Background Sub-Saharan Africa, particularly pastoralist communities, experiences high levels of household food insecurity. Household food insecurity adversely affects both short- and long-term health and nutritional outcomes of mothers and their children. However, despite a growing body of research, evidence on food insecurity in Ethiopia remains limited among pastoralist populations. Therefore, this study assessed the prevalence and associated factors of household food insecurity among lactating mothers in pastoralist communities of Jigjiga town, Somali Region, Eastern Ethiopia, from 20 July to 03 September 2024. Methods A community based cross sectional study was conducted among 458 randomly selected households with lactating mothers. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire through face to face interviews. Household food insecurity was measured using the Household Food Insecurity Access Scale (HFIAS). Data were analyzed using SPSS version 26. Binary logistic regression analysis was performed to identify factors associated with household food insecurity. All relevant statistical assumptions were tested. A p value of < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. The strength of associations was reported using adjusted odds ratios (AORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Results Of the 439 lactating mothers, 305 (69.4%; 95% CI 65.8–74.9) households were food insecure. The mean HFIAS score was 20.82 (SD = 4.0). Poor (AOR = 2.63; 95% CI 1.68–4.12) and medium (AOR = 2.07; 95% CI 1.27–3.39) household wealth index, consumption of fewer than three meals per day (AOR = 1.63; 95% CI 1.21–3.75), and poor dietary diversity (AOR = 1.81; 95% CI 1.22–2.68) were associated with higher odds of household food insecurity. In contrast, maternal age of 25–34 years (AOR = 0.25; 95% CI 0.13–0.50) and attainment of secondary education (AOR = 0.41; 95% CI 0.19–0.89) or college level and above education (AOR = 0.29; 95% CI 0.14–0.60) were associated with lower odds of household food insecurity. Conclusion Nearly two-third of households with lactating mothers experienced food insecurity. Maternal age, educational attainment, household wealth status, meal frequency, and dietary diversity were key predictors. Targeted multisectoral interventions aimed at improving maternal education, household economic status, and dietary diversity may help reduce household food insecurity in Ethiopia’s pastoralist settings Furthermore, integration of food security screening into the existing maternal and child health service may be important to early diagnostic and take action.
Kadra Ahmed Omar, Hayimanot Mezmur, Berhe Gebremichael et al.
Background Smartphone addiction is closely associated with adolescents’ mental health and educational outcomes. Current research lacks comprehensive machine learning studies for predicting smartphone addiction factors, and studies examining relationships between various factors including mediation effects are also insufficient. Methods A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 3,405 adolescents in China (1,853 boys, 54.4%; 1,552 girls, 45.6%; mean age = 14.50 years, SD = 1.18). Eight machine learning algorithms (Linear Regression, Ridge Regression, Random Forest, XGBoost, LightGBM, CatBoost, Support Vector Regression, Bayesian Ridge Regression) were employed with SHAP analysis for interpretability. Predictive variables included demographic characteristics, social support, experiential avoidance, self-efficacy, and emotional symptoms. Baron and Kenny’s method was used for mediation effect analysis. Results Linear models demonstrated optimal performance (R 2 = 0.478, RMSE = 8.66). SHAP analysis identified experiential avoidance as the strongest predictor (SHAP value = 5.472), followed by depressive symptoms (1.723), BMI category (1.438), age (1.394), and anxiety symptoms (1.337). Mediation analysis revealed that social support’s negative association with smartphone addiction (total effect = −0.231) was almost indirect (−0.252), with experiential avoidance mediating the majority of the total effect. The final model explained 49.4% of variance in smartphone addiction. Conclusion Experiential avoidance is a strong correlate of adolescent smartphone addiction and plays a mediating role in the association between social support and smartphone addiction. This finding is consistent with the “reality deficit-virtual compensation” theoretical framework. Additionally, depressive symptoms, BMI category, age, and anxiety symptoms were also independently associated with smartphone addiction.
