bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Sex-Dependent Resistance to the Pathogenic Fungus Cryptococcus neoformans
Authors: van den Berg Maaike C W , Woerlee Jessica Z , Ma Hansong , May Robin C 
Published: April 2006

Abstract
Sex differences occur in most species and affect a variety of biological traits including morphology, behavior, and life history. The nematode Caenorhabditis elegans exists as a population of self-fertile hermaphrodites with occasional males, which differ anatomically and behaviorally from hermaphrodites. Here we show that male C. elegans also differ from hermaphrodites in their susceptibility to a fungal pathogen, Cryptococcus neoformans. Wild-type males show greater resistance than hermaphrodite animals to killing by this pathogen and this resistance can be induced in hermaphrodite animals by inappropriate activation of the male sex-determination pathway. Resistance is molecularly determined, rather than resulting from behavioral changes or reproductive differences, and requires the activity of the stress-response transcription factor DAF-16. Finally, we demonstrate that resistance to C. neoformans correlates broadly with longevity within the Caenorhabditis genus. Our results hint at an overlap between the pathways controlling immunity and longevity and raise the possibility that differential regulation of these pathways may contribute to sex-dependent and species-dependent variation.
Lachesis muta (Viperidae) cDNAs Reveal Diverging Pit Viper Molecules and Scaffolds Typical of Cobra (Elapidae) Venoms: Implications for Snake Toxin Repertoire Evolution
Authors: Junqueira-de-Azevedo Inácio L M , Ching Ana T C , Carvalho Eneas , Faria Fernanda , Nishiyama Milton Y , Ho Paulo L , Diniz Marcelo R V 
Published: April 2006

Abstract
Efforts to describe toxins from the two major families of venomous snakes (Viperidae and Elapidae) usually reveal proteins belonging to few structural types, particular of each family. Here we carried on an effort to determine uncommon cDNAs that represent possible new toxins from Lachesis muta (Viperidae). In addition to nine classes of typical toxins, atypical molecules never observed in the hundreds of Viperidae snakes studied so far are highly expressed: a diverging C-type lectin that is related to Viperidae toxins but appears to be independently originated; an ohanin-like toxin, which would be the third member of the most recently described class of Elapidae toxins, related to human butyrophilin and B30.2 proteins; and a 3FTx-like toxin, a new member of the widely studied three-finger family of proteins, which includes major Elapidae neurotoxins and CD59 antigen. The presence of these common and uncommon molecules suggests that the repertoire of toxins could be more conserved between families than has been considered, and their features indicate a dynamic process of venom evolution through molecular mechanisms, such as multiple recruitments of important scaffolds and domain exchange between paralogs, always keeping a minimalist nature in most toxin structures in opposition to their nontoxin counterparts.
Bilirubin Measurement for Neonates: Comparison of 9 Frequently Used Methods
Authors: Grohmann Karina , Roser Markus , Rolinski Boris , Kadow Ingrid , Müller Cornelia , Goerlach-Graw Ada , Nauck Matthias , Küster Helmut 
Published: April 2006

OBJECTIVE. High blood concentrations of bilirubin are toxic to the brain and may cause kernicterus. Therefore, determination of bilirubin levels is performed for many newborns, and several different methods are available. We compared 9 frequently used methods for bilirubin determination among newborns under routine conditions, to define their sequence of use.
METHODS. In a prospective study, bilirubin concentrations were determined with 9 different methods, ie, 3 skin test devices, 3 nonchemical photometric devices (including 2 blood gas analyzers), and 3 laboratory analyzers.
RESULTS. A total of 124 samples were obtained. All 3 laboratory methods showed very strong correlations with each other, and their means were used as comparison values. To these comparison values, the skin test devices had correlation coefficients between 0.961 and 0.966, and the nonchemical photometric devices between 0.980 and 0.994. Bland-Altman plots demonstrated good agreement with the comparison values for all nonchemical photometric devices. All skin test devices and 1 nonchemical photometric device underestimated bilirubin levels, particularly at high concentrations.
CONCLUSIONS. In the routine care of newborns, the first method for bilirubin testing should be a skin test. If the skin test result exceeds 200 μmol/L and other analytes are to be determined with a nonchemical photometric device, then bilirubin can be included in this analysis and the result trusted up to 250 μmol/L. If the skin test result exceeds 200 μmol/L and only bilirubin concentrations are needed, then a standard laboratory method is the first choice, to avoid repeated blood sampling. Bilirubin concentrations from nonchemical photometric devices that exceed 250 μmol/L should be confirmed with standard laboratory methods.
Health-Related Quality of Life and Depressive Symptoms in Adolescents With Extreme Obesity Presenting for Bariatric Surgery
Authors: Zeller Meg H. , Roehrig Helmut R. , Modi Avani C. , Daniels Stephen R. , Inge Thomas H. 
Published: April 2006

