Children-Basel最新文献

Background/objectives: Previous research indicates that children with Developmental Language Disorder (DLD) face challenges learning from feedback, resulting in suboptimal performance and learning outcomes. Feedback processing, a key developing executive function, involves cognitive processes critical for goal-directed behavior. This study examined the neural mechanisms underlying feedback processing in school-age children with DLD compared to typically developing (TD) peers, focusing on midfrontal theta band (4-8 Hz) oscillations as an index of cognitive control and error monitoring.

Methods: We measured midfrontal theta inter-trial coherence (ITC) and inter-site coherence (ISC) at midfrontal (FCz), lateral prefrontal (F3/F4), and lateral central (C3/C4) sites in children with and without DLD (n = 33, age 8-13 years) in response to feedback provision within a Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST) in two time windows (200-400 ms, which is associated with the Feedback-Related Negativity, or FRN, and 400-600 ms, which is associated with the P3a).

Results: Children with and without DLD showed elevated midfrontal theta oscillations in response to negative feedback that was followed by successful behavioral adjustments in the FRN time window. Activation in the P3a time window was only found in the TD group. Group differences were also noted in the inter-site coherence (ISC) associated with the effective processing of negative feedback. While in the TD group, effective processing of negative feedback was linked to high connectivity between midfrontal and right sensorimotor regions, in the DLD group, effective processing of negative feedback was associated with high connectivity between midfrontal and left sensorimotor sites.

Conclusions: Differential ISC patterns in children with DLD may indicate that they employ alternative or compensatory neural strategies, possibly due to atypical right sensorimotor engagement.

After a hard effort to carry out this research, we are pleased to know that it causes great interest in society and in science [...].

Background/objectives: Although rare in the Western world, dog bites may be lethal or lead to physically severe outcomes. However, little attention is given to their psychological consequences. We aimed to review their psychological consequences in children 1-14 years of age, focusing on the prevalence and nature of psychological disorders, evaluating the impact on future mental health of children and their families, and assessing the effectiveness of preventive interventions and measures.

Methods: On 23 May 2024, we investigated the PubMed, CINAHL, and PsycINFO/PsycARTICLES databases using ("dog bite" OR animal-induced OR animal-caused) AND (psychol* OR mental OR psychiatr* OR anxiety OR anxious OR depress* OR obsess* OR trauma* OR psychosis OR psychotic OR schizophren* OR schizoaffect*) filtered for ages 0-18 years. This resulted in 311 records, of which 50 were eligible. These included original research, case reports, patient surveys, and reviews/meta-analyses.

Results: Findings indicate that younger children are particularly vulnerable, often suffering head/neck bites, leading to severe injuries and psychological distress, with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) being a common outcome. Symptoms such as nightmares, flashbacks, anxiety, and social withdrawal were frequently reported. Positive parental support and timely psychological interventions were found to mitigate these effects.

Conclusions: Interdisciplinary approaches integrating education, cognitive restructuring, and behaviour modification are needed to effectively prevent and address the psychological impacts of dog bites. Summarising, dog bites in children result in substantial psychological sequelae, necessitating robust prevention and intervention strategies to improve their quality of life and reduce the risk of chronic mental conditions.

Background: Myelomeningocele (MMC) is a congenital malformation affecting the central nervous system, categorized as a neural tube defect (NTDs). In untreated cases, the mortality rate within the first six months of life ranges from 35% to 70%. Globally, its incidence is estimated 0.8 to 1 per 1000 live births, and rates are higher in Asia and lower socioeconomic groups. This disease imposes a significant treatment cost and burden due to life-long disabilities. In less developed or developing countries, delays in diagnosis can lead to complications such as infection and rupture. Although rupture is a rare complication in MMC, there are limited studies that have reported it. This study aims to discuss the perioperative management and potential complications of ruptured MMC.

Method: This study presents four cases of ruptured MMC that were referred from private hospitals and managed by Hasan Sadikin General Hospital in West Java, Indonesia. Each patiens underwent a clinical assessment and diagnostic evaluation upon arrival, followed by perioperative theraphy and management of any complications that emerged during treatment.

