This study aimed to describe equine transportation practices and transport-related behavioural and health problems in Switzerland and to identify possible associations between them. An online survey was disseminated to Swiss equine industry members and questioned respondents\' details, transport practices (before, during, and after journeys), horse transport-related behavioural (TRPBs) and health problems (TRHPs) experienced in the previous 2 years. The survey generated 441 valid responses, analysed using descriptive statistics and logistic regression models (outcomes: TRPBs, TRHPs, injuries, diarrhea). Respondents were mainly women (79,5 %), younger than 50 years (75 %), and amateurs (80 %). Most of the respondents transported one or two horses (88,7 %), for a short (< 2 hours) journey (75,5 %). Pre-transport practices were performed by 72,1 % of respondents and horses\' fitness for travel was assessed in the majority of cases (66,5 %). During the journey, horses were tethered (92,6 %) and monitored (52,7 %). The majority of respondents (74,9 %) assessed also the horses\' fitness after travel. TRPBs were reported by 13,4 % of respondents. TRPBs\' likelihood increased when the respondents were women, performed pre-transport practices and training for transport, did not assess drinking behaviour and general health before journey, and the horses experienced also TRHPs. TRHPs were reported by 34 % of the respondents and were associated with younger respondents, use of trucks, doing pre-transport practices, wearing protections, not monitoring horses during transport and preexisting TRPBs. Among TRHPs the most frequent were injuries (72,1 %) and diarrhea (41 %). The likelihood of injuries increased with younger respondents, use of trucks, wearing protections, lack of monitoring during transport and TRPBs. While younger respondents, longer journeys, wearing protections, lack of monitoring during transport, measuring rectal temperature after journeys and TRPBs increased the odds of reporting diarrhea. Even though our findings must be interpreted with caution due to survey limitations, considering that the found associations do not always mean causation, they highlight the strengths and weaknesses of transport practices in Switzerland and report evidence to implement current regulations on the protection of horse welfare during transport.
Ziel dieser Studie war es, die Praktiken von Pferdetransporten sowie transportbedingte Verhaltens- und Gesundheitsprobleme bei Pferden in der Schweiz zu beschreiben und mögliche Zusammenhänge zu identifizieren. Eine Online-Umfrage wurde an Mitglieder der Schweizer Pferdeindustrie versendet, um Einzelheiten, Transportpraktiken (vor, während und nach der Fahrt), Verhaltensstörungen im Zusammenhang mit dem Pferdetransport (TRPBs) und Gesundheitsproblemen (TRHPs), die sie in den letzten zwei Jahren erlebt hatten, abzufragen. Die Umfrage wurde von 441 Personen beantwortet. Die Daten wurden mithilfe deskriptiver Statistiken und logistischer Regressionsmodellen analysiert (Ergebnisse: TRPBs, TRHPs, Verletzungen, Durchfall). Die Befragten waren hauptsächlich Frauen (79,5 %), jünger als 50 Jahre (75 %) und Privathalter (80 %). Die meisten Befragten transportierten ein oder zwei Pferde (88,7 %), für eine kurze Fahrt (< 2 Stunden) (75,5 %). Vor dem Transport übten 72,1 % der Befragten mit den Pferden und in der Mehrzahl der Fälle (66,5 %) wurde die Reisetauglichkeit der Pferde beurteilt. Während der Fahrt wurden die Pferde angebunden (92,6 %) und überwacht (52,7 %). Die Mehrheit der Befragten (74,9 %) bewertete auch die Fitness der Pferde nach der Reise. TRPBs wurden von 13,4 % der Befragten gemeldet. Die Wahrscheinlichkeit von TRPBs stieg, wenn es sich bei den Befragten um Frauen handelte, die vor dem Transport Übungen und Schulungen für den Transport durchführten, das Trinkverhalten und den allgemeinen Gesundheitszustand vor der Reise nicht beurteilten und bei den Pferden ebenfalls TRHPs auftraten. TRHPs wurden von 34 % der Befragten gemeldet und standen im Zusammenhang mit jüngeren Befragten, der Nutzung von Lastkraftwagen, der Durchführung von Praktiken vor dem Transport, dem Tragen von Schutzvorrichtungen, der Nichtüberwachung von Pferden während des Transports und bereits bestehenden TRPBs. Unter den TRHPs waren Verletzungen (72,1 %) und Durchfall (41 %) am häufigsten. Die Wahrscheinlichkeit von Verletzungen stieg bei jüngeren Befragten, der Nutzung von Lastkraftwagen, dem Tragen von Schutzvorrichtungen, mangelnder Überwachung während des Transports und TRPBs. Das Auftreten von Durchfall erhöhte sich bei jüngeren Befragten, längeren Fahrten, mit dem Tragen von Schutzausrüstung, mangelnder Überwachung während des Transports, der Messung der Rektaltemperatur nach der Fahrt und TRPBs. Obwohl unsere Ergebnisse aufgrund der Einschränkungen der Umfrage mit Vorsicht interpretiert werden müssen und die gefundenen Zusammenhänge nicht immer auf einen Kausalzusammenhang schliessen lassen, verdeutlichen sie die Stärken und Schwächen der Transportpraktiken in der Schweiz und liefern Belege für die Umsetzung der geltenden Vorschriften zum Schutz des Wohlergehens von Pferden auf Transporten.
