Nature-based interventions for physical health conditions: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Nature-based interventions (NBIs) are activities, strategies, or programs taking place in natural settings, such as exercising in greenspaces, to improve the health and well-being of people by integrating the benefits of nature exposure with healthy behaviours. Current reviews on NBIs do not report the effects on different groups of physical health conditions. The purpose of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to identify and synthesize the evidence of the effect of NBIs on physical health outcomes and biomarkers of physical health conditions. Overall, 20,201 studies were identified through searching MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL, SPORTDiscus, and CENTRAL databases up to June 7, 2024. Inclusion criteria were: 1) randomized controlled intervention studies; 2) population with a physical health condition; 3) NBIs vs. different intervention or no intervention; and 4) measuring physical health outcomes and/or biomarkers. Twenty-six studies were included in the review, 15 of which contributed to the meta-analysis. Compared to control groups, NBIs groups showed significant improvements in: diastolic blood pressure (MD -3.73 mmHg [-7.46 to -0.00], I2 = 62%) and heart rate (MD -7.44 bpm [-14.81 to -0.06], I2 = 0%) for cardiovascular conditions, fatigue (SMD -0.50 [-0.82 to -0.18], I2 = 16%) for central nervous system conditions, and body fat percentage (MD -3.61% [-5.05 to -2.17], I2 = 0%) for endocrine conditions. High effect heterogeneity was found in several analyses and the included studies had moderate-to-high risk of bias (RoB). The non-significant outcomes showed a direction of effect in favour of NBI groups for cardiovascular, central nervous system, endocrine, musculoskeletal, and respiratory conditions. This review found some beneficial effects in favour of NBIs for health outcomes in at least three condition groups though RoB and inconsistent effects limited some interpretations. NBIs are promising therapies that healthcare professionals can consider integrating into clinical practice.

A phase II dose evaluation pilot feasibility randomized controlled trial of cholecalciferol in critically ill children with vitamin D deficiency (VITdAL-PICU study).

BACKGROUND: Vitamin D deficiency (VDD) is highly prevalent in the pediatric intensive care unit (ICU) and associated with worse clinical course. Trials in adult ICU demonstrate rapid restoration of vitamin D status using an enteral loading dose is safe and may improve outcomes. There have been no published trials of rapid normalization of VDD in the pediatric ICU. METHODS: We conducted a multicenter placebo-controlled phase II pilot feasibility randomized clinical trial from 2016 to 2017. We randomized 67 critically ill children with VDD from ICUs in Canada, Chile and Austria using a 2:1 randomization ratio to receive a loading dose of enteral cholecalciferol (10,000 IU/kg, maximum of 400,000 IU) or placebo. Participants, care givers, and outcomes assessors were blinded. The primary objective was to determine whether the loading dose normalized vitamin D status (25(OH)D > 75 nmol/L). Secondary objectives were to evaluate for adverse events and assess the feasibility of a phase III trial. RESULTS: Of 67 randomized participants, one was withdrawn and seven received more than one dose of cholecalciferol before the protocol was amended to a single loading dose, leaving 59 participants in the primary analyses (40 treatment, 19 placebo). Thirty-one/38 (81.6%) participants in the treatment arm achieved a plasma 25(OH)D concentration > 75 nmol/L versus 1/18 (5.6%) the placebo arm. The mean 25(OH)D concentration in the treatment arm was 125.9 nmol/L (SD 63.4). There was no evidence of vitamin D toxicity and no major drug or safety protocol violations. The accrual rate was 3.4 patients/month, supporting feasibility of a larger trial. A day 7 blood sample was collected for 84% of patients. A survey administered to 40 participating families showed that health-related quality of life (HRQL) was the most important outcome for families for the main trial (30, 75%). CONCLUSIONS: A single 10,000 IU/kg dose can rapidly and safely normalize plasma 25(OH)D concentrations in critically ill children with VDD, but with significant variability in 25(OH)D concentrations. We established that a phase III multicentre trial is feasible. Using an outcome collected after hospital discharge (HRQL) will require strategies to minimize loss-to-follow-up. CLINICALTRIALS: gov NCT02452762 Registered 25/05/2015.

