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CONTEXT: Objective Structured Clinical Examinations (OSCEs) are an increasingly popular evaluation modality for medical students. While the face-to-face interaction allows for more in-depth assessment, it may cause standardization problems. Methods to quantify, limit or adjust for examiner effects are needed. METHODS: Data originated from 3 OSCEs undergone by 900-student classes of 5th- and 6th-year medical students at Université Paris Cité in the 2022-2023 academic year. Sessions had five stations each, and one of the three sessions was scored by consensus by two raters (rather than one). We report OSCEs' longitudinal consistency for one of the classes and staff-related and student variability by session. We also propose a statistical method to adjust for inter-rater variability by deriving a statistical random student effect that accounts for staff-related and station random effects. RESULTS: From the four sessions, a total of 16,910 station scores were collected from 2615 student sessions, with two of the sessions undergone by the same students, and 36, 36, 35 and 20 distinct staff teams in each station for each session. Scores had staff-related heterogeneity (p<10-15), with staff-level standard errors approximately doubled compared to chance. With mixed models, staff-related heterogeneity explained respectively 11.4%, 11.6%, and 4.7% of station score variance (95% confidence intervals, 9.5-13.8, 9.7-14.1, and 3.9-5.8, respectively) with 1, 1 and 2 raters, suggesting a moderating effect of consensus grading. Student random effects explained a small proportion of variance, respectively 8.8%, 11.3%, and 9.6% (8.0-9.7, 10.3-12.4, and 8.7-10.5), and this low amount of signal resulted in student rankings being no more consistent over time with this metric, rather than with average scores (p=0.45). CONCLUSION: Staff variability impacts OSCE scores as much as student variability, and the former can be reduced with dual assessment or adjusted for with mixed models. Both are small compared to unmeasured sources of variability, making them difficult to capture consistently.
Subject(s)
Clinical Competence , Educational Measurement , Observer Variation , Students, Medical , Humans , Educational Measurement/methods , Educational Measurement/standards , Clinical Competence/standards , Education, Medical, Undergraduate/standards , Paris , Reproducibility of ResultsABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION: Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a genetic disorder with a high infectious morbidity and mortality and a heterogeneous distribution in France. One of the challenges is to differentiate a bone and joint infection (BJI) from a vaso-occlusive crisis. This challenge is particularly prevalent in French Guiana, an overseas territory with the highest incidence of SCD in France. The aim of this study was to describe the epidemiology of BJI in children with SCD in French Guiana. METHOD: This was a retrospective multicentric descriptive study of SCD patients living in French Guiana aged under 18 and diagnosed with a BJI between 2010 and 2022. These BJI were divided into 2 groups: those with microbiological documentation (d-BJI) and those without microbiological identification (ud-BJI). RESULTS: A total of 53 episodes of BJI in 42 patients (mean age 7.2 years) were reported. Clinical symptoms on arrival were comparable between the d-BJI and ud-BJI groups. Patients in the d-BJI group had longer average hospital stays (40.4 days vs. 16.8 days, P = 0.01) and Salmonella spp. were the most identified bacteria (n = 8/13). White blood cell count was greater in the d-BJI group (30.3 G/L vs. 18.G/L, P = 0.01) and a collection was more frequently identified on imaging (11/13 vs. 16/40, P = 0.01) in this group. Initial in-hospital antibiotic therapy was longer in the d-BJI group (17.2 days vs. 12.8, P = 0.02), as were infection-related complications (9/13 vs. 12/40 P = 0.01). CONCLUSION: BJI in children with SCD is not sufficiently microbiologically documented. Progress must be made to improve the documentation of BJI.
