Prognostic Factors for Pediatric Testicular Torsion Outcomes

@#Introduction: Testicular torsion is a urological emergency causing spermatic cord twisting. Delayed management can cause poor outcome, i.e. orchiectomy. Here, we investigated several prognostic factors, including age, onset, clinical symptoms, leukocyte count, for testicular torsion outcomes (orchiectomy vs. orchiopexy) in children in Indonesia. Methods: A retrospective review of 23 patients with testicular torsion who underwent scrotal exploration from July 2013 to November 2018 at our institution was done. Results: The age at testicular torsion diagnosis was 12.8 (interquartile range, 4.6-15.1) years. Only fever showed strong significant prognostic factor for orchiectomy (OR=20; 95% CI=1.6 – 248; p=0.017), while other factors were not, with p-value of 0.54, 1.0, 1.0, 0.19, 1.0, 0.62, 0.62, 0.58, and 0.62, for age, onset, scrotal pain, abdominal pain, hyperemia, edema, nausea, vomitus and white blood cells count, respectively. Furthermore, logistic regression test also revealed that fever is a strong prognostic factor for orchiectomy (OR=22.6; 95% Cl=1.3 – 394.2; p=0.033). Conclusion: The patient with testicular torsion with fever tends to undergo orchiectomy. Further multicenter studies with a larger sample size are necessary to confirm our findings.

Functional Outcomes in Anorectal Malformation Patients Following Definitive Surgery

@#Introduction: Recently, management of anorectal malformation (ARM) emphasis on good intestinal functional outcomes after definitive procedure. This study analyzed the patients’ outcomes following operation related with the predictive variables. Methods: We applied the Krickenbeck classification and Rintala scoring system to define ARM type and functional outcomes, respectively. Results: This study ascertained 72 patients: 38 males and 34 females. According to Rintala scoring system, 94.4%, 90.2%, 60%, 83.3%, and 60% patients showed no soiling, no constipation, ability to hold back defecation, defecation frequency of every other day to twice a day, and feels/reports the urge to defecate, respectively. In addition, none of patients had either accident or social problem. Rintala score of normal and good have been shown in 14 (19.4%) and 55 (76.4%) patients, respectively. Female patients had a 4.2-times higher risk for showing a more/less often frequency of defecation compared with male patients (95% confidence interval (CI)=1.03-17.1; p=0.035). Conclusions: ARM patients’ functional outcomes after procedure in our institution are considered relatively good. In addition, the frequency of defecation in male patients after definitive surgery is better than female patients.

A novel wound healing accelerator: Effect of vitreous gel of cow eyeball on a chronic wound model

@#ss of wound healing after administration ofmitomycin-C, which inhibits granulation tissue formationand collagen synthesis, resulting in chronic wounds. Thevitreous gel of cow eyeballs contains a high level ofhyaluronic acid, which has a role in inflammation,granulation, re-epithelialization, and remodelling. This studyaims to understand the effect of 1% povidone iodine andvitreous gel of cow eyeballs on wound healing afteradministration of mitomycin-C.Methods: This was an invivostudy with quasi-experimentalmethods on 32 Wistar mice. Full-thickness wounds weremade and then treated with mitomicyn-C. The mice weredivided into 4 groups: a control group with NaCl 0.9%vitreous gel of cow eyeball (VGCE), 1% povidone-iodine, anda combination of VGCE and 1% povidone-iodine groups.Macroscopic and microscopic observations of the processof wound healing were performed on days 3, 7, and 14.Results: Vitreous gel administration produced significantwound healing rates within the first three days, andhistological analysis revealed an increased number offibroblasts and polymorphonuclear cells. However, thepovidone iodine group and the combination group withvitreous gel did not produce significant results.Conclusion: The single administration of VGCE canaccelerate the wound healing process, increase the numberof fibroblasts, and reduce inflammation in a chronic woundmodel.

The Role of Two Human Milk Oligosaccharides, 2′-Fucosyllactose and Lacto-N-Neotetraose, in Infant Nutrition / 대한소아소화기영양학회지

Human breast milk contains numerous biomolecules. Human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs) are the third most abundant component of breast milk, after lactose and lipids. Amongst the synthetized HMOs, 2′-fucosyllactose (2′-FL) and lacto-N-neotetraose (LNnT) are widely studied and are considered safe for infant nutrition. Several studies have reported the health benefits of HMOs, which include modulation of the intestinal microbiota, anti-adhesive effect against pathogens, modulation of the intestinal epithelial cell response, and development of the immune system. The amount and diversity of HMOs are determined by the genetic background of the mothers (HMO secretors or non-secretors). The non-secretor mothers secrete lower HMOs than secretor mothers. The breastfed infants of secretor mothers gain more health benefit than those of non-secretor mothers. In conclusion, supplementation of infant formula with 2′-FL and LNnT is a promising innovation for infant nutrition.

Allele-specific PCR for a cost-effective & time-efficient diagnostic screening of spinal muscular atrophy.

Background & objectives: Genetic diagnosis of spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is complicated by the presence of SMN2 gene as majority of SMA patients show absence or deletion of SMN1 gene. PCR may amplify both the genes non selectively in presence of high amount of DNA. We evaluated whether allelespecific PCR for diagnostic screening of SMA is reliable in the presence of high amount of genomic DNA, which is commonly used when performing diagnostic screening using restriction enzymes. Methods: A total of 126 blood DNA samples were tested in amounts ranging 80-200 ng, referred for the genetic diagnosis of SMA using both conventional PCR-RFLP and allele-specific PCR. Results: The results from both methods showed agreement. Further, allele-specific PCR was found to be a time-efficient and cost-effective method. Interpretation & conclusions: Our study demonstrated the accuracy of our allele-specific PCR and the results were comparable compatible with that of PCR-RFLP, indicating its practical application in SMA diagnostic screening.