MIS-C Treatment: Is glucocorticoid monotherapy enough for mild cases?

BACKGROUND: The effectiveness of using only glucocorticoids (GCs) in mild multisystem inflammatory syndrome (MIS-C) cases was compared with combined treatment [GCs + Intravenous immune globulin (IVIG)]. METHODS: This retrospective cohort study was conducted between June 1, 2020, and June 1, 2022, in a tertiary care center in Istanbul, Turkey. Clinical and investigational data of the MIS-C patients were analyzed. The patients were divided into two groups: those who received only GCs and those who received the GCs + IVIG combination. The primary outcome focused on assessing the deterioration of the patient's clinical condition, the occurrence of shock, admission to the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU), and the need for additional immunosuppressive medication. Secondary outcomes included evaluating the course of cardiovascular and infection-related complications observed at the one-year follow-up. RESULTS: Ninety-seven MIS-C patients with a median age of 41 (3- 214) months were enrolled. Fifty-six (57.7%) patients were male. All the patients had fever at admission with a temperature of 39 °C (37.5 °C-40.1 °C). Thirty-two patients (33%) had cardiac findings on echocardiography [left ventricular dysfunction (n= 13, 13.5%), coronary artery involvement (n= 11, 11.3%), and dilation of cardiac cavities and/or increased cardiac muscle thickness (n= 8, 8.2%)]. Thirteen patients (13.5%) required intensive care. All patients received GCs [only GCs (group I; n= 65, 67%)], and 32 patients (33%) with severe manifestations and/or cardiac involvement received GCs + IVIG (group II). No mortality was observed. None of the patients had any complaints at the one-year follow-up, and all echocardiography findings were normal. CONCLUSION: This study provides preliminary evidence that GC monotherapy is a safe treatment alternative for mild MIS-C cases without cardiac involvement.

The Relationship Between Sleep Quality, Sleep Duration, Social Jet Lag and Obesity in Adolescents.

Objective: The frequency of obesity and poor sleep quality among adolescents is increasing and causes many chronic problems. The objective was to investigate the correlation between body mass index (BMI), sleep quality, sleep duration and social jet lag (SJL) among adolescents. Methods: This study is cross-sectional. A cohort of 416 adolescents, ranging in age from 12 to 18 participated in the study. Adolescents were divided into three groups according to BMI SDS: adolescents with normal weight, adolescents with overweight and adolescents with obesity. The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) questionnaire was used to determine the sleep quality of the adolescents. The calculation of SJL and sleep-corrected social jet lag (SJLsc) was performed. Results: The mean age of the adolescents was 15.0 ± 2.9 years.There were 222 males (53.4%). SJL and PSQI scores were significantly higher in the adolescents with obesity compared to the adolescents with normal weight and overweight (p < 0.001). An analysis of the relationship between the PSQI and BMI SDS revealed a correlation that was statistically significant (r = 0.667; p < 0.001). Conclusion: Adolescents with obesity reveal poorer sleep quality and a longer duration of SJL compared to adolescents with normal-weight. Moreover, increased SJL was linked to an increase in BMI. Maintaining good sleep quality and less exposure to SJL may help reduce the risk of obesity.

SARS-COV-2 infections in children: The role of fibrinogen in predicting diagnosis and severity: A retrospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Evaluating predictors of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and severity among children may help clinicians manage the high rate of hospital admissions for suspected cases. OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to evaluate the demographic, clinical and laboratory characteristics of children during the pandemic, and determine the predictors of COVID-19 and moderate-to-severe disease. MATERIAL AND METHODS: This retrospective cohort study included all consecutive COVID-19 cases in patients aged <18 years who presented to the Pediatric Emergency Department at Haseki Training and Research Hospital (Istanbul, Turkey) between March 15 and May 1, 2020, and underwent severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analysis of oro-nasopharyngeal swabs (n = 1137). RESULTS: The frequency of SARS-CoV-2 PCR positivity was 28.6%. The COVID-19 (+) group presented with sore throat, headache and myalgia significantly more frequently than the COVID-19 (-) group. Multivariate logistic regression models showed independent predictors of SARS-CoV-2 positivity as follows: age, contact history, lymphocyte count <1500/mm3, and neutrophil count <4000/mm3. In addition, higher age, neutrophil count and fibrinogen levels were independent predictors of severity. The diagnostic cutoff value for fibrinogen (370.5 mg/dL) had a sensitivity of 53.12, specificity of 83.95, positive predictive value (PPV) of 39.53, and negative predictive value (NPV) of 90.07 for predicting severity. CONCLUSIONS: Symptomatology, whether alone or in combination with other approaches, may be an appropriate strategy to guide the diagnosis and management of COVID-19.

