Longitudinal Study of Growth of Children With Unilateral Cleft-Lip Palate From Birth to Two Years of Age

Objective: To study the growth of children with complete unilateral cleft lip and palate (UCLP) from birth to 2 years of age and to construct specific UCLP growth curves. Design: Physical growth was a secondary outcome measure of a National Institutes of Health-sponsored longitudinal, prospective clinical trial involving the University of Florida (United States) and the University of Sao Paulo (Brazil). Patients: Six hundred twenty-seven children with UCLP, nonsyndromic, both genders. Methods: Length, weight, and head circumference were prospectively measured for a group of children enrolled in a clinical trial. Median growth curves for the three parameters (length, weight, head circumference) were performed and compared with the median for the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) curves. The median values for length, weight, and head circumference at birth and 6, 12, 18, and 24 months of age were plotted against NCHS median values and statistically compared at birth and 24 months. Setting: Hospital de Reabilitacao de Anomalias Craniofaciais, Universidade de Sao Paulo, Bauru, Brazil (HRAC-USP). Results: At birth, children of both genders with UCLP presented with smaller body dimensions in relation to NCHS median values, but the results suggest a catch-up growth for length, weight, and head circumference for girls and for weight (to some degree) and head circumference for boys. Conclusions: Weight was the most compromised parameter for both genders, followed by length and then head circumference. There was no evidence of short stature. This study established growth curves for children with UCLP.

Acquisition of Pavlovian Fear Conditioning Using beta-Adrenoceptor Activation of the Dorsal Premammillary Nucleus as an Unconditioned Stimulus to Mimic Live Predator-Threat Exposure

In the present work, we sought to mimic the internal state changes in response to a predator threat by pharmacologically stimulating the brain circuit involved in mediating predator fear responses, and explored whether this stimulation would be a valuable unconditioned stimulus (US) in an olfactory fear conditioning paradigm (OFC). The dorsal premammillary nucleus (PMd) is a key brain structure in the neural processing of anti-predatory defensive behavior and has also been shown to mediate the acquisition and expression of anti-predatory contextual conditioning fear responses. Rats were conditioned by pairing the US, which was an intra-PMd microinjection of isoproterenol (ISO; beta-adrenoceptor agonist), with amyl acetate odor-the conditioned stimulus (CS). ISO (10 and 40 nmol) induced the acquisition of the OFC and the second-order association by activation of beta-1 receptors in the PMd. Furthermore, similar to what had been found for contextual conditioning to a predator threat, atenolol (beta-1 receptor antagonist) in the PMd also impaired the acquisition and expression of OFC promoted by ISO. Considering the strong glutamatergic projections from the PMd to the dorsal periaqueductal gray (dPAG), we tested how the glutamatergic blockade of the dPAG would interfere with the OFC induced by ISO. Accordingly, microinjections of NMDA receptor antagonist (AP5, 6 nmol) into the dPAG were able to block both the acquisition, and partially, the expression of the OFC. In conclusion, we have found that PMd beta-1 adrenergic stimulation is a good model to mimic predatory threat-induced internal state changes, and works as a US able to mobilize the same systems involved in the acquisition and expression of predator-related contextual conditioning. Neuropsychopharmacology (2011) 36, 926-939; doi:10.1038/npp.2010.231; published online 5 January 2011

AMYGDALAR ROLES DURING EXPOSURE TO A LIVE PREDATOR AND TO A PREDATOR-ASSOCIATED CONTEXT

The amygdala plays a critical role in determining the emotional significance of sensory stimuli and the production of fear-related responses. Large amygdalar lesions have been shown to practically abolish innate defensiveness to a predator; however, it is not clear how the different amygdalar systems participate in the defensive response to a live predator. Our first aim was to provide a comprehensive analysis of the amygdalar activation pattern during exposure to a live cat and to a predator-associated context. Accordingly, exposure to a live predator up-regulated Fos expression in the medial amygdalar nucleus (MEA) and in the lateral and posterior basomedial nuclei, the former responding to predator-related pheromonal information and the latter two nuclei likely to integrate a wider array of predatory sensory information, ranging from olfactory to non-olfactory ones, such as visual and auditory sensory inputs. Next, we tested how the amygdalar nuclei most responsive to predator exposure (i.e. the medial, posterior basomedial and lateral amygdalar nuclei) and the central amygdalar nucleus (CEA) influence both unconditioned and contextual conditioned anti-predatory defensive behavior. Medial amygdalar nucleus lesions practically abolished defensive responses during cat exposure, whereas lesions of the posterior basomedial or lateral amygdalar nuclei reduced freezing and increased risk assessment displays (i.e. crouch sniff and stretch postures), a pattern of responses compatible with decreased defensiveness to predator stimuli. Moreover, the present findings suggest a role for the posterior basomedial and lateral amygdalar nuclei in the conditioning responses to a predator-related context. We have further shown that the CEA does not seem to be involved in either unconditioned or contextual conditioned anti-predatory responses. Overall, the present results help to clarify the amygdalar systems involved in processing predator-related sensory stimuli and how they influence the expression of unconditioned and contextual conditioned anti-predatory responses. (C) 2011 IBRO. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

