Long-term outcomes of visual motor integration and motor development children with retinopathy of prematurity.

Premature infants have a risk of neurodevelopmental deficits. Little is known, however, about how retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) affects visual motor integration (VMI), which is necessary for both fine motor skills and further school abilities. Due to the systemic escape of bevacizumab in the treatment of ROP, concerns regarding the long-term neurodevelopmental effect of the drug have arisen. The aim is to evaluate VMI and motor development long-term outcomes after intravitreal bevacizumab (IVB) injection and laser treatment for ROP. Two groups of premature children were included: Bevacizumab group - 16 premature children who received IVB treatment and laser group - 23 premature children who underwent laser photocoagulation treatment in this single center cross-sectional study. At 2-6 years of age, VMI (Beery-Buktenica Developmental Test), motor development (Peabody Developmental Motor Scales-2), visual acuity, and refractive status were assessed. The incidence of abnormal visual function was significantly higher in bevacizumab group than in laser group (p = 0.022). The incidence of abnormal VMI skill was significantly higher in bevacizumab group than in laser group (p = 0.024). Incidences of abnormal gross, fine, and total motor skills were significantly higher in bevacizumab group compared to laser group (p < 0.05). Premature children who received bevacizumab for ROP demonstrated significantly lower VMI and motor development features than those with laser treatment at preschool age. Although our results suggest the relevance of bevacizumab injection in impaired VMI and motor development outcomes, general level of sickness rather than treatment might be the cause of delayed motor development.

Reliability and Validity of the Turkish Translation of the PedsQL™ 3.0 Neuromuscular Module for 2-to 4-Year-Olds in Spinal Muscular Atrophy.

BACKGROUND: The Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory™ (PedsQL™) Neuromuscular Module (PedsQL™ 3.0 NM) evaluates the health-related quality of life in children who are affected by neuromuscular diseases. This study's aim is to assess the adaptation of the PedsQL™ 3.0 NM Turkish version (PedsQL™ 3.0 NM-TR) for 2- to 4-year-olds in spinal muscular atrophy (SMA). METHODS: The procedure of translating the PedsQL™ 3.0 NM into Turkish was conducted in accordance with the translation methodology outlined by the PedsQL™ measurement model. The PedsQL™ 3.0 NM-TR was administered to 54 parents of children with SMA aged 2 to 4 years. The test-retest reliability and intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) were measured for reliability analysis. Cronbach's α coefficient and item score correlations were calculated for internal consistency. Concurrent construct validity was evaluated by Pearson correlations between the outcomes of the PedsQL™ 4.0 Generic Core Scale (PedsQL™ 4.0 GCS) and the PedsQL™ 3.0 NM. RESULTS: The PedsQL™ 3.0 NM-TR total score shows excellent reliability. The Cronbach's α values for the PedsQL™ 3.0 NM ranged between 0.871 and 0.906, while those for the PedsQL™ 4.0 GCS ranged between 0.843 and 0.897. Test-retest ICC values for the PedsQL™ 3.0 NM-TR ranged between 0.812 and 0.917, and for the PedsQL™ 4.0 GCS ranged between 0.773 and 0.899. The relationship between the PedsQL™ 3.0 NM-TR and the subscores of the PedsQL™ 4.0 GCS demonstrated a range of correlations from excellent to fair, indicating the interplay between two scales. CONCLUSION: This study established the PedsQL™ 3.0 NM-TR as reliable, valid, and feasible for use in children aged 2 to 4 years with SMA.

