Ingurumen-zarata eta osasuna

Lan honek zaratak pertsonen osasunean duen eraginaren inguruko ebidentzia zientifikoa biltzea du helburu. Bertan aztergai izan dira zaratak sistema kardiobaskularrean eta, zehazki, hipertentsioan eta bihotzeko gaixotasunetan duen eragina, gaixotasun metabolikoekin duen erlazioa, loaren kalitate subjektibo zein objektiboa eta baita minbizia garatzeko arriskua. Gainera, zarataren ondorio psikologiko eta kognitiboak ere ikertu dira. Haurtzaroari arreta berezia eskaini zaio, talde zaurgarria denez gero. Zarataren mekanismoari dagokionez, badirudi zaratak sortzen duen kalteak HPA ardatzaren eta sistema sinpatikoaren aktibazioa dakarrela, eta horrekin batera estresaren hormonen eta estres oxidatiboaren areagotzea eta hantura. Egungo ebidentzietan oinarrituta, beharrezkotzat jotzen da osasun publikoaren alde epe luzeko estrategiak eta araudiak garatzea.; This work aims to gather scientific evidence about the impact of noise on public health. The effect of noise on the cardiovascular system and specifically on hypertension and heart disease, its relation to metabolic diseases, the subjective or objective quality of sleep, and the risk of developing cancer, have been examined. The psychological and cognitive effects of noise have also been investigated. Special attention has been paid to childhood as a vulnerable group. As for the noise mechanism, the noise damage appears to be due to the HPA axis and ac-tivation of the sympathetic system due to stress hormones, oxidative stress and inflammation. Based on current evidence, the development of long-term strategies and directive policies for public health is considered necessary

2D:4D indizearen zeharkako neurketa: software bidezko irudien analisiaren behatzaile arteko/barneko fidagarritasuna

Sex hormones have an effect on brain structures and so they have on human behavior. The 2D:4D in-dex is a non-invasive indicator of prenatal sex hormone exposure. Previous literature on its reliability indicated that the software analysis method is reliable, but, still, there is no consensus about which program should be used. The objectives of the present study are to analyze the intraobserver and interobserver reliability of two softwares used to measure the 2D:4D ratio, and to explore the measurements’ economy. Scans of the hands of 180 11 year-old participants were collected, and measurements were made by using the GIMP and AutoMetric programs. The results showed that although AutoMetric is a faster program, GIMP presented higher intra and interobserver reliability. To sum up, further research should be carried out on this subject, because few studies exist which analyze the differences among the available image analysis methods.; Sexu hormonek eragina dute garunaren garapenean, egituretan eta funtzionamenduan, eta, ondorioz, gizakion jokaeran. Haurdunaldiko hormona-esposizio mailen adierazle bat da 2D:4D indizea. Indize honen fidagarritasunaren inguruko ikerketek erakutsi dutenez, 2D:4D indizea neurtzeko metodo fidagarria da ordenagailuko irudien analisirako programak erabiltzea. Hau horrela izanik ere, ez dago adostasunik erabili beharreko programa egokienaren inguruan. Lan honen helburuak bi dira: 2D:4D ratioa neurtzeko erabili diren bi softwareen fidagarritasuna aztertzea (behatzaile-barneko eta behatzaile arteko fidagarritasunari erreparatuz) eta neurketen ekonomia ezagutzea. Horretarako, 11 urteko 180 parte-hartzaileren eskuetako eskanerrak jaso ziren. Neurketak irudien analisirako ordenagailuko bi programa erabiliz egin ziren (GIMP eta AutoMetrik). Emaitzek erakutsi dute, nahiz eta AutoMetrik programa bizkorragoa izan, GIMP programak behatzaile-barneko eta behatzaile arteko fidagarritasun altuagoa erakusten duela. Ondorio gisa esan daiteke 2D:4D indizearen neurketak egiteko irudien analisia erabiltzen duten metodoen desberdintasunak ikertzen dituzten lan gutxi daudenez, ikerketa gehiago egin beharko liratekeela gai honen inguruan

Do prepubertal hormones, 2D:4D index and psychosocial context jointly explain 11-year-old preadolescents' involvement in bullying?

