Predictors of lung function in early adulthood: A population-based cohort study.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Lung function reaches a peak/plateau in early adulthood before declining with age. Lower early adult lung function may increase the risk for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in mid-late adult life. Understanding the effects of multiple childhood/adolescent exposures and their potential interactions on plateau lung function would provide insights into the natural history of COPD. METHODS: Longitudinal spirometry data from 688 participants with complete data from a population-based birth cohort (original n = 1037) were used to investigate associations between a wide range of childhood/adolescent exposures and repeated measures of FEV1, FVC and FEV1/FVC during the early-adult plateau phase. Generalized estimating equations were used to accommodate the multiple timepoints per participant. RESULTS: FEV1 reached a peak/plateau between ages 18 and 26 and FVC from 21 to 32 years, whereas FEV1/FVC declined throughout early adulthood. Childhood asthma and airway hyperresponsiveness were associated with lower early adult FEV1 and FEV1/FVC. Smoking by age 18 was associated with lower FEV1/FVC. Higher BMI during early adulthood was associated with lower FEV1 and FVC and lower FEV1/FVC. Physical activity during adolescence was positively associated with FEV1 and FEV1/FVC but this was only statistically significant in men. There was no convincing evidence of interactions between exposures. CONCLUSION: Childhood asthma and airway hyperresponsiveness are associated with lower lung function in early adulthood. Interventions targeting these may reduce the risk of COPD in mid-late adult life. Promotion of physical activity during adolescence, prevention of cigarette smoking and maintenance of a healthy body weight in early adulthood are also priorities.

Design of breastfeeding chairs for maternity rooms based on Kano-AHP-QFD: User requirement-driven design approach.

In maternity rooms, breastfeeding chairs are crucial pieces of equipment that greatly influence the breastfeeding experience. However, an abundance of data indicates that there are still issues with breastfeeding chairs, including inadequate support for breastfeeding, poor body type adaptability, and failure to adequately analyse the requirements of mothers and baby users. This study used an innovative research approach to breastfeeding chair design from the standpoint of user requirements to improve breastfeeding willingness and user experience. We propose a user requirement assessment design approach that integrates the Kano model, analytic hierarchy process (AHP), and quality function development (QFD) based on the requirements of mother and baby groups. This approach was intended to build a user experience evaluation model for mother- and baby-friendly products. Following this approach to breastfeeding chair design, a fuzzy comprehensive evaluation (FCE) was used to assess the chair. Compared to the original breastfeeding chairs, the designs of breastfeeding chairs that met important requirements for mothers and infants, such as safety, hygiene, and breastfeeding support, resulted in an approximately 23 % increase in user satisfaction. This effectively improved the user experience of both mothers and infants. This approach is centred on the basic requirements of mothers and babies. It evaluates the essential requirements that impact the breastfeeding experiences of mothers and babies and provides multifaceted data regarding the attributes of the different requirements of mothers and babies. This results in theoretical research references for ensuing user-driven design products that cater to the requirements of mothers and their infants and play a pivotal role in formulating design guidelines for mother- and baby-friendly products.

Construction of Chinese Herbal Medicine Traceability System Based on Influencing Factors of Chinese Herbal Medicine Quality / 中国实验方剂学杂志

As a Chinese saying goes， "good Chinese medicinal material makes good medicine"， the quality of Chinese herbal medicines is related to the development prospect of Chinese medicine industry in China. With the rapid development of new technologies such as traceability methods and monitoring instruments， it is imperative to integrate and innovate traditional Chinese herbal medicines with new-generation information technology in view of the quality problems existing in the current production and circulation of Chinese herbal medicines， and it is of great significance for the construction of traceability system to ensure the quality and safety of Chinese herbal medicines and to promote the industry of Chinese herbal medicines to move towards high-quality development. This paper reviews the development history of the traceability system of Chinese herbal medicines in China， takes the influencing factors of the quality of Chinese herbal medicines as the entry point， and proposes that the construction of the traceability system should satisfy the traceability requirements of the characteristics of Chinese herbal medicines and their traditional medication experience. By analyzing the influencing factors of the quality of Chinese herbal medicines， it is pointed out that focusing on the influencing factors to build a traceability system is of great significance for targeting the problematic links at a later stage and exploring the interrelationship between environmental factors and the quality of Chinese herbal medicines. Based on the previous explorations， the author summarizes the system framework， functional modules and practical applications of the traceability system of Chinese herbal medicines， and looks forward to the development of a traceability system with risk early warning function and expert decision-making function in its functional development. Finally， based on the factors affecting the quality of Chinese herbal medicines， the author puts forward several thoughts on construction of the traceability system， and makes an in-depth analysis and puts forward a solution for the current situation that a unified， standardized and universal traceability system has not yet been built， with a view to providing ideas and references for the construction of traceability system of Chinese herbal medicines.

