Is there a need to do routine sonological, urodynamic study and cystourethroscopic evaluation of patients with simple hypospadias?

Objectives  

To study the patients with hypospadias for urinary tract anomalies, bladder functions and the anatomical changes in the urethra, bladder and ureters.     

Is BaF3 bioassay useful to identify patients with bioinactive growth hormone?

We analyzed the ability of the BaF3 cell line bioassay to select patients with biologically inactive GH. We first evaluated the biological response of the Ba/F3-hGHR cells to rhGH additional doses from 10 to 5000 pg/ml. The concentration points corresponding to the linear part of the curve were selected. We then analyzed a group of sera, diluted like the standard, including the entire range of GH concentrations that can be analyzed by bioassay. The serum/standard area below the curve ratio was calculated. Serum GH immunoactivity determined by IMMULITE/GH bioactivity ratios was calculated. Our experimental data showed that GH-bioactivity/GH-immunoactivity ratios below 0.303 are indicative of a bioinactive GH molecule. This bioassay would recognize only extreme cases of GH bioinactivity, and it would not be a useful tool in the search for patients with altered forms of GH.     

Resources for pediatricians. How do I answer questions from parents, patients, teachers, and others?

Most pediatricians do not have special training in pediatric environmental health, but environmental exposures are among parents' top concerns for their children. Parents may come to their pediatricians seeking advice about symptoms that they think may be related to an environmental hazard. They may worry about exposures even if their children have no symptoms. Occasionally, pediatricians may diagnose an illness caused by an environmental exposure but may not be familiar with the illness because it is uncommon.     

Ophthalmological findings in congenital cytomegalovirus infection: when to screen, when to treat?

Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is the leading cause of known congenital viral infections. Approximately 90% of congenitally infected newborns exhibit no clinical abnormalities at birth. In 5% to 15%, a wide spectrum of clinical signs is present at birth. Ophthalmological signs are seen in a large percentage of symptomatic patients but rarely in otherwise asymptomatic infants. Chorioretinitis, optic atrophy, and cortical visual impairment are the most frequent causes of visual problems in congenitally infected infants. There is no clear consensus in the literature on screening or treatment modalities concerning the ophthalmological aspects of congenital CMV. Further prospective studies are needed to set up guidelines for ophthalmological screening and treatment of infants with congenital CMV.