Cette étude a pour but de décrire les pratiques de transport de chevaux et les problèmes de comportement et de santé liés à ces transports en Suisse et d’identifier les associations possibles entre ces deux éléments. Une enquête en ligne a été diffusée auprès des membres de la filière équine suisse et a permis de recueillir les coordonnées des répondants, les pratiques de transport (avant, pendant et après les trajets), les problèmes de comportement (TRPB) et de santé liés (TRHP) au transport des chevaux rencontrés au cours des deux années précédentes. L’enquête a généré 441 réponses valides, analysées à l’aide de statistiques descriptives et de modèles de régression logistique (résultats: TRPB, TRHP, blessures, diarrhée). Les répondants étaient principalement des femmes (79,5 %), âgées de moins de 50 ans (75 %) et amateurs (80 %). La plupart des personnes interrogées ont transporté un ou deux chevaux (88,7 %), pour un trajet court (< 2 heures) (75,5 %). Des mesures préalables au transport ont été prises par 72,1 % des répondants et l’aptitude des chevaux au voyage a été évaluée dans la majorité des cas (66,5 %). Pendant le voyage, les chevaux étaient attachés (92,6 %) et surveillés (52,7 %). La majorité des répondants (74,9 %) ont également évalué l’état des chevaux après le voyage. Des cas de TRPB ont été signalés par 13,4 % des répondants. La probabilité de TRPB augmente lorsque les personnes interrogées sont des femmes, qu’elles ont pris des mesures préalables au transport et ont entraîné le transport, qu’elles n’ont pas évalué le comportement d’abreuvement et l’état de santé général avant le voyage et que les chevaux ont souffert de TRHP. Les TRHP ont été signalées par 34 % des personnes interrogées et ont été associées à des personnes plus jeunes, à l’utilisation de camions, aux mesures préalables au transport, au port de protections, à l’absence de surveillance des chevaux pendant le transport et à des TRPB préexistantes. Parmi les TRHP, les plus fréquentes étaient les blessures (72,1 %) et la diarrhée (41 %). La probabilité de blessures augmente avec la jeunesse des répondants, l’utilisation de camions, le port de protections, l’absence de surveillance pendant le transport et la présence de TRPB. En revanche, les répondants plus jeunes, les trajets plus longs, le port de protections, l’absence de contrôle pendant le transport, la mesure de la température rectale après les trajets et les TRPB augmentent la probabilité de déclarer une diarrhée. Même si nos résultats doivent être interprétés avec prudence en raison des limites de l’enquête, considérant que les associations trouvées ne signifient pas toujours une causalité, ils soulignent les forces et les faiblesses des pratiques de transport en Suisse et rapportent des preuves pour mettre en œuvre les réglementations actuelles sur la protection du bien-être des chevaux pendant le transport.
