Clinical Medicine Insights. Pediatrics

Background: Previous studies conducted in Ethiopia revealed anemia as a severe public health problem among under-5 children but failed to associate with parasite infection. This study was aimed at assessing the prevalence of intestinal parasite infection (IP) and its association with anemia among children aged 6 to 59 months in Yirgalem General Hospital, Southern Ethiopia. Method: Institution based cross-sectional study was conducted in 2020 on 367 children aged 6 to 59 months...

OBJECTIVE: Masses of the sternoclavicular area are rare, and are not well described in the literature. We aim to present a series of patients with masses in this location and to review all reported English language cases of sternoclavicular masses in pediatric patients. METHODS: This is a case series of pediatric patients with masses of the sternoclavicular area presenting to a tertiary care pediatric hospital from 2010 through 2017. Data was collected by using ICD-9 and ICD-10 codes to query the electronic medical record...

Background: Splenic cysts are one of the relatively rare conditions in pediatric surgery practice. Primary non-parasitic splenic cysts are even more scarce. Case presentation: A 13-years-old female patient presented with chronic left hypochondrial pain of 2 months duration. Abdominal ultrasonography and computed tomography revealed huge 18 cm × 14 cm × 10 cm splenic cyst. Deroofing of the cyst was done which was complicated by secondary infection...

Background: Breastfeeding education is critical in improving healthcare professionals' competencies in providing breastfeeding care to mothers. We evaluated breastfeeding competencies, training, barriers and satisfaction of breastfeeding educational experiences among nurses and midwives in the Sagnarigu Municipality, Ghana. Methods: This cross-sectional study included nurses and midwives providing maternal and child health services at various primary healthcare facilities in Sagnarigu Municipality...

Background: There is paucity of data on objectively measured lung function abnormalities in Nigerian children using diagnostic testing methods such as spirometry. Such assessments could prompt early diagnosis and therapeutic interventions. Methods: This was a cross sectional study among children aged 6 to 12 years in South-Eastern Nigeria. We selected participants from one school using a multistage stratified random sampling technique. A structured respiratory questionnaire was administered to obtain necessary data...

Background: Adverse drug events (ADEs) are a burden to the healthcare system. Preventable ADEs, which was ADEs due to medication errors, could be reduced if medication errors can be prevent or ameliorate. Objective: We investigated the burden of preventable ADEs on the length of hospital stay (LOS) and costs, and estimated the national burden of preventable ADEs in pediatric inpatients in Japan. Methods: We analyzed data from the Japan Adverse Drug Events (JADE) study on pediatric patients and estimated the incidence of preventable ADEs and associated extended LOS...

BACKGROUND: Congenital anomalies of the kidney and urinary tract (CAKUT) are the leading cause of end stage renal disease in children. Diagnosis by genetic testing has proven challenging due to its genetic and phenotypic heterogeneity, as well as incomplete penetrance. We report a case on a 16-months old female with a history of renal cysts and a PAX2 mutation. CASE PRESENTATION: The patient presented with a prenatal diagnosis of Potter sequence and a postnatal diagnosis of renal cysts...

Moraxella lacunata , a low-virulence Gram-negative coccobacillus, is classically associated with conjunctivitis and upper respiratory tract infections; systemic infections such as sepsis have rarely been reported, especially in children. We describe a 28-month-old girl with atypical hemolytic uremic syndrome and stage II chronic kidney disease on long-term eculizumab therapy who presented with systemic inflammatory response syndrome and was found to have Moraxella lacunata bloodstream infection. Eculizumab, a humanized monoclonal anti-C5 antibody, has been associated with susceptibility to infections with encapsulated bacteria, especially Neisseria meningitidis ...

Voiding disorders result usually from functional disturbance. However, relevant organic diseases must be excluded prior to diagnosis of functional disorders. Additional tests, such as urinalysis or abdominal ultrasound are required. Further diagnostics is necessary in the presence of alarm symptoms, such as secondary nocturnal enuresis, weak or intermittent urine flow, systemic symptoms, glucosuria, proteinuria, leukocyturia, erythrocyturia, skin lesions in the lumbar region, altered sensations in the perineum...

The novel Coronavirus disease 2019 continues to be a worldwide pandemic. Yet, little is still known about the biological features of this emergent infection in children. In this prospective study, we collected 68 children infected with SARS-COV-2 from March 2020 to May 2020, in Marrakesh, Morocco. No severe cases were observed in this cohort, and 66% of the patients were asymptomatic. The main laboratory abnormalities were hematological, as we found Leucopoenia in 4.4% of the cases, hyperleukocytosis in 1.6%...

