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IMPORTANCE: High gluten intake during childhood may confer risk of celiac disease. OBJECTIVES: To investigate if the amount of gluten intake is associated with celiac disease autoimmunity and celiac disease in genetically at-risk children. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: The participants in The Environmental Determinants of Diabetes in the Young (TEDDY), a prospective observational birth cohort study designed to identify environmental triggers of type 1 diabetes and celiac disease, were followed up at 6 clinical centers in Finland, Germany, Sweden, and the United States. Between 2004 and 2010, 8676 newborns carrying HLA antigen genotypes associated with type 1 diabetes and celiac disease were enrolled. Screening for celiac disease with tissue transglutaminase autoantibodies was performed annually in 6757 children from the age of 2 years. Data on gluten intake were available in 6605 children (98%) by September 30, 2017. EXPOSURES: Gluten intake was estimated from 3-day food records collected at ages 6, 9, and 12 months and biannually thereafter until the age of 5 years. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: The primary outcome was celiac disease autoimmunity, defined as positive tissue transglutaminase autoantibodies found in 2 consecutive serum samples. The secondary outcome was celiac disease confirmed by intestinal biopsy or persistently high tissue transglutaminase autoantibody levels. RESULTS: Of the 6605 children (49% females; median follow-up: 9.0 years [interquartile range, 8.0-10.0 years]), 1216 (18%) developed celiac disease autoimmunity and 447 (7%) developed celiac disease. The incidence for both outcomes peaked at the age of 2 to 3 years. Daily gluten intake was associated with higher risk of celiac disease autoimmunity for every 1-g/d increase in gluten consumption (hazard ratio [HR], 1.30 [95% CI, 1.22-1.38]; absolute risk by the age of 3 years if the reference amount of gluten was consumed, 28.1%; absolute risk if gluten intake was 1-g/d higher than the reference amount, 34.2%; absolute risk difference, 6.1% [95% CI, 4.5%-7.7%]). Daily gluten intake was associated with higher risk of celiac disease for every 1-g/d increase in gluten consumption (HR, 1.50 [95% CI, 1.35-1.66]; absolute risk by age of 3 years if the reference amount of gluten was consumed, 20.7%; absolute risk if gluten intake was 1-g/d higher than the reference amount, 27.9%; absolute risk difference, 7.2% [95% CI, 6.1%-8.3%]). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: Higher gluten intake during the first 5 years of life was associated with increased risk of celiac disease autoimmunity and celiac disease among genetically predisposed children.

Palm oil (PO) is used in infant formulas in order to achieve palmitic acid (PA) levels similar to those in human milk. PA in PO is esterified predominantly at the SN-1,3 position of triacylglycerol (TAG), and infant formulas are now available in which a greater proportion of PA is in the SN-2 position (typical configuration in human milk). As there are some concerns about the use of PO, we aimed to review literature on health effects of PO and SN-2-palmitate in infant formulas. PubMed and Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews were systematically searched for relevant studies on possible beneficial effects or harms of either PO or SN-2-palmitate in infant formula on various health outcomes. We identified 12 relevant studies using PO and 21 studies using SN-2-palmitate. Published studies have variable methodology, subject characteristics, and some are underpowered for the key outcomes. PO is associated with harder stools and SN-2-palmitate use may lead to softer stool consistency. Bone effects seem to be short-lasting. For some outcomes (infant colic, faecal microbiota, lipid metabolism), the number of studies is very limited and summary evidence inconclusive. Growth of infants is not influenced. There are no studies published on the effect on markers of later diseases. There is insufficient evidence to suggest that PO should be avoided as a source of fat in infant formulas for health reasons. Inclusion of high SN-2-palmitate fat blend in infant formulas may have short-term effects on stool consistency but cannot be considered essential.

Quantitative and qualitative analyses and research are conventionally regarded as fundamentally different techniques. However, their objectives and applications overlap, and the decision of which of the two methods to apply depends not only on the nature and volume of data that is to be collected, but also the actual type of data and the resources at hand. Indeed, the outright combination of the two methods is becoming increasingly common. This collection will cover some aspects of qualitative analyses techniques.

