Serum calcium normal range in 1000 term newborns.

INTRODUCTION: Serum calcium rapidly declines at birth because of the sudden interruption of the maternal-fetal calcium influx. Several factors are known to influence serum calcium in the first days of life, including circulating concentrations of maternal vitamin D. Objective was to establish the normal range variations of neonatal serum calcium according to the French current vitamin D supplementation during pregnancy, i.e. 100,000 IU of cholecalciferol during the third trimester. METHODS: We included in our prospective cohort study 1002 mother-newborn dyads from, with recruitments from April 2012 to July 2014 in France, in two recruiting centers located in Paris neighborhoods. RESULTS: Total serum calcium at 3 days of life in neonates varied from 2.06 to 2.73 mmol/L [2.5 and 97.5 percentiles], with a mean of 2.45 mmol/L. Serum calcium was similar between babies born from vitamin D supplemented mothers and those born from the non-supplemented ones. Univariate and multivariable analyses demonstrated the importance of maternal and cord blood 25(OH)D concentrations for newborn serum calcium maintenance. CONCLUSION: We established that the expected serum calcium in neonates ranges between 2.06 and 2.73 mmol/L which is significantly wider than the adult range. This finding should help physicians in the diagnosis of hypo- or hypercalcemia. In addition, our study supports the importance of vitamin D supplementation and 25(OH)D status for neonatal serum calcium maintenance.

Reference values for serum calcium in neonates should be established in a population of vitamin D-replete subjects.

INTRODUCTION: Serum calcium is frequently measured during the neonatal period, and is known to be influenced by the vitamin D status. We hypothesized that the 25OHD concentration may influence the lower limit of the serum calcium normal range in neonates. METHODS: We included in our prospective cohort study 1002 mother-newborn pair recruited from April 2012 to July 2014, in two centers located in the neighborhoods of Paris, France, whose serum calcium was measured at 3 days of life. We established, after exclusion of outliers, a 95% confidence interval (CI) for serum calcium 1) in our whole population of 1002 neonates, 2) in neonates with a cord blood 25OHD concentration ≥ 30 nmol/L, and 3) in those with a 25OHD ≥ 50 nmol/L. RESULTS: The mean serum total calcium was 2.46 ± 0.13 nmol/L [95% CI: 2.19-2.72 mmol/L], 2.47 ± 0.25 mmol/L [95% CI: 2.22-2.72 mmol/L], and 2.50 ± 0.25 mmol/L [95% CI: 2.25-2.75 mmol/L] in the whole group, in the 514 neonates with 25OHD ≥ 30 nmol/L, and in the 202 neonates with 25OHD ≥ 50 nmol/L respectively. The lower limit of the 95% range was significantly higher in neonates with 25 OHD ≥ 30 nmol/L (p<0.05) and ≥ 50 nmol/L (p<0.001) than in the entire cohort. CONCLUSION: We show that the lower limit of the normal serum calcium range is higher in groups with a higher 25OHD than in unselected subjects. We propose that the reference range for serum calcium in neonates is 2.25 to 2.75 mmol/L.

Insufficient Bone Mineralization to Sustain Mechanical Load of Weight in Obese Boys: A Cross-Sectional Study.

CONTEXT: The increase in bone mineral content (BMC) and density (BMD) measured by dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) in obese children may not sustain the mechanical load associated with weight, and the factors influencing bone mineralization are not well known. OBJECTIVE: We described bone mineralization in boys with overweight/obesity and leanness in relation to body composition. METHODS: Cross-sectional study in the Pediatric Endocrinology Unit of Angers University Hospital with 249 overweight/obese boys aged 8-18 who underwent DXA and insulin, testosterone, and IGF-1 measurements. Bone mineralization was compared with data from 301 lean boys of similar age and height from NHANES 2011-2015, using the same DXA model. Path analyses were performed to evaluate factors associated with total body less head (TBLH) BMC. RESULTS: The mean age- and height-adjusted difference in TBLH BMC between obese and lean boys was 241 ± 20 g/cm2. Each 1 kg/m2 increase in BMI was associated with +39 ± 6 g of TBLH BMC in lean subjects vs + 25 ± 3 g in obese subjects (P < .05). Each 1 kg/m2 increase in lean BMI (LBMI) was associated with +78 ± 5 g of TBLH BMC in lean and obese boys, and each 1 kg/m2 increase in fat mass index (FMI) was associated with a decrease of 9 ± 3 g of TBLH BMC. The TBLH BMC was directly positively influenced by LBMI and indirectly and positively influenced by IGF-1, testosterone, and insulin (mediated through height and LBMI). FMI indirectly influenced TBLH BMC, both positively through LBMI and negatively through its negative impact on IGF-1 and testosterone. CONCLUSION: The increase in bone mineralization in obese children does not adapt to the increase in body mass.

