Neonates living with enterostomy following necrotising enterocolitis are at high risk of becoming severely underweight.

Necrotising enterocolitis (NEC) is often managed with a temporary enterostomy. Neonates with enterostomy are at risk of growth retardation during critical neurodevelopment. We examined their growth using z-score.

Diagnosis and management of children with Blue Rubber Bleb Nevus Syndrome: A multi-center case series.

Background: Blue Rubber Bleb Nevus Syndrome (BRBNS) is a rare, severe, sporadically occurring disorder characterized by multiple venous malformations.

Aims: To present and analyze a case series of pediatric patients with BRBNS and to describe diagnostic approaches and management options applied.

Patients And Methods: Multicenter, retrospective study, evaluating the diagnosis and management of children with BRBNS.

Swim drink study: a randomised controlled trial of during-exercise rehydration and swimming performance.

Objective: To determine whether during-exercise rehydration improves swimming performance and whether sports drink or water have differential effects on performance.

Design: Randomised controlled multiple crossover trial.

Setting: A UK competitive swimming club.

Age-associated modifications of intestinal permeability and innate immunity in human small intestine.

The physical and immunological properties of the human intestinal epithelial barrier in aging are largely unknown. Ileal biopsies from young (7-12 years), adult (20-40 years) and aging (67-77 years) individuals not showing symptoms of gastrointestinal (GI) pathologies were used to assess levels of inflammatory cytokines, barrier integrity and cytokine production in response to microbial challenges. Increased expression of interleukin (IL)-6, but not interferon (IFN)γ, tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-α and IL-1β was observed during aging; further analysis showed that cluster of differentiation (CD)11c(+) dendritic cells (DCs) are one of the major sources of IL-6 in the aging gut and expressed higher levels of CD40.

Weight gain with pizotifen therapy.

Objective: To describe the characteristics of weight gain occurring in children treated for migranous conditions with pizotifen

Design: Retrospective case note review

Setting: West Suffolk Hospital between 1999 and 2003 PATIENTS: 405 clinic attendances of 121 children receiving pizotifen treatment

Main Outcome Measures: Rates of change in weight for age z score between successive outpatient appointments were used to detect excessive weight gain.

Results: The mean rate of weight z score increase for 105 patients receiving a constant dosage in 181 intervals between appointments was 0.79 standard deviations per year compared with 0.

Fate of swallowed interleukin 8 and TNF alpha, and effect on the Wistar rat gut.

To evaluate the passage of cytokines through the gastrointestinal tract, we investigated the digestion of interleukin-8 (IL-8) and tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNF alpha), in vitro and in vivo, and their propensity to induce intestinal inflammation. We serially immuno-assayed IL-8 and TNF alpha solutions co-incubated with each of three pancreatin preparations at pH 4.5 and pH 8.

Malnutrition, gastroenteritis and trypsinogen concentration in hospitalised Aboriginal children.

Objective: To explore relationships between malnutrition and pancreatic damage in hospitalised aboriginal children.

Methods: Immunoreactive trypsinogen (IRT) concentrations were measured in two populations of hospitalised aboriginal children in Australia: 472 children aged 0-3 years, in Alice Springs (Northern Territory); and 187 children aged 0-16 years in Mount Isa (Queensland). Correlation of whole blood IRT with height and weight z-scores, four-site skinfold thickness and upper arm circumference was sought.

Colonoscopy preparation in children: safety, efficacy, and tolerance of high- versus low-volume cleansing methods.

Background: The use of large-volume electrolyte balanced solutions as preparation for colonoscopy often results in poor patient compliance and acceptance. The tolerance, safety, and efficacy of high-versus low-volume colon-cleansing methods as preparation for colonoscopy in children were compared by randomized operator-blinded trial.

Methods: Twenty-nine children ages 3.

Mutations in the granulocyte colony-stimulating factor receptor gene in patients with severe congenital neutropenia.

Previously, nonsense mutations in the gene encoding the granulocyte colony-stimulating factor receptor (G-CSF-R) have been described in three patients with severe congenital neutropenia (SCN) (Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 1994; 91: 4480; New Engl J Med 1995; 333: 487). The mutations resulted in the truncation of the carboxy-terminal region of G-CSF-R essential for transduction of maturation signals. Two of these patients developed acute myeloblastic leukemia (AML).

Dominantly inherited severe congenital neutropenia.

We report a family with autosomal dominant inherited neutropenia, characterized by maturation arrest of neutrophil precursors and hypergammaglobulinaemia. A mother, two children by her first marriage and two by her second were affected. They suffered recurrent lung, skin, ear and periodontal infections.

Estimating the surface area of the human body.

A number of formulae have been suggested for estimating the surface area (SA) of a human body from measurements of height H and weight W. Most of these are of the same functional form, namely InSA = a(0) + a1lnH + a2lnW in logarithmic terms, but have quite different values of the coefficients. We show that they are all essentially equivalent in view of the strong linear relation between lnH and lnW.

Faecal interleukin-8 and tumour necrosis factor-alpha concentrations in cystic fibrosis.

Interleukin-8 (IL-8) and tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) concentrations were measured in faecal samples from nine patients with cystic fibrosis and nine healthy age matched controls. The patients were assessed with Shwachman score, apparent energy absorption, pancreatic enzyme dosage, simple spirometry, and presence of pseudomonal colonisation. Median (range) wet stool IL-8 and TNF-alpha concentrations in patients were 32,113 pg/g (21,656-178,128) and 3187 pg/g (368-17,611) respectively, compared with < 43.

Surface area estimation: pocket calculator v nomogram.

Three sheets of 10 surface area determinations were completed by 10 subjects using a nomogram and a formula. The formula was faster to calculate, 4.27 v 7.