Out of sight, out of mind? Educational outcomes of children with parents working abroad.

Impact of parental emigration on educational outcomes of children is theoretically ambiguous. Using novel data I collected on migration experience and its timing, family background and school performance of lower secondary pupils in Poland, I analyse the question empirically. Migration is mostly temporary in nature, with one parent engaging in employment abroad. As many as 63% of migrant parents have vocational qualifications, 29% graduated from high school, 4% have no qualifications and the remaining 4% graduated from university. Almost 18% of children are affected by parental migration. Perhaps surprisingly, estimates suggest that parental employment abroad has a positive immediate impact on a pupil’s grade. Parental education appears pivotal; children of high school graduates benefit most. Longer term effects appear more negative, however, suggesting that a prolonged migration significantly lowers a child’s grade. Interestingly, siblings’ foreign experiences exert a large, positive impact on pupils’ grades.

von Economo neurons in autism: A stereologic study of the frontoinsular cortex in children.

The presence of von Economo neurons (VENs) in the frontoinsular cortex (FI) has been linked to a possible role in the integration of bodily feelings, emotional regulation, and goal-directed behaviors. They have also been implicated in fast intuitive evaluation of complex social situations. Several studies reported a decreased number of VENs in neuropsychiatric diseases in which the "embodied" dimension of social cognition is markedly affected. Neuropathological analyses of VENs in patients with autism are few and did not report alterations in VEN numbers. In this study we re-evaluated the possible presence of changes in VEN numbers and their relationship with the diagnosis of autism. Using a stereologic approach we quantified VENs and pyramidal neurons in layer V of FI in postmortem brains of four young patients with autism and three comparably aged controls. We also investigated possible autism-related differences in FI layer V volume. Patients with autism consistently had a significantly higher ratio of VENs to pyramidal neurons (p=0.020) than control subjects. This result may reflect the presence of neuronal overgrowth in young patients with autism and may also be related to alterations in migration, cortical lamination, and apoptosis. Higher numbers of VENs in the FI of patients with autism may also underlie a heightened interoception, described in some clinical observations.

Présentation de l'adaptation française de « l'échelle de coparentage » de McHale pour familles avec jeunes enfants [Presentation of the french adaptation of McHale's coparenting scale for families with young children.]

The aim of this paper is to present McHale's coparenting scale,a self-administered questionnaire enabling assessment of the quality of coparenting, and first steps in structural and construct validation of the French version. A total of 41 French speaking Swiss families and 84 US families completed this questionnaire and the Dyadic Adjustment Scale, a measure of marital satisfaction. The results of the Swiss families correspond to those of US families: first, items distributed into four factors (family integrity, conflict, affection and disparagement) and second, a partial link was found between quality of coparenting and marital adjustment. This finding supports the construct validity of the questionnaire, reflecting the established link between these two family sub-systems. Given that coparenting quality has a major influence on children's socio-affective development, the questionnaire will find great use in assessing not just negative features of coparenting, such as conflicts and disparagement, but also positive components such as warmth and support. This will be an important asset for research as well as clinical purposes.

Spondylarthropathies in children--are they different from those in adults?

Juvenile spondylarthropathies (JSpAs) comprise a group of rheumatic diseases distinct from other categories of juvenile arthritis. Several classification systems have been applied, and some are specific for children, such as the seronegative enthesopathy and arthropathy (SEA) syndrome and the enthesitis-related arthritis, diagnostic forms in the International League of Associations for Rheumatism (ILAR) classification. JSpA seems more frequent than was previously believed, but actual epidemiological data show important variations between studies. Compared to adult patients, children with JSpA present with peripheral arthritis and enthesitis early in disease but sacroiliac and spine joints involvement many years later. A multidisciplinary team in a paediatric environment should be responsible for the management of children with spondylarthropathies to ensure the best care for these children with their chronic disease and risk of long-term disability. Recent advances in the treatment of rheumatic diseases with biological agents show promising results in children with JSpA. Further research needs to be conducted to increase our knowledge of the long-term outcome of these patients, to improve management, and to prevent long-term consequences of the disease.

