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JAMA Network Open May 2024Linking prenatal drug exposures to both infant behavior and adult cognitive outcomes may improve early interventions.
IMPORTANCE
Linking prenatal drug exposures to both infant behavior and adult cognitive outcomes may improve early interventions.
OBJECTIVE
To assess whether neonatal physical, neurobehavioral, and infant cognitive measures mediate the association between prenatal cocaine exposure (PCE) and adult perceptual reasoning IQ.
DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS
This study used data from a longitudinal, prospective birth cohort study with follow-up from 1994 to 2018 until offspring were 21 years post partum. A total of 384 (196 PCE and 188 not exposed to cocaine [NCE]) infants and mothers were screened for cocaine or polydrug use. Structural equation modeling was performed from June to November 2023.
EXPOSURES
Prenatal exposures to cocaine, alcohol, marijuana, and tobacco assessed through urine and meconium analyses and maternal self-report.
MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES
Head circumference, neurobehavioral assessment, Bayley Scales of Infant Development, Fagan Test of Infant Intelligence score, Wechsler Perceptual Reasoning IQ, Home Observation for Measurement of the Environment (HOME) score, and blood lead level.
RESULTS
Among the 384 mothers in the study, the mean (SD) age at delivery was 27.7 (5.3) years (range, 18-41 years), 375 of 383 received public assistance (97.9%) and 336 were unmarried (87.5%). Birth head circumference (standardized estimate for specific path association, -0.05, SE = 0.02; P = .02) and 1-year Bayley Mental Development Index (MDI) (standardized estimate for total of the specific path association, -0.05, SE = 0.02; P = .03) mediated the association of PCE with Wechsler Perceptual Reasoning IQ, controlling for HOME score and other substance exposures. Abnormal results on the neurobehavioral assessment were associated with birth head circumference (β = -0.20, SE = 0.08; P = .01). Bayley Psychomotor Index (β = 0.39, SE = 0.05; P < .001) and Fagan Test of Infant Intelligence score (β = 0.16, SE = 0.06; P = .01) at 6.5 months correlated with MDI at 12 months.
CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE
In this cohort study, a negative association of PCE with adult perceptual reasoning IQ was mediated by early physical and behavioral differences, after controlling for other drug and environmental factors. Development of infant behavioral assessments to identify sequelae of prenatal teratogens early in life may improve long-term outcomes and public health awareness.
Topics: Humans; Female; Pregnancy; Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects; Adult; Intelligence; Infant; Cocaine; Prospective Studies; Male; Young Adult; Adolescent; Infant Behavior; Longitudinal Studies; Infant, Newborn; Child Development
PubMed: 38758554
DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.11905 -
Heliyon May 2024This study explored the predictions of and relationships between background, social status, and the use of information and communication technology (ICT) in...
This study explored the predictions of and relationships between background, social status, and the use of information and communication technology (ICT) in cyberbullying among 2430 secondary school students from schools affiliated with Thailand's Office of the Basic Education Commission. The stratified sampling method was used along with the Cyberbullying Questionnaire, Sociometric Status Questionnaire, Perceived Popularity Questionnaire, and ICT Use Questionnaire and data were collected through the CU Smart Sociometry web application and Google Forms. Data analysis was conducted to determine 1) demographic data using descriptive statistics; 2) correlation analysis of students' backgrounds, sociometric status, and ICT use against cyberbullying using the chi-square test; and 3) variables that predict cyberbullying among secondary school students using multinomial logistic regression. Results showed a link between cyberbullying and secondary school students' backgrounds, social status, and ICT use. Students with different backgrounds (sex and academic performance), social statuses (social preference and perceived popularity), and ICT use partook in different cyberbullying roles. Independent variables of sex, academic performance, social preference, perceived popularity, and ICT use all predicted cyberbullying by 33.3 % with statistical significance. Male students were noted to have a higher likelihood of being cyberbullies than female students, whereas female students were more likely to be cybervictims and bystanders. Moreover, students with low academic performance were more likely to be cyberbullies and cybervictims than high-performing students, with rejected students having the highest likelihood of being cyberbullies. Interestingly, the higher a student's popularity, the higher was their likelihood of being cyberbullies. Finally, cyberbullies had the highest average daily internet use, and students who had never had their guardians monitor their internet usage were more likely to be cyberbullies; students with moderate and good social media behavior were mostly bystanders.
PubMed: 38756584
DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e30775 -
Frontiers in Psychology 2024Learning, an important activity for both human and animals, has long been a focal point of research. During the learning process, subjects assimilate not only their own...
