Guidelines for the treatment of Crohn''s disease in children

This paper shows guidelines for the treatment of Crohn's disease in children by the Working Group of the Japanese Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition (Chair: Yuichiro Yamashiro) and the Japanese Society for Pediatric Inflammatory Bowel Disease (Chair: Akio Kobayashi). The points in which these guidelines differ from those for adult patients are as follows. (i) Total enteral nutrition in the form of an elemental formula is indicated as primary therapy for children with Crohn's disease at onset as well as the active stage. Oral mesalazine is used together. (ii) Total parenteral nutrition (TPN) with oral mesalazine is required for children with serious illness. The use of a corticosteroid should be withheld for at least 1 week after TPN has been started. (iii) When TPN is not considered to be effective, additional corticosteroid is used. Full doses of corticosteroid should be used for at least 2 weeks after clinical improvement has been achieved, and then the dose of the corticosteroid should be tapered carefully. (iv) When surgery is indicated in pediatric patients with stricture or fistula formation and complicated by persistent growth failure despite medical therapy, the optimum time for surgery is thought to be before epiphyseal plates have been closed.     

Febrile urinary tract infections in young children: recommendations for the diagnosis, treatment and follow-up

We report the recommendations for the diagnosis, treatment, imaging evaluation and use of antibiotic prophylaxis in children with the first febrile urinary tract infection, aged 2 months to 3 years. They were prepared by a working group of the Italian Society of Pediatric Nephrology after careful review of the available literature and a consensus decision, when clear evidence was not available. CONCLUSION: These recommendations are endorsed by the Italian Society of Pediatric Nephrology. They can also be a tool of comparison with other existing guidelines in issues in which much controversy still exists.     

地震背景下儿童现场救治与转运专家共识

地震背景下，儿童作为一类特殊的弱势群体，更易造成严重的生理伤害和心理创伤。中华医学会儿科学分会灾害儿科学学组和中国人民解放军儿科学专业委员会制定了《地震背景下儿童现场救治与转运专家共识》。该共识介绍了地震背景下儿童现场救治与转运的处理原则、工作内容和注意事项，旨在更好地为地震背景下的儿童服务。     

Survey of the current state of pediatric drug use in Japan (1994–6)

Abstract Background : A survey of the current state of pediatric drug therapy in Japan was conducted using a questionnaire completed by committee members and the former president of the Drug Therapy Committee of the Japan Pediatric Society.
Methods : Questionnaires were mailed to the members of the Drug Committee, who represent the various specialities of the Japan Pediatric Society, and to its former chairperson. Questionnaires contained eight items.
Results : This survey demonstrated that, although use of drug therapy in adults is clearly defined, pediatric drug therapy in Japan is extremely imprecise, with the potential to lead to undesirable consequences.
Conclusion : The Japan Pediatric Society demands that the standardization of drug information labels and dosages specifically for children, including premature and full-term neonates, should be included under all aspects of National Health Insurance.     

Pediatric radiologists: who we are and what we do. Results of a membership survey of the Society for Pediatric Radiology--1999

BACKGROUND: There is a need for reliable monitoring of workforce trends in the field of pediatric radiology by the Society for Pediatric Radiology. In addition, the Society should periodically assess itself as to its mission and relevance to its members via membership surveys. OBJECTIVE: The Membership Committee of the Society for Pediatric Radiology, 1999, conducted a 54-question survey to determine the makeup of its members, job profiles, satisfaction with services of the Society for Pediatric Radiology, and its official journal, Pediatric Radiology. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Seven hundred fifty surveys were given to active members of the Society for Pediatric Radiology in the United States and Canada. There were 275 surveys returned for an overall response of 37%. RESULTS: Mean age of members is 48 years with 99% of respondents working. Membership is 34% female and 66% male. Women members of the Society are younger (45 vs 49 years, P = 0.0012) and work less hours (47.8 vs 51.0, P = 0.0135) than men. Fifty-seven percent of respondents practice in a freestanding children's hospital, 29% in a "children's hospital within a hospital," and 14% are in community hospitals or an office-based practice. Eighty-two percent of the responding pediatric radiologist's time is spent in performing examination on children, with only 18% spent on adult work or administration. Forty-eight percent work at more than one office. Sixty-one percent worked evenings or weekends, excluding night call. Two hundred twenty-two of 275 respondents had received a Certificate of Added Qualification. The meeting "for CME credit" was considered the most important benefit of Society membership. Most respondents read select articles in Pediatric Radiology. There was sentiment to decrease esoteric case reports in favor of review articles. Only 19% of respondents submitted their articles to Pediatric Radiology initially. CONCLUSION: Pediatric radiologists are a diverse membership with the common goal of advocating for healthcare and imaging in children. Survey information given to the leadership of the Society will help the organization remain responsive to its members.     

