Intelligence Quotient Of Children Research Articles

Long-duration general anesthesia influences the intelligence of school age children

BackgroundGeneral anesthesia has been linked to impaired brain development in immature animals and young children. In this study the influence of orthopedic surgery under general anesthesia on the intelligence of school age children has been evaluated.MethodsA total of 209 subjects aged 6–12 years were recruited and allocated into 4 groups according to the duration of general anesthesia, including a control group (n = 30), short (< 1 h, n = 49), moderate- (1–3 h, n = 51) and long-duration groups (> 3 h, n = 79), respectively. The intelligence quotient (IQ) of the subjects was measured by the Raven’s Standard Progressive Matrices (RSPM) before and after orthopedic surgery under general anesthesia of various durations (vide supra).ResultsThe IQ score decreased significantly in the long-duration group at 1 month post-operation compared with the pre-operation score (P < 0.001), and IQ did not recover completely at 3 months postoperatively (P < 0.05), but had recovered when measured at the 1-year follow-up. Moreover, this study showed that the development of children’s intelligence was affected by the exposure time to anesthetics at a younger age (OR = 5.26, 95% CI:2.70–8.41, P < 0.001), having a mother with a low education level (OR = 2.71, 95% CI:1.24–6.14, P = 0.014) and premature birth (OR = 2.76, 95% CI:1.34–5.46, P = 0.005).ConclusionsMore than 3 h general anesthesia influenced the IQ of school age children for up to 3 months after orthopedic surgery. Beside extended exposure time to anesthetics additional factors for post-operative IQ reduction were younger children age, mothers with low educational levels and premature birth.Trial registrationChinese Clinical Trial Registry with registration number ChiCTR-OOC-17013497 retrospectively registered on 11/23/2017.

Ludwika Karpińska, "Polish Lady Philosopher" - a forgotten forerunner of Polish psychoanalysis.

The paper presents the profile of the psychologist, Ludwika Karpińska-Woyczyńska, the first Polish woman who acted for the popularisation of psychoanalysis and experimental psychology. Karpińska belonged to the first generation of the "Polish Freudians", a group which also involved Ludwik Jekels, Stefan Borowiecki, Herman Nunberg, Jan Nelken and Karol de Beaurain. Karpińska's difficult path to gain higher education will be presented. Thepaper lays an emphasis on Karpińska's contribution to the development of the international psychoanalysis and offers an overview of her most significant psychoanalytic publications (Polish and foreign ones) up to the outbreak of World War I. It demonstrates her participation in scientific conferences and collaboration with the most important psychoanalytical centres in Zurich and Vienna together with their representatives (Jung, Freud, Jekels) drawing simultaneous attention to the broader historical background of the presented events. Karpińska's post-war work was inextricably linked to the research on intelligence quotient of children and youth and psychotechnical studies. Furthermore, the paper illustrates the activities of the Municipal Psychological Lab in Lodz, where Karpińska was a Head between 1920 and 1930, as well as her scientific achievements in intelligence quotient research, most significant publications of 1921-1930, her collaboration with foreign centres of a similar profile and the efforts she made to establish the Vocational Guidance Service.

The Relationship of Children's Intelligence Quotient and Blood Lead and Zinc Levels: a Meta-analysis and System Review.

The purpose of this study was to analyze the existing studies and to investigate the relationship between children's full-scale intelligence quotient (FIQ), verbal IQ (VIQ), and performance IQ (PIQ) and their blood lead (Pb) and zinc (Zn) levels. All documents in Chinese and English were collected from the PubMed, Web of Science, and Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) databases from inception date to December 30, 2016. RevMan software (version 5.2) was used for the meta-analysis and Stata software (version 12.0) for the meta-regression and sensitivity analyses. A total of 32 eligible literatures was included in the study. Seven prevalence studies showed that the blood Pb level was negatively correlated with children's IQ. The results of the meta-analysis from 22 case-control studies indicate a significant difference between FIQ and PIQ with blood Pb levels, detailed as the FIQ score with a weighted mean difference (WMD)=-6.60 (95% CI: -9.01, -4.20), P<0.001; PIQ WMD=-8.85 (95% CI: -12.651, -5.05), P<0.001; but VIQ WMD=-3.32 (95% CI: -6.98, 0.33), P>0.05. Three studies on the blood Zn concentrations were with a FIQ WMD=7.88 (95% CI: -0.07, 15.83), VIQ WMD=7.73 (95% CI: -7.40, 22.86), and PIQ WMD=6.69 (95% CI: -7.13, 20.51), all P>0.05. The results indicate that Pb is harmful to children's intelligence development, especially in PIQ. Zn is beneficial to intelligence, although more studies are needed.

