Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Outcome And Haemato-Toxicity Of Two Chemotherapy Regimens For Childhood Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma In A Kenyan Hospital, William Macharia

Paediatrics and Child Health, East Africa

Background: Effectiveness and toxicity of childhood cancer treatments have never been evaluated in Kenya since introduction of structured care in the early seventies.

Objective:To evaluate effectiveness and toxicity of two treatment protocols for Non- Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL).

Design: Historical cohort study using medical records.

Setting: Kenyatta National Hospital, a tertiary care and medical teaching hospital.

Subjects: Children ≤ 15 years with diagnosis of non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma.

Main outcome measures: Primary outcomes were median survival, event free survival and toxicity.

Results: Out of 101 records, only 26 (25.7%) met inclusion criteria. Baseline characteristics were similar in the two treatment arms. …

Food For Thought: The Importance Of Nutrition For Cognitive And Physical Well-Being, Keeley M. Caviness

Senior Honors Theses

The purpose of this paper is to examine the effects of nutrition upon the physical development and health of an individual. The main focus is on proving through the examination of various literature and the effects of specific nutrients that nutrition has a great impact on mental and physical well-being. The reasons which people give for not having proper nutrition are taken into consideration as well, and an overall conclusion can be made that nutrition is very important and should be taught to all consumers.

Acoustic And Spectral Patterns In Young Children's Stop Consonant Productions, Shawn L. Nissen, Robert Allen Fox

Faculty Publications

The aim of this study was to examine the acoustic and spectral patterns of stop articulation in the speech of pre-pubescent children. A set of voiceless stop consonants, /ptk/, produced by a group of adults and typically developing children 3-5 years of age were examined in terms of multiple acoustic and spectral parameters. Findings indicated that, with the exception of spectral kurtosis, the acoustic and spectral characteristics of the stop productions varied significantly as a function of place of articulation and vowel context. Sex-specific differences in spectral slope, mean, and skewness were found for the 5-year-old and adult speakers. Such …

Understanding Screen-Related Sedentary Behavior And Its Contributing Factors Among School-Aged Children: A Social-Ecologic Exploration, Meizi He, Stewart Harris, Leonard Piché, Charlene Beynon

Leonard Piché

Purpose: To explore the factors that contribute to children's screen-related sedentary (S-RS) behaviors. Settings: Elementary schools. Subjects: A random sample of children in grades five and six and their parents. Measures: The outcome measure was children's S-RS activity level measured by a self-administered questionnaire. A full spectrum of potential contributing factors for children's S-RS behaviors was obtained through surveys. Multilevel linear regression methods were used to determine the associations between these factors and children's screen time (hours per day) and results were expressed as regression coefficients (g). Results: Of 955 child-parent pairs in 14 participating schools, 508 pairs (53%) completed …

Development Of Psychometrically Equivalent Speech Audiometry Materials For Testing Children In Mongolian, Meghan Elizabeth Caldwell

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to develop, digitally record, evaluate, and equate Mongolian monosyllabic and bisyllabic child-appropriate words which can be used in the measurement of word recognition scores and speech-reception threshold (SRT) in children who are native speakers of Mongolian. Based on data collected from a survey of Mongolian child language professionals, a subset of child-appropriate materials was adapted from a set of materials developed for Mongolian adults. Two lists of 50 monosyllabic words and four half-lists of 25 words each were developed for testing the word recognition abilities of Mongolian children. The developed lists and half-lists were …

Sedentary Behavior And Obesity In A Large Cohort Of Children, Jonathan A. Mitchell, Calum Mattocks, Andy R. Ness, Sam D. Leary, Russell R. Pate, Marsha Dowda, Steven N. Blair, Chris Riddoch

Faculty Publications

The purpose of this study was to examine the association between sedentary behavior and obesity among 12-year-old children, while adjusting for moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and other potential confounding variables.

Cross-sectional analyses were carried out with data from 5434 children who participated in the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC). Fat mass was derived using dual x-ray emission absorptiometry (DXA), and height and weight measurements were used to calculate body mass index (BMI; kg/m²). The children wore an accelerometer for seven days. The cut points for sedentary behavior and MVPA were ≤199 cpm and ≥3600 cpm, …

Improving Outcome In Pediatric Intensive Care Unit In Academic Hospital In Pakistan, Anwarul Haque, Surraiya Bano

Department of Emergency Medicine

Objective:

To assess the impact on the clinical outcome of critically ill children before and after introduction of pediatric intensivist in an academic pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) inPakistan.