Intestinal failure-associated liver disease is the most prevalent complication affecting children with intestinal failure receiving long-term parenteral nutrition. This paper reviews the definition, diagnostic criteria, pathogenesis, and risk factors. The authors discuss the role of enteral nutrition, parenteral nutrition, and its components, especially lipid emulsions. The authors also discuss the surgical treatment, including intestinal transplantation, its indications, technique, and results, and emphasise the importance of specialised intestinal failure centres.

The terms consensus, guideline and position paper are sometimes employed as if they were interchangeable, but the purpose of such documents and the robustness of advice vary as the evidence base does not have the same depth in each. The Board of the European Cystic Fibrosis Society deemed it to be helpful to provide a short commentary on the definition of these terms, on their interconnections and on how ECFS considers them in documents endorsed by the society.

Introduction The requirement for medical services fluctuates. This study was carried out in order to attempt to extrapolate the service requirements for various cardiology services at Mater Dei Hospital, Malta over the coming five years, based on service demands from previous years. Methods Past annual data was obtained from hospital records for various services (to 2017). Linear regression was carried out using a bespoke Excel™ spreadsheet in order to extrapolate possible services requirements up to 2022. Results All services are expected to increase, with forecasts ranging between 41 and 354%, depending on services being considered. Discussion It is easy to “get on with it” and perform the work required at the workplace but this study has shown that it is equally important to anticipate demands lest lack of planning leads to long and important waiting lists for critical diagnostics and treatments. Health care provision requirements are increasing worldwide. Even using conservative estimates and in the absence of the creation of new services, the demands for extant services are likely to continue to grow. Unless medium term plans are made for hardware, software, physical space and staffing, and the funding thereof, waiting lists for investigations in this speciality are bound to rise. This may be mitigated by novel treatments but since these cannot be predicted, it would be safer and wiser to plan ahead lest we are overwhelmed. This paper has also shown how WASP (Write a Scientific Paper) precepts can be applied to elegantly study a problem and write up a paper.

There are substantial knowledge gaps, practice variation, and paucity of controlled trials owing to the relatively small number of patients with critical heart disease. The Pediatric Cardiac Intensive Care Society has recognised this knowledge gap as an area needing a more comprehensive and evidence-based approach to the management of the critically ill child with heart disease. To address this, the Pediatric Cardiac Intensive Care Society created a scientific statements and white papers committee. Scientific statements and white papers will present the current state-of-the-art in areas where controversy exists, providing clinicians with guidance in diagnostic and therapeutic strategies, particularly where evidence-based data are lacking. This paper provides a template for other societies and organisations faced with the task of developing scientific statements and white papers. We describe the methods used to perform a systematic literature search and evidence rating that will be used by all scientific statements and white papers emerging from the Pediatric Cardiac Intensive Care Society. The Pediatric Cardiac Intensive Care Society aims to revolutionise the care of children with heart disease by shifting our efforts from individual institution-based practices to national standardised protocols and to lay the ground work for multicentre high-impact research directions.

The presentation of scientific work resembles popular media narratives far more than it does the traditional paper writing that scientists are trained in. In the former, a good 'hook' is essential so as to hang a paper that is presented as a slide show, an abstract, a poster or text directly addressed to the media, and this hook must be obvious and apparent up front. A slight element of truthful sensationalism is therefore often helpful. This set of Best Practice Guidelines will offer factual and practical guidelines with regard to preparing research in these formats since self-presentation is essential for career progression. It is not only what we do but how we are seen to be doing it, acceding to Batman's aphorism: "it's not who I am underneath but what I do that defines me". Research preparation and presentation and skills of all sorts are thus increasingly critical in the increasingly competitive world of academia.

A poster is a visual communication tool, but crucially, it is absolutely not a research paper directly transposed onto a board. It shows the results of research but it does not explain in detail in the way that a conventional paper does. This paper will explain how poster creation accedes to newspaper article writing theory, while adhering to the IMRAD (Introduction, Methods, Results, and Discussion) format.