Attitudes and Perceptions of Canadian Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgeons and Residents on Environmental Sustainability.

Objective: Healthcare systems, specifically operating rooms, significantly contribute to greenhouse gas emissions. Addressing operating room environmental sustainability requires understanding current practices, opinions, and barriers. This is the first study assessing the attitudes and perceptions of otolaryngologists on environmental sustainability. Study Design: Cross-sectional virtual survey. Setting: Email survey to active members of the Canadian Society of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery. Methods: A 23-question survey was developed in REDCap. The questions focused on four themes: (1) demographics, (2) attitudes and beliefs, (3) institutional practices, and (4) education. A combination of multiple choice, Likert-scale, and open-ended questions were employed. Results: Response rate was 11% (n = 80/699). Most respondents strongly believed in climate change (86%). Only 20% strongly agree that operating rooms contribute to the climate crisis. Most agree environmental sustainability is very important at home (62%) and in their community (64%), only 46% said it was very important in the operating room. Barriers to environmental sustainability were incentives (68%), hospital supports (60%), information/knowledge (59%), cost (58%), and time (50%). Of those involved in residency programs, 89% (n = 49/55) reported there was no education on environmental sustainability or they were unsure if there was. Conclusion: Canadian otolaryngologists strongly believe in climate change, but there is more ambivalence regarding operating rooms as a significant contributor. There is a need for further education and a systemic reduction of barriers to facilitate eco-action in otolaryngology operating rooms.

EMS Use and Success Rates of Intraosseous Infusion for Pediatric Resuscitations: A Large Regional Health System Experience.

OBJECTIVE: Access of intraosseous (IO) compartments is a commonly used technique that is an invaluable asset in emergency resuscitation. Prehospital IO success rates using semi-automatic insertion devices vary between 70 and 100% of pediatric patients. There are limited data on time to insertion and duration of IO function in the prehospital setting. Recent studies limited to the pediatric emergency department (PED) setting have also suggested that IOs may be less successful in the infant population. We explored the use of IO access for pediatric resuscitation, encompassing the prehospital and pediatric emergency department (PED) settings. METHODS: This is a retrospective review of emergency medical services (EMS) patient care reports and PED data of patients aged 0-17 years old and transported by regional ground EMS agencies in Southwestern Ontario, Canada from 2012 to 2019. Mean and median time to first insertion and IO function (from insertion to IO failure, IV access, transfer to ICU, or death) were calculated. RESULTS: Successful prehospital IO access was achieved in 83.7% of patients. The median time required to achieve IO access was 4 min (IQR 3-7) and mean duration of IO function was 27.6 min (SD: 14.8). Patients less than 1 year old had fewer functional IOs (25.9% vs. 75.0%), more insertion attempts (2 vs. 1), and shorter duration of IO function (18.8 vs. 32.2 mins) than the older age group (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: This is the first study to provide time to IO access and IO duration in the prehospital setting, and the first prehospital evidence to suggest inferior IO function in infants <1 year old, compared to other ages. This highlights unique challenges for infants that have implications for the PED, interfacility transport, and critical care settings.

High Temperatures and Cardiovascular-Related Morbidity: A Scoping Review.

The primary objective of this review was to synthesize studies assessing the relationships between high temperatures and cardiovascular disease (CVD)-related hospital encounters (i.e., emergency department (ED) visits or hospitalizations) in urban Canada and other comparable populations, and to identify areas for future research. Ovid MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, and Scopus were searched between 6 April and 11 April 2020, and on 21 March 2021, to identify articles examining the relationship between high temperatures and CVD-related hospital encounters. Studies involving patients with pre-existing CVD were also included. English language studies from North America and Europe were included. Twenty-two articles were included in the review. Studies reported an inconsistent association between high temperatures and ischemic heart disease (IHD), heart failure, dysrhythmia, and some cerebrovascular-related hospital encounters. There was consistent evidence that high temperatures may be associated with increased ED visits and hospitalizations related to total CVD, hyper/hypotension, acute myocardial infarction (AMI), and ischemic stroke. Age, sex, and gender appear to modify high temperature-CVD morbidity relationships. Two studies examined the influence of pre-existing CVD on the relationship between high temperatures and morbidity. Pre-existing heart failure, AMI, and total CVD did not appear to affect the relationship, while evidence was inconsistent for pre-existing hypertension. There is inconsistent evidence that high temperatures are associated with CVD-related hospital encounters. Continued research on this topic is needed, particularly in the Canadian context and with a focus on individuals with pre-existing CVD.

