Laboratory Findings, Compassionate Use of Favipiravir, and Outcome in Patients With Ebola Virus Disease, Guinea, 2015-A Retrospective Observational Study.

BACKGROUND: In 2015, the laboratory at the Ebola treatment center in Coyah, Guinea, confirmed Ebola virus disease (EVD) in 286 patients. The cycle threshold (Ct) of an Ebola virus-specific reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction assay and 13 blood chemistry parameters were measured on admission and during hospitalization. Favipiravir treatment was offered to patients with EVD on a compassionate-use basis. METHODS: To reduce biases in the raw field data, we carefully selected 163 of 286 patients with EVD for a retrospective study to assess associations between potential risk factors, alterations in blood chemistry findings, favipiravir treatment, and outcome. RESULTS: The case-fatality rate in favipiravir-treated patients was lower than in untreated patients (42.5% [31 of 73] vs 57.8% [52 of 90]; P = .053 by univariate analysis). In multivariate regression analysis, a higher Ct and a younger age were associated with survival (P < .001), while favipiravir treatment showed no statistically significant effect (P = .11). However, Kaplan-Meier analysis indicated a longer survival time in the favipiravir-treated group (P = .015). The study also showed characteristic changes in blood chemistry findings in patients who died, compared with survivors. CONCLUSIONS: Consistent with the JIKI trial, this retrospective study revealed a trend toward improved survival in favipiravir- treated patients; however, the effect of treatment was not statistically significant, except for its influence on survival time.

Lower insulin secretory response to glucose induced by artificial nutrition in children: prolonged and total parenteral nutrition.

Long-term parenteral nutrition (TPN) in children is associated with sustained hyperinsulinemia due to a high nutriment infusion flow 12 h/24 h, with plausible lipotoxicity secondary to repeated lipid infusions and with changes in incretin hormone release. The aim of this study was to test whether long-term TPN can lead to an alteration in beta-cell function. Thirteen children (age 9.5 +/- 3.9 y) on total TPN without obvious alternation in glucose tolerance were included. beta-Cell function was quantified with an intravenous glucose tolerance test (IVGTT) and a graded glucose infusion. First phase insulin release (FPIR) was low in five patients. The same demonstrated a lower insulin release under graded glucose infusion, although plasma glucose reached values as high as 15 mM. These data emphasize that metabolic conditions induced by TPN can lead to lower insulin secretory response to glucose. Patients who remain dependent on TPN are at risk of developing glucose tolerance disorders.

Lower bone mineral content in children with type 1 diabetes mellitus is linked to female sex, low insulin-like growth factor type I levels, and high insulin requirement.

CONTEXT: Studies on bone mineral characteristics in children with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) have generated conflicting results. OBJECTIVE: Our objective was to investigate bone mineral characteristics in children with T1DM and to analyze their associations with bone metabolism and the IGF-I system. DESIGN: We recruited a cohort of Caucasian patients with T1DM for at least 3 yr and healthy children between January 2003 and June 2004. SETTING: This was a university hospital-based study. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 127 patients and 319 controls aged 6 to 20 yr participated. METHODS: Dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry was performed in patients and controls. Serum bone alkaline phosphatase, CrossLaps, IGF-I, and IGF-binding protein 3 levels were determined in patients with values analyzed using our normative data from 1150 healthy children. RESULTS: After adjustment for age, sex, pubertal stage, and body mass index sd score, total body bone mineral content (BMC)/lean body mass was significantly lower in patients than in controls (P < 0.04). This difference was a result of the differences between the girls of the two groups. Girls with T1DM had significantly lower lumbar spine and total body BMC than control girls (P = 0.002), whereas no such difference was observed in boys. Serum bone alkaline phosphatase level was significantly lower in girls than in boys (P = 0.04). Low serum IGF-I levels and the administration of large amounts of insulin were found to have independent deleterious effects on BMC for children of all ages and both sexes, whereas disease duration and glycosylated hemoglobin levels did not. CONCLUSIONS: A sex-related difference in the impairment of bone mineral characteristics was identified in children with T1DM. Longitudinal studies are required to investigate whether boys may gain slightly less bone mass during skeletal growth.