Feeding interventions for growth and development in infants with cleft lip, cleft palate or cleft lip and palate.

BACKGROUND: Cleft lip and cleft palate are common birth defects, affecting about one baby of every 700 born. Feeding these babies is an immediate concern and there is evidence of delay in growth of children with a cleft as compared to those without clefting. In an effort to combat reduced weight for height, a variety of advice and devices are recommended to aid feeding of babies with clefts. OBJECTIVES: This review aims to assess the effects of these feeding interventions in babies with cleft lip and/or palate on growth, development and parental satisfaction. SEARCH STRATEGY: The following electronic databases were searched: the Cochrane Oral Health Group Trials Register (to 27 October 2010), the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) (The Cochrane Library 2010, Issue 4), MEDLINE via OVID (1950 to 27 October 2010), EMBASE via OVID (1980 to 27 October 2010), PsycINFO via OVID (1950 to 27 October 2010) and CINAHL via EBSCO (1980 to 27 October 2010). Attempts were made to identify both unpublished and ongoing studies. There was no restriction with regard to language of publication. SELECTION CRITERIA: Studies were included if they were randomised controlled trials (RCTs) of feeding interventions for babies born with cleft lip, cleft palate or cleft lip and palate up to the age of 6 months (from term). DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Studies were assessed for relevance independently and in duplicate. All studies meeting the inclusion criteria were data extracted and assessed for validity independently by each member of the review team. Authors were contacted for clarification or missing information whenever possible. MAIN RESULTS: Five RCTs with a total of 292 babies, were included in the review. Comparisons made within the RCTs were squeezable versus rigid feeding bottles (two studies), breastfeeding versus spoon-feeding (one study) and maxillary plate versus no plate (two studies). No statistically significant differences were shown for any of the primary outcomes when comparing bottle types, although squeezable bottles were less likely to require modification. No difference was shown for infants fitted with a maxillary plate compared to no plate. However, there was some evidence of an effect on weight at 6 weeks post-surgery in favour of breastfeeding when compared to spoon-feeding (mean difference 0.47; 95% confidence interval 0.20 to 0.74). AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS: Squeezable bottles appear easier to use than rigid feeding bottles for babies born with clefts of the lip and/or palate, however, there is no evidence of a difference in growth outcomes between the bottle types. There is weak evidence that breastfeeding is better than spoon-feeding following surgery for cleft. There was no evidence to suggest that maxillary plates assist growth in babies with clefts of the palate. No evidence was found to assess the use of any types of maternal advice and/or support for these babies

Gene duplication in an African cichlid adaptive radiation

Background Gene duplication is a source of evolutionary innovation and can contribute to the divergence of lineages; however, the relative importance of this process remains to be determined. The explosive divergence of the African cichlid adaptive radiations provides both a model for studying the general role of gene duplication in the divergence of lineages and also an exciting foray into the identification of genomic features that underlie the dramatic phenotypic and ecological diversification in this particular lineage. We present the first genome-wide study of gene duplication in African cichlid fishes, identifying gene duplicates in three species belonging to the Lake Malawi adaptive radiation (Metriaclima estherae, Protomelas similis, Rhamphochromis “chilingali”) and one closely related species from a non-radiated riverine lineage (Astatotilapia tweddlei). Results Using Astatotilapia burtoni as reference, microarray comparative genomic hybridization analysis of 5689 genes reveals 134 duplicated genes among the four cichlid species tested. Between 51 and 55 genes were identified as duplicated in each of the three species from the Lake Malawi radiation, representing a 38%–49% increase in number of duplicated genes relative to the non-radiated lineage (37 genes). Duplicated genes include several that are involved in immune response, ATP metabolism and detoxification. Conclusions These results contribute to our understanding of the abundance and type of gene duplicates present in cichlid fish lineages. The duplicated genes identified in this study provide candidates for the analysis of functional relevance with regard to phenotype and divergence. Comparative sequence analysis of gene duplicates can address the role of positive selection and adaptive evolution by gene duplication, while further study across the phylogenetic range of cichlid radiations (and more generally in other adaptive radiations) will determine whether the patterns of gene duplication seen in this study consistently accompany rapid radiation

