Wide Age Span Research Articles

The Transition of Higher Education for Continuous Lifelong Learning: Expert Views on the Need for a new Infrastructure

In the contemporary need for continuous upskilling and reskilling, higher education has an important role to play. While the traditional university programmes are designed for students in their early twenties our knowledge society has a demand for lifelong learning in a wider age span. This paper is a part of a Delphi study on the ongoing transformation of higher education for lifelong learning. A qualitative Delphi study has been carried out in the four steps of 1) A literature study to explore the chosen topic, with the selected publications sent out to an expert panel, 2) A survey with questions to the experts based on the findings in the literature study, 3) Email interviews to dig deeper into the answers from the survey, and finally 4) Focus group interviews. The aim of the paper is to analyse, present and discuss the international expert panels' views on the infrastructural needs in the transformation of higher education. Data gathered from the three first steps, with a focus on the email interviews, have been analysed according to the Grounded Theory concepts of open, axial coding and confirmatory coding. The categories from the Open coding analysis were later, in the axial coding, grouped around the central axis of 'Higher education transformation for lifelong learning'. The confirmatory coding found the common denominator of 'Infrastructure', and its interrelationships with the attributes of 'Multimodal delivery', 'Pedagogical change', 'Quality and organisation', 'Equity, diversity and inclusion', 'Digital literacy', 'Accessibility', and 'Financial aspects'. Findings align to the Anna Karenina principle in the sense that a happy and healthy infrastructure for continuous lifelong learning in higher education, depends on all the attributes listed above. This leads to the Tolstoyan conclusion that every variation of failing attributes would result in its own state of unhappiness.

A pilot study of LINE-1 copy number and telomere length with aging in human sperm.

Unlike other cells in the body, in sperm, telomere length (TL) increases with age. TL can regulate nearby genes, and the subtelomeric region is rich in retrotransposons. We hypothesized that age-related telomere lengthening in sperm might suppress Long Interspersed Element 1 (LINE-1/L1), the only competent retrotransposon in humans. We measured L1 copy number (L1-CN) and sperm telomere length (STL) from young and older men to evaluate the relationship between age, TL and L1-CN. We also evaluated L1-CN and TL in individual sperm to determine whether these variables influence sperm morphology. STL was assayed by Multiplex quantitative polymerase chain reaction method (mmqPCR) and L1-CN by Quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). We found that STL increased, and L1-CN decreased significantly with paternal age. STL in normal single sperm was significantly higher than in abnormal sperm. L1-CN did not differ between normal and abnormal sperm. Furthermore, morphologically normal sperm have longer telomeres than abnormal sperm. Elongation of telomeres in the male germline could repress retrotransposition, which tends to increase with cellular aging. More studies in larger cohorts across a wide age span are needed to confirm our conclusions and explore their biological and clinical significance.

Cohort Changes and Sex Differences After Age 50 in Cognitive Variables in the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing.

This paper models cognitive aging, across mid and late life, and estimates birth cohort and sex differences in both initial levels and aging trajectories over time in a sample with multiple cohorts and a wide span of ages. The data used in this study came from the first 9 waves of the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing, spanning 2002-2019. There were n = 76,014 observations (proportion male 45%). Dependent measures were verbal fluency, immediate recall, delayed recall, and orientation. Data were modeled using a Bayesian logistic growth curve model. Cognitive aging was substantial in 3 of the 4 variables examined. For verbal fluency and immediate recall, males and females could expect to lose about 30% of their initial ability between the ages of 52 and 89. Delayed recall showed a steeper decline, with males losing 40% and females losing 50% of their delayed recall ability between ages 52 and 89 (although females had a higher initial level of delayed recall). Orientation alone was not particularly affected by aging, with less than a 10% change for either males or females. Furthermore, we found cohort effects for initial ability level, with particularly steep increases for cohorts born between approximately 1930 and 1950. These cohort effects generally favored later-born cohorts. Implications and future directions are discussed.

