The California stem cell initiative: persuasion, politics, and public science.

The California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) was created by a California ballot initiative to make stem cell research a constitutional right, in response to Bush administration restrictions on stem cell research. The initiative created a taxpayer-funded, multibillion-dollar institution, intended to advance public health by developing cures and treatments for diabetes, cancer, paralysis, and other conditions. The initiative has been highly controversial among stakeholders and watchdog groups concerned with organizational transparency, accountability, and the ethics of stem cell research.

California's digital divide: clinical information systems for the haves and have-nots.

Strong barriers prevent the financing of clinical information systems (CIS) in health care delivery system organizations in market segments serving disadvantaged patients. These segments include community health centers, public hospitals, unaffiliated rural hospitals, and some Medicaid-oriented solo and small-group medical practices. Policy interventions such as loans, grants, pay-for-performance and other reimbursement changes, and support services assistance will help lower these barriers.

Improving asthma-related health outcomes among low-income, multiethnic, school-aged children: results of a demonstration project that combined continuous quality improvement and community health worker strategies.

Objective: The purpose of this work was to improve asthma-related health outcomes in an ethnically and geographically disparate population of economically disadvantaged school-aged children by using a team-based approach using continuous quality improvement and community health workers.

Patients And Methods: A demonstration project was conducted with 7 community clinics treating approximately 3000 children with asthma 5 to 18 years of age. The overall clinic population with asthma was assessed for care-process changes through random cross-sectional chart reviews at baseline and 24 months (N = 560).

Pitfalls in predicting resting energy requirements in critically ill children: a comparison of predictive methods to indirect calorimetry.

Background: Critical illness in children is thought to have profound effects on nutritional status. It is essential to avoid complications associated with inadequate nutrition support and delivery of excess energy.

Objective: To compare the results of several commonly used methods for predicting energy requirements in a group of critically ill children indirect calorimetry was used to measure energy expenditure in these children.