Piloting the adaptation of the Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children-2 edition (KABC-II) to assess school-age neurodevelopment in rural Zimbabwe.

Background: Neurodevelopment assessment tools for low-resource settings are urgently needed. However, most available tools were developed in high-income settings and may lack cross-cultural validity.

Methods: We piloted and adapted two subtests within the planning domain of the Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children-2nd edition (KABC-II) for use in rural Zimbabwean children aged 7years.

The Sanitation Hygiene Infant Nutrition Efficacy (SHINE) Trial: Protocol for school-age follow-up.

: There is a need for follow-up of early-life stunting intervention trials into childhood to determine their long-term impact. A holistic school-age assessment of health, growth, physical and cognitive function will help to comprehensively characterise the sustained effects of early-life interventions. The Sanitation Hygiene Infant Nutrition Efficacy (SHINE) trial in rural Zimbabwe assessed the effects of improved infant and young child feeding (IYCF) and/or improved water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) on stunting and anaemia at 18 months.

Benzoate and Sorbate Salts: A Systematic Review of the Potential Hazards of These Invaluable Preservatives and the Expanding Spectrum of Clinical Uses for Sodium Benzoate.

Sodium benzoate and potassium sorbate are extremely useful agents for food and beverage preservation, yet concerns remain over their complete safety. Benzoate can react with the ascorbic acid in drinks to produce the carcinogen benzene. A few children develop allergy to this additive while, as a competitive inhibitor of D-amino acid oxidase, benzoate can also influence neurotransmission and cognitive functioning.