bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Methylphenidate Versus Dexamphetamine in Children With Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: A Double-blind, Crossover Trial
Authors: Efron Daryl , Jarman Frederick , Barker Melinda 
Published: August 2004

Objective. To compare methylphenidate (MPH) and dexamphetamine (DEX) in a sample of children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
Method. A total of 125 children with ADHD received both MPH (0.3 mg/kg twice daily) and DEX (0.15 mg/kg twice daily) for 2 weeks a double-blind, crossover study. Outcome measures were Conners' Parent Rating Scale–Revised, Conners' Teacher Rating Scale–Revised, a Parent Global Perceptions questionnaire, the Continuous Performance Test, and the Barkley Side Effects Rating Scale.
Results. There were significant group mean improvements from baseline score on all measures for both stimulants. On the Conners' Teacher Rating Scale–Revised, response was greater on MPH than DEX on the conduct problems and hyperactivity factors, as well as on the hyperactivity index. On the Conners' Parent Rating Scale–Revised, anxiety was the only factor to differ significantly, in favor of MPH. Parents rated 73% of subjects as globally improved on MPH and 69% improved on DEX, compared with baseline. Overall, 46% of parents chose MPH as the preferred drug, compared with 37% who chose DEX. On the Continuous Performance Test, there was no difference in the number of correct responses or errors between the two drugs.
Conclusions. Most children with ADHD improve significantly on both MPH and DEX. There was a slight advantage to MPH on most measures.
When Should a Child Be in the Hospital?: A. Frederick North, Jr, MD, Revisited
Authors: Dougherty Geoffrey 
Published: August 2004

Objectives. My objective was to revisit the issues and approaches raised in a seminal article published in Pediatrics in 1976 by A. Frederick North, Jr, entitled “When Should a Child Be in the Hospital?” Dr North proposed a set of nine criteria to guide the evaluation of appropriateness of admission to hospital. These were based on a core assertion that, “The need to hospitalize a child is dependent on the special services which the child requires rather than upon the diagnosis.” This original work antedated more recent activities and publications in the area of appropriateness evaluation as applied to pediatrics (such as the Pediatric Appropriateness Evaluation Protocol), but is more context-specific than later works in the field.Methods. A review of the literature concerning temporal trends in hospital use for children in North America was undertaken. This was done to place some of the subsequent observations in a macrocontext of overall trends in hospital use. A review of the English language literature focusing on alternatives to hospitalization and contextual evolution affecting patterns of hospital care for children is presented. Factors influencing each of the nine admission criteria proposed by North are reviewed and discussed in turn.Results. Overall rates of hospitalization declined by 46% and 41% in the United States and Canada, respectively, during the 1971 to 1993 interval. The relative composition by diagnostic category in two specific pediatric hospital settings also evolved substantially during the 2 decades. Many of North's specific criteria required extensive revision or updating to match the contextual realities of the 1990s.Conclusions. Although important overall shifts have occurred in the absolute levels and relative composition of pediatric hospitalization, Dr North's core assertion, relating to the need for specific services driving the need for hospitalization, has largely stood the test of time.
Moyamoya Syndrome Associated With Congenital Heart Disease
Authors: Lutterman Joel , Scott Michael , Nass Ruth , Geva Tal 
Published: August 2004

Objective. To describe the association between moyamoya syndrome and congenital heart disease and to discuss its clinical implications.
Study Design. Retrospective analysis of a case series from two institutions.
Results. Five patients with moyamoya syndrome and structural congenital heart disease were identified. Coarctation of the aorta was present in 3 patients, in association with a ventricular septal defect (1 patient), aortic and mitral valve stenoses (1 patient), and tetralogy of Fallot (1 patient). Tetralogy of Fallot and a large paramembranous ventricular septal defect were found in the other 2 patients. Four patients underwent surgical repair of their congenital heart disease during the first year of life and 1 patient had balloon dilation of aortic coarctation at 5 years of age. In all patients, moyamoya syndrome was diagnosed after surgical intervention for congenital heart disease—at 6 months of age in 1 patient, at 2 years of age in 3 patients, and at 6 years in 1 patient. Strokes were the most common presenting sign (3 patients) followed by seizures (2 patients). By the age of 33 months, 4 of 5 patients had undergone cerebral revascularization surgery to halt the clinical progression of moyamoya syndrome.
Conclusions. Moyamoya syndrome should be considered in the differential diagnosis of seizures and stroke in patients with structural congenital heart disease. Prompt diagnosis and surgical management of the occlusive cerebral angiopathy should lead to improved neurological outcome in these patients.
Antistreptolysin O and Anti-Deoxyribonuclease B Titers: Normal Values for Children Ages 2 to 12 in the United States
Authors: Kaplan Edward L. , Rothermel Constance D. , Johnson Dwight R. 
Published: August 2004

