Fatal Child Research Articles

Environmentally-triggered contraction of the norovirus virion determines diarrheagenic potential.

Noroviruses are the leading cause of severe childhood diarrhea and foodborne disease worldwide. While they are a major cause of disease in all age groups, infections in the very young can be quite severe with annual estimates of 50,000-200,000 fatalities in children under 5 years old. In spite of the remarkable disease burden associated with norovirus infections in people, very little is known about the pathogenic mechanisms underlying norovirus diarrhea, principally because of the lack of tractable small animal models. We recently demonstrated that wild-type neonatal mice are susceptible to murine norovirus (MNV)-induced acute self-resolving diarrhea in a time course mirroring human norovirus disease. Using this robust pathogenesis model system, we demonstrate that virulence is regulated by the responsiveness of the viral capsid to environmental cues that trigger contraction of the VP1 protruding (P) domain onto the particle shell, thus enhancing receptor binding and infectivity. The capacity of a given MNV strain to undergo this contraction positively correlates with infection of cells expressing low abundance of the virus receptor CD300lf, supporting a model whereby virion contraction triggers infection of CD300lflo cell types that are responsible for diarrhea induction. These findings directly link environmentally-influenced biophysical features with norovirus disease severity.

Physiological status and anatomical severity factors associated with child versus adult bicyclist fatalities based on a national trauma dataset

Bicyclists still account for the majority of child deaths in traffic accidents, despite a gradual decrease in incidence. Therefore, we investigated factors associated with child and adult bicyclist fatalities. In this retrospective study, we used data from a national hospital-based database, the Japan Trauma Data Bank. Data from 2004 to 2019 were obtained for child cyclists (5–18 years; n = 4832) and adult cyclists (26–45 years; n = 3449). In each age group, physiological variables, outcomes, and injury severity were compared between fatal and non-fatal cases. Multivariate logistic regression was performed to determine factors associated with fatality. In adults, fatality was associated with lower values for body temperature, Glasgow Coma Scale score, and Abbreviated Injury Scale (AIS) score for the neck and upper extremities, and with higher values for respiratory rate, heart rate, focused assessment with sonography for trauma positivity rate, and AIS scores for the head, chest, and abdomen. In children, fatality was associated with lower values for body temperature and the Glasgow Coma Scale score, and with higher values for the AIS chest score. These findings point to factors associated with bicyclist fatalities and may help in the development of effective strategies to reduce these fatalities.

COMPUTATIONAL ANALYSIS OF PHYTOCOMPOUNDS PRESENT IN MURRAYA KOENIGII TO TARGET HAEMOPHILUS INFLUENZAE DISEASE

Objective: Haemophilus influenzae is a key contributor to meningitis, pneumonia, and sepsis-related illnesses and fatalities in children around the world during the pre-vaccine era (the early 1990s) and still continues to infect many individuals across the globe. This research examines various bioactive substances from plant sources for the prediction of the efficacy of the plant-based ligands to combat H. influenzae. Methods: The present study implemented computational methods to assess the effectiveness of several phytochemicals toward the H. influenzae protein. The virtual screening tool PyRx was used to systematically perform molecular docking. To test the binding affinity with the H. influenzae protein 3ZH5, 10 phytocompounds were selected from Murraya koenigii based on the previous literature. Using ADMET filters, the pharmacological evaluation of the ligands was performed. Results: The plant M. koenigii’s phytocompounds Mahanimbine, Murrayacinine, and Murrayazolinine were found to be the most effective antagonists for the protein 3ZH5, according to the docking data. Conclusion: Due to their high affinity for the protein, all of these bioactive substances could be considered as deserving candidates for the suppression of H. influenzae.

French Scorpionism (Mainland and Oversea Territories): Narrative Review of Scorpion Species, Scorpion Venom, and Envenoming Management.

Sixty-seven scorpion species have been described in France and its territories, where they have been found to be heterogeneously distributed. Indeed, only one species can be found on Réunion Island, while 38 species exist in French Guiana. The number of stings is also heterogenous, with up to 90 stings per 100,000 inhabitants occurring annually. Scorpion species can frequently be determined through simple visual factors, including species of medical importance (i.e., Buthus, Centruroides and Tityus). Scorpion venom is composed of local enzymes and peptides with a cysteine-stabilized α/β motif (NaTxs, Ktxs, Calcines), which allow for venom diffusion and the prey’s incapacitation, respectively. Harmful scorpion species are limited to Centruroides pococki in the French West Indies, which can induce severe envenoming, and the Tityus obscurus and Tityus silvestris in French Guiana, which can cause fatalities in children and can induce severe envenoming, respectively. Envenomation by one of these scorpions requires hospital monitoring as long as systemic symptoms persist. Typical management includes the use of a lidocaine patch, pain killers, and local antiseptic. In the case of heart failure, the use of dobutamine can improve survival, and pregnant women must consult an obstetrician because of the elevated risk of preterm birth or stillbirth. France does not have scorpion antivenom, as scorpion stings are generally not fatal.