An abstract is typically prepared as a preface to a paper or as a submission to an event, such as a conference, so as to have research work presented as an oral presentation or as a poster. The principles are identical. Abstracts are always restricted by a word count, typically circa 250 words, so the maximum of economy is needed to convey result/s. The tenets to be borne in mind are therefore brevity, clarity, simplicity and parsimony. This paper provides some pointers and guidelines.

t-Testing is a common component of inferential statistics when comparing two means. This paper explains the central limit theorem and the concept of the null hypothesis as well as types of errors. On the practical side, this paper outlines how different t-tests may be performed in Microsoft Excel, for different purposes, both statically as well as dynamically, with Excel's functions.

In the scholarly environment, research findings are disseminated as journal papers which support/dispute extant knowledge or add further to what is already known. The entire manuscript needs to be cited (in-text) and referenced (at the end of article), in order for readers to ascertain the validity of the research claim/s. This must be done in proper and accepted fashion as plagiarism is a serious misdeed and inappropriate referencing mars a paper. Recent advancements in technology have led to the development of bibliographic management software tools. These tools are available as both commercial and open source software, and constitute a database wherein researchers search, store and cite references. Furthermore, authors can not only create personalized databases but also cite stored articles when compiling a manuscript or report or indeed any other form of document. This software obviates human manual inputting errors and inaccurate referencing, while conveniently enabling citation and referencing in any referencing style required, for example, after rejection, when an author must almost perforce resubmit a prepared but rejected paper to a different journal after suitable amendments.

To date, these WASP (Write a Scientific Paper) Best Practice Guidelines have dealt with various aspects of conducting research and writing it up. The papers in this set will review some practical and material aspects related to paper writing, particularly those pertaining to online resources that may potentially be utilized for research, how to structure a scientific paper using the conventional IMRaD (Introduction - Method - Results - and - Discussion) format, the use of bibliographic software for handling references, and the practicalities of dealing with a pathology lab for research purposes.

Pediatric radiotherapy is a critical part of pediatric oncology protocols and the quality of the radiotherapy may determine the future quality of life for long-term survivors. Multidisciplinary team decision making provides the basis for high-quality care. However, delivery of high-quality radiotherapy is dependent on resources. This article provides guidelines for delivery of good quality radiation therapy in resource-limited countries based on rational procurement and maintenance planning, protocol development, three-dimensional planning, quality assurance, and adequate staff numbers and training.

The study examined the stability of HVA and VMA in 1-ml aliquots of a single urine sample stored on filter paper at different temperatures for 2 years. The results showed that HVA and VMA were stable in dried filter paper when stored at 4 °C or lower temperature. Storage at room temperature resulted in degradation of the sample.

The aim of the present article was to perform a systematic review with meta-analysis of available scientific evidence regarding the role of different intravenous lipid emulsions (ILE) in the pathogenesis of cholestasis and parenteral nutrition-associated liver disease. A systematic review of the literature (up to March 2015) identified 23 randomized controlled trials (RCTs). Of these, 17 were performed in preterm infants or critically ill neonates with a short duration of intervention, 2 in older children with short-term use (following surgery or bone marrow transplantation), 1 in neonates with long-term use, and 3 in infants and children receiving long-term parenteral nutrition (PN). Meta-analysis showed no differences in the rate of cholestasis or bilirubin levels associated with short-term use of different ILEs. Because of high heterogeneity of the long-term studies no meta-analysis could be performed. Available studies found that the use of multicomponent fish oil (FO)-containing ILE compared with pure soya bean oil (SO), ILE-reduced liver enzymes, and bilirubin levels in noncholestatic children on long-term PN and one other RCT found that FO-based ILE-reversed cholestasis in a proportion of patients. The ESPGHAN Committee on Nutrition concludes that there is no evidence of a difference in rates of cholestasis or bilirubin levels between different ILE for short-term use in neonates. The use of multicomponent FO-containing ILE may contribute to a decrease in total bilirubin levels in children with IF on prolonged PN. Well-designed RCTs are, however, lacking and long-term effects have not been determined.