Methodology: :

This is aretrospective audit of children (age from one month to 14 years) admitted in the PICU during two 12-month periods in PICU of Aga Khan University Hospital (AKUH).Patients in Cohort one were managed by pediatric intensivist while in Cohort two were managed by general pediatricians.Patients were compared during the two 12-month cohort period.

Results:

During the study, in cohort one, 314 patients were admitted, mean age was 24 …

Consanguinity Among The Risk Factors For Underweight In Children Under Five: A Study From Rural Sindh, S. F. Hasnain, S. K. Hashmi

Community Health Sciences

BACKGROUND: Malnutrition is a common problem, especially in developing countries. Of the 11 million children under 5 who die each year in the developing countries mainly from preventable causes, the death of about 54% are either directly or indirectly attributable to malnutrition. The objectives of this study were to assess the prevalence and associated factors for underweight in rural Sindh.METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was conducted in Jhangara Town, located in District Dadu, Sindh. Eight hundred children under 5 years of age were enrolled. A questionnaire was used to elicit required information and anthropometric measurements were made.RESULTS: The overall prevalence for …

Phonemic Categorization Of Eight-To-Ten Year Old Children With An Articulation Disorder, Marjorie A. Smith

Theses and Dissertations

Phonemic categorization is the ability to discriminate and organize speech sounds into categories. This ability begins soon after birth and continues to refine as an individual matures. An association between categorical labeling and phonological awareness has been reported. A strong link between perception and production has been established. The present study examined phonemic categorization of two groups of four listeners. Eight-to ten-year-old children with an articulation disorder were compared with typically speaking peers to determine if the two groups differed in their ability to categorize speech sounds. Behavioral and electrophysiological measures were used to ascertain if any differences existed. These …

Coping With Loss: A Khmer Perspective On Guiding Children And Adolescents Upon The Death Of A Loved One, Sekboppa Sor

Senior Honors Projects

The emotions that come with death and dying, such as grief, sadness and anger are experienced by everyone at some point in their lifetime. Because death is such a sensitive subject, many people are hesitant to explain the process to children. Children, like adults, experience loss and it is important that they understand how to cope with the issue if and when it affects them. Soon after the death, mourning begins. The mourning process serves as an opportunity for individuals to express their emotions after a loss through their own traditions and rituals. For many individuals, it is an important …

Frequency And Spatial Characteristics Of Highfrequency Neuromagnetic Signals In Childhood Epilepsy, Jing Xiang, Yang Liu, Yingying Wang, Elijah G. Kirtman, Cincinnati Children’S Hospital Medical Center Kotecha, Yangmei Chen, Xiaolin Huo, Hisako Fujiwara, Nat Hemasilpin, Ki Lee, Francesco T. Mangano, James Leach, Blaise Jones, Ton Degrauw, Douglas Rose

Center for Brain, Biology, and Behavior: Faculty and Staff Publications

Purpose. Invasive intracranial recordings have suggested that high-frequency oscillation is involved in epileptogenesis and is highly localized to epileptogenic zones. The aim of the present study is to characterize the frequency and spatial patterns of high-frequency brain signals in childhood epilepsy using a non-invasive technology. Methods. Thirty children with clinically diagnosed epilepsy were studied using a whole head magnetoencephalography (MEG) system. MEG data were digitized at 4 000 Hz. The frequency and spatial characteristics of high-frequency neuromagnetic signals were analyzed using continuous wavelet transform and beamformer. Threedimensional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was obtained for each patient to localize magnetic sources. …

Revisiting The Regulation Debate: The Effect Of Food Marketing On Childhood Obesity, Nicole E. Hunter

The University of New Hampshire Law Review

[Excerpt] “Despite the widespread concern regarding childhood obesity, there is broad divergence of opinion regarding responsibility for the crisis. Whether the government, food industry, or parents are accountable has become the focus of much debate. Public health groups have attempted various strategies to confront childhood obesity, such as litigation, legislation, and government regulation. While many researchers and advocates agree that government should play an affirmative role with respect to childhood obesity, they are very much divided over what that role should be. For example, although none of these acts has become law, eighty-six bills have been proposed regarding obesity since …