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OBJECTIVES: We aimed to compare clinical spectrum and outcome between adults and children with Takayasu's arteritis (TAK) in a European population. METHODS: We made a nationwide retrospective observational study between 1988 and 2019. All adult patients met the ACR diagnostic criteria for TAK and all children met the EULAR/PRINTO/PRES criteria for paediatric TAK. RESULTS: We identified 46 children and 389 adults with TAK. The male to female ratio was 34/46 (0.74) in the paediatric group compared to 241/274 (0.88) in the adult group (P<0.05). Children presented with significantly more systemic symptoms; i.e., fever (P<0.05), fatigue (P<0.001), weight loss (P<0.001), abdominal pain (P<0.05), and myalgia (P<0.05) while adults had more upper limb claudication (P<0.01). Topography of the lesions differed significantly between the two groups: adults had more damage at the cerebral vasculature (P<0.01), upper and lower limbs (P<0.001) while children had more kidney lesions (P<0.05). Children TAK had more frequent (P<0.01) and higher (P<0.001) biological inflammation than adults. Children received higher dose-weight of corticosteroids (P=0.001) and less biotherapy (P<0.010) at diagnosis. Relapses (P<0.05) and death (8.6% vs 4.9%) were more frequent in children TAK than in adults. CONCLUSION: Paediatric TAK seems more severe than adult TAK. Therefore, paediatrics patients may require closer monitoring and systemic use of biological treatment.
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Background: No study has compared the virological and immunological status of young people with perinatally-acquired HIV infection (P-HIV) with that of people with HIV adulthood (A-HIV) having a similar duration of infection. Methods: 5 French cohorts of P-HIV and A-HIV patients with a known date of HIV-infection and receiving antiretroviral treatment (ART), were used to compare the following proportions of: virological failure (VF) defined as plasma HIV RNA ≥ 50 copies/mL, CD4 cell percentages and CD4:CD8 ratios, at the time of the most recent visit since 2012. The analysis was stratified on time since infection, and multivariate models were adjusted for demographics and treatment history. Findings: 310 P-HIV were compared to 1515 A-HIV (median current ages 20.9 [IQR:14.4-25.5] and 45.9 [IQR:37.9-53.5] respectively). VF at the time of the most recent evaluation was significantly higher among P-HIV (22.6%, 69/306) than A-HIV (3.3%, 50/1514); p ≤ 0.0001. The risk of VF was particularly high among the youngest children (2-5 years), adolescents (13-17 years) and young adults (18-24 years), compared to A-HIV with a similar duration of infection: adjusted Odds-Ratio (aOR) 7.0 [95% CI: 1.7; 30.0], 11.4 [4.2; 31.2] and 3.3 [1.0; 10.8] respectively. The level of CD4 cell percentages did not differ between P-HIV and A-HIV. P-HIV aged 6-12 and 13-17 were more likely than A-HIV to have a CD4:CD8 ratio ≥ 1: 84.1% vs. 58.8% (aOR = 3.5 [1.5; 8.3]), and 60.9% vs. 54.7% (aOR = 1.9 [0.9; 4.2]) respectively. Interpretation: P-HIV were at a higher risk of VF than A-HIV with a similar duration of infection, even after adjusting for treatment history, whereas they were not at a higher risk of immunological impairment. Exposure to viral replication among young patients living with HIV since birth or a very early age, probably because of lower adherence, could have an impact on health, raising major concerns about the selection of resistance mutations and the risk of HIV transmission. Funding: Inserm - ANRS MIE.
