Comparison of the children with special health care needs screener to the questionnaire for identifying children with chronic conditions--revised.

Background: The Children with Special Health Care Needs (CSHCN) Screener is an instrument to identify CSHCN, one that is based on parent-reported consequences experienced by children with ongoing health conditions. Information about how this instrument compares to other methods for identifying CSHCN is important for current and future uses of the CSHCN Screener.

Research Objectives: The goal of this study was to assess the level of agreement between the CSHCN Screener and the Questionnaire for Identifying Children With Chronic Conditions--Revised (QuICCC-R) and to describe the characteristics of children in whom these methods do not agree.

Predictive validity of a measure of treatment readiness for out-of-treatment drug users: enhancing prediction beyond demographic and drug history variables.

The predictive validity of a treatment readiness measure designed for out-of-treatment drug users, tapping dimensions of perceived problem severity, perceived need for formal treatment, motivation for treatment, and negative attitudes toward treatment is examined using data from a National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)-funded HIV outreach intervention in San Antonio, Texas. Logistic regression is used to predict use of substance abuse treatment services three months after program intake on the basis of readiness scores, controlling for demographic and drug history variables. Analyses of data from 673 drug users in an HIV outreach intervention indicated that treatment readiness dimensions accounted for a 12% increase in variation in "use of any modality" and 14% for "use or attempted service use".

Impact of SYT-SSX fusion type on the clinical behavior of synovial sarcoma: a multi-institutional retrospective study of 243 patients.

Synovial sarcomas are aggressive spindle cell sarcomas containing in some cases areas of epithelial differentiation. They consistently show a specific t(X;18;p11;q11), which usually represents either of two gene fusions, SYT-SSX1 or SYT-SSX2, encoding putative transcriptional proteins differing at 13 amino acid positions. Previous studies have suggested that patients with SYT-SSX2 tumors do better than those with SYT-SSX1 tumors, but the study groups were too limited to be conclusive.

Prognostic impact of P53 status, TLS-CHOP fusion transcript structure, and histological grade in myxoid liposarcoma: a molecular and clinicopathologic study of 82 cases.

Purpose: A specific TLS-CHOP fusion gene resulting from the t(12;16) is present in at least 95% of myxoid liposarcomas (MLS). Three common forms of the TLS-CHOP fusion have been described, differing by the presence or absence of TLS exons 6-8 in the fusion product. Type 5-2 (also known as type II) consists of TLS exons 1-5 fused to CHOP exon 2; type 7-2 (also known as type I) also includes TLS exons 6 and 7 in the fusion, whereas type 8-2 (also known as type III) fuses TLS exons 1-8 to CHOP exon 2.

Pfiesteria: review of the science and identification of research gaps. Report for the National Center for Environmental Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In connection with the CDC National Conference on Pfiesteria, a multidisciplinary panel evaluated Pfiesteria-related research. The panel set out what was known and what was not known about adverse effects of the organism on estuarine ecology, fish, and human health; assessed the methods used in Pfiesteria research; and offered suggestions to address data gaps. The panel's expertise covered dinoflagellate ecology; fish pathology and toxicology; laboratory measurement of toxins, epidemiology, and neurology.

A randomized, double-blind placebo-controlled trial of the effects of the 5-hydroxytriptamine(4) agonist cisapride on the female urinary bladder.

Objective: Anecdotal reports have proposed the use of the 5-hydroxytriptamine(4) agonist cisapride as a treatment for female voiding dysfunction on the basis of the known prokinetic actions of the medication. The purpose of our study is to assess the effects of this agent on the normal bladder in vivo.

Study Design: In this randomized, double-blind placebo-controlled trial, patients were randomized to receive either 20 mg cisapride or an identical placebo.

Differential N-demethylation of l-alpha-acetylmethadol (LAAM) and norLAAM by cytochrome P450s 2B6, 2C18, and 3A4.

