The effectiveness of splinting as perceived by the parents of children with Juvenile Ideopathic Arthritis

Juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) is an important disease of childhood with farreaching effects on the child and family. Splinting is a major treatment modality used by occupational therapists for children with JIA. Parents play a central role in whether, when and how splints are used with their children on a daily basis. This paper describes a qualitative research project, which was undertaken to evaluate an occupational therapy service for children with JIA whose treatment had involved splinting. Using semi-structured interviews, the study investigated five mothers' perceptions of the effectiveness of splinting for their children. The interviews revealed five major points. First, the informants generally believed the splinting to be effective. Secondly, the children involved generally resisted wearing splints because they were physically uncomfortable and made them feel different to other children. Thirdly, the mothers used a variety of strategies to ensure that their children wore the splints. Fourthly, the perception of having a positive and supportive relationship with the therapist enhanced the mothers' ability to adhere to splinting. Lastly, the mothers' grief at having a child with JIA influenced their ability to understand and attend to information about specific interventions such as splinting. Practical responses to these findings are outlined.

The effects of temperature on the growth, survival and biomass of different families of juvenile Penaeus japonicus Bate

Variation in the growth, survival and change in total biomass (termed biomass increase) of different families of juvenile Penaeus japonicus was investigated over a range of temperatures in controlled laboratory experiments. In the first experiment, the effects of temperature on six families of juveniles were examined over a broad range of temperatures (24 to 30 degreesC). In the second experiment, the effects of temperature on six more families of juveniles were examined over a narrower range of temperatures (27.5 to 31.2 degreesC). Over the broad temperature range, mean growth and biomass increase were highest at 27 degreesC and mean survival was highest at 24 degreesC. Mean growth was lowest at 24 degreesC, whilst survival and biomass increase were lowest at 30 degreesC. However, there was a significant interaction between family and temperature, with some families tolerating a broader range of temperatures than others. As a result, the ranking of families in relation to growth, survival and biomass increase changed at each temperature. This effect was more pronounced for survival than for growth. Over the narrower range, temperature significantly affected growth, survival and biomass increase, but there was no significant interaction between family and temperature. Growth, survival and biomass increase were significantly lower at 31.2 than at 27.5 and 29.2 degreesC. These results suggest that if grow-out conditions for P. japonicus vary by more than a few degrees, interactions between family and temperature could affect the efficiency of selection. The results also suggest that the family x temperature interaction may have a more pronounced effect on survival than on growth. Crown Copyright (C) 2002 Published by Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

Functional assessment tools for paediatric clients with Juvenile Chronic Arthritis: An update and review for occupational therapists

Juvenile chronic arthritis (JCA) is one cause of chronic illness and disability in childhood. Traditional clinical assessment of clients with JCA include objective measures of joint deformity, joint swelling, range of motion, duration of morning stiffness, pain, walking speed, running speed and muscle strength. In many instances, these traditional measures have little or no significance or relevance to paediatric clients and their parents whereas functional skills used in everyday living are more likely to be meaningful. Measures of physical, social, and psychological functioning ensure a comprehensive health assessment. Responsible occupational therapy assessment and management of paediatric clients diagnosed with JCA requires the use of reliable, valid and sensitive measures of function. Several instruments are now available which measure a child's or adolescent's functional abilities. In this paper, JCA and the impact of JCA on functional development are reviewed. As well, seven functional assessment tools designed for use with paediatric clients with JCA which occupational therapists can use in their clinical practice will be appraised. The various characteristics of these tools are discussed in order to assist practitioners and researchers in selecting the functional instrument which best meets their needs.

Paid employment of mothers and fathers of an adult child with multiple disabilities

Background Paid employment is increasingly undertaken by mothers as their children age, with the majority of women being in employment by the time their offspring are adult. Opportunities to engage in employment appear to be reduced for mothers of children with disabilities; however, little is known about the employment of mothers or fathers of adults with disabilities. Method Data were collected regarding the employment decisions of parents of a young adult with multiple disabilities and contrasted with those of parents whose children were all developing normally. Twenty-five mothers and 12 fathers of a young adult with multiple disabilities were interviewed, as were 25 comparison mothers and 19 comparison fathers. Data collected included hours of work, reasons for employment status, attitudes towards work and child care, and psychological well-being. Results Clear differences were found between the two groups. Mothers and fathers of a child with multiple disabilities showed different engagement patterns with the paid workforce from comparison parents. Hours of work for fathers of a young adult with multiple disabilities showed a bi-modal distribution, with some fathers working fewer hours than usual and others working very long hours. For mothers in both groups, the number of hours in paid employment was negatively associated with reports of psychological problems. Conclusions Increased attention needs to be given to the employment opportunities of parents of children with disabilities since employment appears to play a protective role for mothers, in particular. Services provided to adults with disabilities will need to change if parents are to have the same life chances as parents without adult offspring with a disability.

Review of Voices from the shopfloor: Dramas of the employment relationship,/by Anne-Marie Greene. Aldershot : Ashgate, 2001

This research monograph seeks, as the author puts it, ‘to demonstrate the utility of ethnographic research methods to industrial relations in the developing world’. To this end, the author provides case studies of two lock factories in the West Midlands of England, with data sourced from interviews and observations by the author during a period of two decades in the case of one, and a rather shorter period in the case of the other. The insights gleaned from these two case studies are then considered in the light of the ethnographic literature on industrial relations in the developing world. The body of the book comprises three main chapters which successively examine the issues of paternalism, gender and family, and collective action in the two factories.

Pulse-exposure effects of selected insecticides to juvenile Australian crimson-spotted rainbowfish (Melanotaenia duboulayi)

Laboratory toxicity studies were conducted in southeastern Queensland, Australia, to determine the acute lethal effects of a 1-h pulse exposure of selected insecticides to adult and juvenile (

Contradiction between the average age of retirement at the time of death and the average pension time for men and women in public employment in Portugal

The short article attempts to make some very brief reflections on the effects a lack of public policies positively discriminatory in terms of public employment retirement. In particular, the observation of the absurd contradiction between the average age of retirement at the time of death (for men and women) and the average pension time for men and women in public employment in Portugal.

Juvenile tree growth correlates with photosynthesis and leaf phosphorus content in central Amazonia

Light and soil water availability may limit carbon uptake of trees in tropical rainforests. The objective of this work was to determine how photosynthetic traits of juvenile trees respond to variations in rainfall seasonality, leaf nutrient content, and opening of the forest canopy. The correlation between leaf nutrient content and annual growth rate of saplings was also assessed. In a terra firme rainforest of the central Amazon, leaf nutrient content and gas exchange parameters were measured in five sapling tree species in the dry and rainy season of 2008. Sapling growth was measured in 2008 and 2009. Rainfall seasonality led to variations in soil water content, but it did not affect leaf gas exchange parameters. Subtle changes in the canopy opening affected CO2 saturated photosynthesis (A pot, p = 0.04). Although A pot was affected by leaf nutrient content (as follows: P > Mg > Ca > N > K), the relative growth rate of saplings correlated solely with leaf P content (r = 0.52, p = 0.003). At present, reduction in soil water content during the dry season does not seem to be strong enough to cause any effect on photosynthesis of saplings in central Amazonia. This study shows that leaf P content is positively correlated with sapling growth in the central Amazon. Therefore, the positive effect of atmospheric CO2 fertilization on long-term tree growth will depend on the ability of trees to absorb additional amount of P