Learning, an important activity for both human and animals, has long been a focal point of research. During the learning process, subjects assimilate not only their own information but also information from others, a phenomenon known as social learning. While numerous studies have explored the impact of social feedback as a reward/punishment during learning, few studies have investigated whether social feedback facilitates or inhibits the learning of environmental rewards/punishments. This study aims to test the effects of social feedback on economic feedback and its cognitive processes by using the Iowa Gambling Task (IGT). One hundred ninety-two participants were recruited and categorized into one non-social feedback group and four social feedback groups. Participants in the social feedback groups were informed that after the outcome of each choice, they would also receive feedback from an online peer. This peer was a fictitious entity, with variations in identity (novice or expert) and feedback type (random or effective). The Outcome-Representation Learning model (ORL model) was used to quantify the cognitive components of learning. Behavioral results showed that both the identity of the peer and the type of feedback provided significantly influenced the deck selection, with effective social feedback increasing the ratio of chosen good decks. Results in the ORL model showed that the four social feedback groups exhibited lower learning rates for gain and loss compared to the nonsocial feedback group, which suggested, in the social feedback groups, the impact of the recent outcome on the update of value decreased. Parameters such as forgetfulness, win frequency, and deck perseverance in the expert-effective feedback group were significantly higher than those in the non-social feedback and expert-random feedback groups. These findings suggest that individuals proactively evaluate feedback providers and selectively adopt effective feedback to enhance learning.
PubMed: 38756493
DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1292808 -
The Journal of Clinical Pediatric... May 2024This study evaluated the behavioural changes pertaining to children's oral health before and after the dental general anaesthesia (DGA), with particular focus on the...
This study evaluated the behavioural changes pertaining to children's oral health before and after the dental general anaesthesia (DGA), with particular focus on the factors associated with these changes. The records were collected for the children who received DGA from July 2015 to November 2016, and relevant questionnaires were obtained from their parents/guardians for the information prior to and after the DGA. The questionnaire included Early Childhood Oral Health Impact Scale (ECOHIS) and Dental Subscale of Children's Fear Survey Schedule (CFSS-DS) to investigate the changes in Oral Health-related Quality of Life (OHRQoL) and dental fear. The DGA impact on children's oral hygiene habits and oral health-related behaviours was assessed by analysing the data. The chi-square test and Mann-Whitney test were employed to evaluate the differences. Total of 141 patients (89 before DGA and 77 after DGA, 25 being common) participated in this study. There were 60 children below 5 years and 29 over 5 years before DGA, while 41 children below 5 years and 36 over 5 years after DGA. Most parents/guardians were educated above undergraduate level (59.6% before DGA, 55.8% after DGA). More children lived with grandparents (61.8% before DGA, 54.5% after DGA) than only with parents (20.2% before DGA, 26.0% after DGA). In total, 73.0% (65/89) children before DGA brushed teeth more than twice a day. This proportion increased to 90.9% after DGA (70/77, = 0.03). The eating difficulty decreased after DGA according to ECOHIS ( = 0.01). CFSS-DS score also decreased after DGA ( < 0.05). After DGA, children's oral hygiene habits and oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) improved, children fear for dental treatment decreased, and parents became more attentive towards children oral health.
Topics: Humans; Anesthesia, General; Oral Health; Female; Child, Preschool; Male; Anesthesia, Dental; Child; Quality of Life; Dental Care for Children; Oral Hygiene; Health Behavior; Child Behavior; Dental Anxiety; Surveys and Questionnaires
PubMed: 38755987
DOI: 10.22514/jocpd.2024.063 -
BMC Nursing May 2024Virtual patients are an educational technological approach used in healthcare education. Its distinctive features have rendered virtual patient technology appealing for...
Acceptance of virtual patients as a continuous professional development approach among practicing nurses in primary health care settings in a low-income country: a quasi-experimental posttest setup design.
BACKGROUND
Virtual patients are an educational technological approach used in healthcare education. Its distinctive features have rendered virtual patient technology appealing for the training of medical and healthcare students, particularly in the enhancement of clinical reasoning. Virtual patients are less often applied for continuous professional development for practicing healthcare providers, and there is a scarcity of studies exploring this possibility. This study aimed to assess the acceptability of nurses for using virtual patients as a continuous professional development approach.
METHOD
The study used a quasi-experimental posttest setup design. The study was conducted in ten primary healthcare settings in Rwanda. Among 76 nurses who consented to participate in the study, 56 completed the intervention and responded to the study questionnaire. Following a one-week program of continuous professional development on four non-communicable diseases, the study used a self-administered questionnaire based on the Technology Acceptance Model 3 to collect data. Descriptive analysis served as the primary method for analyzing participants' responses. The study also used a correlation test to assess the relationship of variables.
RESULTS
Across all items in the questionnaire, the median response tended towards either agree or strongly agree, with only a minority number of participants expressing strong disagreement, disagreement, or neutrality. The results indicated a significant positive correlation between perceived usefulness and behavior intention (p < 0.001).