Result: In three of the four cases, the children were over 24 h old when they were admitted to the hospital. Three cases were located in the lumbosacral region while one case was located in the thoracic region. Upon arrival, the clinical presentations we observed included microcephaly, small for gestational age (SGA) and congenital talipes equionavrus (CTEV). And we found several complications included wound dehisence, respiratiory failure, hydrocephalus, leg weakness, menigitis and sepsis after surgery.

Conclusions: Perioperative management is highlighted as vital, necessitating a multidisciplinary approach and precise surgical techniques to mitigate severe complications.

Background and objectives: Children living in an area distant from or associated with barriers to travelling to health service centres usually experience health and well-being disparities. This is a survey of child health and well-being on Bulon-Don Island, located 22 kms. from the southern mainland of Thailand, to gather essential background data before activating responses from local service provider agencies.

Methods: Demographic data, physical and crude psychological health, harm to health, and living conditions of Bulon-Don children aged 1-14 years were studied and compared with the results of the corresponding national child health survey. Descriptive statistics were used for the statistical analysis of significance (p < 0.05).

Results: A total of 21 male and 41 female children (N = 62) participated in the survey after obtaining consents from parents or care providers. The islanders are Indigenous people who use their own languages and have traditional beliefs. Comparing with the children of the national survey, most children aged <5 years were found to have significantly lower height and weight according to their age (p = 0.044 and p = 0.043, respectively), whereas those aged >5 years had a similar nutritional status. In addition, there is a lack of facilities for healthy living. However, the mean total psychological and ethical standards scores were significantly higher in the 1-5 and 6-9-year-old children.

Conclusions: Disparity of socio-political status, cultural beliefs and practices, socioeconomic basis, and geographic distance from the mainland were the social determinants and barriers of low health service accessibility for the islander children. Comprehensive child health and well-being evaluation in an enclave of isolation like this is mandatory before an integrated intervention carried out by the local healthcare and living facilities providers is implemented.

Crohn's disease (CD) is a chronic inflammatory bowel condition with increasing global incidence. Diagnosing CD is challenging and requires close collaboration between clinicians and pathologists due to the lack of specific diagnostic criteria. Histologically, CD is characterized by transmural inflammation, crypt distortion, metaplasia, and granulomas, although granulomas are not always present. Schaumann bodies (SB), initially described in sarcoidosis, are rare in CD but have been reported in about 10% of cases. This case report presents a 4-year-old female with chronic hemorrhagic diarrhea, severe anemia, and elevated inflammatory markers. Endoscopic and histological evaluations suggested CD, with the presence of SB in the gastric mucosa. Further investigations ruled out sarcoidosis, confirming a diagnosis of multi-segmental, very early onset CD with atypical histological features. SB are inclusions composed of calcium carbonate crystals and conchoid bodies, typically found within giant cells. The presence of SB in the mucosa is rare, limiting their diagnostic significance in endoscopic biopsies. Differential diagnosis should exclude other granulomatous diseases such as intestinal tuberculosis and sarcoidosis. This case highlights the importance of considering SB in the diagnosis of CD, particularly in pediatric patients.

Background: The Color Me Healthy symptom reporting app was co-designed with school-age children with cancer, their parents, and clinicians. Preliminary studies demonstrated its feasibility and acceptability; however, children and parents identified the need for additional refinements.

Methods: Guided by the Technology Acceptance Model and principles of user-centered design, this study supported refinements to the Color Me Healthy user interface and evaluation of its usability. As the programming team completed builds of the app, school-age children with cancer and their parents participated in cognitive walkthrough usability evaluations and qualitative interviews. Usability logs documented the completion of key tasks related to reporting pain and review of child-reported data. Parents completed the Technology Acceptance Model Perceived Usefulness Scale (TAM-PUS). Interview responses were analyzed using qualitative content analysis.

