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Ciuca IM, Dediu M, Pop LL. Pediatric pneumonia (PedPne) lung ultrasound score and inflammatory markers: A pilot study. Pediatr Pulmonol 2022; 57:576-582. [PMID: 34786878 DOI: 10.1002/ppul.25760] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2021] [Revised: 10/17/2021] [Accepted: 11/09/2021] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Pneumonia is the principal cause of death among children worldwide. Lung ultrasound (LUS) is a reliable tool for the diagnosis and assessment of community-acquired pneumonia in children. Furthermore, objective parameters, including the pneumonia LUS score, might be useful for pneumonia monitoring. Thus, our aim was to present a newly developed LUS score for pediatric pneumonia (PedPne) and evaluate its relationship with commonly assessed inflammatory markers. METHODS Children referred to the Pediatric Pneumology Clinic between September 2017 and February 2018 with suspected pneumonia were screened for eligibility for inclusion in the study and informed consent was obtained. In addition to clinical assessment, LUS was performed during consultation, and inflammatory biomarkers, including C-reactive protein level, erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), and leukocyte count, were measured in all inpatients. An LUS score for pneumonia and pleurisy in children (pediatric pneumonia lung ultrasound score [PedPne LUS]) was subsequently developed. Chest radiography (CXR) was also performed according to local guidelines for pneumonia diagnosis. Spearman's correlation test was used to evaluate the correlation between the PedPne score and inflammatory markers. RESULTS A total of 217 patients were screened, of which 64 patients diagnosed with consolidated pneumonia were included in this study. The median PedPne LUS score of the included patients was 8.02, which was consistent with the consolidations detected on LUS and confirmed by CXR. A very strong positive correlation was found between the LUS PedPne score and C-reactive protein and ESR, and a good correlation was found with the leukocyte count. CONCLUSION The LUS pneumonia score is a reliable parameter for the evaluation of pneumonia, and shows a strong correlation with inflammatory biomarkers. The PedPne LUS score is a potential noninvasive surrogate parameter of inflammation in pediatric pneumonia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ioana M Ciuca
- Department of Pediatric, University of Medicine and Pharmacy "Victor Babes" Timisoara, Timișoara, Romania
| | - Mihaela Dediu
- Department of Pediatric, University of Medicine and Pharmacy "Victor Babes" Timisoara, Timișoara, Romania
| | - Liviu L Pop
- Department of Pediatric, University of Medicine and Pharmacy "Victor Babes" Timisoara, Timișoara, Romania
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Li DK, Khan MR, Wang Z, Chongsrisawat V, Swangsak P, Teufel-Schäfer U, Engelmann G, Goldschmidt I, Baumann U, Tokuhara D, Cho Y, Rowland M, Mjelle AB, Ramm GA, Lewindon PJ, Witters P, Cassiman D, Ciuca IM, Prokop LD, Haffar S, Corey KE, Murad MH, Furuya KN, Bazerbachi F. Normal liver stiffness and influencing factors in healthy children: An individual participant data meta-analysis. Liver Int 2020; 40:2602-2611. [PMID: 32901449 DOI: 10.1111/liv.14658] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2020] [Revised: 08/20/2020] [Accepted: 08/22/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND & AIMS Although transient elastography (TE) is used to determine liver stiffness as a surrogate to hepatic fibrosis, the normal range in children is not well defined. We performed a systematic review and individual participant data (IPD) meta-analysis to determine the range of liver stiffness in healthy children and evaluate the influence of important biological parameters. METHODS We pooled data from 10 studies that examined healthy children using TE. We divided 1702 children into two groups: ≥3 years (older group) and < 3 years of age (younger group). Univariate and multivariate linear regression models predicting liver stiffness were conducted. RESULTS After excluding children with obesity, diabetes, or abnormal liver tests, 652 children were analysed. Among older children, mean liver stiffness was 4.45 kPa (95% confidence interval 4.34-4.56), and increased liver stiffness was associated with age, sedation status, and S probe use. In the younger group, the mean liver stiffness was 4.79 kPa (95% confidence interval 4.46-5.12), and increased liver stiffness was associated with sedation status and Caucasian race. In a subgroup analysis, hepatic steatosis on ultrasound was significantly associated with increased liver stiffness. We define a reference range for normal liver stiffness in healthy children as 2.45-5.56 kPa. CONCLUSIONS We have established TE-derived liver stiffness ranges for healthy children and propose an upper limit of liver stiffness in healthy children to be 5.56 kPa. We have identified increasing age, use of sedation, probe size, and presence of steatosis on ultrasound as factors that can significantly increase liver stiffness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Darrick K Li
- Division of Gastroenterology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Muhammad Rehan Khan
- Division of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition, University of Illinois College of Medicine at Peoria, Children's Hospital of Illinois, Peoria, IL, USA
| | - Zhen Wang
- Evidence-Based Practice Center, Robert D. and Patricia E. Kern Center for the Science of Health Care Delivery, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA
| | - Voranush Chongsrisawat
- Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University and King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Panida Swangsak
- Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University and King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Ulrike Teufel-Schäfer
- Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Medical Center University of Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | | | - Imeke Goldschmidt
- Division of Paediatric Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
| | - Ulrich Baumann