Lung Chest X-Ray Image Segmentation for Detection of Pneumonia using Convolutional Neural Network

Pneumonia has been identified as the top cause of mortality in children under the age of five, as well as in elderly with comorbidities. According to the World Health Organization, pneumonia reported 14% fatalities in children under the age of five nationwide in 2019. Chest x-ray (CXR) has been commonly used for detection of pneumonia. However, factor such as noise with low levels of intensity and low contrast between the images and the boundary representation can modify CXR images and it also requires highly skilled medical practitioners to accurately interpret the CXR images. Therefore, the goal of this study is to develop an automatic segmentation model to segment the region of interest (ROI) of pneumonia lung CXR images using U-Net architecture. Image enhancement using Contrast Limited Adaptive Histogram Equalisation (CLAHE) and gamma-correction based enhancement technique were applied to increase the quality of CXR images. Statistical analysis on features extracted from the segmented lung CXR images was performed to analyze the performance of the model was developed. The U-Net segmentation model achieves 95.58%, 95.82% and 95.48% accuracy for normal CXR while the model achieves 86.76%, 87.98% and 86.21% accuracy for pneumonia CXR which indicate that the U-Net segmentation for CLAHE x-ray images has better performance in segmenting the ROI of the lungs. As a conclusion, the segmentation model proposed shown to be able to overcome the disadvantages of manual segmentation where the model can be used to perform segmentation automatically on many CXRs at a time.

A Research on the Prevention of Fatal Child Abuse: 40 Case Studies from News

Bu makalede ölümcül çocuk istismarının çok boyutlu ve karmaşık durumunun son on yılda medyaya yansıyan ve anne-babaları tarafından öldürülen çocuk haberleri (olgular) üzerinden açıklanması ve tartışılması amaçlanmaktadır. Olguların meydana gelmesine yönelik risk faktörleri ve tetikleyicileri ortaya çıkarılarak ölümcül çocuk istismarlarının meydana gelmesine neden olan etkenlerin doğru değerlendirilmesi sağlanacaktır. Böylelikle çocuk koruma hizmetlerindeki önleyici mekanizmaların, bu alanda oluşturulacak sosyal politikaların doğru zamanda müdahalede bulunmasına yönelik öneriler oluşturulacaktır. Araştırmada içerik analizi tekniği nitel bir yöntem olarak kullanılmıştır. Ölümcül çocuk istismarı haberleri tematik içerik analizi kapsamında incelenip elde edilen verilerin sentezlenmesi ve yorumlanması yapılmıştır. Olguların tematik içerik analizi ile sentezlenmesi sonucunda, olguların meydana geliş biçimlerinin büyük ölçüde benzerlik gösterdiği tespit edilmiştir. Olguların meydana geliş biçimlerinin belirli kategorilere ayrılması, bu kategorilerin de çocuk istismarı risk faktörleri ile uyumlu olması literatürdeki bilgileri doğrulamaktadır.20’si anne, 20’si de baba kaynaklı olmak üzere, ebeveynleri tarafından öldürülen çocuklara ait 40 haber kapsamında ölümcül çocuk istismarının gerçekleştiği durumlar araştırmanın çalışma grubunu oluşturmaktadır. Araştırmada on yıldan daha eski olan olgular güncel durumların analiz edilerek sosyal politikalara güncel verileri sunması amacıyla dışlanmıştır. Verilerin doygunluğa ulaşmasıyla çalışma grubu kırk ebeveyn ile sınırlı tutulmuştur. Anneler tarafından gerçekleştirilen istismar vakalarında altta yatan nedenlerin başında psikolojik sorunlar, erken yaşta evlilik ve çocuk sahibi olma ile evlilik dışı bir birliktelik içerisinde bulunma gelmektedir. Paternal Filiside yol açan etkenler arasında boşanma ve ayrı yaşama ile ilgili sorunlar, ekonomik sıkıntılar ve madde kullanımına bağlı sorunlar bulunmaktadır. Sonuç olarak çocuk ihmal ve istismarı kontrol listesi de göz önünde bulundurulduğunda, bu vakaların hepsinin önlenebilir olduğuna ulaşılmaktadır. Ölümcül çocuk istismarlarının yaşandığı bu olgulara çocuk koruma uygulamalarında önleyici hizmetler kapsamında müdahalede bulunularak riskli durumlarda ailelerin desteklenmesi sağlanmalıdır.

