Change in screen time and overuse, and their association with psychological well-being among US-wide school-age children during the COVID-19 pandemic: analysis of the National Survey of Children's Health (NSCH) years 2018-21.

BACKGROUND: Previous studies on screen use and children's mental health during the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic focused only on the timeframe during the pandemic, on children between narrow age ranges, only among a subset of children who have previously reported COVID-related severe family economic hardship or worries, or did not distinguish between instructive versus recreational device usage. Thus, in this study, we analyzed trends, specifically related to recreational screen use, and associations with psychological well-being (PWB) in the years before versus during the COVID-19 pandemic, among a wide range of school-aged children, widely across the nation. METHODS: Using the National Survey of Children's Health (NSCH) years 2018-21, we analyzed a large random sample of school-aged children (6-17 years old) across the US (n = 88,823). We developed PWB issue scores (PWBIS) using self-reported measures relevant to this age group, and constructed regression models to assess the magnitude of the contribution of the pandemic on recreational screen use and PWB. RESULTS: The prevalence of recreational screen overuse and PWBIS increased significantly during the pandemic, compared to prior years. We also detected a notable effect of the pandemic on increased PWBIS, as well as its interaction term finding that it strengthened the association between screen time and PWBIS (p < 0.01 across all regression models). CONCLUSIONS: Accordingly, our results demonstrate the importance of the pandemic itself as an independent adverse factor and effect measure modifier for screen overuse and PWB more generally among all school-age children widely across the US. Our study used the most current data available, and future studies to evaluate whether these effects are persistent in the years after the pandemic are important.

Rejuvenation of Neutrophil Functions in Association With Reduced Diabetes Risk Following Ten Weeks of Low-Volume High Intensity Interval Walking in Older Adults With Prediabetes - A Pilot Study.

Neutrophil dysfunction is a common feature of aging, and is associated with the pathogenesis of many age-related diseases, including type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Although exercise training improves metabolic health, decreases risk of T2DM, and is associated with improving neutrophil functions, involvement in regular physical activity declines with age. The aim of this study was to determine if neutrophil functions could be improved in association with changes in fitness and metabolic parameters in older adults at risk for T2DM using 10-weeks of low volume high-intensity interval exercise training (HIIT). Ten older (71 ± 5 years) sedentary adults with prediabetes (HbA1c: 6.1 ± 0.3%) completed 10 weeks of a supervised HIIT program. Three 30 min sessions/week consisted of ten 60 s intervals of low intensity [50-60% heart rate reserve (HRR)] separated with similar durations of high intensity intervals (80-90% HRR). Before and after training, glucose and insulin sensitivity, neutrophil chemotaxis, bacterial phagocytosis, reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, and mitochondrial functions were assessed. Exercise-mediated changes in cardiorespiratory fitness (VO2peak) and neutrophil functions were compared to six young (23 ± 1 years) healthy adults. Following training, significant reductions in fasting glucose and insulin were accompanied by improved glucose control and insulin sensitivity (all p < 0.05). Before exercise training, VO2peak in the old participants was significantly less than that of the young controls (p < 0.001), but increased by 16 ± 11% following training (p = 0.002) resulting in a 6% improvement of the deficit. Neutrophil chemotaxis, phagocytosis and stimulated ROS production were significantly less than that of the young controls, while basal ROS were higher before training (all p < 0.05). Following training, chemotaxis, phagocytosis and stimulated ROS increased while basal ROS decreased, similar to levels observed in the young controls (all p < 0.05) and reducing the deficit of the young controls between 2 and 154%. In five of the adults with prediabetes, neutrophil mitochondrial functions were significantly poorer than the six young controls before training. Following training, mitochondrial functions improved toward those observed in young controls (all p < 0.05), reducing the deficit of the young controls between 14.3 and 451%. Ten weeks of HIIT in older adults at risk for T2DM reduced disease risk accompanied by improved primary and bioenergetic neutrophil functions. Our results are consistent with a reduced risk of infections mediated by relationships in exercise induced systemic and cellular metabolic features. Clinical Trial Registration: www.ClinicalTrials.gov, identifier NCT02441205, registered on May 12th, 2015.

Motor Performance, Mental Workload and Self-Efficacy Dynamics during Learning of Reaching Movements throughout Multiple Practice Sessions.

The human capability to learn new motor skills depends on the efficient engagement of cognitive-motor resources, as reflected by mental workload, and psychological mechanisms (e.g., self-efficacy). While numerous investigations have examined the relationship between motor behavior and mental workload or self-efficacy in a performance context, a fairly limited effort focused on the combined examination of these notions during learning. Thus, this study aimed to examine their concomitant dynamics during the learning of a novel reaching skill practiced throughout multiple sessions. Individuals had to learn to control a virtual robotic arm via a human-machine interface by using limited head motion throughout eight practice sessions while motor performance, mental workload, and self-efficacy were assessed. The results revealed that as individuals learned to control the robotic arm, performance improved at the fastest rate, followed by a more gradual reduction of mental workload and finally an increase in self-efficacy. These results suggest that once the performance improved, less cognitive-motor resources were recruited, leading to an attenuated mental workload. Considering that attention is a primary cognitive resource driving mental workload, it is suggested that during early learning, attentional resources are primarily allocated to address task demands and not enough are available to assess self-efficacy. However, as the performance becomes more automatic, a lower level of mental workload is attained driven by decreased recruitment of attentional resources. These available resources allow for a reliable assessment of self-efficacy resulting in a subsequent observable change. These results are also discussed in terms of the application to the training and design of assistive technologies.

