Perception of audio-visual synchrony in infants at elevated likelihood of developing autism spectrum disorder.

Unlabelled: The inability to perceive audio-visual speech as a unified event may contribute to social impairments and language deficits in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). In this study, we examined and compared two groups of infants on their sensitivity to audio-visual asynchrony for a social (speaking face) and non-social event (bouncing ball) and assessed the relations between multisensory integration and language production. Infants at elevated likelihood of developing ASD were less sensitive to audio-visual synchrony for the social event than infants without elevated likelihood.

Private Speech and the Development of Self-Regulation: The Importance of Temperamental Anger.

In this study (N=160), we observed children's private (i.e., self-directed) speech (PS) during a challenging puzzle task at age 3 and assessed whether the amount and maturity of their PS predicted their inhibitory control (IC) at age 4 and indirectly emotion regulation at age 9.

Relations between frontal EEG maturation and inhibitory control in preschool in the prediction of children's early academic skills.

Maturation of the prefrontal cortex (PFC) across the first few years of life is thought to underlie the emergence of inhibitory control (IC) abilities, which may play an important role in children's early academic success. In this growth curve modeling study (N = 364), we assessed developmental change in children's resting-state electroencephalogram (EEG) activity (6-9 Hz 'alpha' power) from 10 months to 4 years and examined whether the initial levels or amount of change in frontal alpha power were associated with children's IC at age 4 and indirectly academic skills at age 6. Results indicated that greater increases in frontal alpha power across the study period were associated with better IC, and indirectly with better performance on Woodcock-Johnson tests of reading and math achievement at age 6.

Cardiac vagal regulation in infancy predicts executive function and social competence in preschool: Indirect effects through language.

Parasympathetic nervous system functioning in infancy may serve a foundational role in the development of cognitive and socioemotional skills (Calkins, 2007). In this study (N = 297), we investigated the potential indirect effects of cardiac vagal regulation in infancy on children's executive functioning and social competence in preschool via expressive and receptive language in toddlerhood. Vagal regulation was assessed at 10 months during two attention conditions (social, nonsocial) via task-related changes in respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA).

Changes in frontal EEG coherence across infancy predict cognitive abilities at age 3: The mediating role of attentional control.

Theoretical perspectives of cognitive development have maintained that functional integration of the prefrontal cortex across infancy underlies the emergence of attentional control and higher cognitive abilities in early childhood. To investigate these proposed relations, we tested whether functional integration of prefrontal regions across the second half of the first year predicted observed cognitive performance in early childhood 1 year prior indirectly through observed attentional control (N = 300). Results indicated that greater change in left-but not right-frontal EEG coherence between 5 and 10 months was positively associated with attentional control, cognitive flexibility, receptive language, and behavioral inhibitory control.

Health anxiety: current perspectives and future directions.

Health anxiety is a ubiquitous experience that arises when bodily sensations or changes are believed to be indicative of a serious disease. Severe expressions of health anxiety are most often classified as hypochondriasis in the current DSM-IV-TR; however, various alternative classification schemas have been proposed for the DSM-V. Regardless of classification, severe health anxiety has significant negative impacts on well-being, social and occupational functioning, and health care resource utilization.

Improving pain relief in a rural cancer center.

Purpose: The purpose of this article is to describe barriers to cancer pain management and strategies for making improvements in an academic rural cancer center.

Overview: Rural communities pose unique challenges to cancer pain management because of their unique strengths and burdens. Successful strategies used by a comprehensive cancer center to improve pain management in rural New England are summarized.

Quality improvement of painful peripheral neuropathy.

Objectives: To use quality improvement methodology to improve the assessment and treatment of neuropathic pain caused by chemotherapy-related nerve injury.

Data Sources: Review and research articles, assessment scales, and textbooks.

Conclusions: Assessment and treatment algorithms improved peripheral neuropathy-related pain scores.

Neuropsychologic impact of standard-dose systemic chemotherapy in long-term survivors of breast cancer and lymphoma.

Purpose: The primary purpose of this study was to compare the neuropsychologic functioning of long-term survivors of breast cancer and lymphoma who had been treated with standard-dose systemic chemotherapy or local therapy only.

