Parent-infant interaction quality is related to preterm status and sensory processing.

BACKGROUND: Parent-infant interactions provide the foundation for the development of infant socioemotional wellbeing. Preterm birth can have a substantial, and often detrimental, impact on the quality of early parent-infant interactions. Sensory processing difficulties, common in preterm infants, are further associated with poorer interaction quality. There is a paucity of research, however, examining the links between the quality of parent-infant interaction, preterm birth, and sensory processing difficulties. This study aimed to characterise the quality of interactions of parent-infant dyads involving preterm infants who may display sensory processing differences and examine the associations between parent-infant interaction quality, preterm status and infant sensory processing. METHOD: 67 parent-infant dyads (12-months infant age, 22 preterm, 45 full-term) participated in a recorded, semi-structured 15-minute play interaction. Parents also filled out questionnaires on demographics, and infant sensory processing (Infant and Toddler Sensory Profile-2; ITSP-2). Interaction quality was rated using the Parenting Interactions with Children: Checklist of Observations Linked to Outcomes (PICCOLO). RESULTS: Preterm and full-term infants differed in sensory processing and parent-infant interaction. Infant prematurity was associated with the sensory domains of; visual (r = - 0.37, p = .005), touch (r = - 0.39, p = .002), and movement (rs = - .32, p = .01), as well as the interaction domains of; responsivity (rs;= - .43, p = .001), teaching (rs = - .31, p = .02), and interaction total score (r = - 0.34, p = .01). Interaction quality was related to sensory registration (rs = - .38, p = .008), auditory (rs = - .34, p = .02), seeking (rs = .29, p = .05) and sensory behavioural scores (rs = - .52, p < .001). Overall, interaction quality was best predicted by infant prematurity and auditory scores, R2 = .15, F(1, 47) = 4.01, p = .02. DISCUSSION: Preterm infants differed from their full-term peers in both their sensory processing and in their dyadic interactions with parents. Preterm status was associated with less responsivity and teaching and was found to predict overall interaction quality. Poorer infant sensory processing was associated with less parental teaching, affection and responsivity during interactions. Our results suggest that preterm birth is related to sensory processing difficulties, and that prematurity and sensory processing are differentially associated with aspects of interaction quality. These findings support the further examination of the interplay between preterm birth, sensory processing, and parent-infant interaction quality.

Sonographic features of gastrointestinal lymphoma in 15 dogs.

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study is to describe the sonographic appearance of lymphoma of the gastrointestinal tract in dogs. METHOD: A retrospective review was conducted and patients with gastrointestinal lymphoma diagnosed by histopathology (including immunohistochemistry, where available) or cytology that had an abdominal ultrasound were included. RESULTS: Four of 15 (26·7%) cases with histopathologically confirmed lymphoma exhibited no sonographic abnormalities. In the dogs with sonographic abnormalities, features including intestinal wall thickness and the presence or absence of wall layering were highly variable. Clinical signs pertaining to the gastrointestinal tract were also unreliable markers of gastrointestinal lymphoma, with weight loss, vomiting, and diarrhoea being uncommon presenting complaints; intestinal obstruction was not present in any patient. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: The sonographic appearance of gastrointestinal lymphoma in dogs is non-specific. Gastrointestinal lymphoma in dogs should be maintained as a differential diagnosis despite a sonographically normal appearing bowel.

Children's conceptualization of the term 'satisfaction': relevance for measuring health outcomes.

BACKGROUND: Health outcomes measurement is integral to planning and evaluating paediatric health care. Recent outcome measures have been developed to capture children's participation in everyday activities, a core component of which is the child's perceived satisfaction. Satisfaction, however, is a complex concept and it is not known how children conceptualize satisfaction and hence how it should best be measured. The purpose of this study was to explore children's conceptualization of the term 'satisfaction' and compare this with the description of satisfaction given in the literature to inform how satisfaction can be assessed in children. METHODS: Forty children aged between 10 and 15 years participated in eight focus groups, guided by a descriptive qualitative approach, to describe how they conceptualize 'satisfaction'. Children with disabilities were excluded as it was considered important to first ascertain how children without disabilities conceptualize satisfaction. Recruitment occurred through seven urban and rural public schools. Data were analysed using qualitative content analysis. RESULTS: Participants identified three methods by which a person may determine their level of satisfaction (i) making comparisons with previous experiences, and other's and self-expectations; (ii) evaluating one's emotions; and (iii) receiving positive external feedback. Participants described drawing upon one of these methods in isolation, rather than integrating outcomes from each method into one judgement of satisfaction. Participants also demonstrated confusion between the terms 'satisfaction' and 'satisfactory'. CONCLUSIONS: Partial congruence between children's conceptualization of satisfaction and that reported in the literature was observed in this study. Not all children between the ages of 10 and 15, however, have a full understanding of satisfaction. Caution must therefore be taken when using the term satisfaction in children's assessments to minimize the potential for varying interpretations of the question. Further studies are required to explore how children with disabilities view the term satisfaction and if their understanding differs to that of typically developing children.

