 80 to 93%. High turbidity in source water (irrigation canals), together with high temperatures and large family size were likely to have contributed to poor performance and uptake of the filters.

Communication Skills Training in Pediatric Oncology: Moving Beyond Role Modeling

PubMed Central

Feraco, Angela M.; Brand, Sarah R.; Mack, Jennifer W.; Kesselheim, Jennifer C.; Block, Susan D.; Wolfe, Joanne

2018-01-01

Communication is central to pediatric oncology care. Pediatric oncologists disclose life-threatening diagnoses, explain complicated treatment options, and endeavor to give honest prognoses, to maintain hope, to describe treatment complications, and to support families in difficult circumstances ranging from loss of function and fertility to treatment-related or disease-related death. However, parents, patients, and providers report substantial communication deficits. Poor communication outcomes may stem, in part, from insufficient communication skills training, overreliance on role modeling, and failure to utilize best practices. This review summarizes evidence for existing methods to enhance communication skills and calls for revitalizing communication skills training within pediatric oncology. PMID:26822066

Communication Skills Training in Pediatric Oncology: Moving Beyond Role Modeling.

PubMed

Feraco, Angela M; Brand, Sarah R; Mack, Jennifer W; Kesselheim, Jennifer C; Block, Susan D; Wolfe, Joanne

2016-06-01

Communication is central to pediatric oncology care. Pediatric oncologists disclose life-threatening diagnoses, explain complicated treatment options, and endeavor to give honest prognoses, to maintain hope, to describe treatment complications, and to support families in difficult circumstances ranging from loss of function and fertility to treatment-related or disease-related death. However, parents, patients, and providers report substantial communication deficits. Poor communication outcomes may stem, in part, from insufficient communication skills training, overreliance on role modeling, and failure to utilize best practices. This review summarizes evidence for existing methods to enhance communication skills and calls for revitalizing communication skills training within pediatric oncology. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Mothers' perceptions of sibling adjustment and family life in childhood chronic illness.

PubMed

Gallo, A M; Breitmayer, B J; Knafl, K A; Zoeller, L H

1993-10-01

Researchers who study the effects of chronic illness on well siblings have generally focused on individual characteristics and their relationships with psychological adjustment. More recently, researchers suggest that sibling adjustment can be best understood within the context of the family. The purpose of this study was to examine variations in sibling behavioral adjustment in relation to mothers' perceptions of the illness experience and family life. Based on mothers' ratings on the behavior problem scale of the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL), five siblings considered poorly adjusted and five very well-adjusted siblings were compared with respect to mothers' reports of individual family member's response to illness, illness management, parenting philosophy, presence of other stressors, availability of social supports, and impact of illness on family members and family life. Two major differences were found between mothers who rated healthy siblings either poorly or very well adjusted: (a) effects of illness on the healthy sibling, the ill child, and the marital relationship and (b) perceived controllability of the chronic illness. Devising ways of helping mothers feel confident in managing their child's illness is integral to creating an environment that promotes optimal development of their ill child and the child's siblings.

Heat-shock protein-25/27 phosphorylation by the delta isoform of protein kinase C.

PubMed Central

Maizels, E T; Peters, C A; Kline, M; Cutler, R E; Shanmugam, M; Hunzicker-Dunn, M