Consent for emergency medical services for children and adolescents

Pediatric patients frequently seek medical treatment in the emergency department (ED) unaccompanied by a legal guardian. Current state and federal laws and medical ethics recommendations support the ED treatment of minors with an identified emergency medical condition, regardless of consent issues. Financial reimbursement should not limit the minor patient's access to emergency medical care or result in a breach of patient confidentiality. Every clinic, office practice, and ED should develop policies and guidelines regarding consent for the treatment of minors. The physician should document all discussions of consent and attempt to seek consent for treatment from the family or legal guardian and assent from the pediatric patient. Appropriate medical care for the pediatric patient with an urgent or emergent condition should never be withheld or delayed because of problems with obtaining consent. This statement has been endorsed by the American College of Surgeons, the Society of Pediatric Nurses, the Society of Critical Care Medicine, the American College of Emergency Physicians, the Emergency Nurses Association, and the National Association of EMS Physicians.     

Care of children in a natural disaster: lessons learned from the Great East Japan earthquake and tsunami

The Great East Japan earthquake was one of the most devastating natural disasters ever to hit Japan. We present features of the disaster and the radioactive accident in Fukushima. About 19,000 are dead or remain missing mainly due to the tsunami, but children accounted for only 6.5 % of the deaths. The Japanese Society of Pediatric Surgeons set up the Committee of Aid for Disaster, and collaborated with the Japanese Society of Emergency Pediatrics to share information and provide pediatric medical care in the disaster area. Based on the lessons learned from the experiences, the role of pediatric surgeons and physicians in natural disasters is discussed.     

Japanese Biliary Atresia Registry

The Japanese Biliary Atresia Registry (JBAR) was launched in 1989 by the Japanese Biliary Atresia Society (JBAS). JBAR employed an initial questionnaire, a questionnaire for liver transplantation, and a follow-up questionnaire. The questionnaire has been sent to the pediatric surgeons of JBAS member institutions and the hospitals in which council members of the Japanese Society of Pediatric Surgeons are working. One hundred and twenty-three hospitals have been included in JBAR between 1989 and 2015. Each patient is to be followed up for 30 years. Between 1989 and 2015, 3160 patients have been registered in JBAR. Among them, 1236 patients underwent liver transplantation. Follow-up questionnaire is also going on. 20-year overall and native-liver survival rates were 89 and 49%, respectively. The surgical outcome of BA has markedly improved owing to the co-operation of Kasai portoenterostomy and liver transplantation. Japanese big database of BA is now available.     

Transition von Jugendlichen mit chronischen Erkrankungen in die Erwachsenenmedizin

Young people with special health care needs (YSHCN) play an increasingly important role in medical care. Transition from a pediatric healthcare setting into adult care is a critical stage. A number of adolescents may reappear in adult healthcare when potentially preventable complications have occurred. There are various groups of patients that may be transferred to the adult care system: young people with disorders also well-known in adulthood, adolescents with diseases unknown in adulthood and youths with disabilities who are treated in so-called social pediatric centers (sozialpädiatrische Zentren, SPZ). For the latter group, no adequate treatment structures are established in adult care. The establishment of medical centers for adults with intellectual and multiple disabilities (MZEB) is the declared goal of the current legislation The Berliner TransitionsProgramm (BTP, Berlin transition program) is a structured 2-year program supporting young people with various chronic diseases during the process of transition to adult care. The BTP comprises a professional case management and serves as a model for the establishment of a nationally standardized transition program covered by German statutory health insurances. The German Society for Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine (DGKJ), the German Society of Internal Medicine (DGIM) and the German Society of Neurology (DGN) have formed a working group to promote this process and are supported by the German Society of Transition Medicine (DGfTM).     

