Bone mineral density of the lumbar spine of Brazilian children and adolescents aged 6 to 14 years

The authors performed a study of bone mass in eutrophic Brazilian children and adolescents using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) in order to obtain curves for bone mineral content (BMC) and bone mineral density (BMD) by chronological age and correlate these values with weight and height. Healthy Caucasian children and adolescents, 120 boys and 135 girls, 6 to 14 years of age, residents of São Paulo, Brazil, were selected from the Pediatric Department outpatient clinic of Hospital São Paulo (Universidade Federal de São Paulo). BMC, BMD and the area of the vertebral body of the L2-L4 segment were obtained by DXA. BMC and BMD for the lumbar spine (L2-L4) presented a progressive increase between 6 and 14 years of age in both sexes, with a distribution that fitted an exponential curve. We identified an increase of mineral content in female patients older than 11 years which was maintained until 13 years of age, when a new decrease in the velocity of bone mineralization occurred. Male patients presented a period of accelerated bone mass gain after 11 years of age that was maintained until 14 years of age. At 14 years of age the mean BMD values for boys and girls were 0.984 and 1.017 g/cm², respectively. A stepwise multiple regression analysis of paired variables showed that the "vertebral area-age" pair was the most significant in the determination of BMD values and the introduction of a third variable (weight or height) did not significantly increase the correlation coefficient.

Establishing International Blood Pressure References Among Nonoverweight Children and Adolescents Aged 6 to 17 Years.

BACKGROUND: Several distributions of country-specific blood pressure (BP) percentiles by sex, age, and height for children and adolescents have been established worldwide. However, there are no globally unified BP references for defining elevated BP in children and adolescents, which limits international comparisons of the prevalence of pediatric elevated BP. We aimed to establish international BP references for children and adolescents by using 7 nationally representative data sets (China, India, Iran, Korea, Poland, Tunisia, and the United States). METHODS AND RESULTS: Data on BP for 52 636 nonoverweight children and adolescents aged 6 to 19 years were obtained from 7 large nationally representative cross-sectional surveys in China, India, Iran, Korea, Poland, Tunisia, and the United States. BP values were obtained with certified mercury sphygmomanometers in all 7 countries by using standard procedures for BP measurement. Smoothed BP percentiles (50th, 90th, 95th, and 99th) by age and height were estimated by using the Generalized Additive Model for Location Scale and Shape model. BP values were similar between males and females until the age of 13 years and were higher in males than females thereafter. In comparison with the BP levels of the 90th and 95th percentiles of the US Fourth Report at median height, systolic BP of the corresponding percentiles of these international references was lower, whereas diastolic BP was similar. CONCLUSIONS: These international BP references will be a useful tool for international comparison of the prevalence of elevated BP in children and adolescents and may help to identify hypertensive youths in diverse populations.

Epidemiological studies of Streptococcus pneumoniae carriage in the post-vaccination era among two risk groups: children and the elderly

Dissertation presented to obtain the Ph.D. degree in Biology/ Molecular Biology

Disability Act 2005: Sectoral Plan for the Department of Health and Children and the Health Services

Department of Health and Children Sectoral Plan in respect of health and personal social services provision for people with disabilities, as provided for in the Disability Act 2005. Read the Report (PDF, 448kb)

Human rhinovirus in the lower respiratory tract infections of young children and the possible involvement of a secondary respiratory viral agent

Human rhinoviruses (HRV) are usually associated with mild respiratory symptoms in children. However, some studies have found that HRV can cause severe disease, especially when the patient is co-infected with a second virus. In this study, 532 nasopharyngeal aspirates (NPAs) were collected over a nine-year period from children at the Clinics Hospital of Uberlândia. The collected NPAs were then tested for HRV RNA using the reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. Eighty-three specimens from children diagnosed with lower respiratory tract illness (LRTI) were positive for HRV RNA and were then tested for the presence of eight other respiratory viruses. A second virus was detected in 37.3% (31/83) of the samples. The most frequent clinical diagnosis was bronchiolitis, followed by other LRTI and then pneumonia. The frequency of severe disease in children infected with more than one virus was not significantly different from the frequency of severe disease in children infected with HRV alone. Children infected with both HRV and parainfluenza virus (1.5 m.o.) were significantly younger than those infected by HRV alone (5.0 m.o.) (p = 0.0454). Overall, these results suggest that infection with a second virus does not lead to a higher frequency of severe syndromes in children presenting with LRTI.