1998-01-01

Small heat-shock proteins (sHSPs) are widely expressed 25-28 kDa proteins whose functions are dynamically regulated by phosphorylation. While recent efforts have clearly delineated a stress-responsive p38 mitogen-activated protein-kinase (MAPK)-dependent kinase pathway culminating in activation of the heat-shock (HSP)-kinases, mitogen-activated protein-kinase-activated protein kinase-2 and -3, not all sHSP phosphorylation events can be explained by the p38 MAPK-dependent pathway. The contribution of protein kinase C (PKC) to sHSP phosphorylation was suggested by early studies but later questioned on the basis of the reported poor ability of purified PKC to phosphorylate sHSP in vitro. The current study re-evaluates the role of PKC in sHSP phosphorylation in the light of the isoform complexity of the PKC family. We evaluated the sHSP phosphorylation status in rat corpora lutea obtained from two stages of pregnancy, mid-pregnancy and late-pregnancy, which express different levels of the novel PKC isoform, PKC-delta. Two-dimensional Western blot analysis showed that HSP-27 was more highly phosphorylated in vivo in corpora lutea of late pregnancy, corresponding to the developmental stage in which PKC-delta is abundant and active. Late-pregnant luteal extracts contained a lipid-sensitive HSP-kinase activity which exactly co-purified with PKC-delta using hydroxyapatite and S-Sepharose column chromatography. To determine whether there might be preferential phosphorylation of sHSP by a particular PKC isoform, purified recombinant PKC isoforms corresponding to those PKC isoforms detected in rat corpora lutea were evaluated for HSP-kinase activity in vitro. Recombinant PKC-delta effectively catalysed the phosphorylation of sHSP in vitro, and PKC-alpha was 30-50% as effective as an HSP-kinase; other PKCs tested (beta1, beta2, epsilon and zeta) were poor HSP-kinases. These results show that select PKC family members can function as direct HSP-kinases in vitro. Moreover, the observation of enhanced luteal HSP-27 phosphorylation in vivo, in late pregnancy, when PKC-delta is abundant and active, suggests that select PKC family members contribute to sHSP phosphorylation events in vivo. PMID:9620873

Selected family characteristics are associated with adolescents' subjective health complaints.

PubMed

Petanidou, Dimitra; Mihas, Constantinos; Dimitrakaki, Christine; Kolaitis, Gerasimos; Tountas, Yannis

2014-02-01

This national study of schoolchildren in Greece investigated the association between adolescents' subjective health complaints (SHC) and a number of family characteristics. Questionnaires were completed by a random, school-based sample of children from 12 to 18 years of age, and one of their parents (76.6% mothers), in 2003. Data from 1041 adolescent-parent pairs were analysed. Multiple linear regression analysis was used to assess the associations between the adolescent's SHC and the following characteristics: parent's marital status, parent's physical and mental health status, parent's worries about their child's SHC, the parent-child relationship, family cohesion, family socio-economic status and the adolescent's sex and age. The analysis showed that the adolescents' SHC were independently and significantly correlated with poor parental subjective mental health status, poor quality parent-child relationships and parental worry. There were also associations between levels of SHC and female and older adolescents. Certain family features can be seen as potential contributing factors to SHC in adolescence and should therefore constitute complementary targets for prevention and treatment planning. ©2013 Foundation Acta Paediatrica. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

The relationship of family characteristics and bipolar disorder using causal-pie models.

PubMed

Chen, Y-C; Kao, C-F; Lu, M-K; Yang, Y-K; Liao, S-C; Jang, F-L; Chen, W J; Lu, R-B; Kuo, P-H

2014-01-01

Many family characteristics were reported to increase the risk of bipolar disorder (BPD). The development of BPD may be mediated through different pathways, involving diverse risk factor profiles. We evaluated the associations of family characteristics to build influential causal-pie models to estimate their contributions on the risk of developing BPD at the population level. We recruited 329 clinically diagnosed BPD patients and 202 healthy controls to collect information in parental psychopathology, parent-child relationship, and conflict within family. Other than logistic regression models, we applied causal-pie models to identify pathways involved with different family factors for BPD. The risk of BPD was significantly increased with parental depression, neurosis, anxiety, paternal substance use problems, and poor relationship with parents. Having a depressed mother further predicted early onset of BPD. Additionally, a greater risk for BPD was observed with higher numbers of paternal/maternal psychopathologies. Three significant risk profiles were identified for BPD, including paternal substance use problems (73.0%), maternal depression (17.6%), and through poor relationship with parents and conflict within the family (6.3%). Our findings demonstrate that different aspects of family characteristics elicit negative impacts on bipolar illness, which can be utilized to target specific factors to design and employ efficient intervention programs. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Open letter to Pope John Paul II.

