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PubMed1994

Predictors of early grade retention among children in the United States.

BACKGROUND: Despite increasing concerns regarding school readiness, little is known about child health correlates of early school failure among the general child population. The results of this study, conducted to investigate health and social factors associated with early grade retention in a nationally representative sample of children in the United States, are reported here. DESIGN: Analyses of data derived from interviews with parents of 9996 children ages 7 to 17 years who participated in the Child Health Supplement to the 1988 National Health Interview Survey. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: History of repeating kindergarten or first grade. RESULTS: Nationally, 7.6% of children repeated kindergarten or first grade. In a logistic regression model, factors independently associated with increased risk of grade retention were: poverty [Odds Ratio (OR) 1.7, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.4, 2.1], male gender (OR 1.5, CI 1.3, 1.9), low maternal education (OR 1.4, CI 1.1, 1.8); deafness (OR 1.9, CI 1.4, 2.6), speech defects (OR 1.7, CI 1.1, 2.6), low birth weight (OR 1.6, CI 1.2, 2.2), enuresis (OR 1.6, CI 1.1, 2.2), and exposure to household smoking (OR 1.4, CI 1.1, 1.7). High maternal education (OR 0.6 CI 0.4, 0.9) and residence with both biological parents at age 6 years (OR 0.7, CI 0.6, 0.9) were independently associated with a decreased risk of retention. Recurrent otitis media, black race, and low maternal age, although associated with early grade retention in bivariate analyses, were not independently associated with grade retention in a model that controls for these other factors and for the age cohort of the child. Although omitted from the above predictive model because of uncertainty about its temporal relation to early grade retention in this dataset, behavior problems at the time of interview have a strong independent association (OR 1.9, CI 1.5, 2.5) with prior early retention. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first study that uses national data to investigate how health and social factors individually and collectively contribute to early grade retention. It demonstrates that early retention is common, that a number of extremely common child health problems are independently associated with it, and that the magnitude of the heightened risk associated with these problems is similar to that of many of the well-recognized and difficult to change family and social risk factors for early retention. The successful implementations of Pub L 99-457 (The Education for All Handicapped Children Act Amendments of 1986) services in communities nationwide, and the improvement in the educational performance of large numbers of children will be facilitated by pediatricians' advocacy and surveillance for problems that place children at risk for educational failure, and by effective referral to and collaboration with nonpediatric child and family services.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2001

Effect of drying and composting biosolids on the movement of nitrate and phosphate through repacked soil columns under steady-state hydrological conditions.

Effects of two "enhanced" treatments (drying and composting mesophilic anaerobically digested (MAD) biosolid) on nutrient leaching were investigated. Repacked sandy or sandy loam textured soil cores amended with fresh, dried and composted MAD biosolid (250 kg N ha(-1)), were investigated under steady-state hydrological conditions. Two 24 h, 4.5 mm h(-1) rainfall events, with a 14-day interval, were simulated using water-tracers. Losses of nitrate from the sandy loam soil during rainfall event 1 (43.9-68.0 mg kg(-1)) were significantly greater (P < or = 0.05) than during event 2 (6.4-11.9 mg kg(-1)). Phosphate losses were significantly greater (P < or = 0.05) during event 2 (up to 0.30 mg kg(-1)) compared to the first (< 0.05 mg kg(-1)). The sand soil showed similar effects. Losses of nitrate-N (percentage of total N applied) from the sand soil were small (around 0.06% for fresh/dried and 0.63% for composted MAD biosolids). Losses of nitrate-N from the sandy loam soil were greater; 4% for fresh and dried and 3% for composted MAD biosolids. This research showed that drying MAD biosolid had little impact on nitrate and phosphate losses from soil compared to fresh MAD biosolid. The effect of composting MAD biosolid on nutrient losses was more variable.

Agriculture↗
PubMed2004

Assessment and management of soil microbial community structure for disease suppression.

