Characteristics associated with maltreatment types in children referred to a hospital protection team

Objective: The aim of this paper is to describe characteristics associated with maltreatment types in children referred to the child protection team at the University Children's Hospital Zürich. Since 2003, the child protection team has registered data on each case in a standardized form. Methods: To examine differences in gender, age, nationality, and socioeconomic status by type of maltreatment, regression analyses were conducted for the 1,484 cases that were referred from 2003 to 2006. Results: The most common types of referred maltreatment were sexual (38%) and physical maltreatment (31%) with mean ages of 8.4 and 7years, respectively. Compared to physical maltreatment, where gender distribution was equal, there was a higher risk for girls to become victims of sexual maltreatment. Younger children were at higher risk for neglect (mean age 5years). Low socioeconomic status increased the risk for physical as compared to sexual maltreatment. However, whether the child was of Swiss or of foreign nationality was not associated with an increased risk for any type of maltreatment when controlling for socioeconomic status. Conclusion: As this study is one of a few to analyze characteristics in child maltreatment referred to a hospital child protection team, further research is needed. To improve international comparability, thorough documentation of the cases is encourage

The effect of acid-base clustering and ions on the growth of atmospheric nano-particles

The growth of freshly formed aerosol particles can be the bottleneck in their survival to cloud condensation nuclei. It is therefore crucial to understand how particles grow in the atmosphere. Insufficient experimental data has impeded a profound understanding of nano-particle growth under atmospheric conditions. Here we study nano-particle growth in the CLOUD (Cosmics Leaving OUtdoors Droplets) chamber, starting from the formation of molecular clusters. We present measured growth rates at sub-3 nm sizes with different atmospherically relevant concentrations of sulphuric acid, water, ammonia and dimethylamine. We find that atmospheric ions and small acid-base clusters, which are not generally accounted for in the measurement of sulphuric acid vapour, can participate in the growth process, leading to enhanced growth rates. The availability of compounds capable of stabilizing sulphuric acid clusters governs the magnitude of these effects and thus the exact growth mechanism. We bring these observations into a coherent framework and discuss their significance in the atmosphere.Peer reviewe

Quality of life in maltreated children and adult survivors of child maltreatment: a systematic review

PURPOSE To review data on health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in individuals with childhood trauma, including psychological maltreatment, physical maltreatment, sexual abuse, and neglect. METHODS The literature search was conducted with pre-defined keywords using the following electronic bibliographic databases: EMBASE, PubMed, MEDLINE, CINAHL, PsyINFO, PSYNDEX, and Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. Further databases were searched for relevant dissertations. Study selection and data extraction were completed by two independent reviewers. RESULTS The literature search yielded 1568 entries. Nineteen articles met all inclusion criteria and were retained for further analysis. Findings quite consistently showed significant negative associations between child maltreatment and both self- and proxy-rated HRQoL. Effect sizes range from small to large. Number of types of maltreatment and HRQoL were found to be negatively related. CONCLUSION Data on HRQoL for maltreated children are still rare. Studies often investigate adult survivors of child maltreatment. Considering HRQoL in children and adolescents who suffered maltreatment would allow the planning of effective interventions and the evaluation of treatments to improve HRQoL of these children

sIL2R ratio as early marker for response in hairy cell leukemia and the prognostic relevance of IL28B genotype to interferon-α therapy

Interferon-α (IFNα) was the first effective drug therapy for hairy cell leukemia (HCL). Nowadays, it is used as an alternative treatment in selected patients. Due to unlimited treatment time, monitoring and early prediction of response are important. Moreover, IFNα is used in the therapy of chronic hepatitis C, where a single nucleotide polymorphism of interleukin-28B gene (IL28B) correlates with therapy response. The role of this polymorphism in therapy response of IFNα-treated patients with HCL is unknown. Thirty-seven HCL patients treated between 1978 and 2014 were included in this study. Treatment strategy and response parameters (blood cell counts, soluble interleukin-2 receptor (sIL2R), and bone marrow examination) have been assessed. Relative decrease of sIL2R was correlated with outcome parameters. Response parameters of IFNα-treated patients were correlated with IL28B polymorphism. Twenty-one patients were analyzed for the correlation of sIL2R ratio and outcome. After 1 and 3 months of therapy (IFNα or cladribine (CDA)), the median sIL2R level showed a relative decrease of 79 and 91%. These decreases significantly correlate with time to complete remission (CR, p = 0.029 and p = 0.018). Correlation analyses of IL28B genotype with outcome parameters are not significant. Six patients (16%) were diagnosed with secondary malignancies, and one death was registered (median follow-up time 14 years). IFNα is a safe, effective, and well-tolerated long-term treatment in HCL. Relative decreases of sIL2R levels correlate with time to CR and are useful as early predictor for response. There is no significant correlation between IL28B polymorphism and treatment response to IFNα. Graphical abstract

