Being alone after late-life divorce: freedom and loneliness from an intergenerational familial/dyadic perspective.

Objectives: To examine in-depth experiences of loneliness and freedom after late-life divorce from an intergenerational familial/dyadic perspective in a family-oriented society that also values self-determination. Considering the expansion of late-life divorce, it is important to understand its consequences for the family wellbeing.

Method: According to phenomenology tradition, data was collected through 51 semi-structured qualitative interviews, comprised from 7 family units ( = 33) including all/most family members and 9 parent-child dyads ( = 18), using thematic-analysis and dyadic interview-analysis principles.

Three Perspectives on Older Adults' Daily Performance, Health, and Technology Use During COVID-19: Focus Group Study.

Background: During COVID-19 lockdowns, older adults' engagement in daily activities was severely affected, causing negative physical and mental health implications. Technology flourished as a means of performing daily activities in this complex situation; however, older adults often struggled to effectively use these opportunities. Despite the important role of older adults' social environments-including their families and health professionals-in influencing their technology use, research into their unique perspectives is lacking.

Cognitive Function and Participation of Stroke Survivors Living With Companion Animals: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Introduction/objectives: Companion animals (CAs) may benefit human health, but few studies have examined their impact on stroke survivors. This study examines participation, quality of life (QoL), attachment, cognition, and executive function differences between stroke survivors living with and without CAs.

Methods: In this cross-sectional, community-setting study, 25 stroke survivors with a CA and a matched group of 27 without a CA completed standard tools.

Assessing Functional Cognition and Health During COVID-19 Pandemic: Gender Differences Among Community-Dwelling Adults.

Introduction/objectives: The COVID-19 pandemic has long-term implications for adult health and function, whether or not people were infected with the disease. Although cognitive disruptions are among the major symptoms of COVID-19, most research focused on managing medical symptoms, such as respiratory symptoms or pain. Thus, less is known about the pandemic's long-term implications for assessing functional cognition.

Do symptoms moderate the association between participation and executive functions outcomes among people with schizophrenia?

Background: Literature explains participation limitations among people with schizophrenia through the context of metacognitive limitations, specifically in symptoms and in executive functions (EF). Research has shown mixed results regarding associations between symptoms and participation, reporting association with negative symptoms, positive symptoms, or only metacognitive limitations. The aim of this study was to deepen understanding of the symptoms' impact on the association between participation and executive function among people with schizophrenia.

Children Who Experience Unintentional Injuries: Their Functional Profiles.

Unintentional injuries are accidents that pose a major health problem among school children. This study compared the functional behavior and executive function characteristics of school-aged children who experienced unintentional injuries with those of controls who had not been injured. We investigated the background characteristics of injured children, injury characteristics, and parents' perceptions of the children's functional behaviors and executive function abilities.

Improving Disaster Preparedness of Families With a Parenteral Nutrition-dependent Child.

Objectives: Disruption in the care of special healthcare needs children may lead to life-threatening situations or preventable secondary conditions. California averages more than 100 earthquakes per week. Subsequent power outages, damage to utility systems, and road damage after an earthquake can have grave consequences for families with parenteral nutrition (PN)-dependent children.

Construct validity and internal consistency reliability of the Loewenstein occupational therapy cognitive assessment (LOTCA).

Background: Cognitive abilities are essential for children's development and independence. Various cognitive assessments, standardized in Western cultures, have yet to be investigated for their multicultural suitability.

Aims: To explore the suitability of the Loewenstein Occupational Therapy Cognitive Assessment (LOTCA) for a Jordanian population.

Evaluation and Gap Analysis of Pediatric Disaster Preparedness Resources.

The goal of this research was to identify, summarize, and evaluate pediatric disaster preparedness resources in the United States and to identify areas that need improvement or further development. Using standard literature, gray literature and website reviews, relevant resources were identified and the 50 most relevant resources were studied in depth. Each resource was given a grade of A, B, or C based on content, format, quality, and thoroughness.

Routine post-operative esophagram Is not necessary after repair of esophageal atresia.

Introduction: Esophagrams are routinely performed following repair of esophageal atresia (EA) with or without tracheoesophageal fistula (TEF); however, its utility has not been validated.

Methods: EA/TEF repair performed from 2003 to 2014 at a single pediatric hospital and from 2004 to 2014 in the Pediatric Health Information System (PHIS) database were retrospectively reviewed to determine utility of esophagrams.

Results: Esophagram was performed in 99% of patients at our institution (N = 105).

The Role of Adult Perceptions and Supervision Behavior in Preventing Child Injury.

Supervision is an important factor in reducing injury risk. There are multiple factors that can affect the appropriate level of supervision including risk perception, anticipation of injury, and distracted behaviors. This study examined the perceived risks of child injury among parents and child caregivers and their supervision behavior among adults in an urban playground.

Qualitative assessment of simulation-based training for pediatric trauma resuscitation.

Background: Effective teamwork is critical in the trauma bay, although there is a lack of consensus related to optimal training for these skills. We implemented in situ trauma simulations with debriefing as a possible training methodology to improve team-oriented skills.

