Calcium alginate accelerates elimination of environmental lead in preschool children

Environmental lead poses a serious threat for public health, particularly, for children. The use of substances with metal-binding properties, such as natural alginates, may be a potentially effective method for elimination of toxic metal ions from human body. In present study, effect of calcium alginate isolated from brown algae on distribution of the lead ions in preschool children was investigated. In the beginning of the study, lead concentration in urine, feces, and hair was determined. Then these children were administered a dietary supplement containing calcium alginate for four weeks. The results showed that all children participated in the study had a high baseline median lead level in urine (1.1 µg/L), feces (4.6 µg/g), and hair (5.0 µg/g). Administration of calcium alginate resulted in twofold increase of the urine lead level within two weeks from the start of the treatment. At the end of alginate administration, significant decrease of lead concentration in hair was registered. These results suggest that calcium alginate can potentially prevent accumulation of the lead ions in the body and may be used as an active agent for elimination of this toxic metal from human body.     

Parental awareness and perception for correct use of child restraint systems and airbags in Brazil

Objective: The objective of this study was to obtain information about the current knowledge and habits of parents who transport children in cars in Brazil.

Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted using specifically designed self-report questionnaires to parents of children attending a private pediatric office in a town in southwest Brazil. Data were collected regarding children's age, gender, height, and weight and possession of an automobile child restraint system (CRS), its type, frequency and adequacy of use, and reasons for not possessing or not using the devices. Parents were asked whether their cars were equipped with airbags and about the use of the restraints in seats with airbags.

Results: We interviewed parents of 293 children transported in cars who met the criteria for use of a CRS. Children were younger than 1 year in 15.3% of the cases, between 1 and 4 years in 38.6%, and older than 4 in 46.1%. Cars were equipped with CRS in 78.5% of the cases, but in only 58% of the cases was the device proper for child's age and adequately installed in the seat. Among owners of the devices, 84.3% reported that they always used it. Reasons for infrequency were forgetting the device at home or in another car (6.4%), the child disliking the device (3.2%), or the false impression that the child was grown enough not to use it (3.2%)l 87.1% did not justify why they did not always use the CRS. Considering type of CRS, correct installation of the seat, and frequency of use, only 44.4% of children under 1 year, 69.9% of those 1 to 4 years, and 52.6% over age 4 were protected. Only 28.6% of the parents knew that children should never be positioned in a seat with active airbags.

Conclusion: Considering appropriateness for age, correctness of installation (in the back seat in the correct orientation), and frequency of use, only 50.85% (149/293) of the children were reported as always protected with a CRS. Children between 1 and 4 years were more likely to always use a CRS in this Brazilian survey. We were also able to identify an important gap in the knowledge about airbags among parents. Further efforts are needed to correct those distortions.     

Factors associated with concussion symptom knowledge and attitudes towards concussion care-seeking among parents of children aged 5–10 years

Background: Understanding parents’ concussion-related knowledge and attitudes will contribute to the development of strategies that aim to improve concussion prevention and sport safety for elementary school children. This study investigated the association between parent- and child-related factors and concussion symptom knowledge and care-seeking attitudes among parents of elementary school children (aged 5–10 years). Methods: Four hundred parents of elementary school children completed an online questionnaire capturing parental and child characteristics; concussion symptom knowledge (25 items, range = 0–50; higher = better knowledge); and concussion care-seeking attitudes (five 7-point scale items, range = 5–35; higher = more positive attitudes). Multivariable ordinal logistic regression models identified predictors of higher score levels. Adjusted odds ratios (aOR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) excluding 1.00 were deemed statistically significant. Results: Select parent and child characteristics were associated with higher score levels for both outcomes. For example, odds of better knowledge level in parents were higher with increased age (10-year increase aOR = 1.59; 95% CI = 1.10–2.28), among females (aOR = 3.90; 95% CI = 2.27–6.70), and among white/non-Hispanics (aOR = 1.79; 95%CI = 1.07–2.99). Odds of more positive concussion care-seeking attitude levels were higher among parents with a college degree (aOR = 1.98; 95%CI = 1.09–3.60). Child sports participation was not associated with higher score levels for either outcome. Conclusions: Certain elementary school parent characteristics were associated with parents’ concussion symptom knowledge and care-seeking attitudes. While the findings suggest providing parents with culturally and demographically relevant concussion education might be helpful, they also emphasize the importance of ensuring education/prevention regardless of their children’s sports participation. Practical Applications: Pediatric healthcare providers and elementary schools offer an optimal community-centered location to reach parents with this information within various communities.     

Discrimination and bias in the vegan ideal

The vegan ideal is entailed by arguments for ethical veganism based on traditional moral theory (rights and/or utilitarianism) extended to animals. The most ideal lifestyle would abjure the use of animals or their products for food since animals suffer and have rights not to be killed. The ideal is discriminatory because the arguments presuppose a male physiological norm that gives a privileged position to adult, middle-class males living in industrialized countries. Women, children, the aged, and others have substantially different nutritional requirements and would bear a greater burden on vegetarian and vegan diets with respect to health and economic risks, than do these males. The poor and many persons in Third World nations live in circumstances that make the obligatory adoption of such diets, where they are not already a matter of sheer necessity, even more risky.Traditional moral theorists (such as Evelyn Pluhar and Gary Varner whose essays appear in this issue) argue that those who are at risk would beexcused from a duty to attain the virtue associated with ethical vegan lifestyles. The routine excuse of nearly everyone in the world besides adult, middle-class males in industrialized countries suggests bias in the perspective from which traditional arguments for animal rights and (utilitarian) animal welfare are formulated.     

