Socio-economic status, lifestyle and childhood obesity in Gombe.

Background: Childhood obesity is a complex condition resulting from an interplay of genetic predisposition, environmental factors and socio-economic status. The prevalence has been increasing all over the world, probably due to economic transition and rapid urbanization as well as globalisation. This relationship should be well established for Improved Health Planning in Gombe State and Nigeria.Objectives: To establish the prevalence of Childhood Obesity and it`s relationship with the Socio-Economic Status of Parents and guardians.Methodology: Anthropometric measurements of children and adolescents in both public and private schools from primary to secondary levels were taken and their BMI calculated. The socioeconomic statuses of their parents, as well as the lifestyle of the children were assessed.Results: Overweight and obesity were more prevalent in children whose parents belonged to the middle and upper socio-economic class; these children had televisions and computers in their rooms and were driven to schoolConclusion: The picture is completely the reverse of what is obtainable in the developed and industrialised nations where overweight and obesity are more prevalent in children of the lower socio-economic class. Authors` contribution: The first author is the lead researcher and is a staff of Federal Teaching Hospital Gombe while the second author, a staff of University of Maiduguri is the first supervisor who gave guidelines and made corrections. The second and the third authors are members of staff of the University of Melbourne in Australia; the third author provided a template on which the questionaire was based while the fourth author who is also the second supervisor, is a tutor of the European Society for Pediatric Endocrinology; she facilitated the acceptance of the proposal and the sponsorship for the research. The research was carried out in Gombe, the capital of Gombe State in North Eastern NigeriaKeywords: Socio-Economic, Childhood, Obesity, Nigeri

Fracture risk and impact in boys with Duchenne muscular dystrophy: A retrospective cohort study

Introduction/Aims: Boys with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) are at increased risk of fracture. This study investigated the incidence of fractures, factors contributing to risk of first fracture with emphasis on body mass index (BMI), and the impact of fractures on functional capacity in an Australian cohort of boys with DMD. Methods: A retrospective cohort study included boys with DMD who attended a pediatric neuromuscular clinic from 2011 to 2018. Information regarding fractures, anthropometry measurements, body composition and functional assessment was collected. Factors associated with first fracture risk were analyzed with Cox-proportional hazards. Longitudinal analysis of function post-fracture was also conducted. Results: This study included 155 boys with DMD. At least one fracture occurred in 71 (45%) boys; overall incidence of fractures was 399-per-10,000 persons-years. The first fracture was vertebral in 55%; 41% had non-vertebral fractures and 4% had both. Vertebral fractures occurred in significantly older (12.28 vs 9.28 y) boys with longer exposure to glucocorticoids (5.45 vs 2.50 y) compared to non-vertebral fractures. Boys with a history of fracture(s) had a steeper rate of functional decline (measured by Northstar Ambulatory Assessment score) than those with no recorded fractures. Discussion: A high fracture burden was observed in a large Australian cohort of boys with DMD. Further investigation is required to understand preventative strategies and modifiable risk factors to reduce the incidence of fractures in DMD. The impact on fractures on ambulatory capacity should be closely monitored

The boy who refused an IV: a case report of subcutaneous clodronate for bone pain in a child with Ewing Sarcoma

BACKGROUND: Bone pain in malignancy can be challenging to treat. Bisphosphonates have been found to be useful in adults with bone pain, but there are no reports of their use in children for this indication. In pediatric palliative medicine there are hurdles in translating knowledge gained primarily in adult studies into application in children. Obstacles exist in initially determining whether the evidence supports using a drug in children, and once a drug is chosen, then determining the optimal route of delivery. There is very little data to guide pediatric practitioners in this situation. CASE PRESENTATION: A 9 year old boy with disseminated Ewing Sarcoma presented with extremity pain not responsive to a combination of opiates, gabapentin and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. Clodronate, a bisphosphonate, was added to the regimen to treat bone pain. It was given subcutaneously every 4 weeks with a good response and no side effects. CONCLUSION: This case report describes the use of a bisphosphonate, clodronate, given subcutaneously to a child with Ewing sarcoma with effective relief of bone pain. It describes how the care team encountered the challenges inherent in translating adult therapy into a pediatric regimen. Furthermore the report details how a regimen was developed to address this child's concerns regarding medication administration. Further effort needs to be made at finding solutions to address the lack of good evidence for pediatric palliative therapies

Disorders of sex development: insights from targeted gene sequencing of a large international patient cohort

