PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Association between transient newborn hypoglycemia, 4th grade achievement

2015-08-24
(Press-News.org) A study matching newborn glucose concentration screening results with fourth-grade achievement test scores suggests that early transient newborn hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) was associated with lower test scores at age 10, according to an article published online by JAMA Pediatrics.

At birth, the continuous utero-placental-umbilical infusion of glucose ends and reaches the lowest values during the first couple of hours. The newborn brain principally uses glucose for energy and prolonged hypoglycemia has been associated with poor long-term neurodevelopment and neurocognition. However, less is known about whether early transient hypoglycemia, frequently considered to be a normal physiological phenomenon with no serious consequences, is associated with cognitive impairment. Early transient hypoglycemia is defined as occurring within the first three hours of life and it involves a single low glucose concentration followed by a second value above a cutoff, according to the study background.

Jeffrey R. Kaiser, M.D., M.A., of the Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, and coauthors conducted a study of all infants born in 1998 at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences who had at least one recorded glucose concentration. Medical record data from newborns with normoglycemia (normal blood sugar levels) or transient hypoglycemia were matched with their student achievement tests in 2008 when they were 10 years old and in the fourth grade.

The authors matched 1,395 of 1,943 newborns (71.8 percent) having normoglycemia or transient hypoglycemia with their achievement tests. Most of the newborns were full term and late preterm. Overall, 94.7 percent of the newborns were black or white and 50.3 percent were male.

Transient newborn hypoglycemia (glucose level less than 35, less than 40 and less than 45 mg/dL) was seen in 6.4 percent, 10.3 percent and 19.3 percent of infants, respectively.

Early transient hypoglycemia was associated with decreased probability of proficiency on literacy and mathematics fourth-grade achievement tests. According to the study, the average fourth-grade literacy test score and proficiency rate were 544 and 32 percent for hypoglycemic (less than 35 mg/dL) newborns vs. 583 and 57 percent for normoglycemic (greater than or equal to 35 mg/dL). The average mathematics test score and proficiency rate were 562 and 46 percent for hypoglycemic newborns vs. 589 and 64 percent for normoglycemic newborns.

The authors noted limitations in their study, including the observational nature of the data, which cannot prove causality.

"While our study did not prove that transient newborn hypoglycemia causes poor academic performance, we believe that the findings raise legitimate concerns that need to be further investigated in other newborn cohorts. Until our results are validated, however, universal newborn glucose screening should not be adopted. High-quality long-term follow-up studies are needed to direct future newborn hypoglycemia screening and treatment guidelines," the study concludes.

INFORMATION:

(JAMA Pediatr. Published online August 24, 2015. doi:10.1001/jamapediatrics.2015.1631. Available pre-embargo to the media at http://media.jamanetwork.com.)

Editor's Note: Please see article for additional information, including other authors, author contributions and affiliations, etc.

Editorial: Revisting Transitional Hypoglycemia

In a related editorial, Christopher J. D. McKinlay, M.B.Ch.,B, Ph.D., and Jane E. Harding, M.B.Ch.,B., D.Phil., of the University of Auckland, New Zealand, write: "There are many challenges and unanswered questions surrounding the glycemic management of newborn infants. The opportunity to improve real-life outcomes through simple treatment or to reduce needless intervention and health care costs may be great. However, only well-designed RCTs (randomized clinical trials) and time (with detailed follow-up) will tell." (JAMA Pediatr. Published online August 24, 2015. doi:10.1001/jamapediatrics.2015.1766. Available pre-embargo to the media at http://media.jamanetwork.com.)

Editor's Note: Please see article for additional information, including other authors, author contributions and affiliations, etc.

Media Advisory: To contact corresponding author Jeffrey R. Kaiser, M.D., M.A., call Graciela Gutierrez at 713-798-7841 or email ggutierr@bcm.edu. To contact corresponding editorial author Jane E. Harding, M.B.Ch.B., D.Phil., email j.harding@auckland.ac.nz.



ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

A little light interaction leaves quantum physicists beaming

A little light interaction leaves quantum physicists beaming
2015-08-24
TORONTO, ON - A team of physicists at the University of Toronto (U of T) have taken a step toward making the essential building block of quantum computers out of pure light. Their advance, described in a paper published this week in Nature Physics, has to do with a specific part of computer circuitry known as a "logic gate." Logic gates perform operations on input data to create new outputs. In classical computers, logic gates take the form of diodes or transistors. But quantum computer components are made from individual atoms and subatomic particles. Information processing ...

Scientists show how exposure to brief trauma and sudden sounds form lasting memories

2015-08-24
Researchers at NYU Langone Medical Center have found how even brief exposure to sudden sounds or mild trauma can form permanent, long-term brain connections, or memories, in a specific region of the brain. Moreover, the research team, working with rats, says it was able to chemically stimulate those biological pathways in the locus coeruleus -- the area of the brain best known for releasing the "fight or flight" hormone noradrenaline -- to heighten and improve the animals' hearing. The NYU team says their new study, summarized in the cover article in the journal Nature ...

Record high pressure squeezes secrets out of osmium

Record high pressure squeezes secrets out of osmium
2015-08-24
This news release is available in German. An international team of scientists led by the University of Bayreuth and with participation of DESY has created the highest static pressure ever achieved in a lab: Using a special high pressure device, the researchers investigated the behaviour of the metal osmium at pressures of up to 770 Gigapascals (GPa) - more than twice the pressure in the inner core of the Earth, and about 130 Gigapascals higher than the previous world record set by members of the same team. Surprisingly, osmium does not change its crystal structure ...