Assessment of Brain Venous Structure in Military Traumatic Brain Injury Patients using Susceptibility Weighted Imaging and Quantitative Susceptibility Mapping.

Brain venous volume above the lateral ventricle in military patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI) was assessed using two segmentation approaches on susceptibility weighted images (SWI) and quantitative susceptibility maps (QSM). This retrospective study included a total of 147 subjects: 14 patients with severe TBI; 38 patients with moderate TBI, 58 patients with mild TBI (28 with blast-related injuries and 30 with non-blast-related injuries), and 37 control subjects without history of TBI. Using the multiscale vessel enhancement filter on SWI images, patients with severe TBI demonstrated significantly higher segmented venous volumes compared with controls. Using a threshold approach on QSM images, TBI patients with different severities all demonstrated increased segmented volumes compared with control subjects: in the whole brain (severe, p = 0.001; moderate, p = 0.008; mild, p = 0.042, compared with controls), in the left hemisphere (severe, p = 0.01; moderate, p = 0.038, compared with controls), in the right hemisphere (severe, p = 0.001; moderate, p = 0.013; mild, p = 0.027, compared with controls). While segmented volumes on SWI appear to overlay directly on the visualized venous structures, the QSM-derived segments also encompass some perivascular and deep white matter areas. This might represent the damage in the perivascular regions associated with iron deposition or astroglial scarring.

17p13.3 quadruplication: a prenatal and postpartum clinical characterization of a copy number variant.

Prenatal genetic testing has advanced rapidly in the past decade. However, not all results, including variants, are well understood. We report the finding of a 2.5-Mb gene region quadruplication of Chromosome 17p13.3. This region is well characterized for the deletion leading to Miller-Dieker syndrome but has an unclear replication phenotype. Invasive testing performed after ultrasound abnormalities were seen revealed the quadruplication sequence as well as a short segment (850 kb) with x5 copy number variation. This region has previously been reported in a collection of duplications with shared phenotype; our quadruplication suggests similarities in phenotype. This raises the hypothesis of a potential spectrum or copy number variant-based phenotype.

Epidemiología de quemaduras: estudio de una década en el Hospital "José María Bengoa" de Sanare Estado-Lara: durante el período 2000-2009 / Epidemiology of burn injuries: estudy of a decade in the Jose Maria Bengoa Hospital at Sanare-Lara in Venezuela: between 2000-2009

Las quemaduras son una causa importante de mor-bimortalidad a nivel mundial y en nuestro país. Según la Asociación de Ginebra en el 2006 el país con mayor mortalidad por incendios fue Estados Unidos con 3550 fallecidos, seguido de Japón, Francia y Polonia. En el año 2007 en Venezuela causaron 323 defunciones. En el año 2008 en el Estado Lara hubo 10 defunciones por quemaduras y en el Municipio Andrés Eloy Blanco, donde pertenece Sanare no hubo ningún fallecido. El objetivo del trabajo es evaluar el comportamiento epidemiológico durante una década para poder contribuir al manejo del paciente quemado en un futuro. Se analizaron 60 historias médicas de pacientes con diagnóstico de ingreso y egreso de quemadura en el Hospital “José María Bengoa”, durante el período 2000-2009. Se recolectaron datos como: sexo, edad, grado de la quemadura, porcentaje de la superficie corporal comprometida según Lund y Browder y grado de severidad según la American Burn Association. El 52% de la muestra fue de sexo masculino y 48% del sexo femenino. El rango de edades estuvo comprendido entre 0,5 años y 70 años, con un promedio de 14, 16 años; el lugar de ocurrencia más frecuente fue la cocina. El 98% de las quemaduras fue por agente físico, dentro de las cuales el más frecuente fue el agua caliente. El 90% de las quemaduras fueron de segundo grado. El 61% de los pacientes presentaron quemaduras de grado severo por ABA. El 71,6% de los pacientes recibió penicilina cristalina profiláctica. El estudio epidemiológico de las quemaduras en un período prolongado aporta datos oportunos para el mejor manejo del paciente quemado a futuro.

Burn injuries are an important cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide and in our country. Accoording to the General Association, in 2006 the country with the biggest number of fire related deaths was United State with 3550 deaths, fallow by Japan, France and Poland. In 2007 there were 323 fire related deaths in Venezuela. In 2008 at the Lara State there were 10 deceases and in the Andrés Eloy Blanco Municipality where Sanare belong there were no fire or burn deaths related. The objective of this paper is to evaluate the epidemiological behavior for over a decade to hopefully contribute to the management of the burn patient un the future. We analyzed 60 medical charts from patients with burn diagnosis at the moment of the admission and dischange in the J.M. Bengoa Hospital between 2000-2009. We collected information such as: sex, age, burn depth, percentage of total body surface compromise according to Lund and Browder and the degree of severity by the American Burn Association. 52% of the sample was male, and 48% female. The average age was 14,16 years ald with a range between 0,5 years and 70 years. The most common place of occurrence was the kitchen. 98% of the burn injuries were by a physical agent, among which the most frequent one was hot water. 90% of the lesions were second-degree burns. 61% of the patients had a severe degree by ABA. 71,6% of the patients received prophylactic crystalline penicillin. The epidemiological study of burn injuries for a long period of the time contributes with opportune data for the improved management of the burn patient in the future.