Browsing by Subject "childhood"

Now showing 1 - 7 of 7
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    Hyaline membrane disease: a study of lung function and treatment
    (1967) Harrison, V C
    At present, both the aetiology of hyaline membrane disease and a means of preventing it remain unknown. Recent studies indicate that a significant number of infants die of respiratory failure but there is no general agreement concerning the changes of pulmonary function which lead to this stage. Two approaches have been used in the treatment of respiratory decompensation. First it has been proposed that blood gas and acid base abnormalities which result from respiratory failure can be prevented by oxygen and intravenous alkali and secondly an attempt has been made to correct abnormal lung function itself by means of artificial ventilation. These methods are directed at different aspects of the problem and their efficacy is as yet not established. The application of artificial ventilation in particular must depend on the nature of any ventilation, diffusion or perfusion defect.
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    Juvenile mortality in Southern African archaeological contexts
    (2008) Harrington, Lesley; Pfeiffer, Susan
    Estimates of age at death that are both accurate and precise and provide information about the patterns and causes of premature mortality in both Later Stone Age and Iron Age archaeology. Assuming a link between subsistence and health differences in patterns of childhood growth are hypothesized. The best source of this information comes from the formation of tooth crowns and roots. Through the study of femurs hafts from Later Stone Age juvenile skeletons, it can be demonstrated that linear growth was normal in tempo. The study of femora from a smaller number of Iron Age juvenile skeletons suggests that growth in this group did not follow a normal pattern, perhaps because prolonged ill health preceded death. Growth of Iron Age children who failed to reach adulthood appears to be variable but slow and this may provide insights into the Iron Age biosocial environment. Because of the demonstrated correlation between dental development and femur shaft length, the Later Stone Age juvenile long bone lengths provided here can be used in Later Stone Age contexts to estimate chronological age at death if dental information is unavailable. This approach should not be used in Iron Age contexts, since such an approach is likely to yield biased (under-aged) estimates of age at death.
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    Key informants for peadiatric eye disease case finding in Madagascar
    (2019) Chimeziri, Anderson; Courtright, Paul; Cook, Colin
    As at 2014, 19 million children aged < 16 years were visually impaired, 1.4 million of these children were blind and needed visual rehabilitation interventions. Surveys, mostly utilizing key informants (KI), have suggested that the prevalence of blindness in children in Sub Saharan Africa ranges between 2 -8 per 10,000 children. Childhood eye disease is rare and conditions are difficult to detect; thus, surveys to estimate the prevalence of blindness requires rigorous, costly and difficult methods to obtain reasonable estimates among children. Key informant programs, which engage the community in case finding, have been shown to be a reasonable alternative to large scale surveys and were used in Madagascar in 2014 by four regional eye care programmes. I propose to analyse the data generated from the programmes to quantify the prevalence of eye conditions among children and how the KIs performed. Method: The analysis will use data collected in a cross sectional approach. Statistical analysis will be conducted using Stata (15.0) statistical software. Data from all of the KI registers will be pooled and overall magnitude estimates calculated. KI productivity and sub-group analyses will include assessment of demographic characteristics of the children and the KI by age and sex. Ethical approval will be provided by the UCT Health Research and Ethics Committee and the Madagascar Ministry of Health. Discussion: The results from this study will help child eye health programmes to determine how best to use KI to better serve children with vision loss, and guide in the provision of eye services for children care.
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    Potassium in young children
    (1972) Mann, M D; Hansen, John
    Potassium i.s one of the major constituents of the human body but its role in metabolism is not clearly defined. One reason for this is the predominant intracellular distribution of the ion and the attendant difficulties in the detection of deficiency states. Serum potassium levels are of little value as over 95% of the potassium in the body is intracellular. Balance studies and the analysis of biopsy material have been used. However, they are so time consuming that they are only of use in establishing the diagnosis retrospectively and give very little indication of the severity of the deficit. Exchangeable potassium measurements do give an indication of the severity of the deficit. However, they involve the administration of an isotope which is not always available because of its short half-life. The development of the whole body counter has overcome most of these problems.