OBJECTIVE. We sought to document health-related quality of life (HRQoL) impairment and depressive symptomatology in adolescents with extreme obesity considering surgical weight loss.
STUDY DESIGN. A retrospective review of clinical data was conducted for 33 consecutive extremely obese adolescents presenting for evaluation at a bariatric surgery program for adolescents. Adolescents completed the PedsQL and the Beck Depression Inventory. Mothers completed the parent-proxy PedsQL and the Child Behavior Checklist.
RESULTS. HRQoL scores from both informants were markedly impaired relative to published norms on healthy youth. Moderate agreement was found for self-reported and parent-proxy HRQoL. Approximately 30% of youth met criteria for clinically significant depressive symptoms when based on self-report and 45% of youth when based on mother report. Only 21% of youth were currently engaged in some form of psychological treatment (eg, medication or therapy).
CONCLUSIONS. The day-to-day life of adolescents with extreme obesity seeking bariatric surgery is globally and severely impaired. However, only some of these adolescents demonstrate clinically significant levels of depressive symptomatology. These data will be critical to the development of more informed patient selection criteria and more efficacious treatment paradigms for this vulnerable pediatric subgroup.
Screening for Biliary Atresia by Infant Stool Color Card in Taiwan
Authors: Chen Shan-Ming , Chang Mei-Hwei , Du Jung-Chieh , Lin Chieh-Chung , Chen An-Chyi , Lee Hung-Chang , Lau Beng-Huat , Yang Yao-Jong , Wu Tzee-Chung , Chu Chia-Hsiang , Lai Ming-Wei , Chen Huey-Ling ,   the Taiwan Infant Stool Color Card Study Group
Published: April 2006

OBJECTIVE. We aimed to detect biliary atresia (BA) in early infancy to prevent additional liver damage because of the delay of referral and surgical treatment and to investigate the incidence rate of BA in Taiwan.
METHODS. A pilot study to screen the stool color in infants for the early diagnosis of BA was undertaken from March 2002 to December 2003. We had designed an “infant stool color card” with 7 numbers of different color pictures and attached it to the child health booklet. Parents were then asked to observe their infant's stool color by using this card. The medical staff would check the number that the parents chose according to their infant's stool color at 1 month of age during the health checkup and then send the card back to the stool color card registry center.
RESULTS. The average return rate was ∼65.2% (78184 infants). A total of 29 infants were diagnosed as having BA, and 26 were screened out by stool color card before 60 days of age. The sensitivity, specificity, and positive predictive value were 89.7%, 99.9%, and 28.6%, respectively. Seventeen (58.6%) infants with BA received a Kasai operation within 60-day age period. The estimated incidence of BA in screened newborns was 3.7 of 10000.
CONCLUSIONS. The stool color card was a simple, efficient, and applicable mass screening method for early diagnosis and management of BA. The program can also help in estimating the incidence and creating a registry of these patients.
The Economic Costs of Congenital Bilateral Permanent Childhood Hearing Impairment
Authors: Schroeder Liz , Petrou Stavros , Kennedy Colin , McCann Donna , Law Catherine , Watkin Peter M. , Worsfold Sarah , Yuen Ho Ming 
Published: April 2006

