Archives of Disease in Childhood articles from January 2003

Archives of Disease in Childhood archives from January 2003

Health protection and a new strategy for combating infection in children: a unique opportunity to develop world class infection and health protection services for children. (Infection).
January 1, 2003... The chief Medical Officer (CMO) for England has recently published a strategy for health protection (see box for definition). (1) The prevention, diagnosis, and management of infection forms a large part of this but the new Health Protection...

Forty years of the Paediatric Research Society in the United Kingdom: an organisation which fosters and encourages work by young researchers. (Education).
January 1, 2003... The Paediatric Research Society (PRS) in the United Kingdom is an organisation which fosters and encourages the completion and presentation of work by young researchers in any area of paediatrics and child health. Meetings are held twice each...

Cold light transillumination as an aid to umbilical catheterisation. (Images in Paediatrics).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... A technique using cold light transillumination has been reported for cannulation of peripheral vessels in the newborn. (1) Here we show its use in the catheterisation of umbilical vessels. We encountered difficulty in inserting a catheter into...

Doctor, who will be looking after my child's diabetes? The multidisciplinary diabetes team is the cornerstone of care. (Endocrinology).
January 1, 2003... Type 1 diabetes is the third most common chronic disorder in childhood, after asthma and cerebral palsy. It is life threatening, life long, and invades the lives of children both day and night without respite. It is reported to reduce lifespan...

Randomised controlled trial of site specific advice on school travel patterns. (Original Article).
January 1, 2003... Aims: To evaluate the effect of site specific advice from a school travel coordinator on school travel patterns. Methods: Cluster randomised controlled trial of children attending 21 primary schools in the London boroughs of Camden and...

Low back pain in schoolchildren: the role of mechanical and psychosocial factors. (Original Article).
January 1, 2003... Background: Low back pain (LBP) in schoolchildren with no apparent clinical cause is known to be a common problem, but considerably less is understood regarding the aetiology of such pain. Aim: To assess the role of both mechanical and...

Parental knowledge of school backpack weight and contents. (Short Report).
January 1, 2003... Parental knowledge of their students' backpack weight and contents was assessed by identifying 188 students who carried backpacks weighing at least 10% of their body weights through a survey of 745 students in three elementary schools. Most...

Stop tuberculosis! (Europe Calling).
January 1, 2003... The famous Nobel Prize awarded novel "Der Zauberberg" by Thomas Mann describes the life of posh people treated for lung tuberculosis (TB) over months or even years in a private hospital in the Swiss alpine village of Davos about a hundred years...

Six month impact of false positives in an Australian infant hearing screening programme. (Original Article).
January 1, 2003... Aims: To assess short and longer term parent reported impacts of false positive referrals in the Victorian Infant Hearing Screening Program (VIHSP). Methods: Mailed retrospective case-control survey of infants consecutively referred to...

Choosing deafness. (Archivist).
January 1, 2003... Dialectes Have you heard, Archivistes, that a couple in America wanted, and arranged to have, a deaf child? (1) Archivistes Why and how did they do that? Dialectes Well, they are a lesbian couple who are both deaf and they wanted...

Screening and follow up assessment in three cases of auditory neuropathy. (Case Report).
January 1, 2003... Three children with auditory neuropathy are described. Two were detected via a targeted neonatal hearing screening programme based on auditory brain stem response testing, and one via the routine Health Visitor Distraction Test. Auditory...

The epidemiology of sudden infant death syndrome. (Original Article).
January 1, 2003... Background: Twins compared to singletons are at increased risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). Aims: To compare the epidemiology of SIDS in twins and singletons and to test the hypothesis that monozygous (MZ) were at greater risk of...

Altered arousal response in infants exposed to cigarette smoke. (Original Article).
January 1, 2003... Aims: A failure of the arousal mechanism is a key feature in the apnoea theory for sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). In infants studied at an age when the incidence of SIDS is highest, we evaluated whether in utero smoke exposed infants have...

