bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
A Longitudinal Genetic Study of Uric Acid and Liver Enzymes in Adolescent Twins
Authors: Middelberg Rita P. S. , Medland Sarah E. , Martin Nicholas G. , Whitfield John B. 
Published: October 2007

AbstractBiochemical traits such as plasma alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), gamma glutamyltransferase (GGT) and uric acid are associated with obesity, and with risk of cardiovascular disease, metabolic syndrome and diabetes. Each is subject to genetic influences, but little is known about changes in genetic and environmental influences on these traits over time. We investigated the contribution of genetic and environmental influences to variation in these biochemical traits in adolescent twins and their nontwin siblings from 965 twin families. Twins were studied at ages 12, 14 and 16 years. Multivariate genetic models that included effects of age and sex were fitted to determine whether the same or different genetic or environmental factors influence each trait at different ages. Results showed that the genetic factors influencing AST, ALT, GGT and uric acid change over time during adolescence, and that the magnitude of these effects differs between males and females. The nonshared environment effects were generally time specific. There are developmental changes in genes affecting these traits during adolescence.
Maternal Risk Factors for Potential Maltreatment Deaths Among Healthy Singleton and Twin Infants
Authors: Luke Barbara , Brown Morton B. 
Published: October 2007

AbstractOur aim was to evaluate the risk of death among healthy infants due to maltreatment, using national linked vital statistics data. The study population included all nonanomalous, full-term (≥ 37 weeks), non-low birthweight (> 2500 grams) infants born between 1995 and 2000 and their linked death certificates: 18,673,439 singleton pregnancies (36,864 deaths) and 77,800 twin pregnancies (356 pregnancies with a death). The underlying cause of death was characterized as due to maltreatment, sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), and other causes, based on ICD-9 and ICD-10 codes, and modeled by maternal age using multinomial logistic regression; mothers aged 25 to 29 were the reference group. The highest risk for infant mortality was among the youngest mothers for maltreatment (AOR 2.45 and 1.95 for singleton mothers < 20 and aged 20 to 24, respectively; AOR 4.34 and 2.25 for twin mothers < 20 and aged 20 to 24, respectively). The risk of death overall and for each category was modeled by maternal age < 20, aged 20 to 24, and ≥ 25, with and without the father's age present on the birth certificate, with mothers ≥ 25 and father's age present as the reference group. All risks of death were significantly increased for mothers younger than age 25, with the highest risks among the youngest mothers and missing father's age. The pattern for twins was similar, with elevated risks among younger mothers with or without father's age present on the birth certificate. These results add to the body of knowledge regarding risk factors for infant mortality among healthy singletons and twins.
Small Changes in Dietary Sugar and Physical Activity as an Approach to Preventing Excessive Weight Gain: The America on the Move Family Study
Authors: Rodearmel Susan J. , Wyatt Holly R. , Stroebele Nanette , Smith Sheila M. , Ogden Lorraine G. , Hill James O. 
Published: October 2007

OBJECTIVES. The intent of this study was to evaluate whether small changes in diet and physical activity, as promoted by the America on the Move initiative, could prevent excessive weight gain in overweight children.
METHODS. In this family-intervention study, the America on the Move small-changes approach for weight-gain prevention was evaluated in families with at least 1 child (7–14 years old) who was overweight or at risk for overweight. These children were the primary target of the intervention, and parents were the secondary target. Families were randomly assigned to either the America on the Move group (n = 100) or the self-monitor–only group (n = 92). Families who were assigned to the America on the Move group were asked to make 2 small lifestyle changes: (1) to walk an additional 2000 steps per day above baseline as measured by pedometers and (2) to eliminate 420 kJ/day (100 kcal/day) from their typical diet by replacing dietary sugar with a noncaloric sweetener. Families who were assigned to the self-monitor group were asked to use pedometers to record physical activity but were not asked to change their diet or physical activity level.
RESULTS. During a 6-month period, both groups of children showed significant decreases in BMI for age. However, the America on the Move group compared with the self-monitor group had a significantly higher percentage of target children who maintained or reduced their BMI for age and, consistently, a significantly lower percentage who increased their BMI for age. There was no significant weight gain during the 6-month intervention in parents of either group.
CONCLUSIONS. The small-changes approach advocated by America on the Move could be useful for addressing childhood obesity by preventing excess weight gain in families.
Family-Member Presence During Interventions in the Intensive Care Unit: Perceptions of Pediatric Cardiac Intensive Care Providers
Authors: Kuzin Julie K. , Yborra Jennifer G. , Taylor Michael D. , Chang Anthony C. , Altman Carolyn A. , Whitney Gina M. , Mott Antonio R. 
Published: October 2007