Identification of the biological properties contributing to the function of suppressive soils is a necessary first step to the management of such systems for use in the control of soilborne diseases. The development and application of molecular methods for the characterization and monitoring of soil microbial properties will enable a more rapid and detailed assessment of the biological nature of soil suppressiveness. Although suppressive soils have provided a wealth of microbial resources that have subsequently been applied for the biological control of soilborne plant pathogens, the full functional capabilities of the phenomena have not been realized in production agricultural ecosystems. Cultural practices, such as the application of soil amendments, have the capacity to enhance disease suppression, though the biological modes of action may vary from that initially resident to the soil. Plants have a distinct impact on characteristics and activity of resident soil microbial communities, and therefore play an important role in determining the development of the disease-suppressive state. Likewise, plant genotype will modulate these same biological communities, and should be considered when developing strategies to exploit the potential of such a natural disease control system. Implementation of consistently effective practices to manage this resource in an economically and environmentally feasible manner will require more detailed investigation of these biologically complex systems and refinement of currently available methodologies.

Agriculture↗
PubMed2005

Silicon-mediated enhancement of cadmium tolerance in maize (Zea mays L.) grown in cadmium contaminated soil.

Pot experiments were performed to study the alleviative effects of exogenous silicon (Si) on cadmium (Cd) phytotoxicity in maize grown in an acid soil experimentally contaminated with Cd. Five treatments were investigated in the first trial consisting of a control (neither Cd nor Si added), Cd added at 20 or 40 mg kg(-1) Cd without or with Si added at 400 mg kg(-1) Si. A following-up trial was conducted with almost the same treatments as in the first trial except that Si was incorporated at 50 mg kg(-1) Si. The results showed that Cd treatment significantly decreased shoot and root dry weight, while addition of Si at both levels significantly enhanced biomass. Addition of Si at 400 mg kg(-1) Si significantly increased soil pH but decreased soil Cd availability, thus reducing Cd concentration in the shoots and roots and total Cd in the shoots. Moreover, more Cd was found to be in the form of specific adsorbed or Fe-Mn oxides-bound fraction in the Si-amended soil. In contrast, soil pH, available Cd and Cd forms were unaffected by addition of Si at 50 mg kg(-1) Si, but shoot Cd concentration in the Si-amended Cd treatments significantly decreased at both Cd levels used compared to the non-Si-amended Cd treatments. Total Cd in the shoots and roots was considerably and significantly higher in the Si-amended Cd treatments than in the non-Si-amended Cd treatments. The xylem sap significantly increased but Cd concentration in the xylem sap significantly decreased in the Si-amended Cd treatments compared with the non-Si-amended Cd treatments irrespective of Cd and Si levels used. The results suggest that Si-enhanced tolerance to Cd can be attributed not only to Cd immobilization caused by silicate-induced pH rise in the soils but also to Si-mediated detoxification of Cd in the plants.

Adsorption↗
PubMed2005

Effect of selenium on preservation quality of green tea during autumn tea-processing season.

Selenium-enriched green tea leaves were prepared by foliar applications of selenium-amended fertilizer during autumn season. The influence of selenium (Se) on preservation quality of tea during 4-month storage was determined. The results showed that the Se and vitamin C contents of green tea were significantly increased by selenium spraying during the autumn tea-producing season. The vitamin C content of Se-enriched green tea was higher and its decline was significantly slower during storage compared to normal green tea. However, there was no significant difference between the contents of chlorophyll and polyphenol of Se-enriched and regular tea. During the first 60 days, the color of green tea extract in Se-enriched green tea and normal tea showed no significant difference. However, the color of green tea extract in Se-enriched green tea was more stable compared with normal tea during the storage period. The sweetness and aroma of extracts of Se-enriched green tea were also significantly higher than that of normal tea and the bitterness of extracts of Se-enriched green tea was significantly lower compared with normal tea. These results showed that selenium application can slow the reduction of tea's major component and thus improve preservation qualities of green tea.