A Contrast Of Bilingual And Monolingual Children In Regards To Semantic And Syntactic Language Acquisition, Jessica Michelle Pfister

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Collection

Multiple language acquisition has only recently become a heavily researched and focused topic. Many questions have been left unanswered and furthermore, experts in the field are coming to contradicting results and conclusions. The presented thesis investigates the culmination of recent research in this newly developed field, as well as provides feedback from bilingual individuals on their experiences of being bilingual. Through analyzing current studies, the conclusion is made that bilingual children will follow a series of stages in their semantic and syntactic acquisition in which there is a bilingual disadvantage, followed by a bilingual advantage, and lastly a continuous stage …

The Influence Of The Physical Environment And Sociodemographic Characteristics On Children's Mode Of Travel To And From School, Kristian Larsen, Jason Gilliland, Peter Hess, Patricia Tucker, Jennifer Irwin, Meizi He

Geography & Environment Publications

Objectives: We examined whether certain characteristics of the social and physical environment influence a child's mode of travel between home and school.

Methods: Students aged 11 to 13 years from 21 schools throughout London, Ontario, answered questions from a travel behavior survey. A geographic information system linked survey responses for 614 students who lived within 1 mile of school to data on social and physical characteristics of environments around the home and school. Logistic regression analysis was used to test the influence of environmental factors on mode of travel (motorized vs "active") to and from school.

Results: Over 62% of …

The Association Between Bully Victimization And Risky Behaviors Among Youth, Shane Nives Isaiah Fernando

Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014

In 2005, the Massachusetts Youth Risk Behavior Survey reported 21.9% of males and 26.1% of females were bullied in schools. Little research has been conducted into showing an association between childhood bully victimization and risky behaviors. In addition, knowledge is limited about the connection between victimization and risky behaviors among different ethnic groups. We propose to assess the association between victimization and risky behaviors, using the Massachusetts Youth Risk Behavior Survey among 3,116 students in grades 9 through 12 in 2007. Data was obtained by self-administered questionnaire, and victimization was considered as a single dichotomous variable. Victimization was assessed as …

Hospital Readmissions For Childhood Asthma: The Role Of Individual And Neighborhood Factors., Sze Yan Liu, Deborah Pearlman

Department of Public Health Scholarship and Creative Works

Objectives

This study used a Cox proportional hazards model to determine whether neighborhood characteristics are associated with risk of readmission for childhood asthma independently of individual characteristics.

Methods

Rhode Island Hospital Discharge Data from 2001 to 2005 were used to identify children younger than 19 years of age at the time of the index (i.e., first) asthma admission, defined as a primary diagnosis of asthma or a primary diagnosis of respiratory illness with a secondary or tertiary diagnosis of asthma (n=2,919). Hazard ratios of repeat hospitalizations for childhood asthma from 2001 to 2005 were estimated, controlling for individual- …

Lead Poisoning: An Alarming Public Health Problem In Bangladesh, Amal K. Mitra, Akhlaque Haque, Manirul Islam, S.A. M.K. Bashar

Faculty Publications

To assess the risk of lead poisoning among preschool and school-aged children in Bangladesh, 345 children were screened for blood lead levels (BLLs) from one rural and two urban areas in Bangladesh from September 2007 through January 2008. An urban industrial area at Tongi was identified as a disaster area, where 99% (104/105) of those tested had BLLs >= 10 mu g/dL. Industrial emissions and use of leaded gasoline by two-stroke engine vehicles were identified as possible sources of lead in that area. A rural nonindustrial area at Chirirbandar, Dinajpur was identified as another high-risk area, where 14% of the …

Kawasaki Syndrome In Texas, Alberto Coustasse, Julius J. Larry, Witold Migala, Cody Arvidson, Karan P. Singh

Management Faculty Research

The authors examined hospitalization rates of Kawasaki Syndrome (KS) among Texas children to isolate clusters, identify demographic disparities, and suggest possible causative factors. Using a retrospective cross-sectional study design, they studied 330 KS cases from 2,818,460 hospital discharges. The majority of the cases (61.5%) occurred within the 1-4-years-old category, representing the highest hospitalization rate (14.3 per 100,000 children). Almost 75% of the KS population was less than 5 years old, with hospitalization rates approximately 8 times higher than that of all other children (p < .05). KS diagnosis occurred for only 49.4% of all KS cases upon admission. Along with high-density clusters identified in major metropolitan areas, the authors found the highest rates of KS among Asian and Pacific Islander and non-Hispanic black children. Genetic predispositions and access to healthcare issues may explain the results. The authors recommend improving educational initiatives with healthcare providers and establishing KS as a reportable condition.

