Pediatrics Commons^™

Effectiveness Of The Project P.A.T.H.S. In Hong Kong: Evaluation Based On Different Strategies And Different Studies Over Time, Daniel T. L. Shek, Hing Keung Ma, Joav Merrick

Pediatrics Faculty Publications

No abstract.

Participants' Evaluation Of The Project P.A.T.H.S.: Are Findings Based On Different Datasets Consistent?, Daniel T. L. Shek, Rachel C. F. Sun

Pediatrics Faculty Publications

Subjective outcome evaluation findings based on the perspective of the participants of the Project P.A.T.H.S. (Positive Adolescent Training through Holistic Social Programmes) in nine datasets collected from 2005 to 2009 (n = 206, 313 program participants) were examined in this paper. Based on the consolidated data with schools as units, results showed that the participants generally had positive perceptions of the program, implementers, and benefits of the program. More than four-fifths of the participants regarded the program as beneficial to their holistic development. Multiple regression analysis revealed that the perceived qualities of the program and the program implementers predicted perceived …

Analysis Of The Mmp-Dependent And Independent Functions Of Tissue Inhibitor Of Metalloproteinase-2 On The Invasiveness Of Breast Cancer Cells, Logan A. Walsh, Mario A. Cepeda, Sashko Damjanovski

Paediatrics Publications

Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are secreted endopeptidases that play an essential role in remodeling the extracellular matrix (ECM). MMPs are primarily active during development, when the majority of ECM remodeling events occurs. In adults, elevated MMP activity has been observed in many pathological conditions such as cancer and osteoarthritis. The proteolytic activity of MMPs is controlled by their natural inhibitors - the tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases (TIMPs). In addition to blocking MMP-mediated proteolysis, TIMPs have a number of MMP-independent functions including binding to cell surface proteins thereby stimulating signaling cascades. TIMP-2, the most studied member of the family, can both inhibit …

Elective Tracheostomy In Mechanically Ventilated Children, Prem Kumar Maheshwari, Muhammad Rehan Khan, Anwarul Haque

Department of Paediatrics and Child Health

Tracheostomy is an important procedure in children requiring prolonged mechanical ventilation. We conducted a retrospective study to assess the frequency, indications, postoperative course and short-term outcome of elective tracheostomy in a Paediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) of Pakistan. Twenty-five patients underwent tracheostomy in last 5 years (2.2 % of all PICU admissions). Mean age of patients was 6 years and 60% were male. The most common indication for tracheostomy was prolonged mechanical ventilation secondary to neurological disease (60%), followed by upper airway obstruction (40%). Major complications included accidental decannulation (20%) and tube obstruction (20%). Three patients (12%) developed ventilator-associated pneumonia …

Snap-Ed New Mexico Social Marketing Campaign Phase 1 Report, Sally M. Davis, Glenda Canaca, Jose Canaca, Patty Keane, Pamela Monaghan-Geernaert, Mary Hanrahan

Reports & Documents

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) plays an essential role in the nutrition status of low-income families in the United States. Although it is not mandatory to provide nutrition education to SNAP recipients, USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) highly encourages each state’s SNAP agency to educate SNAP participants (SNAP-Ed). The purpose of SNAP-Ed is to help SNAP eligible individuals to make healthy food choices consistent with the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, that fit within their limited budget. In New Mexico, SNAP and SNAP-Ed are administered by the State of New …

Does Initial Shunt Type For The Norwood Procedure Affect Echocardiographic Measures Of Cardiac Size And Function During Infancy?: The Single Vventricle Reconstruction Trial., Peter C. Frommelt, Lin T. Guey, L Luann Minich, Majeed Bhat, Tim J. Bradley, Steve D. Colan, Greg Ensing, Jessica Gorentz, Haleh Heydarian, J Blaine John, Wyman W. Lai, Jami C. Levine, William T. Mahle, Stephen G. Miller, Richard G. Ohye, Gail D. Pearson, Girish S. Shirali, Pierre C. Wong, Meryl S. Cohen, Pediatric Heart Network Investigators

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

BACKGROUND: The Pediatric Heart Network trial comparing outcomes in 549 infants with single right ventricle undergoing a Norwood procedure randomized to modified Blalock-Taussig shunt or right ventricle-pulmonary artery shunt (RVPAS) found better 1-year transplant-free survival in those who received RVPAS. We sought to compare the impact of shunt type on echocardiographic indices of cardiac size and function up to 14 months of age.