Comparing asphyxia and unexplained causes of death: a retrospective cohort analysis of sleep-related infant death cases from a state child fatality review programme

ObjectivesTo examine the characteristics and circumstances of infants who died while sleeping or in a sleep environment and compare deaths classified as either unintentional asphyxia or an unexplained cause.DesignA retrospective...

The North Carolina Child Fatality Task Force: Advancing Public Policy to Save Children's Lives Since 1991.

Since 1991, the North Carolina Child Fatality Task Force has been a unique forum for advancing policy to save children's lives. A continued focus by the Task Force on data, evidence, and finding common ground remains important as we face current challenges of high infant mortality rates, suicide rates, and gun deaths.

Silent Nursery: Button Battery Fatalities in Children—the Long Road from Externality to Obsolescence

Silent Nursery: Button Battery Fatalities in Children—the Long Road from Externality to Obsolescence

Postmortem computed tomography plus forensic autopsy for determining the cause of death in child fatalities.

Postmortem computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging have been gradually introduced to forensic pathology centres over the past two decades, with varying results in comparison to autopsy. The purpose of this study was to determine the accuracy of postmortem CT in determining a cause of death in children who died of unnatural causes. This was a prospective recruitment of 30 children (< 18years) who underwent postmortem CT and a forensic autopsy. A cause of death was independently assigned by two experienced paediatric radiologists and compared to that of the forensic autopsy. A correct cause of death was assigned by reviewers 1 and 2 in 70% (n = 21/30) and 67% (n = 20/30) of cases, respectively. For gunshot injuries and blunt force head injuries, there was 91% (n = 10/11) and 100% (n = 6/6) agreement between forensic autopsy and both reviewers, respectively. No cause of death could be assigned by reviewers 1 and 2 in 27% (n = 8) and 30% (n = 9) of cases, respectively. An incorrect cause of death was assigned by both reviewers in one case (3%). The Cohen Kappa level of agreement between the forensic autopsy and reviewers 1 and 2 was k = 0.624 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.45-0.80, P = 0) and k = 0.582 (95% CI 0.41-0.76, P = 0), respectively. There was near perfect agreement between reviewers 1 and 2 (k = 0.905) (95% CI 0.78-1.00, P = 0). Postmortem CT has good diagnostic accuracy for identifying a cause of death related to trauma, but it has poor accuracy for children dying from causes not associated with apparent physical injury.

Karshya -A Critical Review on Nutritional Deficiency as per Ayurveda

Ayurveda emphasize prevention over cure. A balanced diet with proper dietetic rule can help avoid a lot of common health concerns. The source of life for all living beings is food, growth, strength, intelligence, satisfaction, all are established in food. Food is significant as a nutritional source, as well as having therapeutic value, and it plays an important part in regaining strength lost due to the disease's detrimental effects throughout the post-treatment phase and also excess exercise, or addiction too. Ayurveda classic haphazardly explain nutritional issues. Each and every disease is due to faulty Ahara and Vihara. Ahara vidhi is equally important to get optimum benefits from consumed food. Childhood malnutrition is thought to be the cause of 35% of all fatalities in children under the age of five, as well as 21% of total worldwide disability-adjusted life years lost in children. Karshya not only concerns with weight loss, but also compares with malnutrition-like disorders. In Ayurveda, Karshya is a disease as well as cause, prodromal symptoms, feature of different diseases and bad prognostic sign. Karsha is also a physiological in Vataja prakriti individual. This illness is linked to growth and development issues in children and adolescence group. In adults, malnutrition results in weakness, fatigue, low immune response, protein, vitamin, minerals, fats deficiencies, and more prone to degenerative diseases. The aim of this review article is highlighted the Ayurvedic perspective on Karsha in term of malnutrition. All material for this article is collected from classical Ayurvedic texts. Understanding the cause and pathophysiology and accurate treatment as per Ayurved classics all are discussed here elaborately

Burden of deaths from road traffic injuries in children aged 0-14 years in Turkey.

