Behavioural and Cognitive Associations of Short Stature at 5 Years

Objectives To determine the extent to which childhood short stature is associated with cognitive, behavioural and chronic health problems, and whether these problems could be attributed to recognized adverse biological, psychosocial or psychological factors. Methodology At their first antenatal session, 8556 women were enrolled in a prospective study of pregnancy. When their children were 4 and 6 years of age, mothers completed a detailed questionnaire concerning their child's health and behaviour. A Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test-Revised (PPVT-R) was completed by the child at 5 years of age. Z scores were used to categorize height measurements in 3986 children. The relationship of these height categories with the child's health, and behavioural and cognitive problems was then examined. Results No association was found between height and symptoms of chronic disease or behaviour problems in boys or girls. On the unadjusted analysis, mean PPVT-R scores were significantly lower in boys with heights < 3 percentile and 3-10 percentile compared with study children between 10 to 90 percentile (P < 0.01). Scores were similarly significantly lower in girls with heights < 3 percentile and 3-10 percentile (P = 0.01). Even after adjusting for psychosocial and biological confounders, short stature remained a significant predictor for lower PPVT-R scores in both boys and girls, although height only accounted for 1.1% of the variance in scores in boys and 0.5% of the variance in PPVT-R scores in girls. Psychosocial factors had a greater role than height in determining PPVT-R scores at 5 years of age. Conclusions These findings suggest a significant, though small, association between height and PPVT-R scores at 5 years of age, independent of psychosocial disadvantage and known biological risk factors

Seasonal fluctuations in birth weight and neonatal limb length; Does prenatal vitamin D influence neonatal size and shape?

Background: Birth weight is known to fluctuate with season of birth, however, there is little information about seasonal variation in neonatal anthropometric measures

Helpful today, but not tomorrow? Feeling grateful as a predictor of daily organizational citizenship behaviors

This research extends the existing theoretical understanding of what predicts organizational citizenship behavior (OCB). Using experience sampling techniques, we examine the within-person relation between OCB and a novel, theoretically relevant predictor: state gratitude. Using 4 independent samples with a total of 210 working adults and 173 undergraduate students, we developed a reliable and valid measure of state gratitude. Drawing upon the moral affect model of gratitude and affective events theory, we conducted 2 experience sampling studies with data collected from 67 (Study 2) and 104 (Study 3) working adults to test the effects of state gratitude on OCB, beyond the effects of several relevant constructs (i.e., state positive affect, dispositional gratitude, and social exchange). Our results advance OCB research and explanations of OCB by modeling OCB as a dynamic, time-variant construct and by demonstrating that feelings of gratitude, a discrete positive emotion, can be an effective predictor of OCB

Co-Administration of PPV23 and Influenza Vaccines in England and Wales: A Study Based on the Royal College of General Practitioners Sentinel Surveillance Network

Background: Pneumococcal disease is an infection caused by a bacterium called Streptococcus pneumonia which can lead to life-threatening invasive pneumococcal diseases. In the UK, pneumococcal vaccination is targeted at those most at risk of serious disease: infants, older people and those with risk factors. It has been proposed that PPV23 be co-administered with influenza vaccine, during seasonal vaccination to maximize uptake. This study aimed to estimate 1) the UK prevalence of pneumococcal risk co-morbidities 2) corresponding pneumococcal vaccine administration rates 3) rates of vaccination co-administration and 4) frequency of pneumococcal re vaccination.Methods: To gather evidence on current vaccination practice in the UK and to quantify the rates of co-administration of influenza and pneumococcal vaccination, data was collected from general practices in the Royal College of General Practitioners sentinel surveillance network. To estimate the frequency of pneumococcal re vaccination, the records of all persons vaccinated from 2010-2012 were examined and persons were counted according to the number of prior vaccine doses received since 2004.Results: The prevalence rate for COPD was highest amongst the risk groups at 83.56 per 1,000 in 2010 and 79.33 in 2012. The vaccination rate was 6 per 1,000 among risk groups. Patients aged between 65 and 74 years showed the highest rate of vaccination (35 per 1,000), and rates were highest in the immun ocompromised and leukemia sufferers. Co-administration of pneumococcal and influenza vaccines increased sharply from 47% in 2011 to 61% in 2012. Among patients vaccinated against pneumococcal diseases, the proportion who had previously received a pneumococcal vaccination increased from 3 to 9 per 1,000 vaccinations from 2010 to 2012. Conclusion: This study clarifies the current state of pneumococcal vaccination in England and Wales and highlights the need for vaccination coverage rates to be improved in order to prevent more cases of pneumococcal diseases.</p