Current Issue : October-December Volume : 2025 Issue Number : 4 Articles : 5 Articles
Background/Objectives: After pandemic of COVID-19, there were increased the incidence of Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C), as reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). However, it remains unclear which specific factors link MIS-C to COVID-19 following infection. This study aims to investigate the factors associated with MIS-C in children infected with COVID-19. Methods: A multicenter-matched case-control study was conducted across Chum Phae, Khon Kaen, and Srinagarind Hospitals, Thailand. We included patients under 21 years old from those hospitals from January 2021 to February 2024. The cases were patients diagnosed with MIS-C, while the controls had a history of COVID-19 infection but had not been diagnosed with MIS-C at least 3 months post-infection. The matching criteria for cases and controls, in a 1:2 ratio, included gender and age. The association between various factors and MIS-C was examined using conditional logistic regression. Results: A total of 34 MIS-C cases were matched with 68 controls. We found that antiviral therapy administered during COVID-19 infection was linked to a reduced risk of MIS-C development, with an adjusted odds ratio of 0.06 (95% CI: 0.02–0.20). However, this study found no association between COVID-19 vaccination and nutritional status in the development of MIS-C. Conclusions: The administration of antiviral treatment during COVID-19 infection was associated with a diminished incidence of MIS-C....
Background/Objectives: Hepatic glycogen storage diseases (GSDs) are inherited metabolic disorders that affect glycogen synthesis or breakdown, primarily involving the liver and muscles. Treatment typically consists of strict dietary management, including the consumption of uncooked cornstarch. However, there is limited research on feeding challenges and the associated stress experienced by parents of children with GSDs. This study aims to assess feeding difficulties in children with GSDs and the level of parental stress. Methods: A total of 29 caregivers of children aged 6 months to <7 years participated. Feeding difficulties were evaluated using the Brazilian Infant Feeding Scale (Escala Brasileira de Alimentação Infantil—EBAI), while parental stress was measured using the Parental Stress Scale (Escala de Estresse Parental—EEPa). Data were collected in 2020, and the study was approved by the ethics committee. Results: The majority of the children were male (19/10), with a mean age of 47.75 months and an average age of diagnosis of 8.39 months. GSD type Ia (n = 15) and type Ib (n = 5) were the most prevalent, followed by types III and IX (n = 2). Among the participants, 22 out of 29 (76%) reported feeding difficulties, categorized as mild (n = 7, 24%), moderate (n = 7, 24%), and severe (n = 8, 28%). EBAI scores were higher in female patients and in those who did not eat meals with their family. Only one caregiver exhibited high levels of parental stress, as measured by the EEPA scale. No significant correlation was found between feeding difficulties and parental stress. Conclusions: The findings confirm a high prevalence of feeding issues in children with GSDs, which significantly affects caregivers’ quality of life. Although no significant link between feeding difficulties and parental stress was identified, further research is needed to improve GSD management and provide better support for caregivers....
Background/Objectives: Pediatric postoperative respiratory failure in the United States is increasingly considered a significant adverse event due to the increased risk of comorbidities, suffering, and cost of healthcare. This study investigates associations between pediatric adverse events (PAEs) and hospital and patient characteristics within the inpatient hospital setting, focusing solely on the framework of pediatric quality indicators (PDIs) from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ). Specifically, the study focuses on PDI 09-Postoperative Respiratory Failure (PORF). Methods: This quantitative research analyzed the inpatient discharge data from the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP) Kids’ Inpatient Databases (KID) for 2019. We performed multivariate logistic regression to analyze patient-level encounters with PORF. Results: The results indicate that smaller, rural, and non-teaching hospitals exhibit significantly lower odds of PDI 09 than large, urban, and urban teaching hospitals, reflecting a concentration of operative procedures. In comparison, theWestern United States exhibits higher odds of PDI 09. Various individual factors such as gender, age, race, service lines, payment sources, and major operating room procedures demonstrate differing levels of significance concerning PDI 09, warranting further investigation into confounding factors. In contrast, hospital ownership consistently shows lower odds of PORF risk for private, investor-owned hospitals. Conclusions: This study provides contextual expansion on the findings and offers valuable insights into PAEs in the inpatient hospital setting. It highlights areas for developing evidence-based interventions and guidelines for clinicians and policymakers. Ultimately, the findings contribute to the growing understanding of factors influencing PORF and emphasize the importance of targeted strategies for improving pediatric patient safety....
