Ageing and colony-forming efficiency of human hair follicle keratinocytes.

The decline of tissue regenerative potential of skin and hair is a hallmark of physiological ageing and may be associated with age-related changes in tissue-specific stem cells and/or their environment. Human hair follicles (hHF) contain keratinocytes having the property of stem cells such as clonogenic potential. Growth capacity of hHF keratinocytes shows that most of the colony-forming cells are classified as holoclones, meroclones or paraclones when analysed in a clonal assay (Cell, Volume 76, page 1063). Despite the well-known impact of ageing on human hair growth, little is known about changes in hHF keratinocyte clonogenic potential with age. This study aimed at assessing the clone-forming efficiency (CFE) of hHF keratinocytes from three age groups of human donors. It demonstrates that ageing affects hHF keratinocyte CFE.

Factors linked to outcomes in sexually abused girls: a regression tree analysis.

Children who report sexual abuse (SA) have been found to display a range of internalizing and externalizing behavior problems. In the present study, a tree-based analysis was used to derive models predicting the variability of internalizing and externalizing behavior problems as well as dissociation symptoms in SA girls. Participants were 150 girls aged 4 to 12 years referred to a specialized pediatric clinic after disclosure of SA. The potential predictors taken into account included sociodemographic and abuse-related variables as well as maternal and family characteristics. The models obtained point to prior abuse as a salient variable in predicting outcomes of SA girls. Implications for the treatment for children disclosing SA are discussed.

A typological analysis of behavioral profiles of sexually abused children.

A cluster analysis is used to explore differential outcomes in 123 French Canadian children reporting sexual abuse contrasted with 123 control children. Mothers' reports of behavioral problems on the Child Behavior Checklist, abuse-related variables, personal factors, and family characteristics are used as potential variables discriminating clusters. Results reveal four clusters: (a) anxiety constellation group refers to children displaying behavior problems on a subset of scales, (b) the severe distress group refers to children showing a broader array of behavior problems, (c) victims of less severe sexual abuse (SA) group consists of children disclosing mostly extrafamilial SA, and (d) resilient children refers to children who, while disclosing severe abuse, rely less on avoidance coping. Findings underscore the need to go beyond abuse-related variables to orient treatment for children disclosing sexual abuse and for tailoring interventions to distinct subgroups.

An assessment of outcomes following parents' participation in a child abuse prevention program.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the outcomes following participation in the ESPACE parents' workshop. A group of 55 parents who participated in the program, implemented in elementary schools in the Quebec city region, was compared to a group of 217 parents who did not attend the prevention workshop. The results revealed that attending parents suggested more adequate interventions to the vignette depicting a hypothetical situation of sexual abuse compared to nonattending parents. Attending parents are found to be more likely to suggest interventions sustaining the child in her own problem-solving process, seek help from specialized agencies, and attempt to offer emotional support to the victim. Data also reveal that the parents workshop has a positive outcome on knowledge. While the workshop is associated with beneficial outcomes, attendance rates are low. The findings are discussed in the context of identifying means to foster parent involvement in the prevention of child abuse.