Background. Measurement of antibodies to the extracellular antigens produced by group A streptococci, antistreptolysin O (ASO) and anti-deoxyribonuclease B (anti-DNase B), is often necessary to confirm a clinical diagnosis of a previous group A streptococcal infection, especially in patients suspected of having a nonsuppurative sequel to this infection. Age is among several factors that may influence antibody levels in children. Thus, in contrast to adults, what is considered a normal titer for one age group (infants) is not appropriate for another (older children). Age-related “normal” values for ASO and anti-DNase B are provided in the package inserts of commercially available kits; however, there are no recent comprehensive data to validate such values.Objective. Using sera from 1131 children (from 23 states) ages 2 to 12 years, we determined age-specific geometric mean titers (GMT) and upper limits of normal (ULN) of ASO and anti-DNase B.Methods. ASO and anti-DNase B titers were measured by conventional laboratory methods.Results. Children 7 years of age comprised the largest proportion (14%) of the study population. Approximately two-thirds of the sera were collected during winter and early spring months. For both ASO and anti-DNase B, both GMT values and ULN increased with age. The GMTs for ASO and anti-DNase B for the entire group of subjects were 89 and 112, respectively. The ULN for the entire group for ASO and anti-DNase B were 240 and 640, respectively.Conclusion. The age-specific values for GMT and ULN for this group of children from 23 states were slightly higher than previously reported. These values are likely representative of the pediatric population in the United States and should be of clinical value to physicians, epidemiologists, and clinical laboratory personnel.
Eight-Year Outcome of Universal Screening and Intrapartum Antibiotics for Maternal Group B Streptococcal Carriers
Authors: Jeffery Heather E. , Moses Lahra Monica 
Published: August 2004

Objectives. To report the outcome of intervention to reduce early-onset group B streptococcal disease (EOGBSD) at a tertiary maternity hospital in Sydney and to review all cases of EOGBSD since intervention to improve outcomes further.Methodology. A prospective study was made of all cases of EOGBSD in the 16 months before and 8 years after an intervention that comprised universal screening and intrapartum ampicillin for all maternal carriers of group B streptococcus. Carriers were detected by screening all women at 28 weeks, or 24 weeks with known risk factors for preterm birth, by low vaginal swab, cultured onto blood agar and treated with intravenous ampicillin in labor, 1 g every 6 hours until delivery. Women with a routine midstream urine test positive for group B streptococcus, a previous neonate with EOGBSD, or preterm labor with an unknown carrier status were also treated. EOGBSD was detected by screening all neonates with maternal and/or neonatal risk factors for sepsis.Results. The incidence of blood culture-positive EOGBSD for all live births before intervention was 1.4 per 1000 compared with a rate after intervention of 0.2 per 1000 live births. The incidence, if there were clinical signs of infection and the urine tested positive for streptococcal antigen, decreased from 3.5 per 1000 before intervention to 0.6 per 1000 live births. There was a statistically significant reduction in neonatal morbidity outcomes after intervention, including requirement for admission and treatment in a neonatal unit and the need for ventilation. An audit indicated that by the 8th year, 90% of all pregnant women were screened by a low vaginal swab at 28 weeks and 10.5% were carriers. After intervention, of the 28 neonates with EOGBSD, 64% were associated with departure from the protocol.Conclusion. The intervention has coincided with a significant decrease in the incidence of blood culture-positive EOGBSD to 0.2 and urine streptococcal antigen-positive disease to 0.6 per 1000 live births. The 84% reduction in EOGBSD has been obtained by treating 244 neonates in labor to prevent disease in one neonate. Additional reduction seems possible by improving the compliance by staff with the protocol. By contrast, before intervention and in maternity units throughout Australia with no intervention, the rates for EOGBSD remain largely unchanged at ∼2 per 1000 live births.
Does the Supine Sleeping Position Have Any Adverse Effects on the Child? II. Development in the First 18 Months
Authors: Dewey Claire , Fleming Peter , Golding Jean ,   the ALSPAC Study Team
Published: August 2004

