Chronic Illness in Children and Adolescents: Research on the Impact on Their Siblings

poster abstractChronic illness affects over 7 million children and adolescents (i.e., children) in the United States with significant stress to their family members. Although a great deal of research has described the impact of chronic illness on family members, these studies focused on mothers. Siblings of children with chronic illness have received less attention. Before interventions can be developed to address the stress on siblings, we must first understand their experiences and needs related to living with children with chronic illness. The purpose of this project is to evaluate current research on the impact of children’s chronic illness on their siblings. We conducted a search of the literature using: Key words, siblings and children combined with chronic illness, physical illness, developmental disorder, or mental disorder to search articles in PsychINFO, CINAHL, and Web of Science databases. We did not limit searches by date but excluded dissertations and non-English language publications. We analyzed the total number of articles, purpose, and findings regarding impact of chronic illness on siblings. Results of the search yielded 431 on chronic illness. Of these 152, 119, and 44 articles were on physical illness, developmental disorder, and mental disorder respectively. Analyses led to inclusion of 97 articles on chronic illness, 53 articles on physical illness, 15 articles on developmental disorders, and four articles on mental disorder. Impact on siblings is mostly negative and includes emotional problems such as envy, fear, anxiety, anger, resentment, loneliness, and sadness; behaviors problems such as physical aggression, poor school performance and peer relationships. These factors as well as poor communication and knowledge deficits about the illness impact the siblings’ adjustment to chronic illness in children. Further, mental disorders are underrepresented in the literature on chronic illness and the impact on siblings. Research is needed to understand how children’s mental disorders impact their siblings

Impact of Disruptive Behavior Disorder on Siblings Living with Affected Adolescents

poster abstractDisruptive behavior disorder (DBD) is a mental disorder that includes Oppositional Defiant Disorder and Conduct Disorder. DBD affects 10% of adolescents in the United States with significant stress on the entire family. Research has described the impact of chronic illness on family members but have focused mostly on primary caregivers or mothers. Even fewer studies considered DBD and how it impacts siblings. Before interventions can be developed to address the impact on siblings, we must first understand the experiences they have as a result of living with an adolescent with DBD. The aim of this report was to describe the impact on siblings who live with adolescents with DBD. The report is part of a larger qualitative descriptive study about experiences and needs of family member of adolescents with DBD. The samples for this report were 16 siblings who were 9 to 23 years, 75% male, and 75% Black. We interview siblings in their homes; audio recorded and transcribed all data. Three researchers conducted content analysis of their narratives. We grouped the data into four topics: positive impact, negative impact, interventions and/or coping mechanisms used to address impact, and what the siblings need for support. Siblings said (1) stress, blanket punishment, planned or desired activity disruption, and physical attack as negative impact; avoidance, utilization of anger management techniques, and reacting with violence as coping mechanisms; (3) the adolescents need more treatment, the family members need better communication, financial assistance, and more time together. Siblings did not describe any positive impact of DBD. Our findings reinforce the negative impact on siblings of adolescents with DBD; adds to the literature by its inclusion of a large African American sample; and supports nurses’ role in assessing the impact of DBD on siblings of the affected adolescents

Australian SMEs: Waste sent to landfill

Landfill waste has a negative impact on the environment and Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) are believed to be significant contributors. There is little government or scholarly research, however, quantifying the collective volume of waste SMEs send to landfill. The limited studies instead measure total volumes (landfill and recycling combined) and/or do not distinguish between specific waste streams (e.g. wood) and subcategories (e.g. dust). This paper contributes to knowledge by reconceptualising SME waste into subcategories and by measuring landfill volumes. It presents findings from 404 Australian SMEs which found that, in descending order, cardboard, paper, plastic wrap, wood dust and particleboard were the subcategories these SMEs sent to landfill in the greatest volumes. It also argues that this reconceptualisation and associated data collection protocols have the potential to enable scholars and policymakers to determine the waste subcategories to which SMEs contribute most, formulate targeted interventions and research/evaluate environmental outcomes

Grade 1 spondylolisthesis and interspinous device placement: removal in six patients and analysis of current data

