Ways of Investigating Motivation for Learning in Schoolchildren

The tasks of universal education in our country and the cultivation of an active, comprehensively developed personality in the young people of communist society call for further studies of the possibilities of mobilizing the "human factor," the reserves of mental development, in schoolchildren. The new tasks confronting contemporary education (not just to increase pupils' knowledge quantitatively but also to teach them ways to acquire that knowledge independently [1]) and the practical problems of classroom instruction (overburdening of pupils in some subjects, diminished interest in school at certain periods, e.g., at the transition from primary to secondary school) necessitate psychological study of ways to stimulate the activity of schoolchildren and to cultivate in them an active, internalized interest in schoolwork.     

The Adaptive Potential of Adolescents in the North and Its Relation to Interhemispheric Functional Asymmetry

Sensorimotor asymmetry, physical development, annual increments in the body size, functional state and adaptive potential as expressed by circulatory indices, life index, and functional test results were evaluated in 142 healthy Nenets adolescents from a boarding school and 60 healthy Russian pupils. Dextral and sinistral phenotypes were represented unequally in the children of both groups; the former was more common among the Russians. The subjects' adaptive capacities depended on their sex and the predominance of particular signs of interhemispheric functional asymmetry.     

Prevalence of nonspecific low back pain in schoolchildren in north-eastern Slovenia

The aim of the study was to investigate the prevalence of the nonspecific low back pain (LBP) in a population of schoolchildren in Maribor, north-eastern Slovenia. 100 children from an elementary school (age 11-15 y) and 90 children from a secondary school (age 17-18 y) were included in the study and investigated with a structured Watson questionnaire to assess low back pain prevalence, symptom characteristics, psychosocial factors, demographic, and anthropometric items. The data was statistically analysed using the SPSS software. 43% of children from elementary schools and 44% of children from secondary schools experienced back pain which lasted more than one day. No correlations between LBP and anthropometric items were found. Schoolchildren spend approximately 2 hours for learning, 2-3 hours for watching TV and approximately 2 hours for playing or working with the computer. Among important reasons for LBP, 44% of children mentioned carrying a school bag, 28% sitting on school chairs, and 18% intensive sport activity. Clinical examination of cervical, thoracic, and lumbar spine has shown that 12% of primary children and 12% of secondary children have increased cervical lordosis and 15% of primary schoolchildren have increased lumbar lordosis. In 5% of schoolchildren we found mild spinal scoliotic changes. Among our schoolchildren sedentary behaviour and low physical activity dominate. LBP may have an impact on their daily life, therefore it is important to recognise and treat it as soon as possible.     

Frequency of ��-thalassemia trait and other hemoglobinopathies in northern and western India

INTRODUCTION:

India is an ethnically diverse country with an approximate population of 1.2 billion. The frequency of beta-thalassemia trait (βTT) has variously been reported from <1% to 17% and an average of 3.3%. Most of these studies have been carried out on small population groups and some have been based on hospital-based patients. There is also a variation in the prevalence of hemoglobinopathies in different regions and population groups in the country. A high frequency of Hb D has been reported from the North in the Punjabi population, Hb E in the eastern region of India and Hb S is mainly reported from populations of tribal origin from different parts of the country.

OBJECTIVES:

To study the gene frequency of βTT and other hemoglobinopathies in three regions East (Kolkata), West (Mumbai) and North (Delhi) in larghe population group (schoolchildren) for a more accurate assessment of gene frequency for planning of control programmes for haemoglobinopathies.

MATERIALS AND METHODS:

This study included 5408 children from 11 schools in Delhi, 5682 from 75 schools in Mumbai and 957 schoolchildren from Kolkata who were screened for βTT and haemoglobinopathies. These included 5684 children from 75 schools in Mumbai and 5408 children from 11 schools in Delhi. Children were 11-18 years of age of both sexes. The final report is, however, only on 11090 schoolchildren from Mumbai and Delhi as data from Kolkata was restricted both in numbers and objectives and could not be included for comparison.

