Pediatrics

Background: The ages of onset of pubertal characteristics are influenced by genetic, geographic, dietary and socioeconomic factors; however, due to lack of country-specific norms, clinicians in Saudi Arabia use Western estimates as standards of reference for local children. Aims: The aim of the Riyadh Puberty Study was to provide...

Objective: The clinical presentations of head trauma due to falls among young children aged less than 2 years are controversial, particularly in Japan, as the history of trauma recounted by a caretaker is not always reliable. The purpose of this study was to assess the validity of caregiver’s reports on...

Background: Ciclesonide is an inhaled corticosteroid administered by a metered dose inhaler (MDI) to treat bronchial asthma. After inhalation, the inactive ciclesonide is converted by esterases in the airways to active metabolite desisobutyryl-ciclesonide (des-CIC). Aim: To compare the pharmacokinetic (PK) parameters of des-CIC in children after administration of therapeutic...

Aim: To assess serum Cu/Zn SOD (Superoxide Dismutase) concentration in children with ADHD and evaluate its possible relationship to Cu and Zn levels. Subjects and methods: Serum from 22 children with ADHD and 20 healthy control children without ADHD and 19 autistic children without ADHD were tested for Cu/Zn SOD using...

Congenital heart diseases (CHD) often present with recurrent or chronic breathing difficulties, as do chronic airway diseases such as asthma. Both are relatively common, and may sometimes co-exist. However, there is a paucity of literature from developing countries to that effect. We present two children diagnosed with ventricular septal defect,...

The past decade has brought great change to the treatment of pediatric Crohn’s disease. The majority of affected patients now receive therapy directed at the underlying immune dysregulation that is associated with this chronic disease. The monoclonal antibodies directed against tumor necrosis factor alpha play an increasing role in such...

Aim: This study was designed to determine if there is a relationship between celiac disease (CD) and the presence of gastrointestinal disease (GI) disease in children with autism. Subjects and Methods: One hundred twenty-two children were tested for IgG and IgA anti-transglutaminase autoantibodies (55 autistic children with GI disease, 28 non...

Is gastrointestinal disease more prevalent in children with autism? There are arguments favoring both sides of the controversy. We present data collected from the medical history of a recent Autistic Genetic Resource Exchange (AGRE) database of autistic children and their siblings, demonstrating that autistic children may be significantly more susceptible...

Introductory Editorial by Dr Karna Dev Bardhan

Background: Children with developmental disorders experience chronic gastrointestinal symptoms. Aims: To examine the nature of these gastrointestinal symptoms and histologic findings in children with autism spectrum/developmental disorders and ileocolonic disease. Methods: Chart review. 143 autism spectrum/developmental disorder patients, with chronic gastrointestinal symptoms, undergoing diagnostic ileocolonoscopy. Results: Diarrhea was present...

Aim: To assess serum Cu/Zn SOD (Superoxide Dismutase) concentration in autistic children and evaluate its possible relationship to GI Symptoms. Subjects and Methods: Serum from 50 autistic children (31 with chronic digestive disease (most with ileo-colonic lymphoid nodular hyperplasia (LNH) and inflammation of the colorectum, small bowel and/or stomach) and 19...

Background: Infants with neonatal hydronephrosis and a normal voiding cystourethrogram (VCUG) are presumed to have ureteropelvic junction obstruction (UPJO). There is little current information about the natural history of children with hydronephrosis or clinical factors that predict resolution of the radiological abnormality. Objective: To determine the time course until spontaneous resolution...

Background: Indians are suspected to have higher body fat percent at a given body mass index (BMI) than their western counterparts. Objective: To estimate percent body fat in apparently healthy Indian children and adolescents by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) and explore linkages of BMI with body fat percent for better health...

This is a review article that discusses the role of sildenafil in pediatric pulmonary hypertension. The etiopathogenesis as well as prognosis for pediatric pulmonary hypertension (PH) differs from adults. The basic tenets of targeted management of PH however are similar. Sildenafil and other phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitors play a very important role...

Aim: To assess the possible relationship between serum alpha-1 antitrypsin (AAT) levels and anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies (ANCA) in autistic children with severe GI disease and to test the hypothesis that there is an association between low serum AAT levels, the presence of ANCA and inflammatory GI disease seen in some...

Objective: To determine, by phenotypic and genotypic methods, oxacillin susceptibility in Staphylococcus aureus strains isolated from pediatric and neonatal intensive care unit patients seen at the University Hospital of the Botucatu School of Medicine. Methods: A total of 100 S. aureus strains isolated from the following materials were studied: 25...