台湾儿童血清全氟化合物与血脂关联的性别差异研究

目的:全氟辛烷磺酸(PFOS)和全氟辛酸(PFOA)是广泛应用于工业和生活领域的全氟化合物,在人体及环境介质中均可检出。近几年的流行病学研究表明儿童PFOS和PFOA的暴露水平与血脂水平具有相关性。本研究拟进一步研究血清全氟化合物水平与儿童血脂间关联的性别差异。方法:以台湾儿童为研究对象,分析血清中总胆固醇(TC)、高密度脂蛋白(HDL)、低密度脂蛋白(LDL)、甘油三脂(TG)等生化指标与PFOS和PFOA血清水平的相关性。结果:线性回归模型分析表明男生血清PFOS、PFOA水平与血脂水平具有显著相关性。当男生血清中ln-PFOS和ln-PFOA水平每增加1 ng·m L~(-1)时,TC含量分别增高0.51 mg·d L~(-1)(95%CI:0.30~0.72)和6.53 mg·d L~(-1)(95%CI:1.96~11.11),但在女生中则没有观察到血清PFOS和PFOA水平与TC的相关性。趋势分析结果显示,随着儿童血清中PFOS和PFOA水平的增加,男生和女生血脂的TC、LDL和TG含量呈增高趋势。结论:台湾儿童血清PFOS和PFOA水平与血脂水平存在正相关,且在男生中观察到的效应强于女生。     

应用时间-活动模式估计儿童个体NOx暴露水平

将时间-活动模式与微环境空气污染物监测相结合估计儿童个体NO_x暴露水平. 分别在北京和青岛两市各选择3所学校监测校园环境污染物,并在每个学校选择10名儿童监测其家庭居室空气中ρ(NO_x)及个体24 h NO_x暴露水平,同时收集其时间-活动信息,采用时间-活动模式估计儿童的个体暴露水平. 交通工具中的NO_x暴露水平可通过校门口空气中ρ(NO_x)和交通工具的污染水平系数(λ)估计.结果表明:利用时间-活动模式模拟的儿童个体24 h NO_x暴露水平为0.041 mg/m3,与调整后的个体暴露实测水平相关性较好(R0.785,P<0.01),差值为(-0.002　6±0.013　0) mg/m3,二者的差异无统计学意义 (t0.139,P>0.05).表明采用时间-活动模式与微环境空气质量监测结果相结合方法估计的儿童NO_x暴露水平与个体实际暴露水平一致.      

少儿旅游市场的新特点及开发策略

少年儿童利用假日旅游逐渐成为一种时尚的课外活动．与以往的旅游活动相比,新时期少儿旅游在组织机构、活动内容、旅游动机、信息传递等方面表现出新的特点．开发少儿旅游市场应根据其特点,从政府、企业、家庭以及少年儿童等方面采取措施,促进少年儿童旅游市场的健康发展．参14．     

Beliefs about the environment: moving from the egocentric towards the ecocentric perspective

Our behaviour towards the environment depends on our beliefs about the environment. Beliefs, however, are a subject of change, particularly during important life transitions such as the transition to adolescence, because this is a period when an individual develops the ability of complex and abstract reasoning. Understanding this transition is therefore crucial for understanding and predicting the attitudes and courses of action in terms of sustainable development later in life. Due to many methodological constraints, the number of empirical studies examining these issues is very limited; the current study aimed to collect empirical data to explore the origins of our beliefs about the environment-related issues. We devised a picture association test and used it to compare children’s and adolescents’ beliefs about our environment in the context of the means of transportation. A large sample of 2264 participants aged 6–18 years took part in the study. The data supported the claim that children’s beliefs about environment share egocentric properties. The findings represent an important puzzle into the whole picture of children’s thinking and offer us great insight into the origins of beliefs about environment-related questions in adults. Educational implications are addressed.     

Gender and drought: experiences of Australian women in the drought of the 1990s

A unique collaborative, sociological study undertaken during 1995-7, explored the social construction of drought as a disaster, looking at farm families in two Australian states: Queensland (beef producers) and New South Wales (sheep/wheat producers). A decision was made to interview the women and men separately to test our hypothesis that there would be gender issues in any analysis of a disaster, but particularly one which has had so much long-term impact on individuals, families and communities, such as drought. Interviews were conducted with over 100 individuals male and female. We conclude that drought as a disaster is a gendered experience. The paper draws on the narratives of some women involved in the study to identify 'themes of difference' which confirm the necessity to maintain gender as a variable in all studies of the social impacts of disaster.     

围产期二英暴露对学龄前儿童类固醇激素的影响

为揭示围产期二噁英(PCDD/DFs)暴露对学龄前儿童类固醇激素水平的影响.采用液相色谱-质谱联用法(LC-MS/MS)及高分辨气相色谱法/高分辨质谱联用法(HRGC/HRMS)分析二噁英污染地区5岁儿童(n=37)及非污染地区5岁儿童(n=44)血清中8种类固醇激素水平及母乳中17种二噁英同系物浓度.结果显示污染地区男孩血清中睾酮、双氢睾酮、脱氢表雄酮的水平明显低于非污染地区(p0.05).污染地区女孩血清中睾酮、双氢睾酮、脱氢表雄酮、17α-羟孕酮、孕酮的水平明显低于非污染地区(p0.05).上述类固醇激素与部分二噁英同系物浓度存在显著性负相关.以上结果表明围产期二■英暴露导致学龄前儿童类固醇激素水平降低.