A Multicenter Retrospective Survey regarding Diabetic Ketoacidosis Management in Italian Children with Type 1 Diabetes

We conducted a retrospective survey in pediatric centers belonging to the Italian Society for Pediatric Diabetology and Endocrinology. The following data were collected for all new-onset diabetes patients aged 0-18 years: DKA (pH < 7.30), severe DKA (pH < 7.1), DKA in preschool children, DKA treatment according to ISPAD protocol, type of rehydrating solution used, bicarbonates use, and amount of insulin infused. Records (n = 2453) of children with newly diagnosed diabetes were collected from 68/77 centers (87%), 39 of which are tertiary referral centers, the majority of whom (n = 1536, 89.4%) were diagnosed in the tertiary referral centers. DKA was observed in 38.5% and severe DKA in 10.3%. Considering preschool children, DKA was observed in 72%, and severe DKA in 16.7%. Cerebral edema following DKA treatment was observed in 5 (0.5%). DKA treatment according to ISPAD guidelines was adopted in 68% of the centers. In the first 2 hours, rehydration was started with normal saline in all centers, but with different amount. Bicarbonate was quite never been used. Insulin was infused starting from third hour at the rate of 0.05-0.1 U/kg/h in 72% of centers. Despite prevention campaign, DKA is still observed in Italian children at onset, with significant variability in DKA treatment, underlying the need to share guidelines among centers

Corrigendum: The silent epidemic of diabetic ketoacidosis at diagnosis of type 1 diabetes in children and adolescents in italy during the covid-19 pandemic in 2020(Front. Endocrinol., (2022), 13, (878634), 10.3389/fendo.2022.878634)

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Waist circumference as a predictor of cardiovascular and metabolic risk factors in obese girls

Objectives: (a) to explore the relationship between waist circumference and certain cardiovascular risk factors in a group of girls; and (b) to assess the clinical relevance of waist circumference in identifying girls with higher cardiovascular risk across puberty. Subjects and methods: One-hundred and fifty-five overweight or obese girls aged 5-16y were recruited. Overweight and obesity were defined on the basis of BMI, according to Cole. Results: Waist circumference was significantly correlated with plasma insulin (r = 0.43; P <0.001), systolic blood pressure (r = 0.22; P = 0.007) and IR HOMA (r = 0.40; P <0.001). A multivariate linear correlation analysis showed that, when adjusted for age and Tanner stage, waist circumference was significantly associated with plasma insulin (r 2 = 0.23; P <0.01), IR HOMA (r 2 = 0.17; P <0.02), systolic and diastolic blood pressure (r 2=0.20; P=0.006 and r 2 = 0.32; P <0.001, respectively). A logistic regression analysis, using IR HOMA as the dependent variable, showed that waist circumference was a significant independent risk factor of insulin resistance (IR HOMA 65 2.6) in this group of girls (OR 1.10; 95% CI 1.03-1.18; P=0.003), independently of their age and Tanner stage. Conclusions: Waist circumference of these girls was independently associated with certain cardiovascular risk factors, in particular insulin resistance and diastolic blood pressure, independently of age and Tanner stage. Thus suggesting that waist circumference may be reasonably included in clinical practice as a simple tool that may help to identify sub-groups of obese girls at higher metabolic risk across puberty

The mathematics of Marx. In the bicentenary of the birth of Karl Marx (1818–1883).

The Mathematical Manuscripts are the least known work of Karl Marx, in which the rediscovery of mathematics coincided with the revival of Hegel’s Logic. They are primarily dedicated to the logical foundation of differential calculus. Marx’s method is historical-genetic, identical to that used in his critique of Political Economy. His aim is to derive the derivative directly from the process of variation of the function, so that its algebraic, real origin is met. In previous methods, the differentials were individual entities with substantial content. In Marx, instead, they are inseparable as numerator and denominator in the differential ratio, which is a unitary operational symbol indicating an ordered set of logical operations. This notion is strikingly similar to the modern concept of algorithm, making Marx a precursor of the modern computational mathematics