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Foreign Bodies (FB) dislodges are common in the ear, nose and throat especially among infants and children. Occasionally, they can accidentally be ended up in the bronchus as well. We describe a 13-year-old girl with accidental ingestion of a scarf needle pin after she was slapped on the back while biting the pin. Chest radiograph had confirmed the diagnosis of pin ingestion which is consistent with turban pin inhalation syndrome. In view of logistic and specialty issues, she was transferred to another tertiary hospital for further intervention. A series of chest radiograph showed a migratory metallic FB in different locations in the airway, which was considered as an extreme rarity. We discuss this rare entity with literature review of FB aspiration in general. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• On average, the bog site was near carbon neutral 8–13 years after rewetting. • The site alternated between being an annual C sink and source over the years. • Climatic variability and functional change drive interannual variability in c fluxes. • Excluding CH 4 would result in an overestimation of the net C sink. Peatland rewetting, a management effort to restore water levels in previously drained peatlands, is important for re-establishing the role of these peatlands as carbon (C) sinks. Since rewetted peatlands have a highly variable response to interannual variations in climatic conditions and functional changes, long term studies of C fluxes in these ecosystems are needed. Here, we evaluated the impact of climate variability and functional change on the interannual variability of CO 2 and CH 4 fluxes at Burns Bog, a rewetted temperate bog on the Pacific Coast in Canada, based on five years of eddy covariance measurements. We found that the site alternated between being an annual-scale net CO 2 sink or source, ranging from -32.6 ± 21.5 (±95% CI) to 11.9 ± 15.1 g CO 2 C m-2 yr-1, respectively, while consistently being a CH 4 source, ranging from 11.6 ± 0.7 to 18.0 ± 1.6 g CH 4 C m-2 yr-1. Over the five-year period, mean annual CH 4 emissions (13.7 ± 2.5 g CH 4 C m-2 yr-1; ±SD across years) entirely offset the CO 2 sink (-12.3 ± 20.4 g CO 2 C m-2 yr-1), resulting in the site being near-carbon neutral over this period (1.3 ± 23.9 g C m-2 yr-1). This finding indicates that excluding CH 4 fluxes from the net C balance results in an overestimation of the net C uptake at this site. Annual CO 2 emissions from the bog were greatest in the year with a dry and warm summer, emphasizing the importance of temperature and water table depth at the bog. Regardless of the greenhouse gas (GHG) metrics (i.e., global warming potential or sustained global warming potential) used in calculating the annual CO 2 -eq balance, the site consistently had a positive GHG balance across the study period. Despite mainly acting as a GHG source, the rewetted site will likely have a cooling effect on the climate system over long timescales compared to drained bogs that are large CO 2 sources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective Examine the formation of pectin-insulin nanoparticles and their blood glucose lowering properties. Methods The calcium pectinate nanoparticles were prepared by ionotropic gelation method, with alginate, sodium chloride or Tween 80 as additive. Their in vitro physicochemical, drug release and in vivo blood glucose lowering characteristics were evaluated. Key findings Spherical calcium pectinate-insulin nanoparticles were characterized by size, zeta potential, insulin content and insulin association efficiency of 348.4 ± 12.9 nm, −17.9 ± 0.8 m V, 8.4 ± 1.0% and 63.8 ± 7.4%, respectively. They released less than 25% insulin following 24 h in simulated intestinal medium and exhibited delayed blood glucose lowering effect in rats. Incorporation of solubilizer sodium chloride or Tween 80 into nanoparticles did not enhance blood glucose lowering capacity owing to sodium chloride reduced matrix insulin content and Tween 80 interacted with water and had its blood glucose dilution effect negated. Combination of nanoparticles with alginate gel to allow prolonged intestinal residence and more insulin release did not enhance their blood glucose lowering capacity because of calcium alginate-cross-linked gel formation that could retard insulin release and migration into systemic circulation. Conclusion Physicochemical responses of additives in vivo affected blood glucose regulation property of pectin-insulin nanoparticles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Oxygen is the most commonly used therapy in neonatal nurseries as an integral part of respiratory support. The goal of oxygen therapy is to achieve adequate delivery of oxygen to the tissue without creating oxygen toxicity. Oxygen must have been given to newborn preterm babies more than any other medicinal product in the past 60 years. Despite this, we still know very little about how much oxygen these babies actually need, or how much oxygen is safe to give, especially in the first few weeks of life. Recent observational studies have raised concerns that giving oxygen to target the saturation at "physiological" levels in newborn preterm babies may do more harm than good, but to date, clinicians have not been able to resolve the uncertainties surrounding optimum oxygen therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim-To determine whether differing policies with regard to the control of oxygen saturation have any impact on the number of babies who develop retinopathy of prematurity and the number surviving with or without signs of cerebral palsy at one year. Methods-An examination of the case notes of all the 295 babies who survived infancy after delivery before 28 weeks gestation in the north of England in 1990- 1994. Results-Babies given enough supple-mental oxygen to maintain an oxygen saturation of 88-98%, as measured by pulse oximetry, for at least the first 8 weeks of life developed retinopathy of prematurity severe enough to be treated with cryotherapy four times as often as babies only