Laparoscopic repair of recurrent childhood inguinal hernias after open herniotomy

Background Open repair of recurrent paediatric inguinal hernias (IH) is difficult and there is definite risk of damaging the vas deferens and testicular vessels during dissection of the previous open herniotomy field. Laparoscopic repair (LR) has the benefit of avoiding the previous operative site. Method Records of patients with recurrent IH that had LR after open repair were reviewed and evaluated retrospectively. The results were compared with data from cases in which the LR method was used in the initial IH repair. Results From September 2002 to October 2005, four boys and one girl (mean age 58.8 months) were treated in our institution for recurrent IH after open repair. Operative time, success rate and complications did not show any statistically significant difference when compared with our previous prospectively collected data for primary repairs. Conclusion Laparoscopic repair is the preferred operation for recurrent childhood IH after open repair.     

Pituitary volume in teenagers with first-presentation borderline personality disorder

This study used magnetic resonance imaging to examine pituitary gland volume (PGV) in teenage patients with a first presentation of borderline personality disorder (BPD). No difference in PGV was observed between healthy controls (n = 20) and the total BPD cohort (n = 20). However, within the BPD cohort, those exposed to childhood trauma (n = 9) tended to have smaller pituitaries (− 18%) than those with no history of childhood trauma (n = 10). These preliminary findings suggest that exposure to childhood trauma, rather than BPD, per se, might be associated with reduced PGV, possibly reflecting hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis dysfunction.     

哈尔滨市动力区7—10岁儿童多动症流行病学调查

目的了解市动力区７～１０岁儿童多动症的发病情况及其有关因素。方法采用分层整群抽样法对１３７７名儿童进行多动症的流行病学调查，主要以ＤＳＭ—Ⅲ中的ＡＤＤ诊断标准为参考综合诊断病例。结果多动症检出率为６．８９％（９５例／１３７７）；父母为工人、父文化为小学或文盲的，检出率最高，分别为７．３４％、７．７２％及８．７７％；父母大学文化的检出率最低（５．１６％和２．８３％）；母孕期经受负性生活事件及家庭环境不良是多动症发病的危险因素。结论哈市动力区７～１０岁多动症检出率较高；与发病有关的因素复杂多样。     

Immunophenotyping of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia in Saudi Arabia: Second look

Geographical variations in the incidence of disease are of considerable theoretical and practical importance. It has been claimed that the distribution of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) phenotypes in Saudi Arabia is different from that recorded in the Western literature. One hundred and twelve (112) patients under 15 years of age, diagnosed as ALL between January 1992 and May 1994 had immunophenotypes performed on their blast cells. Common ALL (cALL) together with pre-B-ALL, formed 86.5% of the total; B-cell 3%, T-cell 6% and null cell 4.5%. These figures are not significantly different from the Western literature. A previous claim from this institution in 1990, that both null and B-cell ALL were significantly increased compared with elsewhere, is not supported by the present figures. Age and sex distribution, and FAB classification, L1 77%, L2 20% and L3 3%, were also of the same order as described elsewhere and, in particular, there was no increase in the frequency of L3 subtype.     

W／H^2和W／H^3指数在儿童少年肥胖评价中的适用性

身高体重指数因其测量计算简便、误差小而在儿童少年肥胖评价中逐渐受到重视，但Ｗ／Ｈ２和Ｗ／Ｈ３在儿童少年肥胖评价中的适用性仍有争议，为了探讨两指数在儿童少年肥胖评价中的适用性，在西安市７～１８岁儿童少年中进行了本研究，结果发现在７～１３岁间Ｗ／Ｈ３指数比Ｗ／Ｈ２指数好，而在１４岁以后Ｗ／Ｈ２比Ｗ／Ｈ３更合适。     

Improvement in the Treatment of Childhood Cancer: Analysis of Survival Data from the National Children's Hospital (1965-1987)

Developments in the treatment of childhood cancer have beenevaluated in patients who had been treated in the National Children'sHospital from 1965 to 1987. The total number of patients was867, of which leukemia accounted for 376, malignant lymphoma61, neuroblastoma 174, Wilms' tumor 55, yolk sac tumor 29, rhabdomyosarcoma36 and hepatoblastoma 30. Patients were divided into three timeintervals: the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. A marked improvementin five-year survival was recognized in Wilms' tumor and yolksac tumor, amounting to 80%, followed by rhabdomyosarcoma, acutelymphoblastic leukemia and malignant lymphoma. There was noimprovement in patients with acute non-lymphoblastic leukemia,neuroblastoma and hepatoblastoma. Prognostic factors for neuroblastomawere further analyzed, and the age of onset and stage of diseasewere found to have remained constant for 23 years. Factors relatingto the improvement of survival were discussed.     