Richer than we thought: neurophysiological methods reveal rich-club network development is frequency- and sex-dependent

A set of highly connected brain regions called the "rich-club" are vital in integrating information across the functional connectome. Although the literature has identified some changes in rich-club organization with age, little is known about potential sex-specific developmental trajectories, and neurophysiologically relevant frequency-dependent changes have not been established. Here we examine the frequency- and sex-dependent development of rich-club organization using magnetoencephalography in a large normative sample (N= 383) over a wide age span (4-39 years). We report strong divergence between males and females across alpha, beta, and gamma frequencies. While males show increased or no change in rich-club organization with age, females show a consistent, non-linear trajectory that increases through childhood, shifting direction in early adolescence. Using neurophysiological modalities for capturing complex inter-relations between oscillatory dynamics, age, and sex, we establish diverging, sex-specific developmental trajectories of the brain's core functional organization, critically important to our understanding of brain health and disease.

Normalized Echocardiographic Values From Guideline-Directed Dedicated Views for Cardiac Dimensions and Left Ventricular Function

BackgroundContinuous technologic development and updated recommendations for image acquisitions creates a need to update the current normal reference ranges for echocardiography. The best method of indexing cardiac volumes is unknown. ObjectivesThe authors used 2- and 3-dimensional echocardiographic data from a large cohort of healthy individuals to provide updated normal reference data for dimensions and volumes of the cardiac chambers as well as central Doppler measurements. MethodsIn the fourth wave of the HUNT (Trøndelag Health) study in Norway 2,462 individuals underwent comprehensive echocardiography. Of these, 1,412 (55.8% women) were classified as normal and formed the basis for updated normal reference ranges. Volumetric measures were indexed to body surface area and height in powers of 1 to 3. ResultsNormal reference data for echocardiographic dimensions, volumes, and Doppler measurements were presented according to sex and age. Left ventricular ejection fraction had lower normal limits of 50.8% for women and 49.6% for men. According to sex-specific age groups, the upper normal limits for left atrial end-systolic volume indexed to body surface area ranged from 44 mL/m2 to 53 mL/m2, and the corresponding upper normal limit for right ventricular basal dimension ranged from 43 mm to 53 mm. Indexing to height raised to the power of 3 accounted for more of the variation between sexes than indexing to body surface area. ConclusionsThe authors present updated normal reference values for a wide range of echocardiographic measures of both left- and right-side ventricular and atrial size and function from a large healthy population with a wide age-span. The higher upper normal limits for left atrial volume and right ventricular dimension highlight the importance of updating reference ranges accordingly following refinement of echocardiographic methods.

NIH Toolbox Cognition Battery Feasibility in Individuals With Williams Syndrome.

The NIH Toolbox Cognition Battery (NIHTB-CB) was developed for epidemiological and longitudinal studies across a wide age span. Such a tool may be useful for intervention trials in conditions characterized by intellectual disability (ID), such as Williams syndrome (WS). Three NIHTB-CB tasks, including two executive functioning (Flanker, Dimensional Change Card Sort) and one episodic memory (Picture Sequence Memory) task, were given to 47 individuals with WS, ages 4 to 50, to evaluate feasibility (i.e., proportion of valid administrations) in this population. Findings indicated that NIHTB-CB tests showed good feasibility. Flanker and DCCS age-corrected scores were negatively correlated with age and showed floor effects, indicating these scores may not be useful for quantifying performance on these NIHTB-CB tests in ID.

1010-P: Diabetes Distress in Younger vs. Older Emerging Adults: Confirmation of Content Validity of the Problem Areas in Diabetes—Emerging Adult Survey (PAID-EA)

