bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Annual Risk of Death Resulting From Short Falls Among Young Children: Less Than 1 in 1 Million
Authors: Chadwick David L. , Bertocci Gina , Castillo Edward , Frasier Lori , Guenther Elisabeth , Hansen Karen , Herman Bruce , Krous Henry F. 
Published: June 2008

OBJECTIVE. The objective of the work was to develop an estimate of the risk of death resulting from short falls of &lt;1.5 m in vertical height, affecting infants and young children between birth and the fifth birthday.METHODS. A review of published materials, including 5 book chapters, 2 medical society statements, 7 major literature reviews, 3 public injury databases, and 177 peer-reviewed, published articles indexed in the National Library of Medicine, was performed.RESULTS. The California Epidemiology and Prevention for Injury Control Branch injury database yielded 6 possible fall-related fatalities of young children in a population of 2.5 million young children over a 5-year period. The other databases and the literature review produced no data that would indicate a higher short-fall mortality rate. Most publications that discuss the risk of death resulting from short falls say that such deaths are rare. No deaths resulting from falls have been reliably reported from day care centers.CONCLUSIONS. The best current estimate of the mortality rate for short falls affecting infants and young children is &lt;0.48 deaths per 1 million young children per year. Additional research is suggested.
Bone Metabolism in Adolescent Athletes With Amenorrhea, Athletes With Eumenorrhea, and Control Subjects
Authors: Christo Karla , Prabhakaran Rajani , Lamparello Brooke , Cord Jennalee , Miller Karen K. , Goldstein Mark A. , Gupta Nupur , Herzog David B. , Klibanski Anne , Misra Madhusmita 
Published: June 2008

OBJECTIVE. We hypothesized that, despite increased activity, bone density would be low in athletes with amenorrhea, compared with athletes with eumenorrhea and control subjects, because of associated hypogonadism and would be associated with a decrease in bone formation and increases in bone-resorption markers.
METHODS. In a cross-sectional study, we examined bone-density measures (spine, hip, and whole body) and body composition by using dual-energy radiograph absorptiometry and assessed fasting levels of insulin-like growth factor I and bone-turnover markers (N-terminal propeptied of type 1 procollagen and N-telopeptide) in 21 athletes with amenorrhea, 18 athletes with eumenorrhea, and 18 control subjects. Subjects were 12 to 18 years of age and of comparable chronologic and bone age.
RESULTS. Athletes with amenorrhea had lower bone-density z scores at the spine and whole body, compared with athletes with eumenorrhea and control subjects, and lower hip z scores, compared with athletes with eumenorrhea. Lean mass did not differ between groups. However, athletes with amenorrhea had lower BMI z scores than did athletes with eumenorrhea and lower insulin-like growth factor I levels than did control subjects. Levels of both markers of bone turnover were lower in athletes with amenorrhea than in control subjects. BMI z scores, lean mass, insulin-like growth factor I levels, and diagnostic category were important independent predictors of bone mineral density z scores.
CONCLUSIONS. Although they showed no significant differences in lean mass, compared with athletes with eumenorrhea and control subjects, athletes with amenorrhea had lower bone density at the spine and whole body. Insulin-like growth factor I levels, body-composition parameters, and menstrual status were important predictors of bone density. Follow-up studies are necessary to determine whether amenorrhea in athletes adversely affects the rate of bone mass accrual and therefore peak bone mass.
Executive Functioning in the First Year After Pediatric Traumatic Brain Injury
Authors: Sesma Heather Whitney , Slomine Beth S. , Ding Ru , McCarthy Melissa L. ,   the Children's Health After Trauma (CHAT) Study Group
Published: June 2008

