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Little data exists assessing the relationship between functional limitations in children with cerebral palsy (CP) and their participation in everyday activities. This prospective study evaluates the relationship between the Pediatric Outcomes Data Collection Instrument (PODCI), a functional health-related quality of life instrument for children and their parents, and the School Function Assessment (SFA), a school-based functional assessment. One hundred and two children with CP (80.4% dipliegia; 10.8% hemiplegia; 3.9% triplegia; 2.0% quadriplegia; 2.9% unspecified; 60 males, 42 females, mean age 11 years 8 months (SD 3y 3mo, range 6-8y), Gross Motor Function Classification System levels I to IV (13.7% Level I 50% Level II 35.3% Level III 1% Level IV), had complete PODCI and SFA assessments. Significant relationships were noted among multiple PODCI subscales and subscales of the SFA, as well as among individual questions. PODCI predicted performance in all 31 subscales of the SFA when comorbidity subscales were included (r = 0.35-0.64). The PODCI in-clinic questionnaire provides an accurate reflection of the child's actual participation in the community setting, as assessed by the SFA. PODCI can reliably be used to help ensure that outcomes assessed in the clinic setting reflect function within the community, and can be used to help with treatment planning, goal setting, and improved patient care. (Contains 5 figures.)

Lentil (Lens culinaris Medikus) is an important component of rainfed farming systems in West Asia and North Africa; it is also grown under irrigation in Egypt and Sudan. Our objectives were to determine the adaptation of a range of lentil genotypes to a wide spectrum of moisture regimes. Thirty-four diverse genotypes were grown for two seasons (1984-1985 and 1985-1986) at three locations varying in water supply, in northern Syria and Lebanon. At one location (Tel Hadya, Syria), the crop was given two supplementary irrigation regimes. Variation in mean seed yield per plant was largely explained (R squared = 0.833**) by the variation in water supply. Two supplementary irrigations (50 mm each) resulted in a 20% increase in seed yield per plant. Genotypic performance was adequately summarized by genotype means and their linear responses to different levels of moisture supply, allowing selection of genotypes for either wet or dry conditions.

After closing a high school in 1983, the Scottsdale, Arizona, Unified School District needed to regain community confidence and support. Assisted by the dean of the Arizona State University College of Education, the school board agreed on four goals: (1) an instructional program that ensures all students will master competencies required for successful life; (2) a system of recognition and reward that acknowledges excellence in performance by employees; (3) a long-range plan for resource utilization; and (4) a system that ensures effective participation by citizens and staff in evaluation and planning. As the next step, the board employed a facilitator to work with the community to conduct a complete review of the school system program within the framework of the four goals. The result was a report, "Citizens for Effective Schools," that addressed 96 issues and included approximately 200 recommendations. One of these recommendations resulted in the adoption of a facility and/or boundary change policy. A 60-member citizen committee was established to help create a 5- to 10-year facility master plan. Citizens organized to get voters to approve a bond to construct annd renovate school facilities and a budget override that, among other things, raised teachers' salaries. The board's actions raised the confidence of the community. Of the parents surveyed, 72 percent gave the school system a rating of "good" or "outstanding." (MLF)

A 46-member commission that reviewed every course in the Scottsdale (Arizona) high schools recommended new graduation requirements and a way to protect curriculum priorities. (Author)

Purpose: Determine the relationship between the SFA and GMFCS in children with cerebral palsy (CP). Methods: Through correlation, regression, and ANOVA analysis, data from 103 children were examined. A regression model was used to compare SFA-predicted versus actual GMFCS levels. One-way ANOVA was utilized to determine differences between SFA subscale scores in the context of GMFCS. Results: A significant correlation between composite SFA scores and GMFCS levels (r = -0.847, p < 0.020) was observed. Subscale-SFA and GMFCS correlations included Regular Class (r = -0.338, p < 0.001), Physical Tasks Adaptation (Phys1; r = -0.340, p < 0.001) and Assistance (Phys2; r = -0.340, p < 0.001), Position (r = -0.338, p< 0.001), Recreational Movement (RecMvmt; r = -0.387, p < 0.0001), Manipulation Movement (ManMvmt; r = -0.494, p < 0.0001), and Up/Down Stairs (UDStairs; r = -0.453, p < 0.0001). Between predicated and actual GMFCS levels, no statistical difference was observed. One-way ANOVA demonstrated SFA differences at GMFCS levels: Phys1 (F = 5.32, p < 0.002), Phys2 (F = 4.54, p < 0.005), Position (F = 4.63, p < 0.004), RecMvmt (F = 7.92, p < 0.0001), ManMvmt (F = 13.50, p < 0.0001), and UDStairs (F = 6.18, p < 0.001). Conclusion: Utilizing both SFA-predicted and actual GMFCS levels may help determine if a child is performing at an expected level of daily function. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aging is associated with a decline in vascular endothelial function, manifesting in part as impaired flow-mediated arterial dilation (FMD), but the underlying mechanisms are uncertain. Impaired FMD may be mediated in part by a decrease in synthesis of nitric oxide by endothelial nitric oxide synthase, and in clinical populations this has been attributed to competitive inhibition of ʟ-arginine binding sites by asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA). If this mechanism is involved in the age-associated decline in FMD, increasing ʟ-arginine concentration may swing the competitive balance in favor of ʟ-arginine binding, restoring nitric oxide synthesis, and enhancing FMD in older humans. To test this hypothesis, we measured FMD (brachial ultrasound) in 10 younger (21 ± 1 yr) and 12 older healthy men and women (60 ± 2 yr) following infusion of vehicle or vehicle + ʟ-arginine. Baseline FMD in the older subjects was only ∼60% of that in the younger subjects (P = 0.002). ʟ-Arginine did not significantly increase FMD in either group despite 23-fold (older) and 19-fold (younger) increases in plasma ʟ-arginine concentrations (P < 0.0001 vs. control). Protein expression (immunofluorescence) in vascular endothelial cells showed that ADMA and the enzyme isoform that controls its degradation, dimethylarginine dimethylaminohydrolase II, were not different in the younger and older subjects. Endothelium-independent vasodilation (sublingual nitroglycerine) was not different between age groups or conditions. We conclude that acutely increasing plasma concentrations of ʟ-arginine do not significantly improve brachial artery FMD in healthy older subjects and thus does not restore the age-associated loss of FMD. Together with the finding that endothelial cell ADMA protein expression was not increased in older adults, these findings suggest that competitive inhibition of ʟ-arginine binding sites on endothelial nitric oxide synthase by ADMA is not an important mechanism contributing to impaired conduit artery endothelium-dependent dilation with aging in healthy humans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]