Structured early childhood education exposure and childhood cognition - Evidence from an Indian birth cohort.

Experiences in early childhood form the bedrock of future human potential. In impoverished settings, structured early childhood education (ECE) in preschool years can augment overall childhood and later human abilities. The current study evaluates preschool learning exposure and childhood cognition, using longitudinal follow-up of a community-based birth cohort in Vellore, south India.

Chronic Illness, Nutritional Status, and Factors Associated with Malnutrition among Various Age Groups Residing in Urban Areas of Telangana and Rural Areas of Andhra Pradesh.

Malnutrition includes both under-nutrition and over-nutrition, which have negative health impacts and social consequences. The present study aims to understand the demographic dynamics, burden of chronic illnesses, and risk factors associated with malnutrition (stunting, thinness, and obesity) among different age groups in urban and rural areas. Data were collected through a cross-sectional study conducted in an urban area in Hyderabad and four rural villages in Andhra Pradesh.

Burden of Typhoid and Paratyphoid Fever in India.

Background: In 2017, more than half the cases of typhoid fever worldwide were projected to have occurred in India. In the absence of contemporary population-based data, it is unclear whether declining trends of hospitalization for typhoid in India reflect increased antibiotic treatment or a true reduction in infection.

Methods: From 2017 through 2020, we conducted weekly surveillance for acute febrile illness and measured the incidence of typhoid fever (as confirmed on blood culture) in a prospective cohort of children between the ages of 6 months and 14 years at three urban sites and one rural site in India.

Computational Analysis of Machining Induced Stress Distribution during Dry and Cryogenic Orthogonal Cutting of 7075 Aluminium Closed Cell Syntactic Foams.

The addition of hollow aluminium oxide bubbles to the 7075 aluminium matrix results in a lightweight syntactic foam with a reduced density and an increased peak compression strength. The presence of ceramic bubbles also aids in a reduced coefficient of thermal expansion and thermal conductivity in comparison to aluminium alloys. In spite of their enhanced material properties, the inclusion of hollow aluminium oxide bubbles presents the challenge of poor machinability.

Neuropsychiatric Consequences of COVID-19 Pandemic: A Synthetic Review from a Global Perspective.

Some research suggests that distress, secondary to isolation and fear following COVID-19 infection, can negatively affect the long-term more than the COVID-19 infection itself. This narrative review aims to provide a global view on the neuropsychiatric consequences of COVID-19 that can be ascribed to several factors, ranging from the direct effect of infection, to the body's responses against the infection, or to the psychological sequelae of social isolation, unemployment, and fear for one's health and livelihood. Current findings show that the more severe the respiratory infection, the more likely are central nervous system (CNS) complications regarding the infection itself.

Sustainable Machining of Mg-9Al-1.4Zn Foam Used for Temporary Biomedical Implant Using Cryogenic Cooling.

In this study, the drilling performance of biodegradable grade Mg-9Al-1.4Zn alloy reinforced with hollow thin-walled AlO microspheres is inspected under different coolant environments such as dry, Almag mineral oil, and liquid nitrogen. Drilling experiments were carried out using titanium aluminum nitride PVD coated and uncoated K10 tools on varying volume fractions of magnesium syntactic foams (5%, 10%, and 15%) reinforced with hollow AlO microspheres.

Cost of Illness Due to Severe Enteric Fever in India.

Background: Lack of robust data on economic burden due to enteric fever in India has made decision making on typhoid vaccination a challenge. Surveillance for Enteric Fever network was established to address gaps in typhoid disease and economic burden.

Methods: Patients hospitalized with blood culture-confirmed enteric fever and nontraumatic ileal perforation were identified at 14 hospitals.

Geographic Pattern of Typhoid Fever in India: A Model-Based Estimate of Cohort and Surveillance Data.

Background: Typhoid fever remains a major public health problem in India. Recently, the Surveillance for Enteric Fever in India program completed a multisite surveillance study. However, data on subnational variation in typhoid fever are needed to guide the introduction of the new typhoid conjugate vaccine in India.

Antibiotics for Fever Among Children: Findings From the Surveillance for Enteric Fever in India Cohorts.

Background: Acute febrile illness in children is frequently treated with antibiotics. However, the inappropriate use of antibiotics has led to the emergence of multidrug-resistant pathogens.

Methods: We measured use of antibiotics for fever in 4 pediatric cohorts that were part of the Surveillance for Enteric Fever in India (SEFI) network.

Factors Predicting Blood Culture Positivity in Children With Enteric Fever.

Background: Blood culture, despite low sensitivity, is the gold standard for enteric fever diagnosis. Understanding predictors of blood culture positivity may help design strategies to optimize enteric fever diagnosis.

Methods: A cohort of 6760 children aged 0.

Geographically Weighted Regression Modeling of Spatial Clustering and Determinants of Focal Typhoid Fever Incidence.

Background: Typhoid is known to be heterogenous in time and space, with documented spatiotemporal clustering and hotspots associated with environmental factors. This analysis evaluated spatial clustering of typhoid and modeled incidence rates of typhoid from active surveillance at 4 sites with child cohorts in India.

Methods: Among approximately 24 000 children aged 0.

Healthcare Utilization Survey in the Hybrid Model of the Surveillance for Enteric Fever in India (SEFI) Study: Processes, Monitoring, Results, and Challenges.

Background: Lack of reliable data in India drove the "Surveillance of Enteric Fever in India" (SEFI) concept. Hybrid surveillance, combining facility-based surveillance for the crude incidence, and a community-based healthcare utilization survey (HCUS) to calculate the factor needed to arrive at the adjusted incidence, was used in 6 sites. The HCUS aimed to determine the percentage of utilization of study facilities by the catchment population for hospitalizations due to febrile illness.

