The addition of insulin to home parenteral nutrition for the control of hyperglycaemia: A case series.

There is little data on the safety or efficacy of insulin added to parenteral nutrition in the homecare setting. We report the use of this route of insulin administration in a series of 4 patients spanning 39 patient years in which it appeared effective, safe and well tolerated.

Gastrostomy tube use in children with cancer.

Children with cancer are at risk of malnutrition, which can impair critical childhood processes of growth and development and contribute to poor health outcomes. Enteral nutrition can effectively ameliorate malnutrition or weight loss in children with cancer; however, published nutrition support algorithms contain minimal specific information on gastrostomy tube use, and current literature is limited. Decisions about gastrostomy tube insertion in children with cancer can be challenging.

Management of Hirschsprung disease in Australia and New Zealand: a survey of the Australian and New Zealand Association of Paediatric Surgeons (ANZAPS).

Purpose: To define the practice of management for Hirschsprung disease (HD) in Australia and New Zealand.

Methods: Online survey of Australian and New Zealand Association of Paediatric Surgeons (ANZAPS) members.

Results: 56/80 (70%) members from 17 centres responded.

Crohn's & Colitis Australia inflammatory bowel disease audit: measuring the quality of care in Australia.

Background: Australia has among the highest prevalence of Crohn disease and ulcerative colitis in the world. Management of the chronic gastrointestinal disorders results in significant societal costs and the standard of care is inconsistent across Australia.

Aim: To audit the quality of care received by patients admitted for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) across Australia against national IBD standards.

FGF10 and the Mystery of Duodenal Atresia in Humans.

Duodenal atresia (DA) is a congenital obstruction of the duodenum, which affects 1 in 7000 pregnancies and requires major surgery in the 1st days of life. Three morphological DA types are described. In humans, the association between DA and Down syndrome suggests an underlying, albeit elusive, genetic etiology.

Trace Element Provision in Parenteral Nutrition in Children: One Size Does Not Fit All.

Routine administration of trace elements is recognised as a standard of care in children requiring parenteral nutrition. However, there is a lack of global consensus regarding trace elements provision and dosing in pediatric parenteral nutrition. This review provides an overview of available evidence regarding trace elements supply and posology in parenteral nutrition in neonates and children.

Perilaldehyde activates AMP-activated protein kinase to suppress the growth of gastric cancer via induction of autophagy.

Background And Aim: Perillaldehyde (PAH), one of the major oil components in Perilla frutescens, is very critical to health maintenance, for a wide range of human chronic diseases, including cancers. AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) has been implicated in the activation of autophagy in distinct tissues. This study was designed to explore whether PAH prevents gastric cancer growth and to investigate the molecular mechanism.

Sarcopenia: revised European consensus on definition and diagnosis.

Background: in 2010, the European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People (EWGSOP) published a sarcopenia definition that aimed to foster advances in identifying and caring for people with sarcopenia. In early 2018, the Working Group met again (EWGSOP2) to update the original definition in order to reflect scientific and clinical evidence that has built over the last decade. This paper presents our updated findings.

The long-term quality of life outcomes in adolescents with Hirschsprung disease.

Background: Postoperative outcomes for Hirschsprung disease (HD) remain variable, with many patients affected by constipation and/or fecal incontinence. The long-term impact upon quality of life (QoL) for HD patients is unclear. We measured long-term QoL outcomes in adolescents with HD using validated questionnaires.

The burden of surgery and postoperative complications in children with inflammatory bowel disease.

Background: Pediatric inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) may be associated with a higher burden of surgery and postoperative complications. This study aimed to measure the burden in pediatric IBD over a 20-year period in a large tertiary referral center.

Methods: A retrospective review was conducted of children diagnosed with IBD between 1996 and 2015, with a focus upon operative intervention (excluding endoscopy) and postoperative outcomes.

Transserosal migration of enteric neural stem cells: Developing an avian colon model.

Background: Stem cell transplantation is a potential therapy for enteric neuropathies, including Hirschsprung disease. Proof-of-principle has been obtained using focal transplants into neonatal mouse colon. The challenge now is to deliver stem cells to a large surface area to reconstruct an enteric nerve plexus.