Prevalence and severity of asthma and allergies in schoolchildren in Lhasa, Tibet

BACKGROUND: The International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC) demonstrated that large variations existed in the prevalence of symptoms of asthma, allergic rhinoconjunctivitis and eczema throughout the world and that environmental factors and lifestyle customs are major determinants of the prevalence and severity of these diseases. However, the relevant data about children living at high-altitude locations were considered to be underreported. OBJECTIVE: The ISAAC Phase III programme was carried out in Lhasa, the Tibetan Autonomous Region in China, at an elevation of 3658 m above sea level to examine the occurrence of asthma, allergic rhinoconjunctivitis and eczema in schoolchildren aged 13-14 years. METHODS: All 3196 schoolchildren in eight public junior high schools in urban Lhasa who were confirmed to be 13-14 years old were invited and participated in both written and video questionnaire investigations, among which 3190 pieces of data (49.8% of boys and 50.2% of girls) were validated and analysed. RESULTS: Among the overall observations, the prevalence of 'having ever experienced wheezing', 'current wheezing' and 'diagnosed to have asthma' was 1.4%, 0.8% and 1.1%, respectively. The prevalence of current exercise-induced asthma and current nocturnal cough was 7.1% and 4.6%, respectively. The current prevalence of allergic rhinoconjunctivitis and eczema was 5.2% and 0.4%, respectively. In addition, the prevalence of rhinoconjunctivitis symptoms during the past 12 months showed no discernable differences throughout the year. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of asthma, allergic rhinoconjunctivitis and eczema over the past 12 months was the lowest among the centres, that performed ISAAC worldwide.     

结核分枝杆菌多抗原蛋白芯片对儿童结核病的诊断价值

目的探讨结核分枝杆菌（MTB）多抗原蛋白芯片对儿童结核病的诊断价值。方法选取2005年4月至2006年4月在首都医科大学附属北京儿童医院诊断为结核病的住院患儿作为结核病组。选取同期住院，患感染性疾病，同时除外结核病的患儿作为非结核病组；选取体检纯化蛋白衍生物（PPD）试验阳性，既往无结核病史，无明显结核中毒症状，胸部影像学及腹部B超检查未见结核病灶的儿童作为结核感染组；选取同期行健康体检，卡疤试验阳性，无基础疾病，无结核接触史的儿童为健康对照组。各组留取血清标本。计算结核病组PPD试验阳性率及细菌学检查阳性率。应用MTB多抗原蛋白芯片同时检测标本中脂阿拉伯甘露糖（LAM）、相对分子质量16000和38000蛋白IgG抗体，通过蛋白芯片阅读仪判断结果，其中任意1种或1种以上抗体检测阳性，即判为蛋白芯片检测阳性。分别计算各组抗体检测阳性率，并计算该方法检测儿童结核病的灵敏度、特异度、阳性预测值和阴性预测值等指标。应用Logistic回归及，检验分析蛋白芯片检测阳性率与患儿年龄、病程、抗结核治疗时间、激素使用以及结核病类型的关系。结果研究期间共纳入结核病组79例，非结核病组33例，结核感染组15例，健康对照组30例。蛋白芯片检测结核病组的阳性率为34．2％（27／79），低于PPD试验阳性率（84．8％，67／79），高于细菌学检查阳性率（12．7％，10／79）。在非结核病组阳性率为6．1％（2／33），结核感染组和健康对照组阳性率为0。蛋白芯片检测结核病组的灵敏度为34．2％，特异度为97．4％。阳性预测值93．1％，阴性预测值58．5％。Logistic回归发现蛋白芯片检测阳性率仅与病程相关，且随病程延长而阳性率升高。病程〈1个月，蛋白芯片检测阳性率为18．8％（6／32），病程在～3个月，蛋?     

Role of fine-needle aspiration cytology in childhood malignancies

During the last 4 yr, fine-needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) has been employed in 1,474 patients in 0-15-yr age group at our institute. Of these, 245 patients were found to have malignant disease, including primitive neuroectodermal tumors, hepatoblastoma, nephroblastoma, sarcoma, and epithelial malignancies. Four metastases from medulloblastoma and two each from astrocytoma and meningioma were confirmed without open biopsy. FNAC interpretation was easy when cytologic findings were correlated with relevant clinical and radiologic data.     

Maturation of Startle Modulation

This study of the maturation of prestimulation-induced modulation of startle in 3 to 8 year old children and adults demonstrated significant effects of age on both startle magnitude and onset latency. Startle was evoked by 104dB(SPL) 50-ms bursts of white noise, and the amplitude and onset latency of the blink reflex were measured after integration of the obicularis oculi EMG. Prestimulation with 75dB 1000 Hz tones resulted in severe inhibition of both amplitude and latency in adults when 20-ms tones preceded the startling stimuli by 120 ms or 250 ms. Following sustained prestimulation for 2000 ms, the adults showed modest nonsignificant response facilitation. Eight-year-old children showed mature inhibitory and facilitatory startle amplitude modulation, but significantly less inhibition and more facilitation of onset latency compared to adults. Preschool children showed significantly less amplitude and latency inhibition and more facilitation than 8-year-olds and adults. In response to prestimulation 120 ms before startling stimuli, the preschool children actually showed latency facilitation. Modulation of startle by prestimulation is mediated by brainstem neuronal networks. These findings suggest that brainstem mechanisms which mediate startle response modulation undergo development during early childhood and do not mature until about 8 years of age.