Appendicitis or non-specific abdominal pain in pre-school children: When to request abdominal ultrasound?

AIM: The aim of this study is to determine the most useful diagnostic tools to differentiate appendicitis from non-specific abdominal pain (NSAP) in pre-school children. METHODS: We prospectively evaluated all children aged 5 years or younger admitted for suspected appendicitis at a paediatric emergency department during 5 years. Cases of NSAP and appendicitis were enrolled according to inclusion and exclusion criteria. The different variables collected were assessed by statistic and diagnostic accuracy studies. RESULTS: A total of 82 patients were studied: 27 cases of NSAP and 55 cases of appendicitis. We found no symptoms or signs with a high power of discrimination between both processes. Complicated cases of appendicitis begin to appear when the duration of symptoms exceeds 12 h. Among laboratory tests, C-reactive protein (CRP) value >34 mg/L was the variable with a greater association to appendicitis (odds ratio 9.8). Abdominal ultrasound (US) had high sensitivity and specificity to differentiate appendicitis, significantly improving its diagnostic accuracy when the duration of symptoms exceeds 12 h. CONCLUSIONS: A good history and physical examination are important in the diagnostic process, but reliable physical signs can be difficult to elicit in pre-school children. CRP and abdominal US are useful investigations that can improve diagnostic accuracy. According to our results, abdominal pain duration longer than 12 h or CRP value >34 mg/L should be an indication to perform an abdominal US in pre-school children with right lower quadrant tenderness.

Newborn screening for Fabry disease in the north-west of Spain.

Fabry disease is an X-linked lysosomal storage disorder caused by the impairment of α-galactosidase A. Enzyme replacement therapy is available to treat patients, who often experience delayed diagnosis. A newborn screening for Fabry disease was performed to study the prevalence of the pathology and to evaluate the possibility to implement the test in systematic screenings. We collected 14,600 dried blood spot samples (7575 males and 7025 females) and carried out a diagnostic study by fluorometric measurement of α-galactosidase A enzymatic activity and GLA gene sequencing. We detected one patient with a mutation in GLA associated with classical Fabry Disease (M290I), ten subjects carrying genetic variants of uncertain diagnosis (S126G, R118C, A143T), and a girl with the non-characterized variant F18Y, which was not previously described. Additional 25 samples presented nucleotide substitutions described as polymorphisms (D313Y, rs2071225, and rs2071397). The estimated prevalence for Fabry disease in north-western Spanish males is of 0.013%. CONCLUSION: These results confirm that the prevalence of Fabry disease is underestimated and systematic screening is feasible; however, further characterization of variants of uncertain clinical significance is necessary to establish protocols of patients' management. What is Known: • Fabry disease is a rare disease of delayed diagnosis, whose prevalence is underestimated. However, early diagnosis is important for better efficiency of the current available treatment. What is New: • This newborn screening for Fabry disease performed on Spanish population reveals a prevalence of genetic alterations in GLA of 0.1% in males (0.013% with classic Fabry disease) and also characterizes these modifications in order to discriminate between pathogenic mutations and genetic variants of unknown significance.

Risk factors for developing mineral bone disease in phenylketonuric patients.

There is a compromised bone mass in phenylketonuria patients compared with normal population, but the mechanisms responsible are still a matter of investigation. In addition, tetrahydrobiopterin therapy is a new option for a significant proportion of these patients and the prevalence of mineral bone disease (MBD) in these patients is unknown. We conducted a cross-sectional observational study including 43 phenylketonuric patients. Bone densitometry, nutritional assessment, physical activity questionnaire, biochemical parameters, and molecular study were performed in all patients. Patients were stratified by phenotype, age and type of treatment. The MBD prevalence in phenylketonuria was 14%. Osteopenic and osteoporotic (n=6 patients) had an average daily natural protein intake significantly lower than the remaining (n=37) patients with PKU (14.33 ± 8.95 g vs 21.25 ± 20.85 g). Besides, a lower body mass index was found. There were no statistical differences in physical activity level, calcium, phosphorus and fat intake, and in phenylalanine, vitamin D, paratohormone, docosahexaenoic and eicosapentaenoic acid blood levels. Mutational spectrum was found in up to 30 different PAH genotypes and no relationship was established among genotype and development of MBD. None of the twelve phenylketonuric patients treated with tetrahydrobiopterin (27.9%), for an average of 7.1 years, developed MBD. Natural protein intake and blood levels of eicosapentaenoic acid were significantly higher while calcium intake was lower in these patients. This study shows that the decrease in natural protein intake can play an important role in MBD development in phenylketonuric patients. Therapy with tetrahydrobiopterin allows a more relaxed protein diet, which is associated with better bone mass.

Acylcarnitine profile in neonatal hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy: The value of butyrylcarnitine as a prognostic marker.

Optimal prognostic markers evaluating early neuroprotective interventions in neonatal hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) are lacking. This study was designed to assess the prognostic value of acylcarnitines in neonatal HIE.An observational cohort study was conducted over 10 years in 67 HIE. Variables analyzed included sex, blood cord pH, Apgar score, hypothermia treatment (yes/no), neuron-specific enolase (NSE) levels, and clinical outcome (neurological examination, brain magnetic resonance imaging [MRI], and electroencephalogram) before discharge and at 6 months. Acylcarnitine profiles were analyzed by tandem-mass spectrometry on dried-blood spots collected on day 3 for newborn screening. A cohort of healthy newborns was used as control group.HIE patients had significantly increased C4, C5, C5:1, C6, C6-OH, C8 levels (all P < .01) and decreased long-chain acylcarnitine levels (P < .03). Hypothermia treatment was associated with a decrease in C4 levels (p = 0.005) and an increase in most long-chain acylcarnitine levels (P < .01). A significant association was found between C4 levels and NSE on day 1 of hypothermia treatment (P = .002) and abnormal brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) at discharge (P = .037). In the hypothermia group, C4 levels decreased in patients with favorable outcomes but remained high in those who progressed unfavorably.C4 appears to be a good prognostic marker in HIE, as blood levels correlated with NSE levels and abnormal MRI findings. Furthermore, hypothermia did not lead to decreased levels in patients with adverse outcomes.

Evolution of Energy Related Metabolites in Plasma from Newborns with Hypoxic-Ischemic Encephalopathy during Hypothermia Treatment.

Therapeutic hypothermia (TH) initiated within 6 h from birth is the most effective therapeutic approach for moderate to severe hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE). However, underlying mechanisms and effects on the human metabolism are not yet fully understood. This work aims at studying the evolution of several energy related key metabolites in newborns with HIE undergoing TH employing gas chromatography - mass spectrometry. The method was validated following stringent FDA requirements and applied to 194 samples from a subgroup of newborns with HIE (N = 61) enrolled in a multicenter clinical trial (HYPOTOP) for the determination of lactate, pyruvate, ketone bodies and several Krebs cycle metabolites at different sampling time points. The analysis of plasma samples from newborns with HIE revealed a decrease of lactate, pyruvate and ß-hydroxybutyrate concentrations, whereas rising malate concentrations were observed. In healthy control newborns (N = 19) significantly lower levels of pyruvate and lactate were found in comparison to age-matched newborns with HIE undergoing TH, whereas acetoacetate and ß-hydroxybutyrate levels were clearly increased. Access to a validated analytical method and a controlled cohort of newborns with HIE undergoing hypothermia treatment for the first time allowed the in-depth study of the evolution of key metabolites of metabolic junctions in this special population.