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE. Children with traumatic brain injuries often show impaired executive function (the ability to carry out goal-directed behavior). The Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function, a caregiver-report questionnaire, measures executive function in everyday activities. In this study, our goal was to use the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function to document changes in children's executive function in the first year after traumatic brain injury and identify child, family, and injury variables associated with greater dysfunction. We predicted that children with traumatic brain injury would have more executive dysfunction than children hospitalized for orthopedic fractures and that more severe traumatic brain injury would predict greater dysfunction. Children's premorbid functioning and family characteristics were expected to moderate their executive function.
PATIENTS AND METHODS. Caregivers of children aged 5 to 15 years (330 mild-to-severe traumatic brain injury, 103 control orthopedic fractures) enrolled onto a longitudinal study of executive function. Caregivers completed the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function by telephone at baseline (obtained retrospectively) and 3 months and 1 year after the injury.
RESULTS. Traumatic brain injury groups and controls showed no baseline differences in Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function scores. Three months after the injury, children with traumatic brain injury had more dysfunction than controls on the Global Executive Composite. One year after injury, all traumatic brain injury groups differed from the controls on the Behavioral Regulation Index, Metacognition Index, and Global Executive Composite. The working memory scale was the only scale to discriminate between the control group and all 3 traumatic brain injury severity groups at both 3 and 12 months after injury. Executive-function ratings remained stable from 3 to 12 months after injury. Across time points, preexisting learning/behavior problems, lower respondent education, and poor family functioning predicted greater Global Executive Composite dysfunction.
CONCLUSIONS. Between 18% and 38% of the children with traumatic brain injury had significant executive dysfunction in the first year after injury, with greater dysfunction reported for children with more severe traumatic brain injury. Our findings support previous reports that preinjury learning and behavior problems, limited family resources, and poor family functioning adversely affect executive function. These results suggest a need for more systematic screening for executive dysfunction after traumatic brain injury to increase recognition of cognitive disability and improve access to appropriate services.
Bunk Bed–Related Injuries Among Children and Adolescents Treated in Emergency Departments in the United States, 1990–2005
Authors: D'Souza Anjali L. , Smith Gary A. , McKenzie Lara B. 
Published: June 2008

OBJECTIVE. Our goal was to comprehensively examine bunk bed–related injuries in the United States by using a nationally representative sample.
METHODS. Using the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System database, cases of nonfatal bunk bed–related injuries treated in US emergency departments from 1990 through 2005 were selected by using the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System bunk bed product code (0661). Cases concerning individuals ≤21 years old were included.
RESULTS. An estimated 572 580 children and adolescents aged ≤21 years were treated in US emergency departments for bunk bed–related injuries during the 16-year study period, yielding an average of 35 790 cases annually. An average of 42 per 100 000 population were treated annually. Bunk bed–related injuries occurred more frequently among males (60.6%). Lacerations were the most common type of injury (29.7%), followed by contusions and abrasions (24.0%) and fractures (19.9%). The body parts most frequently injured were the head and neck (27.3%) in all age groups. Falls were the most common mechanism of injury (72.5%). Of the cases for which locale of injury was recorded, 93.5% occurred at home. Approximately half of the bunk bed–related injuries that occurred at schools involved individuals aged 18 to 21 years (50.9%). An estimated 2.9% of injuries resulted in hospitalization or transfer to another hospital or required additional observation. The number of bunk bed–related injuries showed no significant trend from 1990 to 2005.
CONCLUSIONS. Bunk beds are a common source of injury among children and adolescents, and these injuries mostly involve the head and face. Given the continuing large numbers of bunk bed–related injuries at homes and in schools, increased efforts are needed to prevent bunk bed–related injuries among children and adolescents.
Epidemiological Features of High School Baseball Injuries in the United States, 2005–2007
Authors: Collins Christy L. , Comstock R. Dawn 
Published: June 2008