Patients And Methods: Long-term survivors (5 years postdiagnosis, not presently receiving cancer treatment, and disease-free) of breast cancer or lymphoma who had been treated with systemic chemotherapy (breast cancer: n = 35, age, 59.1 +/- 10.

Massage therapy for patients undergoing autologous bone marrow transplantation.

The purpose of the current study was to examine the impact of massage therapy on psychological, physical, and psychophysiological measures in patients undergoing autologous bone marrow transplantation (BMT). Patients scheduled to undergo BMT were randomly assigned to receive either (a) massage therapy, consisting of 20-minute sessions of shoulder, neck, head, and facial massage, or (b) standard treatment. Overall effects of massage therapy on anxiety, depression, and mood were assessed pretreatment, midtreatment, and prior to discharge using the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, Beck Depression Inventory, and Brief Profile of Mood States, respectively.

Death in the hospital.

Objective: To examine symptoms and treatments among hospitalized adults in the last 2 days of life.

Methods: Review of 72 consecutive medical records of patients who died at an academic medical center and 32 consecutive medical records of patients who died at an affiliated Veterans Affairs hospital. Medical records were examined for documentation of symptoms, treatment, and orders to limit the use of life-sustaining interventions.

Knowledge and attitudes of health-care providers toward cancer pain management: a comparison of physicians, nurses, and pharmacists in the state of New Hampshire.

The knowledge and attitudes toward cancer pain management of physicians, nurses, and pharmacists in the state of New Hampshire were examined through the use of a statewide survey. Many of the providers who completed the survey, and thus indicated that they treated patients with cancer pain on a regular basis, were not pain or oncology specialists. Most of these providers were quite well informed about the fundamentals of cancer pain management.

Quality of life of long-term adult survivors of autologous bone marrow transplantation.

Purpose/objectives: To extend the knowledge of quality of life (QOL) of survivors of allogeneic bone marrow transplantation (BMT) to include survivors of autologous BMT. To determine the appropriateness of using a reliable, valid, allogeneic BMT QOL instrument for survivors of autologous BMT.

Design: Cross-sectional, descriptive, replication survey.

Pain and quality assessment/improvement.

Pain is a common symptom of acute and chronic illness and has been targeted as an area of improvement across settings and populations. Advances in the treatment of pain have created a standard of care by which quality can be assessed. The article describes the process of quality assessment and improvement (QA/I) in pain management.

Quality of life in adult bone marrow transplant patients: beyond the first year.

Currently, there are more than 2,000 marrow transplant patients surviving between 5 and 20 years. Thus, increased attention is focusing on information about the nature of posttransplant survival and quality of life (QOL). Assessment of the survivor's QOL and rehabilitation needs should consider the domains of physical well-being and symptoms as well as psychological, social, and spiritual well-being.

Nursing care issues in autologous bone marrow transplantation.

The significant growth in annual numbers of autologous bone marrow transplant (ABMT) procedures can be attributed to early promising results and improvements in supportive care. Expert nursing care is an important component of the care provided by the multidisciplinary transplant team. Nurses are challenged by the developing and rapidly changing nature of ABMT indications, the complexity of the therapy regimen, and the management of acute and long-term effects and toxicities.

The role of the advanced practice oncology nurse in pain relief.

Oncology nurses have consistently identified relief of pain as a major priority for their specialty. Although many articles provide nurses with advice on ways to improve pain management for people with cancer, few address the practicality and likelihood of these strategies being implemented by an individual nurse. Oncology nurses in advanced practice roles are often in ideal situations to effect some of the positive, broad changes that are needed to improve pain relief.

Professional and ethical considerations in the use of high-tech pain management.

Pain management, a primary focus of the oncology nurse, is undergoing a technologic boom. Assessment of high-tech treatments in medicine is an underdeveloped and controversial area. This paper is intended to promote critical thinking about methods of high-tech pain relief such as subcutaneous, IV, and intraspinal analgesia and anesthesia delivered by ambulatory, implanted, or patient-controlled devices.

Oncology patients in critical care: ethical dilemmas.

Although ICU care encompasses many important ethical dilemmas, the care of oncology patients in ICU can be particularly troublesome. This article explores some of the common ethical issues related to oncology patients in critical care: informed consent, allocation of resources, and no code policies.