[EN] Background: Bullying is a type of aggressive behavior that occurs repeatedly and intentionally in school environments and where there is a power imbalance. The main objective of this study was to analyze the association that hormones and the psychosocial context jointly have with bullying behavior. Method: Participants were 302 11-year-old preadolescents from the Gipuzkoan cohort of the INMA Project. Bullying was assessed using the Olweus Bully/victim Questionnaire. Prenatal sexual hormones were assessed by calculating 2D:4D ratio and in order to measure prepubertal testosterone and cortisol levels saliva samples were collected within a week of each other. Additionally, various psychosocial factors were evaluated: executive function, family context, school environment and social context. To analyze our complex hypothesis, six metamodels were tested using structural equation modeling. Results: In relation to victims, results showed that victimization was related to worse school environment' perception in boys, and higher stress and conflict in the family in girls. In the case of their involvement in bullying as a bully, lower salivary cortisol levels, worse school environment' perception and lower peers and social support was related to being more frequently involved as a bully in boys, while having more family stress and conflict was related with being a bully in girls. Conclusions: This approach makes it possible not only to explore the different biological and psychosocial factors affect bullying behavior, but also to explore associations between the predictor variables.This study was funded by grants from Instituto de Salud Carlos III (FIS-PI06/0867, FIS-PI09/00090, FIS-PI13/02187, FIS-PI18/01142, FIS-PI18/01237 incl FEDER funds) CIBERESP, Department of Health of the Basque Government (2005111093, 2009111069, 2013111089, 2015111065 and 2018111086), and the Provincial Government of Gipuzkoa (DFG06/002, DFG08/001 and DFG15/221 and DFG 89/17) and annual agreements with the municipalities of the study area (Zumarraga, Urretxu, Legazpi, Azkoitia y Azpeitia y Beasain). IB would like to thank the Department of Education, Language Policy and Culture of the Government of the Basque Country for a predoctoral research training grant

Is Brief Exposure to Green Space in School the Best Option to Improve Attention in Children?

The positive effects of Green Spaces on health are thought to be achieved through the mechanisms of mitigation, instoration and restoration. One of the benefits of Green Spaces may be the restoration of attention and so the objective of this research is testing empirically whether exposure to a green environment improves attention in school children. For so doing, we first used a split-unit statistical design in each of four schools, then combined the primary results via meta-analysis. The Attention Network Test (ANT) was used to measure attention before and after exposure and a total of 167 seven-year-old students participated in the experiments. Overall, our experimental results do not support the hypothesis that students’ exposure to activities in green vs. grey spaces affected their performance in ANT. This was so despite the fact that neither age nor gender biases have been detected and despite that our experiments have been proved to be sufficiently statistically powerful. It would be advisable to consider air pollution and noise. We also recommend that participants attend the experiment with mental exhaustion to maximize the ability to detect significant changes.This research was funded by KUTXA FUNDAZIOA, grant number KUTXA18/001

Postnatal exposure to mercury and neuropsychological development among preschooler children

The objective of this study was to describe the postnatal exposure to Hg and to evaluate its association with neuropsychological development among preschool children. The study population are 4–5 years old children (n = 1252) participant in the Spanish INMA Project. Total Hg was measured in cord blood and in hair samples taken at 4 years of age (2008–2012). Neuropsychological development was assessed using the McCarthy Scales of Children’s Abilities (MSCA). Information on covariates and possible confounders was obtained by questionnaires during pregnancy and childhood. Generalized additive and linear regression models were built in order to assess the relationship between MSCA scores and Hg exposure. We also evaluated the magnitude of the possible bias generated from measurement error in seafood intake estimate from questionnaire and Hg determination. The geometric mean of hair Hg was 0.98 μg/g [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.94, 1.03]. In the regression analysis, the association between Hg and the MSCA scores was positive for all the scales and statistically significant for the verbal (β = 0.89; 95%CI 0.38, 1.39), memory (β = 0.42; 95%CI 0.09, 0.76) and general cognitive scales (β = 1.35; 95%CI 0.45, 2.25). However, these associations were clearly attenuated when we adjusted by the children’s fish intake variables or when took into account theoretical scenarios of low precision in fish intake and Hg measurements. Hg levels in this Spanish population were high in comparison with other European countries; however, we did not observe adverse effects on child neuropsychological development associated with this postnatal exposure to Hg

Maternal Consumption of Seafood in Pregnancy and Child Neuropsychological Development: A Longitudinal Study Based on a Population With High Consumption Levels

