Bert Aertgeerts

Ernstige infecties bij kinderen op een spoedgevallendienst in Vlaanderen: de invloed van klinische tekenen

Readily available demographic or clinical variables could be helpful in identifying children at higher risk of suffering a serious infection. We analysed for the first time in Flanders (Belgium) the data of 384 children at an emergency ward. Serious infections were defined as sepsis, pneumonia, meningitis, urinary tract infection, bacterial gastroenteritis, bronchiolitis and cellulitis. The clinical and demographic variables were registered prospectively. A multivariate analysis was performed using logistic regression analysis. The prevalence of a serious infection was 25%. The probability of a serious infection was highest for children under the age of one. The odds ratio for children 1-3 years was 0.34 (95% CI: 0.17-0.71), for 4-6 years 0.18 (95% CI: 0.07-0.45) and for 7-16 years 0.36 (0.15-0.87). Children referred to the emergency ward by another doctor had an odds ratio of 2.2 (95% CI: 1.1-4.1) for having a serious infection, compared to self-referred children. When the attending ward physician judged the child to be fairly or seriously ill at first impression, the odds ratio for a serious infection amounted to 3.8 (95% CI: 2.0-7.4) and to 11.7 (95% CI: 4.1-33.1) respectively. Age, referral and first impression of the attending ward physician are important criteria for identifying children at higher risk of having a serious infection in the emergency ward.

18 – What is the Impact of Alcohol on Learning in University Students?

This chapter describes 12 studies, which examined the impact of alcohol on the process of learning in the university students. All studies describe a negative relation between alcohol and academic performance. Some studies describe a nationwide student population, others an institutional student population. Most of the studies rely on self- reported data concerning academic performance, only a few linked the data of study results with the questionnaires of students. The operationalization of academic failure employed measures indicating rather severe academic difficulties. It could be that problematic alcohol use affects student learning/performance, but in a less drastic fashion. The conclusion is that academic performance is influenced by a large number of factors: (1) grades in college, (2) the students major field of study, (3) instructor rank, and (4) institutional differences in type or racial composition. Other characteristics could have a stronger influence on the academic performance in students, than alcohol problems. Other potential variables include a variety of important individual differences like: academic ability, previous academic achievement, participation in deviant behaviors, and other background variables—such as parental education and psychopathology.