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Importance: Henoch-Schönlein purpura (HSP) is the most common type of vasculitis in children. The factors that trigger the disease are poorly understood. Although several viruses and seasonal bacterial infections have been associated with HSP, differentiating the specific associations of these pathogens with the onset of HSP remains a challenge due to their overlapping seasonal patterns. Objective: To analyze the role of seasonal pathogens in the epidemiology of HSP. Design, Setting, and Participants: This cohort study comprised an interrupted time-series analysis of patient records from a comprehensive national hospital-based surveillance system. Children younger than 18 years hospitalized for HSP in France between January 1, 2015, and March 31, 2023, were included. Exposure: Implementation and relaxation of nonpharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) for the COVID-19 pandemic, such as social distancing and mask wearing. Main Outcomes and Measures: The main outcomes were the monthly incidence of HSP per 100â¯000 children, analyzed via a quasi-Poisson regression model, and the estimated percentage of HSP incidence potentially associated with 14 selected common seasonal pathogens over the same period. Results: The study included 9790 children with HSP (median age, 5 years [IQR, 4-8 years]; 5538 boys [56.4%]) and 757â¯110 children with the infectious diseases included in the study (median age, 0.7 years [IQR, 0.2-2 years]; 393â¯697 boys [52.0%]). The incidence of HSP decreased significantly after implementation of NPIs in March 2020 (-53.6%; 95% CI, -66.6% to -40.6%; P < .001) and increased significantly after the relaxation of NPIs in April 2021 (37.2%; 95% CI, 28.0%-46.3%; P < .001). The percentage of HSP incidence potentially associated with Streptococcus pneumoniae was 37.3% (95% CI, 22.3%-52.3%; P < .001), the percentage of cases associated with Streptococcus pyogenes was 25.6% (95% CI, 16.7%-34.4%; P < .001), and the percentage of cases associated with human rhino enterovirus was 17.1% (95% CI, 3.8%-30.4%; P = .01). Three sensitivity analyses found similar results. Conclusions and Relevance: This study found that significant changes in the incidence of HSP simultaneously with major shifts in circulating pathogens after NPIs for the COVID-19 pandemic indicated that approximately 60% of HSP incidence was potentially associated with pneumococcus and group A streptococcus. This finding suggests that preventive measures against these pathogens could reduce the incidence of pediatric HSP.
Subject(s)
COVID-19 , IgA Vasculitis , Male , Child , Humans , Child, Preschool , Infant , Seasons , IgA Vasculitis/epidemiology , IgA Vasculitis/complications , Cohort Studies , Pandemics , COVID-19/epidemiology , COVID-19/complicationsABSTRACT
Although pediatric post-intensive care syndrome is frequent and impacts the child's quality of life in various aspects, there are currently no guidelines regarding post-pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) follow-up. The aim of this study was to describe post-PICU follow-up in France. Among the 37 French PICUs, only 67 % had a consultation service, mostly performed by pediatric intensivists (95 %). Post-intensive care evaluation was the main objective for 46 % of these centers, whereas others focused on specific patient populations. Post-intensive care follow-up is highly heterogeneous and developing such consultation services appears to be a main challenge for PICU teams.
Subject(s)
Intensive Care Units, Pediatric , Quality of Life , Child , Humans , France , Critical Illness , Critical CareABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION: Perinatally HIV-Infected Adolescents (HIVIA) are more likely to have mental health problems than their uninfected peers. In resource-limited settings, mental health disorders are rarely taken into account in the care offered to HIVIA and have an impact on their routine follow-up. The objective of this study was to assess the baseline socio-demographic factors and mental health conditions associated with detectable viral load or poor ART adherence in HIVIA on ART followed at the Mother and Child Centre of the Chantal Biya Foundation in Yaoundé (CME-FCB), Cameroon. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted in HIVIA aged 10 to 19 years, followed at CME-FCB during the period from December 2021 to March 2022. Sociodemographic, clinical, and mental characteristics were collected using a structured questionnaire administered face-to-face by trained healthcare providers. The primary outcome was viral load ≥ 40 copies/mL in HIVIA on ART for at least six months. The secondary outcome was poor ART adherence, defined as ≥ 1 missed dose of antiretroviral therapy within the last past three days. The main exposure variables were mental health disorders, including the level of anxiety, depression and low self-esteem. RESULTS: In total, 302 adolescents were interviewed, 159 (52.7 %) were girls and median age was 15.2 years (IQR: 12.0-17.5). Having missed at least 1 dose of ART drugs during the last 3 days before screening concerned 53 (35.0 %) cases. Of the 247 adolescents with an available viral load (VL) in the last 12 months prior to screening, 33 (26.7 %) had a VL ≥ 40 copies/mL. Among participating adolescents, 29.1 % presented with high or very high anxiety, 26.5 % with severe depression, 36.4 % with history of suicidal ideation, and 20.5 % low self-esteem. Low self-esteem was strongly associated with a higher risk of poor ART adherence (adjusted odds ratio(aOR) (95 % confidence interval (95 %CI)): 2.2 (1.1-4.3); p = 0.022). Living with the father (aOR (95 %CI): 0.6 (0.3-1.1); p = 0.085) or in a household with a televisor (aOR (95 %CI): 0.5 (0.2-1.1); p = 0.069) were slightly associated with a lower risk of poor adherence to ART. Having both parents alive (aOR (95 %CI): 0.4 (0.2-0.9); p = 0.031) or receiving ART with efavirenz or dolutegravir (aOR (95 %CI): 0.5 (0.2-0.9); p = 0.047) was strongly associated with a lower likelihood of having a detectable VL. Moreover, detectable viral load was slightly less frequent in adolescents whose household was equipped with a television (p = 0.084) or who were completely disclosed for HIV status (p = 0.070). CONCLUSION: This study found that co-morbid low self-esteem had higher odds of poor ART adherence in HIVIA. Moreover, both poor ART adherence, and detectable viral load were associated with impaired life conditions in HIVIA.