Seafood consumption during pregnancy is thought to be beneficial for child neuropsychological development, but to our knowledge no large cohort studies with high fatty fish consumption have analyzed the association by seafood subtype. We evaluated 1,892 and 1,589 mother-child pairs at the ages of 14 months and 5 years, respectively, in a population-based Spanish birth cohort established during 2004-2008. Bayley and McCarthy scales and the Childhood Asperger Syndrome Test were used to assess neuropsychological development. Results from multivariate linear regression models were adjusted for sociodemographic characteristics and further adjusted for umbilical cord blood mercury or long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acid concentrations. Overall, consumption of seafood above the recommended limit of 340 g/week was associated with 10-g/week increments in neuropsychological scores. By subtype, in addition to lean fish, consumption of large fatty fish showed a positive association; offspring of persons within the highest quantile (>238 g/week) had an adjusted increase of 2.29 points in McCarthy general cognitive score (95% confidence interval: 0.42, 4.16). Similar findings were observed for the Childhood Asperger Syndrome Test. Beta coefficients diminished 15%-30% after adjustment for mercury or long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acid concentrations. Consumption of large fatty fish during pregnancy presents moderate child neuropsychological benefits, including improvements in cognitive functioning and some protection from autism-spectrum traits

Do Hormone Levels Influence Bullying during Childhood and Adolescence? A Systematic Review of the Literature

(1) Background: Bullying is one of the most common forms of aggressive behavior during childhood and adolescence. Some decades ago, researchers began exploring the basis of peer victimization from a biological perspective. Specifically, the Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal (HPA) and Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Gonadal (HPG) axes have been studied in relation to status-relevant behaviors, such as bullying. (2) Methods: We conducted a systematic review following the PRISMA guide and registered the review protocol at PROSPERO (CRD42023494738). We searched for relevant studies in PubMed, Psycinfo, Scopus, and Web of Science, and assessed them using the Robins E-tool. (3) Results: Our search yielded 152 studies, of which 33 were included in the review. These studies explored the association between testosterone and cortisol levels with bullying behavior, finding diverse results. Most of the studies were rated as having a low risk of bias. (4) Conclusions: This study not only enhances our understanding of bullying, but also provides guidance for the development of prevention and management programs for it. In the future, researchers should continue exploring the joint effects of different hormones on the HPA and HPG axis, using a broader set of biomarkers

Do prepubertal hormones, 2D:4D index and psychosocial context jointly explain 11-year-old preadolescents involvement in bullying?

Background: Bullying is a type of aggressive behavior that occurs repeatedly and intentionally in school environments and where there is a power imbalance. The main objective of this study was to analyze the association that hormones and the psychosocial context jointly have with bullying behavior. Method: Participants were 302 11-year-old preadolescents from the Gipuzkoan cohort of the INMA Project. Bullying was assessed using the Olweus Bully/victim Questionnaire. Prenatal sexual hormones were assessed by calculating 2D:4D ratio and in order to measure prepubertal testosterone and cortisol levels saliva samples were collected within a week of each other. Additionally, various psychosocial factors were evaluated: executive function, family context, school environment and social context. To analyze our complex hypothesis, six metamodels were tested using structural equation modeling. Results: In relation to victims, results showed that victimization was related to worse school environment perception in boys, and higher stress and conflict in the family in girls. In the case of their involvement in bullying as a bully, lower salivary cortisol levels, worse school environment perception and lower peers and social support was related to being more frequently involved as a bully in boys, while having more family stress and conflict was related with being a bully in girls. Conclusions: This approach makes it possible not only to explore the different biological and psychosocial factors affect bullying behavior, but also to explore associations between the predictor variables.Funding Agencies|Instituto de Salud Carlos III [FIS-PI06/0867, FIS-PI09/00090, FIS-PI13/02187, FIS-PI18/01142, FIS-PI18/01237]; Department of Health of the Basque Government [2005111093, 2009111069, 2013111089, 2015111065, 2018111086]; Provincial Government of Gipuzkoa [DFG06/002, DFG08/001, DFG15/221, DFG 89/17]; Department of Education, Language Policy and Culture of the Government of the Basque Country; FEDER funds</p

Hair cortisol as a biomarker of chronic stress in preadolescents: influence of school context and bullying