OBJECTIVE. The objective of this study was to estimate the economic costs of bilateral permanent childhood hearing impairment (PCHI) in the preceding year of life for children aged 7 to 9 years.
METHODS. A cost analysis was conducted by using a birth cohort of children born between 1992 and 1997 in 8 districts of Southern England, of which half had been born into populations exposed to universal newborn screening (UNS). Unit costs were applied to estimates of health, social, and broader resource use made by 120 hearing-impaired children and 63 children in a normally hearing comparison group. Associations between societal costs per child and severity of hearing impairment, language ability score, exposure to UNS, and age of confirmation were analyzed, including adjustment for potential confounders in a linear regression model.
RESULTS. The mean societal cost in the preceding year of life at 7 to 9 years of age was £14092.5 for children with PCHI, compared with £4206.8 for the normally hearing children, a cost difference of £9885.7. After adjusting for severity and other potential confounders in a linear regression model, mean societal costs among children with PCHI were reduced by £2553 for each unit increase in the z score for receptive language. Using similar regression models, exposure to a program of UNS was associated with a smaller cost reduction of £2213.2, whereas costs were similar between children whose PCHI was confirmed at &lt;9 or &gt;9 months.
CONCLUSIONS. The study provides rigorous evidence of the annual health, social, and broader societal cost of bilateral PCHI in the preceding year of life at 7 to 9 years of age and shows that it is related to its severity and has an inverse relationship with language abilities after adjustment for severity.
Growth in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Influences Neurodevelopmental and Growth Outcomes of Extremely Low Birth Weight Infants
Authors: Ehrenkranz Richard A. , Dusick Anna M. , Vohr Betty R. , Wright Linda L. , Wrage Lisa A. , Poole W. Kenneth ,   for the National Institutes of Child Health and Human Development Neonatal Research Network
Published: April 2006

OBJECTIVES. The objectives of this study were to assess whether (1) in-hospital growth velocity is predictive of neurodevelopmental and growth outcomes at 18 to 22 months’ corrected age among extremely low birth weight (ELBW) infants and (2) in-hospital growth velocity contributes to these outcomes after controlling for confounding demographic and clinical variables.METHODS. Infants 501 to 1000 g birth weight from a multicenter cohort study were divided into quartiles of in-hospital growth velocity rates. Variables considered for the logistic-regression models included gender, race, gestational age, small for gestational age, mother’s education, severe intraventricular hemorrhage, periventricular leukomalacia, age at regaining birth weight, necrotizing enterocolitis, late-onset infection, bronchopulmonary dysplasia, postnatal steroid therapy for pulmonary disease, and center.RESULTS. Of the 600 discharged infants, 495 (83%) were evaluated at 18 to 22 months’ corrected age. As the rate of weight gain increased between quartile 1 and quartile 4, from 12.0 to 21.2 g/kg per day, the incidence of cerebral palsy, Bayley II Mental Developmental Index (MDI) &lt;70 and Psychomotor Developmental Index (PDI) &lt;70, abnormal neurologic examination, neurodevelopmental impairment, and need for rehospitalization fell significantly. Similar findings were observed as the rate of head circumference growth increased. The in-hospital rate of growth was associated with the likelihood of anthropometric measurements at 18 months’ corrected age below the 10th percentile values of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 2000 growth curve. Logistic-regression analyses, controlling for potential demographic or clinical cofounders, and adjusted for center, identified a significant relationship between growth velocity and the likelihood of cerebral palsy, MDI and PDI scores of &lt;70, and neurodevelopmental impairment.CONCLUSIONS. These analyses suggest that growth velocity during an ELBW infant’s NICU hospitalization exerts a significant, and possibly independent, effect on neurodevelopmental and growth outcomes at 18 to 22 months’ corrected age.
Tipping the Scales: Obese Children and Child Safety Seats
Authors: Trifiletti Lara B. , Shields Wendy , Bishai David , McDonald Eileen , Reynaud Florence , Gielen Andrea 
Published: April 2006

