Nuevos conceptos de la laringotraqueítis en niños (crup viral)

El propósito de este artículo de actualización es brindar información de la epidemiología, etiología manifestaciones clínicas para un diagnóstico preciso, recomendaciones para solicitar exámenes de laboratorio y gabinete y finalmente el tratamiento sintomático con corticoides y cuando hacer uso de epinefrina o adrenalina. La laringotraqueítis es una infección respiratoria aguda desencadenada por una infección viral de la vía aérea superior que afecta al 3% de los niños de seis meses a tres años. Es responsable del 7% de las hospitalizaciones anuales por fiebre y/o enfermedad respiratoria aguda en niños (as) menores de 5 años. Es la causa más frecuente de obstrucción de la vía aérea superior, secundaria a la inflamación de la laringe, la tráquea y los bronquios que genera estridor respiratorio y tos perruna o de foca. En la mayoría de los casos, el agente causal de la enfermedad es el virus parainfluenza. Si bien, muchos niños experimentan fiebre de bajo grado, su presencia no es necesaria para el diagnóstico, el cual es esencialmente clínico y rara vez se necesitan exámenes de laboratorio y gabinete para este propósito. El cultivo viral y la prueba rápida para identificar antígenos, tienen mínimo impacto en el tratamiento y no se recomiendan de rutina. La radiografía y la laringoscopia deben reservarse cuando se sospechan diagnósticos alternativos. El tratamiento es sintomático con el uso habitual de corticoides y en ocasiones epinefrina o adrenalina. Una sola dosis de dexametasona oral, intramuscular o endovenosa mejora los síntomas y disminuye las visitas de retorno, readmisiones y la duración de hospitalización en niños con LT de cualquier gravedad. La adición de epinefrina nebulizada mejora los síntomas en niños con LT moderada o severa, disminuye el porcentaje de intubación y evita la insuficiencia respiratoria. La intervención oportuna al inicio de la enfermedad, disminuye la severidad de los síntomas, la atención médica en servicios de urgencia pediátrica y la internación hospitalaria.

The purpose of this update article is to provide information on the epidemiology, etiology, clinical manifestations for an accurate diagnosis, recommendations for requesting laboratory and cabinet tests, and finally symptomatic treatment with corticosteroids and when to use epinephrine or adrenaline. Laryngotracheitis (LT) is an acute respiratory infection triggered by a viral infection of the upper airway that affects 3% of children from six months to three years. It is responsible for 7% of annual hospitalizations for fever and / or acute respiratory illness in children under 5 years. It is the most frequent cause of obstruction of the upper airway, secondary to inflammation of the larynx, trachea and bronchi that causes respiratory stridor and barking cough. In most cases, the causative agent of the disease is the parainfluenza virus. While many children experience low-grade fever, their presence is not necessary for diagnosis, which is essentially clinical and laboratory and cabinet tests are rarely needed for this purpose. Viral culture and rapid test to identify antigens have minimal impact on treatment and are not recommended routinely. Radiography and laryngoscopy should be reserved when alternative diagnoses are suspected. The treatment is symptomatic with the usual use of corticosteroids and sometimes epinephrine or adrenaline. A single dose of oral, intramuscular or intravenous dexamethasone improves symptoms and decreases return visits, readmissions and length of hospitalization in children with LT of any severity. The addition of nebulized epinephrine improves symptoms in children with moderate or severe LT, decreases the percentage of intubation and prevents respiratory failure. Timely intervention at the onset of the disease, decreases the severity of symptoms, medical attention in pediatric emergency services and hospitalization.

