Shellfish allergy in children

Food allergies affect approximately 3.5–4.0% of the world's population and can range from a mere inconvenience to a life-threatening condition. Over 90% of food allergies in childhood are caused by eight foods: cow's milk, hen's egg, soy, peanuts, tree nuts, wheat, fish, and shellfish. Shellfish allergy is known to be common and persistent in adults, and is an important cause of food induced anaphylaxis around the world for both children and adults. Most shellfish-allergic children have sensitivity to dust mite and cockroach allergens. Diagnostic cut-off levels for skin prick testing in children with shrimp allergy exist but there are no diagnostic serum-specific immunoglobulin E (IgE) values. All patients with symptoms of IgE-mediated reactions to shellfish should receive epinephrine autoinjectors, even if the initial symptoms are mild. In this study, we review three cases of clinical presentations of shellfish allergy in children.     

Pseudointercondylar notch sign: manifestation of osteochondritis dissecans of the trochlea

Osteochondritis dissecans (OCD) is an idiopathic condition affecting the articular epiphysis. Initially described in the knee, this entity affects several other parts of the body such as the talar dome, tarsal navicular, and femoral capital epiphysis. OCD of the elbow primarily involves the capitellum. OCD involving the trochlea has rarely been reported. We describe an unusual and interesting case of OCD affecting the trochlea, mimicking a pseudointercondylar notch.     

Approval summary: sunitinib for the treatment of imatinib refractory or intolerant gastrointestinal stromal tumors and advanced renal cell carcinoma.

PURPOSE: To describe the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) review and approval of sunitinib malate (Sutent). Sunitinib received regular approval for the treatment of gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST) after disease progression or intolerance to imatinib mesylate (Gleevec). Additionally, sunitinib received accelerated approval for the treatment of advanced renal cell carcinoma. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: For the GIST indication, FDA reviewed data from a randomized, placebo-controlled trial with supportive evidence from a single-arm study. For the advanced renal cell carcinoma indication, FDA reviewed data from two single-arm studies of patients with cytokine-refractory metastatic renal cell carcinoma. RESULTS: In patients with imatinib refractory or intolerant GIST, time-to-tumor progression of sunitinib-treated patients was superior to that of placebo-treated patients. Median time-to-tumor progression of sunitinib-treated patients was 27.3 weeks, compared with 6.4 weeks for placebo-treated patients (P < 0.0001). Partial responses were observed in 6.8% of sunitinib-treated patients. In patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma, partial responses were observed in 25.5% (95% confidence interval, 17.5, 34.9) and 36.5% (95% confidence interval, 24.7, 49.6) of patients treated with sunitinib. Median response durations were 27.1 and 54 weeks. The most common adverse events attributed to sunitinib included diarrhea, mucositis, skin abnormalities, and altered taste. Reductions in left ventricular ejection fraction and severe hypertension were also more common in sunitinib-treated patients. CONCLUSIONS: On January 26, 2006, the FDA approved sunitinib for the treatment of patients with imatinib refractory or intolerant GIST. Accelerated approval was granted for the treatment of advanced renal cell carcinoma.     

Ferritin concentrations in dried serum spots from capillary and venous blood in children in Sri Lanka: a validation study

BACKGROUND: Assessing iron status continues to be challenging in field situations. Spot methods developed for analyzing ferritin from serum or plasma samples that are spotted and dried on filter paper have been shown to provide reliable and accurate iron-status assessments. However, the spot methods are based on samples from venous serum or plasma and have not been evaluated in field settings. OBJECTIVE: We evaluated the validity of analyzing ferritin to assess iron status by using venous and capillary dried-serum-spot (DSS) samples by the spot method compared with using serum ferritin by the traditional method in a field setting. DESIGN: Venous and capillary blood was obtained from healthy schoolchildren (n = 100; +/- SD age: 8.9 +/- 0.3 y) in Colombo, Sri Lanka. To prepare DSS samples, we aliquoted precisely 20 microL serum per spot on filter paper, air-dried the spots, and placed them in airtight plastic bags until analysis by the spot ferritin method with the use of cellulase from Trichoderma reesei at 2 wk after collection. Venous serum (100 microL) was frozen until ferritin determination by traditional radioimmunoassay. RESULTS: Venous and capillary DSS ferritin values correlated strongly with traditional serum ferritin values (r = 0.88 and 0.86, respectively; P = 0.0001). The geometric means (+/- 1 SD) for venous and capillary DSS ferritin and traditional ferritin were 26.9 (15.3-47.4), 33.9 (20.9-54.8), and 33.1 (18.6-58.8) microg/L, respectively, and were not significantly different. Venous and capillary DSS methods on average (+/- SD) yielded ferritin values that were 5.8 +/- 10.1 microg/L lower and 0.1 +/- 9.4 microg/L higher, respectively, than serum ferritin values obtained with the traditional method. CONCLUSIONS: Capillary and venous DSS methods for analyzing ferritin provide accurate tools for assessing iron status. Furthermore, capillary DSS ferritin is a practical means of detecting iron deficiency in field settings.     

Antipsychotics and the risk of sudden cardiac death

BACKGROUND: Case reports link antipsychotic drugs with sudden cardiac deaths, which is consistent with dose-related electrophysiologic effects. Because this association has not been confirmed in controlled studies, we conducted a retrospective cohort study in Tennessee Medicaid enrollees, which included many antipsychotic users; there were also computer files describing medication use and comorbidity. The study was conducted before the introduction of risperidone and, thus, did not include the newer atypical agents. METHODS: The cohort included 481,744 persons with 1,282,996 person-years of follow-up. This included 26,749 person-years for current moderate-dose antipsychotic use (>100-mg thioridazine equivalents), 31,864 person-years for current low-dose antipsychotic use, 37,881 person-years for use in the past year only, and 1 186,501 person-years for no use. The cohort had 1487 confirmed sudden cardiac deaths; from these, we calculated multivariate rate ratios adjusted for potential confounding factors. RESULTS: When current moderate-dose antipsychotic use was compared with nonuse, the multivariate rate ratio was 2.39 (95% confidence interval, 1.77-3.22; P<.001). This was greater than that for current low-dose (rate ratio, 1.30; 95% confidence interval, 0.98-1.72; P=.003) and former (rate ratio, 1.20; 95% confidence interval, 0.91-1.58; P<.001) use. Among cohort members with severe cardiovascular disease, current moderate-dose users had a 3.53-fold (95% confidence interval, 1.66-7.51) increased rate relative to comparable nonusers ( P<.001), resulting in 367 additional deaths per 10,000 person-years of follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: Patients prescribed moderate doses of antipsychotics had large relative and absolute increases in the risk of sudden cardiac death. Although the study data cannot demonstrate causality, they suggest that the potential adverse cardiac effects of antipsychotics should be considered in clinical practice, particularly for patients with cardiovascular disease.     

Suicide incidence in the Lalitpur district of Central Nepal

Suicide is an important cause of death in developing and developed countries. Because of its multifactorial nature it is often difficult to study. Suicide also brings with it social stigma and, in some cases, legal repercussions. Suicide is generally underreported and, therefore, services directed at decreasing its incidence are not given priority.This retrospective study of suicide deaths over a period of 2 years in the Lalitpur district of rural Nepal demonstrates the complicated issues involved, and suggests some appropriate strategies for addressing suicide risk.