Nutritional Assessment and Support in Children with Chronic Kidney Disease: The Benefits of Working with a Registered Dietitian.

BACKGROUND: An unbalanced dietary pattern, characterized by high animal protein content: may worsen metabolic control, accelerate renal deterioration and consequently aggravate the stage of the chronic kidney disease (CKD) in pediatric patients with this condition. AIM: to assess the effect of a registered dietitian (RD) intervention on the CKD children's eating habits. METHODS: Anthropometric and dietetic parameters, obtained at baseline and 12 months after implementing healthy eating and nutrition education sessions, were compared in 16 patients (50% girls) of 8.1 (1-15) years. On each occasion, anthropometry, 3-day food records and a food consumption frequency questionnaire were carried out. The corresponding relative intake of macro- and micronutrients was contrasted with the current advice by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and with consumption data obtained using the Spanish dietary guidelines. Student's paired t-test, Wilcoxon test and Mc Nemar test were used. RESULTS: At Baseline 6% were overweight, 69% were of normal weight and 25% were underweight. Their diets were imbalanced in macronutrient composition. Following nutritional education and dietary intervention 63%, 75% and 56% met the Dietary Reference Values requirements for fats, carbohydrates and fiber, respectively, but not significantly. CKD children decreased protein intake (p < 0.001), increased dietary fiber intake at the expense of plant-based foods consumption (p < 0.001) and a corresponding reduction in meat, dairy and processed food intake was noticed. There were no changes in the medical treatment followed or in the progression of the stages. CONCLUSIONS: RD-led nutrition intervention focused on good dieting is a compelling helpful therapeutic tool to improve diet quality in pediatric CKD patients.

Rituximab treatment in pediatric patients with steroid-dependent nephrotic syndrome: A tertiary hospital.

BACKGROUND: Corticosteroids have had a central role in the treatment of nephrotic syndrome. The management of these patients who become dependent to steroids is complex, involving different immunosuppressive drugs patterns. The monoclonal antibody anti CD20, Rituximab, is likely to have beneficial effects in cases of steroid-dependent nephrotic syndrome patients with no easy resolution, even when we cannot make a statement about the specific role in the impact. We bring our personal experience in pediatric patients treated with this medication during the last years, to provide a thorough overview and useful information about the role of Rituximab in this pathology. METHODS: Retrospective study in patients with steroid-dependent idiopathic nephrotic syndrome controlled in the division of Pediatric Nephrology of a Spanish tertiary hospital in those patients who had received at least one treatment cycle of Rituximab, at any moment along the evolution of the disease. RESULTS: The study involved 8 patients. All of them previously received immunosuppressive therapy. The Rituximab were administered as an intravenous infusion, in a dose of 375 mg/m2, and all doses were administered in a period during which the disease was in remission. The depletion of lymphocytes B (CD19, 0%) were confirmed after the first dose of Rituximab except for one, with a lymphocyte count of 1%. The period of depletion lasts 10,3 months (median; range 6,5-16 months), and only one of the patients registered a relapse of the disease in this period. A reduction of relapses suffered by patients has been shown after the treatment began (3,6 relapses/year in the previous year to the start of the treatment versus 0,1 relapses/year during the first year post-rituximab). The relapse-free survival in the first year reached 83,3% in patients who suffered more than one relapse (75% of patients), and without a relapse after the treatment began in 2 cases. One or more drugs could be removed in 87,5% of patients after the first cycle of rituximab. After the rituximab treatment, we reached a 96,5% decrease in the corticosteroids doses administered (28,5 mg/m2/day during the 3 months pre-treatment versus 1 mg/m2/day in the last 3 months of patient monitoring). Not a significant observed adverse effect attributed to the drug after the post-rituximab monitoring period (median 46,5 months, range 5-97 months). CONCLUSION: The favorable results reported after rituximab treatment in our patients seems to confirm the effectiveness of this drug in the steroid-dependent nephrotic syndrome, making that therapeutic option into consideration and legitimating the use of the drug in complex cases involving pediatric patients. Even so, it seems recommendable to design pertinent studies to clarify, among others, the optimum regimen of the treatment (dose, interval and cycles), clinical repercussion and potential adverse effects in long terms.

