Efficacy of infliximab after loss of response of/intolerance to adalimumab in pediatric Crohn's disease: A retrospective multicenter cohort study of the "GETAID pédiatrique".

BACKGROUND: Infliximab (IFX) and adalimumab (ADA) are recommended for induction and maintenance of remission in pediatric Crohn's disease (CD). ADA is now often used in first line due to its efficacy and tolerability, but a loss of response (LOR) can occur over time. The aim was to assess the efficacy of IFX as second line therapy after LOR or intolerance to ADA in pediatric CD patients at 1 year. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective and multicenter study in France among the "GETAID pédiatrique" centers between April 2019 and April 2022. CD patients under 18 years old and treated with IFX after ADA failure or intolerance were included. We collected anthropometric, clinical, and biological data at baseline (start of IFX), at 6 and 12 months. Clinical remission was defined by a Weighted Pediatric CD Activity Index (wPCDAI) score less than 12.5 points. RESULTS: Of the 32 patients included in our study, 27 (84.4%) were still on IFX at 12 months of the switch. Among them, 13 had discontinued ADA because of a LOR, 12 for insufficient response and 2 due to primary nonresponse. At M12, 22 patients were in corticosteroid free clinical remission (68.7%). Under IFX, the wPCDAI decreased over time (47.5 ± 24.1, 16.6 ± 21.2 and 9.7 ± 19.0 at M0, M6 and M12 respectively). The only factor associated with clinical remission at 12 months was absence of perianal disease at the end of the IFX induction. CONCLUSIONS: IFX is effective in maintaining remission at 1 year in pediatric CD patients experiencing a LOR or intolerance with ADA, and IFX could be an interesting therapeutic choice instead of other biologics in this situation.

Identification of protease-sensitive but not misfolding PNLIP variants in familial and hereditary pancreatitis.

Mutations in the PNLIP gene have recently been implicated in chronic pancreatitis. Several PNLIP missense variants have been reported to cause protein misfolding and endoplasmic reticulum stress although genetic evidence supporting their association with chronic pancreatitis is currently lacking. Protease-sensitive PNLIP missense variants have also been associated with early-onset chronic pancreatitis although the underlying pathological mechanism remains enigmatic. Herein, we provide new evidence to support the association of protease-sensitive PNLIP variants (but not misfolding PNLIP variants) with pancreatitis. Specifically, we identified protease-sensitive PNLIP variants in 5 of 373 probands (1.3%) with a positive family history of pancreatitis. The protease-sensitive variants, p.F300L and p.I265R, were found to segregate with the disease in three families, including one exhibiting a classical autosomal dominant inheritance pattern. Consistent with previous findings, protease-sensitive variant-positive patients were often characterized by early-onset disease and invariably experienced recurrent acute pancreatitis, although none has so far developed chronic pancreatitis.

Health-related quality of life of food-allergic children compared with healthy controls and other diseases.

BACKGROUND: Food allergy is a potentially life-threatening disease, affecting up to 10% of the pediatric population. OBJECTIVE: The aim of our study was to assess the health-related quality of life (HRQL) of food-allergic patients compared with the general population and patients with other chronic diseases with dietary or allergic burden, in a cross-sectional study. METHODS: We recruited patients aged 8-17 years diagnosed with food allergy and matched healthy controls recruited in schools. We also included patients with asthma, inflammatory bowel disease, celiac disease, diabetes, obesity, and eating disorders. We used the CHQ-CF87 questionnaire for generic HRQL assessment. Food allergy HRQL was also assessed using specific questionnaires: Food Allergy Quality of Life Questionnaire (FAQLQ) and Food Allergy Independent Measure (FAIM). RESULTS: One hundred and thirty-five food-allergic children, 255 children with chronic diseases, and 463 healthy controls were included in the analyses. Food-allergic patients had a better HRQL than healthy controls in the Behavior (BE), Bodily Pain (BP), Family Activities (FA), and Mental Health (MH) domains and a worse HRQL in the General Health Perception (GH) domain (p = .048). Food-allergic patients exhibited a better HRQL than patients affected by other chronic diseases, notably diabetes. Although an epinephrine autoinjector had been prescribed to 87.4% of the food-allergic children, only 54.2% of them carried it at all times. CONCLUSION: Food-allergic patients display overall good HRQL compared with the general population and those with other diseases with daily symptoms and treatments, in line with recent improvements in food allergy management.

