Archives de pédiatrie : organe officiel de la Sociéte française de pédiatrie
-
Measurements of height and weight provide important information on growth and development, puberty, and nutritional status in children and adolescents. The aim of this study was to develop contemporary reference growth centiles for Algerian children and adolescents (6-18 years of age). A cross-sectional growth survey was conducted in government schools on 7772 healthy schoolchildren (45.1% boys and 54.9% girls) aged 6-18 years in Constantine (eastern Algeria) in 2008. ⋯ Median height and weight of Algerian boys and girls were generally intermediate between those observed in other Arab countries. They were higher than the French reference values up to the age of 13 years and lower than Belgian and WHO reference values at all ages. The present study provides Algerian height- and weight-for-age growth charts, which should be recommended as a national reference for monitoring growth and development in children and adolescents.
-
Ivermectin is an antiparasitic drug, a derivate of avermectins, and a product of fermentation of an actinomycete, Streptomyces avermitilis. Its structure associates two avermectins. Ivermectin acts on the chloride-dependent channels of both glutamate and γ-aminobutyric acid, interrupting neurotransmission in invertebrates. ⋯ Studies conducted in children or infants have shown good tolerance of ivermectin. However, its use in infants who weigh less than 15kg is a problem because of the absence of marketing authorization for this age group. However, the risk of excessive and uncontrolled use in head lice requires close surveillance.
-
It is suspected that elementary school age children engage in "the choking game" or other asphyxial practices, but the prevalence is unknown. ⋯ The mean prevalence in elementary school (40%) appears to be higher compared to middle and high schools (5-10%). Motivation differs in elementary school children compared to older children and teenagers. Prevention of choking games should start at elementary school and determinants leading to the continuation of such practices from elementary school to high school need to be explored.
-
Case Reports
[Repeated electrical cardioversions and amiodarone for recurrent neonatal atrial flutter].
Perinatal atrial flutter is a serious arrhythmia. Its management continues to pose a challenge during the fetal period but also, in rare intractable cases, during the postnatal period. This report describes the case of a neonate who required multiple electrical external cardioversions and amiodarone to resolve a recurrent atrial flutter. This case report suggests that neonatal atrial flutter may be recurrent at short term, that repeated electrical cardioversions with low energy are safe for a neonate, that amiodarone is effective as a premedication before cardioversion and in maintaining sinus rhythm afterward, and finally that the long-term prognosis is good, even when the arrhythmia is initially refractory to therapy.
-
In neonates, paracetamol is mainly used for its analgesic action. This drug is actually preferred by neonatologists because of its broad therapeutic index. Recently, it has been demonstrated that paracetamol is also an anti-cyclooxygenase (COX) medication through its inhibitory action on the peroxidase arm of central and peripheral COX (Boutaud et al., 2002; Toussaint et al., 2010; Graham et al., 2013; Hinz et al., 2008; Hinz and Brune, 2011). ⋯ Indeed, recent epidemiology studies have pointed out immune deviations in children repeatedly exposed to paracetamol earlier in life. Consequently, this is actually the new discovery of an old drug. From these new data on paracetamol, a more focused pharmacovigilance on the long-term effects of paracetamol repeatedly given in the early stage should be urgently initiated.