Background: A first unprovoked seizure is a common neurological presentation in childhood, and the electroencephalogram (EEG) is recommended as a key investigation in its evaluation.Data on the EEG profile of such children from Eastern India and its relationship with early seizure recurrence remain limited.This study aimed to evaluate the seizure semiology and EEG findings in neurologically normal children presenting with a first unprovoked seizure and to determine their association with recurrence within three months.Methods: This single-centre, prospective, observational study enrolled 176 neurologically and developmentally normal children aged 1-18 years presenting with a first unprovoked seizure to a tertiary care hospital in Kolkata between May 2022 and April 2023.All children underwent EEG within 24 hours of the seizure and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the brain.Participants were followed up for three months to detect seizure recurrence.Associations were tested using the chi-square test, with p<0.05 considered significant.Results: The mean age was 6.8 (±4.9) years with a male preponderance (60.2%;M:F 1.4:1).Generalized seizures occurred in 61.4% and focal seizures in 38.6% of children.An abnormal EEG was found in 58.0%, of which 79.4% showed epileptiform discharges.Among the 160 children (90.9%) who completed follow-up, seizure recurred in 45.0%.Recurrence was significantly higher in children with an abnormal EEG (58.5% vs 25.8%; p<0.001) and with focal seizure semiology (54.8% vs 38.8%; p=0.047).Conclusion: An abnormal EEG was present in more than half of children after a first unprovoked seizure and was the strongest predictor of early recurrence.EEG, particularly when combining awake and sleep recordings, is a valuable tool for risk stratification in this population.
Abstract Early adolescence is a common period of onset for depressive symptoms. In part, this may reflect a developmental expression of individuals’ genetic propensities as they undergo physiological and hormonal changes and interact with new environments. Many commonly proposed mechanisms assume direct effects of an individual’s own genes on emerging variation in their depressive symptomatology. However, estimates of genetic influence based on analyses in unrelated individuals capture not only direct genetic effects but also genetic effects from parents and other biologically related family members. In data from the Norwegian Mother, Father and Child Cohort (MoBa), we used linear mixed models to distinguish developmentally-stable and adolescence-specific direct and parental indirect genetic effects. In within-family models, we examined effects of polygenic scores for major depressive disorder (MDD), ADHD, anxiety disorders, and educational attainment (EA) on depressive symptoms measured at ages 8 and 14. Children’s own MDD polygenic scores showed adolescence-specific effects on depressive symptoms (β PGS*wave =0.041, [95% CI: 0.017, 0.065]). Developmentally-stable direct effects from children’s polygenic scores for MDD (β = 0.016, [0.006, 0.039]), ADHD (β = 0.024, [0.008, 0.041]) and EA (β=-0.02, [ -0.038, -0.002]) were also evident. The only evidence of indirect genetic effects was a stable effect of maternal EA polygenic scores (β = 0.04, [0.024, 0.054]). Direct genetic effects linked to genetic liability to MDD accounted for emerging variation in depressive symptoms in adolescence. These results imply that specific etiological mechanisms related to MDD may become particularly relevant for depressive symptoms during early adolescence compared to at earlier ages.
Meseret Mamo Bazezew, Bernt Damian Glaser, Laura Hegemann et al.
Objective To describe pulmonary involvement in childhood-onset primary Sjögren’s syndrome (cSS). Methods This retrospective study included 17 children with cSS diagnosed at Jiangxi Provincial Children’s Hospital between August 2021 and August 2025. Patients were classified by baseline chest high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT)as normal CT (n=8) or abnormal CT (n=9); among patients with abnormal CT, 5 had interstitial lung involvement. Clinical, laboratory, radiological, and outcome data were compared. Results Among 17 children, 14 were female (82.4%), and the mean age at onset was 10.83 ± 3.12 years. Abnormal chest CT findings were detected in 9 patients (52.9%). Age at onset was younger in the abnormal CT group than in the normal CT group (9.37 ± 2.67 vs. 12.48 ± 2.88 years, P = 0.036), and was lowest in the interstitial lung involvement subgroup (8.30 ± 2.51 years, P = 0.022). This subgroup had higher total T and CD4+ T lymphocyte proportions and a lower B lymphocyte proportion P = 0.026, 0.027, and 0.023, respectively. Pleural thickening was the most common CT abnormality (77.8%), followed by ground-glass opacities and nodules >3 mm (33.3% each). Among the 5 patients with interstitial lung involvement, 3 met radiological criteria for ILD, comprising 2 with organizing pneumonia and 1 with nonspecific interstitial pneumonia. During follow-up, 3 of 7 patients with longitudinal imaging achieved complete radiological normalization, 2 improved, and 2 remained stable. Conclusion Pulmonary abnormalities were common in children with cSS. Younger onset and aberrant T/B lymphocyte subsets showed exploratory associations with pulmonary involvement, which appeared mainly inflammatory and demonstrated favorable radiological evolution during follow-up.
