Psychotic incidents scare kids
Children who suffer from frequent nightmares or bouts of night terrors may be at an increased risk of psychotic experiences in adolescence, according to new research from the University of Warwick. The study, published in the journal Sleep, shows that children reporting frequent nightmares before the age of 12 were three and a half times more likely to suffer from psychotic experiences in early adolescence. Similarly, experiencing night terrors doubled the risk of such problems, including hallucinations, interrupted thoughts or delusions. Younger children, between two and nine years old, who had persistent nightmares reported by parents had up to one and a half times increased risk of developing psychotic experiences.
Passive smoking leads to miscarriage
Passive smoking is linked with pregnancy loss, including miscarriage, stillbirth and tubal ectopic pregnancy, according to new research from scientists at Roswell Park Cancer Institute (RPCI) and the University at Buffalo (UB). The study findings, published online by the journal Tobacco Control, mark a significant step towards clarifying the risks of secondhand smoke exposure. “This study demonstrated that pregnancy outcomes can be correlated with secondhand smoking. Significantly, women who have never smoked but were exposed to secondhand smoke were at greater risk for fetal loss,” says the study's lead investigator, Andrew Hyland, PhD, Chair of RPCI's Department of Health Behavior. There was previously some evidence that smoking during pregnancy was associated with the three outcomes of fetal loss — spontaneous abortion or miscarriage, stillbirth and tubal ectopic pregnancy.
Pointing is a baby’s first gesture
Catalan researchers have studied the acquisition and development of language in babies on the basis of the temporary coordination of gestures and speech. The results are the first in showing how and when they acquire the pattern of coordination between the two elements which allows them to communicate very early on. A new study carried out by two researchers from the Pompeu Fabra University of Barcelona analyses the temporary coordination between gestures and speech in babies during the very early stages of language development, from the babbling period until the production of their first words. “There are now more and more investigations that show that the study of language and human communication can not be carried out only with an analysis of speech,” Núria Esteve Gibert, one of the authors, explained to SINC.
Your ipod isolates you
A recent study published in the journal leisure Studies, iPod use and the perception of social introversion by Benjamin R. Garner (University of Kansas), discusses the effects that iPod use has on society and social interaction. Garner conducted a study with 105 college students at a small university in the south of North America. His study focused on how the participants view iPod users, with a hypothesis that they would perceive them as less likely to engage in social interaction. He also wanted to determine whether the views of the participants varied depending on their own personality types; would the more extroverted participants be more likely to view iPod users as less social than the introverted participantsIJ The study found that these expectations and perceptions did not vary between introverted or extroverted personality types, but his main hypothesis regarding perception of iPod users as less social was proven.
Pollution linked with obesity
A link has been found between a type of pollutant and certain metabolic complications of obesity. The breakthrough could eventually help improve the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of cardiometabolic risk associated with obesity, such as diabetes, hypertension and cardiovascular disease. Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) are human-made chemicals used in agricultural, industrial and manufacturing processes. Due to their toxicity, POPs have been internationally regulated to ensure public health. But because they have the ability to resist environmental degradation, POPs can still be found all around the world. In this research, POPs have been found to accelerate the development of prediabetes and obesity in mice, thereby mimicking the unfavourable cardiometabolic profile characteristic of certain obese individuals.