Lo scopo di questo studio era di descrivere le pratiche di trasporto dei cavalli e le problematiche comportamentali e di salute ad esse correlate in Svizzera, nonché di identificare le possibili associazioni tra esse. Un sondaggio online è stato inviato ai membri del settore equino svizzero con lo scopo di raccogliere dettagli, pratiche di trasporto (prima, durante e dopo i viaggi), problemi comportamentali dovuti al trasporto (TRPB) e problemi di salute legati al trasporto (TRHP) riscontrati nei due anni precedenti. Il sondaggio ha generato 441 risposte valide, analizzate mediante statistiche descrittive e modelli di regressione logistica (variabili: TRPB, TRHP, lesioni, diarrea). I partecipanti al sondaggio erano maggiormente donne (79,5 %), un’età inferiore ai 50 anni (75 %) e detentori privati (80 %). La maggior parte dei partecipanti ha trasportato uno o due cavalli (88,7 %) per un viaggio breve (.

BACKGROUND: When cross-sucking persists beyond calf-hood, it represents an important problem in dairy heifers and cows. It can cause teat injuries and severe mastitis and lead to significant economic losses. The «SuckStop Müller,» a novel anti-sucking device, is designed to give the calf a negative feedback when cross-sucking on a conspecific. The aim of this study was to assess whether wearing a SuckStop would result in behavioral changes other than cross-sucking and thus, impair welfare in the short- and longer-term. Sixteen group-housed calves were observed in groups of four on five days, before and after fitting the SuckStop: day -2, day -1, day 0, day 1, and day 9. Maintenance behaviors (e.g., feeding, drinking, lying) were recorded using instantaneous scan sampling. In addition, the frequency of contact behaviors (e.g., exploring the feeding fence, touching own body) was recorded by means of continuous focal animal observations. Contact behaviors were classified as «impaired» or «normal» depending on whether or not the calf flinched in response to the contact. Finally, the number of visits to the milk and concentrate feeders was extracted from the computer-controlled feeding system. Fitting a SuckStop resulted in a higher proportion of observations spent lying and less exploration behavior on day 0 and day 1 than on day -2, day -1, and day 9. On day 0 and day 1, 6,3 % of exploration behaviors were classified as impaired, compared to 0,4 % (day -2, day -1) before and 0,2 % (day 9) after fitting the SuckStop. On day 9, all calves had superficial ulcerations on the nasal septum. In four calves, these ulcerations were moderately severe, whereas all other calves had slight ulcerations. In summary, the calves habituated quickly to this novel anti-sucking device. Follow-up studies are necessary to assess the long-term relevance of tissue alterations in the nasal septum for calf welfare as well as the effect of the SuckStop on cross-sucking behavior.
BACKGROUND: Wenn das gegenseitige Besaugen über das Kalbsalter hinaus anhält, stellt es ein wichtiges Problem bei Rindern und Milchkühen dar. Es kann Zitzenverletzungensowie schwere Mastitiden verursachen und zu erheblichen wirtschaftlichen Verlusten führen. Der «SuckStop Müller», ein neuartiger Saugschutzring, soll dem Kalb beim Besaugen von Artgenossen ein negatives Feedback geben. Das Ziel dieser Studie war es zu beurteilen, ob das Tragen eines SuckStops zu Verhaltensänderungen führt und somit das Wohlbefinden kurz- und längerfristig beeinträchtigen kann. Sechzehn in Gruppen gehaltene Kälber wurden in Vierergruppen an fünf Tagen vor und nach dem Einsetzen des SuckStop beobachtet: Tag –2, Tag –1, Tag 0, Tag 1 und Tag 9. Allgemeinverhalten (z. B. Fressen, Trinken, Liegen) wurden mit Instantaneous Scan Sampling aufgezeichnet. Zusätzlich wurde das Kontaktverhalten (z.B. Erkunden des Fressgitters, Berühren des eigenen Körpers) durch kontinuierliche Fokustierbeobachtungen erfasst. Das Kontaktverhalten wurde als «beeinträchtigt» oder «normal» eingestuft, je nachdem, ob das Kalb als Reaktion auf den Kontakt zusammenzuckte oder nicht. Schliesslich wurde die Anzahl der Besuche der Milch- und Kraftfutterautomaten aus dem computergesteuerten Fütterungssystem erhoben. Das Einsetzen eines SuckStop führte an Tag 0 und Tag 1 zu einem höheren Anteil an Liege- und reduziertem Erkundungsverhalten gegenüber Tag –2, Tag –1 und Tag 9 An Tag 0 und Tag 1 wurde 6,3 % des Erkundungsverhalten als beeinträchtigt berurteilt, verglichen mit 0,4 % (Tag –2, Tag –1) vor und 0,2 % (Tag 9) nach dem Einsetzen des SuckStop. Am Tag 9 hatten alle Kälber oberflächliche Ulzerationen an der Nasenscheidewand. Bei vier Kälbern waren diese Ulzerationen mittelschwer, während alle anderen Kälber leichte Ulzerationen aufwiesen. Zusammenfassend zeigte die Studie, dass sich die Kälber schnell an den neuartiger Saugschutzring gewöhnt haben. Folgestudien sind notwendig, um die Relevanz der Gewebeveränderungen an der Nasenscheidewand für das Kälberwohl sowie die Wirkung des SuckStop auf das gegenseitige Besaugen zu beurteilen.