Postnatal depression and infant growth and development in low income countries: a cohort study from Goa, India. (Original Article).
January 1, 2003... Background: Postnatal depression is a recognised cause of delayed cognitive development in infants in developed countries. Being underweight is common in South Asia. Aims: To determine whether postnatal depression contributes to poor...

Describing the phenotype in Rett syndrome using a population database. (Original Article).
January 1, 2003... Background: Mutations in the MECP2 gene have been recently identified as the cause of Rett syndrome, prompting research into genotype-phenotype relations. However, despite these genetic advances there has been little descriptive epidemiology of...

The doctor, the father, and the social scientist. (Personal Practice).
January 1, 2003... Life was sorted. With membership of the college under my belt, and my paediatric training completed, I needed a new challenge. I decided to launch into the deep waters of qualitative research. Stepping out with some trepidation into...

Music for preterm babies. (Archivist).
January 1, 2003... Music soothes, and thc existence of the lullaby is presumptive evidence that mothers have always, or nearly always, believed that it can quieten babies. For over a quarter of a century evidence has accumulated that music might improve the...

Monitoring cardiac function in intensive care. (Review).
January 1, 2003... Systolic cardiac function results from the interaction of four interdependent factors: heart rate, preload, contractility, and afterload. Heart rate can be quantified easily at the bedside, while preload estimation has traditionally relied on...

Diabetes services in the UK: third national survey confirms continuing deficiencies. (Original Article).
January 1, 2003... Aims: To determine the current level of diabetes services and to compare the results with previous national surveys. Methods: A questionnaire was mailed to all paediatricians in the UK identified as providing care for children with diabetes...

Relation between measurements of cough severity. (Original Article).
January 1, 2003... Background: In asthma, measurements of airway inflammation correlate poorly with clinical markers and airway hyperresponsiveness. While the relation between determinants of asthma severity is known, that for cough is unknown. We hypothesised...

A cohort study of neurodevelopmental outcome in children with DiGeorge syndrome following cardiac surgery. (Original Article).
January 1, 2003... Aims: To examine whether the learning difficulties seen in a proportion of children with DGS are secondary to cardiac pathology and treatment, or a feature of the DGS phenotype. Methods: Cohort study of all patients with DGS and coexisting...

The use of regional anaesthetic blockade in a child with recurrent erythromelalgia. (Case Report).
January 1, 2003... Primary erythromelalgia is a rare condition, which is characterised by redness, burning pain, and increased temperature of the extremities. We describe a 6 year old boy with symptoms of erythromelalgia and the difficulty surrounding treatment...

Successful treatment with interferon alfa in infiltrating angiolipoma: a case presenting with Kasabach-Merritt syndrome. (Case Report).
January 1, 2003... We report a case of infiltrating angiolipoma who presented with a large mass on the shoulder and the signs of Kasabach-Merritt syndrome. She improved dramatically within one month and the mass completely disappeared after six months of...

Prolonged hypothermia following respiratory syncytial viral infection in infancy. (Case Report).
January 1, 2003... Following proven respiratory syncytial viral infection, a previously healthy 2 year old boy displayed notable persistent hypothermia--the lowest temperature being 34.2[degrees]C. No obvious ill effects were observed. ********** A rise...

Web top Ten for October 2002.
January 1, 2003... www.archdischild.com These articles scored the most hits on ADC's website during October 2002 1 Poisoning in children 1: General management M Riordan, G Rylance, K Berry November 2002;87:392-6 2 Quantitative magnetic...

Is there a role for treatment of asthma with omalizumab? (Review).
January 1, 2003... The allergic response is distinct from other immune reactions in its reliance on IgE, its high affinity receptor, Fc[epsilon]RI, and the primary effector cell--the tissue mast cell. Positive skin tests or raised concentrations of specific...

Respiratory problems in children with neurological impairment. (Personal Practice).
January 1, 2003... Children with severe neurological impairment have a high incidence of respiratory problems which are multifactorial and may be related to or dependent on the underlying disability. In addition, common respiratory conditions such as asthma will...