Objective. To assess whether the recommendations that infants sleep supine could have adverse consequences on their motor and mental development.Design. A prospective study of infants, delivered before, during, and after the Back to Sleep Campaign in the United Kingdom, followed to 18 months of age.Subjects. The children were participants of the Avon Longitudinal Study of Pregnancy and Childhood born to mothers resident in the three former Bristol-based health districts of Avon, with expected date of delivery from April 1, 1991 to December 31, 1992. Questionnaires were completed on sleeping position at 4 to 6 weeks of age and sets of standardized questions on development at 6 and 18 months.Main Outcome Measures. Social, communication, fine and gross motor, and total developmental scales based on the Denver Developmental Screening Test at 6 and 18 months.Results. After adjustment for 27 factors using multiple regression, 3 of the 10 scales and subscales significantly distinguished between front and back sleeping position. At 6 months of age, infants put to sleep on their front had a mean score 0.38 SD (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.28, 0.49) higher on the gross motor scale, 0.11 SD (95% CI: 0.00, 0.23) higher in the social skills scale, and a total development score 0.20 SD (95% CI: 0.10, 0.30) higher than those on their backs. These differences were no longer apparent at 18 months.Conclusions. There is some evidence that putting infants to sleep in the supine position results in a reduced developmental score at 6 months of age, but this disadvantage appears to be transient. Weighing this against the adverse health effects demonstrated with the prone sleeping position, these results should not change the message of the Back to Sleep Campaign.
Is the Incidence of Appendicitis Reduced in Patients With Sickle Cell Disease?
Authors: Antal Peter , Gauderer Michael , Koshy Mable , Berman Brian 
Published: August 2004

Background. Patients with sickle cell disease (SCD) often present with abdominal pain, usually attributable to vasoocclusion. Experience at a single institution suggested that appendicitis was a rare cause of abdominal symptoms in this population.
Objective. We sought to determine whether the incidence of appendicitis was significantly lower in patients with SCD than in the population at large.
Methods. A 17-year retrospective chart review was performed at Rainbow Babies and Children's Hospital, Cleveland, OH, to determine the approximate incidence of acute appendicitis (AA) in patients with SCD. In addition, we performed a statistical analysis comparing the incidence of AA among SCD patients enrolled in the Cooperative Study of Sickle Cell Disease with that in the general population.
Results. Only two patients with SCD with pathologically confirmed AA were identified among ∼200 patients followed at our institution during a 17-year period (∼3500 patient-years), yielding an incidence rate of 5.7 cases per 10 000 patient-years. Among 3765 patients with SCD enrolled in the Cooperative Study of Sickle Cell Disease followed for a mean of 5.3 years (19 886 patient-years), a maximum of 9 cases of AA were identified, yielding an incidence rate of 4.5 cases per 10 000 patient-years. Based on data from the National Hospital Discharge Survey of 1978 to 1981, the incidence rate of AA in the general population (0 to 44 years of age) is ∼16 per 10 000 patient-years. Paired t test analysis demonstrated a highly significant difference (P &lt; .001) when comparing the incidence of AA among patients enrolled in the Cooperative Study of Sickle Cell Disease and the population at large.
Conclusion. AA is an unusual event in patients with SCD. The likelihood of developing appendicitis in SCD patients is less than one third of that for the population at large. Conservative therapy is warranted in the large majority of patients with SCD who present with acute abdominal pain. Surgical exploration is best limited to patients with clear evidence of potential surgical pathology or progressive findings during a period of observation. The biologic basis of our findings remains unknown.
Reasons For First Teen Pregnancies Predict the Rate of Subsequent Teen Conceptions
Authors: Stevens-Simon Catherine , Kelly Lisa , Singer Dena , Nelligan Donna 
Published: August 2004

Objective. To identify reasons for inconsistent contraceptive use that antedate conception and continue to predispose participants in adolescent-oriented maternity programs to unsafe sexual practices after delivery. We hypothesized that teens who attributed their failure to use contraceptives before their first conception exclusively to concerns about their side effects and/or their own lack of motivation to prevent conception would report less consistent contraceptive use and more repeat conceptions than would teens who attributed their previous failure to use contraceptives to their lack of capacity to do so.Method. We conducted a 2-year, prospective, longitudinal study of contraceptive use and repeat conceptions in a racially/ethnically diverse population of poor 13- to 18-year-olds. The 198 study participants were enrolled consecutively during their first pregnancies from an adolescent-oriented maternity program.Results. The majority (84%) of the teens attributed their failure to use contraceptives before their first pregnancy partially to a lack of capacity to do so. As hypothesized, these teen mothers were significantly more likely to use hormonal contraceptives (85% vs 62%), (particularly Norplant, 47% vs 19%) and less likely to conceive again (13% vs 41%). Most teens attributed their inconsistent contraceptive use during the postpartum study period to three factors: side effects, plans to abstain from sexual intercourse, and their lack of motivation to postpone additional childbearing.Conclusions. The reasons teen mothers give for not using contraceptives consistently before their first pregnancies predict the occurrence of subsequent conceptions during adolescence. Those who attribute their previous failure to use contraceptives consistently to side-effect concerns and their own lack of motivation to postpone childbearing are least likely to use hormonal contraceptives after delivery and most likely to conceive again. Our findings suggest that future research should focus on the development of more effective interventions for preventing repeat conceptions among adolescent mothers who had the capacity to prevent their first pregnancies.
Breastfeeding and Later Cognitive and Academic Outcomes
Authors: Horwood L. John , Fergusson David M. 
Published: August 2004