OBJECTIVE. To shed light on the extent to which childhood obesity affects the types of appropriate child safety seats for young children, by providing an estimate of the number of US children whose weight renders them unable to use safely the majority of child safety seat types currently available.METHODS. The types of appropriate child safety seats were assessed by using National Highway Traffic Safety Administration 2005 Child Safety Seat Ease of Use Ratings. Estimates of the numbers of children weighing above the maximal weight for those child safety seats were calculated by using the tabulations of growth curves based on National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 1999 to 2000 data that were assembled by the National Center for Health Statistics and the US Census for the year 2000.RESULTS. A total of 283305 children 1 to 6 years of age would have a difficult (if not impossible) time finding a safe child safety seat because of their age and weight. The vast majority of these children are 3 years of age and weigh &gt;40 lb (182661 children). For these children, there are currently only 4 child safety seat types available, each of which costs between $240 and $270.CONCLUSIONS. This study determined that there is limited availability of child safety seat types for the ever-increasing number of obese young children. There are substantial numbers of children who weigh more than the upper weight limit for most currently available child safety seats. While we await reductions in the childhood obesity epidemic, options for maximizing the protection of obese children in automobiles must be identified.
Universal Newborn Hearing Screening and Postnatal Hearing Loss
Authors: Weichbold Viktor , Nekahm-Heis Doris , Welzl-Mueller Kunigunde 
Published: April 2006

OBJECTIVE. The goal of this study was to determine the percentage of children who have a postnatal permanent childhood hearing impairment (PCHI) and the percentage thereof who have risk indicators for a postnatal hearing loss.
METHODS. Data were drawn retrospectively from the clinical charts of children who had bilateral PCHI (&gt;40 dB hearing level, better ear, unaided) and had undergone universal newborn hearing screening (UNHS) between 1995 and 2000 in various Austrian hospitals. A hearing loss was recognized as postnatal when a child passed UNHS but was later found to have a hearing impairment. The presence of risk indicators, as suggested by the Year 2000 Statement of the American Joint Committee on Infant Hearing (JCIH), was assessed by reviewing the children's clinical charts.
RESULTS. Of a total of 105 children with bilateral PCHI, 23 (22%) showed postnatal impairment. After correction of this number for underascertainment, postnatal impairment was estimated to account for 25% of all bilateral PCHI at age 9 years. Risk indicators were found in 17 children but did not fully correspond to those proposed by the JCIH. The risk factors found were a family history of hearing loss (3 children), meningitis (2), craniofacial malformation (2), persistent pulmonary hypertension (1), congenital cytomegaly infection (1), extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (1), recurrent otitis media with effusion (1), and, in addition to the JCIH list, ototoxic therapy (5), and birth before 33rd gestational week (2) (1 child had a combination of the last 2). Six children showed no risk indicators for the postnatal hearing loss.
CONCLUSIONS. Our findings suggest that ∼25% of bilateral childhood hearing loss is postnatal, which supports the leading role of UNHS in detecting PCHI. Provisions for also identifying postnatal cases nevertheless are justified. Because in some of these children no risk indicators are detectable and in others the hearing deterioration starts after age 3 years, audiologic monitoring of at-risk children up to this age may not be sufficient. Additional methods, such as hearing screening at nursery schools or schools, are recommended.
Symptoms Affecting Children With Malignancies During the Last Month of Life: A Nationwide Follow-up
Authors: Jalmsell Li , Kreicbergs Ulrika , Onelöv Erik , Steineck Gunnar , Henter Jan-Inge 
Published: April 2006

OBJECTIVE. In a population-based nationwide survey, we aimed to study symptoms in children with malignancies during the last month of their lives. Understanding which symptoms affect children in the terminal phase of disease is crucial to improve palliative care.
METHODS. We attempted to contact all parents in Sweden who had lost a child to cancer during a 6-year period. The parents were asked, through an anonymous postal questionnaire, about symptoms that affected the child's sense of well-being during the last month of life.
RESULTS. Information was supplied by 449 (80%) of 561 eligible parents. The symptoms most frequently reported with high or moderate impact on the child's well-being were: physical fatigue (86%), reduced mobility (76%), pain (73%), and decreased appetite (71%). Irrespective of the specific malignancy, physical fatigue was the most frequently reported symptom, and pain was among the 3 most frequently reported. Children who died at 9 to 15 years of age were reported to be moderately or severely affected, by a number of symptoms, significantly more often than other children. The gender of the reporting parent had no significant bearing on any of the symptoms reported.
CONCLUSIONS. The most frequently reported symptoms in children with malignancies to be aware of and possibly address during the terminal phase are physical fatigue, reduced mobility, pain, and decreased appetite. Children aged 9 to 15 years are reported to be moderately or severely affected by more symptoms than children in other age groups. Mothers and fathers report a similar prevalence of symptoms.
The Contribution of Diagnostic Substitution to the Growing Administrative Prevalence of Autism in US Special Education
Authors: Shattuck Paul T. 
Published: April 2006

