The Buds of Oscarella lobularis (Porifera, Homoscleromorpha): A New Convenient Model for Sponge Cell and Evolutionary Developmental Biology.

The comparative study of the four non-bilaterian phyla (Cnidaria, Placozoa, Ctenophora, and Porifera) provides insights into the origin of bilaterian traits. To complete our knowledge of the cell biology and development of these animals, additional non-bilaterian models are needed. Given the developmental, histological, ecological, and genomic differences between the four sponge classes (Demospongiae, Calcarea, Homoscleromorpha, and Hexactinellida), we have been developing the Oscarella lobularis (Porifera, class Homoscleromorpha) model over the past 15 years.

Methylmercury exposure of the sponge O. lobularis induces strong tissue and cell defects.

Mediterranean marine biota suffers from various anthropogenic threats. Among them, pollutants such as mercury (Hg) represent important environmental issues that are exacerbated by bioaccumulation and bioamplification along food webs via its organic form, monomethylmercury (MMHg). To date, very little is known regarding the impact of mercury on Porifera and the few available studies have been exclusively focused on Demospongiae.

Can Special Olympics coaches accurately report on the motor competence of children with intellectual disabilities?

Background: Motor competence is the ability to perform goal directed human movements in a co-ordinated, accurate and error free manner. The aim of this study was to compare the accuracy of coaches' perceptions of children's motor competence with their actual motor competence.

Method: This study examined the motor competence of children with intellectual disabilities (n = 100) and coaches' perceptions of children's motor competence (n = 10).

Feasibility and acceptability of the Promoting Pupils' Physical Literacy (3PL) intervention and its effectiveness research design: A study protocol.

Research has shown that physical activity (PA) is important for health throughout the lifespan. Therefore, it is important that children develop the individual prerequisites that enable participation in PA throughout life. The theoretical concept physical literacy (PL) and the research field of PL has described such personal competences and traits.

Hyper-accumulation of vanadium in animals: Two sponges compete with urochordates.

Vanadium (V) concentrations in organisms are usually very low. To date, among animals, only some urochordate and annelid species contain very high levels of V in their tissues. A new case of hyper-accumulation of V in a distinct animal phylum (Porifera), namely, the two homoscleromorph sponge species Oscarella lobularis and O.

Exploring the motor skill proficiency barrier among children with intellectual disabilities: Analysis at a behavioural component level.

Models of childhood motor development began to emerge in the 1960's. Since then, numerous models have proposed the importance of obtaining a proficient level of fundamental movement skill (FMS) competence during childhood and deemed it to be critical for participation in lifelong sports and physical activity. This study examined FMS at the behavioural component level in children with intellectual disabilities (CwID) (n = 100, 60% boys, aged 5-12 years).

Assessing the Fundamental Movement Skills of Children With Intellectual Disabilities in the Special Olympics Young Athletes Program.

Mastering the ability to move proficiently from a young age is an important contributor to lifelong physical activity participation. This study examined fundamental movement skill (FMS) proficiency in children with intellectual disabilities (n = 96, 60% boys, age 5-12 years) and typically developing children (n = 96, 60% boys, age 5-12 years). Participants were assessed using the Test of Gross Motor Development-3rd edition and balance subtest from the Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency 2.

Influence of Visual and Haptic Cues on Motor Learning: Insights from Tennis Skill Acquisition in Children.

Underdevelopment of cognitive abilities in children, such as memory and attention, may make the use of verbal instructions difficult for learning new motor skills. The objective of this study was to evaluate whether visual and haptic cues which emphasize certain instructions facilitate skill acquisition in young tennis players. Twenty children were distributed in 2 groups: experimental (EXP) and control (CON).

Comparing the fundamental movement skill proficiency of children with intellectual disabilities and typically developing children: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Children around the world, particularly those with intellectual disabilities (ID), are exhibiting poor motor skill proficiency. Compared with typically developing children (TDC), children with intellectual disabilities (CwID) are 65% more likely to exhibit low levels of motor competence. The purpose of this meta-analysis was to compare the motor skill proficiency levels, in terms of fundamental movement skills (FMS) of CwID to TDC.

The sponge Oscarella lobularis (Porifera, Homoscleromorpha) as a suitable biomonitor of metallic contamination in Mediterranean coastal ecosystems.

The biomonitoring of metallic contamination in marine ecosystems is often focused on animal species of commercial interest and in lesser extent on non-model marine invertebrates. The aim of this study was to compare the metal concentrations (Li, Al, Ti, Cr, Fe, Ni, Cu, Zn, As, Ag, Cd, Hg, Pb) in seven marine sponges with a particular interest in the homoscleromorph sponge Oscarella lobularis at different sites of the Bay of Marseille, France. Inter-species variabilities suggest that the seven sponge species studied accumulate metals differently.

Moving well-being well: Using machine learning to explore the relationship between physical literacy and well-being in children.

Physical literacy provides a foundation for lifelong engagement in physical activity, resulting in positive health outcomes. Direct pathways between physical literacy and health have not yet been investigated thoroughly. Associations between physical literacy and well-being in children (n = 1073, mean age 10.

Cook like a Boss Online: an adapted intervention during the COVID-19 pandemic that effectively improved children's perceived cooking competence, movement competence and wellbeing.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has further exacerbated physical inactivity, poor dietary intake and reduced mental wellbeing, contributing factors to non-communicable diseases in children. Cooking interventions are proposed as having a positive influence on children's diet quality. Motor skills have been highlighted as essential for performance of cooking skills, and this movement may contribute to wellbeing.

Do our movement skills impact our cognitive skills? Exploring the relationship between cognitive function and fundamental movement skills in primary school children.

