Impacts of number lines and circle visual displays on caregivers' fraction understanding.

Playful fraction picture books, together with math instructional content called "back matter," may promote fraction learning, which is crucial because fractions are difficult and often disliked content. However, open questions remain regarding how different types of back matter may affect caregivers' ability to use fraction picture books as a teaching tool. The current study offers a novel investigation into how back matter affects caregivers' (N = 160) fraction understanding (i.

Effect measure modification of the association between short-term exposures to PM and hospitalizations by longs-term PM exposure among a cohort of people with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) in North Carolina, 2002-2015.

Background: Approximately nine million adults in the United States are living with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and positive associations between short-term air pollution exposure and increased risk of COPD hospitalizations in older adults are consistently reported. We examined the association between short-term PM exposure and hospitalizations and assessed if there is modification by long-term exposure in a cohort of individuals with COPD.

Methods: In a time-referent case-crossover design, we used a cohort of randomly selected individuals with electronic health records from the University of North Carolina Healthcare System, restricted to patients with a medical encounter coded with a COPD diagnosis from 2004-2016 (n = 520), and estimated ambient PM concentrations from an ensemble model.

Associations between source-apportioned PM and 30-day readmissions in heart failure patients.

Background: Air pollution exposure is a significant risk factor for morbidity and mortality, especially for those with pre-existing chronic disease. Previous studies highlighted the risks that long-term particulate matter exposure has for readmissions. However, few studies have evaluated source and component specific associations particularly among vulnerable patient populations.

Long-term exposure to ambient O and PM is associated with reduced cognitive performance in young adults: A retrospective longitudinal repeated measures study in adults aged 18-90 years.

A growing body of evidence indicates that exposure to air pollution affects cognitive performance; however, few studies have assessed this in the context of repeated measures within a large group of individuals or in a population with a large age range. In this study, we evaluated the associations between long-term exposure to fine particulate matter (PM) and ozone (O) in large cohort of adults aged 18-90 years. The study cohort included 29,091 Lumosity users in the contiguous US who completed 20 repetitions of the Lost in Migration game between 2017 and 2018.

Associations between short-term exposure to PM and cardiomyocyte injury in myocardial infarction survivors in North Carolina.

Objective: Short-term ambient fine particulate matter (PM) is associated with adverse cardiovascular events including myocardial infarction (MI). However, few studies have examined associations between PM and subclinical cardiomyocyte damage outside of overt cardiovascular events. Here we evaluate the impact of daily PM on cardiac troponin I, a cardiomyocyte specific biomarker of cellular damage.

Short-Term Exposure to Wildfire Smoke and and Cognitive Performance in a Brain-Training Game: A Longitudinal Study of U.S. Adults.

Background: There is increasing evidence that long-term exposure to fine particulate matter [PM in aerodynamic diameter ()] may adversely impact cognitive performance. Wildfire smoke is one of the biggest sources of and concentrations are likely to increase under climate change. However, little is known about how short-term exposure impacts cognitive function.

Effects of short-term ambient PM exposure on cardiovascular disease incidence and mortality among U.S. hemodialysis patients: a retrospective cohort study.

Background: Ambient PM is a ubiquitous air pollutant with demonstrated adverse health impacts in population. Hemodialysis patients are a highly vulnerable population and may be particularly susceptible to the effects of PM exposure. This study examines associations between short-term PM exposure and cardiovascular disease (CVD) and mortality among patients receiving maintenance in-center hemodialysis.

Short-term PM exposure and early-readmission risk: a retrospective cohort study in North Carolina heart failure patients.

Background: Short-term changes in ambient fine particulate matter (PM) increase the risk for unplanned hospital readmissions. However, this association has not been fully evaluated for high-risk patients or examined to determine if the readmission risk differs based on time since discharge. Here we investigate the relation between ambient PM and 30-day readmission risk in heart failure (HF) patients using daily time windows and examine how this risk varies with respect to time following discharge.

Omega-3 fatty acids attenuate cardiovascular effects of short-term exposure to ambient air pollution.

