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Objective:  This study aimed to assess thermoregulation and humidity within the Skincubator-a novel, wearable skin-to-skin incubator designed to attach to the caregiver., Study Design:  Preterm neonates (PN; born between 24 and 33 weeks gestational age [GA]) received skin-to-skin care (SSC) either via the Skincubator or traditional SSC (t-SSC) with continuous axillary temperature monitoring., Results:  Twenty PN were enrolled in the study and treated in the Skincubator. One couple who consented to Skincubator care during delivery subsequently revoked their consent and the baby was excluded from further analysis. Fifty-four paired sessions of Skincubator and t-SCC were performed and compared for 19 babies. The average GA was 29 weeks (range: 26-32), the average weight was -1,296 ± 271 g, and the average day of life was 5 ± 2. The temperature drop after transfer to Skincubator care was smaller than in t-SSC (0.2°C [0.2-0.3] vs. 0.4°C [0.3-0.6]; Wilcoxon's signed rank test [WSRT], p  < 0.001). The average hypothermia time per session was a median (25th-75th%) of 8.2 minutes (0-9) for Skincubator, compared to 27.8 minutes (0-56) for t-SSC, respectively (WSRT, p  = 0.002). No baby had moderate hypothermia (35.5-35.9°C) during Skincubator care as compared with eight babies who experienced moderate hypothermia during t-SSC (Fisher's exact test p  = 0.003). The average Skincubator humidity was 85 ± 7% and was above 70% during 93% of the time., Conclusion:  Skincubator SSC was superior to t-SSC in maintaining PN temperature while also maintaining an optimally humidified environment. The Skincubator may promote early SSC in very and extremely PN. (Trial registration number MOH&#95;2021-12-13&#95;010470 registration date 24/10/21.) KEY POINTS: · Early prolonged SSC improves preterm infants' outcomes but may be challenging to perform.. · To mitigate several SSC barriers we invented the Skincubator, a wearable incubator for SSC.. · We have shown that the Skincubator reduces transient moderate hypothermia at SSC initiation.. · Average Skincubator humidity was 85 ± 7% and above 70% during 93% of SSC time.., Competing Interests: I.N. is the inventor of the Skincubator and a founder and the chief medical officer of Skincubator Neocare, a company founded to develop the Skincubator and bring it to clinical use. He and Skincubator Neocare have submitted patents regarding the Skincubator system. Other authors do not have any conflict of interest., (Thieme. All rights reserved.)

Background: Whether non-syndromic connective tissue hyperlaxity is associated with myopia is unknown. The aim of this study was to examine the association between systemic signs of tissue hyperlaxity and myopia among adolescents., Methods: Included were adolescents assessed before mandatory military service at the age of 16-18 years between 2011 and 2022. Diagnoses of hernias, pes planus, genu varus, genu valgum, and scoliosis, as well as joint injuries were used as surrogate markers for tissue hyperlaxity. The prevalence of these events among adolescents with myopia was evaluated and compared to the non-myopic population., Results: Included were 920 806 adolescents. The mean age was 17.4 ± 1.4 years and 58.6% were men. Myopia was diagnosed in 290 759 adolescents (31.6%) and high myopia in 24 069 adolescents (2.6%). The prevalence of hernias was higher among adolescents with myopia, (2.76%, 95% confidence interval (95% CI): 2.69%-2.82% vs. 2.60%, 95% CI: 2.57%-2.65%), as were pes planus (14.92%, 95% CI: 14.79-15.05 vs. 13.51%, 95% CI: 13.42-13.59) and scoliosis (9.14%, 95% CI: 9.03-9.24 vs. 7.69%, 95%CI: 7.62-7.76). The prevalence of joint injuries was clinically similar between groups (less than 0.1% difference for ankle, shoulder, and knee injuries), as were genu varum and genu valgum (0.66%, 95%CI: 0.64%-0.69% vs. 0.68%, 95% CI: 0.66-0.70, respectively). Adjusted for possible confounders results remained consistent., Conclusions: Among a large sample of Israeli adolescents, those with myopia had a higher prevalence of hernias, pes planus, and scoliosis. These results could suggest a propensity for systemic conditions related to tissue laxity among myopic adolescents., (© 2024 Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Ophthalmologists.)