Geographic inequalities in paediatric emergency department visits in Ontario and Alberta: a multilevel analysis of 2.5 million visits.

BACKGROUND: Research on intra- and inter-regional variations in emergency department (ED) visits among children can provide a better understanding of the patterns of ED utilization and further insight into how contextual features of the urban environment may be associated with these health events. Our objectives were to assess intra-urban and inter-urban variation in paediatric emergency department (PED) visits in census metropolitan areas (CMAs) in Ontario and Alberta, Canada and explore if contextual factors related to material and social deprivation, proximity to healthcare facilities, and supply of family physicians explain this variation. METHODS: A retrospective, population-based analysis of data on PED visits recorded between April 1, 2015 and March 31, 2017 was conducted. Random intercept multilevel regression models were constructed to quantify the intra- (between forward sortation areas [FSAs]) and inter- (between CMAs) variations in the rates of PED visits. RESULTS: In total, 2,537,442 PED visits were included in the study. The overall crude FSA-level rate of PED visits was 415.4 per 1,000 children population. Across CMAs, the crude rate of PED visits was highest in Thunder Bay, Ontario (771.6) and lowest in Windsor, Ontario (237.2). There was evidence of substantial intra- and inter-urban variation in the rates of PED visits. More socially deprived FSAs, FSAs with decreased proximity to healthcare facilities, and CMAs with a higher rate of family physicians per 1,000 children population had higher rates of PED visits. CONCLUSIONS: The variation in rates of PED visits across CMAs and FSAs cannot be fully accounted for by age and sex distributions, material and social deprivation, proximity to healthcare facilities, or supply of family physicians. There is a need to explore additional contextual factors to better understand why some metropolitan areas have higher rates of PED visits.

Parental perspectives on the transfer process for critically ill children.

OBJECTIVE: To understand parental stressors and identify potential stress-mitigators during interfacility transfer of critically ill children. METHODS: Descriptive qualitative multi-case study using semi-structured interviews. This study involved caregivers of patients admitted to the Paediatric Critical Care Unit at Children's Hospital, London Health Sciences Centre transported from outlying hospitals. Study participants were recruited through purposeful sampling. Interviews were recorded, transcribed verbatim and manually de-identified. Coding was performed by two independent coders using a standard method of content analysis to identify common themes. RESULTS: Themes were identified and reached saturation after twelve interviews were completed. Children were admitted primarily from Northwestern and Southwestern Ontario, at distances ranging from 36 to 1146 km. Sixty-seven percent were transported by ground and 33% were transported by air ambulance. We identified stressors (patient pain and discomfort on transport, separation anxiety, feeling of being uninvolved, general anxiety about transport, cost and logistics of return trip home, lack of support systems/loneliness and leaving other family members behind) and stress-mitigators (parental accompaniment, immediate access to the child at accepting facility, parental involvement in care/comfort, support systems - other families in hospital, support systems - staff, communication with the parents/caregivers and trust toward the transport team) associated with the transport process. CONCLUSIONS: The current study identified important parent perspectives regarding the transfer of critically ill children. We recommend that stakeholders at referral centres, transport services and accepting facilities examine their current standards regarding transport processes to ensure relevant mitigators are incorporated into their programs to improve the transport experience for critically ill children and their families.

