Safety of levocetirizine treatment in young atopic children: An 18-month study

There are more than 40 H(1)-antihistamines available worldwide. Most of these medications have never been optimally studied in prospective, randomized, double-masked, placebo-controlled trials in children. The aim was to perform a long-term study of levocetirizine safety in young atopic children. In the randomized, double-masked Early Prevention of Asthma in Atopic Children Study, 510 atopic children who were age 12-24 months at entry received either levocetirizine 0.125 mg/kg or placebo twice daily for 18 months. Safety was assessed by: reporting of adverse events, numbers of children discontinuing the study because of adverse events, height and body mass measurements, assessment of developmental milestones, and hematology and biochemistry tests. The population evaluated for safety consisted of 255 children given levocetirizine and 255 children given placebo. The treatment groups were similar demographically, and with regard to number of children with: one or more adverse events (levocetirizine, 96.9%; placebo, 95.7%); serious adverse events (levocetirizine, 12.2%; placebo, 14.5%); medication-attributed adverse events (levocetirizine, 5.1%; placebo, 6.3%); and adverse events that led to permanent discontinuation of study medication (levocetirizine, 2.0%; placebo, 1.2%). The most frequent adverse events related to: upper respiratory tract infections, transient gastroenteritis symptoms, or exacerbations of allergic diseases. There were no significant differences between the treatment groups in height, mass, attainment of developmental milestones, and hematology and biochemistry tests. The long-term safety of levocetirizine has been confirmed in young atopic children.     

A population-based study of repeat hospital admissions due to interpersonal violence for children aged 0–9 years

To assess the magnitude and nature of interpersonal violence resulting in hospitalisation of children and to identify subgroups at risk of repeat hospital admissions, a population-based, retrospective study of all violence hospitalisations in Western Australia for children aged 9 years or less was undertaken, using the 1990–2004 linked data retrieved from the Western Australian Mortality Database and the Hospital Morbidity Data System.
Of the 747 patients aged <10 years incurring 834 hospitalisations for the consequences of violence during the study period, 570 (76%) were less than 4 years of age. A total of 43 deaths from violence were recorded and 74 (9%) patients were admitted for more than one episode of violence. Victims aged 0–4 years from rural (hazard ratio [HR] = 2.72; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.35, 5.43) and remote parts (HR = 2.79; 95% CI 1.25, 6.25) of the state were at increased risk of a subsequent admission for violence compared with those residing within the metropolitan area. Indigenous children aged 5–9 years were significantly more likely (HR = 3.57; 95% CI 1.14, 11.13) to incur a second hospitalisation for violence than their non-Indigenous counterparts. The identification of young victim subgroups at high risk of repeat hospitalisations is important for developing intervention strategies to reduce the burden of interpersonal violence. Young children aged 0–4 years living in rural and remote locations and Indigenous children aged 5–9 years should be specifically targeted for attention.     

Working With Human Research Protections

PURPOSE: To provide a primer for novice nurse scientists about the increasingly regulated human research environment. ORGANIZING CONSTRUCTS: Federal regulations and international guidelines about protection of human research participants are discussed, with particular attention to institutional review boards for human research. CONCLUSION: Understanding the processes used by institutional review boards to foster ethical human research promotes collaborative interactions and supports compliant research work.     

心脏跳动下修补小儿室间隔缺损的临床研究

目的　探讨在浅低温体外循环心脏跳动下完成小儿室间隔缺损修补术的可行性。方法　 18例小儿室间隔缺损随机分为观察组和对照组 ,观察组在浅低温体外循环心跳下修补室间隔缺损 ,对照组为常规心脏停跳下修补室间缺损。测定心肌同功酶释放和三磷酸腺苷 ,观察左室压力 ,评价术野显露及气栓预防效果等。结果　观察组心肌同功酶释放明显低于对照组 ,三磷酸腺苷含量明显高于对照组 ,心肌超微结构基本正常 ,术中左室压力低于主动脉压力 ,术后无气栓发生。结论　浅低温体外循环心脏跳动下行小儿室间隔缺损修补术能更好地保护心肌。术野显露技术和防气栓的方法简便可行。     

