Improved Efficiency of the Clinical Diagnostic Criteria for Familial Hypercholesterolemia in Children: A Comparison of the Japan Atherosclerosis Society Guidelines of 2017 and 2022.

AIMS: Familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) is a genetic disorder characterized by elevated low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels, which increases the risk of premature coronary artery disease. Early detection and treatment are vital, especially in children. To improve FH diagnosis in children, the Japan Atherosclerosis Society (JAS) released new guidelines in July 2022. This study assessed and compared the sensitivity and specificity of the clinical diagnostic criteria from the JAS pediatric FH guidelines of 2017 and 2022. METHODS: From September 2020 to March 2023, 69 children with elevated plasma LDL-C levels (≥ 140 mg/dL) were included in a pediatric FH screening project in Kagawa. The children were evaluated using genetic testing alongside the clinical diagnostic criteria from the JAS pediatric FH guidelines of 2017 and 2022. RESULTS: Using the JAS pediatric FH 2017 criteria, eight children were diagnosed as FH-positive and 61 children as FH-negative. The JAS pediatric FH 2022 criteria identified 15 children with definite FH, 31 with probable FH, and 23 with possible FH. Genetic testing detected FH pathogenic variants in 24 children. The sensitivity and specificity for the JAS pediatric FH 2017 criteria were 0.292 and 0.978, respectively. For the JAS pediatric FH 2022 criteria, the sensitivity was 0.542 for definite FH with a specificity of 0.956, and 0.917 for probable FH with a specificity of 0.467. CONCLUSION: The clinical diagnostic criteria of the JAS pediatric FH 2022 guidelines demonstrated improved diagnostic efficiency compared with those of 2017, as evidenced by the increased sensitivity while preserving specificity.

Hydrogen gas can ameliorate seizure burden during therapeutic hypothermia in asphyxiated newborn piglets.

BACKGROUND: We previously reported that hydrogen (H2) gas combined with therapeutic hypothermia (TH) improved short-term neurological outcomes in asphyxiated piglets. However, the effect on seizure burden was unclear. Using amplitude-integrated electroencephalography (aEEG), we compared TH + H2 with TH alone in piglets 24 h after hypoxic-ischemic (HI) insult. METHODS: After a 40-min insult and resuscitation, 36 piglets ≤24 h old were divided into three groups: normothermia (NT, n = 14), TH alone (33.5 ± 0.5 °C, 24 h, n = 13), and TH + H2 (2.1-2.7% H2 gas, 24 h, n = 9). aEEG was recorded for 24 h post-insult and its background pattern, status epilepticus (SE; recurrent seizures lasting >5 min), and seizure occurrence (Sz; occurring at least once but not fitting the definition of SE) were evaluated. Background findings with a continuous low voltage and burst suppression were considered abnormal. RESULTS: The percentage of piglets with an abnormal aEEG background (aEEG-BG), abnormal aEEG-BG+Sz and SE was lower with TH + H2 than with TH at 24 h after HI insult. The duration of SE was shorter with TH + H2 and significantly shorter than with NT. CONCLUSIONS: H2 gas combined with TH ameliorated seizure burden 24 h after HI insult. IMPACT: In this asphyxiated piglet model, there was a high percentage of animals with an abnormal amplitude-integrated electroencephalography background (aEEG-BG) after hypoxic-ischemic (HI) insult, which may correspond to moderate and severe hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE). Therapeutic hypothermia (TH) was associated with a low percentage of piglets with EEG abnormalities up to 6 h after HI insult but this percentage increased greatly after 12 h, and TH was not effective in attenuating seizure development. H2 gas combined with TH was associated with a low percentage of piglets with an abnormal aEEG-BG and with a shorter duration of status epilepticus at 24 h after HI insult.

Impact of hydrogen gas inhalation during therapeutic hypothermia on cerebral hemodynamics and oxygenation in the asphyxiated piglet.