Hand, foot, and mouth disease: could EPs® 7630 be a treatment option? A prospective randomized open-label multicenter clinical study.

Purpose: Hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) is a viral contagious disease of children caused by human enteroviruses (EVs) and coxsackieviruses (CVs). There is no specific treatment option for HFMD. EPs® 7630's anti-infective and immunomodulatory properties have previously been demonstrated in several in vitro and in vivo studies; however, the use of this herbal medicine in children with HFMD has not previously been investigated. Methods: This prospective randomized multicenter clinical study included 208 children with HFMD. The diagnosis was made by pediatricians. The patients who were within the first 48 h of symptom onset (according to the first onset of fever and skin findings) were enrolled. The study participants were assigned into 2 groups as EPs® 7630 and control groups. All patients were followed up twice more, 48 h after the first admission and on the 5th-7th day. Another phone evaluation was conducted for those with continued complaints from the previous visit. Results: The median age was 27 (12-112) months. The male-female ratio was 0.98. One hundred thirty one (63%) of 190 patients had no history of household contact. EPs® 7630 group included 94 and control group included 96 patients. A significant difference was found between the groups in terms of complaint scores at the visits made at the 48th h of the treatment and on days 5-7 (p < 0.001). The mean ± SD disease duration of EPs® 7630 users was significantly shorter 6.07 ± 0.70 days (95% CI: 5.92-6.21)] than the control group [8.58 ± 0.94 days (95% CI: 8.39-8.77)] (p < 0.001). Besides, the hospitalization rate among the EPs® 7630 users were significantly lower (p = 0.019). No side effects were observed, except for unpleasant taste, which was reported in 5 patients (EPs® 7630 group). Conclusion: Considering its efficacy and safety profile EPs® 7630 may represent a feasible herbal-based treatment option for children with HFMD. Clinical Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov, identifier (NCT06353477).

Demographic and Clinical Characteristics of COVID-19 in Children and the Effect of Household Tobacco Smoke Exposure on COVID-19.

OBJECTIVE: Environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) exposure is associated with many diseases, including lower respiratory tract infections, in pediatric age groups. In this study, we aimed to assess the effect of household ETS exposure on symptom frequency and clinical severity in children and adolescents with COVID-19. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This retrospective study included pediatric cases (<18 years old) with a positive SARS-CoV-2 test, who were admitted to our hospital between 20.03.2020 and 01.05.2020. Patients with respiratory diseases and active smokers were excluded. Demographic characteristics, symptoms, and clinical severity of COVID-19 were obtained from parents and children using a questionnaire and from patients' files. Household ETS exposure was assessed by questionnaire. RESULTS: A total of 167 patients (median age 145 months, 50.7 % male) were included in the study. The frequency of household ETS exposure was 50.9%, and the frequency of cough was significantly higher in exposed children than non-exposed children (71.4% vs 50.8% respectively, p=0.02). The frequency of both fever and cough was significantly higher ETS-exposed in the subgroup of cases with a mild clinical course (69.5% vs 48.1% respectively, p= 0.02 for fever and 67.8% vs 44.4% respectively, p=0.01 for cough). There was no relationship between clinical severity and household ETS exposure. CONCLUSION: Household ETS exposure may impact COVID-19 pediatric cases as demonstrated by the increased frequency of cough and fever in ETS-exposed children. As new lockdown measures are implemented, increasing public awareness about the effect of household ETS exposure on COVID-19as well as encouraging a decrease in ETS exposure are essential.

