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The Northern Appalachia Cancer Network (NACN) is a community-academic partnership to develop, implement, and evaluate evidence-based interventions intended to reduce the burden of cancer in Appalachian Pennsylvania and New York. The NACN began in 1992 as a loose network of community coalitions intended to implement local programs for cancer awareness and education. Located in an area characterized by high cancer rates and limited access to health care, the NACN has developed into a foundation for community-based participatory research in cancer prevention and control. The NACN has changed the approach to cancer research and training at Penn State: investigators test new strategies and students hone skills in bringing important cancer-related care to people where they live, work, and receive health care. The NACN, an example of engaged scholarship, is one of the longest-running and most successful community-academic partnerships for cancer prevention and control in the United States. (Contains 2 figures.)

Objective. Sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) in children is reportedly associated with problem behaviors suggestive of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder; however, there are few data on the relation of SDB to problem behaviors in the general pediatric population. The goal of this study was to assess the prevalence of SDB symptoms in 5-year-old children and their relation to sleepiness and problem behaviors. Methods. A population-based, cross-sectional survey was conducted of a birth cohort of children who were born in eastern Massachusetts. Subjects were 3019 5-year-old children (1551 boys, 1468 girls) who were enrolled in the Infant Care Practices Study and whose mothers were contacted within 3 months of their child's fifth birthday. A parent-completed questionnaire was used to ascertain the presence and intensity of snoring and other SDB symptoms and the presence of daytime sleepiness and problem behaviors. Parent-reported hyperactivity, inattention, and aggressiveness were each assessed by a single question that was validated against the Conners' Parent Rating Scale. SDB was defined as frequent or loud snoring; trouble breathing or loud, noisy breathing during sleep; or witnessed sleep apnea. Results. Parent-reported hyperactivity (19%) and inattention (18%) were common, with aggressiveness (12%) and daytime sleepiness (10%) reported somewhat less often. SDB symptoms were present in 744 (25%) children. Compared with children without snoring or other symptoms of SDB, children with SDB symptoms were significantly more likely to have parent-reported daytime sleepiness (odds ratio [OR]: 2.2; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.7-2.8) and problem behaviors, including hyperactivity (OR: 2.5; CI: 2.0-3.0), inattention (OR: 2.1; 95% CI: 1.7-2.6), and aggressiveness (OR: 2.1; 95% CI: 1.6-2.6). These associations remained significant after adjustment for sex, race/ethnicity, maternal education level, maternal marital status, household income, and respiratory health history. Conclusions. SDB symptoms are common in 5-year-old children and are associated with an increased risk of daytime sleepiness and with problem behaviors suggestive of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Pediatrics 2003;112:870-877; snoring, sleep-disordered breathing, sleep apnea, behavior, hyperactivity., ABBREVIATIONS. SDB, sleep-disordered breathing; OSA, obstructive sleep apnea; ICPS, Infant Care Practices Study; FYFQ, Five-Year Follow-up Questionnaire; CPRS, Conners' Parent Rating Scale; DSM-IV, Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, [...]

ABBREVIATIONS. SIDS, sudden infant death syndrome; AAP, American Academy of Pediatrics; SD, standard deviation; VLBW, very low birth weight; OR, odds ratio; CI, confidence interval. Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) [...], Objectives. To describe sleep positions among low birth weight infants, variations in sleep position according to birth weight, and changes in sleep position over time. To analyze risk factors and influences associated with prone sleep. Design. Prospective cohort study. Setting. Massachusetts and Ohio, 1995-1998. Study Participants. Mothers of 907 low birth weight infants. Results. At 1, 3, and 6 months after hospital discharge, the prevalence of prone sleeping was 15.5%, 26.8%, and 28.3%, respectively. The corresponding rates for supine sleeping were 23.8%, 37.9%, and 50.2% and for side sleeping were 57.3%, 32.4%, and 20.6%. Very low birth weight (VLBW) infants ( Conclusions. Prone sleep decreased among low birth weight infants from 1995 to 1998. However, VLBW infants, who are at very high risk for sudden infant death syndrome, are more likely to sleep prone than larger low birth weight infants. Pediatrics 2003;111:633-640; sudden infant death syndrome, low birth weight, sleep.

Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) is defined as the sudden death of an infant not expected by history and unexplained by a thorough postmortem examination, which includes a complete autopsy, [...], Objective. Prone sleeping among infants has been associated with an increased risk of sudden infant death syndrome. The objective of this study was to compare factors associated with sleep position in 19951996 and 1997-1998 and to assess secular trends in use of prone infant sleep position from 1995 through 1998 among families stratified by race and education. Methods. A prospective cohort study was conducted in eastern Massachusetts and northwest Ohio of 12 029 mothers of infants who weighed ≥ 2500 g at birth. Descriptive statistics and multivariate odds ratios were used to relate maternal and infant characteristics to prone and supine sleeping. Results. A total of 14 206 mothers (25% of those eligible) were enrolled. A total of 12 029 mothers (85% of enrolled) responded to the 1-month and 11 552 mothers (81% of enrolled) responded to the 3-month follow-up questionnaire. A decline in use of the prone sleep position and increase in use of the supine position was observed during the 4 years of the study. Factors associated with prone and supine sleep position were similar in 1995-1996 and 1997-1998. In 1997-1998, use of prone sleeping at 1 month of age reached the goal of ≤ 10% only among infants of white and Asian women, married women, women who were older than 25 years, women who were college graduates, and women with incomes >$55 000 per year. At 3 months of age, however, prone sleeping increased to 12% to 17% in these groups. These same groups were most likely to use the supine position; 38% to 45% were supine at 1 month, increasing to 56% to 64% by 3 months of age. However, as of the end of 1998, approximately 27% of infants of non-college-educated black and Hispanic mothers were placed to sleep in the prone position and only 20% to 30% were being placed to sleep in the supine position at 3 months of age. Conclusions. Recommendations to avoid prone sleep position and especially the recommendation that supine sleep position is preferred have not been effectively delivered to black and Hispanic families and to families of low-income and less than a college education. Pediatrics 2003;111:52-60; infant sleep position, sudden infant death syndrome, Back to Sleep, racial disparities.

ABBREVIATIONS. NSAID, nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drug; BUN, blood urea nitrogen Renal failure has been reported after nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drug (NSAID) use in adults,[1] but only rarely among children exposed to ibuprofen.[2-4] [...]

Short-term use of ibuprofen in feverish children does not appear to significantly increase the risk of hospitalization for gastrointestinal bleeding, kidney failure, or anaphylaxis. Researchers followed 83,915 children who took fever-reducing medications. Of these, approximately one-third took 12 milligrams of acetaminophen per kilogram of body weight (mg/kg) and two-thirds took ibuprofen in five mg/kg or 10 mg/kg doses. At the four-week follow-up, four children had been hospitalized for treatment of gastrointestinal bleeding. All of these children had taken ibuprofen. The risk of gastrointestinal bleeding was 7.2 cases per 100,000 ibuprofen-treated children and no cases per 100,000 acetaminophen-treated children. No children were hospitalized for anaphylaxis, acute kidney failure, or Reye's syndrome.

Male pattern baldness (MPB) involving the vertex scalp, or the crown of the head, may increase the risk of developing coronary artery disease in men younger than 55. A study compared 665 men under 55 years old admitted to the hospital after suffering a first heart attack to 772 men in the same age group admitted to the hospital for a non-cardiac disorder. Thirty-two percent of the men admitted for a heart attack displayed from MPB involving the vertex scalp, compared with 23% of those admitted for a problem unrelated to the heart. The risk of a heart attack was significantly higher in men with severe vertex baldness than in those with mild to moderate vertex baldness. Men with MPB have increased blood levels of androgen hormone dihydrotestosterone, which may affect the metabolism of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol.

Iron is an essential micronutrient that is involved in many redox processes and serves as an integral component in various physiological functions. However, excess iron can cause tissue damage through its pro-oxidative effects, potentiating the development of many diseases such as cancer through the generation of reactive oxidative species. The two major forms of iron in the diet are heme and nonheme iron, both of which are found in several different foods. In addition to natural food sources, intake of nonheme iron may also come from fortified foods or in supplement form. This review summarizes the results of human population studies that have examined the role of dietary iron (heme and nonheme), heme iron alone, and iron from supplements in colorectal carcinogenesis. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]