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Contrary to conventional wisdom, a right to silence can reduce wrongful convictions of innocent suspects who tell police the truth, and may reduce the overall conviction rate without affecting the confession rate. We establish these conclusions by modelling interrogation as a game in which suspects are privately informed of their type, but do not know the content of witness reports. Our model has testable implications which distinguish it from competing models. The best data rejects competing models, but does not reject our model.

All newborn babies should be tested for hyperbilirubinemia within a few days of delivery. This condition occurs when too much bilirubin is present in the body, and often occurs in newborn babies. Phototherapy and metalloporphyrins are effective treatments that could even be given at home.

Hyperbilirubinemia is a condition characterized by elevated blood levels of bilirubin, a pigment in bile, which is a liver secretion. Although this disorder often develops in the newborn, the long-term effects of hyperbilirubinemia are not clear. The effects of hyperbilirubinemia during the newborn period on growth, general health, and cognitive ability later on (17 years of age) were assessed in 1,948 subjects. The subjects were assessed by intelligence tests and medical examination, and the results compared to bloods levels of bilirubin during the newborn period. There was no relation between bilirubin levels during the newborn period and intelligence test scores or achievement at school at 17 years of age. However, male infants with blood levels of bilirubin of more than 342 micromoles per liter tended to have lower scores on intelligence tests. The association between lower intelligence scores and elevated blood levels of bilirubin was not observed among female infants. These findings suggest that the development of severe bilirubinemia in the newborn may have adverse long-term effects on cognition. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Obesity is associated with a number of health problems such as heart disease and high blood pressure. Efforts to treat obesity in adults have not been very successful. Consequently, many researchers have turned to examining ways of preventing obesity. Identifying risk factors for developing obesity is the first step in prevention. Studies have shown relations between weight during childhood and risk for obesity in adulthood. This study examined if there was a relation between birth weight and obesity in late adolescence. Birth weights were obtained from 33,413 infants born between 1964 and 1971 in Jerusalem, Israel. Weights at 17 years of age were obtained as was other pertinent data, such as ethnicity and birth order. The subjects were categorized as normal weight, overweight, or severely overweight and results were compared with birth weights. Findings showed that the odds ratios for being overweight at age 17 were increasingly greater for those with birth weights in the ranges of 3,500 to 3,999 grams, 4,000 to 4,499 grams, and above 4,500 grams. (These weights correspond to 7.7 to 8.7 pounds, 8.8 to 9.8 pounds, and above 9.9 pounds, respectively.) For males with birth weights of greater than 4,500 grams (9.8 pounds), the adjusted odds ratios for being overweight and severely overweight at age 17 were 2.16 and 2.30, respectively. For females with birth weights of greater than 4,500 grams (9.8 pounds), the odds ratios for being overweight and severely overweight at age 17 were 2.95 and 4.39, respectively. However, by numbers, more people with normal birth weights were overweight at age 17. These results indicate that birth weight is associated with obesity in late adolescence, but that the ability to use birth weight in predicting who will become overweight is too poor to be useful in identifying those at high risk for obesity. Ethnic and environmental factors are discussed in relation to other research findings. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

ABBREVIATIONS. G-6-PD, glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase; SD, standard deviation. The recognition and follow-up of jaundice has become more difficult as a result of earlier discharge from the hospital.[1] At the same time, [...]

* Objective.--To assess the height outcome of newborns born small for gestational age. Design.--A historical prospective study. Setting.--A cohort of 1758 newborns born at a single university hospital maternity ward and subsequently examined at the military draft medical board at age 17 years. Participants.--Newborns whose weight at birth was below the third percentile were defined as small for gestational age. Their body measurements at age 17 years were compared with those of their peers who were appropriate for gestational age. Measurements/Main Results.--The adjusted mean [+ or -] SEM height for boys born small for gestational age vs peers born appropriate for gestational age was 169.9 [+ or -] 1.5 vs 175.4 [+ or -] 0.8 cm (P, Infants who are born small for their gestational age (SGA) may have a higher risk of shorter stature during adolescence. These infants may never catch up with infants born at a size appropriate for their gestational age (AGA), despite a period of accelerated growth after birth. Among 1,758 infants born at a university hospital, whose height was measured at the age of 17 years, 64 were SGA and 1,694 were AGA. Seventeen-year-olds who were SGA were an average of five centimeters shorter than their peers who were AGA. The risk of shorter stature was more than four times higher for adolescent boys who were SGA than those who were AGA. The risk was more than three times higher in adolescent girls who were SGA than in those who were AGA. Factors that can cause an infant to be born SGA include intrauterine infection, chromosomal abnormalities, maternal diseases and substance abuse.

ABBREVIATIONS. AAP, American Academy of Pediatrics; STB, serum total bilirubin; CO, carbon monoxide; ETCOc, end-tidal carbon monoxide corrected for ambient CO; NICU, neonatal intensive care unit; [ETCO.sub.2], end-tidal carbon dioxide; [...], Objective. The purpose of this study was to determine whether end-tidal carbon monoxide (CO) corrected for ambient CO (ETCOc), as a single measurement or in combination with serum total bilirubin (STB) measurements, can predict the development of hyperbilirubinemia during the first 7 days of life. Methods. From 9 multinational clinical sites, 1370 neonates completed this cohort study from February 20, 1998, through February 22, 1999. Measurements of both ETCOc and STB were performed at 30 ± 6 hours of life; STB also was measured at 96 ± 12 hours and subsequently following a flow diagram based on a table of hours of age-specific STB. An infant was defined as hyperbilirubinemic if the hours of age-specific STB was greater than or equal to the 95th percentile as defined by the table at any time during the study. Results. A total of 120 (8.8%) of the enrolled infants became hyperbilirubinemic. Mean STB in breastfed infants was 8.92 ± 4.37 mg/dL at 96 hours versus 7.63 ± 3.58 mg/dL in those fed formula only. The mean ETCOc at 30 ± 6 hours for the total population was 1.48 ± 0.49 ppm, whereas those of nonhyperbilirubinemic and hyperbilirubinemic infants were 1.45 ± 0.47 ppm and 1.81 ± 0.59 ppm, respectively. Seventy-six percent (92 of 120) of hyperbilirubinemic infants had ETCOc greater than the population mean. An ETCOc greater than the population mean at 30 ± 6 hours yielded a 13.0% positive predictive value (PPV) and a 95.8% negative predictive value (NPV) for STB [is greater than or equal to] 95th percentile. When infants with STB [is greater than] 95th percentile at [is less than] 36 hours of age were excluded, the STB at 30 ± 6 hours yielded a 16.7% PPV and a 98.1% NPV for STB [is greater than] 75th percentile. The combination of these 2 measurements at 30 ± 6 hours (either ETCOc more than the population mean or STB [is greater than] 75th percentile) had a 6.4% PPV with a 99.0% NPV. Conclusions. This prospective cohort study supports previous observations that measuring STB before discharge may provide some assistance in predicting an infant's risk for developing hyperbilirubinemia. The addition of an ETCOc measurement provides insight into the processes that contribute to the condition but does not materially improve the predictive ability of an hours of age-specific STB in this study population. The combination of STB and ETCOc as early as 30 ± 6 hours may identify infants with increased bilirubin production (eg, hemolysis) or decreased elimination (conjugation defects) as well as infants who require early follow-up after discharge for jaundice or other clinical problems such as late anemia. Depending on the incidence of hyperbilirubinemia within an institution, the criteria for decision making should vary according to its unique population. Pediatrics 2001;108:31-39; carbon monoxide, end-tidal carbon monoxide, hemolysis, hyperbilirubinemia, neonatal jaundice, prediction, serum total bilirubin.