Early colonization of the infant gastrointestinal tract is crucial for the overall health of the infant, and establishment and maintenance of non-pathogenic intestinal microbiota may reduce several neonatal inflammatory conditions. Much effort has therefore been devoted to manipulation of the composition of the microbiota through 1) the role of early...

Ricardo J. Komotar, Marc L. Otten, Matthew C. Garrett and Richard C.E. AndersonDepartment of Neurosurgery Columbia University New York, NY.

This review discusses the basic knowledge and recent innovation of surgical treatment for scoliosis. Surgical treatment for scoliosis is indicated, in general, for a curve exceeding 45 to 50 degrees by the Cobb’s method on the basis that: 1. Curves larger than 50 degrees progress even after skeletal maturity. 2. Curves larger...

Jacob Rube1, Alexandra Peyser1, Freya Tarapore1, Bari Scheckner1, Rachel Frank RN CNN1, Suzanne Vento RN1, Cathy Hoffman RN1, Douglas Charney2, Elsa Valderamma2, Beatrice Goilav1 and Howard Trachtman11Department of Pediatrics. Division of Nephrology, Schneider Children’s Hospital, New Hyde Park, New York. 2Department of Pathology, North Shore-LIJ Health System, Long Island Campus...

Ann Chen Wu1,2, Matthew W. Gillman1,3, Elsie M. Taveras1,2 and Augusto A. Litonjua4-61Center for Child Health Care Studies, Department of Ambulatory Care and Prevention, Harvard Pilgrim Health Care and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.A. 2Division of General Pediatrics, Children’s Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.A. 3Department of Nutrition, Harvard School of...

Hisao OsadaDepartment of Maternal-fetal Medicine, Chiba University Hospital.AbstractA close relationship between size at birth and occurrence of common adult diseases has been reported. As an explanation of this relationship, it has been hypothesized that the thrifty genotypes cause changes in growth efficiency during fetal period and diseases in later life....

Xue Ming1, Ye-Ming Sun2, Roberto V. Nachajon3,4, Michael Brimacombe5 and Arthur S. Walters61Department of Neuroscience, UMDNJ-New Jersey Medical School, Newark, NJ. 2Creedmoor Psychiatric Center, Queens Village, NY and Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY. 3Pediatric Sleep Disorders Center, St. Joseph Children’s Hospital, Paterson, NJ. 4Sleep/Wake Center,...

Zach Ferraro1,2 and Kristi B. Adamo1,2,3 1Healthy, Active, Living and Obesity (HALO) Research Group, Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research Institute. 2University of Ottawa, School of Human Kinetics, Faculty of Health Sciences. 3Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Canada. Abstract Global increases in...

Leonard A. Jason1, Nicole Porter1, Elizabeth Shelleby1, David S. Bell2, Charles W. Lapp3, Kathy Rowe4 and Kenny De Meirleir5 1Center for Community Research, DePaul University. 2Medina Hospital, Lyndonville NY. 3Hunter-Hopkins Center, Charlotte NC. 4Royal Children’s Hospital, Australia. 5Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Belgium. Abstract The case definition...

Calum Mattocks1, Kate Tilling2, Andy Ness3 and Chris Riddoch1 1School for Health, University of Bath, Bath, U.K. 2Department of Social Medicine, University of Bristol, Bristol, U.K. 3Department of Oral and Dental Science and Department of Social Medicine, University of Bristol, Bristol, U.K. Abstract Advances in technology...

Venkataramana Bhat, Natalie Grizenko, Steven Sanche and Ridha Joober Douglas Mental Health University Institute, Montreal, Canada. Abstract Objective: The aim of this study was to examine the relation between therapeutic response to methylphenidate (MPH) and its associated short term cardiovascular side effects (Systolic Blood Pressure-SBP, Diastolic Blood...

F.S. Koch, J. Ludvigsson and A. Sepa Division of Pediatrics, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, Linköping University, Sweden. Abstract Body dissatisfaction has been related to low self-esteem and depression in adolescents. With regard to the current world wide rise in childhood obesity...

Teresa Shamah-Levy1, Lucia Cuevas Nasu1, Hortensia Moreno-Macias2, Eric Monterrubio-Flores1 and Marco Antonio Avila-Arcos1 1Centro de Investigación en Nutrición y Salud (Center for Nutrition and Health Research), National Public Health Institute, Cuernavaca Morelos, Mexico. 2Centro de Investigación en Salud Poblacional (Center for Population Health Research) National Public Health Institute, Cuernavaca...