Correction to: Does specialist physician supply affect pediatric asthma health outcomes?

In the original publication of this article [1], the institutional author's name needs to be revised from The Paediatric Chairs of Canada Mark Bernstein to The Paediatric Chairs of Canada.

Does specialist physician supply affect pediatric asthma health outcomes?

Background: Pediatrician and pediatric subspecialist density varies substantially among the various Canadian provinces, as well as among various states in the US. It is unknown whether this variability impacts health outcomes. To study this knowledge gap, we evaluated pediatric asthma admission rates within the 2 Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Saskatchewan, which have similarly sized pediatric populations and substantially different physician densities.

Screening and referral to identify children at risk for FASD: Search for new methods 2006-2013.

As part of the Canadian Association of Paediatric Health Centres Taskforce on FASD Screening commitment to further pilot, validate and evaluate the multiple components of the Canadian FASD Screening Tool Kit, it was deemed necessary that recent developments and/or improvements in FASD screening were identified and considered. In 2008 a literature review of methods for screening for FASD was published until 2006 and identified five tools which met pre-set criteria. A review of all new papers was published from the period January 2006 until July 1, 2013.

The maternal drinking history guide: development of a national educational tool.

Background: The National Taskforce for the development of screening tools for FASD has identified maternal drinking as a critical area that should be screened. We describe the steps of development and implementation of a knowledge translation program for health care providers. The slide presentation is attached in English and French to allow its maximal use.

Are the career choices of paediatric residents meeting the needs of academic centres in Canada?

Background: Responsibility for training paediatric medical subspecialists in Canada lies primarily with the 16 academic paediatric departments. There has been no mechanism to assess whether the number of residents in training will meet the needs of currently vacant positions and/or the predicted vacancies to be created by anticipated faculty retirement in the next five years across the different paediatric medical subspecialties.

Hypothesis: At the present time, the training of the paediatric physician is not linked with the current and future needs of the academic centres where the vast majority of these paediatric subspecialists are employed.

Practising what we preach: A look at healthy active living policy and practice in Canadian paediatric hospitals.

Background: In the past 30 years, the rate of obesity has risen considerably among Canadian children. Paediatric hospitals are in a unique position to model healthy environments to Canadian children.

Objective: To obtain an overview of healthy active living (HAL) policy and practice in Canadian paediatric hospitals.

Description of the development and validation of the Canadian Paediatric Trigger Tool.

Objective: To describe the process of developing and validating the Canadian Association of Paediatric Health Centres Trigger Tool (CPTT).

Methods: Five existing trigger tools were consolidated with duplicate triggers eliminated. After a risk analysis and modified Delphi process, the tool was reduced from 94 to 47 triggers.

National collaborative: Top five drugs reported as causing harm through medication error in pediatrics.

The Canadian Association of Paediatric Health Centres (CAPHC) and the Institute for Safe Medication Practices Canada (ISMP Canada) are working collaboratively to enhance the safety of pediatric medication use. Eleven CAPHC member organizations submitted data on more than 4,000 medication incidents to ISMP Canada for the period October 2005 to June 2008, 305 of which were reported as resulting in harm. From this, the top five drugs causing harm through medication error and contributing factors to the incidents were identified.

Experiences with HUS in Canada: what have we learned about childhood HUS in Canada?

Experiences with childhood hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) in Canada will focus on the development of the Canadian Pediatric Kidney Disease Research Centre (CPKDRC) and the results of our collaborative research over a 13-year period (1985-1998).

Development of Canadian screening tools for fetal alcohol spectrum disorder.

Background: Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) is the most common cause of neurobehavioural handicap in North America. Screening for FASD may facilitate diagnosis and hence management of these children. We present a variety of screening tools for the identification of children at risk for FASD.

A randomized trial of regular standardized telephone contact by a diabetes nurse educator in adolescents with poor diabetes control.

Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the effect of regular standardized telephone contact by a diabetes nurse educator (DNE) on metabolic control, treatment compliance, and quality of life in adolescents with poorly controlled type 1 diabetes.

Methods: A single-blinded 6-month randomized controlled trial was used. Participants included 46 of 49 eligible adolescents (13-17 yr) with type 1 diabetes >1-yr duration and hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) >8.

Changing trends in the referral patterns of pediatric nephrology patients.

This study investigates the changing referral patterns of young patients to a tertiary pediatric nephrology center with a well-defined catchment area over two consecutive 8.5-year periods. We paid special attention to the known increase of obesity and diabetes mellitus in childhood.

The safety and use of short-acting nifedipine in hospitalized hypertensive children.