PubMed

Sai, F

1991-01-01

In an Open Letter to Pope John Paul II, written on World Population Day (July 11) 1991, Dr. Fred Sai, President of International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF), called for a dialogue on voluntary family planning as a means of avoiding unwanted pregnancy. A half million women die each year from pregnancy-related causes--a death toll that could be dramatically reduced by universal access to low cost, effective contraception. Family planning further represents the best protection against abortion. The Catholic Church's vehement opposition to abortion and family planning methods other than periodic abstinence is in marked contrast to its support to human rights in other settings. The Church has supported struggles for economic ju stice in and among nations, sided with the poor, and advocated for transitions to democracy. At the same time, the family planning movement--which has as its overall objective the protection of the health and welfare of women, children, and families--is viewed by the Vatican as a vehicle for the enslavement rather than liberation of women. The opening of a sensitive dialogue between the Catholic Church and supporters of voluntary family planning could help couples make sound moral decisions about their families and contribute to saving the lives of millions of women, most of them poor.

Cultural influences upon advance care planning in a family-centric society.

PubMed

Tay, Keson; Yu Lee, Rachel Jia; Sim, Shin Wei; Menon, Sumytra; Kanesvaran, Ravindran; Radha Krishna, Lalit Kumar

2017-12-01

Advanced care plans (ACPs) are designed to convey the wishes of patients with regards to their care in the event of incapacity. There are a number of prerequisites for creation of an effective ACP. First, the patient must be aware of their condition, their prognosis, the likely trajectory of the illness, and the potential treatment options available to them. Second, patient input into ACP must be free of any coercive factors. Third, the patient must be able to remain involved in adapting their ACP as their condition evolves. Continued use of familial determination and collusion within the local healthcare system, however, has raised concerns that the basic requirements for effective ACP cannot be met. To assess the credibility of these concerns, we employed a video vignette approach depicting a family of three adult children discussing whether or not to reveal a cancer diagnosis to their mother. Semistructured interviews with 72 oncology patients and 60 of their caregivers were conducted afterwards to explore the views of the participants on the different positions taken by the children. Collusion, family-centric decision making, adulteration of information provided to patients, and circumnavigation of patient involvement appear to be context-dependent. Patients and families alike believe that patients should be told of their conditions. However, the incidence of collusion and familial determination increases with determinations of a poor prognosis, a poor anticipated response to chemotherapy, and a poor premorbid health status. Financial considerations with respect to care determinations remain secondary considerations. Our data suggest that ACPs can be effectively constructed in family-centric societies so long as healthcare professionals continue to update and educate families on the patient's situation. Collusion and familial intervention in the decision-making process are part of efforts to protect the patient from distress and are neither solely dependent on cultural nor an "all-or-nothing" phenomenon. The response of families are context-dependent and patient-specific, weighing the patient's right to know and prepare and the potential distress it is likely to cause. In most cases, the news is broken gently over time to allow the patient to digest the information and for the family to assess how well they cope with the news. Furthermore, the actions of families are dependent upon their understanding of the situation, highlighting the need for continued engagement with healthcare professionals.

Family demands, social support and family functioning in Taiwanese families rearing children with Down syndrome.

PubMed

Hsiao, C-Y

2014-06-01

Down syndrome (DS) affects not only children but also their families. Much remains to be learned about factors that influence how families of children with DS function, especially families in non-Western populations. The purpose of this cross-sectional, correlational study was to examine how family demographics, family demands and social support relate to family functioning as well as the potential mediating effect of social support on the relationship between family demands and family functioning in Taiwanese families of children with DS. One hundred and fifty-five parents (80 mothers and 75 fathers) from 83 families independently completed mailed questionnaires. Data were analysed using a principal component analysis and mixed linear modelling. Families having older children with DS, greater parental education, higher family income, fewer family demands and greater social support contributed to healthier family functioning. Social support partially mediated the effects of family demands on family functioning. Family demographics, family demands and social support appear to be important factors that may play a critical role in how Taiwanese families respond to the birth of a child with DS. Care of children with DS and their families is likely to be more effective if professionals working with these families are aware of factors that contribute to healthy family functioning. © 2013 MENCAP and International Association of the Scientific Study of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Structural and evolutionary adaptation of rhoptry kinases and pseudokinases, a family of coccidian virulence factors

