Association between vitamin D and urinary tract infection in children / 소아과

PURPOSE: The present study aimed to determine the relationship between serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) level and Urinary tract infections (UTIs) in children. METHODS: In this case-control study, 70 children with UTI (case group) were compared with 70 healthy children (control group) in terms of serum 25(OH)D levels. The children were between 1 month and 12 years of age. Serum 25(OH)D levels were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The results were analyzed and compared between both groups. RESULTS: Among 70 children with UTI (case group), 5 children (7.2%) were male and 65 (92.8%) were female. Among the healthy children (control group), 9 (12.8%) and 61 children (87.2%) were male and female, respectively (P=0.39). The mean±standard deviation of age in the case and control groups were 53.2±35.6 and 36.1±60.2 months, respectively (P=0.24). The mean level of serum 25(OH)D in the case group was significantly higher than that of the control group (20.4±8.6 ng/mL vs. 16.9±7.4 ng/mL, P=0.01). CONCLUSION: This study showed that there was a relationship between serum 25(OH)D levels and UTI in children. It seems that 25(OH)D plays a role in the pathogenesis of UTI.

[Serum zinc concentrations in children with acute bloody and watery Diarrhoea]

Objectives: The role of zinc in the pathogenesis of diarrhoea is controversial. This study was conducted to compare serum zinc levels in children with acute diarrhoea to those found in healthy children

Methods: This case-control study was carried out at the Qazvin Children's Hospital in Qazvin, Iran, between July 2012 and January 2013. A total of 60 children with acute diarrhoea [12 children with bloody diarrhoea and 48 children with watery diarrhoea] and 60 healthy children were included. Zinc levels for all subjects were measured using a flame atomic absorption spectrophotometer and data were analysed and compared between groups

Results: Mean serum zinc levels in the patients with acute bloody diarrhoea, acute watery diarrhoea and the control group were 74.1 +/- 23.7 microg/dL, 169.4 +/- 62.7 microg/dL and 190.1 +/- 18.0 microg/dL, respectively [P = 0.01]. Hypozincaemia was observed in 50.0% of children with acute bloody diarrhoea and 12.5% of those with acute watery diarrhoea. None of the patients in the control group had hypozincaemia [P = 0.01]

Conclusion: Children with acute bloody diarrhoea had significantly reduced serum zinc levels in comparison to healthy children. However, a study with a larger sample size is needed to examine the significance of this trend

Are Clinical, Laboratory, and Imaging Markers Suitable Predictors of Vesicoureteral Reflux in Children With Their First Febrile Urinary Tract Infection?

PURPOSE: This study was conducted to determine the predictive value of clinical, laboratory, and imaging variables for the diagnosis of vesicoureteral reflux in children with their first febrile urinary tract infection. MATERIALS AND METHODS: One hundred fifty-three children with their first febrile urinary tract infection were divided into two groups according to the results of voiding cystourethrography: 60 children with vesicoureteral reflux and 93 children without. The sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive value, likelihood ratio (positive and negative), and accuracy of the clinical, laboratory, and imaging variables for the diagnosis of vesicoureteral reflux were determined. RESULTS: Of the 153 children with febrile urinary tract infection, 60 patients (39.2%) had vesicoureteral reflux. There were significant differences between the two groups regarding fever>38degrees C, suprapubic pain, C-reactive protein quantitative level, number of red blood cells in the urine, and results of renal ultrasound and dimercaptosuccinic acid renal scanning (p38.2degrees C and dimercaptosuccinic acid renal scanning and vesicoureteral reflux. Also, there were significant positive correlations between the erythrocyte sedimentation rate, positive urinary nitrite test, hyaline cast, and renal ultrasound and high-grade vesicoureteral reflux. CONCLUSIONS: This study revealed fever>38.2degrees C and dimercaptosuccinic acid renal scanning as the best predictive markers for vesicoureteral reflux in children with their first febrile urinary tract infection. In addition, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, positive urinary nitrite test, hyaline cast, and renal ultrasound are the best predictive markers for high-grade vesicoureteral reflux.