Results from the Scottish report card on physical activity for children and youth

The Active Healthy Kids Scotland Report Card aims to consolidate existing evidence, facilitate international comparisons, encourage more evidence-informed physical activity and health policy, and improve surveillance of physical activity. Application of the Active Healthy Kids Canada Report Card process and methodology to Scotland, adapted to Scottish circumstances and availability of data. The Active Healthy Kids Scotland Report Card 2013 consists of indicators of 7 Health Behaviors and Outcomes and 3 Influences on Health Behaviors and Outcomes. Grades of F were assigned to Overall Physical Activity, Sedentary Behavior (recreational screen time), and Obesity Prevalence. A C was assigned to Active Transportation and a D- was assigned to Diet. Two indicators, Active and Outdoor Play and Organized Sport Participation, could not be graded. Among the Influences, Family Influence received a D, while Perceived Safety, Access, and Availability of Spaces for Physical Activity and the National Policy Environment graded more favorably with a B. The Active Healthy Kids Canada process and methodology was readily generalizable to Scotland. The report card illustrated low habitual physical activity and extremely high levels of screen-based sedentary behavior, and highlighted several opportunities for improved physical activity surveillance and promotion strategies

Interventions in primary and community care to reduce urgent paediatric hospital admissions : systematic review

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Associations between environmental exposures and asthma control and exacerbations in young children : a systematic review

Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Amino acetate functionalized Schiff base organotin(IV) complexes as anticancer drugs: synthesis, structural characterization, and in vitro cytotoxicity studies

Summary: Potassium 2-{[(2Z)-(3-hydroxy-1-methyl-2-butenylidene)]amino}-4-methyl-pentanoate (L1HK) and potassium 2-{[(E)-1-(2-hydroxyphenyl)alkylidene]amino}-4-methyl-pentanoates (L2HK-L3HK) underwent reactions with PhnSnCl4-n (n = 2 and 3) to give the amino acetate functionalized Schiff base organotin(IV) complexes [Ph3SnLH] n (1-3) and [Ph2SnL] (4), respectively. These complexes have been characterized by 1H, 13C, 119Sn NMR, IR spectroscopic techniques in combination with elemental analyses. The crystal structures of 1 and 3 were determined. The crystal structures reveal that the complexes exist as polymeric chains in which the L-bridged Sn-atoms adopt a trans-R3SnO2 trigonal bipyramidal configuration with the Ph groups in the equatorial positions and the axial locations occupied by a carboxylate oxygen atom from one carboxylate ligand and the alcoholic or phenolic oxygen atom of the next carboxylate ligand in the chain. The carboxylate ligands coordinate in the zwitterionic form with the alcoholic/phenolic proton moved to the nearby nitrogen atom. The solution structures were predicted by 119Sn NMR spectroscopy. When these organotin(IV) complexes were tested against A498, EVSA-T, H226, IGROV, M19 MEL, MCF7 and WIDR human tumor cell lines, the average ID50 values obtained were 55, 80 and 35ng/ml for triphenyltin(IV) compounds 1-3, respectively. The most cytotoxic triphenyltin(IV) compound in the present report (3) with an average ID50 value of around 35ng/ml is found to be more cytotoxic for all the cell lines studied than doxorubicin, cisplatin, 5-fluorouracil and etoposid

Is conception by in vitro fertilization associated with altered antenatal and postnatal growth trajectories?

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS We thank Professor Siladitya Bhattacharya for his comment and suggestions made at the very start of this project. FUNDING The study was funded by the FARR Institute.Peer reviewedPostprin

The influence of the food environment on overweight and obesity in young children : a systematic review

The increasing prevalence of childhood obesity has led to interest in its prevention, particularly through school-based and family-based interventions in the early years. Most evidence reviews, to date, have focused on individual behaviour change rather than the ‘obesogenic environment’. This paper reviews the evidence on the influence of the food environment on overweight and obesity in children up to 8 years. Electronic databases (including MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane Controlled Trials Register (CCTR), DARE, CINAHL and Psycho-Info) and reference lists of original studies and reviews were searched for all papers published up to 31 August 2011. Study designs included were either population-based intervention studies or a longitudinal study. Studies were included if the majority of the children studied were under 9 years, if they related to diet and if they focused on prevention rather than treatment in clinical settings. Data included in the tables were characteristics of participants, aim, and key outcome results. Quality assessment of the selected studies was carried out to identify potential bias and an evidence ranking exercise carried out to prioritise areas for future public health interventions. Thirty-five studies (twenty-five intervention studies and ten longitudinal studies) were selected for the review. There was moderately strong evidence to support interventions on food promotion, large portion sizes and sugar-sweetened soft drinks. Reducing food promotion to young children, increasing the availability of smaller portions and providing alternatives to sugar-sweetened soft drinks should be considered in obesity prevention programmes aimed at younger children. These environment-level interventions would support individual and family-level behaviour change

Variation in referrals from primary care to scheduled paediatric services in North and East Scotland:A cross-sectional study

Acknowledgements The authors are grateful to colleagues in the health information departments of NHS Grampian, Highland and Tayside. Availability of data and materials The datasets generated during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Associations between smoke-free vehicle legislation and childhood admissions to hospital for asthma in Scotland : an interrupted time-series analysis of whole-population data

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Interventions to reduce acute paediatric hospital admissions:a systematic review

Funding The authors have not declared a specific grant for this research from any funding agency in the public, commercial or not-for-profit sectors.Peer reviewedPostprin