PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Mechanical ventilation a key indicator for pre-term children's math problems

Mechanical ventilation a key indicator for pre-term children's math problems
2014-09-02
(Press-News.org) A new study, led by researchers at the University of Warwick in the UK and the Ruhr-University Bochum in Germany, and just published in the Journal Early Human Development, has found that both the length of time spent in hospital after birth and the use of mechanical ventilation are key indicators of reduced mathematical ability in preterm children.

Mathematic abilities are crucial for lifelong academic attainment. Impairments in mathematic abilities are common in very preterm children. Earlier studies of children who are born very preterm (before 32 weeks of gestational age) have shown that they have a 39.4% chance of having general mathematic impairment, compared to 14.9% of those born at term (39 to 41 weeks). This may be due to the fact that mathematic performance requires simultaneous processing of complex information which is particularly compromised in preterm children.

This latest study, led by Dr Julia Jaekel and Professor Dieter Wolke, found that preterm children's specific mathematic abilities decrease exponentially with lower gestational age.

However, the study also establishes two significant individual key indicators of future mathematic problems for preterm children; the duration of neonatal medical treatment in hospital immediately after birth and the use of mechanical ventilation.

The researchers used path analyses to establish two neurodevelopmental cascade models. Their findings are based on the fact that, on average, a healthy full term child had a general maths score of 100, a specific maths score of 101 and was never ventilated. In contrast, a very preterm child, on average, had a general maths score of 88, a specific maths score of 97 and was ventilated for 17 days.

A total of 51 very preterm children were ventilated longer than 30 days (thus the highest risk group) and these, on average, had a general maths score of 73 and a specific maths score of 91.

Dr Julia Jaekel, from both the University of Warwick's Department of Psychology, and the Ruhr-University Bochum said:

"It is difficult to see how one could reduce the duration of neonatal medical treatment, as this may relate to a number of medical needs. However there are now less invasive options to mechanical ventilation as the adverse effects on brain development are well known. Future studies will have to show if the less invasive treatment of new generations of preterm children may also have decreased their risk for specific impairments in mathematic tasks."

"Our findings may have significant implications for the choice of mode of respiratory support in neonates."

INFORMATION: Notes for editors:

The research received funding from the German Research Foundation (DFG) and the German Federal Ministry of Education and Science (BMBF). The contents and conclusions of the research are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not represent the official views of the DFG or the BMBF.

The paper has just been published in the Journal Early Human Development and is entitled: Neurodevelopmental pathways to preterm children's specific and general mathematic abilities. The full list of authors is: Julia Jaekel (University of Warwick and the Ruhr-University Bochum); Professor Dieter Wolke (University of Warwick), Peter Bartmann (Institute of Neonatology, University Hospital Bonn); and Wolfgang Schneider (Department of Psychology, University of Würzburg).

For further information please contact:

Dr Julia Jaekel, J.Jakel@warwick.ac.uk

University of Warwick in the UK, and the Ruhr-University Bochum in Germany

Direct telephone number also available. Please contact International Press Officer Tom Frew - a.t.frew@warwick.ac.uk

[Attachments] See images for this press release:
Mechanical ventilation a key indicator for pre-term children's math problems

ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

What you eat and not just the number of calories, is a significant factor in diabetes risk

2014-09-02
If you think losing weight is enough to prevent Type 2 diabetes, don't get your hopes up. A new research report in September 2014 issue of The FASEB Journal, suggests that you don't have to be overweight to develop Type 2 diabetes. This study compared genetically identical twins-one heavier and one leaner-and found that after eating a fast-food meal, the circulating metabolites, including those related to Type 2 diabetes, were found in both individuals at the same levels. These findings suggest that the onset of this type of diabetes is largely influenced by genetic factors ...

Ben-Gurion University researchers develop new program to evaluate prominent individuals' personalities

2014-09-02
BEER-SHEVA, ISRAEL…September 2, 2014 – Researchers at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev have developed a new program that automates classification of personality traits of prominent individuals -- both friend and foe -- according to a paper soon to be published in the American Intelligence Journal. "This new field, termed 'Computational Personality,' gives us the ability to better understand the minds of military and political leaders, which is an important aspect of strategic intelligence," explains BGU Prof. Yair Neuman of the Homeland Security Institute. "Psychologists ...

Are human breast milk microbiome 'neutral'?

2014-09-02
Human breast milk is considered the most ideal source of nutrition for infants and it should have played a critical role in the evolution and civilizations of human beings. Unlike our intuitive perception, human milk contains a large number of bacterial species, including some opportunistic pathogens of humans. This phenomenon comes as no surprise to scientists and physicians. Indeed, the existence of milk microbiome is considered to be the result of co-evolutionary and co-adaptive interactions between the microbiome and human host. Furthermore, the dynamic balance in ...

Media coverage of a celebrity suicide can cause a large-scale copycat effect

2014-09-02
Researchers who analyzed media coverage of the suicide of a national actress in South Korea and its impact on subsequent suicides found that the number of suicide-related articles surged around 80 times in the week after a suicide compared with the week prior. Many articles (37.1%) violated several critical items on the World Health Organization suicide reporting guidelines, like containing a detailed suicide method. The investigators estimated that there were approximately 430 excess suicides during the 4 weeks after her death due to media coverage. "This figure is ...