Objective. This study examines the associations between duration of breastfeeding and childhood cognitive ability and academic achievement over the period from 8 to 18 years using data collected during the course of an 18-year longitudinal study of a birth cohort of &gt;1000 New Zealand children.
Method. During the period from birth to age 1 year, information was collected on maternal breastfeeding practices. Over the period from 8 to 18 years, sample members were assessed on a range of measures of cognitive and academic outcomes including measures of child intelligence quotient; teacher ratings of school performance; standardized tests of reading comprehension, mathematics, and scholastic ability; pass rates in school leaving examinations; and leaving school without qualifications.
Results. Increasing duration of breastfeeding was associated with consistent and statistically significant increases in 1) intelligence quotient assessed at ages 8 and 9 years; 2) reading comprehension, mathematical ability, and scholastic ability assessed during the period from 10 to 13 years; 3) teacher ratings of reading and mathematics assessed at 8 and 12 years; and 4) higher levels of attainment in school leaving examinations. Children who were breastfed for ≥8 months had mean test scores that were between 0.35 and 0.59 SD units higher than children who were bottle-fed.
Mothers who elected to breastfeed tended to be older; better educated; from upper socioeconomic status families; were in a two-parent family; did not smoke during pregnancy; and experienced above average income and living standards. Additionally, rates of breastfeeding increased with increasing birth weight, and first-born children were more likely to be breastfed.
Regression adjustment for maternal and other factors associated with breastfeeding reduced the associations between breastfeeding and cognitive or educational outcomes. Nonetheless, in 10 of the 12 models, fitted duration of breastfeeding remained a significant predictor of later cognitive or educational outcomes. After adjustment for confounding factors, children who were breastfed for ≥8 months had mean test scores that were between 0.11 and 0.30 SD units higher than those not breastfed.
Conclusions. It is concluded that breastfeeding is associated with small but detectable increases in child cognitive ability and educational achievement. These effects are 1) pervasive, being reflected in a range of measures including standardized tests, teacher ratings, and academic outcomes in high school; and 2) relatively long-lived, extending throughout childhood into young adulthood.
A Randomized Comparative Trial of Stavudine (d4T) Versus Zidovudine (ZDV, AZT) in Children With Human Immunodeficiency Virus Infection
Authors: Kline Mark W. , Van Dyke Russell B. , Lindsey Jane C. , Gwynne Margaret , Culnane Mary , McKinney Ross E. , Nichols Sharon , Mitchell Wendy G. , Yogev Ram , Hutcheon Nancy ,   the AIDS Clinical Trials Group 240 Team
Published: August 2004

Objectives. To compare the safety and tolerance of stavudine (d4T) versus zidovudine (ZDV, AZT) in symptomatic human immunodeficiency virus-infected children 3 months to 6 years of age.Methods. In an initially double-blind trial, 212 evaluable human immunodeficiency virus-infected children who had received no more than 6 weeks of previous antiretroviral therapy were randomized to receive either d4T (1 mg/kg orally every 12 hours, maximum 40 mg orally every 12 hours) or zidovudine (180 mg/m2 orally every 6 hours, maximum 200 mg orally every 6 hours). The study was unblinded after a median follow-up period of 6.3 months; median follow-up at study closure was 17.3 months. Tolerance, safety, disease progression, and immunologic responses were evaluated.Results. The patient population was young (median age, 1.2 years; range, 0.3 to 6.4 years), with a median baseline CD4+ lymphocyte count of 965 cells/μL (range, 18 to 4238 cells/μL). Neutropenia &lt;400/μL occurred significantly more commonly among zidovudine recipients (1-year event rates of 20% both up to the time of unblinding and throughout the entire study) than among children receiving d4T (1-year event rates of 5% up to the time of unblinding and 6% throughout the entire study). In exploratory activity analyses using all data collected until study closure, children treated with d4T showed consistently greater positive changes from baseline in weight-for-age-and-gender z scores. As expected in this population of young children, median absolute CD4+ lymphocyte counts decreased in both treatment groups. Smaller changes from baseline were noted among d4T recipients.Conclusions. In children between the ages of 3 months and 6 years, d4T and zidovudine are largely comparable in terms of safety and tolerance. Neutropenia occurs significantly less commonly among children treated with d4T. There was evidence that weight gain and absolute CD4+ lymphocyte counts were better maintained in children receiving d4T.