Estructura factorial del sentido de coherencia y su relación de apego / Estrutura fatorial do senso de coerência e sua relação com o apego / Factorial structure of the Sense of Coherence and its relation with attachment

El sentido de coherencia se conforma por tres factores: comprensibilidad, manejabilidad y significatividad. En la investigación se analizó su estructura factorial a partir de la escala SOC-29 y su relación con de apego. Se plantearon tres hipótesis para valorar la confiabilidad, validez convergente y estructura factorial. La muestra estuvo compuesta por 445 participantes. El análisis estadístico se basó en técnicas descriptivas, alfa de Cronbach, correlación de Pearson y análisis factorial confirmatorio. Los resultados obtenidos aportan evidencias en favor de las hipótesis, con una consistencia interna de α=.82, una correlación significativa de apego r=.27 a .83 y un ajuste aceptable del modelo x²=1275.88, CFI=.85, RMSEA=.07 [.06-.07], SRMR=.04. Terminado el estudio, se ha destacado la importancia del cambio lingüístico realizado para adaptar la escala al contexto ecuatoriano; se mencionan dos limitaciones importantes referentes a su aplicación como autorrelato y la localización geográfica, a considerar para trabajos posteriores. (AU)

O senso de coerência é formado por três fatores: compreensibilidade, gerenciabilidade e significância. Na pesquisa, sua estrutura fatorial foi analisada por ser avaliada com a escala SOC-29 e sua relação com o apego. Três hipóteses foram propostas para avaliar confiabilidade, validade convergente e estrutura fatorial. A amostra foi composta por 445 participantes. A análise estatística foi baseada em técnicas descritivas, alfa de Cronbach, correlação de Pearson e análise fatorial confirmatória. Os resultados fornecem evidência para as hipóteses com uma consistência interna de α = 0,82, uma correlação significativa r = 0,27 a 0,83 e ajuste aceitável do modelo x² = 1275.88, CFI = 0,85, RMSEA = 0,07 [0,06-0,07], SRMR = 0,04. O artigo está terminado, enfatizando a importância da mudança linguística feita para adaptar a escala ao contexto equatoriano. Duas limitações importantes são mencionadas em relação à sua aplicação como autorrelato e localização geográfica, a serem levadas em conta para o trabalho subsequente. (AU)

The Sense of Coherence is formed by three factors: comprehensibility, manageability and meaningfulness. In this study, its factorial structure was analyzed through assessment with the SOC-29 scale and its relationship with attachment. Three hypotheses were proposed to assess the reliability, convergent validity and factorial structure, using a sample of 445 participants. Statistical analysis was based on descriptive techniques, Cronbach's alpha, Pearson's correlation and confirmatory factor analysis. The results obtained provide evidence in favor of the hypotheses, with an internal consistency of α=.82, a significant correlation with attachment r=.27 to .83 and an acceptable fit of the model x²=1275.88, CFI=.85, RMSEA=.07 [.06-.07], SRMR=.04. The study highlights the importance of the linguistic changes made to adapt the scale to the Ecuadorian context. Two important limitations are mentioned regarding its application as a self-report and the geographical location, which need to be taken into consideration in subsequent studies. (AU)

Escala Reducida Para Valorar El Sentido De Coherencia: Soc 15 / Scale Reduced To Value The Sense Of Coherence: Soc 15

Resumen Introducción: El sentido de coherencia es una constructo de la salud que permite al individuo enfrentar las dificultades y situaciones difíciles de la vida. Está configurado por tres factores: significado, comprensión y manejo. Se ha propuesto como método de valoración de este constructo a la escala SOC con 29 ítems. Objetivo: En esta investigación se plantea como objetivo, proponer una escala SOC reducida. Métodos: Se trabajó con una muestra de 445 participantes saludables de Quito-Ecuador, 145 hombres (32.5%) y 300 mujeres (67.4%). Resultados: Se obtuvo que la escala reducida en 15 ítems presenta adecuada consistencia interna en sus tres factores: comprensión α=.74, manejo α=.82 y significado α=.82. En el análisis factorial confirmatorio se encontró un ajuste aceptable del modelo reducido (SOC-15) x 2=317.90, GL=87, p=<.001, CFI=.92, RMSEA=.07 (.06-.08) y SRMR=.04. Conclusiones: Se discuten los datos en relación a los beneficios de contar con una escala reducida para su futuro aplicación en el contexto clínico sanitario y científico.