Methods: Focus groups were conducted with multidisciplinary clinicians who respond to trauma activations.

Excision and Primary Closure May Be the Better Option in the Surgical Management of Pilonidal Disease in the Pediatric Population.

The optimal management of pilonidal disease in the pediatric population is still debated. We conducted a retrospective review of patients 21 years old and younger who underwent surgical management for pilonidal disease between 2009 and 2013 at a single pediatric institution. Sixty patients (41.

Assessing American Red Cross First Aid mobile app user trends: Implications for resilience.

Objective: Disasters have devastated communities, impacted the economy, and resulted in a significant increase in injuries. As the use of mobile technology increasingly becomes a common aspect of everyday life, it is important to understand how it can be used as a resource. The authors examined the use of American Red Cross mobile apps and aimed to characterize user trends to better understand how mobile apps can help bolster individual and community preparedness, resilience, and response efforts.

Heller Myotomy Is Superior to Balloon Dilatation or Botulinum Injection in Children with Achalasia: A Two-Center Review.

Introduction: Achalasia is an uncommon disorder in children. Currently, there is no consensus regarding the optimal treatment for achalasia. We investigate the effectiveness of symptom relief in patients who underwent endoscopic treatments versus Heller myotomy (HM).

Mixed-Methods Pilot Study: Disaster Preparedness of Families With Children Followed in an Intestinal Rehabilitation Clinic.

Background: Children with special healthcare needs are a vulnerable population in disasters. Special-needs families tend to be less prepared for a disaster than the general public. The purpose of this pilot project was to examine the disaster preparedness levels of families in an intestinal rehabilitation (IR) clinic.

A School-Hospital Partnership Increases Knowledge of Pedestrian and Motor Vehicle Safety.

Pedestrian and motor vehicle-related injuries are leading causes of morbidity and mortality in children. Trauma centers have specialized resources to conduct interventions that improve the safety of whole communities. In the present study, we evaluated the effectiveness of a school-hospital partnership in increasing knowledge of pedestrian and motor vehicle safety among students and parents in a large, urban community.

Who can benefit from virtual reality to reduce experimental pain? A crossover study in healthy subjects.

Background: The present study aimed to identify predicting factors affecting experimental pain stimuli reduction by using 'EyeToy', which is an Immersive Virtual Reality System (IVRS).

Methods: Sixty-two healthy subjects (31 M, 31 F) underwent a battery of pain tests to determine each participant's baseline sensitivity to nociceptive. The battery included thermal pain tests (hot and cold) as well as a paradigm to induce conditioned pain modulation (CPM).

Increased levels of anti-heat-shock protein 60 (anti-Hsp60) indicate endothelial dysfunction, atherosclerosis and cardiovascular diseases in patients with mixed connective tissue disease.

Heat-shock protein 60 (Hsp60) has been shown to provoke inflammation, and anti-Hsp60 may facilitate the development of atherosclerosis. In this study, we have investigated 30 patients with mixed connective tissue disease (MCTD) and assessed anti-Hsp60 and their relationship to cardiovascular diseases (CVD). Out of 30 patients with MCTD, 15 had CVDs.

Alterations in pain response are partially reversed by methylphenidate (Ritalin) in adults with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

Background: Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is characterized by dysregulation of sensory processing and neurobiology of dopamine. Although cumulative evidence suggests that dopamine is involved in pain processing, pain perception in ADHD subjects and the effect of dopamine agonists such as methylphenidate (MP, Ritalin) on it have rarely been studied.

Aims: The aims of this study were to (1) psychophysically assess sensitivity to pain in ADHD subjects as compared to controls and (2) examine the effects of MP on pain response in ADHD subjects.

Clinical course, prognosis, and causes of death in mixed connective tissue disease.

Objective: To study the survival rate and prognostic indicators of mixed connective tissue disease (MCTD) in a Hungarian population.

Methods: Two hundred eighty patients with MCTD diagnosed between 1979 and 2011 were followed prospectively. Clinical features, autoantibodies, and mortality data were assessed.

Pulmonary arterial hypertension in mixed connective tissue disease: successful treatment with Iloprost.

This paper describes a 61-year-old woman who presented with mixed connective tissue disease, which was complicated by the development of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). Her condition worsened rapidly, with development of haemopthysis, tachypnoe and cardiac arrest. Doppler echocardiography showed a high systolic pulmonary arterial pressure (98 mmHg), confirmed by the right heart catheterization.

Hemorheological disturbances in patients with chronic cerebrovascular diseases.

Hemorheological disturbances may occur in more than 40% of patients with ischemic cerebrovascular diseases. In this study the changes of rheological factors--hematocrit, plasma fibrinogen concentration, whole blood and plasma viscosity, red blood cell aggregation and deformability were investigated in 297 patients (173 males, 124 females, mean age 60 +/- 11 years) with transient ischemic attack or chronic phase (> 3 months after onset) ischemic stroke, and in 73 healthy volunteers (35 males, 38 females, mean age 38 +/- 7 years). Hematocrit, plasma and whole blood viscosity were significantly (p < 0.