The Design and Development of Instrumented Toys for the Assessment of Infant Cognitive Flexibility.

The first years of an infant's life represent a sensitive period for neurodevelopment where one can see the emergence of nascent forms of executive function (EF), which are required to support complex cognition. Few tests exist for measuring EF during infancy, and the available tests require painstaking manual coding of infant behaviour. In modern clinical and research practice, human coders collect data on EF performance by manually labelling video recordings of infant behaviour during toy or social interaction. Besides being extremely time-consuming, video annotation is known to be rater-dependent and subjective. To address these issues, starting from existing cognitive flexibility research protocols, we developed a set of instrumented toys to serve as a new type of task instrumentation and data collection tool suitable for infant use. A commercially available device comprising a barometer and an inertial measurement unit (IMU) embedded in a 3D-printed lattice structure was used to detect when and how the infant interacts with the toy. The data collected using the instrumented toys provided a rich dataset that described the sequence of toy interaction and individual toy interaction patterns, from which EF-relevant aspects of infant cognition can be inferred. Such a tool could provide an objective, reliable, and scalable method of collecting early developmental data in socially interactive contexts.

Comparison of mouth rinsing performance between adults and children using a contactless vital sensing camera.

BACKGROUND: Evaluating mouth rinsing skills is useful for assessing oral function, however current evaluation methods are subjective. OBJECTIVES: This study compared mouth rinsing between adults and children using a contactless camera to capture lip motion. METHODS: The subjects comprised 16 adults and 13 children with no oral dysfunction. A compact vital sensing camera adapted from a Microsoft Xbox One Kinect Sensor® (Kinect) was placed 100 cm from the floor and 120 cm from the subject; 5, 10 and 15 ml of water were used as samples. Participants were instructed to hold the sample in the oral cavity, close the lips and move the sample alternatively left and right for 15 s. Maximum/minimum displacement from the reference plane and rinsing cycle for each sample were analysed by one-way analysis of variance. RESULTS: In adults, there was no significant difference in the maximum/minimum displacement between the left and right sides of the angulus oris due to differences in sample amount. In children, the right maximum significantly differed between the 5- and 15-ml and 10- and 15-ml samples, while the left maximum significantly differed between the 5- and 10-ml and 5- and 15-ml samples. The right minimum significantly differed between the 5- and 10-ml samples, as did the duration of mouth rinsing between the 5- and 15-ml samples. CONCLUSIONS: In children, lip movement and mouth rinsing duration tended to decrease with increasing sample volume. Evaluating lip movement using a contactless vital sensing camera is useful for assessing children's development of oral function.

Type development in childhood and beyond.

This article defines and explains type development across the lifespan and summarizes what other researchers have presented as a reference. A timeline for development is identified, and ways to differentiate development of a function from the development of other personality characteristics are described. Type development is about the dispersion of energy from an unconscious level to a managed conscious level. This development occurs in a spiral pattern, so development of each function occurs repeatedly but at higher levels of use and understanding each time. Although the dominant function develops most because of its innate drive to be the lead, each function can develop throughout the lifespan. The relative energy associated with each function always exists. When the energy is in the unconscious, it drives behavioural responses, but these are not within the individual's control. The ideal is to develop the conscious awareness of each of the functions so each can be consciously used as needed to match a situation. Because development of the functions is essential, this article examines potential interferences with development and then offers some suggestions for ways to promote developmental opportunities.