RéSUMé: OBJECTIF: Comprendre les facteurs de stress des parents et identifier les facteurs de stress potentiels pendant le transfert inter-hospitalier d'enfants gravement malades. MéTHODES: Étude qualitative multi-cas descriptive à l'aide d'entretiens semi-structurés. Cette étude a porté sur les aidants de patients admis dans l'unité de soins intensifs pédiatriques de l'hôpital pour enfants du London Health Sciences Centre et transportés depuis des hôpitaux périphériques. Les participants à l'étude ont été recrutés au moyen d'un échantillonnage ciblé. Les entretiens ont été enregistrés, transcrits mot à mot et dépersonnalisés manuellement. Le codage a été effectué par deux codeurs indépendants utilisant une méthode standard d'analyse de contenu pour identifier les thèmes communs. RéSULTATS: Des thèmes ont été identifiés et ont atteint la saturation après la réalisation de douze entretiens. Les enfants ont été admis principalement du Nord-Ouest et du Sud-Ouest de l'Ontario, à des distances allant de 36 à 1 146 kilomètres. Soixante-sept pour cent ont été transportés par voie terrestre et 33 % par ambulance aérienne. Nous avons identifié les facteurs de stress (douleur et inconfort du patient pendant le transport, anxiété de la séparation, sentiment de ne pas être impliqué, anxiété générale concernant le transport, coût et logistique du retour à la maison, manque de systèmes de soutien, solitude et abandon d'autres membres de la famille) et les facteurs d'atténuation du stress (accompagnement parental, accès immédiat à l'enfant dans l'établissement d'accueil, implication des parents dans les soins/le confort, systèmes de soutien ­ autres familles à l'hôpital, systèmes de soutien ­ personnel, communication avec les parents/aidants et confiance envers l'équipe de transport) associés au processus de transport. CONCLUSIONS: La présente étude a identifié d'importants points de vue des parents concernant le transfert d'enfants gravement malades. Nous recommandons aux parties prenantes des centres d'aiguillage, des services de transport et des établissements d'accueil d'examiner leurs normes actuelles concernant les processus de transport afin de s'assurer que des mesures d'atténuation pertinentes sont intégrées dans leurs programmes pour améliorer l'expérience de transport des enfants gravement malades et de leurs familles.

Pediatric Transport Safety Collaborative: Adverse Events With Parental Presence During Pediatric Critical Care Transport.

OBJECTIVES: In Canada, critically ill pediatric patients require transfer to a tertiary care center for definitive medical and surgical management. Some studies suggest that family accompaniment could compromise care; currently, limited research has examined patient safety and outcomes during pediatric critical care transport with family presence, and no Canada-specific data currently exists. The primary objective of this study was to compare the rate of adverse events during the transport of pediatric patients by a specialized pediatric critical care transport team with parental accompaniment to those without parental accompaniment. Secondary objectives included whether geographic or patient-specific factors affected rates of parental accompaniment and if parental presence during transport was related to patient outcomes. METHODS: Retrospective cohort study in a pediatric critical care unit convenience sample at an academic children's hospital. Inclusion criteria constituted all patients younger than 18 years who were admitted to the pediatric critical care unit after interfacility transport by the London Health Sciences Center Neonatal Pediatric Transport Team between April 1, 2018, and April 30, 2020, inclusive. Adverse event rates, patient characteristics, and clinical outcomes were compared. RESULTS: There were 357 transports eligible for analysis. Of these, there were 180 transports with, and 177 without, parental accompaniment. The primary outcome was adverse event occurrence using the composite definition of adverse events, previously defined by a Canadian consensus process, which included patient-, transport provider-, laboratory-, and system/vehicle-related safety factors. The occurrence of adverse events was not significantly different between transports with and without parental accompaniment, 49.4% and 54.8%, respectively (odds ratio, 0.80; P = 0.311). CONCLUSIONS: This is the first study to compare the effect on adverse event rate and clinically relevant outcomes between transports with and without parental presence during interfacility pediatric critical care transport. Our study found no significant difference in the adverse event rate between transports with and without parental presence.

Extreme heat and paediatric emergency department visits in Southwestern Ontario.