METHODS AND RESULTS: A core laboratory measured indices of cardiac size and function from protocol exams: early after Norwood procedure (age 22.5 ± 13.4 days), before stage II procedure (age 4.8 ± 1.8 months), and at 14 …

Process Evaluation Of A Positive Youth Development Program In Hong Kong Based On Different Cohorts, Ben M. F. Law, Daniel T. L. Shek

Pediatrics Faculty Publications

There are only a few process evaluation studies on positive youth development programs, particularly in the Chinese context. This study aims to examine the quality of implementation of a positive youth development program (the Project P.A.T.H.S.: Positive Adolescent Training through Holistic Social Programmes) and investigate the relationships among program adherence, process factors, implementation quality, and perceived program success. Process evaluation of 97 classroom-based teaching units was conducted in 62 schools from 2005 to 2009. Findings based on different cohorts generally showed that there were high overall program adherence and implementation quality. Program adherence and implementation process were highly correlated with …

Secondary Data Analyses Of Subjective Outcome Evaluation Data Based On Nine Databases, Daniel T. L. Shek

Pediatrics Faculty Publications

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the Tier 1 Program of the Project P.A.T.H.S. (Positive Adolescent Training through Holistic Social Programmes) in Hong Kong by analyzing 1,327 school-based program reports submitted by program implementers. In each report, program implementers were invited to write down five conclusions based on an integration of the subjective outcome evaluation data collected from the program participants and program implementers. Secondary data analyses were carried out by aggregating nine databases, with 14,390 meaningful units extracted from 6,618 conclusions. Results showed that most of the conclusions were positive in nature. The findings …

Interim Evaluation Of The Project P.A.T.H.S.: Findings Based On Different Datasets, Daniel T. L. Shek, Lu Yu

Pediatrics Faculty Publications

Interim evaluation studies were carried out in order to examine the implementation details of the Tier 1 Program of the Project P.A.T.H.S. (Positive Adolescent Training through Holistic Social Programmes) in Hong Kong. Quantitative results of the interim evaluation findings based on eight datasets collected from 2006 to 2009 are reported in this paper. Three hundred and seventy-eight schools were randomly selected to provide information on the implementation details of the program via face-to-face interviews, telephone interviews, and self-completed questionnaires. Results showed that a majority of the workers perceived that the students had positive responses to the program and the program …

The Systemic Inflammatory Response After Spinal Cord Injury In The Rat Is Decreased By Α4Β1 Integrin Blockade, Feng Bao, Vanessa Omana, Arthur Brown, Lynne C. Weaver

Paediatrics Publications

The systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) follows spinal cord injury (SCI) and causes damage to the lungs, kidney, and liver due to an influx of inflammatory cells from the circulation. After SCI in rats, the SIRS develops within 12 h and is sustained for at least 3 days. We have previously shown that blockade of CD11d/CD18 integrin reduces inflammation-driven secondary damage to the spinal cord. This treatment reduces the SIRS after SCI. In another study we found that blockade of α4β1 integrin limited secondary cord damage more effectively than blockade of CD11d/CD18. Therefore we considered it important to assess the …

Qualitative Evaluation Of Project P.A.T.H.S.: An Integration Of Findings Based On Program Participants, Daniel T. L. Shek, Rachel C. F. Sun

