Clinical Characteristics of Children with Eosinophilic Esophagitis and Bulbar Duodenitis.

We describe a cohort of 33 patients with eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) and incidental duodenal bulb inflammation, termed bulbar duodenitis (BD). We conducted a single-center retrospective cohort study and recorded demographics, clinical presentation, endoscopic, and histological findings. BD was observed at the initial endoscopy in 12 cases (36%) and at a subsequent endoscopy in the remainder.

Serum biomarkers correlated with liver stiffness assessed in a multicenter study of pediatric cholestatic liver disease.

Background And Aims: Detailed investigation of the biological pathways leading to hepatic fibrosis and identification of liver fibrosis biomarkers may facilitate early interventions for pediatric cholestasis.

Approach And Results: A targeted enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay-based panel of nine biomarkers (lysyl oxidase, tissue inhibitor matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) 1, connective tissue growth factor [CTGF], IL-8, endoglin, periostin, Mac-2-binding protein, MMP-3, and MMP-7) was examined in children with biliary atresia (BA; n = 187), alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency (A1AT; n = 78), and Alagille syndrome (ALGS; n = 65) and correlated with liver stiffness (LSM) and biochemical measures of liver disease. Median age and LSM were 9 years and 9.

Eosinophilic Esophagitis Symptom Scores Are High in Children Without Eosinophilic Disease.

Objectives: The Pediatric Eosinophilic Esophagitis (EoE) Symptom Score version 2 (PEESSv2.0) is an EoE-specific validated metric for disease monitoring, but its use has not been explored outside of EoE. Our aim was to determine if PEESSv2.

Nonfasted Liver Stiffness Correlates with Liver Disease Parameters and Portal Hypertension in Pediatric Cholestatic Liver Disease.

Elastographic measurement of liver stiffness is of growing importance in the assessment of liver disease. Pediatric experiences with this technique are primarily single center and limited in scope. The Childhood Liver Disease Research Network provided a unique opportunity to assess elastography in a well-characterized multi-institutional cohort.

Serum MicroRNA-21 as a Biomarker for Allergic Inflammatory Disease in Children.

MicroRNAs (miRs) have emerged as useful biomarkers for different disease states, including allergic inflammatory diseases such as asthma and eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE). Serum miRs are a possible non-invasive method for diagnosis of such diseases. We focused on microRNA-21 (miR-21) levels in serum, in order to assess the feasibility of using this gene as a non-invasive biomarker for these diseases in the clinic, as well as to better understand the expression pattern of miR-21 in allergic inflammation.