Hazards And Gender In Children's Work: An Egyptian Perspective, Nadia Zibani

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

Girls and boys can and do work. They work for a variety of reasons related to poverty or failures in educational systems, and they work to support themselves and their families or to learn skills for future careers. The types of work carried out by children often differ according to the gender of the child. Additionally, the hazards they face in their work can also be differentiated on the basis of gender. The present study attempts to develop a better understanding of the gender aspects of children’s work with a particular focus on the gender-differentiated hazards that exist therein. This …

Children's Health And Rf Emf Exposure, Peter Wiedemann, Holger Schutz, Franziska Borner, Gabriele Berg-Beckhoff, Rodney J. Croft, Alexander Lerchl, Luc Martens, Georg Neubauer, Sabine Regel, Michael Repacholi

Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Papers (Archive)

The present report documents a dialogue between scientists reviewing the currently available scientific evidence with respect to the effects of RF EMF exposure on children. The focus was directed towards a transparent and comprehensible characterization of the findings and conclusions for the evaluation of the relationship between mobile phone communication and children’s health. The now available report, based on the scientific opinions of the experts as well as on a series of workshops, aims to help the public and policy makers to better understand the current state of the scientific evidence as well as implications for the risk evaluation with …

Dietary Pufa Intakes In Children With Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder Symptoms, Ka-Hung Ng, Barbara Meyer, Lauren Reece, Natalie Sinn

Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Research has shown associations between attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and erythrocyte long-chain n-3 PUFA (LC n-3 PUFA) levels, with limited evidence for dietary LC n-3 PUFA intake and ADHD. The aims of the present study were to assess dietary PUFA intakes and food sources in children with ADHD, to compare these intakes to previously published Australian National Nutrition Survey (NNS) data and determine any relationships between intakes and ADHD symptoms. Eighty-six 3-d-weighed food records (FR) were analysed from children with ADHD. The median (interquartile range) daily intakes of fatty acids (mg/d) were: linoleic acid (18 : 2n-6), 7797 (6240–12 333); arachidonic …

Second-Hand Smoke Exposure In Cars And Respiratory Health Effects In Children, Patrick J. Goodman, Z. Kabir, L. Clancy, P.J. Manning, J. Holohan, S. Keogan

Articles

We examined potential associations of ever asthma, and symptoms of wheeze (past 12 months), hay fever, eczema and bronchitis (cough with phlegm) among school children exposed to second-hand smoke (SHS) in cars, using a modified Irish International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC) protocol. 2,809 children of 13–14 yrs old and who selected randomly from post-primary schools throughout Ireland completed the 2007 ISAAC self-administered questionnaire. Adjusted OR (adjusted for sex, active smoking status of children interviewed and their SHS exposure at home) were estimated for the associations studied, using multivariable logistic regression techniques. Overall, 14.8% (13.9% in young …

Editorial: Nutrition Research Reviews, Katherine Younger

Articles

Cognitive performance in children and whether this can be improved by nutritional means is an area of investigation fraught with experimental challenges, making it difficult to draw useful conclusions. Hoyland et al. (1) have here provided a much-needed systematic review of the evidence on the specific question of the effects of breakfast on children’s cognitive performance and, unsurprisingly, have concluded that the effects are generally positive, most clearly shown for memory and attention tasks and most easily demonstrated in nutritionally vulnerable children. However, the benefits of food before schoolwork are not necessarily purely, or even mostly, physiological; they could be …

The Clinical And Laboratory Characteristics Of Vitamin D Intoxication In Children, Hakan Döneray, Behzat Özkan, Asuman Özkan, Celaletti̇n Koşan, Zerri̇n Orbak, Cahi̇t Karakelleoğlu