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HIV Infections , Medication Adherence , Mental Disorders , Adolescent , Female , Humans , Male , Cameroon , Cross-Sectional Studies , Follow-Up Studies , HIV , HIV Infections/drug therapy , Surveys and Questionnaires , Viral LoadABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: Juvenile systemic lupus erythematosus (j-SLE) is a rare chronic auto-immune disease involving several organs. Neuropsychiatric (NP) SLE (NPSLE) is frequent in j-SLE and associated with increased morbidity/mortality. Although NPSLE classification criteria exist, attributing NP features to j-SLE remains a major challenge. The study objective is to thoroughly describe j-NPSLE patients and assist in their diagnosis. METHODS: This is a 4-year retrospective monocentric study of j-SLE patients. NP events were attributed to j-SLE using standardised diagnostic criteria and multidisciplinary paediatric clinical expertise. Clinical features, brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)s and samples analysis including cerebrospinal fluid were assessed. A risk of j-NPSLE score was developed based on multivariable logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: Of 39 patients included, 44% were identified as having j-NPSLE. J-NPSLE diagnosis was established at the onset of j-SLE in 59% of patients. In addition to frequent kidney involvement (76%) and chilblains (65%), all j-NPSLE patients displayed psychiatric features: cognitive symptoms (82%), hallucinations (76%), depressed mood (35%), acute confused state (18%) and catatonia (12%). Neurological involvement was often mild and nonspecific, with headache (53%) in about half of the patients. The main features reported on brain MRI were nonspecific T2/FLAIR white matter hyperintensities (65%), and cerebral atrophy (88%). Upon immunosuppressive treatment, clinical improvement of NP features was observed in all j-NPSLE patients. The score developed to attribute j-NPSLE probability, guide further investigations and appropriate treatments is based on hallucinations, memory, sleep and renal involvement (Sensitivity: 0.95 Specificity: 0.85). Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) neopterin assessment increases the score sensitivity and specificity. CONCLUSION: Physicians should carefully and systematically assess the presence of NP features at diagnosis and early stages of j-SLE. For j-NPSLE patients with predominant psychiatric features, a multidisciplinary collaboration, including psychiatrists, is essential for the diagnosis, management and follow-up.
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Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic , Lupus Vasculitis, Central Nervous System , Humans , Child , Lupus Vasculitis, Central Nervous System/pathology , Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic/complications , Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic/diagnosis , Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic/pathology , Retrospective Studies , Brain/diagnostic imaging , Brain/pathology , Magnetic Resonance Imaging/methods , Hallucinations/complications , Hallucinations/pathologyABSTRACT
PURPOSE: To assess the Consultation And Relational Empathy (CARE) measure as a tool for examiners to assess medical students' empathy during Objective and Structured Clinical Examinations (OSCEs), as the best tool for assessing empathy during OSCEs remains unknown. METHODS: We first assessed the psychometric properties of the CARE measure, completed simultaneously by examiners and standardized patients (SP, either teachers - SPteacher - or civil society members - SPcivil society), for each student, at the end of an OSCE station. We then assessed the qualitative/quantitative agreement between examiners and SP. RESULTS: We included 129 students, distributed in eight groups, four groups for each SP type. The CARE measure showed satisfactory psychometric properties in the context of the study but moderate, and even poor inter-rater reliability for some items. Considering paired observations, examiners scored lower than SPs (p < 0.001) regardless of the SP type. However, the difference in score was greater when the SP was a SPteacher rather than a SPcivil society (p < 0.01). CONCLUSION: Despite acceptable psychometric properties, inter-rater reliability of the CARE measure between examiners and SP was unsatisfactory. The choice of examiner as well as the type of SP seems critical to ensure a fair measure of empathy during OSCEs.