Timing is everything: Circadian rhythms and their role in the control of sleep.

Sleep and the circadian clock are intertwined and have persisted throughout history. The suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) orchestrates sleep by controlling circadian (Process C) and homeostatic (Process S) activities. As a "hand" on the endogenous circadian clock, melatonin is critical for sleep regulation.

Disruption of Circadian Rhythms by Ambient Light during Neurodevelopment Leads to Autistic-like Molecular and Behavioral Alterations in Adult Mice.

Although circadian rhythms are thought to be essential for maintaining body health, the effects of chronic circadian disruption during neurodevelopment remain elusive. Here, using the "Short Day" (SD) mouse model, in which an 8 h/8 h light/dark (LD) cycle was applied from embryonic day 1 to postnatal day 42, we investigated the molecular and behavioral changes after circadian disruption in mice. Adult SD mice fully entrained to the 8 h/8 h LD cycle, and the circadian oscillations of the clock proteins, PERIOD1 and PERIOD2, were disrupted in the suprachiasmatic nucleus and the hippocampus of these mice.

Soil-transmitted helminth infections after mass drug administration for lymphatic filariasis in rural southern India.

Objectives: Targeted deworming is the current strategy for control of morbidity associated with soil-transmitted helminths (STH) among at-risk populations: preschool-aged children, school-aged children and women of childbearing age. We report the prevalence and intensity of STH in a district after lymphatic filariasis (LF) mass drug administration (MDA) in southern India where albendazole was co-administered from 2001.

Methods: Children aged 2 to 15 years and adults (defined as ≥15 years) in a rural administrative block of Tamil Nadu were recruited using a probability proportional to size method.

Developmental trends in early childhood and their predictors from an Indian birth cohort.

Background: Early childhood developmental pattern analyses not only project future cognition potential, but also identify potential risks for possible intervention. The current study evaluates developmental trends in the first 3 years of life and their predictors in a low and middle income country setting.

Methods: Trends of early childhood development at 6, 15, 24 and 36 months of age and their predictors were explored in a longitudinal community-based birth cohort study in an urban slum in Vellore, South India.

Digital Image Correlation of Tensile Properties for Monel 400/SS 316L Dissimilar Metal Welding Joints.

Dissimilar metal weld joints of Monel 400 and Stainless Steel 316L stainless steel were carried out using Gas Tungsten Arc Welding (GTAW). Conventional annealing and cryogenic treatment were performed on the welded joints. Weld joints of this combination of materials have enormous potential applications in power industry and the available related literature is limited.

Biological Timing and Neurodevelopmental Disorders: A Role for Circadian Dysfunction in Autism Spectrum Disorders.

Autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) are a spectrum of neurodevelopmental disorders characterized by impaired social interaction and communication, as well as stereotyped and repetitive behaviors. ASDs affect nearly 2% of the United States child population and the worldwide prevalence has dramatically increased in recent years. The etiology is not clear but ASD is thought to be caused by a combination of intrinsic and extrinsic factors.

Autism Spectrum Disorder patients may be susceptible to COVID-19 disease due to deficiency in melatonin.

Patients with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) may be particularly prone to develop COVID-19. An unusual extended course of COVID-19 disease illness has been reported in one ASD patient and a group of patients have COVID-19 disease in a neurodevelopmental facility. It has been widely reported that many of those with ASD have substantial sleep disorders with low levels of melatonin and various genetic alterations related to melatonin production have been found.

Basic chronobiology: what do sleep physicians need to know?

Sleep is an essential physiological process, which profoundly affects a wide range of biological activities. It is now known that sleep supports myriad vital functions in the central nervous system. This includes neural plasticity, learning, memory, cognition and emotional regulation.

Home environment: Short-term trends and predictors in early childhood from an Indian community birth cohort.

Background: Early childhood home environment is intricately linked to child development and later cognitive and academic skills. There is limited literature evaluating home environmental trends and predictors in the low- and middle-income country settings.

Aims: Determine the trends of early childhood home environment changes between 6 and 36 months of age, and the factors associated with these changes.

Clarifying the role of sleep in depression: A narrative review.

It has been established that 4.4 to 20% of the general population suffers from a major depressive disorder (MDD), which is frequently associated with a dysregulation of normal sleep-wake mechanisms. Disturbances of circadian rhythms are a cardinal feature of psychiatric dysfunctions, including MDD, which tends to indicate that biological clocks may play a role in their pathophysiology.

Body iron and lead status in early childhood and its effects on development and cognition: a longitudinal study from urban Vellore.

Objective: Early childhood factors can have persisting effects on development and cognition in children. We propose to explore the trends of Fe deficiency and Pb toxicity in early childhood and their association with child development at 2 years of age and cognition at 5 years.

Design: Longitudinal birth cohort study.

Understanding the role of sleep and its disturbances in Autism spectrum disorder.

Background: Several studies have established a positive relationship between sleep difficulties and symptomatology in ASD children. The rationale for this review is to describe and discuss the sleep difficulties, which are one of the significant complications associated with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

Purpose: Many types of sleep disorders have been reported in ASD individuals, but still lack a comprehensive study and in-depth analysis.

The contribution of modern 24-hour society to the development of type 2 diabetes mellitus: the role of insufficient sleep.

Epidemiological studies since 1980 have shown significant increases in the incidence of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). The public health burden generated by the growing prevalence of T2DM, which, in its fully developed form, is a lifelong illness, has been associated with further social and economic costs in affected countries. Recent studies have suggested that chronic sleep insufficiency or disrupted or poor quality sleep could contribute to the development of T2DM.