"EEG abnormalities" may represent a confounding factor in celiac disease. A 4-year follow-up family report

Objective: The occurrence of celiac disease (CD), electroencephalographic (EEG) abnormalities (with "subtle" seizures or even without any clinical seizures), and neurological disorders has been reported since the 1980s, though there has been no definitive consensus about the possible causal relationship. This topic is further complicated by the occurrence in infancy of 'clinical-EEG pictures' called 'benign epilepsy of infancy'. Methods and results: Here, we report a 4-year follow-up on two siblings with newly diagnosed biopsy-proven celiac disease showing EEG abnormalities not responsive to a gluten-free diet. Conclusions: This family report indicates that in patients with neurologically asymptomatic CD and EEG abnormalities, it is advisable to make a differential diagnosis between EEG abnormalities associated with CD and an incidental association with cortical hyperexcitability, with "subtle" seizures or even without any clinical seizures. Practice implications: A long follow-up may sometimes be required, as it was in the family described here, to clarify the etiopathogenetic and therapeutic relationships between clinical and EEG features in CD

Faecal calprotectin and ultrasonography as non-invasive screening tools for detecting colorectal polyps in children with sporadic rectal bleeding. a prospective study

Background: Colorectal polyps are reported in 6,1% of paediatric colonoscopies and in 12% of those performed for lower gastrointestinal bleeding. Although colonoscopy is widely used in paediatric patients, it requires bowel preparation and general anaesthesia or deep sedation, and in rare cases, it can cause complications. Non-invasive screening techniques able to predict polyps in children with isolated and sporadic rectal bleeding may play a key role in the selection of patients needing colonoscopy. Methods: We enrolled all children undergoing colonoscopy for isolated and sporadic rectal bleeding to determine the diagnostic accuracy of faecal calprotectin, ultrasonography (US) and digital rectal examination as diagnostic methods for screening colorectal polyps. Results: A total of 26 of 59 enrolled patients (44.1%) had colonic polyps, one patient had multiple polyps, and 23% of children had polyps proximal to the splenic flexure. The diagnostic accuracy of faecal calprotectin for detecting colorectal polyps was 96.6%, with a sensitivity of 100%. False-positive faecal calprotectin was shown in 2 patients with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug-related lesions. The diagnostic accuracy of ultrasound was 77.9%. Polyps not seen with ultrasound tended to be relatively smaller (1.5 vs 2.3, p = 0.001) and located in the rectum. The combined use of FC, US and digital rectal examination obtained a specificity and PPV of 100%. Conclusions: FC combined with US and digital rectal examination is a good and promising non-invasive screening test for detecting colorectal polyps in children with isolated and sporadic rectal bleeding

Prevalence of Non-erosive Esophageal Phenotypes in Children. A European Multicenter Study

Background/aims: Since available data on pediatric non-erosive esophageal phenotypes (NEEPs) are scant, we investigated their prevalence and the phenotype-dependent treatment response in these children. Methods: Over a 5-year period, children with negative upper endoscopy, who underwent esophageal pH-impedance (off-therapy) for persisting symptoms not responsive to proton pump inhibitor (PPI)-treatment, were recruited. Based on the results of acid reflux index (RI) and symptom association probability (SAP), patients were categorized into: (1) abnormal RI (non-erosive reflux disease [NERD]), (2) normal RI and abnormal SAP (reflux hypersensitivity [RH]), (3) normal RI and normal SAP (functional heartburn [FH]), and (4) normal RI and not-reliable SAP (normal-RI-not otherwise-specified [normal-RI-NOS]). For each subgroup, treatment response was evaluated. Results: Out of 2333 children who underwent esophageal pH-impedance, 68 cases, including 18 NERD, 14 RH, 26 FH, and 10 normal-RI-NOS were identified as fulfilling the inclusion criteria and were analyzed. Considering symptoms before endoscopy, chest pain was more reported in NERD than in other cases (6/18 vs 5/50, P = 0.031). At long-term follow-up of 23 patients (8 NERD, 8 FH, 2 RH, and 5 normal-RI-NOS): 17 were on PPIs and 2 combined alginate, 1 (FH) was on benzodiazepine + anticholinergic, 1 (normal-RI-NOS) on citalopram, and 3 had no therapy. A complete symptom-resolution was observed in 5/8 NERD, in 2/8 FH, and in 2/5 normal-RI-NOS. Conclusions: FH may be the most common pediatric NEEP. At long-term follow-up, there was a trend toward a more frequent complete symptom resolution with PPI-therapy in NERD patients while other groups did not benefit from extended acid-suppressive-treatment

