Archives of Disease in Childhood articles from August 2003

Archives of Disease in Childhood archives from August 2003

The developing brain and early learning: the United States' reach out and read model.(Leading Article)
August 1, 2003... Reach Out and Read (ROR) is a paediatric primary care based intervention to encourage parents to read aloud to their young children. Doctors give books to children at each well child visit from 6 months of age to 5 years, and accompany these...

Auto-intussuscepting foreign body.(Images In Paediatrics)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... A 5 year old girl underwent laparotomy for small bowel obstruction. She had been unwell for several days but there was no other significant history. Abdominal x ray examination confirmed high intestinal obstruction but no cause could be...

Medical training in the UK: time for a change?(Leading Article)
August 1, 2003... This paper describes the potential consequences of the reduced duration of the training grades in combination with the reduction in working hours and centralisation of paediatric intensive care, on the level of expertise at appointment to...

Ethical aspects of using radiolabelling in aerosol research: the potential benefits of undertaking a study must justify any potential risk.(Leading Article)
August 1, 2003... This issue of Archives includes two papers assessing drug delivery systems used to administer aerosols to infants and children. (1 2) The publication of these papers is notable for two reasons. The first, and most striking, is that they use...

The epidemiology of acute meningitis in children in England and Wales: a discussion of treatment and prevention options.(Leading Article)
August 1, 2003... Acute meningitis is a disease that causes high levels of anxiety among parents and the medical profession. Meningitis is often caused, however, by organisms that more commonly result in a mild or asymptomatic infection. Young children are most...

Influenza vaccine: where do we stand?(Controversy)
August 1, 2003... In the handbook Immunisation against infectious diseases (Green Book) published by HMSO in 1996, (1) influenza vaccine has been recommended for the following categories in children: * Chronic cardiorespiratory conditions, including asthma...

Prevalence of autism and parentally reported triggers in a north east London population.(Original Article)
August 1, 2003... Background: The recorded prevalence of autistic spectrum disorders has risen over recent decades. Measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine has been blamed, by causing a "new variant" form of "regressive autism" associated with "autistic...

Coexistence of social inequalities in undernutrition and obesity in preschool children: population based cross sectional study.(Original Article)
August 1, 2003... Aims: To test for the coexistence of social inequalities in undernutrition and obesity in preschool children. Methods: Retrospective, cross sectional, study of routinely collected data from 74 500 children aged 39-42 months in 1998/99. Main...

Type 2 and other forms of diabetes in 0-30 year olds: a hospital based study in Leeds, UK.(Original Article)
August 1, 2003... Background and Aims: Following recent reports of increased numbers of adolescents being diagnosed with the adult or type 2 form of diabetes we aimed to describe the prevalence of both type 2 and other forms of diabetes in an urban population of...

A pilot study of motivational interviewing in adolescents with diabetes.(Original Article)
August 1, 2003... Aims: To obtain preliminary data on the impact of motivational interviewing, a counselling approach to behaviour change, on glycaemic control, wellbeing, and self-care of adolescents with diabetes. Methods: Twenty two patients aged 14-18...

Clinical and epidemiological picture of B pertussis and B parapertussis infections after introduction of acellular pertussis vaccines.(Original Article)
August 1, 2003... Aims: To investigate the clinical picture and frequency of Bordetella pertussis and B parapertussis infections after introduction of acellular pertussis (acP) vaccines in Germany. Methods: Prospective surveillance for B pertussis and B...

From The Road Shoeshine.(Postcard)
August 1, 2003... On impulse I asked the lady having her shoes shined how much the boy was charging. Around 50p ($0.75 or 0.75 [euro]) seemed good--cheap enough to afford while travelling on a tight budget, expensive enough to feel like there were two sides to...

Antibiotics and surgery for vesicoureteric reflux: a meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials.(Original Article)
August 1, 2003... Aims: To evaluate the benefits and harms of treatments for vesicoureteric reflux in children. Methods: Meta-analyses of randomised controlled trials using a random effects model. Main outcome measures were incidence of urinary tract...

