Jan
26
2008
Socioeconomic position, maternal IQ, home environment, and cognitive development.
J Pediatr. 2007 Sep;151(3):284-8, 288.e1
Authors: Tong S, Baghurst P, Vimpani G, McMichael A
OBJECTIVE: To assess whether socioeconomic position, maternal intelligence (IQ), and the home environment are inter-related to cognitive development in childhood. STUDY DESIGN: Prospective cohort study (n = 723) with cognitive tests at ages 2, 4, 7, and 11 to 13 years. RESULTS: There were statistically significant positive associations of father’s occupational prestige, Home Observation for Measurement of Environment (HOME) score, and maternal IQ with cognitive performance in childhood. After adjustment for confounding factors, there was an increase in cognitive development by 0.8 to 2.0, 2.9 to 4.8, and 4.2 to 9.0 points for a 10-unit increment in father’s occupational prestige, maternal IQ, and HOME score, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: These results demonstrate that socioeconomic position, maternal IQ, and the home environment are independently and positively predictive of children’s cognitive development. These findings provide additional rationale for implementing social policies that reduce socioeconomic inequalities.
PMID: 17719939 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
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Jan
25
2008
Mobile healthcare in the home environment.
Conf Proc IEEE Eng Med Biol Soc. 2006;1:6446-8
Authors: Price S, Summers R
Mobile healthcare provision in the home environment presents many challenges. Patients are becoming more informed about the management of chronic conditions and the use of technology to support the process is rising. Issues such as system interoperability, cost, security and training all have to be addressed to ensure effective use of mobile devices within the home healthcare arena. An aging population will impact upon traditional healthcare delivery methods.
PMID: 17947192 [PubMed - in process]
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Jan
21
2008
Total oxidant scavenging capacities of Euterpe oleracea Mart. (Açaí) fruits.
Int J Food Sci Nutr. 2005 Feb;56(1):53-64
Authors: Lichtenthäler R, Rodrigues RB, Maia JG, Papagiannopoulos M, Fabricius H, Marx F
The antioxidant capacities of 11 commercial and non-commercial samples of Euterpe oleracea Mart. (açaí) fruit pulp were studied with the total oxidant scavenging capacity assay in a modified and automated version against three reactive oxygen species. The antioxidant capacities of all purple açaí samples were found to be excellent against peroxyl radicals, good against peroxynitrite and poor against hydroxyl radicals compared with common European fruit and vegetable juices recently analysed. In all cases the correlation between sample concentration and antioxidant capacities was non-linear. The antioxidant capacities against all three reactive oxygen species of the fruit pulp from one white açaí variety were very low. The phenolic compounds in purple açaí fruit pulp were identified by high-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry, and the two major anthocyanins, cyanidin-3-glucoside and cyanidin-3-rutinoside, were quantified by high-performance liquid chromatography-visible spectrometry. The contributions of the anthocyanins to the overall antioxidant capacities of the fruit were estimated to be only approximately 10%. Obviously, compounds not yet identified are responsible for the major part of the antioxidant capacities of the açaí fruit pulp.
PMID: 16019315 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
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Jan
21
2008
Pseudomonas aeruginosa in the Home Environment of Newly Infected Cystic Fibrosis Patients.
Eur Respir J. 2007 Dec 19;
Authors: Schelstraete P, Van Daele S, De Boeck K, Proesmans M, Lebecque P, Leclercq-Foucart J, Malfroot A, Vaneechoutte M, De Baets F
The source of acquisition of Pseudomonas aeruginosa in cystic fibrosis (CF) patients remains unknown. Patient-to-patient-transmission has been well documented, but the role of the environment as a source of initial infection is as yet unclear. Here we studied the origin of the first P. aeruginosa isolate in CF patients by comparing the P. aeruginosa genotype(s) from newly infected patients with genotypes of P. aeruginosa isolates from the home environment and from other patients from the same CF centre.Fifty newly infected patients were studied. P. aeruginosa could be cultured from 5.9% of the environmental samples, corresponding to 18 patients. For 9 of these the genotype of the environmental P. aeruginosa isolate was identical to the patient’s isolate. In total, 72% of the environmental P. aeruginosa isolates were encountered in the bathroom. Patient-to-patient transmission within the CF centre could not be ruled out for 3 patients.In summary, we found a low prevalence of P. aeruginosa in the home environment of the newly infected CF patients. The bathroom should be targeted in any preventive cleaning procedures. An environmental source of the new infection could not be ruled out in 9 patients.
PMID: 18094014 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
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