Dramatic pain relief and resolution of bone inflammation following pamidronate in 9 pediatric patients with persistent chronic recurrent multifocal osteomyelitis (CRMO)

Background  

Chronic recurrent multifocal osteomyelitis (CRMO) is an inflammatory, non-infectious osteopathy that affects predominantly patients ≤ 18 years of age. There is no uniformly effective treatment. Our objective is to describe clinical, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and bone resorption response to intravenous pamidronate in pediatric CRMO.     

Measurement of extrafocal radiation by computed radiography.

Measurement of radiation differences from image data is made possible by computed radiography (CR) based on storage phosphor imaging plates. The photostimulable luminescence (PSL) response is linear in a range greater than four orders of magnitude. Pinhole radiographs of focal and extrafocal radiation obtained by CR were quantitatively analysed using the technique originally introduced in recent scatter studies. No films or hard copies were used in the analysis. The material consisted of 54 images for measurement of the focal peak intensity, and a corresponding set of 54 images obtained at a 250 times greater operating sensitivity for the imaging of the extrafocal emission. The extrafocal-to-focal emission ratio was in the range of 0.001-0.006 depending on the off-focus distance. Because of the relatively large area of origin, exposure resulting from extrafocal radiation is estimated to reach up to 20% of the total radiation dosage. The results are in agreement with previous reports using other techniques and show that CR can also be used in a quantitative manner in this kind of comparative measurement.     

Observing relationships in Finnish adoptive families: Oulu Family Rating Scale

Adoption studies were intended to separate genetic from environmental "causal" factors. In earlier adoption studies, psychiatric diagnostic labels for the adoptive parents were used as a proxy for the multiple dimensions of the family rearing environment. In the Finnish Adoption Study, research design provided the opportunity to study directly the adoptive family rearing environment. For this purpose 33 sub-scales were selected creating what we call Oulu Family Rating Scale (OPAS, Oulun PerheArviointiSkaala). In this paper, the manual for scoring of these sub-scales is presented.     

Is prenatal alcohol exposure related to inattention and hyperactivity symptoms in children? Disentangling the effects of social adversity

Background:  Studies concerning whether exposure to low levels of maternal alcohol consumption during fetal development is related to child inattention and hyperactivity symptoms have shown conflicting results. We examine the contribution of covariates related to social adversity to resolve some inconsistencies in the extant research by conducting parallel analyses of three cohorts with varying alcohol consumption and attitudes towards alcohol use.
Methods:  We compare three population-based pregnancy–offspring cohorts within the Nordic Network on ADHD from Denmark and Finland. Prenatal data were gathered via self-report during pregnancy and birth outcomes were abstracted from medical charts. A total of 21,678 reports concerning inattention and hyperactivity symptoms in children were available from the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire or the Rutter Scale completed by parents and/or teachers.
Results:  Drinking patterns differed cross-nationally. Women who had at least some social adversity (young, low education, or being single) were more likely to drink than those better off in the Finnish cohort, but the opposite was true for the Danish cohorts. Prenatal alcohol exposure was not related to risk for a high inattention-hyperactivity symptom score in children across cohorts after adjustment for covariates. In contrast, maternal smoking and social adversity during pregnancy were independently and consistently associated with an increase in risk of child symptoms.
Conclusions:  Low doses of alcohol consumption during pregnancy were not related to child inattention/hyperactivity symptoms once social adversity and smoking were taken into account.     

Psychometric Properties of the Problematic Gaming Questionnaire Used to Assess Finnish Adolescents

International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction - In recent years, problematic gaming behavior has been a phenomenon of growing interest and in need of further empirical research worldwide....     

Development of a Research Dedicated Archival System (TARAS) in a University Hospital

Recent healthcare policies have influenced the manner in which patient data is handled in research projects, and the regulations concerning protected health information have become significantly tighter. Thus, new procedures are needed to facilitate research while protecting the confidentiality of patient data and ensuring the integrity of clinical work in the expanding environment of electronic files and databases. We have addressed this problem in a university hospital setting by developing the Tampere Research Archival System (TARAS), an extensive data warehouse for research purposes. This dynamic system includes numerous integrated and pseudonymized imaging studies and clinical data. In a pilot study on asthma patients, we tested and improved the functionality of the data archival system. TARAS is feasible to use in retrieving, analyzing, and processing both image and non-image data. In this paper, we present a detailed workflow of the implementation process of the data warehouse, paying special attention to administrative, ethical, practical, and data security concerns. The establishment of TARAS will enhance and accelerate research practice at Tampere University Hospital, while also improving the safety of patient information as well as the prospects for national and international research collaboration. We hope that much can be learned from our experience of planning, designing, and implementing a research data warehouse combining imaging studies and medical records in a university hospital.