scholarly journals Associations Between Screen Exposure in Early Life and Myopia amongst Chinese Preschoolers

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (3) ◽  
pp. 1056 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gui-You Yang ◽  
Li-Hua Huang ◽  
Katrina L. Schmid ◽  
Chen-Guang Li ◽  
Jing-Yi Chen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Early Life ◽  
Cox Regression ◽  
Current Data ◽  
Sensitive Period ◽  
Baseline Survey ◽  
First Year ◽  
School Aged Children ◽  
Regression Modelling ◽  
Visual Status ◽  
Shed Light

This study aimed to explore the association between screen exposure in early life and preschool myopia. During the baseline survey of the Longhua Child Cohort Study (LCCS), data of 29,595 preschoolers were collected via a caregiver-reported questionnaire regarding children’s socio-demographic characteristics, visual status, screen exposure and relevant parental information. Data of 26,433 preschoolers with normal eyesight or myopia were included in the analysis and cox regression modelling was employed to assess the associations. Results suggested the hypothesis that screen exposure in early life could be significantly and positively associated with preschool myopia, and in agreement with this hypothesis was the association being strengthened with the increasing daily exposure duration and total years of exposure; in the stratification analysis based on the presence of parental myopia, these associations still existed, and the strength of associations was stronger in preschoolers with myopic parents than those without. Moreover, a statistically significant association was only observed between initial screen exposure that occurred during 0–1-years old and myopia for preschoolers without myopic parents, while the significant associations were observed between initial screen exposure that occurred during 0–1, 1–2, 2–3, and after 3 years old and myopia for preschoolers who had myopic parents, with the strongest association found in the group of children initially exposed to electronic screens during 0–1 year old. Thus our findings indicated the hypothesis that screen exposure in early life might be associated with the occurrence of preschool myopia, and that the postnatal first year might be the sensitive period for the association. However, it is premature to conclude that early screen time leads to myopia with current data. Further longitudinal studies performed with cycloplegia are necessary to verify the hypothesis and shed light on the more urgent question whether early screen exposure contributes to the later myopia epidemic of school-aged children.

scholarly journals Famine-related mortality in early life and accelerated life histories in nineteenth-century Belgium

2020 ◽  
Vol 287 (1938) ◽  
pp. 20201182
Author(s):  
Katharina E. Pink ◽  
Robert J. Quinlan ◽  
Saskia Hin
Keyword(s):  
Nineteenth Century ◽  
Life History ◽  
Population Growth ◽  
Early Life ◽  
Life Histories ◽  
Cox Regression ◽  
Occupational Status ◽  
Sensitive Period ◽  
Men And Women ◽  
Extrinsic Mortality

Density-dependent and extrinsic mortality are predicted to accelerate reproductive maturation. The first 5 years of life is a proposed sensitive period for life-history regulation. This study examines the ways in which local mortality during this sensitive period was related to subsequent marriage timing in nineteenth-century Belgium ( n women = 11 892; n men = 14 140). Local mortality during the sensitive period was inversely associated with age at first marriage for men and women controlling for literacy, occupational status, population growth and migration. Cox regression indicated decreased time to marriage for women (HR = 1.661, 95% CI: 1.542–1.789) and men (HR = 1.327, 95% CI: 1.238–1.422) from high mortality municipalities. Rising population growth rates were associated with earlier marriage for men and women. Migration in general was associated with later marriage for men and women. Consistent with life-history predictions, harsh ecological conditions during early life such as famine coincided with earlier marriage.

scholarly journals Levels of Predominant Intestinal Microorganisms in 1 Month-Old Full-Term Babies and Weight Gain During the First Year of Life

Nutrients ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (7) ◽  
pp. 2412
Author(s):  
Sonia González ◽  
Marta Selma-Royo ◽  
Silvia Arboleya ◽  
Cecilia Martínez-Costa ◽  
Gonzalo Solís ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Weight Gain ◽  
Gut Microbiota ◽  
Early Life ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Full Term ◽  
First Year ◽  
Term Infants ◽  
Term Newborns ◽  
Infant Weight Gain ◽  
First Year Of Life

