The role of dichotomous thinking and rigidity in perfectionism.

Perfectionism is a complex psychological construct that has been defined in many different ways. Recent conceptualisations of perfectionism have involved dividing the construct into positive and negative components. Negative perfectionism is associated with high emotional distress whereas positive perfectionism is associated with positive affect and lower levels of distress.

Data quality strategies in cohort studies: lessons from a study on delirium in nursing home elders.

Data quality has a direct impact on reliability and validity; however, procedures are usually briefly summarized in the Methods section of reports. Sustaining data quality and integrity over time can pose serious challenges, prompting the development of a data quality program based on Donabedian's quality framework. Although many are familiar with the structure, process, and outcome components in health care quality, their application to a research project may be unfamiliar.

Aortic valve repair: the functional approach to leaflet prolapse and valve-sparing surgery.

Background: Combined aortic valve repair and aortic valve-sparing surgery requires an approach determined by the leaflets and aortic root anatomy.

Methods: Among patients referred for aortic root aneurysm, 114 patients underwent an aortic valve-sparing procedure in which a reimplantation or remodelling technique was used. The Gelweave Valsalva prosthesis (Sulzer Vascutek, Renfrewshire, UK) was used in 45 patients.

Nursing staffing and resident outcomes in nursing homes: weight loss and dehydration.

A secondary analysis of the Minimum Data Set and Online Survey, Certification, and Reporting databases was used to examine the relationships between nursing staffing and the nursing home resident outcomes of weight loss and dehydration. If a facility had 3 or more hours of nursing assistant time versus those that had less than 3 hours, there was an associated odds ratio of 0.83 (P = .

Can autism, language and coordination disorders be differentiated based on ability profiles?

Children with autistic disorder (AD), mixed receptive-expressive language disorder (RELD), or developmental coordination disorder (DCD) have impairments in common. We assess which abilities differentiate the disorders. Children aged 3-13 years diagnosed with AD (n = 30), RELD (n = 30), or DCD (n = 22) were tested on measures of language, intelligence, social cognition, motor coordination, and executive functioning.

Interaction of the neurotransmitter, neuropeptide Y, with phospholipid membranes: infrared spectroscopic characterization at the air/water interface.

The association of neuropeptide Y (NPY) at the air/water interface and with phospholipid monolayers on water as subphase has been investigated using external infrared reflection absorption spectroscopy (IRRAS). Studies of the conformation and orientation of NPY suggest that it adopts an alpha-helical structure and is oriented parallel to the air/water interface in neat peptide monolayers. Both secondary structure and orientation are preserved in mixed lipid/NPY monolayers.

Interaction of the neurotransmitter, neuropeptide Y, with phospholipid membranes: film balance and fluorescence microscopy studies.

The association of neuropeptide Y (NPY) with air-water interfaces and with phospholipid monolayers on water subphases and on physiological buffer has been investigated. Surface pressure (pi) versus molecular area (A) relations of the peptide at water surfaces depend on the concentration of the spreading solutions. Independent of that concentration, they show a transition from a low-density state to a high-density state at pi approximately 12 mN/m.

Nutritional restriction in lactating primiparous sows selectively affects female embryo survival and overall litter development.

This study explored the possibility of sex-specific effects on embryonic survival in primiparous sows subjected to restricted feed intake during the last week of lactation and bred after weaning (Restrict; n = 16), compared with control sows fed close to ad libitum feed intakes (Control; n = 17). Restrict sows were in a substantial negative net energy balance at weaning, and lost 13% of estimated protein and 17% of fat mass during lactation, yet the weaning-to-oestrous interval and ovulation rate were not different between treatments. However, embryonic survival at Day 30 of gestation was lower (P < 0.

The predictive value of routine semen evaluation and IVF technology for determining relative boar fertility.

Practical techniques for assessing semen quality in order to predict male fertility are still needed. The principal objective of this experiment was to evaluate routine laboratory evaluation and in vitro fertilization (IVF) techniques as predictors of relative boar fertility using a low-dose AI protocol. Nine boars were evaluated during a 6.

Are abilities abnormally interdependent in children with autism?

We propose that stronger than usual correlations between abilities indicate which cognitive processes are impaired in autism. Study 1 compared partial correlations (controlling age) between intelligence and social cognition in children with autism (n = 18), mental retardation (MR; n = 34), or no psychological disorder (n = 37). Correlations were stronger in the autism group.

Motor coordination, empathy, and social behaviour in school-aged children.

Children with motor coordination problems are known to have emotional difficulties and poor social skills. The current study investigated whether children with poor motor ability have poor emotion recognition skills, and whether these could be linked to problems in social behaviour. It was hypothesized that difficulties in empathic ability might be related to the poor visuo-spatial processing ability identified in children with developmental coordination disorder (as defined by the American Psychiatric Association).

Evidence-based administrative guideline: quality improvement in nursing homes.

Those staff members involved in a quality improvement program for a nursing home play a significant role in ensuring quality care for older adults. Use of the evidence-based administrative guideline "Quality Improvement in Nursing Homes" (Dyck, 2003) can provide a template for the implementation of a research-based quality program.

