Chylous ascites as a rare complication of abdominal trauma in a 7-year-old girl: A case report.

Key Clinical Message: Abdominal trauma can be one of the causes of chylous ascites in pediatric cases, along with tuberculosis and malignancy. However, a definitive diagnosis is more reasonable to be done by excluding other causes. Abstract: Chylous ascites (CA) is a rare type of ascites. Though it has high mortality and morbidity rates, which usually happen due to the rupture of lymph vessels into the peritoneal cavity. Congenital abnormalities, including lymphatic hypoplasia or dysplasia, are the most causes in pediatrics. CA following trauma in children is very rare, and to the best of our knowledge, there are very few reports in this regard. Here, we report a 7-year-old girl who was referred to our center with CA after a car accident.

Questioning Diagnostic Value of Serum Matrix Metalloproteinase 7 for Biliary Atresia.

Background: Matrix metalloproteinase 7 (MMP7) has been suggested as a promising biomarker in diagnosing biliary atresia (BA). This study aimed to assess the diagnostic accuracy of serum MMP7 in BA in the Middle Eastern population. Methods and materials: In this cross-sectional study, neonates and infants with direct hyperbilirubinemia admitted to Namazi referral hospital, Shiraz, Iran, were studied. Baseline demographic and clinical characteristics and blood samples were obtained on admission. MMP7 serum concentration was measured using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ZellBio GmbH, Ulm, Germany). Results: 44 infants with a mean age of 65.59 days were studied. Of these patients, 13 cases were diagnosed with BA, and 31 cases' cholestasis related to other etiologies. Serum MMP7 concertation was 2.13 ng/mL in the BA group and 1.85 ng/mL in the non-BA group. MMP7 was significantly higher in those presented with either dark urine or acholic stool. The predictive performance capability of the MMP7 was not significant in the discrimination of BA from the non-BA group based on receiver operating characteristic curve analysis (area under curve: 0.6, 95% confidence interval: 0.45-0.75). In the optimal cut of point 1.9, the sensitivity and specificity were 84.6% and 45.1%, respectively. Further combination of MMP7 with Gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT), alkaline phosphatase, direct and total bilirubin, and dark urine or acholic stool was not remarkably boosted the diagnostic accuracy of the test. Interestingly, GGT at a cut-off point of 230 U/L was 84.6% sensitive and 90.3% specific for BA. Conclusion: Our results are not consistent with previous studies on this subject. Considering more conventional and available tests like GGT besides conducting future studies with greater samples and different geographical areas is recommended.

Rosa damascena together with brown sugar mitigate functional constipation in children over 12 months old: A double-blind randomized controlled trial.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Rosa × damascena Herrm., known as damask rose, is a bushy shrub that is found abundantly in Fars province, Iran. This species has been used in Iranian traditional practices for the treatment of abdominal pain and constipation, as gastrointestinal diseases. Brown sugar (Saccharum officinarum L.) has also shown laxative effects in pediatric patients with functional constipation. AIM OF STUDY: This study aimed to compare the effects of Polyethylene Glycol (PEG) and a syrup made of R. damascena and brown sugar on the treatment of functional constipation in children aged above 12 months. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This double-blind randomized clinical trial was performed on 100 patients. One group received PEG and the other received an herbal syrup containing the decocted extract of 0.1 g R. damascena petals mixed with 0.85 g brown sugar per 1 mL. The patients were followed up for two and four weeks and their progresses were recorded. RESULTS: The cure rate was 100% in the R. damascena group and 91.7% in the control group. R. damascena and brown sugar syrup had an odds ratio of 1.09 in the treatment of functional constipation compared to PEG, but the difference was not statistically significant. The only adverse effect detected in the R. damascena group after four weeks was the bad taste of the medication that was too sweet. Nonetheless, this could be solved during the pharmaceutical processes. CONCLUSION: The R. damascena extract and brown sugar syrup can be used as an effective, safe, and inexpensive agent in the treatment of functional constipation.

Comparison of lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio with Child-Pugh and PELD/MELD scores to predict the outcome of children with cirrhosis.

Aim of the study: Prognostic scores are highly needed to properly manage children with cirrhosis and improve their clinical outcomes. The relationship between lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio (LMR) at the time of admission to hospital and outcome of cirrhosis has been studied in adults, but to the best of our knowledge, there is no study regarding its utility as a prognostic marker of poor outcome in children with cirrhosis. Thus, this study aimed to investigate the potential prognostic value of LMR in such patients. Material and methods: At the time of admission, LMR, Child-Pugh, and Pediatric End-stage Liver Disease/Model for End-stage Liver Disease (PELD/MELD) scores were calculated for 114 children with cirrhosis. LMR and PELD/MELD and Child-Pugh scores were compared between the survivor and non-survivor groups. Receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was performed and the cutoff values were calculated using the Youden index. Results: It was found that LMR had a strong negative correlation with PELD/MELD (r = -0.87, p = 0.36) and a weak negative correlation with Child-Pugh scores (r = -0.046, p = 0.63). The highest area under the curve (AUC) was found for LMR (0.861). The AUC was also good for PELD/MELD scores (0.804). The AUC values for LMR in patients under and above 6 years old were 0.675 (95% CI: 0.462-0.888) (p = 0.111) and 0.926 (95% CI: 0.852-1.000) (p < 0.001), respectively. The PELD/MELD scores were significantly higher in the low LMR group than in the high LMR group (p = 0.001). Conclusions: LMR can be used to determine the outcome of cirrhotic children older than 6 years during the hospital stay because it is easy to calculate and its efficacy is comparable to PELD/MELD scores. Meanwhile, further studies are needed to confirm these preliminary results.