The role of corticosteroids in the management of childhood asthma

Preventive treatment: * Inhaled corticosteroids are indicated in children with asthma who have more than mild persistent asthma or are unresponsive to non-steroidal medications after 2-4 weeks. * Initial administration of 400 microg/day of chlorofluorocarbon-beclomethasone dipropionate, or budesonide, or 200 microg/day of fluticasone propionate or hydrofluoroalkane-beclomethasone dipropionate, is suggested, with subsequent titration of the dose to achieve ongoing control with the lowest dose possible. * In situations where asthma control cannot be achieved with the above doses of inhaled corticosteroids, the addition of a long-acting beta2-agonist, theophylline or a leukotriene antagonist should be considered. * Specialist referral is recommended in children requiring high doses of inhaled steroids, regular oral steroids or in whom there is concern about possible steroid side effects. Treatment of acute asthma: * Systemic corticosteroid therapy is recommended for children with moderate to severe acute asthma or if there is incomplete response to beta2-agonists. * Initial administration of 1 mg/kg prednisolone (maximum, 50 mg) orally is suggested, and this may be repeated every 12-24 hours, depending on response. While a course of up to three days is generally sufficient, in more severe cases a prolonged course (with tapering) may occasionally be indicated. * The need for recurrent systemic corticosteroid therapy for acute episodes is an indication for reassessment of the child's interval therapy.     

Adult domiciliary oxygen therapy. Position statement of the Thoracic Society of Australia and New Zealand

Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and a stable daytime PaO2 of < or = 55 mmHg (7.3 kPa) live longer and have a better quality of life if provided with long-term continuous oxygen therapy. It is reasonable to offer continuous oxygen therapy also to patients with other lung diseases that cause chronic hypoxaemia. Indications for supplemental oxygen therapy during exercise (ambulatory oxygen therapy) and sleep (nocturnal oxygen therapy) are less clear.     

The present status of psychosurgery in Australia and New Zealand.

OBJECTIVES: To assess the extent and nature of psychosurgery currently being performed in Australia and New Zealand, and the present status of legislation regulating its practice. METHODS: Details of current legislation were obtained through inspection of statutes and direct communication with Departments of Health. All full and associate members of the Neurosurgical Society of Australasia were surveyed by postal questionnaire. Ninety-eight neurosurgeons were surveyed, of whom 72 (73%) replied. RESULTS: In the 1980s a mean of nine (SD, 5.9) operations were performed per year; about two were performed per year in the late 1980s. Ninety per cent of these operations were performed at one centre in Sydney. The most common indications were severe and medically intractable depression and obsessive-compulsive disorder. Surgery is now exclusively stereotactic and involves the creation of lesions in the orbitomedial frontal or cingulate tracts or a combination of the two. The nature and type of surgery are comparable to those in other centres in the Western world. Regulatory legislation is in place in most, but not all, States in Australia and in New Zealand. CONCLUSIONS: Further developments of other forms of psychiatric treatments may make psychosurgery, in its present form and at its present level of validation, redundant. If it is to have a resurgence, it would have to be based on a much sounder theoretical premise, and a stronger demonstration of efficacy and predictability of effect.     

中重度持续性哮喘儿童吸入ICS减量停药的随访研究

目的观察中重度持续性哮喘儿童吸入糖皮质激素（ICS）的疗程,哮喘达到良好控制后ICS成功减停的可行性。方法将76例年龄（8．8±2．6）岁的中重度哮喘患儿,依年龄吸入布地奈德干粉剂起始剂量为4001μg／d或600μg/d达到哮喘控制3个月以上,ICS减少50％剂量维持治疗后,每3个月减少50-100μg,停药后进行24个月的随访。结果初始高剂量时间平均为5．7月（4～10月）,总的疗程平均为26．4月（20～39月）。成功减停激素的患儿有62例（90％）,其中51例（82.3％）控制良好,9例（14．5％）有轻度喘息发作用,2例（3．2％）病人反复发作。治疗后发生哮喘恶化事件及相关的急诊就医、缺课、住院的患儿比率均低于治疗前（x^2=58．899,73．255,94．891,4．279;P〈0．001或P〈0．05）。结论对于中高剂量ICS治疗的哮喘儿童达到控制并维持3个月以上,ICS减少50％用量,维持一定时间的治疗后大部分患儿激素均可以顺利的减停。     

2007 addendum to the National Heart Foundation of Australia/Cardiac Society of Australia and New Zealand Guidelines for the management of acute coronary syndromes 2006

Results from recently published clinical trials provide additional information to be considered in the choice of therapies in the management of acute coronary syndromes. This addendum summarises the important findings and their implications for recommended practice.     

2011 update to National Heart Foundation of Australia and Cardiac Society of Australia and New Zealand Guidelines for the prevention, detection and management of chronic heart failure in Australia, 2006

Chronic heart failure (CHF) is a complex and lethal clinical syndrome accounting for an increasing number of Australian hospital separations and more than 2700 Australian deaths in 2008. In 2006, the National Heart Foundation of Australia and Cardiac Society of Australia and New Zealand published Guidelines for the prevention, detection and management of chronic heart failure in Australia, 2006. Results from recently published clinical trials provide additional information to be considered in the prevention, detection and management of CHF. In some cases, this new evidence strengthens recommendations previously made in the 2006 guidelines; in others, it provides new approaches to current recommended practice. Areas in which there have been significant new developments include: Use of B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) or N-terminal proBNP plasma level measurement in guiding treatment of CHF; New pharmacological approaches to the treatment of systolic heart failure; Drugs to avoid or use with caution in CHF; Treatment of cardiac arrhythmias in patients with CHF; Multidisciplinary care and post-discharge management programs. While patient circumstances and clinical judgement should guide the interpretation of these findings in the clinical context, this update, together with the 2006 guidelines, provides current clinical guidance on CHF.     

儿童哮喘在社区管理治疗中护士的作用

目的：探讨哮喘儿童的社区管理内容。方法：对980例哮喘儿童建立社区管理方法,包括建立和确定治疗目标,进行哮喘知识教育、药物介绍和其他方法的使用、患者规范化管理和个体化治疗。结果：80．6％以上患儿半年内未发作,给予降级治疗。结论：护士在儿童哮喘社区管理中起着重要作用。