Factors Associated With Weight Loss After Laparoscopic Adjustable Gastric Banding in Adolescents With Severe Obesity.

Childhood obesity is associated with many comorbidities. Bariatric surgery is known to be efficient for reducing weight in adolescents. Objectives: The primary outcome was to identify somatic or psychosocial factors associated with success at 24 months after a laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding (LAGB) procedure in our cohort of adolescents with severe obesity. Secondary endpoints were to describe weight loss outcomes, comorbidity resolution, and complications. Methods: We have retrospectively reviewed medical records of patients who had LAGB placed between 2007 and 2017. Factors associated with success at 24 months after LAGB were researched, with success being defined as positive percentage of excess weight loss (%EWL) at 24 months. Results: Forty-two adolescents underwent a LAGB procedure, the mean %EWL was 34.1% at 24 months, with improvement in most comorbidities and without major complications. Having lost weight before surgery was associated with success, whereas a high body mass index at surgery was associated with a higher risk of failure. No other factor was found to be associated with success. Conclusion: Comorbidities mostly improved 24 months after LAGB and no major complication occurred. Having lost weight before surgery was associated with a successful surgery, whereas a high body mass index at surgery increases the risk of failure.

The Severity of Congenital Hypothyroidism With Gland-In-Situ Predicts Molecular Yield by Targeted Next-Generation Sequencing.

INTRODUCTION: Congenital hypothyroidism with gland-in-situ (CH-GIS) is usually attributed to mutations in the genes involved in thyroid hormone production. The diagnostic yield of targeted next-generation sequencing (NGS) varied widely between studies. We hypothesized that the molecular yield of targeted NGS would depend on the severity of CH. METHODS: Targeted NGS was performed in 103 CH-GIS patients from the French national screening program referred to the Reference Center for Rare Thyroid Diseases of Angers University Hospital. The custom targeted NGS panel contained 48 genes. Cases were classified as solved or probably solved depending on the known inheritance of the gene, the classification of the variants according to the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics, the familial segregation, and published functional studies. Thyroid-stimulating hormone at CH screening and at diagnosis (TSHsc and TSHdg) and free T4 at diagnosis (FT4dg) were recorded. RESULTS: NGS identified 95 variants in 10 genes in 73 of the 103 patients, resulting in 25 solved cases and 18 probably solved cases. They were mainly due to mutations in the TG (n = 20) and TPO (n = 15) genes. The molecular yield was, respectively, 73% and 25% if TSHsc was ≥ and < 80 mUI/L, 60% and 30% if TSHdg was ≥ and < 100 mUI/L, and 69% and 29% if FT4dg was ≤ and > 5 pmol/L. CONCLUSION: NGS in patients with CH-GIS in France found a molecular explanation in 42% of the cases, increasing to 70% when TSHsc was ≥ 80 mUI/L or FT4dg was ≤ 5 pmol/L.

Hybrid Closed Loop Overcomes the Impact of Missed or Suboptimal Meal Boluses on Glucose Control in Children with Type 1 Diabetes Compared to Sensor-Augmented Pump Therapy.