Cet article définit et explique le développement de la typologie au cours de la vie et résume ce que les autres chercheurs ont présenté sur ce sujet. Une chronologie du développement est identifiée, et des manières de différencier le développement d'une fonction du développement d'autres caractéristiques de la personnalité sont décrites. Le développement du type concerne la dispersion d'énergie à partir d'un niveau inconscient vers un niveau conscient et dirigé. Ce développement se produit dans un mouvement en spirale. Ainsi, le développement de chaque fonction se produit à plusieurs reprises mais à chaque fois à des niveaux plus élevés d'utilisation et de compréhension. Bien que la fonction dominante se développe plus du fait de sa pulsion innée d'être en première position, chaque fonction peut se développer tout au long de la vie. L'énergie relative associée à chaque fonction existe toujours. Quand l'énergie est dans l'inconscient, cela conduit à des réponses comportementales, mais celles-ci ne sont pas sous le contrôle de la personne. L'idéal est de développer la prise de conscience concernant chaque fonction afin que chacune puisse être utilisée consciemment selon les besoins de telle ou telle situation. Parce que le développement des fonctions est essentiel, cet article s'intéresse aux blocages potentiels dans le développement et offre ensuite quelques suggestions concernant les manières de soutenir les opportunités développementales.

El presente artículo define y explica el desarrollo de la tipología a lo largo de la vida y presenta una síntesis de lo expuesto por otras investigaciones. Se identifica una línea de tiempo para el desarrollo, y se describen modos de diferenciar el desarrollo de una función, del desarrollo de otras características de la personalidad. El desarrollo de la tipología da cuenta de la dispersión de energía desde un nivel inconsciente a un logrado nivel consciente. Este desarrollo ocurre en un patrón espiralado, de este modo el desarrollo de cada función sucede repetidamente, pero a niveles superiores de uso y comprensión cada vez. Si bien la función dominante tiene un mayor desarrollo debido a su tendencia innata a ser la que lidera, cada función puede desarrollarse a lo largo de la vida. La energía relativa asociada con cada función siempre existe. Cuando la energía está en el inconsciente, genera respuestas conductuales, que no están bajo el control del individuo. Lo ideal es desarrollar una percepción consciente de cada función, así cada una puede ser conscientemente utilizada a medida que es necesaria para responder a una situación. El desarrollo de las funciones es esencial, por lo cual, este artículo examina las interferencias potenciales en el desarrollo y luego ofrece algunas sugerencias para promover oportunidades para su desarrollo.

Developmental trajectories of executive functions in young males with fragile X syndrome.

BACKGROUND: Executive functions (EF) have been identified as impaired in FXS, but few studies have examined their developmental trajectories. AIMS: The primary aim of this longitudinal study was to examine the development of EF in young males with FXS compared to Mental Age (MA)-matched controls. METHODS AND PROCEDURES: The sample comprised 56 boys with FXS (ages 7-13 years), and 48 MA-matched typical boys (ages 4-8 years). EF tasks included measures of inhibitory control, working memory, cognitive flexibility/set-shifting, problem solving/planning, and processing speed. Tasks were administered at three time points over five-years. OUTCOMES AND RESULTS: The MA-Matched Typical boys significantly outperformed the FXS boys on all EF tasks, with the FXS Group showing a pattern of slow, but positive growth on most EF tasks. For working memory tasks, significant interactions were noted between MA and autism symptom severity, and MA and medication status. The probability of task completion increased with higher MA. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: These findings contribute to our understanding of the development of EF in this population. They also lay the foundation for use of EF tasks in treatment efforts, particularly with respect to documenting improvements and practice effects, and in understanding associations with targeted developmental outcomes.

