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At least 667 records · Page 37Linked to original sources
PubMed2000

Axiographic evaluation of mandibular mobility in children with angle Class-II/2 malocclusion (deep overbite).

Correction of the occlusion in Angle Class-II/2 patients is often more complicated and tedious than in Class-II/1 cases. Reasons given are the more comprehensive remodeling and functional adaptation processes of the temporomandibular joints (TMJ) since the articular tuberculum is more strongly developed in deep overbite, and a deep bite leading to a locked occlusion is dominant due to the steeper condylar path. Both characteristics are, however, considered to be the consequence of pronounced incisor retrusion. The present study covered 28 untreated Class-II/2 patients aged 8 to 12 years in whom functional TMJ adaptation to the retroclined maxillary incisors was studied with the help of electronic, 3D axiographic registrations of mandibular movements. Comparison with eugnathic age peers revealed increased mobility in mandibular protrusion and a somewhat steeper condylar path, although the latter was less pronounced than in adult patients. The results corroborate the concept of functional TMJ adaptation to incisor inclination and speak for early uprighting of maxillary incisors.

Adaptation, Physiological↗
PubMed1989

School adjustment, school performance and peer relations among first-graders in a Swedish suburban area.

A study of 95 first-graders in one school management area used teacher ratings of problems and sociometric ratings to assess school adjustment and peer relations; 14% of the children had difficulties in reading/writing, motor skill, concentration and psychosocial function. Behavioural problems did not generally coincide with poor scholastic performance, but a small group (6.3%) exhibited problems in both reading/writing, concentration, gross and fine motor skill and psychosocial functions. Sociometric results showed only moderate agreement with teacher ratings. Extremely popular boys had no teacher-rated problems, but children with teacher-rated problems did not to any high degree tend to be isolated. Poor gross motor skill did distinguish isolated boys from others, a relationship that was not evident among the girls. The need to study the validity of teacher ratings as well as the prognostic value of school adjustment in first grade was stressed.

Achievement↗
PubMed2005

Functional divergence of proteins through frameshift mutations.

Frameshift mutations are generally considered to be deleterious and of little importance for the evolution of novel gene functions. However, by screening an exhaustive set of vertebrate gene families, we found that, when a second transcript encoding the original gene product compensates for this mutation, frameshift mutations can be retained for millions of years and enable new gene functions to be acquired.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed2004

Biomimetic nucleation and growth of CaCO3 in hydrogels incorporating carboxylate groups.

Poly-acrylamide hydrogels were modified by copolymerization with acrylic acid and used as growth medium for CaCO3 in a double-diffusion arrangement. The carboxylate functionalities in the gel network facilitate the nucleation of a multitude of small crystallites of vaterite and calcite, which are temporarily stabilized even while supersaturation is increasing within the hydrogel. After an extended induction period the rapid spherulitic growth of calcite crystals along their c-axis is observed yielding spheres with diameters exceeding 300 microm. In the center of those aggregates disordered, porous regions can be identified as starting point of this rapid crystallization. The results are compared to previous studies on native poly-acrylamide hydrogels and networks modified with -SO(3)H functional groups. The mineralization mechanism is significantly altered by specific interactions between the -COOH functionalized network and the evolving mineral phase.

Calcium Carbonate↗
PubMed2003

Genome-wide characterization of the lignification toolbox in Arabidopsis.

Lignin, one of the most abundant terrestrial biopolymers, is indispensable for plant structure and defense. With the availability of the full genome sequence, large collections of insertion mutants, and functional genomics tools, Arabidopsis constitutes an excellent model system to profoundly unravel the monolignol biosynthetic pathway. In a genome-wide bioinformatics survey of the Arabidopsis genome, 34 candidate genes were annotated that encode genes homologous to the 10 presently known enzymes of the monolignol biosynthesis pathway, nine of which have not been described before. By combining evolutionary analysis of these 10 gene families with in silico promoter analysis and expression data (from a reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction analysis on an extensive tissue panel, mining of expressed sequence tags from publicly available resources, and assembling expression data from literature), 12 genes could be pinpointed as the most likely candidates for a role in vascular lignification. Furthermore, a possible novel link was detected between the presence of the AC regulatory promoter element and the biosynthesis of G lignin during vascular development. Together, these data describe the full complement of monolignol biosynthesis genes in Arabidopsis, provide a unified nomenclature, and serve as a basis for further functional studies.

Alcohol Oxidoreductases↗
PubMed2006

Teachers' interactions and their collaborative reflection processes during peer meetings.

