OBJECTIVES: To conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis that defines the worldwide incidence of celiac disease (CD) and examines temporal trends. METHODS: MEDLINE and EMBASE were searched for population-based studies reporting the incidence of CD in the overall population, children, or adults. No limits were placed on year or language of publication. Studies solely examining at-risk populations (e.g., patients with type 1 diabetes) were excluded. Random-effects models were performed to meta-analyze sex- and age-specific incidence in the 21st century. Temporal trend analyses assessed the average annual percent change in CD incidence over time. RESULTS: Of 11,189 citations, 86 eligible studies were identified for inclusion, of which 50 were deemed suitable for analyses. In the 21st century, the pooled female incidence of CD was 17.4 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 13.7, 21.1) (I2 = 99.5%) per 100,000 person-years, compared with 7.8 (95% CI: 6.3, 9.2) (I2 = 98.6%) in males. Child-specific incidence was 21.3 per 100,000 person-years (95% CI: 15.9, 26.7) (I2 = 99.7%) compared with 12.9 (95% CI: 7.6, 18.2) (I2 = 99.9%) in adults. Pooling average annual percent changes showed the incidence of CD to be increasing by 7.5% (95% CI: 5.8, 9.3) (I2 = 79.6%) per year over the past several decades. DISCUSSION: Incidence of CD is highest in females and children. Overall, the incidence has been significantly rising in the latter half of the 20th century and into the 21st century throughout the Western world. Population-based studies in Africa, Asia, and Latin America are needed to provide a comprehensive picture of the global incidence of CD.

The global incidence of acute pancreatitis is increasing over time:A systematic review and meta-analysis• 34 studies in adults reported temporal incidence of acute pancreatitis in over time. • Incidence of acute pancreatitis has increased over time with an average annual percent change (AAPC) of 3.07%.No difference in incidence rates between women and men.AAPC of biliary and alcohol induced pancreatitis have increased but without significant differences in rate of increase. = BACKGROUND& AIMS: Acute pancreatitis is a common disease with significant associated morbidity and mortality. We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of population-based studies to explore the changing temporal trends of acute pancreatitis incidence globally. METHODS: We performed a systematic literature search to identify populationbased studies reporting the annual incidence of acute pancreatitis. Abstracts were assessed independently to identify applicable articles for full-text review and data extraction. Joinpoint temporal trend analyses were performed to calculate the average annual percent change (AAPC) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). The AAPCs were pooled in a metaanalysis to capture the overall and regional trends in acute pancreatitis incidence over time. Temporal data were summarized in a static map and an interactive, web-based map. RESULTS: Forty-four studies reported the temporal incidence of acute pancreatitis (online interactive map: https://kaplanacute-pancreatitis-ucalgary.hub.arcgis.com/). The incidence of acute pancreatitis has increased from 1961 to 2016 (AAPC, 3.07%; 95% CI, Q3 2.30% to 3.84%; n ¼ Q4 34). Increasing incidence was observed in North America (AAPC, 3.67%; 95% CI, 2.76% to 4.57%; n ¼ 4) and Europe (AAPC, 2.77%; 95% CI, 1.91% to 3.63%; n ¼ 23). The incidence of acute pancreatitis was stable in Asia (AAPC, -0.28%; 95% CI, -5.03% to 4.47%; n ¼ 4). CONCLUSIONS: This meta-analysis provides a comprehensive overview of the global incidence of acute pancreatitis over the last 56 years and demonstrates a steadily rising incidence over time in most countries of the Western world. More studies are needed to better define the changing incidence of acute pancreatitis in Asia, Africa, and Latin America.

he refrain that "children are not small adults" certainly seems to apply in the context of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Children are less likely to become infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) than adults and seem to experience less severe symptoms and have better prognoses. 1-4 However, some studies have suggested that reduced disease severity in children leads to them being less likely to undergo testing. 5 Three 2020 studies highlighted that COVID-19 symptoms in children are similar to those of other acute respiratory illnesses, with fever, cough, nasal congestion, fatigue and runny nose predominating. 6-8 On Sept. 15, 2020, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported death to be an uncommon outcome in people younger than 21 years of age (0.08% of all deaths). 9 Beyond an understanding of what symptoms most commonly present in children, health care professionals and public health policy-makers could benefit from knowing which presenting symptoms are most likely to be associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection. Many jurisdictions have implemented screening questionnaires for pediatric-dominated settings such as schools. We hypothesized that some symptoms in children are more likely than others to be associated with a positive result for a test for SARS-CoV-2. We therefore assessed symptom patterns among children in Alberta who were followed by Alberta Public Health and who had swabs taken for possible SARS-CoV-2 infection,