OBJECTIVE: The risk of adverse health events is expected to increase with hotter temperatures, particularly among the most vulnerable groups such as elderly persons and children. The objective of this study was to assess the association between extreme heat and daily emergency department visits among children (0 to 17 years) in Southwestern Ontario. METHODS: We examined the average maximum temperature, relative humidity, and daily paediatric emergency department visits in June through August of 2002 to 2019. We reviewed emergency department visits from two academic hospitals. Daily meteorological data from the local weather station were obtained from Environment and Climate Change Canada. RESULTS: Extreme heat, defined as the 99th percentile of the maximum temperature distribution, occurred at 33.1°C and was associated with an overall 22% increase in emergency department visits, compared to the reference temperature of 21°C. This association was mostly found between the second and fifth day after the exposure, suggesting a slightly delayed effect. The results of the sub-group analysis indicate that the risk of an emergency department visit due to infectious disease increases by 35% and the most pronounced association was noted in children aged 1 to 12 years. CONCLUSIONS: Extreme heat is associated with an increased incidence of emergency department visits in children. As temperatures continue to increase, strategies to mitigate heat-related health risks among children should be developed.

High-flow nasal cannula implementation has not reduced intubation rates for bronchiolitis in Canada.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Bronchiolitis is the most common reason for admission to hospital in the first year of life, with increasing hospitalization rates in Canada. Respiratory support with high-flow nasal cannula (HFNC) is being routinely used in paediatric centres, though the evidence of efficacy is continuing to be evaluated. We examined the impact of HFNC on intubation rates, hospital and paediatric critical care unit (PCCU) length of stay (LOS), and PCCU admission rates in paediatric tertiary centres in Canada. METHODS: We conducted a multicentre, interrupted time series analysis to examine intubation rates pre- to postimplementation of HFNC for bronchiolitis. Data were obtained from the Canadian Institute for Health Information database. Paediatric tertiary centres that introduced HFNC between 2009 and 2014 were included, and data were collected from April 2005 to March 2017. RESULTS: A total of 17,643 patients met inclusion criteria. There was no significant change in intubation rates after the introduction of HFNC. There was a significant increase in PCCU admission, with a decrease in the PCCU LOS following the introduction of HFNC. There was no significant change in average hospital LOS after HFNC was introduced. CONCLUSIONS: This study adds to the evolving evidence showing that overall disease course is not modified by the use of HFNC. The initiation of HFNC in Canadian paediatric centres resulted in no significant change in intubation rates or average LOS in hospital, but had an increase in PCCU admissions. Careful monitoring of new technologies on their clinical impact as well as health care resource utilization is warranted.

Cross-sectional Survey of Canadian Pediatric Critical Care Transport.

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to better understand the unique aspects of pediatric critical care transport programs across Canada by characterizing the current workforce of each transport program. METHODS: A cross-sectional questionnaire was sent to the 13 medical directors of Canada's pediatric critical care transport teams, and to 2 nonhospital-affiliated transport services. If a children's hospital did not have a dedicated team for pediatric transport, the regional transport team providing this service was identified. RESULTS: Eight of the 13 pediatric intensive care units surveyed have unit-based pediatric transport teams. The median annual transport volume for the 8 hospital-based teams was 371 (range, 45-2300) with a total of 5686 patients being transported annually. Among patients transported by the 8 teams, 45% (2579 patients) were pediatric patients (older than 28 days and younger than 18 years) and 40% (1022 patients) of the pediatric patients were admitted to the pediatric intensive care units. Eighty-eight percent of the responding teams also transported neonates (older than 28 days), and 38% transported premature infants.A team composition of registered nurse-respiratory therapist-physician was used by 6/13 teams (75%); however, it accounted for only a small proportion of the transports for most of the teams (median, 2%; range, 2%-100%).The average transport time from dispatch (from team home site) to arrival at receiving facility was reported by 6 teams, and has a median of 195 minutes (range, 90-360 minutes). The median distance from home site to the farthest referral site in the catchment area was 700 km (range, 15-2500 km). CONCLUSIONS: This is the first Canadian nationwide study of pediatric critical care transport programs. It revealed a complexity and variability in transport team demographics, transport volume, team composition, and decision-making process.

Frequency, Composition, and Predictors of In-Transit Critical Events During Pediatric Critical Care Transport.