RESULTS:

The overall gene frequency of βTT in Mumbai and Delhi was 4.05% being 2.68% and 5.47% in children of the two cities respectively. In Mumbai, the gene frequency was evenly distributed. Majority of the children with βTT from Mumbai were from Marathi (38.9%) and Gujarati (25%) speaking groups. Gene frequency was >5% in Bhatias, Khatris, Lohanas and Schedule Castes. In Delhi, a higher incidence was observed in schoolchildren of North and West Delhi (5.8-9.2%). The schoolchildren of North and West Delhi comprised predominantly of Punjabi origin compared to children in the South of the city (2.2%, 2.3%). When analyzed state-wise, the highest incidence was observed in children of Punjabi origin (7.6%) and was >4% from several other states. Majority of the traits from Mumbai were anemic (95.1% male and 85.6% in female). The prevalence of anemia was lower (62.7% male and 58.4% female) children with βTT from Delhi. This was a reflection of the higher prevalence of anemia in children without hemoglobinopathy in Mumbai than in Delhi. Nutritional deficiency was probably more severe and rampant in children Mumbai. Gene frequency of Hb D was greater in schoolchildren from Delhi (1.1%) than in Mumbai (0.7%). Hb S trait (0.2%) was observed exclusively in children from Mumbai. A low incidence of Hb E trait (0.04%) was seen in children in Mumbai. A higher incidence is reported from the East. The number of cases studied from the eastern region was small as the data from the East (Kolkata) could not be included in the analysis.

CONCLUSION:

This study comprises a larger number of children studied for the gene frequency of βTT and other hemoglobinopathies from India. Population groups with higher gene frequencies require screening programmes and facilities for antenatal diagnosis as well as increased awareness and educational programmes to control the birth of thalassemic homozygotes. The overall carrier frequency of βTT was 4.05% and reinforces the differential frequency of β-thalassemia trait in schoolchildren from Delhi and Mumbai and the higher incidence of hemoglobin D in Punjabis as reported previously. The birth incidence calculated thereof for homozygous thalassemics would be 11,316 per year which are added each year to the existing load of homozygous thalassemics. This is much higher than the previously reported number of births annually. Hence suitable control measures need to be undertaken urgently in India.     

Chromosome damage and cytotoxicity in oral mucosa cells after 2 months of exposure to anabolic steroids (decadurabolin and winstrol) in weight lifting

The aim of the present study was to evaluate DNA damage (micronucleus) and cellular death (pyknosis, karyolysis and karyorrhexis) in exfoliated buccal mucosa cells from anabolic steroid users after 2 months of exposure. Two experimental groups consisting of 15 adult males who practise weight lifting and are anabolic steroid users or 15 adult males who practise weight lifting, but are non-anabolic steroid users, were recruited. In addition, 20 sedentary males, who do not practise any physical activity regularly, were matched by age with experimental groups. No significant statistical differences (p > 0.05) were noticed in individuals who practise physical activity only. On the other hand, an increase of micronucleated cells (MNCs) in anabolic steroid (decadurabulin and Winstrol) users was observed. Regarding cytotoxic parameters, the same observation has occurred, that is, significant statistical differences (p < 0.05) were noticed in the group exposed to anabolic steroids when compared with other controls, as depicted by high frequencies of pyknosis, karyolysis and karyorrhexis. Taken together, our results suggest that genomic instability and cytotoxicity are induced by anabolic steroid administration in oral mucosa cells as assessed by the micronucleus test.     

Parathyroid Hormone (PTH)/PTH-related Peptide Type 1 Receptor (PPR) Signaling in Osteocytes Regulates Anabolic and Catabolic Skeletal Responses to PTH

Parathyroid hormone (PTH) is the only Food and Drug Administration-approved anabolic agent to treat osteoporosis; however, the cellular targets of PTH action in bone remain controversial. PTH modulates bone turnover by binding to the PTH/PTH-related peptide (PTHrP) type 1 receptor (PPR), a G-protein-coupled receptor highly expressed in bone and kidneys. Osteocytes, the most abundant cells in adult bone, also express PPR. However, the physiological relevance of PPR signaling in osteocytes remains to be elucidated. Toward this goal, we generated mice with PPR deletion in osteocytes (Ocy-PPRKO). Skeletal analysis of these mice revealed a significant increase in bone mineral density and trabecular and cortical bone parameters. Osteoblast activities were reduced in these animals, as demonstrated by decreased collagen type I α1 mRNA and receptor activator of NF-κB ligand (RANKL) expression. Importantly, when subjected to an anabolic or catabolic PTH regimen, Ocy-PPRKO animals demonstrated blunted skeletal responses. PTH failed to suppress SOST/Sclerostin or induce RANKL expression in Ocy-PPRKO animals compared with controls. In vitro, osteoclastogenesis was significantly impaired in Ocy-PPRKO upon PTH administration, indicating that osteocytes control osteoclast formation through a PPR-mediated mechanism. Taken together, these data indicate that PPR signaling in osteocytes is required for bone remodeling, and receptor signaling in osteocytes is needed for anabolic and catabolic skeletal responses.     