Childhood road traffic injuries (RTIs) are a major public health problem worldwide. Reliable and valid information on childhood RTIs is essential to reduce the number of deaths. To determine the burden of deaths from RTIs in children aged 0-14 years from 2006 to 2019 in Turkey. This descriptive study examined the change in road traffic fatalities in children according to age, gender, road user type, and place. The necessary data for this study were obtained from the Turkish Statistical Institute. We used Microsoft Excel to analyse data from 4614 children who died from RTIs in 2006-2019 in Turkey. The fatality rate from RTIs per 100 000 children aged 0-14 years increased from 1.41 in 2006 to 2.13 in 2019. The fatality rate for boys aged 0-9 and 10-14 years was higher than that for girls of the same age. The fatality rate for girls aged 0-9 years was higher than that for girls aged 10-14 years. The fatality rate for boys aged 10-14 years was higher than that for boys aged 0-9 years. Among the children who died from RTIs, 6.65% were drivers, 41.31% pedestrians and 52.04% passengers. Children lost their lives mostly as pedestrians on urban roads and as passengers on rural roads. The death of children due to RTIs is a significant health burden in Turkey.

‘Almost everything else goes to the wayside’: Experiences of caseworkers, middle managers and leaders responding to child fatality and near fatality cases

While child welfare scholars and caseworkers have acquired a better understanding of risk factors associated with occurrences of child fatalities due to maltreatment over the past 20 years, little is known about the organisational and system-level characteristics that impact efforts to prevent or intervene in these cases. As part of a collaborative agreement between a university-affiliated centre and a state child welfare agency, we conducted interviews by phone with 19 case managers, middle managers and regional leaders who were assigned to manage or oversee a near fatality or fatality case. They illuminated five major themes: 1) their perceived stressors and sources of support; 2) client and perpetrator risk factors; 3) system-level risk and protective factors; 4) case descriptions; and 5) lessons learned. Relying upon their lived experiences, we offer practice and policy recommendations to Child Abuse Review to support their efforts to prevent and respond to child fatality cases. Efforts should be devoted to evaluating strategies to reduce risk for all families before the child welfare system is involved, supporting workers when they are assigned to fatality cases by reducing caseloads and preparing them for the fatality review process, and embracing a culture of collaboration across and within child-serving systems. Key Practitioner Messages To respond effectively to child fatality and near fatality cases, child welfare caseworkers and leaders should be assigned fewer cases in the interim, and receive guidance, consultation, and time to prepare for the fatality review process. Embracing a culture of collaboration across and within child-serving systems may also prevent fatalities and facilitate an efficient investigative process if/when they do occur.

Spontaneous Non-Traumatic Emphysema in Toddler: The Neglected Foreign Body

Foreign body aspiration is a major cause of fatality and morbidity in children. The child may present acutely with signs of respiratory distress or chronically with symptoms suggestive of respiratory infection. Variable presentations make it difficult to diagnose a case of foreign body aspiration, especially in the absence of a clear history of aspiration. Subcutaneous emphysema and pneumomediastinum are rare presentations. Here, we report a case of 2-year-old child who presented with non-traumatic extensive neck and upper chest subcutaneous emphysema. Computed tomography revealed there was presence of foreign body in left bronchus. Emergency bronchoscopy found a piece of peanut in the left main bronchus. It was successfully removed and the patient was discharged well after three days.

Child fatality in families with prior CPS history: Do those with and without intimate partner violence differ?

Child fatality in families with prior CPS history: Do those with and without intimate partner violence differ?

An investigation on the safety of children on the roads of Gaza, Palestine

The traffic safety system in Palestine needs major improvements. Traffic accident data in Gaza Strip are collected from crash reports recorded by the local Police. In many cases, roads are constructed without proper consideration of children’s needs. However, children and young kids use the roads as pedestrians, bicyclists, and occupants of vehicles. Moreover, they might choose to play on the road. This paper aims to investigate the situation of traffic safety of children in the Gaza Strip and to recommend measures to reduce their risk. This research is based on accident statistics recorded in the period between 2008 and 2018. Analysis was carried out to determine critical locations that have a high number of accidents, focusing on accidents that resulted in casualties and fatalities of children. Results show that the highest rate of children fatalities in the Gaza Strip was on Arterial Roads. According to the data collected in 2016, 2017, and 2018, the percentage of road traffic deaths of children are 60%, 68% and 59% respectively, which is higher than the average rate of child mortality in the world (52%) according to the world organization statistics. Gaza city has the largest number of children fatalities caused by road accidents in the Gaza Strip. This might be due to the high population density and heavy traffic. In order to reduce road accidents for children, it is necessary to control the speed of vehicles at school zones and to provide more safety measures for children on the roads, including illuminated pedestrian crossings for children. It is very important to provide children at schools and kindergartens with proper training on how to cross the street. It is also helpful to teach them some important traffic signs.

