Vaccine Myths: Setting the Record Straight

Despite their standing as one of the most remarkable public health achievements, vaccines have been surrounded by dangerous myths since the development of the smallpox vaccine in the 18th century. In recent decades, with the publication of a fraudulent article linking vaccines to autism, the involvement of celebrities in the debate, and the rise of the internet and social media as sources for information for patients, these myths have become more widespread. This paper reviews four common vaccine myths: vaccines cause autism, vaccines are not safe, too many vaccines are given too soon, and the influenza vaccine is not necessary. For each of these myths, we review the origin and spread of misinformation. The authors then present the scientific evidence against each myth. Extensive research has found no link between vaccines, and particularly the MMR vaccine or the preservative thimerosal, and autism. The U.S. and world health agencies have effective mechanisms in place to review and monitor vaccine safety. These systems have worked to detect and evaluate even rare vaccine adverse events. The recommended vaccine schedule is safe for infants’ immune systems. The flu vaccine is an essential tool in the fight against the seasonal influenza deaths. A consequence of these myths is that parents are choosing to delay or refuse recommended vaccines for themselves and their children. This has resulted in outbreaks of measles, pertussis, H. influenza type b, varicella, and pneumococcal disease in the United States. Unvaccinated and undervaccinated children risk contracting the disease themselves, and pose a risk to their community as herd immunity decreases. It is important to explore and refute the myths leading to decreased vaccination rates, so health care providers and parents can make educated decisions to protect children and ensure public health

The American Girl Retail Experience

The American Girl brand is characterized by its ability to promote identity development in young girls through play and educational experiences. Due to the accessibility of smart-devices (e.g. mobile and web based technologies) and the frequency of their use, recent trends in toy designs have shown an increase in digital/technology features. Taking this into consideration, American Girl has continuously emphasized doll-centric products and experiences that also satisfy consumer’s digital interests. American Girl’s interactive digital resources include: the entire American Girl website which features a wide selection of Games, Apps, activities, e-cards, the InnerStar University (i.e., an interactive world for My American Girl Dolls and their owners that provides girls with games, advice and new friends) as well as information about how to plan a trip to your local retail store. Again, the inherent theme in each of these digital activities is the doll. American Girl uses doll-centric activities in retail stores to promote the “American Girl” experience. For this project we examined all aspects of the American Girl Retail Experience ranging from making reservations to planning parties, events, and excursions. Our approach to developing this proposal came from observations of the American Girl Place in Chicago, Illinois and the American Girl Store in Orlando, Florida. We also conducted a review of digital resources such as the American Girl website, 2013 Mattel Annual Report, press releases, videos, and Apps available in the iTunes store. The American Girl website provided us with information about all of the current in-store experiences (e.g. book reading, craft making, cookie decorating, hair styling and more) as well as the current list of products and respective pricing. These details strongly influenced the development of our design. Our proposal examined the user experience from the perspective of the performing arts. The proposal outlines the performing arts experience which suggests the need for a performance stage and describes the activities and events that go along with the stage

Effects of Various Texting Engagement Levels on Recall

Text messaging is a popular mode of communication for current college students, which is a concern due to its association with decreasing academic performance in a classroom environment. This study examined the effects of texting engagement level on learning. Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University students (n=74) were shown four, one-minute lecture videos and given a quiz after each video regarding the content, which tested recall accuracy. The participants were randomly assigned to three testing engagement conditions: No texting, Low Engagement texting, and High Engagement texting. By varying the type of responses to be generated and texted, we evaluated whether the higher engagement texting while watching educational videos would decrease participants’ recall relative to no texting and lower-engagement texting. Based on previous research, we hypothesized that the higher engagement texting while watching videos would decrease participants’ recall relative to no texting and lower-engagement texting. A significant effect was found between the No texting and Engagement texting conditions; however, the difference in recall between the low and high engagement conditions are not significant. Our results suggest that when people text while trying to pay attention to a secondary task in a classroom, learning is hindered. Further, learning is hindered by low as well as high engagement texting. Based on our study, future research on implications are warranted to better confirm and understand our findings

