Prevention and contrast of child abuse and neglect in the practice of European paediatricians: a multi-national pilot study.

Background: Child abuse and neglect, or maltreatment, is a serious public health problem, which may cause long-term effects on children's health and wellbeing and expose them to further adulthood vulnerabilities. Studies on child maltreatment performed in Europe are scarce, and the number of participants enrolled relatively small. The aim of this multi-national European pilot study, was to evaluate the level of understanding and perception of the concepts of child abuse and neglect by European paediatricians working in different medical settings, and the attitude toward these forms of maltreatment in their practice.

Endothelin-1-induced elevations in purine metabolite concentrations -- autoregulatory protection in the canine pericardium?

Pericardial fluid accumulates the cardioprotective purine metabolites, as well as the endogenous vasoconstrictor agent endothelin-1 (ET-1). The aim of the present study was to characterize the pericardial concentrations of the purine metabolites adenosine, inosine and hypoxanthine before and after intrapericardial administration of ET-1 to the in situ heart. The closed pericardial sac of anaesthetized dogs (n=9) was cannulated for ET-1 administration and for obtaining native pericardial fluid and control pericardial infusate samples (C1 and C2), as well as consecutive pericardial infusate samples (samples I, II and III) obtained 15 min after intrapericardial administration of 150 pmol/kg ET-1.

Pericardial concentrations of adenosine, inosine and hypoxanthine in an experimental canine model of spastic ischaemia.

It has been shown that the adenosine concentration in the pericardial fluid of the normal heart is higher by one order of magnitude than that of the venous plasma. A further increase in the pericardial adenosine concentration was also demonstrated in myocardial ischaemia or hypoxia. It was proposed that pericardial nucleoside levels may represent the interstitial concentrations of the adenine nucleosides.