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The purpose of the current study was to develop syndrome-specific standardized growth curves for growth hormone–treated Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS) individuals aged 0 to 18 years. Anthropometric growth-related measures were obtained on 171 subjects with PWS who were treated with growth hormone for at least 40% of their lifespan. They had no history of scoliosis. PWS standardized growth curves were developed for 7 percentile ranges using the LMS method for weight, height, head circumference, weight/length, and BMI along with normative 3rd, 50th, and 97th percentiles plotted using control data from the literature and growth databases. Percentiles were plotted on growth charts for comparison purposes. Growth hormone treatment appears to normalize stature and markedly improves weight in PWS compared with standardized curves for non–growth hormone–treated PWS individuals. Growth chart implications and recommended usage are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses a study of the effect of medial opening wedge proximal tibial osteotomy on patellofemoral contact. Pressure-sensitive film was used to measure patellofemoral contact characteristics at 30°, 60°, 90°, and 120° of flexion for the native knee and analyzed using imaging software. The study reveals significant difference was seen between knee native 10-mm and 15-mm wedge osteotomies.

We monitored land-cover change in San Diego County (1990-2996) using multitemporal Landsat TM data. Change vectors of Kauth Thomas features were combined with stable multitemporal Kauth Thomas features and a suite of ancillary variables within a classification tree classifier. A combination of aerial photointerpretation and field measurements yielded training and validation data. Maps of land-cover change were generated for three hierarchical levels of change classification of increasing detail: change vs. no-change; four classes representing broad increase and decrease classes; and nine classes distinguishing increases or decreases in tree canopy cover, shrub cover, and urban change. The multitemporal Kauth Thomas (both stable and change features representing brightness, greenness, and wetness) provided information for magnitude and direction of land-cover change. Overall accuracies of the land-cover change maps were high (72 to 92 percent). Anciliary variables representing elevation, fire history, and slope were most significant in mapping the most complicated level of land-cover change, contributing 15 percent to overall accuracy. Classification trees hove not previously been used operationally with remotely sensed and ancillary data to map land-cover change at this level of thematic detail. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

More than one million low-income uninsured people are eligible for zero-premium cost-sharing reduction (CSR) silver plans through the Affordable Care Act (ACA) Marketplaces. However, many are not aware of these options, and Marketplaces are uncertain about what types of informational messages will increase take-up. In 2021 and 2022, before and after the introduction of zero-premium plans in Covered California, California's individual ACA Marketplace, we conducted two randomized controlled trials among low-income households that submitted an application and were found eligible for $1 per month or zero-premium coverage but were not yet enrolled. We tested the effect of personalized letters and emails that informed households that they were eligible for a $1 per month or zero-premium CSR silver plan. Across both settings, low-cost personalized outreach increased rates of ACA enrollment, CSR silver plan take-up, and $1 per month or zero-premium CSR silver plan take-up. But even with free or nearly free coverage options, absolute rates of enrollment remained low, suggesting that more resource-intensive efforts are needed to help prospective enrollees overcome nonprice barriers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

OBJECTIVE: Clinicians expect newborns to surpass birth weight by age 10 to 14 days, yet few studies have examined the natural history of weight change in the weeks after birth. We sought to determine the distribution of weight loss and subsequent regain during the first month, the proportion not surpassing birth weight by 14 and 21 days, and whether findings differed by delivery mode. METHODS: For 161 471 singleton neonates delivered at ≥36 weeks' gestation at Kaiser Permanente Northern California Medical Centers between 2009 and 2013 and weighing 2000 to 5000 g at birth, we extracted daily weights from inpatient electronic records and weights from outpatient visits in the first month. Quantile regression appropriate for repeated measures was used to estimate percentiles of weight change as a function of time after birth, stratified by delivery mode. RESULTS: After exclusions, weight data were analyzed from 143 889 newborns (76% born vaginally). Based on percentile estimates, 50% of newborns were at or above birth weight at 9 and 10 days after vaginal and cesarean delivery, respectively. Among those delivered vaginally, 14% and 5% were not back to birth weight by 14 and 21 days, respectively. For those delivered by cesarean, 24% and 8% were not back to birth weight by 14 and 21 days, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: It is not uncommon for newborns to be below birth weight 10 to 14 days after delivery. A larger percentage of newborns delivered by cesarean had yet to regain birth weight at every time point through 1 month. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]