A sewing needle within the right hepatic lobe of an infant.

Intrahepatic foreign bodies are extremely rare before 6 months of age. We reported a case of a 5-month-old boy with a needle-like foreign body in the liver. The foreign body was incidentally found in the right hepatic lobe on the x-ray image. He was asymptomatic, with neither a history of swallowing a needle nor an abdominal cutaneous scar. Three-dimensional reconstruction of spiral computed tomographic scan showed an intrahepatic needle, close to the base of the heart, with its proximal end close to the gallbladder fossae. Because of the localization of the needle and subsequent risks of complications, surgical removal was recommended. At laparotomy, a tiny scar was recognized in the upper surface of the right lobe of the liver, confirming the migration route. Postoperative course was uneventful, and the child was discharged on postoperative day 10 and is thriving perfectly 2 months after surgery. We reviewed the clinical issues of intrahepatic foreign bodies and briefly discussed its approach and implications.

[Catechol-O-methyltransferase gene rs6267 polymorphism in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder].

OBJECTIVE: To study the relationship between rs6267 polymorphism of catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) gene and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). METHODS: One hundred and fourteen children with ADHD and 76 normal volunteers were enrolled. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) techniques were used for detecting COMT rs6267 polymorphism. The behavioral problems were assessed by Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL). RESULTS: There were no significant differences in the COMT genotype distribution and allele frequencies between the ADHD and normal control groups. The frequencies of thinking problems (1.7±1.9 vs 1.0±0.9) and disciplinary problems (4.5±3.7 vs 2.2±1.4) in ADHD children carrying genotype G/G were significantly higher than those in children carrying G/T (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: COMT rs6267 polymorphism may not contribute to susceptibility to ADHD. However, there might be an association between rs6267 polymorphism and some clinical characters of ADHD.

[A case-control study on family environment related factors in attention deficit hyperactivity disorder with anxiety disorder].

OBJECTIVE: To study the family rearing pattern of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) with or without anxiety disorder and to explore its risk factors. METHODS: 9495 children and their parents were sampled at random in Hunan province, using two-stage investigation. Those who were diagnosed ADHD and the normal control filled out Egna Minnen av Barndoms Uppfostran and family adaptability and cohesion scale by themselves. RESULTS: The comparison of factors as: actual family cohesion, parents' punishments, rejection, mother's excessive protection, intervention and father's excessive protection were significantly different between ADHD with or without anxiety disorder and normal children (P < 0.05). The comparison of parents' punishments, rejection, excessive protection and intervention were obviously different between ADHD with anxiety disorder and simple ADHD (P < 0.05). Mother's rejection was the influencing factor of simple ADHD, with OR as 1.122. Ideal family cohesion, mother's rejection and father's punishments were the influencing factors of ADHD with anxiety disorder, with OR as 0.966, 1.215 and 1.089 respectively. CONCLUSION: There were some problems in the parental rearing pattern of ADHD with or without anxiety disorder. Mother's rejection, father's punishments and ideal family cohesion were suggested to be correlated with ADHD and anxiety disorder.