Inventory of current EU paediatric vision and hearing screening programmes

Background: We examined the diversity in paediatric vision and hearing screening programmes in Europe. Methods: Themes relevant for comparison of screening programmes were derived from literature and used to compile three questionnaires on vision, hearing and public-health screening. Tests used, professions involved, age and frequency of testing seem to influence sensitivity, specificity and costs most. Questionnaires were sent to ophthalmologists, orthoptists, otolaryngologists and audiologists involved in paediatric screening in all EU fullmember, candidate and associate states. Answers were cross-checked. Results: Thirty-nine countries participated; 35 have a vision screening programme, 33 a nation-wide neonatal hearing screening programme. Visual acuity (VA) is measured in 35 countries, in 71% more than once. First measurement of VA varies from three to seven years of age, but is usually before the age of five. At age three and four picture charts, including Lea Hyvarinen are used most, in children over four Tumbling-E and Snellen. As first hearing screening test otoacoustic emission (OAE) is used most in healthy neonates, and auditory brainstem response (ABR) in premature newborns. The majority of hearing testing programmes are staged; children are referred after one to four abnormal tests. Vision screening is performed mostly by paediatricians, ophthalmologists or nurses. Funding is mostly by health insurance or state. Coverage was reported as >95% in half of countries, but reporting was often not first-hand. Conclusion: Largest differences were found in VA charts used (12), professions involved in vision screening (10), number of hearing screening tests before referral (1-4) and funding sources (8)

Solvent Influence on Photochemistry of Small Biomolecules in Clusters

We present a photolysis study of pyrrole, imidazole and pyrazole clusters in comparison to the photolysis of the isolated molecules. Size distributions of different mean cluster sizes have been prepared and characterized in supersonic expansions. The clusters were photolyzed at 243 and 193 nm and the kinetic energy distributions (KEDs) of the H-fragments were measured. The KEDs of all systems exhibit a bimodal character with slow and fast H-fragment peaks similar to the spectra of the corresponding single molecules. However, with the increasing clusters size the slow component gains on intensity in comparison to the fast component. A similar effect is observed with increasing the excitation energy from 243 to 193 nm