Intensity of the epidemic process of whooping cough under conditions of mass immunization over a period of many years

On the basis of analysis of whooping cough incidence in 1959 to 1975 in Moscow the authors present characteristics of the epidemic process under conditions of planned many-year immunization of children against this infection. Whooping cough morbidity proved to undergo significant changes-from sharp falls the first 8 years of immunization to a relative stabilization with a gradual reduction the last 5 years. Marked seasonal and periodic elevations persist against the background of reduction of morbidity. Preschool- and schoolchildren are equally involved in the epidemic process; the most frequently involved are nonvaccinated children aged 1 year and 4 to 10 years, which lost postvaccinal immunity. Further reduction of the severity of whooping cough and increase in the number of unimanifested forms of the infection was noted. This was apparently connected not only with immunization, but also with the reduction of the virulence of H. pertusis detected in studying the cultures isolated in Moscow from 1967 to 1974. The intensity indices of the epidemic process in whooping cough pointed to the necessity of using a more effective vaccine for the protection of children from whooping cough, despite the noted reduction of morbidity, and diminished severity of the course of the disease, and of the causative agent virulence.     

Antigenic anachronism of the influenza A(H2N2) viruses in Leningrad in 1980. I. The epidemiological and serological characteristics of the influenzal infection caused by A/Leningrad/80 (H2N2) viruses

In April-May 1980 a number of unrelated outbreaks of influenza-like diseases were registered in Leningrad in an infant home (50 out of 68 children under observation, aged 3 months to 2 years, were affected) and among the pupils of a boarding school (13 out of 50 adolescents under observation, aged 15-17 years, were affected). 5 strains of influenza A virus were isolated from 3 sick children and 1 clinically healthy child. A similar virus was isolated from a sick adolescent in a boarding school, as well as from a female patient aged 24 years at a domiciliary focus of infection (a sporadic case). In the subsequent laboratory investigation all these 7 strains were identified as viruses A/H2N2. Isolated cases of seroconversion to hemagglutinin H2 were definitely registered in 6 patients during February--May 1980. In 3 cases, including the 24-year old female patient with an acute respiratory disease, seroconversion to hemagglutinin H2 was observed in combination with the release of influenza viruses A/H2N2 from these patients. 2 influenza virus strains with this antigenic characteristic were isolated from a young female patient at an interval of 3 days. Among the patients admitted to the clinics of the Research Institute of Influenza in Leningrad on account of acute respiratory diseases isolated cases of diagnostically significant seroconversion to hemagglutinin H2 constituted 3.5% among children and 4.5% among adults. The study of the level of antihemagglutinins in the population revealed that in 1980 persons aged 18-50 years showed a high level of antihemagglutinins.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Distribution of individuals by spontaneous frequencies of lymphocytes with micronuclei. Particularity and consequences