Comparison of seal oil to tuna oil on plasma lipid levels and blood pressure in hypertriglyceridaemic subjects.

As meat is a rich source of the omega-3 fatty acid docosapentaenoic acid (DPA) and Australians consume six times more meat than fish, investigation of the potential health benefit of DPA is warranted. The aims were to compare the effects of seal oil supplementation with fish oil, on measures of plasma lipids and blood pressure in hypertriglyceridaemic subjects. Forty-eight volunteers were recruited from the Wollongong community and were randomly allocated to one of three groups either receiving 1 g/day of long-chain omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (LC n-3 PUFA) using one of three oils: seal oil capsules (340 mg eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), 230 mg DPA, 450 mg DHA), fish oil capsules (210 mg EPA, 30 mg DPA, 810 mg DHA) or placebo capsules (containing sunola oil) for 6 weeks. Plasma triglycerides remained unchanged in the placebo group, whilst reductions of 7 and 14% (P < 0.05) were seen in the fish oil and seal oil groups respectively. Systolic blood pressure improved by 8 and 5 mmHg with seal oil and fish oil respectively (P < 0.05). The mean arterial pressure was significantly lower after seal oil supplementation (P < 0.005) compared with the placebo group. These results indicate that seal oil is as effective as fish oil in lowering plasma triglycerides and blood pressure.

Axillary temperature in transitional newborn infants before and after tub bath.

Twenty healthy newborn infants (mean 38.4 weeks gestation and 3,294 g) were studied to compare axillary temperatures before and after a deep-water tub bath. The bath was given in the mother's room in a plastic bassinet filled with 5 to 5 1/2 inches of warm water. Mean time was 4.4 hours postbirth. Mean infant temperature was 98.2 degrees F (36.8 degrees C) prebath and 98.0 degrees F (36.7 degrees C) postbath. Mean change was -0.2 degree F (-0.1 degree C) and was not significantly different. This significant absence of heat loss during tub baths suggests that infants need not be separated from their mothers and kept in nurseries under infrared warmers to prevent heat loss during their first bath.

The role of personality in the management of partial dentures.

A sample of fifty-three partially dentate subjects who had had partial dentures provided in the last 3 years completed a personality questionnaire (Cattell's 16 PFQ). At the same time they completed a clinical questionnaire and were examined by two of the authors. The purpose of this was to assess the patients' satisfaction with their partial dentures. The results of the personality questionnaire showed that this group of partial denture wearers differed from the general population on only two factors. They were less intelligent and more self-sufficient. Interestingly they differed from a similar group of complete denture wearers on a further three factors. The partial denture group were more self-assured, self-sufficient and more relaxed. On the basis of the clinical questionnaire and examination, five partially dentate patients were found to be dissatisfied. Their personality scores were significantly more unstable than the satisfied group of partial denture wearers. Although based on a relatively small group, the results do suggest that personality may have a marked effect on the patients' adaption to partial dentures. When compared to a similar group of edentulous patients, marked differences were found, suggesting that the loss of the natural teeth in some individuals affects behaviour.

Effects of Environmental pH on the Internal pH of Chlorella pyrenoidosa, Scenedesmus quadricauda, and Euglena mutabilis.

The effect of external pH on two laboratory-cultured acid-intolerant species (Chlorella pyrenoidosa Chick and Scenedesmus quadricauda Turp. Bréb.) and one acid-tolerant species from a natural population (Euglena mutabilis Schmitz) was examined by measuring internal pH. These measurements were made with the weak acid (14)C-dimethyloxazolidine-2,4-dione after cells had been incubated for 2 and 6 hours at external pH levels from 3.0 to 8.0. Photosynthetic and respiration rates of the three species were also measured over the range of external pH levels.All three species regulated their internal pH levels over the 6-hour incubation time. C. pyrenoidosa and S. quadricauda had internal pH levels around 7.0, regardless of external pH. E. mutabilis had a wider internal pH range, from 5.0 at low external pH to 8.0 at high external pH. External pH had no effect on either photosynthetic or respiration rates. Statistical comparisons showed that there was a significant difference between the acid-intolerant and acid-tolerant species with regard to the level of internal pH maintained and the response of internal pH to external pH.

