Relationship between Helicobacter pylori infection and serum ferritin level in primary school children of Tehran-Iran.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the relationship between serum Ferritin levels and Helicobacter pylori antibody titer (IgG) in primary school children with H.pylori infection. METHODS: This cross-sectional study was performed among 6-12 year old healthy primary schoolchildren in Tehran during the academic year 2005-2006. Specimen collection was done by cluster and randomization methods (multistage sampling) Personal information and laboratory results were compiled in questionnaires and data was analyzed by descriptive and analytical statistics via SPSSv.15 software. RESULTS: One thousand six hundred sixty five primary school children (43% boys, 57% girls) with mean age 9.2 +/- 1.5 years were enrolled into the study. H.pylori IgG antibody titer was positive in 26% (432 cases) with mean values of 0.79 +/- 0.42 ISR units in boys and 0.75 +/- 0.39 ISR units in girls, which showed a significant statistical difference (P = 0.004). H.pylori infection was more common among children of large families or those with low economic status (P = 0.002). Twenty nine percent of children (477 cases)had low serum Ferritin levels, which was significantly higher among boys (P > 0.05); 32 82 +/- 33.12 mg/dL in boys and 43.23 +/- 2.5 mg/dL in girls. Out of the children with low serum Ferritin levels, 71% (334 cases) had negative and 28% (132 patients) had positive H.pylori antibody titers (IgG levels). Also, 296 children (25%) with normal Ferritin levels had H.pylori infection. CONCLUSIONS: We did not find a significant relationship between H.pylori infection and low serum Ferritin or iron deficiency anaemia.

Exercise-induced electrocardiographic changes after treadmill exercise testing in healthy children: A comprehensive study.

Background: Treadmill exercise testing is a crucial diagnostic tool for evaluating congenital and acquired heart disease in the pediatric population. This study aimed to perform a comprehensive evaluation of exercise-induced electrocardiographic (ECG) changes in children. Although there are numerous studies on exercise testing in various cardiac pathologies, studies on exercise-induced ECG changes in normal children with coverage of all ECG parameters of atrial and ventricular depolarization and repolarization are very scant, if any. Aims and Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the exercise-induced ECG changes in healthy children and evaluate the effects of gender and four different formulas of heart rate correction of Bazett, Fridericia, Framingham and Hodges on ventricular repolarization parameters pre-and post-exercise. Materials and Methods: Between April 2019 and April 2020, all children with normal electrocardiogram, echocardiogram and exercise test, high-quality ECG tracings and consent for participation were enrolled in this prospective study. Twenty electrocardiographic parameters were measured and 25 indices were calculated. P-value < 0.05 was considered significant. Results: Seventy-four healthy children were studied. Amplitudes of P, S, and T waves increased significantly after the exercise. All durations, except P wave time to peak and T peak -T end /QT (Tp-e/QT) interval decreased significantly with exercise. Generally, the parameters of ventricular repolarization were not statistically significant between males and females. There were significant differences among the heart-rate corrected values of intervals of QTc, QoTc, JTc, J point to peak T and Tp-e/QTc by various formulas. There was no U wave either at pre-exercise or post-exercise. QT interval was shortened by 24.6 % ± 12.1 % with exercise. The ECG-derived estimated duration of mechanical systole and diastole decreased with exercise. The percentage of decrease in diastole was more than systole (43.79 %± 13.31% versus 33.74% ±15.79 %, respectively, P-value < 0.001). Conclusion: Diastolic time decreased more than systolic time with exercise and systolic time to diastolic time increased with exercise. Hodges' and Fridericia's formulas resulted in the longest and shortest QT and QoT, JT, and JTP, respectively. Thus, using a single value as the cut-off for long QT syndrome can lead to under or over-diagnosis. Nomograms incorporating data on age, heart rate, and heart rate correction formula are indispensable for accurate long QT diagnosis. Furthermore, gender differences in ventricular repolarization parameters are not generally present in 5 to 14-year-old healthy children. The lack of U wave in this study may implicate the need for more careful investigation in the presence of U wave in the treadmill exercise testing of healthy children.