Ovarian Stimulation Protocol in IVF: An Up-to-Date Review of the Literature

The Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) was born in order to help couples with infertility issues in having a baby. The first treatments of IVF used the spontaneous cycle of the women, with the retrieval of only one oocyte. Further studies have shown that it is possible to induce ovulation by administrating gonadotropins during the menstrual cycle, in order to obtain a higher number of oocytes. Many stimulation protocols have been introduced for controlled ovarian hyperstimulation of patients undergoing in vitro fertilization treatment. This review describe the different stimulation protocols using follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) in combination with Gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH) either agonist or antagonist, oral supplementations and ovarian triggering. Using GnRH antagonist protocols have been demonstrated to improve significantly the clinical pregnancy rates for expected poor and high-responders, and in those women at high risk of developing ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS). Two meta-analyses showed a better outcome in terms of the live birth rate when highly purified human menopausal gonadotropin (HMG) was used for ovarian stimulation compared with recombinant follicle stimulating hormone (rFSH) in the GnRH agonist long protocol. One of the most efficient stimulation protocol is the use of a combined protocol of human derived urinary FSH (uFSH) and rFSH. Combined protocol has resulted in a significant increase in the proportion of mature metaphase II oocytes and grade 1 embryos when compared to either rFSH or uFSH alone. A significantly higher delivery rate was achieved in rFSH+uFSH compared to the other protocols in poor and normal responders. Studying the combination of melatonin with myo-inositol and folic acid has also showed a higher percentage of mature oocytes in the melatonin group and a higher percentage of G1 embryos as well. However, It remains a crucial step to confirm the efficacy of such protocols for clinical application and it is still needs to comparison studies on larger scale with more focused on the differences in patients' response criteria and additional confounding variables, in order to draw more defined conclusions

A child with aphthae and diarrhoea

[No abstract available

Fas and fas-ligand in eutopic and ectopic endometrium of women with endometriosis: The possible immune privilege of ectopic endometrium

The Fas/Fas-Ligand system is an important mediator of apoptosis. We analyzed their expression in tissue specimens obtained from 33 women with severe endometriosis and 18 women without endometriosis. Immunostaining for Fas-Ligand in the eutopic endometrium was stronger in the epithelial cells of secretory phase, while the epithelial cells of endometriotic lesions showed a significantly stronger staining for Fas-Ligand independently from the menstrual phase (P < 0.01). Immunostaining for Fas in the eutopic endometrium showed a reduced staining during the proliferative phase, whereas it was strong in the secretory phase. The epithelial cells of the ectopic endometrium showed a reduced staining for Fas independently from the menstrual phase with respect to the eutopic tissue (P < 0.01). The reduced expression of Fas in the ectopic endometrium with the contemporary higher expression of Fas-Ligand in the corresponding cells suggests a possible immune privilege of this tissue

Nutritional Deficiencies in Children with Celiac Disease Resulting from a Gluten-Free Diet. A Systematic Review

Background: A strictly gluten-free diet (GFD) is the basis for managing celiac disease (CD). Numerous studies have reported nutritional deficiencies/imbalances ascribable to a GFD. The aim of this review is to describe nutritional deficiencies observed in children with celiac disease on a GFD, to discuss the clinical consequences related to these nutritional imbalances, and to identify strategies that may be adopted to treat them. Methods: We reviewed the MEDLINE and EMBASE databases between January 1998 and January 2019. Results: Children are, regardless of whether they are on a gluten-free diet or not, at risk of consuming too much fat and insucient fiber, iron, vitamin D, and calcium. These imbalances may be exacerbated when children are on a gluten-free diet. In particular, the intake of folate, magnesium, zinc, and foods with a high glycemic index in children with CD who are on a GFD is significantly altered. Conclusions: Therapeutic protocols should include nutritional education to help teach subjects aected by disorders such as CD the importance of labels, the choice of foods, and the combination of macro- and micronutrients. Children with CD on a GFD should be encouraged to rotate pseudo-cereals, consume gluten-free commercial products that have been fortified or enriched, and use foods that are local and naturally gluten-free