Therapieempfehlung zur Lupusnephritis bei Kindern und Jugendlichen

Among the organ manifestations of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), involvement of the kidneys plays a key role in morbidity and mortality. Early diagnosis and appropriate treatment of lupus nephritis (LN) is therefore very important. On the basis of the current literature and the experience gathered by members of the SLE working group of the German Society for Pediatric Nephrology (APN), the following article presents consensus recommendations for treating LN in children and adolescents. Depending on the severity of the initial organ involvement (extent of proteinuria, kidney histology) and the initial response to treatment, prednisolone is supplemented, where appropriate, by mycophenolate mofetil, azathioprine, cyclophosphamide or cyclosporine A. In addition to consistent antihypertensive and nephroprotective treatment, adjuvant therapy should attempt to avoid possible side effects such as gonad toxicity and growth disorder. We believe that future prospective recording of the LN patients treated in line with these consensus recommendations can help treatment guidelines to be drawn up for this disease.     

Management of Pediatric Ulcerative Colitis: Joint ECCO and ESPGHAN Evidence-based Consensus Guidelines

BACKGROUND AND AIMS:: Pediatric ulcerative colitis (UC) shares many features with adult-onset disease but there are some unique considerations; therefore, therapeutic approaches have to be adapted to these particular needs. We aimed to formulate guidelines for managing UC in children based on a systematic review (SR) of the literature and a robust consensus process. The present article is a product of a joint effort of the European Crohn's and Colitis Organization (ECCO) and the European Society for Paediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition (ESPGHAN). METHODS:: A group of 27 experts in pediatric IBD participated in an iterative consensus process including 2 face-to-face meetings, following an open call to ESPGHAN and ECCO members. A list of 23 predefined questions were addressed by working subgroups based on a SR of the literature. RESULTS:: A total of 40 formal recommendations and 68 practice points were endorsed with a consensus rate of at least 89% regarding initial evaluation, how to monitor disease activity, the role of endoscopic evaluation, medical and surgical therapy, timing and choice of each medication, the role of combined therapy, and when to stop medications. A management flowchart, based on the Pediatric Ulcerative Colitis Activity Index (PUCAI), is presented. CONCLUSIONS:: These guidelines provide clinically useful points to guide the management of UC in children. Taken together, the recommendations offer a standardized protocol that allows effective, timely management and monitoring of the disease course, while acknowledging that each patient is unique.     

Accidental poisoning of children in Japan: A report from the Japan Poison Information Center

The Japan Poison Information Center (JPIC) was founded only 6 years ago as a result of co-operation between the Ministry of Health and Welfare, the Japanese Association for Acute Medicine, the Japan Pediatric Society and other related medical organizations. The JPIC is the only poison information center admitted by the Ministry of Health and Welfare to provide toxicological information to medical personnel and the general public, and has two offices on duty in alternating 24 h shifts. Every year, JPIC receives about 30 000 inquiries. About 82% of these inquiries are from the general public and 84% of the patients are children 5 years and younger. We contrasted the data in the fiscal year 1991 with the data of the American Association of Poison Control Centers (AAPCC). Child poison exposure in Japan is characterized by a high exposure rate of children under 1 year of age to (mostly) household products. The JPIC also analyzed the cause of tobacco ingestion. It is considered that the Japanese lifestyle causes differences from those reported by AAPCC. We report the accidental poisoning of children in Japan.     

Guidelines for Mass Screening of Congenital Hypothyroidism (2014 revision)

Purpose of developing the guidelines: Mass screening for congenital hypothyroidism started in 1979 in Japan, and the prognosis for intelligence has been improved by early diagnosis and treatment. The incidence was about 1/4000 of the birth population, but it has increased due to diagnosis of subclinical congenital hypothyroidism. The disease requires continuous treatment, and specialized medical facilities should make a differential diagnosis and treat subjects who are positive in mass screening to avoid unnecessary treatment. The Guidelines for Mass Screening of Congenital Hypothyroidism (1998 version) were developed by the Mass Screening Committee of the Japanese Society for Pediatric Endocrinology in 1998. Subsequently, new findings on prognosis and problems in the adult phase have emerged. Based on these new findings, the 1998 guidelines were revised in the current document (hereinafter referred to as the Guidelines). Target disease/conditions: Primary congenital hypothyroidism. Users of the Guidelines: Physician specialists in pediatric endocrinology, pediatric specialists, physicians referring patients to pediatric practitioners, general physicians, laboratory technicians in charge of mass screening, and patients.     

Constipation in infants and children: evaluation and treatment. A medical position statement of the North American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition.