BACKGROUND: Disorders of sex development (DSD) are congenital conditions in which chromosomal, gonadal, or phenotypic sex is atypical. Clinical management of DSD is often difficult and currently only 13% of patients receive an accurate clinical genetic diagnosis. To address this we have developed a massively parallel sequencing targeted DSD gene panel which allows us to sequence all 64 known diagnostic DSD genes and candidate genes simultaneously. RESULTS: We analyzed DNA from the largest reported international cohort of patients with DSD (278 patients with 46,XY DSD and 48 with 46,XX DSD). Our targeted gene panel compares favorably with other sequencing platforms. We found a total of 28 diagnostic genes that are implicated in DSD, highlighting the genetic spectrum of this disorder. Sequencing revealed 93 previously unreported DSD gene variants. Overall, we identified a likely genetic diagnosis in 43% of patients with 46,XY DSD. In patients with 46,XY disorders of androgen synthesis and action the genetic diagnosis rate reached 60%. Surprisingly, little difference in diagnostic rate was observed between singletons and trios. In many cases our findings are informative as to the likely cause of the DSD, which will facilitate clinical management. CONCLUSIONS: Our massively parallel sequencing targeted DSD gene panel represents an economical means of improving the genetic diagnostic capability for patients affected by DSD. Implementation of this panel in a large cohort of patients has expanded our understanding of the underlying genetic etiology of DSD. The inclusion of research candidate genes also provides an invaluable resource for future identification of novel genes.Stephanie Eggers ... Elizabeth M. Thompson, Jennifer Couper, Anne Baxendale, Jozef Gecz ... et al

Lumbar spine and total-body dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry in children with severe neurological impairment and intellectual disability: a pilot study of artefacts and disrupting factors

Background Children with severe neurological impairment and intellectual disability (ID) are susceptible for developing low bone mineral density (BMD) and fractures. BMD is generally measured with dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA). Objective To describe the occurrence of factors that may influence the feasibility of DXA and the accuracy of DXA outcome in children with severe neurological impairment and ID. Materials and methods Based on literature and expert opinion, a list of disrupting factors was developed. Occurrence of these factors was assessed in 27 children who underwent DXA measurement. Results Disrupting factors that occurred most frequently were movement during measurement (82%), aberrant body composition (67%), small length for age (56%) and scoliosis (37%). The number of disrupting factors per child was mean 5.3 (range 1-8). No correlation was found between DXA outcomes and the number of disrupting factors. Conclusion Factors that may negatively influence the accuracy of DXA outcome are frequently present in children with severe neurological impairment and ID. No systematic deviation of DXA outcome in coherence with the amount of disrupting factors was found, but physicians should be aware of the possible influence of disrupting factors on the accuracy of DXA

Pituitary blastoma: a pathognomonic feature of germ-line DICER1 mutations.

Individuals harboring germ-line DICER1 mutations are predisposed to a rare cancer syndrome, the DICER1 Syndrome or pleuropulmonary blastoma-familial tumor and dysplasia syndrome [online Mendelian inheritance in man (OMIM) #601200]. In addition, specific somatic mutations in the DICER1 RNase III catalytic domain have been identified in several DICER1-associated tumor types. Pituitary blastoma (PitB) was identified as a distinct entity in 2008, and is a very rare, potentially lethal early childhood tumor of the pituitary gland. Since the discovery by our team of an inherited mutation in DICER1 in a child with PitB in 2011, we have identified 12 additional PitB cases. We aimed to determine the contribution of germ-line and somatic DICER1 mutations to PitB. We hypothesized that PitB is a pathognomonic feature of a germ-line DICER1 mutation and that each PitB will harbor a second somatic mutation in DICER1. Lymphocyte or saliva DNA samples ascertained from ten infants with PitB were screened and nine were found to harbor a heterozygous germ-line DICER1 mutation. We identified additional DICER1 mutations in nine of ten tested PitB tumor samples, eight of which were confirmed to be somatic in origin. Seven of these mutations occurred within the RNase IIIb catalytic domain, a domain essential to the generation of 5p miRNAs from the 5' arm of miRNA-precursors. Germ-line DICER1 mutations are a major contributor to PitB. Second somatic DICER1 "hits" occurring within the RNase IIIb domain also appear to be critical in PitB pathogenesis

Multilingual global e-learning pediatric endocrinology and diabetes curriculum for front line health care providers in resource-limited countries: Development study