Teachers' reflections are often narrowly focused on technical questions ('how to') and less on the underlying moral, political and emotional aspects of their functioning. However, for a better understanding of teaching practice it is important to uncover beliefs and values that usually remain implicit. Meeting with others is considered crucial for enhancing the quality of teachers' reflections. However, little is known about how any beneficial effects of such meetings are brought about. We explored the relationship between medical teachers' interactions and collaborative reflection processes during peer meetings. Five experienced teachers and a teacher trainer participated in the study. Three peer meetings were videotaped and transcribed. Teachers' interactions and collaborative reflective processes were analysed. The interactions promoted reflection not only on technical questions but also on moral, political, and emotional issues. 'Guiding/directing', 'proposing an alternative' and 'exploring an alternative' appeared to be the principal interactions. The results may be useful for teachers and trainers who are considering organising and/or improving peer meetings.

Cooperative Behavior↗
PubMed1995

The role of the manuscript reviewer in the peer review process.

Peer review of submitted manuscripts is recognized as a critical component of the publication process in all major medical journals. It lends respectability and scientific credibility to those journals that have adopted the process [1]. This function is delegated to a group of persons who perform the task selflessly and without compensation. Of the many facets of the peer review process, the selection of manuscript reviewers and their subsequent interaction with both editors and authors may be so poorly understood by aspiring authors that certain misconceptions ensue. Authors of rejected manuscripts may fear that reviewers have acted in an arbitrary and possibly censorial fashion [2, 3]. Conversely, authors of accepted manuscripts who face a mountain of revisions may wonder if such an effort is likely to improve their manuscript [4, 5]. The following questions come to mind: Where do the reviewers come from? What do they do, and what constitutes a good reviewer? What power do they have? How is reviewer performance measured? Can the editor recognize publicly the good reviewer? Are reviewers really blinded? How does one become a good reviewer? Who will be the reviewers of the future? While looking at these questions, we should consider objective approaches of assessing reviewer quality and wonder whether they would improve the quality of the published manuscript.

Peer Review, Research↗
PubMed2003

Reciprocated and unreciprocated dyadic peer preferences and academic achievement of Israeli and immigrant students: a longitudinal study.

The authors used a longitudinal design to investigate 2 major issues: first, whether popularity with classmates results in better academic achievement or academic achievement improves popularity with classmates; and second, how time affects in-group and out-group contacts in the elementary school. The authors studied these issues by means of an interactive measure of reciprocated and unreciprocated contacts with peers. This measure indicated the extent to which aspirations for close relations were fulfilled or not fulfilled by each member of a dyad. Participants were 305 fifth- and sixth-grade Israeli students and 100 immigrant classmates. Results indicated (a) higher academic achievement predicted higher numbers of bids for reciprocal contacts in class but not higher numbers of bids for contacts that were not reciprocated; (b) a higher level of unreciprocated bids for contact seemed to have a detrimental effect on academic performance; (c) teachers tended to rate as more adjusted to school the immigrant students who were willing to engage in more intensive reciprocated contacts with Israeli peers; and (d) reciprocated contacts tended to increase whereas unreciprocated contacts were inclined to decrease as a function of time. These changes over time were more prominent for the dominant hosts than for their migrant classmates.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed1999

Psychosocial adjustment of children with chronic illness: an evaluation of three models.

This study was designed to assess social, emotional, and behavioral functioning of children with chronic illness and to evaluate three models addressing the impact of chronic illness on psychosocial functioning: discrete disease, noncategorical, and mixed. Families of children with cancer, sickle cell disease, hemophilia, and juvenile rheumatoid arthritis participated, along with families of classroom comparison peers without a chronic illness who had the closest date of birth and were of the same race and gender (COMPs). Mothers, fathers, and children provided information regarding current functioning of the child with chronic illness or the COMP child. Child Behavior Checklist and Children's Depression Inventory scores were examined. Results provided support for the noncategorical model. Thus, the mixed model evaluated in this study requires modifications before its effectiveness as a classification system can be demonstrated.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed2005

The effects of maternal depression and parental conflict on children's peer play.

BACKGROUND: Little is known about the relative effects of exposure to postnatal depression and parental conflict on the social functioning of school-aged children. This is, in part, because of a lack of specificity in the measurement of child and parental behaviour and a reliance on children's reports of their hypothetical responses to conflict in play. METHODS: In the course of a prospective longitudinal study of children of postnatally depressed and well women, 5-year-old children were videotaped at home with a friend in a naturalistic dressing-up play setting. As well as examining possible associations between the occurrence of postnatal depression and the quality of the children's interactions, we investigated the influence of parental conflict and co-operation, and the continuity of maternal depression. The quality of the current mother-child relationship was considered as a possible mediating factor. RESULTS: Exposure to postnatal depression was associated with increased likelihood, among boys, of displaying physical aggression in play with their friend. However, parental conflict mediated the effects of postnatal depression on active aggression during play, and was also associated with displays of autonomy and intense conflict. While there were no gender effects in terms of the degree or intensity of aggressive behaviours, girls were more likely to express aggression verbally using denigration and gloating whereas boys were more likely to display physical aggression via interpersonal and object struggles. CONCLUSIONS: The study provided evidence for the specificity of effects, with strong links between parental and child peer conflict. These effects appear to arise from direct exposure to parental conflict, rather than indirectly, through mother-child interactions.

