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Background: Scurvy, the disease resulting from vitamin C deficiency, is perceived as being rare and occurring predominantly in the past. However, scurvy continues to exist and may be encountered in children with medical/developmental conditions and/or restricted diet. Diagnosis can be challenging given the perceived rarity of the condition and nonspecific symptoms, including gingival disease. Methods:We present a series of two cases of scurvy in which the affected children presented to medical attention with dental complaints. Additional cases of scurvy are described, based on the literature review of case reports/series published in the last 10 years.

IntroductionFull blood count (FBC), one of the most frequently requested for laboratory investigations, is a simple, fast and cheap test and is a reliable indicator of health. Due to its usefulness in the assessment of health status of individuals, its parameters in cord blood, a major source of haemopoietic stem cell transplantation and an ideal source for laboratory investigations for newborns were determined to provide a useful guide to local neonatologists and stem cell transplant physicians.MethodsThree millilitres of umbilical cord blood was collected from 130 normal birth weight newborns (69 males and 61 females) whose cord were clamped immediately after delivery, at a teaching hospital in Lagos, Nigeria and full blood count parameters were determined using Sysmex autoanalyzer, model KX-21N. Consented mothers of the newborns were selected based on, age between 18 and 45 years; uneventful pregnancy and delivery and haemoglobin (Hb) concentration ≥ 10 g/dL.ResultsThere were no statistical gender differences in the mean values of Hb concentrations (M = 13.27 ±1.60 g/dL; F = 13.32±1.61g/dL; p = 0.93), total white cell count (M = 3.16±5.43 × 109/L; F = 13.07±4.98 × 109/L; p= 0.92), platelet count (M= 223.64± 64.21 × 109/L; F = 226.69±80.83 × 109/L; p = 0.81) and other parameters.ConclusionMean values of full blood count parameters obtained in this study are comparable to reports from other studies in developing countries and could be a useful guide for neonatologists and stem cell transplant physicians in our geographical location.

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ObjectivesThe aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical validity of early Sjögren’s syndrome (SS) autoantibodies (eSjA), which were originally marketed for early diagnosis of SS, for juvenile SS (JSS) in a recently identified pediatric cohort.MethodsA total of 105 symptomatic subjects with eSjA results available were evaluated at the Center for Orphaned Autoimmune Disorders at the University of Florida and enrolled for this study. JSS diagnosis was based on the 2016 ACR/EULAR SS criteria. Demographic/clinical/laboratory parameters were compared between JSS (n = 27) and non-JSS (n = 78) for % positivity, sensitivity, and specificity of eSjA (SP1, anti-salivary protein; CA6, anti-carbonic anhydrase VI; PSP, anti-parotid secretory protein) and classic SS-autoantibodies (cSjA; ANA, SSA/SSB, RF, and others) either alone or in combination. Associations between eSjA and diagnostic/glandular parameters were also determined by Fisher’s exact test.ResultsCompared to non-JSS, JSS patients exhibited sicca symptoms demonstrating reduced unstimulated salivary flow rate (USFR) and abnormal glandular features revealed by salivary gland ultrasound (SGUS). Among cSjA, ANA demonstrated the highest sensitivity of 69.2%, while SSA, SSB, and RF showed around 95% specificities for JSS diagnosis. The % positive-SSA was notably higher in JSS than non-JSS (56% vs. 5%). Of eSjA, anti-CA6 IgG was the most prevalent without differentiating JSS (37%) from non-JSS (32%). Sensitivity and specificity of eSjA were 55.6 and 26.9%, respectively. Autoantibodies with potentially applicable specificity/sensitivity for JSS were seen only in cSjA without a single eSjA included. There were no associations detected between eSjA and focus score (FS), USFR, SSA, SGUS, and parotitis/glandular swelling analyzed in the entire cohort, JSS, and non-JSS. However, a negative association between anti-PSP and parotitis/glandular swelling was found in a small group of positive-SSA (n = 19, p = 0.02) whereas no such association was found between anti-PSP-positive compared to anti-PSP-negative. JSS and non-JSS groups differed in FS, USFR, and EULAR SS Patient Reported Index Dryness/Mean in CA6/PSP/ANA, SP1, and SSA-positive groups, respectively. Additionally, a higher FS was found in RF-positive than RF-negative individuals.ConclusionseSjA underperformed cSjS in differentiating JSS from non-JSS. The discovery of clinical impact of eSjA on early diagnosis of JSS necessitates a longitudinal study.

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Patients with glycogen storage disease (GSD) are either orally fed (ORF) or gastronomy-tube fed (GTF) with cornstarch to maintain normal glucose levels. It is not known whether the use of cornstarch affects the microbiological oral profile of patients with GSD. Thus, the purpose of this study was to compare supragingival and subgingival plaque samples collected from 53 participants with GSD (2-56 years)-29 ORF and 24 GTF. The 16S sequence bacterial profiles of plaque DNA were obtained and a total of 768 probes were detected across the plaque groups. Orally fed patients showed higher means of cariogenic species and periodontal health-associated species, whereas GTF patients showed higher means of periopathogenic species (P < .05). Orally fed patients exhibited high levels of caries pathogens and lower levels of periodontal pathogens possibly due to the acidic environment created by their cornstarch diet, when compared to GTF patients.