Thesis (M.A.)--University of Wisconsin--Madison, 1966. / eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Bibliography: l. 87-88.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Wisconsin--Madison, 1972. / Vita. eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Oregon, 2006. / Typescript. Includes vita and abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 157-178). Also available for download via the World Wide Web; free to University of Oregon users.

Thesis (M.A.)--Bowling Green State University, 2010. / Document formatted into pages; contains vii, 116 p. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Northwestern University, 2003. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 64-04, Section: A, page: 1316. Adviser: Caroline Bledsoe.

Thesis (M.A.)--Indiana University, 2006. / Title from screen (viewed on Apr. 30, 2007) Department of History, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) Includes vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 100-108)

While previous studies have found that a preterm (PT) birth leads to a higher risk for numerous adverse outcomes, including neurodevelopmental and behavioural problems, few, if any, have investigated the consistency of conceivable behavioural problems over time. The aim of this study was to investigate the existence and the stability of behavioural problems from four to eight years of age in a group of 18 children born PT without diagnosed neurological or developmental morbidity, in comparison to a group of 19 children born full term (FT). Additionally, the effects of gestational age (GA) as well as possible associations between behavioural problems and cognitive ability were investigated. Also, differences related to parents’ level of education were observed. Behavioural problems were evaluated with Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) and cognitive ability was assessed at eight years of age by using Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC-IV). Results showed significant differences between the groups regarding cognitive ability where children born PT had lower scores. Contrary to most previous findings, no evident differences between the two groups regarding amount of behavioural problems were found. Children born PT increased in amount of anxiety problems from four to eight years of age, while children born FT decreased, and a lower GA was related to increasing oppositional defiant problems. Generally, the mothers of children born PT had a lower level of education than those of the FT group. Thus, interpretations with caution due to the relatively small number of participants, these initial findings reveal the need for further prospective follow-up studies on the relationship between birth status and the change of behaviour problems in relation to both inter- and intra-effectors over time. / Tidigare forskning har visat att en för tidig födsel leder till en ökad risk för ett antal ofördelaktiga utfall, inklusive neuroutvecklingsrelaterade svårigheter och beteendeproblem. Få studier, om några, har undersökt stabiliteten av potentiella beteendeproblem över tid. Syftet med denna studie var att undersöka förekomst och stabilitet av beteendeproblematik mellan fyra till åtta års ålder i en grupp bestående av 18 barn födda för tidigt, utan neurologiska eller utvecklingsrelaterade störningar, jämfört med 19 barn födda fullgångna. Vidare undersöktes effekten av gestationsålder samt möjliga associationer mellan beteendeproblem och kognitiv förmåga. Skillnader i föräldrarnas utbildningsnivå mellan grupperna undersöktes också. Beteendeproblem skattades med Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) och kognitiv förmåga bedömdes vid åtta års ålder med hjälp av Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC-IV). Resultaten visade signifikanta skillnader mellan grupperna gällande kognitiv förmåga, där barn födda för tidigt hade lägre poäng. I motsats till vad flera tidigare studier funnit så visade vår studie inga signifikanta skillnader mellan grupperna gällande omfattning av beteendeproblem. Barn födda för tidigt uppvisade en ökning av ångestproblem från fyra till åtta års ålder medan barn fullgånget födda uppvisade en minskning, och lägre gestationsålder korrelerade med ökade trotsproblem. Generellt sett så hade mödrar till barn födda förtidigt en lägre utbildningsnivå än de i den fullgångna gruppen. Med försiktiga tolkningar på grund av det relativt låga antalet deltagare visar resultaten ett behov av vidare uppföljningsstudier av sambanden mellan födelsestatus och förändringen av beteendeproblem i relation till både inter- och intra-påverkande faktorer. / The relation between sensory-motor, behaviour functioning and brain development in preterm born children