Object Achondroplasia is the most common form of human short-limbed dwarfism. The pediatric neurosurgeon is frequently required to treat children with achondroplasia who have hydrocephalus, cervicomedullary compression (CMD), and spinal canal stenosis. Accordingly, the authors have reviewed the experience of neurosurgery in children with achondroplasia at The Hospital for Sick Children. Methods The medical records and neurosurgery database at The Hospital for Sick Children were searched to identify all children with achondroplasia who underwent at least 1 neurosurgical procedure between 1956 and the present. Results Twenty-nine children with achondroplasia underwent 85 surgical procedures: 52 for CSF diversion in 12 patients, 20 for CMD in 18 patients, 8 for spinal disorders in 4 patients, and 5 for miscellaneous purposes in 4 patients. The CSF shunts were placed almost exclusively before 1990 and were associated with a significant number of complications. Patients undergoing CMD did very well, with only 1 patient failing to improve clinically. Conclusions This review provides a historical perspective on the evolution of treatment of pediatric patients with achondroplasia. The use of CSF diversion procedures, formerly fraught with complications, is now rare following the realization of the natural history of CSF space enlargement in these patients. Cervicomedullary compression is more commonly recognized due to better imaging. Central apnea is now better detected by routine sleep studies. Spine surgery, although rare, requires evaluation of both spinal stenosis and instability. These patients are best evaluated by a multidisciplinary team.

Sprouty and Spred {Sprouty-related EVH1 [Ena/VASP (vasodilator-stimulated phosphoprotein) homology 1] domain} proteins have been identified as antagonists of growth factor signalling pathways. We show here that Spred-1 and Spred-2 appear to have distinct mechanisms whereby they induce their effects, as the Sprouty domain of Spred-1 is not required to block MAPK (mitogen-activated protein kinase) activation, while that of Spred-2 is required. Similarly, deletion of the C-terminal Sprouty domain of Spred-1 does not affect cell-cycle progression of G(0)-synchronized cells through to S-phase following growth factor stimulation, while the Sprouty domain is required for Spred-2 function. We also demonstrate that the inhibitory function of Spred proteins is restricted to the Ras/MAPK pathway, that tyrosine phosphorylation is not required for this function, and that the Sprouty domain mediates heterodimer formation of Spred proteins. Growth-factor-mediated activation of the small GTPases, Ras and Rap1, was able to be regulated by Spred-1 and Spred-2, without affecting receptor activation. Taken together, these results highlight the potential for different functional roles of the Sprouty domain within the Spred family of proteins, suggesting that Spred proteins may use different mechanisms to induce inhibition of the MAPK pathway.

BackgroundThe impact of elective induction of labour at term on the increasing caesarean section (CS) rate is unclear. A Cochrane Systematic Review that concluded that elective induction was associated with a reduction in CS was based on trials that mostly reflect outdated obstetric care, or were flawed.The findings of other studies vary widely in the magnitude and direction of the relationship between elective induction and CS. This inconsistency may be due to the heterogeneity in the methods used to induce or augment labour, such that the relationship with CS is not constant across methods.MethodsUsing validated, routinely-collected data on all births in Victoria in 2000–2005, all singleton, cephalic, first births following uncomplicated pregnancies at 37–40 completed weeks’ gestation (‘standard primiparae’) were identified (n = 42,950). As well as comparing induced with non-induced labour, method of birth was compared between those women experiencing spontaneous labour without augmentation, and women undergoing each method of augmentation or induction using adjusted multinomial logistic regression. Proportions, chi-square tests, adjusted Relative Risk Ratios (aRRR) and 95 % confidence intervals are presented.ResultsTen percent of “standard primiparae” had labour induced for no apparent medical indication. Women whose labour was induced were significantly more likely than those who laboured spontaneously to have a CS (26.5 and 12.5 % respectively (OR 2.54, 95 % CI 2.4, 2.7, p < 0.001). After adjustment for maternal age, epidural analgesia, birthweight, gestation, and public/private admission status, each method of induction or augmentation remained associated with a significant increase in the risk of CS (adjusted ORs range 1.48 to 4.13, p-values all <0.0001). Perinatal death did not differ by onset of labour.ConclusionInduction of labour in medically uncomplicated nulliparous women at term carries a more than doubling of risk of emergency CS, compared with spontaneous labour, with no impact on perinatal mortality. All methods of induction and augmentation of labour were associated with an increase in the rate of CS. Women included in this study had no apparent medical indication for induction of labour or any complication of pregnancy, so the increase in CS was not due to identifiable underlying risk factors. These results suggest that, in the absence of direction from well-designed, contemporary RCTs, minimising unindicated inductions before 41 weeks’ gestation has the potential to reduce the rate of CS.

The pituitary should not be overlooked as a site of metastasis and sellar symptoms may be the first presentation of neoplastic disease. Any biochemical or clinical sign of pituitary pathology in a patient with known cancer should raise suspicion for sellar metastasis. Moreover, the development of DI or ophthalmoplegia from any pituitary lesion is suggestive of metastatic disease even in patients with no known primary.

The data suggest that an increased synthesis of hyaluronan by astrocytoma cells is only promoting tumor cell growth in vivo if the cells express hyaluronidases as well.