OBJECTIVE. Should family members be present during interventions in an ICU? This question is a source of debate among health care providers. We propose to define perceptions and practice regarding family-member presence during ICU interventions from a multidisciplinary group of pediatric cardiac intensive care providers.
METHODS. A 20-question survey was created and distributed to attendees of the 2004 Pediatric Cardiac Intensive Care Symposium, 1 year after the meeting. Interventions were defined as noninvasive (team rounds), invasive (tracheal intubation, central/arterial line placement, chest tube placement, or pericardiocentesis), or extremely invasive (cardiopulmonary resuscitation).
RESULTS. A total of 211 surveys (145 physicians and 66 nonphysicians) were completed. Of all responders, the majority believe family members have a right to be present during cardiopulmonary resuscitation (75%), team rounds (77%), and invasive procedures (57%). Sixty-five percent of respondents encounter families that frequently request to be present for team rounds. However, the majority of respondents encounter families that rarely request to be present during invasive procedures (69%) and cardiopulmonary resuscitation (73%). Many providers practice in ICUs where family-member presence is allowed; 64% allow family members to attend team rounds. Some of the concerns providers have regarding family-member presence in the ICU include family-member presence causing stress to the provider during invasive procedures along with distractions and nervousness among the team during cardiopulmonary resuscitation. The majority of providers predict family-member presence during cardiopulmonary resuscitation would not increase medicolegal concerns.
CONCLUSIONS. Most respondents, nonphysicians more than physicians, believe that family members have a right to be present during all ICU interventions. The majority of respondents encounter families that frequently request to be present for team rounds. However, the majority of respondents encounter families that rarely request to be present during invasive procedures and cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Most respondents believe family-member presence during cardiopulmonary resuscitation would not increase medicolegal concerns.
How Do Toddler Eating Problems Relate to Their Eating Behavior, Food Preferences, and Growth?
Authors: Wright Charlotte M. , Parkinson Kathryn N. , Shipton Deborah , Drewett Robert F. 
Published: October 2007

OBJECTIVES. Eating problems are a common cause of concern for the parents of toddlers, but few studies have examined the correlates of eating problems or the growth patterns associated with them in a large population-based sample. Our goal was to examine the distribution of eating behaviors in a large representative sample of toddlers and their mothers' approach to feeding. In addition, we describe the prevalence of parentally perceived eating problems and how they relate to specific behaviors, food preferences, and growth in the child.
METHODS. We conducted a cross-sectional analysis of data from a United Kingdom population-based birth cohort, the Gateshead Millennium Baby Study, which included 455 questionnaires completed by parents when their children were aged 30 months.
RESULTS. Eating was perceived to be a problem by 89 (20%) parents. Eating a limited variety (79 [17%]) and preferring drinks to food (57 [13%]) were the most prevalent problem behaviors. Thirty-seven children (8%) were described by parents as definitely “faddy” (picky), and these children liked fewer foods and had higher eating restriction scores than those described as not faddy. Children who were described as having an eating problem gained less weight over the first 2 years; 11.1% had weight faltering compared with 3.5% in children not described as having an eating problem. Being faddy was only weakly associated with poor growth, and simply eating a limited variety was unrelated to growth. High milk consumption was associated with lower appetite but not with poor growth.
CONCLUSIONS. Eating problems are common in toddlers and in the majority are associated with normal growth, although weight faltering is more common in such children. Excessive milk-drinking may be a cause of low appetite at meal times.
Healthy Buddies: A Novel, Peer-Led Health Promotion Program for the Prevention of Obesity and Eating Disorders in Children in Elementary School
Authors: Stock Suzanne , Miranda Charmaine , Evans Stacey , Plessis Suzanne , Ridley Julia , Yeh Sophia , Chanoine Jean-Pierre 
Published: October 2007

