The relationship between sport commitment and physical self-concept: Evidence for the self-enhancement hypothesis among adolescent females.

Perceptions of physical self-concept are critical to physical activity participation. In line with the reciprocal effects model of causal ordering (REM), higher perceptions of physical self-concept can function as a facilitator to physical activity, and can arise as a result of engaging in physical activity. While this relationship has been predominantly tested in physical activity contexts, directional tests between physical self-concept and sport specific outcomes are limited. The current study aimed to evaluate the generalizability of the REM to sport commitment and physical self-concept in youth athletes. Over 24 months, adolescent females (N = 215) completed self-report questionnaires at Time 1 (T1) and two years later (Time 2; T2). Using structural equation modeling, the reciprocal effects model demonstrated that the path leading from T1 physical self-concept to T2 sport commitment was significant (p = .02), whereas the path leading from T1 sport commitment to T2 physical self-concept was not significant (p = .23). The results suggest a unidirectional relationship and may underscore the importance of focusing on the physical self-concept in the development of strategies geared towards improving adolescent female's sport participation.

Diode laser ablation for threshold retinopathy of prematurity: short-term structural outcome.

OBJECTIVE: To describe short-term structural outcomes and associated ocular complications in premature infants treated with diode laser ablation for retinopathy of prematurity. METHODS: The records of all infants who were diagnosed as having threshold retinopathy of prematurity and treated with diode laser therapy at our hospital from January 1, 1992, through December 31, 1996, were retrospectively reviewed. Sixty-four eyes reached threshold during this period. Three eyes received cryotherapy in addition to laser treatment and were excluded, leaving 61 eyes eligible for review. RESULTS: Of the 61 eyes with threshold disease treated exclusively with diode laser, 4 (7%) had zone I disease and 57 (93%) had zone II disease at the time of initial laser treatment. Three (5%) of the 61 eyes progressed to stage 4 disease (2 eyes, stage 4A; 1 eye, stage 4B). There were no cataracts or other ocular complications noted secondary to laser treatment based on short-term follow-up (mean follow-up, 120 days). CONCLUSION: In this population of infants, diode laser ablation appears to be a safe and effective treatment for threshold retinopathy of prematurity.

Bilirubin levels and severe retinopathy of prematurity in infants with estimated gestational ages of 23 to 26 weeks.

Oxidative injury may contribute to the development of retinopathy of prematurity (ROP), and bilirubin may be a physiologically important antioxidant. Therefore we evaluated the relationship of ROP to bilirubin levels in 157 infants born at 23 to 26 weeks estimated gestational age. We found no definite association between bilirubin levels and severe ROP.

A comparison of two methods of oral endotracheal tube stabilization in neonatal patients.

OBJECTIVE: To determine if an endotracheal tube stabilization method using an umbilical clamp reduces accidental extubations when compared with a more traditional method of endotracheal tube stabilization. STUDY DESIGN: From January 1, 1994 through April 30, 1997, the frequency of accidental extubations per 100 ventilator days was tracked for the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) Quality Assurance Committee of William Beaumont Hospital (Royal Oak, MI). From January 1, 1994 through December 31, 1995, all endotracheal tubes were stabilized using a traditional taping method. From March 1, 1996 through April 30, 1997, the endotracheal tubes were stabilized using a modified umbilical clamp and tape. The incidence of extubation using each stabilization method was compared by chi2 analysis. RESULTS: The umbilical clamp resulted in a significantly lower (p=0.001) rate of accidental extubations. CONCLUSION: The umbilical clamp taping method appears to have lowered the incidence of accidental extubation in our NICU when compared with a standard method of oral endotracheal tube stabilization.

Motivation for traumatic brain injury rehabilitation questionnaire (MOT-Q): reliability, factor analysis, and relationship to MMPI-2 variables.

A Likert scale questionnaire was developed to assess motivation for postacute rehabilitation by traumatic brain injury patients. Items were designed to reflect head-injured individuals' statements about their attitudes toward head injury rehabilitation. Factors such as denial of illness, anger, compliance with treatment, and medical information seeking behavior were used to assess unfavorable and favorable components of motivation. Reliability was assessed using Cronbach's Alpha, which was found to be 0.91 for the total scale. Four factor analysis derived subscales were identified: Lack of Denial, Interest in Rehabilitation, Lack of Anger, and Reliance on Professional Help. Correlation and multiple regression analyses demonstrated moderate relationships between MOT-Q and several MMPI-2 variables largely related to indicators of somatic distress, depression and capacity for self-sufficiency. Lack of Denial subscale showed the strongest relationship to MMPI-2 of all MOT-Q variables, while Interest in Rehabilitation showed the best correlation to the MOT-Q total.

Weight gain: a possible factor in deciding timing for inguinal hernia repair in premature infants.

A retrospective study was done to determine whether improved weight gain follows inguinal hernia repair in the premature infant and whether the presence of an inguinal hernia is associated with comparatively poorer weight gain prior to repair. Demographic and growth data from 28 premature infants who had undergone hernia repair were compared with corresponding data from 25 matched "control" premature patients. The two groups' weight for age Z scores for both time periods (i.e., before and after hernia repair) were then determined and analyzed. The differences found in Z scores between these two groups indicated that premature infants who have inguinal hernias seem to grow better after the hernia repair as compared with before the surgery. Despite issues related to group matching, the results of this study indicate that weight gain may be an additional factor to consider in determining the appropriate time to do surgical correction of a premature infant's inguinal hernia.

The effect of maternal ethanol ingestion on fetal rat heart vitamin A: a model for fetal alcohol syndrome.

Ethanol consumption during pregnancy can cause fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS). Although the exact mechanism is unknown, nutritional alterations caused by ethanol exposure may be an etiologic factor in FAS. The congenital heart defects seen in FAS are similar to those found in vitamin A teratogenesis. Because ethanol ingestion alters vitamin A metabolism, we hypothesized that the cardiac manifestations seen in FAS result from an alteration in vitamin A metabolism or function in the developing fetus. Twenty-day gestation fetal rat hearts from ethanol-exposed and control pregnancies were analyzed for 1) levels of endogenous retinol, retinyl palmitate, and retinoic acid by quantitative HPLC; 2) binding activity levels of both retinol by cellular retinol binding protein and retinoic acid by cellular retinoic acid binding protein using specific competitive binding assays; and 3) relative abundance of cellular retinol binding protein and retinoic acid receptor alpha, beta, and gamma subtype message as expressed in mRNA. Levels of retinol and retinyl palmitate were significantly higher (p < 0.01) and the level of retinoic acid was significantly lower (p < 0.02) in the ethanol-exposed fetal hearts. Binding activity levels of cellular retinol binding protein and cellular retinoic acid binding protein were not different in the two groups. The message for retinoic acid receptor alpha (3.7 kb) was increased (p < 0.01) and the message for retinoic acid receptor beta was decreased (p < 0.05) in the ethanol-exposed hearts.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)