TASL Practice Guidance on the Clinical Assessment and Management of Patients with Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease.

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a multisystem disease and is significantly associated with obesity, insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes mellitus, metabolic syndrome, and cardiovascular disease. NAFLD has become the most prevalent chronic liver disease in Western countries, and the proportion of NAFLD-related cirrhosis among patients on liver transplantation waiting lists has increased. In light of the accumulated data about NAFLD, and to provide a common approach with multi-disciplines dealing with the subject, it has become necessary to create new guidance for diagnosing and treating NAFLD. This guidance was prepared following an interdisciplinary study under the leadership of the Turkish Association for the Study of the Liver (TASL), Fatty Liver Special Interest Group. This new TASL Guidance is a practical application guide on NAFLD and was prepared to standardize the clinical approach to diagnosing and treating NAFLD patients. This guidance reflects many advances in the field of NAFLD. The proposals in this guidance are meant to aid decision-making in clinical practice. The guidance is primarily intended for gastroenterology, endocrinology, metabolism diseases, cardiology, internal medicine, pediatric specialists, and family medicine specialists.

Familial Mediterranean Fever Mutation Analysis in Pediatric Patients With Inflammatory Bowel Disease: A Multicenter Study.

BACKGROUND: The aim of the study was to evaluate familial Mediterranean fever (FMF) mutation analysis in pediatric patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). The relation between MEFV mutations and chronic inflammatory diseases has been reported previously. METHODS: Children with IBD (334 ulcerative colitis (UC), 224 Crohn's disease (CD), 39 indeterminate colitis (IC)) were tested for FMF mutations in this multicenter study. The distribution of mutations according to disease type, histopathological findings, and disease activity indexes was determined. RESULTS: A total of 597 children (mean age: 10.8 ± 4.6 years, M/F: 1.05) with IBD were included in the study. In this study, 41.9% of the patients had FMF mutations. E148Q was the most common mutation in UC and CD, and M694V in IC (30.5%, 34.5%, 47.1%, respectively). There was a significant difference in terms of endoscopic and histopathological findings according to mutation types (homozygous/ heterozygous) in patients with UC (P < .05). There was a statistically significant difference between colonoscopy findings in patients with or without mutations (P = .031, P = .045, respectively). The patients with UC who had mutations had lower Pediatric Ulcerative Colitis Activity Index (PUCAI) scores than the patients without mutations (P = .007). CONCLUSION: Although FMF mutations are unrelated to CD patients, but observed in UC patients with low PUCAI scores, it was established that mutations do not have a high impact on inflammatory response and clinical outcome of the disease.

Emotional dysregulation in adolescents with functional gastrointestinal disorders.

BACKGROUND AND STUDY AIMS: In various gastrointestinal system diseases, emotional dysregulation has been shown to reduce pain tolerance and increase the severity of the disease. Increased emotional dysregulation during the adolescence period causes gastrointestinal symptoms to be more frequent and severe. In this study, Child Depression Inventory (CDI) scores were investigated in patients admitted to our clinic with functional gastrointestinal disorders. PATIENTS AND METHODS: According to Rome IV criteria, 200 patients with functional abdominal pain and dyspepsia aged 12-17 years were included in this study. 100 patients without a chronic disease were taken as control group. Patients completed the self-report questionnaires about symptoms, school performance, nutrition and sports habits. We used Child Depression Inventory (CDI) to assess the patients' depression. RESULTS: The mean age of study group was 15.29 ± 1.48 years (12-17 years), median 16 years; 80% (160/200) were girls. The mean age of control group was 14.96 ± 1.66 years (12-17 years), median 15 years; 70% (70/100) were girls. There is no difference between the two groups for age and gender. Median depression score was 12.5 (range, 0-53) in the study group and 10.0 (range, 0-41) in the control group and a significant difference was found between the two groups (p = 0.014). School performance was revealed as 'very good' in 112 (56%) children in the study group and in 24 (24%) children in the control group and a significant difference was found between the two groups (p < 0.001). A negative correlation was found between school performance and depressive symptoms. CONCLUSION: It is not clear that emotional dysregulation induces FGIDs or FGIDs cause emotional dysregulation. But it is known that these diseases are common in the adolescent age group. Incorporating social and physical activities into the educational processes of adolescents will have favorable effects on their academic performance as well as emotional regulation.

[The Role of Gut Microbiota in Autism Spectrum Disorder]. / Otizm Spektrum Bozuklugunda Bagirsak Mikrobiyotasinin Rolü.

Human microbiota are colonies of microorganisms located in different parts of the human body with diverse functions. Healthy gut microbiota comprises differing ratios of microoganisms wholly contributing to metabolic and other molecular reactions in a healthy, functioning body. After the demonstration of the bidirectional interaction between the central nervous system and gut microbiota through neuroendocrine, neuroimmune, and autonomic nervous mechanisms, investigations have been started on the microbiota-gut-brain axis in psychiatric disorders. Autism spectrum disorder (ASD), which is a neurodevelopmental disorder of early childhood, is one of these disorders. Most of such studies were cross-sectional and mainly investigated the bacterial species. Changes in gut microbiota composition and the leaky gut syndrome are some of the hypotheses proposed to explain the core symptoms and gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms of ASD. Probiotics, prebiotics, fecal microbiota transplantation, diet have been proposed as treatment options. However, the role of microbiota in diagnosis, followup, and treatment is not yet clear. The bidirectional interaction between central nervous system and intestinal microbiota makes it difficult to establish the cause-effect relationship. The current data on microbiota may be useful to plan patient-specific treatment in autistic children with GI symptoms. This article aims to review the results of the studies on microbiota in animal models and children and discuss the emerging clinical relationship of ASD and gut microbiota.