Longitudinal patterns of physical activity in children aged 8 to 12 years: the LOOK study

BACKGROUND Data on longitudinal monitoring of daily physical activity (PA) patterns in youth over successive years is scarce but may provide valuable information for intervention strategies aiming to promote PA. METHODS Participants were 853 children (starting age ~8 years) recruited from 29 Australian elementary schools. Pedometers were worn for a 7-day period each year over 5 consecutive years to assess PA volume (steps per day) and accelerometers were worn concurrently in the final 2 years to assess PA volume (accelerometer counts (AC) per day), moderate and vigorous PA (MVPA), light PA (LPA) and sedentary time (SED). A general linear mixed model was used to examine daily and yearly patterns. RESULTS A consistent daily pattern of pedometer step counts, AC, MVPA and LPA emerged during each year, characterised by increases on school days from Monday to Friday followed by a decrease on the weekend. Friday was the most active and Sunday the least active day. The percentage of girls and boys meeting international recommendations of 11,000 and 13,000 steps/day respectively on a Monday, Friday and Sunday were 36%, 50%, 21% for boys and 35%, 45%, 18% for girls. The equivalent percentages meeting the recommended MVPA of >60 min/day on these days were 29%, 39%, 16% for boys and 15%, 21%, 10% for girls. Over the 5 years, boys were more active than girls (mean steps/day of 10,506 vs 8,750; p<0.001) and spent more time in MVPA (mean of 42.8 vs 31.1 min/day; p<0.001). Although there was little evidence of any upward or downward trend in steps/day from age 8 to 12 years, there was a trend toward lower MVPA, LPA and a corresponding increase in SED from age 11 to 12 years. CONCLUSION A weekly pattern of PA occurred in children as young as age 8 on a day by day basis; these patterns persisting through to age 12. In addition to supporting previous evidence of insufficient PA in children, our data, in identifying the level and incidence of insufficiency on each day of the week, may assist in the development of more specific strategies to increase PA in community based children

Longitudinal patterns of physical activity in children aged 8 to 12 years: The LOOK study

BACKGROUND: Data on longitudinal monitoring of daily physical activity (PA) patterns in youth over successive years is scarce but may provide valuable information for intervention strategies aiming to promote PA. METHODS: Participants were 853 children (starting age ~8 years) recruited from 29 Australian elementary schools. Pedometers were worn for a 7-day period each year over 5 consecutive years to assess PA volume (steps per day) and accelerometers were worn concurrently in the final 2 years to assess PA volume (accelerometer counts (AC) per day), moderate and vigorous PA (MVPA), light PA (LPA) and sedentary time (SED). A general linear mixed model was used to examine daily and yearly patterns. RESULTS: A consistent daily pattern of pedometer step counts, AC, MVPA and LPA emerged during each year, characterised by increases on school days from Monday to Friday followed by a decrease on the weekend. Friday was the most active and Sunday the least active day. The percentage of girls and boys meeting international recommendations of 11,000 and 13,000 steps/day respectively on a Monday, Friday and Sunday were 36%, 50%, 21% for boys and 35%, 45%, 18% for girls. The equivalent percentages meeting the recommended MVPA of >60 min/day on these days were 29%, 39%, 16% for boys and 15%, 21%, 10% for girls. Over the 5 years, boys were more active than girls (mean steps/day of 10,506 vs 8,750; p<0.001) and spent more time in MVPA (mean of 42.8 vs 31.1 min/day; p<0.001). Although there was little evidence of any upward or downward trend in steps/day from age 8 to 12 years, there was a trend toward lower MVPA, LPA and a corresponding increase in SED from age 11 to 12 years. CONCLUSION: A weekly pattern of PA occurred in children as young as age 8 on a day by day basis; these patterns persisting through to age 12. In addition to supporting previous evidence of insufficient PA in children, our data, in identifying the level and incidence of insufficiency on each day of the week, may assist in the development of more specific strategies to increase PA in community based children