The developmental stage of emerging adulthood covers a wide age span (ages 18-30 years) with potential for differing emotional burdens for those living with type 1 diabetes (T1D) . To further confirm the content validity of the PAID-EA and to investigate differences between younger and older emerging adults, item responses on the newly developed, previously validated PAID-EA survey were examined by age group. Emerging adults (N=287) with T1D completed online measures of diabetes distress, depressive symptomology, and the PAID-EA. The PAID-EA has 25 items and uses a 5 point Likert-type response scale with options ranging from agree to disagree. The sample was split into 2 age groups: younger emerging adults (ages 18-24, N=143) and older emerging adults (ages 25-30, N=122) . Self-reported HbA1c was significantly worse in younger vs. older emerging adults (7.4% vs. 6.8%, p<.001) . Other demographic variables and total scores on measures were similar between age groups. Only 3 items on the PAID-EA differed by age group with younger emerging adults endorsing more diabetes distress: (1) Item 6: “I worry about being able to socialize because of how alcohol affects my blood sugar” (p=.03) , (2) Item 7: “I worry that a new romantic partner will see my diabetes devices or supplies” (p=.04) , (3) Item 25: I feel like I am trying my hardest to take care of diabetes, but it never works” (p=.02) . Experimentation with alcohol and intimacy with new partners may be experienced differently for younger compared with older emerging adults. Intense feelings of burnout and failure may also differ; this finding requires further exploration. Though emerging adulthood spans more than a decade, perceptions of the emotional burden of living with T1D appear consistent for the younger and older age groups, confirming the content validity of the PAID-EA throughout emerging adulthood. Disclosure K.Wentzell: None. R.J.Vitale: None. L.M.Laffel: Advisory Panel; Medtronic, Roche Diabetes Care, Consultant; Boehringer Ingelheim International GmbH, Dexcom, Inc., Dompé, Insulet Corporation, Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Lilly Diabetes, Novo Nordisk, Provention Bio, Inc. Funding Joslin DRC: P30DK036836 NIH: T32DK007260, T32DK007529

The negative health effects of having a combination of snoring and insomnia.

Insomnia and snoring are common sleep disorders. The aim was to investigate the association of having a combination of insomnia symptoms and snoring with comorbidity and daytime sleepiness. The study population comprised 25,901 participants (16-75 years, 54.4% women) from 4 Swedish cities, who answered a postal questionnaire that contained questions on snoring, insomnia symptoms (difficulties initiating and/or maintaining sleep and/or early morning awakening), smoking, educational level, and respiratory and nonrespiratory disorders. Snoring was reported by 4,221 (16.2%), while 9,872 (38.1%) reported ≥ 1 insomnia symptom. A total of 2,150 (8.3%) participants reported both insomnia symptoms and snoring. The association with hypertension (adjusted odds ratio [OR], 1.4; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.2-1.6), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (adjusted OR, 1.8; 95% CI, 1.3-2.4), asthma (adjusted OR, 1.9; 95% CI, 1.6-2.3), daytime sleepiness (adjusted OR, 7.9; 95% CI, 7.1-8.8), and the use of hypnotics (adjusted OR, 7.5; 95% CI, 6.1-9.1) was highest for the group with both insomnia symptoms and snoring. Participants with both snoring and insomnia run an increased risk of hypertension, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, asthma, daytime sleepiness, and use of hypnotics. It is important to consider snoring in patients seeking medical assistance for insomnia and, vice versa, in patients with snoring inquiring about insomnia. Hägg SA, Ilieva E, Ljunggren M, etal. The negative health effects of having a combination of snoring and insomnia. J Clin Sleep Med. 2022;18(4):973-981.

Antifibrinolytic Drugs for the Prevention of Bleeding in Pediatric Cardiac Surgery on Cardiopulmonary Bypass: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

