Digital skills among youth: A dataset from a three-wave longitudinal survey in six European countries.

This dataset provides longitudinal survey data from a European project, ySKILLS, which was focused on the role of digital skills in youths' development. It contains data from 10,821 participants from Grades 6-10 (in Wave 1) in Estonia, Finland, Germany, Italy, Poland, and Portugal. The data was collected between Spring 2021 and Spring 2023, the participants were recruited through schools, where the data collection also took place, except for online data collections due to restrictions caused by COVID-19. The dataset is novel in its multidimensional approach to the construct of digital literacy. It provides insight into the development of digital skills in youth and the role of digital skills and internet usage in youths' positive and negative online experiences and wellbeing. It also contains data that allows for the analysis of the role of digital skills in class networks. The data are beneficial for researchers interested in the examination of youths' online skills, internet usage, online experiences, and wellbeing from a longitudinal perspective.

Further Delineation of Clinical Phenotype of ZMYND11 Variants in Patients with Neurodevelopmental Dysmorphic Syndrome.

Intellectual disability with speech delay and behavioural abnormalities, as well as hypotonia, seizures, feeding difficulties and craniofacial dysmorphism, are the main symptoms associated with pathogenic variants of the ZMYND11 gene. The range of clinical manifestations of the ZMYND phenotype is constantly being expanded by new cases described in the literature. Here, we present two previously unreported paediatric patients with neurodevelopmental challenges, who were diagnosed with missense variants in the ZMYND11 gene. It should be noted that one of the individuals manifested with hyperinsulinaemic hypoglycaemia (HH), a symptom that was not described before in published works. The reason for the occurrence of HH in our proband is not clear, so we try to explain the origin of this symptom in the context of the ZMYND11 syndrome. Thus, this paper contributes to knowledge on the range of possible manifestations of the ZMYND disease and provides further evidence supporting its association with neurodevelopmental challenges.

Pancreatic Involvement in the Course of Inflammatory Bowel Disease in Children-A Multi-Center Study.

The coexistence of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) with pancreatic pathology is rare in children. A retrospective analysis of data from 1538 children diagnosed with IBD in 2014-2021 was conducted to determine the frequency and causes of pancreatitis and asymptomatic hyperlipasemia (HL) or hyperamylasemia (HA) in this group of patients. Among the 176 children (11.4%) with pancreatic involvement (PI), acute pancreatitis (AP) was diagnosed in 77 children (43.8%), and HA or HL was observed in 88 children (50.0%). Only a few patients were diagnosed with autoimmune or chronic pancreatitis (6.2%). PI was observed at the time of the IBD diagnosis in 26.1% of the cases. A total of 54.5% of the patients had moderate to severe IBD, and 96% had colonic involvement at the time of diagnosis of PI. Idiopathic PI was the most common (57%), followed by drug-induced PI (37%) and azathioprine (AZA). In patients with AZA-induced AP, the successful introduction of 6-mercaptopurine (6-MP) to therapy was noted in 62.5% of the children. Our results suggest that routine monitoring of pancreatic enzymes in patients with IBD should be performed, especially after the initiation of the AZA treatment. The presence of transient HA/HL in IBD does not necessarily indicate pancreatic pathology.

Sodium Butyrate Effectiveness in Children and Adolescents with Newly Diagnosed Inflammatory Bowel Diseases-Randomized Placebo-Controlled Multicenter Trial.

BACKGROUND: Butyric acid's effectiveness has not yet been assessed in the pediatric inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) population. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of oral sodium butyrate as an add-on to standard therapy in children and adolescents with newly diagnosed IBD. METHODS: This was a prospective, randomized, placebo-controlled multicenter study. Patients aged 6-18 years with colonic Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis, who received standard therapy depending on the disease's severity, were randomized to receive 150 mg sodium butyrate twice a day (group A) or placebo (group B). The primary outcome was the difference in disease activity and fecal calprotectin concentration between the two study groups measured at 12 weeks of the study. RESULTS: In total, 72 patients with initially active disease completed the study, 29 patients in group A and 43 in group B. At week 12 of the study, the majority of patients achieved remission. No difference in remission rate or median disease activity was found between the two groups (p = 0.37 and 0.31, respectively). None of the patients reported adverse events. CONCLUSIONS: A 12-week supplementation with sodium butyrate, as adjunctive therapy, did not show efficacy in newly diagnosed children and adolescents with IBD.

Assessment of Sequential and Standard Triple Therapy in Treatment of Helicobacter pylori Infection in Children Dependent on Bacteria Sensitivity to Antibiotics.