BACKGROUND: Constipation, defined as a delay or difficulty in defecation, present for 2 or more weeks, is a common pediatric problem encountered by both primary and specialty medical providers. METHODS: The Constipation Subcommittee of the Clinical Guidelines Committee of the North American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition has formulated clinical practice guidelines for the management of pediatric constipation. The Constipation Subcommittee, consisting of two primary care pediatricians, a clinical epidemiologist, and pediatric gastroenterologists, based its recommendations on an integration of a comprehensive and systematic review of the medical literature combined with expert opinion. Consensus was achieved through Nominal Group Technique, a structured quantitative method. RESULTS: The Subcommittee developed two algorithms to assist with medical management, one for older infants and children and the second for infants less than 1 year of age. The guidelines provide recommendations for management by the primary care provider, including evaluation, initial treatment, follow-up management, and indications for consultation by a specialist. The Constipation Subcommittee also provided recommendations for management by the pediatric gastroenterologist. CONCLUSIONS: This report, which has been endorsed by the Executive Council of the North American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition, has been prepared as a general guideline to assist providers of medical care in the evaluation and treatment of constipation in children. It is not intended as a substitute for clinical judgment or as a protocol for the management of all patients with this problem.     

Guideline for the diagnosis and treatment of celiac disease in children: recommendations of the North American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition

Celiac disease is an immune-mediated enteropathy caused by a permanent sensitivity to gluten in genetically susceptible individuals. It occurs in children and adolescents with gastrointestinal symptoms, dermatitis herpetiformis, dental enamel defects, osteoporosis, short stature, delayed puberty and persistent iron deficiency anemia and in asymptomatic individuals with type 1 diabetes, Down syndrome, Turner syndrome, Williams syndrome, selective immunoglobulin (Ig)A deficiency and first degree relatives of individuals with celiac disease. The Celiac Disease Guideline Committee of the North American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition has formulated a clinical practice guideline for the diagnosis and treatment of pediatric celiac disease based on an integration of a systematic review of the medical literature combined with expert opinion.The Committee examined the indications for testing, the value of serological tests, human leukocyte antigen (HLA) typing and histopathology and the treatment and monitoring of children with celiac disease. It is recommended that children and adolescents with symptoms of celiac disease or an increased risk for celiac disease have a blood test for antibody to tissue transglutaminase (TTG), that those with an elevated TTG be referred to a pediatric gastroenterologist for an intestinal biopsy and that those with the characteristics of celiac disease on intestinal histopathology be treated with a strict gluten-free diet. This document represents the official recommendations of the North American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition on the diagnosis and treatment of celiac disease in children and adolescents.     

Measuring quality of life in Japanese children: Development of the Japanese version of PedsQL

Background:  Health-related quality of life (HRQL) is perceived as an important health-care outcome. There are several systems for measuring the HRQL in adults but there are few such systems for children in Japan. Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory (PedsQL) is valid and demonstrates excellent reliability in the USA, Europe, and Asian countries. The aim of the present study was therefore to develop the Japanese version of PedsQL.
Methods:  A two-step procedure was performed: translation of PedsQL, followed by examination of the psychometric properties in a cross-sectional study. The feasibility, reproducibility, internal consistency reliability, factor structure, and concurrent and clinical validity were examined.
Results:  The internal consistency reliability of the Child Self-Reports of young children was slightly low, but that of the Child Self-Reports of school children and adolescents was good. Further, all the Parent Proxy-Reports had excellent alphas. The Japanese version had satisfactory feasibility for all age ranges. The intercorrelation of subscales supported the multidimensional factor structure. Clinical validity was examined by analysis of variance performed for four groups with different health conditions (healthy, chronic needs only, mental condition only, and chronic needs and mental condition). The scores of each functioning scale differed among the four groups, with the healthy group having the highest scores for all functioning scales.
Conclusions:  The Japanese version of PedsQL can be applied in community and school health settings in Japan. Because children with chronic health needs and mental conditions were included, the Japanese version of PedsQL is expected to be useful in clinical settings.     

The history of pediatric allergy in Europe – From a working group to ESPACI and SP‐EAACI

A Working Group on Pediatric Allergology was formed in 1984, which rapidly developed to become the European Society on Pediatric Allergology and Clinical Immunology (ESPACI) in 1988 with its own journal, Pediatric Allergology and Immunology. ESPACI worked together with the European Academy of Allergology and Clinical Immunology (EAACI) to form a Section of Pediatrics within EAACI (SP‐EAACI) in 1996. The ESPACI and the SP‐EAACI formally merged in 2001. Within the EAACI organization, the Pediatric Section has continued to grow. The Pediatric Section is working to develop pediatric allergology across Europe, focusing on postgraduate education, facilitating the research agenda and advocating for children and adolescents with allergies.