The opioid peptide beta-endorphin (END) as well as mRNA for its precursor proopiomelanocortin (POMC) are found not only in the pituitary gland, but also within various types of immune cells infiltrating inflamed sc tissue. During stressful stimuli…
BACKGROUND: The stress levels of parents of children with chronic illness/disability who were also involved in an enteral feeding programme were examined and compared to the stress levels of parents of healthy children and parents of children with…
Sleep disordered breathing is a common but under-diagnosed complication causing sleep disturbance and daytime symptoms in children with spinal muscular atrophy. Non-invasive (positive pressure) ventilation is an established treatment of respiratory…
PURPOSE: To describe changes to the conduct of withdrawal of life support (WOLS) in two teaching hospital tertiary care medical surgical intensive care units (ICUs) in a single centre over two distinct time periods., METHODS: We used a retrospective…
The clinical side effects of the potent new bisphosphonate zoledronic acid in children are unknown. In this study of 34 children with various bone disorders, the frequency of postinfusion flu-like illness, hypocalcemia, and hypophosphatemia was 85%,…
PURPOSE/OBJECTIVES: To describe contextual features of the experience of adolescents with cancer in the United States; to relate these features to a different theoretical perspective, the Shifting Perspectives Model of Chronic Illness; and to derive…
This study examined the importance of reported sense of coherence (Antonovsky, 1987) in mothers of children with hearing impairment. Sense of coherence was explored as a factor in relation to the experience of stress and subjective life satisfaction…
OBJECTIVE: To investigate the efficacy and safety of risperidone for the treatment of disruptive behavioral symptoms in children with autism and other pervasive developmental disorders (PDD). METHODS: In this 8-week, randomized, double-blind,…
We have previously identified the phrase 'rheumatoid cachexia' to describe the loss of body cell mass (BCM) that may occur among patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Specifically, rheumatoid cachexia is characterized by altered energy and protein…
Cachexia is a syndrome and therefore does not have a specific definition. Patients are characterized by the presence of anorexia, early satiety, weight loss, weakness, anaemia and oedema. These features occur to a variable extent in different…
In this paper the authors argue that research ethics committees (RECs) should not be paternalistic by rejecting research that poses risk to people competent to decide for themselves. However it is important they help to ensure valid consent is sought…
BACKGROUND: Various scales have been used to assess palliative outcomes. But measurement can still be problematic and core components of measures have not been identified. This study aimed to determine the relationships between, and factorial…
INTRODUCTION: This intervention study examines anxiety and uncertainty in illness in families transferring from intensive care to a general ward. METHODS: The pre-test, post-test design purposively allocated family members to a control (n = 80) and…
BACKGROUND: The growth of palliative care research has been limited by challenges of slow recruitment and underenrollment. One potential solution to this problem is the use of screening questions embedded in clinical data collection, which identify…
Recognition of the clinical features of Trisomy 13 syndrome, a common autosomal trisomy, provides the basis for diagnostic testing and counseling of families. This article provides a systematic guide to physical assessment and photographs to enhance…
Several studies have been conducted on sibling psychosocial adaptation to cancer in a brother or sister, but little is known on how the long-term adaptation of siblings to the illness develops. The concept quality of life has primarily been applied…
Assessment of sympathoadrenal medullary system (SAM) activity is only possible to date via measurement of catecholamines in blood plasma or via electrophysiological methods. Both ways of measurement are restricted to endocrinological or…
BACKGROUND: The role of psycho-educational interventions in facilitating adaptation to chronic disease has received growing recognition and is in keeping with policy developments advocating greater involvement of patients in their own care. The…
Objectives: To assess the efficacy of a prolotherapy injection and exercise protocol in the treatment of chronic nonspecific low back pain. Design: Randomized controlled trial with two-by-two factorial design, triple-blinded for injection status, and…
OBJECTIVE: To examine unmet needs among families of children with chronic health conditions treated in primary care settings and to identify predictors of these needs. METHOD: Primary care physicians referred 83 caregivers of children with chronic…
OBJECTIVES: More than 85% of children born today with chronic medical conditions will live to adulthood, and many should transfer from pediatric to adult health care. The numbers of adults with congenital heart defects (CHDs) are increasing rapidly.…
OBJECTIVE: To review evidence on the pharmacologic treatment of the child with migraine headache. METHODS: The authors reviewed, abstracted, and classified relevant literature. Recommendations were based on a four-tiered scheme of evidence…
The place of death of cancer patients has become an important theme in UK cancer and palliative care policy. This paper examines the place of death preferences of 41 terminally ill cancer patients and 18 of their informal carers, living in the…
This study analyzes the relationships between neuroticism, extroversion, age, and sex and the intensity of perceived pain and the coping strategies used. We worked with a sample of 96 patients with chronic pain. The assessment tools were the…
The peroxisome biogenesis disorders (PBDs) with generalized peroxisomal dysfunction include Zellweger syndrome (ZS), neonatal adrenoleukodystrophy (NALD), and infantile Refsum disease (IRD). There is clinical, biochemical, and genetic overlap among…
OBJECTIVE: To examine the contribution of perceived importance of activities of daily living (ADL) to arthritis-specific helplessness in a sample of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients over a 1-year period. METHOD: Forty-two individuals from an…
Each year in the United States, approximately 50,000 children die and 500,000 children cope with life-threatening conditions. Worldwide these numbers are in the millions.1,2 Such children and their families require comprehensive, compassionate, and…