Vascular Anomalies Associated with Esophageal Atresia and Tracheoesophageal Fistula.

OBJECTIVE: To report the incidence of congenital vascular anomalies in a cohort of patients with esophageal atresia (EA) and tracheoesophageal fistula (TEF) while describing the clinical presentation, diagnosis, and consequences, and to evaluate the diagnostic value of esophagram in diagnosing an aberrant right subclavian artery (ARSA). METHODS: All patients born with EA/TEF between 2005 and 2013 were studied. Preoperative echocardiography reports, surgical descriptions of primary esophageal repair, and esophagrams were reviewed retrospectively. RESULTS: Of the 76 children born with EA/TEF included in this study, 14 (18%) had a vascular malformation. The incidence of a right aortic arch (RAA) was 6% (5 of 76), and that of an aberrant right subclavian artery (ARSA) was 12% (9 of 76). RAA was diagnosed in the neonatal period by echocardiography (4 of 5) or surgery (1 of 5), and ARSA was diagnosed by echocardiography (7 of 9) or later on the esophagram (2 of 9). Respiratory and/or digestive symptoms occurred in 9 of the 14 patients with vascular malformation. Both long-gap EA and severe cardiac malformations necessitating surgery were significantly associated with vascular anomalies (P<.05). The sensitivity of the esophagram for diagnosing ARSA was 66%, the specificity was 98%, the negative predictive value was 95%, and the positive predictive value was 85%. CONCLUSION: ARSA and RAA have an incidence of 12% and 6% respectively, in patients with EA/TEF. A computed tomography angioscan is recommended to rule out such malformations when stenting of the esophagus is indicated, before esophageal replacement surgery, and when prolonged (>2 weeks) use of a nasogastric tube is considered.

Abnormal movements associated with oropharyngeal dysfunction in a child with Chiari I malformation.

BACKGROUND: Chiari I malformations (CM I) are rare hindbrain herniations. Dysphagia and other oropharyngeal dysfunctions may be associated with CM I, but to our knowledge, no clinical presentation similar to ours has ever been reported. The purpose of this communication is to draw attention to a unique and atypical clinical presentation of a child with CM I. CASE PRESENTATION: A 7-year-old boy was evaluated for a two month history of atypical movements which would occur in the evening, and last for an hour after eating. These stereotypical movements with the head and chest bending forward and to the left side, accompanied by a grimace, were associated with sensation of breath locking without cyanosis. Pain and dysphagia were absent. The neurological examination was normal. The possibility of Sandifer syndrome posturing occurring with gastroesophageal reflux disease was considered but neither pain nor back hyperextension were associated with the atypical movements. Neither proton pump inhibitors (PPI) nor prokinetic agents improved his symptoms. Upper endoscopy and esophageal biopsy did not reveal eosinophilic esophagitis nor reflux esophagitis. Ear, throat and nose (ENT) exam was normal. A severe gastroparesis was demonstrated on milk scan study. Two 24 hour oesophageal pH probe studies pointed out severe gastroesophageal reflux (GER). High resolution manometric evaluation of the oesophagus revealed normal sphincter pressures and relaxations with no dysmotility of the esophageal body. Electroencephalography and polysomnography were normal. A brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was performed and revealed a CM I: cerebellar tonsils extending to 12 mm, with syringomyelia (D4-D5). For a long period of time, the child's abnormal movements were considered to be nothing but tics and the CM I a fortuitous finding. Since the child remained symptomatic despite medical treatment, it was decided to proceed with surgery. One year after the onset of his symptoms, he underwent posterior fossa decompression with upper cervical laminectomy and expansion duroplasty. Postoperative MRI confirmed adequate decompression. His atypical posture and dyspnea completely resolved after surgery and he remains asymptomatic two years later. CONCLUSION: Children may have atypical presentations of CM I. Thus, CM I diagnosis should be considered in unexplained atypical oropharyngeal dysfunctions.