Kinship foster care: a study from the perspective of the of the caregivers, the children and the child welfare workers

In the last twenty years, in most Western countries, kinship foster care has become an integral part of childcare systems,growing progressively with regard to the numbers of children involved and relative weight as a care resource within thesystem; indeed, in some countries it is even more common than other placement options, such as non-kinship foster careand residential care. Research on this phenomenon is still recent and scarce, and there are few programmes targeting thispopulation. In this article we present the results of a descriptive study on kinship foster care in the city of Barcelona,including information and data from the different stakeholders involved. From a quality of life research perspective weanalyze the perceptions, evaluation and expressed satisfaction of caregivers, children and practitioners from the specialistChild and Adolescent Teams (EAIAs) responsible for the study and follow-up of kinship foster care cases. The researchpresented results are in line with those of current research in this field, and lays the basis for the future development ofkinship foster care programmes

Acogimiento en familia extensa: un estudio desde la perspectiva de los acogedores, de los niños y niñas acogidos y de los profesionales que intervienen. = Kinship foster care: a study from the perspective of the caregivers, the children and the child welfare workers

Desde hace aproximadamente dos décadas, en la mayoría de los países occidentales, los acogimientos en familia extensa han entrado a formar parte de los sistemas de protección infantil, siguiendo una evolución creciente en cuanto a número y peso especifico como recurso de acogimiento. Las investigaciones sobre este fenómeno son aún recientes y escasas como también lo son los programas dirigidos a esta población. En el presente artículo presentamos los resultados de un estudio descriptivo sobre los acogimientos en familia extensa en la ciudad de Barcelona, donde se recogen datos de los principales agentes implicados en este fenómeno. Desde la perspectiva de los estudios de la calidad de vida se analizan las percepciones, evaluaciones, y satisfacción expresada, por parte de los acogedores, los niños/as acogidos y los profesionales de los Equipos de Atención a la Infancia y Adolescencia (EAIA) que se encargan del estudio y seguimiento de estos acogimientos. La investigación presenta unos resultados acordes con los estudios que actualmente se realizan en este ámbito y sienta las bases para el despliegue futuro de programas dirigidos a los acogimientos en familia extensa

Acogimiento en familia extensa: un estudio desde la perspectiva de los acogedores, de los niños y niñas acogidos y de los profesionales que intervienen. = Kinship foster care: a study from the perspective of the caregivers, the children and the child welfare workers

Desde hace aproximadamente dos décadas, en la mayoría de los países occidentales, los acogimientos en familia extensa han entrado a formar parte de los sistemas de protección infantil, siguiendo una evolución creciente en cuanto a número y peso especifico como recurso de acogimiento. Las investigaciones sobre este fenómeno son aún recientes y escasas como también lo son los programas dirigidos a esta población. En el presente artículo presentamos los resultados de un estudio descriptivo sobre los acogimientos en familia extensa en la ciudad de Barcelona, donde se recogen datos de los principales agentes implicados en este fenómeno. Desde la perspectiva de los estudios de la calidad de vida se analizan las percepciones, evaluaciones, y satisfacción expresada, por parte de los acogedores, los niños/as acogidos y los profesionales de los Equipos de Atención a la Infancia y Adolescencia (EAIA) que se encargan del estudio y seguimiento de estos acogimientos. La investigación presenta unos resultados acordes con los estudios que actualmente se realizan en este ámbito y sienta las bases para el despliegue futuro de programas dirigidos a los acogimientos en familia extensa

Kinship foster care: a study from the perspective of the of the caregivers, the children and the child welfare workers

In the last twenty years, in most Western countries, kinship foster care has become an integral part of childcare systems, growing progressively with regard to the numbers of children involved and relative weight as a care resource within the system; indeed, in some countries it is even more common than other placement options, such as non-kinship foster care and residential care. Research on this phenomenon is still recent and scarce, and there are few programmes targeting this population. In this article we present the results of a descriptive study on kinship foster care in the city of Barcelona, including information and data from the different stakeholders involved. From a quality of life research perspective we analyze the perceptions, evaluation and expressed satisfaction of caregivers, children and practitioners from the specialist Child and Adolescent Teams (EAIAs) responsible for the study and follow-up of kinship foster care cases. The research presented results are in line with those of current research in this field, and lays the basis for the future development of kinship foster care programmes

Identification of issues encountered by deaf educators working with multiply involved children and the related emotional affects that go along with intervention

This paper discusses common issues deaf educators face that are not directly related to a child’s hearing impairment and thus often outside the educators’ area of expertise. The study also identifies a range of emotions early interventionists experience while working with children with multiple impairments.

Threat interpretation in anxious children and their mothers: comparison with nonclinical children and the effects of treatment

Interpretation biases towards threat play a prominent role in cognitive theories of anxiety, and have been identified amongst highly anxious adults and children. Little is known, however, about the development of these cognitive biases although family processes have been implicated. The current study investigated the nature of threat interpretation of anxious children and their mothers through (i) comparison of a clinic and non-clinic population, (ii) analysis of individual differences; and (ill) pre- and post-treatment comparisons. Participants were 27 children with a primary anxiety disorder and 33 children from a non-clinic population and their mothers. Children and mothers completed self-report measures of anxiety and indicated their most likely interpretation of ambiguous scenarios. Clinic and non-clinical groups differed significantly on measures of threat interpretation. Furthermore, mothers' and children's threat interpretation correlated significantly. Following treatment for child anxiety, both children and their mothers reported a reduction in threat interpretation. (c) 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Human rights of migrant children and the children of migrants

Includes bibliography