A study of relations between the absorption of amino acids, dipeptides, water and electrolytes in the normal human jejunum.

1. A double-lumen perfusion technique was used to study the effect of a wide range of concentrations of the dipeptide glycyl-L-alanine and its constituent amino acids on water and electrolyte absorption from iso-osmotic solutions in the upper jejunum of normal human subjects. 2. There was no significant absorption of water and electrolytes from sodium chloride solution (150 mmol/l) but the presence of the dipeptide or its constituent amino acids stimulated water and electrolyte absorption. 3. Water absorption reached a peak at increasing amino acid and dipeptide concentrations and then tailed off. Our data suggest that the tailing off is not solely due to the diminished sodium content of the solutions. 4. During perfusion of the dipeptide-sodium chloride and amino acid-sodium chloride solutions solute and water were absorbed as an iso-osmotic solution. Analysis of the results indicates that this could occur at high dipeptide concentrations only if the majority of the dipeptide enters the cell intact.

Absorption of two proline containing peptides by rat small intestine in vivo.

1. Glycyl-L-proline and L-prolyl-glycine are two dipeptides that are poorly hydrolysed by brush border peptide hydrolases in vitro. The present study was undertaken to investigate in vivo intestinal absorption of the two dipeptides in male Wistar rats. A steady-state perfusion technique has been used and jejunal and ileal absorption studied by comparing rates of absorption of constituent amino acids from dipeptide and equivalent equimolar amino acid solutions. 2. Glycine and proline were absorbed at the same or faster rates during perfusion of 10 mM glycyl-L-proline than during perfusion of 10 mM-L-prolyl-glycine than during perfusion of its equivalent equimolar amino acid solution. Conversely, the two constituent amino acids were absorbed at slower rates during perfusion of its equivalent amino acid solution. As expected very low concentrations of free amino acids were detected during the jejunal dipeptide perfusions but higher concentrations were detected during the ileal perfusions. 3. The addition of 40 mM L-prolyl-glycine to the 10 mM glycyl-L-proline solution did not affect the rates of disappearance of glycyl-L-proline. The addition of 40 mM glycyl-L-proline to 10 mM L-prolyl-glycine however had a significant inhibitory effect on the disappearance of L-prolyl-glycine. It is concluded that the two dipeptides may be absorbed by different peptide transport systems.

Ileal function in patients with untreated adult coeliac disease.

A double-lumen perfusion technique has been used to investigate jejunal and ileal absorption of glucose, water, and electrolytes in a group of patients with untreated adult coeliac disease. Correct positioning of the tube was confirmed by measuring the differential jejunal and ileal handling of bicarbonate. Eight control subjects and eight patients with coeliac disease were perfused with an isotonic electrolyte solution containing 50 mM glucose and 25 mM bicarbonate. The group of coeliac patients had impaired jejunal absorption of glucose (P less than 0.001), water (P less than 0.01), sodium (P less than 0.02), and chloride (P greater than 0.05) compared with the control group. In contrast the group of coeliac patients had normal ileal glucose and water absorption and increased ileal sodium (P greater than 0.01) and chloride (P greater than 0.05) absorption compared with the controls. Evidence for ileal adaptation was found in three individual patients who had absorptive values outside 2SD of the normal mean. The results indicate that the distal small intestine in coeliac disease has the ability to adopt to the damage and loss of absorptive capacity in the proximal small intestine.

Functional differentiation of human jejunum and ileum: a comparison of the handling of glucose, peptides, and amino acids.

The characteristics of glucose, glycine, L-alanine, and glycyl-L-alanine absorption from the jejunum and ileum have been compared in normal human subjects. A perfusion technique has been used, and correct positioning of the perfusion tube has been confirmed by measuring the differential jejunal and ileal handling of bicarbonate. Glucose and glycine were absorbed faster from the jejunum than from the ileum of all subjects studied, and L-alanine was absorbed faster from the jejunum than from the ileum in five out of six subjects studied. In contrast, the dipeptide glycyl-L-alanine was absorbed at comparable rates from the jejunum and ileum. Higher concentrations of free amino acids were detected in the luminal contents aspirated during the ileal dipeptide perfusions.These results emphasize the importance of oligopeptide transport in the absorption of protein digestion products, especially in the human ileum, and the practical implications of these findings are discussed.