Erratum

The radiation dose unit for the scattered radiation in the following sentence, "The measured scattered radiation range at a 2 m distance from the NICU was 11-17 micro Gy per radiograph." passed in the abstract results section and main results section of the Korean J Radiol 2008;9:416-419 should be replaced as 11-17 nGy

Radiation Exposure to Premature Infants in a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit in Turkey

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this work was to determine the radiation dose received by infants from radiographic exposure and the contribution from scatter radiation due to radiographic exposure of other infants in the same room. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We retrospectively evaluated the entrance skin doses (ESDs) and effective doses of 23 infants with a gestational age as low as 28 weeks. ESDs were determined from tube output measurements (ESD(TO)) (n = 23) and from the use of thermoluminescent dosimetry (ESD(TLD)) (n = 16). Scattered radiation was evaluated using a 5 cm Perspex phantom. Effective doses were estimated from ESD(TO) by Monte Carlo computed software and radiation risks were estimated from the effective dose. ESD(TO) and ESD(TLD) were correlated using linear regression analysis. RESULTS: The mean ESD(TO) for the chest and abdomen were 67 micro Gy and 65 micro Gy per procedure, respectively. The mean ESD(TLD) per radiograph was 70 micro Gy. The measured scattered radiation range at a 2 m distance from the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) was (11-17 micro Gy[corrected to 11-17 nGy]) per radiograph. Mean effective doses were 16 and 27 micro Sv per procedure for the chest and abdomen, respectively. ESD(TLD) was well correlated with ESD(TO) obtained from the total chest and abdomen radiographs for each infant (R2 = 0.86). The radiation risks for childhood cancer estimated from the effective dose were 0.4 x 10(-6) to 2 x 10(-6) and 0.6 x 10(-6) to 2.9 x 10(-6) for chest and abdomen radiographs, respectively. CONCLUSION: The results of our study show that neonates received acceptable doses from common radiological examinations. Although the contribution of scatter radiation to the neonatal dose is low, considering the sensitivity of the neonates to radiation, further protective action was performed by increasing the distance of the infants from each other.

A case report of neonatal convulsions due to maternal herpes gestationis.

Herpes gestationis is a rarely seen autoimmune vesiculobullous and pruritic dermatosis of pregnancy. Neonatal morbidity associated with maternal herpes gestationis is controversial. The authors report the first case of neonatal convulsion with abnormal electroencephalography findings and transient vesicular eruption due to maternal herpes gestationis.

Tubular skin appendage, renal agenesis and popliteal web: a further example of the human homologue of disorganization (Ds).

We describe a newborn infant with defects similar to those seen in mice heterozygous for the mutant disorganization (Ds) gene. The child had left popliteal webbing, left iliac bone hypoplasia, bifid scrotum, hypospadias, chordee deformity of the penis and a sacral dimple. Other anomalies included absence of the right kidney and a bizarre hamartomatous tubular skin pedicle on the left thigh. No obvious amniotic bands or oligohydramnios were noted. The similarity between the proband's anomalies, those in previously reported cases, and those found in mice support the possibility of a human homologue of the Ds gene.

Effects of passive smoking on lung function in children.

BACKGROUND: Passive smoking can have significant effects on lung function with reductions in forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) and forced mid-expiratory flow rate (FEF25-75%) of between 5 and 10%. METHODS: Fifty non-smoking children aged 6-15 years, who had no history of asthma or atopy and no parental history of atopy, were assessed with respect to their lung functions (FEV1, FEV1/FVC, FEF25-75%). RESULTS: Thirty-three of these children were being exposed to environmental tobacco smoke inside their homes, while 17 children were not exposed. In the 'passive smoker' group the FEV1, FEV1/FVC and FEF25-75% values were found to be significantly lower than the non-smoker control group's values (P = 0.0080, 0.0228 and 0.0003, respectively). The decrease in FEF25-75% was significantly correlated inversely with the number of cigarettes smoked per day (P = 0.0261). CONCLUSION: There is sufficient evidence to support the notion that environmental tobacco smoke is a serious health burden for children. Considering that recent studies suggest that up to 70% of children grow up in homes with at least one smoker, every effort should be made to reduce these children's exposure to environmental tobacco smoke and to give them a chance to grow up in a more healthy environment.