"Any lady can do this without much trouble ...": class and gender in The dining room (1878)

Macmillan's "Art at Home" series (1876–83) was a collection of domestic advice manuals. Mentioned in every study of the late-nineteenth-century domestic interior, they have often been interpreted, alongside contemporary publications such as Charles Eastlake's Hints on Household Taste (1868), as indicators of late 1870s home furnishing styles. Mrs Loftie's The Dining Room (1878) was the series' fifth book and it considers one of the home's principal (and traditionally masculine) domestic spaces. Recent research on middle-class cultural practices surrounding food has placed The Dining Room within the tradition of Mrs Beeton's Household Management (1861); however, it is not a cookery book and hardly mentions dinners. Drawing upon unpublished archival sources, this paper charts the production and reception of The Dining Room, aiming to unravel its relationships with other contemporary texts and to highlight the difficulties of using it as historical evidence. While it offers fascinating insights into contemporary taste, class and gender, this paper suggests that, as an example of domestic design advice literature, it reveals far more about the often expedient world of nineteenth-century publishing practices

Anticipated resource utilization for injury versus non-injury pediatric visits to emergency departments

Background Childhood injuries are increasingly treated in emergency departments (EDs) but the relationship between injury severity and ED resource utilization has not been evaluated. The objective of this study was to compare resource utilization for pediatric injury-related ED visits across injury-severity levels and with non-injury visits, using standardized, validated scales. Methods A retrospective analysis of 2004-2008 ED visits from the Pediatric Emergency Care Applied Research Network Core Data Project. Maximum Abbreviated Injury Scale severity (MAIS) and Severity Classification System (SCS) scores were calculated and compared. MAIS and SCS are ordinal scales from 1 (minor injury) to 6, and 1 (low anticipated resource utilization) to 5, respectively. ED length of stay (LOS) and admission percentages were calculated as comparative proxy measures of resource utilization. Results There were 763,733 injury visits and 2,328,916 non-injury visits, most with SCS of 2 or 3. Of the injured patients, 59.2 % had an MAIS of 1. ED LOS and admission percentage increased with increasing MAIS from 1-5. LOS and admission percentage increased with increasing SCS in both samples. Median LOS was shorter for injured versus non-injured patients with SCS 3-5. Non-injured patients with SCS 2-5 were more likely admitted than injured patients. Most injured patients had an SCS 3 with an MAIS 1-2, or an SCS 2 with an MAIS 1, with no correlation between the two scales. Conclusion While admission rates and LOS increase with increasing AIS and SCS severity, these two classification schemas do not reliably correlate. Similarly, ED visit metrics differ between injured and non-injured patients in similar SCS categories. Although AIS and SCS both have value, these differences should be considered when using these schemas in research and quality improvement

Examining Long‐Term Effects Of An Infant Mental Health Home‐Based Early Head Start Program On Family Strengths And Resilience