OBJECTIVE. We designed and tested a novel health promotion program for elementary schools that was based on peer teaching from older to younger schoolchildren (“Healthy Buddies”).
SUBJECTS AND METHODS. This prospective pilot study compared the effect of our program (2–3 hours/week, 21 weeks) in 2 Canadian elementary schools (intervention: n = 232 children, the whole school implementing the program; control: n = 151). Older students (4th through 7th grade) were given direct instruction from 1 intervention teacher and were paired with younger students (kindergarten through 3rd grade) for the whole school year. Students in 4th through 7th grade then acted as teachers for their younger “buddies.” All lessons included 3 components of healthy living: nutrition, physical activity, and healthy body image. The students first learned how to be positive buddies and learned the 3 components of a healthy life. Thereafter, they learned how to overcome challenges to living a healthy life. Outcome measures (intervention and control schools at the beginning and end of the school year) included validated questionnaires that assessed healthy-living knowledge, behavior and attitude, a 9-minute fitness run, self-competence, body satisfaction, disordered eating symptoms, and anthropometry (BMI, blood pressure, and heart rate).
RESULTS. Compared with control students, both older and younger intervention students showed an increase in healthy-living knowledge, behavior, and attitude scores and a smaller increase in systolic blood pressure. BMI and weight increased less in the intervention students in 4th through 7th grade and height more in the intervention students in kindergarten through 3rd grade.
CONCLUSIONS. Our student-led curriculum improved knowledge not only in older schoolchildren but also in their younger buddies. It also decreased weight velocity in the older students. Student-led teaching may be an efficient, easy-to-implement way of promoting a healthy lifestyle from kindergarten to 7th grade.
Characteristics of Neonatal Units That Care for Very Preterm Infants in Europe: Results From the MOSAIC Study
Authors: Van Reempts Patrick , Gortner Ludwig , Milligan David , Cuttini Marina , Petrou Stavros , Agostino Rocco , Field David , den Ouden Lya , Børch Klaus , Mazela Jan , Carrapato Manuel , Zeitlin Jennifer ,   for the MOSAIC Research Group
Published: October 2007

OBJECTIVES. We sought to compare guidelines for level III units in 10 European regions and analyze the characteristics of neonatal units that care for very preterm infants.
METHODS. The MOSAIC (Models of Organising Access to Intensive Care for Very Preterm Births) project combined a prospective cohort study on all births between 22 and 31 completed weeks of gestation in 10 European regions and a survey of neonatal unit characteristics. Units that admitted ≥5 infants at &lt;32 weeks of gestation were included in the analysis (N = 111). Place of hospitalization of infants who were admitted to neonatal care was analyzed by using the cohort data (N = 4947). National or regional guidelines for level III units were reviewed.
RESULTS. Six of 9 guidelines for level III units included minimum size criteria, based on number of intensive care beds (6 guidelines), neonatal admissions (2), ventilated patients (1), obstetric intensive care beds (1), and deliveries (2). The characteristics of level III units varied, and many were small or unspecialized by recommended criteria: 36% had fewer than 50 very preterm annual admissions, 22% ventilated fewer than 50 infants annually, and 28% had fewer than 6 intensive care beds. Level II units were less specialized, but some provided mechanical ventilation (57%) or high-frequency ventilation (20%) or had neonatal surgery facilities (17%). Sixty-nine percent of level III and 36% of level I or II units had continuous medical coverage by a qualified pediatrician. Twenty-two percent of infants who were &lt;28 weeks of gestation were treated in units that admitted fewer than 50 very preterm infants annually (range: 2%–54% across the study regions).
CONCLUSIONS. No consensus exists in Europe about size or other criteria for NICUs. A better understanding of the characteristics associated with high-quality neonatal care is needed, given the high proportion of very preterm infants who are cared for in units that are considered small or less specialized by many recommendations.
Impact of Hurricane Katrina on Newborn Screening in Louisiana
Authors: Lobato Mark N. , Yanni Emad , Hagar Arthur , Myers Charles , Rue Alison , Evans Catherine , Lambert Lauren A. , Olney Richard S. ,   for the Louisiana OPH-CDC Newborn Screening Assessment Team
Published: October 2007

