Television viewing through ages 2-5 years and bullying involvement in early elementary school

BACKGROUND: High television exposure time at young age has been described as a potential risk factor for developing behavioral problems. However, less is known about the effects of preschool television on subsequent bullying involvement. We examined the association between television viewing time through ages 2-5 and bullying involvement in the first grades of elementary school. We hypothesized that high television exposure increases the risk of bullying involvement. METHOD: TV viewing time was assessed repeatedly in early childhood using parental report. To combine these repeated assessments we used latent class analysis. Four exposure classes were identified and labeled “low”, “mid-low”, “mid-high” and “high”. Bullying involvement was assessed by teacher questionnaire (n = 3423, mean age 6.8 years). Additionally, peer/self-report of bullying involvement was obtained using a peer nomination procedure (n = 1176, mean age 7.6 years). We examined child risk of being a bully, victim or a bully-victim (compared to being uninvolved in bullying). RESULTS: High television exposure class was associated with elevated risks of bullying and victimization. Also, in both teacher- and child-reported data, children in the high television exposure class were more likely to be a bully-victim (OR = 2.11, 95% CI: 1.42-3.13 and OR = 3.68, 95% CI: 1.75-7.74 respectively). However, all univariate effect estimates attenuated and were no longer statistically significant once adjusted for maternal and child covariates. CONCLUSIONS: The association between television viewing time through ages 2-5 and bullying involvement in early elementary school is confounded by maternal and child socio-demographic characteristics

Prevalence of bullying and victimization among children in early elementary school: Do family and school neighbourhood socioeconomic status matter?

Background: Bullying and victimization are widespread phenomena in childhood and can have a serious impact on well-being. Children from families with a low socioeconomic background have an increased risk of this behaviour, but it is unknown whether socioeconomic status (SES) of school neighbourhoods is also related to bullying behaviour. Furthermore, as previous bullying research mainly focused on older children and adolescents, it remains unclear to what extent bullying and victimization affects the lives of younger children. The aim of this study is to examine the prevalence and socioeconomic disparities in bullying behaviour among young elementary school children. Methods. The study was part of a population-based survey in the Netherlands. Teacher reports of bullying behaviour and indicators of SES of families and schools were available for 6379 children aged 5-6 years. Results: One-third of the children were involved in bullying, most of them as bullies (17%) or bully-victims (13%), and less as pure victims (4%). All indicators of low family SES and poor school neighbourhood SES were associated with an increased risk of being a bully or bully-victim. Parental educational level was the only indicator of SES related with victimization. The influence of school neighbourhood SES on bullying attenuated to statistical non-significance once adjusted for family SES. Conclusions: Bullying and victimization are already common problems in early elementary school. Children from socioeconomically disadvantaged families, rather than children visiting schools in disadvantaged neighbourhoods, have a particularly high risk of involvement in bullying. These findings suggest the need of timely bullying preventions and interventions that should have a special focus on children of families with a low socioeconomic background. Future studies are necessary to evaluate the effectiveness of such programs

Ectopic pregnancy: when is expectant management safe?

This study was conducted to evaluate expectant management in asymptomatic patients with an initial serum beta-hCG titer of <2,500 IU/l and to determine the independent ability of initial serum beta-hCG titers and trend of serum beta-hCG to predict successful expectant management. A cohort of patients (N = 418) with suspected ectopic pregnancy (EP) between January 1991 and July 2008 is described. Three groups were defined: group I (n = 182), immediate surgical intervention (<24 h); group IIa (n = 130), unsuccessful expectant management (surgical intervention during follow-up), and group IIb (n = 99), successful expectant management (spontaneous regression of trophoblast). Hospital protocol was not complied in 35 cases (Table 1). Beta-hCG levels >3,000 IU/l occur in our expectant management group; however, none of these cases were successful. Unnecessary surgery was prevented in 14% (n = 7) of asymptomatic patients with initial beta-hCG of >2,000 IU/l. The success rate of expectant management was 49%, without a rise in complication rate or number of acute cases. In conclusion, the initial serum beta-hCG cutoff level of 2,000 IU/l is not a rigid upper limit for accepting expectant management in suspected EP and best practice is case specific. In asymptomatic patients, the serum beta-hCG cutoff level of at least 2,500 IU/l can be used for expectant management. This cutoff could be higher, but interpretation is limited due to censure in follow-up inherent to the predefined clinical protocol. There is no gain in including patients for expectant management with initial serum beta-hCG level >3,000 IU/l

Social inequalities in young children's meal skipping behaviors: The Generation R Study