This is the published version. Information that is created by or for the US government on this site is within the public domain. Public domain information on the National Library of Medicine (NLM) Web pages may be freely distributed and copied. However, it is requested that in any subsequent use of this work, NLM be given appropriate acknowledgment.In the treatment of patients with Grade 1 spondylolisthesis, the use of interspinous devices has been controversial for nearly a decade. Several authors have suggested that Grade 1 spondylolisthesis be considered a contraindication for interspinous device placement. Methods: We removed interspinous devices in six symptomatic Grade 1 spondylolisthesis patients and analyzed pertinent literature. Results: All six patients reported an improvement in symptoms following device removal and subsequent instrumented fusion. One patient who had not been able to walk due to pain regained the ability to walk. Several articles were identified related to spondylolisthesis and interspinous devices. Conclusions: Regarding patients receiving interspinous devices for symptomatic lumbar spinal stenosis, several high-quality studies have failed to demonstrate a statistical difference in outcomes between patients with or without Grade 1 spondylolisthesis. Nevertheless, surgeons should have a high degree of suspicion when considering use of interspinous devices in this patient population

Neuroanatomical Tracing of the Gut -- Brain Axis

This poster summarizes a variety of methods to further characterize the gut-brain axis by tracing motor and sensory nerves between the gut and brain and identifying cell bodies in the sensory ganglia. Determines the meth method to trace the sensory and motor nerves was through fluorescence and the best method to identify sensory neuron cell bodies was the Nissi stain

Transcriptomes of parents identify parenting strategies and sexual conflict in a subsocial beetle

This work was funded by UK NERC grants to M.G.R. and A.J.M. an NERC studentship to D.J.P. the University of Georgia and a US NSF grant to A.J.M. and M.G.R.Parenting in the burying beetle Nicrophorus vespilloides is complex and, unusually, the sex and number of parents that can be present is flexible. Such flexibility is expected to involve specialized behaviour by the two sexes under biparental conditions. Here, we show that offspring fare equally well regardless of the sex or number of parents present. Comparing transcriptomes, we find a largely overlapping set of differentially expressed genes in both uniparental and biparental females and in uniparental males including vitellogenin, associated with reproduction, and takeout, influencing sex-specific mating and feeding behaviour. Gene expression in biparental males is similar to that in non-caring states. Thus, being ‘biparental’ in N. vespilloides describes the family social organization rather than the number of directly parenting individuals. There was no specialization; instead, in biparental families, direct male parental care appears to be limited with female behaviour unchanged. This should lead to strong sexual conflict.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe

Genetic strategies for improving crop yields.

The current trajectory for crop yields is insufficient to nourish the world's population by 20501. Greater and more consistent crop production must be achieved against a backdrop of climatic stress that limits yields, owing to shifts in pests and pathogens, precipitation, heat-waves and other weather extremes. Here we consider the potential of plant sciences to address post-Green Revolution challenges in agriculture and explore emerging strategies for enhancing sustainable crop production and resilience in a changing climate. Accelerated crop improvement must leverage naturally evolved traits and transformative engineering driven by mechanistic understanding, to yield the resilient production systems that are needed to ensure future harvests

Inversion of accommodation zones in salt-bearing extensional systems: insights from analog modeling

This work uses sandbox analog models to analyze the formation and subsequent inversion of a decoupled extensional system comprised of two segmented half-grabens separated by a diffuse accommodation zone with thick early syn-rift salt. The segmented half-grabens strike perpendicular to the direction of extension and subsequent shortening. Rifting first created a basement topography that was infilled by model salt, followed by a second phase of extension and sedimentation, followed afterwards by inversion. During the second phase of extension, syn-rift syncline minibasins developed above the basement extensional system and extended beyond the confines of the fault blocks. Sedimentary downbuilding and extension initiated the migration of model salt to the basement highs, forming salt anticlines, reactive diapirs, and salt walls perpendicular to the direction of extension, except for along the intervening accommodation zone where a slightly oblique salt anticline developed. Inversion resulted in decoupled cover and basement thrust systems. Thrusts in the cover system nucleated along squeezed salt structures and along primary welds. New primary welds developed where the cover sequence touched down on basement thrust tips due to uplift, salt extrusion, and syn-contractional downbuilding caused by the loading of syn-contractional sedimentation. Model geometries reveal the control imposed by the basement configuration and distribution of salt in the development of a thrust front from the inversion of a salt-bearing extensional system. In 3D, the interaction of salt migrating from adjacent syn-rift basins can modify the expected salt structure geometry, which may in turn influence the location and style of thrust in the cover sequence upon inversion. Results are compared to the Northern Lusitanian Basin, offshore Portugal, and the Isábena area of the South-Central Pyrenees, Spain