Abstract Introduction: The sense of coherence is a construct of health that allows the individual to face difficult situations of life. It is configured by three factors: meaning, understanding and management. As a method of assessment of this construct, has been proposed the SOC scale with 29 items in its original version. Objective: The objective of this study is to propose a reduced SOC scale. Methods: We worked with a sample of 445 healthy participants from Quito-Ecuador, 145 men (32.5%) and 300 women (67.4%). Results: It was obtained that the reduced scale of 15 items presents an adequate internal consistency in its three factors: understanding α = .74, management α = .82 and meaning α = .82. In the confirmatory factor analysis, an acceptable adjustment of the reduced model was found (SOC-15) x 2 = 317.90, DF = 87, p = <. 001, CFI = .92, RMSEA = .07 (.06-.08) and SRMR = .04. Conclusions: The data is discussed in relation to the benefits of counting with a reduced scale for its future application in the clinical and health scientific context.

Effects of Simulated Microgravity on Function of SOC Channels in Osteocytes MLO-Y4 / 医用生物力学

Objective To study the effect of simulated microgravity on activity of the store-operated calcium (SOC) channels in osteocytes and its possible mechanism, so as to elucidate the potential mechanism of weightlessness bone loss. Methods Osteocytes (MLO-Y4) as the experimental subjects were divided into simulated microgravity (SM) group and normal gravity group (CON). After rotating for 24 h and 48 h, confocal microscope was used to detect the intracellular calcium ion concentration level to reflect activity of the SOC channels after thapsigargin (TG)-induced endoplasmic reticulum (ER) depletion. Immunofluorescence staining was used to observe the distribution of ER membrane protein IP3R and spectrin membrane skeleton, in order to preliminarily explore the possible mechanism of functional changes of SOC channels. Results During the period of calcium release from ER, ［Ca2+］i had no significant difference between SM group and CON group for 24 h and 48 h; while during the period of extracellular calcium influx by SOC channels, ［Ca2+］i of SM group had significant differences in the first 4 minutes for 24 h, as well as in the whole time for 48 h. Compared with CON group, the spectrin membrane skeleton of SM group was gathered at the rim of membrane, while ER membrane protein IP3R of SM group was gathered at the nuclear envelope of ER. These two tendencies were more obvious for 48 h. Conclusions The stimulated microgravity could inhibit activity of SOC channels in osteocytes. Changes in the distribution of the spectrin membrane skeleton and ER membrane protein IP3R under the simulated microgravity might reduce the activity of SOC channels by affecting the conformation coupling process between the membrane and ER.

Occupational Stress among Nurses Working in Japan Through the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) / 日本プライマリ・ケア連合学会誌

Introduction: This study aimed to clarify the stress experienced by nurses working at hospitals in Japan through the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA).Methods: A questionnaire survey that included a brief job stress questionnaire and sense of coherence (SOC) scale was administered to EPA nurses and nursing candidates.Results: Seventy-two nurses and nursing candidates responded to the survey. Overall, 79.2% of them felt confused about the differences between work in Japan and in their home country and they experienced qualitative and physical burdens as a result of their job. Female respondents rated the "suitability of the job" as relatively low, whereas male respondents rated the "degree of utilization of skills" as relatively low. Both male and female respondents received strong support from their families and friends. A correlation analysis of the data regarding female respondents indicated that occupational stress was related to how accustomed they had become to life in Japan, their Japanese language ability, quantitative burden of the job, workplace environment, and SOC.Conclusions: The study results suggested that considerations of the burden of the job, workplace environment, and improvement in SOC should be required from workplaces that accept EPA nurses.