Bleeding is one of the commonest complications affecting children undergoing cardiac surgery on cardiopulmonary bypass. Antifibrinolytic drugs are part of a multifaceted approach aimed at reducing bleeding, though sufficiently sized pediatric studies are sparse, and dosing algorithms are heterogeneous. Our objective was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of antifibrinolytic agents as well as the effectiveness of different dosing regimens in pediatric cardiac surgery using cardiopulmonary bypass. We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis evaluating randomized controlled trials published between 1980 and 2019, identified by searching the databases MEDLINE, EMBASE, PubMed, and CENTRAL. All studies investigating patients <18 years of age without underlying hematological disorders were included. The primary outcome was postoperative bleeding; secondary end points included blood product transfusion, mortality, and safety (thromboses, anaphylaxis, renal or neurological dysfunction, and seizures). Different dosing regimens were compared. Studies were dual appraised, outcomes were reported descriptively and, if appropriate, quantitatively using the Review Manager 5 (REVMAN 5) software (The Cochrane Collaboration). Thirty of 209 articles were included, evaluating the following drugs versus control: aprotinin n = 14, tranexamic acid (TXA) n = 12, and epsilon-aminocaproic acid (EACA) n = 4. The number of participants per intervention group ranged from 11 to 100 (median, 25; interquartile range [IQR], 20.5) with a wide age span (mean, 13 days to 5.8 years) and weight range (mean, 3.1-26.3 kg). Methodological quality was low to moderate.All agents reduced mean 24-hour blood loss compared to control: aprotinin by 6.0 mL/kg (95% confidence interval [CI], -9.1 to -3.0; P = .0001), TXA by 9.0 mL/kg (95% CI, -11.3 to -6.8; P < .00001), and EACA by 10.5 mL/kg (95% CI, -21.1 to 0.0; P = .05). Heterogeneity was low for TXA (I2 = 29%; P = .19), moderate for aprotinin (I2 = 41%; P = .11), and high for EACA (I2 = 95%; P < .00001). All agents also reduced 24-hour blood product transfusion. There was no clear dose-response effect for TXA nor aprotinin. Studies were underpowered to detect significant differences in mortality, thromboses, anaphylaxis, and renal or neurological dysfunction. The available data demonstrate efficacy for all 3 antifibrinolytic drugs. Therefore, the agent with the most favorable safety profile should be used. As sufficient data are lacking, large comparative trials are warranted to assess the relative safety and appropriate dosing regimens in pediatrics.

Improving Efficiency of Clinical Studies Using a Total Digital Approach: Prospective Observational Study.

BackgroundIn general, most clinical studies have long recruitment periods. Signing the informed consent is particularly time-consuming when the participant must meet physically with the researchers. Therefore, introducing fully web-based techniques with the use of eAuthentication (BankID) and new digital electrocardiogram (ECG) monitoring could speed up inclusion time, increase adherence, and also reach out to more remote regions.ObjectiveThe objectives of this study were to explore whether inclusion of a large number of participants could be realized quickly by using a total digital approach both for information and signing of informed consent, along with ECG monitoring and instant feedback on a mobile device. We also explored whether this approach can increase adherence in registration of ECG recordings and answering questionnaires, and if it would result in a more geographically uniform distribution of participants covering a wide age span.MethodsWomen with palpitations were intensively studied over 2 months by means of a handheld ECG monitoring device (Coala Heart Monitor). The device connects to a smartphone or tablet, which allows the participants to obtain the results immediately. Recruitment, study information, and signing the informed consent form with the help of BankID were performed in a completely digital manner.ResultsBetween March and May 2018, 2424 women indicated their interest in participating in the study. On June 19, 2018, presumptive participants were invited to log in and register. After 25 days, 1082 women were included in the study; among these, 1020 women fulfilled the inclusion criteria, 913 of whom completed all phases of the study: recording ECG using the handheld device, completion of the prestudy questionnaires, and completion of the poststudy questionnaires 2 months after the ECG recordings. The dropout rate was 9%. In total, 101,804 ECG recordings were made. The mean age was 56 (SD 11) years (range 21-88 years) and 35 participants were 75 years or older. The participants were evenly distributed between living in the countryside and in cities.ConclusionsTotal digital inclusion recruitment of 1082 participants was achieved in only 25 days, and resulted in a good geographical distribution, excellent adherence, and ability to reach a vast age span, including elderly women. Studies using a total digital design would be particularly appealing during a pandemic since physical contact should be avoided as much as possible.Trial RegistrationISRCTN Registry ISRCTN22495299; http://www.isrctn.com/ISRCTN22495299

Review of Questions Concerning Clinical Drug Interactions in ADHD Treatment From Physicians in Norway.