Incubation of l-alpha-acetylmethadol (LAAM) or norLAAM with cDNA-expressed P450s 3A4, 2B6, and 2C18 produced significant N-demethylation products. P450s 2C19, 2C8, 3A5, 2C9, 3A7, 1A1, and 2D6 (norLAAM only), also produced detectable product. Coexpression of cytochrome b(5) enhanced LAAM N-demethylation, most dramatically for 3A4, but had marginal effects on norLAAM N-demethylation.

Deaths attributed to pediatric complex chronic conditions: national trends and implications for supportive care services.

Background: Children with complex chronic conditions (CCCs) might benefit from pediatric supportive care services, such as home nursing, palliative care, or hospice, especially those children whose conditions are severe enough to cause death. We do not know, however, the extent of this population or how it is changing over time.

Objectives: To identify trends over the past 2 decades in the pattern of deaths attributable to pediatric CCCs, examining counts and rates of CCC-attributed deaths by cause and age (infancy: <1 year old, childhood: 1-9 years old, adolescence or young adulthood: 10-24 years old) at the time of death, and to determine the average number of children living within the last 6 months of their lives.

Cytogenetic instability, predominantly involving chromosome 1, is characteristic of elastofibroma.

Elastofibroma, an unusual pseudotumor composed of excessive collagen and abnormal elastic fibers, has rarely been subjected to cytogenetic analysis. Only two cases have been previously defined, both of which demonstrated nonclonal abnormalities. In the present study, three cases of elastofibroma were cytogenetically analyzed.

Translocation t(1;3)(p36.3;q25) is a nonrandom aberration in epithelioid hemangioendothelioma.

The cytogenetic findings for two epithelioid hemangioendotheliomas are reported. An identical chromosomal translocation involving chromosomes 1 and 3 [t(1;3)(p36.3;q25)] was detected in both cases of epithelioid hemangioendothelioma, possibly representing a characteristic rearrangement for this histopathologic entity.

Noninvasive control of stochastic resonance.

External feedback can enhance (or depress) the response of a noisy bistable system to monochromatic signals, significantly magnifying its natural stochastic resonance. We compare and contrast a variety of such feedback strategies, using both numerical simulations and analog electronic experiments. These noninvasive control techniques are especially valuable for noisy bistable systems that are difficult or impossible to modify internally.

Extra copies of chromosomes 7, 8, 12, 19, and 21 are recurrent in adamantinoma.

Adamantinoma of long bones is a rare neoplasm predominantly involving the tibia. Cytogenetic studies of adamantinoma are few. Cytogenetic or molecular cytogenetic analysis of four adamantinomas, and a review of eleven cases in the literature reveals extra copies of chromosomes 7, 8, 12, 19, and 21 as recurrent in this neoplasm.

Theory of controlling stochastic resonance.

The concept of controlling stochastic resonance has been recently introduced [L. Gammaitoni et al., Phys.

Cytogenetic findings in a case of epithelioid sarcoma and a review of the literature.

Cytogenetic studies of epithelioid sarcoma, a rare malignant soft tissue neoplasm of adolescents and young adults, are few. A characteristic anomaly has not yet been identified for this sarcoma. In this study, cytogenetic studies of a primary epithelioid sarcoma of a 15-year-old male revealed the following abnormalities: t(6;8)(p25;q11.

Routine hematocrit after elective gynecologic surgery.

Objective: To determine the clinical use and associated costs of routine postoperative hematocrit after elective gynecologic surgery.

Methods: We reviewed the charts of all women who had elective gynecologic surgery over 12 months at a community hospital. Demographic data, estimated blood loss at surgery, pre- and postoperative hematocrits, postoperative symptoms suggesting anemia, and incidence of transfusion were tabulated.

Development of a risk assessment methodology for evaluating potential impacts associated with contaminated mud disposal in the marine environment.