On functions between generalized topological spaces

[EN] This paper investigates generalized topological spaces and functions between such spaces from the perspective of change of generalized topology. In particular, it considers the preservation of generalized connectedness properties by various classes of functions betweengeneralized topological spaces.Bayhan, S.; Kanibir, A.; Reilly, IL. (2013). On functions between generalized topological spaces. Applied General Topology. 14(2):195-203. doi:10.4995/agt.2013.1588.SWORD195203142Bai, S.-Z., & Zuo, Y.-P. (2010). On g-α-irresolute functions. Acta Mathematica Hungarica, 130(4), 382-389. doi:10.1007/s10474-010-0014-xS. G. Crossley and S. K. Hildebrand, Semi-topological properties, Fund. Math. 74 (1972), 233-254.Császár, Á. (2005). Generalized open sets in generalized topologies. Acta Mathematica Hungarica, 106(1-2), 53-66. doi:10.1007/s10474-005-0005-5Császár, Á. (2002). Acta Mathematica Hungarica, 96(4), 351-357. doi:10.1023/a:1019713018007Császár, Á. (2003).  -connected sets. Acta Mathematica Hungarica, 101(4), 273-279. doi:10.1023/b:amhu.0000004939.57085.9eCsászár, Á. (2007). Normal generalized topologies. Acta Mathematica Hungarica, 115(4), 309-313. doi:10.1007/s10474-007-5249-9Császár, Á. (2008). δ- and θ-modifications of generalized topologies. Acta Mathematica Hungarica, 120(3), 275-279. doi:10.1007/s10474-007-7136-9D. B. Gauld, M. Mrsevic, I. L. Reilly and M. K. Vamanamurthy, Continuity properties of functions, Colloquia Math. Soc. Janos Bolyai, 41 (1983), 311-322.Levine, N. (1963). Semi-Open Sets and Semi-Continuity in Topological Spaces. The American Mathematical Monthly, 70(1), 36. doi:10.2307/2312781Mashhour, M. Abd. El-Monsef and S. El-Deeb, On precontinuous and weak precontinuous mappings, Proc. Math. Phys. Soc. Egypt 53 (1982), 47-53.Min, W. K. (2009). Almost continuity on generalized topological spaces. Acta Mathematica Hungarica, 125(1-2), 121-125. doi:10.1007/s10474-009-8230-yMin, W. K. (2009). A note on θ(g, g′)-continuity in generalized topological spaces. Acta Mathematica Hungarica, 125(4), 387-393. doi:10.1007/s10474-009-9075-0Min, W. K. (2010). (δ,δ′)-continuity on generalized topological spaces. Acta Mathematica Hungarica, 129(4), 350-356. doi:10.1007/s10474-010-0036-4Mršević, M., Reilly, I. L., & Vamanamurthy, M. K. (1985). On semi-regularization topologies. Journal of the Australian Mathematical Society. Series A. Pure Mathematics and Statistics, 38(1), 40-54. doi:10.1017/s1446788700022588Reilly, I. L., & Vamanamurthy, M. K. (1985). On α-continuity in topological spaces. Acta Mathematica Hungarica, 45(1-2), 27-32. doi:10.1007/bf01955019Shen, R.-X. (2008). A note on generalized connectedness. Acta Mathematica Hungarica, 122(3), 231-235. doi:10.1007/s10474-008-8009-6N. V. Velicko, H-closed topological spaces, Mat. Sbornik 70 (112) (1966), 98-112

Supporting Mental Wellness in the Public Service Professions

The nature of the work of public service professionals – understood in the present context as including, but not limited to, police officers, firefighters, emergency medical technicians, paramedics, emergency dispatchers, and telecommunicators – exposes them to great amounts of suffering and trauma. Mental wellness is wavering for many in the field, and progressive, holistic support is needed. Public service professionals receive remarkable amounts of training to meet competencies within their role, but they are not provided with the same level of training to protect and serve themselves. Many factors contribute to decreased mental wellness in public service professionals, including the stoic culture, short staffing, low pay, and lack of public service resources. Against the argument that adequate and thorough mental health support is perceived to be expensive and a personal responsibility for individuals to seek if they need it, this paper argues that, given the staggering statistics regarding suicide, depression, and PTSD, the availability of resources, and the cost saving effects that promoting mental wellness and retaining employees has for companies, society’s approach to mental health must change. Moreover, the mental health of first responders in particular is a moral responsibility that must be supported through extensive education, community outreach, and the establishment and maintenance of a non-punitive culture

Leading Departments with Contingent and Tenure-Eligible Faculty: Strategies and Solutions

Leadership and communication strategies for leading departments that include both contingent and tenure-eligible faculty through three case studies, dealing with 1) voting rights and other claims upon resources; 2) a lack of career milestones, making contingent faculty feel “stuck”; and 3) ways to value contributions of contingent faculty

Randomized controlled trial of a good practice approach to treatment of childhood obesity in Malaysia: Malaysian childhood obesity treatment trial (MASCOT)

Context. Few randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of interventions for the treatment of childhood obesity have taken place outside the Western world. Aim. To test whether a good practice intervention for the treatment of childhood obesity would have a greater impact on weight status and other outcomes than a control condition in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Methods. Assessor-blinded RCT of a treatment intervention in 107 obese 7- to 11-year olds. The intervention was relatively low intensity (8 hours contact over 26 weeks, group based), aiming to change child sedentary behavior, physical activity, and diet using behavior change counselling. Outcomes were measured at baseline and six months after the start of the intervention. Primary outcome was BMI z-score, other outcomes were weight change, health-related quality of life (Peds QL), objectively measured physical activity and sedentary behavior (Actigraph accelerometry over 5 days). Results. The intervention had no significant effect on BMI z score relative to control. Weight gain was reduced significantly in the intervention group compared to the control group (+1.5 kg vs. +3.5 kg, respectively, t-test p < 0.01). Changes in health-related quality of life and objectively measured physical activity and sedentary behavior favored the intervention group. Conclusions. Treatment was associated with reduced rate of weight gain, and improvements in physical activity and quality of life. More substantial benefits may require longer term and more intensive interventions which aim for more substantive lifestyle changes

Method and Apparatus for the Portable Identification Of Material Thickness And Defects Along Uneven Surfaces Using Spatially Controlled Heat Application

A method and apparatus for testing a material such as the water-wall tubes in boilers includes the use of a portable thermal line heater having radiation shields to control the amount of thermal radiation that reaches a thermal imager. A procedure corrects for variations in the initial temperature of the material being inspected. A method of calibrating the testing device to determine an equation relating thickness of the material to temperatures created by the thermal line heater uses empirical data derived from tests performed on test specimens for each material type, geometry, density, specific heat, speed at which the line heater is moved across the material and heat intensity

Environmental monitoring of Mycobacterium bovis in badger feces and badger sett soil by real-time PCR, as confirmed by immunofluorescence, immunocapture, and cultivation

Real-time PCR was used to detect and quantify Mycobacterium bovis cells in naturally infected soil and badger faeces. Immunomagnetic capture, immunofluorescence and selective culture confirmed species identification and cell viability. These techniques will prove useful for monitoring M. bovis in the environment and for elucidating transmission routes between wildlife and cattle