Search Results (4,705)

Background and Clinical Significance: Prader–Willi syndrome (PWS) is an imprinting disorder not typically associated with severe congenital sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL). When profound SNHL is present in an infant with a known syndrome, an independent monogenic etiology should be considered. We report the first molecularly confirmed case of PWS co-occurring with biallelic pathogenic TMC1 variants causing congenital SNHL, outlining diagnostic challenges, cochlear implant (CI) outcomes, and implications for blended phenotypes. Case Presentation: A male infant with PWS due to a paternal 15q11.2–q13 deletion failed newborn hearing screening. Diagnostic auditory brainstem response and auditory steady-state response confirmed bilateral severe-to-profound SNHL. Temporal bone CT/MRI were normal. Comprehensive genetic testing identified compound heterozygous TMC1 variants consistent with autosomal recessive DFNB7/11 hearing loss, plus two variants of uncertain significance in SERPINB6 and EPS8L2. Sequential bilateral cochlear implantation was performed (left ear at 14 months, right at 20 months), followed by auditory–verbal therapy. Over four years, the child showed steady improvements in hearing and early-speech development. Conclusions: Early genomic evaluation is essential when clinical features appear atypical for a known syndrome. Identifying TMC1-related deafness enabled timely cochlear implantation and measurable gains. This case highlights that severe congenital SNHL in a syndromic infant may reflect a distinct monogenic disorder rather than phenotypic expansion of the primary syndrome, emphasizing the importance of recognizing blended phenotypes to guide precision-care strategies in rare disorders. Full article

Child marriage remains a major threat to adolescent girls’ health, development, and rights worldwide. Despite decades of progress, recent policy backsliding and sociopolitical instability have created new risks, with examples from Iraq, Afghanistan, and The Gambia illustrating how legal and political shifts are reshaping vulnerabilities for girls. This paper presents an integrated framework linking developmental science with legal and policy advocacy, emphasizing how evolving capacities and psychosocial maturity should inform marriage laws and protection mechanisms. It reframes advocacy and rights-based action as essential components of adolescent health systems, drawing on recent policy analyses and country examples to identify actionable, multisectoral strategies. The paper highlights an urgent need for collective, evidence-informed advocacy to protect adolescent girls and advance gender equality, an issue of growing importance amid renewed global attention to legal reforms on child marriage. Full article

In the loess region, the hydraulic properties of the loess, used as either surrounding rock, backfilling or geoplomer material, are significant for engineering construction and agriculture development projects. This work investigated the soil-water characteristic curves (SWCC) of the undisturbed and remolded loess during the drying process using the tensiometer and psychrometer method. Based on the test results, SWCC was fitted using the Van Genuchten, and Fredlund and Xing models. Moreover, the permeability was comparatively calculated by the Childs and Collis-George, Van Genuchten, and Fredlund models, respectively. Results revealed that the SWCC of both the undisturbed and remolded loess exhibited three-stage characteristics in the relationship between the logarithmic matric suction and moisture, including the boundary effect zone, transition zone, and residual zone. The corrected Fredlund and Xing model provided an optimal calculation for the SWCC of the loess, while the Van Genuchten model showed suction deviations of about 103 kPa. Meanwhile, the undisturbed loess had a low water retention at the low (<103 kPa) suction range, which was attributed to the large pore structure of the undisturbed loess that reduces the air-entry value. This research clarified the differences in the water retention and permeability properties of the loess, providing a theoretical foundation for evaluating the hydraulic properties of the loess. Full article

Emotions are known to influence cognitive processes, yet the nature of this influence remains debated, particularly during childhood. According to the emotional congruence model, information congruent with an individual’s affective state is processed more efficiently than incongruent information. While this effect has been widely studied in adults, evidence in children is still limited. The present research investigates the influence of emotional congruence on selective attention in typically developing children from preschool to fifth grade, using a dual emotional induction paradigm based on music and color. In Study 1, classical music excerpts were used to induce pleasant or unpleasant emotional states and to validate the effectiveness of musical induction across age groups. In Study 2, this musical induction was combined with emotionally valenced color cues (yellow vs. gray) embedded in a visual search task to examine their impact on attentional performance. Results from Study 1 confirmed that music effectively modulated children’s emotional valence, although this effect was weaker in younger participants. In Study 2, attentional performance improved significantly when the task was presented on a yellow background, regardless of the valence of the previously induced musical emotion. No robust emotional congruence effect between music and color was observed, although performance was highest in the joyful music–yellow color condition. Overall, these findings suggest that perceptual emotional cues embedded in the task context, particularly positive color cues, exert a stronger and more persistent influence on children’s selective attention than transient affective states induced by music. This study contributes to developmental models of emotion–cognition interaction by highlighting asymmetrical valence effects and the predominant role of perceptual emotional signals in childhood attention. Full article