Pharmacological treatment of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is challenging due to a wide age span among patients, risk of reduced adherence, and comorbidities like psychiatric disorders and drug addiction. Drugs used for ADHD are associated with risk of interactions and adverse drug reactions due to their potent pharmacological effect. In this brief report we aimed to describe real-world problem areas concerning interactions in pharmacotherapy of ADHD. We reviewed questions to a Norwegian drug information center from physicians concerning drug-drug interactions involving ADHD drugs in the last 10-year period. Questions were retrieved by a combination of indexed and Boolean database searches, in addition to manual inspection. ADHD drugs and interacting drugs were defined according to the Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical (ATC) classification system. Interactions were classified by use of Stockley’s Interactions Checker (SIC). Answers were examined with regard to whether the advice from the drug information center was more restrictive, similar or more liberal than SIC when assessing drug combinations. We retrieved 61 questions that included assessment of 96 drug combinations, and found 33 potential interactions according to SIC. Methylphenidate was involved in more than 50% of the interactions, and interacting drugs were in nearly 70% of the cases from ATC-group N (Nervous system) with antidepressants most frequently involved. Seventy percent of the interactions were pharmacodynamic, and interactions were frequently described as potentially severe although they were based on theoretical evidence. All the 33 interactions could be handled with monitoring or adjusting dose or with informative measures, and none was contraindicated according to SIC. More than 90% of the questions came from physicians in hospitals or outpatient specialist practice, and questions mainly concerned adults. In 75% of the drug combinations that involved ADHD drugs, we found similar advice from SIC and the drug information center. Our results suggest that future drug information efforts in ADHD treatment to clinicians, including specialists in the field, should focus on psychotropic interactions.

Exotic origin of Pingtan Island in the Pingtan-Dongshan Metamorphic Belt (SE China): Zircon U-Pb age and Hf isotope evidences

Cathaysia Block in South China had accreted tremendous amounts of Mesozoic magmatic rocks. Recent zircon UPb age results revealed existence of some Early Jurassic gneissic granites (200–190 Ma) in the Pingtan-Dongshan Metamorphic Belt (PDMB), coastal SE China which corresponds one stage of magmatic quiescence in the rest part of East Cathaysia. To better understand Mesozoic thermal evolution of the PDMB, UPb geochronology and Hf isotope composition of zircon separates (LA-ICPMS) and inclusions (NanoSIMS, age only) are examined for two granitic rocks and one meta-sandstone in Pingtan area (northern PDMB) and three granites in Matsu Islands further north. For Pingtan rocks, ages of discrete zircons give two Early Jurassic ages (196 Ma and 173 Ma) and prossess in dominance positive ɛHf(t) values (−0.2 to 7.5). On the other hand, zircon inclusions within rock-forming minerals yield a wide age span from Permo-Triassic to Early Cretaceous in six clusters, namely 270–206 Ma, 191–170 Ma, 168–151 Ma, 146–132 Ma, 126–119 Ma and 109–100 Ma that basically coincide the major Mesozoic thermal episodes in Cathaysia except the second cluster. For Matsu granites, discrete zircons exhibit Late Jurassic (162–158 Ma) and Early Cretaceous (137 Ma) ages with ɛHf(t) values of −9.1 to −1.6 and −4.9 to −0.8, respectively. Nevertheless, zircon inclusions show ages corresponding to Pingtan samples in the last four clusters. With reference to Mesozoic magmatic rock units in the neighboring Southeast China Magmatic Belt (SCMB), our data suggest irrelevance of Pingtan samples to the Cathaysia and linkage of off-shore Matsu granites to the PDMB. Noting that there are similarities of zircon ages and ɛHf(t) values between the granite-schist associations in Tananao Metamorphic Belt (TMB) of eastern Taiwan and Pingtan island of northern PDMB, these Early Jurassic granites were probably originated from a same source. Three consistent Early Cretaceous age clusters of zircon inclusions over the studied samples match two well-known magma prevailing episodes in the coastal SE China, with one tectonic episode (128–119 Ma) in the PDMB that is often invisible from the zircon separates remains unexplainable. In response to a plausible tectonic evolution, we support the earlier proposition for a now-concealed microcontinent that had impinged on Cathaysia around 125 Ma, but further suggest that it left Pingtan Island behind as a remnant fragment when drifted away at later time.

