Publications by authors named "Gana J"

Objective: Nonalcoholic Fatty Pancreas Disease (NAFPD) is characterized by excessive lipid accumulation within the pancreas in the absence of alcohol intake, potentially leading to pancreatic dysfunction and metabolic complications, including type 2 diabetes mellitus, acute and chronic pancreatitis, and pancreatic carcinoma. The authors aim to estimate the prevalence of NAFPD and its association with anthropometric parameters in a cohort of Chilean adolescents.

Method: The authors conducted a cross-sectional analysis of the "Growth and Obesity Chilean Cohort Study" (GOCS), a longitudinal study involving nearly 1000 children, followed yearly since 2006.

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Gene variants in the gene are strongly associated with circulating bilirubin levels in several populations, as well as other variants of modest effect across the genome. However, the effects of such variants are unknown regarding the Native American ancestry of the admixed Latino population. Our objective was to assess the Native American genetic determinants of serum bilirubin in Chilean admixed adolescents using the local ancestry deconvolution approach.

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Unlabelled: Hypertriglyceridemia (HTG)-induced acute pancreatitis (AP) secondary to insulin deficiency following the onset of type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) is a rare but serious complication in children.

Objective: To describe the diagnosis and treatment of severe HTG and to emphasize the need for timely diagnosis of T1DM.

Clinical Case: A 15-year-old female adolescent with a history of overweight presented with a two-weeks history of fever, anorexia, and diffuse abdominal pain.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study analyzed 60 bacterial isolates from the beef production chain in Gauteng, South Africa, using whole-genome sequencing and bioinformatics to determine their genomic characteristics.
  • Researchers identified seven sequence types (STs) and six clonal complexes (CCs), revealing that ST204 and CC204 were the most prevalent among the samples.
  • The investigation uncovered 44 virulence factors, two antimicrobial resistance (AMR) genes, and highlighted that certain genes associated with virulence and resistance were present across all isolates, indicating potential therapeutic concerns for these pathogens.
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NAFLD has become the leading cause of chronic liver disease in children, as a direct consequence of the high prevalence of childhood obesity. This study aimed to characterize body composition trajectories from childhood to adolescence and their association with the risk of developing nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) during adolescence. The participants were part of the 'Chilean Growth and Obesity Cohort Study', comprising 784 children who were followed prospectively from age 3 years.

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  • * A study found a 28% prevalence of Listeria spp. in various beef products in Gauteng, with pathogenic serogroups 4b-4d-4e and 1/2a-3a identified, which carry virulence-associated genes.
  • * The research highlighted that regional factors, product type, and storage temperature influenced Listeria occurrence and stressed the need for improved food safety measures to prevent future outbreaks.
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These cross-sectional studies reported the occurrence, genetic characteristics, and factors associated with the distribution of Listeria species on cattle farms and beef abattoirs in Gauteng Province, South Africa. A total of 328 samples (faeces, feeds, silage, and drinking water) were collected from 23 cattle farms (communal, cow-calf, and feedlot), and 262 samples (faeces, carcass swabs, and effluents) from 8 beef abattoirs (low throughput and high throughput) were processed using standard bacteriological and molecular methods to detect Listeria species. The factors associated with the prevalence of Listeria species were investigated, and multiplex polymerase chain reaction (mPCR) was used to determine Listeria species, the pathogenic serogroups, and the carriage of eight virulence-associated genes by Listeria monocytogenes.

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Article Synopsis
  • Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most common chronic liver disease in children, particularly among those with obesity, who have a higher risk of progression.
  • Currently, there are no effective drug treatments for pediatric NAFLD, so lifestyle interventions, like diet and exercise, are the primary recommended approach.
  • This review emphasizes the importance of dietary modifications, including low-carb and low-sugar diets, specific nutritional strategies, and potential benefits from omega-3 fatty acids, amino acids, vitamins, and probiotics, while calling for more research on the effectiveness of these interventions.
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  • Whole-genome sequencing was performed on 110 strains of bacteria isolated from cattle farms, abattoirs, and retail outlets in Gauteng, South Africa, to analyze their genetic makeup.
  • The study identified 14 distinct sequence types (STs) and found that all strains carried antimicrobial resistance genes, with 13 specific resistance genes and 23 virulence genes detected across all isolates.
  • The findings highlight significant diversity in the genetic profiles based on the sources and types of samples, marking the first genomic characterization of these bacteria in South Africa's beef production system and raising concerns about food safety.
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Objective: To accurately estimate liver PDFF from chemical shift-encoded (CSE) MRI using a deep learning (DL)-based Multi-Decoder Water-Fat separation Network (MDWF-Net), that operates over complex-valued CSE-MR images with only 3 echoes.

Methods: The proposed MDWF-Net and a U-Net model were independently trained using the first 3 echoes of MRI data from 134 subjects, acquired with conventional 6-echoes abdomen protocol at 1.5 T.