Bipolar disorder in children and adolescents: obstacles to early diagnosis and future directions

Aim: This article reviews research centred around juvenile bipolar disorder with particular reference to diagnostic difficulties. Putative deficits are scrutinized with respect to trait likelihood and the roles of neuropsychology and neuroimaging in enhancing our understanding of juvenile bipolar disorder are discussed. Methods: Search terms including childhood, adolescent, youth and juvenile combined with the terms ‘bipolar disorder’, mania, depression and hypomania were used to identify relevant studies in MEDLINE and PsychLit. Results: Over recent years research into this relatively new disorder has increased phenomenally. Key issues within the field include diagnostic specificity, the heritability of the disorder, the impact of comorbidity and the implications of neuropsychological and neuroimaging findings. Conclusion: Despite concerning controversies in literature the diagnosis of bipolar disorder in children and adolescents as compared with adults, promising future research directions include better neurological characterization of the disorder through the application of findings from clinical populations, neuropsychological and neuroimaging research.     

促红细胞生成素心肌保护作用的研究进展

促红细胞生成素（erythropoietin，EPO）是一种造血细胞生长因子，主要用于治疗多种原因所致的贫血。近年来其非造血生物作用逐渐引起关注，EPO具有组织保护作用，这一作用涉及多种不同组织和细胞，心肌保护一直是心血管病研究领域重要、关键的课题。EPO对心肌保护的作用近两年已渐有报道，这无疑为临床心肌保护的研究提供了新的思路和方向。现就EPO心肌保护作用的相关研究成果、发现以及有待解决的问题作一综述。     

Family Stress and Functioning in Children: the Moderating Effects of Children''s Beliefs About Their Control Over Parental Conflict

While factors such as gender and SES have been studied as moderators of stress for children, their perceptions of control have received little attention. In the current study, children's domain-specific perceptions of their control during marital conflict were investigated as potential moderators of the impact of family stress on children's behavior problems, and perceptions of competence. Ninety-four children aged 6-12 years and mothers from families ranging in level of parental conflict from nondiscordant to discordant to physically violent were interviewed. Multiple regression analyses revealed that higher levels of conflict control beliefs acted as compensatory moderators of stress, being associated with lower levels of problem behaviors across stress levels. However, higher conflict control beliefs acted as vulnerability moderators with regard to children's perceptions of competence.     

1336例病残儿医学鉴定结果分析

目的探讨泰安市病残儿的病因及优生对策。方法对泰安市连续四年经医学鉴定确诊的1336例病残儿进行分析。结果病残儿重出现最高的为神经系统疾病，为613例，占病残儿总数的45．88％，其次为五官疾病222例，第三为心血管畸形146例。造成以上病残的原因有遗传因素、环境因素及产时因素。结论必须大力开展优生优育咨询，加强孕期保健，提高产科质量，做好婴幼儿监护。     

颈动脉狭窄在脑保护装置下的支架置入治疗

目的探讨颈动脉狭窄患者支架治疗中的脑保护装置的有效性和安全性及治疗意义。方法对14例颈动脉狭窄患者进行血管内支架治疗。全部应用了脑保护装置(滤网型)。结果14例患者成功地释放了18枚自膨式支架。其中2例发生微栓子脱落轻度卒中,治疗1～3d完全恢复,颈动脉狭窄6例出现短暂性心率减慢和低血压。随访期所有患者均未发生脑梗死。结论在支架治疗中,脑保护装置的应用可减少治疗中的神经并发症,是一种有效和安全的治疗方法。     

An Academic Internist Looks at Euthanasia

This paper points out that to persons unfamiliar with the context and suffering of dying patients, their loved ones, and last, but by no means least, the health care team can only discuss the very concrete question of euthanasia in an abstract way unaware of the fact that this question must, in the final analysis, be differently addressed in different specific patients and under specific circumstances. This paper poses questions which must be addressed and will rarely find a good answer but at least the best among a series of unpalatable options. It again points out the important and legitimate place that emotions play in decision-making.