Current Pediatric Reviews - Volume 4, Issue 2, 2008

Maternal depression during pregnancy and the postpartum period has been associated with a variety of consequences in the fetus and newborn. In particular, depression has been shown to compromise maternal bonding to her fetus antenatally, and mother-infant interaction and attachment patterns during the postpartum period. In turn, these alterations in the relationship between a mother and her infant can impact the chil Read More

Perinatal brain injury is an important cause of both early and long term morbidity and mortality. The pathophysiology of perinatal brain injury is complex, and often gestation dependent. Ultrasound has traditionally been the imaging modality of choice used to diagnose these lesions; however, the advent of Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) has improved diagnosis and has enabled the correlation of lesions in the neonatal peri Read More

Neonatal diabetes mellitus (NDM) is a rare cause of hyperglycemia in the neonatal period. We encountered a patient with neonatal diabetes mellitus and exocrine pancreatic insufficiency secondary to a homozygous insulin promoter factor-1 (IPF1) mutation. We sought to review the available literature regarding current etiologies and therapeutic options available to patients with NDM. Identification of genetic mutatio Read More

The presence of fever in the neonatal period demands urgent evaluation from healthcare providers since signs and symptoms of a serious bacterial infection in this age group can be nonspecific. Current practice guidelines recommend that febrile neonates should be presumed to have a serious bacterial infection and undergo a sepsis evaluation and hospitalization until the results of diagnostic testing are known. Howev Read More

The origin of probiotics and the use of fermented foods and cultured milk products are quite ancient. However, it was not until the turn of the 20th century that Metchnikoff made intelligent observations that human longevity and health are associated with the consumption of lactic acid bacteria. Since those observations have been made a plethora of probiotic studies in adults and children have been performed. The purpose of th Read More

Severe Gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (GORD) is a disabling condition, causing significant morbidity and mortality. Fundoplication has long been seen as the gold standard operative solution, but in 5-43% of patients it will fail. Oesophagogastric disconnection or dissociation (OGD) is a relatively new procedure used for severe GORD. With this review we look at the current literature on the indications and outcomes after oesopha Read More

Obesity has become a major public health concern in this century. Yet, the widespread popularisation in managing overweight and obesity indicates that the problem of body weight maintenance has developed from an only medical into an interdisciplinary and already political problem. Current ideas about lifestyle and strategies to maintain health and weight have become dominated by increasingly popular beliefs that contrast Read More

Nocturnal enuresis (NE) is a very common clinical disorder. According to DSM-IV, NE is defined as repeated voiding, accidental or on purpose, into clothing or into the bed, at least twice a week, for 3 consecutive months, in children older than 5 years, age in which the sfincterial control is acquired. The pathophysiology of NE is not fully understood. It has been suggested that NE is the result of a combination of osmoregulat Read More

Reduced sleep duration has been implicated in a range of negative and consequential physiological and psychological daytime problems. Detection strategies such as polysomnography, actigraphy, and subjective reports have been utilised to assess paediatric sleep patterns such as sleep duration, and problems in both clinical and non-clinical samples. Although objective assessments have more validity in assessing and dia Read More