Does the iodized salt therapy of pregnant mothers increase the children IQ? Empirical evidence of a statistical study based on permutation tests

The nutritional iodine deficiency disorders are still a major health problem in industrialized countries, but they are completely preventable by means of iodine prophylaxis. Iodine is essential for thyroid hormone (TH) synthesis and TH is required for normal brain development. Gestational iodine supplementation may improve infant cognitive development. In this study we aimed at evaluating the intelligence quotient of children born to mothers with different levels of iodine supplementation, with or without the administration of levothyroxine (LT4), prior to and during pregnancy. In particular we focused our attention on some mother–child pairs and we compared them according to iodized salt consumption and LT4 treatment. In this specific context, NPC test was applied to compare four groups of children, defined on the basis of maternal history related to iodized salt consumption and LT4 treatment. The results show that the deficit in functionality cognitive (in terms of intelligence quotient) is significantly higher in the children of mothers that does not make supplementation of iodized salt. This shows how a lack of iodine can hinder children in reaching their full intellectual potential. From a methodological point of view, our research showed the utility of the Non Parametric Combination test (NPC test) into analyze data concerning medical research.

Assessment of Intelligence of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD) Children and Adolescents and Parental Stress in a Muscular Dystrophy Center in Nepal

Correction: On 21st May 2017 the word 'Adults' was changed to 'Adolescents' in the title of the article on NepJOL. The PDF was correct and has not been changed.Introduction: Duchene Muscular Dystrophy (DMD) is an X-linked developmental disorder characterized by progressive muscle weakness, demanding many psychosocial adjustments for both parents and children; learning and behavioral problems, changing values, expectations, roles and responsibilities, separation and loss that lead to parental stress. This study is an attempt to explore the level of Intelligence Quotient of children and adolescents with DMD and further elucidate aspects of parental stress.Material and Methods: The study involved 30 children and adolescents with DMD, chosen by convenient sampling method and one parent each, during their regular medical evaluation at the Duchene Muscular Dystrophy Foundation in Nepal. Measures used to collect data were the Draw a Man Test and Cohen’s Perceived Stress Scale.Results: Age of the DMD children and adolescents ranged between 4 to 19 years with mean age 12.01 ± 6.26 years, 93.94% were male. 53.33% of the parents reported having average level of stress and 63.33% of DMD children and adolescents had average level of Intelligence Quotient (IQ &gt; 70), 16.67% had mild (IQ between 50-69) and 10% each were found to have moderate and severe intellectual disability. Significant negative correlation (r = -0.393, p=0.05) was found between the level of intellectual functioning of DMD children and level of parent’s perceived stress.Conclusion: Most of the parents experienced average to severe level of stress based on the duration of illness and the level of intellectual functioning of their DMD child. Parents experienced greater level of stress with children having low intelligence. J Nepal Paediatr Soc 2016;36(3):227-231

Intellectual evaluation of children exposed to phthalate-tainted products after the 2011 Taiwan phthalate episode