A high-definition video display system for medical endoscope based on SoC / 国际生物医学工程杂志

Objective To develop a high-definition video display system for medical endoscope based on system on chip (SoC),and meet the requirement of high-resolution and real-time video display.Method A CMOS camera was used for video data capture.A SoC chip,integrated with a dual-core ARM Crotex-A9 processor and a field programmable gate array (FPGA),was employed as the kernel of the system.The HPS part of the SoC was used to build an embedded system to realize human-computer interaction,and the FPGA part was used to store and cache video data.The HPS and FPGA part were connected through a high-performance ARM AMBA AXI bus bridge broadband system,so as to achieve encoding of the cached video data and real-time display on screen.Results A high-definition video display system was built based on SoC.This system can achieve capture,processing and realtime display of high-definition video,as well as video freeze function.Conclusions The experimental results indicate that this system is feasible and effective,and possesses the advantages of customizability,multiple-exploitation and high performance of real-time video display.

Evaluating Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation Potential of Conservation Agriculture in Semi-arid Tropics of Southern India.

Aims: As climate change related rainfall and temperature variability is being increasingly experienced in the SAT regions, we assessed climate change mitigation and adaptation potential of Conservation Agriculture (CA) by studying effects of minimum tillage (MT) and residue management practices on rain water use efficiency (RWUE), soil moisture, runoff, energy use and carbon dioxide emission in two maize-legume cropping systems. Study Design: The experiment was laid out in split-split plot design with four replications. Place and Duration of Study: The study was conducted at the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) farm, Patancheru, Telangana, India during 2010-11 and 2011-12. Methodology: RWUE was calculated as maize equivalent yield divided by rainfall received during the crop season. Integrated digital runoff and soil loss monitoring unit (IDRSMU) was used to measure runoff. Soil moisture content was measured using the gravimetric method (0-30 cm depth) and neutron probe (60-90 cm depth). The soil organic carbon was analyzed following the Walkley-Black method [1]. The diesel consumption in MT and conventional tillage (CT) was estimated following Downs and Hansen (http://www.ext.colostate.edu/pubs) and emission of CO2 was estimated according to EPA, 2009 [2]. Results: Tillage and residue management practices did not show significant effect on RWUE except; CT having significantly higher RWUE over MT during 2011-12. Effect of cropping systems on RWUE was significant but variable during the two years of study. MT-RT (minimum tillageresidue retained) reduced total seasonal runoff by 28.62% and 80.22% compared to CT-RR (conventional tillage- residue removed) in 2010-11 and 2011-12, respectively. Similarly, MT-RT reduced rainwater loss and peak rate of runoff compared to CT-RR in both the years of study. During 2010, MT-RT had higher total soil moisture (v/v) in the 0-90 cm soil depth in sole as well as intercropped maize compared to CT-RR, however, during 2011 MT-RT had higher total soil moisture in sole maize only. As compared to CT, even though, MT improved SOC in 0-15 cm depth but lowered slightly in 15-30 cm depth. RT (residue retained) improved SOC in 0-15 and 15- 30 cm depths compared to residue removal (RR). MT-RT had higher or equal SOC in 0-15 and 15- 30 cm soil depths compared to CT-RR in both the maize-legume cropping systems. MT saved energy corresponding to 41.49 l of diesel per hectare annually compared to CT. Similarly, MT emitted 110.79 kg less CO2 annually on per hectare basis compared to CT due to reduced diesel use. Conclusion: CA, when adopted by following good agricultural practices and refined to suit the local conditions, could emerge as sustainable production system for climate change mitigation and adaptation of dryland cropping systems in semi-arid tropics of southern India.

Thrombocytopenia in Egyptian Patients with Hepatitis C Virus Treated with Standard of Care Therapy: A Cohort Study.

