Development of various reaction abilities and their relationships with favorite play activities in preschool children

This study examines the development of various reaction movements in preschool children and the relationship between reaction times and favorite play activities. The subjects were 167 healthy preschool children aged 4-6 (96 boys and 71 girls). This study focused on the reaction times of the upper limbs (reaction 1: release; reaction 2: press) and the whole body (reaction 3: forward jump). The activities frequently played in preschools are largely divided into dynamic play activities (tag, soccer, gymnastics set, dodge ball, and jump rope) and static play activities (drawing, playing house, reading, playing with sand, and building blocks). The subjects chose 3 of 10 cards picturing their favorite play activities, depicting 10 different activities. All intraclass correlation coefficients of measured reaction times were high (0.73-0.79). In addition, each reaction time shortened with age. Reaction 1 showed a significant and low correlation with reaction 3 (r = 0.37). The effect size of the whole body reaction time was the largest. Whole body reaction movement, which is largely affected by the exercise output function, develops remarkably in childhood. Children who liked "tag" were faster in all reaction times. The children who chose "soccer" were faster in reactions 2 and 3. In contrast, children who liked "playing house" tended to have slower reaction times. Dynamic activities, such as tag and soccer, promote development of reaction speed and agility in movements involving the whole body. Preschool teachers and physical educators should re-examine the effect of tag and use it periodically as one of the exercise programs to avoid unexpected falls and injuries in everyday life. © 2013 National Strength and Conditioning Association

Development of Onchocerca volvulus Larvae in Simulium pintoi in the Amazonas Region of Venezuela

The intake and development of Onchocerca volvulus in Simulium pintoi from the Parima mountain region of the Federal Territory of Amazonas in Venezuela, were studied experimentally. When wild females fed on the lower half of the legs and lower third of the back of an onchocerciasis patient harboring 23 and 264 microfilariae per skin snip, respectively, at each site, an average (median) of 14 (range, 1?77) and 245 (range, 58?495) microfilariae was ingested. However, within 24 hours of microfilarial ingestion a mortality of 47% (16/34 flies) was observed in the group of flies which fed on the back, as compared with 2% (2/101 flies) in the other group which fed on the legs. At a temperature varying between 16°C and 24°C, the development of O. volvulus larvae in S. pintoi was synchronous and orderly; no abnormal nor deformed larvae were observed. Third-stage larvae were first seen in the head of flies dying between 8 and 9 days after microfilarial ingestion, and 98 of 100 larvae recovered from days 10?16 were in the third stage. The proportions of females harboring third-stage larvae among flies which lived through day 8 in the two groups which fed on the legs and back, respectively, were 55% (21/38 flies) and 63% (5/8 flies). Although only two of five positive flies in the latter group contained third-stage larvae in the head (1 and 12, respectively), 71% (15/21 positive flies) of the former group had an average of 2.7 third-stage larvae in the head (range, 1?10). In conclusion, it is suggested that S. pintoi is an efficient vector of O. volvulus due to its high susceptibility, in spite of the high mortality caused by an excessive intake of microfilariae

Efficacy of Metrifonate in a Highly Endemic Area of Urinary Schistosomiasis in Kenya

In a community in Kwale district, Kenya, selective mass chemotherapy with metrifonate caused a marked reduction in the intensity of Schistosoma haematobium infection from 46.5 to 9.4 eggs/hr and a sharp fall in prevalence of gross hematuria from 18.3% to 5.1%, although overall prevalence was reduced only slightly from 67.4% to 54%. The effect of metrifonate on cure rate and reduction of infection intensity was limited by both age and pretreatment infection intensity. Rate of improvement from gross hematuria was similar in all ages and in all classes of intensity of infection. Two doses of metrifonate reduced the prevalence of gross hematuria as much as 3 doses did, while the effect of a single dose on morbidity remains to be clarified

The joint impact on being overweight of self reported behaviours of eating quickly and eating until full : cross sectional survey

Objective To examine whether eating until full or eating quickly or combinations of these eating behaviours are associated with being overweight

Effect of mass chemotherapy and piped water on numbers of Schistosoma haematobium and prevalence in Bulinus globosus in Kwale, Kenya.

From June 1982 to May 1986 in a small village in Kwale, Kenya, we studied seasonal fluctuations in populations of Bulinus globosus, prevalence of Schistosoma haematobium infection in this snail, and effects of chemotherapy and piped water supply on infection rate of snails. In the perennially-flowing Pemba River, relatively small numbers of snails were collected; they were found only during the hot dry season (December to March). In a tributary stream, the Kadingo River, whose flow ceased at the end of both the cool and hot dry seasons, snail numbers peaked at the end of the cool dry season (October to November) and at the beginning of the hot dry season (January). Large numbers of infected snails were found in the Kadingo River from November to January (short rainy season and beginning of dry season). Selective mass chemotherapy with metrifonate and provision of piped water were begun in February and March 1984. These control measures achieved a significant reduction in the infection rate of snails (P < 0.001); the annual infection rate for the 2 years before treatment was 9.3% and 13.1%, and for the 2 years after treatment was 3.5% and 3.4%

Effect of Piped Water Supply on Human Water Contact Patterns in a Schistosoma haematobium-Endemic Area in Coast Province, Kenya

The effect of a piped water supply on human water contact in a Schistosoma haematobium-endemic area in Coast Province, Kenya was studied. After the construction of five community standpipes and one shower unit, there was a 35.1% reduction in the number of people observed using river water, a 44.1% reduction in the frequency of contact with river water, and a 25.4% reduction in the amount of contact. The frequency of river water contact per person also decreased significantly, but the amount of contact per person did not decrease. The total frequency of contact decreased significantly except for washing clothes by the river, washing utensils, and fishing. The frequency per person did not change for most of the activities and significantly increased for washing clothes. The frequency of river water contact in households with high piped water consumption showed a significant decrease compared with those with low piped water consumption. The volume of consumption of piped water was inversely proportional to the distance from the home to the community standpipe. These results indicate that in the study area, the effect of a piped water supply on river water contact behavior was heterologous while the total river water contact decreased significantly, and that the piped water had a beneficial effect on some villagers but very little effect on others

The Early Arthroscopic Pullout Repair of Medial Meniscus Posterior Root Tear Is More Effective for Reducing Medial Meniscus Extrusion

Clinical studies have demonstrated that transtibial pullout repair led to favorable midterm outcomes in patients with medial meniscus posterior root tears (MMPRTs) although medial meniscal extrusion (MME) continued to be present. It has been unclear whether these residual postoperative MMEs existed after the pullout repair or had progressed at the very short-term evaluation after surgery. We sought to determine which characteristics of patients with MMPRTs influence the incidence of postoperative MME. The cases of 23 patients whose date of injury was known were analyzed. All patients underwent MMPRT pullout fixation. Preoperative and 3-month postoperative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) examinations were performed. MME was retrospectively assessed on the mid-coronal plane of MRI scans. The preoperative and postoperative MME values were 4.2±1.2 mm and 4.3±1.5 mm, respectively (p=0.559). Pullout repair surgery was performed significantly earlier after the MMPRT-specific injury in patients whose postoperative MME improved compared to the patients whose MME did not improve (p<0.001). Our findings demonstrated that an early transtibial pullout repair of an MMPRT was more effective in reducing MME than a late repair. Surgeons should not miss the optimal timing for the pullout repair of an MMPRT, considering the period from the injury and the preoperative MME