Expressed emotion in children: associations with sibling relationships

Objective   To investigate the reliability and validity of the expressed emotion (EE) measure, the Pre-school Five Minute Speech Sample (PFMSS), in child-to-child sibling relationships.
Method   A total of 106 boys aged 7–11 were recruited from 12 mainstream primary schools in North Wales. The children completed the PFMSS regarding their sibling and two self-report measures of sibling relationship: the Sibling Relationship Questionnaire (SRQ) and a Child Visual Analogue Scale (CVAS). The parents of 60 participants completed the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire regarding the behavioural problems of the participating child and his younger sibling.
Results   The PFMSS demonstrated good inter-rater and code–recode reliability. The significant associations between EE dimensions such as relationship, positive comments and critical comments with various components of the SRQ and CVAS provided support for the concurrent validity of the PFMSS. Significantly higher levels of Conflict and Rivalry and significantly lower levels of Warmth/Closeness on the SRQ were reported by children with high EE, demonstrating good discriminant validity for the PFMSS. There was no significant association between the child's EE profile and the behavioural difficulties of both siblings as reported by parents.
Conclusions   The study found that the PFMSS is a valid and reliable measure of child EE. Future research is needed to clarify the concurrent validity of the warmth and initial statement components of the measure as well as the association between EE dimensions and behaviour.     

Brief report: empathy and psychological adjustment in siblings of children with cancer

OBJECTIVE: To examine relationships between empathy, illness concepts, sibling relationship variables, and psychological adjustment among siblings of children with cancer. METHODS: Participants were 29 siblings and 14 children diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia, acute myelocytic leukemia, or non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. Data included self- and parent-report questionnaires completed during active treatment. RESULTS: Siblings did not exhibit increased rates of behavior problems, but did display more social and academic difficulties. Empathy was a significant predictor of externalizing and total problems. Cancer knowledge was not related to adjustment, but was associated with empathy. Birth order of the child with cancer and closeness within the sibling relationship were associated with less positive adjustment. CONCLUSIONS: Empathy may play an important role in sibling adjustment following the diagnosis of cancer. Specific sibling relationship and family variables may be helpful in identifying siblings who are at greater need for psychosocial intervention.     

Familial clustering of beta-cell autoimmunity in initially non-diabetic children

BACKGROUND: Type 1 diabetes is characterised by familial aggregation. We set out to explore whether beta-cell autoimmunity, which is considered to precede clinical disease, also shows familial clustering. METHODS: Tests for HLA DQB1 alleles (*02, *0301, *0302, *0602) and islet cell autoantibodies (ICA) were performed on 5836 children from 2283 families. When a child tested positive for ICA, all his/her previous or subsequent samples that were available were also tested for insulin autoantibodies (IAA), antibodies to glutamic acid decarboxylase (GADA) and antibodies to the IA-2 protein (IA-2A). RESULTS: Forty-four families were observed to have two or more children positive for at least ICA. This proportion (1.9%) was almost five times higher than expected (0.4%; p < 0.001). The frequency of multiple (>/=2) autoantibodies also showed familial aggregation, the observed proportion (0.39%) being three times that expected (0.13%; p < 0.001). In 72.7% of the families with at least two ICA-positive siblings, the children with autoantibodies had the same HLA DQB1 genotype. The median age difference between the ICA-positive children within the same family was 3.3 years (range 0.0-10.5 years), and the median time interval in the appearance of ICA within the family was 1.6 years (range 0.0-3.2). CONCLUSIONS: beta-cell autoimmunity, as defined by the appearance of ICA, demonstrates familial aggregation, although the antibodies do not appear in close temporal proximity or at an identical age within the same family. The HLA-DQB1 genotypes are more often identical in siblings with autoantibodies than in other siblings.     

Therapy for a Healthy Sibling of a Child Diagnosed with Cancer: A Case Study

This article presents a case study for skills-directed intervention aiming to help healthy siblings of children with cancer control their emotions and gain self-control skills. Case study application of the intervention was with a boy aged 9 years and 8 months who had the verbal, cognitive, and motivational ability to learn and apply the skills. Intervention included the “Feeling Wheel” to enhance emotional identification, expression, understanding, acceptance, and control. Intervention also focused on teaching him to observe his automatic thoughts, change them to mediated ones, engage in internal dialogue, and seek/adopt alternative behaviors to gain self-control. In postintervention feedback, he reported less anxiety than previously, less inclination toward negative thinking, and more empowerment to deal with day-to-day difficulties he encountered.     

Chagasic Megacolon and Proximal Jejunum Microbiota

Background: Among other factors, control of jejunal microflora depends on intestinal emptiness, and it can be impaired by Chagas disease. This study was developed to identify the microecology of the proximal jejunum in chagasic megacolon. Our objective was to characterize both the jejunal microbial stasis before surgery and the microflora after surgical treatment in patients with chagasic megacolon. Methods: The intestinal fluids were collected, and the proximal jejunum microflora was analyzed. Results: Preoperative microflora had shown an increase in bacteria compatible with bacterial overgrowth syndrome, mainly facultative and strict anaerobes microorganisms and fungi. The microflora had changed in the postoperative period in 83% of these patients, with significant decrease in the number of transient microorganisms. Conclusions: Chagasic megacolon was related to an increase in jejunal microflora. By removing the impairment of the colon there was a transient decrease in the proximal jejunum microflora.     

PCR-RFLP鉴别微小按蚊亲缘种A和C

目的　建立微小按蚊复合体不同亲缘种A和C的分子鉴别方法—PCR产物酶切片段长度多态性分析 (PCR RFLP)。　方法　用单蚊蚊腿消化提取基因组DNA ,PCR特异扩增核糖体 2 8S第 3结构域 (D3 )基因 ,对PCR产物进行纯化、克隆和测序 ;分析微小按蚊A和CD3基因的酶切图谱 ,选择合适的限制性内切酶对两者PCR产物进行特异性切割 ,按照酶切片段长度区分两亲缘种。　结果　微小按蚊A被限制性内切酶MboII切割后在约 3 76bp、2 68bp和 10 8bp处出现 3条条带 ,而微小按蚊C因第 96bp、97bp位点突变 ,不存在限制性内切酶MboII的特异识别位点而未被消化 ,仅在 3 76bp处存在唯一条带。　 结论　本实验建立的PCR RFLP分子鉴别方法能有效地将形态难以鉴别的微小按蚊亲缘种A和C(GenBank :AF416782 ,AF415 5 94)区分开来。     

Allogenic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in sickle cell disease

Sickle cell disease (SCD) is one of the most common monogenic disorders worldwide and affects approximately 100,000 people in the United States alone. SCD can cause numerous complications, including anemia, pain, stroke, and organ failure, which can lead to death. Although there are a few disease-modifying treatments available to patients with SCD, the only current curative option is a hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT). In this review, we will discuss the different approaches to allogeneic HSCT in the treatment of SCD and the outcomes of these approaches.