Origins of peanut allergy.(Archivist)
August 1, 2003... "I call a spade a spade." Robert Burton. The Anatomy of Melancholy (1621-51) The use of straightforward language could prevent a lot of trouble. It seems bizarre, for instance, that when we use peanut oil medically we call it arachis...

Environmental risk factors for type 1 diabetes in Rome and province.(Original Article)
August 1, 2003... Background: In subjects genetically susceptible to type 1 diabetes, exposure to environmental factors during the gestational period, the neonatal period, and the first years of life is thought to play an important role in triggering the immune...

Sudden unexpected death in infancy associated with maltreatment: evidence from long term follow up of siblings.(Original Article)
August 1, 2003... Aims: To identify any association between sudden unexpected death in infancy (SUDI) and maltreatment within local families. Methods: Retrospective enquiry and subsequent follow up of all siblings and later births within the families. Full...

Oral health and related factors in cystic fibrosis and other chronic respiratory disorders.(Original Article)
August 1, 2003... Aim: To compare the prevalence of dental caries, dental calculus, and enamel defects in children with cystic fibrosis (CF) and children with other chronic respiratory disorders. Methods: A cross sectional observational survey. One examiner...

Mesial temporal sclerosis and temporal lobe epilepsy.(Archivist)
August 1, 2003... Mesial temporal sclerosis is the most common lesion found in adults with temporal lobe epilepsy. For many years it has been held that these lesions may be related to complicated febrile convulsions in childhood but the association is based on...

Cochlear implantation for progressive hearing loss.(Short Report)
August 1, 2003... The concept of neural plasticity and the early natural abilities of hearing children to acquire speech and language without instruction have led many authorities to advocate cochlear implantation before the age of 5 years in congenital...

Invasive pneumococcal disease in Oxford, 1985-2001: a retrospective case series.(Original Article)
August 1, 2003... Aims: To describe a series of children with invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD). Methods: A review of patient records for children aged 0-18 years admitted to the John Radcliffe Hospital with IPD from 1985 to 2001. Social deprivation was...

Comparison of lung deposition of colomycin using the HaloLite and the Pari LC Plus nebulisers in patients with cystic fibrosis.(Original Article)
August 1, 2003... Aim: To examine the effectiveness of delivery of nebulised colistin by the HaloLite nebuliser compared to the Pari LC Plus in patients with cystic fibrosis. Methods: Randomised crossover trial of 15 patients aged >6 years. Inhalation of...

Nebuliser hood compared to mask in wheezy infants: aerosol therapy without tears!(Original Article)
August 1, 2003... Background: Small volume nebulisers (SVNs) with masks commonly provide aerosol therapy for infants with lung diseases. However, infants and toddlers are often disturbed by and thus reject masks. Aims: To compare the lung deposition...

Cystic fibrosis presenting as kwashiorkor in a Sri Lankan infant.(Short Report)
August 1, 2003... Growth failure is a common presentation of patients with pancreatic insufficient cystic fibrosis. However, full blown kwashiorkor is extremely rare. Cystic fibrosis is also considered to be rare in the South Asian population. This report...

Pre-eclampsia and febrile convulsions.(Short Report)
August 1, 2003... An association between pre-eclampsia and febrile convulsions has been reported, but the association may not be causal. We compared the risk of febrile convulsions in 14 974 children who had been exposed to pre-eclampsia in fetal life with that...

Posterior knee pain: primary symptom of a small non-occlusive venous clot.(Case Report)
August 1, 2003... A healthy 9 year old girl presented with severe posterior knee pain and a small segmental non-occlusive popliteal venous thrombosis. The case is relevant for its unique presentation and symptoms. Lack of recanalisation persisted at one year...