Background: Exposure to air pollution is associated with elevated cardiovascular risk. Evidence shows that omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (omega-3 PUFA) may attenuate the adverse cardiovascular effects of exposure to fine particulate matter (PM). However, it is unclear whether habitual dietary intake of omega-3 PUFA protects against the cardiovascular effects of short-term exposure to low-level ambient air pollution in healthy participants.

The influence of dietary intake of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids on the association between short-term exposure to ambient nitrogen dioxide and respiratory and cardiovascular outcomes among healthy adults.

Background: Short-term exposure to ambient nitrogen dioxide (NO) is associated with adverse respiratory and cardiovascular outcomes. Supplementation of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) has shown protection against exposure to fine particulate matter. This study aims to investigate whether habitual omega-3 PUFA intake differentially modify the associations between respiratory and cardiovascular responses and short-term exposure to ambient NO.

Association of short-term exposure to ambient PM with hospital admissions and 30-day readmissions in end-stage renal disease patients: population-based retrospective cohort study.

Objectives: To examine the effect of short-term exposure to ambient fine particulate matter (PM) on all-cause, cardiovascular and respiratory-related hospital admissions and readmissions among patients receiving outpatient haemodialysis.

Design: Retrospective cohort study.

Setting: Inpatient hospitalisation claims identified from the US Renal Data System in 530 US counties.

Low levels of fine particulate matter increase vascular damage and reduce pulmonary function in young healthy adults.

Background: Fine particulate matter (PM) related mild inflammation, altered autonomic control of cardiovascular function, and changes to cell function have been observed in controlled human exposure studies.

Methods: To measure the systemic and cardiopulmonary impacts of low-level PM exposure, we exposed 20 healthy, young volunteers to PM, in the form of concentrated ambient particles (mean: 37.8 μg/m, SD 6.

Mortality in US Hemodialysis Patients Following Exposure to Wildfire Smoke.

Background: Wildfires are increasingly a significant source of fine particulate matter (PM), which has been linked to adverse health effects and increased mortality. ESKD patients are potentially susceptible to this environmental stressor.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective time-series analysis of the association between daily exposure to wildfire PM and mortality in 253 counties near a major wildfire between 2008 and 2012.

Annual PM and cardiovascular mortality rate data: Trends modified by county socioeconomic status in 2,132 US counties.

This article contains data on county-level socioeconomic status for 2132 US counties and each county's average annual cardiovascular mortality rate (CMR) and fine particulate matter (PM) concentration for 21 years (1990-2010). County CMR, PM, and socioeconomic data were obtained from the US National Center for Health Statistics, US Environmental Protection Agency's Community Multiscale Air Quality modeling system, and the US Census, respectively. Annual socioeconomic indices were created using seven county-level measures from the 1990, 2000, and 2010 US Census using factor analysis.

The contribution of improved air quality to reduced cardiovascular mortality: Declines in socioeconomic differences over time.

Major improvements in air quality since 1990, observed through reductions in fine particulate matter (PM), have been associated with reduced cardiovascular mortality rates (CMR). However, it is not well understood whether the health benefit attributed to PM reductions has been similar across strata of socioeconomic deprivation (SED). Using mixed effect regression models, we estimated the PM-related change in the CMR across 2,132 US counties in five SED strata between 1990 and 2010.

Mercury Exposure and Poor Nutritional Status Reduce Response to Six Expanded Program on Immunization Vaccines in Children: An Observational Cohort Study of Communities Affected by Gold Mining in the Peruvian Amazon.

Poor nutritional status combined with mercury exposure can generate adverse child health outcomes. Diet is a mediator of mercury exposure and evidence suggests that nutritional status modifies aspects of mercury toxicity. However, health impacts beyond the nervous system are poorly understood.

Predictors of mitochondrial DNA copy number and damage in a mercury-exposed rural Peruvian population near artisanal and small-scale gold mining: An exploratory study.

Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) copy number (CN) and damage in circulating white blood cells have been proposed as effect biomarkers for pollutant exposures. Studies have shown that mercury accumulates in mitochondria and affects mitochondrial function and integrity; however, these data are derived largely from experiments in model systems, rather than human population studies that evaluate the potential utility of mitochondrial exposure biomarkers. We measured mtDNA CN and damage in white blood cells (WBCs) from 83 residents of nine communities in the Madre de Dios region of the Peruvian Amazon that vary in proximity to artisanal and small-scale gold mining.

Spatial, Temporal, and Dietary Variables Associated with Elevated Mercury Exposure in Peruvian Riverine Communities Upstream and Downstream of Artisanal and Small-Scale Gold Mining.

Artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM) is a primary contributor to global mercury and its rapid expansion raises concern for human exposure. Non-occupational exposure risks are presumed to be strongly tied to environmental contamination; however, the relationship between environmental and human mercury exposure, how exposure has changed over time, and risk factors beyond fish consumption are not well understood in ASGM settings. In Peruvian riverine communities ( = 12), where ASGM has increased 4-6 fold over the past decade, we provide a large-scale assessment of the connection between environmental and human mercury exposure by comparing total mercury contents in human hair (2-cm segment, = 231) to locally caught fish tissue, analyzing temporal exposure in women of child bearing age (WCBA, 15-49 years, = 46) over one year, and evaluating general mercury exposure risks including fish and non-fish dietary items through household surveys and linear mixed models.

Effects of methyl and inorganic mercury exposure on genome homeostasis and mitochondrial function in Caenorhabditis elegans.

Mercury toxicity mechanisms have the potential to induce DNA damage and disrupt cellular processes, like mitochondrial function. Proper mitochondrial function is important for cellular bioenergetics and immune signaling and function. Reported impacts of mercury on the nuclear genome (nDNA) are conflicting and inconclusive, and mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) impacts are relatively unknown.

Antagonistic Growth Effects of Mercury and Selenium in Caenorhabditis elegans Are Chemical-Species-Dependent and Do Not Depend on Internal Hg/Se Ratios.

The relationship between mercury (Hg) and selenium (Se) toxicity is complex, with coexposure reported to reduce, increase, and have no effect on toxicity. Different interactions may be related to chemical compound, but this has not been systematically examined. Our goal was to assess the interactive effects between the two elements on growth in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, focusing on inorganic and organic Hg (HgCl2 and MeHgCl) and Se (selenomethionine, sodium selenite, and sodium selenate) compounds.

Onset and progression of with-the-rule astigmatism in children with infantile nystagmus syndrome.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the onset and progression of with-the-rule (WTR) astigmatism during the first 8 years of life in children with idiopathic infantile nystagmus syndrome (INS) or INS associated with albinism and to compare their development with that of normal children. Also explored was whether early WTR astigmatism influences emmetropization in children with INS and whether there is evidence of meridional emmetropization.

Methods: Cycloplegic refractions culled from medical records were converted into power vector components: M (spherical equivalent), J(0) (positive J(0) indicates WTR astigmatism), and J(45) (oblique astigmatism).

The teller acuity cards are effective in detecting amblyopia.

Purpose: Detection of amblyopia in infants and toddlers is difficult because the current clinical standard for this age group, fixation preference, is inaccurate. Although grating acuity represents an alternative, studies of preschoolers and schoolchildren report that it is not equivalent to the gold standard optotype acuity. Here, we examine whether the Teller Acuity Cards (TAC) can detect amblyopia effectively by testing children old enough (7.

Normative pediatric visual acuity using single surrounded HOTV optotypes on the Electronic Visual Acuity Tester following the Amblyopia Treatment Study protocol.

Purpose: To provide normative pediatric visual acuity data using HOTV optotypes presented on the Electronic Visual Acuity Tester following the Amblyopia Treatment Study (ATS) protocol.

Methods: Monocular testing was conducted on 384 healthy full-term children ranging from 3 to 10 years of age (mean, 5.4 years; SD, 1.