CD8(+) T cell adjuvant effects of Salmonella FliCd flagellin in live vaccine vectors or as purified protein

Salmonella flagellin, the flagellum structural subunit, has received particular interest as a vaccine adjuvant conferring enhanced immunogenity to soluble proteins or peptides, both for activation of antibody and cellular immune responses. In the present study, we evaluated the Salmonella enterica FliCd flagellin as a T cell vaccine adjuvant using as model the 9-mer (SYVPSAEQI) synthetic H2(d)-restricted CD8(+) T cell-specific epitope (CS(280-288)) derived from the Plasmodium yoelii circumsporozoite (G) protein. The FliCd adjuvant effects were determined under two different conditions: (i) as recombinant flagella, expressed by orally delivered live S. Dublin vaccine strains expressing the target CS(280-288) peptide fused at the central hypervariable domain, and (ii) as purified protein in acellular vaccines in which flagellin was administered to mice either as a recombinant protein fused or admixed with the target CS(280-288) peptide. The results showed that CS(280-288)-specific cytotoxic CD8(+) T cells were primed when BALB/c mice were orally inoculated with the expressing the CS280-288 epitope S. Dublin vaccine strain. In contrast, mice immunized with purified FliCd admixed with the CS280-288 peptide and, to a lesser extent, fused with the target peptide developed specific cytotoxic CD8(+) T cell responses without the need of a heterologous booster immunization. The CD8(+) T cell adjuvant effects of flagellin, either fused or not with the target peptide, correlated with the in vivo activation of CD11c(+) dendritic cells. Taken together, the present results demonstrate that Salmonella flagellins are flexible adjuvant and induce adaptative immune responses when administered by different routes or vaccine formulations. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

On modeling and evaluating multicomputer transcoding architectures for live-video streams

The pervasive and ubiquitous computing has motivated researches on multimedia adaptation which aims at matching the video quality to the user needs and device restrictions. This technique has a high computational cost which needs to be studied and estimated when designing architectures and applications. This paper presents an analytical model to quantify these video transcoding costs in a hardware independent way. The model was used to analyze the impact of transcoding delays in end-to-end live-video transmissions over LANs, MANs and WANs. Experiments confirm that the proposed model helps to define the best transcoding architecture for different scenarios.

Automatically linking live experiences captured with a ubiquitous infrastructure

Ubiquitous computing aims at providing services to users in everyday environments such as the home. One research theme in this area is that of building capture and access applications which support information to be recorded ( captured) during a live experience toward automatically producing documents for review (accessed). The recording demands instrumented environments with devices such as microphones, cameras, sensors and electronic whiteboards. Since each experience is usually related to many others ( e. g. several meetings of a project), there is a demand for mechanisms supporting the automatic linking among documents relative to different experiences. In this paper we present original results relative to the integration of our previous efforts in the Infrastructure for Capturing, Accessing, Linking, Storing and Presenting information (CALiSP). Ubiquitous computing aims at providing services to users in everyday environments such as the home. One research theme in this area is that of building capture and access applications which support information to be recorded (captured) during a live experience toward automatically producing documents for review (accessed). The recording demands instrumented environments with devices such as microphones, cameras, sensors and electronic whiteboards. Since each experience is usually related to many others (e.g. several meetings of a project), there is a demand for mechanisms supporting the automatic linking among documents relative to different experiences. In this paper we present original results relative to the integration of our previous efforts in the Infrastructure for Capturing, Accessing, Linking, Storing and Presenting information (CALiSP).