Food allergy in childhood: have the dangers been underestimated? (Allergy).
January 1, 2003... Macdougall et al have tried to assess the risks of food allergy in childhood by identifying the incidence of fatal and severe reactions. (1) They conclude that the risk of death is small and play down the importance of severe food reactions....

Towards evidence based medicine for paediatricians. (Archimedes).
January 1, 2003... In order to give the best care to patients and families, paediatricians need to integrate the highest quality scientific evidence with clinical expertise and the opinions of the family. (1) Archimedes seeks to assist practising clinicians by...

Divided by a common language. (Postcard from Down Under).
January 1, 2003... George Bernard Shaw once remarked that the UK and the USA were two countries divided by a common language. This helped emphasise what was already well underway in the eighteenth century when Johnson and Webster wrote their separate dictionaries...

Letters.(Letter to the Editor)
January 1, 2003... If you have a burning desire to respond to a paper published in ADC or F&N, why not make use of our "rapid response" option? Log on to our website (www.archdischild.com), find the paper that interests you, click on "full text" and send your...

Corrections.(Correction Notice)
January 1, 2003... In the paper by Clarkson and Choonara in the December issue of ADC (Arch Dis Child 2002;87:462-7) the following corrections have been noted: Results; first sentence: there were 331 deaths with 390 suspected drugs (not 390 and 389...

Lucina.
January 1, 2003... An American trial of a non-Fc-receptor-binding antiCD3 monoclonal antibody given within 6 weeks of the onset of type 1 diabetes (New England Journal of Medicine 2002;346:1692-8; see also commentary, ibid: 1740-2) included children as young as 7...

Treatment of neonatal abstinence syndrome. (Review).
January 1, 2003... Neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS) is suffered by infants withdrawing from substances on which they have become physically dependent after in utero exposure. They may require prolonged treatment and spend weeks or even months in hospital. A...

Systematic review of intravenous immunoglobulin in haemolytic disease of the newborn. (Review).
January 1, 2003... Objectives: To assess the effectiveness of high dose intravenous immunoglobulin (HDIVIG) in reducing the need for exchange transfusion in neonates with proven haemolytic disease due to Rh and/or ABO incompatibility. To assess the effectiveness...

Donor human milk versus formula for preventing necrotising enterocolitis in preterm infants: systematic review. (Systematic Review).
January 1, 2003... Objectives: To determine if enteral feeding with donor human milk compared with formula milk reduces the incidence of necrotising enterocolitis (NEC) in preterm or low birthweight infants. Methods: Systematic review and meta-analysis of...

Outcomes for high risk New Zealand newborn infants in 1998-1999: a population based, national study. (Original Article).
January 1, 2003... on behalf of the Australian and New Zealand Neonatal Network (ANZNN) Objective: To determine short term morbidity and mortality outcomes, provision of care, and treatments for a national cohort of high risk infants born in 1998-1999 and...

Improved outcomes for very low birthweight infants: evidence from New Zealand national population based data. (Original Article).
January 1, 2003... on behalf of the Australian and New Zealand Neonatal Network (ANZNN) Objective: To compare the survival and short term morbidity of all New Zealand very low birthweight (VLBW) infants born in two epochs, 1986 and 1998-1999. Setting:...

A national two year follow up study of extremely low birthweight infants born in 1996-1997. (Original Article).
January 1, 2003... Objective: To study neurodevelopmental outcome in a two year cohort of extremely low birthweight (ELBW) infants at 18 months corrected age, to compare the development of the ELBW infant subcohort with that of control children, and to find risk...

Excess risk of mortality in very low birthweight triplets: a national, population based study. (Original Article).
January 1, 2003... in collaboration with the Israel Neonatal Network Background: Neonatal morbidity and mortality differ between singletons, twins, and triplets. Objective: To evaluate whether plurality is associated with excess risk of neonatal...