Abstract Tang Sanzang, a central figure in the Chinese classic Journey to the West , has experienced significant reinterpretation and psychological projection throughout various historical periods. This article offers a critical analysis of the evolution of Tang Sanzang’s character, tracing his transformation from the revered “sacred monk” of traditional literature to the more subversive “darkened” incarnation prevalent in contemporary digital culture. By situating this transformation within current discussions on youth identity, psychological projection, and cultural hybridity, the study employs a Jungian analytical framework to explore the archetypal meanings and aspects of the collective unconscious reflected in these changing representations. The findings suggest that the reimagining of Tang Sanzang mirrors the complex psychological negotiations of identity, authority, and internal conflict faced by Chinese youth amid rapid social change. Moreover, these evolving portrayals highlight the ways in which younger generations creatively engage with and reinterpret tradition against a backdrop of increasing Sino‐Western cultural interaction. Through an examination of the cultural and psychological dynamics at play in the construction of Tang Sanzang’s image, this paper contributes to broader theoretical debates in cultural psychology and offers new empirical perspectives on the interplay between individuality and collectivity, tradition and modernity, and Eastern and Western influences in the formation of contemporary youth subjectivities.
Background This study aimed to explore young people's knowledge and attitudes around illicit drug use, its prevention, and the barriers and facilitators to accessing support, with the aim of informing the development of preventative interventions that resonate with young people and address their specific needs and concerns. By drawing on these insights, interventions can be tailored to be more engaging, relevant and impactful for young people. Methods A qualitative approach was used to analyse data collected from focus groups and interviews with young people ( N = 97) in the United Kingdom, living in areas of socioeconomic disadvantage. Questions focused on the knowledge of young people around substances, the sort of substance use prevention education, or interventions, they would see as beneficial, and the obstacles and facilitators to accessing support for issues around substance use. Findings The findings suggest that prevention strategies which are likely to appeal to young people should provide non-stigmatizing, harm-reduction approaches to prevention education, which are provided as early as possible. Interventions should provide the skills to enable autonomous decision making, consider including parents/families in education and include trusted sources of support such as those with experience and knowledge of substance use. Conclusions This study informs the development of preventative interventions for young people by providing insight around the knowledge and views of young people in the United Kingdom. It highlights the importance of taking a multifaceted approach to prevention that considers individual, social, and systemic factors.
Abstract Background Outcome measurement in paediatric rheumatology extends beyond inflammatory disease activity to assess fatigue, pain, physical function, psychosocial well-being, and quality of life. Despite the available multiple assessment instruments, their clinical use remains inconsistent across health professions and care settings, limiting comparability. This exploratory international survey aimed to describe current outcome measurement practices among Health Professionals (HPs) working in paediatric rheumatology, identify commonly used and prioritised measures, and explore implementation challenges. It was conducted as part of the Core Outcome Measures work in Paediatric Rheumatology, Shaped by Health Professionals (ComPaS-HP) Initiative. Methods An anonymous international online survey was circulated to the Pediatric Rheumatology European Society (PReS) HPs community, existing paediatric rheumatology HP contacts, HP WhatsApp groups, and congress-related communication channels. HPs working with children and adolescents with rheumatic diseases reported upon current outcome measurement practices, perceived priorities, and implementation challenges. The survey was intended as an exploratory, practice-informed consultation rather than as a representative international survey. Results The survey was completed by 47 respondents from 12 countries across Europe and North America. Respondents were mainly physiotherapists ( n = 31, 66%) and nurses ( n = 11, 23.4%), with psychology, physiology, dietetics, occupational therapy, and epidemiology each represented by one respondent. Across domains, respondents favoured brief, familiar, and clinically practical tools. In routine practice, the strongest preferences were observed for pain scales, the Childhood Health Assessment Questionnaire / Multidimensional Childhood Health Assessment Questionnaire (CHAQ/MD-CHAQ), active joint count, morning stiffness duration, and school participation indicators. The 11-point Numeric Rating Scale was reported as used always or often by 66.0% of respondents, CHAQ/MD-CHAQ by 61.7%, active joint count by 55.3%, and school attendance/participation records by 55.3%. The most frequently reported barriers were time constraints (72.3%) and patient burden (46.8%), whereas the strongest facilitators were short and child-friendly tools (76.6%) and clear guidance or standardised protocols (51.1%). Conclusions These exploratory findings suggest a pragmatic, layered approach to outcome measurement in paediatric rheumatology. Rather than proposing a core set, this exploratory phase identifies practice-informed priorities and implementation-relevant signals that may inform future, more representative consensus-building work within the ComPaS-HP Initiative.