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    The respiratory distress syndrome of the newborn : studies of blood gases and acid/base balance with the object of formulating principles of treatment
    (1962) Warley, Mogamat Arashat; Gairdner, M T
    Respiratory failure accounts for a large, if not the largest, percentage of deaths during the first 48 hours of life. During the last ten years a great deal of research has been devoted to this early respiratory failure. The syndrome has been known by different names at different times; hyaline membrane disease (because pulmonary hyaline membrane is a frequent autopsy finding), congestive pulmonary failure, vernix membrane disease, pulmonary syndrome, and more recently the respiratory distress syndrome. A vast literature on the subject has accumulated. Many new and interesting facts have come to light and although many new theories have been put forth to explain the syndrome, the cause is still unknown.
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    Xpert MTB/RIF Ultra and mycobacterial culture in routine clinical practice at a Tertiary Paediatric Hospital
    (2021) Enimil, Anthony Kwame; Eley, Brian; Nuttall, James
    Introduction World Health Organization approved the use of Xpert MTB/RIF Ultra (Ultra) in children due to quick turn-around time, improved yield over smear microscopy, and ability to detect rifampicin resistance despite culture being the “gold standard”. This study reviewed published literature on current childhood tuberculosis diagnostic modalities. It also retrospectively compared demographic, clinical, and radiological features of children with confirmed and unconfirmed PTB, reviewed criteria for microbiologically unconfirmed PTB, and assessed incremental microbiological yield on second and third Ultra and/or mycobacterial culture results in routine clinical care at a tertiary paediatric hospital. Method For the review on childhood TB diagnostic modalities, PubMed was searched using Boolean terms OR/AND between childhood tuberculosis and words such as diagnosis, polymerase chain reaction, molecular, histology, imaging, and cultures. All abstracts were read after which selected articles that met the objectives of the thesis were fully reviewed and referenced appropriately. The retrospective study was conducted in children (0 to 13 years) treated for Pulmonary TB (PTB) between 1 February 2018 and 31 January 2019 and who had at least one respiratory specimen investigated by Ultra and/or mycobacterial culture before TB treatment was commenced. Relevant demographic, clinical information, tuberculin skin test results and laboratory results were abstracted from paper-based medical records and electronic database. Baseline chest radiographic findings were obtained from the radiology digital imaging database. All data was entered anonymously into a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet and exported to R-statistical software for statistical analysis. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used in the analysis. Incremental yield of Ultra and/or mycobacterial cultures on sequential respiratory specimens was determined. Results Ultra is an important diagnostic method for confirming TB in children even though mycobacterial culture, molecular, and histology tests are also available. Other modalities such as imaging and immunologic tests support the diagnosis of microbiologically unconfirmed TB. 174 children with PTB ± EPTB were included in the retrospective study. The median age was 2.5 years. Tuberculosis was microbiologically confirmed in 93 (53.4%). Yield on Ultra in first respiratory specimens was 39.1%. When the results of Ultra and mycobacterial culture on first respiratory specimens were combined, 47.1% (82/174) had microbiologically confirmed TB. Microcytic anaemia and pulmonary pathology were more common in confirmed TB. Of 81 children with microbiologically unconfirmed TB, 31 (38.3%) met a consensus definition of unconfirmed intrathoracic TB formulated by an international expert committee. In the subset of children (n=70) who were screened by Ultra on two sequential respiratory specimens, the incremental yield was 30.3%. When the results of Ultra and mycobacterial culture were combined the incremental yield in children who had 2 sequential respiratory specimens tested was 24.4% and 3.1% on Ultra and mycobacterial culture, respectively. Conclusion Ultra and/or mycobacterial culture on single respiratory specimens resulted in high microbiological yield. Ultra on second sequential respiratory specimens increased microbiological confirmation. The value of additional Ultra and/or mycobacterial culture testing in routine clinical practice requires further study.