The early life gut microbiota has been reported to be involved in neonatal weight gain and later infant growth. Therefore, this early microbiota may constitute a target for the promotion of healthy neonatal growth and development with potential consequences for later life. Unfortunately, we are still far from understanding the association between neonatal microbiota and weight gain and growth. In this context, we evaluated the relationship between early microbiota and weight in a cohort of full-term infants. The absolute levels of specific fecal microorganisms were determined in 88 vaginally delivered and 36 C-section-delivered full-term newborns at 1 month of age and their growth up to 12 months of age. We observed statistically significant associations between the levels of some early life gut microbes and infant weight gain during the first year of life. Classifying the infants into tertiles according to their Staphylococcus levels at 1 month of age allowed us to observe a significantly lower weight at 12 months of life in the C-section-delivered infants from the highest tertile. Univariate and multivariate models pointed out associations between the levels of some fecal microorganisms at 1 month of age and weight gain at 6 and 12 months. Interestingly, these associations were different in vaginally and C-section-delivered babies. A significant direct association between Staphylococcus and weight gain at 1 month of life was observed in vaginally delivered babies, whereas in C-section-delivered infants, lower Bacteroides levels at 1 month were associated with higher later weight gain (at 6 and 12 months). Our results indicate an association between the gut microbiota and weight gain in early life and highlight potential microbial predictors for later weight gain.

scholarly journals Prevalence of intestinal schistosomiasis in pre-school aged children: a pilot survey in Marolambo District, Madagascar

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Caitlin Sheehy ◽  
Heather Lawson ◽  
Emmanuel H. Andriamasy ◽  
Hannah J. Russell ◽  
Alice Reid ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Epidemiological Survey ◽  
Control Programme ◽  
School Aged Children ◽  
Regression Modelling ◽  
Intestinal Schistosomiasis ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Technical Guidance ◽  
National Control ◽  
Soil Transmitted Helminthiasis ◽  
National Control Programme

AbstractSchool-aged children (SAC) have a considerable burden of intestinal schistosomiasis in Madagascar yet its burden in pre-school aged children (PSAC) is currently overlooked. To assess the at-risk status of PSAC, we undertook a pilot epidemiological survey in June 2019 examining children (n = 89), aged 2–4-years of balanced gender, in six remote villages in Marolambo District, Madagascar. Diagnosis included use of urine-circulating cathodic antigen (CCA) dipsticks and coproscopy of stool with duplicate Kato-Katz (K-K) thick smears. Prevalence of intestinal schistosomiasis by urine-CCA was 67.4% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 56.5–77.2%) and 35.0% (95% CI: 24.7–46.5%) by K-K. The relationship between faecal eggs per gram (epg) and urine-CCA G-scores (G1 to G10) was assessed by linear regression modelling, finding for every increment in G-score, epg increased by 20.4 (6.50–34.4, P = 0.006). Observed proportions of faecal epg intensities were light (78.6%), moderate (17.9%) and heavy (3.6%). Soil-transmitted helminthiasis was noted, prevalence of ascariasis was 18.8% and trichuriasis was 33.8% (hookworm was not reported). Co-infection of intestinal schistosomiasis and soil-transmitted helminthiasis occurred in 36.3% of PSAC. These results provide solid evidence highlighting the overlooked burden of intestinal schistosomiasis in PSAC, and they also offer technical  guidance for better surveillance data for the Madagascan national control programme.

scholarly journals Evidence for a sensitive period in the effects of early life stress on hippocampal volume

2018 ◽  
Vol 22 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kathryn L. Humphreys ◽  
Lucy S. King ◽  
Matthew D. Sacchet ◽  
M. Catalina Camacho ◽  
Natalie L. Colich ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Life Stress ◽  
Early Life ◽  
Early Life Stress ◽  
Hippocampal Volume ◽  
Sensitive Period

scholarly journals Expression network analysis reveals cord blood vitamin D-associated genes affecting risk of early life wheeze

Thorax ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 74 (2) ◽  
pp. 200-202 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hooman Mirzakhani ◽  
Amal A Al-Garawi ◽  
Vincent J Carey ◽  
Weiliang Qiu ◽  
Augusto A Litonjua ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Vitamin D ◽  
Cord Blood ◽  
Transforming Growth Factor Beta ◽  
Early Life ◽  
Transforming Growth Factor ◽  
First Year ◽  
Hydroxyvitamin D ◽  
25 Hydroxyvitamin D ◽  
Recurrent Wheeze ◽  
First Year Of Life