In the current digital age, children are exposed to electronic media at an increasingly early age. The issue of excessive electronic media use has become a significant risk factor affecting the healthy development of young children. To examine the association between parental phubbing and preschoolers’ excessive electronic media use, as well as the underlying mechanism—mediating roles of parent–child attachment and self-control, 758 parents of preschoolers were recruited to complete a set of scales. The results show that: (1) Parental phubbing was positively associated with preschoolers’ excessive electronic media use; (2) Parent–child attachment and self-control significantly mediated this relation, which contains three mediating pathways—the mediating effects of parent–child attachment and self-control, as well as their chain mediating effect. The study revealed the psychological mechanisms between parental phubbing and preschoolers’ excessive electronic media use, providing suggestions for the prevention and intervention of excessive electronic media use among preschoolers. Full article

This mixed methods study explored perspectives from volunteer coaches and team parents involved in one sport-based youth development program, Junior Giants. The purpose was to (a) compare multiple perspectives on program impact and (b) investigate processes behind program impact and intentions to return. The sample (N = 11,638) included 1541 volunteer coaches, 861 team parents, and 9236 caregivers who completed an online survey assessing perceptions of players’ character development, antibullying, and league organization. Coaches and team parents also responded quantitatively and qualitatively about attending the initial training, use of practice plans, and intentions to return. Coaches reported significantly higher perceptions of participant change in character development and antibullying compared to caregivers (effect sizes were small), and team parents’ perceptions were not significantly different from coaches or caregivers. Perceptions of program outcomes did not differ by sport type (baseball v. softball), binary gender, age, or years in Junior Giants. For process variables, coaches were significantly more likely to attend the training and use the practice plans than team parents (small effects). Several themes emerged from open-ended questions, including not attending the initial team meeting due to schedule conflicts or signing up late to coach, not using practice plans due to limited time or needing modifications, and not intending to return due to child aging out or time commitment. Results suggest Junior Giants is perceived to have a positive impact and offer advice for supporting volunteers in sport-based youth development programs. Full article

Background/Objectives: Parental mental health challenges are associated with parenting difficulties and child mental health issues. Parenting interventions can support families; however, parents with mental health challenges face barriers to accessing parenting support, which is not consistently offered within adult mental health settings. Embedding technology-assisted parenting programs into these settings could provide accessible, holistic support. Partners in Parenting Kids (PiP Kids) is a digital parenting program designed to prevent child anxiety and depression, yet its suitability for parents with mental health challenges and fit within mental health services remains unclear. This study aimed to co-design and adapt PiP Kids for future implementation in an Australian adult mental health service. Methods: Parents who recently sought mental health support (n = 8) and service providers (n = 7) participated in co-design workshops to explore needs and preferences for a technology-assisted parenting program and iteratively develop a prototype. Parents (n = 3) trialled the online component of the prototype and participated in qualitative interviews to assess acceptability. Results: The adapted clinician-supported program was designed to facilitate (1) parent and clinician readiness for parenting support; (2) emotional and social support for parents and clinicians; (3) practical, personalised parenting knowledge; (4) parent-led empowerment; and (5) accessible, integrated support. Prototype clinician training was developed to strengthen the clinician-support component. Parents indicated initial acceptability of the online prototype while reiterating the value of including face-to-face support. Conclusions: This study co-designed an online, clinician-supported parenting program for future embedding within adult mental health settings. The findings highlight key considerations for developing and implementing technology-assisted interventions that promote family-focused care for parents seeking mental health support. Full article

The promotion of clean cooking energy use (CCEU) in rural areas is a key part of energy transformation. At present, the understanding of the relationship between environmental regulation and household CCEU remains limited. We primarily focus on the “Air Pollution Prevention and Control Action Plan” (APPCAP), which is regarded as China’s strictest command-and-control environmental regulation. This provides us with a quasi-natural experimental setting in evaluating the impact of environmental regulation on rural households’ CCEU. Empirical results indicate that APPCAP has significantly promoted CCEU among rural households in China. The transmission of this effect occurs primarily through three channels, including non-farm employment, health awareness, and peer effects. A heterogeneity analysis reveals that the impact of APPCAP is more pronounced among vulnerable rural groups with lower education levels and lower income. Furthermore, households with smaller family sizes, heavier dependency burdens, and a male eldest child are more responsive to the APPCAP. Further analysis confirms the sustainability of the policy effects. These findings provide evidence for accelerating the energy transition in developing regions. Full article