IntroductionPhthalate exposure may reduce intellectual development in young children. In 2011, numerous Taiwanese children had been reported to have consumed phthalate-tainted products. We investigated the effects of phthalate exposure on the intellectual development of these children after the 2011 Taiwan di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP) episode. MethodsWe recruited 204 children, aged 3–12 y, from 3 hospitals in Taiwan between 2012 and 2013. First-morning urine samples were collected for analyzing 5 phthalate metabolites. We applied a Bayesian model to estimate the past DEHP exposure (estDEHPADD) of each participant before the 2011 DEHP episode. Demographic information, consumption of phthalate-tainted products, and maternal education, of each participant were obtained using a questionnaire. We used the Wechsler intelligence evaluation tools for assessing the children's and maternal intelligence quotient. Results and discussionThe median levels of mono-2-ethylhexyl phthalate, mono(2-ethyl-5-hydroxyhexyl) phthalate, mono(2-ethyl-5-oxohexyl) phthalate (MEOHP), mono-n-butyl phthalate, and mono-iso-butyl phthalate in the children were 9.97, 45.8, 32.2, 46.2, and 24.3μg/g creatinine, respectively. Using the aforementioned urinary phthalate metabolites, we found that the children's verbal comprehension index (N =98) was significantly negatively associated with urinary log10 MEOHP (β, −11.92; SE, 5.33; 95%CI, −22.52~ −1.33; P=0.028) and log10 ΣDBP metabolites (β, −10.95; SE, 4.93; 95%CI, −20.74~ −1.16; P=0.029) after adjustment for age, gender, maternal IQ and education, passive smoking, estDEHPADD, active and passive smoking during pregnancy. Through a tolerable daily intake-based approach, we only found a significant negative association between past estimate DEHPADD and VIQ≥3-<6 in preschool children whereas no correlation was observed between current DEHP exposure and IQ≥3-<6 score with/ without estimate DEHPADD adjustment. It revealed that the effect of past high-DEHP exposure on verbal-related neurodevelopment of younger child are more sensitive. ConclusionOur results are consistent with the hypothesis that exposure to DEHP and DnBP affects intellectual development in preschool and school-aged children, particularly their language learning or expression ability.

Brain morphometric analysis predicts decline of intelligence quotient in children with sickle cell disease: A preliminary study

PurposeFor children with sickle cell disease (SCD) and at low risk category of stroke, we aim to build a predictive model to differentiate those with decline of intelligence-quotient (IQ) from counterparts without decline, based on structural magnetic-resonance (MR) imaging volumetric analysis. Materials and methodsThis preliminary prospective cohort study included 25 children with SCD, homozygous for hemoglobin S, with no history of stroke and transcranial Doppler mean velocities below 170cm/s at baseline. We administered the Kaufman Brief Intelligence Test (K-BIT) to each child at yearly intervals for 2–4 years. Each child underwent MR examination within 30 days of the baseline K-BIT evaluation date. We calculated K-BIT change rates, and used rate of change in K-BIT to classify children into two groups: a decline group and a non-decline group. We then generated predictive models to predict K-BIT decline/non-decline based on regional gray-matter (GM) volumes computed from structural MR images. ResultsWe identified six structures (the left median cingulate gyrus, the right middle occipital gyrus, the left inferior occipital gyrus, the right fusiform gyrus, the right middle temporal gyrus, the right inferior temporal gyrus) that, when assessed for volume at baseline, are jointly predictive of whether a child would suffer subsequent K-BIT decline. Based on these six regional GM volumes and the baseline K-BIT, we built a prognostic model using the K* algorithm. The accuracy, sensitivity and specificity were 0.84, 0.78 and 0.86, respectively. ConclusionsGM volumetric analysis predicts subsequent IQ decline for children with SCD.

Functional outcome at school age of children born with gastroschisis

ObjectiveWe aimed to determine motor, cognitive and behavioural outcomes of school aged children born with gastroschisis compared to matched controls. Study designWe compared outcomes of 16 children born with gastroschisis treated at the University Medical Center Groningen, the Netherlands, between 1999 and 2006 with 32 controls matched for gender, gestational age, birth weight, and corrected for small for gestational age (SGA) and parental socioeconomic status (SES). Intelligence, auditory-verbal memory, attention, response inhibition, visual perception, motor skills, visuomotor integration, problem behaviour and executive functioning were evaluated. ResultsMedian verbal intelligence quotient and global executive functioning scores of children born with gastroschisis were poorer than of controls (95 (inter quartile range (IQR) 88–100) vs. 104 (IQR 98–113), P=0.001, and 29 (IQR 6.8–63.8) vs. 5.0 (IQR 2.8–19.8), P=0.03, respectively). Children with gastroschisis were more often classified as borderline or abnormal than controls regarding response inhibition (odds ratio (OR) 20.4; 95%-confidence interval (95%-CI); 2.4–171.5), selective visual attention (OR 40.4; 95%-CI 5.9–275.4), sustained auditory attention (OR 88.1; 95%-CI 5.8–1342.8), and fine motor skills (50% vs. 0%). Grade retention was more prevalent in gastroschisis children (OR 6.07; 95%-CI 1.42–25.9). These associations persisted after adjustment for SGA and SES. The auditory-verbal memory, visuomotor integration and behavioural problems did not significantly differ from the controls. ConclusionsGastroschisis is associated with poorer verbal intelligence, and with an increased risk for poor performance on several aspects of attention, response inhibition and fine motor skills at school age. The follow-up of children born with gastroschisis deserves attention regarding these specific domains, to improve their functional outcomes.