Adult↗
PubMed2000

Psychological, behavioural, and social adjustment in children and adolescents with juvenile chronic arthritis.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the psychological, behavioural and social adjustment of children (7-11 years) and adolescents (12-16 years) with juvenile chronic arthritis (JCA). Higher rates of maladjustment were expected to be found in these patients. METHODS: Self report questionnaires were used within the context of personal interviews. Family functioning and social support were studied as well. Forty seven patients with JCA, 52 healthy peers and their respective parents participated in the study. RESULTS: Self esteem, perceived competence and body image in patients with JCA were as positive as they were in healthy participants. There were no differences between ill and healthy youngsters with respect to the incidence of psychopathology. Patients with JCA, in general, perceived themselves as socially competent, but they seemed to have somewhat less opportunity or energy to participate in social activities. Children with JCA showed a high level of aspiration to cope with social expectations. This aspiration seemed to be even stronger in case the disease caused more strains, for example, in periods of inflammation and in the systemic onset type. The high level of social adjustment in children with JCA seemed to be supported by highly cohesive family structures. Generally, adolescents with JCA experienced much social support. CONCLUSIONS: In contrast with our expectation, children and adolescents with JCA seemeed to cope quite well with the psychological and social consequences of their long term condition. For future studies, it is hypothesised that the high levels of adaptation might imply an enduring psychological strain, which is reflected in an altered function of the autonomic nervous system.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2003

Sexual function in women with complete androgen insensitivity syndrome.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate sexual function in women with complete androgen insensitivity syndrome (CAIS) and to investigate the prevalence of factors that might contribute to sexual difficulties. DESIGN: Cross sectional survey and clinical examination. SETTING: Tertiary hospital multidisciplinary intersex clinic and an international peer support group for CAIS. PATIENT(S): Sixty-six adult women with CAIS. INTERVENTION(S): Self-completed survey of sexual function, genital normality perceptions, and compliance and satisfaction with vaginal hypoplasia treatments. Hospital case notes review, and genital examination for prevalence of vaginal and clitoral hypoplasia. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Golombok-Rust Inventory of Sexual Satisfaction (GRISS) scores of study participants were compared against the scores of the test validation population (as control). In physical examination participants, anatomical dimensions were assessed against published normal values for clitoral and vaginal sizes. RESULT(S): We found that 90% of women with CAIS in this study had sexual difficulties when compared with the general female population, most commonly sexual infrequency and vaginal penetration difficulty; 77% perceived their vagina as small, but on genital examination only 35% had vaginal hypoplasia. CONCLUSION(S): Androgen deficiency leads to sexual problems. Vaginal hypoplasia and negative psychological adaptation to living with an intersex condition are likely to have contributed to the high rates of sexual problems found in this study. Treatments for vaginal hypoplasia need to be evaluated with outcome studies of long-term sexual function, quality of life, and satisfaction. Clinical services for the management of intersex conditions need to be multidisciplinary and aim to optimize the patient's physical and psychological health.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1977

Follow-up of adolescents treated in a psychiatric hospital. Predictors of outcome.

In the context of a long-term follow-up of 60 hospitalized adolescent psychiatric patients (26 months to four years after discharge), we examined correlates of outcome. The variables were as follows: (1) severity of psychopathology; (2) onset of symptomatology (process or reactive); (3) type of hospital treatment termination; (4) continuation of individual psychotherapy following discharge; (5) physically destructive behavior before hospitalization; and (6) energy level. Follow-up was by personal clinical interview exploring the expatient's current living conditions, peer relationships, current psychopathology and drug or alcohol use, legal difficulties, academic and work functioning, subjective contentment, and plans for the future. An evaluation was also obtained from parents and/or spouse. Statistical analyses of the interrelationships among the predictor variables and outcome demonstrated the importance of a multivariate approach.

Acting Out↗
PubMed1982

Adolescent adjustment to amputation.

We investigated the psychological effects of amputation on adolescent patients by interviewing 27 persons who had a limb amputation because of cancer during their adolescence and compared them to data obtained from eight patients with amputations due to trauma at similar ages. In cancer patients, mobility-related activities and social matters including relations with peers and the opposite sex and self-consciousness were of paramount concern. All cancer patients considered themselves functionally independent and 67% had little or no concern for the future. While malignancy and amputation had a significant impact on the patients' lives, the vast majority had a positive view of life and 85% were found to have what we assessed as adequate overall adjustment. Individual variables examined included marital and child-bearing patterns, educational attainments, vocational attainments, perceived parental and peer support, adaptation to prosthesis, and variables relating to general outlook on life and psychological adjustment. Our results suggest that the patients who have had amputations due to malignancy differ from traumatic amputees in their adjustment to amputation, with cancer patients showing, in many instances, evidence of better adaptation to disability. This may in part be due to different backgrounds and social orientation of traumatic amputees. We found the majority of cancer amputees to adjust well to their circumstances and to report leading full and productive lives.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1978

Aspects of body image perception in obese and normal-weight youngsters.

