The effectiveness of policies for reducing dietary trans fat: a systematic review of the evidence.

Objective: To systematically review evidence for the effectiveness of policies, including self-regulation, aimed at reducing industrially produced trans fatty acids (TFAs) in food.

Methods: The Medline, Embase and Cinahl databases were searched to identify peer-reviewed articles examining the effect of TFA policies. In addition, the first 20 pages of Google searches were examined for articles from the grey literature.

Factors associated with bovine tuberculosis confirmation rates in suspect lesions found in cattle at routine slaughter in Great Britain, 2003-2008.

Bovine tuberculosis (bTB) is one of the most complex and intractable animal health problems facing the British cattle industry today. The inspection of carcasses from cattle sent to slaughter is part of routine surveillance for bTB in Great Britain (GB). Tissue with suspect lesions from cattle from herds previously considered uninfected with bTB is sent to the Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency (AHVLA) for culture and histopathological examination for Mycobacterium bovis infection.

Anthropometric and dietary predictors of insulin sensitivity in 10- to 14-year-old boys and girls.

The high prevalence of pediatric obesity has made preventing chronic diseases through healthy lifestyle behaviours a priority within pediatrics. Examining the association between diet and insulin sensitivity (IS) in youth may provide important insights for tailoring preventative dietary interventions. The objective of this study was to explore the associations among anthropometry, diet, and IS in 10- to 14-year-olds.

Increased length of stay and costs associated with weekend admissions for failure to thrive.

Objective: To evaluate whether admission day of the week affects the length of stay (LOS) and health care costs for failure to thrive (FTT) admissions.

Methods: Administrative data were obtained for all children aged <2 years (N = 23 332) with a primary admission diagnosis of FTT from 2003-2011 from 42 freestanding US hospitals. Demographic characteristics, day of admission, LOS, costs per stay, number of discharge diagnoses, primary discharge diagnoses, primary procedure code, number of radiologic and laboratory units billed during admission were obtained for each admission.

Suppression of chemically induced and spontaneous mouse oocyte activation by AMP-activated protein kinase.

Oocyte activation is an important process triggered by fertilization that initiates embryonic development. However, parthenogenetic activation can occur either spontaneously or with chemical treatments. The LT/Sv mouse strain is genetically predisposed to spontaneous activation.

Associations of early exposure to intimate partner violence and parental depression with subsequent mental health outcomes.

Importance: Children with known exposure to intimate partner violence (IPV) or maternal depression are at risk for negative mental health outcomes as early as preschool age. Active ongoing surveillance for these risk factors can lead to earlier mental health intervention for children.

Objective: To examine the association between parent reports of IPV and depressive symptoms within the first 3 years of a child's life with subsequent mental health conditions and psychotropic drug treatment.

Tuberculin manufacturing source and breakdown incidence rate of bovine tuberculosis in British cattle, 2005-2009.

The single intradermal comparative cervical tuberculin (SICCT) test is the primary test used for surveillance for bovine tuberculosis (bTB) in cattle in Great Britain (GB). The tuberculin used can, with other factors, influence test accuracy. In this analysis, the detection of infected cattle in GB 2005-2009 was compared between SICCT tests using tuberculins manufacturered by different manufacturers.

Bovine tuberculosis trends in the UK and the Republic of Ireland, 1995-2010.

Selected demographic features and trends in bovine tuberculosis (BTB) from 1995 to 2010 are described for the countries of the UK and the Republic of Ireland, using standardised definitions and measures. All countries experienced a reduction in the number of cattle and herds and in the proportion of dairy herds, while average herd size increased. In general, the trends indicate a stable situation of very low BTB prevalence in Scotland and, over most of the period, a rising prevalence in England and Wales.

Perturbing microtubule integrity blocks AMP-activated protein kinase-induced meiotic resumption in cultured mouse oocytes.

The oocyte meiotic spindle is comprised of microtubules (MT) that bind chromatin and regulate both metaphase plate formation and karyokinesis during meiotic maturation; however, little information is known about their role in meiosis reinitiation. This study was conducted to determine if microtubule integrity is required for meiotic induction and to ascertain how it affects activation of AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), an important participant in the meiotic induction process. Treatment with microtubule-disrupting agents nocodazole and vinblastine suppressed meiotic resumption in a dose-dependent manner in both arrested cumulus cell-enclosed oocytes (CEO) stimulated with follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and arrested denuded oocytes (DO) stimulated with the AMPK activator, 5-aminoimidazole-4-carboxamide-1-beta-4-ribofuranoside (AICAR).

From Denmark to Delhi: the multisectoral challenge of regulating trans fats in India.