Cord blood 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25OHD) has been reported in association with risk of early life recurrent wheeze. In a subset of infants who participated in the Vitamin D Antenatal Asthma Reduction Trial, we demonstrated that higher cord blood 25OHD at birth (>31 ng/mL) was associated with a reduced risk of recurrent wheeze in the first year of life. We then identified a module of co-expressed genes associated with cord blood 25OHD levels >31 ng/mL. Genes in this module are involved in biological and immune pathways related to development and progression of asthma pathogenesis including the Notch1 and transforming growth factor-beta signalling pathways.

scholarly journals Higher Ultraviolet Radiation During Early Life Reduces Risk of Childhood Type 1 Diabetes in Boys

2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kate Miller
Keyword(s):  
Type 1 Diabetes ◽  
Ultraviolet Radiation ◽  
Western Australia ◽  
Early Life ◽  
Population Based ◽  
First Year ◽  
Third Trimester ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
First Year Of Life

IntroductionThere is increasing evidence that environmental exposures may be important in the pathogenesis of type 1 diabetes (T1D). Ultraviolet radiation (UVR) is of interest in relation to the development of T1D because of its immunoregulatory actions. Ecological studies testing the correlation between levels of UVR and T1D have shown a significant inverse relationship for both incidence and prevalence. Objectives and Approach We used large linked datasets to test ambient UVR during early life against T1D risk at the individual level. We conducted a nested case-control study using linked data from state-wide administrative datasets and NASA satellites. Cases (n=1819) were all children born in Western Australia from 1980-2014 with a diagnosis of T1D on the population-based Western Australian Children’s Diabetes Database between 0-16 years of age. Controls (n=27 259) were randomly selected from all live births in Western Australia and matched to cases on sex and date of birth. Daily UVR data from NASA satellites, that were date-and location-specific for each individual, were used to estimate total UVR dose for each trimester of pregnancy and the first year of life. ResultsConditional logistic regression showed that T1D risk was 44% lower in boys of mothers with UVR levels in the highest quartile (compared to the lowest quartile) during their third trimester of pregnancy (p=0.04). Higher UVR in the first year of life was also associated with a significantly lower risk of T1D in later childhood among boys. Among girls, there was no evidence of an association between total UVR dose and T1D risk. ConclusionHigher UVR in the third trimester and first year of life appears to interact with sex-specific factors to lower T1D risk among boys (but not girls) in Western Australia.

Abstract TMP83: Long-term Risk of Venous Thromboembolism After Stroke

Stroke ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 48 (suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Santosh B Murthy ◽  
Alexander E Merkler ◽  
Gino Gialdini ◽  
Abhinaba Chatterjee ◽  
Costantino Iadecola ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Ischemic Stroke ◽  
Venous Thromboembolism ◽  
Proportional Hazards ◽  
Cox Regression ◽  
Multivariable Analysis ◽  
First Year ◽  
Cumulative Rate ◽  
Incident Cases

Background: There are few data on the long-term risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE) among stroke survivors. We aimed to compare the incidence of VTE amongst patients with ischemic stroke versus those with intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH). Methods: We identified all adults discharged from nonfederal acute care hospitals in CA, NY, and FL between 2005 and 2012 with previously validated ICD-9-CM codes for ischemic stroke and ICH. Our primary outcome of VTE was defined as pulmonary embolism or deep vein thrombosis. To capture incident cases of VTE, we excluded patients with a VTE prior to or during the index stroke. Kaplan-Meier survival statistics were used to calculate the cumulative rate of incident VTE. Cox regression was used to compare the risk of VTE after stroke while adjusting for demographics, vascular risk factors, and Elixhauser comorbidity index. As there was a violation of the proportional-hazards assumption, we calculated separate hazard ratios (HR) for each year of follow-up. Results: We identified 834,660 patients with stroke, of whom 712,440 (85.3%) had ischemic stroke and 112,220 (14.7%) had ICH. Over a mean follow-up of 2.8 (+/-2.4) years, 19,937 (2.4%) developed VTE. After 7 years, the cumulative rate of VTE was 4.7% (95% confidence interval [CI], 4.5-4.9%) in patients with ICH and 4.4% (95% CI, 4.3-4.5%) in patients with ischemic stroke. In multivariable analysis, VTE risk was higher in the first year after ICH compared to ischemic stroke (HR 1.51; 95% CI, 1.43-1.58). However, following the first year, the hazard of VTE was higher among patients with ischemic stroke versus those with ICH (Figure). Conclusions: The risk of VTE after stroke varies by stroke type and time. Patients with ICH have a higher risk of VTE in the first year after stroke as compared to those with ischemic stroke while patients with ischemic stroke have a higher risk beyond 1 year.

