Effect of a family-centered, secondhand smoke intervention to reduce respiratory illness in indigenous infants in Australia and New Zealand: a randomized controlled trial.

Introduction: Secondhand smoke (SHS) is a significant cause of acute respiratory illness (ARI) and 5 times more common in indigenous children. A single-blind randomized trial was undertaken to determine the efficacy of a family centered SHS intervention to reduce ARI in indigenous infants in Australia and New Zealand.

Methods: Indigenous mothers/infants from homes with ≥ 1 smoker were randomized to a SHS intervention involving 3 home visits in the first 3 months of the infants' lives (plus usual care) or usual care.

Parent cough-specific quality of life: development and validation of a short form.

Background: Cough is a distressing symptom and has a significant effect on many children and their families. Quality-of-life (QOL) measures provide important outcome indicators for clinicians and aid in evaluating the efficacy of interventions.

Objective: The aim of this study was to develop and validate a short cough-specific QOL questionnaire for pediatric use.

A comparison of fluoroscopic airway screening with flexible bronchoscopy for diagnosing tracheomalacia.

Background: Flexible bronchoscopy (FB) is the gold standard method of diagnosing tracheomalacia but it is not always feasible in settings with limited resources. Fluoroscopy is sometimes performed as an alternative diagnostic tool but there are no prospective studies that have evaluated the diagnostic accuracy of airway fluoroscopy for tracheomalacia using a-priori definitions. We determined the sensitivity, specificity, and likelihood predictive ratio of airway fluoroscopy compared with FB in children suspected of having an airway abnormality.

Diagnosing and preventing chronic suppurative lung disease (CSLD) and bronchiectasis.

Current diagnostic labelling of childhood bronchiectasis by radiology has substantial limitations. These include the requirement for two high resolution computerised tomography [HRCT] scans (with associated adversity of radiation) if criteria is adhered to, adoption of radiological criteria for children from adult data, relatively high occurrence of false negative, and to a smaller extent false positive, in conventional HRCT scans when compared to multi-detector CT scans, determination of irreversible airway dilatation, and absence of normative data on broncho-arterial ratio in children. A paradigm presenting a spectrum related to airway bacteria, with associated degradation and inflammation products causing airway damage if untreated, entails protracted bacterial bronchitis (at the mild end) to irreversible airway dilatation with cystic formation as determined by HRCT (at the severe end of the spectrum).

Gastro-oesophageal reflux treatment for prolonged non-specific cough in children and adults.

Background: Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GORD) is said to be the causative factor in up to 41% of adults with chronic cough. Treatment for GORD includes conservative measures (diet manipulation), pharmaceutical therapy (motility or prokinetic agents, H(2)-antagonist and proton pump inhibitors (PPI)) and fundoplication.

Objectives: To evaluate the efficacy of GORD treatment on chronic cough in children and adults with GORD and prolonged cough that is not related to an underlying respiratory disease, i.

Minimally important change in a Parent-Proxy Quality-of-Life questionnaire for pediatric chronic cough.

Background: The Parent Cough-Specific Quality-of-Life questionnaire (PC-QOL) has relevance and clinical utility as a cough-specific QOL measure for pediatric use. Its validity has been demonstrated. This study sought to determine the minimally important difference (MID) for the PC-QOL completed by parents of young children with chronic cough.

Indigenous healthcare worker involvement for Indigenous adults and children with asthma.

Background: Asthma education is regarded as an important step in the management of asthma in national guidelines. Racial, ethnicity and socio-economic factors are associated with markers of asthma severity, including recurrent acute presentations to emergency health facilities. Worldwide, indigenous groups are disproportionately represented in the severe end of the asthma spectrum.

Longitudinal growth and lung function in pediatric non-cystic fibrosis bronchiectasis: what influences lung function stability?

Background: Longitudinal FEV(1) data in children with non-cystic fibrosis (non-CF) bronchiectasis (BE) are contradictory, and there are no multifactor data on the evolution of lung function and growth in this group. We longitudinally reviewed lung function and growth in children with non-CF BE and explored biologically plausible factors associated with changes in these parameters over time.

Methods: Fifty-two children with > or = 3 years of lung function data were retrospectively reviewed.

Therapeutic bronchoscopy in a child with sand aspiration and respiratory failure from near drowning--case report and literature review.

Foreign matter aspiration occurs relatively commonly in drowning and near-drowning events. In most cases, stomach contents are aspirated. Sand aspiration rarely occurs and there are no reported cases in children with near drowning.