In order to assess impacts associated with disposal of contaminated mud arising from Hong Kong's dredging and reclamation projects, a methodology has been formulated to determine the level of risk posed by consumption of seafood/marine prey species to humans and to the Chinese White Dolphin (Sousa chinensis). This methodology improves on previously used techniques by incorporating risks for organic contaminants, accounting for doses from sources other than seafood, and incorporating additional local knowledge on Sousa chinensis behaviour. It thus represents an advance in risk assessment techniques and a new integration of risk assessment and monitoring in environmental management.

Recurrent anomalies of 6q25 in chondromyxoid fibroma.

Chondromyxoid fibroma is a rare benign bone tumor most commonly arising in the metaphysis of long bones in young adults. Histopathologically, chondromyxoid fibroma may be difficult to distinguish from other cartilaginous neoplasms. Recently, a pericentric inversion of chromosome 6 [inv(6)(p25q13)] has been proposed as a specific genetic marker for chondromyxoid fibroma.

Predicting treatment-seeking behavior: psychometric properties of a brief self-report scale.

Development of a brief instrument to assess attitudes toward treatment and predict treatment-seeking behavior among out-of-treatment substance misusers is described. Exploratory factor analysis of an initial pool of 41 items identified four subscales: Perceived need for treatment: perceived drug problem severity; motivation to quit; and negative attitudes toward treatment. Psychometric analyses of data from 535 substance misusers participating in an outreach intervention project provided substantial support for the reliability and construct validity of the first three subscales, and marginal support for the fourth.

Intensive outpatient treatment of persons with mental retardation and psychiatric disorder: a preliminary study.

The impact of intensive outpatient mental health interventions (in a dual diagnosis clinic) on the hospitalization rate and length of stay was examined for 28 adults with mental retardation and severe psychiatric disorder. They were selected on the basis of frequent use of mental, medical, and social services. Charts were reviewed for the 12-month periods before and after referral to the program to compare service utilization.

Surface modification for controlled studies of cell-ligand interactions.

This work describes a method for coupling cell adhesion peptides to hydrophobic materials for the purpose of controlling surface peptide density while simultaneously preventing nonspecific protein adsorption. PEO/PPO/PEO triblock copolymers (Pluronic F108) were equipped with terminal pyridyl disulfide functionalities and used to tether RGD containing peptides to polystyrene (PS). The density of F108 on PS was 1.

Role of adjuvant chemotherapy in the treatment of surgically resected pediatric nonrhabdomyosarcomatous soft tissue sarcomas: A Pediatric Oncology Group Study.

Purpose: To prospectively study the value of adjuvant chemotherapy in pediatric patients with surgically resected nonrhabdomyosarcomatous soft tissue sarcomas (NRSTS).

Patients And Methods: From June 1986 to May 1992, after complete surgical resection (+/-radiotherapy) of their NRSTS, 81 eligible patients either received adjuvant chemotherapy comprising vincristine, dactinomycin, cyclophosphamide, and doxorubicin or were observed. Only 30 patients accepted randomization, and 15 were assigned to each regimen.

Interleukin-1beta upregulates MMP-9 expression in stromal cells of human giant cell tumor of bone.

Giant cell tumor (GCT) of bone is a progressive, potentially malignant process that destroys skeletal tissue. It consists of multinucleated giant cells, which are hypothesized to be derived from a monocyte/macrophage lineage and mononuclear stromal cells, and the precise relationship of these cells is not fully understood. Recently, we demonstrated that the production of matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) in GCT stromal cells is regulated by certain factor(s) secreted by the multinucleated giant cells.

The cytotoxic effects of single-stranded telomere mimics on OMA-BL1 cells.

Telomerase is a ribonucleoprotein that adds 5'-d(TTAGGG)-3' hexameric repeats onto the 3' ends of chromosomes. High telomerase activity has been associated with immortal cells, transformed cells, mitogenic stimulation, and proliferative diseases. It is not clear what phenotype would be observed by transient inhibition of telomerase.