OBJECTIVES. The goals were to calculate injury rates among high school baseball players and to characterize the general epidemiological features of high school baseball injuries and, more specifically, injuries attributed to being hit by a batted ball.METHODS. We analyzed baseball exposure and injury data collected over the 2005–2006 and 2006–2007 school years from a nationally representative sample of 100 US high schools by using an injury surveillance system, Reporting Information Online.RESULTS. Nationally, an estimated 131555 high school baseball-related injuries occurred during the 2005–2006 and 2006–2007 academic years, for an injury rate of 1.26 injuries per 1000 athletic exposures. The most commonly injured body sites were the shoulder (17.6%), ankle (13.6%), head/face (12.3%), hand/finger (8.5%), and thigh/upper leg (8.2%). The most common injury diagnoses were ligament sprains (incomplete tears) (21.0%), muscle strains (incomplete tears) (20.1%), contusions (16.1%), and fractures (14.2%). Although the majority of injuries resulted in a time loss of &lt;7 days, 9.7% resulted in medical disqualification for the season, and 9.4% required surgery. Of the 431 reported baseball injuries, 50 (11.6%) were attributed to being hit by a batted ball. Greater proportions of injuries attributed to being hit by a batted ball were to the head/face (48.0%) and mouth/teeth (16.0%), compared with injuries not attributed to being hit by a batted ball (8.2% and 1.3%, respectively). A greater proportion of injuries attributed to being hit by a batted ball required surgery (18.0%), compared with other baseball-related injuries (6.8%).CONCLUSIONS. Although high school baseball is relatively safe, targeted, evidence-based interventions could reduce the rate of high school baseball-related injuries. On the basis of our findings, we strongly recommend that helmets with face shields or at least mouth guards and eye protection be used by pitchers, infielders, and batters at the high school level.
Reducing Absenteeism From Gastrointestinal and Respiratory Illness in Elementary School Students: A Randomized, Controlled Trial of an Infection-Control Intervention
Authors: Sandora Thomas J. , Shih Mei-Chiung , Goldmann Donald A. 
Published: June 2008

BACKGROUND. Students often miss school because of gastrointestinal and respiratory illnesses. We assessed the effectiveness of a multifactorial intervention, including alcohol-based hand-sanitizer and surface disinfection, in reducing absenteeism caused by gastrointestinal and respiratory illnesses in elementary school students.METHODS. We performed a school-based cluster-randomized, controlled trial at a single elementary school. Eligible students in third to fifth grade were enrolled. Intervention classrooms received alcohol-based hand sanitizer to use at school and quaternary ammonium wipes to disinfect classroom surfaces daily for 8 weeks; control classrooms followed usual hand-washing and cleaning practices. Parents completed a preintervention demographic survey. Absences were recorded along with the reason for absence. Swabs of environmental surfaces were evaluated by bacterial culture and polymerase chain reaction for norovirus, respiratory syncytial virus, influenza, and parainfluenza 3. The primary outcomes were rates of absenteeism caused by gastrointestinal or respiratory illness. Days absent were modeled as correlated Poisson variables and compared between groups by using generalized estimating equations. Analyses were adjusted for family size, race, health status, and home sanitizer use. We also compared the presence of viruses and the total bacterial colony counts on several classroom surfaces.RESULTS. A total of 285 students were randomly assigned; baseline demographics were similar in the 2 groups. The adjusted absenteeism rate for gastrointestinal illness was significantly lower in the intervention-group subjects compared with control subjects. The adjusted absenteeism rate for respiratory illness was not significantly different between groups. Norovirus was the only virus detected and was found less frequently on surfaces in intervention classrooms compared with control classrooms (9% vs 29%).CONCLUSIONS. A multifactorial intervention including hand sanitizer and surface disinfection reduced absenteeism caused by gastrointestinal illness in elementary school students. Norovirus was found less often on classroom surfaces in the intervention group. Schools should consider adopting these practices to reduce days lost to common illnesses.
Streptococcal Infection and Exacerbations of Childhood Tics and Obsessive-Compulsive Symptoms: A Prospective Blinded Cohort Study
Authors: Kurlan Roger , Johnson Dwight , Kaplan Edward L. ,   and the Tourette Syndrome Study Group
Published: June 2008