Turkish Journal of Medical Sciences

Aim: In this retrospective study, patients with vitamin D intoxication (VDI) were evaluated with respect to clinical and laboratory characteristics, treatment protocols and complications. Materials and Methods: The medical records of 27 children with VDI between 2003 and 2008 were investigated. Data included age, gender, nutritional status, dose and duration of prophylactic/therapeutic vitamin D, the reasons for vitamin D therapy prescription, clinical signs and symptoms, laboratory findings, therapy protocol for VDI, and complications. Results: The mean dose of vitamin D prescribed to the patients was 600,000 U (range: 300,000-1,200,000 U). The most prominent reason (80.9%) for physician prescription of vitamin …

Parent Training, Support And Psychoeducational Groups As Evidence Based Practice In Children's Mental Health, Dorothy Wagner

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

The evidence base for programs in children’s mental health has expanded significantly in the last decade (Burns, 2003), yet the implementation of these programs has lagged behind (Walrath, Sheehan, Holden, Hernandez & Blau, 2005). The purpose of this project is to research current evidence based practices and programs that could improve and/or update services that are provided to children and adolescents diagnosed with severe emotional disturbance (SED) in Steele County. Research and analysis of the feasibility of implementing a group intervention to provide support, psychoeducation and/or skills training to families was conducted.

Evidence For The Validity Of The Children’S Attraction To Physical Activity Questionnaire (Capa) With Young Children, Elizabeth Rose, Dawne Larkin, Beth P. Hands, Barbara Howard, Helen Parker

Health Sciences Papers and Journal Articles

Attraction to physical activity is important to an individual’s intrinsic motivation to engage in play, games and sports. While there are instruments designed to measure attraction to physical activity in middle childhood years, the lack of authentic measures in young children has impeded research in this area.

In this study we sought to address the validity of a scale to tap young children’s attraction to physical activity. Evidence for validity was based on internal consistency, content analysis, and factor structure.

Australian school children (180 boys and 154 girls) from school year two, aged six to eight years, were individually administered …

Relationship Found Between Parenting Styles And Sibling Relationships In Families Raising A Child With A Disability, Corinne Jackman, Barbara L. Mandleco

Faculty Publications

The purpose of this study was to examine parental perceptions of parenting styles and sibling relationships according to parent gender, sibling gender, and type of disability. Additionally, the purpose was to determine if there is a linkage between parenting styles and sibling relationships.

Bring Mental Health Services Home: Meeting The Mental Health Needs Of Adolescents And Their Families In Rural Minnesota, Laura Filzen

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

The purpose of this project was to develop a program that addressed housing and therapeutic support to adolescents experiencing mental health issues, allowed adolescents to remain in the community, and promoted reunification with their families. “An important indicator of success for children in out-of-home care is a timely transition to reunification” (Park and Ryan, 2009). Based on the literature and practice, it is believed that intensive family therapy is needed to promote reunification and reduce recidivism of placement.

Dead Men Reproducing: Responding To The Existence Of Afterdeath Children, Browne C. Lewis

Law Faculty Articles and Essays

The statutory mandates are a step in the right direction, but there is still work that needs to be done. The statutes should be amended to close certain loop holes and to ensure that the physician-facilitated suicide option is available to all of the patients who need it. Persons suffering from physical conditions that will lead to death within six months should not be the only persons permitted to exit gracefully. As long as the safeguards included in the statutes are followed, there is no good reason to prohibit persons suffering from irreversible and incurable physical diseases that lead to …

An Evaluation Of Lead Hazards In Pre-1978 Residental Housing Within Clark County, Nevada, Usa, Erika Raquel Torres

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Lead poisoning remains a public health concern due to leads persistence in the environment from anthropogenic uses. Initial efforts to address the impacts of lead on vulnerable communities have included secondary prevention measures which typically occur after a child has been poisoned. However, in recent years there has been a pragmatic shift toward primary prevention efforts.

This study evaluates lead hazards identified through primary prevention activities in residential housing within Clark County, Nevada, USA. It is the first study to systematically address and evaluate pre-1978 housing in Southern Nevada. Risk assessments were conducted in 81 dwellings built prior to 1979 …