Objectives: The literature suggests that there is a relationship between motor function and cognitive development however, few studies have explored the specific role of Functional Movement Skills on cognitive function. This research aimed to determine if Functional Movement Skills predict cognitive function, when accounting for confounding factors, in a sample of primary school children in Ireland.

Design: Cross-sectional.

Current Practices, Willingness and Perceived Ability to Implement an Injury Prevention Exercise Program Among Post-Primary Physical Education Teachers.

Background: Musculoskeletal injuries are common in adolescents, and recently schools have been suggested as an opportune location for injury prevention strategies. This study aimed to identify the current practices and perceptions of post-primary PE teachers in Ireland on injury prevention exercise programs (IPEP), which are key to informing potential implementation strategies.

Methods: Post-primary PE teachers (n = 287) completed an online anonymous survey.

LifeLab: Co-Design of an Interactive Health Literacy Intervention for Socioeconomically Disadvantaged Adolescents'.

Low socioeconomic populations, when compared to more affluent groups, are at greater risk of initiating risky behaviours and consequently developing health complications. Health literacy has been identified as a possible means to improve and sustain positive health behaviours, with adolescence being a time point when such behaviours can be embedded. To develop a meaningful health intervention, it has been recommended that relevant stakeholders be included in the design phase.

Using Co-Design to Develop a Health Literacy Intervention with Socially Disadvantaged Adolescents.

The aim of this study was to initiate a co-design process with adolescents to inform the development of a targeted health literacy intervention for implementation in designated socioeconomically disadvantaged post-primary schools in Ireland. Purposely developed vignettes were explored in a series of eight workshops that were conducted separately with staff ( = 26) and students ( = 33) across four schools. Data was analysed using content analysis.

TGMD-3 short version: Evidence of validity and associations with sex in Irish children.

This study examined the internal structure and evidence of validity of the Test of Gross Motor Development 3 edition (TGMD-3) in primary school aged children. Participants (n = 1608, 47% girls, age range 5-11 years, mean age 9.2 ± 2.

Cook Like A Boss: An effective co-created multidisciplinary approach to improving children's cooking competence.

Cooking interventions are emphasised as promising methods for changing children's food-related preferences, attitudes and behaviours. However, criticisms remain, including relatively weak intervention designs; lack of validated tools, and limited underpinning theory. Therefore, this research aimed to assess the effectiveness of a theory-driven co-created children's cooking intervention with underpinning rationale for the content, using a validated measure.

The Differential Impact of Screen Time on Children's Wellbeing.

Increased screen time has been found to be associated with a number of negative health and wellbeing indicators in youth populations. An increasing number of studies have investigated the association between screen time and wellbeing in adolescents, but evidence in younger children is still emerging. This 2017 study explored the effect of leisure screen time and gender on dimensions of wellbeing (measured using KIDSCREEN-27) in a national sample of 897 Irish primary school children aged 8-12 years.

Network-Based Integration of Multi-Omics Data Identifies the Determinants of miR-491-5p Effects.

The identification of miRNAs' targets and associated regulatory networks might allow the definition of new strategies using drugs whose association mimics a given miRNA's effects. Based on this assumption we devised a multi-omics approach to precisely characterize miRNAs' effects. We combined miR-491-5p target affinity purification, RNA microarray, and mass spectrometry to perform an integrated analysis in ovarian cancer cell lines.

Rationale and study protocol for the Movement Oriented Games Based Assessment (MOGBA) cluster randomized controlled trial: A complex movement skill intervention for 8-12 year old children within 'Made to Play'.

There is a positive relationship between children's movement competence and physical activity, with a further relationship established between physical activity and childhood obesity. The Movement Oriented Games Based Assessment (MOGBA) is a delivery and assessment intervention designed to improve children's complex movement skills, based on principles of motor development and assessment theories. MOGBA aims to improve children's movement competence, physical fitness and self-perceptions (physical and game) and increase children's moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA).

Understanding disadvantaged adolescents' perception of health literacy through a systematic development of peer vignettes.

Background: Adolescence represents a crucial phase of life where health behaviours, attitudes and social determinants can have lasting impacts on health quality across the life course. Unhealthy behaviour in young people is generally more common in low socioeconomic groups. Nevertheless, all adolescents should have a fair opportunity to attain their full health potential.

Health Literacy in Schools? A Systematic Review of Health-Related Interventions Aimed at Disadvantaged Adolescents.

Socioeconomically disadvantaged populations are at greater risk of adopting unhealthy behaviours and developing chronic diseases. Adolescence has been identified as a crucial life stage to develop lifelong healthy behaviours, with schools often suggested as the ideal environment to foster healthy habits. Health literacy (HL) provides a possible solution to promote such healthy behaviours.

CooC11 and CooC7: the development and validation of age appropriate children's perceived cooking competence measures.

Background: Learning cooking skills during childhood and adolescence is associated with positive dietary outcomes in adulthood as well as being tracked from adolescence to adulthood. In addition studies have found that perceived competence to be a greater motivator to perform a behaviour than actual competence. However, a lack of validated tools that effectively measure behavioural and dietary changes including cooking confidence in children is a limitation.

Guidelines for designing age-appropriate cooking interventions for children: The development of evidence-based cooking skill recommendations for children, using a multidisciplinary approach.

Cooking interventions have been criticised for their weak designs and 'kitchen sink' approach to content development. Currently, there is no scientific guidance for the inclusion of specific skills in children's cooking interventions. Therefore, a four step method was used to develop age-appropriate cooking skill recommendations based on relevant developmental motor skills.