On the use of 2,1,3-benzothiadiazole derivatives as selective live cell fluorescence imaging probes

Newly designed 2,1,3-benzothiadiazole-containing fluorescent probes with four excited state intramolecular proton transfer (ESIPT) sites were successfully tested in live cell-imaging assays using a confluent monolayer of human stem-cells (tissue). All tested dyes were compared with the commercially available DAPI and gave far better results. (c) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

An Evaluation of”Middle Ages Dead or Live?”The first interactive exhibition at the National Museum of History

This is a study conducted at, and for, the National Museum of History in Stockholm. The aim of the study was to confirm or disconfirm the hypothesis that visitors in a traditional museum environment might not take part in interactivity in an interactive exhibition. And if they do the visitors might skip the texts and objects on display. To answer this and other questions a multiple method was used. Both non participant observations and exit interviews were conducted. After a description of the interactive exhibits, theory of knowledge and learning is presented before the gathered data is presented. All together 443 visitors were observed. In the observations the visitors were timed on how much time they spent in the room, the time spent on the interactivity, texts and objects. In the 40 interviews information about visitors’ participation in the interactivity was gathered. What interactivity the visitor found easiest, hardest, funniest and most boring.The result did not confirm the hypothesis. All kinds of visitors, children and adults, participated in the interactivities. The visitors took part in the texts and objects and the interactive exhibits.

Kvinnors upplevelse av planerad hemförlossning i Skandinavien : Women´s experience of planned home birth in the Scandinavian countries

Background: In Sweden and Norway planned home birth is not included in the health care system. In Denmark women with expected low risk birth have the right to choose home birth. Registrations of home births in the Nordic countries are not completed and women’s experiences of planned home birth in Scandinavian context are not earlier described.Objective: The aim of this study was to describe women’s experiences of planned home birth in the Scandinavian countries.Design: Inductive content analysis. Fifty-three Scandinavian women who have experienced planned home birth have replied an open question in a questionnaire. Findings: In the analysis five categories and twelve subcategories emerged. The categories were, to feel secure, experiences of support, being in control, harmony and insecurity. The women felt secure and calm in their own homes. They felt being in control, secure, support and trust in the midwife, relatives and the own body. What worried the women most in presence of the delivery was that the midwife should not be present. Keywords: Home birth, experiences, women.

We did it together : Fathers´ experiences of planned home birth in the Nordic countries

Sammanfattning: Bakgrund: för många pappor kan det vara en av livets största och bästa stund att närvara vid när deras barn föds. Det finns studier som beskriver pappors upplevelse av sjukhusförlossning, däremot finns det få studier som beskriver pappors upplevelse av planerad hemförlossning. Syftet med den här studien är att beskriva pappans upplevelser och erfarenheter av planerad hemförlossning. Metod: i denna studie medverkar 105 pappor från de nordiska länderna som har deltagit i planerad hemförlossning mellan 2009-2011. Materialet från en öppen enkätfråga analyserades med hjälp av deduktiv ansats. Den öppna frågan löd ”beskriv gärna förlossningen med egna ord”. Resultat: papporna upplevde den planerade hemförlossningen som lugn och säker, mycket tack vare den professionella barnmorskan och den välbekanta miljön. Att få vara hemma med sin partner och om så önskades, sin familj var högt skattat. Födelseprocessen hemma beskrevs av papporna som att ”vi gjorde det tillsammans” och ”det var vår egen förlossning”. Papporna uttryckte delaktighet i förlossningsflödet. De kände också att de fick ett barn och var en del av en vacker förlossning full av kärlek. Konklusion: att välkomna ett barn hemma i en lugn miljö där paret känner sig trygga och ostörda, kan underlätta en positiv och meningsfull förlossningsupplevelse.

Fear causes tears – perineal injuries in home birth settings : a Swedish interview study

Background: Perineal injury is a serious complication of vaginal delivery that has a severe impact on the quality of life of healthy women. The prevalence of perineal injuries among women who give birth in hospital has increased over the last decade, while it is lower among women who give birth at home. The aim of this study was to describe the practice of midwives in home birth settings with the focus on the occurrence of perineal injuries. Methods: Twenty midwives who had assisted home births for between one and 29 years were interviewed using an interview guide. The midwives also had experience of working in a hospital delivery ward. All the interviews were tape-recorded and transcribed. Content analysis was used. Results: The overall theme was "No rushing and tearing about", describing the midwives' focus on the natural process taking its time. The subcategories 1) preparing for the birth; 2) going along with the physiological process; 3) creating a sense of security; 4) the critical moment and 5) midwifery skills illuminate the management of labor as experienced by the midwives when assisting births at home. Conclusions: Midwives who assist women who give birth at home take many things into account in order to minimize the risk of complications during birth. Protection of the woman's perineum is an act of awareness that is not limited to the actual moment of the pushing phase but starts earlier, along with the communication between the midwife and the woman.