Clean air halves health costs in Chinese city

Clean air halves health costs in Chinese city
2014-09-02
Air pollution regulations over the last decade in Taiyuan, China, have substantially improved the health of people living there, accounting for a greater than 50% reduction in costs associated with loss of life and disability between 2001 and 2010, according to researchers at the Columbia Center for Children's Environmental Health (CCCEH) at the Mailman School of Public Health, the Shanxi Medical University, the Center of Diseases Control and Prevention of Taiyuan Municipality, and Shanghai Fudan University School of Public Health. The study is the first to document the ...

Many nurses unprepared to meet dying patients

Many nurses unprepared to meet dying patients
2014-09-02
Most nurses in their work care for patients who are dying. A study of more than 200 students has shown that many nurses in training feel unprepared and anxious when faced with the prospect of meeting patients during end-of-life care. Scientists from the Sahlgrenska Academy have interviewed 222 nursing students at the University of Gothenburg, the University of Skövde and the Ersta Sköndal University College. The interviews dealt with their thoughts about caring for dying patients, their ideas about how to support and meet the patient in dialogue, and their own feelings ...

Risk of diabetes in children and adolescents exposed to antipsychotics

2014-09-02
Washington D.C., September 2, 2014 – A study published in the September 2014 issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry found that children and adolescents diagnosed with a psychiatric diagnosis had an increased risk of developing diabetes if they were exposed to antipsychotics. Using data from the nationwide Danish registers, a group of researchers led by Dr. René Ernst Nielsen, Psychiatry, Aalborg University Hospital, Denmark, studied 48,299children and adolescents with psychiatric disorders to document the frequency and possible ...

The Disappearing Spoon author Sam Kean takes on the megalodon myth

The Disappearing Spoon author Sam Kean takes on the megalodon myth
2014-09-02
WASHINGTON, September 2, 2014 — Best-selling author Sam Kean stops by Reactions this week to debunk the myth of the Megalodon, the 50-foot super shark that, despite what "Shark Week" may lead you to believe, is long extinct. Learn all about it at http://youtu.be/KhFygIoW_MA. Kean's book, "The Disappearing Spoon: And Other True Tales of Madness, Love and the History of the World from the Periodic Table of the Elements," is getting the Reactions treatment in a 10-episode video series produced for the newly launched American Association of Chemistry Teachers (AACT). In this ...

Rediscovering our mundane moments brings us unexpected pleasure

2014-09-02
We like to document the exciting and momentous occasions in our lives, but new research suggests there is value in capturing our more mundane, everyday experiences, which can bring us unexpected joy in the future. "We generally do not think about today's ordinary moments as experiences that are worthy of being rediscovered in the future. However, our studies show that we are often wrong: What is ordinary now actually becomes more extraordinary in the future — and more extraordinary than we might expect," explains psychological scientist and lead researcher Ting Zhang ...

Family conflicts, other non-physical worries before cancer surgery raise patients' complication risk

2014-09-02
ROCHESTER, Minn. — How well patients recover from cancer surgery may be influenced by more than their medical conditions and the operations themselves. Family conflicts and other non-medical problems may raise their risk of surgical complications, a Mayo Clinic study has found. Addressing such quality-of-life issues before an operation may reduce patients' stress, speed their recoveries and save health care dollars, the research suggests. The study specifically looked at colon cancer patients, and found that patients with a poor quality of life were nearly three times likelier ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Current and recommended diets in the USA have embedded forced labor risk

AI breakthrough helps astronomers spot cosmic events with just a handful of examples

New vaccine shows promise against typhoid and invasive salmonella in first human trial

Engineered “natural killer” cells could help fight cancer

New 3D printing method ‘grows’ ultra-strong materials

Lizard genetics provide new perspective on evolution

Can a Stevia-derived sweetener improve hair loss treatment?

Method to assess the status of wild reindeer may help with conservation efforts

Do imported cut flowers spread livestock viruses?

Does prior incarceration contribute to poor health later in life?

Could slime mold microbes be a source of potent antimicrobials?

Record-breaking 2024 Amazon fires drive unprecedented carbon emissions and ecosystem degradation

Birds thrive despite pollution from ‘forever’ chemicals

Deadwood brings wild orchids to life

Changes in gut microbiota influence which patients get AIG-related neuroendocrine tumors

Medicaid expansion linked to improved long-term survival in cancer patients

Women with surgical menopause may exit workforce earlier, but hormone therapy could help

Trailblazing Young Scientists honored with $250,000 prizes at Blavatnik National Awards Gala

Revolutionary blood test for ME / Chronic Fatigue unveiled

Calorie labelling linked to 2% average reduction in energy content of menu items

Widely prescribed opioid painkiller tramadol not that effective for easing chronic pain

Exercise snacks may boost cardiorespiratory fitness of physically inactive adults

15,000 women a year with breast cancer could benefit from whole genome sequencing, say researchers

Study highlights risks of Caesarean births to future pregnancies

GLP-1 agonists pose emerging challenge for PET-CT imaging, study finds

Scripps Research scientists unlock new patterns of protein behavior in cell membranes

Panama Canal may face frequent extreme water lows in coming decades

Flash Joule heating lights up lithium extraction from ores

COMBINEDBrain and MUSC announce partnership to establish biorepository for pediatric cerebrospinal fluid and CNS tissue bank

Questionable lead reporting for drinking water virtually vanished after Flint water crisis, study reveals

[Press-News.org] Mechanical ventilation a key indicator for pre-term children's math problems