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BACKGROUND: Acute chest syndrome (ACS) is a life-threatening complication of sickle cell disease (SCD). Although respiratory pathogens are frequently detected in children with ACS, their respective role in triggering the disease is still unclear. We hypothesized that the incidence of ACS followed the unprecedented population-level changes in respiratory pathogen dynamics after COVID-19-related nonpharmaceutical interventions (NPIs). RESEARCH QUESTION: What is the respective role of respiratory pathogens in ACS epidemiology? STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: This study was an interrupted time series analysis of patient records from a national hospital-based surveillance system. All children aged < 18 years with SCD hospitalized for ACS in France between January 2015 and May 2022 were included. The monthly incidence of ACS per 1,000 children with SCD over time was analyzed by using a quasi-Poisson regression model. The circulation of 12 respiratory pathogens in the general pediatric population over the same period was included in the model to assess the fraction of ACS potentially attributable to each respiratory pathogen. RESULTS: Among the 55,941 hospitalizations of children with SCD, 2,306 episodes of ACS were included (median [interquartile range] age, 9 [5-13] years). A significant decrease was observed in ACS incidence after NPI implementation in March 2020 (-29.5%; 95% CI, -46.8 to -12.2; P = .001) and a significant increase after lifting of the NPIs in April 2021 (24.4%; 95% CI, 7.2 to 41.6; P = .007). Using population-level incidence of several respiratory pathogens, Streptococcus pneumoniae accounted for 30.9% (95% CI, 4.9 to 56.9; P = .02) of ACS incidence over the study period and influenza 6.8% (95% CI, 2.3 to 11.3; P = .004); other respiratory pathogens had only a minor role. INTERPRETATION: NPIs were associated with significant changes in ACS incidence concomitantly with major changes in the circulation of several respiratory pathogens in the general population. This unique epidemiologic situation allowed determination of the contribution of these respiratory pathogens, in particular S pneumoniae and influenza, to the burden of childhood ACS, highlighting the potential benefit of vaccine prevention in this vulnerable population.
Subject(s)
Acute Chest Syndrome , Anemia, Sickle Cell , Influenza, Human , Child , Humans , Child, Preschool , Adolescent , Acute Chest Syndrome/etiology , Acute Chest Syndrome/complications , Incidence , Influenza, Human/complications , Time Factors , Anemia, Sickle Cell/complications , Anemia, Sickle Cell/epidemiologyABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: The value of formative objective structured clinical examinations (OSCEs) during the pre-clinical years of medical education remains unclear. We aimed to assess the effectiveness of a formative OSCE program for medical students in their pre-clinical years on subsequent performance in summative OSCE. METHODS: We conducted a non-randomized controlled prospective pilot study that included all medical students from the last year of the pre-clinical cycle of the Université Paris-Cité Medical School, France, in 2021. The intervention group received the formative OSCE program, which consisted of four OSCE sessions, followed by debriefing and feedback, whereas the control group received the standard teaching program. The main objective of this formative OSCE program was to develop skills in taking a structured medical history and communication. All participants took a final summative OSCE. The primary endpoint was the summative OSCE mark in each group. A questionnaire was also administered to the intervention-group students to collect their feedback. A qualitative analysis, using a convenience sample, was conducted by gathering data pertaining to the process through on-site participative observation of the formative OSCE program. RESULTS: Twenty students were included in the intervention group; 776 in the control group. We observed a significant improvement with each successive formative OSCE session in communication skills and in taking a structured medical history (p<0.0001 for both skills). Students from the intervention group performed better in a summative OSCE that assessed the structuring of a medical history (median mark 16/20, IQR [15; 17] versus 14/20, [13; 16], respectively, p = 0.012). Adjusted analyses gave similar results. The students from the intervention group reported a feeling of improved competence and a reduced level of stress at the time of the evaluation, supported by the qualitative data showing the benefits of the formative sessions. CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that an early formative OSCE program is suitable for the pre-clinical years of medical education and is associated with improved student performance in domains targeted by the program.