Tratamiento con rituximab en pacientes pediátricos con síndrome nefrótico córtico-dependiente. Experiencia en un hospital terciario / Rituximab treatment in pediatric patients with steroid-dependent nephrotic syndrome: a tertiary hospital

Introducción: La corticoterapia continúa siendo la piedra angular en el tratamiento del síndrome nefrótico. El manejo de los pacientes que desarrollan dependencia a esteroides es complejo, implicando distintas pautas de fármacos inmunosupresores. El rituximab, anticuerpo monoclonal anti-CD20, parece tener efectos beneficiosos en pacientes con síndrome nefrótico córtico-dependiente de difícil manejo clínico, si bien aún no está bien definido su papel en esta entidad. Con el fin de aportar información útil sobre el papel del rituximab en esta patología, presentamos nuestra experiencia personal en pacientes pediátricos tratados con este fármaco en los últimos años. Materiales y métodos: Estudio retrospectivo en pacientes con síndrome nefrótico idiopático córtico-dependiente controlados en la Sección de Nefrología Pediátrica de un hospital terciario español, y que habían recibido, al menos, un ciclo de tratamiento con rituximab durante cualquier momento de la evolución de la enfermedad. (AU)

Background: Corticosteroids have had a central role in the treatment of nephrotic syndrome. The management of these patients who become dependent to steroids is complex, involving different immunosuppressive drugs patterns. The monoclonal antibody anti CD20, Rituximab, is likely to have beneficial effects in cases of steroid-dependent nephrotic syndrome patients with no easy resolution, even when we cannot make a statement about the specific role in the impact. We bring our personal experience in pediatric patients treated with this medication during the last years, to provide a thorough overview and useful information about the role of Rituximab in this pathology. Methods: Retrospective study in patients with steroid-dependent idiopathic nephrotic syndrome controlled in the division of Pediatric Nephrology of a spanish tertiary hospital in those patients who had received at least one treatment cycle of Rituximab, at any moment along the evolution of the disease. (AU)

[Rituximab treatment in pediatric patients with steroid-dependent nephrotic syndrome: a tertiary hospital]. / Tratamiento con rituximab en pacientes pediátricos con síndrome nefrótico córtico-dependiente. Experiencia en un hospital terciario.

BACKGROUND: Corticosteroids have had a central role in the treatment of nephrotic syndrome. The management of these patients who become dependent to steroids is complex, involving different immunosuppressive drugs patterns. The monoclonal antibody anti CD20, Rituximab, is likely to have beneficial effects in cases of steroid-dependent nephrotic syndrome patients with no easy resolution, even when we cannot make a statement about the specific role in the impact. We bring our personal experience in pediatric patients treated with this medication during the last years, to provide a thorough overview and useful information about the role of Rituximab in this pathology. METHODS: Retrospective study in patients with steroid-dependent idiopathic nephrotic syndrome controlled in the division of Pediatric Nephrology of a spanish tertiary hospital in those patients who had received at least one treatment cycle of Rituximab, at any moment along the evolution of the disease. RESULTS: The study involved 8 patients. All of them previously received immunosuppressive therapy. The Rituximab were administered as an intravenous infusion, in a dose of 375 mg/m2, and all doses were administered in a period during which the disease was in remission. The depletion of lymphocytes B (CD 19%) were confirmed after the first dose of Rituximab except for one, with a lymphocyte count of 1%. The period of depletion lasts 10.3 months (median; range 6.5-16 months), and only one of the patients registered a relapse of the disease in this period. A reduction of relapses suffered by patients has been shown after the treatment began (3.6 relapses/year in the previous year to the start of the treatment vs. 0.1 relapses/year during the first year post-rituximab). The relapse-free survival in the first year reached 83.3% in patients who suffered more than one relapse (75% of patients), and without a relapse after the treatment began in 2 cases. One or more drugs could be removed in 87.5% of patients after the first cycle of rituximab. After the rituximab treatment, we reached a 96.5% decrease in the corticosteroids doses administered (28.5 mg/m2/day during the 3 months pre-treatment vs. 1 mg/m2/day in the last 3 months of patient monitoring). Not a significant observed adverse effect attributed to the drug after the post-rituximab monitoring period (median 46.5 months, range 5-97 months). CONCLUSION: The favorable results reported after rituximab treatment in our patients seems to confirm the effectiveness of this drug in the steroid-dependent nephrotic syndrome, making that therapeutic option into consideration and legitimating the use of the drug in complex cases involving pediatric patients. Even so, it seems recommendable to design pertinent studies to clarify, among others, the optimum regimen of the treatment (dose, interval and cycles), clinical repercussion and potential adverse effects in long terms.

