Oral cavity morphology among children at risk of sleep disordered breathing.

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to evaluate oral cavity morphology in children at risk of sleep disordered breathing (SDB). METHODS: The study included children 3-17 years of age. The risk of SDB was evaluated using the paediatric sleep questionnaire (PSQ); afterwards, children at risk of SDB were enrolled in the study group. A control group was randomly established from patients with negative PSQ results. The oral cavity morphology evaluation included assessment of the oropharynx using Mallampati classification (MC), palatine tonsil size using the Pirquet scale, occlusion and the presence of a high-arched palate and lingual frenulum. RESULTS: A total of 131 children were evaluated, 65 in the study and 66 in the control group. The mean ages were 9.5 ± 3.0 and 9.4 ± 3.1 years, respectively. The presence of higher scores on the MC, higher scores in the Pirquet scale, a crossbite, a high-arched palate and a short frenulum were significantly more frequent in the study group than the control group. CONCLUSION: The evaluation of oral morphology is an important part of paediatric examination. Enlarged palatine tonsils; higher scores on the MC; and the presence of a crossbite, short lingual frenulum and high-arched palate may suggest abnormal breathing during sleep in children.

Physical rehabilitation and risk of atherosclerosis after successful kidney transplantation.

Regular physical activity is usually associated with significant health benefits, but therapeutic exercise is seldom routine in renal transplant recipients. We report a randomized clinical trial of exercise training after renal transplantation. Sixty-nine patients were randomly recruited on the first or second day after kidney transplantation into two groups: exercise intervention (PT) and standard care (CT) as controls. The exercise training program consisted of tailored exercises to be performed under a physiotherapist's supervision for 15 to 30 minutes every second hospital day. At that time, biochemical markers of graft function were assessed including specific tests for atherosclerosis. Repeated measures analysis of variance was performed to determine differences between the two groups. We found an inverse correlation between total homocysteine as well as interleukin-18 (IL:18) levels and muscle strength of the upper limbs (r = -.78, P < .0001). There was a positive correlation between muscle strength and improved graft function in the PT group versus CT groups (r = .05; P < .05). Hyperhomocysteinemia and high IL-18 expression in renal allograft recipients may be independent markers of early atherosclerosis development.

Performance of the MDRD, CKD-EPI, and Cockcroft-Gault Formulas in Relation to Nutritional Status in Stable Renal Transplant Recipients.

BACKGROUND: Monitoring of the function of the implanted kidney in renal transplant recipients (RTRs) is one of the superior elements of adequate therapeutic actions. The aim of this study was to assess the conventional and unconventional factors affecting the estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) with the Modification of Diet in Renal Disease (MDRD), Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemiology Collaboration (CKD-EPI), and Cockcroft-Gault (C-G) formulas among the RTRs. METHODS: The study included 144 RTRs (mean age 52 years). Clinical and laboratory data were analyzed; eGFR was calculated with MDRD, CKD-EPI, and C-G formulas. We compared the results with MDRD as a reference calculating the percentage of reclassifications of chronic kidney disease (CKD) stages. Nutritional status was assessed with a body composition analyzer, Tanita BC 418. RESULTS: Multivariable linear regression analysis with MDRD and CKD-EPI formula as a dependent variable retained the following independent predictors: hemoglobin (Hb) (B = .365; P = .000), and red blood cell distribution width (RDW) (B = -.191; P = .024). Analysis of variance showed the existence of statistically significant differences (all P for trend <.05) between the CKD-EPI, MDRD, and C-G equations within the total scope of eGFR results (51.2 ± 21.2 vs 47.5 ± 18.7 vs 55.6 ± 20.6, respectively) as well as in quartiles of eGFR. CONCLUSIONS: Our data indicate that (1) with a value of eGFR >60 mL/min/1.73 m(2), the MDRD formula shows values that are on average 11% lower than in the CKD-EPI and C-G formulas; (2) with a value of eGFR <60 mL/min/1.73 m(2), the MDRD and CKD-EPI formulas do not show statistically significant differences.