Poison control

About: Poison control is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 394709 publications have been published within this topic receiving 15781638 citations.

Sleep duration from infancy to adolescence: reference values and generational trends.

Abstract: Objective. The main purpose of the present study was to calculate percentile curves for total sleep duration per 24 hours, for nighttime and for daytime sleep duration from early infancy to late adolescence to illustrate the developmental course and age-specific variability of these variables among subjects. Methods. A total of 493 subjects from the Zurich Longitudinal Studies were followed using structured sleep-related questionnaires at 1, 3, 6, 9, 12, 18, and 24 months after birth and then at annual intervals until 16 years of age. Gaussian percentiles for ages 3 months to 16 years were calculated for total sleep duration (time in bed) and nighttime and daytime sleep duration. The mean sleep duration for ages 1 to 16 years was estimated by generalized additive models based on the loess smoother; a cohort effect also had to be included. The standard deviation (SD) was estimated from the loess smoothed absolute residuals from the mean curve. For ages 3, 6, and 9 months, an alternative approach with a simple model linear in age was used. For age 1 month, empirical percentiles were calculated. Results. Total sleep duration decreased from an average of 14.2 hours (SD: 1.9 hours) at 6 months of age to an average of 8.1 hours (SD: 0.8 hours) at 16 years of age. The variance showed the same declining trend: the interquartile range at 6 months after birth was 2.5 hours, whereas at 16 years of age, it was only 1.0 hours. Total sleep duration decreased across the studied cohorts (1974–1993) because of increasingly later bedtime but unchanged wake time across decades. Consolidation of nocturnal sleep occurred during the first 12 months after birth with a decreasing trend of daytime sleep. This resulted in a small increase of nighttime sleep duration by 1 year of age (mean 11.0 ± 1.1 hours at 1 month to 11.7 ± 1.0 hours at 1 year of age). The most prominent decline in napping habits occurred between 1.5 years of age (96.4% of all children) and 4 years of age (35.4%). Conclusions. Percentile curves provide valuable information on developmental course and age-specific variability of sleep duration for the health care professional who deals with sleep problems in pediatric practice.

What Do We Know about Natural Resources and Civil War

Abstract: Since the late 1990s, there has been a flood of research on natural resources and civil war. This article reviews 14 recent cross-national econometric studies, and many qualitative studies, that cast light on the relationship between natural resources and civil war. It suggests that collectively they imply four underlying regularities: first, oil increases the likelihood of conflict, particularly separatist conflict; second, ‘lootable’ commodities like gemstones and drugs do not make conflict more likely to begin, but they tend to lengthen existing conflicts; third, there is no apparent link between legal agricultural commodities and civil war; and finally, the association between primary commodities - a broad category that includes both oil and agricultural goods - and the onset of civil war is not robust. The first section discusses the evidence for these four regularities and examines some theoretical arguments that could explain them. The second section suggests that some of the remaining inconsistenc...

The precaution adoption process.

Abstract: This article presents a critique of current models of preventive behavior. It discusses a variety of factors that are usually overlooked-including the appearance of costs and benefits over time, the role of cues to action, the problem of competing life demands, and the ways that actual decision behavior differs from the rational ideal implicit in expectancy-value and utility theories. Such considerations suggest that the adoption of new precautions should be viewed as a dynamic process with many determinants. The framework of a model that is able to accommodate these additional factors is described. This alternative model portrays the precaution adoption process as an orderly sequence of qualitatively different cognitive stages. Data illustrating a few of the suggestions made in the article are presented, and implications for prevention programs are discussed.

Association between Cellular-Telephone Calls and Motor Vehicle Collisions

Abstract: Background Because of a belief that the use of cellular telephones while driving may cause collisions, several countries have restricted their use in motor vehicles, and others are considering such regulations. We used an epidemiologic method, the case–crossover design, to study whether using a cellular telephone while driving increases the risk of a motor vehicle collision. Methods We studied 699 drivers who had cellular telephones and who were involved in motor vehicle collisions resulting in substantial property damage but no personal injury. Each person's cellular-telephone calls on the day of the collision and during the previous week were analyzed through the use of detailed billing records. Results A total of 26,798 cellular-telephone calls were made during the 14-month study period. The risk of a collision when using a cellular telephone was four times higher than the risk when a cellular telephone was not being used (relative risk, 4.3; 95 percent confidence interval, 3.0 to 6.5). The relative ri...