[The abused and neglected child in Switzerland].

Pediatricians form part of children's and young people's most important extra-familial relations. They are thus especially well placed: first, to discover abuse of any kind, and second to put in motion the first years of measures of assistance for the children and their families. The first years of life are decisive for effective prevention of abuse and neglect, and for the development of a healthy personality.

Persistent microalbuminuria in adolescents with type I (insulin-dependent) diabetes mellitus is associated to early rather than late puberty. Results of a prospective longitudinal study.

Microalbuminuria is generally accepted to be highly predictive of overt diabetic nephropathy which is the leading cause of end-stage renal failure and, consequently, of death in patients with type 1 (insulin-dependent) diabetes mellitus (IDDM). Its early identification and therapy are exceedingly important. We studied prospectively the occurrence of microalbuminuria (MA) in relation to puberty and its pubertal stages in 164 children and adolescent patients (83 girls and 81 boys) with IDDM.

Fetal haemoglobin levels in adult type 1 (insulin-dependent) diabetic patients.

Glycated haemoglobin levels (HbA1 and HbA1c) are established parameters of long-term glycaemic control in diabetic patients. Depending on the method used, fetal haemoglobin interferes with the assays for glycated haemoglobin. If present in high amounts, fetal haemoglobin may lead to overestimation of glycated haemoglobin levels, and therefore, of average blood glucose concentration in diabetic patients.

Persistent müllerian duct syndrome: a case report.

The persistent Müllerian duct syndrome is a rare disorder of sexual development. We report on a 4 month-old male who presented with a left-sided inguinal hernia and undescended testes. During the repair of the hernia 2 testes, 1 fallopian tube and an uterus were observed.

Risks of alternative nutrition in infancy: a case report of severe iodine and carnitine deficiency.

A 7.5-month-old infant with failure to thrive, developmental delay, muscular hypotonia, a visible goitre and severe osteopenia is described. Laboratory examination revealed a markedly increased serum TSH with low free T4, severe iodine and carnitine deficiency.