[Ultrasound imaging of the testes in children and adolescents].

Background: Ultrasound, the imaging method of choice to evaluate abnormalities of the testes and the scrotum, provides accurate anatomic details and allows the assessment of perfusion using color Doppler and power Doppler. Ultrasound represents a rapid and reliable procedure which in most cases leads to a conclusive diagnosis.

Differential Diagnosis: The three most common conditions in the clinical picture of acute scrotum are testicular torsion, torsion of the testicular appendages and inflammatory changes of the testis and the epididymis (epididymo-orchitis).

Tradeoff between micropollutant abatement and bromate formation during ozonation of concentrates from nanofiltration and reverse osmosis processes.

Water treatment with nanofiltration (NF) or reverse osmosis (RO) membranes results in a purified permeate and a retentate, where solutes are concentrated and have to be properly managed and discharged. To date, little is known on how the selection of a semi-permeable dense membrane impacts the dissolved organic matter in the concentrate and what the consequences are for micropollutant (MP) abatement and bromate formation during concentrate treatment with ozone. Laboratory ozonation experiments were performed with standardized concentrates produced by three membranes (two NFs and one low-pressure reverse osmosis (LPRO) membrane) from three water sources (two river waters and one lake water).

Micropollutants as internal probe compounds to assess UV fluence and hydroxyl radical exposure in UV/HO treatment.

Organic micropollutants (MPs) are increasingly detected in water resources, which can be a concern for human health and the aquatic environment. Ultraviolet (UV) radiation based advanced oxidation processes (AOP) such as low-pressure mercury vapor arc lamp UV/HO can be applied to abate these MPs. During UV/HO treatment, MPs are abated primarily by photolysis and reactions with hydroxyl radicals (OH), which are produced in situ from HO photolysis.

The hydrothermal solution for self-sustaining drinking water purification at point of use.

Decentralized drinking water purification complements water supply in areas with unreliable or absent infrastructure. The exacerbating consequences of climate change in form of droughts and floods force remote households to tap various water sources. Hence, household-based processes must be versatile to cope with e.

Whole-Body MRI in Children and Adolescents - S1 Guideline.

Whole-body MRI is an imaging method that uses advanced modern MRI equipment to provide high-resolution images of the entire body. The goal of these guidelines is to specify the indications for which whole-body MRI can be recommended in children and adolescents and to describe the necessary technical requirements. CITATION FORMAT: · Schaefer JF, Berthold LD, Hahn G et al.

Trunk muscle activation levels during eight stabilization exercises used in the functional kinetics concept: A controlled laboratory study.

Background: To ensure accurate implementation of stabilization exercises in rehabilitation, physical therapists need to understand the muscle activation patterns of prescribed exercise.

Objective: Compare muscle activity during eight trunk and lumbar spine stabilization exercises of the Functional Kinetics concept by Klein-Vogelbach.

Methods: A controlled laboratory study with a single-group repeated-measures design was utilized to analyze surface electromyographic intensities of 14 female and 6 male young healthy participants performing eight exercises.

Carotid Intima-Media Thickness in Children Treated with Growth Hormone: A Follow-Up Study over Three Years.

Background: There is an ongoing discussion whether high doses of growth hormone (GH) may lead to cardiovascular diseases. Therefore, we studied the longitudinal relationships between GH treatment and carotid intima-media thickness (cIMT), which is predictive of the development of atherosclerosis.

Methods: We measured blood pressure, lipids, hemoglobin HbA1c, IGF-1, IGFBP-3, and cIMT in 28 children treated with supraphysiological doses of GH (mean age 9.

[Imaging of acute abdomen in childhood and adolescence].

Acute abdominal pain in childhood is a frequent reason for a medical consultation. The main diseases that lead to the clinical situation of acute abdomen show a significant age dependency. It is reasonable to group such ailments into three age categories: (1) the neonatal and infant period, (2) toddlerhood to kindergarten and (3) school age children.

Carotid intima-media thickness in children treated with growth hormone.

Background: There is an ongoing discussion whether high doses of growth hormone (GH) may lead to cardiovascular diseases. Therefore, we studied the relationships between GH treatment and carotid intima-media thickness (cIMT), which is predictive of the development of atherosclerosis.

Methods: We measured cIMT in 38 children with supraphysiological doses of GH (mean age 10.

Small part ultrasound in childhood and adolescence.

Small-part sonography refers to the display of small, near-surface structures using high-frequency linear array transducers. Traditional applications for small part ultrasound imaging include visualization and differential diagnostic evaluation in unclear superficial bodily structures with solid, liquid and mixed texture, as well as similar structures in nearly superficial organs such as the thyroid glands and the testes. Furthermore indications in the head and neck regions are the assessment of the outer CSF spaces in infants, the sonography of the orbit, the sonography of the walls of the large neck vessels, the visualization of superficially situated lymph nodes and neoplasms.

Short stature before puberty: which children should be screened for SHOX deficiency?

Objective: We studied the prevalence of deficiency in the short stature homeobox containing gene (SHOX) in prepubertal short-statured children and analyzed the clinical and radiological signs.

Methods: Screening for SHOX deficiency was performed in 449 prepubertal short-statured children (54% females, aged 4-10 years) by direct sequencing and multiplex ligation probe-dependent amplification. Children with SHOX deficiency were compared to 1:2 age- and gender-matched prepubertal children without SHOX deficiency with respect to left-hand radiographs and anthropometrics including different ratios to height and proposed scores.

Relationship between carotid intima-media thickness and metabolic syndrome in adolescents.