Camellia sinensis↗
PubMed2005

Origins of the Interdepartmental Committee on Nutrition for National Defense, and a brief note concerning its demise.

The Interdepartmental Committee on Nutrition for National Defense was established in 1955 after malnutrition was found common among troops of the Republic of Korea and of the Republic of China (Taiwan). The initial purpose was identification of nutrition problems among military personnel (later, and among civilians) of countries of "special interest." Surveys measured status, assisted with the establishment of nutrition resources, and facilitated investigator learning and research. A major initial accomplishment was the preparation of a manual of procedures, which evolved into the 1963 Manual for Nutrition Surveys. The first 3 surveys, conducted in 1956, were of the armies of Iran, Pakistan, and Korea. They identified poor nutrition status in some troops, provided a basis for improving rations, and confirmed the effectiveness of the methodology. These surveys were followed by surveys of 30 additional countries that in nearly all instances included civilians and provided a basis for programs and the institutions for improvement of nutrition. On August 1, 1967, the program was reorganized and the Nutrition Program, CDC, based at NIH, was created. This occurred in response to the 1967 Partnership for Health Amendments "to make a comprehensive survey of the incidence and location of serious hunger and malnutrition, and health problems incident thereto, in the United States and to report these conditions to the Congress." The Ten State Nutrition Survey was done in response. Findings of malnutrition, especially in populations of low-income states were politically unwelcome in some quarters. Consequently the program was redirected, and, according to 2 observers, the survey findings were suppressed.

Diet↗
PubMed1988

International statistical classification of diseases and related health problems. Tenth revision.

The International Classification of Diseases has, under various names, been for many decades the essential tool for national and international comparability in public health. This statistical tool has been customarily revised every 10 years in order to keep up with the advances of medicine. At first intended primarily for the classification of causes of death, its scope has been progressively widening to include coding and tabulation of causes of morbidity as well as medical record indexing and retrieval. The ability to exchange comparable data from region to region and from country to country, to allow comparison from one population to another and to permit study of diseases over long periods, is one of the strengths of the International Statistical Classification of Diseases, Injuries, and Causes of Death (ICD). WHO has been responsible for the organization, coordination and execution of activities related to ICD since 1948 (Sixth Revision of the ICD) and is now proceeding with the Tenth Revision. For the first time in its history the ICD will be based on an alphanumeric coding scheme and will have to function as a core classification from which a series of modules can be derived, each reaching a different degree of specificity and adapted to a particular specialty or type of user. It is proposed that the chapters on external causes of injury and poisoning, and factors influencing health status and contact with health services, which were supplementary classifications in ICD-9, should form an integral part of ICD-10. The title of ICD has been amended to "International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems"', but the abbreviation "ICD" will be retained.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Disease↗
PubMed1981

The responsibilities of the state for the prevention and treatment of mental illness among prisoners.

There is mounting evidence that severe stress may produce profound psychophysiologic disturbances that can persist for many years. Imprisonment may be viewed as one such stress. The prison population has a high baseline incidence of mental illness, reflecting the societal groups from which most prisoners are drawn. The great stress of imprisonment may thus be a significant factor in the exacerbation of existing psychoses or in the precipitation of first psychotic episodes in certain prisoners. The responsibilities of the state in the prevention and treatment of mental illness among prisoners are not clear. United States Supreme Court rulings on sentencing procedures could be interpreted as requiring psychiatric evaluations of all prisoners. Furthermore, court rulings on the adequacy of medical care in prisons could be construed as requiring therapy for all prisoners suffering from major mental illnesses. Failure of the state to take reasonable steps to prevent and treat mental illness in the prison population may constitute cruel and unusual punishment under the Eighth Amendment of the Constitution.

Criminal Psychology↗
PubMed2004

Quantifying the effects of fumarate on in situ reductive dechlorination rates.