Computer-assisted data collection offers advantages over traditional paper and pencil measures; however, little guidance is available regarding the logistics of conducting computer-assisted data collection with adolescents in group settings. To address this gap, we draw on our experiences conducting a multi-site longitudinal study of adolescent development. Structured questionnaires programmed on laptop computers using Audio Computer Assisted Self-Interviewing (ACASI) were administered to groups of adolescents in community-based and afterschool programs. Although implementing ACASI required additional work before entering the field, we benefited from reduced data processing time, high data quality, and high levels of youth motivation. Preliminary findings from an ethnically diverse sample of 265 youth indicate favorable perceptions of using ACASI. Using our experiences as a case study, we provide recommendations on selecting an appropriate data collection device (including hardware and software), preparing and testing the ACASI, conducting data collection in the field, and managing data.

Comments The authors conducted a single-arm phase II study on antineoplaston (ANP) for the efficacy and safety in the treatment of recurrent pediatric diffuse intrinsic pontine tumors (RPDIPGs) by using a combination of A10 and AS2-1 in a group of 17 patients with mean age of 8.8 years at recurrence. The overall response rate (OR) was 29.5 % with complete response rate (CR) of 6 %, partial response rate (PR) of 23.5 %, stable disease (SD) of 11.8 %, progressive disease of 47 %, and acceptable toxicity. Counting from the first day of ANP administration, the 6-month progression-free survival was 35.3 % and 1-year overall survival was 29.4 % with one long-term survival for more than 15 years. However, the series was small and the enrollment of patients lasted from 1996 to 2006 [1]. In a recently reported series of 31 RPDIPG patients with mean age of 7.8 years at the start of the first treatment for tumor recurrence or progression, the results were as follows: no long-term survival, no CR, PR 12 %, SD 34 %, and PD 53%. The mean event-free survival (EFS) was 2 months. This study highlighted that repeat radiation to the primary tumor was most effective with mean EFS of 3.9 months [2]. Comparing with the treatment results of these two series for RPDIPGs and reports of clinical trials for diffuse intrinsic pontine tumors (DIPGs), although the series of ANP phase II study was small to conclude, the outcome seemed promising [1–3]. There has been a clinical question whether histological grading of DIPGs influences survival and if there are some other diffuse pontine lesions. Referring to a reported study of prognostic factors for DIPGs, stereotactic biopsy and histological diagnosis of high-grade or low-grade gliomas were available in 63 adults and 37 children. This study showed that histological grade was a significant prognostic factor in DIPGs with statistical significance in adult patients (p=0.0001), but there was no statistical significance in pediatric patients (p=0.0755). However, in children, the 1-year actuarial survival rate was higher in low-grade gliomas (80.4± 0.08 %) than high-grade gliomas (48.6±0.14 %). In the same study, the histological diagnosis of stereotactic biopsy of 142 brain stem lesions in adults and children, only 106 cases (74.6 %) were astrocytic tumors [4]. The same study group also reported the histological diagnosis of intrinsic brain stem tumors in children. Biopsies were performed in 44 children with intrinsic brain stem lesion. Histological diagnosis obtained in 41 (93.1 %) patients included 37 diffuse brain stem gliomas, 2 pilocytic astrocytomas, 1 ependymoma, and 1 ganglioglioma [5]. Roujeau et al. reported stereotactic biopsy of diffuse pontine lesions in 24 children. There were 22 highgrade infiltrative astrocytomas (WHO grade III and IV), 1 grade II astrocytoma, and 1 pilocytic astrocytoma [6]. In our unreported experience of biopsy of diffuse pontine tumors in children, the histological diagnosis obtained included five glioblastoma multiformes (GBMs), eight AAs, six astrocytomas, and three pilocytic astrocytomas. The proportion of highgrade and low-grade gliomas varies in different series. Diffuse pontine pilocytic astrocytoma can have long-term survival. There is also a possibility of other pathologies, higher in brain stem lesions in general and sporadic cases in diffuse pontine lesions. In the study series of APN in 17 patients, only four T.

