A randomized placebo-controlled trial of traditional Chinese medicine as an add-on therapy to oral montelukast in the treatment of mild persistent asthma in children.

Objectives: Traditional Chinese medicine are commonly used for treatment of asthma. However, there are only very limited data about its efficacy in children. Therefore, we aimed to determine the efficacy of augmented Yu Ping Feng San (aYPFS) as an add-on to oral montelukast compared with montelukast alone for treatment of mild persistent asthma in children.

A community-based cross-sectional immunisation survey in parents of primary school students.

Immunisation is a very important aspect of child health. Invasive pneumococcal and influenza diseases have been major vaccine-available communicable diseases. We surveyed demographics and attitudes of parents of primary school students who received pneumococcal conjugate vaccination (PCV) and compared them with those who did not receive pneumococcal vaccination.

Pneumonia in childhood and impaired lung function in adults: a longitudinal study.

Background: Diminished lung function and increased prevalence of asthma have been reported in children with a history of early lower respiratory illnesses (LRIs), including pneumonia. Whether these associations persist up to adulthood has not been established.

Methods: As part of the prospective Tucson Children's Respiratory Study, LRIs during the first 3 years of life were ascertained by pediatricians.

Rotavirus incidence in hospitalised Hong Kong children: 1 July 1997 to 31 March 2011.

Sentinel laboratory surveillance from one hospital and passive discharge diagnosis (Clinical Management System, CMS) data from all public Hospital Authority (HA) hospitals were used to estimate disease burden and incidence of rotavirus in hospitalised Hong Kong children over 14 rotavirus seasons (1 July 1997 to 31 March 2011). A primary diagnosis of a gastroenteritis-related disorder was noted in 9.8% of children aged below 5 years, and a primary or secondary diagnosis in 11.

Hospitalizations for varicella in children and adolescents in a referral hospital in Hong Kong, 2004 to 2008: a time series study.

Background: Varicella accounts for significant morbidities and remains a public health issue worldwide. Climatic factors have been shown to associate with the incidence and transmission of various infectious diseases. We describe the epidemiology of varicella in paediatric patients hospitalized at a tertiary referral hospital in Hong Kong from 2004 to 2008, and to explore the possible association between the occurrence of varicella infection and various climatic factors.