OBJECTIVES: Transport of pediatric patients is common due to healthcare regionalization. We set out to determine the frequency of in-transit critical events during pediatric critical care transport and identify factors associated with these events. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study using administrative and clinical data. SETTING: Single pediatric critical care transport provider in Ontario, Canada. PATIENTS: All pediatric care transports between January 1, 2005, and December 31, 2010. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: The primary outcome was in-transit critical events, defined by an adaptation of a recent consensus definition. In-transit critical events occurred in 1,094 (12.3%) of 8,889 transports. Hypotension (3.6%), tachycardia (3.7%), and bradycardia (3.3%) were the most common critical events. Crews performed medical interventions in 194 transports (2.2%). The frequency and makeup of critical events varied across patient age groups. Age, pretransport mechanical ventilation, pretransport cardiovascular instability, transport duration, scene calls, and paramedic crew level were independently associated with increased risk of in-transit critical events in multivariate analysis. A Transport Pediatric Early Warning Score of 7 or greater predicted in-transit critical events with high specificity but low sensitivity (92.0% and 20.0%, respectively), but was not superior of the combination of pretransport mechanical ventilation and pretransport cardiovascular instability (sensitivity and specificity of 12.6% and 97.4%, respectively). Removal of early warning signs from the definition resulted in critical event rates comparable to those published in adults and improved predictive performance. CONCLUSIONS: Using new consensus definitions of transport-related critical events, we found critical events occurred in almost one in eight transports, and were strongly associated with pretransport cardiovascular instability. Transport Pediatric Early Warning Score was poorly predictive of in-transit critical events, and was not superior to the presence of pretransport mechanical ventilation and cardiovascular instability. Future prospective studies are required to elucidate the optimal matching of transport resources to patients, in particular those with both pretransport cardiovascular instability and mechanical ventilation.

Visits to rheumatologists for arthritis: the role of access to primary care physicians, geographic availability of rheumatologists, and socioeconomic status.

OBJECTIVE: This multilevel study examines access to rheumatologists for all arthritis and inflammatory arthritis, taking into account geographic availability of rheumatologists, access to primary care physicians (PCPs), and population characteristics (e.g., socioeconomic status [SES]). METHODS: We analyzed data from the population (age ≥18 years) living in the 105 health planning areas in Ontario, Canada on visits to physicians for arthritis and musculoskeletal disorders. Using data from a survey of rheumatologists and Geographic Information System analysis, an index of geographic availability for rheumatologists was calculated, incorporating distance between the population and rheumatologist locations and the number of hours per week of rheumatologist care. Multilevel Poisson regression was used to examine factors associated with the rates of rheumatology visits for inflammatory arthritis and all arthritis. RESULTS: Controlling for age and sex, the rheumatologist availability index was associated with visit rates for all arthritis, but not inflammatory arthritis. Patients living in areas with low access to PCPs or low SES were less likely to have office visits to rheumatologists for all arthritis and inflammatory arthritis. CONCLUSION: Besides potential deficiencies in rheumatology provision, there may be access barriers to rheumatology services, particularly for populations with low access to PCPs or low SES. This is of special concern for patients with inflammatory arthritis for whom rheumatologist care is necessary. In developing models of care for arthritis, this study points to the need to pay attention to areas with low PCP resources and areas of low SES, as well as the location and amount of rheumatology services available.

Identifying significant and relevant events during pediatric transport: a modified Delphi study.