Background: It is unclear whether hybrid closed-loop (HCL) therapy attenuates the metabolic impact of missed or suboptimal meal insulin bolus compared with sensor-augmented pump (SAP) therapy in children with type 1 diabetes in free-living conditions. Methods: This is an ancillary study from a multicenter randomized controlled trial that compared 24/7 HCL with evening and night (E/N) HCL for 36 weeks in children between 6 and 12 years old. In the present study, the 60 children from the E/N arm underwent a SAP phase, an E/N HCL for 18 weeks, then a 24/7 phase for 18 weeks, extended for 36 more weeks. The last 28-30 days of each of the four phases were analyzed according to meal bolus management (cumulated 6817 days). The primary endpoint was the percentage of time that the sensor glucose was in the target range (TIR, 70-180 mg/dL) according to the number of missed boluses per day. Findings: TIR was 54% ± 10% with SAP, 63% ± 7% with E/N HCL, and steadily 67% ± 7% with 24/7 HCL. From the SAP phase to 72 weeks of HCL, the percentage of days with at least one missed meal bolus increased from 12% to 22%. Estimated marginal (EM) mean TIR when no bolus was missed was 54% (95% confidence intervals [CI] 53-56) in SAP and it was 13% higher (95% CI 11-15) in the 24/7 HCL phase. EM mean TIR with 1 and ≥2 missed boluses/day was 49.5% (95% CI 46-52) and 45% (95% CI 39-51) in SAP, and it was 15% (95% CI 14-16) and 17% higher (95% CI 6-28), respectively, in the 24/7 HCL phase (P < 0.05 for all comparisons vs. SAP). Interpretation: HCL persistently improves glycemic control compared with SAP, even in case of meal bolus omission. ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT03739099).

Time trend in excess mortality in children with type 1 diabetes from 1987 to 2016 in mainland France.

BACKGROUND: Mortality risk for children with type 1 diabetes (T1D) is unknown in France and their causes of death are not well documented. AIM: To determine the standardized mortality ratios (SMRs) and causes of death in children aged 1-14 years with T1D from 1987 to 2016. METHODS: The French Center for Epidemiology on Medical Causes of Death collected all death certificates in mainland France. SMRs, corrected SMRs (accounting for missing cases of deaths unrelated to diabetes), and 95% confidence intervals were calculated. RESULTS: Of 146 deaths with the contribution of diabetes, 97 were due to T1D. Mean age at death of the subjects with T1D was 8.8 ± 4.1 years (54% males). The cause of death was diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) in 58% of the cases (70% in subjects 1-4 years), hypoglycemia or dead-in-bed syndrome in 4%, related to diabetes but not described in 24%, and unrelated to diabetes in 14%. The SMRs showed a significant decrease across the years, except for the 1-4 age group. In the last decade (2007-2016), the crude and corrected SMRs were significantly different from 1 in the 1-4 age group (5.4 [2.3; 10.7] and 6.1 [2.8; 11.5]), no longer significant in the 5-9 age group (1.7 [0.6; 4.0] and 2.1 [0.8; 4.5]) and borderline significant in the 10-14 age group (1.7 [0.8; 3.2] and 2.3 [1.2; 4.0]). CONCLUSIONS: Children with T1D aged 1-4 years still had a high mortality rate. Their needs for early recognition and safe management of diabetes are not being met.

Lower Circulating Sertoli and Leydig Cell Hormone Levels During Puberty in Obese Boys: A Cross-sectional Study.

CONTEXT: Alterations in semen characteristics and circulating Sertoli and Leydig cell hormones have been described in obese male adults. Whether hormonal alterations occur before adulthood has not been fully evaluated. OBJECTIVE: We describe circulating Sertoli and Leydig cell hormone levels in overweight-obese (ow/ob) boys through childhood and adolescence in a cross-sectional study. METHODS: Monocentric study in the Pediatric Endocrinology Unit of Angers University Hospital. Three hundred and fifty-one obese and overweight boys aged 5-19 years underwent physical examination, dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry for body composition, oral glucose tolerance test on insulin and glucose, and measurements of follicle-stimulating hormone, luteinizing hormone, anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH), inhibin B, testosterone, and estradiol. Hormonal levels were compared with normative data obtained from 652 healthy nonoverweight nonobese boys of similar age or Tanner stage. RESULTS: Median inhibin B and testosterone levels during puberty were significantly lower in ow/ob than in healthy boys (1) from age >12 years and thereafter for inhibin B, and (2) from age >14 years and thereafter for testosterone. At Tanner stages 4 and 5, 26%, 31%, and 18% of inhibin B, testosterone, and AMH values were below the 5th percentile in ow/ob subjects (P < .01). In multiple regression analyses, estradiol and total bone mineral density Z-score were negative predictors of inhibin B, fat mass percentage was a negative predictor of testosterone, and insulin was a negative predictor of AMH. CONCLUSION: Lower Sertoli and Leydig cell hormone levels during puberty were observed in the ow/ob boys.