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Education, Medical, Undergraduate , Education, Medical , Students, Medical , Humans , Pilot Projects , Prospective Studies , Clinical Competence , Education, Medical, Undergraduate/methods , Educational Measurement/methodsABSTRACT
Urinary tract infections are the most frequently proven bacterial infections in pediatrics. The treatment options proposed in this guide are based on recommendations published by the Groupe de Pathologie Infectieuse de Pédiatrique (GPIP-SFP). Except in rare situations (newborns, neutropenia, sepsis), a positive urine dipstick for leukocytes and/or nitrites should precede a urine culture examination and any antibiotic therapy. After rising steadily between 2000 and 2012, the proportion of Escherichia coli strains resistant to extended-spectrum ß-lactamases (E-ESBL) has remained stable over the last ten years (between 7% and 10% in pediatrics). However, in many cases no oral antibiotic is active on E-ESBL leading either to prolonged parenteral treatment, or to use of a non-orthodox combination such as cefixime + clavulanate. With the aim of avoiding penem antibiotics and encouraging outpatient management, this guide favors initial treatment of febrile urinary tract infections (suspected or actual E-ESBL infection), with amikacin. Amikacin remains active against the majority of E-ESBL strains. It could be prescribed as monotherapy for patients in pediatric emergency departments or otherwise hospitalized patients.
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Anti-Infective Agents , Bacterial Infections , Urinary Tract Infections , Humans , Child , Infant, Newborn , Amikacin/therapeutic use , Urinary Tract Infections/drug therapy , Anti-Bacterial Agents/therapeutic use , Bacterial Infections/drug therapy , Escherichia coliABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: To examine whether the COVID-19 pandemic was associated with an increased incidence of uveitis in children. STUDY DESIGN: We performed a time-series analysis of patient records from a national, hospital-based, French surveillance system. All children hospitalized for uveitis in France between January 2012 and March 2022 were included. The incidence of newly diagnosed uveitis per 100â000 children per trimester in France was analyzed by a quasi-Poisson regression. A cohort of children diagnosed with uveitis at Robert-Debré Hospital was used to compare the characteristics of uveitis after and before the onset of the pandemic. RESULTS: During the study period, 2492 children were hospitalized for uveitis in France. The COVID-19 pandemic, which started in March 2020, was associated with a significant increase in the occurrence of uveitis (estimated cumulative change, 44.9%; 95% CI 11.4-78.4; P < .001). The increase in the incidence of pediatric uveitis started in October 2020, while the national immunization program targeting children aged less than 18 years began in June 2021. This increase involved all forms of uveitis, regardless of location, and clincial characteristics were similar to those diagnosed before the pandemic. CONCLUSIONS: Our study evidenced a significant increase in the incidence of pediatric uveitis following the COVID-19 pandemic. This increase occurred 6 months before the implementation of the national COVID-19 vaccination program for children, suggesting that the resurgence of this rare disease is independent of COVID-19 vaccination.