Background and Study Aims: Thrombocytopenia (TP) in chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a common finding either directly due to viral infection of platelets or indirectly due to immune alteration triggered by the virus, the consequences of HCV- induced cirrhosis and portal hypertension, or induced by Interferon (IFN), the corner element of the standard of care (SOC) therapy for HCV. This study aimed to evaluate TP in patients with chronic HCV, and to evaluate the mutual effect between SOC and TP. Methods: The study was conducted on 209 patients with chronic HCV from Railway Hospital, Cairo. Patients were divided into two groups, Group (I): 144 patients who received SOC therapy, and Group (II): 65 patients who did not receive therapy. All patients were subjected to clinical examination, laboratory investigations, abdominal ultrasonography, and liver biopsy. Results: TP was a common finding (60/209; 28.7%), more in group I (33/ 60; 55%, mean= 124.8±16.2/ml), and was significantly worse in group II (mean= 99.7±36.3/ml, p=0.008). Along the course of treatment, 2 significant drops of platelet count took place, nadirs at W8 and W24. TP was significantly related to hepatitis activity and hepatic synthetic function, and not related to the viral load. Four cases developed severe TP, only 1 of them continued therapy on IFN dose reduction. Conclusions: TP is a common complication among HCV patients and along its SOC therapy, particularly influenced significantly by splenomegaly and advanced fibrosis.

Perceived motor ability and selection, optimization, and compensation: effects of age and institutionalization / Capacidade motora percebida e seleção, otimização e compensação: efeitos da idade e da institucionalização / Capacidad motora percibida y selección, optimización y compensación: efectos de la edad y de la institucionalización

The authors examined the mediation effect of the perceived motor ability (PMA) on the direct "effects" of age (third vs. fourth age) and residential status (institutionalized vs. communitarians) on selection, optimization, and compensation (SOC) strategies. With a non-probabilistic sample of 107 elders (Mdn = 80 years) from urban areas, and controlled for cognitive impairment and depression, the authors analysed the structural component of the path model with latent constructs that represents those relationships. This was made only after the structural validity of the constructs had been assured. Constructs were operationalized through the PMA questionnaire and a 16-item version of the SOC questionnaire. Only age had direct effects on the constructs: lower PMA and lower SOC of the elders in the fourth age. Authors also verified that the PMA mediation effect was partial.

Neste artigo examinou-se o "efeito" de mediação da capacidade motora percebida (CMP) nos efeitos diretos da idade (terceira vs. quarta idade) e do estatuto residencial (institucionalizados vs. comunitários) sobre estratégias de seleção, otimização e compensação (SOC). Com uma amostra não probabilística de 107 idosos (Mdn = 80 anos) residentes em meio urbano e controlados para demência e depressão, procedeu-se à análise da componente estrutural do modelo de trajetórias com construtos latentes que representa essas relações. Isto só foi feito depois de garantida a validade estrutural dos construtos, operacionalizados através do Questionário de CMP e de uma versão de 16 itens do Questionário SOC. Só a idade teve efeitos diretos sobre os construtos: menor CMP e menor SOC dos idosos na quarta idade. A CMP teve um efeito direto sobre as estratégias SOC: quanto menor CMP, menor SOC. Verificou-se, ainda, que o efeito de mediação da CMP foi parcial.

En este artículo se examinó el "efecto" de mediación de la capacidad motora percibida (CMP) en los efectos directos de la edad (tercera vs. cuarta edad) y del ámbito residencial (institucionalizados vs. comunitarios) sobre estrategias de selección, optimización y compensación (SOC). Con una muestra no probabilística de 107 ancianos (Mdn = 80 años) residentes en medio urbano y controlados para demencia y depresión, se procedió el análisis del componente estructural del modelo de trayectorias con constructos latentes que representan estas relaciones. Eso fue hecho después de garantizada la validez estructural de los constructos, operacionalizados a través del Cuestionario de CMP y de una versión de 16 ítems del Cuestionario SOC. Sólo la edad tuvo efectos directos sobre los constructos: menor CMP y menor SOC de los ancianos en la cuarta edad. La CMP tuvo un efecto directo sobre las estrategias SOC: cuanto menor CMP, menor SOC. Se verificó, aún, que el efecto de mediación de la CMP fue parcial.