With an incidence of 0.3 per 100,000, spondylodiscitis is a rare condition in children. It is typically bacterial in origin and most commonly caused by Staphylococcus aureus. Bone involvement in cat-scratch disease (CSD) due to Bartonella henselae is exceedingly rare, occurring in only 0.17–0.27% of cases. We present the case of a 3-year-old boy with a two-week history of intermittent back pain and a recent onset fever. Initial laboratory findings were unremarkable, and MRI revealed spondylodiscitis at L3/4 without abscess formation. Empirical antibiotic treatment with ampicillin/sulbactam showed no clinical response. Serologic testing revealed a positive Bartonella henselae IgM (IgG negative), leading to a change in antibiotic treatment to azithromycin and rifampicin for three weeks, resulting in rapid clinical improvement. Follow-up at nine weeks showed marked clinical and radiologic improvement. Although IgM subsequently turned negative without IgG seroconversion—a pattern previously described in Bartonella infections—this does not exclude the diagnosis. Biopsy or tissue PCR was not performed due to the mild clinical course. A review of the literature identified 28 pediatric cases of Bartonella henselae spondylodiscitis, with significant variation in diagnostic and treatment approaches. This case underscores the importance of considering Bartonella in the differential diagnosis of pediatric vertebral osteomyelitis....
Background: Hand, foot, and mouth disease (HFMD) is a frequently self-limited viral infectious disease that affects children and has no specific antiviral treatment option. There has been increasing interest in bee products in recent years, and propolis has come to the fore due to its impressive therapeutic and protective effects. Although previous studies have shown the inhibitory effect of propolis against enteroviruses (EVs), there are no clinical data regarding its use in combatting HFMD. This prospective multicenter randomized clinical study aimed to evaluate the effect of administering propolis to children with HFMD. Methods: This study analyzed 183 children with HFMD. All children were assessed for eligibility and diagnosed with HFMD by a child health and disease specialist after presenting with symptoms of either fever, enanthem, or exanthems that had begun within the last 48 h. The patients were randomly assigned to the group receiving Anatolian propolis (n = 87) or that receiving no supplement—the control group (n = 96)—in addition to receiving symptomatic therapy as decided by the physician. The duration of the patient’s complaints, the distribution of the lesions on their body, and their fever status were recorded on admission. Parents were asked to rate the severity of their child’s restlessness, inappetence, and sleeplessness on a scale of 0–10 at their initial, second (at 48th hour), and third (after 5–7 days) visits to the hospital. The primary data analysis methods included the Kolmogorov–Smirnov test for normality and non-parametric tests such as the Kruskal– Wallis and Mann–Whitney U tests, which were used for group comparisons. Results: The median age of the patients was 28 months (range: 12–112), and the male-to-female ratio was 1:1. Most patients (62.8%) had no history of a household contact with HFMD. Intraoral lesions were present in 92.3% of patients, and 47.5% received the propolis treatment while 53.5% were in the control group. There was a significant difference between the groups in terms of their complaint scores during their second (p = 0.028) and third (p < 0.001) visits to the hospital. In addition, the mean duration of the illness in the propolis group (7.45 days) was significantly lower than that in the control group (8.58 days) (p < 0.001). No adverse effects were observed. Conclusions: Propolis has been shown to facilitate symptomatic relief and reduce the duration of the disease in children with HFMD. To better assess the efficacy of this product, which can be used safely in children, future studies supported by virological analyses are required....
Loading....