Human insecurity and child deaths in conflict: evidence for improved response in Yemen.

Since the beginning of the ongoing conflict in Yemen, >23 000 air strikes and >100 000 fatalities have been recorded. Data from Yemen Data Project linked >1300 child fatalities and >900 child injuries to air raids. However, there is little literature on the effect of the protracted armed conflict on the pattern of child mortality using data from small-scale surveys. We aimed to identify the pattern of the death rate for children aged <5 years ('under-5') and its relationship with human insecurity in Yemen. We created a human insecurity index (i.e. severely insecure vs insecure) for the 22 governorates in Yemen from 2015 to 2019, using data from the Armed Conflict Location and Event Database. We matched this insecurity index with the corresponding under-5 mortality data from the Complex Emergency Database. We analysed the relationship between the under-5 death rate (U5DR) and the insecurity level using a Bayesian finite mixture model in order to account for unobserved heterogeneity in clustered finite subsets of a population. We extracted 72 surveys and 77.8% (n = 56) were included in this study. The mean of the recall period for mortality was 106 days with a standard deviation of 93 days. We identified two subpopulations: Subpopulation I-high average number of child deaths and Subpopulation II-low average number of child deaths. The log posterior mean of the U5DR is 1.10 (95% credible intervals: 0.36, 1.82) in the severely insecure group in Subpopulation I and 3-fold the estimate in Subpopulation II. However, in Subpopulation II, we found no association between the insecurity level and the U5DR. The pattern of child deaths is crucial in understanding the relationship between human insecurity and the U5DR.

Contextual predictors of child fatality and near fatality cases due to abuse and neglect

AbstractLittle is known about what factors predict fatality and near fatality (NF) involving child maltreatment and if predictors differ between them. Analyses of cases in 2017 and 2018 in one Mid‐Atlantic state revealed that prior child welfare history and prevalence of risk factors, such as substance abuse, mental illness, interpersonal violence, chronic abuse, incarceration, sibling injuries, and unstable housing did not differ between fatality and NF cases. Logistic regression revealed fatalities decreased by 78% if victims received Emergency Room treatment. Findings underscore the need to train providers about risk factors and to develop interventions that increase utilisation of medical services.

A Childhood MalnutritionDeficiency in India-A Review on Karshya

Ayurvedaprioritisesprevention over cure. The first of the three pillars, Ahara(Food), is followed by Nidraand Brahmacharya. A balanced diet can help you avoid a lot of common health concerns. Food is significant as a nutritional source, as well as having therapeutic value, and it plays a crucial part in regaining strength lost due to the disease's detrimental effects throughout the post-treatment phase. Ayurvedicscriptures haphazardly explain nutritional issues. Childhood malnutrition is thought to be the cause of 35% of all fatalities in children under the age of five, as well as 21% of total worldwide disability-adjusted life years lost in children under the age of five. Karshyais a childhood malnutrition-like illness. Similarly, diseases described by diverse Ayurvedic authors as Parigarbhika, Phakka, Balashosha, and Shuska Revati might be linked to undernutrition based on clinical symptoms. These illnesses were linked to one another. The Ayurvedicperspective on dietary disorders such as protein-energy deficiency is highlighted in this article

A CROSS SECTIONAL STUDY ON VACCINATION COVERAGE OF CHILDREN IN THE URBAN SLUMS OF MUZAFFARPUR, BIHAR

Background: Immunization is one of the most cost-effective measures in public health to date, preventing at an approximately 2--3 million fatalities in young children every year. Despite their public health benet, vaccination programs face obstacles. Objectives: The objectives of the study were to determine the vaccination coverage among the children in urban slums in Muzaffarpur and to determine the factors associated with partial immunization. Methodology: A community based cross-sectional study was conducted from November 2020 to October 2021 on children aged 12 to 23 months old of Muzaffarpur, Bihar, the urban slums area under Department of Community Medicine, Sri Krishna Medical College, using 30-cluster survey method. Information regarding immunization status, socio demographic and personal details was collected using pretested semi structured questionnaire after obtaining the consent. RESULTS: Among 240 children, Male children constituted 53.7%. and female children to 46.3%. Full immunization coverage was 82.9% and Partial immunization coverage was 17.1%. The relation between socio demographic variables like religion, type of family, total number of children in family, birth order, place of delivery, father's and mother's educational status, socio economic status and immunization status was found to be statistically signicant. Conclusion: The overall Immunization coverage factors found in this study are illiterate father, illiterate mother, low socio economic status, no exclusive breast feeding and non-availability of immunization card were determinants of partial immunization.