Cognitive profiles of patients with early detected and treated congenital hypothyroidism.

Children with congenital hypothyroidism (CH) detected by newborn screening and adequately treated may have mild cognitive deficits. OBJECTIVES">To assess the intelligence quotient of children with CH and identify the presence of specific cognitive deficits. A group of 60 children with CH detected by newborn screening, who were aged 9-10 years old and received adequate treatment since their first month of life was selected and compared to a control group of 60 children without CH in the same age range. Inclusion criteria: children without concurrent diseases, who were attending school in a single shift, and whose parents had at least completed secondary education. The following tests were administered during individual interviews: the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (third edition), the Rey complex figure test, the Woodcock-Muñoz revised test, the Conners Continuous Performance Test II, the Illinois Test of Psycholinguistic Abilities, the verbal fluency test, the Knox Cube Test, the Trail Making Test, the faces test, and the 5 digit test. The statistical analysis was done using Student's t tests (for independent samples) with Bonferroni's correction (p < 0.002). Even within the normal average range, significant differences were observed between both groups in terms of total intelligence quotient and performance intelligence quotient (small and moderate effect sizes, respectively). In terms of performance, children with hypothyroidism had a significantly poorer performance in processing speed, reaction times, attention, cognitive flexibility, visuoconstruction, and long-term memory. No significant differences were found between both groups in the verbal area. Children with congenital hypothyroidism and without mental disability had mild cognitive deficits, which should be taken into account for a comprehensive patient care.

Factors Influencing Intelligence Quotient of School Going Children In and Around Jamnagar - A Survey Study

Background: The factors influencing intelligence quotient (IQ) are numerous as they embark to relate with one's life from birth till death. These potential causes which could hamper intellectual abilities which should be assessed and provided with appropriate stimuli during childhood, before the critical period of adaption in their neuronal connections ends. Aim: To analyze various biological and environmental factors influencing the IQ of school going children. Materials & Methods: The study was conducted on children aged 13-16 years through a structured format in six schools and the OPD of Kaumarabhritya department IPGT & RA, Jamnagar for which Malin's Intelligence scale for Indian children (adaptation of Wechsler's intelligence Scale) was used to assess IQ. Results: A total number of 1042 children were surveyed during the course of study. Boys dominated the population of survey but girls scored higher IQ. 43.9% of children had IQ level of dull category (70-89), 49.3% of children had IQ level of average category (90-119) and only 5% of children belonged to superior IQ category (above 110). Children studying in English medium school had overall higher IQ score when compared to those studying in Gujarati medium school. Conclusion: Based on the results obtained after survey, it was concluded that various factors encompassing biological and environmental entity did influencing the intelligence of school going children both positively & negatively.

Breastfeeding, Polyunsaturated Fatty Acid Levels in Colostrum and Child Intelligence Quotient at Age 5-6 Years

To examine the relationship of polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) in breast milk with children's IQ. In the French Etude des Déterminants pré- et postnatals précoces du développement et de la santé de l'Enfant (EDEN) mother-child cohort, colostrum samples were collected at the maternity unit. Colostrum omega-6 and omega-3 PUFA were analyzed by gas chromatography. At age 5-6 years, the IQs of 1080 children were assessed using the Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence-III. The relationships of breastfeeding duration and PUFA levels with children's IQs were examined by linear regression. Full scale IQ of ever breastfed children was 4.5 (95% CI: 2.7, 6.2) higher than never breastfed children in the unadjusted model, but this was not statistically significant in the adjusted model (1.3 points higher [-0.4, 3.0]). Any breastfeeding duration was associated with full scale (0.20 [0.00, 0.41] points/month) and verbal (0.31 [0.09, 0.52]) IQ. Colostrum linoleic acid (LA) levels were negatively associated with Verbal IQ (-0.6 [-1.1, 0.0] points per 1% level increase). Children exposed to colostrum high in LA and low in docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) had lower IQs than those exposed to colostrum high in DHA (3.0 [0.5, 5.5] points) and those exposed to colostrum low in LA and DHA (4.4 [1.6, 7.3] points). Finally, the association between breastfeeding duration and child IQ was stronger when LA levels were high. Duration of breastfeeding and colostrum PUFA levels were associated with children's IQs in the EDEN cohort. These data support breastfeeding and add evidence for the role of early PUFA exposure on childhood cognition.