BACKGROUND: In the last decade a 10-day schema of sequential therapy of Helicobacter pylori infection based on proton pomp inhibitor (PPI), amoxicillin (AMO), clarithromycin (CLA) and metronidazole (MET) has been introduced. Many studies have emphasized greater efficacy of this therapy in comparison to the efficacy of the standard 7-day triple therapy (PPI + AMO + CLA or MET). OBJECTIVES: The aim of the study was to assess the sequential and standard triple therapy. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Sixty-nine children, aged 5 to 17 years, with symptoms of dyspepsia and gastric or duodenal ulcer were included in the study. The children were randomly divided into three groups. Group I - 23 children treated with PPI + AMO + CLA, group II - 23 children treated with PPI + AMO + MET, and group III - 23 children treated with sequential therapy. The diagnosis of Helicobacter pylori infection was based on histopathological evaluation of gastric mucosa sample and on culture. The sensitivity of bacterial strains to antibiotics was assessed based on E-tests. The efficacy of Helicobacter pylori eradication was assessed 6-8 weeks after the completion of the treatment. RESULTS: In children infected with Helicobacter pylori strains, which were sensitive to clarithromycin, the highest rate of eradication was obtained in the group treated with PPI + AMO + CLA (100%) and in the group treated with sequential therapy (90.48%), the lowest was in the group treated with PPI + AMO + MET. CONCLUSIONS: Efficiency of treatment of Helicobacter pylori infection in children depended on sensitivity of the strains to clarithromycin. Sensitivity to metronidazole did not influence significantly the eradication rate.

Prognostic value of plasma N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide concentration in patients with normal and impaired left ventricular systolic function undergoing surgery for abdominal aortic aneurysm.

INTRODUCTION: Implantation of an aortic-bifemoral prosthesis is characterised by a high (> 5%) rate of perioperative cardiovascular events. The main aim of the study is to demonstrate the usefulness of the determination of NT-proBNP concentration as a method of risk stratification of left ventricular dysfunction in patients subjected to surgery for aortic-bifemoral prosthesis implantation. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Forty consecutive patients were examined and subjected to aortic-bifemoral prosthesis implantation. The examined patients were divided into two groups: 1) with normal left ventricular systolic function and EF ≥ 58% (group I), 2) with left ventricular systolic dysfunction and EF < 58% (group II). RESULTS: In group I the median EF before surgery was 69.5% and the concentration of NT-proBNP 141.5 pg/ml. On day 7 after surgery respective values were EF 65.5%, NT-proBNP 498.55 pg/ml. In group II the median EF before surgery was 54%, and NT-proBNP concentration 303.9 pg/ml. CONCLUSIONS: The concentration of plasma NT-proBNP before surgery well correlated with left ventricular ejection fraction. The values of NT-proBNP > 303.9 pg/ml strongly correlated with increased risk of left ventricular systolic dysfunction after surgery and they seem to have high prognostic value for the occurrence of cardiovascular events in this group of patients. The determination of NT-proBNP level on day 7 after surgery strongly correlated with the decrease of left ventricular ejection fraction in patients after the prosthesis implantation. It is a valuable diagnostic and prognostic factor of circulatory system efficiency before making a decision to discontinue hospitalization.

Assessment of blood flow in posterior ciliary arteries and its correlation with intraocular and arterial blood pressures in patients with open angle glaucoma.

BACKGROUND: At present, the vascular theory of glaucomatous neuropathy is still the subject of intensive scientific studies aiming at settling the relationship between the development of glaucomatous neuropathy and vascular factors. Therefore the purpose of this study was to assess the blood flow parameters in the posterior ciliary artery and middle cerebral artery in patients with glaucoma and the correlation of glaucomatous changes with flow in vessels supplying the retina, choroid and anterior segment of the optic nerve in patients with glaucoma with and without coexisting arterial hypertension. MATERIAL/METHODS: The study comprised 50 patients who were divided into two groups: group I - 25 patients (50 eyes) with primary open angle glaucoma (POAG) without coexisting arterial hypertension; and group II - 25 patients (50 eyes) with POAG with diagnosed and treated arterial hypertension. RESULTS: The median of the mean maximal velocity in posterior ciliary arteries was 10.4 cm/s in patients from group I. In patients with POAG and arterial hypertension the median of the mean maximal velocity in posterior ciliary arteries was 8.95 cm/s (p<0.002). In group I the median of the Gosling pulsatility index (PI) in posterior ciliary arteries was 1.0, whereas in group II the median was 1.16 (p<0.002). The median of the pulsatility transmission index (PTI) for cerebral and ocular vessels was 1.3 in group I, whereas in group II the median was 1.38 (p<0.02). CONCLUSIONS: The coexistence of arterial hypertension in glaucoma patients significantly worsens microcirculation in the area of posterior ciliary arteries and may be the cause of accelerated progression of glaucomatous neuropathy.