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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. The rate of admission decreased by 15% [26/74 (35%) in 2017 to 16/81 (20%) in 2019 p = 0.22]. 81 patients received Ondansetron, of which 79% were successfully rehydrated orally. The administration of Ondansetron reduced the need for intravenous fluids and hospital admission overall in these children with AGE. This reduction ultimately accounted for lower costs incurred by the Health Services Executive per patient, and also suggested the anti-emetic use as a cost effective measure for managing and treating patients with AGE.

Background: Recent years have seen chaos in the neonatology use of antibiotics with diverse opinions and recommendations in international guidelines and societies. This has created great uncertainty in which cases to use, for how long, and which tests apply to make these decisions. We conducted a retrospective cohort study about the use of antibiotics in the EpicLatino neonatal units and a Latin American network database, after noting these variations in the 2019 report. Methods: For the year 2019 using the EpicLatino database, we included cases (only first admission) ≤ 32 weeks gestational age at birth, excluding one unit that did not accept to participate. The number of cases and days receiving antibiotics were recorded as well as the progression for each unit. Inappropriate use of antibiotics was defined as greater than 3 days in patients with negative cultures (blood/CSF cultures) excluding: major malformations, urinary tract infections, necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) and cases with suspected chorioamnionitis in the mother (the latter two only during the course of diagnosis of NEC or chorioamnionitis). Results: A total of 6,543 days of antibiotics were observed, 49.5% of cases had at least one positive blood/CSF culture. A total of 595 days of antibiotics without justification were found in 72 courses in 61 cases: 19.4% had no diagnosis of infection in the database, 9.7% did not document any culture throughout their stay, and 51,4% obtained only one blood/CSF culture during their entire stay. In the 58 cases with diagnosis of infection: 41% were clinical sepsis and a diagnosis of pneumonia with a poor positive culture correlation was found. Furthermore, 74% of the unit’s didn´t use pneumonia as a justification to use antibiotics. Other diagnosis found: Conjunctivitis, NEC 1A and rotavirus NEC. Conclusion: Although the method of reviewing the use of antibiotics in a database has a number of limitations, especially the cause that motivated the use of antibiotics and other tools used for diagnosis of infections, the notable differences between units is striking. Although it is difficult to make recommendations to all units, it is important to control infections in some units and in others to reduce the excessive use of antibiotics, especially with diagnosis of pneumonia in neonates and negative blood/CSF cultures.

Introduction: In our fast-paced world, children’s dietary habits and behaviour are increasingly concerning, with a tendency toward indulging in sweets and snacks. Insights are derived from observations of 20 children at a crèche facility.Temptation of sweets: Children’s inherent attraction to sweet and salty snacks challenges maintaining a healthy diet. Excessive consumption can lead to health issues, recognizing the pivotal role parents and caregivers play in guiding children toward healthier choices.Significance of a balanced diet: A well-rounded and nutritious diet is crucial for a child’s physical and mental development. Providing fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean proteins is essential.Role of activities: Diversifying a child’s routine with engaging activities is a powerful strategy to redirect their focus from unhealthy snacks. Sports, arts, outdoor play, and educational games promote physical fitness, creativity, and cognitive development, contributing to a well-balanced lifestyle.Strategies for encouraging healthy choices:•    Lead by example: Modelling healthy habits inspires children to adopt similar behaviour.•    Educate about nutrition: Imparting knowledge about the nutritional value of foods equips children to make informed choices.•    Make healthy options accessible: Stocking the kitchen with nutritious snacks makes it convenient for children to opt for healthier alternatives.•    Limit unhealthy choices: Setting clear limits on sugary snacks helps children develop moderation and self-control.•    Create a fun and active environment: Fostering an enjoyable environment involves family outings, games, and making exercise a natural part of daily life.Results: Encouraging results were observed among the 20 children. Two children, aged around 12, demonstrated awareness of healthy habits. Excluding these two, others showed positive changes in behaviour towards sweets and snacks through activities and counselling.Conclusion: Maintaining a balance between a child’s consumption of sweets and snacks and engaging in diverse activities is crucial for overall development. A combination of nutritious choices and engaging activities guides children toward a path of health and happiness