Compositional modification and trace element decoupling in rutile: Insight from the Capricorn Orogen, Western Australia

The trace element composition of rutile is widely used to constrain the temperature and timing of geological events, the provenance of detrital grains and as a potential indicator of proximal ore mineralisation. Understanding the processes of trace element mobility in rutile is therefore paramount to the successful application of rutile geochemistry to geological research. Using a combination of electron backscattered diffraction and laser-ablation split-stream ICP-MS, we studied the microtextures, trace-element contents and U–Pb isotopes of rutile from the siliciclastic rocks of the Mesoproterozoic Edmund Group, Capricorn Orogen (Western Australia). The Capricorn Orogen experienced multiple tectonothermal events during the Proterozoic under conditions spanning from low- to high-grade metamorphism. Rutile textures, U–Pb ages, trace-element variations and calculated Zr-in-rutile temperatures reveal different generations of rutile, including detrital or metamorphic-hydrothermal grains.U–Pb age data of detrital rutile indicate a wide span of ages (ca. 2.7–1.7 Ga) of the source rocks and Cr-Nb compositions point to metamafic, metapelitic and granitic origins for this rutile. The youngest detrital ages of 1.68 Ga constrain the maximum depositional age of the sedimentary package. The comparison of age spectra across the stratigraphy indicates a change in provenance, with sourcing from circa 1.7 Ga rocks during early stages of deposition, followed by unroofing of older basement during deposition of the youngest units of the Edmund Group. Partial resetting of detrital rutile is observed in the increase of 207Pb/206Pb ratios, accompanied by a decrease of Zr-in-rutile calculated temperatures. Lower-temperature metamorphic-hydrothermal rutile yielded imprecise Mesoproterozoic ages (1.3–1.1 Ga). This rutile has significant variations of Zr/Hf and Nb/Ta extending to values both lower and higher than primitive mantle, which may record crystallisation from, or interaction with hydrothermal fluids. Partial remobilisation of trace elements in metamorphic-hydrothermal rutile is demonstrated by sub-grain domains with sharp geochemical variations and by evidence of element diffusion at grain margins. Orders of magnitude differences in trace element concentrations (including Nb, Cr and Zr) in metamorphic-hydrothermal rutile grains suggest thorough investigation of rutile textures needs to be carried out prior to using the trace element concentrations in rutile for provenance and Zr-in-rutile temperature studies.

Forum on Morphosyntax Assessment and Intervention for Children.

Purpose This forum consists of articles that address the need for and approaches to assessment and treatment of morphology and syntax in children. Drawing on papers submitted by diverse laboratories working with multiple populations, this forum includes several articles describing different approaches to treatment, guidelines for goal setting, and assessment methods. Populations described include monolingual and bilingual children who speak English, Dutch, and Spanish, who use oral language and/or augmentative and alternative communication to communicate. Conclusion The current tools available to support traditional grammar therapy are changing and increasing. An emphasis on manualized treatments, treatments that include drill and explicit instruction, and assessment and treatment tools for a variety of populations across a wide age span are included here. Further work is needed to fully develop these promising tools and approaches for the most effective use.

Differential effects of age at illness onset on verbal memory functions in antipsychotic-naïve schizophrenia patients aged 12-43 years.

