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Summary: Osteonecrosis (ON) is a common complication of glucocorticoid‐based Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) treatment, but the natural evolution and prognosis of ON lesions remain poorly understood. We describe the radiological evolution of ON lesions identified in a Nordic population‐based cohort of paediatric HL patients. Magnetic resonance images of suspected ON lesions were centrally reviewed to confirm ON diagnosis and grade the ON lesions according to the Niinimäki classification. The study included 202 ON lesions in 46 patients, of which 77 were joint lesions. Follow‐up images were available for 146/202 lesions, with a mean follow‐up time of 28 months. During follow‐up, 71% of the lesions remained stable, 26% improved or resolved, and 3% progressed. A higher ON grade at diagnosis was associated with a lower likelihood of spontaneous resolution. The likelihood for resolution of ON decreased by 50% for each year of added patient age, when adjusted for sex, ON location, and symptoms. Hip ON showed less spontaneous improvement compared with other joints, and the risk for surgery was 13‐fold in hip ON. Grades 3–4 joint ON has the potential to either progress or resolve, warranting follow‐up in patients with severe symptoms. Research on secondary prevention should be directed at grade 3–4 joint ON. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Hypotonic fluids have been associated with hospital-acquired hyponatremia. The incidence of life-threatening severe hyponatremia associated with hypotonic fluids has not been evaluated. Methods This was a population-based cohort study of 46,518 acutely ill children 15 years of age or under who visited the pediatric emergency department (ED) at Oulu University Hospital, Finland, between 2007 and 2017. We retrieved all electrolyte measurements from the comprehensive electronic laboratory system and reviewed medical records for all patients with severe hyponatremia. Results The overall occurrence of severe hyponatremia (serum sodium < 125 mmol/L) was found in 27 out of 46,518 acutely ill children (0.06%, 95% confidence interval 0.04-0.08%). After admission, severe hyponatremia developed in seven of 6,984 children receiving moderately hypotonic fluid therapy (0.1%, 95% confidence interval 0.04-0.2%), usually within 8 h of admission. All children who developed severe hyponatremia during hospitalization were severely ill. Conclusion In this register-based cohort study of children presenting to the ED, severe hyponatremia developed in one of 998 acutely ill children receiving moderately hypotonic fluid therapy. Graphical abstract A higher resolution version of the Graphical abstract is available as Supplementary information, Author(s): Saara Lehtiranta [sup.1] [sup.2] , Minna Honkila [sup.1] [sup.2] , Merja Kallio [sup.2] [sup.3] , Kimmo Halt [sup.1] [sup.2] , Niko Paalanne [sup.1] [sup.2] , Tytti Pokka [sup.1] [sup.2] [...]

Aim: Child mortality declined significantly in Finland in 1969–2004. We investigated whether the already low mortality rate could still decline from 2005 to 2020. Methods: This was a nationwide register‐based study. The subjects were children under 16 years of age who had resided in Finland between 2005 and 2020. The study population was identified from Finland's Population Information System of the Digital and Population Data Services Agency. Causes of death were obtained from Statistics Finland. Changes in annual overall and cause‐specific mortality rates were evaluated. Results: 3685 children (55% boys) under 16 years of age died in Finland in 2005–2020 from 325 causes. Overall annual child mortality declined by 50% (95% confidence interval 37 to 64%) during the study period, from 0.31/1000 in 2005 to 0.16/1000 in 2020. The mortality rate in children under one year of age declined from 3.1/1000 in 2005 to 1.8/1000 in 2020. The deaths from sudden infant death syndrome fell by 84%, congenital malformations by 62%, infectious diseases by 60%, external causes by 52%, and perinatal disorders by 41%. Conclusion: Finland's low child mortality further declined over the past two decades. Contributing factors likely include achievements in paediatric research, public health, and clinical practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gut bacterial alterations have been previously linked to several non-communicable diseases in adults, while the association of mycobiome is not well understood in these diseases, especially in infants and children. Few studies have been