Paediatric Respiratory Reviews RSS feed: Articles in Press. Submit your article online to Paediatric Respiratory Reviews http://ees.elsevier.com/yprrv Paediatric Respiratory Reviews NEW Free Online CME Program Paediatric Respiratory Reviews offers authors the opportunity to submit their own editorials, educational reviews and short communications on topics relevant to paediatric respiratory medicine. These peer reviewed contributions will complement the commissioned reviews which will continue to form an integral part of the journal. Subjects covered include: • epidemiology • immunology and cell biology • physiology • occupational disorders • the role of allergens and pollutants A particular emphasis is given to the recommendation of "best practice" for primary care physicians and paediatricians. Paediatric Respiratory Reviews is aimed at general paediatricians but it should also be read by specialist paediatric physicians and nurses, respiratory physicians and general practitioners. It is a journal for those who are busy and do not have time to read systematically through literature, but who need to stay up to date in the field of paediatric respiration. Stay up to date and let the journal do the work for you! http://www.prrjournal.com//inpress?rss=yesElsevier Inc.en © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Paediatric Respiratory Reviews1526-05422011-10-12 © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. healthpermissions@elsevier.comhttp://www.prrjournal.com/article/PIIS1526054211000194/abstract?rss=yesSummary: We review the limited available evidence on underlying causes of recurrent pneumonia in children, supplemented by our own clinical experience. Diagnosing recurrent pneumonia in children is difficult. Diagnostic confusion is possible with recurrent upper respiratory tract infections and asthma. In our series of children with recurrent pneumonia, we never identified asthma as an underlying cause. Because the frequency or severity of recurrent pneumonia does not always justify additional invasive investigations, the diagnostic work-up may be incomplete in a number of cases. This may help to explain why an underlying cause for recurrent pneumonia cannot be found in approximately 30% of cases. Finally, the paradigm that recurrent pneumonia in the same lung lobe has a differential diagnosis different from those recurring in multiple lobes was not borne out in our case series. A stepwise and pragmatic approach to evaluating children with recurrent lower respiratory tract infections is recommended.Evaluating the child with recurrent lower respiratory tract infections - Corrected ProofPaul L.P. Brand, M.F. Paulien Hoving, Eric P. de Groot10.1016/j.prrv.2011.02.005Paediatric Respiratory Reviews (2011)2011-10-12Paediatric Respiratory Reviews2011-10-12MINI-SYMPOSIUM: RECURRENT LOWER RESPIRATORY TRACT INFECTIONShttp://www.prrjournal.com/article/PIIS1526054211000443/abstract?rss=yesSummary: Steroid-resistant asthma (SRA) refers to patients with symptoms consistent with asthma who show very poor or no response at all to high doses of inhaled or even of systemic corticosteroids. The current article reviews the SRA related literature focusing on the problems associated with the definition of SRA (especially its association with difficult to control, or severe asthma), its various phenotypes, its molecular basis, and the potential treatment options. The article also discusses the limitations of some of the key criteria used for the determination of SRA and proposes a modified set of criteria that are more applicable to children.STEROID-RESISTANT ASTHMA - Corrected ProofRobert P. Yim, Anastassios C. Koumbourlis10.1016/j.prrv.2011.05.002Paediatric Respiratory Reviews (2011)2011-10-12Paediatric Respiratory Reviews2011-10-12CME REVIEWhttp://www.prrjournal.com/article/PIIS1526054211000704/abstract?rss=yesSummary: Vitamin D deficiency and insufficiency are increasingly being recognized in the general population, and have been largely attributed to lifestyle changes (reduced exposure to sunshine due to working indoors or the use of protective clothing and sunscreen; changes in diet) over the last few decades. The musculoskeletal consequences of severe vitamin D deficiency are well established, however, a number of other disorders have now been linked to vitamin D insufficiency, including asthma.There is growing appreciation of the likely importance of vitamin D as a pleiotrophic mediator that contributes to pulmonary health. Children with asthma appear to be at increased risk of vitamin D insufficiency. Epidemiologic data suggest that low serum vitamin D in children with asthma is associated with more symptoms, exacerbations, reduced lung function, increased medication usage and severe disease. In vitro studies have demonstrated that vitamin D enhances steroid responsiveness in adult asthmatics. Vitamin D may play an important role in pulmonary health by inhibiting inflammation, in part through maintaining regulatory T cells, and direct induction of innate antimicrobial mechanisms.More research is required to fully understand the role of vitamin D in the maintenance of airway homeostasis and address the diagnostic and therapeutic implications vitamin D may have in the future of asthma management. This review summarises the current understanding and uncertainties regarding the effect of vitamin D deficiency and insufficiency in children with asthma.Vitamin D and Asthma in Children - Corrected ProofAtul Gupta, Andrew Bush, Catherine Hawrylowicz, Sejal Saglani10.1016/j.prrv.2011.07.003Paediatric Respiratory Reviews (2011)2011-10-12Paediatric Respiratory Reviews2011-10-12CME REVIEW