Brief sleep disruption alters synaptic structures among hippocampal and neocortical somatostatin-expressing interneurons.

Study Objectives: Brief sleep loss alters cognition and synaptic structures of principal neurons in hippocampus and neocortex. However, while recording and bioinformatic data suggest that inhibitory interneurons are more strongly affected by sleep loss, it is unclear how sleep and sleep deprivation affect interneurons' synapses. Disruption of the SST+ interneuron population seems to be a critical early sign of neuropathology in Alzheimer's dementia, schizophrenia, and bipolar disorder - and the risk of developing all three is increased by habitual sleep loss.

Maternal empowerment, feeding knowledge, and infant nutrition: Evidence from rural China.

Background: Maternal empowerment - the capacity to make decisions within households - is linked to better child feeding and nutritional outcomes, but few studies have considered the mediating role of caregiver knowledge. Further, existing literature centres primarily on the husband-wife dyad while overlooking grandmothers as important childcare decision-makers.

Methods: We collected primary data through household surveys in 2019 and 2021 from 1190 households with infants zero to six months living in rural western China.

Catalytic Materials Enabled by a Programmable Assembly of Synthetic Polymers and Engineered Bacterial Spores.

Natural biological materials are formed by self-assembly processes and catalyze a myriad of reactions. Here, we report a programmable molecular assembly of designed synthetic polymers with engineered bacterial spores. This self-assembly process is driven by dynamic covalent bond formation on spore surface glycan and yields macroscopic materials that are structurally stable, self-healing, and recyclable.

Associations of in-hospital postpartum feeding experiences with exclusive breastfeeding practices among infants in rural Sichuan, China.

Background: In rural China, exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) prevalence is low and hospitals often fail to attain baby-friendly feeding objectives, such as ≥ 75% of newborns exclusively breastfed from birth to discharge. Empirical evidence for the impact of increased hospital compliance with recommended feeding guidelines on continued EBF in rural China is lacking. We sought to measure and model the association of newborns' in-hospital feeding experiences with EBF practice in infancy to inform policies for EBF promotion.

The home language environment in rural China: variations across family characteristics.

Background: A rich language environment is an important element of a nurturing home environment. Despite their proven importance, vocabulary and conversation have been shown to vary widely across households-even within the same socio-economic class. One significant gap in the existing literature is its nearly exclusive geographic focus on Western and developed settings, with little attention given to poorer communities in lower/middle income countries.

Effect of the mHealth-supported Healthy Future programme delivered by community health workers on maternal and child health in rural China: study protocol for a cluster randomised controlled trial.

Introduction: Millions of young rural children in China still suffer from poor health and malnutrition, partly due to a lack of knowledge about optimal perinatal and child care among rural mothers and caregivers. Meanwhile, there is an urgent need to improve maternal mental health in rural communities. Comprehensive home visiting programmes delivered by community health workers (CHWs) can bridge the caregiver knowledge gap and improve child health and maternal well-being in low-resource settings, but the effectiveness of this approach is unknown in rural China.

Prevalence of anaemia and associated factors among infants under 6 months in rural China.

Objective: To examine Hb level and anaemia status among infants under 6 months of age in rural China.

Design: A cross-sectional survey collected data among infants under 6 months and their primary caregivers in Sichuan, China. Anaemia was defined using both the WHO and China Pediatrics Association thresholds.

Parenting centers and caregiver mental health: Evidence from a large-scale randomized controlled trial in China.

This study conducts an exploratory analysis of the impacts of a center-based early childhood development intervention on the mental health of caregivers, using data from a cluster-randomized controlled trial of 1664 caregivers (M  = 36.87 years old) of 6- to 24-month-old children in 100 villages in rural China. Caregivers and children in 50 villages received individual parenting training, group activities and open play space in village parenting centers.

Determinants of breastfeeding self-efficacy among postpartum women in rural China: A cross-sectional study.

Background: Breastfeeding self-efficacy is known to positively influence breastfeeding behaviors. While previous research has studied the determinants of breastfeeding self-efficacy in general, these determinants are unstudied among postpartum women in rural China. This study aims to describe the breastfeeding self-efficacy of postpartum women in rural China and identify determinants of breastfeeding self-efficacy using the Dennis breastfeeding self-efficacy framework.

Passive versus active service delivery: Comparing the effects of two parenting interventions on early cognitive development in rural China.

We present the results of a cluster-randomized controlled trial that evaluates the effects of a free, center-based parenting intervention on early cognitive development and parenting practices in 100 rural villages in China. We then compare these effects to a previous trial of a home-based intervention conducted in the same region, using the same parenting curriculum and public service system, accounting for potential differences between the studies. We find that the center-based intervention did not have a significant impact on child development outcomes, but did lead to increases in the material investments, time investments, and parenting skills of caregivers.

Perinatal Mental Health Problems in Rural China: The Role of Social Factors.

Perinatal mental health is important for the well-being of the mother and child, so the relatively high prevalence of perinatal mental health problems in developing settings poses a pressing concern. However, most studies in these settings focus on the demographic factors associated with mental health problems, with very few examing social factors. Hence, this study examines the prevalence of the depressive, anxiety and stress symptoms among pregnant women and new mothers in rural China, and the associations between these mental health problems and social factors, including decision-making power, family conflicts, and social support.

Early childhood development and parental training interventions in rural China: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Introduction: Inadequate care during early childhood can lead to long-term deficits in skills. Parenting programmes that encourage investment in young children are a promising tool for improving early development outcomes and long-term opportunities in low-income and middle-income regions, such as rural China.

