Developing outcome measures for pediatric deformity surgery.

Study Design: : Review article regarding the development of outcome measures for pediatric spinal deformity.

Objective: : To discuss the role of patient-based outcomes and process measures in pediatric spinal deformity patients.

Summary Of Background Data: : A number of health-related quality of life (HRQOL) questionnaires assess, from patients' perspectives, the effectiveness of spinal deformity correction.

Antihypertensive drugs: an overview.

For most patients with systemic hypertension, long-term drug treatment is indicated and is beneficial. There is overwhelming evidence to suggest that antihypertensive drugs offer protection against complications of hypertension. Whereas nondrug therapeutic options should be implemented in all patients, a vast majority will require pharmacological treatment to achieve goal blood pressure levels.

The association between myopic shift and visual acuity outcome in pediatric aphakia.

Purpose: The advent of intraocular lens implantation after pediatric cataract surgery necessitates an increased understanding of refractive development. The significant variation in rate and amount of refractive change among eyes, both aphakic and pseudophakic, is well recognized, although the causes of such variation remain unclear. The purpose of this study was to determine if a correlation exists between the rate of refractive growth (RRG) and visual acuity outcome in pediatric aphakia.

Evaluation of thymic output by measurement of T-cell-receptor gene rearrangement excisional circles (TREC) in patients who have received fludarabine.

The role of the thymus in immune reconstitution in adults receiving chemotherapy is controversial. Detection of T-cell-receptor gene rearrangement excisional circles (TREC) in peripheral blood T cells has been shown to estimate thymic output. Therefore, we measured TREC levels to assess the contribution of the thymus to immune recovery following treatment with fludarabine.