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Mothers play a significant role in deciding their adolescents' educational expenditures. They increasingly rely on the Internet for information search and building online support networks to enhance their confidence. Thus, we use the psychological empowerment theory in this study to examine the association between social media use and educational expenditures. Through two studies, we show how a mother's use of social media (active/passive use) significantly impacts adolescent children's educational expenses via dimensions of psychological empowerment. We further demonstrate that the two dimensions of psychological empowerment differentially drive this relationship: intrapersonal (relying on the self) and Interactional (leveraging the community) empowerment. We discover that active (passive) social media use increases mother' intrapersonal (interactional) empowerment. We also find that cross‐cultural differences play a role in psychological empowerment's effect on educational expenditures, where intrapersonal empowerment is vital in the United States, and interactional empowerment is more relevant in India. Our key contributions to literature are three‐fold: we establish the relationship between a mother's social media use and educational expenditures for their adolescent children, identify predictors of different dimensions of psychological empowerment, and present evidence for cross‐cultural differences in the empowering role of social media. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Cascade genetic testing for hereditary cancer syndromes offers affected relatives the opportunity to pursue cancer screening and risk‐reducing surgery and thus reduces morbidity and mortality. The purpose of this study was to measure the long‐term utilization of targeted cancer prevention and quality of life among at‐risk relatives offered clinician‐facilitated cascade genetic testing. Methods: In a pilot study, at‐risk relatives of patients with a hereditary cancer syndrome were contacted directly by the clinical team and offered telephone genetic counseling and genetic testing via an at‐home, mailed saliva kit. Two‐year follow‐up results evaluating the use of targeted cancer prevention strategies and the quality of life for enrolled relatives were reported. Quality‐of‐life was measured with validated surveys, and scores were compared to the time of initial contact by the Wilcoxon signed‐rank test. Results: Ninety‐five at‐risk relatives were enrolled in the initial pilot study, and 72 (76%) participated in the 2‐year follow‐up; 57 of these (79%) had completed genetic testing. Twenty‐five of those 57 relatives (44%) were found to harbor an inherited pathogenic variant. Guideline‐based cancer surveillance was recommended to 18 relatives; 13 (72%) completed at least one recommended screening, and six (33%) completed all recommended screenings. Risk‐reducing surgery was recommended to 10 relatives; four (40%) completed a total of eight procedures. Quality‐of‐life surveys demonstrated low levels of anxiety, depression, distress, and uncertainty. Conclusions: The 2‐year follow‐up of the original pilot study revealed that clinician‐facilitated cascade testing resulted in genetically targeted cancer screening and prevention with preserved quality of life. These results, to be confirmed by larger randomized controlled trials, suggest that medical systems should consider supporting clinician‐facilitated cascade testing programs. Cascade testing for cancer syndromes facilitated by the medical team resulted in identification of relatives with pathogenic variants and use of genetically targeted cancer prevention with preserved quality‐of‐life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For a searchable version of these abstracts, please visit www.acrabstracts.org. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Clinical and electrophysiological studies to measures disease activity in juvenile myasthenia gravis (JMG) are limited.Methods: Retrospective review of the clinical profile, Myasthenia Gravis Foundation of America (MGFA) scores, serial stimulated jitter analysis (Stim-JA) of the orbicularis oculi muscle, grip strength, and spirometry of patients with JMG who were followed in a multidisciplinary clinic was performed.Results: Thirteen patients with JMG (9 females) with mean age of 13.2 ± 4.8 years and follow-up duration of 25.3 ± 8.3 months (range, 6-39) with ≥ 2 Stim-JA recordings were included. The mean jitter, mean percentage of apparent single-fiber action potentials (%ASFAP) with increased jitter, and mean %ASFAP with blocking at baseline values (77.3 ± 54.7 µs, 64.3% ± 35.8%, 39% ± 38.6%, respectively) and at follow-up (53 ± 45.4 µs, 51.2% ± 34.5%, 17% ± 29.4%, respectively) were abnormal; however, no statistically significant interval difference was noted. The electrophysiological data correlated significantly with Myasthenia Gravis Foundation of America (MGFA) class. Grip strength and spirometry did not correlate with MGFA class.Discussion: Stimulated jitter values are sensitive biomarkers in JMG. Muscle Nerve 58: 729-732, 2018. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent research suggests that children are spending a significant amount of time on the Internet which increases their exposure to subtle, engaging, and interactive ads. As a result, policy makers have developed regulations intended to empower parents to manage their children's exposure to Internet advertising. However, prior research has not examined parental perceptions of these regulations. This article aims to identify (1) parents' regulatory preferences regarding children's exposure to Internet advertising and (2) whether (and how) parents' locus of control (LOC) drives their regulation preferences. Findings reveal that internal‐LOC parents prefer parental responsibility while external‐LOC parents prefer government regulations, parental responsibility, and involvement of independent organizations and firms. External‐LOC parents' preference is mediated by their concerns about Internet advertising and their tendency to have faith in regulation. Policy makers can use the findings to develop guidelines that better assist parents in influencing their children's Internet use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Disturbances of eye movements are infrequently encountered in motor neuron diseases (MNDs) or motor neuropathies, and there is no known syndrome that combines progressive muscle weakness with downbeat nystagmus.Methods: To describe the core clinical features of a syndrome of MND associated with downbeat nystagmus, clinical features were collected from 6 patients.Results: All patients had slowly progressive muscle weakness and wasting in combination with downbeat nystagmus, which was clinically most obvious in downward and lateral gaze. Onset was in the second to fourth decade with finger extension weakness, progressing to other distal and sometimes more proximal muscles. Visual complaints were not always present. Electrodiagnostic testing showed signs of regional motor axonal loss in all patients.Discussion: The etiology of this syndrome remains elusive. Because finger extension weakness and downbeat nystagmus are the discriminating clinical features of this MND, we propose the name FEWDON-MND syndrome. Muscle Nerve 56: 1164-1168, 2017. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: This study's objective was to evaluate quantitative electromyography (QEMG) using multiple-motor-unit (multi-MUP) analysis in Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD).Methods: Ambulatory DMD boys, aged 5-15 years, were evaluated with QEMG at 6-month intervals over 14 months. EMG was performed in the right biceps brachii (BB) and tibialis anterior (TA) muscles. Normative QEMG data were obtained from age-matched healthy boys. Wilcoxon signed-rank tests were performed.Results: Eighteen DMD subjects were enrolled, with a median age of 7 (interquartile range 7-10) years. Six-month evaluations were performed on 14 subjects. QEMG showed significantly abnormal mean MUP duration in BB and TA muscles, with no significant change over 6 months.Conclusions: QEMG is a sensitive electrophysiological marker of myopathy in DMD. Preliminary data do not reflect a significant change in MUP parameters over a 6-month interval; long-term follow-up QEMG studies are needed to understand its role as a biomarker for disease progression. Muscle Nerve 56: 1361-1364, 2017. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The exponential rise in genomics research over the past decade has yielded a growing number of sequence variants associated with medication response that may have clinical utility. Despite existing barriers, attention is turning to strategies that integrate these data into clinical care. The CLIPMERGE PGx Program is establishing a best‐practices infrastructure for the implementation of genome‐informed prescribing using a biobank‐derived clinical cohort, preemptive genetic testing, and real‐time clinical decision support deployed through the electronic health record. Clinical Pharmacology & Therapeutics (2013); 94 2, 214–217. doi:10.1038/clpt.2013.72 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We passively warmed tundra on the Antarctic Peninsula over four growing seasons and assessed its effect on dry mass and C and N stocks associated with the vascular plants Colobanthus quitensis (a cushion-forming forb) and Deschampsia antarctica (a tussock grass), and mosses. Temperature treatments involved a