Premature infants are at unique risk for developing acute kidney injury (AKI) due to incomplete nephrogenesis, early exposure to nephrotoxic medications, and coexisting conditions such as patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) and respiratory distress syndrome (RDS). Unfortunately, laboratory testing for the diagnosis of AKI in this population is problematic because of the physiology of both the placenta and the extra-uterine premature kidney. Recent research has led to the development of promising biomarkers for the early detection of AKI in children but there are no published reports in neonates. Our goal was to determine whether urine neutrophil gelatinaseassociated lipocalin (NGAL) was detectable in premature infants and to correlate levels with gestational age, birth weight (BW), or indomethacin exposure. We enrolled 20 infants in four BW groups: 500 -750, 751-1000, 1001-1250, and 1251-1500 g. Urine was collected every day for the first 14 d of life. Neonates born at earlier gestational ages and lower BWs had higher urine NGAL levels (p Ͻ 0.01). We conclude that urine NGAL is easily obtained in premature infants and that it correlates significantly with both BW and gestational age. The use of urinary NGAL as a biomarker of AKI in premature infants warrants further investigation. (Pediatr Res 64: [423][424][425][426][427][428] 2008)

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Background The existence of race and gender disparity has been described in numerous areas of medicine. The management of hepatocellular cancer is no different, but in no other area of medicine, is the treatment algorithm more complicated by local, regional, and national health care distribution policy. Methods Multivariate logistic regression and Cox‐regression were utilized to analyze the treatment of patients with hepatocellular cancer registered in SEER between 1999 and 2013 to determine the incidence and effects of racial and gender disparity. Odd ratios (OR) are relative to Caucasian males, SEER region, and tumor characteristics. Results The analysis of 57,449 patients identified the minority were female (25.31%) and African‐American (16.26%). All tumor interventions were protective (p < 0.001) with respect to survival. The mean survival for all registered patients was 13.01 months with conditional analysis, confirming that African‐American men were less likely to undergo ablation, resection, or transplantation (p < 0.001). Women were more likely to undergo resection (p < 0.001). African‐American women had an equivalent OR for resection but had a significantly lower transplant rate (p < 0.001). Conclusions Utilizing SEER data as a surrogate for patient navigation in the treatment of hepatocellular cancer, our study identified not only race but gender bias with African‐American women suffering the greatest. This is underscored by the lack of navigation of African‐Americans to any therapy and a significant bias to navigate female patients to resection potentially limiting subsequent access to definitive therapy namely transplantation.

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tory and urinary organs. It is thus the admitted disease inciter of such sundry conditions as enterocolitis, pneumonia, meningitis, encephalitis, phlegmon, peritonitis, etc. Its clinical, pathologic and biologic resemblance to the typhoid bacillus is being carefully considered. Fraenkel tells us that, " pathogenesis is the most inconstant thing in the character of many species of bacteria." Fraenkel's pneumococcus, often a most virulent inflammatory exciter, is likewise a regular tenant of health salivary and nasal secretions as are the pus germs and Lofner's bacillus.