Online First
May 14, 2021
May 13, 2021
- Original researchListeria infection in young infants: results from a national surveillance study in the UK and Ireland
Who needs empirical treatment for Listeria infection? This national surveillance study found that invasive listeriosis in young infants in the UK and Ireland is rare and presented only in the neonatal period. Use of amoxicillin as part of empiric treatment for sepsis and meningitis in infants over 1 month of age may be unnecessary.
May 12, 2021
- Original researchFacilitators and barriers to the delivery of palliative care to children with life-limiting and life-threatening conditions: a qualitative study of the experiences and perceptions of healthcare professionals
Interviews with healthcare professionals explored facilitators and barriers to the use of palliative care. Implications for future practice are discussed.
May 11, 2021
- ReviewPaediatric narcolepsy: a review of diagnosis and management
The authors present a comprehensive review of narcolepsy in childhood, including details on our current understanding of pathophysiology, how to investigate a child when a diagnosis is suspected and suggestions for management.
- Original researchNovel strategy to personalise use of ibuprofen for closure of patent ductus arteriosus in preterm neonates
This study examines the pharmacokinetics of ibuprofen given to neonates for patent ductus arteriosus closure. Low concentrations of ibuprofen can be identified, which moves studies comparing individualised dosing a step closer.
May 07, 2021
- Short reportAttention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: parent/carer perceptions of barriers to healthcare access
Interviews with parents and carers of young people with ADHD highlight a range of barriers to accessing services and situate these difficulties in a wider network of disjointed and hard to navigate services. Solutions to improve access are proposed.
May 06, 2021
- Original researchMedication discrepancies in transition of care of hospitalised children in Brazil: a multicentric study
Accurate medication reconciliation is important, and this 4 centre study from Brasil shows the prevalence and significance of omissions, both unintentional and intentional.
- ReviewBibliography of published COVID-19 in children literature
A paper that describes the dynamic changes in global volume of literature relating to Covid-19 in children and young people published over the first six months of the pandemic. Two thirds of all papers published described just nine patients or fewer.
May 05, 2021
May 03, 2021
April 30, 2021
- Short reportPrevalence of thrombotic complications in children with SARS-CoV-2
A very timely paper on the Spanish experience of SARS-CoV-2. Over 500 infected children from 49 hospitals across Spain were recorded between 1st March - 30th Sept 2020, with 4 cases of thrombosis (1.1% of hospitalised cases). Half had thrombotic risk factors, 3/4 were adolescent females. Authors to be commended for collecting and collating these data during this difficult time, so providing our readers with some valuable insights into the incidence of thrombosis.
- Original researchGrowth and adrenarche: findings from the CATS observational study
This cross sectional study of 1151 children aged 8-9 years found an association between BMI and waist circumference and raised androgen concentrations that was independent of age and sex.
- Original researchDecision-making for children requiring interhospital transport: assessment of a novel triage tool
Deciding on interhospital transport of unwell and potentially critically ill children is not necessarily straightforward. The authors describe a new tool to help decision making and communication in this process.
April 27, 2021
- Original researchBlood enterovirus polymerase chain reaction testing in young febrile infants
Using an observational design, the authors explored the utility of PCR diagnosis of enterovirus in the assessment of risk for invasive bacterial infection (IBI) in febrile infants. They found that Blood ev-PCR identifies a subset of <90 day old infants very unlikely to have IBI.
- Global child healthHousehold economic burden of childhood severe pneumonia in Bangladesh: a cost-of-illness study
While the financial costs of illness are generally considered on a population-wide basis, the costs to an individual family are often not enumerated. In this report, the financial burden of childhood pneumonia on families in Bangladesh is quantified and understood.
April 21, 2021
- Original researchIntimate partner violence and child outcomes at age 10: a pregnancy cohort
In an Australian pregnancy cohort, maternal report of intimate partner violence is associated with poorer physical and mental health outcomes for their children at age 10 years.
April 20, 2021
- Original researchUltrasound for the diagnosis of malrotation and volvulus in children and adolescents: a systematic review and meta-analysis
This systematic review and meta-analysis of the role of ultrasound in the diagnosis of intestinal malrotation and volvulus found moderate quality evidence for ultrasound as the first-line diagnostic test for this emergency condition in children.
April 16, 2021
- Original researchFeeding disorders in children with oesophageal atresia: a cross-sectional study
This study of patients from the French national network oesophageal atresia (OA) registry used a standardised questionnaire to investigate the frequency of feeding disorders. These were diagnosed in 42%, of whom over a third had failed to thrive. The authors advocate systematic feeding assessment in follow up of children operated on for OA.
