Cephalocaudal progression of neonatal jaundice assessed by transcutaneous bilirubin measurements.

Objective: The cephalocaudal progression in neonatal jaundice is a well-known phenomenon. Since transcutaneous bilirubin measurements (TcB) are increasingly applied, for which different body site can be used, we aimed to quantify the cephalocaudal progression of neonatal jaundice through TcB and to assess the influence of gestational age, postnatal age and the degree of hyperbilirubinemia on this cephalocaudal progression.

Study Design: In jaundiced neonates ≥32 weeks of gestational age, TcB was measured on 5 sites: forehead, sternum, hipbone, proximal tibia and foot, during the first two weeks of life.

Increase in atopic sensitization rate among Dutch children with symptoms of allergic disease between 1994 and 2014.

Background: The prevalence of symptoms of allergic diseases has increased significantly during the last decades. However, studies into time trends of atopic sensitization among children are limited and have focused on aeroallergen sensitization. We aimed to investigate time trends in the prevalence and degree of atopic sensitization to inhalant and food allergens among children (0-17 years) with symptoms of allergic disease.

Is the MARS questionnaire a reliable measure of medication adherence in childhood asthma?

Objective: To assess the reliability of the Medication Adherence Report Scale (MARS-5) for assessing adherence in clinical practice and research.

Methods: Prospective cohort study following electronically measured inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) adherence for 1 year in 2-13-year-old children with persistent asthma. The relationship between electronically measured adherence and MARS-5 scores (ranging from 5 to 25) was assessed by Spearman's rank correlation coefficient.

Wheezes, crackles and rhonchi: simplifying description of lung sounds increases the agreement on their classification: a study of 12 physicians' classification of lung sounds from video recordings.

Background: The European Respiratory Society (ERS) lung sounds repository contains 20 audiovisual recordings of children and adults. The present study aimed at determining the interobserver variation in the classification of sounds into detailed and broader categories of crackles and wheezes.

Methods: Recordings from 10 children and 10 adults were classified into 10 predefined sounds by 12 observers, 6 paediatricians and 6 doctors for adult patients.

Towards the standardisation of lung sound nomenclature.

Auscultation of the lung remains an essential part of physical examination even though its limitations, particularly with regard to communicating subjective findings, are well recognised. The European Respiratory Society (ERS) Task Force on Respiratory Sounds was established to build a reference collection of audiovisual recordings of lung sounds that should aid in the standardisation of nomenclature. Five centres contributed recordings from paediatric and adult subjects.

Seasonal variation of diseases in children: a 6-year prospective cohort study in a general hospital.

Unlabelled: Seasonal variation in pediatrics has been well described in some infectious diseases, asthma, and diabetes, but data on seasonality for other diseases in children are sparse. To explore the extent of seasonal variation of the entire pediatric field, we analyzed diagnostic codes of all newly referred patients (n = 51,054) to our pediatric department of a large teaching hospital in the Netherlands over a 6-year period (2008-2013). Seasonality was analyzed using simple moving averages, the standard error of the mean (SEM) and the percentage monthly variation.

Long-term adherence to inhaled corticosteroids in children with asthma: Observational study.

Introduction: Non-adherence to daily controller medication in childhood asthma is strongly dependent on potentially modifiable factors such as parental illness perceptions and medication beliefs. The extent to which adherence in children can be improved by addressing modifiable determinants of non-adherence has not been studied to date, however. We assessed long-term adherence and its determinants in children with asthma enrolled in a comprehensive asthma care program employing shared decision making with parents.

Non-adherence in children with asthma reviewed: The need for improvement of asthma care and medical education.

Adherence to daily inhaled corticosteroid therapy is a key determinant of asthma control. Therefore, improving adherence to inhaled corticosteroids is the most effective method through which healthcare providers can help children with uncontrolled asthma. However, identifying non-adherent patients is difficult, and electronic monitoring is the only reliable method to assess adherence.

Long-term adherence to daily controller medication in children with asthma: The role of outpatient clinic visits.

Objective: To investigate changes in inhaled corticosteroids adherence, both before and after a scheduled follow-up visit, in young children in a comprehensive asthma management program.

Study Design: One-year prospective follow-up study in 104 asthmatic children (mean age 4.8 years).