Three-year-olds' attachment play narratives and their associations with internalizing problems

Representational strategies of emotion regulation during play are believed to protect children against behaviour problems. Yet, before the age of 4, it appears that children rely more on their attachment figure than on representational strategies to assuage distress. The study was aimed at testing whether 3-year-olds' narrative features during the Attachment Story Completion Task (ASCT) could predict concurrent internalizing problems assessed by the mothers' and fathers' ratings of the child, using the Child Behaviour Checklist Regression analyses including gender, IQ, socio-economic status and ASCT dimensions revealed that representations of supportive caregiving predicted mother-reported internalizing problems (negative association), whereas positive resolution and attachment strategies (security, deactivation, hyperactivation, disorganization) did not. Results were interpreted with reference to Bowlby's hypotheses regarding the aetiology of depression and anxiety disorders. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2007 APA, all rights reserved)

Towards the Physical Map of the Trypanosoma cruzi Nuclear Genome: Construction of YAC and BAC Libraries of the Reference Clone T. cruzi CL-Brener

Strategies to construct the physical map of the Trypanosoma cruzi nuclear genome have to capitalize on three main advantages of the parasite genome, namely (a) its small size, (b) the fact that all chromosomes can be defined, and many of them can be isolated by pulse field gel electrophoresis, and (c) the fact that simple Southern blots of electrophoretic karyotypes can be used to map sequence tagged sites and expressed sequence tags to chromosomal bands. A major drawback to cope with is the complexity of T. cruzi genetics, that hinders the construction of a comprehensive genetic map. As a first step towards physical mapping, we report the construction and partial characterization of a T. cruzi CL-Brener genomic library in yeast artificial chromosomes (YACs) that consists of 2,770 individual YACs with a mean insert size of 365 kb encompassing around 10 genomic equivalents. Two libraries in bacterial artificial chromosomes (BACs) have been constructed, BACI and BACII. Both libraries represent about three genome equivalents. A third BAC library (BAC III) is being constructed. YACs and BACs are invaluable tools for physical mapping. More generally, they have to be considered as a common resource for research in Chagas disease

The Digital Memory of Catalonia, Consortium of Academic Libraries of Catalonia

The Digital Memory of Catalonia, Consortium of Academic Libraries of Catalonia, contains open-access digitized collections of photographs, drawings, maps, posters, pamphlets, incunabula, ancient Catalan periodicals and many other items with a total of over two million documents related to Catalonia from 18 different institutions (universities, specialized libraries, institutes, archives, etc.).

IPH response to the Joint Committee on Health and Children and members of the Northern Ireland Assembly on “Cross-border cooperation on healthcare”

The Institute of Public Health in Ireland were asked to submit a paper on 'Cross-border cooperation on healthcare' for a joint meeting between the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Health and Children and the Northern Ireland Assembly Health Committee which took place in Leinster House on 1 March 2012. Key points from the submission included: o    The Institute of Public Health in Ireland (IPH) is an all-island organisation which promotes cooperation between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland with the aim of improving population health on the island and tackling health inequalities. IPH work is focused on addressing the causes of ill health rather than the design and delivery of treatment services. o    North/South cooperation on health was mandated under the Belfast Agreement in 1998 in five domains, including health promotion. IPH has supported the North South Ministerial Council (NSMC) in respect of the health promotion strand since inception. o    The Department of Health and Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety North-South Feasibility Study (December 2011) states that mutual benefits are most evident from cooperation in the areas of (i) anticipating trends and illnesses in a collective manner (ii) public health issues (iii) specialised services where the population or activity required to sustain the service cannot be met by either jurisdiction alone and (iv) in relation to those areas adjacent to the border. o    The European Directive on Cross-Border Healthcare will be implemented in the next few years which will have implications in relation to patients travelling for healthcare across the Republic of Ireland/Northern Ireland border. o    IPH is supporting the development of new public health strategies in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland which are both due for publication this year. o    There are tangible benefits from cross-border cooperation in the health sector, both in public health and in health service planning and delivery and there are many examples of successful initiatives. However, developments are not occurring in the context of an agreed plan or overall strategic context and tend to be project-based and concentrated in border counties. o    Successful cross-border cooperation requires high level support and integration into departmental policy cycles. The provision of data on an all-island basis supports cross-border cooperation as does the operation of sustainable all-island organisations which can support research, evaluations and programmes. o    In the future, cross-border cooperation in health will be more effective if developed with a strategic planning process intrinsically linked to Departmental priorities. o    North-South cooperation in the areas of alcohol, obesity, tobacco health surveys and rare diseases will be particularly beneficial.