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COVID-19 , Uveitis , Child , Humans , COVID-19 Vaccines , COVID-19/epidemiology , COVID-19/prevention & control , Pandemics , Incidence , Uveitis/epidemiology , Uveitis/etiologyABSTRACT
Background: Kawasaki disease is an acute, febrile, systemic vasculitis of children that primarily affects medium-sized blood vessels with a tropism for the coronary arteries. Although the etiological factors remain unknown, infections have been suggested as the trigger of Kawasaki disease. We sought to calculate the fraction of Kawasaki disease potentially attributable to seasonal infections. Methods: This cohort study used a population-based time series analysis from the French hospitalisation database (Programme de Médicalisation des Systèmes d'Information), which includes all inpatients admitted to any public or private hospital in France. We included all children aged 0-17 years hospitalised for Kawasaki disease in France over 13 years. The monthly incidence of Kawasaki disease per 10,000 children over time was analysed by a quasi-Poisson regression model. The model accounted for seasonality by using harmonic terms (a pair of sines and cosines with 12-month periods). The circulation of eight common seasonal pathogens (adenovirus, influenza, metapneumovirus, Mycoplasma pneumoniae, norovirus, rhinovirus, rotavirus, respiratory syncytial virus, and Streptococcus pneumonia) over the same period was included in the model to analyse the fraction of Kawasaki disease potentially attributable to each pathogen. Infections were identified on the basis of polymerase chain reaction or rapid antigen testing in hospital laboratories. Findings: Between Jan 1, 2007, and Dec 31, 2019, we included 10,337 children with Kawasaki disease and 442,762 children with the selected infectious diseases. In the Kawasaki disease cohort, the median age [IQR] was 2 [0-4] years, 6164 [59.6%] were boys. Adenovirus infection was potentially responsible for 24.4% [21.5-27.8] (p < 0.001) of Kawasaki diseases, Norovirus for 6.7% [1.3-11.2] (p = 0.002), and RSV 4.6% [1.2-7.8] (p = 0.022). Sensitivity analyses found similar results. Interpretation: This cohort study of data from a comprehensive national hospitalisation database indicated that approximately 35% of Kawasaki diseases was potentially attributable to seasonal infections. Funding: None.
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Introduction: We assessed the risk of tuberculosis (TB), the management and the outcomes of 0-5-year-old children after TB contact investigations in a low-burden setting. Method: All 0-5-year-old children who attended the TB clinic of Robert Debre Hospital, Paris, France, for a TB contact investigation between June 2016 and December 2019 were included in this retrospective study. The risk factors for TB were assessed using univariate and multivariate analyses. Results: A total of 261 children were included. Forty-six (18%) had TB, including 37 latent tuberculosis infections (LTBIs) and 9 active TB diseases. The prevalence of TB was 21% among high-risk contacts, i.e., household or close contacts and regular or casual contacts. There was no TB among intermediate- or low-risk contacts (0/42). Living under the same roof with (OR: 19.8; 95% CI: 2.6-153), the BCG vaccine (OR: 3.2; 95% CI: 1.2-8.3), contact duration >40â h (OR: 7.6; 95% CI: 2.3-25.3) and sleeping in the room of the index case (OR: 3.9; 95% CI: 1.3-11.7) were independently associated with TB. The BCG vaccine was no longer associated when the analysis was restricted to interferon gamma release assay results. Among children without initial LTBI, antibiotic prophylaxis was not prescribed for 2-5-year-old children or for 32/36 (89%) of 0-2-year-old children who had intermediate- or low-risk contact. Overall, none of these children experienced TB. Conclusion: In our low prevalence setting, the risk of TB in 0-5-year-old children following a household or close contact was high. Further studies are needed to better assess prophylaxis recommendations in intermediate or low risk contact.
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In a 15-year pediatric time-series analysis, we showed a rise of invasive Group A streptococcal (iGAS) infections since October 2022, mainly involving pleural empyema, simultaneously to a respiratory virus outbreak. Physicians should be aware of this increased risk of pediatric iGAS infections, especially in settings with intense respiratory viruses' circulation.