warmed treatment that raised diurnal and diel canopy air temperatures by 2.3 and 1.3 °C, respectively, and a near-ambient temperature treatment that raised diurnal and diel temperatures by 0.2 °C. These two different temperature regimes were achieved by wrapping filters around the frames to different extents and were nested within three UV treatments that filtered different solar UV wavebands. The experiment also included an ambient control treatment (unfiltered frames), and supplemental water and fertilizer treatments (applied to unfiltered frames). After four growing seasons, we collected cores of each vascular plant species and assessed the mass and C and N content of the aboveground current-year biomass, the litter layer (which included nongreen live stems), and the organic soil horizon (which included roots). The thin nature of the organic soil horizon allowed us to sample this complete horizon and estimate near-total ecosystem C and N stocks. A comparison of the warmed and near-ambient temperature treatments found that warming led to greater aboveground biomass of C. quitensis, and more C in the aboveground biomass of both vascular plant species. Warming resulted in lower N concentrations of the aboveground biomass of both species. The water use efficiency of both species was greater under warming, based on their higher δ13C values. The mass of the litter layer under C. quitensis was greater under warming, and this layer contained more C and N and had a higher C : N ratio. The mass of the organic soil horizon under both species was greater under warming, and this horizon also contained more C and N. Warming also changed the species composition of the plant community – cover of C. quitensis increased while that of mosses declined. Warming resulted in the input of biomass into the system that had greater C : N ratios (and was likely more recalcitrant to decomposition) because (1) warming increased the C : N ratio of the biomass produced by both vascular plant species, (2) these inputs increased with warming because of greater biomass production, and (3) increases in C. quitensis cover led to greater biomass inputs by this species and its biomass had a greater C : N ratio than D. antarctica. Water or fertilizer supplements had few effects on aboveground biomass or C and N concentrations or pools, consistent with the relatively wet maritime climate and high soil nutrient levels of this system. Total C pools in the aboveground biomass, litter, and organic soil horizon were greater under warming. Warmed plots contained from 272 to 319 g m−2 more C than plots under near-ambient temperatures, corresponding to a 23–34% increase in ecosystem C. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Theory-of-mind (ToM) abilities were studied in 176 deaf children aged 3 years 11 months to 8 years 3 months who use either American Sign Language (ASL) or oral English, with hearing parents or deaf parents. A battery of tasks tapping understanding of false belief and knowledge state and language skills, ASL or English, was given to each child. There was a significant delay on ToM tasks in deaf children of hearing parents, who typically demonstrate language delays, regardless of whether they used spoken English or ASL. In contrast, deaf children from deaf families performed identically to same-aged hearing controls ( N=42). Both vocabulary and understanding syntactic complements were significant independent predictors of success on verbal and low-verbal ToM tasks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article lists reviewers for research papers under the Really Good Stuff section of the journal in 2009 including Richard Adome, John Cotter, and Thomas Feeley.

Introduction: Stimulated jitter analysis (stim-JA) using a concentric needle electrode is a technique used to study the neuromuscular junction (NMJ) without voluntary activation. Our objective was to study the diagnostic sensitivity, specificity, and feasibility of stim-JA in infants and children with suspected NMJ defects.Methods: Sixteen infants and young children ages 2 months to 17 years with suspected NMJ disorders were evaluated using stim-JA over a period of 12 months.Results: Subjects with suspected NMJ defects and abnormal stim-JA subsequently had laboratory confirmation of myasthenia gravis (n = 5) and infant botulism (n = 2). Turnaround time for confirmatory laboratory tests was 6.0 ± 4.3 days, whereas stim-JA results were available immediately. All subjects tolerated stim-JA well without complications or need for sedation.Conclusions: Stim-JA is a sensitive and safe first-line diagnostic test for evaluation of suspected pediatric NMJ disorders. Stim-JA results precede assay results and may guide early treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]