Biomedical subjects

Ann Wilson

Publications and source records attributed to Ann Wilson.

9 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2005

State of South Dakota's Child 2004 continued: out of home care for infants.

South Dakota leads the nation in its percent of women in the workforce who have children under the age of six. Nationally, 64% of women with children this young are employed and this is the case for 78% of women in the state. Further, 60% of South Dakota's infants live in homes where either their single mother is employed or both their parents are employed outside of their home. Nearly half of all the state's infants and children under six receive nonparental care during their parents' working hours. The significance of this reality is profound as young children's experiences, during early formative periods of life, affect their current and future development. The dimensions of quality care for infants are described as well as the economic and policy dynamics that affect its delivery in South Dakota.

Adult↗

PubMed2004

Environmentally determined genetic expression: clinical correlates with molecular variants of carbamyl phosphate synthetase I.

Carbamyl phosphate synthetase I (CPSI) determines the rate-limiting entry of free ammonia into the urea cycle. Disruption of CPSI affects the liver's ability to remove waste nitrogen and produce arginine, citrulline, and urea. Arginine is the necessary precursor for the critical biomolecule, nitric oxide (NO). We have studied the classic model of CPSI deficiency, which results in severe hyperammonemia, and identified a large number of molecular defects. A number of CPSI polymorphisms have been found that appear to result in functional consequences. We have examined the association of these polymorphisms with various environmental stress conditions and found that certain CPSI alleles are associated with clinical outcome. We refer to these associations as environmentally determined genetic expression (EDGE) affects. In addition to studies of classic CPSI deficiency, we have developed data for the EDGE concept in post-cardiac surgery-related pulmonary hypertension, hepatic veno-occlusive disease after bone marrow transplantation, and persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newborn. We have linked these outcomes and genotypes to the availability of the urea cycle intermediates, citrulline and arginine, and their role in NO synthesis. We hypothesize that these polymorphisms affect the functional efficiency of CPSI and thus the entire urea cycle and as such, the availability of the NO substrates. By piecing together the various functional aspects of the urea cycle changes we have seen, we can better understand the clinical vulnerabilities of patients in environmentally stressful situations. This knowledge should allow us to design intervention strategies to either predict or modify the associated adverse outcomes.

Bone Marrow Transplantation↗

PubMed2004

State of South Dakota's child: 2003.

In South Dakota between 2001 and 2002 there was a 2% increase in births with the number of both white and minority newborns increasing. In recent decades, trends in natality data show an ongoing shift in the ethnic distribution of the state's youngest population with 19% of the 2002 births now representing minorities. Further, though in recent years there has been a slight increase in the number of births, the current yearly birth cohorts represents a 19% decrease from what was observed in 1980. The percent of low birth weight newborns (< 2500 g) increased in 2002 to 7.2%, however, this rate is lower than the 7.8% rate observed nationally, and did not include an increase in very low birth weight (< 1500 g), which dropped to below 1% of all births. The South Dakota infant mortality rate also dropped to 6.5 in 2002, reflecting a decrease for white infants during both the neonatal (< 28 days) and for the post neonatal period of time (29 to 365th day of life). For infants of minority ethnicity, there was a decrease in only post neonatal mortality with their overall rate of infant death remaining over twice that observed for South Dakota's white population. The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 is the special topic of this year's report and includes a discussion of how this significant federal legislation is being implemented in South Dakota's public schools.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2004

The 2003 annual report of the Regional Infant and Child Mortality Review Committee.

The annual report of the Regional Infant and Child Mortality Review Committee (RICMRC) is attached. This Committee has as its mission the review of infant and child deaths so that information can be transformed into action to protect young lives. The 2003 review area includes South Dakota's Minnehaha, Turner, Lincoln, Moody, Lake, McCook, and Union Counties. In 2003 there was one death in this region due to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), plus two infant deaths listed as undetermined that could potentially represent SIDS. Two of these three deaths had potential risk factors of soft bedding and prone sleeping. These data reflect the need to remain vigilant in the public campaign to promote "back to sleep" and safe sleeping environments for infants. There were 15 other deaths due to accidental injury, and ten related to motor vehicle crashes. In 2003 there were no child abuse homicides and one teenage suicide. The RICMRC invites other communities to join in its efforts to review deaths to prevent potential life threatening hazards to children in their local environs.

