Procalcitonin: in Lobar and Non-Lobar Pneumonia in Children

Introduction:  To investigate the value of procalcitonin (PCT) in lobar and non-lobar pneumonia in children. Materials and Methods: 80 children with pneumonia were included. 20 healthy children were selected as control. Lobar and non-lobar pneumonia were recognized. The serum level of C reactive protein (CRP), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), leukocytes and PCT were measured. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS windows program. Results: Among the 80 children 39 cases (48.75%) were female and 41 cases (51.25%) were male with the average of 17.29±2.43 months. 7 patients (8.75%) were diagnosed with lobar pneumonia. Cough, tachypnea and Crackles were more common symptoms in lobar pneumonic patients. Leukocytosis (more than 15000/microliter) was more prominent in pneumonic patients versus control as well as lobar pneumonia versus non-lobar (

Clinical Efficacy Evaluation of Sirolimus in Congenital Hyperinsulinism

Background. Congenital hyperinsulinism (CHI) is a rare and life-threatening genetic disorder. Sirolimus as a mammalian target of rapamycin inhibitor may be helpful in patients with CHI who do not respond well to other treatments including diazoxide and octreotide. However, the safety and efficacy of this therapy are still unclear. This study aimed to evaluate the potential therapeutic effects of sirolimus in CHI patients with mutations in the ABCC8 and KCNJ11 genes. Methods. During the period of this follow-up study, every child with a confirmed diagnosis of unresponsive CHI underwent genetic evaluation. Among those who had positive genetic testing, six families agreed to participate in this study. The participants were evaluated for ABCC8, KCNJ11, or HNF4α gene mutations by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) sequencing. The participants who were unresponsive to diazoxide and octreotide therapy received 0.5 mg/m2/d of sirolimus, and the dose was gradually increased until a serum concentration of 5–15 ng/ml was achieved. Then, the participants were followed up for any possible complications. Results. Among the study participants, only one neonate was completely free of hypoglycemia after one year of follow-up, whereas three others experienced a partial reduction in hypoglycemic episodes over six months. One neonate underwent pancreatectomy despite receiving sirolimus. The oldest participant with a mutation in the ABCC8 gene responded well to sirolimus therapy after surgery and remained asymptomatic for 18 months. Conclusion. This study suggested that sirolimus therapy needs further evaluation to determine which patients will benefit the most. The genetic basis of CHI may have possible implications for determining the patient’s response

Genotyping of ABCC8, KCNJ11, and HADH in Iranian Infants with Congenital Hyperinsulinism

Background. Congenital hyperinsulinism (CHI) is a heterogeneous disease with various underlying genetic causes. Among different genes considered effective in the development of CHI, ABCC8, KCNJ11, and HADH genes are among the important genes, especially in a population with a considerable rate of consanguineous marriage. Mutational analysis of these genes guides clinicians to better treatment and prediction of prognosis for this rare disease. The present study aimed to evaluate genetic variants in ABCC8, KCNJ11, and HADH genes as causative genes for CHI in the Iranian population. Methods. The present case series took place in Mashhad, Iran, within 11 years. Every child who had a clinical phenotype and confirmatory biochemical tests of CHI enrolled in this study. Variants in ABCC8, KCNJ11, and HADH genes were analyzed by the polymerase chain reaction and sequencing in our patients. Results. Among 20 pediatric patients, 16 of them had variants in ABCC8, KCNJ11, and HADH genes. The mean age of genetic diagnosis was 18.6 days. A homozygous missense (c.2041-21G > A) mutation in the ABCC8 gene was seen in three infants. Other common variants were frameshift variants (c.3438dup) in the ABCC8 gene and a missense variant (c.287-288delinsTG) in the KCNJ11 gene. Most of the variants in our population were still categorized as variants of unknown significance and only 7 pathogenic variants were present. Conclusion. Most variants were located in the ABCC8 gene in our population. Because most of the variants in our population are not previously reported, performing further functional studies is warranted