By micronucleus (MN) assay with cytokinetic cytochalasin B block, the mean frequency of blood lymphocytes with MN has been determined in 76 Moscow inhabitants, 35 people from Obninsk and 122 from Chelyabinsk region. In contrast to the distribution of individuals on spontaneous frequency of cells with aberrations, which was shown to be binomial (Kusnetzov et al., 1980), the distribution of individuals on the spontaneous frequency of cells with MN in all three massif can be acknowledged as log-normal (chi2 test). Distribution of individuals in the joined massifs (Moscow and Obninsk inhabitants) and in the unique massif of all inspected with great reliability must be acknowledged as log-normal (0.70 and 0.86 correspondingly), but it cannot be regarded as Poisson, binomial or normal. Taking into account that log-normal distribution of children by spontaneous frequency of lymphocytes with MN has been observed by the inspection of 473 children from different kindergartens in Moscow we can make the conclusion that log-normal is regularity inherent in this type of damage of lymphocytes genome. On the contrary the distribution of individuals on induced by irradiation in vitro lymphocytes with MN frequency in most cases must be acknowledged as normal. This distribution character points out that damage appearance in the individual (genomic instability) in a single lymphocytes increases the probability of the damage appearance in another lymphocytes. We can propose that damaged stem cells lymphocyte progenitor's exchange by information with undamaged cells--the type of the bystander effect process. It can also be supposed that transmission of damage to daughter cells occurs in the time of stem cells division.     

A preliminary test of catabolic nutrients in explanation of the puzzling treelessness of grassland in mesic Australia

The puzzling exclusion of native trees from grassland under mesic climates can hypothetically be explained by nutritional regimes that make grasses competitively superior to trees. One hypothesis holds that where nutrient concentrations in soils allow catabolism to be as rapid as anabolism at the scale of the whole plant, photosynthates are respired instead of being allocated to stems, resulting in dominance of herbaceous over woody growth‐forms. This matching of catabolic and anabolic rates would depend on the ratios of catabolic to anabolic nutrient elements in soils at a particular site. We consequently investigated elemental concentrations of soils near boundaries between treeless grassland and eucalypt woodland in New South Wales, Australia. Soils were analysed for Be, Na, Mg, Al, Si, K, Ca, Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, As, Se, Sr, Mo, Cd, Ba and Pb. Based on our preliminary classification of nutrients as mainly catabolic (e.g. Cu) or mainly anabolic (e.g. Mn), the results showed that, relative to adjacent woodland, the soils under treeless grassland were naturally enriched in anabolic nutrients, but even more so in catabolic nutrients. Furthermore, the greater concentration of Mo – which can induce deficiency of the catabolic nutrient Cu – in soils under woodland than in soils under treeless grassland suggests that catabolic dystrophy allows eucalypt seedlings to prevail in competition with grasses. The results support the theory that where ratios of catabolic to anabolic nutrients are sufficient grasses will achieve competitive superiority over woody seedlings. Our study indicates that soil nutrient concentrations may partly explain the incidence of natural patches of treeless grassland in Australian landscapes otherwise dominated by woody plants.     

The school experiences of mixed-race white and black Caribbean children in England

This research aims to explore the school experiences of mixed white/ black Caribbean children in English schools. The overarching findings of this research confirm that although the mixed-race population as a whole is achieving above the national average, the mixed white/ black Caribbean group is consistently the lowest performing mixed-race group in the country. Views of pupils, their parents and teachers in two London secondary schools suggest various reasons why mixed white/ black Caribbean pupils might continue to be the lowest performing mixed group in the country. These included experiences of marginalization and invisibility in school life, the low expectations that teachers held about them, the lack of knowledge about how to support them at school and how all these issues were exacerbated by the friendship groups they mixed in. This research paper discusses these critical factors in detail and their implications for policy and further research.     

School screening for scoliosis: cohort study of clinical course.

A visual examination of 1764 Oxford schoolchildren for scoliosis was followed by low-dose radiography of the spine in those who showed evidence of asymmetric body topography; radiography was repeated a year later to assess progression. Forty-four children had curves of 10 degrees or more. Two had a congenital abnormality and the remaining 42 were classified according to the type of curve: sacral tilt (compensatory), spinal (idiopathic), or combined (sacral tilt and spinal). Progression occurred in 6 (14%) children, none of whom had only a sacral tilt. These results suggest that only by measuring sacral tilt can benign compensatory curves be differentiated from true idiopathic scoliosis.     

Measuring exposure to injury risk in schoolchildren aged 11-14.