Objective: To test the hypothesis that metabolic syndrome (MetS) is more predictive of carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) than the sum of the individual components of MetS.

Study Design: We analyzed the relationships between 2 definitions of the MetS and IMT in 461 overweight adolescents aged 10-18 years (median body mass index, 28.6 kg/m(2)).

Urgent resection of bleeding congenital mesenchymal chest wall hamartoma in an infant.

We report a case with prenatally diagnosed large cystic-solid mesenchymal chest wall hamartoma. An attempt of conservative management was made however repeated intralesional hemorrhage led to enlargement and severe anemia which required urgent resection at the age of 8 weeks. The infant had an unimpaired development over a follow-up of 4 years.

Fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF-21) and its relation to obesity, metabolic syndrome, and nonalcoholic fatty liver in children: a longitudinal analysis.

Context: Fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF-21), a potent activator of glucose uptake, has been proposed to be related to insulin resistance, metabolic syndrome (MetS), nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), and weight status.

Objective: Our objective was to study the relationships between FGF-21, parameters of MetS, and NAFLD before and after weight loss in obese children.

Design And Setting: This was a cross-sectional comparison between obese and normal-weight children and longitudinal 1-yr follow-up study in obese children participating in a lifestyle intervention in a primary care setting.

Treatment of tall stature in boys: comparison of two different treatment regimens.

Background: High-dose testosterone treatment is a well-known, though still controversial, therapy in boys with tall stature.

Methods: 161 boys with constitutional tall stature were treated at two different treatment centers (center A 114 patients; center B 47 patients). In center A, boys were treated with 500 mg and in center B with 250 mg testosterone enanthate intramuscularly every 2 weeks.

Intima media thickness-related risk factors in childhood obesity.

Macroangiopathy caused by atherosclerosis is one of the major morbidity and mortality factors in obese adults with dyslipidemia, hypertension and disturbed glucose metabolism. However, the onset of these cardiovascular changes is not well established. Measuring the intima- media thickness (IMT) of the common carotid artery, as a non-invasive marker for early atherosclerotic changes, has been reported to be reliable and predictive for later cardiovascular disease.

Effect of lifestyle intervention on features of polycystic ovarian syndrome, metabolic syndrome, and intima-media thickness in obese adolescent girls.

Context: Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) is associated with cardiovascular risk factors (CRF). Lifestyle intervention is regarded as therapy of choice even if studies in adolescent girls with PCOS are scarce.

Objective: Our objective was to analyze the impact of lifestyle intervention on menses irregularities, hyperandrogenemia, CRF, and intima-media thickness (IMT) in adolescent girls with PCOS.

Pregnancy-associated plasma protein A in obese children: relationship to markers and risk factors of atherosclerosis and members of the IGF system.

Background: Pregnancy-associated plasma protein A (PAPPA) is a large placenta-derived glycoprotein, which serves as a protease of several IGF-binding proteins (IGFBPs). In non-pregnant adults, measurable PAPPA levels were detected and have been implicated in the pathophysiology of atherosclerotic plaques. However, data in children is lacking.

[Comparative ultrasound visualization of clinically relevant structures for evaluating the infant hip joint utilizing trapezoidal vs. parallel transducers].

Purpose: Sonographic evaluation of the infant hip joint according to the method of Graf has proven to be an important pediatric investigative instrument. Our goal was to investigate quantitatively whether (and in what ways) the clinically relevant infant hip joint structures visualize differently when utilizing trapezoidal as opposed to linear transducers. Our approach was both theoretical via a mathematical model and practical with in-vivo measurements in neonates.

Association between androgens, intima-media thickness and the metabolic syndrome in obese adolescent girls.

Background: While an association between androgens and the metabolic syndrome (MS) is well established in obese women, studies concerning this relationship are scarce in obese adolescent girls. Therefore, we analysed the relationships between androgens, MS and intima-media thickness (IMT) in this age-group.

Methods: In 160 obese girls (aged 12-18 years, mean BMI: 32.

Lifestyle intervention "Obeldicks Mini" for obese children aged 4 to 7 years.

Interventions for obese preschool children are missing in Germany. However, an effective and long-lasting improvement of the health behaviour seems plausible especially in this age, since the health behaviour is impressed in this age span. Therefore, we developed the outpatient one-year lifestyle intervention "Obeldicks Mini" for obese children aged 4 to <8 years and their parents based on nutrition, education, physical activity, and behaviour therapy.

Terahertz-range free-electron laser electron spin resonance spectroscopy: techniques and applications in high magnetic fields.

The successful use of picosecond-pulse free-electron-laser (FEL) radiation for the continuous-wave terahertz-range electron spin resonance (ESR) spectroscopy has been demonstrated. The combination of two linac-based FELs (covering the wavelength range of 4-250 microm) with pulsed magnetic fields up to 70 T allows for multifrequency ESR spectroscopy in a frequency range of 1.2-75 THz with a spectral resolution better than 1%.

Relationships between cardiovascular risk profile, ultrasonographic measurement of intra-abdominal adipose tissue, and waist circumference in obese children.

Background & Aims: Ultrasonographic measurements have been proposed to assess intra-abdominal adipose tissue. The aim of this study was to compare the relationship between waist circumference (WC), ultrasonographic measurements of intra-abdominal adipose tissue (UMA), and cardiovascular risk factors (CRF).

Methods: We determined blood pressure (BP), fasting HDL-cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, triglycerides, glucose, insulin resistance index HOMA, 2 h glucose in oral glucose tolerance test (oGTT), weight status (SDS-BMI), WC, and UMA in 89 obese children.