Effect of Fluoride Concentration in Drinking Water on Intelligence Quotient of 12-14-Year-Old Children in Mathura District: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Aims:The aim was to assess and correlate the influence of the concentration of fluoride in ingested water on the intelligence quotient (IQ) of 12–14-year-old youngsters in Mathura district.Materials and Methods:A total of 219 children were selected, 75 from low F area, 75 medium F area, and 69 from high F area. The concentration of fluoride in the routinely ingested water was estimated using “Ion Selective Electrode method”; then, Raven's Test was utilized to estimate the IQ of the study participants. Independent t-test, Tukey's post hoc, Chi-square an analysis of variance tests were used to associate the mean and proportion IQ scores in high-, medium-, and low-fluoride regions along with inter-group significant differences (P ≤ 0.05).Results:The comparison of IQ score showed that 35 (46.7%) participants from the high fluoride and 10 (13.3%) participants from the medium-fluoride areas had below average IQ. Further, it was noted that the lowest mean marks were obtained by the children in the high-fluoride region (13.9467) followed by those in medium (18.9467) and uppermost in least noted fluoride area (38.6087). However, gender-based intergroup comparison did not produce a significant relation with fluoride (P ≥ 0.05).Conclusion:Concentration of Fluoride in the ingested water was significantly associated with the IQ of children. It has also coined the proportional variability in mental output in accordance to the ingested fluoride level. As two sides of a coin, fluoride cannot be utterly blamed for a lower intelligence in a population; it puts forward a fact that intelligence is a multifactorial variable with a strategic role played by genetics and nutrition to develop cognitive and psychosomatic activities in an individual.

Prenatal Use of Acetaminophen and Child IQ: A Danish Cohort Study.

Acetaminophen (paracetamol) is the most commonly used pain and fever medication during pregnancy, and recently has been linked to hyperactivity and behavioral problems in children. We examine whether prenatal use of acetaminophen affects children's intelligence quotient (IQ). We studied 1,491 mothers and children enrolled in the Danish National Birth Cohort (DNBC; 1996-2002). Acetaminophen use in pregnancy was prospectively recorded in three telephone interviews. Child IQ was assessed at age 5 with the Wechsler Primary and Preschool Scales of Intelligence-Revised (WPPSI-R) administered by trained psychologists. We employed linear regression analysis, adjusting for maternal IQ and other confounding factors, and assessed interactions between acetaminophen and indications for use. Both maternal fever in pregnancy and acetaminophen use were associated with child IQ. Children born to mothers using acetaminophen without reporting fever scored on average 3.4 points lower (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.30 to 6.6 points) on performance IQ compared with offspring of mothers who neither experienced fever nor took acetaminophen. Estimated effects for acetaminophen were stronger for first or second trimester use. Children born to mothers reporting fever without using acetaminophen also scored lower on verbal (2.7 points, 95% CI: -0.19, 5.6) and performance IQ (4.3 points, 95% CI: 0.30, 8.3); IQ scores were not affected if mothers with fever used acetaminophen. Maternal acetaminophen use during pregnancy was associated with lower performance IQ in 5-year olds. However, acetaminophen treatment of maternal fever in pregnancy showed an apparent compensatory association with child IQ scores. (See video abstract at http://links.lww.com/EDE/B87.).