Giving pharmacists the power to combat opioid overdoses

2015-08-24
BOSTON -- In response to the growing opioid crisis, several states, including Massachusetts and Rhode Island, have granted pharmacists the authority to provide naloxone rescue kits without a prescription to at-risk patients. This model of pharmacy-based naloxone (PBN) education and distribution is one of the public health strategies currently being evaluated at hundreds of pharmacies in both states to determine the impact on opioid overdose death rates. Led by researchers at Boston Medical Center (BMC), Rhode Island Hospital, and the University of Rhode Island College ...

Researchers tackle issues surrounding security tools for software developers

2015-08-24
For software programmers, security tools are analytic software that can scan or run their code to expose vulnerabilities long before the software goes to market. But these tools can have shortcomings, and programmers don't always use them. New research from National Science Foundation-funded computer science researcher Emerson Murphy-Hill and his colleagues tackles three different aspects of the issue. "Our work is focused on understanding the developers who are trying to identify security vulnerabilities in their code, and how they use (or don't use) tools that can help ...

Men, people over 65 sleep better when they have access to nature

2015-08-24
URBANA, Ill. - Men and persons age 65 and older who have access to natural surroundings, whether it's the green space of a nearby park or a sandy beach and an ocean view, report sleeping better, according to a new University of Illinois study published in Preventive Medicine. "It's hard to overestimate the importance of high-quality sleep," said Diana Grigsby-Toussaint, a U of I professor of kinesiology and community health and a faculty member in the U of I's Division of Nutritional Sciences. "Studies show that inadequate sleep is associated with declines in mental ...

Study backs flu vaccinations for elderly

2015-08-24
PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] -- A new study of the records of millions of nursing home residents affirms the value of influenza vaccination among the elderly. The Brown University analysis found that between 2000 and 2009, the better matched the vaccine was for the influenza strain going around, the fewer nursing home residents died or were hospitalized. Although flu vaccination is a standard of care and a measure of quality in nursing homes, some public health experts question the evidence of whether they do any good, said Vincent Mor, corresponding author of ...

GPM sees rainfall in Tropical Depression Kilo nearing Johnston Island

GPM sees rainfall in Tropical Depression Kilo nearing Johnston Island
2015-08-24
The Global Precipitation Measurement or GPM mission core satellite gathered rainfall data on Tropical Depression Kilo as it heads toward Johnston Island in the Central Pacific Ocean. On August 24, a Tropical Storm Warning was posted for Johnston Island Kilo formed as depression and strengthened into a tropical storm to southeast of the Hawaiian Islands on August 20, 2015. By 5 a.m. EDT on Sunday, August 23, Kilo weakened to a tropical depression. Today, August 24, the tropical depression nearing Johnston Island. The National Hurricane Center noted that Johnston Island ...

Brains of abused teenagers show 'encouraging' ability to regulate emotions

2015-08-24
Washington D.C., August 24, 2015 - Children who have been abused typically experience more intense emotions than their peers who have not been abused. This is often considered a byproduct of living in volatile, dangerous environments. A recent study published in the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (JAACAP) set to find out what happens when these children are taught how to regulate their emotions. Could that better help them cope with difficult situations? The team of researchers from the University of Washington studied what happens ...

How to stay awake without caffeine

2015-08-24
WASHINGTON, Aug. 24 2015 -- You're tired and you need an energy boost, but you don't want the jitters from caffeine. What to do? In this Reactions video, we give you some chemistry-backed tips -- one of which involves cats -- to boost your productivity and stay awake without refilling the coffee cup. Check it out here: https://youtu.be/SvEQBURrPow INFORMATION: Subscribe to our weekly series at http://bit.ly/ACSReactions and follow us on Twitter @ACSReactions. The American Chemical Society is a nonprofit organization chartered by the U.S. Congress. With more than 158,000 ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Study shows increasing ‘healthy competition’ between menu options nudges patients towards greener, lower-fat hospital food choices

New insights into melanoma plasticity uncover a critical role of iron metabolism

A graphene sandwich — deposited or transferred?

New light-powered motor fits inside a strand of hair

Oil rig study reveals vital role of tiny hoverflies

Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia researchers boost widespread use of dental varnish across pediatric network

iRECODE: A new computational method that brings clarity to single-cell analysis

New NUS-MOH study: Singapore’s healthcare sector carbon emissions 18% lower than expected, a milestone in the city-state’s net zero journey

QUT scientists create material to turn waste heat into clean power

Major new report sets out how to tackle the ‘profound and lasting impact’ of COVID-19 on cardiovascular health

Cosmic crime scene: White dwarf found devouring Pluto-like icy world

Major report tackles Covid’s cardiovascular crisis head-on

A third of licensed GPs in England not working in NHS general practice

ChatGPT “thought on the fly” when put through Ancient Greek maths puzzle

Engineers uncover why tiny particles form clusters in turbulent air

GLP-1RA drugs dramatically reduce death and cardiovascular risk in psoriasis patients

Psoriasis linked to increased risk of vision-threatening eye disease, study finds

Reprogramming obesity: New drug from Italian biotech aims to treat the underlying causes of obesity

Type 2 diabetes may accelerate development of multiple chronic diseases, particularly in the early stages, UK Biobank study suggests

Resistance training may improve nerve health, slow aging process, study shows

Common and inexpensive medicine halves the risk of recurrence in patients with colorectal cancer

SwRI-built instruments to monitor, provide advanced warning of space weather events

Breakthrough advances sodium-based battery design

New targeted radiation therapy shows near-complete response in rare sarcoma patients

Does physical frailty contribute to dementia?

Soccer headers and brain health: Study finds changes within folds of the brain

Decoding plants’ language of light

UNC Greensboro study finds ticks carrying Lyme disease moving into western NC

New implant restores blood pressure balance after spinal cord injury

New York City's medical specialist advantage may be an illusion, new NYU Tandon research shows

[Press-News.org] Association between transient newborn hypoglycemia, 4th grade achievement