OBJECTIVE Based on social ecological theory, this study examined the joint relations among adolescents' family, peer, and school contexts and depressive symptoms in youth with spina bifida using cumulative, protective, and specific effects models. METHOD Sixty families of adolescents with spina bifida and 65 comparison families reported on adolescents' positive experiences within these contex...

Children and adolescents who have decreased mobility due to spina bifida may be at increased risk for the components of metabolic syndrome, including abdominal obesity, insulin resistance, and dyslipidemia due to low physical activity. Like their nondisabled peers, adolescents with spina bifida that develop metabolic risk factors early in life have set the stage for adult disease. Exercise inte...

INTRODUCTION Patients with spina bifida in the lumbosacral region usually have various degrees of motor and sensory dysfunctions of the lower extremities and anal sphincter. The aim of our study was to evaluate the distribution and differences in frequencies of affected muscles, number of affected muscles and degree of neurogenic lesion between patients with spina bifida occulta (SBO) and spina...

BACKGROUND A large number of studies have confirmed that excessive apoptosis is one of the reasons for deficient neuronal function in neural tube defects (NTDs). A previous study from our laboratory used 2-D gel electrophoresis to demonstrate that 14-3-3ζ expression was low in the spinal cords of rat fetuses with spina bifida aperta at embryonic day (E) 17. As a member of the 14-3-3 protein fam...

Spina bifida aperta (SBA), one of the most common congenital malformations, causes lifelong neurological complications, particularly in terms of motor dysfunction. Fetuses with SBA exhibit voluntary leg movements in utero and during early neonatal life, but these disappear within the first few weeks after birth. However, the pathophysiological sequence underlying such motor dysfunction remains ...

There are many reports that show the teratogenic effects of phenobarbital can be decreased by stimulation of maternal immune system. Therefore, in this study, the prophylactic effects of levamisole and vitamin E on teratogenic effects of phenobarbital were compared. This study was performed on 20 pregnant rats that were divided into four groups. Control group received normal saline and test gro...

This paper presents the trend of spina bifida and other neural tube defects in Oman after the nationwide implementation of folate supplementation of pregnant women in 1990 and the fortification of wheat flour with iron and folate in 1996. The annual incidence of spina bifida fluctuated from 2.34 to 4.03 per 1000 deliveries between 1991 and 1996, but fell sharply to 2.11 per 1000 deliveries in 1...

Data are presented from the South Wales Congenital Malformation Survey (92,982 births 1964-6 inclusive) showing that within areas in South Wales there exists an inverse relation between previous spontaneous abortion rate and the prevalence at birth of neural tube defect (anencephaly or spina bifida cystica or both). This relation is independent of social class, parity, and maternal age, and is ...

Children with spina bifida develop a wide variety of congenital and acquired orthopedic deformities. Among these are hip deformities such as contracture, subluxation, or dislocation. Patients may also have problems with the knee joint, such as knee flexion or extension contracture, knee valgus deformity, or late knee instability and pain. In addition, rotational deformities of the lower extremi...

there are many reports that show the teratogenic effects of phenobarbital can be decreased by stimulation of maternal immune system. therefore, in this study, the prophylactic effects of levamisole and vitamin e on teratogenic effects of phenobarbital were compared. this study was performed on 20 pregnant rats that were divided into four groups. control group received normal saline and test gro...