Identification of early childhood caries in primary care settings.

Early childhood caries (ECC) is the most common chronic disease affecting young children in Canada. ECC may lead to pain and infection, compromised general health, decreased quality of life and increased risk for dental caries in primary and permanent teeth. A multidisciplinary approach to prevent and identify dental disease is recommended by dental and medical national organizations. Young children visit primary care providers at regular intervals from an early age. These encounters provide an ideal opportunity for primary care providers to educate clients about their children's oral health and its importance for general health. We designed an office-based oral health screening guide to help primary care providers identify ECC, a dental referral form to facilitate dental care access and an oral health education resource to raise parental awareness. These resources were reviewed and trialled with a small number of primary care providers.

The breastfeeding paradox: Relevance for household food insecurity.

Mitigating the harmful effects of adverse social conditions is critical to promoting optimal health and development throughout the life course. Many Canadians worry over food access or struggle with household food insecurity. Public policy positions breastfeeding as a step toward eradicating poverty. Breastfeeding fulfills food security criteria by providing the infant access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food that meets dietary needs and food preferences. Unfortunately, a breastfeeding paradox exists where infants of low-income families who would most gain from the health benefits, are least likely to breastfeed. Solving household food insecurity and breastfeeding rates may be best realized at the public policy level. Notably, the health care provider's competencies as medical expert, professional, communicator and advocate are paramount. Our commentary aims to highlight the critical link between breastfeeding and household food insecurity that may provide opportunities to affect clinical practice, public policy and child health outcomes.

Hospital-legal partnership at Toronto Hospital for Sick Children: the first Canadian experience.

Operating a hospital-legal partnership on a pro bono basis positively impacts patients' families by providing legal assistance for non-medical issues that affect the health of their children and their ability to care for their children. This article describes a formative evaluation of the first hospital-legal partnership in Canada, established at The Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto in 2009, which was carried out through file reviews and interviews with staff, lawyers and family members. The early indications of success of this partnership suggest that its use as a template for similar programs at other Canadian healthcare institutions should be considered.

Keeping caries at bay in breastfeeding babies.

As an infant grows, human milk may become the substrate for cariogenic bacteria. Here's what to watch for and how to counsel parents.

Vaccine-strain varicella zoster virus causing recurrent herpes zoster in an immunocompetent 2-year-old.

Varivax III is a live attenuated vaccine against varicella zoster virus (VZV). We report a case of recurrent vaccine-strain herpes zoster in an immunocompetent 2-year-old child. Vaccine-strain VZV was identified through polymerase chain reaction. This report aims to alert physicians that recurrent vaccine-strain herpes zoster can be a rare complication of VZV vaccination in apparently immunocompetent hosts.

Molecular characterization of rotavirus strains from children in Toronto, Canada.

BACKGROUND: Rotaviruses are the most common agents of diarrheal illness of infants and young children. Gastroenteritis caused by rotaviruses is also more likely to be associated with severe dehydration compared to other viral gastroenteritis. OBJECTIVES: We determined the G-serotype of rotaviruses circulating in the Metro Toronto-Peel County region, during the 1997-1998 winter. STUDY DESIGN: Stool samples were collected in Metro Toronto-Peel county region from November 1, 1997 to June 30, 1998. Rotavirus presence was demonstrated by electron microscopy and ELISA. A reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) assay for the amplification of the near-complete RHA segment 9 of rotavirus was developed and used to determine the G-serotype by sequencing and phylogenetic analysis. RESULTS: A total of 135 rotavirus isolates were used as templates for RT-PCR. Of these, four could not be amplified and one revealed a mixed infection. The G-serotypes could be unambiguously determined for the other isolates. Of these, 85 were of G-serotype 1, 41 of G2, 1 of G3, 1 of G4, and 2 of G9. CONCLUSION: Our RT-PCR assay enables unambiguous determination of the G-serotype. The overall relative incidence of G-serotypes in Toronto is similar to that of other developed countries. Serotype G9 was present at low levels in Toronto.

A 12-year prospective study of childhood herpes simplex encephalitis: is there a broader spectrum of disease?

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to review the experience with herpes simplex encephalitis at the Hospital for Sick Children over the past 12 years. METHODS: All patients who were admitted to our institution with acute encephalitis between January 1994 and December 2005 were enrolled prospectively in an encephalitis registry. Children from the registry with herpes simplex encephalitis were included in this study; we detailed the clinical presentations, laboratory findings, electroencephalographic findings, diagnostic imaging findings, treatments, and outcomes for all cases. RESULTS: Of 322 cases of acute encephalitis, 5% were caused by herpes simplex virus. Initially negative herpes simplex virus cerebrospinal fluid polymerase chain reaction results were found in 2 cases (13%), but results became positive in repeat cerebrospinal fluid analyses. Classic clinical presentations were seen in 75% of cases, cerebrospinal fluid pleocytosis was found in 94%, elevated cerebrospinal fluid protein levels were found in 50%, electroencephalographic changes were observed in 94%, and diagnostic imaging abnormalities were noted in 88%. All patients were treated with intravenous acyclovir. Neurologic sequelae occurred in 63% of cases, including seizures in 44% and developmental delays in 25%. There were no deaths in this study group. CONCLUSIONS: Herpes simplex encephalitis continues to be associated with poor long-term neurologic outcomes despite appropriate therapy. Cerebrospinal fluid polymerase chain reaction results may be negative early in the course of herpes simplex encephalitis; therefore, repeat cerebrospinal fluid analysis should be considered if herpes simplex encephalitis is suspected. Atypical forms of herpes simplex virus central nervous system disease may occur in children.

Children hospitalized with severe acute respiratory syndrome-related illness in Toronto.

OBJECTIVE: An outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) occurred in the greater Toronto area between February and June 2003. We describe the clinical, laboratory, and epidemiologic features of children who were admitted to the Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, with a presumptive diagnosis of suspect or probable SARS. METHODS: A prospective investigational study protocol was established for the management of children with a presumptive diagnosis of suspect or probable SARS. All were ultimately classified as having probable SARS, suspect SARS, or another cause on the basis of their epidemiologic exposure, clinical and radiologic features, and results of microbiologic investigations. RESULTS: Twenty-five children were included; 10 were classified as probable SARS and 5 were classified as suspect SARS, and in 10 another cause was identified. The exposure consisted of direct contact with at least 1 adult probable SARS case in 11 children, travel from a World Health Organization-designated affected area in Asia in 9 children, and presence in a Toronto area hospital in which secondary SARS spread had occurred in 5 children. The predominant clinical manifestations of probable cases were fever, cough, and rhinorrhea. With the exception of 1 teenager, none of the children developed respiratory distress or an oxygen requirement, and all made full recoveries. Mild focal alveolar infiltrates were the predominant chest radiograph abnormality. Lymphopenia; neutropenia; thrombocytopenia; and elevated alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, and creatine kinase were present in some cases. Nasopharyngeal swab specimens were negative for the SARS-associated coronavirus by an in-house reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction in all 25 children. CONCLUSIONS: Our results indicate that SARS is a relatively mild and nonspecific respiratory illness in previously healthy young children. The presence of fever in conjunction with a SARS exposure history should prompt one to consider SARS as a possible diagnosis in children irrespective of the presence or absence of respiratory symptoms. Reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction analysis of nasopharyngeal specimens seems to be of little utility for the diagnosis of SARS during the early symptomatic phase of this illness in young children.