Effect of Monosialotetrahexosyl Ganglioside Sodium Injection on Spastic Cerebral Palsy / 中国康复理论与实践

@#Objective To observe the clinical effect of monosialotetrahexosyl ganglioside sodium injection (GM1) on spastic cerebral palsy. Methods 98 children with spastic cerebral palsy were randomly divided into control group (n=50) and treatment group (n=48). Both groups received Bobath approach, and the treatment group received GM1 in addition. They were assessed with Functional Independence Measure for Children (WeeFIM), Gross Motor Function Measure (GMFM) and Gesell Development Schedule (GDS) before and after 90 days of treatment. Results The scores of WeeFIM, all the dimensions of GMFM and the gross motor, fine motor, personal-social and adaption of the GDS improved in both groups after treatment (P<0.05), and improved more in the treatment group than in the control group (P< 0.05). Conclusion GM1 may further improve the recovery of function for children with spastic cerebral palsy.

Ectopic expression of ghrelin affects gastric H(+)-K(+)-ATPase activity and expression of GHR/IGF-1 system in weaned mice.

OBJECTIVES: Ghrelin has been implicated in the regulation of gastric growth and functional development, but it is yet to be determined whether and how ghrelin over-expression may modify gastric growth, gastric acid secretion and mRNA expression of other gastric endocrine hormones. 25-day-old mice were injected intramuscularly with vacant plasmid (VP) or recombinant plasmid expressing secretory ghrelin at the doses of 50µg (LG) and 100µg (HG). RESULTS: Expression of ghrelin mRNA was detected in muscles 15days post-injection, being most abundant in HG mice. In accordance with the ghrelin expression, gastric weight increased (P<0.05) in HG mice, compared with VP control group. Significant increase of gastric mucosa H(+)-K(+)-ATPase mRNA expression was detected in HG mice compared to VP control group (P<0.05). Compared with VP mice, gastric somatostatin (SS) mRNA expression decreased in LG and HG mice (P<0.05), while gastric gastrin expression had no significant difference. CONCLUSIONS: I.M. injection of plasmid encoding ghrelin improved gastric growth and gastric acid secretion with decreased SS mRNA in weaned mice.

Effect of Acupuncture on Gross Motor Function and Adaptive Development in Children with Cerebral Palsy / 中国康复理论与实践

@#Objective To observe the effect of acupuncture on cerebral palsy children. Methods90 children with cerebral palsy were divided into the observation group (acupuncture and comprehensive rehabilitation) and control group (comprehensive rehabilitation). They were assessed with Gross Motor Function Measure and the Gesell Development Schedules before and 3 months after treatment. ResultsThe total effective rate was 95% in observation group, and 80% in the control group (P<0.01). The score of gross motor function and Gesell adaptive development quotient improved more in the observation group than in the control group (P<0.01). ConclusionAcupuncture is efficacious on functional recovery in children with cerebral palsy

Preliminary Study on Gross Motor Development in 1～6-year-old Children with Cerebral Palsy at Different Levels / 中国康复理论与实践

@# Objective To explore the characteristics of gross motor development in 1～6-year-old children with cerebral palsy at different levels. Methods 708 children (487 males and 221 females, age range: 1～6 years, from 6 rehabilitation centers in Shanghai) with cerebral palsy (CP) were assessed with Chinese version of Gross Motor Function Classification System （GMFCS） and Gross Motor Function Measure (GMFM). Distributions of GMFM scores at different GMFCS levels in children with cerebral palsy were analyzed. Results The GMFM-66 scores increased most in children with GMFCS Level Ⅰ, and more than 75% of them would be greater than 67 points in GMFM-66 score after the age of 48～50 months. The children with GMFCS Level Ⅱ～Ⅳ appeared similar increasing range of GMFM-66 scores in 1～6 years old. Less than 25% of the children at GMFCS Level Ⅱ would be greater than 67 points in GMFM-66 score before the age of 6 years, more than 50% of those at GMFCS Level Ⅲ would be less than 56 points, more than 75% of those at GMFCS Level Ⅳ couldn't exceed 46 points （except groups of 54～56 months and 66～68 months）. Compared with the children with other GMFCS levels, the GMFM-66 scores were always at very low level in children with GMFCS Level V, and trended to decrease with time after 5 years old. Conclusion The characteristics of gross motor development are different in children with cerebral palsy at different GMFCS levels.