The socioeconomic impact of the COVID-19 lockdown on families affected by childhood respiratory illnesses in Cape Town, South Africa.

The COVID-19 pandemic impacted families globally, directly and indirectly. Children presenting with respiratory illnesses are affected by emerging health systems and socioeconomic changes in the COVID-19 era. We explored the socioeconomic impacts of the COVID-19 lockdown on families with a respiratory illness diagnosed in their child in Cape Town, South Africa.

How does post COVID differ from other post-viral conditions in childhood and adolescence (0-20 years old)? A systematic review.

Background: Post Coronavirus disease (COVID) and other post-viral infection syndromes present an overlap of pathogenesis, onset, progression, and symptom profile. We aimed to systematically describe studies on post-viral conditions and determine the entity of post COVID compared to other post-viral conditions in children.

Methods: We conducted a systematic search of the Embase, MEDLINE, Cochrane Library, and GoogleScholar databases (January 1946-3 November 2023), according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines.

UMOYA: a prospective longitudinal cohort study to evaluate novel diagnostic tools and to assess long-term impact on lung health in South African children with presumptive pulmonary TB-a study protocol.

Background: Despite a high paediatric tuberculosis (TB) burden globally, sensitive and specific diagnostic tools are lacking. In addition, no data exist on the impact of pulmonary TB on long-term child lung health in low- and middle-income countries. The prospective observational UMOYA study aims (1) to build a state-of-the-art clinical, radiological, and biological repository of well-characterised children with presumptive pulmonary TB as a platform for future studies to explore new emerging diagnostic tools and biomarkers for early diagnosis and treatment response; and (2) to investigate the short and long-term impact of pulmonary TB on lung health and quality of life in children.

Covariates of amikacin disposition in a large pediatric oncology cohort.

Objective: Amikacin pharmacokinetics (PK) in children display large variability due to maturational and disease-related covariates. The objective was to explore amikacin PK in a large pediatric oncology cohort, taking into account within-patient changes.

Materials And Methods: Clinical data and amikacin therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) observations were collected retrospectively from children with an oncology diagnosis receiving amikacin during febrile neutropenia.