Feasibility of elementary school children's use of hand gel and facemasks during influenza season.

Background: The feasibility of non-pharmacologic interventions to prevent influenza's spread in schools is not well known.

Objectives: To determine the acceptability of, adherence with, and barriers to the use of hand gel and facemasks in elementary schools.

Intervention: We provided hand gel and facemasks to 20 teachers and their students over 4 weeks.

Weight for gestational age affects the mortality of late preterm infants.

Background: Late preterm infant mortality is higher than that for term newborns. The association between weight for gestational age (WGA) category and late preterm mortality has not been well described.

Objectives: Our objectives for this research were as follows: (1) to compare neonatal and infant mortality rates of SGA, AGA, and LGA late preterm, early term, and term newborns; (2) to determine the relative risk of neonatal and infant death for each WGA category; and (3) to examine causes of neonatal and infant death.

Mortality of late-preterm (near-term) newborns in Utah.

Objectives: The purpose of this work was to determine the relative risk for mortality and the causes and ages of death for late-preterm newborns (gestational age of 34-36 weeks) compared with those born at term.

Methods: We reviewed data from birth and death certificates of infants born in Utah between 1999 and 2004. We calculated early neonatal (first week), neonatal (first 28 days), and infant (first year) mortality rates for each weekly estimated gestational age cohort from 34 to 42 weeks and, using 40 weeks as the reference, risk ratios for each cohort.

Urgent vs. elective endoscopy for acute non-variceal upper-GI bleeding: an effectiveness study.

Background: Urgent endoscopy in patients with acute upper-GI bleeding identifies many patients who may be safely treated without hospitalization. The aim of this multicenter trial was to determine whether urgent endoscopy effectively decreases health care resource utilization in a real-life setting where primary care providers determine the course of care.

Methods: Ninety-three outpatients with acute upper-GI bleeding were randomized to either urgent endoscopy (before hospitalization) or elective endoscopy after admission.