ABSTRACT
PURPOSE: Elbow fractures are common in children and occur during daily activities. The aim of this study is to evaluate the epidemiology of paediatric elbow fractures over a two-year period in Okinawa, a southern subtropical island in Japan. METHODS: This was a retrospective study of 488 elbow fractures in children younger than 15 years old treated at 11 hospitals in Okinawa. Data included age, gender, calendar month, type of fracture, operation rate, mechanism of injury, and aetiology. RESULTS: The most frequent age was 6 years old, with 47.5% of all elbow fractures occurring in an age range from 6 to 10 years old. The fracture rate for boys was 1.6 times higher than that for girls. The incidence was the highest in May (56 fractures) and the lowest in August (25 fractures). Supracondylar fractures were the most common type (44%), followed by lateral condyle fractures (22%); 45% of all fractures were treated operatively. Medial epicondyle fractures had the highest rate of operative treatment (91%). In the 6 to 10-year-old group, 19% of all fractures occurred while skateboarding or caster-boarding, the most frequent aetiology. CONCLUSIONS: Supracondylar fractures are the most common fracture type in 4 to 7-year-old boys. In the 6 to 10-year-old group, skateboarding and caster-boarding are the most frequent and increasing cause of elbow fractures. Therefore, some preventive measures are needed. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level IV, case series.
ABSTRACT
We demonstrated that a novel natriuretic hormone, brain natriuretic peptide, modestly inhibited the production of cortisol and aldosterone stimulated by ACTH in cultured bovine adrenocortical cells. Moreover, the presence of brain natriuretic peptide was demonstrated in bovine adrenal medulla, suggesting that it may modulate adrenocortical steroidogenesis. Using a specific radioimmunoassay (RIA) for brain natriuretic peptide-26, we confirmed that human cardiac atrial tissues elaborated a considerable amount of brain natriuretic peptide-26-like immunoreactivity (1.00 +/- 0.17 micrograms/g wet weight tissue, n = 3). Its molecular form was similar to that of brain natriuretic peptide-32 and possibly, to gamma-brain natriuretic peptide. However, any immunoreactivity of brain natriuretic peptide could not be detected in human pheochromocytoma tissues and some tissues of the human central nervous system. These observations suggest that brain natriuretic peptide dose not function as a neuropeptide but that it may be a cardiac natriuretic hormone important in human physiology, involved in the balance of water and electrolytes.
