Clinical Estimate (clinical + estimate)

Distribution by Scientific Domains


Selected Abstracts


Gestational age estimation on United States livebirth certificates: a historical overview

PAEDIATRIC & PERINATAL EPIDEMIOLOGY, Issue 2007
Megan L. Wier
Summary Gestational age on the birth certificate is the most common source of population-based gestational age data that informs public health policy and practice in the US. Last menstrual period is one of the oldest methods of gestational age estimation and has been on the US Standard Certificate of Live Birth since 1968. The ,clinical estimate of gestation', added to the standard certificate in 1989 to address missing or erroneous last menstrual period data, was replaced by the ,obstetric estimate of gestation' on the 2003 revision, which specifically precludes neonatal assessments. We discuss the strengths and weaknesses of these measures, potential research implications and challenges accompanying the transition to the obstetric estimate. [source]


United States vital statistics and the measurement of gestational age

PAEDIATRIC & PERINATAL EPIDEMIOLOGY, Issue 2007
Joyce A. Martin
Summary Estimates of the gestational age of the newborn based on US Birth Certificate data are extensively used to monitor trends in infant and maternal health and to improve our understanding of adverse pregnancy outcome. Two measures of gestational age, the ,date of the last normal menses' (LMP) and the ,clinical estimate of gestation' (CE), have been available from birth certificate data since 1989. Reporting irregularities with the LMP-based measure are well-documented, and important questions remain regarding the derivation of the CE. Changes in perinatal medicine and in vital statistics reporting in recent years may have importantly altered gestational age data based on vital statistics. This study describes how gestational age measures are collected and edited in US national vital statistics, and examines changes in the reporting of these measures by race and Hispanic origin between 1990 and 2002. Data are drawn from the National Center for Health Statistics' restricted use US birth files for 1990,2002. Bivariable statistics are used. The percentage of records with missing LMP dates declined markedly over the study period, overall, and for each racial/Hispanic origin group studied. A marked shift in the distribution of the CE of gestational age was also observed, suggesting changes both in the true distribution of age at birth, and in the derivation of this measure. Agreement between the LMP-based and CE estimates increased over the study period, especially among preterm births. However, a high proportion of LMP dates continue to be missing or invalid and the derivation of the CE is still uncertain. In sum, although the reporting of gestational age measures in vital statistics appears to have improved between 1990 and 2002, substantial concerns with both the LMP-based and the CE persist. Efforts to identify approaches to further improve upon the quality of these data are needed. [source]


MR determination of glomerular filtration rate in subjects with solitary kidneys in comparison to clinical standards of renal function: feasibility and preliminary report,

CONTRAST MEDIA & MOLECULAR IMAGING, Issue 2 2009
Richard W. Katzberg
Abstract This study was conducted to demonstrate the feasibility of quantifying single kidney glomerular filtration rate (skGFR) by magnetic resonance (MR) by comparison to the clinical estimates of GFR in volunteer subjects with a single kidney. Seven IRB-approved subjects with a solitary kidney, stable serum creatinine (SCr) and a 24,h creatinine clearance (CrCl) volunteered to undergo an MR examination that determined renal extraction fraction (EF) with a breathhold inversion recovery echo planar pulse sequence and renal blood flow with a velocity encoded phase imaging sequence. The product of EF and blood flow determines GFR. These values were compared with the 24,h CrCl, estimated GFR by the modification of diet in renal disease (MDRD) regression analysis and the Cockroft,Gault (CG) determination of CrCl. The mean and standard deviation of differences between the MR GFR, MDRD and CG vs the 24,h CrCl were 12.3,±,35.7, ,8.9,±,18.5 and 1.2,±,19.6, respectively. The Student t -test showed that none of the mean differences were statistically significant between techniques. This clinical investigation shows that MR can be used for skGFR determination in human subjects with comparable values to those derived from clinically used serum-based GFR estimation techniques. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


Effects of age and optical blur on real depth stereoacuity

OPHTHALMIC AND PHYSIOLOGICAL OPTICS, Issue 5 2010
Marcelo F. Costa
Abstract Stereoscopic depth perception utilizes the disparity cues between the images that fall on the retinae of the two eyes. The purpose of this study was to determine what role aging and optical blur play in stereoscopic disparity sensitivity for real depth stimuli. Forty-six volunteers were tested ranging in age from 15 to 60 years. Crossed and uncrossed disparity thresholds were measured using white light under conditions of best optical correction. The uncrossed disparity thresholds were also measured with optical blur (from +1.0D to +5.0D added to the best correction). Stereothresholds were measured using the Frisby Stereo Test, which utilizes a four-alternative forced-choice staircase procedure. The threshold disparities measured for young adults were frequently lower than 10 arcsec, a value considerably lower than the clinical estimates commonly obtained using Random Dot Stereograms (20 arcsec) or Titmus Fly Test (40 arcsec) tests. Contrary to previous reports, disparity thresholds increased between the ages of 31 and 45 years. This finding should be taken into account in clinical evaluation of visual function of older patients. Optical blur degrades visual acuity and stereoacuity similarly under white-light conditions, indicating that both functions are affected proportionally by optical defocus. [source]