Data de publicació electrònica: 28-08-2022Bullying has been identified as the most common form of aggression and a major source of stress among children and adolescents. The main objective of this study was to analyze the association that school context in general and bullying in particular might have with hair cortisol concentration (HCC), examining the effect of executive function and sex on this association. The study included 659 11-year-old preadolescents from the cohorts of Gipuzkoa and Sabadell of the INMA (INfancia y Medio Ambiente-Children and Environment) project. We gathered information about school-related factors (bullying, school environment, problems with peers and academic performance) and executive function (risky decision-making). Hair samples were collected to measure cortisol concentrations and Structural Equation Modeling was used to examine associations between school-related factors, executive function and HCC. Results showed that being involved as a bully/victim was related to higher HCC and, higher HCC was associated with poorer executive function. This study may contribute to a better understanding of the consequences that chronic exposure to a stressful factors may have on preadolescents' health and developmental outcomes. Besides, our results are relevant for designing programs for prevention and intervention, which could modify individual physiological responses to stress and reduce the effects of stress on the health.The work was supported by the Generalitat de Catalunya [2014 SGR 822,2009 SGR 501]; Instituto de Salud Carlos III [FIS-PI06/0867, FIS-PI13/02187, CB06/02/0041, CP13/00054, CP16/00128, CP18/0001, FIS-PI09/00090, FIS-PI18/011428, FIS-PI18/01237, PI041436, PI081151, PI12/01890, PI15/00118, PI16/00118, PI16/00261, PI17/01340, PI18/00547, PI2018059, Red INMA G03/176]; Centro de Excelencia Seero Ochoa [CEX2018-000806-S]; Diputación Foral de Gipuzkoa [DFG 89/17, DFG06/002, DFG08/001, DFG15/221]; Department of Health Basque Government [2005111093,2009111069,2013111089,2015111065,2018111086]; Spanish Ministry of Economy [SAF2012-32991]; EU Comission [261357,308333,603794,634453

Risk and protective factors for bullying at 11 years of age in a Spanish Birth Cohort Study

(1) Background: Bullying affects a large number of children worldwide. This study has two objectives, to provide data on the prevalence of bullying in Spain, and to identify risk and protective factors associated with bullying. (2) Methods: Participants were 858 eleven-year-old children. Bullying was assessed using a short version of the Olweus Bully Victim Questionnaire, and the following data were gathered to explore potential predictors: individual (inattention, behavior problems, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder symptomatology, traumatic life events), family-related (sociodemographic characteristics, family context, child-parent relations), school-related (school characteristics, peer and social support, school environment) and community-related data. (3) Results: 9.3% of the children were victims, 1.4% bullies and 1.6% bully-victims. Results showed that a higher level of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder symptomatology increased the risk of victimization, whereas having better relationships with parents and stronger social support were associated with a lower risk of victimization. Children having strong peer relationships and social support was also associated with less risk of perpetrating bullying. Finally, having behavior problems at 8 years of age was associated with being a bully-victim. (4) Conclusions: The findings emphasize the importance of studying all bullying predictors together, regarding three of the roles children may take in bullying situations.This research received external funding of: Carlos III Health Institute (Red INMA G03/176, FIS-PI041436, PI06/0867, PI081151, PI09/00090, PI09/02311, PI11/0610, PI13/02187, PI13/02406, PI13/02429, PI13/1944, PI13/2032, PI14/0891, PI14/1687, PI16/1288, CB06/02/0041), Miguel Servet Foundation-FEDER MS15/0025, MS16/00085, MS13/00054), the Generalitat of Valencia (FISABIO UGP 15–230), the Generalitat of Catalonia-CIRT 1999SGR 00241, the Department of Health of the Basque Government (2005111093, 2009111069, 2013111089 and 2015111065) and the Government of Gipuzkoa (DFG06/002, DFG08/001 and DFG08/001.The research leading to these results has received funding from the European Community’s Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007–2013) under grant agreement no 308333 – the HELIX project. Moreover, annual agreements had been made with the municipalities of the study area (Beasain, Zumarraga, Urretxu, Legazpi, Azkoitia and Azpeitia). JJ holds Miguel Servet-II contract (CPII19/00015) awarded by the Instituto de Salud Carlos III (Co-funded by European Social Fund “Investing in your future”). IB would like to thank the Department of Education, Language Policy and Culture of the Government of the Basque Country for a predoctoral research training grant (PRE_2019_2_0036)