Usefulness of cerebral NIRS in detecting the effects of pediatric sleep apnea.

Background: Children with sleep apnea have increased morbidity if the sleep apnea is untreated. Polysomnography (PSG) is used to detect sleep apnea, but in children, there are technical difficulties that make the diagnosis more difficult. Cerebral near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) has the ability to detect tissue hypoxia by measuring regional oxygen saturation (rSO2 ).

Asthma morbidity and ambient air pollution: effect modification by residential traffic-related air pollution.

Background: Ambient air pollution has been associated with asthma-related hospital admissions and emergency department visits (hospital encounters). We hypothesized that higher individual exposure to residential traffic-related air pollutants would enhance these associations.

Methods: We studied 11,390 asthma-related hospital encounters among 7492 subjects 0-18 years of age living in Orange County, California.

Novel CFTR variants identified during the first 3 years of cystic fibrosis newborn screening in California.

California uses a unique method to screen newborns for cystic fibrosis (CF) that includes gene scanning and DNA sequencing after only one California-40 cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) panel mutation has been identified in hypertrypsinogenemic specimens. Newborns found by sequencing to have one or more additional mutations or variants (including novel variants) in the CFTR gene are systematically followed, allowing for prospective assessment of the pathogenic potential of these variants. During the first 3 years of screening, 55 novel variants were identified.

Lung function measurement in the assessment of childhood asthma: recent important developments.

Purpose Of Review: To present three clinically important developments related to the utilization of pulmonary function to objectively assess the asthmatic child.

Recent Findings: The new asthma guidelines (2007) have added the forced expiratory volume in 1 s/forced vital capacity (FEV1/FVC) ratio to the FEV1 as spirometric criteria for classifying asthma. Although a better indicator of airway obstruction, it has not clearly been shown to correlate with clinical criteria.

Repeated hospital encounters for asthma in children and exposure to traffic-related air pollution near the home.

Background: Aggregate hospital encounters for asthma (admissions or emergency department visits) have been associated with daily regional air pollution. There are fewer data on relationships between repeated hospital encounters and traffic-related air pollution near the home.

Objective: To estimate the association of local traffic-generated air pollution with repeated hospital encounters for asthma in children.

Treatment with tobramycin solution for inhalation reduces hospitalizations in young CF subjects with mild lung disease.

Our objective was to study the effect of tobramycin solution for inhalation (TSI; TOBI, Chiron Corp.) on lung function decline rate in 400 young persons with cystic fibrosis (CF) and mild lung disease. Effects on hospitalization, antibiotic use, school days missed, and nutritional status also were determined.