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background The widespread protozoan parasite Toxoplasma gondii interferes with host cell functions by exporting the contents of a unique apical organelle, the rhoptry. Among the mix of secreted proteins are an expanded, lineage-specific family of protein kinases termed rhoptry kinases (ROPKs), several of which have been shown to be key virulence factors, including the pseudokinase ROP5. The extent and details of the diversification of this protein family are poorly understood. Results In this study, we comprehensively catalogued the ROPK family in the genomes of Toxoplasma gondii, Neospora caninum and Eimeria tenella, as well as portions of the unfinished genome of Sarcocystis neurona, and classified the identified genes into 42 distinct subfamilies. We systematically compared the rhoptry kinase protein sequences and structures to each other and to the broader superfamily of eukaryotic protein kinases to study the patterns of diversification and neofunctionalization in the ROPK family and its subfamilies. We identified three ROPK sub-clades of particular interest: those bearing a structurally conserved N-terminal extension to the kinase domain (NTE), an E. tenella-specific expansion, and a basal cluster including ROP35 and BPK1 that we term ROPKL. Structural analysis in light of the solved structures ROP2, ROP5, ROP8 and in comparison to typical eukaryotic protein kinases revealed ROPK-specific conservation patterns in two key regions of the kinase domain, surrounding a ROPK-conserved insert in the kinase hinge region and a disulfide bridge in the kinase substrate-binding lobe. We also examined conservation patterns specific to the NTE-bearing clade. We discuss the possible functional consequences of each. Conclusions Our work sheds light on several important but previously unrecognized features shared among rhoptry kinases, as well as the essential differences between active and degenerate protein kinases. We identify the most distinctive ROPK-specific features conserved across both active kinases and pseudokinases, and discuss these in terms of sequence motifs, evolutionary context, structural impact and potential functional relevance. By characterizing the proteins that enable these parasites to invade the host cell and co-opt its signaling mechanisms, we provide guidance on potential therapeutic targets for the diseases caused by coccidian parasites. PMID:23742205

Understanding burn injuries in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children: protocol for a prospective cohort study.

PubMed

Ivers, Rebecca Q; Hunter, Kate; Clapham, Kathleen; Coombes, Julieann; Fraser, Sarah; Lo, Serigne; Gabbe, Belinda; Hendrie, Delia; Read, David; Kimble, Roy; Sparnon, Anthony; Stockton, Kellie; Simpson, Renee; Quinn, Linda; Towers, Kurt; Potokar, Tom; Mackean, Tamara; Grant, Julian; Lyons, Ronan A; Jones, Lindsey; Eades, Sandra; Daniels, John; Holland, Andrew J A

2015-10-13

Although Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in Australia have higher risk of burns compared with non-Aboriginal children, their access to burn care, particularly postdischarge care, is poorly understood, including the impact of care on functional outcomes. The objective of this study is to describe the burden of burns, access to care and functional outcomes in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in Australia, and develop appropriate models of care. All Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children aged under 16 years of age (and their families) presenting with a burn to a tertiary paediatric burn unit in 4 Australian States (New South Wales (NSW), Queensland, Northern Territory (NT), South Australia (SA)) will be invited to participate. Participants and carers will complete a baseline questionnaire; follow-ups will be completed at 3, 6, 12 and 24 months. Data collected will include sociodemographic information; out of pocket costs; functional outcome; and measures of pain, itch and scarring. Health-related quality of life will be measured using the PedsQL, and impact of injury using the family impact scale. Clinical data and treatment will also be recorded. Around 225 participants will be recruited allowing complete data on around 130 children. Qualitative data collected by in-depth interviews with families, healthcare providers and policymakers will explore the impact of burn injury and outcomes on family life, needs of patients and barriers to healthcare; interviews with families will be conducted by experienced Aboriginal research staff using Indigenous methodologies. Health systems mapping will describe the provision of care. The study has been approved by ethics committees in NSW, SA, NT and Queensland. Study results will be distributed to community members by study newsletters, meetings and via the website; to policymakers and clinicians via policy fora, presentations and publication in peer-reviewed journals. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions.

Parity and parents' health in later life: the gendered case of Ismailia, Egypt.