Prenatal alcohol exposure and pregnancy and childhood outcomes: a systematic review of alternative analytical approaches

BackgroundInvestigation of the effects of prenatal alcohol exposure in observational studies using standard analytical approaches such as multivariable regression can produce results that are biased by residual confounding or measurement error due to self-reported alcohol consumption. We aimed to determine the causal effects of maternal alcohol consumption in pregnancy on long-term outcomes in offspring. MethodsWe conducted a systematic review of studies that used alternative analytical methods. We searched Medline, Embase, Web of Science, and PsycINFO (Jan 1, 1950, to Feb 11, 2015) using a combination of MeSH terms and text words to reflect outcomes (eg, pregnancy, fetal development), exposure (alcohol), and relevant study designs, limiting the search to publications in the English language. Study designs including Mendelian randomisation, negative control, and other family-based comparisons, and quasi and natural experiments were included. Pregnancy outcomes (such as birth weight), and features of fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) related to alcohol exposure during pregnancy were examined. Data were extracted by one of four reviewers and were checked by the lead reviewer. This study is registered with PROSPERO, number CRD4201501594. FindingsOf 751 full text articles, ten reported effects of prenatal alcohol consumption on offspring outcomes (six Mendelian randomisation and four quasi-experimental, three of which were negative control studies and one a natural experiment). One Mendelian randomisation analysis reported evidence that prenatal alcohol consumption was associated with an increased risk of “a FASD-like construct”, and two other analyses conducted on the same cohort showed evidence of lower childhood intelligence quotient (IQ) (mean difference per additional risk allele −1·2 points, 95% CI −1·89 to −0·52) and lower school results for the group genetically predisposed to consuming more alcohol. A family-based negative control study (maternal–paternal comparison) in the same UK cohort suggested intrauterine effects on IQ and school results for maternal compared with paternal binge drinking but not for moderate alcohol use. Analyses of a Swedish natural experiment also showed evidence of worse educational and occupational outcomes in offspring caused by exposure to higher levels of alcohol consumption proxied by increased availability of liquor (eg, 24% decrease in earnings, 95% CI 19 to 29). InterpretationWe found a causal effect of prenatal alcohol consumption on offspring outcomes. Further studies are needed and women should be made aware of existing findings. FundingMRC Integrative Epidemiology Unit, National Institute for Health Research Collaboration for Leadership in Applied Health Research Care (NIHR CLAHRC) West.

The Long-Term Effects of Maternal Postnatal Depression on a Child's Intelligence Quotient: A Meta-Analysis of Prospective Cohort Studies Based on 974 Cases.

Epidemiologists have explored the relationship between maternal postnatal depression (PND) and the intelligence quotient (IQ) of the resulting offspring, but the results remain inconclusive. This study aims to analyze the literature regarding the association between maternal PND and a child's IQ. A search of articles in PubMed, Web of Science, and MEDLINE databases from inception to September 2015 was conducted and supplemented by a manual search of relevant reference lists. The following search terms were used: (postpartum OR postnatal OR puerperal) AND (depression OR depressive symptoms OR blues OR dysthymia OR disorders OR psychosis) AND (intelligence quotient OR IQ OR intelligence tests OR intelligence OR cognitive OR cognition) AND (children OR child OR adolescent OR offspring) AND (cohort OR prospective OR follow-up OR follow OR longitudinal). Articles exploring the association between maternal PND and IQ of offspring aged 2 years and older were included. A total of 510 records were retrieved. Two authors independently selected eligible studies and extracted data. Three authors assessed the quality of the studies. To explore the associations between maternal PND and full IQ and verbal IQ, random-effects meta-analyses were performed, followed by subgroup analysis of impact on full IQ. Nine articles were eligible for review. On the basis of the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale, 7 studies were considered to be of high quality. When one study of participants aged 3.8 years was excluded from the meta-analysis, the pooled weighted mean difference of full IQ between the children of PND mothers and non-PND mothers was -4.086 (95% CI, -6.578 to -1.594), and the pooled standard mean difference of verbal IQ between the children of PND mothers and non-PND mothers was -0.361 (95% CI, -0.564 to -0.158). Subgroup analysis showed that the child's age at evaluation, diagnostic method of PND, study quality, and socioeconomic status did not affect the mean difference in full IQ between children of PND mothers and those of non-PND mothers. When the excluded study was included in the meta-analysis, the results did not vary. Maternal PND may be a risk factor for a child's lower IQ. More studies of high methodological quality may be needed.