Patrón de aislamiento bacteriano y sensibilidad antimicrobiana en urocultivos positivos obtenidos de una población pediátrica / Uropathogen pattern and antimicrobial susceptibility in positive urinary cultures isolates from paediatric patients

Introducción. El conocimiento de los uropatógenos y sus perfiles de sensibilidad antibiótica deben ser la base del tratamiento empírico racional en las infecciones urinarias. Material y métodos. Se analizaron retrospectivamente el patrón bacteriano y la sensibilidad antimicrobiana en los urocultivos positivos pediátricos identificados en un período de 5 años (2009-2013) de un Hospital de tercer nivel, y se compararon los resultados con un estudio previo realizado en el mismo Hospital entre 1995 y 1999. Resultados. Se aislaron un total de 2,762 cultivos de orina positivos en el período de estudio referido. Escherichia coli fue el microorganismo más frecuentemente aislado (58,9%), seguido de Enterococcus sp. (11,6%) y Proteus mirabilis (10,9%). Más del 95% de las cepas de E. coli no productoras de BLEE fueron sensibles a fosfomicina, nitrofurantoína, cefotaxima y aminoglucósidos. Por contra, el 56, 49 y 22% de los aislados de E. coli fueron resistentes a ampicilina, cefalosporinas orales de primera generación y cotrimoxazol, respectivamente. Ampicilina y amoxicilina/clavulánico fueron los antibióticos más eficaces para tratar Enterococcus sp. y P. mirabilis, respectivamente. La distribución porcentual de gérmenes y la sensibilidad antimicrobiana obtenidas en el estudio no presentaron cambios sustanciales respecto a las publicadas en el mismo hospital en la década de los noventa. Conclusiones. E. coli fue el germen mayoritariamente aislado, con un alto porcentaje de resistencias a ampicilina, cefalosporinas orales de primera generación y cotrimoxazol. Este patrón urinario de aislamientos y sensibilidad antimicrobiana fue similar al reportado en otros estudios pediátricos y tampoco se modificó respecto a una serie comparable de la década de los noventa, por lo que puede considerarse que las recomendaciones actuales del tratamiento antibiótico empírico en las infecciones urinarias se mantienen vigentes (AU)

Introduction. Knowledge of urophatogens and antibiotic susceptibility should be used to assist with empirical urinary tract infection treatment. Material and methods. We retrospectively analysed local bacterial pattern and antimicrobial susceptibility in positive urinary isolates from paediatric patients collected in the period 2009-2013. Results were compared with a previous study carried out in the same sanitary area between 1995 and 1999. Results. We identified 2,762 urinary isolates. Escherichia coli was the most common uropathogen (58.9%), followed by Enterococcus sp. (11.6%) and Proteus mirabilis (10.9%). More than 95% of non extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL)-producing E. coli were susceptible to nitrofurantoin, fosfomycin, cefotaxime and aminoglycosides. However, 56%, 49%, and 22% of the E. coli isolates were resistant to ampicillin, oral first-generation cephalosporins, and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, respectively. Ampicillin and amoxicillin-clavulanate were the most effective antibiotics to treat Enterococcus sp. and P. mirabilis, respectively. Not significant modifications were found compared to results published at the same area in the ‘90s. Conclusions. E. coli was the mostly isolated uropathogen, with a high percentage of resistance to ampicillin, oral first-generation cephalosporins, and trimethoprim-sulfameth-oxazole. These urinary isolates and antimicrobial susceptibility patterns were similar to those reported in other paediatric studies and did not show significant changes compared to local previously published results. Thus, it can be considered that the current recommendations about empiric antibiotic therapy in paediatric urinary tract infections remain applicable nowadays (AU)