Risk factors for prosthesis failure in pulmonary valve replacement.

Background: After initial right ventricular outflow tract reconstruction, replacement of the pulmonary valve (PVR) with a bioprosthetic valve may be performed. Bioprosthetic valves fail (PVF) and require repeat replacement. Identification of risk factors for PVF would be useful for clinicians choosing among various options for the initial PVR.

Early repair of congenital diaphragmatic hernia on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation.

Background: Timing of repair of congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH) in babies that require stabilization on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) remains controversial. Although many centers delay operation until physiologic stabilization has occurred or ECMO is no longer needed, we repair soon after ECMO has been initiated. The purpose of this study is to determine if our approach has achieved acceptable morbidity and mortality.

Standardized management improves outcomes after the Norwood procedure.

Background: In the past decade, many advances in the care of patients undergoing the Norwood procedure (NP) have been reported, but management remains nonstandardized at many institutions. We studied the impact of a standardized management protocol for neonates undergoing NP.

Methods: Care of NP patients has been protocol-driven at our institution since 2005, with routine use of regional low flow perfusion; near infrared spectroscopy; phenoxybenzamine with cardiopulmonary bypass; delayed sternal closure; peritoneal drainage; gastrostomy tubes; postoperative vocal cord assessment; and a home surveillance program of daily weight and oxygen saturation measurement.

Consumption of calcium among African American adolescent girls.

Objective: To determine the adequacy of calcium intake of children by demographic group in the Lower Mississippi Delta (LMD) and compare to national statistics.

Design: FOODS 2000 was used to examine the dietary calcium intake of LMD children and compare it to US children in the Continuing Survey of Food Intakes by Individuals (CSFII) 1994-1996, 1998.

Setting And Participants: The sample of 465 non-Hispanic children 3-17 years of age who live in 36 counties of the LMD was identified by using list-assisted random digit dialing methods.

High prevalence of food insecurity and hunger in households in the rural Lower Mississippi Delta.

Context: Residents of the Lower Mississippi Delta of Arkansas, Louisiana, and Mississippi are at risk for food insecurity since a high proportion of the population live in households with incomes below the poverty level and have reduced access to food and decreased availability of a variety of foods. However, the magnitude of the problem is unknown because presently only nationwide and state estimates of food insecurity are available.

Purpose: This study was conducted by the Lower-Mississippi Delta Nutrition Intervention Research Consortium to determine the prevalence of household food insecurity, identify high-risk subgroups in the Lower Delta, and compare to national data.

Acute Effects of Dexfenfluramine (d-FEN) and Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) before and after Short-Course, High-Dose Treatment.

The acute behavioral effects of methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) and dexfenfluramine (d-FEN) were assessed in six rhesus monkeys using performance in the National Center for Toxicological Research (NCTR) Operant Test Battery (OTB); three additional animals served as controls for neurochemical endpoints. The OTB consists of five food-reinforced tasks designed to model aspects of learning, short-term memory and attention, time estimation, motivation, and color and position discrimination. Shortly after the acute effects of each drug were determined, three of the monkeys received a short-course, high-dose exposure (2×/day × 4 days, intramuscular (i.