PubMed

Engelman, Michal; Agree, Emily M; Yount, Kathryn M; Bishai, David

2010-07-01

We investigate the relationship between reproduction and functional health in later life among women and men in the resource-poor and gender-stratified setting of Ismailia governorate, Egypt. Analyses of survey data collected in 2003 show a statistically significant positive association between parity and difficulty with activities of daily living (ADLs), controlling for demographic and socio-economic factors and other co-morbid conditions. We also find that the number of daughters (but not sons) is associated with worse physical functioning, and this association is more pronounced for older fathers than for older mothers. Our results indicate that both biological and social pathways link fertility and later-life health in this context, and that prescribed familial roles may underlie the differential impact of sons and daughters on the health of mothers and fathers in later life.

[Current situation related to antiretroviral therapy and related influential factors on HIV infected injection drug users in the methadone maintenance treatment clinics].

PubMed

Cheng, Xiao-Qing; Pang, Lin; Cao, Xiao-Bin; Wang, Chang-He; Luo, Wei; Zhang, Bo; Wang, Hua; Li, Rong-Jian; Rou, Ke-Ming; Wu, Zun-You

2013-08-01

To find out the current coverage of antiretroviral therapy (ART) among HIV positive subjects and to identify the major influential factors associated with the participation in ART among them. 291 HIV positive subjects from 6 methadone maintenance treatment (MMT) clinics in Guangxi and Yunnan province were surveyed by questionnaires. 217 males (74.6%) and 74 females (25.4%) were under investigation, with the average age of 38.4 +/- 5.9. Most of them received less than senior high school education, married and unemployed. Results from the single factor logistic regression analysis showed that: working status, living alone, self-reported history of drinking alcohol in the last month, negative attitude towards MMT among family members,poor self-reported compliance to MMT in the last month,lack of incentives in the MMT clinics, reluctance on disclosure of their own HIV status, good self-perception on their health status, lack of communication on ART related topics among family members in the last 6 months, lack of correct attitude and knowledge on ART etc. appeared as the main factors that influencing the participation in ART program among the patients. Data from the multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that factors as: living alone, unwilling to tell others about the status of HIV infection, poor self-perception on HIV infection, lack of discussion of ART related topics within family members in the last 6 months and poor awareness towards ART among the family members etc., were associated with the low participation rate of ART. Conclusion Strengthening the publicity and education programs on HIV positive patients and their family members at the MMT clinics seemed to be effective in extending the ART coverage. Attention should also be paid to increase the family support to the patients.

In response to community violence: coping strategies and involuntary stress responses among Latino adolescents.

PubMed

Epstein-Ngo, Quyen; Maurizi, Laura K; Bregman, Allyson; Ceballo, Rosario

2013-01-01

Among poor, urban adolescents, high rates of community violence are a pressing public health concern. This study relies on a contextual framework of stress and coping to investigate how coping strategies and involuntary stress responses may both mediate and moderate the relation between exposure to community violence and psychological well-being. Our sample consists of 223 ninth grade Latino adolescents from poor, urban families. In response to community violence, these adolescents reported using an array of coping strategies as well as experiencing a number of involuntary stress responses; the most frequent coping responses were turning to religion and seeking social support. Hierarchical regression analyses demonstrated that involuntary stress responses mediated the relations between both witnessing or being victimized by violence and poorer psychological functioning, while coping strategies moderated these relations. These findings suggest that the negative psychological effects of exposure to community violence may, in part, be explained by involuntary stress responses, while religious-based coping may serve as a protective factor.

Health-related quality of life of children with newly diagnosed specific learning disability.

PubMed

Karande, Sunil; Bhosrekar, Kirankumar; Kulkarni, Madhuri; Thakker, Arpita

2009-06-01

The objective of this study was to measure health-related quality of life (HRQL) of children with newly diagnosed specific learning disability (SpLD) using the Child Health Questionnaire-Parent Form 50. We detected clinically significant deficits (effect size > or = -0.5) in 9 out of 12 domains: limitations in family activities, emotional impact on parents, social limitations as a result of emotional-behavioral problems, time impact on parents, general behavior, physical functioning, social limitations as a result of physical health, general health perceptions and mental health; and in both summary scores (psychosocial > physical). Multivariate analysis revealed having > or = 1 non-academic problem(s) (p < 0.0001), attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (p = 0.005) or first-born status (p = 0.009) predicted a poor psychosocial summary score; and having > or =1 non-academic problem(s) (p = 0.006) or first-born status (p = 0.035) predicted a poor physical summary score. HRQL is significantly compromised in children having newly diagnosed SpLD.