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Body-mass index (BMI) is a hallmark of adiposity. In contrast with adulthood, the genetic architecture of BMI during childhood is poorly understood. The few genome-wide association studies (GWAS) on children have been performed almost exclusively in Europeans and at single ages.

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Article Synopsis
  • - The study analyzed 60 Listeria monocytogenes isolates from various sources in Gauteng, South Africa, using multiple-locus variable-number analysis (MLVA) to determine their genotypes and serogroups.
  • - The sources included raw beef, ready-to-eat products, carcass swabs, cattle environments, and feces, with findings showing significant distribution across these sample types.
  • - MLVA successfully identified genetic relations and differences among the isolates, revealing distinct patterns in tandem repeats (TRs) and leading to the identification of at least five MLVA types in the region.
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The gut microbiome has been linked to breast cancer immune, inflammatory, and hormonal mechanisms. We examined the relation between adolescent breast density and gut microbial composition and function in a cohort of Chilean girls. This cross-sectional study included 218 female participants in the Growth and Obesity Cohort Study who were 2 years post-menarche.

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Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is an ongoing pandemic. The occurrence of acute liver injury (ALI) has been reported in liver transplant (LT) recipients; however, the findings on children remain controversial. This is the first extensive, worldwide report on the impact of COVID-19 on pediatric LT recipients.

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 The primary objective was to measure the effect of music as an adjunct to sedation in patient anxiety levels during pediatric endoscopic examinations.  We performed a single-blind randomized controlled trial comparing music with no music in children aged 2 to 18 years. Anxiety was measured using the Modified Yale Preoperative Anxiety Scale (m-YPAS) and the Visual Analog Anxiety Scale (VAS-anxiety).

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Adult Anisakis Dujardin, 1845 were found in two specimens of killer whale Orcinus orca and one specimen of franciscana Pontoporia blainvillei stranded from off the coast of Buenos Aires Province, Argentina. Genetic identification of the nematodes (N = 144) was performed by sequence analysis of the mitochondrial (mtDNA cox2) and the nuclear (nas 10 nDNA) gene loci. Anisakis pegreffii and Anisakis berlandi were detected in the two individuals of O.

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Background: Portal hypertension commonly accompanies advanced liver disease and often gives rise to life-threatening complications, including bleeding (haemorrhage) from oesophageal and gastrointestinal varices. Variceal bleeding commonly occurs in children and adolescents with chronic liver disease or portal vein thrombosis. Prevention is, therefore, important.

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Background: Portal hypertension commonly accompanies advanced liver disease and often gives rise to life-threatening complications, including haemorrhage from oesophageal and gastrointestinal varices. Variceal haemorrhage commonly occurs in children with chronic liver disease or portal vein thrombosis. Therefore, prevention is important.

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Article Synopsis
  • The Chilean liver transplantation allocation system prioritizes candidates using MELD/PELD scores, but the equity for pediatric candidates compared to adults is questioned.
  • A study analyzed data from 122 pediatric and 735 adult liver transplant candidates, focusing on outcomes such as liver transplantation rates and waiting list mortality.
  • The findings revealed that pediatric candidates, particularly those under two years old, face significant challenges in accessing cadaveric liver transplants, with higher mortality rates on the waiting list compared to adults.
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Introduction: The latest joint H. pylori NASPGHAN and ESPGHAN clinical guidelines published in 2016, contain 20 statements that have been questioned in practice regarding their applicability in Latin America (LA); in particular in relation to gastric cancer prevention.

Methods: We conduc ted a critical analysis of the literature, with special emphasis on LA data and established the level of evidence and level of recommendation of the most controversial claims in the Joint Guidelines.

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Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is currently the most common form of liver disease in both adults and children, becoming the leading cause for liver transplant in many countries. Its prevalence has increased considerably in recent years, mainly due to the explosive increase in pediatric obesity rates. NAFLD is strongly associated with central obesity, diabetes, dyslipidemia and insulin resistance, and it has been considered as the hepatic manifestation of the metabolic syndrome.

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Background: Portal hypertension commonly accompanies advanced liver disease and often gives rise to life-threatening complications, including haemorrhage from oesophageal and gastrointestinal varices. Variceal haemorrhage commonly occurs in children with chronic liver disease or portal vein obstruction. Prevention is therefore important.

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Context: Treatment of eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) is focused on dietary, pharmacologic, and endoscopic therapy options. Within the pharmacologic alternatives, topical corticosteroids are the most used, and a large number of studies evaluating their effectiveness have been published, requiring a new summary of evidence.

Objective: To evaluate the histologic and clinical effectiveness of the use of corticosteroids in pediatric patients with a diagnosis of EoE.

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Purpose: To compare phenotypic and genetic variations in polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy (PCV) between Caucasian and Asian patients.

Methods: We analysed phenotypic and genotypic data from two sites, Association for Innovation and Biomedical Research on Light and Image, Portugal and Singapore National Eye Centre, Singapore. Baseline fundus photography, spectral domain-optical coherence tomography, indocyanine green and fluorescein angiography scans were analysed by respective reading centres using a standardised grading protocol.

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