Background: Regular meal consumption is considered an important aspect of a healthy diet. While ample evidence shows social inequalities in breakfast skipping among adolescents, little is known about social inequalities in breakfast skipping and skipping of other meals among young school-aged children. Such information is crucial in targeting interventions aimed to promote a healthy diet in children. Methods: We examined data from 4704 ethnically diverse children participating in the Generation R Study, a population-based prospective cohort study in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. Information on family socioeconomic position (SEP), ethnic background, and meal skipping behaviors was assessed by parent-reported questionnaire when the child was 6 years old. Multiple logistic regression analyses were performed to assess the associations of family SEP (educational level, household income, employment status, family composition) and ethnic backgr

Parenting, young children\u27s behavioral self‐regulation and the quality of their peer relationships

The quality of young children\u27s peer relationships is important for their development, and it is assumed that parenting and self-regulation skills shape children\u27s behavior when interacting with peers. In this multi-informant-multi-method study, we examined the direct and mediated associations between preschool parenting, children\u27s behavioral self-regulation, and peer aggression and peer relationship problems in elementary school-aged children and extended previous work by examining both positive and negative parenting of both mothers and fathers. In a large community sample (n = 698) of parents and children who were between 1 and 6 years old, we obtained information on observed maternal sensitivity, mother- and father-reported harsh discipline, observed child self-regulation, and child-reported aggression towards peers, peer rejection and victimization. Results from a structural equation model showed that maternal sensitivity was prospectively associated with children\u27s behavioral self-regulation and that lower levels of behavioral self-regulation were associated with higher levels of children\u27s peer aggression and peer relationship problems. However, children\u27s behavioral self-regulation did not mediate the association between maternal sensitivity and peer relationship problems. In addition, higher levels of paternal, but not maternal, harsh discipline were directly associated with more peer relationship problems, but again no mediation was found. The results highlight the importance of maternal sensitivity for children\u27s behavioral self-regulation and the role of paternal harsh discipline for the quality of children\u27s later peer relationships. Our findings suggest it is important to take maternal and paternal parenting practices into account as they might have different effects on the child

Bullying and Victimization Among Young Elementary School Children: The Role of Child Ethnicity and Ethnic School Composition

School-aged children with an ethnic minority background are relatively often involved in bullying and victimization, but the role of ethnic composition of schools in this context remains unclear. This study examined the relation between ethnic minority background, ethnic school composition, and bullying behaviour around primary school entry in the Netherlands. The study was based on a 2008/2009 school survey in Rotterdam, a Dutch city where about 50 % of children have a non-Dutch background. For 8523 children, teacher reports of bullying behaviour at age 5–6 years were available. Children with a non-Dutch background had higher odds of being a victim (adjusted OR 1.41, 95 % CI 1.11, 1.80), bully (OR 1.38, 95 % CI 1.20, 1.58) or bully-victim (OR 1.38, 95 % CI 1.19, 1.62) than children of Dutch national origin. Ethnic diversity in schools increased children’s risk of bullying behaviour (e.g. ORvictim per 0.1 increase in 0–1 diversity range = 1.06, 95 % CI 1.00, 1.13), with children of both Dutch and non-Dutch national origin relatively more often involved in bullying in ethnically diverse schools. The proportion of same-ethnic peers in school reduced the risk of bullying among children of Dutch national origin (e.g. ORvictim per 10 % more same-ethnic children = 0.90, 95 % CI 0.83, 0.98), but not among non-Dutch children. In conclusion, ethnic minority background and ethnic diversity within schools are risk factors for bullying among 5–6 year olds. Plausibly, reductions in absolute numbers of bullying events may be obtained with tailor-made interventions in ethnically diverse schools. Such interventions should preferably be offered early in the school curriculum

High Excitation Molecular Gas in the Magellanic Clouds

We present the first survey of submillimeter CO 4-3 emission in the Magellanic Clouds. The survey is comprised of 15 6'x6' maps obtained using the AST/RO telescope toward the molecular peaks of the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds. We have used these data to constrain the physical conditions in these objects, in particular their molecular gas density and temperature. We find that there are significant amounts of molecular gas associated with most of these molecular peaks, and that high molecular gas temperatures are pervasive throughout our sample. We discuss whether this may be due to the low metallicities and the associated dearth of gas coolants in the Clouds, and conclude that the present sample is insufficient to assert this effect.Comment: 18 pages, 3 figures, 5 tables. To appear in Ap

Meal-Skipping Behaviors and Body Fat in 6-Year-Old Children

Objective To assess the prospective associations of breakfast, lunch, and dinner skipping at age 4 years with body fat (ie, percent fat mass, body mass index [BMI], and weight status) at age 6 years. Study design Data were analyzed from 5913 children participating in the Generation R Study, a population-based prospective cohort study in Rotterdam, The Netherlands. Meal-skipping behaviors were assessed through parent-report questionnaires. Children's weight and height were objectively measured and converted to BMI SDSs. Weight status (ie, overweight or normal weight) was defined according to age- and sex-specific cutoff points. At age 6 years, percent fat mass was assessed by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. Linear and logistic regression analyses were performed, adjusting for covariates and BMI at age 4 years. Results Breakfast skipping at age 4 years was associated with a higher percent fa