Infant Mental Health based interventions aim to promote the healthy development of infants and toddlers through promoting healthy family functioning to foster supportive relationships between the young child and his or her important caregivers. This study examined impacts of an Infant Mental Health home‐based Early Head Start (IMH‐HB EHS) program on family functioning. The sample includes 152 low‐income families in the Midwestern United States, expectant or parenting a child younger than 1 year of age, who were randomly assigned to receive IMH‐HB EHS services (n = 75) or to a comparison condition (n = 77). Mothers who received IMH‐HB EHS services reported healthier psychological and family functioning, outcomes that are consistent with the IMH focus, when their children were between the ages of 3 and 7 years of age. Specifically, mothers in the IMH‐HB EHS group reported healthier family functioning and relationships, better coping skills needed to advocate for their families, and less stress in the parenting role versus those in the comparison condition. The study also examined support seeking coping, some of which changed differently over time based on program group assignment. Overall, findings suggest that the gains families achieve from participating in IMH‐HB EHS services are maintained after services cease.RESUMENLa meta de las intervenciones con base en la salud mental infantil es promover el desarrollo sano de infantes y bebés por medio de promover un funcionamiento familiar sano para adoptar relaciones de apoyo entre el pequeño niño y sus importantes cuidadores. Este estudio examinó el impacto que sobre el funcionamiento familiar tiene un programa “Early Head Start” de salud mental infantil con base en casa (IMH‐HB EHS). El grupo muestra lo componen 152 familias de bajos recursos del Medio Oeste de Estados Unidos, en espera de o ya criando a un niño menor de un año de edad, que fueron asignadas al azar para recibir los servicios de IMH‐HB EHS (n=75) o a una condición comparativa (n=77). Las madres que recibieron los servicios de IMH‐HB EHS reportaron un funcionamiento sicológico y familiar más saludable, resultados que son consistentes con el enfoque de IMH, cuando sus niños tenían entre 3 y 7 años de edad. Específicamente, las madres en el grupo IMH‐HB EHS reportaron un funcionamiento y relaciones familiares más saludables, mejores habilidades para arreglárselas que eran necesarias para abogar por sus familias, así como menos estrés en el papel de crianza al ser comparadas con aquellas madres en la condición comparativa. El estudio también examinó la manera de arreglárselas buscando apoyo, algunas de las cuales cambiaron diferentemente a través del tiempo con base en las asignaciones de grupo del programa. En general, los resultados sugieren que los aspectos positivos que las familias alcanzan como resultado de participar en los servicios de IMH‐HB EHS se mantienen después que los servicios terminan.RÉSUMÉLes interventions fondées sur la santé mentale ont pour but de promouvoir le développement sain des nourrissons et des jeunes enfants en promouvant le fonctionnement saind'une famille afin de favoriser des relations de soutien entre le jeune enfant et ceux qui s'occupent d'elle ou de lui. Cette étude a examiné les impacts d'un programme américain de Early Head Start focalisé sur la santé mentale du nourrisson (abrégé IMH‐HB EHS) sur le fonctionnement de la famille. L’échantillon a compris 152 familles de milieu défavorisé de la région centre des Etats‐Unis, attendant un enfant ou s'occupant d'un enfant de moins d'un an, a qui on a assigné au hasard les services IMH‐HB EHS (n=75) ou une condition de comparaison (n=77). Les