All parents should be given leaflet outlining full details of antenatal screening

Retrospective hepatitis C seroprevalence screening in the antenatal setting—should we be screening antenatal women?

OBJECTIVES An unlinked anonymous seroprevalence study was conducted to estimate the prevalence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection in samples derived from antenatal clinic attendees at 2 East London Hospitals. An unexpectedly high HCV seroprevalence of 2.6% (1.2% viraemic) had been revealed during an unlinked study of the emergency department at 1 of these hospitals. DESIGN 1000 stored resid...

Whether all patients with Central precocious puberty should be treated?

Extended Abstract   Precocious puberty is the appearance of secondary sexual characteristics before 8 years old in girls and 9 years old in boys. Precocious puberty is divided into 3 groups of central, peripheral and normal variants. Central precocious puberty is accompanied by activation of hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis which causes increase in secretion of GnRH, and in turn increase i...

Should peanut allergy screening be introduced for all Irish children?

Rationale There has been an incremental increase in peanut allergy worldwide in recent decades. Unlike other major food allergens, peanut allergic children are unlikely to acquire tolerance in childhood. Peanut and treenuts are the most common foods implicated in food induced anaphylaxis. We use the data gathered from a large unselected Irish birth cohort study to assess whether screening for P...

Should we all be vegetarians?

Clinical inquiries. Should the varicella vaccine be given to all children to prevent chickenpox?

In a search of the literature from 1966 to 2000, a systematic review identified 24 randomized controlled trials and 18 cohort studies of varicella vaccination. (3) In children aged 10 months to 14 years, 1 randomized controlled trial found protective efficacy of 100% over 9 months and 98% over 7 years. (4) A second trial showed efficacy of 72% over 29 months. (5) Cohort studies of children repo...