Background/Objectives: Children born small for gestational age (SGA) are at increased risk for impaired growth, metabolic disturbances, and neurodevelopmental difficulties. Although previous research has examined cognitive and behavioral outcomes in this population, findings remain inconsistent. Moreover, limited evidence is available regarding the potential effects of recombinant human growth hormone (rhGH) therapy on cognitive development. We aimed to assess cognitive performance, emotional–behavioral functioning, and neonatal predictors of neurocognitive outcomes in term SGA children compared with age- and sex-matched peers born appropriate for gestational age (AGA). We also explored potential differences in cognitive outcomes between rhGH-treated and untreated SGA children. Methods: A total of 18 term SGA children and 23 AGA controls underwent anthropometric measurements, biochemical evaluation, cognitive testing using the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children—Fourth Edition (WISC-IV), and behavioral assessment through the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL). Birth weight, length, and head circumference were analyzed as potential predictors of cognitive performance. Results: SGA children demonstrated significantly lower Intelligence Quotient (IQ) scores than AGA peers, with marked weaknesses in Perceptual Reasoning index (PRI) and Processing Speed index (PSI), while Verbal Comprehension and Working Memory were preserved. They also exhibited higher internalizing behavioral symptoms, whereas externalizing behaviors did not differ between groups. Birth head circumference emerged as a strong predictor of PRI and a modest predictor of PSI. No associations were found between rhGH treatment parameters and cognitive outcomes. Larger longitudinal studies are needed to clarify how early growth restriction affects brain development and cognition and whether GH therapy influences these processes. Full article

A theoretical model of learning is proposed which is grounded in the constitutive role of interpersonal relationships, integrating contributions from early developmental psychology and relational philosophy. Using a Theoretical Educational Inquiry approach, the study critically examines dominant competency-based and cognitivist models, identifying their inability to account for learning as a deep personal transformation. Drawing on authors such as Stern, Trevarthen, Hobson, Winnicott, and Kohut, it presents empirical evidence that the self and cognitive-affective capacities emerge within primary relational bonds. However, interpersonal relationships are not the environment where development occurs, but the end towards which it is oriented: if the relational bond is the point of departure, the interpersonal encounter is the telos shaping the whole process. The child’s engagement with inner and outer worlds is driven by the search for such encounter, irreducible to mere relational pleasantness, although this may indicate its realization. Philosophical perspectives from Polo, Levinas, Buber, Whitehead, Spaemann, and Marcel support the understanding of learning as a relational event of co-constitution. Learning implies cycles of crisis and reintegration. This approach shifts the focus from skill acquisition as an end to using it as a means for fostering meaningful interpersonal relationships, thereby reorienting education towards a dignity-centered paradigm. Full article

Background: General Movement Assessment is a strong early predictor of adverse neurodevelopmental outcomes but remains qualitative and examiner-dependent. Quantitative, video-based kinematic analysis may complement General Movement Assessment by providing objective, scalable metrics. Methods: In this pilot study, a computer–vision-based pipeline was used to extract trunk center-of-mass kinematics from video recordings of spontaneous General Movements in infants under three months corrected age during the Writhing and Fidgety stage. Two measures were derived: trunk quantity of motion and movement duration. Group differences were examined using t-tests and effect sizes, and associations with corrected age and sex were explored with correlation analyses. Results: Writhing Movements were substantially longer than Fidgety Movements, with a large effect size, whereas trunk quantity of motion did not differ meaningfully between movement types. Correlations between corrected age and both the quantity of motion and duration were small and imprecise. Sex did not moderate duration changes, but trunk motion showed a significant age–sex interaction effect. Conclusions: Video-based extraction of trunk kinematics is feasible in early infancy and reveals robust differences in GMs type duration between Writhing and Fidgety Movements. Larger longitudinal studies are needed to clarify the value of these measures as early quantitative markers of postural control and neuromotor development. Full article