mères ayant reçu les services IMH‐HB EHS ont fait état d'un meilleur fonctionnement psychologique et familial, des résultats qui correspondent à l'objectif de santé mentale du nourrisson, lorsque leurs enfants avaient entre 3 et 7 ans. Plus spécifiquement, les mères du groupe IMH‐HB EHS ont fait état d'un meilleur fonctionnement familial et de meilleurs relations familiales, de meilleures capacités à s'adapter nécessaires afin de se porter les avocates de leurs familles, et de moins de stress de parentage comparé à celles du groupe de comparaison. L’étude a aussi examiné l'adaptation liée à la quête de soutien, qui a en partie changé différemment au fil du temps, en fonction du groupe de placement. Au bout du compte les résultats suggèrent que les gains obtenus par les familles comme résultat de la participation aux services du IMH‐HB EHS se maintiennent après que les services cessent.ZUSAMMENFASSUNGInterventionen, die auf der mentalen Gesundheit von Säuglingen basieren, zielen darauf ab, die gesunde Entwicklung von Säuglingen und Kleinkindern zu verbessern, indem ein gesundes familiäres Funktionieren gefördert wird, um unterstützende Beziehungen zwischen dem Kleinkind und ihren/seinen wichtigsten Bezugspersonen zu begünstigen. Diese Studie untersuchte die Effekte eines Early Head Start‐Hausbesuchs‐Programms (IMH‐HB EHS) auf das familiäre Funktionieren. Die Stichprobe umfasst 152 Familien mit niedrigem Einkommen aus dem Mittleren Westen der USA. Es handelt sich bei der Stichprobe um werdende Eltern oder Eltern mit einem Kind unter einem Jahr, die randomisiert einer Dienstleistung zugewiesen wurden: zum IMH‐HB EHS‐Programm (n = 75) oder zu einer Vergleichsbedingung (n = 77). Mütter, die das IMH‐HB EHS‐Programm erhielten, berichteten von gesünderem psychologischem und familiärem Funktionieren, wenn ihre Kinder im Alter zwischen 3 und 7 Jahren waren. Dies sind Ergebnisse, die mit dem IMH Fokus übereinstimmen. Im Speziellen berichteten Mütter, die in der IMH‐HB EHS‐Gruppe waren, von gesünderem familiären Funktionieren und familiären Beziehungen, besseren Bewältigungsstrategien, um für ihre Familien einzustehen und von weniger Stress in der Elternrolle verglichen mit den Müttern der Vergleichsbedingung. Die Studie untersuchte auch unterstützungssuchende Bewältigungsstrategien, von denen sich einige basierend auf der Gruppenzugehörigkeit im Laufe der Zeit in unterschiedlicher Weise veränderten. Insgesamt deuten die Ergebnisse darauf hin, dass die Gewinne, die die Familien infolge der Teilnahme am IMH‐HB EHS‐Programm erzielten, nach Ende des Programms aufrechterhalten werden.抄録乳幼児精神保健に基づく介入は、幼い子どもとその重要な養育者との間の支持的な関係性を育てるという健康な家族機能の促進を通して、乳幼児の健康な発達を促進することを目的としている。この研究は、乳幼児精神保健在宅早期ヘッドスタートInfant Mental Health home‐based Early Head Start (IMH‐HB EHS)プログラムが、家族機能に与える影響を調査した。対象はアメリカ合衆国中西部の妊娠中か1歳以下の子どもを育てている152の低所得家族で、IMH‐HB EHSサービスを受ける(n=75)か、比較の条件か(n=77)に、ランダムに割り当てられた。IMH‐HB EHSサービスを受けた母親は、子どもが3歳から7歳の間に、より健康的な心理機能および家族機能を報告した。これはIMHの焦点と一致している結果だった。特に、IMH‐HB EHS群の母親は、比較条件の母親と比べ、より健康な家族機能と関係性、家族を擁護するのに必要なよりよい対処機能、そして親役割にストレスが少ないことを報告した。研究はまた、支援を求める対処についても調査した。その一部はプログラム群への割り当てに基づいて時間経過により異なって変化していた。全体として、IMH‐HB EHSサービスに参加した結果として家族が達成し獲得したものは、サービスが終了した後も、維持されている。摘要以幼兒心理健康為基礎的介入旨在通過健康的家庭運作去培養小童與其重要看護者間的支持性關係, 以此促進幼兒和學步兒的健康發展。本文探討一個幼兒心理健康家訪早期搶步計畫 (IMH‐HB‐EHS) 對家庭運作的影響。樣本包括一百五十二個在美國中西部低入息的家庭。這些家庭正待產或在養育一個少於一歲的小孩。參與家庭被隨機分派到接受IMH‐HB‐EHS服務 (n=75) 或一個比較環境 (n=77)。有接受IMH‐HB‐EHS服務的母親報告在孩兒三至七歲間有較健康的心理和家庭運作, 這結果與IMH的焦點相附合。具體來說, 在IMH‐HB‐EHS組的母親較在比較環境組的母親報告有健康些的家庭運作和關係, 有好些的因應技巧為家庭作鼓吹, 及在親職角色中有少些壓力。本文亦探討尋求支持的因應, 發現這會根據組別分派而有不同的隨時間改變。總體而言, 探討結果顯示家庭從參與IMH‐HB‐EHS服務所得的收益在服務停止後仍會維持。Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/112230/1/imhj21518.pd