Effect of Aloe vera leaf pulp extract on Ehrlich ascites tumours in mice.

Among the various known therapeutic effects of Aloe vera (L.) Burm. fil., a few recent studies have shown that preparations of the plant leaves can prevent or regress the growth of certain tumours. In this study, undertaken with A. vera leaf pulp extract against Ehrlich ascites tumours in mice, the animals were separated into five groups: I - healthy control, II - tumour control, III - experiment 1 (extract given before tumour inoculation), IV - experiment 2 (extract given with tumour inoculation) and V - experiment 3 (extract given after tumour inoculation). Ehrlich ascites tumours (0.33 ml) were injected subcutaneously into groups II-V. Aloe extract was injected at 55 mg protein/kg, twice a week for 21 days. Tumour size, thymus and spleen weights were measured, as well as leucocyte count, tumour necrosis factor-alpha and sialic acid as tumour markers. The best inhibitory effect on tumour growth was obtained with the extract given prophylactically before tumour implantation (experiment 1), although Aloe extract also regressed tumour sizes when given simultaneously with (experiment 2), or therapeutically after (experiment 3), tumour implantation. Accordingly, serum sialic acid and tumour necrosis factor-alpha levels, chosen as tumour markers, which were raised in the tumour control group, were significantly decreased by the prophylactic administration of the extract. The increase in leucocyte count seen in experiment 1 and 2 groups, along with lymphoid hyperplasia observed in spleen and thymus necroscopy, lead us to think that the tumour preventive effect of Aloe could be due to its immunomodulatory activity. According to our results, A. vera could be proposed as a prophylactic for cancer prevention.

Effect of Pertubation on Pregnancy Rates before Intrauterine Insemination Treatment in Patients with Unexplained Infertility.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between marital violence and distress level among women with a diagnosis of infertility. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this prospective randomized study, a total of 180 patients were included in the study. Amongst these, pertubation of the uterine cavity was carried out in 79 patients prior to insemination. One patient in the pertubation group was later excluded because insemination could not be performed due to cycle cancellation. RESULTS: There were no significant differences in demographic characteristics between the study and control groups. When the pregnancy rates of both groups were evaluated, 14(17.8%) patients in the study group achieved pregancy. Three (3.8%) had a biochemical pregnancy, 1(1.3%) miscarried and 10(12.7%) had live births. In the control group, a total of 24(23.8%) pregnancies were achieved, amongst which one (1%) had a biochemical pregnancy, 3(3%) miscarried and 20(19.8%) resulted in live births. There was no significant difference between groups in terms of total pregnancy and live birth rates (p>0.05). There was a 21% total pregnancy loss rate. There was no significant difference between the control and study groups in terms of pregnancy loss rates (p>0.05). CONCLUSION: This study on a homogenous group of unexplained infertile patients determined that the addition of pertubation to a controlled ovarian hyperstimulation plus intrauterine insemination (COH+IUI) treatment protocol did not affect pregnancy rates (Registration Number: NCT01999959).

Tumour preventive effect of Aloe vera leaf pulp lectin (Aloctin I) on Ehrlich ascites tumours in mice.

In this study, the prophylactic effect of the main lectin present in Aloe vera leaf pulp extract (Aloctin I) was assayed against Ehrlich ascites tumours in mice. The lectin administered prophylactically before tumour implantation regressed tumour size, however, this activity was less potent than that of the A. vera leaf pulp extract previously shown in our laboratory. Accordingly, serum sialic acid and tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNFalpha) levels, chosen as tumour markers, were decreased significantly by the prophylactic administration of the lectin. The increase in spleen and thymus weights in the group given only Aloctin I, could be explained by the immunomodulatory and mitogenic effects of lectins. These findings, along with lymphoid hyperplasia observed in spleen and thymus, suggest that the tumour preventive effect of Aloctin I could be due to its immunomodulatory activity.