Background Intervention studies suggest an influence of breakfast dietary glycemic index (GI) on children’s cognition. The Cognition Intervention Study Dortmund-GI-I study examined whether lunch dietary GI might have short-term effects on selected cognitive parameters. Methods A randomized crossover study was performed at a comprehensive school on 2 test days. One hundred and eighty-nine participants (5th and 6th grade) were randomly assigned to one of the two sequences, medium-high GI (m-hGI) or high-medium GI (h-mGI), following block randomization. In the first period, one group received a dish containing hGI rice (GI: 86) ad libitum, the other mGI rice (GI: 62)—1 week later, in the second period, vice versa. Tonic alertness, task switching, and working memory updating were tested with a computerized test battery 45 min after beginning of lunch break. Treatment effects were estimated using the t test for normally distributed data or the Wilcoxon rank-sum test for non-normally distributed data. Results The crossover approach revealed no effects of lunch dietary GI on the tested cognitive parameters in the early afternoon. However, we determined carryover effects for two parameters, and therefore analyzed only data of the first period. The reaction time of the two-back task (working memory updating) was faster (p = 0.001) and the count of commission errors in the alertness task was lower (p = 0.04) in the hGI group. Conclusion No evidence of short-term effects of lunch dietary GI on cognition of schoolchildren was found. Potential positive effects on single parameters of working memory updating and tonic alertness favoring hGI rice need to be verified.

Background Distal forearm fractures are the most common fractures in childhood and can be diagnosed with ultrasound. The aim of this study was to demonstrate the eligibility of Wrist SAFE for clinical use and the avoidance of X-ray application in children. Methods We enrolled patients from 0 – 12 years with suspected distal forearm fractures. They were treated according to the Wrist SAFE algorithm, a detailed pathway for ultrasound fracture diagnosis, treatment decisions and control options. Additionally, 9 clinical predictors were tested. Depending on sonographic and clinical findings, patients were treated with functional movement, immobilization or surgery. Follow-up was conducted after 5 days and 3 months. Results 16 physicians (6 specialists, 10 assistants) at 5 study sites examined 498 (234 boys, 251 girls, 13 not specified) patients with ultrasound, age 8.4 (0 – 12) years. 321 (64 %) patients were diagnosed with a fracture, 5 (0.8 %) with suspected fracture; X-rays were conducted in 58 cases (12 %), 9 (1.8 %) of them on day 1 and 49 (9.8 %) on day 5; sonographic diagnosis was confirmed in 57 of 58 (98 %) cases; in one case, the sonographic diagnosis of “contusion” was revised to “radius fracture”. 381 patients (77 %) underwent final follow-up after an average of 96 (62 – 180) days. All patients were symptom-free at that time. Palpatory bone pain over the radius/ulna and swelling were identified as clinical predictors. 81 % of X-rays were avoided. Conclusion Wrist SAFE enables the safe diagnosis and therapy of distal forearm fractures in children. Findings can be reviewed safely, also enabling physicians in training to use the method. 81 % of X-rays can be avoided, a figure that corresponds to 2.8 million X-rays in the G10 member states. After performing 100 examinations, physician have acquired the necessary sonography skills.

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The German epidemiological study on ankle brachial index (getABI) is a prospective cohort study set up in October 2001. Thirty-four vascular specialists in Germany chose about ten general practitioners (GPs) in their vicinity; these 344 GPs and their staff were trained in clinical assessments and the measurement of the ankle brachial index (ABI) under standardized conditions. Unselected primary care attendees were assessed for enrollment within three pre-specifi ed weeks in October 2001 [7]. In total, the GPs enrolled 6880 participants and followed them up over seven years. Original communicationThe risk of peripheral artery disease in older adults -seven-year results of the getABI study Dietmar Krause, Ina Burghaus, Ulrich Thiem, Ulrike S. Trampisch, Matthias Trampisch, Renate Klaassen-Mielke, Hans-Joachim Trampisch, Curt Diehm, and Henrik Rudolf Department of Medical Informatics, Biometry and Epidemiology, Ruhr-University Bochum Summary: Background: To assess the risk of peripheral artery disease (PAD) in older adults and the contribution of traditional and novel risk factors to the incidence of PAD. Patients and methods: 344 general practitioners (GPs), trained by vascular specialists all over Germany, enrolled 6,880 unselected participants aged 65 years or older (getABI study). The onset of PAD was determined by a regression method in the course of repeated measurements of the ankle brachial index (ABI) over seven years. PAD onset was defi ned by the declining linear regression ABI line reaching 0.9 or by PAD symptoms. Results: The cumulative PAD incidence over seven years was 12.9%, corresponding to an incidence rate of 20.3 per 1000 person years (95% confi dence interval [95%CI] 18.8 to 21.7). Logistic regression analysis showed that traditional risk factors contributed signifi cantly to the risk of PAD: current smoker status (odds ratio 2.65, 95%CI 2.08 to 3.37), diabetes (1.35, 95%CI 1.13 to 1.62), and low-density lipoprotein >130 mg/dl (1.26, 95%CI 1.07 to 1.48). Three novel risk factor candidates showed signifi cant impact on PAD incidence: elevated sensitive C-reactive protein level (1.23, 95%CI 1.05 to 1.45), impaired estimated glomerular fi ltration rate (1.27, 95%CI 1.03 to 1.56), and elevated homocysteine level (1.19, 95%CI 1.01 to 1.41). Conclusions: Older adults in Germany have a PAD risk of 12.9% per seven years. Potentially modifi able traditional PAD risk factors yield high impact on PAD incidence. Novel risk factor candidates may contribute to the risk of PAD