Objective This study aimed at providing a national prevalence of single and multiple developmental delays (DDs) among 41,640 Egyptian children aged 1 to 12 years and exploring DDs’ associated risk and protective factors. Methods A national household survey from eight governorates of Egypt representing the four major subdivisions of Egypt was conducted through systematic probability proportionate to size. All enrolled children were assessed according to Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales, (VABS) as a reliable screening questionnaire for identifying categories of DDs that were verified by pediatrics’ specialists. Results The overall prevalence of children with DDs was 6.7%. The prevalence of a single DD was 3.9% versus 2.8% multiple DDs. Communication deficit was the most prevalent type (5.3%). Lower prevalence was identified for fine motor delay (1.0%), gross motor delay, and socialization deficit (1.5% each). Whereas deficits in daily life skills (self-help and adaptive behavior delay) amounted to 2.3%. Living without mothers and/or fathers in homes was associated with increased odds of having DDs by one and a half times (OR = 1.72 and OR = 1.34 respectively). Multiple logistic regression analysis revealed the most predictors for DDs including children who suffer from convulsions after birth (OR = 3.10), low birth weight babies (OR = 1.94), male sex (OR = 1.75), mothers having health problems during pregnancy (OR = 1.70) and belonging to middle socioeconomic status (OR = 1.41). Children who suffered from cyanosis after birth was found to be at risk for any or multiple DDs. Difficult labor was significantly associated with increased odds for multiple DDs (OR = 1.55). Higher paternal and maternal education was associated with decreased odds to have any DDs by 40% (OR = 0.60 and OR = 0.58 respectively). Conclusions The detected prevalence of DDs is within the estimated range of prevalence of DDs for the pediatric population. The majority of the detected risk factors are preventable. Developmental screening is recommended to be implemented in all primary care settings as a routine practice.
Intractable temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) is associated with alterations in expression of apoptosis-associated signaling molecules in the temporal lobe. Bcl-2 is an anti-apoptotic molecule which has previously been reported to be raised in patient's brain and serum. In the present study we examined serum Bcl-2 protein levels as a surrogate marker of apoptosis-associated signaling in children with non lesional TLE. Serum Bcl-2 levels were found to be higher in patients with TLE than controls. The serum level correlated to seizure variables including, duration of disease, frequency of seizures, and disease severity. The impact of epilepsy on cognition was assessed using total score intelligence quotient (IQ). IQ was found to be lower than controls and negatively correlated to serum Bcl-2. These findings support serum Bcl-2 levels as a marker of seizure burden and cognition in children with epilepsy.
Aim To investigate the effectiveness of a 90-day regular consumption of Dates fruit on alleviating autism severity symptoms in 131 Egyptian children aged 3–12 years with confirmed Autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The influence of the baseline and improvement of children’s clinical and laboratory characteristics on this effectiveness was explored. Methodology This study involved a randomized, controlled, double-blind 3-month of dates fruit intake. Cases were randomized into one of the three groups; Group I on 3 pieces of dates’ fruit/day (47 children), Group II on 5 pieces of dates’ fruits/day (42 children), and group III; on non-dates group (42 children). The probiotic levels of lactobacillus and bifidobacterium in stool, blood levels of three oxidative markers; Malondialdehyde (MDA), glutathione peroxidase (GPX1), and superoxide dismutase (SOD), adaptive behaviors, nutrition, dietary assessment, and anthropometric measurements were assessed before and after the intervention. Results A significant reduction in the mean severity score of CARS (Childhood Autism Rating Scale) and the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th Ed (DSM-5) was detected for those on dates’ regimens compared to those with non-dates (p < 0.01). The improvement for participants was dose dependent (5 dates’ fruits/day). The improvement was mainly in the social communication and interaction domains. Responders to Dates’ fruit intake as based on DSM-5 diagnosis was detected among 62.9% of the intervention groups. Responders are those who showed significant improvement in the colony counts of Bifidobacteria and Lactobacilli levels, BMI z score, and in the ratio levels of both MDA/SOD and MDA/GPX as a result of dates fruit consumption. Non-responders within the intervention groups are those who were at risk of malnutrition (RR = 2.0, 95% CI: 1.1–3.4), obese (RR = 1.9, 95% CI: 1.0-3.5), and those who had a deficiency of the baseline of lactobacillus Spp (RR = 2.2, 95% CI: 1.1–4.4). Conclusion Dates’ fruit (a non-pharmacological and risk-free option) due to its antioxidant, anti-inflammatory effect is recommended for autistic children as adjuvant therapy daily to achieve consistent improvement. This study was registered at the US National Institutes of Health (ClinicalTrials.gov) # NCT04261595, with Protocol ID: 12060158, the first registration date was 10/02/2020.
Objective: This study was conducted to explore the expression levels of HTR1A gene in a sample of Egyptian autistic children. Methods: Thirty autistic patients (18 boys, 12 girls) and 20 controls were enrolled in the study. From each child, we isolated RNA samples from whole blood. Quantitative Real-Time PCR (qRT-PCR) was used to measure the gene expressions of HTR1A and normalized to the house keeping gene, beta-actin. Results: The HTR1A gene expression of healthy controls and ASD subjects were varied significantly (p =0.0062). As compared to control healthy subjects, the HTR1A expressions were greatly reduced in samples of ASD. Conclusion: HTR1A gene expression level is a candidate gene for further studies to explore its potential roles in ASD related pathways.
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