OBJECTIVE. The Louisiana Office of Public Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention assessed the extent to which newborn screening was disrupted from August 15 to September 21, 2005, the immediate period before and after Hurricane Katrina.METHODS. A list of hospitals with labor and delivery services was obtained from the Louisiana Hospital Association. A survey sent to hospitals on October 17, 2005, asked about the number of live births during the assessment period, disruption in hospital services, the number of specimens sent to alternative laboratories, and the number of children without screening results.RESULTS. Among 64 Louisiana hospitals with labor and delivery units, 6 remained closed at the time of the survey. Of the 58 open hospitals, 53 (91.4%) completed the questionnaire. Twenty-one (36.2%) of 58 hospitals experienced disruption of newborn screening services. Respondents from 31 (58.5%) of the 53 open hospitals acknowledged receiving the advisory from the Office of Public Health regarding resumption of newborn screening laboratory services. Hospitals stated that of 5958 specimens submitted, reports had not been received for 1207 (20.3%) newborns. The Office of Public Health laboratory reviewed the names of 2828 newborns received from hospitals and determined that no specimen was received within 14 days of collection for 631 (22.3%). Thirty percent of the specimens received from infants who were born between August 15 and September 21 were rejected as a result of having been received &gt;14 days after collection. Ten children had confirmed positive screening results during the assessment period; all were located, and treatment was initiated.CONCLUSIONS. Collaboration between the Office of Public Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention was essential to increase awareness of changes in laboratory procedures after the hurricane and to help identify infants who might be in need of screening or rescreening.
Sensitivity of Amplitude-Integrated Electroencephalography for Neonatal Seizure Detection
Authors: Shellhaas Renée A. , Soaita Adina I. , Clancy Robert R. 
Published: October 2007

BACKGROUND. Conventional electroencephalography remains the gold standard for the diagnosis and quantification of neonatal seizures. However, amplitude-integrated electroencephalography (aEEG) is being introduced to neonatal intensive care as an adjunct for neonatal seizure detection.
OBJECTIVES. This study's purpose was to determine the sensitivity of neonatal seizure detection in a single electroencephalogram channel (C3→C4), used to simulate the raw signal from which aEEG is derived. We also aimed to determine the sensitivity of seizure detection by neonatologists by using aEEG and to establish those neonatal seizure characteristics that are associated with their correct detection by aEEG.
METHODS. Conventional electroencephalograms with neonatal seizures were reviewed for electroencephalogram background and neonatal seizure characteristics (site of onset, duration, and peak-to-peak amplitude). The presence, duration, and peak-to-peak amplitude of each seizure were simultaneously noted in a single electroencephalogram channel (C3→C4). aEEGs generated from this channel were reviewed for background and seizures by 6 neonatologists with varying aEEG interpretation expertise.
RESULTS. A total of 851 neonatal seizures from 125 conventional electroencephalograms were analyzed. The patients' conceptional ages were 34 to 50 weeks. Because 94% of the conventional electroencephalograms had ≥1 neonatal seizure visible in C3→C4, and 78% of all neonatal seizures appeared in the C3→C4 channel, the theoretical sensitivity of seizure detection in a single electroencephalogram channel was high. However, seizures were briefer and lower in amplitude in C3→C4 compared with conventional electroencephalography. Neonatologists identified seizures in 22% to 57% of the 125 records of neonatal seizure. They detected 12% to 38% of the 851 individual seizures. Multivariate analysis revealed that the appearance of seizures in C3→C4, neonatal seizure duration, seizure amplitude, seizure count per hour, and neonatologists' experience with aEEG interpretation all correlated with neonatal seizure detection.
CONCLUSIONS. Even among physicians who have extensive experience, many neonatal seizures are difficult to detect on an aEEG, especially when they are infrequent, brief, or of low amplitude.
Genetic Polymorphisms in Immunoresponse GenesTNFA,IL6,IL10, andTLR4Are Associated With Recurrent Acute Otitis Media
Authors: Emonts Marieke , Veenhoven Reinier H. , Wiertsema Selma P. , Houwing-Duistermaat Jeanine J. , Walraven Vanessa , Groot Ronald de , Hermans Peter W.M. , Sanders Elisabeth A.M. 
Published: October 2007

