Music listening behavior, health, hearing and otoacoustic emission levels.

This study examined the relationship between hearing levels, otoacoustic emission levels and listening habits related to the use of personal listening devices (PLDs) in adults with varying health-related fitness. Duration of PLD use was estimated and volume level was directly measured. Biomarkers of health-related fitness were co-factored into the analyses.

Pediatric primary care physicians' practices regarding newborn hearing screening.

Objective: Approximately 2 to 3 out of 1000 infants are born with hearing loss in the United States each year. Pediatric primary care physicians (PCPs) can play an important role in ensuring that infants with hearing loss are identified early and provided appropriate services. In this study, pediatric PCPs were surveyed about their practices regarding early hearing detection and intervention.

Attitudes toward newborn screening for cytomegalovirus infection.

Objective: Newborns are not routinely screened for cytomegalovirus (CMV), the leading infectious cause of developmental disability. Congenital CMV satisfies a number of criteria for inclusion in newborn screening, and screening potentially offers benefits. Screening could also introduce harms such as anxiety and unnecessary costs for the families of the substantial proportion of CMV-infected children who never develop CMV-related disabilities.

Unmet health care needs among CSHCN with neurologic conditions.

Objective: Children with neurologic conditions require a variety of services. With this study we examined health care needs and unmet needs among children with neurologic conditions.

Methods: Cross-sectional data reported by parents of 3- to 17-year-olds in the 2005-2006 National Survey of Children With Special Health Care Needs were analyzed.

Changes in intraocular pressure and ocular pulse amplitude with accommodation.

Aims: To investigate the change that occurs in intraocular pressure (IOP) and ocular pulse amplitude (OPA) with accommodation in young adult myopes and emmetropes.

Methods: Fifteen progressing myopic and 17 emmetropic young adult subjects had their IOP and OPA measured using the Pascal dynamic contour tonometer. Measurements were taken initially with accommodation relaxed, and then following 2 min of near fixation (accommodative demand 3 D).

Highly variable population-based prevalence rates of unilateral hearing loss after the application of common case definitions.

Objectives: This study shows how population-based estimates of the prevalence of unilateral hearing loss (UHL) in children aged 6 to 19 yrs can differ considerably with various applications of commonly accepted case definitions. It also examines demographic variables and risk factors related to UHL.

Design: The Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, conducted from 1988 to 1994, is a national population-based, cross-sectional survey.

Newborn screening for congenital cytomegalovirus: Options for hospital-based and public health programs.

Background: Congenital cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection is a leading cause of sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) and developmental disability in children. Early identification of infected children through screening could allow for early intervention and improvement in functional outcomes among the subset who develop sequelae.

Objectives: To outline potential options and strategies for screening newborns for congenital CMV infection and to discuss barriers to screening and data needs to inform future policy decisions.

Obstetrician/gynecologists' knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding prevention of infections in pregnancy.

Background: Maternal infection during pregnancy is a well-recognized cause of birth defects and developmental disabilities, as well as an important contributor to other adverse pregnancy outcomes. The objective of the present survey was to gain information about the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of obstetrician/gynecologists regarding prevention of infections during pregnancy.

Methods: A survey was mailed to 606 Collaborative Ambulatory Research Network (CARN) members of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) (approximately 2% of membership).

Teratology: from science to birth defects prevention.

One of the goals of birth defects research is to better understand risk or preventive factors for birth defects so that strategies for prevention can be developed. In this article, we have selected four areas of birth defects research that have led to the development of prevention strategies. These areas include rubella virus as a cause of congenital rubella syndrome, folic acid as a preventive factor for neural tube defects, cytomegalovirus infection as a cause of birth defects and developmental disabilities, and alcohol as a cause of fetal alcohol spectrum disorders.

Women's knowledge of congenital cytomegalovirus: results from the 2005 HealthStyles survey.

Background: Congenital cytomegalovirus (CMV) is as common a cause of serious disability as Down syndrome and neural tube defects. When acquired prior to or during pregnancy, CMV can be transmitted transplacentally to the fetus, sometimes causing serious temporary symptoms, permanent disabilities, or both to the child. One way to prevent infection before and during pregnancy is through simple hygienic practices, such as handwashing.

Early intervention for children with unilateral and mild bilateral degrees of hearing loss.

Some children with unilateral hearing loss or mild bilateral hearing loss are at risk for developmental delays, educational difficulties, and other adverse effects. However, these children face several challenges in receiving services that can prevent such problems. Many do not meet existing eligibility requirements for early intervention services in their state.

