The Role of Morphology in Reading in Spanish-Speaking Children With Dyslexia.

The role of morphology in reading in spanish-speaking children with dyslexia.

Span J Psychol. 2013 Jan; 16: E51
Suárez-Coalla P, Cuetos F

Morphemes facilitate visual word recognition, leading to greater accuracy and fluency in reading morphologically complex words. In children with dyslexia, the morphological structure might be useful to reduce difficulties caused by phonological deficits. The aim of this study was to determine whether Spanish-speaking children with dyslexia benefit from morphemes when reading. A group of children with dyslexia of different ages (7 to 10 years) and a group of children without reading disabilities, matched on chronological age and gender, participated in a task of reading isolated words and pseudowords in which morphological complexity was manipulated. Half of the stimuli were morphologically simple and half morphologically complex. Children with dyslexia benefit from morphology since they have better performance with the morphologically complex stimuli. These results indicate that they are able to develop representations of units larger than the grapheme, what suggests that Spanish-speaking children with dyslexia use the morphological structure to overcome their difficulties in phonological recoding. These results have important implications for the rehabilitation of children with dyslexia. HubMed – rehab

Evaluation of immune and stress status in harbour porpoises (Phocoena phocoena): can hormones and mRNA expression levels serve as indicators to assess stress?

BMC Vet Res. 2013 Jul 17; 9(1): 145
Müller S, Lehnert K, Seibel H, Driver J, Ronnenberg K, Teilmann J, van Elk C, Kristensen J, Everaarts E, Siebert U

The harbour porpoise is exposed to increasing pressure caused by anthropogenic activities in its marine environment. Numerous offshore wind farms are planned or under construction in the North and Baltic Seas, which will increase underwater noise during both construction and operation. A better understanding of how anthropogenic impacts affect the behaviour, health, endocrinology, immunology and physiology of the animals is thus needed. The present study compares levels of stress hormones and mRNA expression of cytokines and acute-phase proteins in blood samples of harbour porpoises exposed to different levels of stress during handling, in rehabilitation or permanent human care.Free-ranging harbour porpoises, incidentally caught in pound nets in Denmark, were compared to harbour porpoises in rehabilitation at SOS Dolfijn in Harderwijk, the Netherlands, and individuals permanently kept in human care in the Dolfinarium Harderwijk and Fjord & Belt Kerteminde, Denmark. Blood samples were investigated for catecholamines, adrenaline, noradrenaline and dopamine, as well as for adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), cortisol, metanephrine and normetanephrine. mRNA expression levels of relevant cell mediators (cytokines IL-10 and TNFalpha, acute-phase proteins haptoglobin and C-reactive protein and the heat shock protein HSP70) were measured using real-time PCR.Biomarker expression levels varied between free-ranging animals and porpoises in human care. Hormone and cytokine ranges showed correlations to each other and to the health status of investigated harbour porpoises. Hormone concentrations were higher in free-ranging harbour porpoises than in animals in human care. Adrenaline can be used as a parameter for the initial reaction to acute stress situations; noradrenaline, dopamine, ACTH and cortisol are more likely indicators for the following minutes of acute stress. There is evidence for different correlations between production of normetanephrine, metanephrine, cortisol and the expression of IL-10, HSP70 and haptoglobin.The expression patterns of the selected molecular biomarkers of the immune system are promising to reflect the health and immune status of the harbour porpoise under different levels of stress. HubMed – rehab

Determinants of regulated nurses’ intention to stay in long-term care homes.

J Nurs Manag. 2013 Jul; 21(5): 771-81
McGilton KS, Tourangeau A, Kavcic C, Wodchis WP

To examine determinants of intent to stay among regulated nurses employed in long-term care facilities.Elderly persons living in long-term care have increasingly complex care needs, putting greater demands on health-care providers. Indeed, regulated nursing staff employed in long-term care facilities represent the largest group of health-care providers who intend to leave their current jobs.Survey responses from 155 nurses from 12 long-term care facilities were analyzed to test the impact of six predictors on intent to stay.Intention to stay was positively associated with lower burnout, higher job satisfaction, older nurses and resident relationships. Work relationships were negatively associated with intention to stay. Leadership support was not a significant predictor.Most predictors were correlated with intention to stay as hypothesized. Further research is warranted to investigate the influence of management practices and work relationships on regulated nursing staff’s intent to stay in long-term care.To retain qualified nursing staff and ensure quality of care, long-term care administrators should focus on creating a work environment that reduces burnout, increases job satisfaction, and enables nurses to foster relationships with residents. Recommendations for long-term care administrators include: (1) provide opportunities for self-scheduling, full-time work and benefits; (2) develop models of care that enhance resident relationships; (3) examine existing regulated nursing staff responsibilities and adjust to minimize burnout. HubMed – rehab

Book Review.

J Interprof Care. 2013 Jul 18;
Williams U

HubMed – rehab