Corticosteroids to prevent kidney scarring in children with a febrile urinary tract infection: a randomized trial.

Background: To evaluate the efficacy of adjuvant systemic corticosteroids in reducing kidney scarring. A previous study suggested that use of adjuvant systemic corticosteroids reduces kidney scarring in children radiologically confirmed to have extensive pyelonephritis. Efficacy of corticosteroids for children with febrile urinary tract infection (UTI) has not been studied.

Pathogen-Negative Sepsis-An Opportunity for Antimicrobial Stewardship.

Sepsis is a common reason for empiric antibiotics among hospitalized patients. We found that the median duration of empiric antibiotics (interquartile range) was 6 (4-9) days among 1047 survivivors with pathogen-negative sepsis. These findings suggest that patients with pathogen-negative sepsis could represent an important opportunity for antimicrobial stewardship.

Chronic health conditions and adolescent friendship: perspectives from social network analysis.

Objective: The current study uses methods from social network analysis to examine the relationship between chronic health conditions (CHCs) and adolescent friendships. Particular attention is given to the processes of peer marginalization, peer withdrawal and homophily related to CHCs.

Methods: Exponential random graph models were used to investigate the extent to which a CHC is associated with patterns in adolescent friendship connections, while controlling for important social network properties and covariates.

Empirical Sample Size Guidelines for Use of Latent Difference Score Mediation.

Mediation models are commonly used to identify the mechanisms through which one variable influences another. Among longitudinal mediation methods, latent difference score mediation stands out due to its unique ability to capture non-linear change over time. However, there is limited information regarding sample size demands to achieve adequate power with this method, resulting in few applications of latent difference score mediation.

The importance of face-to-face contact and reciprocal relationships and their associations with depressive symptoms and life satisfaction.

Objective: The current study aimed to examine how patterns of interpersonal relational contexts (e.g., face-to-face or technology-based) and processes (e.

Host and Bacterial Markers that Differ in Children with Cystitis and Pyelonephritis.

Objective: To determine whether treatment for urinary tract infections in children could be individualized using biomarkers for acute pyelonephritis.

Study Design: We enrolled 61 children with febrile urinary tract infections, collected blood and urine samples, and performed a renal scan within 2 weeks of diagnosis to identify those with pyelonephritis. Renal scans were interpreted centrally by 2 experts.

Effect of Penalty Minute Rule Change on Injuries and Game Disqualification Penalties in High School Ice Hockey.

Background: Recent efforts have focused on eliminating dangerous hits in ice hockey. Fair play rule changes have successfully reduced injury risk but have not been widely implemented.

Purpose: To determine the effect of a penalty infraction minutes (PIM) rule change in high school boys' ice hockey on injuries and game disqualification penalties.

Efficient Exploration of Many Variables and Interactions Using Regularized Regression.

The prevention sciences often face several situations that can compromise the statistical power and validity of a study. Among these, research can (1) have data with many variables, sometimes with low sample sizes, (2) have highly correlated predictors, (3) have unclear theory or empirical evidence related to the research questions, and/or (4) have difficulty selecting the proper covariates in observational studies. Modeling in these situations is difficult-and at times impossible-with conventional methods.

The Dynamic Relationship between Unhealthy Weight Control and Adolescent Friendships: A Social Network Approach.

Although adolescence marks a vulnerable stage for peer influence on health behavior, little is known about the longitudinal and dynamic relationship between adolescent friendship and weight control. The current study aims to explain these dynamic processes among a sample of 1156 American adolescents in grades 9-11 (48.6% girls, 23.

Network-behavior dynamics of adolescent friendships, alcohol use, and physical activity.

Objective: The coevolution of adolescent social networks, alcohol use, and physical activity is studied. Previous research has independently evaluated each behavior, overlooking the potential power of examining their development within a shared social context. The current study extends previous research by examining the dynamics of friendship networks, alcohol use, and physical activity in conjunction, including the concurrent engagement in both behaviors, with a nationally representative sample of U.

Prospective Relations among Low-Income African American Adolescents' Maternal Attachment Security, Self-Worth, and Risk Behaviors.

This study examined prospective mediating relations among mother-adolescent attachment security, self-worth, and risk behaviors, including substance use and violence, across ages 13-17 in a sample of 901 low-income African American adolescents. Path analyses revealed that self-worth was a significant mediator between attachment security and risk behaviors, such that earlier attachment security predicted self-worth 1 year later, which in turn, predicted substance use, weapon carrying, and fighting in the 3rd year. Implications for the role of the secure base concept within the context of urban poverty are discussed.

The role of body image psychological flexibility on the treatment of eating disorders in a residential facility.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to test whether pre-treatment levels of psychological flexibility would longitudinally predict quality of life and eating disorder risk in patients at a residential treatment facility for eating disorders.

Method: Data on body image psychological flexibility, quality of life, and eating disorder risk were collected from 63 adolescent and 50 adult, female, residential patients (N=113) diagnosed with an eating disorder. These same measures were again collected at post-treatment.

Two distinct mediated pathways to disordered eating in response to weight stigmatization and their application to prevention programs.

Objective: Disordered eating behaviors among undergraduate women are common and, thus, are an important public health concern. Weight stigmatization, stress, and social withdrawal are often associated with disordered eating behaviors; however, it is unclear whether stress and social withdrawal act as mediators between weight stigmatization and disordered eating. By testing specific pathways to disordered eating, theory-driven prevention programs can be implemented.