Pediatrics Faculty Publications

An integration of the qualitative evaluation findings collected in different cohorts of students who participated in Project P.A.T.H.S. (Positive Adolescent Training through Holistic Social Programmes) (n = 252 students in 29 focus groups) was carried out. With specific focus on how the informants described the program, results showed that the descriptions were mainly positive in nature, suggesting that the program was well received by the program participants. When the informants were invited to name three metaphors that could stand for the program, positive metaphors were commonly used. Beneficial effects of the program in different psychosocial domains were also voiced by …

Factor Structure Of A Multidimensional Gender Identity Scale In A Sample Of Chinese Elementary School Children, Lu Yu, Dong Xie, Daniel T. L. Shek

Pediatrics Faculty Publications

This study examined the factor structure of a scale based on the four-dimensional gender identity model (Egan and Perry, 2001) in 726 Chinese elementary school students. Exploratory factor analyses suggested a three-factor model, two of which corresponded to "Felt Pressure" and "Intergroup Bias" in the original model. The third factor "Gender Compatibility" appeared to be a combination of "Gender Typicality" and "Gender Contentment" in the original model. Follow-up confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) indicated that, relative to the initial four-factor structure, the three-factor model fits the current Chinese sample better. These results are discussed in light of cross-cultural similarities and differences …

Spinal Muscular Atrophy:Clinical Spectrum And Genetic Mutations In Pakistani Children, S. H. Ibrahim, Tariq Moatter, Ali Faisal Saleem

Department of Paediatrics and Child Health

Background: In Pakistan the rate of consanguineous marriages is high, thus, the chance of incidence of autosomal recessive disorders is likely to be high. The aim of this study is to investigate the clinical characteristics and genetics of spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) in children who presented to Aga Khan University, Karachi.
Materials and Methods: This study was a retrospective review of the medical charts of children (neonate: 15 years) with discharge diagnosis of SMA during last 10 years. Demographic features, consanguinity, and diagnostic analysis (including genetic analysis) were noted.
Results: During the study period 67 children had a discharge diagnosis …

Case Report: Rapid Spontaneous Recovery From Severe Hypothyroidism In 2 Teenage Girls., Paul B. Kaplowitz

Pediatrics Faculty Publications

Background

While it is recognized that patients sometimes recover from autoimmune hypothyroidism, little is known about how rapidly this may occur.

Case reports

Two 13 year old girls had severe primary hypothyroidism (total T4 14.2 nmol/L with TSH 468 miU/L and total T4 7.7 nmol/L with TSH 183 miU/L) accompanied by goiter and positive thyroid peroxidase antibodies. There were delays in starting thyroid hormone replacement, and complete reversal of hypothyroidism was documented within 2 months in both cases. One of the girls had recurrence of severe hypothyroidism after being euthyroid for 18 months.

Review of literature

There are few published …

Time-Series Model To Predict Impact Of H1n1 Influenza On A Children's Hospital., Michael C. Spaeder, Jonathan R. Stroud, Xiaoyan Song

Pediatrics Faculty Publications

The spring of 2009 witnessed the emergence of a novel influenza A(H1N1) virus resulting in the first influenza pandemic since 1968. In autumn of 2010, the 2009 novel H1N1 influenza strain re-emerged. We performed a retrospective time-series analysis of all patients with laboratory-confirmed H1N1 influenza who presented to our institution during 2009. Cases of influenza were assembled into 3-day aggregates and forecasting models of H1N1 influenza incidence were created. Forecasting estimates of H1N1 incidence for the 2010–2011 season were compared to actual values for our institution to assess model performance. Ninety-five percent confidence intervals calculated around our model's forecasts were …

Association Of Cartilage-Specific Deletion Of Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptor Γ With Abnormal Endochondral Ossification And Impaired Cartilage Growth And Development In A Murine Model, Roxana Monemdjou, Faezeh Vasheghani, Hassan Fahmi, Gemma Perez, Meryem Blati, Noboru Taniguchi, Martin Lotz, René St-Arnaud, Jean Pierre Pelletier, Johanne Martel-Pelletier, Frank Beier, Mohit Kapoor