BACKGROUND: Lorsque la succion croisée persiste au-delà de l\'âge de veau, elle représente un problème important chez les génisses et les vaches laitières. Elle peut provoquer des blessures aux trayons et des mastites graves et entraîner ainsi des pertes économiques importantes. Le «SuckStop Müller», un nouveau dispositif anti-succion, est conçu pour donner au veau un feedback négatif lorsqu\'il suce un congénère. L\'objectif de cette étude était de déterminer si le port d\'un SuckStop pouvait entraîner des changements de comportement autres que la succion croisée et, par conséquent, nuire au bien-être à court et à long terme. Seize veaux logés en groupe ont été observés par groupes de quatre pendant cinq jours, avant et après la pose du SuckStop: jour –2, jour –1, jour 0, jour 1 et jour 9. Les comportements d’entretien (par exemple se nourrir, boire, se coucher) ont été enregistrés à l\'aide d\'un échantillonnage par balayage instantané. En outre, la fréquence des comportements de contact (par exemple, explorer le râtelier, toucher son propre corps) a été enregistrée au moyen d\'observations continues de chaque animal. Les comportements de contact ont été classés comme «altérés» ou «normaux» selon que le veau a tressailli ou non en réponse au contact. Enfin, le nombre de visites aux distributeurs de lait et de concentré a été extrait du système d\'alimentation contrôlé par ordinateur. L\'installation d\'un SuckStop a entraîné une proportion plus élevée d\'observations de comportements couchés et moins de comportements d\'exploration le jour 0 et le jour 1 que le jour –2, le jour –1 et le jour 9. Le jour 0 et le jour 1, 6,3 % des comportements d\'exploration ont été classés comme déficients, contre 0,4 % (jour –2, jour –1) avant et 0,2 % (jour 9) après la pose du SuckStop. Au jour 9, tous les veaux présentaient des ulcérations superficielles sur la cloison nasale. Chez quatre veaux, ces ulcérations étaient modérément graves, tandis que tous les autres veaux présentaient de légères ulcérations. En résumé, les veaux se sont rapidement habitués à ce nouveau dispositif anti-suceur. Des études de suivi sont nécessaires pour évaluer la pertinence à long terme des altérations tissulaires de la cloison nasale pour le bien-être des veaux ainsi que l\'effet du SuckStop sur le comportement de succion croisée.