OBJECTIVE--To apply a measure of exposure to injury risk for schoolchildren aged 11-14 across a population and to examine how risk factors vary with sex, age, and affluence. DESIGN--Self completion questionnaire survey administered in schools in May 1990. SETTING--24 schools in Newcastle upon Tyne. SUBJECTS--5334 pupils aged 11-14, of whom 4637 (87%) completed the questionnaire. RESULTS--Boys were exposed to greater risk than girls in journeys to places to play outdoors; they took longer trips and were more likely to ride bicycles (relative risk 5.30 (95% confidence interval 4.23 to 6.64)) and less likely to travel by public transport or car. Younger pupils (aged 11-12) were less exposed to traffic during journeys to and from school: their journeys were shorter, they were less likely to walk (trip to school, relative risk 0.88 (0.83 to 0.94)), and they were more likely to travel by car (trip to school, relative risk 1.33 (1.13 to 1.56)) or school bus (1.33 (1.10 to 1.62)). Poorer children were exposed to greater risk than affluent children (from families that owned a car and a telephone): they were less likely to travel to school by car (relative risk 0.26 (0.20 to 0.33)) or to be accompanied by an adult (0.39 (0.32 to 0.48)). CONCLUSION--Injury risk data can provide useful information on child injury prevention and can be used to identify priorities and target resources for injury prevention on a citywide scale or for an individual school.     

Risk of developing active tuberculosis following tuberculosis screening and preventive therapy for Tibetan refugee children and adolescents in India: An impact assessment

BackgroundTuberculosis (TB) rates among Tibetan refugee children and adolescents attending boarding schools in India are extremely high. We undertook a comprehensive case finding and TB preventive treatment (TPT) program in 7 schools in the Zero TB Kids project. We aimed to measure the TB infection and disease burden and investigate the risk of TB disease in children and adults who did and did not receive TPT in the schools.Methods and findingsA mobile team annually screened children and staff for TB at the 7 boarding schools in Himachal Pradesh, India, using symptom criteria, radiography, molecular diagnostics, and tuberculin skin tests. TB infection (TBI) was treated with short-course regimens of isoniazid and rifampin or rifampin. TB disease was treated according to Tibetan and Indian guidelines. Between April 2017 and December 2019, 6,582 schoolchildren (median age 14 [IQR 11–16] years) and 807 staff (median age 40 [IQR 33–48] years) were enrolled. Fifty-one percent of the students and 58% of the staff were females. Over 13,161 person-years of follow-up in schoolchildren (median follow-up 2.3 years) and 1,800 person-years of follow-up in staff (median follow-up 2.5 years), 69 TB episodes occurred in schoolchildren and 4 TB episodes occurred in staff, yielding annual incidence rates of 524/100,000 (95% CI 414–663/100,000) person-years and 256/100,000 (95% CI 96–683/100,000) person-years, respectively. Of 1,412 schoolchildren diagnosed with TBI, 1,192 received TPT. Schoolchildren who received TPT had 79% lower risk of TB disease (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR] 0.21; 95% CI 0.07–0.69; p = 0.010) compared to non-recipients, the primary study outcome. Protection was greater in recent contacts (aHR 0.07; 95% CI 0.01–0.42; p = 0.004), the secondary study outcome. The prevalence of recent contacts was 28% (1,843/6,582). Two different TPT regimens were used (3HR and 4R), and both were apparently effective. No staff receiving TPT developed TB. Overall, between 2017 and 2019, TB disease incidence decreased by 87%, from 837/100,000 (95% CI 604–1,129/100,000) person-years to 110/100,000 (95% CI 36–255/100,000) person-years (p < 0.001), and TBI prevalence decreased by 42% from 19% (95% CI 18%–20%) to 11% (95% CI 10%–12%) (p < 0.001). A limitation of our study is that TB incidence could be influenced by secular trends during the study period.ConclusionsIn this study, following implementation of a school-wide TB screening and preventive treatment program, we observed a significant reduction in the burden of TB disease and TBI in children and adolescents. The benefit of TPT was particularly marked for recent TB contacts. This initiative may serve as a model for TB detection and prevention in children and adolescents in other communities affected by TB.

Kunchok Dorjee and colleagues investigate infection and disease burden following mass tuberculosis preventive treatment for Tibetan refugee children at schools in India.     