Perceptual and projective aspects of body image in obese youngsters (not in psychological treatment) and normal-weight youngsters 8-9 years of age and 12-13 years of age were investigated. The results indicate that perceptual distortions in estimating various body dimensions of oneself are primarily a function of age rather than weight status. The accuracy of estimating the weight of peers and an adult showed an association with the sex of the subject. No group differences were found in terms of projective aspects of body image as measured by barrier and penetration responses. This study suggests that obese youngsters in the middle childhood and entering puberty periods in comparison to normal-weight youngsters of the same age do not manifest differences in perceptual factors of body image.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2006

Women's sexual dysfunction: a review of the "surgical landscape".

OBJECTIVES: To assess the impact of urogynaecologic surgery for stress urinary incontinence, oncologic pelvic surgery, and hysterectomy on women's overall sexual health. METHODS: We used Ovid and PubMed (updated January 2006) to conduct a literature electronic search on MEDLINE that included peer-reviewed English-language articles. We analysed all studies identified that provided any functional outcome data about urogynaecologic surgery for the treatment of stress urinary incontinence, radical cystectomy for bladder cancer, surgery for rectal cancer, and hysterectomy. Because of the substantial heterogeneity of outcome measures and follow-up intervals in case studies, we did not apply meta-analytic techniques to the data. RESULTS: Most studies showed that either urogynaecologic or oncologic pelvic surgery may have a significant impact on women's sexual health. Epidemiology varied widely among the studies and reported either improvement or impairment of postoperative sexual functioning, due to different definitions, study designs, and small cohorts of patients. An increasing number of studies have prospectively examined this issue and have found often controversial findings about the role of pelvic and perineal surgery in women's sexual health. CONCLUSIONS: Although numerous controversies exist, data demonstrate an overall positive impact of the surgical repair for stress urinary incontinence on resolution of coital incontinence, coupled with an improvement of overall sexual life. In contrast, genitourinary and rectal cancers are commonly associated with treatment-related sexual dysfunction, but few studies rigorously assessed women's postoperative sexual function after major oncologic pelvic surgery. Data about the functional outcome after hysterectomy are often contradictory. Adequately powered prospective clinical trials are needed.

Female↗
PubMed1999

The relation between meal size and the time between meals: effects of cage complexity and food cost.

Certain popular models of the regulation of food intake predict a positive correlation between the size of a meal and the preceding and/or following intermeal interval. However, the reported strength of these prandial correlations has varied widely in the literature. To determine what factors may influence the strength of these relationships, we measured the timing of and amount consumed in meals of laboratory rats as a function of 1) whether they were housed in isolation or with partial access to peers or a running wheel, 2) whether they were disturbed daily or weekly for maintenance procedures, and 3) whether food was free or contingent on operant responding. We also compared two definitions of "meal" and "intermeal interval." Strong prandial correlations were found only occasionally. Caging, food cost, and maintenance frequency did not affect the size of the correlations, although these factors did influence the rats' meal patterns. We conclude the regulation of food intake cannot be explained by models relying on a regular relationship between meal size and intermeal interval.

Analysis of Variance↗
PubMed2001

The adjustment of children of Australian Vietnam veterans: is there evidence for the transgenerational transmission of the effects of war-related trauma?

OBJECTIVE: The presence of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in trauma survivors has been linked with family dysfunction and symptoms in their children, including lower self-esteem, higher disorder rates and symptoms resembling those of the traumatized parent. This study aims to examine the phenomenon of intergenerational transfer of PTSD in an Australian context. METHOD: 50 children (aged 16-30) of 50 male Vietnam veterans, subgrouped according to their fathers' PTSD status, were compared with an age-matched group of 33 civilian peers. Participants completed questionnaires with measures of self-esteem, PTSD symptomatology and family functioning. RESULTS: Contrary to expectations, no significant differences were found between the self-esteem and PTSD symptomatology scores for any offspring groups. Unhealthy family functioning is the area in which the effect of the veteran's PTSD appears to manifest itself, particularly the inability of the family both to experience appropriate emotional responses and to solve problems effectively within and outside the family unit. CONCLUSION: Methodological refinements and further focus on the role of wives/mothers in buffering the impact of veterans' PTSD symptomatology on their children are indicated. Further effort to support families of Veterans with PTSD is also indicated.

Adaptation, Psychological↗