given enough oxygen to maintain an oxygen saturation of 70-90% (27.2% v 6.2%). Surviving babies were also ventilated longer (31.4 v 13.9 days), more likely to be in oxygen at a postmenstrual age of 36 weeks (46% v 18 %), and more likely to have a weight below the third centile at discharge (45% v 17%). There was no difference in the proportion who survived infancy (53% v 52%) or who later developed cerebral palsy (17% v 15%). The lowest incidence of retinopathy in the study was associated with a policy that made little use of arterial lines. Conclusions-Attempts to keep oxygen saturation at a normal "physiological" level may do more harm than good in babies of less than 28 weeks gestation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: To determine whether differing policies with regard to the control of oxygen saturation have any impact on the number of babies who develop retinopathy of prematurity and the number surviving with or without signs of cerebral palsy at one year.Methods: An examination of the case notes of all the 295 babies who survived infancy after delivery before 28 weeks gestation in the north of England in 1990-1994.Results: Babies given enough supplemental oxygen to maintain an oxygen saturation of 88-98%, as measured by pulse oximetry, for at least the first 8 weeks of life developed retinopathy of prematurity severe enough to be treated with cryotherapy four times as often as babies only given enough oxygen to maintain an oxygen saturation of 70-90% (27.2% v 6.2%). Surviving babies were also ventilated longer (31.4 v 13.9 days), more likely to be in oxygen at a postmenstrual age of 36 weeks (46% v 18 %), and more likely to have a weight below the third centile at discharge (45% v 17%). There was no difference in the proportion who survived infancy (53% v 52%) or who later developed cerebral palsy (17% v 15%). The lowest incidence of retinopathy in the study was associated with a policy that made little use of arterial lines.Conclusions: Attempts to keep oxygen saturation at a normal "physiological" level may do more harm than good in babies of less than 28 weeks gestation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents the authors' views on the development of bioinformatics in Malaysia. According to the authors, bioinformatics is a new growth area in the country and is essential in order to remain current with biomedical, biotechnical and agricultural sectors. The authors opine that with the use of bioinformatics, Malaysia can avoid mistakes made by developed countries and can develop its own market.

Background: Methylxanthine therapy is commonly used for apnea of prematurity but in the absence of adequate data on its efficacy and safety. It is uncertain whether methylxanthines have long-term effects on neurodevelopment and growth.Methods: We randomly assigned 2006 infants with birth weights of 500 to 1250 g to receive either caffeine or placebo until therapy for apnea of prematurity was no longer needed. The primary outcome was a composite of death, cerebral palsy, cognitive delay (defined as a Mental Development Index score of <85 on the Bayley Scales of Infant Development), deafness, or blindness at a corrected age of 18 to 21 months.Results: Of the 937 infants assigned to caffeine for whom adequate data on the primary outcome were available, 377 (40.2%) died or survived with a neurodevelopmental disability, as compared with 431 of the 932 infants (46.2%) assigned to placebo for whom adequate data on the primary outcome were available (odds ratio adjusted for center, 0.77; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.64 to 0.93; P=0.008). Treatment with caffeine as compared with placebo reduced the incidence of cerebral palsy (4.4% vs. 7.3%; adjusted odds ratio, 0.58; 95% CI, 0.39 to 0.87; P=0.009) and of cognitive delay (33.8% vs. 38.3%; adjusted odds ratio, 0.81; 95% CI, 0.66 to 0.99; P=0.04). The rates of death, deafness, and blindness and the mean percentiles for height, weight, and head circumference at follow-up did not differ significantly between the two groups.Conclusions: Caffeine therapy for apnea of prematurity improves the rate of survival without neurodevelopmental disability at 18 to 21 months in infants with very low birth weight. (ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT00182312 [ClinicalTrials.gov].). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The outcome at age 2 years of preterm babies recruited into a three-arm randomised controlled trial of prophylactic volume expansion was ascertained in two ways: from a neurodevelopmental assessment performed by a paediatrician and from responses on a brief questionnaire completed by the child's personal health visitor. Of 776 babies recruited into the trial, 604 survived to the age of 2 years and the findings of a paediatric assessment were available for all survivors. Questionnaires were sent to the health visitors of 601 of the survivors; 513 (85.4%) were returned. There was sufficient information on the returned questionnaires to categorise 449 of the children as normal, impaired, moderately disabled or severely disabled. We were unable to detect a response bias by severity of disability. Agreement on individual questions ranged between 86.3% and 98.4%. There was some mismatch in the reporting of vision (weighted kappa = 0.71) and hearing (weighted kappa = 0.73), with differences in perception of level of severity of sensory loss. Health visitors tended to underestimate the child's functional level compared with the paediatrician. However, of 56 children classified as severely disabled by the paediatrician, 48 were classified similarly and eight as moderately disabled on the basis of the questionnaire. The end point of the trial was death or severe disability at 2 years of age. There was close similarity in the trial results whether based on the paediatric assessment or on the questionnaire. Further refinement of the questionnaire is needed, but this methodology may be useful in ascertaining the frequency of severe disability in large cohorts of babies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]