: Deoxyguanosine Kinase (DGUOK) deficiency is a very rare disorder characterized by liver dysfunction, neurological manifestations, and metabolic disorders secondary to severely reduced mitochondrial DNA content. These patients develop early-onset liver failure, and their liver transplantation (LT) indication remains debatable due to the possibility of neurological involvement. : We present the case of a 6-month-old female diagnosed with DGUOK deficiency who developed liver failure.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFUnlabelled: Liver cirrhosis is a significant global health concern, and cirrhotic cardiomyopathy (CCM) is a notable complication affecting both adults and children. While CCM is well-studied in adults, understanding its manifestation and diagnostic criteria in pediatric patients remains a challenge. This review explores the evidence for structural and functional cardiac alterations in children with liver cirrhosis.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAcute pancreatitis (AP) is a significant cause of morbidity, even in children, and is frequently associated with systemic manifestations. There are many cytokines involved in the inflammatory response characteristic of this disease. Interleukin 6 (IL-6) is one of the most important cytokines involved in AP, beginning from cellular injury and continuing to the systemic inflammatory response and distant organ involvement.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEur J Pharm Biopharm
September 2024
Compounded medicines are widely used, especially for pediatric patients. The aim of this study was to evaluate children's acceptability of compounded preparations and to provide information regarding compounding practices' characteristics in a Romanian hospital setting. An observational, cross-sectional, and retrospective study was conducted in three Clinical Pediatric Departments (Emergency Clinical Hospital for Children, Cluj-Napoca).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFVesicoureteral reflux (VUR) is one of the most important disorders encountered in pediatric nephrology due to its frequency and potential evolution to chronic kidney disease (CKD). The aim of our study was to identify noninvasive and easy-to-determine urinary markers to facilitate the diagnosis and staging of VUR. We performed a cross-section study including 39 patients with VUR followed over three years (August 2021-September 2023) and 39 children without urinary disorder (the control group).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFComplementary and alternative medicine (CAM) consist of a broad group of restorative resources often linked to existing local cultures and established health care systems and are also increasingly used in children with some serious illnesses. In this narrative review, we examine the epidemiology of the use, efficacy, and safety of complementary and alternative medicine in pediatric oncology, neurology, and hepatology. We searched for relevant articles published in Pubmed evaluating CAM use and its efficacy in safety in children affected by oncologic, neurologic and liver diseases.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCholangiopathies are defined as focal or extensive damage of the bile ducts. According to the pathogenetic mechanism, it may be immune-mediated or due to genetic, infectious, toxic, vascular, and obstructive causes. Their chronic evolution is characterized by inflammation, obstruction of bile flow, cholangiocyte proliferation, and progression toward fibrosis and cirrhosis.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWolcott-Rallison syndrome is a rare cause of permanent neonatal diabetes mellitus caused by mutations in the eukaryotic translation initiation factor 2 alpha kinase 3 gene (EIF2AK3). Individuals affected by this disorder have severe hyperglycemia, pancreatic failure, and bone abnormalities and are prone to severe and life-threatening episodes of liver failure. This report illustrates the case of a 2-month-old infant with extreme hyperglycemia and severe diabetic ketoacidosis.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAutoimmune hepatitis (AIH) is characterized by immune-mediated hepatocyte injury resulting in the destruction of liver cells, causing inflammation, liver failure, and fibrosis. Pediatric (AIH) is an autoimmune inflammatory disease that usually requires immunosuppression for an extended period. Frequent relapses after treatment discontinuation demonstrate that current therapies do not control intrahepatic immune processes.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground And Aim: Multisystemic inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) is a rare and severe condition associated with Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) infection in children with onset approximately 4-6 weeks after infection. To date, the precise mechanism that causes MIS-C is not known and there are many questions related to the etiology, risk factors, and evolution of this syndrome. We aimed to describe the clinical manifestations, treatment methods, and disease evolution and analyze the main risk factors for MIS-C in children hospitalized in our clinic.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFVitamin D (calciferol) is a fat-soluble vitamin that has a significant role in phospho-calcium metabolism, maintaining normal calcium levels and bone health development. The most important compounds of vitamin D are cholecalciferol (vitamin D3, or VD3) and ergocalciferol (vitamin D2, or VD2). Besides its major role in maintaining an adequate level of calcium and phosphate concentrations, vitamin D is involved in cell growth and differentiation and immune function.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFVitamin D intervenes in calcium and phosphate metabolism and bone homeostasis. Experimental studies have shown that 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D (calcitriol) generates immunologic activities on the innate and adaptive immune system and endothelial membrane stability. Low levels of serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) are associated with an increased risk of developing immune-related diseases such as psoriasis, type 1 diabetes, multiple sclerosis, and autoimmune diseases.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: In children, acute liver failure (ALF) is a severe condition associated with high mortality if an emergency liver transplantation (LT) is impossible. Clinical laboratory parameters and different scores or criteria are used to predict ALF evolution in children. We aimed to assess the role of coagulation factors as predictive markers of poor outcomes in children with ALF.
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