Young Investigator Award 2013

Abstract

In 2006, the Foundation Acta Paediatrica instituted Young Investigator award. The Swedish award is given by the Swedish Paediatric Society, and the candidates are selected by the same society. The candidates for the award should not be older than 40 years and be the first authors of articles published in the Acta Paediatrica last year. The Award for 2013 is shared between Karin Persson and Martin Lundqvist. Both authors have carried out their studies during the general internship (AT). They will receive their diploma at the meeting of the Swedish Paediatric Society in Malmoe April 8, 2014. Karin Persson has published an article entitled ‘Vitamin D deficiency at the Arctic Circle – a study in food-allergic adolescents and controls’ Acta Paediatr 2013; 102:644–9 together with Inger Öhlund, Lisbeth Nordström, Anna Winberg, Eva Rönmark and Christina West. They report that as many as 82% of the adolescents living in Norbotten counties, at the Arctic Circle, are vitamin D deficient in the winter, even though vitamin D intake meets current national recommendations. The vitamin D deficiency was found to be as common in controls as in food-allergic adolescents who had eliminated vitamin D containing foods (milk, egg and/or fish). These results are important as they suggest that the current national recommendations on vitamin D intake are insufficient especially in the northern parts of Sweden. The other awarded study by Martin Lundqvist and co-authors Johan Ågren, Lena Hellström-Westas, Roland Flink and Ronny Wickström is entitled ‘Efficacy and safety of lidocaine for treatment of neonatal seizures’ Acta Paediatr 2013; 102:863–7. Martin Lundqvist et al. have evaluated the efficacy and safety of lidocaine as a second-line treatment. The infants had been previously treated with benzodiazepine. Lidocaine treatment resulted in cessation of seizure activity in half of the included infants. Lidocaine should probably be used to a higher extent than is the case today.