A psychophysiological analysis of the efficiency of instructing schoolchildren]

Examination of 163 schoolboys in higher forms has revealed that strength of the nervous system and functional state of the CNS (functional level of the system, level of functional possibilities, arousal and reaction stability) do not differ in schoolchildren with various progress in learning. The school teaching efficiency correlated with parameters of strength of the nervous system only in excellent and good pupils, the functional state of the nervous system being of importance for their teaching, especially its such parameters as arousal, level of functional possibilities and reaction stability. In pupils with poor progress those correlations were absent.     

Hyperventilation Test-Related Changes of EEG in Children: Peculiarities Detected Using Periodometric Analysis

Computer periodometric analysis of EEG recorded from 169 healthy schoolchildren allowed us to calculate the quantitative indices characterizing the direction and intensity of dynamic changes in cerebral electrical activity induced by a hyperventilation test. Three main types of EEG reactions to hyperventilation observed in children of different age groups have been classified. The dependence of the frequency of types of EEG reactions of healthy children to the hyperventilation test on the age of the tested subjects and EEG type in the resting state was demonstrated.     

Physical Development and Condition of Psychophysiological Functions in Junior Schoolchildren

The authors studied the correlation between the physical development level and condition of psychophysiological functions in junior schoolchildren. They 104 examined pupils (53 girls and 51 boys) of the fourth form of a secondary school between the ages of nine and ten over the school year. To evaluate the children's physical development, the authors measured the subjects' anthropometric and functional indices. Their results show that the physical development level correlates with the condition of psychophysiological functions.     

Features of the power spectra of the main EEG rhythms in children with different types of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder

As a result of the examination of a group of 9- to 12-year-old children with the combined type of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), two variants of the clinical picture of ADHD were identified: the residual organic variant (ADHD RO) and the idiopathic variant (ADHD IP). The EEG power spectra in the main frequency ranges were studied with the eyes closed and open. The greatest intergroup differences in the power spectra were observed in the θ-band in the forntocentral and occipital derivations. In the frontocentral divisions of the cortex, the maximal values were observed in the group of ADHD RO children, whereas the highest spectral power values were observed in ADHD IP children in the occipital derivations. No statistically significant differences in the α-band spectral power between healthy subjects and ADHD schoolchildren from either group were obtained. Thus, the studies showed that these two ADHD variants have certain neurophysiological differences, which should be considered when therapeutic modalities are to be selected.     

Intra- and inter-population variability and evaluation of the physical development of a young generation

This study is concerned with long-term anthropometric examinations of children and adolescents aged 3-17 years in Moscow (over 10,500 persons, longitudinal and cross-sectional). Population variability of physical development was analyzed by means of regional estimation tables, which were developed on the basis of a regression analysis (scale of the regression of body mass to body length within a range from M - 1sigmaR to M + 2 sigmaR) and used for individual and group diagnostics taking into account age and sex. Such an approach allowed for the determination of the dynamics of the variability of Moscow schoolchildren from decade to decade (inter-population variability) and variations due to social differences (intra-population variability).     

Using changes in hydrostatic and osmotic pressure to manipulate metabolic function in chondrocytes

Articular cartilage has distinct histological depth zones. In each zone, chondrocytes are subject to different hydrostatic (HP) and osmotic pressure (OP) due to weight-bearing and joint-loading. Previous in vitro studies of regeneration and pathophysiology in cartilage have failed to consider the characteristics of histological heterogeneity and the effects of combinations of changes in HP and OP. Thus, we have constructed molecular, biochemical, and histological profiles of anabolic and catabolic molecules produced by chondrocytes from each depth zone isolated from bovine articular cartilage in response to changes in HP and OP. We cultured the chondrocytes with combinations of loading or off-loading of HP at 0-0.5 MPa, 0.5 Hz, and changes in OP of 300-450 mosM over 1 wk, and evaluated mRNA expression and immunohistology of both anabolic and catabolic molecules and amounts of accumulated sulfated glycosaminoglycan. Any changes in HP and OP upregulated mRNA of anabolic and catabolic molecules in surface-, middle-, and deep-zone cells, in descending order of magnitude. Off-loading HP maintained the anabolic and reduced the catabolic mRNA; high OP retained upregulation of catabolic mRNA. These molecular profiles were consistent with immunohistological and biochemical findings. Changes in HP and OP are essential for simulating chondrocyte physiology and useful for manipulating phenotypes.