Caffeine and 2-Aminoethoxydiphenyl Borate (2-APB) Have Different Ability to Inhibit Intracellular Calcium Mobilization in Pancreatic Acinar Cell

Inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate receptors (InsP3Rs) modulate Ca2+ release from intracellular Ca2+ store and are extensively expressed in the membrane of endoplasmic/sarcoplasmic reticulum and Golgi. Although caffeine and 2-aminoethoxydiphenyl borate (2-APB) have been widely used to block InsP3Rs, the use of these is limited due to their multiple actions. In the present study, we examined and compared the ability of caffeine and 2-APB as a blocker of Ca2+ release from intracellular Ca2+ stores and Ca2+ entry through store-operated Ca2+ (SOC) channel in the mouse pancreatic acinar cell. Caffeine did not block the Ca2+ entry, but significantly inhibited carbamylcholine (CCh)-induced Ca2+ release. In contrast, 2-APB did not block CCh-induced Ca2+ release, but remarkably blocked SOC-mediated Ca2+ entry at lower concentrations. In permeabilized acinar cell, caffeine had an inhibitory effect on InsP3-induced Ca2+ release, but 2-APB at lower concentration, which effectively blocked Ca2+ entry, had no inhibitory action. At higher concentrations, 2-APB has multiple paradoxical effects including inhibition of InsP3-induced Ca2+ release and direct stimulation of Ca2+ release. Based on the results, we concluded that caffeine is useful as an inhibitor of InsP3R, and 2-APB at lower concentration is considered a blocker of Ca2+ entry through SOC channels in the pancreatic acinar cell.

Prevalencia y mortalidad por accidentes en niños menores de 10 años Hospital del Niño "Dr. Ovidio Aliaga Uría" / Prevalence and mortaliti due to accidents in children under 10 years of age

Objetivo: describir las características y casuística de los accidentes en niños que consultan al Hospital del Niño "Ovidio Aliaga U". Diseño: Estudio descriptivo, prospectivo de serie de casos. Lugar: Hospital del Niño de la ciudad de La Paz, Bolivia. Centro estatal, de tercer nivel. Participantes: 422 niños menores de 10 años que consultaron al Hospital del Niño por motivo de un accidente. Mediciones del resultado principal: a todos los padres o tutores de los niños se les aplicó una entrevista donde se consignaron datos generales del paciente, antecedentes socioeconómicos de la familia, agentes etiológicos, tipos de lesiones, lugar de ocurrencia del accidente. Resultados: De 422 casos registrados, fueron varones el 55%, la edad promedio fue de 5.3 años. En el 84% de los casos el niño no se encontraba con sus padres y en un 56% se encontraba al cuidado de otro menor de edad. El 20% de los pacientes tenía antecedentes de accidentes previos en los últimos 6 meses. Las causas más comunes fueron: caídas 36%, quemaduras 20%, accidentes de tráfico 15.4%, envenenamientos 6% y mordeduras de animales 4.5%. Según el tipo de lesión producida fueron: heridas 31%, quemaduras 17%, fracturas 16% y el resto lesiones superficiales Conclusiones: los accidentes en niños constituyen una causa importante de consulta e internación a un hospital de tercer nivel. Es remarcable mencionar que existen factores de riesgo prevenibles como la ausencia de los padres en el momento del accidente, la disponibilidad de elementos inflamables en domicilio que favorecen las quemaduras. Por lo anterior consideramos importante la puesta en marcha de campañas educativas de prevención.

Objective: To describe the characteristics of accidents in children treated at the Dr. Ovidio Aliaga Uría Children´s Hospital Design: Descriptive, prospective study of a series of cases Participants: 422 children under 10 years of age that were treated at the Children's Hospital because of accidents. Study method: All parents and tutors were interviewed to obtain general information on the patient, family, social and economic background and details about the accident. Results: Out of 422 cases, 55% were male, average age 5.3 years. In 84% of all cases the child was not with his parents and 56 % were under the care of a minor. 20% of the patients had a history of previous accidents within the past 6 months. The most common accidents were: falls (36%), burns (20%), traffic accidents (15.4%), poisoning (6%) and animal bites (4,5%). The most common lesions were: wounds (31%), burns (17%), fractures (16%) and the rest were superficial lesions. Conclusions: Accidents are an important cause of consultation and admission at a third level hospital. It is important to mention that there are preventable risk factors, like the absence of parents, the presence of flammable objects in the home, leading to burns. In view of these facts we consider it important to educate the population in the prevention of home accidents.