- Division of Paediatric Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany.,Institute of Immunology and Immunotherapy, University of Birmingham, United Kingdom
| | - Daisuke Tokuhara
- Department of Pediatrics, Osaka City University Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka, Japan
| | - Yuki Cho
- Department of Pediatrics, Osaka City University Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka, Japan
| | - Marion Rowland
- School of Medicine and Medical Science, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Anders B Mjelle
- Department of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway.,Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway.,National Centre for Ultrasound in Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway
| | - Grant A Ramm
- Hepatic Fibrosis Group, QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Herston, QLD, Australia
| | - Peter J Lewindon
- Department of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Liver Transplant, Queensland Children's Hospital, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Peter Witters
- Department of Paediatrics, University Hospitals Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - David Cassiman
- Department of Gastroenterology-Hepatology and Metabolic Center, University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Ioana M Ciuca
- Pediatrics Department, University of Medicine and Pharmacy "Victor Babes", Timisoara, Romania
| | - Larry D Prokop
- Evidence-Based Practice Center, Robert D. and Patricia E. Kern Center for the Science of Health Care Delivery, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA
| | - Samir Haffar
- Digestive Center for Diagnosis and Treatment, Damascus, Syrian Arab Republic
| | - Kathleen E Corey
- Division of Gastroenterology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - M H Murad
- Evidence-Based Practice Center, Robert D. and Patricia E. Kern Center for the Science of Health Care Delivery, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA
| | - Katryn N Furuya
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Wisconsin - Madison School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, WI, USA
| | - Fateh Bazerbachi
- Division of Gastroenterology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
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Abstract
The aim of this review was to describe the current knowledge about coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19, which is caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 [SARS-CoV-2]) in children, from epidemiological, clinical, and laboratory perspectives, including knowledge on the disease course, treatment, and prognosis. An extensive literature search was performed to identify papers on COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2 infection) in children, published between January 1, 2020 and April 1, 2020. There were 44 relevant papers on COVID-19 in children. The results showed that COVID-19 occurs in 0.39-12.3% of children. Clinical signs and symptoms are comparable to those in adults, but milder forms and a large percentage of asymptomatic carriers are found among children. Elevated inflammatory markers are associated with complications and linked to various co-infections. Chest computed tomography (CT) scans in children revealed structural changes similar to those found in adults, with consolidations surrounded by halos being somewhat specific for children with COVID-19. The recommended treatment includes providing symptomatic therapy, with no specific drug recommendations for children. The prognosis is much better for children compared to adults. This review highlights that COVID-19 in children is similar to the disease in the adult population, but with particularities regarding clinical manifestations, laboratory test results, chest imaging, and treatment. The prognosis is much better for children compared to adults, but with the progression of the pandemic; the cases in children might change in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ioana M Ciuca
- Pediatric Department, University of Medicine and Pharmacy “Victor Babes”, Pediatric Pulmonology Unit, Clinical County Hospital, Timisoara, Romania
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Ciuca IM, Pop LL, Rogobete AF, Onet DI, Guta-Almajan B, Popa Z, Horhat FG. Genetic Expression in Cystic Fibrosis Related Bone Disease. An Observational, Transversal, Cross-Sectional Study. Clin Lab 2016; 62:1725-1730. [PMID: 28164596 DOI: 10.7754/clin.lab.2016.160141] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Cystic fibrosis (CF) is the most frequent monogenic genetic disease with autosomal recessive transmission and characterized by important clinical polymorphism and significant lethal prospective. CF related bone disease occurs frequently in adults with CF. Childhood is the period of bone formation, and therefore, children are more susceptible to low bone density. Several factors like pancreatic insufficiency, hormone imbalance, and physical inactivity contribute to CF bone disease development. Revealing this would be important for prophylactic treatment against bone disease occurrence. The study was observational, transversal, with a cross-sectional design. METHODS The study included 68 children with cystic fibrosis, genotyped and monitored in the National CF Centre. At the annual assessment, besides clinical examination, biochemical evaluation for pancreatic insufficiency, and diabetes, they were evaluated for bone mineral density using dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA). RESULTS Twenty-six patients, aged over 10 years were diagnosed with CF bone disease, without significant gender gap. Bone disease was frequent in patients aged over 10 years with exocrine pancreatic insufficiency, carriers of severe mutations, and CF liver disease. CONCLUSIONS CF carriers of a severe genotype which associates pancreatic insufficiency and CF liver disease, are more likely predisposed to low bone mineral density. Further studies should discover other significant influences in order to prevent the development of CF bone disease and an improved quality of life in cystic fibrosis children.
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