In situ methods are needed to evaluate the effectiveness of chemical amendments at enhancing reductive dechlorination rates in groundwater that is contaminated with the priority pollutant, trichloroethene (TCE). In this communication, a method that utilizes single-well, "push-pull" tests to quantify the effects of chemical amendments on in situ reductive dechlorination rates is presented and demonstrated. Five push-pull tests were conducted in each of five monitoring wells located in a TCE-contaminated aquifer at the site of a former chemical manufacturing facility. Rates for the reductive dechlorination of the fluorinated TCE-surrogate, trichlorofluoroethene (TCFE), were measured before (test 1) and after (test 5) three successive additions (tests 2-4) of fumarate. Fumarate was selected to stimulate the growth and activity of indigenous microorganisms with the metabolic capability to reduce TCFE and TCE. In three wells, first-order rate constants for the reductive dechlorination of TCFE increased by 8.2-92 times following fumarate additions. In two wells, reductive dechlorination of TCFE was observed after fumarate additions but not before. The transformation behavior of fumarate was also monitored following each fumarate addition. Correlations between the reductive dechlorination of TCFE and the reduction of fumarate to succinate were observed, indicating that these reactions were supported by similar biogeochemical conditions at this site.

Biodegradation, Environmental↗
PubMed1998

Quality assurance of the EORTC radiotherapy trial 22931 for head and neck carcinomas: the dummy run.

PURPOSE: A dummy run was organized to test the compliance of participating centres with the guidelines of EORTC protocol 22931, which compares high dose radiotherapy with concomitant radiochemotherapy in a postoperative setting for patients presenting with locally advanced head and neck carcinomas. METHODS: In a first step the participants (seven centres, six replies) were asked to define the planning target volume (PTV) in a given patient on the basis of clinical, surgical and radiological (CT-images) data-sets and according to the protocol guidelines. In a second phase a series of CT-reconstructed slices with on- and off-axis PTV outlines were sent to 11 centres (10 replies), which were asked to plan a treatment following the recommendations made in the frame of the trial. RESULTS: The first step of this dummy run emphasized wide intercentre variations in PTV extensions. This fact raises the question of the reproducibility when pooling patients in multicentric trials. The second step indicated a large variability in the field arrangements which was left to the discretion of the investigators. Only three out of 10 of the institutions followed the ICRU 50 recommendations for dose reporting. Moreover, protocol requirements were not met for dose distribution homogeneity in any centre. CONCLUSIONS: In order to reduce intercentre treatment heterogeneities, several actions have been taken by the EORTC Radiotherapy Group, e.g. amendments have been brought to protocol 22931 regarding a better definition of clinical and planning target volumes. Furthermore, a stricter application of the ICRU 50 recommendations for dose reporting has been sought.

Carcinoma, Squamous Cell↗
PubMed1975

State response to federal policy: children, EPSDT, and the Medicaid Muddle.

The implementation in Connecticut of Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnosis and Treatment (EPSDT), a program of comprehensive medical care for needy children, illustrates the complexities engendered by federally mandated state-administered health programs. The EPSDT amendments to Title V and Title XIX (Medicaid) were ambiguous on four major issues: administrative responsibility, costs, eligibility, and scope of services. The problems experienced by federal, regional, state, and local administrators in resolving these issues illustrate the weaknesses inherent in federal-state relations, and the contrasting roles health and welfare agencies under Medicaid have played in the development of health policy. Connecticut may represent maximum limits to state performance in carrying out EPSDT because it is a rich state, ranking high in medical resources and in the provision of Medicaid services. During the first year of implementation of EPSDT, the program had little impact: less than 5 percent of eligible children were served. State policies, which contravened federal policy, precluded effective resolution of the legislative ambiguities; no new services were added, the organization of health services remained unchanged and fragmented; and the State Health Department played only a limited role.

Child Health Services↗
PubMed1989

Classification of perinatal death.