Objective: India has proposed legislating an upper limit of trans fat in partially hydrogenated vegetable oils and mandating trans fat labelling in an effort to reduce intakes. The objective of the present study was to examine the complexities of regulating trans fat in India by examining the policy processes involved and the perceived implementation challenges.

Design: Semi-structured interviews (n 18) were conducted with key informants from various sectors.

The utility assessment method order influences measurement of parents' risk attitude.

Background: Standard gamble (SG) and time trade-off (TTO) are two methods used for obtaining health utility values (utilities). Whether the order in which the methods are applied alters the relative utilities obtained by each method is unknown.

Objective: We sought to determine whether the order in which SG and TTO utilities were obtained affects the relative values of the utilities obtained by each technique.

Balance outcomes from two small rural hospitals.

Objectives: To describe predicted and measured balance changes in patients receiving physiotherapy in two rural hospitals, and to explore the relationship among balance at discharge, carer availability and patients' discharge destination.

Design: Prospective measurement study.

Setting: Two rural Australian hospitals.

Physical activity intensity and cardiometabolic risk in youth.

Objective: To determine the association between physical activity (PA) intensities and cardiometabolic risk factors in youth.

Design: Cross-sectional study using data from the 2008 Healthy Hearts Prospective Cohort Study of Physical Activity and Cardiometabolic Health in Youth.

Setting: Rural and urban communities in Alberta, Canada.

The role of herd immunity in parents' decision to vaccinate children: a systematic review.

Background And Objective: Herd immunity is an important benefit of childhood immunization, but it is unknown if the concept of benefit to others influences parents' decisions to immunize their children. Our objective was to determine if the concept of "benefit to others" has been found in the literature to influence parents' motivation for childhood immunization.

Methods: We systematically searched Medline through October 2010 for articles on parental/guardian decision-making regarding child immunization.

A randomized controlled trial of screening for maternal depression with a clinical decision support system.

Objective: To determine if automated screening and just in time delivery of testing and referral materials at the point of care promotes universal screening referral rates for maternal depression.

Methods: The Child Health Improvement through Computer Automation (CHICA) system is a decision support and electronic medical record system used in our pediatric clinics. All families of patients up to 15 months of age seen between October 2007 and July 2009 were randomized to one of three groups: (1) screening questions printed on prescreener forms (PSF) completed by mothers in the waiting room with physician alerts for positive screens, (2) everything in (1) plus 'just in time' (JIT) printed materials to aid physicians, and (3) a control group where physicians were simply reminded to screen on printed physician worksheets.

Geography influences dietary intake, physical activity and weight status of adolescents.

Purpose. The purpose of this study was to assess rural and urban differences in the dietary intakes, physical activity levels and weight status of a large sample of Canadian youth in both 2005 and 2008. Materials and Methods.

Evaluation of a clinical decision support algorithm for patient-specific childhood immunization.

Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of a clinical decision support system (CDSS) implementing standard childhood immunization guidelines, using real-world patient data from the Regenstrief Medical Record System (RMRS).

Methods: Study subjects were age 6-years or younger in 2008 and had visited the pediatric clinic on the campus of Wishard Memorial Hospital. Immunization records were retrieved from the RMRS for 135 randomly selected pediatric patients.

Automated primary care screening in pediatric waiting rooms.

Background And Objective: Implementing US Preventive Services Task Force and American Academy of Pediatrics preventive service guidelines within the short duration of a visit is difficult because identifying which of a large number of guidelines apply to a particular patient is impractical. Clinical decision support system integrated with electronic medical records offer a good strategy for implementing screening in waiting rooms. Our objective was to determine rates of positive risk screens during typical well-care visits among children and adolescents in a primary care setting.

A pilot study using children's books to understand caregiver perceptions of parenting practices.

Objective: To conduct a pilot study to test the feasibility and acceptability of using children's books to understand caregiver perceptions of parenting practices around common behavior challenges.

Methods: A prospective 1-month pilot study was conducted in 3 community-based pediatric clinics serving lower income families living in central Indianapolis. One hundred caregivers of 4- to 7-year-old children presenting for a well-child visit chose 1 of 3 available children's books that dealt with a behavioral concern the caregiver reported having with the child.

Influence of race and socioeconomic status on the diagnosis of child abuse: a randomized study.

Objectives: To measure empirically the influence of race and socioeconomic status (SES) on the diagnosis of child abuse and willingness to report to child protection services.

Study Design: A total of 5000 pediatricians randomly selected from the American Medical Association's Masterfile received 1 of 4 randomly assigned versions of a fictional clinical presentation of a child (black/white + high SES/low SES) that described an unwitnessed event in a mobile 18-month-old child resulting in an oblique femur fracture. Outcome measures included ranking the degree to which the injury was accidental versus abuse and agreement with reporting the injury to child protection services.