Relationship between Intelligence Quotient and Musical Ability in Children with Cochlear Implantation.

Children with cochlear implants (CIs) may experience few opportunities for positive musical experiences, and musical perception is therefore often not sufficiently developed. This paper investigates and discusses the relationship between intelligence quotient (IQ) and musical ability in children with CIs compared with children with normal hearing. This was a comparative analytical study conducted in 48 children with unilateral CI and 48 normal-hearing children, 6-8 years of age, with 'normal' IQ and no formal music training. The average IQ score in the experimental and control groups were 105.41 and 106.31, respectively. No statistically significant differences were detected between Raven's IQ scores in both groups. Data were collected by administering Raven's Colored Progressive Matrices IQ Tests and the Montreal Battery of Evaluation of Musical Abilities (MBEMA) Test, consisting of scale, contour, interval, rhythm, and memory sections. Mean total MBEMA score in the experimental and control groups was 58.93 and 72.16 (out of 100), respectively. Significant differences were evident between scores of children with CIs in comparison with their normal-hearing peers (P≤0.001). A remarkable direct correlation between IQ and musical scores in both the control (r≥0.38) and experimental (r≥0.37) groups was observed. IQ has a noticeable effect on music processing and facilitates the perception of various musical elements. With regard to the mutual relationship between IQ and musical skills, this study illustrates the advantage of determining music perception scores and highlights the importance of appropriate musical intervention in order to enhance auditory neural plasticity, especially in children with cochlear implantation.

Childhood cognition and lifetime risk of major depressive disorder in extremely low birth weight and normal birth weight adults.

In general population samples, better childhood cognitive functioning is associated with decreased risk of depression in adulthood. However, this link has not been examined in extremely low birth weight survivors (ELBW, <1000 g), a group known to have poorer cognition and greater depression risk. This study assessed associations between cognition at age 8 and lifetime risk of major depressive disorder in 84 ELBW survivors and 90 normal birth weight (NBW, ⩾2500 g) individuals up to 29-36 years of age. The Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children, Revised (WISC-R), Raven's Coloured Progressive Matrices and the Token Test assessed general, fluid, and verbal intelligence, respectively, at 8 years of age. Lifetime major depressive disorder was assessed using the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview at age 29-36 years. Associations were examined using logistic regression adjusted for childhood socioeconomic status, educational attainment, age, sex, and marital status. Neither overall intelligence quotient (IQ) [WISC-R Full-Scale IQ, odds ratios (OR)=0.87, 95% confidence interval (CI)=0.43-1.77], fluid intelligence (WISC-R Performance IQ, OR=0.98, 95% CI=0.48-2.00), nor verbal intelligence (WISC-R Verbal IQ, OR=0.81, 95% CI=0.40-1.63) predicted lifetime major depression in ELBW survivors. However, every standard deviation increase in WISC-R Full-Scale IQ (OR=0.43, 95% CI=0.20-0.92) and Performance IQ (OR=0.46, 95% CI=0.21-0.97), and each one point increase on the Token Test (OR=0.80, 95% CI=0.67-0.94) at age 8 was associated with a reduced risk of lifetime depression in NBW participants. Higher childhood IQ, better fluid intelligence, and greater verbal comprehension in childhood predicted reduced depression risk in NBW adults. Our findings suggest that ELBW survivors may be less protected by superior cognition than NBW individuals.