April 15, 2021
- ReviewRecommendations by the European Network of Paediatric Research at the European Medicines Agency (Enpr-EMA) Working Group on preparedness of clinical trials about paediatric medicines process
Clinical trials in children require careful preparation, or they risk avoidable delays. This report provides a structured approach to clinical trial preparation for paediatric populations, and includes practical suggestions to improve the process based on learning from industry, regulators, sites, and patient advocates.
April 14, 2021
- Original researchIntrathecal baclofen pumps in the management of hypertonia in childhood: a UK and Ireland wide survey
All twelve centres in Great Britain and Ireland that provide intrathecal baclofen therapy report results over a 5 month period. There is considerable variation in referral criteria and the way it is used. There is a need for greater standardisation of ITB therapy to ensure equality of provision.
- ReviewCystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator modulators for cystic fibrosis: a new dawn?
Until recently, progress in the management of cystic fibrosis, had been limited by the lack of means of modifying the root cause, the function of the CF transmembrane regulator. Since the arrival of ivacaftor and it related modulators, potential long term outcomes have been enhanced, though cost is currently a barrier to wider routine intervention to the 90 % of children likely to benefit.
- ReviewEthical issues in treatment of babies born at 22 weeks of gestation
Ethical examination of current guidance and practice with respect to resuscitating 22 weekers.
- Images in paediatricsImportance of the arc of Riolan in children with severe middle aortic syndrome
- Clinical law for clinical practiceRemote consultations and patient images: actual pitfalls in virtual practice
April 12, 2021
- Clinical law for clinical practiceGillick’s third facet: where the child and the doctor agree on treatment of gender dysphoria
- Original researchRecovery from chronic fatigue syndrome: a systematic review—heterogeneity of definition limits study comparison
Significant differences in definitions of recovery, result in highly varied reported recovery rates for chronic fatigue syndrome. Consensus definitions of recovery are needed, the authors recommend that recovery may be best defined from the child's own perspective.
April 08, 2021
April 07, 2021
March 30, 2021
- Original researchCan parents believe websites’ information about methylphenidate’s side effects?
Parents and patients will seek out information about medicines on the internet. But how reliable are these sources of information, particularly about adverse effects? This work carefully examines a range of sites identified using methylphenidate as the exemplar drug, comparing the findings on these sites to the BNFc listed ADRs, and found predominantly reassuring results.
- Original researchMelatonin for non-operating room sedation in paediatric population: a systematic review and meta-analysis
This systematic review evaluates the evidence supporting melatonin's efficacy and safety for sedation, alone and in combination.
March 19, 2021
- Original researchExperiences of adolescents living with Silver-Russell syndrome
In depth qualitative interviews with young people growing up with Silver- Russell syndrome identified multiple psychosocial challenges. Currently young people are discharged and not monitored into adulthood. This may need to change
March 18, 2021
- Original researchSharing a household with children and risk of COVID-19: a study of over 300 000 adults living in healthcare worker households in Scotland
Many parents know that having young children in the house means they get frequent respiratory viral infections. Is this the same for COVID, which is less frequent and less severe in children? This cohort study finds that having young children in the house reduces the risk of COVID.
March 16, 2021
- Original researchPost-COVID-19 paediatric inflammatory multisystem syndrome: association of ethnicity, key worker and socioeconomic status with risk and severity
In a cohort of children from South East England, there was some evidence for potentially higher risk & severity in groups with higher deprivation and in ethnic minoritys. The finding warrant further investigation.
- Original researchRisk factors for intellectual disability in children with spastic cerebral palsy
Using valuable data from the Northern Ireland Cerebral Palsy (CP) Register collected over more then 20 years, the authors demonstrate that severe intellectual disability is more common in children with bilateral compared to unilateral cerebral CP, with a greater risk in children born near term. As well as guiding the focus of screening for such problems in this population, this serves to demonstrate the value of well curated registry data for children with CP.
- Original researchInfluence of agents and mechanisms of injury on anatomical burn locations in children <5 years old with a scald
This cross-sectional study collected standardised data from 20 hospital sites in England and Wales on over 1000 children presenting acutely with scalds. Mechanisms of injury and distribution of scalds are described, with data on referrals to child protection agencies.
March 12, 2021
- Original researchGestational age on trajectories of social competence difficulties into adolescence
In a large cohort study, children born at earlier gestational age had greater social competence difficulties at 14 years. The earlier the gestational age the greater the difficulties. Some of this difference was mediated by the presence of maternal psychological distress.
March 11, 2021
- Short reportBronchiolitis and SARS-CoV-2
SARS-CoV-2 was not already circulating among infants with bronchiolitis and asymptomatic infants before the official outbreak of SARS-CoV-2 before February 2020.There is an association between SARS-CoV-2 and bronchiolitis