OBJECTIVE. Cytokines and other inflammatory mediators are involved in the pathogenesis of otitis media. We hypothesized that polymorphisms in inflammatory response genes contribute to the increased susceptibility to acute otitis media in otitis-prone children.PATIENTS AND METHODS. DNA samples from 348 children with ≥2 acute otitis media episodes, who were participating in a randomized, controlled vaccination trial, and 463 healthy adult controls were included. Polymorphisms in TNFA, IL1B, IL4, IL6, IL10, IL8, NOS2A, C1INH, PARP, TLR2, and TLR4 were genotyped. Genotype distributions in children with recurrent acute otitis media were compared with those in controls. Within the patient group, the number of acute otitis media episodes before vaccination and the clinical and immunologic response to pneumococcal conjugate vaccinations were analyzed.RESULTS. The IL6-174 G/G genotype was overrepresented in children with acute otitis media when compared with controls. In the patient group, TNFA promoter genotypes −238 G/G and −376 G/G and the TLR4 299 A/A genotype were associated with an otitis-prone condition. Furthermore, lower specific anticapsular antibody production after complete vaccination was observed in patients with the TNFA-238 G/G genotype or TNFA-863 A allele carriage. Finally, the IL10-1082 A/A genotype contributed to protection from the recurrence of acute otitis media after pneumococcal vaccination.CONCLUSIONS. Variation in innate immunoresponse genes such as TNFA-863A, TNFA-376G, TNFA-238G, IL10-1082 A, and IL6-174G alleles in the promoter sequences may result in altered cytokine production that leads to altered inflammatory responses and, hence, contributes to an otitis-prone condition.
Very Low Birth Weight Increases Risk for Sleep-Disordered Breathing in Young Adulthood: The Helsinki Study of Very Low Birth Weight Adults
Authors: Paavonen E. Juulia , Strang-Karlsson Sonja , Räikkönen Katri , Heinonen Kati , Pesonen Anu-Katriina , Hovi Petteri , Andersson Sture , Järvenpää Anna-Liisa , Eriksson Johan G. , Kajantie Eero 
Published: October 2007

OBJECTIVE. We investigated whether very low birth weight (&lt;1500 g) is associated with the risk of sleep-disordered breathing in young adulthood.
METHODS. The study was a retrospective longitudinal study of 158 young adults born with very low birth weight and 169 term-born control subjects (aged 18.5–27.1 years). The principal outcome variable was sleep-disordered breathing defined as chronic snoring.
RESULTS. The crude prevalence of chronic snoring was similar in both groups: 15.8% for the very low birth weight group versus 13.6% for the control group. However, after controlling for the confounding variables in multivariate logistic regression models (age, gender, current smoking, parental education, height, BMI, and depression), chronic snoring was 2.2 times more likely in the very low birth weight group compared with the control group. In addition, maternal smoking during pregnancy was significantly and independently of very low birth weight related to risk of sleep-disordered breathing. Maternal preeclampsia, standardized birth weight, and, for very low birth weight infants, small-for-gestational-age status were not related to sleep-disordered breathing.
CONCLUSIONS. Premature infants with very low birth weight have a twofold risk of sleep-disordered breathing as young adults. In addition, maternal smoking during pregnancy increases the risk of sleep-disordered breathing by more than twofold.