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OBJECTIVE: Objective structured clinical examinations (OSCE) are one of the main modalities of skills' assessment of medical students. We aimed to evaluate the educational value of the participation of third-year medical students in OSCE as standardized patients. METHODS: We conducted a pilot OSCE session where third-year students participated in sixth-year students' OSCE as standardized patients (cases). Their scores in their own subsequent OSCE exams were compared with third-year students who had not participated (controls). Students' perceptions (stress, preparedness, ease) regarding their OSCE were compared with self-administered questionnaires. RESULTS: A total of 42 students were included (9 cases and 33 controls). Median [IQR] overall score (out of 20 points) obtained by the cases was 17 [16.3-18] versus 14.5 [12.7-16.3] for controls (p < 0.001). Students' perception of their evaluation (difficulty, stress, communication) was not significantly different between cases and controls. Most cases agreed that their participation was beneficial in reducing their stress (67%), increasing their preparedness (78%) and improving their communication skills (100%). All cases agreed that this participation should be offered more widely. CONCLUSION: Students' participation in OSCE as standardized patients led to better performance on their own OSCE and were considered beneficial. This approach could be more broadly generalized to improve student performance.
Subject(s)
Educational Measurement , Students, Medical , Humans , Schools, Medical , Paris , Clinical CompetenceABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: To assess the association between deprivation and the incidence and clinical severity of tuberculosis (TB) in children. STUDY DESIGN: Children ≤18 years old who were admitted for TB between 2007 and 2020 at a tertiary hospital were included in this retrospective study. Deprivation was assessed using the French Deprivation Index. TB severity was assessed using the Wiseman classification. Multivariate analyses were carried out. RESULTS: In total, 222 patients were included. The median age was 10.8 years (IQR 4.5-14.4). TB was considered severe in 126 patients (56.8%), with 50% of the patients included in the 2 most deprived groups. The most-deprived children had a TB incidence that was 58 times greater than that of the least-deprived children (95% CI 28.49-119.40). There was no significant association between deprivation and severity in the multivariable analysis after adjusting for age and circumstances of diagnosis. Deprivation was associated with an increased length of stay in the most-deprived groups (OR 3.79, 95% CI 1.55-10.23). There was a trend toward a greater proportion of symptomatic children in the most-deprived group. CONCLUSIONS: TB incidence and hospital length of stay increased with deprivation levels but not with the severity of TB.
Subject(s)
Tuberculosis , Humans , Child , Adolescent , Retrospective Studies , Tertiary Care Centers , Paris/epidemiology , Incidence , Tuberculosis/epidemiology , France/epidemiologyABSTRACT
Prenatal immune-mediated events are known risk factors for neurodevelopmental disorders in the offspring (NDD). Although the brain continues to develop for years after birth and many postnatal factors alter the regular trajectory of neurodevelopment, little is known about the impact of postnatal immune factors. To fill this gap we set up ARTEMIS, a cohort of juvenile rheumatisms and systemic autoimmune and auto-inflammatory disorders (jRSAID), and assessed their neurodevelopment. We then complemented our results with a systematic review and meta-analysis. In ARTEMIS, we used unsupervised and supervised analysis to determine the influence of jRSAID age at onset (AO) and delay in introduction of disease-modifying therapy (DMT) on NDD (NCT04814862). For the meta-analysis, we searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycINFO, Cochrane, and Web of Science up to April 2022 without any restrictions on language, or article type for studies investigating the co-occurence of jRSAID and NDD (PROSPERO- CRD42020150346). 195 patients were included in ARTEMIS. Classification tree isolated 3 groups of patients (i) A low-risk group (AO > 130 months (m)) with 5% of NDD (ii) A medium-risk group (AO < 130 m and DMT < 2 m) with 20% of NDD (iii) and a high-risk-group (AO < 130 m and DMT > 2 m) with almost half of NDD. For the meta-analysis, 18 studies encompassing a total of (i) 46,267 children with jRSAID; 213,930 children with NDD, and 6,213,778 children as controls were included. We found a positive association between jRSAID and NDD with an OR = 1.44 [95% CI 1.31; 1.57] p < 0.0001, [I2 = 66%, Tau2 = 0.0067, p < 0.01]. Several sensitivity analyses were performed without changing the results. Metaregression confirmed the importance of AO (p = 0.005). Our study supports the association between jRSAID and NDD. AO and DMT have pivotal roles in the risk of developing NDD. We plead for systematic screening of NDD in jRSAID to prevent the functional impact of NDD.