BACKGROUND: Quando la suzione reciproca continua oltre lo svezzamento, questa diventa un problema importante per i bovini e le vacche da latte. Essa può causare lesioni ai capezzoli, gravi mastiti e portare a significative perdite economiche. Il «SuckStop Müller», un nuovo dispositivo anti-succhio, è progettato per fornire un feedback negativo al vitello quando succhia dei conspecifici. Lo scopo di questo studio era di valutare se l’applicazione di un SuckStop possa indurre a dei cambiamenti comportamentali diversi dalla suzione dei conspecifici e quindi influenzare il benessere a breve e lungo termine. Sedici vitelli tenuti in gruppo sono stati osservati in gruppi di quattro per cinque giorni prima e dopo l\'applicazione del SuckStop: giorno –2, giorno –1, giorno 0, giorno 1 e giorno 9. I comportamenti di mantenimento (ad esempio mangiare, bere, sdraiarsi) sono stati registrati utilizzando il campionamento a scansione istantanea. Inoltre, la frequenza dei comportamenti di contatto (ad es. esplorare la griglia di alimentazione, toccare il proprio corpo) è stata registrata tramite osservazioni continue degli animali di riferimento. Il comportamento di contatto è stato classificato come «compromesso» o «normale» a seconda che il vitello si sia mosso o meno in risposta al contatto. Infine, il numero di visite alle mangiatoie del latte e al concentrato è stato ricavato dal sistema di alimentazione computerizzato. L\'applicazione di un SuckStop ha portato a una maggiore proporzione di inattività e meno comportamenti di esplorazione il giorno 0 e il giorno 1 rispetto al giorno –2, il giorno –1 e il giorno 9. Il giorno 0 e il giorno 1, il 6,3 % dei comportamenti di esplorazione sono stati classificati come compromessi, rispetto allo 0,4 % (giorno –2, giorno –1) prima e allo 0,2 % (giorno 9) dopo l’applicazione del SuckStop. Il giorno 9, tutti i vitelli avevano ulcerazioni superficiali del setto nasale. In quattro vitelli, queste ulcerazioni erano moderatamente gravi, mentre tutti gli altri vitelli avevano ulcerazioni leggere. In sintesi, i vitelli si sono abituati rapidamente a questo nuovo dispositivo anti-succhio. Ma sono necessari ulteriori studi per valutare la rilevanza a lungo termine delle alterazioni dei tessuti nel setto nasale per il benessere dei vitelli, nonché l\'effetto del SuckStop sul comportamento di suzione reciproca.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the association between intra-ventricular hemorrhage and habituation responses to external stimuli in preterm infants at 36-38 weeks post-conceptual age.
METHODS: Cross-sectional study of infants with gestational age <32 weeks. Intra-ventricular hemorrhage was identified by cranial ultrasonography and classified according to Papile et al. (1978). The luminous (flashlight), sound (rattle, bell), and tactile stimuli were presented, and the responses were scored according to Lester and Tronik (2004). Habituation response scores were compared between groups by Student\'s t-test. The association between IVH and habituation scores was evaluated by linear regression adjusted for GA, clinical severity score, post-conceptual age at habituation assessment, sepsis, and bronchopulmonary dysplasia.
RESULTS: Sixty-five infants were studied, 20 with intra-ventricular hemorrhage (16 grades I/II; four grades III/IV) and 45 without intra-ventricular hemorrhage. Infants with intra-ventricular hemorrhage had lower gestational age (28.2±2.2 vs. 29.7±1.7 weeks) and birth weight (990±305 vs. 1275±360g). Infants with intra-ventricular hemorrhage at 36-38 weeks post-conceptual age had lower habituation scores to light (4.21±2.23 vs. 6.09±2.44), rattle (3.84±2.12 vs. 6.18±2.27), and bell (3.58±1.74 vs. 5.20±2.47) after controlling for confounders. No differences were found for tactile stimulus.
CONCLUSIONS: Infants with gestational age <32 weeks and intra-ventricular hemorrhage had poorer habituation responses to external stimuli than those without intra-ventricular hemorrhage at 36-38 weeks post-conceptual age.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the behavior of preterm newborns and full-term newborns using the Newborn Behavioral Observation and to evaluate the mothers\' experience when participating in this observation.
METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study performed at a referral hospital for high-risk births, involving mothers and neonates before hospital discharge. The mothers answered the sociodemographic questionnaire, participated in the Newborn Behavioral Observation session, and evaluated the experience by answering the parents\' questionnaire at the end. The characteristics of the preterm newborn and full-term newborn groups and the autonomic, motor, organization of states, and responsiveness scores were compared. Linear regression was performed to test the association of the characteristics of mothers and neonates with the scores in the autonomic, motor, organization of states, and responsiveness domains.