Recent reports suggest that calcium channel blockers are harmful in the treatment of acute hypertension in adults. However, short-acting nifedipine is an effective and useful medication in pediatric hypertension and is currently utilized for hypertensive emergencies. This study will address these safety concerns in hypertensive children.

Effect of secretin on children with autism: a randomized controlled trial.

To determine the effect of intravenous porcine secretin on autistic behaviours in children aged 2 to 7 years, the effects of secretin on (1) performance on a standardized language measure, and (2) autistic behaviours, as rated by parents and child development professionals was examined. Employing a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled design, 95 participants were assigned to one of two groups and administered a single dose of either secretin or placebo. A follow-up assessment was conducted 3 weeks after the injection.

Performance of the ImmunoCard STAT! E. coli O157:H7 test for detection of Escherichia coli O157:H7 in stools.

ImmunoCard STAT! E. coli O157:H7 (Meridian Diagnostics, Inc., Cincinnati, Ohio) is a novel rapid (10-min) test for the presence of Escherichia coli O157:H7 in stools.

Circulating inflammatory cytokine levels in hemolytic uremic syndrome.

Experimental data suggest that the host's inflammatory response is involved in the pathophysiology of verotoxin-producing Escherichia coli (VTEC)-associated hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS). We compared the circulating levels of pro- [interleukin (IL)-6, IL-8] and anti-inflammatory [IL-10 and IL-1 receptor antagonist (Ra)] mediators on enrollment among children with HUS due to E. coli O157:H7, according to the severity of renal dysfunction.

Molecular analysis of cystinosis: probable Irish origin of the most common French Canadian mutation.

Infantile nephropathic cystinosis, an autosomal recessive disease characterized by a lysosomal accumulation of cystine, presents as failure to thrive, rickets and proximal renal tubular acidosis. The cystinosis gene, CTNS, which maps to chromosome 17p13, encodes a predicted 55 kDa protein with characteristics of a lysosomal membrane protein. We have conducted extensive linkage analysis in a French Canadian cystinosis cohort identifying a founding haplotype present in approximately half (21/40) of the chromosomes studied.

Neuropsychological sequelae of haemolytic uraemic syndrome. Investigators of the HUS Cognitive Study.

Background: Severe haemolytic uraemic syndrome (HUS) in childhood can cause stroke, hemiplegia, cortical blindness, and psychomotor retardation. These outcomes are evident at the time of discharge immediately after the acute illness. Less is known about the neuropsychological outcomes of less severely affected children who recover from acute HUS.

Renal function in Inuit survivors of epidemic hemolytic-uremic syndrome.

We undertook a case-control study to evaluate the renal health of survivors of hemolytic-uremic syndrome (HUS) from the 1991 Arctic epidemic of Escherichia coli O157:H7 gastroenteritis 4 years after the epidemic. Eighteen children who developed HUS during the 1991 epidemic and 18 age- and sex-matched controls from the same community who had uncomplicated gastroenteritis were compared in 1995 for height, weight, blood pressure, urinalysis, and glomerular filtration rate (GFR), measured using continuous subcutaneous infusion of non-radioactive iothalamate. HUS survivors did not differ from controls in height, weight, systolic (HUS 118 mmHg, control 117 mmHg) or diastolic (HUS 64 mmHg, control 62 mmHg) blood pressures.

Sensitivities and specificities of premier E. coli O157 and premier EHEC enzyme immunoassays for diagnosis of infection with verotxin (Shiga-like toxin)-producing Escherichia coli. The SYNSORB Pk Study investigators.

This study describes the performance of two rapid enzyme immunoassays, Premier E. coli O157 and Premier EHEC (Meridian Diagnostics Inc., Cincinnati, Ohio) for the detection in stools of Escherichia coli O157 and verotoxins (Shiga-like toxins), respectively.

Risk of hemolytic uremic syndrome after sporadic Escherichia coli O157:H7 infection: results of a Canadian collaborative study. Investigators of the Canadian Pediatric Kidney Disease Research Center.

Objectives: The objectives of this study were to better estimate the age-specific risks of hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) and hemolytic anemia after Escherichia coli O157:H7 infection among a representative cohort of both referred and nonreferred children with documented illness from the province of Alberta and to compare this with the rates in children evaluated at referral centers in the rest of Canada.

Study Design: Children with HUS or E. coli O157:H7 gastroenteritis were eligible if they were < 15 years of age.

Canadian Perspectives on Verocytotoxin-Producing Escherichia coli Infection .

Infection with verocytotoxin-producing Escherichia coli (VTEC) became nationally reportable in 1990. Between 1990 and 1994, the national incidence of reported infections ranged from 3 to 5.3 per 100,000 inhabitants.