We previously reported the neuroprotective potential of combined hydrogen (H2) gas ventilation therapy and therapeutic hypothermia (TH) by assessing the short-term neurological outcomes and histological findings of 5-day neonatal hypoxic-ischemic (HI) encephalopathy piglets. However, the effects of H2 gas on cerebral circulation and oxygen metabolism and on prognosis were unknown. Here, we used near-infrared time-resolved spectroscopy to compare combined H2 gas ventilation and TH with TH alone. Piglets were divided into three groups: HI insult with normothermia (NT, n = 10), HI insult with hypothermia (TH, 33.5 ± 0.5 °C, n = 8), and HI insult with hypothermia plus H2 ventilation (TH + H2, 2.1-2.7%, n = 8). H2 ventilation and TH were administered and the cerebral blood volume (CBV) and cerebral hemoglobin oxygen saturation (ScO2) were recorded for 24 h after the insult. CBV was significantly higher at 24 h after the insult in the TH + H2 group than in the other groups. ScO2 was significantly lower throughout the 24 h after the insult in the TH + H2 group than in the NT group. In conclusion, combined H2 gas ventilation and TH increased CBV and decreased ScO2, which may reflect elevated cerebral blood flow to meet greater oxygen demand for the surviving neurons, compared with TH alone.

Case of pediatric traditional serrated adenoma resected via endoscopic submucosal dissection.

Traditional serrated adenoma (TSA) is a type of serrated polyp of the colorectum and is thought to be a precancerous lesion. There are three types of serrated polyps, namely, hyperplastic polyps, sessile serrated adenomas/polyps, and TSAs. TSA is the least common of the three types and accounts for about 5% of serrated polyps. Here we report a pediatric case of TSA that was successfully resected by endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD). This rare case report describes a pediatric patient with no family history of colonic polyp who was admitted to our hospital with hematochezia. On colonoscopy, we found a polypoid lesion measuring 10 mm in diameter in the lower rectum. We selected ESD as a surgical option for en bloc resection, and histopathological examination revealed TSA. The findings in this case suggest that TSA with precancerous potential can occur in children, and that ESD is useful for treating this lesion.

Evans syndrome after autologous peripheral blood stem cell transplantation for recurrent Hodgkin lymphoma.

There have been a number of recent reports on the occurrence of autoimmune conditions after autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. We describe a rare case of Evans syndrome (ES) that developed in a 16-year-old patient >1 year after autologous peripheral blood stem cell transplantation for recurrent Hodgkin lymphoma. ES is a rare and frequently refractory condition. No therapy for the condition has been established, and it can often be fatal. In the present case, i.v. cyclosporine A injection was significantly effective against the ES, which has not recurred.

Surgery for gastroesophageal reflux disease with Gaucher disease type 2.

Gaucher disease, the most common lysosomal storage disease, is sometimes complicated with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). The present patient was a 136-day-old Japanese boy with Gaucher disease type 2. Enzyme replacement therapy and chemical chaperone therapy were successful for the skin disorders, joint contractures, hepatosplenomegaly and thrombocytopenia, but he also had GERD. Accordingly, a Nissen fundoplication with gastrostomy was performed. There was no vulnerability of organs, easy bleeding or difficulty of maintaining the visual field because of hepatosplenomegaly during operation. In the perioperative period, there was no prolonged wound healing or infection. GERD was improved. In the near future, the number of long-term survivors of Gaucher disease will increase due to improvements in medical therapy. Therefore, it is expected that the number of patients requiring fundoplication will also increase. In patients with successful medical therapy, surgical fundoplication can be safely and effectively performed.

Neonatal Dubin-Johnson syndrome: novel compound heterozygous mutation in the ABCC2 gene.

Dubin-Johnson syndrome (DJS) is an autosomal recessive inherited disorder characterized by conjugated hyperbilirubinemia. Neonatal-onset DJS is rare. It is caused by dysfunction of adenosine triphosphate-binding cassette, sub-family C, member 2 (ABCC2). We found a novel compound heterozygous mutation of DJS-related gene: W709R (T2145C): a missense mutation in exon 17, and R768W (C2302T), a missense mutation in exon 18. Serum diglucuronosyl bilirubin/monoglucuronosyl bilirubin ratio was high. ABCC2 may excrete diglucuronosyl bilirubin preferentially over monoglucuronosyl bilirubin.