Results: Fourteen children (median age 8.5 years; range 6-12) and 14 parents (median age 38.5 years; range 34-49) participated in one of three usability evaluation cycles. After the third cycle, children and parents navigated the app and completed key tasks independently. Median TAM-PUS scores were 6 (range 6-8), indicating high perceived usefulness. Qualitative analyses indicated that children regarded the app as easy and fun to use. Parents emphasized the app's developmental relevance for their child and for themselves as the child's caregiver.

Conclusions: This study demonstrates the perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use of the revised Color Me Healthy app. Optimizing the usability of the Color Me Healthy app with attention to the user needs of children and parents positions the app for wider-scale clinical implementation.

It is documented that maternal diseases or treatments influence a newborn's clinical status at birth. If a prenatal medical history is not available, or if signs or symptoms of a mother's disease are revealed for the first time during pregnancy or postpartum, their effects on the newborn may be misattributed.

Objective: The objective of this study is to emphasize the paramount importance of prenatal care, for both mothers and newborns, as a lack of maternal signs and symptoms during pregnancy does not exclude a potential severe neonatal condition.

Materials and methods: We present a series of three cases of pregnant women who gave birth to very sick preterm newborns that required admission to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). The mothers were asymptomatic during pregnancy and unaware of their subclinical disease. The newborns' complications, considered initially as consequences of prematurity or infection, subsequently revealed transient autoimmune disease in two of the cases (myasthenia gravis and hyperthyroidism) and a severe form of thrombophilia in the third case.

Results: The newborns' diagnosis preceded maternal diagnosis and contributed to the identification of the maternal pathology; adequate treatment was prescribed, with favorable short- and long-term outcomes.

Conclusions: Prenatal exams and investigations throughout pregnancy are a good opportunity to detect subclinical diseases or predispositions. As newborns usually develop non-specific signs, one should have experience and pay attention to differentiating among etiologies. Our paper takes a reversed approach to the usual medical diagnosis pathway: from infant to mother instead of from mother to infant, proving that inter-specialty collaboration can work bi-directionally.

Background: A short and easy questionnaire is needed to identify symptoms of listening difficulties (LiD) at an early stage. This study aimed to evaluate the utility of such a questionnaire for adolescents with and without LiD.

Methods: We included adolescents with and without LiD and adults without LiD in this study. We utilized a questionnaire designed for individuals with LiD, which combined the Speech, Spatial, and Quality of Hearing scales (SSQ)-12 and four additional psychological items. From this, we selected three items that exhibited the largest differences between adolescents with and without LiD. We subsequently examined the relationship between the total scores of all items and the three selected items to develop the short questionnaire.

Results: The responses of adolescents to the questionnaire were consistent with those of adults. The total scores from the three selected items exhibited a strong correlation with the overall questionnaire score for adolescents both with and without LiD, indicating their potential for identifying LiD symptoms.

Conclusions: The wide implementation of the short questionnaire developed in this study could lead to the early detection of potential LiD symptoms and timely intervention.

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a widespread condition often resulting from multiple factors, including maternal influences. These risk factors not only heighten the likelihood of developing CKD but increase the risk of a preterm birth. Adverse events during nephrogenesis can disrupt kidney development, leading to a reduced number of nephrons. As survival rates for preterm infants improve, more individuals are living into adulthood, thereby elevating their risk of CKD later in life. This review aims to explore the connections between preterm birth, kidney development, and the increased risk of CKD, while proposing practical solutions for the future through a multidisciplinary approach. We examine human studies linking preterm birth to negative kidney outcomes, summarize animal models demonstrating kidney programming and reduced nephron numbers, and consolidate knowledge on common mechanisms driving kidney programming. Additionally, we discuss factors in the postnatal care environment that may act as secondary insults contributing to CKD risk, such as acute kidney injury (AKI), the use of nephrotoxic drugs, preterm nutrition, and catch-up growth. Finally, we outline recommendations for action, emphasizing the importance of avoiding modifiable risk factors and implementing early CKD screening for children born preterm. Together, we can ensure that advancements in kidney health keep pace with improvements in preterm care.