Pengaruh Gaya Mengajar Cakupan Terhadap Kemampuan Corner Cervice Dalam Permainan Sepak Takraw Pada Siswa SMP Negeri 3 Wori

Judul:  Pengaruh Gaya Mengajar Cakupan Terhadap Kemampuan Corner Service Dalam Permainan Sepak Takraw Pada Siswa SMP Negeri 3 Wori. Masalah dalam penelitian ini adalah: Apakah terdapat pengaruh gaya mengajar cakupan terhadap kemampuan corner service dalam permainan sepak takraw pada Siswa SMP Negeri 3 Wori? Tujuan Penelitian: Untuk mengetahui pengaruh gaya mengajar cakupan terhadap kemampuan corner service dalam permainan sepak takraw pada Siswa SMP Negeri 3 Wori. Hipotesa Penelitian: Terdapat pengaruh gaya mengajar cakupan terhadap kemampuan corner service dalam permainan sepak takraw pada Siswa SMP Negeri 3 Wori. Metode Penelitian yang digunakan adalah metode eksperimen dengan perlakuan berupa gaya mengajar cakupan yang diberikan selama delapan minggu. Populasi adalah seluruh Siswa Putera Kelas VIII SMP Negeri 3 Wori sebanyak 20 orang dan sampel sebanyak 20 orang kemudian  dibagi menjadi dua kelompok masing-masing 10 orang kelompok eksperimen dan 10 orang pada kelompok kontrol. Instumen pengumpulan data: Tes Keterampilan Servis Dalam Permainan Sepak Takraw. Rancangan penelitian menggunakan: Randomized control groups pre-test and post-test design. Pengujian hipotesa menggunakan teknik statistik dengan Uji t. Hasil analisa hipotesa, diperoleh t observasi senilai 5,54 sedangkan t tabel yang diperoleh dari derajat kebebasan n-1 + n2 – 2 yaitu 10 + 10 – 2 = 18 dan taraf keyakinan   = 0,05 adalah 1,734. Sesuai dengan kriteria pengujian terima Ho jika t observasi lebih kecil dari t tabel dan tolak Ho jika t observasi lebih besar dari t tabel. Oleh karena t observasi lebih besar dari t tabel maka hasil analisis menunjukkan tolak Ho dan terima Ha. Kesimpulan penelitian: Terdapat pengaruh gaya mengajar cakupan terhadap kemampuan corner service dalam permainan sepak takraw pada Siswa SMP Negeri 3 Wori

The tip of the iceberg. Incidence of disclosed cases of child sexual abuse in Switzerland: results from a nationwide agency survey

OBJECTIVES: Child sexual abuse (CSA) is considered a major risk factor for a variety of health problems both in childhood and in later adult life. While population-based surveys aim to establish the real incidence rates of CSA by interviewing potential (past) victims, agency surveys focus on the rates of CSA reported to the authorities. METHODS: We conducted a nationwide agency survey of CSA in Switzerland. Data were collected from 350 agencies through an anonymous online form during a 6-month period. For data collection, we used a modified version of the case reporting form translated from the American National Incidence Study (NIS-4). RESULTS: About 2.68 cases of CSA per 1,000 children per year are disclosed to agencies (1.11 in males, 4.33 in females). This is roughly twice the average incidence rate reported in methodologically similar studies from Canada, the US, and Australia. CONCLUSIONS: In Switzerland, the majority of disclosed cases of CSA are handled by specialized yet semi-public agencies instead of public child welfare agencies or penal authorities. This fact might explain the higher disclosure rates

PrelimInary evidence for a compromised T-cell compartment in maltreated children with depression and posttraumatic stress disorder

Objective: Adverse childhood experiences, such as maltreatment, and affective disorders are associated with a proinflammatory state and/or variably compromised counts in lymphocyte subsets in adults. Animal models of social stress indicate that recent thymic emigrant cells (RTE), which maintain the T-cell compartment, are affected. Methods: In this study, we examined the association between lymphocyte subsets, and depression and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among 16 maltreated children (aged 6-17 years) 1-3 years after the intervention by the Child Protection Team and among 14 healthy age-matched controls. The participants completed psychological assessment and had blood drawn for fluorescent-activated cell sorting analysis. Results: Among maltreated children and adolescents, depression was associated with lower counts of RTEs and T-helper cells after controlling for age. We found additional trends and large effect sizes with regard to the percentages of these cells, as well as for related lymphocyte subsets. Similar effects were found for PTSD, i.e. lower counts of naïve T cells, which was also supported by a trend for their percentage. Compared to controls, maltreated participants with a clinical level of depression had decreased percentages of RTEs, with a similar trend for PTSD. Conclusion: Limited by the nature of a pilot study and the small sample size, these preliminary findings of a compromised T-cell compartment related to psychiatric symptoms in maltreated children and adolescents need to be further studied; particularly the role of RTEs needs further evaluation. © 2015 S. Karger AG, Basel