OBJECTIVES: Children must often be transported to dedicated pediatric centers to receive specialized medical and surgical care, which places them at risk for significant deterioration and life-threatening events. Studies designed to identify and mitigate these events have been limited by variability in the selection and definition of significant events. The objective of this study was to identify and evaluate indicators that represent significant events during the transport of pediatric patients and are relevant to future research initiatives in transport medicine. DESIGN: We conducted a modified Delphi study consisting of four iterations. SETTING: The expert panel included Canadian, interdisciplinary healthcare providers with transport experience. INTERVENTIONS: In the first Delphi iteration, experts suggested indicators for consideration and evaluated proposed indicators from the literature and introduced by the study steering committee. In subsequent iterations, respondents reevaluated all indicators that had not yet achieved a priori-defined consensus; group comments and aggregate scores for each indicator from previous iterations were provided. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: The expert panel consisted of 16 physicians and 17 nonphysician healthcare providers from 10 Canadian institutions. In total, the panel evaluated 57 indicators, including 26 not previously presented in the literature. The expert panel determined 52 were significant and relevant to future studies in pediatric transport. The final indicator list includes trigger tools (interventions, physiological markers, and laboratory values) and team member safety and process issues. CONCLUSIONS: Using a systematic, modified Delphi approach, we developed an inclusive list of indicators for application to pediatric transport-related quality improvement and clinical research projects.

Magnetic resonance imaging findings and neurodevelopmental outcomes in neonates with urea-cycle defects.

The urea-cycle functions to facilitate ammonia excretion, a disruption of which results in the accumulation of toxic metabolites. The neurological outcome of neonatal-onset urea-cycle defects (UCDs) is poor, and there are no good predictors of prognosis beyond ammonia levels at presentation. The role of neuroimaging in the prognosis of neonatal-onset UCDs is unclear. We describe the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings of two patients with neonatal-onset UCDs (argininosuccinic aciduria and citrullinemia) at presentation and at 2-year follow-up, and present a review of the literature on neuroimaging in this age-group. We observed two potentially significant distinct patterns of cerebral involvement on MRI: (1) a central and focal pattern of involvement limited to the basal ganglia, perirolandic regions, and internal capsule; and (2) diffuse involvement of the cerebral cortex, internal capsule, basal ganglia, and variably thalami and brain stem. Patients with more diffuse findings tended to have higher serum glutamine peaks and worse neurological outcomes, while those with central involvement, aggressive acute management, and early liver transplantation tended to have better outcomes. We propose that MRI imaging of the brain may have prognostic value following presentation with neonatal UCDs, particularly in identifying patients at risk for poor outcome. The role and timing of follow-up neuroimaging is currently unclear. Further collaborative studies are necessary to evaluate whether patterns of MRI findings vary with specific UCD subtypes, and are predictive of clinical outcomes in neonatal UCDs.

Magnitude of impact and healthcare use for musculoskeletal disorders in the paediatric: a population-based study.

BACKGROUND: Although musculoskeletal disorders (MSD) are among the most prevalent chronic conditions, minimal attention has been paid to the paediatric population. The aim of this study is to describe the annual prevalence of healthcare contacts for MSD by children and youth age 0-19 years, including type of MSD, care delivery setting and the specialty of the physician consulted. METHODS: Analysis of data on all children with healthcare contacts for MSD in Ontario, Canada using data from universal health insurance databases on ambulatory physician and emergency department (ED) visits, same-day outpatient surgery, and in-patient admissions for the fiscal year 2006/07. The proportion of children and youth seeing different physician specialties was calculated for each physician and condition grouping. Census data for the 2006 Ontario population was used to calculate person visit rates. RESULTS: 122.1 per 1,000 children and youth made visits for MSD. The majority visited for injury and related conditions (63.2 per 1,000), followed by unspecified MSD complaints (33.0 per 1,000), arthritis and related conditions (27.7 per 1,000), bone and spinal conditions (14.2 per 1,000), and congenital anomalies (3 per 1,000). Injury was the most common reason for ED visits and in-patient admissions, and arthritis and related conditions for day-surgery. The majority of children presented to primary care physicians (74.4%), surgeons (22.3%), and paediatricians (10.1%). Paediatricians were more likely to see younger children and those with congenital anomalies or arthritis and related conditions. CONCLUSION: One in eight children and youth make physician visits for MSD in a year, suggesting that the prevalence of MSD in children may have been previously underestimated. Although most children may have self-limiting conditions, it is unknown to what extent these may deter involvement in physical activity, or be indicators of serious and potentially life-threatening conditions. Given deficiencies in medical education, particularly of primary care physicians and paediatricians, it is important that training programs devote an appropriate amount of time to paediatric MSD.