Background: Electronic learning (e-learning) is a widely accessible, low-cost option for learning remotely in various settings that allows interaction between an instructor and a learner. Objective: We describe the development of a free and globally accessible multilingual e-learning module that provides education material on topics in pediatric endocrinology and diabetes and that is intended for first-line physicians and health workers but also trainees or medical specialists in resource-limited countries. Methods: As complements to concise chapters, interactive vignettes were constructed, exemplifying clinical issues and pitfalls, with specific attention to the 3 levels of medical health care in resource-limited countries. The module is part of a large e-learning portal, ESPE e-learning, which is based on ILIAS (Integriertes Lern-, Informations-und Arbeitskooperations-System), an open-source web-based learning management system. Following a review by global experts, the content was translated by native French, Spanish, Swahili, and Chinese-speaking colleagues into their respective languages using a commercial web-base

Syndromes with congenital brittle bones

BACKGROUND: There is no clear definition of osteogenesis imperfecta (OI). The most widely used classification of OI divides the disease in four types, although it has been suggested that there may be at least 12 forms of OI. These forms have been named with numbers, eponyms or descriptive names. Some of these syndromes can actually be considered congenital forms of brittle bones resembling OI (SROI). DISCUSSION: A review of different syndromes with congenital brittle bones published in the literature is presented. Syndromes are classified in "OI" (those secondary to mutations in the type I pro-collagen genes), and "syndromes resembling OI" (those secondary to mutations other that the type I pro-collagen genes, identified or not). A definition for OI is proposed as a syndrome of congenital brittle bones secondary to mutations in the genes codifying for pro-collagen genes (COL1A1 and COL1A2). SUMMARY: A debate about the definition of OI and a possible clinical and prognostic classification are warranted

DNA Polymerase Epsilon Deficiency Causes IMAGe Syndrome with Variable Immunodeficiency.

During genome replication, polymerase epsilon (Pol ε) acts as the major leading-strand DNA polymerase. Here we report the identification of biallelic mutations in POLE, encoding the Pol ε catalytic subunit POLE1, in 15 individuals from 12 families. Phenotypically, these individuals had clinical features closely resembling IMAGe syndrome (intrauterine growth restriction [IUGR], metaphyseal dysplasia, adrenal hypoplasia congenita, and genitourinary anomalies in males), a disorder previously associated with gain-of-function mutations in CDKN1C. POLE1-deficient individuals also exhibited distinctive facial features and variable immune dysfunction with evidence of lymphocyte deficiency. All subjects shared the same intronic variant (c.1686+32C>G) as part of a common haplotype, in combination with different loss-of-function variants in trans. The intronic variant alters splicing, and together the biallelic mutations lead to cellular deficiency of Pol ε and delayed S-phase progression. In summary, we establish POLE as a second gene in which mutations cause IMAGe syndrome. These findings add to a growing list of disorders due to mutations in DNA replication genes that manifest growth restriction alongside adrenal dysfunction and/or immunodeficiency, consolidating these as replisome phenotypes and highlighting a need for future studies to understand the tissue-specific development roles of the encoded proteins

Disorders of sex development : insights from targeted gene sequencing of a large international patient cohort

Background: Disorders of sex development (DSD) are congenital conditions in which chromosomal, gonadal, or phenotypic sex is atypical. Clinical management of DSD is often difficult and currently only 13% of patients receive an accurate clinical genetic diagnosis. To address this we have developed a massively parallel sequencing targeted DSD gene panel which allows us to sequence all 64 known diagnostic DSD genes and candidate genes simultaneously. Results: We analyzed DNA from the largest reported international cohort of patients with DSD (278 patients with 46, XY DSD and 48 with 46, XX DSD). Our targeted gene panel compares favorably with other sequencing platforms. We found a total of 28 diagnostic genes that are implicated in DSD, highlighting the genetic spectrum of this disorder. Sequencing revealed 93 previously unreported DSD gene variants. Overall, we identified a likely genetic diagnosis in 43% of patients with 46, XY DSD. In patients with 46, XY disorders of androgen synthesis and action the genetic diagnosis rate reached 60%. Surprisingly, little difference in diagnostic rate was observed between singletons and trios. In many cases our findings are informative as to the likely cause of the DSD, which will facilitate clinical management. Conclusions: Our massively parallel sequencing targeted DSD gene panel represents an economical means of improving the genetic diagnostic capability for patients affected by DSD. Implementation of this panel in a large cohort of patients has expanded our understanding of the underlying genetic etiology of DSD. The inclusion of research candidate genes also provides an invaluable resource for future identification of novel genes