Three paediatric pathologists, one perinatal paediatrician, one obstetrician, and one epidemiologist separately used information collected on 239 babies in an attempt to validate the Wigglesworth classification of perinatal deaths. This was first done using clinical data only, then using the combination of clinical and gross necropsy findings and finally using clinical, gross necropsy, histological and any other information (for example, chromosome analyses, microbiological investigations). Only 14 (6%) of deaths changed groups within the Wigglesworth classification when gross necropsy findings were considered as well as clinical findings, and altogether only 21 (9%) changed classification when complete investigations were available. There was an unacceptable amount (15%) of disagreement between the classifiers, largely the result of failure to comply with the rules laid down for classification. We set out amendments to Wigglesworth's original definitions to clarify certain ambiguities.

Autopsy↗
PubMed1987

Ontogeny of seizure incidence, latency, and severity in genetically epilepsy prone rats.

The Genetically Epilepsy-Prone Rat (GEPR) is a widely studied model of epileptiform disorders. While there is considerable evidence that neurotransmitter abnormalities contribute to the unusual sensitivity of these animals to seizures, the possibility that seizure susceptibility may reflect developmental changes in the central nervous system has not been fully addressed. In the present study, 91 GEPR-9 pups were tested for incidence, latency and severity of an audiogenically induced seizure at 6, 9, 12, 15, 18, 21, 24, 27, 28, 29, or 30 days postpartum (1 test per pup) and retested at 60 days. Seizure incidence, latency, and severity were significantly greater on Days 27, 28, 29, and 30 than on all previous days. The first observation of running fits occurred in Day 18 pups and the first evidence of seizures occurred in Day 21 pups. When retested at Day 60, seizure incidence and severity were significantly greater than on initial tests while latency declined. The results suggest that seizure susceptibility in the GEPR-9 occurs as the result of developmental events in the CNS occurring on or shortly after Day 18 postpartum.

Age Factors↗
PubMed1993

Testing of some assumptions about biodegradability in soil as measured by carbon dioxide evolution.

Conversion to CO2 upon incubation in aerobic soil is one of the standard test procedures to assess biodegradability. It may be measured with unlabeled test compounds in biometer flasks. In this case, the background CO2 evolution by unamended soil is subtracted from the CO2 evolution by the amended soil and the resulting net CO2 evolution becomes the measure of biodegradation. Alternately, 14CO2 release from radiocarbon substrates is measured to assess biodegradability. Both approaches measure ultimate (complete) biodegradation and bypass the theoretical and technical limitations of residue analysis. This report examines the underlying assumptions that, except for carbon content, conversion percentage to CO2 is relatively independent of chemical composition, that CO2 production is proportional to the amount of added test compound, and that the background CO2 evolution of the soil is not influenced by the test substance. Work with unlabeled and radiolabeled substrates proved the first two assumptions to be essentially correct. However, more than half of net CO2 production may represent the mineralization of biomass and soil organic matter, some of it unrelated to the test compound. The soil microbial community in its nongrowing steady state appears to convert a much lower percentage of a radiocarbon substrate to 14CO2 than a growing soil community that responds to a substantial substrate addition. These findings may help to improve test methods and may aid in the interpretation of test results.

Adipates↗
PubMed1995

Reconciling science and policy in setting federal drinking water standards--four states' perspectives.

After almost 20 years of experience with implementing the Safe Drinking Water Act and eight with Amendments to the Act, the individual states within the United States have gained valuable experience while trying to reconcile the legal mandates provided by the statutes with the science underlying them. This paper presents four different topics illustrating the problems of reconciling these two issues in the regulation of toxic chemicals in drinking waters. It presents these from the perspectives of the states of Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, and New Jersey and offers suggestions for improved program efficiency based on considerations of comparative human health risks. The approach and schedule for controlling toxic chemicals used through 1994 are first examined and a recommendation is made for more flexibility in the rate at which chemicals are regulated. Recent U.S. EPA proposals to more stringently control radon in drinking waters are presented in the context of all sources of radon exposures, illustrating the intersection of science, laws, and economic consequences of regulatory initiatives. Inhalation and dermal exposures as a result of using chemically contaminated drinking waters are then discussed with the suggestion of the possible underprotectiveness of some present standards. Finally, the difficulty faced by the states and federal government in the control of naturally occurring arsenic exposures through drinking water is also presented and an argument is made for more local flexibility in the application of health-based standards.