Associations between Poor Health and School-Related Behavior Problems at the Child and Family Levels: A Cross-Sectional Study of Migrant Children and Adolescents in Southwest Urban China

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zhang, Jing-Jing; Li, Ning-Xiu; Liu, Chao-Jie

2010-01-01

Background: Due to urbanization in China, the numbers of migrant children and adolescents in urban environments have increased. Previous studies have indicated that children and adolescents are more likely to suffer from health problems and poor school achievement. The present study identified associations between poor health and school-related…

A qualitative study of the interactions among the psychosocial work environment and family, community and services for workers with low mental health.

PubMed

Mackenzie, Catherine R; Keuskamp, Dominic; Ziersch, Anna M; Baum, Fran E; Popay, Jennie

2013-09-03

The psychosocial work environment can benefit and harm mental health. Poor psychosocial work environments and high level work-family conflict are both associated with poor mental health, yet little is known about how people with poor mental health manage the interactions among multiple life domains. This study explores the interfaces among paid work, family, community and support services and their combined effects on mental health. We conducted 21 in-depth semi-structured interviews with people identified as having poor mental health to examine their experiences of paid employment and mental health and wellbeing in the context of their daily lives. The employment-related psychosocial work environment, particularly workplace relationships, employment security and degree of control over hours, strongly affected participants' mental health. The interfaces among the life domains of family, community and access to support services suggest that effects on mental health differ according to: time spent in each domain, the social, psychological and physical spaces where domain activities take place, life stage and the power available to participants in their multiple domains. This paper is based on a framework analysis of all the interviews, and vignettes of four cases. Cases were selected to represent different types of relationships among the domains and how interactions among them either mitigated and/or exacerbated mental health effects of psychosocial work environments. Examining domain interactions provides greater explanatory capacity for understanding how people with low mental health manage their lives than restricting the research to the separate impacts of the psychosocial work environment or work-family conflict. The extent to which people can change the conditions under which they engage in paid work and participate in family and social life is significantly affected by the extent to which their employment position affords them latitude. Policies that provide psychosocial protections to workers that enable them to make changes or complaints without detrimental repercussions (such as vilification or job loss) and increase access to welfare benefits and support services could improve mental health among people with paid work. These policies would have particularly important effects for those in lower socioeconomic status positions.

A qualitative study of the interactions among the psychosocial work environment and family, community and services for workers with low mental health

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background The psychosocial work environment can benefit and harm mental health. Poor psychosocial work environments and high level work-family conflict are both associated with poor mental health, yet little is known about how people with poor mental health manage the interactions among multiple life domains. This study explores the interfaces among paid work, family, community and support services and their combined effects on mental health. Methods We conducted 21 in-depth semi-structured interviews with people identified as having poor mental health to examine their experiences of paid employment and mental health and wellbeing in the context of their daily lives. Results The employment-related psychosocial work environment, particularly workplace relationships, employment security and degree of control over hours, strongly affected participants’ mental health. The interfaces among the life domains of family, community and access to support services suggest that effects on mental health differ according to: time spent in each domain, the social, psychological and physical spaces where domain activities take place, life stage and the power available to participants in their multiple domains. This paper is based on a framework analysis of all the interviews, and vignettes of four cases. Cases were selected to represent different types of relationships among the domains and how interactions among them either mitigated and/or exacerbated mental health effects of psychosocial work environments. Conclusions Examining domain interactions provides greater explanatory capacity for understanding how people with low mental health manage their lives than restricting the research to the separate impacts of the psychosocial work environment or work-family conflict. The extent to which people can change the conditions under which they engage in paid work and participate in family and social life is significantly affected by the extent to which their employment position affords them latitude. Policies that provide psychosocial protections to workers that enable them to make changes or complaints without detrimental repercussions (such as vilification or job loss) and increase access to welfare benefits and support services could improve mental health among people with paid work. These policies would have particularly important effects for those in lower socioeconomic status positions. PMID:24004446

De Novo Transcriptome Analysis of the Common New Zealand Stick Insect Clitarchus hookeri (Phasmatodea) Reveals Genes Involved in Olfaction, Digestion and Sexual Reproduction.