RESULTS: The Newborn Behavioral Observation was performed with 170 newborns (eight twins and 77% preterm newborns). Approximately 15% of the mothers were adolescents and had nine years of schooling, on average. The groups differed regarding weight for gestational age, age at observation, APGAR score, feeding, and primiparity. The linear regression adjusted for these variables showed that only prematurity remained associated with differences in the scores of the motor (p=0.002) and responsiveness (p=0.02) domains. No statistical difference was observed between the groups in the score attributed to one\'s own knowledge prior to the session (p=0.10). After the session, these means increased in both groups. This increase was significantly higher in the preterm newborn group (p=0.02).
CONCLUSIONS: The Newborn Behavioral Observation increased the mothers\' knowledge about the behavior of their children, especially in mothers of preterm newborns, and identified differences in the behavior of preterm newborns and full-term newborns regarding the motor and responsiveness domains.

OBJECTIVE: To identify the risk factors related to the association between social anxiety disorder and alcohol use in adolescents.
METHODS: The PICO research strategy was used to perform a systematic review in Medline, LILACS, Pubmed, IBECS and Cochrane Library databases. DeCS/MeSH: Phobic Disorders, Adolescent, Behavior, Ethanol, Risk Factors, and the Boolean operator \"AND\" were used. Inclusion criteria were: cross-sectional, prospective/retrospective cohort, and case-control studies, carried out in adolescents (10-19 years), original articles on social anxiety disorder and alcohol use published between 2010 and 2015. Studies that did not report the terms \"anxiety disorder\" and \"alcohol use\" in the title and abstract were excluded.
UNASSIGNED: 409 articles were retrieved; after the exclusion of 277 repeated articles, the following were eligible: 94 in MEDLINE, 68 in Pubmed, 12 in IBCS, and three in LILACS. Titles and abstracts were independently read by two examiners, which resulted in the selection of eight articles for the analysis. Risk factors associated to the two disorders were female gender, age, peer approval and affective problems for alcohol use, confrontation situations and/or compliance reasons, frequency of alcohol use, and secondary comorbidities, such as depression and generalized anxiety.
CONCLUSIONS: It is necessary to assess the period of social anxiety disorders first symptom onset, as well as the risks for alcohol use in order to establish corrective intervention guidelines, especially for socially anxious students.

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the available evidence regarding the efficacy of using therapeutic play on behavior and anxiety in children undergoing invasive procedures.
METHODS: The systematic review search was performed in the MEDLINE, LILACS, CENTRAL and CINAHL databases. There was no limitation on the year or language.
UNASSIGNED: The literature search found 1892 articles and selected 22 for full reading. Eight articles were excluded, as they did not address the objectives assessed in this review. Twelve studies, representing 14 articles, were included. The studies were conducted between 1983 and 2015, five in Brazil, one in the United States, five in China, one in Lebanon, one in Taiwan, and one in Iran. Most studies showed that intervention with therapeutic play promotes reduction in the level of anxiety and promotes collaborative behavior and acceptance of the invasive procedure.
CONCLUSIONS: Evidence related to the use of therapeutic play on anxiety and behavior of children undergoing invasive procedures is still questionable. The absence, in most studies, of the creation of a random sequence to assign the subjects to either the control or the experimental group, as well as allocation concealment, are factors that contribute to these questions. Another issue that characterizes an important source of bias is the absence of blinded evaluators. It is necessary to perform further studies that will take into account greater methodological stringency.

OBJECTIVE: Verify the prevalence and sociodemographic and economic factors associated with behavior change stages for habitual physical activity practice in adolescents from Santa Catarina.
METHODS: Secondary analysis of a study on the Behavior of Adolescents from Santa Catarina (CompAC 2). Cross-sectional school-based study of 6,529 high-school students (males, n=2,903) from the state of Santa Catarina public education system in 2011, aged 15 to 19 years. Multinomial logistic regression (crude and adjusted) was used to measure the association.
RESULTS: The highest and lowest prevalence rates were found in the maintenance (43.9%) and precontemplation stages (7.0%), respectively. The stages of action, preparation and contemplation showed similar results: 16.2%; 17.0% and 15.6%; respectively. Male adolescents show higher prevalence in the maintenance stage in relation to females and these show a higher prevalence in preparation, contemplation and precontemplation. All the assessed variables (gender, age, area of residence, employment status, family income, maternal education and school grade), with the exception of school shift, were associated with at least one of the stages.