Pertussis continues to be a major public health problem in both developing and developed countries. Data on exact burden and incidence of pertussis in the developing countries including India is sparse. However, the disease is widespread, even if not adequately measurable. Pertussis incidence has been increasing steadily in the last decade especially in industrialized countries. Outbreaks are reported from many developed countries in recent years despite widespread use of acellular pertussis vaccines with high coverage. The current status of coverage with pertussis vaccines is still sub-optimal in many states of the country. There is scarcity of data on vaccine efficacies of both whole-cell and acellular pertussis vaccines from India and other developing countries. Most of the recommendations on pertussis vaccination are based on the experience gained from the use of them in industrialized countries. Taking in to the consideration the recent evidence of faster waning of acellular pertussis vaccines in comparison to whole-cell vaccines and superior priming with whole-cell than acellular pertussis vaccines, Indian Academy of Pediatrics has now revised its recommendations pertaining to pertussis immunization in office practice. The Academy has now proposed whole-cell pertussis vaccines for the primary series of infant vaccination. Guidelines are also now issued on the preference of a particular acellular product. The Academy has also recommended use of Tdap during each pregnancy to provide protection to the very young infants. It urges the Government of India to initiate studies on the quality of available pertussis vaccines in India and to set indigenous national guidelines for the manufacturers to produce and market different pertussis vaccines in the country.

Evidence-Based Practice in Child and Adolescent Mental Health (EPCAMH) is now accepting papers for a special issue focused on advancing equity in child and adolescent mental health services, guest ...

Evidence-Based Practice in Child and Adolescent Mental Health (EPCAMH) is now accepting papers for a special issue on evidence-based practice in mental health interventions for youth with autism sp...

Background Paediatric Early Warning Scores (PEWS) are advocated to assist healthcare professionals to identify early signs of serious illness or deterioration in hospitalised children. A weighting is applied to score components reflecting deviation from a pre-determined ‘norm’. Higher aggregate scores trigger an escalation in care-delivery aiming to prevent adverse events. Knowledge to improve PEWS performance is evolving. Most published studies are from single sites using paper-based documentation, which limits the quantity and quality of data that can be collected and subsequently modelled. Process errors in documentation including missing data, illegible recording, plotting or calculation errors have potential to impede the reliability of the PEWS assessment. Aim To determine the reliability of the PEWS assessment, we measured the accuracy of data recording, PEWS calculation and time to complete documentation for five clinical vignettes, using a hand-held electronic physiological surveillance system (VitalPAC®Paediatric) compared to traditional paper-based methods. We also explored the user acceptability of both methods. Method A mixed method controlled exercise of documenting paediatrics vital signs and clinical observations, and calculating the PEWS score was undertaken. A web based survey was also conducted to determine user acceptability. Results Twenty-three clinical staff participated in the controlled exercise. Using VitalPAC®Paediatric the accuracy of documentation improved from 85.6% to 98.5%, p Conclusion In a controlled exercise, the VitalPAC®Paediatric prototype reduced human factor error in vital signs documentation and PEWS score calculation, and saved time.

Publishing scholarly work is a requisite in academia. Identifying a suitable journal for a particular paper can be difficult. Authors need to initially establish whether they want to publish in a subscription-based or an open access journal, which requires a clear understanding of the pros and cons of both options as well as issues relating to copyright licences. Establishing specific journal selection criteria ranging from whether to publish in a general or a specialised journal to the publication frequency of the journal is essential. A number of web-based tools are available that can facilitate this selection process.

Interdisciplinarity, the combining of two or more academic disciplines into one activity, is generally encouraged, but there are many pitfalls in the path of the would-be interdisciplinarian. Science fiction, has repeatedly warned of indulgence in super-specialization. This paper will review the genre's depiction of some protagonists who have reified the interdisciplinary paradigm within science fiction, and some lessons that may be learned from these narratives.