Niveles de hemoglobina en niños internados en el Hospital del Niño "Dr. Ovidio Aliaga Uría" / Hemoglobin levels in children admitthed to the Hospital del Niño "Dr. Ovidio Aliaga Uría"

Objetivo: Determinar la incidencia y severidad de la deficiencia de hierro en diferentes grupos etáreos, mediante la determinación de los niveles de hemoglobina, además de observar su correlación clínica con la palidez palmar, de niños internados en un hospital pediátrico. Diseño: Estudio descriptivo prospectivo Lugar: Hospital de Niños Ovidio Aliaga Uría de la ciudad de La Paz Pacientes: 247 niños internados en diferentes servicios pediátricos. Métodos: Se registraron los valores de hemoglobina cuantificados al ingreso del paciente, la edad, sexo y correlación clínica con la palidez palmar. Resultados: Se encontró niveles de hemoglobina inferiores a 12 g/dL en más del 50% de los niños menores de cinco años, sobre todo en los lactantes y niveles mayores a 10 g/dL en la mayoría de ellos. La correlación con la palidez palmar fue adecuada, requiriendo mayor investigación.

Objectives: To determine the incidence and severity of iron deficiency in children of different age groups by identifying hemoglobin levels, and also to observe clinical co- relation to pale palms; patients were children admitted to a pediatric hospital. Pattern: Prospective descriptive study. Location: Ovidio Aliaga Uría Children's Hospital, La Paz, Bolivia. Patients: 247 children admitted to the hospital's different wards. Method: Hemoglobin levels were measured and registered upon admission of children to the hospital as well as age, sex and clinical co-relation to palm paleness. Results: Hemoglobin levels lower than 12g/dl were found in more than 50% of children under 5 years of age, particularly in nursing babies; levels higher than 10g/dl in the majority of them. The co- relation to palm paleness was adequate, requiring more investigation.

Síndrome antifosfolípido: A propósito de un caso / Antiphospholipid antibody syndrome: Description of one case

Se presenta a un paciente de 7 años de edad que ingresa con cuadro de oclusión arterial desde arterial aorta abdominal hasta arterial iliacas. El síndrome Antifosfolípido se trata de una entidad bien establecida asociada a un incremento del riego trombotico en enfermedad inmuno reumatologica poco diferenciada. El mecanismo de la trombosis en complejo y multifactorial. Se trata de síndrome antifosfolído primario si no forma parte de ninguna enfermedad auto inmune, y secundaria cuando se asocia a alguna, particularmente Lupus Eritematoso Sistemico. La trombosis arterial o venosa puede ocurrir en cualquier territorio pero mas frecuentes en las extremidades. No hay consenso acerca de los requisitos para establecer el diagnostico de este síndrome, sin embargo se toma los criterios de Alarcón Segovia (1989). Según clasificación de Síndrome antifosfolípido asociado a trombosis, el tipo II involucra pacientes con arteriopatía coronaria o periférica. Las pruebas para detectar los anticuerpos antifosfolípidos son serologia para sífilis falsamente positiva, anticoagulante lúpico, anticuerpos anticardiolipina. Las bases para el tratamiento no están bien establecidas, las que presentan episodios de trombosis arterial o venosa el tratamiento anticoagulante se impone, sin embargo el riego de recurrencia es alto. Se han intentado también tratamiento con corticoides y inmunosupresores con alguna respuesta. Existen drogas de experimentación con resultados aun no bien establecidos.