CONCLUSIONS: A large proportion of adolescents are in the pre-adoption stages and most of these have the intention to start regular physical activity. With the exception of school shift, the assessed variables were associated with stages in different ways, showing different profiles in relation to sociodemographic and economic characteristics in each subgroup.

OBJECTIVE: To describe the main findings of studies of behavioral and neural correlates regarding the development of facial emotion processing during the first year of life in typically developing infants and infants of depressed and/or anxious mothers.
METHODS: Comprehensive, non-systematic review of the literature on studies about individual differences in facial emotion processing by newborns and infants over the first year of life.
RESULTS: Maternal stress related to depression and anxiety has been associated to atypical emotional processing and attentional behaviors in the offspring. Recent neurophysiological studies using electroencephalogram and event-related potentials have begun to shed light on the possible mechanisms underlying such behaviors.
CONCLUSIONS: Infants of depressed and/or anxious mothers have increased risk for several adverse outcomes across the lifespan. Further neurobehavioral investigations and the promotion of clinical and developmental research integration might eventually contribute to refining screening tools, improving treatment, and enabling primary prevention interventions for children at risk.

OBJECTIVE: to examine and synthesize the available knowledge in the literature about the effects of preterm birth on the development of school-age children.
METHODS: this was a systematic review of studies published in the past ten years indexed in MEDLINE/Pubmed, MEDLINE/BVS; LILACS/BVS; IBECS/BVS; Cochrane/BVS, CINAHL, Web of Science, Scopus, and PsycNET in three languages (Portuguese, Spanish, and English). Observational and experimental studies that assessed motor development and/or behavior and/or academic performance and whose target-population consisted of preterm children aged 8 to 10 years were included. Article quality was assessed by the Strengthening the reporting of observational studies in epidemiology (STROBE) and Physiotherapy Evidence Database (PEDro) scales; articles that did not achieve a score of 80% or more were excluded.
RESULTS: the electronic search identified 3,153 articles, of which 33 were included based on the eligibility criteria. Only four studies found no effect of prematurity on the outcomes (two articles on behavior, one on motor performance and one on academic performance). Among the outcomes of interest, behavior was the most searched (20 articles, 61%), followed by academic performance (16 articles, 48%) and motor impairment (11 articles, 33%).
CONCLUSIONS: premature infants are more susceptible to motor development, behavior and academic performance impairment when compared to term infants. These types of impairments, whose effects are manifested in the long term, can be prevented through early parental guidance, monitoring by specialized professionals, and interventions.

OBJECTIVE: this study aimed to investigate the cognitive and behavioral profiles, as well as the psychiatric symptoms and disorders in children with three different genetic syndromes with similar sociocultural and socioeconomic backgrounds.
METHODS: thirty-four children aged 6 to 16 years, with Williams-Beuren syndrome (n=10), Prader-Willi syndrome (n=11), and Fragile X syndrome (n=13) from the outpatient clinics of Child Psychiatry and Medical Genetics Department were cognitively assessed through the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC-III). Afterwards, a full-scale intelligence quotient (IQ), verbal IQ, performance IQ, standard subtest scores, as well as frequency of psychiatric symptoms and disorders were compared among the three syndromes.
RESULTS: significant differences were found among the syndromes concerning verbal IQ and verbal and performance subtests. Post-hoc analysis demonstrated that vocabulary and comprehension subtest scores were significantly higher in Williams-Beuren syndrome in comparison with Prader-Willi and Fragile X syndromes, and block design and object assembly scores were significantly higher in Prader-Willi syndrome compared with Williams-Beuren and Fragile X syndromes. Additionally, there were significant differences between the syndromes concerning behavioral features and psychiatric symptoms. The Prader-Willi syndrome group presented a higher frequency of hyperphagia and self-injurious behaviors. The Fragile X syndrome group showed a higher frequency of social interaction deficits; such difference nearly reached statistical significance.
CONCLUSIONS: the three genetic syndromes exhibited distinctive cognitive, behavioral, and psychiatric patterns.