Trying to understand the causes of climate change can be confusing. On the one hand, methane (CH4) emissions from cattle, and methane emissions from food wastes in landfills, are said to contribute to greenhouse gases (GHGs) that drive climate change.  People are working on feed additives for dairy cows to reduce their methane emissions. But, at the same time, cattle manure and food wastes can be fed into anaerobic digesters to convert these organic wastes to biogas; the resulting “renewable methane” or “renewable natural gas” (RNG), can be used in place of fossil natural gas and avoid extra GHG emissions and stop global warming. Can we have it both ways?  Burning gasoline in our cars and trucks generates carbon dioxide (CO2), which is said to contribute to climate change. But more than 8 billion people on planet Earth, breathe in oxygen and exhale carbon dioxide every minute of the day. And so do all the other animals who live on this planet, breathe in oxygen and exhale carbon dioxide. Is our breathing also contributing to climate change, just as the emissions from our automobile tailpipes?It is time to step back from all the hype, evaluate the various sources of CO2 and CH4 being generated and review the “mass balance” of these gases in our atmosphere. Some of these are part of the natural biogenic carbon cycle and some are simply adding to the overall mass balance. What is driving climate change - excess GHGs from the biogenic carbon cycle, excess emissions from other sources, or both? Let’s take a fresh look at the available data.  (Of course, water vapor also plays a part in the climate change story, as a “positive feedback” effect. As non-condensable GHGs rise in concentration and slightly warm the planet, slightly warming oceans add a bit more water vapor to the story and push the warming up a bit more).  During the past few decades, a great deal of pertinent data has been carefully observed and recorded, by world-class scientists and engineers. This data is available in the public domain and is now easily available on the internet. These data sources come from reputable organizations, such as NASA (National Atmospheric and Space Administration), NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration), USGS (United States Geological Survey) and international organizations such as the “Global Carbon Project” and “Our-World-in-Data”.  How much of the growing concentration of CO2 (and CH4) in our atmosphere can be attributed to out-of-control emissions of biogenic carbon? How much of the CO2 rise can be attributed to fossil fuel emissions: 10%, 50%, 90%, or more?  The available data appear to show that the emissions from burning fossil fuels, more than account for all of the rise of carbon dioxide in our atmosphere during the past 60 years, or longer.  In comparison, the biogenic carbon cycle data seem to be very consistent, year after year, decade after decade and have little or no impact on climate change. But, let’s have a closer look at the available data, and let the data speak for itself.

Natural products are becoming increasingly important as an unlimited source for obtaining chemical substances with possible pharmacological potential. Current existing drugs for the treatment of cutaneous leishmaniosis produce major side effects; therefore the search for new drugs is justified. The stem bark of Zanthoxylum chiloperone var. Angustifolium Engl. (Rutaceae) is traditionally used in Paraguay for its antiparasitic properties. The leaf extract was evaluated for the first time to determine its leishmanicidal activity in BALB/c mice infected with amastigote forms of Leishmania amazonensis (PH8). The mice were treated orally with the extract at three concentrations (100, 50 and 10 mg/mL), intralesional (50 mg/mL), and subcutaneously using glucantime as a control (100 mg/mL). The percentage of decrease in parasite load was measured and with intralesional 50 mg/kg a reduction of 72% occurred, with the reference drug (Glucantime) a reduction of 62% was obtained with the same oral dose a reduction of 50%, while with an oral dose of 10 mg/mL the percentage of reduction was 55%. When the oral dose was increased to 100 mg/mL, the reduction percentage of the parasitic load was only 16%. These results indicated that the leaf extract of Z. chiloperone var. angustifolium Engl. at low oral concentrations (50 and 10 mg/mL) had very good activity against L. amazonensis, and it was even more efficacious intralesionally at 50 mg/mL but at the oral dose of 100 mg/kg has very reduced antiparasitic activity. This study showed the efficacy of the extract leaves of Z. chiloperone in reducing the parasite load in an in vivo test, so its use as a potential leishmanicidal could be suggested to develop and evaluate new drugs for the oral treatment of leishmaniosis disease with fewer side effects and lower cost.