Functional classification of aortic root/valve abnormalities and their correlation with etiologies and surgical procedures.

Purpose Of Review: Patients with aortic root pathology may benefit from 'valve-conservation' surgery although application of this philosophy is limited by a lack of 'standardized' surgical techniques. A functional classification of aortic root and valvular abnormalities has been developed in 260 patients and correlated with the etiology of the pathologic process and the surgical procedure performed. Early outcome was assessed using hospital records and medium-term follow-up by cardiological review.

Headgroup organization and hydration of methylated phosphatidylethanolamines in Langmuir monolayers.

Subtle differences in the molecular conformation of fully hydrated phospholipids, and in their interaction with the water reservoir, were assessed as functions of headgroup methylation with surface-sensitive X-ray scattering. To achieve such a structural and functional comparison, diacylphosphatidylethanolamines (PEs) and their mono-, di- and trimethylated (diacylphosphatidylcholine, PC) derivatives in surface monolayers on water have been studied. While the molecular structures of these lipids are quite similar, their subtle distinctions lead to surprisingly large differences in their overall organization.

Sensory-motor deficits in children with developmental coordination disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and autistic disorder.

Children who have been diagnosed with any one developmental disorder are very likely to meet diagnostic criteria for some other developmental disorder. Although comorbidity has long been acknowledged in childhood disorders, little is understood about the mechanisms that are responsible for the high level of comorbidity. In a series of studies, we have investigated the link between sensory-motor deficits and developmental disorders.

The relationship between motor coordination, executive functioning and attention in school aged children.

Given the high level of comorbidity of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and developmental coordination disorder (DCD), deficits in executive function (EF), shown to be present in children with ADHD, may also be implicated in the motor coordination deficits of children with DCD. The aim of this study was to explore the relationship between EF and motor ability. A sample of 238 children, 121 girls and 117 boys, aged between 6 and 15 years was recruited for this project.

Can the Emotion Recognition Ability of Deaf Children be Enhanced? A Pilot Study.

We evaluated the effectiveness of an 11-lesson psychoeducational program designed to enhance the ability of deaf children to understand the emotional experience of themselves and other people. The "Funny Faces Program" was provided to 14 children, aged 9 to 13, with moderate to profound hearing impairments. All children were enrolled in an "oral" education program at a school for the deaf.

The experience of mental death: the core feature of complex posttraumatic stress disorder.

Exposure to extreme interpersonal stress, exemplified by the experience of torture, represents a threat to the psychological integrity of the victim. The experience is likely to result in mental death, in the loss of the victim's pretrauma identity. Mental death is characterized by loss of core beliefs and values, distrust, and alienation from others, shame and guilt, and a sense of being permanently damaged.

Bioelectrical impedance analysis and other hydration parameters as risk factors for delirium in rural nursing home residents.

Background: The study investigators conducted a vigorous screening protocol for delirium in rural long-term care (LTC) facilities for a period of 28 days focusing on Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis (BIA) and other hydration parameters as risk factors.

Methods: A two-stage cluster sampling procedure was used to randomly select participants (n = 313) from 13 LTC facilities located in southeastern Iowa, stratified on facility bed size. BIA was used to estimate intracellular water (ICW), extracellular water (ECW), and total body water (TBW) on four occasions--baseline and follow-up days 7, 14, and 28.

Is the discrepancy criterion for defining developmental disorders valid?

Background: Most developmental disorders are defined by an achievement discrepancy in which achievement on one or more specific abilities is substantially less than a person's measured intelligence. We evaluated the validity of this discrepancy criterion by assessing parameters that determine variability across abilities and by assessing relationships between achievement discrepancies and behavioral disturbances.

Methods: Measures of intelligence, language, motor coordination, empathic ability, and attentional control were administered to a representative sample of 390 children aged 3 to 12 years.

Renoprotection by ACE inhibitors after severe hemolytic uremic syndrome.

Five patients with severe hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) were followed for 10-18 years. Because of proteinuria, arterial hypertension, and reduced glomerular filtration rates, they received either captopril (n=2) or enalapril (n=3), or both (n=1) for 8-15 years. Blood pressure was normalized and proteinuria reduced in all; glomerular filtration improved in three patients and fell moderately in two.

Emotion recognition/understanding ability in hearing or vision-impaired children: do sounds, sights, or words make the difference?

Background: This study was designed to assess whether children with a sensory disability have consistent delays in acquiring emotion recognition and emotion understanding abilities.

Method: Younger (6-11 years) and older (12-18 years) hearing-impaired children (HI; n = 49), vision-impaired children (VI; n = 42), and children with no sensory impairment (NSI; n = 72) were assessed with the Emotion Recognition Scales (ERS), which include two tests of the ability to recognize vocal expressions of emotion, two tests of the ability to recognize facial expressions of emotion, and three tests of emotion understanding.

Results: Results indicate that when compared with age-peers, HI children and adolescents have significant delays or deficits on all ERS, but VI children and adolescents are delayed only on emotion recognition tasks.

Enalapril in children with Alport syndrome.

Ten pediatric patients with Alport syndrome received enalapril for 5 years. There were nine boys. Eight patients have the X-linked form of the disease and two the autosomal recessive form.