The Motivations, Constraints, and Behaviour of Tanzania's Frontline Education Providers

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jacobus Cilliers ◽  
Shardul Oza
Keyword(s):  
Public Sector ◽  
Time Use ◽  
Primary Schools ◽  
Quantitative Data ◽  
Nationwide Survey ◽  
Baseline Survey ◽  
Self Perceptions ◽  
Last Mile ◽  
Depth Interviews ◽  
Shed Light

In this note, we leverage data from a nationwide survey conducted in 2019 in Ethiopia to shed light on what Ward Education Officers do, their understanding of their own role, and the constraints they face in executing their responsibilities. We interviewed 397 WEOs responsible for primary schools across 23 districts and six regions of Tanzania as part of a baseline survey conducted between February and May 2019. This note contributes to a growing literature on the activities, self-perceptions, and motivation of public sector officials in charge of “last mile” service delivery. For example, Aiyar and Bhattacharya (2016) use time-use diaries, in-depth interviews, and quantitative data to understand the views, attitudes, and activities of sub-district education sector officials, called block education officers, in India.

scholarly journals Early life stress alters transcriptomic patterning across reward circuitry in male and female mice

2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Catherine Jensen Peña ◽  
Milo Smith ◽  
Aarthi Ramakrishnan ◽  
Hannah M. Cates ◽  
Rosemary C. Bagot ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Life Stress ◽  
Early Life ◽  
Cortical Plasticity ◽  
Early Life Stress ◽  
Stress Sensitivity ◽  
Sensitive Period ◽  
Male And Female ◽  
Reward Circuitry ◽  
Female Mice ◽  
Increase Risk

Abstract Abuse, neglect, and other forms of early life stress (ELS) significantly increase risk for psychiatric disorders including depression. In this study, we show that ELS in a postnatal sensitive period increases sensitivity to adult stress in female mice, consistent with our earlier findings in male mice. We used RNA-sequencing in the ventral tegmental area, nucleus accumbens, and prefrontal cortex of male and female mice to show that adult stress is distinctly represented in the brain’s transcriptome depending on ELS history. We identify: 1) biological pathways disrupted after ELS and associated with increased behavioral stress sensitivity, 2) putative transcriptional regulators of the effect of ELS on adult stress response, and 3) subsets of primed genes specifically associated with latent behavioral changes. We also provide transcriptomic evidence that ELS increases sensitivity to future stress through enhancement of known programs of cortical plasticity.

scholarly journals Loneliness in the lives of Danish adolescents: Associations with health and sleep

2020 ◽  
Vol 48 (8) ◽  
pp. 877-887 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alice M. Eccles ◽  
Pamela Qualter ◽  
Katrine R. Madsen ◽  
Bjørn E. Holstein
Keyword(s):  
Sleep Problems ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Current Data ◽  
Young Adolescents ◽  
Single Item ◽  
School Aged Children ◽  
Survey Results ◽  
Two Measures ◽  
Nationally Representative ◽  
The Relationship

Aims: We examined the relationship between loneliness and health among young adolescents. We also investigated the validity of a single-item measure of loneliness by comparing this to a composite score. Methods: The current data come from a nationally representative sample of 11- to 15-year-old adolescents ( N=3305; F=52%) from Denmark collected in 2014 as part of the Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) collaborative cross-national survey. Results: A series of binary logistic regressions showed that higher loneliness among adolescents, whether measured using the single- or multi-item measurement, was associated with poorer self-rated health, higher frequency of headache, stomach ache, backache, difficulties sleeping, greater sleep disturbance and more instances of feeling tired in the morning. Those associations were relatively consistent across sex and age groups. Conclusions: Loneliness is associated with poorer self-reported health and sleep problems among young adolescents. Those findings are similar across two measures of loneliness, suggesting robust findings. The development of interventions and health-education efforts to fight loneliness in adolescence is important.

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