CONCLUSION
The findings indicate an acceptability and behavioral intention of adopting virtual patients as an alternative continuous professional development approach among nurses working at health centers in Rwanda or other locations with similar contexts.
PubMed: 38755655
DOI: 10.1186/s12912-024-02000-0 -
BMC Geriatrics May 2024This study was performed to explore the differences in the clinical characteristics and oxidative stress indicators, inflammatory factors, and pathological proteins in...
OBJECTIVE
This study was performed to explore the differences in the clinical characteristics and oxidative stress indicators, inflammatory factors, and pathological proteins in serum between Parkinson's disease (PD) with anxiety (PD-A) and with no anxiety (PD-NA) patients, and further correlations among clinical characteristics and above variables were analyzed in PD-A and PD-NA groups.
METHODS
A total of 121 patients with PD were enrolled in this study and assessed by the Hamilton Anxiety Scale (14 items) (HAMA-14). These patients were divided into PD-A and PD-NA groups according to a cut-off point of 7 of HAMA-14. Demographic variables were collected, and clinical symptoms were assessed by multiple rating scales. The levels of free radicals, inflammatory factors, and pathological proteins in serum were measured by chemical colorimetric method and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The differences of above variables were compared between PD-A and PD-NA groups, and the correlations of clinical symptoms with the abovevariables were analyzed in PD-A and PD-NA groups.
RESULTS
The frequency of PD-A was 62.81%. PD-A group exhibited significantly impaired motor dysfunction and multiple non-motor symptoms, including fatigue, sleep behavior disorder, restless leg syndrome and autonomic dysfunction, and dramatically compromised activities of daily living compard with PD-NA group. PD-A group displayed prominently increasedlevels of hydroxyl radical (·OH) and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, and a decreased nitric oxide (NO) level in serum compared with PD-NA group (P<0.001, P = 0.001, P= 0.027, respectively). ·OH, NO, and TNF-α were identified as the risk factors of PD-A (OR = 1.005, P = 0.036; OR = 0.956, P = 0.017; OR = 1.039, P = 0.033, respectively). In PD patients, HAMA-14 score was significantly and positively correlated with the levels of ·OH and TNF-α in serum (P<0.001, P = 0.002, respectively). In PD-A group, ·OH level was significantly and negatively correlated with Aβ level, while TNF-α level was significantly and positively correlated with P-tau (S396) level in serum.
CONCLUSIONS
The frequency of PD-A is high. PD-A patients present more severe motor dysfunction and multiple non-motor symptoms, and poorer activities of daily living. The increased levels of ·OH and TNF-α levels and the decreased NO level in serum are all associated with more severe anxiety in PD patients.Findings from this study may provide in-depth insights into the clinical characteristics, underlying mechanisms of PD-A, and potential correlations among anxiety, oxidative stress, inflammation, and cognitive decline in PD patients.
Topics: Humans; Parkinson Disease; Male; Female; Oxidative Stress; Aged; Middle Aged; Anxiety; Inflammation
PubMed: 38755545
DOI: 10.1186/s12877-024-04854-0 -
Scientific Reports May 2024Lithium-doped anatase-TiO nanoparticles (LiTiO NPs, x = 0, 0.05, 0.10, 0.15 and 0.20) could be synthesized by a simple sol-gel process. X-ray diffraction (XRD)...
Lithium-doped anatase-TiO nanoparticles (LiTiO NPs, x = 0, 0.05, 0.10, 0.15 and 0.20) could be synthesized by a simple sol-gel process. X-ray diffraction (XRD) results displayed the tetragonal (space group: I41/amd) of polycrystalline TiO anatase phase. The spectroscopy results of Raman and FT-IR confirmed the anatase phase of TiO through the specific modes of metal oxides vibration in the crystalline TiO. Surfaces micrographs by scanning electron microscope (SEM) of agglomerated LiTiO NPs showed a spongy like morphology. Transmission electron microscope (TEM) illustrated a cuboidal shape of dispersed NPs with particle size distributed in a narrow range 5-10 nm. Bruanauer Emmett-Teller (BET) results showed the increased surface area of LiTiO NPs with increasing Li content. LiTiO NPs (x = 0.05-0.20) working electrodes illustrated a pseudocapacitive behavior with excellent electrochemical properties through the whole cycles of GCD test. Interestingly, LiTiO NPs electrode illustrated a high performance in terms of maximum specific capacitance 822 F g at 1.5 A g in 0.5 M LiSO electrolyte, with excellent capacitive retention 92.6% after 5000 cycles GCD test.
PubMed: 38755425
DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-61985-5 -
Scientific Reports May 2024Discrete Element Method (DEM) has been successfully utilized to model rock behavior based on particle flow code (PFC), which is extensively employed in solving various...