Background: Leiomyoma itself is not a rare disease, but it is rarely found intravascularly. Case presentation: A 54-year old female sought medical help after noticing her leg being swelling. A diagnosis of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) was made and antithrombotic treatment was given after her initial imaging exam. Several days later, a contrast CT and sequential pathology revealed the real diagnosis was intravascular leiomyoma. The patient was discharged after a successful surgery. Conclusion: Intravascular leiomyoma should not be confused with DVT.

We investigated the associations between circulatory dynamics and Body Composition (BC) of the peripheral lower limbs with Exercise Habits (EHs). We surveyed the EHs of 34 healthy older adults (6 men, 28 women) and measured their BC and skin perfusion (SP). SP did not correlate significantly with any other variable. Participants with established EHs had a lower body weight and Fat Tissue thickness (Fat-T) than those without. Multiple logistic regressions with the presence or absence of an EH as the dependent variable and BC values as the independent variables established Fat-T as a significant variable. Sex was independently associated with soleus muscle thickness, Fat-T, Bone Density (BD), and leg segmental water. Age was independently associated with Fat-T and BD, and body mass index was associated with Fat-T. EHs were not independently associated with any of the BC measurements. Physical characteristics and EHs have minimal influence on peripheral circulatory dynamics.

Over the past many decades, scientific research and practical efforts in the field of acute nonspecific inflammation of the lung tissue have been aimed at early detection of the pathogen and its suppression.

The outbreak of new coronavirus acute respiratory disease (SARS-CoV-2) has been a major global challenge for the scientific community to save humanity. While, the unviability of the vaccine keeps most classes of society, especially African countries, suffer from the healthcare problem. Conventional medicine plants become the alternative method for the therapeutic because it contains valuable bioactive compounds. This brief review devoted the importance of medicinal plants such as Citrus, olive, garlic, ginger, green tea, woad, broad-leaf privet, Japanese torreya, and saffron crocus, by their antiviral effects (anti-SARS coronavirus, anti-HSV, and anti-HIV diseases) and their promising uses as probable boosters of the immune and anti-inflammatory response from SARS-CoV-2 infection. Based on scientific reports, bioactive compounds could inhibit 3-chymotrypsin-like cysteine protease and human protein ACE2, where these facts can be attractive to develop effective drugs. 

Helminthiasis is also known as worm infection, is any macroparastic disease of humans and other animals in which a part of the body is infected with parasitic worms known as helminths. Anthelmintic agents are medicines that used for treatment and inhibition of parasitic infections caused by helminths; which involve both flat worms, such as, flukes and tapeworms and round worms, such as, nematodes. Anthelmintics are categorized into groups depending on the basis of their identical chemical structure and mode of action. Thiabendazole, mebendazole, and albendazole belong to benzimidazoles group of antihelmenthic medicines. From benzimidazoles group of antihelmenthic, thiabendazole was first discovered in 1961 and already a mentioned number of more benzamidazoles were interpolated as wide spectrum anthelmintics. Praziquantel has a particular effect on the enveloping layer of trematodes and increases permeability of calcium ion influx leading to uncontrolled muscle contraction and paralysis. Praziquantel has a particular toxic effect on schistosome parasites, where its mode of action has been resulted more extensively than in cestodes. Coadministration of mebendazole with CYP450 inhibitors medications such as cimetidine, ketoconazole and etc may be increases plasma levels of mebendazole, by extending the half-life and decreasing plasma clearance.