Hearing screening and diagnostic evaluation of children with unilateral and mild bilateral hearing loss.

More than 90% of newborns in the United States are now being screened for hearing loss. A large fraction of cases of unilateral hearing loss and mild bilateral hearing loss are not currently identified through newborn hearing screening. This is of concern because a preponderance of research has demonstrated that unilateral hearing loss and mild bilateral hearing loss can lead to developmental delays and educational problems for some children.

Congenital cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection as a cause of permanent bilateral hearing loss: a quantitative assessment.

Background: Congenital cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection is a cause of sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) in children, but the magnitude of its contribution is uncertain. Quantifying the impact of congenital CMV infection requires an evidence-based assessment using a standard case definition of hearing loss.

Objectives: To determine the frequency of bilateral moderate to profound SNHL in children with congenital CMV infection and to estimate the CMV-attributable fraction of bilateral moderate to profound SNHL.

New estimates of the prevalence of neurological and sensory sequelae and mortality associated with congenital cytomegalovirus infection.

Congenital CMV is a major cause of neurological and sensory impairment in children. Reliable estimates of the prevalence of permanent sequelae and mortality associated with congenital CMV are needed to guide development of education and prevention programmes and to gauge the financial costs associated with this disease. To calculate such estimates, this review used data solely from studies in which children with congenital CMV were identified through universal screening.

The epidemiology and prevention of congenital cytomegalovirus infection and disease: activities of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Workgroup.

Perhaps no single cause of birth defects and developmental disabilities in the United States currently provides greater opportunity for improved outcomes in more children than congenital cytomegalovirus (CMV). --Cannon and Davis. BMC Public Health 2005;5:70 Each year in the United States, thousands of children and their families are affected by congenital cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection.

Influence of partner participation on sexual risk behavior reduction among HIV-positive Zambian women.

Sexual risk behavior interventions in sub-Saharan Africa focus predominantly on individual and couples counseling. This cognitive-behavioral group intervention was adapted from an urban US context to urban Zambia. Preliminary data analyses assessed the influence of partner participation on sexual risk behavior among HIV-positive Zambian women.

Susceptibility of mice (Mus musculus) to repeated infestation with Amblyomma americanum (Acari: Ixodidae) ticks.

Laboratory mice, Mus musculus (L.), BALB/c strain, were assessed for their ability to develop resistance to repeated infestation by Amblyomma americanum (L.) ticks.

Reinfection with Anaplasma phagocytophilum in BALB/c mice and cross-protection between two sympatric isolates.

Infection with Anaplasma phagocytophilum in white-footed mice results in partial protection against reinfection with the same agent. However, humans and domestic animals may be sequentially exposed to different isolates of the agent circulating in the same or adjacent foci. We investigated whether immune response to a tick-borne infection with A.

Effects of Anaplasma phagocytophilum infection on the molting success of Ixodes scapularis (Acari: Ixodidae) larvae.

We assessed the effects of sympatric (occupying the same or overlapping geographic areas) and allopatric (occurring in separate geographic areas) isolates of Anaplasma phagocytophilum on the survival of Ixodes scapularis Say larvae that were derived from ticks collected in Bridgeport, CT. Seven isolates of A. phagocytophilum, originating from different geographic regions of the United States, were tested: four isolates from the northeast (Bridgeport, Dawson, Gaillard, and NY-8), two from the Midwest (Webster and Sp-Is), and one from California (MRK).

Acquisition of different isolates of Anaplasma phagocytophilum by Ixodes scapularis from a model animal.

The prevalence of etiologic agents in ticks reflects the intensity of their transmission in natural cycles and is an important measure of their potential to cause human disease. The distribution of Anaplasma phagocytophilum within the range of its primary vectors is patchy. Even nearby sites differ dramatically in the prevalence of Anaplasma in questing ticks.

The time course for language acquisition in biologically distinct populations: evidence from deaf individuals.

The present study provides evidence that individuals who have different patterns of cerebral lateralization and who develop along different maturational time courses can attain comparable levels of language proficiency. Right-handed individuals with left-handed family members (left-handed familials, LHFs) showed a shorter sensitive period for language acquisition than did right-handed individuals with only right-handed family members (right-handed familials, RHFs). The shorter sensitive period for LHFs may be due to a focus on non-linguistic, word-based conceptual information during language acquisition.