Discrete Element Method (DEM) has been successfully utilized to model rock behavior based on particle flow code (PFC), which is extensively employed in solving various problems related to rock engineering and geomechanics. Therefore, a convenient method for selecting appropriate microparameters of PFC for model generation is necessary. The present study aims to develop a novel approach that calculates proper micro-strength parameters for the contact bond model (CBM). Firstly, based on Plackett-Burman (PB) design, qualitative research is conducted and it is found that the main factors that influence the Brazilian tensile strength is microscopic tensile strength. We analyzed the stress conditions of a Brazilian disc's vertical diameter using both continuum models and DEM. From this analysis, we establish a theoretical relationship between rock tensile strength and micro-strength parameters. Subsequently, a large number of numerical Brazilian tests were conducted to obtain the statistical relationship between the geometric parameters of balls, micro-strength parameters and the Brazilian tension strength. The results of the numerical simulation were then used to refine the theoretical equation mentioned above, resulting in a modified equation for rock tensile strength and micro-strength parameters. Finally, after verification, we confirm the feasibility of the method in this paper.
PubMed: 38755400
DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-61410-x -
PloS One 2024Health literacy (HL) is one of the effective factors in controlling the COVID-19 epidemic. Considering the high prevalence of COVID-19 disease, the present study aimed...
BACKGROUND AND AIM
Health literacy (HL) is one of the effective factors in controlling the COVID-19 epidemic. Considering the high prevalence of COVID-19 disease, the present study aimed to determine the relationship between HL and the adoption of COVID-19 preventive behaviors.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
This was a descriptive-cross sectional study conducted on 214 students selected by simple random sampling method in Esfarayen Faculty of Medical Sciences, Iran, in 2022. The data included demographic and background characteristics, health literacy for Iranian Adults (HELIA), and a valid and reliable questionnaire to measure COVID-19 preventive behaviors. The data were analyzed using SPSS 23, descriptive statistics, and ordinal logistic regression tests.
RESULTS
The mean and standard deviation of the scores of adoption of COVID-19 preventive behaviors and HL among students were 18.18) 4.02(out of 25 and 72.14) and 12.75 (out of 100, respectively. The results of the logistic regression test showed that the HL (P = 0.003), gender (P<0.001), mother's education (P = 0.039), educational level (P = 0.031), smoking (P = 0.032), and physical activity (P = 0.007) were effective factors in adopting preventive behaviors.
CONCLUSION
Adopting preventive behaviors against COVID-19 was lower among students with lower levels of health literacy, male students, students with less physical activity, students with illiterate mothers, undergraduate students, and finally smokers. Therefore, it is necessary to pay more attention to these students in designing educational programs. It is suggested to carry out more extensive studies to clarify the effect of HL on the adoption of COVID-19 preventive behaviors.
Topics: Humans; Health Literacy; Male; Iran; COVID-19; Female; Cross-Sectional Studies; Adult; Health Behavior; Surveys and Questionnaires; Young Adult; SARS-CoV-2; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; Students; Adolescent
PubMed: 38753850
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0299007 -
PloS One 2024In recent years, concern has grown about the inappropriate application and interpretation of P values, especially the use of P<0.05 to denote "statistical significance"...
In recent years, concern has grown about the inappropriate application and interpretation of P values, especially the use of P<0.05 to denote "statistical significance" and the practice of P-hacking to produce results below this threshold and selectively reporting these in publications. Such behavior is said to be a major contributor to the large number of false and non-reproducible discoveries found in academic journals. In response, it has been proposed that the threshold for statistical significance be changed from 0.05 to 0.005. The aim of the current study was to use an evolutionary agent-based model comprised of researchers who test hypotheses and strive to increase their publication rates in order to explore the impact of a 0.005 P value threshold on P-hacking and published false positive rates. Three scenarios were examined, one in which researchers tested a single hypothesis, one in which they tested multiple hypotheses using a P<0.05 threshold, and one in which they tested multiple hypotheses using a P<0.005 threshold. Effects sizes were varied across models and output assessed in terms of researcher effort, number of hypotheses tested and number of publications, and the published false positive rate. The results supported the view that a more stringent P value threshold can serve to reduce the rate of published false positive results. Researchers still engaged in P-hacking with the new threshold, but the effort they expended increased substantially and their overall productivity was reduced, resulting in a decline in the published false positive rate. Compared to other proposed interventions to improve the academic publishing system, changing the P value threshold has the advantage of being relatively easy to implement and could be monitored and enforced with minimal effort by journal editors and peer reviewers.
Topics: False Positive Reactions; Humans; Models, Statistical; Data Interpretation, Statistical
PubMed: 38753677
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0303262