Laboratory diagnostics of lysosomal acid lipase deficiency (LAL‐D), a rare disorder associated with LIPA alterations, are based on the evaluation of LAL activity. In dry blood spots (DBS) submitted for LAL‐D diagnostics (the screening cohort) over a two‐year period or obtained from a cohort of retrospective LAL‐D patients, we measured: (1) LAL activity using a two‐reaction assay with 4‐methylumbelliferone palmitate (4‐MU‐Palm) and Lalistat‐2, a specific LAL inactivator; (2) total lipase (TL) activity by a 1‐hour kinetic 4‐MU‐Palm cleavage reaction (no Lalistat‐2). The TL activity was expressed as the area under the kinetic curve after 1 hour (TL‐AUC 1h ) of the reaction and presented as the median (min‐max). LAL activity was reduced in 30/537 individuals from the screening cohort, among which LIPA sequencing revealed six patients and one carrier. Overall, 16 (89%) individuals among six novel and 12 retrospective LAL‐D patients carried at least one c.894G>A mutation (six were homozygous). The TL‐AUC1h in nonLAL‐D specimens with normal LAL activity (n = 90) was unambiguously higher (9471 [4015‐23 585] RFU*h/punch) compared to LAL‐D patients, including six new and nine retrospective patients (1810 [357‐2608] RFU*h/punch). Importantly, in 13/15 examined nonLAL‐D specimens with reduced LAL activity the TL‐AUC1h was above a threshold of 2652 RFU*h/punch. Applying this threshold, the TL‐AUC1h index discriminated all LAL‐D patients (100% sensitivity) and 103/105 nonLAL‐D specimens (98% specificity). Given that there is no need for Lalistat‐2 and two parallel enzymatic reactions in conjunction with high sensitivity and specificity, the kinetic assay seems to be practical for LAL‐D screening. Synopsis Lysosomal acid lipase deficiency responsible for Wolman disease and cholesterol ester storage disease could be reliably detected using a kinetic assay of total lipase activity with a fluorogenic substrate.
Both groups of children underwent a rapid step test, which has immediately confirmed the diagnosis, while the results of the microbiological culture came after 2-3 days.It is noteworthy to mention that all children of the sample, have been treated in my paediatric practice. Conclusion The comparative study confirmed that the rapid strep test is accurate in 97% of the examined cases. Namely, the parallel analyses consisting of rapid strep test and microbiological swabs in 269 children out of 380, have shown identical results.Therefore, a rapid strep test is ought to be done by every doctor, in order to come up with a prompt diagnosis and therapy, prevent diseases, as well as promoting rational use of antibiotics.
Objective. To evaluate the significance of therapeutic drug monitoring of adalimumab (ADA) concentration levels and antibodies to it in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in children. Patients and methods. In this study, 103 children with IBD (24 patients with ulcerative colitis (UC) and 79 with Crohn’s disease (CD)) aged 3–18 years were examined during maintenance therapy with ADA (100 mg/mL in 0.4 mL). Body weight, duration of disease and therapy, use of azathioprine (AZA), achievement of clinical and endoscopic remission, albumin levels, residual levels of ADA and antibodies to the drug, circulating cytokine levels in serum were assessed. Results. A significant decrease in ADA levels in children in the absence of clinical remission in CD (5.21 [3.32; 7.43] μg/mL in remission) and in UC (2.42 [0.42; 4.51] μg/mL, p = 0.001) was shown. A high-quality separation model for residual ADA levels for exacerbation/remission conditions for clinical and endoscopic activity for children with CD and UC was obtained through ROC-analysis. The minimum residual ADA levels for maintaining clinical remission in children with CD were 8.1 μg/mL and 10.5 μg/mL for mucosal healing. In children with UC, as well as in children weighing <40 kg, these levels were higher. The formation of antibodies to ADA was minimal; combination therapy with AZA showed no efficacy. Key cytokines correlating with ADA concentration were interleukins IL-6, -13, -31, -27, -9, and tumor necrosis factor-α. Conclusion. To improve the efficacy of ADA therapy in children with IBD, therapeutic drug monitoring should be performed, considering the nosology and body weight of the child, as well as the goal of therapy (clinical and endoscopic remission). Key words: inflammatory bowel disease, Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, adalimumab, therapeutic drug monitoring, tumor necrosis factor-α, cytokine profile, azathioprine
The Relationship of the Degree of Impairment of the Structure and Function of the Liver with its Chronic Illnesses in Children Objective: Our aim was to on the basis of determining the degree of violation of the structure and function of the liver establish their relationships and to assess the dynamics of liver disease in its chronic illnesses in children. Methods: With the help of the developed scoring systems were used to assess the degree of liver dysfunction and the degree of disruption of the structure of the liver and the severity of portal hypertension. Results: The results of the diagnostic methods 252 children aged 1 to 17 years (mean age of 11.8±3,5) with Wilson disease (WD), autoimmune hepatitis (AIH), chronic hepatitis C (CHC) were analyzed; 48 patients underwent liver transplantation. In children with WD, AIH and CHC liver function reduced by 41.3±12.9% to 28.8±12.5% and 19.1±7.8% respectively. Structure of the liver in children with WD, AIH and CHC was disturbed by 25.0±8.1% to 20.4±9.2% and 6.8±4.4% respectively. The function and structure violations of the liver more pronounced in liver cirrhosis. The use of the developed scoring systems to monitor the severity of liver damage in the dynamics and evaluation of the effectiveness of the therapy is demonstrated. The degree of liver dysfunction is directly dependent on the degree of its structure. Abnormal liver function ≥40% and ≥40% of its structure with treatment failure can be used as a criterion of indications for elective liver transplantation with its chronic diseases in children. Conclusion: Developed a point system to determine liver function and a point system to determine disruption of the structure of the liver and the severity of portal hypertension in children can serve as an objective criterion for assessing the severity of liver disease, monitoring their changes in the dynamics with the assessment of the effectiveness of the therapy and making decisions about the need for routine liver transplantation in its chronic illnesses in children.
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