IPH response to RICHE questionnaire on child health research in Europe

Request to participate in an expert group review of child health research gaps and priorities in Ireland and Northern Ireland IPH responded to a questionnaire from the FP7 funded project - RICHE ( www.childhealthresearch.eu). The project goal is to produce an inventory of child health research in Europe, identify gaps in existing and on-going research, and devise a series of roadmaps for the future of child health research. This is co-ordinated by Anthony Staines from DCU, and Michael Rigby, from the Nordic School. This specific phase of the project is being co-ordinated by Matilde Leonardi and Giorgio Tamburlini in Italy.

A Rural Community in a Brazilian Western Amazonian Region: Some Demographic and Epidemiological Patterns

Some demographic and epidemiological patterns of the rural population of Monte Negro, locality situated in the State of Rondônia (Brazil), Western Amazonia, are described based on a sample of 924 randomly selected individuals, approximately 10% of the whole population. The main features of this sample are (1) the illiteracy rates in the parental generation were 23% for fathers and 20% for mothers. Among children, this figure dropped to 6%; (2) housing in Monte Negro is characterized by being constructed with wood (92%), and also a floor (75%). Nevertheless, only 32% of these houses had electric energy; (3) the mean ages for the parental generation were 41.9 for males and 36.3 for females. These values for the offspring generation were 12.2 and 10.5, respectively; (4) the sex-ratio of the offspring generation was 1.32;(5) the bioassay of kinship was estimated as .033 for this long range migrant population; (6) the prevalence of some macrophage dependent infectious disease was conspicuously high; (7) the reported number of malarial episodes among males and females was statistically different, suggesting that malaria may be, in part, a "professional" disease; (8) the prevalence of serum-positive reactions against B-hepatitis is distressing. It has a strong age dependence and reaches 74% among adult males. Conversely, signs of active infection (AgHbs) rises to 16% among children.

Development of a Research Strategy for Nursing and Midwifery Research

  The Report of the Commission on Nursing recommended that the Nursing and Midwifery Policy Unit in the Department of Health and Children, in consultation with the appropriate bodies, should draw up a national strategy for nursing andmidwifery research. In response to the above the Chief Nurse at the Department of Health and Children convened a consultative committee, representative of those with a core interest in research to draft a research strategy for nursing and midwifery in Ireland Download the Report here

Report on Perinatal Statistics for 1999

The principal aim of the National Perinatal Reporting Scheme (NPRS) is the provision of national statistics on perinatal events. Since 1999, the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) has been contracted by the Department of Health and Children to oversee the collection, processing, management and reporting of data submitted to the NPRS. In this report, data on pregnancy outcomes, with particular reference to perinatal mortality and important aspects of perinatal care, are presented for 1999. In addition, descriptive social and biological characteristics of mothers giving birth and babies born in 1999 are recorded. Download document here

Men and Domestic Violence: What research tells us

Men and Domestic Violence: What research tells us In late 2000, the Department of Health and Children, in conjunction with the North Eastern Health Board, commissioned Kieran McKeown Limited, Social and Economic Consultants to prepare a literature review of research carried out in other jurisdictions Click here to download PDF 578kb Background Note PDF 10kb Peer Review 1 PDF 21kb Peer Review 2 PDF 17kb

Research Strategy for Nursing and Midwifery in Ireland

Research Strategy for Nursing and Midwifery in Ireland The Report of the Commission on Nursing (1998, para. 6.77) recommended that the Nursing Policy Division in the Department of Health and Children, in consultation with the appropriate bodies, draw up a national strategy for nursing and midwifery research. In response to the above, the Chief Nursing Officer at the Department of Health and Children convened a consultative committee to prepare a research strategy for nursing and midwifery in Ireland. This committee was representative of those with a core interest in nursing and midwifery research. Click here to download PDF 501kb