Methods: We conducted a systematic review and a meta-analysis to investigate the prevalence of early developmental delays and stimulating parenting practices as well as the effect of parental training programmes on child development outcomes in rural China.

Health, economic, and social implications of COVID-19 for China's rural population.

This study examines the effects of local and nationwide COVID-19 disease control measures on the health and economy of China's rural population. We conducted phone surveys with 726 randomly selected village informants across seven rural Chinese provinces in February 2020. Four villages (0.

Early Childhood Reading in Rural China and Obstacles to Caregiver Investment in Young Children: A Mixed-Methods Analysis.

Studies have shown that nearly half of rural toddlers in China have cognitive delays due to an absence of stimulating parenting practices, such as early childhood reading, during the critical first three years of life. However, few studies have examined the reasons behind these low levels of stimulating parenting, and no studies have sought to identify the factors that limit caregivers from providing effective early childhood reading practices (EECRP). This mixed-methods study investigates the perceptions, prevalence, and correlates of EECRP in rural China, as well as associations with child cognitive development.

Visual impairment in rural and migrant Chinese school-going children: prevalence, severity, correction and associations.

Purpose: To describe changes in the prevalence of visual impairment and glasses ownership with age and as associated with income and population density for visual impairment among rural and urban migrant Chinese students.

Design: Meta-analysis of 12 cross-sectional, school-based studies conducted between 2012 and 2017.

Setting: Rural and urban migrant schools in seven Chinese provinces.

Conditional cash transfers, uptake of maternal and child health services, and health outcomes in western rural China.

Background: Empirical evidence suggests that the uptake of maternal and child health (MCH) services is still low in poor rural areas of China. There is concern that this low uptake may detrimentally affect child health outcomes. Previous studies have not yet identified the exact nature of the impact that a conditional cash transfer (CCT) has on the uptake of MCH services and, ultimately, on child health outcomes.

Parental Migration and Early Childhood Development in Rural China.

Nearly one-quarter of all children under age 2 in China are left behind in the countryside as parents migrate to urban areas for work. We use a four-wave longitudinal survey following young children from 6 to 30 months of age to provide first evidence on the effects of parental migration on development, health, and nutritional outcomes in the critical first stages of life. We find that maternal migration has a negative effect on cognitive development: migration before children reach 12 months of age reduces cognitive development by 0.

Using standardised patients to assess the quality of medical records: an application and evidence from rural China.

Background: Medical records play a fundamental role in healthcare delivery, quality assessment and improvement. However, there is little objective evidence on the quality of medical records in low and middle-income countries.

Objective: To provide an unbiased assessment of the quality of medical records for outpatient visits to rural facilities in China.

Concurrent validity of the Ages and Stages Questionnaire and the Bayley Scales of Infant Development III in China.

Choosing a valid and feasible method to measure child developmental outcomes is key to addressing developmental delays, which have been shown to be associated with high levels of unemployment, participation in crime, and teen pregnancies. However, measuring early childhood development (ECD) with multi-dimensional diagnostic tests such as the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development III (Bayley-III) can be time-consuming and expensive; therefore, parental screening tools such as the Ages and Stages Questionnaire (ASQ-3) are frequently an alternative measure of early childhood development in large-scale research. The ASQ is also becoming more frequently used as the first step to identify children at risk for developmental delays before conducting a diagnostic test to confirm.

Stimulation and Early Child Development in China: Caregiving at Arm's Length.

Objective: To provide an empirical overview of the parenting landscape in rural China, focusing on 18- to 30-month-old children and their caregivers in rural Shaanxi province.

Methods: We collected unique data on 1442 caregiver-toddler dyads in rural areas of Shaanxi province and examined caregiver attitudes toward parenting, sources of information about parenting, and interactive parenting practices, and how each of these differed across generations. We measured how parenting attitudes and sources of information informed parenting practices.

Use of maternal health services among women in the ethnic rural areas of western China.

Background: The use of maternal health services can markedly promote the maternal health and safety, but there has been a low utilization rate in the ethnic rural areas of western China. Furthermore, the correlated factors have not been well studied. This study aims to assess factors related to the use of maternal health services among women in these areas.

Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) of Cysticercosis in School-Aged Children in Tibetan Rural Farming Areas of Western China: Implications for Intervention Planning.

Neurocysticercosis (NCC) significantly contributes to morbidity in developing countries. We recently published a study of prevalence and risk factors in school-aged children in three mountainous areas in Sichuan province of western China. Using structural equation modeling (SEM) on data from that study to guide intervention planning, here we examine risk factors grouped into three broad interventional categories: sociodemographics, human behavior, and sources of pork and pig husbandry.

Breastfeeding and the Risk of Illness among Young Children in Rural China.

Poor rural areas in China exhibit the country's highest rates of child mortality, often stemming from preventable health conditions such as diarrhea and respiratory infection. In this study, we investigate the association between breastfeeding and disease among children aged 6⁻24 months in poor rural counties in China. To do this, we conducted a longitudinal, quantitative analysis of socioeconomic demographics, health outcomes, and breastfeeding practices for 1802 child⁻caregiver dyads across 11 nationally designated poverty counties in southern Shaanxi Province in 2013⁻2014.

Caregiver Depression and Early Child Development: A Mixed-Methods Study From Rural China.

Half of rural toddlers aged 0-3 years in China's Qinling Mountainous region are cognitively delayed. While recent studies have linked poor child development measures to the absence of positive parenting behaviors, much less is known about the role that caregiver depression might play in shaping child development. In this paper, a mixed methods analysis is used to explore the prevalence of depression; measure the association between caregiver depression and children's developmental delays, correlates of depression, and the potential reasons for caregiver depression among women in rural China.