Children with autistic spectrum disorders. I: comparison of placebo and single dose of human synthetic secretin.(Child Health Series)
August 1, 2003... Aims: To examine the effect of a single dose of human synthetic secretin (HSS) on behaviour and communication in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) using an objective measure of communication and social reciprocity and standardised...

Children with autistic spectrum disorders. II: parents are unable to distinguish secretin from placebo under double-blind conditions.(Child Health Series)
August 1, 2003... Background: Standardised measures of behaviour have failed to detect short term improvement in children with autism following treatment with secretin. However, it is possible that standardised measures are insensitive to dimensions of child...

Cerebral haemorrhage in hereditary haemorrhagic telangiectasia.(Archivist)
August 1, 2003... The classical triad of hereditary haemorrhagic telangiectasia (HHT, Osler-Rendu-Weber syndrome) consists of recurrent epistaxis, mucocutaneous telangiectasia, and a family history of the condition. It is an autosomal dominant condition with...

UTIs: what's the best imaging study?(Journal Watch)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Many radiographic studies are available to evaluate infants with urinary tract infections (UTIs), including ultrasound, voiding cystourethrogram (VCUG), and renal scans, but few well-designed trials have examined the effects of these techniques...

Stimulants for ADHD: do they lead to substance abuse?(Journal Watch)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Widespread use of stimulant medications for children with attention-deficit/ hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) has led to concerns that such therapy might produce later substance abuse. Investigators in Boston conducted a meta-analysis of 6...

When to stop patching for amblyopia--three strikes and you're out.(Journal Watch)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... The traditional treatment for amblyopia is to patch (occlude) the good eye for at least 75% of the child's waking hours. However, a question remains regarding the sufficiency of the traditional trial of this therapy--3 intervals of full-time...

Value of ultrasound in hip dysplasia diagnosis.(Journal Watch)
August 1, 2003... All pediatricians perform physical examinations of infants bps to detect developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH). Researchers in the U.K. investigated whether ultrasonography (US) added benefit and cost efficiency in the diagnosis and...

Improving health outcomes of children with appendicitis.(Journal Watch)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Children with equivocal signs of appendicitis can be diagnosed accurately with a combination of ultrasound and computerized tomography with rectal contrast (Pediatrics 2000;106:672). In 1998, investigators in Boston implemented an imaging...

Hemispherectomy.(Archivist)
August 1, 2003... The idea of removing almost half of a child's brain sounds gross and capable of generating distinct psychological barriers to its use as treatment. Nevertheless, the operation has been performed for over half a century. Some 30 to 40 years ago...

Childhood SARS in Singapore.(Letters)
August 1, 2003... Since SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) came to Singapore, our lives have changed considerably. Fear has taken over, resulting in irrational handling and panic reactions by some, while others reacted as non-believers. It is the human...

Food allergy in childhood.(Letters)
August 1, 2003... We were surprised by some of the content of Clark and Ewan's paper (1) and their interpretation of our data. (2) As death certification of allergy deaths is problematic, we collected reports through the prospective BPSU mechanism and other...

Running around in circles following ischemic stroke.(Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
August 1, 2003... I read Shaffer et al's paper with great interest, but it gave a strong sense of deja vu. (1) The authors and ADC readers may find of interest Sigmund Freud's comments on this particular topic from his classic Infantile Cerebral Paralysis...

Lung function and low birth weight.(Letters)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... At the risk of being accused of raising a trivial issue, I would simply like to ask authors to quote accurately from references within their articles. I am concerned in particular about the study of the respiratory outcome of children of very...

CT radiation doses.(Letters)
August 1, 2003... The hazards of computed tomography (CT), in terms of radiation, are being increasingly recognised. CT scanning, despite representing less than 5% of the total number of x ray procedures performed, contributes approximately 40% of the total...

Lucina.
August 1, 2003... Ataxia with gluten sensitivity (gluten ataxia) is increasingly recognised in adults but the age range of 68 patients in North Trent and London (Brain 2003;126:685-91) was 14-81 years. Patients presented with ataxia of gait, upper and lower limb...