The global contemporary shift from paper-based to digital online resources has led to a revolutionary change in medical training. A multitude of online resources have been developed over the years that complement the medical professional's education, with greater access to knowledge, while enabling continuous medical education and development. These sources also allow us to keep up-to-date with medical news. The development of medical mobile applications (apps) has also facilitated medical training by providing versatility, flexibility and portability of updated medical resources.

Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is a biomedical prevention intervention that has demonstrated high efficacy in reducing human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) transmission. While an increasing number of jurisdictions have endorsed the use of emtricitabine/tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (FTC/TDF) for PrEP, access to PrEP varies widely. Adolescents and young adults (AYAs), especially those at high risk of HIV acquisition, such as young gay, bisexual, and other men having sex with men (YGBMSM) and individuals living in countries where HIV is endemic, face multiple barriers that limit their access to PrEP. This position paper provides context and recommendations for the promotion and use of PrEP among AYAs.

Doctors in Star Trek are vital and central characters, often crucial in helping their captains to reach command decisions. They are also interdisciplinarians, performing not only medical tasks but also any form of work related to all fields of biology. Furthermore, these doctors also carry out any required research that pertains to the biological sciences. It is perhaps this unique blend of skills, combined with a fundamental orientation towards humanism and compassion, that leads to their default position, de facto, if not de jure, as the crew's ethics officers, a role that they embrace with as much dedication and zeal as the former Soviet communist political officers/commissars (the Zampolit) did theirs. This paper will show that from the very inception of Star Trek, doctors strictly adhered to deontological tenets which lead them to actively influence command decisions that pertain not only to health, but also to any ethical decisions that may have to be taken by Starfleet officers. This portrayal of future doctors signals the wishes of contemporary audiences: that future doctors remain humane, compassionate and ethical guardian angels, and not only superb medics.

The calculation of odds ratios and relative risks may be required as part of a data analysis exercise. This paper explains how to set up these calculations in Microsoft Excel from a two by two contingency table.

The ancient Greeks honoured the concept of kleos (κλέος) aphthiton, eternal renown. An ancient Greek hero earned kleos through great deeds, up to and including his own death. However, the Greeks also believed that kleos could be earned through feats of intellectual procreation. Publication is thus the modern avenue for an academic to earn kleos. The young academic must perforce make an Achillean choice, to go with the mainstream flow and pragmatically publish only that which is needed or required for career advancement – the more facile path – or to strive to produce respectable papers over and above that which is strictly required. The latter is a much more onerous path, but one that is ultimately satisfying and eventually even becomes pour le sport: for fun.

Correlation and regression measure the closeness of association between two continuous variables. This paper explains how to perform these tests in Microsoft Excel and their interpretation, as well as how to apply these tests dynamically using Excel's functions.

Linear regression is the equation which provides of straight line that best describes the association between two continuous variables, x and y. However, it is often the case that the dependent variable y is influenced by more than one variable and not just a single x variable. Multivariate analysis is a statistical modeling technique wherein multiple x variables are analysed simultaneously for their effect on y, resulting in an additive model (via an equation) that explains the observation/s and corrects for confounding association/s using one dependent and several independent variables, assigning a gradient to each of these independent variables, and with all product terms of gradient and magnitude of the independent variables adding up to estimate 'y'. This paper outlines these various techniques and applications.

Analysis of variance (ANOVA) may be required by researchers as an inferential statistical test when more than two means require comparison. This paper explains how to perform ANOVA in Microsoft Excel.

The calculation of descriptive statistics after data collection provides researchers with an overview of the shape and nature of their datasets, along with basic descriptors, and may help identify true or incorrect outlier values. This exercise should always precede inferential statistics, when possible. This paper provides some pointers for doing so in Microsoft Excel, both statically and dynamically, with Excel's functions, including the calculation of standard deviation and variance and the relevance of the t-distribution.

Plotting data into graphs is a crucial step in data analysis as part of an initial descriptive statistics exercise since it gives the researcher an overview of the shape and nature of the data. Outlier values may also be identified, and these may be incorrect data, or true and important outliers. This paper explains how to access Microsoft Excel's Analysis Toolpak and provides some pointers for the utilisation of the histogram tool within the Toolpak.

