The European TREatment of severe Atopic eczema in children Taskforce (TREAT) survey.

Background: There is a paucity of evidence for the use of systemic agents in children with atopic eczema refractory to conventional therapy, resulting in considerable variation in patient management.

Objectives: The European TREatment of severe Atopic eczema in children Taskforce (TREAT) survey was established to collect data on current prescribing practice, to identify factors influencing the use of specific systemic agents, and to inform the design of a clinically relevant intervention study.

Methods: Consultant physician members of the paediatric dermatology societies and interest groups of eight European countries were invited to participate in a web-based survey.

Sediment composition and normalisation procedures: an example from a QUASH project sediment exercise.

The QUASH UE-Project was designed to assess the reliability of normalisation approaches to compensate the influence of natural process affecting the distribution and concentration of contaminants in sediment. The focus of this paper was to test the influence on normalisation procedures of an inorganic matrix using a sample collected in the Venice Lagoon, Italy.