Background/Objectives: Within Paediatric Palliative Care (PPC), motherhood in the context of severe cognitive impairment is shaped by unique emotional, relational, and identity-related challenges. Traditional understandings of maternal identity are strained when verbal communication and typical developmental milestones are absent. Although caregiving in PPC has been widely studied, the subjective and symbolic dimensions of motherhood in this setting have received far less attention. This study sought to explore how mothers construct, interpret, and make sense of their maternal identity while caring for a child with severe cognitive impairment in a PPC context, and to underscore the clinical relevance of these identity-related processes. Methods: A qualitative study was conducted involving nine mothers of children receiving paediatric palliative care services at a regional centre in Italy. Participants engaged in three online focus groups, totalling 270 min. Reflexive thematic analysis was employed to interpret the transcribed data, using ATLAS.ti software, version 25.0.1 ATLAS.ti Scientific Software Development GmbH, Berlin, Germany, for support. Member reflections were incorporated to validate the findings. Results: Three interconnected themes emerged from the reflexive thematic analysis. First, mothers described the development of a fusion-like, enmeshed mother–child relationship, characterised by embodied attunement, specialised interpretive expertise, and lifelong care dependency. Second, mothers detailed the construction of their maternal role, shaped by emotional labour, identity negotiation, sacrifice, loneliness, and peer support, alongside the construction of the child’s role, in which children were perceived as unique, symbolically meaningful beings whose social presence and limited reciprocity shaped maternal identity. Third, mothers articulated a search for meaning that sustained them throughout the caregiving journey, reframing their experience within a broader existential and relational perspective. Conclusions: Maternal caregiving in PPC encompasses distinct emotional, relational, and symbolic dimensions that extend beyond conventional understandings of motherhood. Grasping these identity-related dynamics has direct clinical relevance: it enables more attuned communication, strengthens the therapeutic alliance, and supports personalised, meaning-oriented care. These insights highlight the need for tailored interventions and further qualitative research to inform health care professionals and interdisciplinary practice. Full article

Microplastics (MPs) are considered to be dominant agents responsible for serious contamination in environmental and biological systems. Despite a huge increase in research on these contaminants, there are still considerable uncertainties and progress to be made on the exposure pathways of biological systems, modes of detection, and toxicity assessments. Therefore, developing a critical review of MPs is crucial due to growing evidence of their harmful effects on human health. In the current review, we aim to emphasize the potential toxic effects of MPs on different biological systems in humans, the mechanisms of their toxic effects, and gaps in our knowledge on risk assessment. Importantly, we focus on the risks posed by MPs for fetuses and child health. To ensure methodological rigor, the current review follows the PRISMA guidelines, explicitly detailing the literature search strategy and inclusion/exclusion criteria. The present review summarizes potential sources of MP generation, exposure pathways, quantitative analyses of dietary exposure, estimated daily intake, particle/leachate toxicity evidence, detection in different human organs, and potential toxic effects. MPs cause toxicity in several biological systems in humans, such as the gastrointestinal, nervous, hepatic, endocrine, respiratory, and reproductive systems. In addition, these particles are known to cause oxidative stress, alter metabolism, and affect gut microflora and gastrointestinal functions. Importantly, the current review also discusses the challenges encountered in conducting risk assessments for MPs and the approaches for counteracting these challenges. Finally, the review concludes by recommending future research directions in terms of counteracting the toxic effects of MPs on human health. Full article

Social–emotional development in early childhood lays the groundwork for school readiness, healthy relationships, and long-term well-being. Parents play a pivotal role in this process, shaping children’s emotional awareness, regulation, and social competence through everyday interactions. This literature review synthesizes evidence from 74 peer-reviewed studies to evaluate nine evidence-based parenting interventions targeting parents of preschool-aged children. The programs were analyzed with respect to their objectives, theoretical foundations, components, and the resulting outcomes for both parents and children. Across interventions, consistent benefits emerged in children, including improved emotion recognition, regulation, empathy, and prosocial behavior, as well as reductions in internalizing problems. Parents also gained in confidence and positive discipline practices. Key elements linked to effectiveness included active parent skill-building (such as modeling, role play, and guided practice), structured parent–child interactions, multi-component designs integrating home and school contexts, and flexible delivery formats that adapt to family needs. These findings underscore the critical role of parenting interventions as an evidence-based method to enhance preschoolers’ social–emotional development. Full article

Background/Objectives: The cognitive processes underlying learning are critical for educational practices. While mindfulness-based approaches to strengthening these cognitive processes have become widespread, studies focusing on game-based development of executive functions, particularly in preschool settings, are limited. The primary objective of this study is to develop a play-based mindfulness intervention program for preschool children and to examine the effects of this program on preschool children’s resilience, emotion regulation skills, and executive functions. Methods: The study employed a pretest–post-test control-group experimental design. The study group consisted of 40 children (20 experimental and 20 control) aged 5–6 years, attending a kindergarten in Malatya province, Türkiye. The Devereux Early Childhood Assessment Scale (DECA-P2), Emotion Regulation Scale (ERS), and Childhood Executive Functions Inventory (CHEXI) were used as data collection tools. Independent-samples t-tests were used for baseline analysis, and a two-way repeated-measures ANOVA was used to evaluate the program’s effects. Results: Findings showed that there was a statistically significant difference between the pre-test and post-test mean scores of the children in the experimental group compared with those in the control group for resilience, emotion regulation, and executive function (p < 0.05). Conclusions: Strong evidence was obtained that play-based mindfulness training has positive effects on the cognitive and emotional development of preschool children. Full article