A 6 year follow-up of childhood enuresis: Prevalence in adolescence and consequences for mental health

Recent studies have shown an association between enuresis and behavioural or emotional problems. The direction or causality of the association and its duration, however, remain unclear. This study followed a large group of children from ages 11 to 15 years and reported the prevalence of enuresis to age 13 years. The enuretic status of the sample at age 11 years was established relative to the history of enuresis at age 9 years. At age 11 years a significant association was found between enuresis and measures of psychopathology. This association was particularly evident for those children with secondary enuresis, and those who had a history of enuresis but had ceased to wet the bed. Current primary enuresis was not significantly associated with disorder. Similar associations were found between enuresis at age 11 and later disorder at age 13. At age 15 years no significant associations between enuresis and disorder were found. These findings have implications for parents of children with enuresis and for clinicians dealing with the disorder.     

Hepatic collagen proline hydroxylase activity in primary biliary cirrhosis

The enzyme collagen proline hydroxylase has been measured in liver biopsies from fourteen patients with primary biliary cirrhosis. The activity was elevated in ten of the patients, but not to the degree previously found in patients with active cirrhosis. There was no correlation between the enzyme activity and the liver copper concentration, which was elevated in all except one of those measured. This suggests that excessive collagen synthesis in PBC is not directly related to the high liver copper concentrations.     

Sevoflurane elimination kinetics in children

We compared the rates of elimination of sevoflurane and halothane in 29 children, aged between one and seven years, undergoing ambulatory anaesthesia. Analgesia was provided by fentanyl and muscle relaxation by atracurium. Anaesthesia was maintained by inhalation of one MAC of either sevoflurane or halothane, based on an equipotent concentration of each agent for the age of the child. Following simultaneous discontinuation of N₂O and the inhalational agent, the equation describing N₂O washout was identical in the presence of halothane and sevoflurane, showing that there was no effect of the volatile agent on the rate of N₂O elimination. The elimination of sevoflurane and N₂O give similar types of equations. Halothane elimination gives a logarithmic type of equation, showing a slower release, corresponding to residual tissue content.