OBJECTIVE. Growing administrative prevalence of autism has stirred public controversy and concern. The extent to which increases in the administrative prevalence of autism have been associated with corresponding decreases in the use of other diagnostic categories is unknown. The main objective of this study was to examine the relationship between the rising administrative prevalence of autism in US special education and changes in the use of other classification categories.
METHODS. The main outcome measure was the administrative prevalence of autism among children ages 6 to 11 in US special education. Analysis involved estimating multilevel regression models of time-series data on the prevalence of disabilities among children in US special education from 1984 to 2003.
RESULTS. The average administrative prevalence of autism among children increased from 0.6 to 3.1 per 1000 from 1994 to 2003. By 2003, only 17 states had a special education prevalence of autism that was within the range of recent epidemiological estimates. During the same period, the prevalence of mental retardation and learning disabilities declined by 2.8 and 8.3 per 1000, respectively. Higher autism prevalence was significantly associated with corresponding declines in the prevalence of mental retardation and learning disabilities. The declining prevalence of mental retardation and learning disabilities from 1994 to 2003 represented a significant downward deflection in their preexisting trajectories of prevalence from 1984 to 1993. California was one of a handful of states that did not clearly follow this pattern.
CONCLUSIONS. Prevalence findings from special education data do not support the claim of an autism epidemic because the administrative prevalence figures for most states are well below epidemiological estimates. The growing administrative prevalence of autism from 1994 to 2003 was associated with corresponding declines in the usage of other diagnostic categories.
Prevalence of Spontaneous Closure of the Ductus Arteriosus in Neonates at a Birth Weight of 1000 Grams or Less
Authors: Koch Josh , Hensley Gaynelle , Roy Lonnie , Brown Shannon , Ramaciotti Claudio , Rosenfeld Charles R. 
Published: April 2006

OBJECTIVE. Ductus arteriosus (DA) closure occurs within 96 hours in &gt;95% of neonates &gt;1500 g in birth weight (BW). The prevalence and postnatal age of spontaneous ductal closure in neonates ≤1000 g in BW (extremely low birth weight [ELBW] neonates) remain unclear, as does the incidence of failure to close with indomethacin. Therefore, we prospectively examined the prevalence, postnatal age, and clinical variables associated with spontaneous DA closure, occurrence of persistent patent DA, and indomethacin failure in ELBW neonates.METHODS. Neonates delivered at Parkland Memorial Hospital from February 2001 through December 2003 were studied. Those with congenital heart defects or death &lt;10 days postnatally were excluded. Echocardiograms were performed 48 to 72 hours postnatal and every 48 hours until 10 days postnatally.RESULTS. We studied 122 neonates with BW of 794 ± 118 (SD) g and estimated gestational age (EGA) of 26 ± 2 weeks. Spontaneous permanent DA closure occurred in 42 (34%) neonates at 4.3 ± 2 days postnatally, with 100% closure by 8 days. These neonates were more mature, less likely to have received antenatal steroids or have hyaline membrane disease (HMD; 52% vs 79%), and more likely to be growth restricted (31% vs 5%) and delivered of hypertensive women. Using regression analysis, EGA and absence of antenatal steroids and HMD predicted ductal closure. Ten (8%) neonates with early DA closure reopened and required medical/surgical closure. Eighty neonates had persistent patent DA; 7 were surgically ligated, and 5 remained asymptomatic, with 4 of 5 closing after 10 days postnatally. Sixty-eight (85%) received indomethacin at 6.2 ± 4 days postnatally; 41% failed therapy and had no distinguishing characteristics.CONCLUSIONS. Spontaneous permanent DA closure occurs in &gt;34% of ELBW neonates and is predicted by variables related to maturation, for example, EGA and an absence of HMD, whereas indomethacin failure could not be predicated.