Molecular characterisation of rotavirus strains detected during a clinical trial of the human neonatal rotavirus vaccine (RV3-BB) in Indonesia.

Background: The RV3-BB human neonatal rotavirus vaccine aims to provide protection from severe rotavirus disease from birth. The aim of the current study was to characterise the rotavirus strains causing gastroenteritis during the Indonesian Phase IIb efficacy trial.

Methods: A randomized, double-blind placebo-controlled trial involving 1649 participants was conducted from January 2013 to July 2016 in Central Java and Yogyakarta, Indonesia.

Piecemeal Deglutition and the Implications for Pressure Impedance Dysphagia Assessment in Pediatrics.

Objectives: High-resolution impedance manometry (HRIM) enables biomechanical swallow assessment. Piecemeal deglutition (PD) defines swallowing of a single bolus in 2 or more portions. We investigated PD sequences on HRIM recordings to ascertain appropriate swallow selection for analysis and to determine the impact of PD on swallow function measures.

Safety and Efficacy of Ferric Carboxymaltose in the Treatment of Iron Deficiency Anaemia in Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease, in Routine Daily Practice.

Introduction: Iron deficiency and iron deficiency anaemia are common complications in inflammatory bowel disease [IBD] patients. Anaemia in IBD is attributable to chronic blood loss and/or impaired iron intake and absorption. International guidelines recommend intravenous iron supplementation in IBD patients, since oral supplements are frequently poorly tolerated and can exacerbate inflammation.

Practical approach to the gastrointestinal manifestations of cystic fibrosis.

Cystic fibrosis (CF) is the most common, life-shortening, genetic illness affecting children in Australia and New Zealand. The genetic abnormality results in abnormal anion transport across the apical membrane of epithelial cells in a number of organs, including the lungs, gastrointestinal tract, liver and genito-urinary tract. Thus, CF is a multi-system disorder that requires a multi-disciplinary approach.

Limitations of Serum Ferritin in Diagnosing Iron Deficiency in Inflammatory Conditions.

Patients with inflammatory conditions such as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), chronic heart failure (CHF), and chronic kidney disease (CKD) have high rates of iron deficiency with adverse clinical consequences. Under normal circumstances, serum ferritin levels are a sensitive marker for iron status but ferritin is an acute-phase reactant that becomes elevated in response to inflammation, complicating the diagnosis. Proinflammatory cytokines also trigger an increase in hepcidin, which restricts uptake of dietary iron and promotes sequestration of iron by ferritin within storage sites.

Serological responses to rotavirus NSP2 following administration of RV3-BB human neonatal rotavirus vaccine.

Serum rotavirus IgA responses are an imperfect non-mechanistic correlate of protection, and the lack of an accurate serological marker is a challenge to the development of new rotavirus vaccines. Serological responses to rotavirus NSP2 occur following wild-type infection; however, it is unknown if serological responses to NSP2 occur following administration of rotavirus vaccines. The phase IIa immunogenicity trial of RV3-BB provided an opportunity to investigate the serological responses to NSP2 following vaccination.

Impact of Esophageal Atresia on the Success of Fundoplication for Gastroesophageal Reflux.

Objectives: Fundoplication is commonly performed in patients with a history of esophageal atresia (EA), however, the success of this surgery is reduced, as reflected by an increased rate of redo fundoplication. We aimed to determine whether EA impacts the prevalence of fundoplication, its timing, and performance of a redo operation.

Study Design: A single-center, retrospective review of all patients undergoing fundoplication over a 20-year period (1994-2013) was performed.

Neonatal oesophageal perforation: The role for non-operative management.

Aim: Isolated oesophageal perforation in neonates is a rare but potentially life-threatening condition. Although management has historically been operative, conservative management (antibiotics, bowel rest, parenteral nutrition) is now more routinely used. The aim of this study was to evaluate the management of this condition in two large neonatal surgical centres.

Pediatric Collagenous Gastritis and Colitis: A Case Series and Review of the Literature.

Introduction: Collagenous gastritis is a rare disease characterized by the subepithelial deposition of collagen bands. Two phenotypes of the disease have been described: a pediatric-onset and an adult-onset type. The adult-onset form is associated with collagenous colitis and autoimmune disorders.