Biomedical subjects

D Bellinger

Publications and source records attributed to D Bellinger.

60 records · Page 4Linked to original sources

PubMedDate not supplied

Speed of information processing in children referred for learning problems: performance on a visual filtering test.

Children referred for evaluation of learning impairment (LI, N =100) and a comparison group of nonreferred (NLI, N = 243) children were evaluated on a visual filtering task. The task was designed hierarchically to provide for evaluation of component operations-serial search, parallel search, decision, and response. With each additional processing demand, response times increased disproportionately for the LI group relative to the NLI group. Overall response time reliably predicted academic skills and cognitive ability, but was more strongly related to group membership. Thus, this nonverbal visual task is sensitive to a characteristic of children with learning problems over and above discrete academic and cognitive skills. Children with problems adapting to the demands of schooling may be distinguished by a disproportionate vulnerability to processing load.

Child↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Antecedents and correlates of hypoplastic enamel defects of primary incisors.

Four hundred and fifty-five exfoliated primary incisors were obtained from children whose mothers provided information about a wide range of pre-, peri-, and postnatal characteristics of both the mother and child. These teeth then were examined for the presence of hypoplastic enamel defects (HED). The basic form of the null hypothesis tested was that children who had HED of a primary incisor did not differ from those who did not have such a defect. Of the primary incisors examined, 18.5% had HED (25.0% maxillary and 10.1% mandibular). The following items were found to be associated most strongly (P less than 0.003) with an increase in a child's risk of developing HED; 1) maternal antenatal history of smoking, higher prepregnancy weight, and failure to obtain prenatal care during the first trimester; 2) prematurity, low birth-weight and their associated correlates; and 3) postnatal measles infection. Left-handedness, maternal tea and Tylenol (McNeil Consumer Products Co., Fort Washington, PA) consumption, and failure to screen for undue lead burden were associated less prominently (P less than 0.05) with HED prevalence. Season of birth and serum and dentin lead levels were not related to the prevalence of HED. Many of these risk factors are also covariates of low socioeconomic status such as suboptimal nutrition and increased risk of infection. Additional investigation is needed to delineate the associations between specific pre- and perinatal nutritional and infectious factors, socioeconomic status, and HED development.

Child, Preschool↗

PubMedDate not supplied

In utero lead exposure.

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Environmental Exposure↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Low-level lead exposure and infant development in the first year.

The developmental impact of prenatal and early postnatal low-level lead exposure was assessed in a prospective study of 249 middle and upper-middle class infants with umbilical cord blood lead levels in the range currently considered "normal." Infants were classified into three exposure groups: "low" (less than 3 micrograms/dl), "mid" (6 to 7 micrograms/dl), and "high" (greater than or equal to 10 micrograms/dl). At 6 and 12 months, the lead concentration of capillary blood was measured, and the Bayley Scales of Infant Development administered. At both ages, Mental Development Index scores, adjusted for confounding, were inversely related to infants' umbilical cord blood lead levels. The difference between the mean adjusted scores of the infants in the low and high cord blood lead groups was 5.8 points at 6 months and 7.3 points at 12 months. At neither age were scores significantly related to postnatal blood lead levels. Prenatal exposure to lead levels relatively common among urban populations appear to be associated with less favorable development through the first year of life.

Age Factors↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Children with hypoplastic enamel defects of primary incisors are not at increased risk of learning-problem syndromes.

Developmental enamel defects of primary teeth have been associated in earlier reports with motor, hearing and psychological disturbances. The relationship between hypoplastic enamel defects and learning problems had not been evaluated previously. For a total of 149 girls and 196 boys we collected a primary tooth shortly after shedding and approximately 2 years later a teacher-completed questionnaire about function in school. Children with a hypoplastic enamel defect of one of their primary incisors were no more likely than their peers without an enamel defect to have any of 7 different learning problem syndromes. In the absence of reason to suspect selection bias, confounding, or misclassification of hypoplastic defects or school problems, we conclude that hypoplastic enamel defects are not associated with teacher-identified learning problems.

Child↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Investigation of the possible associations between fluorosis, fluoride exposure, and childhood behavior problems.

PURPOSE: This study investigated the potential association between fluoride exposure and behavior problems in children, as well as the prevalence of and risk factors for fluorosis. METHODS: Children between the ages of 7 and 1 years (N = 197) were included in the study and were examined for dental fluorosis using the Modified Dean's Index. Parents of subjects completed and returned three questionnaires which investigated their children's history of exposures to fluoride, social and medical backgrounds, and behavior using the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL). RESULTS: Sixty-nine percent of the study participants demonstrated fluorosis with very mild fluorosis being the most common (39%), while 13% demonstrated moderate to severe fluorosis. Using a summation of the Modified Dean's index (Sum of 8), we divided the children into high fluorosis (HF) and low fluorosis (LF) groups. These groups were compared to each other with respect to fluoride exposures and behavior. CONCLUSION: Although there was no association between the fluoride exposures in aggregate and fluorosis, there was a significant association between supplemental fluoride exposure from ages 0-3 years and fluorosis. There was no association between behavior problems and dental fluorosis in this population.

Age Factors↗