Hair cortisol analysis: An update on methodological considerations and clinical applications.

Background: Hair cortisol analysis is increasingly being appreciated and applied in both research and medicine, aiding endocrinologists with diagnosis.

Content: We provide an overview of hair cortisol research in general and an update on methodological considerations including the incorporation of cortisol into hair, hair growth rates, and sampling procedures, mincing vs. grinding of samples during preparation for extraction, various extraction protocols, and quantification techniques.

Hair cortisol concentrations in war-affected adolescents: A prospective intervention trial.

Temporal examinations of the biological signature of stress or trauma in war-affected populations are seldom undertaken. Moreover, few studies have examined whether stress biomarkers track biological sensitivity to brief interventions targeting the improvement of psychosocial wellbeing. Our study is the first to prospectively examine, in war-affected adolescents, the associations between hair cortisol concentrations (HCC) and self-reports of stress, insecurity, posttraumatic reactions, and lifetime trauma.

Oral morphine versus ibuprofen administered at home for postoperative orthopedic pain in children: a randomized controlled trial.

Background: Oral morphine for postoperative pain after minor pediatric surgery, while increasingly popular, is not supported by evidence. We evaluated whether oral morphine was superior to ibuprofen for at-home management of children's postoperative pain.

Methods: We conducted a randomized superiority trial comparing oral morphine (0.

Adverse Drug Reactions in Children: The Double-Edged Sword of Therapeutics.

Adverse drug reactions (ADRs) represent a major health problem worldwide, with high morbidity and mortality rates. ADRs are classified into Type A (augmented) and Type B (bizarre) ADRs, with the former group being more common and the latter less common but often severe and clinically more problematic due to their unpredictable nature and occurrence at any dose. Pediatric populations are especially vulnerable to ADRs due to the lack of data for this age group from the drug development process and because of the wide use of off-label and unlicensed use of drugs.

An International Asset Map of Clinicians, Educators, and Researchers Pursuing Better Medicine Use in Children: Initial Findings.

The world's 1.89 billion children (age 0-14) too frequently receive treatments that have not been validated through clinical pharmacology research, especially in low- and middle-income countries. Initial findings from an international asset map of professionals and clinician scientists available to address the needs for education, research, and treatment support suggest a critical shortage of clinical pharmacologists, clinical pharmacists, and other professionals with advanced training in the evaluation of therapies for childhood conditions and illnesses.

Drug-induced acute kidney injury in children.

Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a serious problem occurring in anywhere between 8 and 30% of children in the intensive care unit. Up to 25% of these cases are believed to be the result of pharmacotherapy. In this review we have focused on several relevant drugs and/or drug classes, which are known to cause AKI in children, including cancer chemotherapeutics, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and antimicrobials.

Magnetically guided capsule versus conventional gastroscopy for upper abdominal complaints: a prospective blinded study.

Objectives: Upper gastrointestinal endoscopy is mostly performed under sedation and has a low yield of relevant gastric lesions in patients without alarm symptoms. Simpler screening tests such as capsule endoscopy could be helpful, but gastric visualization is insufficient with the current passive capsules. A magnetically guided gastric capsule was prospectively evaluated in patients with routine indications for gastroscopy.

A prospective national study on colonoscopy and sigmoidoscopy in 2000 in France.

Aim: The aim of this study was to evaluate the practice of colonoscopy and sigmoidoscopy in France in 2000.

Methods: A prospective study was conducted in November 2000 using questionnaires sent to all gastroenterologists practicing in France (N=2858) who were asked to reply to items concerning colonoscopies and sigmoidoscopies performed on two workdays chosen in advance. The response rate was 32.

The European Diploma of Gastroenterology: progress towards harmonization of standards.

The European Diploma of Gastroenterology has now been established by the European Board of Gastroenterology (EBG) and has been awarded to several individual doctors and to training centres. The EBG is a working party of the Gastroenterology Section of the European Union of Medical Specialists. The Diploma can be awarded to individual doctors who have been recognized as specialists in their own countries; trained in approved centres; and satisfied the training criteria of the EBG.

Metal stents for palliation of rectal carcinoma: a preliminary report on 12 patients.

Background And Study Aims: Laser therapy is often the only alternative to palliative surgery for elderly patients with advanced rectal carcinoma. In order to reduce the number of laser sessions required, we tried to insert metal stents after initial relief of the obstruction.

Patients And Methods: In 12 patients (seven female, five male, aged 77-91 years) with rectal or rectosigmoid carcinomas, metallic self-expanding stents (length 5-10 cm, internal diameter 1-2 cm) were introduced.