OBJECTIVE. If pediatric autoimmune neuropsychiatric disorders associated with streptococcal infections is a unique clinical entity, we hypothesized that children meeting diagnostic criteria would have more clinical exacerbations temporally linked to bona fide group A β-hemolytic streptococcus infection than matched control subjects (chronic tic and/or obsessive-compulsive disorder with no known temporal relationship to group A β-hemolytic streptococcus infection).PATIENTS AND METHODS. Subjects included 40 matched pediatric autoimmune neuropsychiatric disorders associated with streptococcal infections case-control pairs who were prospectively evaluated with intensive laboratory testing for group A β-hemolytic streptococcus and clinical measures for an average of 2 years. Additional testing occurred at the time of any clinical exacerbations or illness. Laboratory personnel were blinded to case or control status and clinical (exacerbation or not) condition. Clinical raters were blinded to the results of laboratory tests.RESULTS. The cases had a higher clinical exacerbation rate and a higher bona fide group A β-hemolytic streptococcus infection rate than the control group. Only 5 of 64 exacerbations were temporally associated (within 4 weeks) with a group A β-hemolytic streptococcus infection, and all occurred in cases. The number (5.0) was significantly higher than the number that would be expected by chance alone (1.6). Yet, ≥75% of the clinical exacerbations in cases had no observable temporal relationship to group A β-hemolytic streptococcus infection.CONCLUSIONS. Patients who fit published criteria for pediatric autoimmune neuropsychiatric disorders associated with streptococcal infections seem to represent a subgroup of those with chronic tic disorders and obsessive-compulsive disorder who may be vulnerable to group A β-hemolytic streptococcus infection as a precipitant of neuropsychiatric symptom exacerbations. Group A β-hemolytic streptococcus infection is not the only or even the most common antecedent event associated with exacerbations for these patients. Additional intensive studies are needed to determine whether there is clinical or scientific evidence to support separating out subgroups of tic disorder and/or obsessive-compulsive disorder patients based on specific symptom precipitants.
Head Covering and the Risk for SIDS: Findings From the New Zealand and German SIDS Case-Control Studies
Authors: Mitchell Edwin A. , Thompson John M.D. , Becroft David M.O. , Bajanowski Thomas , Brinkmann Bernd , Happe Arusha , Jorch Gerhard , Blair Peter S. , Sauerland Cristina , Vennemann Mechtild M. 
Published: June 2008

OBJECTIVES. The aim of this investigation was to identify risk factors for being found with the head covered in sudden infant death syndrome cases and determine whether head covering was likely to be an agonal event or potentially part of the causal pathway in some cases. By using the data from 2 sudden infant death syndrome case-control studies, consistency of the findings could be assessed.
METHODS. Two case-control studies were assessed: (1) the New Zealand Cot Death Study (1987–1990, 393 sudden infant death syndrome cases) and (2) a German SIDS case-control study (1998–2001, 333 sudden infant death syndrome cases).
RESULTS. The proportion of sudden infant death syndrome cases in which infants were found with their head covered was 15.6% in the New Zealand study and 28.1% in the German study. Being found with head covering was associated with older infant age. In both studies, being found with head covering was associated with being very sweaty when found. Head covering was also associated with the incidence and severity of thymic petechiae in both studies. Both the position in which the child was placed to sleep and the position in which the child was found were not associated with head covering.
CONCLUSIONS. The finding that sudden infant death syndrome cases in which infants were found with their heads covered were often very sweaty suggests that head covering was not an agonal event and that it preceded the death and may have been causally related to the death. Infants who were found with their head covered were older, which probably reflects motor development.
Effects of Parental Smoking on Interferon γ Production in Children
Authors: Tebow Gina , Sherrill Duane L. , Lohman I. Carla , Stern Debra A. , Wright Anne L. , Martinez Fernando D. , Halonen Marilyn , Guerra Stefano 
Published: June 2008

