Factors contributing to U.S. parents' decisions to administer melatonin to children.

Objective: Pediatric melatonin use is increasingly prevalent in the U.S. despite limited research on its efficacy and long-term safety.

A Pilot Randomized Control Trial Demonstrating the Efficacy of the SIESTA Sleep Hygiene Intervention.

Shorter sleep duration can negatively impact children's daytime functioning and health. Latino children living near urban areas in the Mainland U.S.

The Sleep Environment, Napping, and Sleep Outcomes among Urban Children With and Without Asthma.

Objectives: Children with asthma living in U.S. urban neighborhoods experience increased risk for asthma morbidity and poor sleep outcomes.

Physical Activity Among Urban Children with Asthma: Does Sleep Matter?

The present study examined associations between sleep and physical activity among a diverse sample of 97 urban children (ages 7-9) with persistent asthma. Differences in associations were evaluated by race/ethnicity and weight status. The extent to which sleep moderated the association between lung function and physical activity was also evaluated.

Local inhomogeneities resolved by scanning probe techniques and their impact on local 2DEG formation in oxide heterostructures.

Lateral inhomogeneities in the formation of two-dimensional electron gases (2DEG) directly influence their electronic properties. Understanding their origin is an important factor for fundamental interpretations, as well as high quality devices. Here, we studied the local formation of the buried 2DEG at LaAlO/SrTiO (LAO/STO) interfaces grown on STO (100) single crystals with partial TiO termination, utilizing conductive atomic force microscopy (c-AFM) and scattering-type scanning near-field optical microscopy (s-SNOM).

Internalizing symptoms and sleep outcomes in urban children with and without asthma.

Study Objectives: This study examines associations between internalizing symptoms and sleep in a sample of urban children with and without asthma, whether asthma status moderates these associations, and whether associations differ by ethnic group.

Methods: Participants were Latino, African American (AA), and non-Latino white (NLW) urban 7- to 9-year-olds with (n = 259) and without (n = 122) persistent asthma. Teacher-reported internalizing symptoms (anxiety, depressive, and somatic) were assessed using the Behavioral Assessment System for Children-2.

Racial and ethnic disparities in sleep outcomes among urban children with and without asthma.

Background: Suboptimal sleep has been documented in at-risk groups such as urban minority children, particularly those with asthma. It is therefore critical to examine differences in sleep outcomes across specific racial and ethnic groups and to identify factors that contribute to such variations in sleep outcomes to inform tailored interventions to improve sleep health.

Objectives: The objectives were to examine racial/ethnic differences in sleep outcomes among urban children with and without asthma and to evaluate the extent to which asthma status and aspects of sleep hygiene and the sleep environment contribute to racial/ethnic differences in sleep outcomes in this sample.

Featured Article: Multiple Comorbid Conditions, Sleep Quality and Duration, and Academic Performance in Urban Children With Asthma.

Objective: Common comorbid medical conditions including allergic rhinitis (AR), obesity, and sleep disordered breathing (SDB) have been linked with asthma exacerbations; however, these conditions also impact sleep and academic functioning. The current study sought to examine unique and combined associations of these common comorbidities on sleep and academic performance among urban minority children with persistent asthma. We expected additional comorbid diagnoses would be associated with poorer sleep and academic functioning.

Asthma-related lung function, sleep quality, and sleep duration in urban children.

Objectives: Examine (1) the extent to which changes in objectively measured asthma-related lung function (forced expiratory volume in 1 second) within a sleep period are associated with sleep quality and sleep duration during that sleep period in a group of urban children with persistent asthma, (2) associations between morning and evening asthma-related lung function and sleep quality and duration on the adjacent night, and (3) whether these associations differ by ethnic group.

Design: Cross-sectional, multimethod approach. Children completed a clinic assessment of asthma and allergy status and used home-based objective measurements of asthma-related lung function and sleep.

Sleep Hygiene and Sleep Outcomes in a Sample of Urban Children With and Without Asthma.

Objective: To assess sleep hygiene and the sleep environment of urban children with and without asthma, and examine the associations among urban stressors, sleep hygiene, and sleep outcomes.

Methods: Urban children, 7-9 years old, with (N = 216) and without (N = 130) asthma from African American, Latino, or non-Latino White backgrounds were included. Level of neighborhood risk was used to describe urban stress.

Good Sleep Health in Urban Children With Asthma: A Risk and Resilience Approach.

Objectives: To identify children demonstrating "good" sleep health in a sample of urban children with persistent asthma; to compare sociocontextual, asthma clinical characteristics, and sleep behaviors in children with "good" versus "poor" sleep health; and to examine protective effects of family-based health behaviors on sleep health.

Methods: Participants were 249 Black (33%), Latino (51%) and non-Latino White (16%) children with asthma, ages 7-9 years, and their primary caregivers. 

Results: 32 percent of children had "good" sleep health.