Orientador: Márcia Guimarães da Silva / Banca: José Antonio Simões / Banca: Maria Terezinha Serrão Peraçoli / Resumo: O Trabalho de Parto Prematuro (TPP) é uma grave intercorrência obstétrica que acomete de 5-10% das gestações. Embora sua etiologia seja multifatorial, a infecção da cavidade amniótica (CA) é um importante fator associado ao seu desencadeamento. Objetivo: Comparar a freqüência de infecção na cavidade amniótica de gestantes em TPP em relação a gestantes fora de trabalho de parto e correlacionar com os níveis de citocinas pró-inflamatórias no líquido amniótico (LA). Material e Métodos: Foram incluídas neste estudo 20 gestantes em TPP e 20 gestantes fora de trabalho de parto, com idades gestacionais pareadas. No grupo TPP, amostras de LA foram obtidas no momento da resolução da gestação ou durante amniocentese transabdominal. O grupo de gestantes fora de trabalho de parto foi constituído de pacientes com indicação de amniocentese transabdominal. Para avaliação da infecção na CA foram realizadas reações em cadeia da polimerase (PCR) para a detecção de Mycoplasma hominis, Ureaplasma urealyticum e do gene bacteriano RNAr 16S. Os produtos de RNAr 16S foram seqüenciados para a identificação da espécie bacteriana. Os níveis das citocinas inflamatórias, interleucina (IL)-1β, IL-6, IL-8 e fator de necrose tumoral (TNF-α) no LA foram quantificados por ensaio imunoenzimático (ELISA). Resultados: A incidência de TPP no período do estudo foi de 5,8%. No grupo TPP, a pesquisa de invasão microbiana da CA foi positiva para M. hominis (35,0%), U. urealyticym (10,0%) e gene RNAr 16S (30,0%), sendo todas as freqüências superiores às encontradas no grupo fora de trabalho de parto (p<0,05). Quanto às citocinas, níveis aumentados de IL-1β (p=0,03), IL-6 (p<0,001) e IL-8 (p<0,001) foram detectados no LA das pacientes em TPP em relação às gestantes fora de trabalho de parto. Além disso, amostras de LA, com presença de infecção, apresentaram níveis... (Resumo completo, clicar acesso eletrônico abaixo) / Abstract: Preterm labor (PL) represents a serious obstetric complication whose rate is 5-10%. Although the PL etiology is multifactorial, intraamniotic infection is strongly associated to its occurrence. Objective: To compare the frequency of intraamniotic infection in women presenting PL with women not in labor and to correlate with inflammatory cytokines levels in amniotic fluid (AF). Material and Methods: Twenty women with PL and 20 women with same gestational age, but not in labor, were included in this study. AF samples of women in PL were collected at delivery or by amniocentesis. The control group was composed by women with indication for amniocentesis. The evaluation of intraamniotic infection was performed detecting Mycoplasma hominis, Ureaplasma urealyticum and the bacterial rRNA 16S gene using polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The PCR rRNA 16S products were sequenced for bacterial species identification. The IL-1β, IL-6, IL-8 and TNF-α levels in AF were measured by enzyme-linked immunoabsorbent assay (ELISA). Results: During the study period, PL rate was 5,8%. Intraamniotic infection in women with PL was positive for M. hominis (35,0%), U. urealyticum (10,0%) and bacterial rRNA 16S (30,0%). AF infection rates for all tested microorganism were superior in PL when compared to women not in labor (p<0,05). Regarding to the cytokine measurement, AF of PL women showed increased IL-1β (p=0,03), IL-6 (p<0,001) and IL-8 (p<0,001) levels in comparison to AF samples from women not in labor. Additionally, AF with infection presented increased levels of IL-1β e IL-6 (p=0,03). Conclusion: Women with PL present high frequency of intraamniotic infection when compared with women not in labor and such infection correlates with increased IL-1β e IL-6 AF levels. / Mestre

Philosophiae Doctor - PhD / Adverse pregnancy outcomes such as preterm birth and low birth weight are major causes of maternal and neonatal morbidity and mortality. Increasing evidence points to an association between periodontal disease and adverse pregnancy outcomes and thus a better understanding of the nature of this association will assist in treatment planning to reduce adverse pregnancy outcomes. Among the Gram-negative anaerobic bacteria frequently associated with periodontal disease are Treponema denticola, Tannerella forsythia and Porphyromonas gingivalis which may be detected in plaque using the BANA test (N-benzoyl-DL-arginine-2-naphthylamide). The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of periodontal disease on pregnancy outcomes and evaluate the use of BANA as a screening test for the risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes. This study complied with the Declaration of Helsinki (2013) and included 443 pregnant women attending ante-natal clinics in KwaZulu Natal. At first visit, maternal oral health status was assessed by the measurement of periodontal indices and BANA testing of dental plaque from the same teeth. Patient demography and medical history were obtained by means of a questionnaire and all data compared with pregnancy outcomes. While controlling for other factors, significant differences were found between the distributions of periodontal disease at BANA-negative and BANA-positive sites and between infant birth weight and maternal periodontal index scores such as plaque index and gingival index. The birth weight and gestational age at delivery of infants born of BANA-positive periodontally diseased mothers were significantly lower than those born of BANA-negative mothers with no periodontal disease. We may conclude that the presence of periodontal disease during pregnancy has a significant association with negative pregnancy outcomes and suggest that the risk for adverse pregnancy outcomes may be reduced by monitoring the oral health status of women during pregnancy.

This thesis uses a multi-disciplinary approach to study cognitive-neurophysiological processes underlying attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and the underlying risk pathways from preterm birth to ADHD. In the first part of the thesis we use a measure of peripheral arousal (skin conductance) to better understand arousal dysregulation in ADHD and how it relates to cognitive performance. We show, using a large ADHD and control sibling sample, that ADHD is associated with peripheral hypo-arousal, and that a familial aetiology underlies the relationship between hypo-arousal and fluctuating reaction times, and between hypoarousal and ADHD. Our findings further suggest that peripheral hypo-arousal is an enduring deficit in ADHD, as it is observed in both ADHD remitters and ADHD persisters in our followup investigation. The second part of the thesis focuses on preterm birth as a risk factor for ADHD: we compare data we obtain from a new sample of preterm-born adolescents and their siblings to data from ADHD and control sibling pairs. First, we find that preterm-born individuals show several of the same cognitive-neurophysiological impairments as individuals with ADHD, but they also show further, additional impairments. Second, our results indicate that cognitive-neurophysiological impairments in the preterm group differentiate into those that are in line with a causal effect of preterm birth, and those that are not. Third, our findings further suggest that the association between ADHD symptoms and specific cognitive impairments is largely due to familial influences among term-born individuals, but largely due to non-shared effects (including preterm birth as an environmental insult) among pretermborn individuals. Overall, by using a combination of cognitive, neurophysiological, developmental and sibling-comparison designs, our findings provide new insight into arousal dysregulation in individuals with ADHD, and inform on cognitive-neurophysiological and aetiological processes that may underlie the association between preterm birth and ADHD.