Consequences of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Children's Mental Health: A Meta-Analysis.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated mental health problems in many individuals, including children. Children with pre-existing socio-demographic or developmental risk factors may be particularly vulnerable to the negative effects of the pandemic and associated public health preventive measures. Objective: This systematic review and meta-analysis explored the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health of children aged 5-13 years-old, while highlighting the specific difficulties experienced by children with neurodevelopmental issues or chronic health conditions. Methods: A systematic search of the published literature was conducted in Medline, ERIC, PsycINFO, and Google Scholar, followed by a quantitative meta-analysis of the eligible studies. Results: Out of the 985 articles identified, 28 empirical studies with prospective or retrospective longitudinal data were included in the quantitative synthesis. COVID-19 lockdown measures were associated with negative general mental health outcomes among children (g = 0.28, p < 0.001, and k = 21), but of small magnitude. Sleep habits were also changed during the pandemic, as sleep duration significantly increased in children (g = 0.32; p = 0.004, and k = 9). Moreover, results did not differ between children from the general population and those from clinical populations such as children with epilepsy, oncology, neurodevelopmental disorders, or obesity. Effect sizes were larger in European vs. Asian countries. Conclusions: Studies included in this review suggest that children's mental health was generally negatively impacted during the COVID-19 pandemic. More research is needed to understand the long-term effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on children's mental health and the influence of specific risks factors as they evolve over time.

Head Circumference in Canadian Male Adults: Development of a Normalized Chart / Circunferencia Cefálica en Hombres Adultos Canadienses: Desarrollo de una Tabla Normalizada

Macrocephaly has been reported as one of the few physiological markers of several syndromes which are identified during childhood. However, only a limited number of studies have investigated whether macrocephaly persists in adults in these conditions, due to an absence of up-to-date reference charts constructed for typically developing adults. Available adult head circumference reference charts either don't measure individuals beyond 21 years of age, are outdated, mostly use homogeneous samples and most importantly do not account for the individual's height and weight at the same time. Two hundred twenty-one male adults were recruited in a large urban community. For each participant, height, weight and head circumference were measured. A significant positive relationship was found between head circumference and height (r=0.379) as well as between head circumference and weight (r=0.391) and a weaker positive correlation with bodymass index (r=0.213). Charts to determine the level of head circumference abnormalities in adulthood are provided, along with a calculation formula for head circumference based on height and weight. The findings indicate the necessity of taking height and weight into account when measuring head circumference in adults.

La macrocefalia ha sido reportada como uno de los pocos marcadores fisiológicos de varios síndromes que se identifican durante la infancia. Sin embargo, sólo un número limitado de estudios han investigado si la macrocefalia persiste en los adultos con estas condiciones, debido a la ausencia de tablas de referencia actualizadas, construidas para el desarrollo normal de adultos. Las tablas de referencia de circunferencia cefálica disponible para adultos, no miden a los individuos más allá de los 21 años de edad, no están actualizadas, y la mayoría utiliza muestras homogéneas y lo más importante, no toman en cuenta al mismo tiempo la altura y peso del individuo. Fueron reclutados 221 hombres adultos de una comunidad urbana grande. En cada participante se midió la circunferencia cefálica, altura y peso. Se observó una relación significativamente positiva entre la circunferencia cefálica y la altura (r = 0,379), así como entre la circunferencia cefálica y el peso (r = 0,391), mientras la correlación positiva fue débil con el índice de masa corporal (r = 0,213). Se proporcionan tablas para determinar el nivel de anormalidades de la circunferencia cefálica en la edad adulta, junto con una fórmula de cálculo para la circunferencia cefálica basada en la altura y el peso. Los resultados indican la necesidad de tomar en cuenta altura y peso al momento de medir la circunferencia cefálica en adultos.

Regression of language and non-language skills in pervasive developmental disorders.

BACKGROUND: As part of the pervasive developmental disorders (PDD), there is a subgroup of individuals reported to have a different onset of symptom appearance consisting of an apparently normal early development, followed by a loss of verbal and/or non-verbal skills prior to 2 years of age. This study aims at comparing the symptomatology of children who displayed a regression and often an associated intellectual disability through investigation of two types of loss, namely language and other skill regression. METHODS: This study examined the occurrence of regression in 135 children with PDD, mean age 6.3 years. The sample was composed of 80 (59.4%) children diagnosed with autism, 44 (32.6%) with pervasive developmental disorder-not otherwise specified (PDD-NOS) and 11 (8%) with Asperger syndrome. The Autism Diagnostic Interview Revised (ADI-R) was used to evaluate the type of loss and to characterise associated factors including birth rank, gender and thimerosal exposure through vaccination. RESULTS: A total of 30 (22%) subjects regressed: nine (30%) underwent language regression alone, 17 (57%) lost a skill other than language and four (13%) lost both language and another skill. Significantly higher levels of regression were found in autism (30%) compared with PDD-NOS (14%) and Asperger syndrome (0%). Children who regressed in language skills spoke at a significantly earlier age ( = 12 months) than those who did not regress in this domain ( = 26 months). Parents and interviewers consistently reported developmental abnormalities prior to the loss. ADI-R domain mean scores indicated a more severe autistic symptomatology profile in children who regressed compared with those who did not, especially in the repetitive behaviour domain. Regression was not associated to thimerosal exposure, indirectly estimated by year of birth. CONCLUSIONS: A loss of skill, present in one out of five children with PDD, is associated with a slightly more severe symptomatology as measured by the ADI-R, particularly in the repetitive behaviours domain. Furthermore, although abnormalities are often noticed by the caregivers at the time of regression, the ADI-R reveals that other atypical behaviours were in fact present prior to the onset of regression in most cases. None of the secondary factors investigated were associated with regression. In children unexposed to thimerosal-containing vaccines, the rate of regression was similar to that reported in studies of samples exposed to thimerosal, suggesting that thimerosal has no specific association with regressive autism.

RESEARCH: Shrub Propagation Techniques for Biological Control ofInvading Tree Species

/ The use of relatively stable shrub communities to control invasionby trees could be an efficient way of reducing herbicide applications, andthus represents an environmental gain, in areas such as rights-of-way. Thequestion is how to favor the expansion of these relatively stable shrubcommunities using different propagation techniques. Three experimentaltreatments, cutting back, layering, and cutting back-layering were performedon Cornus stolonifera, Salix petiolaris, and Spiraea albaclones already located within the corridor of an electrical power line. Toestablish the efficiency of treatments, we examined the statisticaldifferences of growth traits between species and treatments.An analysis of the effects of layering shows, after the first growth season,differences for all growth traits in only one species, Spiraea alba.After the second growth season, we observed the development of new aerialstems. Layering favors horizontal expansion of shrubs over heightdevelopment. The third year after treatment, the effect of layering isreduced except for Cornus stolonifera, which continuously increases,as shown by the significant progression of the clone issued from the layereven five years after treatments. With the cutting back technique, weexpected a distinct vertical growth of the shrubs at the expense ofincreasing the crown diameter. This technique would be best associated withthe rejuvenation of clones, followed by a layering of new shoots to allow ahorizontal expansion of the shrubs. Therefore, the formation of a dense shrubcommunity by layering should be considered a valuable approach for thebiological control of undesirable trees in powerline rights-of-way.KEY WORDS: Layering; Cutting back; Right-of-way; Cornus stolonifera;Salix petiolaris; Spiraea alba; Quebec