Congenital hypothyroidism is one of the most frequent endocrinological disease in pediatrics and the most common cause of mental retardation. It is important the diagnosis thru the routine screening of neonatal TSH, because most of the newborn are asymptomatic. We describe an 11 day-old infant seen at the Hospital del Niño "Dr. Ovidio Aliaga Uría", the follow up for 5 months shows a good response to treatment. We emphasize the importance of the routine screening for the disease and the importance of the early treatment.

Fate of Abstracts Presented at the Scientific Meetings of the Korean Radiological Society

PURPOSE: To determine the publication rate of abstracts presented at the scientific meetings of the Korean Radiological Society(KRS) and to compare the contents of publication articles and presentation abstracts. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Between 1992 and 1996 it was determined whether or not 2457 abstracts presented at meetings of the KRS were published in the Journal of the Society. Publications that matched presentations were identified, and the proportion of abstracts published was calculated. Differences in publication rates between spring and autumn meetings, and between scientific sessions(SS) and scientific exhibitions(SE) were examined. The elapsed time between presentation and publication was recorded. The contents ( authors, title, purpose, materials and methods, results, and conclusion) of abstracts presented at scientific meetings of the KRS were compared with those of articles published in the Journal of the KRS. RESULTS: We found that the mean proportion of abstracts published as articles was 25%. There was a significantly different publication rate between spring and autumn meetings, and between SS and SE. The mean time lapse between presentation and publication was 13.3 months. The mean number of authors was 4.8 in the case of abstracts and 5.8 in the case of articles. Of the 614 articles, 98 (16 %) showed no evidence of a change of first author. Articles were more likely to mention an additional coauthor( 81 % versus 66 % , p < 0.05) when the first author was a resident than when he or she was a staff member. The purpose and conclusion of the studies remained the same in a high percentage of cases (87% for purpose and 71% for conclusion). CONCLUSION: The fact that only 25% of the abstracts presented at scientific meetings of the KRS have been published is one that should be of concern to the investigators involved. It is important that studies undertaken should proceed to the publication stage. though it is recognized that the discrepany in this respect is probably due to factors which are not academic.

Clinical Application of Serum CEA, SCC, Cyfra2l-1, and TPA in Lung Cancer / 결핵

BACKGROUND: Tumor markers have been used in diagnosis, predicting the extent of disease, monitering recurrence after therapy and prediction of prognosis. But the utility of markers in lung cancer has been limited by low sensitivity and specificity. TPA-M is recently developed marker using combined monoclonal antibody of Cytokeratin 8, 18, and 19. This study was conducted to evaluate the efficacy of new tumor marker, TPA-M by comparing the estabilished markers 8CC, CEA, Cyfra2 I - I in hmg cancer. METHODS: An immunoradiometric assay of serum CEA, SCC, Cyfra2l-I, and TPA-M was performed in 49 pathologically confirmed lung cancer patients who visited Keimyung University Hospital from April 1996 to August 1996, and 29 benign lung diseases. Commercially available kits, Ab bead CM (Eiken) to CEA, SCC RIA BEAD (DAINABOT) to SCC, CA21-1 (TEE) to Cyfra21-1, arid TPA-M (DAIICHI) to TPA-M were used for this study. RESULTS: The mean serum values of lung cancer group and control group were 10.05 +/- 38.39 micro/L, l.59+/-0.94 micro/L in CEA, 3.04+/-5.79 micro/L, 1.58+/-2.85 micro/L in SCC, 8.27+/-11.96 micro/L, 1.77+/-2.72 micro/L in Cyfra21-1, and 132.02+/-209.35 U/L, 45.86+/-75.86 U/t in TPA-M respectively. Serum values of Cyfra21-1 and TPA-M in lung cancer group were higher than control group (p0.05). CONCLUSION: Serum TPA-M and Cyfra21-1 shows higher sensitivity and specificity than CEA and SCC in overall lung cancer and nonsmall cell lung cancer those were confirmed pathologically. SCC has higher specificity in nonsmall cell lung cancer. And the level of serum SCC are significantly related with TNM staging.