Food Insecurity and Chronic Diseases: The Editorial

ood Insecurity (FI) defines as the limited or uncertain availability of nutritionally foods adequately or the inability to achieve them in ways which is socially acceptable (1).FI is considered as an international public health issue particularly in developing countries (2). In 1995 the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) reported the prevalence of FI in USA as 11.9% which increased to 14.6% in 2008 (3). Its prevalence was reported 5.7% in Finland, 10% in Canada (4), 50% in Malaysia (5) and 70% in Bolivia (6). The FI populations are at risk of low intake of fruits and vegetables, lower quality diets and so lower micronutrients intake and iron deficiency anemia (7). Limited available budget in FI subjects, leads to purchase cheaper and high dense calorie foods; which might contribute to obesity, and an increased susceptibility to chronic illnesses including type 2 diabetes, cancer, depression and other medical condition such as acne, dyspepsia and so on (8). The very first step to reduce the burden of FI is considering understanding ofits effects on health. By now, anumerous studies have aimed to examine the impacts of FI on health outcomes in different age/ gender groups such as children, adults and elder lies. Over the past few years, the paradox of FI and obesity/ overweight, diabetes, cancer and depression has been focused in literatures. Recently the FI have been considered in many other disorders. Literatures show a positive association between FI and acne (9), dyslipidemia (10) and dyspepsia (34% FI with hunger in patients versus 10% in counterparts) (9). There are a set of evidences in Iran (mostly published by the author of this editorial), which show food security is significantly associated with many problems and diseases including low birth weight, short stature in children (as FI increase, the height of children decrease), pre-eclampsia in pregnancy, the type of delivery, obesity/ overweight in women, lower intelligence quotient in children, osteoporosis (33.8% in food secure versus 66.2% in FI group), diabetes mellitus, rheumatoid arthritis and premenstrual syndrome (FI without hunger in teenagers with PMS was approximately 2 times more than those without PMS) [Published in Farsi Language]. However, other studies concerning association of FI with other diseases / problems are still needed. On the other hand, finding the prevalence of FI in different Iran provinces to draw a clear picture of FI looks necessary. Therefore, investigators are expected to work on prevalence and diseases associated to FI in their future studies. Financial disclosure The author declare no financial interest.

Estimation of a partially linear additive model for data from an outcome-dependent sampling design with a continuous outcome.

Outcome-dependent sampling (ODS) designs have been well recognized as a cost-effective way to enhance study efficiency in both statistical literature and biomedical and epidemiologic studies. A partially linear additive model (PLAM) is widely applied in real problems because it allows for a flexible specification of the dependence of the response on some covariates in a linear fashion and other covariates in a nonlinear non-parametric fashion. Motivated by an epidemiological study investigating the effect of prenatal polychlorinated biphenyls exposure on children's intelligence quotient (IQ) at age 7 years, we propose a PLAM in this article to investigate a more flexible non-parametric inference on the relationships among the response and covariates under the ODS scheme. We propose the estimation method and establish the asymptotic properties of the proposed estimator. Simulation studies are conducted to show the improved efficiency of the proposed ODS estimator for PLAM compared with that from a traditional simple random sampling design with the same sample size. The data of the above-mentioned study is analyzed to illustrate the proposed method.

Study of intelligence quotient and influencing factors on the children with idiopathic generalized tonic-clonic seizure

Objective To study the intelligence quotient(IQ) profile of the children with idiopathic generalized tonic-clonic seizure (GTCS) and the factors influencing IQ of them. Methods All 28 children with GTCS were selected who were aged 9~16 years in 20 GTCS families in a mountain area of the south of Anhui Province, all available healthy siblings of the children included in the epilepsy group, did not have epilepsy, and were nearest in age to the children with GTCS (control group 1), and thirty children aged 9~16 years old who had lived in the same village (control group 2) entered into our study. The IQ was studied of the three groups of children and the factors influencing IQ of children with GTCS at the same time.The data were input SPSS12.0 and analyzed. Results The IQ of children with GTCS(85.64±20.57)was lower than that control group 1(103.39±11.17)and the control group 2(106.17±11.67). The difference between children with GTCS and the two control groups were significant for almost all the subtest quotients except completion of drawing and picture arrangement.No significant differences were found between the control group 1 and the control group 2 on the IQ and the subtest quotients.IQ scores of children with GTCS showed significant linear correlation with father's education(r=0.453, P<0.01), age at onset of epilepsy(r=0.506, P<0.01), duration of seizure disorder(r=-0.533, P<0.01), status epilepticus(r=-0.732, P<0.01), total number of seizures(r=-0.761, P<0.01) and seizure frequency (r=-0.708, P<0.01). Conclusion The IQ scores of the children with idiopathic GTCS are lower significantly than general children population. Epilepsy-related variables affecting IQ scores of the children with idiopathic GTCS are duration of seizure disorder, status epilepticus, age at onset of epilepsy, total number of seizures, seizure frequency. Key words: Idiopathic; Generalized tonic-clonic seizure; Intelligence quotient; Verbal intelligence quotient; Performance intelligence quotient