Data from all children born in Denmark in the 11-year period 1990–2000 (

; see also perspective article, ibid: 1380–2) have provided no support for the suggestion that childhood immunisations might cause type 1 diabetes. None of six different vaccines, live or inactivated, against eight diseases was associated with increased risk of later type 1 diabetes. Vaccination did not increase the risk for the siblings of children with type 1 diabetes and there was no clustering of cases 2–4 years after receiving any vaccine.

Investigators have exaggerated the benefits of the newer antidepressants and played down their disadvantages in the treatment of children; these drugs cannot confidently be recommended as a treatment option for childhood depression. These are the conclusions of the authors of a review article (

). In December 2003 the UK Committee on Safety of Medicines banned all selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, except fluoxetine, for use in patients under the age of 18 years. A second systematic review (

) has included published and unpublished data. The results suggest a favourable risk-benefit profile for fluoxetine but unfavourable profiles for paroxetine, sertraline, citalopram, and venlafaxine. Published studies may lead to wrong conclusions if the results of unfavourable studies are not published.

The entry of glucose into pancreatic beta cells leads to an increase in intracellular …