Habitat-based cetacean density models for the U.S. Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico.

Cetaceans are protected worldwide but vulnerable to incidental harm from an expanding array of human activities at sea. Managing potential hazards to these highly-mobile populations increasingly requires a detailed understanding of their seasonal distributions and habitats. Pursuant to the urgent need for this knowledge for the U.

Analyzing Statistical Mediation with Multiple Informants: A New Approach with an Application in Clinical Psychology.

Testing mediation models is critical for identifying potential variables that need to be targeted to effectively change one or more outcome variables. In addition, it is now common practice for clinicians to use multiple informant (MI) data in studies of statistical mediation. By coupling the use of MI data with statistical mediation analysis, clinical researchers can combine the benefits of both techniques.

Collapsing factors in multitrait-multimethod models: examining consequences of a mismatch between measurement design and model.

Models of confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) are frequently applied to examine the convergent validity of scores obtained from multiple raters or methods in so-called multitrait-multimethod (MTMM) investigations. Many applications of CFA-MTMM and similarly structured models result in solutions in which at least one method (or specific) factor shows non-significant loading or variance estimates. Eid et al.

Ecological momentary assessment of urban adolescents' technology use and cravings for unhealthy snacks and drinks: differences by ethnicity and sex.

Background: Adolescents' technology use is generally associated with food cravings, but it is not clear whether specific types of technology elicit particular types of cravings or whether personal characteristics play a role in these associations.

Objective: We examined whether momentary associations between four technology types (ie, television, video games, computer messaging, and phone messaging) and cravings for unhealthy snack foods and sweetened drinks were moderated by youths' sex, ethnicity, body mass index, and age.

Methods: Urban adolescents (N=158) aged 14 to 17 years provided momentary information about their technology use and food cravings during the course of 1 week and completed survey reports of their personal characteristics.

Distinguishing state variability from trait change in longitudinal data: the role of measurement (non)invariance in latent state-trait analyses.

Researchers analyzing longitudinal data often want to find out whether the process they study is characterized by (1) short-term state variability, (2) long-term trait change, or (3) a combination of state variability and trait change. Classical latent state-trait (LST) models are designed to measure reversible state variability around a fixed set-point or trait, whereas latent growth curve (LGC) models focus on long-lasting and often irreversible trait changes. In the present article, we contrast LST and LGC models from the perspective of measurement invariance testing.

Development of Haiti's rural water, sanitation and hygiene workforce.

In 2009 the Haitian Directorate of Potable Water and Sanitation (DINEPA) identified an inadequately trained and under-staffed rural workforce as one of their main institutional challenges. Plans to address this challenge were impacted by the devastating earthquake of January 12, 2010 and the cholera outbreak of October 2010, both of which further complicated Haiti's already poor water and sanitation conditions. Recognizing the importance of DINEPA's institutional priorities, donor and technical assistance groups provided needed support to improve the country's conditions and build the rural water and sanitation workforce.

Analyzing latent state-trait and multiple-indicator latent growth curve models as multilevel structural equation models.

Latent state-trait (LST) and latent growth curve (LGC) models are frequently used in the analysis of longitudinal data. Although it is well-known that standard single-indicator LGC models can be analyzed within either the structural equation modeling (SEM) or multilevel (ML; hierarchical linear modeling) frameworks, few researchers realize that LST and multivariate LGC models, which use multiple indicators at each time point, can also be specified as ML models. In the present paper, we demonstrate that using the ML-SEM rather than the SL-SEM framework to estimate the parameters of these models can be practical when the study involves (1) a large number of time points, (2) individually-varying times of observation, (3) unequally spaced time intervals, and/or (4) incomplete data.

Development of indicators for measuring outcomes of water safety plans.

Water safety plans (WSPs) are endorsed by the World Health Organization as the most effective method of protecting a water supply. With the increase in WSPs worldwide, several valuable resources have been developed to assist practitioners in the implementation of WSPs, yet there is still a need for a practical and standardized method of evaluating WSP effectiveness. In 2012, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) published a conceptual framework for the evaluation of WSPs, presenting four key outcomes of the WSP process: institutional, operational, financial and policy change.

First Versus Second Order Latent Growth Curve Models: Some Insights From Latent State-Trait Theory.

First order latent growth curve models (FGMs) estimate change based on a single observed variable and are widely used in longitudinal research. Despite significant advantages, second order latent growth curve models (SGMs), which use multiple indicators, are rarely used in practice, and not all aspects of these models are widely understood. In this article, our goal is to contribute to a deeper understanding of theoretical and practical differences between FGMs and SGMs.

Water, sanitation and hygiene in Haiti: past, present, and future.

Haiti has the lowest rates of access to improved water and sanitation infrastructure in the western hemisphere. This situation was likely exacerbated by the earthquake in 2010 and also contributed to the rapid spread of the cholera epidemic that started later that same year. This report examines the history of the water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) sector in Haiti, considering some factors that have influenced WASH conditions in the country.

Sweetened drink and snacking cues in adolescents: a study using ecological momentary assessment.

The objective of this study was to identify physical, social, and intrapersonal cues that were associated with the consumption of sweetened beverages and sweet and salty snacks among adolescents from lower SES neighborhoods. Students were recruited from high schools with a minimum level of 25% free or reduced cost lunches. Using ecological momentary assessment, participants (N=158) were trained to answer brief questionnaires on handheld PDA devices: (a) each time they ate or drank, (b) when prompted randomly, and (c) once each evening.