Assessing the hospital volume-outcome relationship in surgery: a scoping review.

INTRODUCTION: Many recent studies have investigated the hospital volume-outcome relationship in surgery. In some cases, the results have prompted the centralization of surgical activity. However, the methodologies and interpretations differ markedly from one study to another. The objective of the present scoping review was to describe the various features used to assess the volume-outcome relationship: the analyzed datasets, study population, outcome, covariates, confounders, volume modalities, and statistical methods. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: The review was conducted according to a study protocol published in BMJ Open in 2020. Two authors (both of whom had helped to design the study protocol) screened publications independently according to the title, the abstract and then the full text. To ensure exhaustivity, all the papers included by each reviewer went through to the next step. INTERPRETATION: The 403 included studies covered 90 types of surgery, 61 types of outcome, and 72 covariates or potential confounders. 191 (47.5%) studies focussed on oncological surgery and 37.8% focussed visceral or digestive tract surgery. Overall, 86.6% of the studies found a statistically significant volume-outcome relationship, although the findings differed from one type of surgery to another. Furthermore, the types of outcome and the covariates were highly diverse. The majority of studies were performed in Western countries, and oncological and visceral surgical procedures were over-represented; this might limit the generalizability and comparability of the studies' results.

Factors influencing medical students' choice of specialization: A gender based systematic review.

BACKGROUND: Students' choice of medical specialties has evolved throughout year, with a growing interest in quality of life and in technological specialties. We investigated the repartition of such choices in the world and its influencing factors with a focus on the gender's influence, for helping policy-makers to deal with medical shortage and territorial to specialty disconnect. METHODS: A systematic search was conducted on MEDLINE and Scopus from January 2010 to January 2020. Data extraction and analysis followed JBI and PRISMA recommendations. The selected articles had to focus on medical students, detail their choice of specialty, and look for factors influencing their choice. Articles were excluded if they only assessed the attractiveness of a specialty, or evaluated a public policy. This review was registered on PROSPERO, CRD 42020169227. FINDINGS: 751 studies were screened, and fifty-four were included. Surgery and internal medicine were the most wanted specialties, both in occidental and non-occidental countries. The main factors influencing the choice of specialty were lifestyle, work-life balance and discipline interest, with variation across different countries. Gender clearly affected this choice with 63.7% of men willing radiology and 14.7% of men in obstetrics and gynecology. INTERPRETATION: Influential factors vary with specialty and are affected by the country of residence. Gender has a great impact in students' willingness to work in specific specialties. Policymakers should adapt their appealing strategies according to the country and the medical discipline concerned. FUNDING: The authors have no support or funding to report.

Assessing the hospital volume-outcome relationship in surgery: a scoping review protocol.

INTRODUCTION: Even if a positive volume-outcome correlation in surgery is mostly admitted in many surgical fields, the various ways to assess this relationship make it difficult for researchers and policymakers to use it. Our aim is therefore to provide an overview of the way hospital volume-outcome relationship was assessed. Through this overview, our goal is to identify potential gaps in the assessment of this relationship, to help researchers who want to pursue work in this field and, ultimately, to help policy makers interpret such analyses. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: This review will be conducted using the six stages of the scoping review method: identifying the research question, searching for relevant studies, selecting studies, data extraction, collating, summarising and reporting the results and concluding. This review will address all the key questions used to assess the volume-outcome relationship in surgery.Primary research papers investigating the hospital volume-outcome relationship from 2009 will be included. Studies only looking at surgeons' volume-outcome relationship or studies were the volume variable is not individualisable will be excluded.Both MEDLINE and Scopus will be searched along with grey literature. Two researchers will perform all the stages of the review: screen the titles and abstracts, review the full text of selected articles to determine final inclusions and extract the data. The results will be summarised quantitatively using numerical counts. ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS AND DISSEMINATION: Reviews of published articles are considered secondary analysis and do not need ethical approval. The findings will be disseminated through multiple channels like conferences and peer-reviewed journals.