Recent advances in the understanding and management of kawasaki disease.

Kawasaki disease (KD) is an acute systemic inflammatory illness of childhood that can result in coronary artery aneurysms, myocardial infarction, and sudden death. Clinical and epidemiologic data point to an unknown infectious agent as the cause. We discovered that an oligoclonal IgA immune response is present in arterial tissue in acute KD.

Ameliorative effect of NAP on laser-induced retinal damage.

Purpose: NAP is the smallest active element of activity-dependent neuroprotective protein (ADNP) in the non-myelinated neural tissue. This study evaluated the neuroprotective effect of NAP in reducing the spread of laser-induced retinal damage in rat.

Methods: Laser lesions were created in 72 DA pigmented rats.

Impact of rotavirus vaccination on hospital-acquired rotavirus gastroenteritis in children.

Objective: Data show that after the implementation of routine rotavirus vaccination for infants in the United States, community-acquired (CA) rotavirus cases declined substantially in the 2007-2008 season. The impact of community-based rotavirus vaccination on the substantial burden of hospital-acquired (HA) rotavirus has not been documented.

Patients And Methods: We assessed CA and HA rotavirus, respiratory syncytial virus, and influenza infections at Children's Memorial Hospital for 5 winter seasons (defined as occurring from September through May) from 2003 to 2008.

Survey of neurohospitalists: subspecialty definition and practice characteristics.

Neurohospitalists represent an emerging neurological subspecialty focusing on inpatient neurological disease. Little data exists regarding neurohospitalist practice information and clinical activity. A survey among neurohospitalists was performed to help define the subspecialty, yield demographic information, practice characteristics, and understand clinical and non-clinical activities.

Dynamics of goal pursuit and personality make-up among emerging adults: typology, change over time, and adaptation.

In recent years young people's lives have been characterized by postponement of developmental timetables, inconsistencies of transitions, and loss of direction in life. Data from a longitudinal study of Israeli young adults show that the capacity for setting realistic work and love goals reflects inner strengths and is associated with adaptive outcomes. Less-articulated love and work goals are associated with underlying personality difficulties and are predictive of less stable and less adaptive outcomes.

Understanding emerging adulthood from a goal-setting perspective.

The chapter first introduces the concept of emerging adulthood as a period of life that is characterized by instabilities and fluctuations. Then, the role of goal setting and aspirations in individual development during this stage of life is discussed. Following this, seven chapters of the present special issue are introduced, and the ways in which goal processes affect individual trajectories and outcomes are discussed.

Transforming growth factor-beta signaling pathway in patients with Kawasaki disease.

Background: Transforming growth factor (TGF)-β is a multifunctional peptide that is important in T-cell activation and cardiovascular remodeling, both of which are important features of Kawasaki disease (KD). We postulated that variation in TGF-β signaling might be important in KD susceptibility and disease outcome.

Methods And Results: We investigated genetic variation in 15 genes belonging to the TGF-β pathway in a total of 771 KD subjects of mainly European descent from the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, and the Netherlands.

Assessing romantic competence among older adolescents.

Davila and colleagues (Davila et al., 2009) developed the Romantic Competence Interview to capture the potential for romantic competence during early adolescence. Considering that at later stages of adolescence the majority are likely to be involved in some kind of romantic relationship, the current paper adapts, extends, and examines the concept of romantic competence among older adolescents.

Evaluation of the universal newborn hearing screening and intervention program.

During the last 20 years, the number of infants evaluated for permanent hearing loss at birth has increased dramatically with universal newborn hearing screening and intervention (UNHSI) programs operating in all US states and many territories. One of the most urgent challenges of UNHSI programs involves loss to follow-up among families whose infants screen positive for hearing loss. We surveyed 55 state and territorial UNHSI programs and conducted site visits with 8 state programs to evaluate progress in reaching program goals and to identify barriers to successful follow-up.

Lack of increase in vancomycin resistance of pediatric methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus Isolates from 2000 to 2007.

We retrospectively studied 306 pediatric methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus isolates collected in 2000/2001, 2003, 2005, and 2007 for possible vancomycin minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) change over time using Etest, agar dilution, and broth microdilution (MicroScan) methods. Vancomycin MICs did not increase. Inducible clindamycin resistance declined significantly (53%-0%, P < 0.

Common variants in CASP3 confer susceptibility to Kawasaki disease.

Kawasaki disease (KD; OMIM 611775) is an acute vasculitis syndrome which predominantly affects small- and medium-sized arteries of infants and children. Epidemiological data suggest that host genetics underlie the disease pathogenesis. Here we report that multiple variants in the caspase-3 gene (CASP3) that are in linkage disequilibrium confer susceptibility to KD in both Japanese and US subjects of European ancestry.

Pathogenesis and management of Kawasaki disease.

Kawasaki disease (KD) is an acute systemic inflammatory illness of young children that can result in coronary artery aneurysms, myocardial infarction and sudden death in previously healthy children. Clinical and epidemiologic features support an infectious cause, but the etiology remains unknown four decades after KD was first identified by Tomisaku Kawasaki. Finding the cause of KD is a pediatric research priority.