PubMed

Wu, Chen; Crowhurst, Ross N; Dennis, Alice B; Twort, Victoria G; Liu, Shanlin; Newcomb, Richard D; Ross, Howard A; Buckley, Thomas R

2016-01-01

Phasmatodea, more commonly known as stick insects, have been poorly studied at the molecular level for several key traits, such as components of the sensory system and regulators of reproduction and development, impeding a deeper understanding of their functional biology. Here, we employ de novo transcriptome analysis to identify genes with primary functions related to female odour reception, digestion, and male sexual traits in the New Zealand common stick insect Clitarchus hookeri (White). The female olfactory gene repertoire revealed ten odorant binding proteins with three recently duplicated, 12 chemosensory proteins, 16 odorant receptors, and 17 ionotropic receptors. The majority of these olfactory genes were over-expressed in female antennae and have the inferred function of odorant reception. Others that were predominantly expressed in male terminalia (n = 3) and female midgut (n = 1) suggest they have a role in sexual reproduction and digestion, respectively. Over-represented transcripts in the midgut were enriched with digestive enzyme gene families. Clitarchus hookeri is likely to harbour nine members of an endogenous cellulase family (glycoside hydrolase family 9), two of which appear to be specific to the C. hookeri lineage. All of these cellulase sequences fall into four main phasmid clades and show gene duplication events occurred early in the diversification of Phasmatodea. In addition, C. hookeri genome is likely to express γ-proteobacteria pectinase transcripts that have recently been shown to be the result of horizontal transfer. We also predicted 711 male terminalia-enriched transcripts that are candidate accessory gland proteins, 28 of which were annotated to have molecular functions of peptidase activity and peptidase inhibitor activity, two groups being widely reported to regulate female reproduction through proteolytic cascades. Our study has yielded new insights into the genetic basis of odour detection, nutrient digestion, and male sexual traits in stick insects. The C. hookeri reference transcriptome, together with identified gene families, provides a comprehensive resource for studying the evolution of sensory perception, digestive systems, and reproductive success in phasmids.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bonsor, Daniel A.; Günther, Sebastian; Beadenkopf, Robert

Carcinoembryonic antigen-related cell adhesion molecules (CEACAMs) comprise a large family of cell surface adhesion molecules that bind to themselves and other family members to carry out numerous cellular functions, including proliferation, signaling, differentiation, tumor suppression, and survival. They also play diverse and significant roles in immunity and infection. The formation of CEACAM oligomers is caused predominantly by interactions between their N-terminal IgV domains. Although X-ray crystal structures of CEACAM IgV domain homodimers have been described, how CEACAMs form heterodimers or remain monomers is poorly understood. To address this key aspect of CEACAM function, we determined in this paper the crystalmore » structures of IgV domains that form a homodimeric CEACAM6 complex, monomeric CEACAM8, and a heterodimeric CEACAM6–CEACAM8 complex. To confirm and quantify these interactions in solution, we used analytical ultracentrifugation to measure the dimerization constants of CEACAM homodimers and isothermal titration calorimetry to determine the thermodynamic parameters and binding affinities of CEACAM heterodimers. We found the CEACAM6–CEACAM8 heterodimeric state to be substantially favored energetically relative to the CEACAM6 homodimer. Finally, our data provide a molecular basis for the adoption of the diverse oligomeric states known to exist for CEACAMs and suggest ways in which CEACAM6 and CEACAM8 regulate the biological functions of one another, as well as of additional CEACAMs with which they interact, both in cis and in trans.« less

Diverse oligomeric states of CEACAM IgV domains

PubMed Central

Bonsor, Daniel A.; Günther, Sebastian; Beadenkopf, Robert; Beckett, Dorothy; Sundberg, Eric J.