Physical literacy as a determinant of physical activity level among late adolescents.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to investigate the level of physical literacy among late adolescents according to the current physical activity level and to examine the relationship between current physical activity, barriers to engaging in physical activity, and enjoyment of physical activity and physical literacy. METHODS: A total of 568 university students (405 women) aged from 18 to 20 were involved in this study. The physical literacy, physical activity level, enjoyment from activity, and barriers to physical activity were assessed with the Perceived Physical Literacy Instrument (PPLI), the International Physical Activity Questionnaire-Short Form (IPAQ-SF), Physical Activity Enjoyment Scale (PACES), and the Physical Activity Barriers Questionnaire (PABQ), respectively. Multinomial and binary logistic regression analyses were employed to explore the association between physical literacy and physical activity level. RESULTS: Highly physically active adolescents had better scores on the PPLI, PACES, and PABQ than moderately active and inactive participants. The PPLI total score was significantly moderately correlated with PACES total, positive, and negative scores and the PABQ score. There were significant poor correlations between the IPAQ-MET value and the PPLI scores. Adjusted logistic regression analysis revealed the PPLI total score and the PACES positive sub-scale scores, and gender (men) were associated with being highly active relative to moderately active. CONCLUSIONS: The findings highlight the evidence that physical literacy, gender, and enjoyment from activity can be determinants of high or moderate physical activity levels. Therefore, improving physical literacy among late adolescence may be key to achieving increased physical activity level.

Quantification of the forearm muscles mechanical properties using Myotonometer: Intra- and Inter-Examiner reliability and its relation with hand grip strength.

The primary objective of this study was to investigate the reliability of the myotonometer in the mechanical properties of the forearm muscles [m. extensor carpi radialis brevis (ECRB), and m. flexor carpi ulnaris (FCU)] in healthy individuals. The secondary objective was to investigate the relationship between the handgrip strength and mechanical properties of these forearm muscles. The mechanical properties (muscle tone, stiffness, and elasticity) of the ECRB and FCU were measured using the MyotonPRO device. Examiner 1 performed two sets of measurements with a time interval of 30 min to determine intra-examiner reliability. Examiner 2 performed measurements during the interval between the two sets of examiner 1. The intra- and inter-examiner reliabilities were excellent (ICC˃0.82) for muscle tone, stiffness, and elasticity of the FCU. Both intra- and inter-examiner reliability in the evaluation of ECRB muscle tone, elasticity, and stiffness was moderate to excellent (ICCs = 0.56-0.98). The muscle tone and stiffness properties of the FCU were positively correlated with the handgrip strength (p <.05). The study findings indicate that the MyotonPRO device is a reliable tool to quantify ECRB, and FCU muscles mechanical properties in healthy individuals.

The relationship between segmental trunk control and gross motor performance in low birth weight born infants.

OBJECTIVE: Trunk control is associated with gross motor development. This study examines the relationship between segmental trunk control and gross motor performance in low birth weight (LBW) infants. METHODS: A total of 42 LBW infants and 43 normal birth weight (NBW) infants aged 3-9 months were sampled for this cross-sectional study. All infants were evaluated one time by the Segmental Assessment Trunk Control (SATCo) and the Alberta Infant Motor Scale (AIMS). RESULTS: Statistically high and significant correlations were found between gross motor performance and segmental trunk control in all sample populations (r = 0.835; p = .001). No statistically significant difference was found regarding the segmental trunk control between the groups (p = .119). The LBW infants with atypical motor development had poorer trunk control than the LBW infants with typical development (f = 5.480; p = .001). CONCLUSION: Our results show that LBW infants with atypical motor development had poorer trunk control than LBW infants with typical motor development. It was found that the segmental trunk controls of LBW infants were 0.398 times lower than in NBW infants.

Comparisons of Children with and without Type I Diabetes on Hand and Visual Motor Integration Skills and on Participation in Daily Activities.

Our aim in this study was to compare hand skills, visual-motor integration skills, and participation in daily living activities of children with and without Type 1 diabetes (T1DM). In this prospective cross-sectional study, we included 44 children with T1DM (17 males, 27 females; aged 8-12 years) and a control group of 45 healthy age-matched children without T1DM (22 males, 23 females). We compared group scores on the Jebsen-Taylor Hand Function Test (JTHFT), the Beery-Buktenica Developmental Visual Motor Integration Test (Beery VMI), and the Participation and Environment Measure - Children and Youth (PEM-CY). JTHFT and Beery VMI scores of children with T1DM were significantly lower than those of the control group (p ≤ 0.005). On the PEM-CY, children with T1DM were found to have more participation barriers in the community than controls. Relative deficits in hand skills and visual motor integration of children with T1DM should be managed with greater attention and assistance.