Asthma, allergic rhinitis, and sleep problems in urban children.

Objectives: In this study, we examine the association of asthma (asthma symptoms, asthma control, lung function) and sleep problems in a group of urban children. The role of allergic rhinitis (AR), a comorbid condition of asthma, on children's sleep problems is also examined. Finally, we investigate whether sleep hygiene moderates the association between asthma and sleep problems, and whether there are differences in these associations based on ethnic background.

Depressive symptoms in youth with inflammatory bowel disease compared with a community sample.

Background: Previous investigations have produced mixed findings on whether youth with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) experience elevated rates of depressive symptoms. Our first aim was to compare self-report of depressive symptoms by youth with IBD with a community sample. The second aim was to examine the relationship between symptoms of depression and measures of disease activity.

Stability of Emotional and Behavioral Functioning in Youth with Inflammatory Bowel Disease.

This study prospectively examined stability of psychological and behavioral functioning in two matched cohorts of youth with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD): (1) newly-diagnosed and (2) previously-diagnosed patients. Youth and their parents completed measures of emotional and behavioral functioning at Time 1 and 6-months later. Mean-level analyses indicated that scores at Time 1 and Time 2 were within the nonclinical range.

Later school start time is associated with improved sleep and daytime functioning in adolescents.

Objective: Chronic insufficient sleep is a growing concern among adolescents and is associated with a host of adverse health consequences. Early school start times may be an environmental contributor to this problem. The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of a delay in school start time on sleep patterns, sleepiness, mood, and health-related outcomes.

6-Thioguanine levels in pediatric IBD patients: adherence is more important than dose.

Background: Thiopurine immunosuppressants such as 6-mercaptopurine (6-MP) are widely used to maintain remission in children with both Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis. Therapeutic efficacy is associated with higher red blood cell levels of the thiopurine metabolite 6-thioguanine (6-TGN). Studies in both children and adults have inexplicably failed to demonstrate a significant correlation between prescribed dose and level of 6-TGN.

A transdisciplinary approach to protocol development for tobacco control research: a case study.

The increasing complexity of scientific problems related to lifestyle risk factors has prompted substantial investments in transdisciplinary or team science initiatives at the biological, psychosocial, and population levels of analysis. To date, the actual process of conducting team science from the perspectives of investigators engaged in it has not been well documented. We describe the experience of developing and implementing data collection protocols using the principles of transdisciplinary science.

Rates and predictors of oral medication adherence in pediatric patients with IBD.

Background: Symptoms of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) include bloody diarrhea, fatigue, abdominal pain, and weight loss. Long-term management of remission for most patients requires adherence to taking 1 or more oral medications daily, in the absence of symptoms. We investigated whether disease characteristics and behavioral characteristics predict adherence to prescribed medical regimens.

Parental interest in a bereavement support visit when a child dies from cancer.

Parents who have experienced the death of a child from cancer have unique bereavement needs. This study evaluated the possibility of instituting a home-based bereavement visit from the oncology team following a child's death. Parents completed a brief anonymous questionnaire measuring preferences regarding visit logistics and content.

Missed sleep and asthma morbidity in urban children.

Background: Children living in urban environments have many risk factors for disrupted sleep, including environmental disturbances, stressors related to ethnic minority status, and higher rates of stress and anxiety. Asthma can further disrupt sleep in children, but little research has examined the effects of missed sleep on asthma morbidity.

Objective: To examine the associations among missed sleep, asthma-related quality of life (QoL), and indicators of asthma morbidity in urban children with asthma from Latino, African American, and non-Latino white backgrounds.

Development and reliability of the lifetime interview on smoking trajectories.

Introduction: Assessments of lifetime smoking history are useful in many types of research including surveillance, epidemiology, prevention, intervention, and studies of genetic phenotypes and heritability. Because prospective assessment is impractical for most research, our objective was to develop a reliable retrospective measure of lifetime smoking history. This paper presents descriptive and test-retest reliability data on smoking history variables assessed using the Lifetime Interview on Smoking Trajectories (LIST).

Sleep and culture in children with medical conditions.

Objectives: To provide an integrative review of the existing literature on the interrelationships among sleep, culture, and medical conditions in children.

Methods: A comprehensive literature search was conducted using PubMed, Medline, and PsychINFO computerized databases and bibliographies of relevant articles.

Results: Children with chronic illnesses experience more sleep problems than healthy children.

Relationships of personality and psychiatric disorders to multiple domains of smoking motives and dependence in middle-aged adults.

Introduction: Individual differences in psychopathology and personality may associate with dependence on smoking for specific motivational reasons. However, the associations among psychopathology, personality, and smoking dependence and motives have not been examined simultaneously in studies to date, leaving it unclear whether specific patterns of affective and behavioral functioning are associated with specific aspects of smoking dependence.

Methods: The present study examined these associations in 296 current smokers aged 35-43 years.