The typical onset of schizophrenia coincides with the maturational peak in cognition; however, for a significant proportion of patients the onset is before age 18 and after age 30 years. While cognitive deficits are considered core features of schizophrenia, few studies have directly examined the impact of age of illness onset on cognition. The aim of the study was to examine if the effects of age on cognition differ between healthy controls (HCs) and patients with schizophrenia at illness onset. We examined 156 first-episode antipsychotic-naïve patients across a wide age span (12-43 years), and 161 age- and sex-matched HCs. Diagnoses were made according to ICD-10 criteria. Cognition was assessed using the Brief Assessment of Cognition in Schizophrenia (BACS), and IQ was estimated using subtests from the Wechsler adult- or child-intelligence scales. Multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA) was used to examine linear and quadratic effects of age on cognitive scores and interactions by group, including sex and parental socioeconomic status as covariates. There was a significant overall effect of age on BACS and IQ (p < 0.001). Significant group-by-age interactions for verbal memory (for age-squared, p = 0.009), and digit sequencing (for age, p = 0.01; age-squared, p < 0.001), indicated differential age-related trajectories between patients and HCs. Cognitive functions showing protracted maturation into adulthood, such as verbal memory and verbal working memory, may be particularly impaired in both early- and late-schizophrenia onset. Our findings indicate a potential interaction between the timing of neurodevelopmental maturation and a possible premature age effect in late-onset schizophrenia.

How to Maximize Children's Involvement in Non-therapeutic Research-Lessons Learnt From EFFECTOR.

Background: Children are vulnerable study subjects, especially in non-therapeutic research. Nowadays more attention is paid to the children's voice in both decision-making on participation and their experience of clinical research procedures.Methods: We share our experiences from a long-term, cross-sectional, non-therapeutic follow-up study in the offspring of mothers who participated in scientific research during their pregnancy.Results: During the data collection process, different strategies were developed to achieve a satisfactory participation rate with a focus on the involvement of the children. All study documents and measurements were assembled into a superhero framework. This theme is flexible and attracts children of a wide age-span. In order to inform the children before the study visit, a visually attractive assent was created as well as a superhero video. During the study visit, a sticker diploma was used with similar visuals from the assent. The toddlers received a superhero-cape. The children were involved in the decision-making process during the whole process.Discussion and conclusion: From our experience during the EFFECTOR data collection process, parents and their children can be motivated to participate in a long-term, non-therapeutic, follow-up study when child friendly and adequate communication is used. Framing in a superhero theme is simple and suitable for children of a wide age-span.

Similarities and differences across countries in the development of executive functions in children: A systematic review

AbstractA systematic review was conducted to gain a more nuanced understanding of similarities and distinctions across countries in the development of executive functions (EF). The review includes 26 studies, with child and adolescent participants, that were published between 2006 and 2018. Both similarities and differences within developmental patterns of EF are identified across different countries. Across countries, bilingual children are shown to outperform their monolingual peers. Task improvement with age is not consistently reported in all studies, with no linear effects apparent in children from developing countries or regions. Gender differences on EF measures also vary between countries. Girls perform better than boys on EF tasks and parent and teacher ratings of EF in both Western and East Asian samples. Yet, in Iran and Tanzania, boys receive higher EF scores. From preschool age through adolescence, East Asians outperform Western counterparts on direct assessment measures of EF. However, strong discrepancies can be found between measures of direct EF assessment and parent and teacher ratings of children's EF. Chinese parents rate their children's EF as lower compared with parents from other countries. The role of contextual factors explaining differences in EF development is discussed.Highlights This paper presents the first systematic review on the topic of cross‐national variation in children's EF development. A clearly defined conceptual framework regarding EF facets and analysis of a wide age span underpin this review. From preschool age through adolescence, East‐Asian children outperform their Western counterparts on direct assessment measures of EF.