Detection and molecular characterisation of Cryptosporidium parvum in British European hedgehogs (Erinaceus europaeus)

Surveillance was conducted for the occurrence of protozoan parasites of the genus Cryptosporidium in European hedgehogs (Erinaceus europaeus) in Great Britain. In total, 108 voided faecal samples were collected from hedgehogs newly admitted to eight wildlife casualty treatment and rehabilitation centres. Terminal large intestinal (LI) contents from three hedgehog carcasses were also analysed. Information on host and location variables, including faecal appearance, body weight, and apparent health status, was compiled. Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) targeting the 18S ribosomal RNA gene, confirmed by sequencing, revealed an 8% (9/111) occurrence of Cryptosporidium parvum in faeces or LI contents, with no significant association between the host or location variables and infection. Archived small intestinal (SI) tissue from a hedgehog with histological evidence of cryptosporidiosis was also positive for C. parvum by PCR and sequence analysis of the 18S rRNA gene. No other Cryptosporidium species were detected. PCR and sequencing of the glycoprotein 60 gene identified three known zoonotic C. parvum subtypes not previously found in hedgehogs: IIdA17G1 (n=4), IIdA19G1 (n=1) and IIdA24G1 (n=1). These subtypes are also known to infect livestock. Another faecal sample contained C. parvum IIcA5G3j which has been found previously in hedgehogs, and for which there is one published report in a human, but is not known to affect livestock. The presence of zoonotic subtypes of C. parvum in British hedgehogs highlights a potential public health concern. Further research is needed to better understand the epidemiology and potential impacts of Cryptosporidium infection in hedgehogs

Pain sensitivity differs between dog breeds but not in the way veterinarians believe

BackgroundVeterinarians hold distinct breed-specific pain sensitivity beliefs that differ from the general public but are highly consistent with one another. This is remarkable as there is no current scientific evidence for biological differences in pain sensitivity across dog breeds. Therefore, the present study evaluated whether pain sensitivity thresholds differ across a set of dog breeds and, if so, whether veterinarians’ pain sensitivity ratings explain these differences or whether these ratings are attributed to behavioral characteristics.MethodsPain sensitivity thresholds [using quantitative sensory testing (QST) methods] and canine behaviors (using owner questionnaires and emotional reactivity tests) were prospectively measured across selected dog breeds. Adult, healthy dogs from 10 dog breeds/breed types were recruited, representing breeds subjectively rated by veterinarians as high (chihuahua, German shepherd, Maltese, Siberian husky), average (border collie, Boston terrier, Jack Russell terrier), or low (golden retriever, pitbull, Labrador retriever) pain sensitivity. A final sample of 149 dogs was included in statistical analyses.ResultsVeterinarians’ pain sensitivity ratings provided a minimal explanation for pain sensitivity thresholds measured using QST in dogs; however, dog breeds did differ in their pain sensitivity thresholds across the QST methods evaluated. Breed differences were observed for some aspects of emotional reactivity tests; however, these behavioral differences did not explain the differences in pain sensitivity thresholds found. Veterinarians’ pain sensitivity ratings were positively associated with dog approach scores for the disgruntled stranger test suggesting that the way dogs greet strangers may be a factor influencing veterinarians’ ratings of pain sensitivity across dog breeds.Conclusions and clinical relevanceOverall, these findings highlight a need to investigate biological mechanisms that may explain breed differences in pain sensitivity because this may inform pain management recommendations. Further, future research should focus on when and how these breed-specific pain sensitivity beliefs developed in veterinarians, as veterinarians’ beliefs could impact the recognition and treatment of pain for canine patients