Mothers' parental divorce experience in childhood and their children's mental health: Mediating role of maternal education.

BACKGROUND: Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) of mothers have been shown to be associated with children's mental health and behavior problems. It is important to identify effective intervention points to prevent negative consequences among children. This study aimed to investigate whether mothers' education is protective against children's depressive symptoms in families with mothers who experienced parental divorce in childhood. METHODS: Data from a cross-sectional study of 5th and 8th grade children and their caregivers in a prefecture in Japan were used. Final analytic sample consisted of 9666 child-caregiver pairs. Mediation analyses using inverse odds weighting were performed where the exposure was maternal experience of parental divorce in childhood, outcome was child depressive symptoms, and potential mediators were maternal education beyond high school, maternal mental health, and household income. RESULTS: Maternal experience of parental divorce was associated with an elevated risk of child depressive symptoms (risk ratio: 1.22, 95 % confidence interval (CI): 1.07-1.39). Mediation analyses indicated that the combination of maternal education, maternal depression and household income mediated about half of the total effect. In the model where maternal education was the sole mediator, maternal education mediated nearly half of the total effect (risk ratio: 1.10, 95 % CI: 1.01-1.20). LIMITATIONS: Results should be cautiously interpreted given observational and cross-sectional nature of the data. CONCLUSIONS: Maternal education beyond high school may be protective against negative mental health consequences among children due to mothers' experience of parental divorce. Further studies are needed regarding potential mechanisms and the roles of other potential mediators.

Spatially Resolving Electron Spin Resonance of π-Radical in Single-molecule Magnet.

The spintronic properties of magnetic molecules have attracted significant scientific attention. Special emphasis has been placed on the qubit for quantum information processing. The single-molecule magnet bis(phthalocyaninato (Pc)) Tb(III) (TbPc2) is one of the best examined cases in which the delocalized π-radical electron spin of the Pc ligand plays the key role in reading and intermediating the localized Tb spin qubits. We utilized the electron spin resonance (ESR) technique implemented on a scanning tunneling microscope (STM) and use it to measure local the ESR of a single TbPc2 molecule decoupled from the Cu(100) substrate by a two-monolayer NaCl film to identify the π-radical spin. We detected the ESR signal at the ligand positions under the resonance condition expected for an S = 1/2 spin. The results reveal that the π-radical electron is delocalized within the ligands and exhibits intramolecular coupling susceptible to the chemical environment.

Ultrasound-aided ipsilateral-dominant epidural block for total hip arthroplasty: a randomised controlled single-blind study.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Lumbar epidural anaesthesia usually affects both legs. The aim was to compare the success rates of ultrasound-aided vs. classical midline epidural catheter insertion for ipsilateral-dominant blocks and analgesia in patients undergoing total hip arthroplasty. METHODS: The protocol was designed as a prospective randomised single-blind study. In the ultrasound group (n = 12), ultrasound examination was performed to determine the puncture point and direction for ipsilateral-dominant block. In the midline group (n = 12), epidural puncture was performed by the usual midline approach. Rates of successful ipsilateral-dominant block using 6 ml of lidocaine 1.5% wt vol⁻¹ (primary outcome) and effects of patient-controlled epidural analgesia using ropivacaine 0.2% wt vol⁻¹ (secondary outcomes) were evaluated. RESULTS: The rates of successful ipsilateral-dominant block were 83% in the ultrasound group and 17% in the midline group (P = 0.004). Sensory and motor functions on the non-operated side in the ultrasound group were significantly better maintained than those on the operated side and compared with those on the non-operated side in the midline group (P < 0.05). Pain scores at mobilisation, incidence of post-operative nausea and vomiting and frequency of use of supplemental analgesics were significantly lower in the ultrasound group than in the midline group (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: The use of ultrasound significantly improves the success rate of ipsilateral epidural block compared with the standard midline approach.