Manoeuvring between anxiety and control : Patients experience of learning to live with diabetes: a lifeworld phenomenological study

Research shows that people with diabetes want their lives to proceed as normally as possible, but some patients experience difficulty in reaching their desired goals with treatment. The learning process is a complex phenomenon interwoven into every facet of life. Patients and healthcare providers often have different perspectives in care which gives different expectations on what the patients need to learn and cope with. The aim of this study, therefore, is to describe the experience of learning to live with diabetes. Interviews were conducted with 12 patients afflicted with type 1 or type 2 diabetes. The interviews were then analysed with reference to the reflective lifeworld research approach. The analysis shows that when the afflicted realize that their bodies undergo changes and that blood sugar levels are not always balanced as earlier in life, they can adjust to their new conditions early. The afflicted must take responsibility for balancing their blood sugar levels and incorporating the illness into their lives. Achieving such goals necessitates knowledge. The search for knowledge and sensitivity to changes are constant requirements for people with diabetes. Learning is driven by the tension caused by the need for and dependence on safe blood sugar control, the fear of losing such control, and the fear of future complications. The most important responsibilities for these patients are aspiring to understand their bodies as lived bodies, ensuring safety and security, and acquiring the knowledge essential to making conscious choices.

Acupuncture with manual and electrical stimulation for labour pain : a two month follow up of recollection of pain and birth experience.

BACKGROUND: In a previous randomised controlled trial we showed that acupuncture with a combination of manual- and electrical stimulation (EA) did not affect the level of pain, as compared with acupuncture with manual stimulation (MA) and standard care (SC), but reduced the need for other forms of pain relief, including epidural analgesia. To dismiss an under-treatment of pain in the trial, we did a long-term follow up on the recollection of labour pain and the birth experience comparing acupuncture with manual stimulation, acupuncture with combined electrical and manual stimulation with standard care. Our hypothesis was that despite the lower frequency of use of other pain relief, women who had received EA would make similar retrospective assessments of labour pain and the birth experience 2 months after birth as women who received standard care (SC) or acupuncture with manual stimulation (MA). METHODS: Secondary analyses of data collected for a randomised controlled trial conducted at two delivery wards in Sweden. A total of 303 nulliparous women with normal pregnancies were randomised to: 40 min of MA or EA, or SC without acupuncture. Questionnaires were administered the day after partus and 2 months later. RESULTS: Two months postpartum, the mean recalled pain on the visual analogue scale (SC: 70.1, MA: 69.3 and EA: 68.7) did not differ between the groups (SC vs MA: adjusted mean difference 0.8, 95 % confidence interval [CI] -6.3 to 7.9 and SC vs EA: mean difference 1.3 CI 95 % -5.5 to 8.1). Positive birth experience (SC: 54.3 %, MA: 64.6 % and EA: 61.0 %) did not differ between the groups (SC vs MA: adjusted Odds Ratio [OR] 1.8, CI 95 % 0.9 to 3.7 and SC vs EA: OR 1.4 CI 95 % 0.7 to 2.6). CONCLUSIONS: Despite the lower use of other pain relief, women who received acupuncture with the combination of manual and electrical stimulation during labour made the same retrospective assessments of labour pain and birth experience 2 months postpartum as those who received acupuncture with manual stimulation or standard care. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT01197950.

Audiovisuella loopar och kollektiv live-looping

 Loop-teknik i solistiska sammanhang är en idag väletablerad musicerande form dock är möjligheterna att använda tekniken i ensembleform ett mer eller mindre oprövat fält. I projektet “Audiovisuella loopar” som genomförts vid Högskolan Dalarna presenteras ett system för kollektiv livelooping där upp till fyra personer loop-musicerar tillsammans och där loopandet samtidigt kan spelas in och spelas upp som videoklipp. Tekniken har visat sig ha en stark kreativ potential. Med enbart en kort instruktion så startar en kollektiv process där den omedelbara feedbacken ger ett “fl ow” som lockar fram skaparglädjen hos musikanterna. Dessa erfarenheter pekar på spännande möjligheter att använda tekniken i musikundervisning och musikterapi.