Phonological awareness and mathematical difficulty: A longitudinal perspective

The present longitudinal study sought to investigate the impact of poor phonology on children’s mathematical status. From a screening sample of 256 five-year-olds, 82 children were identified as either typically achieving (TA; N = 31), having comorbid poor phonology and mathematical difficulties (PDMD; N =31), or having only poor phonology (phonological difficulty, PD; N = 20). Children were assessed on eight components of informal and formal mathematics achievement at ages 5–7 years. PD children were found to have significant impairments in some, mainly formal, components of mathematics by age 7 compared to TA children. Analysis also revealed that, by age 7, approximately half of the PD children met the criteria for PDMD, while the remainder exhibited less severe deficits in some components of formal mathematics. Children’s mathematical performance at age 5, however, did not predict which PD children were more likely to become PDMD at age 7, nor did they differ in terms of phonological awareness at age 5. However, those PD children who later became PDMD had lower scores on verbal and non-verbal tests of general ability.

Using survey data to explore preschool children’s ethnic awareness and attitudes

This article presents the findings of a large-scale survey (n = 1049) of ethnic awareness and attitudes among three to four-year-old children in Northern Ireland. In drawing upon and applying Bourdieu’s notion of habitus, the article demonstrates how, even at this age, the children are already beginning to embody and internalize the cultural habits and dispositions of their respective ethnic groups; namely the Protestant and Catholic communities. This is illustrated in the present article in relation to the children’s attitudes towards particular national flags and awareness of specific sports associated with their respective communities. Informed by the work of Bourdieu, the article concludes by arguing for the need for greater use of quantitative methods in conjunction with in-depth qualitative and ethnographic research to help further our understanding of the influence of ethnicity in young children’s lives.

Effect of pioglitazone on endothelial function in impaired glucose tolerance

Aim: Flow-mediated dilation (FMD) is a surrogate marker of endothelial function, which has been proposed as a barometer of vascular health. Impaired microvascular response to reactive hyperaemia is thought to be the mechanism behind reduced shear stress and subsequently impaired FMD, which has been associated with cardiovascular events. This study aims to assess the effect of pioglitazone on the vasculature of patients with impaired glucose tolerance (IGT).

Materials and Methods: Forty IGT patients with no cardiovascular disease were compared with 24 healthy age- and sex-matched controls. Endothelial function was assessed using FMD of the brachial artery. Adiponectin (ADN) levels were measured and insulin sensitivity was calculated using homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR). A randomised double-blind placebo-controlled trial of the IGT subjects was then performed, with subjects receiving either pioglitazone 30 mg od or matched placebo for 12 weeks before the measurements were repeated.

Results: The IGT subjects had a significantly impaired FMD compared with the controls (p < 0.001). Diastolic shear stress (DSS) was also significantly reduced in IGT (p = 0.04). High molecular weight (HMW) ADN was significantly lower in the IGT group than in controls (p = 0.03). On analysis of the IGT group after 12 weeks treatment, FMD was significantly increased in the pioglitazone group compared with placebo (p = 0.03) as was endothelium-independent dilation (EID) (p = 0.03). A significant increase in total ADN (p < 0.001), HMW ADN (p < 0.001) and HMW/total ratio (p = 0.001) occurred in the pioglitazone group compared with placebo.

Conclusions: Pioglitazone improved endothelial function in IGT. Treatment with pioglitazone may reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease in this patient group.

Impaired Immune Tolerance to Porphyromonas gingivalis Lipopolysaccharide Promotes Neutrophil Migration and Decreased Apoptosis.

Periodontitis, a chronic inflammatory disease of the tissues supporting the teeth, is characterized by an exaggerated host immune and inflammatory response to periopathogenic bacteria. Toll-like receptor activation, cytokine network induction, and accumulation of neutrophils at the site of inflammation are important in the host defense against infection. At the same time, induction of immune tolerance and the clearance of neutrophils from the site of infection are essential in the control of the immune response, resolution of inflammation, and prevention of tissue destruction. Using a human monocytic cell line, we demonstrate that Porphyromonas gingivalis lipopolysaccharide (LPS), which is a major etiological factor in periodontal disease, induces only partial immune tolerance, with continued high production of interleukin-8 (IL-8) but diminished secretion of tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-) after repeated challenge. This cytokine response has functional consequences for other immune cells involved in the response to infection. Primary human neutrophils incubated with P. gingivalis LPS-treated naïve monocyte supernatant displayed a high migration index and increased apoptosis. In contrast, neutrophils treated with P. gingivalis LPS-tolerized monocyte supernatant showed a high migration index but significantly decreased apoptosis. Overall, these findings suggest that induction of an imbalanced immune tolerance in monocytes by P. gingivalis LPS, which favors continued secretion of IL-8 but decreased TNF- production, may be associated with enhanced migration of neutrophils to the site of infection but also with decreased apoptosis and may play a role in the chronic inflammatory state seen in periodontal disease.