Ichnotaxonomy and trackmaker assignment of tetrapod tracks and swimming traces from the Middle Permian Hornburg Formation of Saxony-Anhalt (Germany)

Here we describe new material of tetrapod tracks and swimming traces from the Konberg quarry, a tracksite of the late middle Permian Hornburg Formation in Saxony-Anhalt, central Germany. A relatively well-preserved trackway and several isolated imprints are assigned to Capitosauroides isp. Among others, toe proportions in the manus and pes footprints of the newly described specimens and the long, proximal and detached pedal digit V imprint are similar to the type ichnospecies Capitosauroides bernburgensis from the Early Triassic of Bernburg, Saxony-Anhalt. In these features the new Konberg material differs from other ichnotaxa, such as Amphisauropus and Varanopus, which may look similar in their relative length of the sole, digit proportions and/or in the digit tip imprint morphology. The comparatively large manus imprint, which is wider than long, the relative length and shape of the sole impression, the digit proportions that are indicative for a more ectaxonic manus a more mesaxonic pes, the low pace angulation and the low imprint-size-normalized stride length in the Konberg track type are distinct from C. bernburgensis. It shares, however, a certain similarity with recently described material of Capitosauroides from middle-late Permian tracksites. These observations are in agreement with the results of a multivariate analysis including Capitosauroides and morphologically similar ichnotaxa. Our findings would justify the erection of a new ichnospecies if more trackways with a similar or slightly better preservation were at hand. Hornburg Formation material previously assigned to Amphisauropus is herein considered as indetermined tetrapod tracks, whereas the occurrence of Dromopus isp. is confirmed. This reassignment shortens the stratigraphic range of the ichnogenus Amphisauropus, which appears to be restricted to the early Permian, since younger occurrences are questionable. In agreement with the attribution of Capitosauroides to eutheriodont producers, we regard the Konberg material assigned to this ichnogenus as tracks of small and possibly semi-aquatic therapsids. Abundant tetrapod swimming traces that co-occur with Capitosauroides isp. on the same bedding planes are interpreted as having been made by the same group of producers. The subaquatic traces often consist of short parallel claw mark sets. In agreement with a derived amniote producer group, they indicate propulsion by parasagittal limb movement rather than axial undulation

Characterization of heterozygous and homozygous mouse models with the most common hypertrophic cardiomyopathy mutation MYBPC3 c.2373InsG in the Netherlands.

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is frequently caused by mutations in the cardiac myosin binding protein-C (cMyBP-C) encoding gene MYBPC3. In the Netherlands, approximately 25% of patients carry the MYBPC3 c.2373InsG founder mutation. Most patients are heterozygous (MYBPC3 +/InsG) and have highly variable phenotypic expression, whereas homozygous (MYBPC3 InsG/InsG) patients have severe HCM at a young age. To improve understanding of disease progression and genotype-phenotype relationship based on the hallmarks of human HCM, we characterized mice with CRISPR/Cas9-induced heterozygous and homozygous mutations. At 18-28 weeks of age, we assessed the cardiac phenotype of Mybpc3 +/InsG and Mybpc3 InsG/InsG mice with echocardiography, and performed histological analyses. Cytoskeletal proteins and cardiomyocyte contractility of 3-4 week old and 18-28 week old Mybpc3 c.2373InsG mice were compared to wild-type (WT) mice. Expectedly, knock-in of Mybpc3 c.2373InsG resulted in the absence of cMyBP-C and our 18-28 week old homozygous Mybpc3 c.2373InsG model developed cardiac hypertrophy and severe left ventricular systolic and diastolic dysfunction, whereas HCM was not evident in Mybpc3 +/InsG mice. Mybpc3 InsG/InsG cardiomyocytes also presented with slowed contraction-relaxation kinetics, to a greater extent in 18-28 week old mice, partially due to increased levels of detyrosinated tubulin and desmin, and reduced cardiac troponin I (cTnI) phosphorylation. Impaired cardiomyocyte contraction-relaxation kinetics were successfully normalized in 18-28 week old Mybpc3 InsG/InsG cardiomyocytes by combining detyrosination inhibitor parthenolide and β-adrenergic receptor agonist isoproterenol. Both the 3-4 week old and 18-28 week old Mybpc3 InsG/InsG models recapitulate HCM, with a severe phenotype present in the 18-28 week old model