A case of catecholaminergic polymorphic ventricular tachycardia masquerading as an intractable seizure.

A 5-year-old boy with the history of intractable seizure for the past 2 years was transferred to the emergency room for cardiopulmonary resuscitation because of the prolonged seizure and profound cyanosis. He was intubated and resuscitated by cardioversion for a bizarre shape ventricular tachycardia (VT). After noxious stimulation, he showed multiple polymorphic ventricular premature beats that were followed by a bidirectional VT in favor of catecholaminergic polymorphic VT. The genetic assessment was positive for CASQ2 mutation. In the follow-up, the arrhythmia was controlled by nadolol, however with a prominent neurological sequela.

Fresh frozen plasma prime and the level of gammaglobulin after pediatric cardiopulmonary bypass.

Different organ perturbation and multiple complications might occur after cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB). A variety of solutions might be used for pump priming with different advantages and disadvantages. The advantage of fresh frozen plasma (FFP) inclusion in pump prime has been shown in post-CPB coagulation management. Acquired hypogammaglobulinemia is the disadvantage of albumin (ALB) pump prime. Our aim was to assess the impact of FFP prime on the post-pump serum level of immunoglobulin G (IgG) and its subclasses. Fifty-six patients under the age of 5 years old who were scheduled for cardiac surgery on CPB were randomly primed with FFP or ALB. Any innate or acquired immune deficiency was considered as exclusion criteria. The pre-CPB and 24-hour post-CPB collected blood samples were analyzed by the nephelometric method for the plasma level of IgG and its four subclasses. Twenty-two patients (mean age and weight of 13 months and 6.8 kilograms) in the ALB prime group and 26 patients (mean age and weight of 15 months and 8.1 kilograms) in the FFP prime group completed the study. Using paired t-test and repeated measures ANOVA test, patients in the ALB prime group had a significant drop in the post-CPB serum level of total IgG (597±138 mg/dL to 379±179 mg/dL, P value <0.001) and its two subclasses of IgG1 and IgG3. In contrast, there was a slight elevation in the serum level of total IgG (549±207 mg/dL to 630±180 mg/dL, P value =0.008) and its two subclasses of IgG2 and IgG4 in patients who had FFP prime solution. In conclusion, compared to the ALB prime solution, FFP inclusion in prime could hamper the pediatric post-CPB induced hypogammaglobulinemia.

Avoiding cardiopulmonary bypass in extracardiac cavopulmonary connection: does it really matter?

OBJECTIVES: We examined the effect of avoiding cardiopulmonary bypass on the early outcome variables after fenestrated extracardiac total cavopulmonary connection. METHODS: Between May 2001 and January 2009, 102 patients with univentricular heart physiology underwent fenestrated extracardiac total cavopulmonary connection. Patients were divided into one of 2 groups: the cardiopulmonary bypass (n = 48) group and the no cardiopulmonary bypass (n = 54) group. In both groups there were patients with primary and staged fenestrated extracardiac total cavopulmonary connection. Duration of mechanical ventilation, pleural effusion, hemodynamic status, incidence of arrhythmia, and mortality were compared between the 2 groups. RESULTS: Both groups were matched, except for more cases of tricuspid atresia in the no cardiopulmonary bypass group (P = .014) compared with other diagnostic morphologies and higher preoperative hemoglobin levels in the no cardiopulmonary bypass group (P = .01). Avoiding cardiopulmonary bypass did not reveal any significant effect on postoperative outcomes. A cardiopulmonary bypass time of more than 120 minutes caused not only a meaningful increase in the mean of mechanical ventilation duration (35 +/- 9.6 vs 13 +/- 2.1 hours, P = .026) but also increased the incidence of mechanical ventilation for more than 12 hours (P = .04). Bypass time of more than 120 minutes did not have influence on any other postoperative variables. CONCLUSION: Avoiding cardiopulmonary bypass in fenestrated extracardiac total cavopulmonary connection had no direct effect on the early outcome variables.