Drug safety of rosiglitazone and pioglitazone in France: a study using the French PharmacoVigilance database.

BACKGROUND: Thiazolidinediones (TZDs), rosiglitazone (RGZ) and pioglitazone (PGZ) are widely used as hypoglycemic drugs in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. The aim of our study was to investigate the profile of adverse drug reactions (ADRs) related to TZDs and to investigate potential risk factors of these ADRs. METHODS: Type 2 diabetic patients were identified from the French Database of PharmacoVigilance (FPVD) between 2002 and 2006. We investigated ADR related to TZD, focusing on 4 ADR: edema, heart failure, myocardial infarction and hepatitis corresponding to specific WHO-ART terms. RESULTS: Among a total of 99,284 adult patients in the FPVD, 2295 reports concerned type 2 diabetic patients (2.3% of the whole database), with 161 (7%) exposed to TZDs. The frequency of edema and cardiac failure was significantly higher with TZDs than in other patients (18% and 7.4% versus 0.8% and 0.1% respectively, p < 0.001) whereas the frequency of hepatitis was similar (5.9% versus 4%, NS). A multiple logistic regression model taking into account potential confounding factors (age, gender, drug exposure and co-morbidities) found that TZD exposure remained associated with heart failure and edema, but not with hepatitis or myocardial infarction. CONCLUSIONS: Thiazolidinediones exposure is associated with an increased risk of edema and heart failure in patients with type 2 diabetes even when recommendations for use are respected. In contrast, the risk of hepatic reactions and myocardial infarction with this class of drugs seems to be similar to other hypoglycemic agents.

Predictive Model for Gastrostomy Placement in Adolescents With Developmental Disabilities and Cerebral Palsy.

BACKGROUND: Factors associated with gastrostomy placement in adolescents with developmental disabilities (DDs) and cerebral palsy (CP) are poorly investigated. We aimed to develop and validate a machine learning (ML) model for gastrostomy placement in adolescents with DDs and CP. METHODS: We performed a multinational, double-blinded, case-control study including 130 adolescents with severe DD and CP (72 males, 58 females; mean age 16 ± 2 years). Data on etiology, diagnosis, spasticity, epilepsy, clinical history, and functional assessments such as the Eating and Drinking Ability Classification System, Manual Ability Classification System, and Gross Motor Function Classification System were collected between 2005 and 2015. Analysis included Fisher exact test, multiple logistic regressions, and a supervised ML model, named PredictMed, to identify factors associated with gastrostomy placement. "Transparent Reporting of a multivariable prediction model for Individual Prognosis or Diagnosis" guidelines were followed. RESULTS: Poor motor function (P < 0.001), trunk muscle tone disorder (P < 0.001), male gender (P < 0.01), epilepsy (P = 0.01), and severe neuromuscular scoliosis (P = 0.04) were factors linked with gastrostomy placement in univariate analysis. Epilepsy (P = 0.03), poor motor function (P = 0.04), and male gender (P = 0.04) were associated with gastrostomy placement in multivariate analysis with 95% accuracy. CONCLUSION: Epilepsy, poor motor function, trunk muscles tone disorder, and male gender were accurate, sensitive, and specific factors associated with gastrostomy need.

[Prevalence of diabetes in france and drug use: study based on the French pharmacovigilance database]. / Prise en charge thérapeutique des patients diabétiques en France: Apport de la Banque Nationale de Pharmacovigilance.

AIM: The aim of this study was to investigate the use of the French Pharmacovigilance Database to estimate characteristics of drug utilization in specific diseases. MATERIALS AND METHOD: We identified diabetic patients from the French Pharmacovigilance Database between 2002 and 2005. In this population, we studied demographic characteristics, and the patterns of drug use, particularly hypoglycemiant drug use and other drug exposure. In order to validate this approach, we compared our data to a population of patients with diabetes identified from the French Health Insurance System claims database in one French area. RESULTS: The estimation of prevalence of diabetes was very close in the sources: 2.7% in the French Pharmacovigilance Database and 3.2% in the French Health Insurance System claims database. We found similar results as well for demographic characteristics as for hypoglycemiant drug use and other drug exposure. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that the French Pharmacovigilance Database may be used to investigate drug utilization patterns.