OBJECTIVES. Environmental tobacco smoke is associated with several negative health outcomes in children, including an increased susceptibility to infections. One of the postulated mechanisms for these effects is the impairment of the immune system function and/or development. Yet, it remains unknown whether cumulative exposure to parental smoking is associated with altered immune responses in childhood and whether these effects are independent of in utero exposure to maternal smoking. In a population-based birth cohort, we sought to determine the relation of parental smoking, as assessed prospectively since pregnancy, to the child's interferon γ and interleukin 4 production at 11 years of age.PATIENTS AND METHODS. We used data on 512 children and their parents from the Tucson Children's Respiratory Study cohort. Information on maternal and paternal smoking was collected prospectively by questionnaire, and pack-years for mother, father, and both parents combined were assessed prospectively between the prenatal period and year 11. At age 11 years, children's interferon γ and interleukin 4 production from mitogen-stimulated peripheral blood mononuclear cells was measured.RESULTS. Children of parents who smoked between the prenatal period and year 11 were more likely to be in lower quartiles of interferon γ production than children of nonsmoking parents. In addition, maternal, paternal, and parental pack-years showed significant inverse dose-response relationships with interferon γ production in the child. These dose-response relationships with interferon γ remained significant for both paternal and parental pack-years among children of mothers who did not smoke during pregnancy, suggesting the existence of specific postnatal effects of environmental tobacco smoke exposure. In contrast, no significant effects of parental smoking were found on interleukin 4 production.CONCLUSIONS. Interferon γ responses of school-aged children are impacted by parental smoking.
Determinants of Height in Adolescent Girls With Anorexia Nervosa
Authors: Prabhakaran Rajani , Misra Madhusmita , Miller Karen K. , Kruczek Kimberly , Sundaralingam Shankeertha , Herzog David B. , Katzman Debra K. , Klibanski Anne 
Published: June 2008

BACKGROUND. Anorexia nervosa, a condition characterized by marked caloric restriction and low insulin like growth factor-1 levels, would be expected to cause short stature. However, this disorder is also associated with hypogonadotropic hypogonadism and high growth hormone levels. Delays in growth-plate closure from associated hypogonadism may result in a longer period of time available for statural growth with protective effects on stature. In addition, growth hormone may have direct effects on the growth plate independent of insulin-like growth factor 1 to increase statural growth.
OBJECTIVES AND METHODS. To determine the impact of undernutrition, hypogonadism, and acquired growth hormone resistance on height in adolescents with anorexia nervosa (aged 12–18 years), we examined 208 girls: 110 with anorexia nervosa and 98 controls of comparable chronological age. Sixty-three girls with anorexia nervosa and 79 controls were followed prospectively over 1 year. Mean duration of illness was 11.6 ± 13.2 months. In a subset, overnight growth hormone sampling was performed every 30 minutes for 12 hours, and fasting insulin-like growth factor 1 levels were obtained.
RESULTS. The difference between height and target height and between predicted adult height and target height did not differ between the groups, indicating preservation of height potential. The groups had comparable bone age, but bone age was lower than chronological age in girls with anorexia nervosa. Girls with anorexia nervosa had lower insulin-like growth factor 1 levels and higher nadir growth hormone levels than those of controls. Nadir growth hormone levels predicted height SD scores and predicted adult-height SD scores in controls but not in the girls with anorexia nervosa. In girls with anorexia nervosa, insulin-like growth factor 1 and duration of illness predicted height measures. Height SD scores of &lt;0 were more likely after 32 months of illness and at insulin-like growth factor 1 levels of &lt;134 ng/mL. Delayed baseline bone age predicted subsequent increases in height SD scores in immature girls with anorexia nervosa.
CONCLUSIONS. Our data suggest that preservation of height potential in this cohort of girls with anorexia nervosa may be a consequence of delayed bone age. Hypogonadism may negate the deleterious effects of undernutrition on stature by allowing for a longer duration of growth.