Epidemiology of vitamin D deficiency in children presenting to a pediatric orthopaedic service in the UK.

Background: Vitamin D deficiency may increase predisposition to a number of pediatric orthopaedic conditions and the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency is increasing in children in developed countries. The aim of this study was to determine the epidemiology of vitamin D deficiency and insufficiency in children presenting to a regional pediatric orthopaedic service. We also examined the relationships between vitamin D status, social deprivation, and ethnicity.

Benefits of screening in von Hippel-Lindau disease--comparison of morbidity associated with initial tumours in affected parents and children.

Von Hippel-Lindau (VHL) is a rare autosomal dominant syndrome characterised by the association of retinal and CNS haemangioblastomas, phaeochromocytoma and renal cell carcinoma. If a child of an affected parent has inherited a VHL mutation or the parent's mutation cannot be identified, then clinical screening is recommended. We report the clinical features in three parent-offspring pairs where the parents have presented clinically with renal cell carcinoma, phaeochromocytoma, cerebellar haemangioblastoma and retinal haemangioma, and the children have undergone pre-symptomatic screening.

Circulatory arrest and renal function in open-heart surgery on infants.

This study was designed to evaluate the impact of circulatory arrest on renal function in open-heart surgery on infants. Renal function was described by diuresis, urine/plasma creatinine ratio, creatinine clearance, urinary albumin, and N-acetyl-beta-D-glucosaminidase measurements. Seven patients who underwent circulatory arrest (group 1) were compared with 37 patients operated on with cardiopulmonary bypass without circulatory arrest (group 2).

Hemorheology and renal function during cardiopulmonary bypass in infants.

Background: Acute renal failure is an occasional complication after cardiopulmonary bypass in infants. Whereas it is well known that postoperative hemodynamics inflict acute renal failure, the influence of extracorporeal circulation on the kidney is less clear. Moreover, changes in blood viscosity occur during and after surgery, which may influence renal dysfunction.