conducted on the association between gut mycobiome and non-communicable diseases in children. We investigated gut mycobiome composition using 194 faecal samples collected at birth, 6 months after birth, and 18 months after birth in relation to atopic dermatitis (AD) and overweight diagnoses at the age of 18 or 36 months. The mycobiome exhibited distinct patterns, with Truncatella prevalent in the meconium samples of both overweight and non-overweight groups. Saccharomyces took precedence in overweight cases at 6 and 18 months, while Malassezia dominated non-overweight samples at 6 months. Saccharomyces emerged as a consistent high-abundance taxon across groups that had dermatitis and were overweight. We found a weak association between gut mycobiome and AD at birth and overweight at 18 months when using machine learning (ML) analyses. In ML, unidentified fungi, Alternaria, Rhodotorula, and Saccharomyces, were important for classifying AD, while Saccharomyces, Thelebolus, and Dothideomycetes were important for classifying overweight. Gut mycobiome might be associated with the development of AD and overweight in children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Tonsillectomy is an effective treatment for periodic fever, aphthous stomatitis, pharyngitis, and cervical adenitis (PFAPA) syndrome. Tonsillotomy has a milder operative risk profile and postoperative morbidity in children than tonsillectomy. We aimed to compare the efficacy of tonsillotomy to observation‐only in children with PFAPA syndrome at a 3‐month follow‐up. Methods: This was a randomized multicenter trial with sequential design. Participants were randomized into a tonsillotomy group and a control group that was only observed. The trial started in 1/2017 and was accomplished in 12/2021 with 16 patients (10 boys, six girls, the mean age 4.2 years). The symptoms were monitored with daily symptom diaries. Results: After the 3‐month follow‐up, 7/8 patients (87.5%) in the tonsillotomy group and 2/8 (25%) patients in the control group were free from PFAPA symptoms (95% CI 13% to 87%; p = 0.0021). The mean number of days with fever was 2.6 (SD 3.7) in the tonsillotomy group and 8.0 (SD 6.5) days in the control group (n = 8) (p = 0.06). Mean number of fever days compatible with PFAPA syndrome was 0.8 (SD 1.4) in the tonsillotomy group and 6.5 (SD 6.0) in the control group (95%CI −10% to −1%; p = 0.007). Rescue tonsillectomy was needed for all patients in the control group and none of the patients in the tonsillotomy group. Conclusions: Tonsillotomy might be an effective treatment option for children with PFAPA syndrome. Further studies are needed to clarify the long‐term efficacy of tonsillotomy for treating PFAPA. Level of Evidence: 2 Laryngoscope, 134:968–972, 2024 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: The aim of the study was to describe the level, types and determinants of leisure time PA and exercise among children with type 1 diabetes and their parents. Methods: One hundred twenty children aged 6–18 years with type 1 diabetes and 113 parents (n = 113) participated to this questionnaire‐based study at Northern Ostrobothnia District Hospital in Oulu, western Finland. All participants gave informed consent before entering this study. Results: Twenty‐three per cent of the children exercised briskly for at least 7 h a week which corresponds to 60 min per day. The total PA occasions children had with a parent accounted for the children's total number of PA occasions in a week (β = 0.83, 95% CI 0.20–1.47) and total weekly hours of PA (β = 0.90, 95% CI 0.07–1.73). There was a positive association between total weekly hours of brisk PA and HbA1c (β = 0.65, 95% CI 0.02–0.13), while there was no such association with light PA (β = 0.42, 95% CI −0.04–0.87). Laziness, fear of unexpected glycaemic variability and tiredness were the most frequent barriers to PA in children. Conclusion: Most of the children with type 1 diabetes did not reach generally recommended 60 min of brisk PA a day. Exercising with a parent was positively associated with children's weekly frequency and total hours of PA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this cohort study of 800 children attending a pediatric emergency department at Oulu University Hospital, Finland with fever or respiratory symptoms, the cycle threshold values of point-of-care multiplex polymerase chain reaction testing for respiratory viruses were not associated with hospitalization, respiratory support, or need for intensive care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]