The yield of lung ultrasound in neonates with respiratory distress

Background: A systematic ultrasound has been validated across a wide span of ages using both chest anatomic structures (ie, ribs , pleural line)and artifact images ,such as the B-lines. Multiple diffuse bilateral B-lines are suggestive of interstitial syndrome . In the neonate, one can accurately differentiate the aerated dry lung, appearing as uniform hypoechogenic pattern, sliding with respiration and showing horizontal (the A-lines) ,from the hyperechogenic “white” pattern of the markedly “wet” or inflamed organ. Objective To study the value of chest ultrasound in neonates with RD And its value in comparison with chest x –rays.Methods: This prospective hospital based study was conducted on 74 neonates (October 2017to September 2018 in the Neonatal intensive care unit at Sohag university hospital with any degree of RD .All cases was involved with physical examination, chest x-ray and chest US. finally data was analyzed by SPSS software.Results: In the all the 74 cases chest ultrasound was applied and the disease was further categorized into RDS 25 cases (33.78%) .Pneumonia13 cases (17.56%), (TTN) 25 cases (33.7%) , (MAS), 9cases(12.16%).Pleural effusion4 cases (5.40%). We found that there no difference between diagnosis of the cases by(clinically ,history , and chest x-rays ) versus chest sonar diagnosis (p value=0.157) which was statistically in significant . Conclusion: no difference between diagnosis of the cases by(clinically ,history , and chest x-rays ) versus chest US diagnosis.Study Limitation:: we conduct only the neonatal group suffered from limited disease as RDS,TTN,MAS ,Pneumonia, excluding cases with congenital malformation .

Clinic-pathologic features and gene fusion pattern of ALK and ROS1 in non-small cell lung cancer show association with household coal combustion.

BackgroundLung cancer induced by burning coal can be etiologically and clinically different from lung cancer caused by smoking. Despite previous work, the gene fusion patterns in lung cancer patients affected by household coal combustion still deserve further study.MethodsNon-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients exposed to household coal use (HCU) were recruited from rural areas in China’s Yunnan Province, certain areas in this region had notably high lung cancer rate nationwide. Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was used for detection of ALK, ROS1, RET and NTRK1 rearrangements. Eighteen studies on ALK fusions were summarized and compared with present work.ResultsAmong the 205 patients, there were 112 (54.6%) coal users and 96 (46.8%) smokers, union set had 145 (70.7%) subjects, in which 63 (30.7%) were double-positive for HCU and smoking. HCU patients featured with younger age and advanced stage. Union set patients covered larger age span (range, 40–82 years old), showed clear early-onset, and made the majority of stage IIIA–IV cases. Double-positive individuals were mainly in later stage, but with wider age span (range, 38–75 years old). In addition, 18 patients (8.8%) had EML4-ALK rearrangement, with apparently higher-than-average variant 3 ratio (77.8% vs. 44%). Five ROS1 fusion cases (2.5%) were identified, all were CD74-ROS1 (E6/E34), and had HCU experience. ALK and ROS1 fusions were mutually exclusive. Both ALK fusions and total gene rearrangement events (ALK and ROS1) showed association with HCU and overall exposure (tobacco and coal). Suggesting there could be unique gene fusion patterns in lung cancer patients affected by coal use.ConclusionsPresent study found clinic-pathologic features and gene fusion patterns in NSCLC showed association with household coal combustion. Our findings may help evaluate the impact of coal use on the pathogenesis of lung cancer, and also highlight the significance of integrating different exposure histories into clinical and theoretical research.

A computational study on aging effect for facial expression recognition

This work uses newly introduced variations of the sparse representation-based classifier (SRC) to challenge the issue of automatic facial expression recognition (FER) with faces belonging to a wide span of ages. Since facial expression is one of the most powerful and immediate ways to disclose individuals? emotions and intentions, the study of emotional traits is an active research topic both in psychology and in engineering fields. To date, automatic FER systems work well with frontal and clean faces, but disturbance factors can dramatically decrease their performance. Aging is a critical disruption element, which is present in any real-world situation and which can finally be considered thanks to the recent introduction of new databases storing expressions over a lifespan. This study addresses the FER with aging challenge using sparse coding (SC) that represents the input signal as the linear combination of the columns of a dictionary. Dictionary learning (DL) is a subfield of SC that aims to learn from the training samples the best space capable of representing the query image. Focusing on one of the main challenges of SC, this work compares the performance of recently introduced DL algorithms. We run both a mixed-age experiment, where all faces are mixed, and a within-age experiment, where faces of young, middle-aged, and old actors are processed independently. We first work with the entire face and then we improve our initial performance using only discriminative patches of the face. Experimental results provide a fair comparison between the two recently developed DL techniques. Finally, the same algorithms are also tested on a database of expressive faces without the aging disturbance element, so as to evaluate DL algorithms' performance strictly on FER