Online psychosocial group intervention for adolescents with a chronic illness: A randomized controlled trial.

Objective: The present study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of , a protocolled online psychosocial group intervention for adolescents with a chronic illness (CI).

Methods: Adolescents (12-18 years) with different types of CI ( = 59; Mean age = 15.1 years, SD = 1.

Immunological effects of environmental exposure to polychlorinated biphenyls and dioxins in Dutch school children.

Perinatal exposure to PCBs and dioxins is associated with immune changes in healthy Dutch preschool children. To examine whether such effects persist into later childhood, we here report on the immunological effects of perinatal exposure to PCBs and dioxins in 167 Dutch children at school age. A higher postnatal PCB exposure was associated with a higher prevalence of recurrent middle ear infections and a higher prenatal PCB exposure with less shortness of breath with wheeze, as assessed by parent questionnaire.

Effects of perinatal exposure to PCBs on neuropsychological functions in the Rotterdam cohort at 9 years of age.

PCBs are known for their neurotoxic properties, especially on the developing brain. To increase insight into the neurotoxic effects of PCB exposure, the authors studied the effects of perinatal exposure to environmental levels of these compounds on different neuropsychological domains. In 9-year-old children of the Rotterdam PCB--dioxin cohort, higher prenatal PCB levels were associated with longer response times (RTs), more variation in RTs, and lower scores on the Tower of London (TOL; Shallice, 1982).

Effects of perinatal exposure to PCBs and dioxins on play behavior in Dutch children at school age.

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and dioxins are known as neurotoxic compounds that may modulate sex steroid hormones. Steroid hormones play a mediating role in brain development and may influence behaviors that show sex differences, such as childhood play behavior. In this study we evaluated the effects of perinatal exposure to environmental levels of PCBs and dioxins on childhood play behavior and whether the effects showed sex differences.

Effects of prenatal PCB and dioxin background exposure on cognitive and motor abilities in Dutch children at school age.

Objective: Our purpose was to evaluate whether effects of exposure to environmental levels of PCBs and dioxins on development in the Dutch cohort persist until school age.

Study Design: In the Dutch PCB/dioxin study, cognitive and motor abilities were assessed with the McCarthy Scales of Children's Abilities in children at school age. During infancy, half of this population was fully breast-fed for at least > or = 6 weeks and the other half formula fed.