Two questionnaires were developed for measuring disability due to juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (JRA), one based on patient reports and one on parent reports. These questionnaires were termed the Juvenile Arthritis Functional Assessment Report for Children (JAFAR-C) and for Parents (JAFAR-P). The questionnaires were administered to 72 JRA patients ages 7-18 years and to their parents. Respondents rated the patient's recent ability to perform 23 activities. Patient reports and parent reports were found to correlate highly with each other and with an objective assessment performed by therapists. Questionnaire scores did not correlate significantly with the age of the patient. The JAFAR appears to be a convenient, reliable, and valid measure of disability in patients with JRA.

A disability assessment tool, the Juvenile Arthritis Functional Assessment Scale, was developed for, and validated in, patients with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (JRA). Standards for this 10-item tool were developed using the scores of 63 normal school children as controls and comparing these results with those of 71 agematched JRA patients (age 7-16 years). The JRA patients scored statistically significantly higher on the scale, which also demonstrated excellent internal and convergent validity and internal reliability. The test is easily administered in 10 minutes by a physical or occupational therapist in a clinical or office setting. This tool represents the first normalized disability assessment tool developed for JRA patients.Juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (JRA) is a complex disease of varying severity and prognosis. It is the most frequently encountered pediatric rheumatic disease, one of the more common chronic diseases of

The potential cost savings from reducing or eliminating catheter-associated bloodstream infections in the pediatric intensive care unit are significant. Elimination of catheter-associated bloodstream infections will directly reduce hospital costs, improve asset utilization, and most importantly, improve clinical care.

Purpose: Recent investigations described the use of NGAL, a sensitive biomarker for kidney injury, in the setting of ureteropelvic junction obstruction. We prospectively evaluated urinary NGAL levels in the affected renal pelvis and bladder of children with ureteropelvic junction obstruction undergoing unilateral dismembered pyeloplasty. Our hypothesis was that higher NGAL in the kidney and bladder would correlate with decreased ipsilateral differential function. Materials and Methods: We performed a prospective cohort study in patients treated with unilateral dismembered pyeloplasty from 2010 to 2012. Urine was obtained intraoperatively from the bladder and obstructed renal pelvis. A control population of unaffected children was recruited to provide a voided bladder specimen. Bladder NGAL levels were compared between the study and control populations. We tested our study hypothesis by correlating bladder and renal pelvic NGAL levels with the differential renal function of the affected kidney. Results: A total of 61 patients with a median age at surgery of 1.62 years (range 0.12 to 18.7) were enrolled in the study. Median bladder NGAL was 18.6 ng/mg (range 1.4-1,650.8) and median renal pelvic NGAL was 26.2 ng/mg (range 1.2-18,034.5, p = 0.004). Median bladder NGAL was significantly higher than in controls (p = 0.004). The correlation of bladder and renal pelvic NGAL with differential renal function was r = −0.359 (p = 0.004) and r = −0.383 (p = 0.002), respectively. Conclusions: Bladder NGAL is increased in children with ureteropelvic junction obstruction. Renal pelvic and bladder normalized urinary NGAL levels correlate inversely with the relative function of the affected kidney in cases of unilateral ureteropelvic junction obstruction.