Paediatrics Publications

Objective Long bones develop through the strictly regulated process of endochondral ossification within the growth plate, resulting in the replacement of cartilage by bone. Defects in this process can result in skeletal abnormalities and a predisposition to degenerative joint diseases such as osteoarthritis (OA). Studies suggest that activation of the transcription factor peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARγ) is an important therapeutic target in OA. To devise PPARγ-related therapies in OA, it is critical to identify the role of this transcription factor in cartilage biology. Therefore, this study sought to determine the in vivo role of PPARγ in endochondral ossification and …

The Dark Side Of Neuroplasticity, Arthur Brown, Lynne C. Weaver

Paediatrics Publications

Whether dramatic or modest, recovery of neurological function after spinal cord injury (SCI) is greatly due to neuroplasticity - the process by which the nervous system responds to injury by establishing new synaptic connections or by altering the strength of existing synapses. However, the same neuroplasticity that allows locomotor function to recover also produces negative consequences such as pain and dysfunction of organs controlled by the autonomic nervous system. In this review we focus specifically on structural neuroplasticity (the growth of new synaptic connections) after SCI and on the consequent development of pain and autonomic dysreflexia, a condition of episodic …

Paediatricians, Social Media And Blogs: Ethical Considerations, Thérèse St-Laurent-Gagnon, Kevin W. Coughlin

Paediatrics Publications

The use of blogs, Facebook and similar social networking sites is rapidly expanding and, when compared with e-mail, may be having a significantly different impact on the traditional doctor-patient relationship. Characteristics specific to these online platforms have major implications for professional relationships, including the ‘Facebook effect’ (the relative permanence of postings) and the ‘online disinhibition effect’. The present practice point illustrates relevant ethical considerations and provides guidance to paediatricians and others concerning the prudent professional and personal use of social networking media.

L’utilisation des blogues, de Facebook et de sites de réseautage social similaires prend une expansion rapide. Par rapport …

Program Implementers' Evaluation Of The Project P.A.T.H.S.: Findings Based On Different Datasets Over Time, Daniel T. L. Shek, Cecilia M. S. Ma

Pediatrics Faculty Publications

This paper integrates the evaluation findings based on program implementers in nine datasets collected from 2005 to 2009 (244 schools and 7,926 implementers). Using consolidated data with schools as the unit of analysis, results showed that program implementers generally had positive perceptions of the program, themselves, and benefits of the program, with more than four-fifths of the implementers regarding the program as beneficial to the program participants. The subjective outcome evaluation instrument was found to be internally consistent. Multiple regression analyses revealed that perceived qualities of the program and program implementers predicted perceived effectiveness of the program. In conjunction with …

Novel Napi-Iic Mutations Causing Hhrh And Idiopathic Hypercalciuria In Several Unrelated Families: Long-Term Follow-Up In One Kindred., Y Yu, S R. Sanderson, M Reyes, A Sharma, N Dunbar, Tarak Srivastava, H Jüppner, C Bergwitz

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

Homozygous and compound heterozygous mutations in SLC34A3, the gene encoding the sodium-dependent co-transporter NaPi-IIc, cause hereditary hypophosphatemic rickets with hypercalciuria (HHRH), a disorder characterized by renal phosphate-wasting resulting in hypophosphatemia, elevated 1,25(OH)(2) vitamin D levels, hypercalciuria, rickets/osteomalacia, and frequently kidney stones or nephrocalcinosis. Similar albeit less severe biochemical changes are also observed in heterozygous carriers, which are furthermore indistinguishable from those encountered in idiopathic hypercalciuria (IH). We now searched for SLC34A3 mutations (exons and introns) in two previously not reported HHRH kindreds, which resulted in the identification of three novel mutations. The affected members of kindred A were compound heterozygous …