An audit on the implementation of administering Ondansetron in children with acute gastroenteritis and its effect on admission rate

Acute gastroenteritis (AGE) is a common presenting complaint in paediatrics. Most often, the reason for admission into hospital is to initiate intravenous rehydration in patients with severe dehydration and inability to tolerate oral intake. We found that Ondansetron acts as a potent antiemetic to support an increased number of children receiving oral hydration, and subsequently leading to decreased rates of admission. This study aims to audit the use of Ondansetron to Oral Rehydration Therapy (ORT) on children with acute gastroenteritis, and its effect on admission rates from the emergency department in University Hospital, Limerick (UHL). Data collected over a 3-month period from June to August 2017 in which Ondansetron was not used was compared to another 3-month period when Ondansetron was used. Several outcomes were measured including admission to hospital

Low prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 detected in symptomatic children admitted to hospital

Aims Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) originated in Wuhan, China in 2019 and is responsible for the condition known as COVID-19. COVID-19 was first reported in Ireland in February 2020 with University Hospital Limerick’s (UHL) first paediatric case reported on 4th March 2020. Studies have shown clinical manifestations of children’s cases are generally less severe than those of adults. UHL serves a catchment population of approximately 100,000 children. We aimed to describe the clinical presentation, and prevalence of SARS-CoV-2, in children requiring inpatient hospitalization during the initial phase of the pandemic in Ireland. Methods Data were examined relating to all inpatients aged 0 – 16 years admitted with a queried or confirmed diagnosis of COVID-19 from 8 th February 2020 to 8th June 2020. Emergency Department notes and inpatient records along with laboratory and radiology records were reviewed. Results 220 paediatric inpatients were tested by PCR for SARS-CoV-2 during this period; 101 (45.9%) were female. Ninety-five (43.2%) were diagnosed with ‘viral illnesses’. Seven (3.2%) had laboratory confirmed SARS-CoV-2, with an average age of 8.1 years (range: 0.59 years to 13.77 years). There were two Kawasaki-like illnesses admitted; both tested negative for SARS-CoV-2 on PCR. In our SARS-CoV-2 positive cohort, there was no associated significant morbidity and no associated mortality. Conclusion During the initial phase of the COVID-19 pandemic, prevalence of confirmed SARS-CoV-2 in symptomatic hospitalised children was low at 3.2

Vertical TiO₂ Nanorods as a Medium for Stable and High-Efficiency Perovskite Solar Modules

Perovskite solar cells employing CH₃NH₃PbI_3–<i>x</i>Cl_<i>x</i> active layers show power conversion efficiency (PCE) as high as 20% in single cells and 13% in large area modules. However, their operational stability has often been limited due to degradation of the CH₃NH₃PbI_3–<i>x</i>Cl_<i>x</i> active layer. Here, we report a perovskite solar module (PSM, best and av. PCE 10.5 and 8.1%), employing solution-grown TiO₂ nanorods (NRs) as the electron transport layer, which showed an increase in performance (∼5%) even after shelf-life investigation for 2500 h. A crucial issue on the module fabrication was the patterning of the TiO₂ NRs, which was solved by interfacial engineering during the growth process and using an optimized laser pulse for patterning. A shelf-life comparison with PSMs built on TiO₂ nanoparticles (NPs, best and av. PCE 7.9 and 5.5%) of similar thickness and on a compact TiO₂ layer (CL, best and av. PCE 5.8 and 4.9%) shows, in contrast to that observed for NR PSMs, that PCE in NPs and CL PSMs dropped by ∼50 and ∼90%, respectively. This is due to the fact that the CH₃NH₃PbI_3–<i>x</i>Cl_<i>x</i> active layer shows superior phase stability when incorporated in devices with TiO₂ NR scaffolds

Comparison of insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) mRNA expression.

<p>IGF-1 mRNA abundance in the liver (a), breast muscles (b) and in thigh muscles (c) from the Daweishan mini chicken and the Wuding chicken breeds, and the commercial Avian broiler hybrid at weeks 0, 4, 8 and 12. Statistical significance of difference among chickens at a specific age is indicated by asterisks (*: P<0.05; **: P<0.01). Statistical significance among different ages within a breed / hybrid is indicated with letters (lower case: P<0.05; capitals: P<0.01).</p

Comparison of insulin-like growth factor-1 binding protein 2 (IGFBP2) mRNA Expression.

<p>IGFBP mRNA abundance in the liver (a), breast muscles (b) and in thigh muscles (c) from Daweishan mini chicken and the Wuding chicken breeds, and the commercial Avian broiler hybrid at week 0, 4, 8 and 12. Statistical significance of difference among chickens at a specific age is indicated by asterisks (*: P<0.05; **: P<0.01). Statistical significance among different ages within a breed / hybrid is indicated with letters (lower case: P<0.05; capitals: P<0.01).</p

Comparison of growth hormone binding protein (GHBP) mRNA expression.

<p>GHBP mRNA abundance in the liver (a), breast muscles (b) and in thigh muscles (c) from the Daweishan mini chicken and the Wuding chicken breeds, and the commercial Avian broiler hybrid at weeks 0, 4, 8 and 12. Statistical significance of difference among chickens at a specific age is indicated by asterisks (*: P<0.05; **: P<0.01). Statistical significance among different ages within a breed / hybrid is indicated with letters (lower case: P<0.05; capitals: P<0.01).</p

Comparison of insulin-like growth factor-1 receptor (IGF-1R) mRNA expression.

<p>IGF1R mRNA abundance in the liver (a), breast muscles (b) and in thigh muscles (c) from the Daweishan mini chicken and the Wuding chicken breeds, and the commercial Avian broiler hybrid at week 0, 4, 8 and 12. Statistical significance of difference among chickens at a specific age is indicated by asterisks (*: P<0.05; **: P<0.01). Statistical significance among different ages within a breed / hybrid is indicated with letters (lower case: P<0.05; capitals: P<0.01).</p

Comparison of plasma hormone concentrations.

<p>Plasma concentration of growth hormone (GH) (a), growth hormone binding protein (GHBP) (b), insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) (c) and insulin-like growth factor-1 binding protein 2 (IGFBP2) (d) of the Daweishan mini chicken and Wuding chicken breeds, and the commercial Avian broiler hybrid at weeks 0, 4, 8 and 12. Statistical significance of difference among chickens at a specific age is indicated by asterisks (*: P<0.05; **: P<0.01). Statistical significance among different ages within a breed / hybrid is indicated with letters (lower case: P<0.05; capitals: P<0.01).</p

Comparison of growth hormone receptor (GHR) mRNA expression.

<p>GHR mRNA abundance in the liver (a), breast muscles (b) and in thigh muscles (c) from the Daweishan mini chicken and the Wuding chicken breeds, and the commercial Avian broiler hybrid at weeks 0, 4, 8 and 12. Statistical significance of difference among chickens at a specific age is indicated by asterisks (*: P<0.05; **: P<0.01). Statistical significance among different ages within a breed / hybrid is indicated with letters (lower case: P<0.05; capitals: P<0.01).</p

Comparison of growth hormone (GH) mRNA expression.

<p>GH mRNA abundance in the pituitary (a), the liver (b), breast muscles (c) and in thigh muscles (d) from the Daweishan mini chicken and the Wuding chicken breeds, and the commercial Avian broiler hybrid at weeks 0, 4, 8 and 12. Statistical significance of difference among chickens at a specific age is indicated by asterisks (*: P<0.05; **: P<0.01). Statistical significance among different ages within a breed / hybrid is indicated with letters (lower case: P<0.05; capitals: P<0.01).</p