A research study cannot commence without a proposal. This paper highlights the preparatory steps and details the individual sections of a research proposal. The importance of the proposal toward the research project and the eventual writing of a thesis or dissertation is also emphasised. The implications of using human subjects are also discussed., peer-reviewed

BACKGROUND: Gaucher disease (GD) is a lysosomal storage disorder characterized by a deficiency of the lysosomal acid -D-glucosidase (GBA). The aim of this study was to develop an ultramicro-fluorometric assay based on the method of Chamoles et al. for determining GBA activity in dried blood spots on filter paper (DBS). METHODS: The assay used 3-mm diameter blood spot and 8 mmol/l of 4-methylumbelliferyl--D-glucoside as enzymatic substrate. The reaction occurred in plates incubated at 37 ◦ C for 20 hours and the enzyme activity was expressed in mol hydrolysed substrate/l blood/h. The fluorescence of the enzyme product was automatically measured in a fluorometer-photometer reader (SUMA Technology). RESULTS: The intra and inter-assay coefficients of variation were lower than 9 and 12%, respectively, and the recovery range was 97–109%.Three patients with GD were correctly diagnosed using the ultramicroassay. Healthy newborn DBS samples (n = 3003) from the National Neonatal Screening Program were analyzed, and the mean GBA activity was 5.7mol/l blood/h. Our assay showed high Pearson (n = 26; r = 0.99) and concordance correlations (ρc = 0.99) with the traditional method described by Chamoles et al. CONCLUSIONS: The analytical performance characteristics of our ultramicro-fluorometric assay suggest that it can be used in the diagnosis of GD in newborns and adults.

Adverse event following immunization (AEFI) is a critical component of immunization program. The risk of AEFI with vaccination is always weighed against the risk of not immunizing a child. There is an evolving AEFI surveillance system in India for the vaccines delivered through universal immunization program (UIP) of government sector, but the reporting remained suboptimal for long in the country, and there is almost no participation from private sector. The AEFI reporting from private sector will provide vital information on the safety of new and underutilized vaccines, not part of the UIP in India. The national guidelines are recently revised and updated. The Indian Academy of Pediatrics believes that pediatricians, especially in private sector have a crucial role to play with reporting of AEFI with newer/underutilized vaccines. Programmatic error, vaccine reaction, injection reactions, coincidental and unknown are the five broad categories of AEFI for programmatic purposes. The serious AEFIs (death, disability, cluster and hospitalization) need to be reported immediately and investigated in detail as per the laid down procedures. Once a serious AEFI happens, primary or urban health centre should be immediately informed by the pediatricians practicing in rural or urban areas, respectively. This advocacy paper from the academy provides guidelines to practitioners on how to report cases, and suggests ways for IAP members to help in ongoing efforts of the government in improving AEFI surveillance in the country. The details about the diagnosis and management of known/expected AEFI with UIP and newer vaccines shall be published later.

With this paper, five key domains of advocacy, clinical care and health promotion, education and health services delivery, workforce and professional development, and research are identified. All five require attention in order to reach the overarching goal of health equity for adolescents and young adults. SAHM believes that achieving health equity is related to its organizational mission and vision and is a key factor in driving excellence in adolescent health and medicine. SAHM will continue to expand its capacity, being introspective as an organization as well as make recommendations to others, in an effort to be collaborative and inclusive of professionals, programs, and systems that represent and serve the diverse populations for whom the Society advocates.

The discussion section explains the meaning of results to the readers, and addresses the implications of the findings emanating from the particular study. Authors should compare their results with previous reports, and attempt to explain similarities and differences. It is useful to outline the limitations and strengths of the study, and suggest a future line of work. A concise, convincing and meticulous discussion with scholarly referencing is the key to a lasting impression.

Reading Edna O’Shaughnessy’s work gathered together like this makes a reader aware of two things among many: first, the service she has performed for us over time in assimilating, using and elucida...