Administration, Cutaneous↗
PubMed2006

The survival response of Escherichia coli K12 in a natural environment.

To verify the hypothesis of cryptic growth and viable but nonculturable (VBNC) state, survival responses of Escherichia coli cells were examined under oligotrophic microcosm conditions for an extended period. In the case of filtered distilled water at 4 degrees C, E. coli cells definitely entered the VBNC state within 56 days. However, culturability and viability increased while the total number of cells declined after 110 days. This phenomenon can be explained by considering three possible states. The first is the existence of the VBNC state, the second is cryptic growth, and the third is the death of E. coli cells. In the case of artificial seawater at 4 degrees C, VBNC E. coli cells confirmed the existence of two log units of elongated VBNC cells. Moreover, elongated VBNC cells showed the most significant change among all the other transformed cells. Also, E. coli cells in microcosms at 28 degrees C indicated the entrance to the classical starvation survival state. In resuscitation tests, 1% diluted Luria-Bertani agar medium showed the highest level of resuscitation among amended agar media. To evaluate the survival ability of E. coli cells in the activated sludge samples, we used an E. colistrain XL-1 blue containing plasmids pQ2 including GFPcDNA (XL/GFP). In supernatant of activated sludge (SUP) at 28 degrees C, XL/GFP cells entered the VBNC state after 10 days, whereas existence of VBNC cells was not detectable in resuspended activated sludge (ACT) at 28 degrees C.

Bacteriological Techniques↗
PubMed2004

Effect of interactions on the nutrient status of a tropical soil treated with green manures and inorganic phosphate fertilizers.

Integrated nutrient management systems using plant residues and inorganic P fertilizers have high potential for increasing crop production and ensuring sustainability in the tropics, but their adoption requires in-depth understanding of nutrient dynamics in such systems. This was examined in a highly weathered tropical soil treated with green manures (GMs) and P fertilizers in two experiments conducted in the laboratory and glasshouse. The treatments were factorial combinations of the GMs (Calopogonium caeruleum, Gliricidia sepium, and Imperata cylindrica) and P fertilizers (phosphate rocks [PRs] from North Carolina, China, and Algeria, and triple superphosphate) replicated thrice. Olsen P, mineral N, pH, and exchangeable K, Ca, and Mg were monitored in a laboratory incubation study for 16 months. The change in soil P fractions and available P was also determined at the end of the study. Phosphorus available from the amendments was quantified at monthly intervals for 5 months by 33P-32P double isotopic labeling in the glasshouse using Setaria sphacelata as test crop. The GMs were labeled with 33P to determine their contribution to P taken up by Setaria, while that from the P fertilizers was indirectly measured by labeling the soil with 32P. The P fertilizers hardly changed Olsen P and exchangeable cations during 16 months of incubation. The legume GMs and legume GM+P did not change Olsen P, lowered exchangeable Ca, and increased exchangeable K about threefold (4.5 cmol[+]kg(-1) soil) in the first 4 months, even as large amounts of NH4-N accumulated (approximately 1000 mg kg soil(-1)) and soil pH increased to more than 6.5. Afterwards, Olsen P and exchangeable Ca and Mg increased (threefold) as NH4+-N and soil pH declined. The legume GMs also augmented reversibly sorbed P in Al-P and Fe-P fractions resulting in high residual effect in the soil, while fertilizer-P was irreversibly retained. The GMs increased PR-P utilization by 40 to over 80%, mobilized soil P, and markedly enhanced uptake of N, K, Ca, and Mg. Thus GMs+PRs is an appropriate combination for correcting nutrient deficiencies in tropical soils.

Agriculture↗