Apolipoprotein status and cognitive functioning in adulthood: role of physical health and social network characteristics

This study examined the relationships among cognitive function, physical health, social network characteristics, and apolipoprotein (APOE) genotype in participants from the Louisiana Healthy Aging Study. Prior literature has shown that the ε4 allele of APOE is associated with cognitive deficits (Wisdom, Callahan, & Hawkins, 2009). This study failed to find any relation between APOE genotype (ε4 carrier vs. non-carrier) and cognitive ability after controlling for age and education level. Tests for physical health mediation and social network moderation did not alter the ε4/cognition null results. This finding conflicts with prior research suggesting that physical activity and health modify the association between the ε4 allele and cognition (Deeny et al., 2008; Haan et al., 1999). Prevalence ratings of the ε4 allele significantly decreased with age, where the oldest-old had approximately 50% fewer ε4 carriers than the younger age groups. Results from the current study indicate that the ε4 allele is predictive of mortality rather than cognitive ability

Can smartphone wireless ECGs be used to accurately assess ECG intervals in pediatrics? A comparison of mobile health monitoring to standard 12-lead ECG

BACKGROUND:Arrhythmias in children are often paroxysmal, complicating the ability to capture the abnormal rhythm on routine ECG during an outpatient visit. The Alivecor Kardia Mobile (KM) device is a wireless mobile health (mHealth) device that generates a single lead ECG tracing with a FDA-approved algorithm for detection of atrial fibrillation in adults. OBJECTIVE:The goal of this study is to assess the accuracy of interval measurements on KM tracings by directly comparing to standard 12-lead ECGs in pediatric patients. METHODS:This single center, prospective study enrolled pediatric outpatients, age 20ms with 4/9 (44%) having a conduction disorder and 2/9 (22%) having marked sinus arrhythmia. Bland-Altman method of agreement demonstrated strong agreement for QRSd and QTc. The AF algorithm reported 4/30 (13%) false positive "possible AF" diagnoses (rhythm over-read on KM demonstrated n = 3 marked sinus arrhythmia, n = 1 sinus rhythm with aberrated PACs) resulting in a specificity of 87%. CONCLUSION:The Alivecor Kardia device produces accurate single lead ECG tracings in both healthy children and children with cardiac disease or rhythm abnormalities across the pediatric spectrum. This mHealth application provides an accurate, non-invasive, real-time approach for ambulatory ECG monitoring in children and adolescents

Force‐sensing catheters during pediatric radiofrequency ablation: The FEDERATION Study

Background Based on data from studies of atrial fibrillation ablations, optimal parameters for the TactiCath (TC; St. Jude Medical, Inc) force‐sensing ablation catheter are a contact force of 20 g and a force‐time integral of 400 g·s for the creation of transmural lesions. We aimed to evaluate TC in pediatric and congenital heart disease patients undergoing ablation. Methods and Results Comprehensive chart and case reviews were performed from June 2015 to March 2016. Of the 102 patients undergoing electrophysiology study plus ablation, 58 (57%) underwent ablation initially with a force‐sensing catheter. Patients had an average age of 14 (2.4–23) years and weight of 58 (18–195) kg with 15 patients having abnormal cardiac anatomy. Electrophysiology diagnoses for the + TC group included 30 accessory pathway–mediated tachycardia, 24 atrioventricular nodal reentrant tachycardia, and 7 other. Baseline generator settings included a power of 20 W, temperature of 40°, and 6 cc/min flow during lesion creation with 11 patients (19%) having alterations to parameters. Seventeen patients (30%) converted to an alternate ablation source. A total of 516 lesions were performed using the TC with a median contact force of 6 g, force‐time integral of 149 g·s, and lesion size index of 3.3. Median‐term follow‐up demonstrated 5 (10%) recurrences with no acute or median‐term complications. Conclusions TactiCath can be effectively employed in the treatment of pediatric patients with congenital heart disease with lower forces than previously described in the atrial fibrillation literature. Patients with atrioventricular nodal reentrant tachycardia or atrioventricular reciprocating tachycardia may not require transmural lesions and the TC may provide surrogate markers for success during slow pathway ablation. </jats:sec

The effect of teaching materials on the development of vocabulary in students from 5th grade at “El Faro” during the first semester of 2013

This thesis research has its main focus in the field of education, related of course, with the teaching of English language. Since the teaching process has an incredible amount of educational materials that support and strengthen the development of students´ skills, we wanted to emphasize those materials that facilitate the learning of vocabulary. Specifically, the present research addresses the use of teaching materials, designed to develop the vocabulary of elementary students, and it is mentioned of course, many authors and theories. Although, many teachers make use of all possible tools to achieve their educational goals, many others leave out not only the media, but also obviate its importance. Through this thesis are exposed not only different teaching materials, but also strategies and activities linked to teaching vocabulary, which can help language teachers to build a clearer perspective on how to use the resources around them to achieve in students meaningful and creative learning. When it comes to vocabulary, people think about an extensive set of individual words, which is not far from reality. However, it involves much more than that. Regarding vocabulary, we can also include idioms, expressions, chunks or lexical phrases. In addition, students are able to communicate successfully with others when they have enough words to express themselves. Otherwise, possessing an extensive vocabulary or learning a limited one, but in the most significant way, makes a difference in the cognitive process of a student. As language skills are gaining more and more strength within the set of knowledge,vocabulary acquisition-learning is vital in the learning process as well. Understand, manage and acquire vocabulary, might be crucial, even above another sub skill or ability, and it could represent the key to the understanding of children and what allow them to understand what they hear and read in school. Therefore, vocabulary can build scholastic success. In order to support this thought many ideas and author´s theories are exposed in this research, which pursues to analyze the effect of the materials mentioned before, in teaching vocabulary in the English languag

Adaptation to Cesarean Birth: Implementation of an International Multisite Study

The purpose of this column is to describe the implementation of an international multisite Roy adaptation model-based study of women’s perceptions of and responses to cesarean birth. The need for the study arose from the concern that women’s childbearing needs may not be met to their full satisfaction, especially if the infant is born by cesarean. Serendipity and networking played a part in the selection of four study sites in the United States (Boston, Milwaukee, Norfolk, Oklahoma City) and two in other countries (Finland, Australia). Data were collected by nursing students and staff nurses. Post-hoc consideration of the diversity of study sites revealed opportunities for examination of the influence of the contextual stimuli of culture and geographic region on the women’s adaptation to cesarean birth. Strategies used to foster integration of teaching, practice, and research are discussed