Using a GP database the levels of prescribing of inhaled or oral corticosteroids in children have varied markedly over a 12 year period to 2004.  Here.

Use of a prescribing aid improved accuracy of prescription of gentamicin. Here.

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Perspective:  Choonara looks at the recent moves by the World Health Organisation to improve safety in children’s medicines.  Here.

In a case notes review of 121 patients receiving pizotifen, children had a greater weight gain than would be expected but this could not be correlated with the specific dose given, or with the response of the patient to therapy.  Here.

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A telephone survey of 17 hospitals revealed some potentially alarming use of fluids which might lead to electrolyte disturbances, mostly hyponatraemia and hypokalaemia. Here.

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In this systematic review of interventions to reduce accidental poisoning, it emerges that safety increases with intervention, but there is little evidence to show any actual reduction in rates of poisoning.  Here.

In 102 patients with heart failure, use of a diuretic called torasemide was effective and had little or no effect on plasma electrolytes.  Here.

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Perspective: Hawcutt and Smyth look at the implications for children and medicines from the fact that doses cannot be scaled, and that separate trials need to be carried out in children to determine doses, efficacy, etc. Here.

None of three methods of scaling doses, based on dose per body surface area, body weight, and body weight to the power 0.75, were accurate in predicting the suggested dose from a formulary. Here.

In a case series of 5 children receiving voriconazole, highly variable plasma levels were observed with recommended dosing regimes, implying that plasma monitoring may be necessary in children.  Here.