Background The use of electroencephalography (EEG) in automated screening of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) has created a large body of literature that suggests promising outcomes, with reported classification accuracies often above 90%. A major methodological issue suggests that a substantial part of these results are actually due to data leakage, whereby EEG epochs pertaining to the same subject end up in both training and testing sets, allowing classifiers to capitalize on features specific to the individual rather than on genuine disorder-related biomarkers. Methods We assessed the performance of three classical machine learning algorithms, namely, Logistic Regression (LR), Random Forest (RF), and Support Vector Machine (SVM), as well as three deep learning models: Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM), Convolutional Neural Network (CNN), and CNN-BiLSTM, on a standard pediatric EEG dataset containing 121 children and 4,173 epochs. The performance of each model was compared in terms of both segment-wise cross-validation (Protocol A) and subject-wise cross-validation (without any data leakage, Protocol B).To evaluate neurotopographic plausibility without making unsupported causal assertions, we applied Deep SHapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP) to the best-generalizing architecture. Results The performance discrepancy was substantial. Under segment-wise evaluation, the SVM operating on power spectral density (PSD) features reached 90.0% accuracy (95% CI: [89.1%, 90.9%], AUC = 0.96). However, the same model dropped to 65.6% (95% CI: [62.1%, 69.1%], AUC = 0.72) under subject-wise evaluation—a statistically significant 24.4 percentage point collapse ( p < 0.001, Wilcoxon signed-rank). In contrast, deep architectures learning directly from raw EEG were resilient: the stand-alone CNN lost only 2.5 percentage points, achieving 72.7% accuracy (95% CI: [66.0%, 79.4%], AUC = 0.72, recall = 88.0%) on completely unseen participants. Post-hoc SHAP attribution identified the highest relative contributions in frontal (F3, Fz, F4) and central (Cz) electrodes, aligning with established ADHD neurophysiology. Conclusion Hand-engineered spectral features are highly vulnerable to identity leakage, whereas end-to-end convolutional models generalize across subjects with realistic, uninflated performance. Strict subject-wise validation is strongly recommended as standard practice for translational EEG research.
OBJECTIVE: Parents of children with mental health problems often experience judgment about their parenting. Such stigma is associated with lower parental well-being and greater child symptom severity. Theory-driven descriptions of and interventions for parental stigma are limited. The authors aimed to investigate how parents experience and cope with stigma via the What Matters Most framework. METHODS: Interviews were conducted with 24 parents (50% women, mean±SD age=39.8±8.6 years) of children ages 6-17 with depression (N=9), attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (N=7), or substance use problems (N=8). Interviews explored what parents view as central to being respected as a "good parent," how a child's mental health problems threaten these qualities and shape stigma toward parents, and how parents cope with stigma and restore a positive moral identity. RESULTS: Parents reported being respected for support, open communication, boundaries, role modeling, and their child's well-being. When children have mental health problems, stigma reflects perceived parental failure to meet ideals, leading to emotional distress and self-doubt. With support from peers and clinicians, parents found new ways to fulfill or redefine these ideals, reducing self-stigma. CONCLUSIONS: Parental stigma centers on threats to identity as good parents. Mental health services can mitigate stigma by helping parents reinterpret and reasonably fulfill parenting ideals.
