Acta paediatrica
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Comparative Study
beta-Glucuronidase activity in cerebrospinal fluid pleocytosis due to urinary tract infection.
This study examines the beta-glucuronidase activity in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of patients with urinary tract infection (UTI) and sterile CSF pleocytosis and the feasibility of using these measurements for diagnostic purposes. ⋯ beta-Glucuronidase activity in cell-free CSF discerns, with much greater accuracy than the classic CSF laboratory parameters, sterile CSF pleocytosis due to UTI from that of bacterial and viral meningitis and from control subjects without CSF pleocytosis.
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Comparative Study
End-of-life decision making in neonates and infants: comparison of The Netherlands and Belgium (Flanders).
We compared the results of two recent studies on end-of-life decisions (ELDs) for neonates and infants in Belgium (Flanders) and The Netherlands. ⋯ End-of-life decision making in severely ill neonates seems to be rather similar in Belgium and The Netherlands. Differences are that Dutch physicians more often withdraw life-sustaining treatment. Furthermore, parents and colleague physicians are more often involved in the decision making in The Netherlands.
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The overall picture of health in sub-Saharan Africa can easily be painted in dark colours. The aim of this viewpoint is to discuss epidemiological data from Tanzania on overall health indicators and the burden of malaria and HIV. Is the situation in Tanzania improving or deteriorating? Are the health-related millennium development goals (MDG) on reducing under-five mortality, reducing maternal mortality and halting HIV and malaria within reach? ⋯ Child mortality and infant mortality rates are decreasing quite dramatically. Malaria prevention strategies and new effective treatment are being launched. The MDG 4 on child mortality is clearly within reach, and the same optimism may apply to MDG 6 on combating malaria.
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To identify hospital care factors which are associated with problematic behaviours in children after hospitalization. ⋯ Pain at home but not in hospital is a strong risk factor for the onset or worsening of problematic behaviour after childhood hospitalization, which included anaesthesia. Proactive interventions are suggested to prevent this by improving pain treatment at home.
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To investigate the end-of-life practice in a large perinatal centre in Germany. ⋯ In our perinatal centre, the majority of neonatal deaths occurred after limitation of therapy. Treatment was actively withdrawn in half of the infants in the neonatal intensive care unit. Actual end-of-life practice in a large perinatal centre differs from the restrictive attitude towards EOLD reported for German neonatologists in previous surveys.