Obesity continues to be a health burden to society and new efforts may be needed to combat this epidemic. This study aims to investigate the contribution of parents education and level of income, food environment (grocery stores and fast food restaurants), and built environment (perceived safety, availability/quantity of parks) on childhood obesity. This cross-sectional observational study explored whether parents education and income level, built environment, and food environment can affect children with obesity...

Objective: Aim of the study was to evaluate the patient pathway from referral to assessment and diagnosis of pre-schoolers referred to a Child and Adolescent Mental Health Clinic (CAMHC) in Norway. Method: Following data were collected retrospectively from medical records over a 2-year study period: data from clinical interviews for diagnostic evaluation, observation findings in kindergartens and the CAMHC, and results from medical examinations. The times taken from referral to first contact with the CAMHC, then to the first evaluation, and finally to diagnosis were assessed...

Most interventions do not reach full implementation in real-world settings. Due to this issue, formative process evaluation during pilot programs can be especially useful to understand implementation strengths and areas for improvement so that full implementation can be reached in future iterations. This study demonstrated how a formative process evaluation of the Connect through Positive Leisure Activities for Youth (Connect) pilot informed course corrections for year 2 implementation. Connect is an intervention to promote a positive social motivational climate for physical activity (PA) in pre-existing after school programs...

This study explores the perspectives of doctors, nurses, and technicians on the medical clown. A total of 35 subjects were interviewed one on one. Interviews were transcribed and analyzed for common themes. Medical staff outlined novel limitations and views of future directions for the field of medical clowning. Most importantly, many previously unpublished benefits of medical clowns were described. These reported benefits included cost-saving measures for the hospital, increases in staff efficiency, better patient outcomes, and lower stress in medical staff...

Objective: To understand the swimming experience from the perspective of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and their families. Methods: We interviewed 12 diverse families using a semi-structured interview with follow-up probing questions related to their swimming experiences. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and coded by researchers. Results: Themes included family water activities, safety, characteristics of ASD, instructional methods, swim skills, swimming preferences, barriers/challenges, and benefits of swimming...

Persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newborn (PPHN) is an essential cause for hypoxic respiratory failure with significant morbidity and mortality in term and near-term neonates. Hydrocortisone has been shown to decrease oxygen dependency and pulmonary hypertension in neonates with meconium aspiration syndrome and animal studies, respectively. We hypothesize that hydrocortisone will improve oxygenation in term and near-term infants with pulmonary hypertension. We performed a retrospective chart review of all infant with PPHN who received intravenous hydrocortisone therapy as a rescue for severe PPHN...

Adolescent mothers are twice as likely as their adult counterparts to have postpartum depression (PPD). Left undiagnosed and untreated, PPD can have significant consequences for the mothers, infants, families, communities, and society. Although the epidemiology has been well studied, there is a scarcity in the number of qualitative research studies being conducted to study this unique group of young women. Qualitative research is a perfect match to elicit the voices of adolescent mothers having PPD because the qualitative approach offers a way to gain insight, meaning, and understanding of a phenomenon that is still largely misunderstood and unaddressed...

Objective: To examine our institutional experiences with ultrasound-guided peripherally inserted central catheter (US-PICC) placement by a dedicated US-PICC team under the umbrella of an existing pediatric sedation service. Methods: Retrospective review of quality data examining 968 US-PICC encounters over a 5-year period from 2012 to 2016. Data for each encounter included line indications, success rate, dwelling time, need for sedation, and incidence of complications including venous thrombosis, infection, and accidental removal...

With the use of seatbelts comes a unique injury profile that has been called "the seatbelt syndrome." The classically described "seatbelt sign" has become a pattern of injury, describing potential underlying damage. As a clinician, clues to the underlying damage follow a thorough physical examination including the removal of all clothing to locate abrasions and bruises to the skin that potentially follow a seatbelt pattern. Delayed presentation of an intra-abdominal injury in the setting of a seatbelt sign has been well documented; however, the question is how long to observe these patients...

Oropharyngeal small cell carcinomas (OPSmCC) are rare with only few case reports and case series published in the literature. More recently, an association of these tumors with human papillomavirus (HPV) infection has been detected. However, unlike oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinomas which have a better outcome when associated with HPV, OPSmCC exhibit an aggressive behavior. In this article, we report a case of tonsillar carcinoma arising in a 14-year-old boy that was associated with HPV infection. The tumor exhibited morphologic features of small cell carcinoma with no overt squamous differentiation...