2015-01-01

Carcinoembryonic antigen-related cell adhesion molecules (CEACAMs) comprise a large family of cell surface adhesion molecules that bind to themselves and other family members to carry out numerous cellular functions, including proliferation, signaling, differentiation, tumor suppression, and survival. They also play diverse and significant roles in immunity and infection. The formation of CEACAM oligomers is caused predominantly by interactions between their N-terminal IgV domains. Although X-ray crystal structures of CEACAM IgV domain homodimers have been described, how CEACAMs form heterodimers or remain monomers is poorly understood. To address this key aspect of CEACAM function, we determined the crystal structures of IgV domains that form a homodimeric CEACAM6 complex, monomeric CEACAM8, and a heterodimeric CEACAM6–CEACAM8 complex. To confirm and quantify these interactions in solution, we used analytical ultracentrifugation to measure the dimerization constants of CEACAM homodimers and isothermal titration calorimetry to determine the thermodynamic parameters and binding affinities of CEACAM heterodimers. We found the CEACAM6–CEACAM8 heterodimeric state to be substantially favored energetically relative to the CEACAM6 homodimer. Our data provide a molecular basis for the adoption of the diverse oligomeric states known to exist for CEACAMs and suggest ways in which CEACAM6 and CEACAM8 regulate the biological functions of one another, as well as of additional CEACAMs with which they interact, both in cis and in trans. PMID:26483485

Diverse oligomeric states of CEACAM IgV domains.

PubMed

Bonsor, Daniel A; Günther, Sebastian; Beadenkopf, Robert; Beckett, Dorothy; Sundberg, Eric J

2015-11-03

Carcinoembryonic antigen-related cell adhesion molecules (CEACAMs) comprise a large family of cell surface adhesion molecules that bind to themselves and other family members to carry out numerous cellular functions, including proliferation, signaling, differentiation, tumor suppression, and survival. They also play diverse and significant roles in immunity and infection. The formation of CEACAM oligomers is caused predominantly by interactions between their N-terminal IgV domains. Although X-ray crystal structures of CEACAM IgV domain homodimers have been described, how CEACAMs form heterodimers or remain monomers is poorly understood. To address this key aspect of CEACAM function, we determined the crystal structures of IgV domains that form a homodimeric CEACAM6 complex, monomeric CEACAM8, and a heterodimeric CEACAM6-CEACAM8 complex. To confirm and quantify these interactions in solution, we used analytical ultracentrifugation to measure the dimerization constants of CEACAM homodimers and isothermal titration calorimetry to determine the thermodynamic parameters and binding affinities of CEACAM heterodimers. We found the CEACAM6-CEACAM8 heterodimeric state to be substantially favored energetically relative to the CEACAM6 homodimer. Our data provide a molecular basis for the adoption of the diverse oligomeric states known to exist for CEACAMs and suggest ways in which CEACAM6 and CEACAM8 regulate the biological functions of one another, as well as of additional CEACAMs with which they interact, both in cis and in trans.

Using personality traits to construct linear growth models of mental health in family members of individuals with severe brain injury.

PubMed

Trujillo, Michael; Perrin, Paul B; Doser, Karoline; Norup, Anne

2016-11-01

No studies have examined the impact of personality traits on mental health among caregivers of individuals with severe brain injury. Therefore, the purpose of the current study was to construct linear growth models to examine whether the personality traits of family members of individuals with severe brain injury could predict the trajectories of their own mental health-related quality of life (HRQoL), anxiety, and depression beginning in a neurointensive care unit through 1 year after injury. Danish family members of individuals with severe brain injury (n = 52) completed the Short Form-36 assessing mental HRQoL (vitality, social functioning, role limitations-emotional, mental health), anxiety, and depression across 5 time points during the 1st year after injury. The measure of personality was administered 3 months after the patients' discharge. All mental HRQoL, anxiety, and depression variables improved significantly over time. Caregivers who were less neurotic and less conscientious had higher vitality, social functioning, and mental health over time, whereas caregivers who were more agreeable had higher social functioning over time. Caregivers with lower neuroticism had lower anxiety and depression over time, as well as a more accelerated decrease in anxiety and depression. Caregivers' personality traits were strongly associated over time with mental HRQoL, anxiety, and depression, with neuroticism being especially important for trajectories of anxiety and depression. These results suggest that personality assessments for caregivers of individuals with severe brain injury could help identify those most at risk for poor mental health over the course of rehabilitation. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved).