ScienceDaily (Apr. 2, 2012) ? As computer scientists this year celebrate the 100th anniversary of the birth of the mathematical genius Alan Turing, who set out the basis for digital computing in the 1930s to anticipate the electronic age, they still quest after a machine as adaptable and intelligent as the human brain.
Now, computer scientist Hava Siegelmann of the University of Massachusetts Amherst, an expert in neural networks, has taken Turing's work to its next logical step. She is translating her 1993 discovery of what she has dubbed "Super-Turing" computation into an adaptable computational system that learns and evolves, using input from the environment in a way much more like our brains do than classic Turing-type computers. She and her post-doctoral research colleague Jeremie Cabessa report on the advance in the current issue of Neural Computation.
"This model is inspired by the brain," she says. "It is a mathematical formulation of the brain's neural networks with their adaptive abilities." The authors show that when the model is installed in an environment offering constant sensory stimuli like the real world, and when all stimulus-response pairs are considered over the machine's lifetime, the Super Turing model yields an exponentially greater repertoire of behaviors than the classical computer or Turing model. They demonstrate that the Super-Turing model is superior for human-like tasks and learning.
"Each time a Super-Turing machine gets input it literally becomes a different machine," Siegelmann says. "You don't want this for your PC. They are fine and fast calculators and we need them to do that. But if you want a robot to accompany a blind person to the grocery store, you'd like one that can navigate in a dynamic environment. If you want a machine to interact successfully with a human partner, you'd like one that can adapt to idiosyncratic speech, recognize facial patterns and allow interactions between partners to evolve just like we do. That's what this model can offer."
Classical computers work sequentially and can only operate in the very orchestrated, specific environments for which they were programmed. They can look intelligent if they've been told what to expect and how to respond, Siegelmann says. But they can't take in new information or use it to improve problem-solving, provide richer alternatives or perform other higher-intelligence tasks.
In 1948, Turing himself predicted another kind of computation that would mimic life itself, but he died without developing his concept of a machine that could use what he called "adaptive inference." In 1993, Siegelmann, then at Rutgers, showed independently in her doctoral thesis that a very different kind of computation, vastly different from the "calculating computer" model and more like Turing's prediction of life-like intelligence, was possible. She published her findings in Science and in a book shortly after.
"I was young enough to be curious, wanting to understand why the Turing model looked really strong," she recalls. "I tried to prove the conjecture that neural networks are very weak and instead found that some of the early work was faulty. I was surprised to find out via mathematical analysis that the neural models had some capabilities that surpass the Turing model. So I re-read Turing and found that he believed there would be an adaptive model that was stronger based on continuous calculations."
Each step in Siegelmann's model starts with a new Turing machine that computes once and then adapts. The size of the set of natural numbers is represented by the notation aleph-zero, ?0, representing also the number of different infinite calculations possible by classical Turing machines in a real-world environment on continuously arriving inputs. By contrast, Siegelmann's most recent analysis demonstrates that Super-Turing computation has 2?0, possible behaviors. "If the Turing machine had 300 behaviors, the Super-Turing would have 2300, more than the number of atoms in the observable universe," she explains.
The new Super-Turing machine will not only be flexible and adaptable but economical. This means that when presented with a visual problem, for example, it will act more like our human brains and choose salient features in the environment on which to focus, rather than using its power to visually sample the entire scene as a camera does. This economy of effort, using only as much attention as needed, is another hallmark of high artificial intelligence, Siegelmann says.
"If a Turing machine is like a train on a fixed track, a Super-Turing machine is like an airplane. It can haul a heavy load, but also move in endless directions and vary its destination as needed. The Super-Turing framework allows a stimulus to actually change the computer at each computational step, behaving in a way much closer to that of the constantly adapting and evolving brain," she adds.
Siegelmann and two colleagues recently were notified that they will receive a grant to make the first ever Super-Turing computer, based on Analog Recurrent Neural Networks. The device is expected to introduce a level of intelligence not seen before in artificial computation.
Share this story on Facebook, Twitter, and Google:
Other social bookmarking and sharing tools:
Story Source:
The above story is reprinted from materials provided by University of Massachusetts at Amherst.
Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.
Journal Reference:
J?r?mie Cabessa, Hava T. Siegelmann. The Computational Power of Interactive Recurrent Neural Networks. Neural Computation, 2012; 24 (4): 996 DOI: 10.1162/NECO_a_00263
Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.
Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.
Suni McClelland is the President of Razor Chemical Co. in North Little Rock, Arkansas. It?s an understatement to say she has a ?sunny? outlook on business in the Natural State. Her cleaning products firm is moving in new directions as it deals with the aftermath of the recession and changing market dynamics. The real formula for [...]
Plantronics has made a name for itself in the wireless headset space, but there's plenty of room to grow when it comes to premium stereo offerings. BackBeat Go is the company's smallest and lightest wireless earbud set to date, tipping the scale at 13 grams, or "about the weight of three nickels." The cordless rig includes a pair of earbuds linked with a flat tangle-free cord, with inline controls to adjust volume and an integrated mic for calls. The Bluetooth-enabled Go can sync up with one device at a time, so you'll need to repeat the pairing process if switching between phones or to a tablet -- and you should be able to snag 4.5 hours of listening and talk time or 10 hours of standby with a single charge. Digital noise reduction and echo canceling play into the call experience, while the "deep, rich, stereo sound" means the earbuds are equally suited for leisure. Sound good to you? You can snag your own set for a cool $100 by clicking through to the source link below.
Nintendo wii console does not normally entail substantial denseness so possessing cable tv gives you the absolute maximum obtain of the innovative scan assessment which enables quit any kind of interweaved comes to an end in overly busy games along with the graphics are made more dazzling and also true since the pixilation becomes more enhanced. Creating your Wii system setting to an creation of 430p will give you the optimum game photo actually.
The actual Digital System and the Nintendo Details Card are the Wii add-ons I am talking about. Your Nintendo wii Shop Station characteristics any particular one portion associated with Electronic Gaming system as the Nintende DSi Go shopping allows players to get along with download games from the internet for Nintendo wii console. The particular to begin with unveiled brands wii accessories in precedent gaming systems make up the deal along with the assistance of computer software simulators, they could be obtained using the items on the Items Card. You get the original point?s card first and then suggest usage of the credit rating card for on the web getting purchases or simply visit business Lizzy E.P(Wii user 2012) merchants for the items.
Your Nintendo Can include the 512mb associated with internal memory. Perhaps without a storage card it can save you games as well as download your Electronic System Games to your gaming system due to ability of their inner storage. Although, you can get hold of the SanDisk pertaining to Wii SD Card so that you can maintain copy data as well as games for the card. Your card can be very useful pertaining to shifting your photos onto your Nintendo wii console or moving games derived from one of program to a different.
Your Wii LAN Adaptor is the final of our line of Wii system add-ons. You may invariably along with simply hyperlink your current Nintendo wii console online as the Nintendo wii console contains a great integrated wireless circle. The particular LAN adapter can always be taken perhaps with no house cellular link cable tv. The adapter permits you to utilize a great communicate LAN connection to the internet through a Hardware cable tv that can coast up the Wii system link with it?s most effective momentum.
Plastic themes regarding Nunchuk Remote controls as well as Nintendo?s creative designers Controllers will reduce dirt and grime from making your own remote controls. Your own game controllers are handled a great deal and will stop getting thrown round the space, so it?s crucial that you shield these coming from damage and grime.
There?s no difficult assemblage or even installing, plus they arrive built with open up Wii to the buttons, in order that it won?t influence your effort. They?re not going to just help with keeping your remotes clean up, and often will furthermore help to improve your own grasp along with prevent leakages coming from dents as well as scrapes. They also come in lots of different hues such as habits as well as nicely toned, as well as solid colors.
Bankruptcy attorney las vegas themes that will gleam in the dark. There are also other types of protects created from harder materials, although the silicone pores and skin versions include the most widely used.
In order to acquire the Wii system with you if you are touring, you can get a Wii Carry bag. This will protect your current Wii system because your take a trip and in addition can carry your current components also. You may also require to use that in the home on an easy way retailer your current Wii.
The Nintendo wii console In shape specially requires unique point out. They have certainly completely changed movie games simply by creating active working out. This specific device functions letting you stand on an account balance table which usually new wii accessories 2012 knows just how much stress you might be putting on either side with the board. Then the number of exercises utilizes this specific strain sensitive panel along with the Wii system rural control. This particular Nintendo Wii game system has become receiving positive reviews all over the place as well as professionals assume that to sell inside the thousands and the Nintendo wii gaming console inventory absence looking for weeks.
It is the most popular items ever, this means it is most likely rented out already throughout neighborhood merchants as well as main websites. The top choice option would be to look for niche auction web sites merchants, which you could certainly discover The nentendo wifit along with connected add-ons that are available on the market, such as freeship along with from suppliers deals. It is supposed to always be sold out Nintendo Wii Dance Mats until 2009 the same as the Wii at the same time. That is on account of amazing spike widely used by simply individuals who never ever considered getting a movie game gaming console prior to. Everybody all over the world who bound movie games and also labelled it as being a waste of time has needed to placed their remarks rear.
[ [ [['A JetBlue flight from New York to Las Vegas', 3]], 'http://yhoo.it/GV9zpj', '[Related: View photos of the JetBlue plane in Amarillo]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['Afghan security forces and police killed three', 3]], 'http://yhoo.it/H9BcJE', '[Related: Bales\' wife on his alleged shooting: \'He would not do that\']', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['looking for fireworks between the opposing camps', 16]], 'http://yhoo.it/GSvEsj', '[RELATED:\?It?s going to be a circus\?: Activists begin protests outside Supreme Court]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['entirely respectable way to put off the searing constitutional controversy', 8]], 'http://yhoo.it/GE6jSh', '[RELATED: Obama\?s health care law passed 2 years ago, but where are we now\?]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['Witnesses said the gunman pulled up on a black scooter', 7]], 'http://yhoo.it/GzwOIW', '[Related: New York police tighten security at Jewish sites]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['test Zimmerman for alcohol or drugs', 11]], 'http://yhoo.it/Gzn6VF', '[Related: White House says Trayvon Martin is local issue]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['Trayvon Martin decked the Neighborhood', 7]], 'http://yhoo.it/GUovUP', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/a/p/us/news/editorial/2/61/261d2c36bccf0971c2734a4d4398aa5a.jpeg', '512', ' ', 'AP/David Goldman', ], [ [['Can you create commerce in order to regulate it', 9]], 'http://yhoo.it/GSgtu8', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/a/p/us/news/editorial/7/78/778e2416573870cd705774e92403447d.jpeg', '630', ' ', 'AP/Charles Dharapak', ], [ [['associated with such a small earthquake', 4]], 'http://yhoo.it/GTco9z', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/a/p/us/news/editorial/0/b4/0b493c1a47b6e3f97f8f48a2b251d7d4.jpeg', '630', ' ', 'AP Photo/Carrie Antlfinger', ], [ [['Fox News host Geraldo Rivera sparked outrage', 3]], 'http://yhoo.it/GKMVTk', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/a/p/us/news/editorial/2/7c/27c7367bc512d233ae1790b320a5e92c.jpeg', '630', ' ', 'AP Photo/John Minchillo', ], [ [['The charges signed against Bales include', 1]], 'http://yhoo.it/wZT5zV', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/a/p/us/news/editorial/7/a0/7a07c51b2aa0f39b1a23355046d13870.jpeg', '512', ' ', 'AP Photo/DVIDS\, Spc\. Ryan Hallock\, File', ], [ [['George Zimmerman, if I had a son', 6]], 'http://news.yahoo.com/photos/thousands-protest-fla-teen-death-1332387124-slideshow/', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/os/152/2012/03/22/d761a49f3fcc99080a0f6a70670053cd-jpg_150905.jpg', '500', ' ', 'AP Photo/John Minchillo', ], [ [['Mohamed Merah', 10], ['prosecutor Francois Molins', 5]], 'http://news.yahoo.com/photos/four-dead-in-french-jewish-school-shooting-1332173151-slideshow', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/cv/ip/ap/default/120321/2012_03_21t151508z_425380421_gm1e83l1sqs01_rtrmadp_3_france_shootings_raid.jpg', '630', ' ', 'REUTERS/Jean-Paul Pelissier', ], [ [['Shortly after he wrapped up his victory remarks', 2]], 'http://news.yahoo.com/photos/4-straight-romney-wins-washington-gop-caucus-1330835515-slideshow/', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/a/p/us/news/editorial/3/e9/3e9b0082c3c3111dcc19e3527ae94cc7.jpeg', '500', ' ', 'AP Photo/Steven Senne', ], [ [['best understands the problems of average Americans', 2]], 'http://news.yahoo.com/photos/4-straight-romney-wins-washington-gop-caucus-1330835515-slideshow/', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/a/p/us/news/editorial/3/e9/3e9b0082c3c3111dcc19e3527ae94cc7.jpeg', '500', ' ', 'AP Photo/Steven Senne', ], [ [['Group for Historic Aircraft Recovery', 7]], 'http://yhoo.it/GB2RVy', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/os/152/2012/03/20/photo-1332257995646-4-0-jpg_171722.jpg', '630', ' ', 'AFP', ], [ [['xxxxxxxxxxxx', 11]], 'http://news.yahoo.com/photos/russian-grannies-win-bid-to-sing-at-eurovision-1331223625-slideshow/', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/a/p/us/news/editorial/1/56/156d92f2760dcd3e75bcd649a8b85fcf.jpeg', '500', ' ', 'AP', ] ]
[ [ [['measure all but certain to fail in the face of bipartisan', 4]], '28771014', '0' ], [ [['matter what you do in this case', 5]], '28759848', '0' ], [ [['presume laws are constitutional', 7]], '28747556', '0' ], [ [['has destroyed 15 to 25 houses', 7]], '28744868', '0' ], [ [['short answer is yes', 7]], '28746030', '0' ], [ [['opportunity to tell the real story', 7]], '28731764', '0' ], [ [['entirely respectable way to put off the searing constitutional controversy', 7]], '28723797', '0' ], [ [['point of my campaign is that big ideas matter', 9]], '28712293', '0' ], [ [['As the standoff dragged into a second day', 7]], '28687424', '0' ], [ [['French police stepped up the search', 17]], '28667224', '0' ], [ [['Seeking to elevate his candidacy back to a general', 8]], '28660934', '0' ], [ [['The tragic story of Trayvon Martin', 4]], '28647343', '0' ], [ [['Karzai will get a chance soon to express', 8]], '28630306', '0' ], [ [['powerful storms stretching', 8]], '28493546', '0' ], [ [['basic norm that death is private', 6]], '28413590', '0' ], [ [['songwriter also saw a surge in sales for her debut album', 6]], '28413590', '1', 'Watch music videos from Whitney Houston ', 'on Yahoo! Music', 'http://music.yahoo.com' ], [ [['keyword', 99999999999999999999999]], 'videoID', '1', 'overwrite-pre-description', 'overwrite-link-string', 'overwrite-link-url' ] ]
Measles-containing vaccines not linked with increased risk of febrile seizures in kids 4-6Public release date: 2-Apr-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Danielle Cass danielle.x.cass@kp.org 510-267-5354 Kaiser Permanente
OAKLAND, Calif., (April 2, 2012) Vaccines for measles were not associated with an increased risk of febrile seizures among 4-6 year olds during the six weeks after vaccination, according to a study by the Kaiser Permanente Vaccine Study Center that appears in the current issue of Pediatrics.
Funded by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, the study of 86,750 children follows an earlier study published in Pediatrics that showed one particular combination of measles-containing vaccine the measles, mumps, rubella and chickenpox containing vaccination (or MMRV) was associated with an increased risk of febrile seizures in 1-to-2-year-old children, compared with same-day administration of the separate vaccine for MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) and the V (varicella) vaccine for chicken pox.
This new study sought to evaluate, for the first time, the risk of febrile seizures following MMRV or separate MMR plus V vaccines among 4-6 year olds and found no increased risk of febrile seizures, said study lead author Nicola Klein, MD, PhD, co-director of the Kaiser Permanente Vaccine Study Center.
In the United States, children receive two doses of measles, mumps,rubella and varicella vaccines the first between 1-2 years and the second between ages 4-6. Among 1-2 year olds, the risk of febrile seizures 7-10 days after MMRV was double that of separate MMR+V. For children aged 4-6 receiving their second dose, no such association was found with either measles vaccine combination, according to Kaiser Permanente researchers.
A febrile seizure is a brief, fever-related convulsion, but it does not lead to epilepsy or seizure disorders, researchers explained.
This study of 4-6 year olds analyzed 86,750 children aged 48-83 months old from seven participating Vaccine Safety Datalink sites between January 2000 and October 2008 who received either MMRV; separately administered, same-day MMR plus varicella; or MMR or varicella vaccines alone.
The results provide reassuring evidence that neither MMRV, nor MMR plus V, appear to be associated with an increased risk of post-vaccination febrile seizures in this 4-6 age group, said Klein.
Febrile seizures typically occur in children between the ages of 6 months and 5 years, with the incidence peaking at approximately 18 months of age, explain the researchers.
As febrile seizures are generally much less likely to occur among 4-6 year old children, it is not surprising that we did not detect increased febrile seizures following MMRV or MMR plus V among 4-6 year old children, Klein said.
This study builds on the work of a previous study published in Pediatrics in June 2010 that showed that the combination vaccine for measles, mumps, rubella and chickenpox (MMRV) is associated with double the risk of febrile seizures for 1-to-2 year-olds compared with same-day administration of the separate vaccine for measles, mumps, rubella (MMR) and the varicella (V) vaccine for chicken pox.
While this earlier study and the resulting CDC recommendations are very important and ones our pediatricians follow, it is also important to emphasize that it is more common for a child to have a febrile seizure caused by a simple cold than by an immunization. And though febrile seizures are a very scary event for a family, they are not dangerous and do not lead to later epilepsy or seizure disorders, said Randy Bergen, MD, a Kaiser Permanente pediatrician and infectious disease specialist at Kaiser Permanente Walnut Creek Medical Center.
For more information on febrile seizures, go to: http://bit.ly/GTLq68
The Vaccine Safety Datalink project is a collaborative effort among CDC's Immunization Safety Office and eight managed care organizations: Kaiser Permanente Northern California, Kaiser Permanente Southern California, Kaiser Permanente Colorado, Kaiser Permanente Northwest, Health Partners (Minn.), Group Health Cooperative (Wash.), Marshfield Clinic (Wisc.) and Harvard Pilgrim Health Care (Mass.). The VSD project was established in 1990 to monitor immunization safety and address the gaps in scientific knowledge about rare and serious events following immunization. The VSD shares electronic health records from the organizations health systems.
MMRV was licensed by the FDA in 2005 and subsequently recommended by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices in 2006. Although pre-licensure studies of MMRV among 1-2 year olds noted higher rates of fever and measles-like rash one to two weeks post vaccination when compared with separate MMR+V, it was unknown at the time of MMRVs licensure whether a higher rate of fevers was similarly associated with increased risk of febrile seizures. In February 2008, Kaiser Permanente researchers alerted the CDCs Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices to preliminary evidence of an increased risk of febrile seizures following MMRV for 1-2 year olds, findings which were subsequently confirmed in the 2010 study published in Pediatrics.
The Vaccine Safety Datalink which we used to conduct both the study of 1-2 year olds and the study of 4-6 year olds, is a premier example of how different managed care organizations can leverage their electronic medical records to improve vaccine safety and monitoring, Klein said.
###
Additional authors on this paper include: Edwin Lewis, MPH, from the Kaiser Permanente Vaccine Study Center; Roger Baxter, MD, from the Kaiser Permanente Vaccine Study Center; Eric Weintraub, MPH, from the Vaccine Safety Datalink; Jason Glanz, PhD, from Kaiser Permanente Colorado; Allison Naleway, PhD, Kaiser Permanente, Portland, Ore.; Lisa Jackson, MD, PhD, from Group Health Cooperative; James Nordin, MD, MPA, from Health Partners Research Foundation, Minneapolis; Tracy Lieu, MD, MPH, from Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute; Edward A. Belongia, MD, from Marshfield Clinic Research Foundation; and Bruce Fireman, MA, from the Kaiser Permanente Vaccine Study Center.
About the Kaiser Permanente Northern California Division of Research
The Kaiser Permanente Division of Research conducts, publishes and disseminates epidemiologic and health services research to improve the health and medical care of Kaiser Permanente members and the society at large. It seeks to understand the determinants of illness and well-being and to improve the quality and cost-effectiveness of health care. Currently, DORs 400-plus staff is working on more than 250 epidemiological and health services research projects.
About Kaiser Permanente
Kaiser Permanente is committed to helping shape the future of health care. We are recognized as one of America's leading health care providers and not-for-profit health plans. Founded in 1945, our mission is to provide high-quality, affordable health care services and to improve the health of our members and the communities we serve. We currently serve approximately 8.9 million members in nine states and the District of Columbia. Care for members and patients is focused on their total health and guided by their personal physicians, specialists and team of caregivers. Our expert and caring medical teams are empowered and supported by industry-leading technology advances and tools for health promotion, disease prevention, state-of-the art care delivery and world-class chronic disease management. Kaiser Permanente is dedicated to care innovations, clinical research, health education and the support of community health. For more information, go to: www.kp.org/newscenter.
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Measles-containing vaccines not linked with increased risk of febrile seizures in kids 4-6Public release date: 2-Apr-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Danielle Cass danielle.x.cass@kp.org 510-267-5354 Kaiser Permanente
OAKLAND, Calif., (April 2, 2012) Vaccines for measles were not associated with an increased risk of febrile seizures among 4-6 year olds during the six weeks after vaccination, according to a study by the Kaiser Permanente Vaccine Study Center that appears in the current issue of Pediatrics.
Funded by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, the study of 86,750 children follows an earlier study published in Pediatrics that showed one particular combination of measles-containing vaccine the measles, mumps, rubella and chickenpox containing vaccination (or MMRV) was associated with an increased risk of febrile seizures in 1-to-2-year-old children, compared with same-day administration of the separate vaccine for MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) and the V (varicella) vaccine for chicken pox.
This new study sought to evaluate, for the first time, the risk of febrile seizures following MMRV or separate MMR plus V vaccines among 4-6 year olds and found no increased risk of febrile seizures, said study lead author Nicola Klein, MD, PhD, co-director of the Kaiser Permanente Vaccine Study Center.
In the United States, children receive two doses of measles, mumps,rubella and varicella vaccines the first between 1-2 years and the second between ages 4-6. Among 1-2 year olds, the risk of febrile seizures 7-10 days after MMRV was double that of separate MMR+V. For children aged 4-6 receiving their second dose, no such association was found with either measles vaccine combination, according to Kaiser Permanente researchers.
A febrile seizure is a brief, fever-related convulsion, but it does not lead to epilepsy or seizure disorders, researchers explained.
This study of 4-6 year olds analyzed 86,750 children aged 48-83 months old from seven participating Vaccine Safety Datalink sites between January 2000 and October 2008 who received either MMRV; separately administered, same-day MMR plus varicella; or MMR or varicella vaccines alone.
The results provide reassuring evidence that neither MMRV, nor MMR plus V, appear to be associated with an increased risk of post-vaccination febrile seizures in this 4-6 age group, said Klein.
Febrile seizures typically occur in children between the ages of 6 months and 5 years, with the incidence peaking at approximately 18 months of age, explain the researchers.
As febrile seizures are generally much less likely to occur among 4-6 year old children, it is not surprising that we did not detect increased febrile seizures following MMRV or MMR plus V among 4-6 year old children, Klein said.
This study builds on the work of a previous study published in Pediatrics in June 2010 that showed that the combination vaccine for measles, mumps, rubella and chickenpox (MMRV) is associated with double the risk of febrile seizures for 1-to-2 year-olds compared with same-day administration of the separate vaccine for measles, mumps, rubella (MMR) and the varicella (V) vaccine for chicken pox.
While this earlier study and the resulting CDC recommendations are very important and ones our pediatricians follow, it is also important to emphasize that it is more common for a child to have a febrile seizure caused by a simple cold than by an immunization. And though febrile seizures are a very scary event for a family, they are not dangerous and do not lead to later epilepsy or seizure disorders, said Randy Bergen, MD, a Kaiser Permanente pediatrician and infectious disease specialist at Kaiser Permanente Walnut Creek Medical Center.
For more information on febrile seizures, go to: http://bit.ly/GTLq68
The Vaccine Safety Datalink project is a collaborative effort among CDC's Immunization Safety Office and eight managed care organizations: Kaiser Permanente Northern California, Kaiser Permanente Southern California, Kaiser Permanente Colorado, Kaiser Permanente Northwest, Health Partners (Minn.), Group Health Cooperative (Wash.), Marshfield Clinic (Wisc.) and Harvard Pilgrim Health Care (Mass.). The VSD project was established in 1990 to monitor immunization safety and address the gaps in scientific knowledge about rare and serious events following immunization. The VSD shares electronic health records from the organizations health systems.
MMRV was licensed by the FDA in 2005 and subsequently recommended by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices in 2006. Although pre-licensure studies of MMRV among 1-2 year olds noted higher rates of fever and measles-like rash one to two weeks post vaccination when compared with separate MMR+V, it was unknown at the time of MMRVs licensure whether a higher rate of fevers was similarly associated with increased risk of febrile seizures. In February 2008, Kaiser Permanente researchers alerted the CDCs Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices to preliminary evidence of an increased risk of febrile seizures following MMRV for 1-2 year olds, findings which were subsequently confirmed in the 2010 study published in Pediatrics.
The Vaccine Safety Datalink which we used to conduct both the study of 1-2 year olds and the study of 4-6 year olds, is a premier example of how different managed care organizations can leverage their electronic medical records to improve vaccine safety and monitoring, Klein said.
###
Additional authors on this paper include: Edwin Lewis, MPH, from the Kaiser Permanente Vaccine Study Center; Roger Baxter, MD, from the Kaiser Permanente Vaccine Study Center; Eric Weintraub, MPH, from the Vaccine Safety Datalink; Jason Glanz, PhD, from Kaiser Permanente Colorado; Allison Naleway, PhD, Kaiser Permanente, Portland, Ore.; Lisa Jackson, MD, PhD, from Group Health Cooperative; James Nordin, MD, MPA, from Health Partners Research Foundation, Minneapolis; Tracy Lieu, MD, MPH, from Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute; Edward A. Belongia, MD, from Marshfield Clinic Research Foundation; and Bruce Fireman, MA, from the Kaiser Permanente Vaccine Study Center.
About the Kaiser Permanente Northern California Division of Research
The Kaiser Permanente Division of Research conducts, publishes and disseminates epidemiologic and health services research to improve the health and medical care of Kaiser Permanente members and the society at large. It seeks to understand the determinants of illness and well-being and to improve the quality and cost-effectiveness of health care. Currently, DORs 400-plus staff is working on more than 250 epidemiological and health services research projects.
About Kaiser Permanente
Kaiser Permanente is committed to helping shape the future of health care. We are recognized as one of America's leading health care providers and not-for-profit health plans. Founded in 1945, our mission is to provide high-quality, affordable health care services and to improve the health of our members and the communities we serve. We currently serve approximately 8.9 million members in nine states and the District of Columbia. Care for members and patients is focused on their total health and guided by their personal physicians, specialists and team of caregivers. Our expert and caring medical teams are empowered and supported by industry-leading technology advances and tools for health promotion, disease prevention, state-of-the art care delivery and world-class chronic disease management. Kaiser Permanente is dedicated to care innovations, clinical research, health education and the support of community health. For more information, go to: www.kp.org/newscenter.
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
DustinDavis ![[ Back to EurekAlert! ]](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_uWSiEGT9E0JyY2Dsl0BF3-_Cdr4VQ2VeS_98OB_LTrXUJfdDqq8OQNxkVCMzD_2eBtQDxlN4mLWNQ50PShH7f4TgVLpzET3jcgiBZf4Jc=s0-d){kind=small}
Public release date: 2-Apr-2012
Share ]