Recombinant erythropoietin and blood transfusion in selected preterm infants. (Original Article).
January 1, 2003... Objectives: To comprehensively identify preterm infants likely to require blood transfusion and to investigate the effectiveness of recombinant erythropoietin in this high risk subgroup. Design: Double blind randomised controlled trial. ...

Growth and body composition in preterm infants with bronchopulmonary dysplasia. (Original Article).
January 1, 2003... Objective: To compare growth and body composition in preterm infants with bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) with normal healthy term infants during the first year of life. Design: Twenty nine preterm infants with BPD (mean (SD) gestational...

Intestinal permeability in relation to birth weight and gestational and postnatal age. (Original Article).
January 1, 2003... Objective: To determine the relation between intestinal permeability and birth weight, gestational age, postnatal age, and perinatal risk factors in neonates. Study design: Intestinal permeability was measured by the sugar absorption test...

Iodine deficiency associated with parenteral nutrition in extreme preterm infants. (Short Report).
January 1, 2003... Infants are in negative iodine balance on current standard regimens of total parenteral nutrition, with a mean iodine intake of 3 [micro]g/kg/day (150 ml/kg/day). The recommended enteral intake of iodine for preterm infants is 30...

Effect of a fourth Haemophilus influenzae type b immunisation in preterm infants who received dexamethasone for chronic lung disease. (Original Article).
January 1, 2003... Aim: To assess whether a fourth Hib polysaccharide-tetanus protein conjugate vaccine (PRP-T) would improve antibody response in preterm infants previously treated with dexamethasone for chronic lung disease. Methods: In a pilot study 12...

An inadequate glycaemic response to glucagon is linked to insulin resistance in preterm infants? (Original Article).
January 1, 2003... Aims: To define clinical, metabolic, and hormonal characteristics of preterm infants relative to glucagon responsiveness. Methods: Two phase study of 78 preterm infants (25-36 weeks gestation) on regular four hourly feeds anticipating...

S100 protein content of umbilical cord blood in healthy newborns in relation to mode of delivery. (Original Article).
January 1, 2003... Background: Early detection and quantification of brain damage in neonatal asphyxia is important. In adults, S100 protein in blood is associated with damage to the central nervous system. Objective: To determine whether S100 protein can be...

Paediatricians' perception of the use of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation to treat meconium aspiration syndrome. (Short Report).
January 1, 2003... This questionnaire study was designed to determine how consultant paediatricians perceived the value of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) in the treatment of meconium aspiration syndrome (MAS). A significant number believed that the...

Extubation failure due to phrenic nerve injury. (Case Report).
January 1, 2003... A 26 week gestation infant had an increasingly elevated right hemidiaphragm following drainage of bilateral pleural effusions and failed extubation on numerous occasions. Electric stimulation of the phrenic nerves revealed absent activity on...

Fetal meconium peritonitis: the "vanishing hydrocele" sign. (Images in Neonatal Medicine).
January 1, 2003... Large scrotal swellings, completely embedding the shaft of the penis, were noted on a newly delivered, full term, male infant. The swellings were soft, fluctuant, and transilluminable. With gentle pressure, the contents of the swellings could...

Neonatal gastrointestinal perforation. (Images in Neonatal Medicine).
January 1, 2003... Neonatal gastrointestinal perforation is a common condition carrying a mortality of 17-60%. Clinical suspicion is supported by radiological signs, which may be subtle and must be sought specifically. We review these signs in the light of...

Erich Bracht (1882-1969) of Berlin and his "breech" manoeuvre. (Perinatal Lessons from the Past).
January 1, 2003... Erich Bracht, a German gynaecologist, described in 1935 the manoeuvre named after him for delivering the frank breech with minimal interference. In spite of the reported success of his method, it received little attention in the United Kingdom...

Letters.(Letter to the Editor)
January 1, 2003... If you have a burning desire to respond to a paper published in ADC or F&N, why not make use of our "rapid response" option? Log on to our website (www.archdischild.com), find the paper that interests you, click on "full text" and send your...