Thesis (Ph.D.) - University of Queensland, 2004. / Includes bibliography.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Florida, 1984. / Description based on print version record. Typescript. Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 125-142).

The aim of my work was to analyze how three bloggers, who lost a child to sud- den infant death syndrome SIDS, used different rituals and coping strategies in their blogs. I analyzed how these mothers, through blogging on the Internet, ex- press their grief, what kind of rituals they have performed in the grieving process, and whether these rituals can be seen as part of a coping strategy to deal with the grief. My analysis was based on a deductive approach with the help of the coping theory which MarieAnne Ekedahls (2001) used in her research and the theories about ritualization which Carin Åblad Lundström (2010) used in her. In my analy- sis, I made a transverse text analysis using the analysis program Open Code. I used Open Code to structure and upload my material, and analyzed it along Eke- dahls (2001) coping theory and Åblad Lundström (2010) theories about ritualiza- tions as a coping strategy when dealing with SIDS. The essay was divided into three different parts. Part I was based on Ekedahls (2001) coping model to analyze how the bloggers produce various coping strate- gies in their texts. The conclusion was that all coping strategies were prominent in the blogs. Part II, in which Åblad Lundström’s (2010) model was used, estab- lished that ritualization was useful when dealing with death. The rituals were thus also the prominent component in all of the three blogs on a religious, private and social level, and both in private and in public. Finally, these two theories were combined in Part III, where it was possible to conclude that the appropriate rituals could be connected with one or more of the designed coping strategies. Coping strategies involve either preserving or reconstructing methods and ways of mov- ing on, while rituals result in a contact with the individual's inner or outer worlds. In this way, it was possible to see rituals as a coping strategy. Both coping strate- gies and rituals were combined, so none of the bloggers used only one strategy or ritual, but used many of them when dealing with death.

INTRODUCTION: In the years that followed the 1994 Back to Sleep Campaign (BSC), a public health initiative designed to prevent Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), the prevalence of SIDS decreased by nearly 50%. However, recent research questions the decline in SIDS with an appreciation of contemporaneous factors which may have contributed to it. There is a growing recognition that other, often indiscernible causes of Sudden Unexpected Infant Deaths (SUID) have increased prevalence rates. Several researchers have addressed the possibility of the effects of a diagnostic drift. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the impact of certain contemporaneous factors on the decline in the prevalence of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. METHODS: We examined a historically significant time period surrounding the implementation of the BSC, 1984-2009. It is a time-period that incorporates mortality statistics prior to the BSC, as well as immediately following. We utilized 1984-2009 mortality data obtained from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention and evaluated the following prevalence rates: SIDS, unknown and unspecified causes, Accidental Strangulation and Suffocation in Bed (ASSB), and Neglect. We then amalgamated unknown and unspecified causes, ASSB and Neglect into a single representation of non-SIDS SUID. We then proceeded to perform an analysis on these prevalence rates to determine linear trends. RESULTS: All-cause mortality rate decreased linearly by about .929 per 100,000 per year (p<.0001, β=-.929). SIDS mortality rates also experienced a significant decline of about .951 per 100,000 deaths per year (p<.0001, β=-.951). In contrast, the SUID cohort prevalence increased significantly with a rate of .930 per 100,000 per year (p<.0001, β=.930). DISCUSSION: Over our study period, SIDS declined significantly, but by 2001 it experienced a stagnant decline that was different than that from 1984-2000. From 2001 to 2009, our SUID cohort increased dramatically. It is our conclusion that the potential exists for a possible diagnostic drift from SIDS to these other SUID.

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No description available.

A brainstem-related abnormality in respiratory control appears to be one of the most compelling mechanisms for sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). The elements calcium, copper, iron, potassium, magnesium, sodium, phosphorus, sulfur, and zinc were analyzed by inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy in the brainstem of 30 infants who died from SIDS and 10 infants who died from other causes (control). No differences were found between SIDS and control for any element except for more calcium in the SIDS group. A multivariate analysis of the data failed to group the majority of SIDS and control subjects in different clusters. Further research is required to determine the biological significance of the higher calcium found in the SIDS group.,

Sudden Infant Death (SIDS) has been associated with medium-chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase (MCAD) deficiency, an inborn error of fatty acid oxidation. Blood and tissue samples from a large cohort of SIDS victims were analyzed for the presence of dodecanoic acid (C₁₂) by gas chromatography. A subgroup of these cases had a significantly higher blood concentration than age-matched controls, suggesting MCAD deficiency. An animal study using Sprague-Dawley rats was done to mimic the effects of MCAD deficiency. Significantly increased blood concentrations of dodecanoic acid were observed. Decreased values in heart and liver were puzzling findings. The data indicate that dodecanoic acid is a blood marker for MCAD deficiency.