Accident Prevention↗

PubMed2003

State of South Dakota's child: 2002.

In 2001, for the second consecutive year, there was an increase in births in South Dakota that also included the highest rate of low birth weight infants born in 28 years. The infant mortality rate also increased from its exceptionally low rate in 2000. The rate of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome in South Dakota is over twice that noted nationally and emphasizes the need for vigilant efforts to promote substance free pregnancies and safe sleeping for infants. The special topic of this year's report is emergent literacy. This concept reveals the continuum of experiences that begin in infancy and contribute to a child's learning how to read and write. Efforts that have successfully promoted reading with well-baby and child health care visits are described.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2003

The 2002 annual report of the Regional Infant and Child Mortality Review Committee.

The annual report of the Regional Infant and Child Mortality Review Committee (RICMRC) is attached. This Committee has as its mission the review of infant and child death so that information can be transformed into action to protect young lives. The 2002 review area includes South Dakota's Minnehaha, Turner, Lincoln, Moody, Lake, McCook, and Union counties. In 2002 there was one death in this region due to SIDS, plus one infant death due to positional asphyxia that illustrates the hazards of soft bedding and prone sleeping. These data reflect the need to remain vigilant in the public campaign to promote "back to sleep" and safe sleeping environments for infants. There were four other deaths due to accidental injury, mostly representing immaturity in driving various vehicles. In 2002 there were two child abuse homicides, and three teenage suicides. The RICMRC invites other communities to join in its efforts to review deaths to prevent potential life-threatening hazards to children in their local environs.

Accident Prevention↗

PubMed2002

State of South Dakota's child: 2001.

In the year 2000, there was a reversal of the previous year's increase in births in South Dakota, with the total number of births decreasing by 170. There also was an increase in the percentage of low birth weight newborns (< 2500 grams), but a slight decrease in the percent of babies born weighing less than 1500 grams. Most dramatic, was the drop noted in the year 2000 in the state's infant mortality, achieving its lowest ever rate of 5.5 per thousand live births. This drop was observed in both the neonatal (< 29 days of age) and post neonatal (28-364 days of age) rates of death, and for both the White and American Indian populations. An analysis of the causes of infant death showed that during the year 2000 there was an approximate 50% decrease in previous years' rate of death attributable to congenital anomalies and Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. As its special topic, this year's report discusses the epidemic of overweight and obesity that affects approximately one-third of school age youth in South Dakota and is associated with risks for their current and future health.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2002

The 2001 annual report of the Regional Infant and Child Mortality Review Committee.

The annual report of the Regional Infant and Child Mortality Review Committee (RICMRC) is attached. This Committee has as its mission the review of infant and child death so that information can be transformed into action to protect young lives. The Committee review area in 2001 included South Dakota's Minnehaha, Turner, Lincoln, Moody, Lake, and McCook counties. In 2001 there were no deaths in this region due to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), however, there was one death due to positional asphyxia that represents the hazards of soft bedding and prone sleeping. In addition to this case, there were seven other deaths due to injury mostly representing immaturity in driving various vehicles. These data reflect the need to remain vigilant in the public campaign to promote "back to sleep" and safe sleeping environments for infant. The RICMRC invites other communities to join in its efforts to review deaths to prevent potential life-threatening hazards to children in their local environs.

Accident Prevention↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Nurses' maths: researching a practical approach.

AIM: To compare a new practical maths test with a written maths test. The tests were undertaken by qualified nurses training for intravenous drug administration, a skill dependent on maths accuracy. The literature showed that the higher education institutes (HEIs) that provide nurse training use traditional maths tests, a practical way of testing maths had not been described. METHOD: Fifty five nurses undertook two maths tests based on intravenous drug calculations. One was a traditional written test. The second was a new type of test using a simulated clinical environment. All participants were also interviewed one week later to ascertain their thoughts and feelings about the tests. RESULTS: There was a significant improvement in maths test scores for those nurses who took the practical maths test first. It is suggested that this is because it improved their conceptualisation skills and thus helped them to achieve accuracy in their calculations. CONCLUSION: Written maths tests are not the best way to help and support nurses in acquiring and improving their maths skills and should be replaced by a more practical approach.

Education, Nursing↗