Thesis (MScMedSc)--University of Stellenbosch, 2011. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Sudden Unexpected Death in Infancy (SUDI) refers to any such sudden demise in a child. If the child dies while asleep within the first year of life, and if no conclusive cause of death can be ascertained by means of complete autopsy and investigation into the circumstances surrounding death, including visit of the death scene, such a case is classified as one of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). By South African law, a full medico-legal autopsy is mandated in cases where the cause of death is not evident – including cases of possible SIDS. There can be little doubt that viral infection can be a cause of death in cases of supposed SUDI. At the Tygerberg medico-legal (forensic) laboratory, the evaluation of lung tissue for the presence of fatal viral lung infections forms part of the institutional protocol for the examination of SUDI cases. Lung samples of these SUDI cases are routinely tested for the presence of Cytomegalovirus (CMV), adenovirus and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) by means of shell vial cultures. In a retrospective pilot study of 366 SUDI case files from Tygerberg Hospital, Western Cape, from 2004 – 2006, it was evident that in only 13.9% of possible SIDS cases, positive results for one or more of the aforementioned viruses were obtained. We hypothesise that the current method of virus detection, together with other factors such as the interval between death and post mortem examination, transport time of the specimens to the laboratory etc. might not be optimal to give a realistic picture of death in infancy caused by viral pulmonary infection. As other test modalities exist for the diagnosis of pulmonary viral infections, these methods were compared in terms of positive yield and association with viral pneumonitis, keeping the cost and time needed for each assay in mind. A total of 82 samples were collected over an 8 month period and routine shell vial cultures were done, followed by real-time Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) and immunohistochemical (IHC) staining of the lung sections with consensus pathology opinion. As expected, the real-time PCR method was much more better suited for identifying positive samples than shell vials (35% vs. 3.7% respectively). IHC staining also aided the pathologist in diagnosing viral infections microscopically. We expect the findings to be instrumental in streamlining not only our institutional SIDS investigation protocol, but also the development of a standardised national SIDS investigation protocol. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: “Sudden Unexpected Death in Infancy” (SUDI) verwys na enige skielike sterfte van ‘n kind. Indien die kind sterf tydens sy/haar slaap periode en geen oortuigende oorsaak van dood bepaal kan word deur middel van ’n volledige nadoodse ondersoek en ondersoek na die omstandighede tydens die dood, insluitend ’n besoek aan die doodstoneel nie, word so ’n geval as Wiegiedood (SIDS) geklassifiseer. SuidAfrikaanse wetgewing vereis ’n volledige medies-geregtelike nadoodse ondersoek in gevalle waar die oorsaak van dood onbekend is – insluitend gevalle van moontlike Wiegiedood. Daar is min twyfel dat virusinfeksie ‘n oorsaak van, of bydraende faktor tot dood kan wees in gevalle van moontlike SUDI. By die Tygerberg forensiese laboratorium vorm die evaluasie van long weefsel vir die teenwoordigheid van dodelike virusinfeksies deel van die institusionele protokol vir die ondersoek van SUDI gevalle. Long monsters van hierdie SUDI gevalle ondergaan roetine toetse vir die teenwoordigheid van sitomegaalvirus, respiratoriese sinsitialevirus en adenovirus deur middel van selkulture (“shell vial cultures”). In ‘n retrospektiewe steekproef van 366 SUDI gevalle by Tygerberg Hospitaal, Wes-Kaap van 2004 – 2006, is bevind dat in slegs 13.9% van moontlike SUDI gevalle die teenwoordigheid van een of meer van bogenoemde virusse bevestig kon word. Ons hipotese is dat hierdie metode van virus deteksie, tesame met ander faktore soos die tydsinterval tussen dood en nadoodse ondersoek, tyd om monsters na die laboratorium te vervoer ens. moontlik nie optimaal is om ‘n realistiese beeld van dood in babas as gevolg van pulmonale virusinfeksie te gee nie. Aangesien ander toets modaliteite bestaan vir die diagnose van pulmonale virusinfeksies, is hierdie metodes vergelyk in terme van positiewe opbrengs en assosiasie met virale pneumonitis, teen ’n agtergrond van die koste en tyd benodig per toets. ’n Totaal van 82 monsters is oor ‘n 8 maande periode versamel en roetine selkulture is gedoen, gevolg deur “real-time” Polimerase Ketting Reaksie (PKR), asook immunohistochemiese (IHC) kleuring van long snitte met patologiese verslae. Soos vermoed, is gevind dat die real-time PKR metode baie meer akkuraat is om positiewe monsters te identifiseer as roetine selkulture (35% vs 3.7% onderskeidelik). IHC kleuring het ook mikroskopiese diagnose van virale infeksies deur die patoloog vergemaklik. Ons verwag dat hierdie bevindinge grootliks kan bydra in die vaartbelyning van ons institusionele SIDS ondersoek protokol, asook in die ontwikkeling van ’n gestandaardiseerde nasionale SIDS ondersoek protokol.

Abstract not available