Helicobacter pylori resistance to clarithromycin and fluoroquinolones in a pediatric population in Turkey: A cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Helicobacter pylori antimicrobial resistance is gradually increasing around the world. However, there are a limited number of studies reporting on this issue in the pediatric population. In this study, we aimed to determine H pylori resistance to clarithromycin and fluoroquinolones in the pediatric patients living in Kirikkale province that were detected with H pylori in gastric biopsies. Moreover, we also aimed to investigate the concordance between the histopathologic and molecular methods used in the diagnosis of H pylori infection. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Patients aged 2-18 years who had a history of epigastric pain and/or nausea persisting for longer than 1 month underwent upper gastrointestinal endoscopy. Biopsies were taken from the gastric antral mucosa. In the samples detected with H pylori in the histopathologic examination, the presence of H pylori and H pylori resistance to clarithromycin and fluoroquinolones was investigated using the GenoType HelicoDR test which allows the detection of wild-type and mutant genes. The strains detected with more than one mutant gene are defined as hetero-resistant strains. RESULTS: The 93 patients that underwent DNA extraction and amplification included 68 (73.1%) girls and 25 (26.9%) boys with a median age of 15 ± 2.62 (range 6-17) years. The overall concordance for the diagnosis of H pylori infection between histopathology and PCR was 94%, and H pylori resistance to clarithromycin and fluoroquinolones was 27% and 15%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The high H pylori resistance to clarithromycin and fluoroquinolones among the pediatric patients in our region implicates that the antibiotic sensitivity of strains should be studied prior to administration in accordance with the recommendations provided in the guidelines. Moreover, the presence of hetero-resistant strains in our patients may be a reason for treatment failure.

Stress induced gastrointestinal bleeding in a pediatric intensive care unit: which risk factors should necessitate prophilaxis?

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to determine the frequency and the risk factors of stress induced gastrointestinal bleeding (GIB) in critically ill children, and to investigate the effect of prophilaxis. The setting was a 14-beded, tertiary care PICU. METHODS: Records of 182 children admitted consecutively from December 2012 to May 2013 were retrospectively reviewed. 136 patients were eligible. The age ranged from 40 days to 18 years. Diagnosis, demographic data, risk factors, administration of prophilaxis, drugs used in medication, prescence and degree of GIB and complications were recorded. RESULTS: The male-female ratio was 1.3. Mean age was 5.9. Mean PRISM III score was 12.2 and 49.3% had PRISM Score ≥10. Most frequent diagnosis was infectious diseases. Sixtyone (44.9%) children received prophylaxis in which antacids was used in 28 (45.9%), sucralfate in 18 (29.5%), proton pomp inhibitors (PPIs) in 51 (83.6%) and 5 (8.2%) received H2 reseptor antagonist. The incidence of GIB was 15.4% (N.=21), in which 66.7% (N.=14) were mild, 23.8% (N.=5) were moderate, 4.8% (N.=1) was significant and 4.8% (N.=1) was massive. In children who received prophylaxis 17 (27.9%) cases developed GIB. Mechanical ventilation was found to be the only risk factor significantly associated with stress induced GIB. Also; mechanical ventilation and trauma was strongly significant (P<0.001) and coagulopathy/thrombocytopenia, PRISM III ≥10, renal and hepatic failure, hypotension, and heart failure/arrhythmia was found to be associated with the development of GIB in critically ill children (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: GIB is a serious concern for PICU clinicians and intensivists are confused about the conflicting evidence supporting prophilaxis. We believe that prophylaxis could be beneficial for mechanically ventilated children. Also trauma, coagulopathy/thrombocytopenia, PRISM III≥10, renal and hepatic failure, hypotension, and heart failure/arrhythmia must be kept in mind as risk factors requiring attention in PICU setting.

Amylase/creatinine clearance ratio in diabetic ketoacidosis: a case report.

Diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) accompanies any other intra-abdominal pathology. Serum amylase/lipase levels are commonly used in order to rule out acute pancreatitis in patients having abdominal pain in DKA. A more specific and noninvasive diagnostic tool - amylase/creatinine clearance ratio (ACCR) - can be used to rule out pancreatitis in patients with DKA. A 14-year-old girl was admitted with abdominal pain and nausea. She had been followed up for type 1 diabetes mellitus for the last 5 years. The serum amylase levels were increased up to 687 U/L (normal: 28-120 U/L) on the third day of hospitalization. Simultaneous serum and urinary amylase concentrations were measured, and ACCR was calculated (1.2%). The diagnosis of pancreatitis was ruled out. The serum amylase levels decreased in the following days, and she was discharged. ACCR determination is a simple and specific test to diagnose pancreatitis, especially in patients with DKA.

Results of multichannel intraluminal impedance pH metry in symptomathic children with normal pH metry findings.

AIM: A retrospective study was performed to evaluate the results of multichannel intraluminal impedance (MII) pH metry in symptomatic children with normal pH monitoring (PM) findings. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Children who have reflux index (RI) less than 4% in PM and recurrent symptoms were included. All children underwent MII. Children who received antireflux treatment with normal PM findings were excluded from the study. MII results were evaluated for RI, content of reflux (acid, weak acid, and alkaline) number and type of impedance events, esophageal bolus clearance time and proximal extent of reflux (PER). RESULTS: Eight patients (age range: 5-13 years) were included to the study. The male female ratio was 5:3. The recurrent symptoms were related with gastrointestinal (n = 5) and upper respiratory system (n = 3). One of the patients was operated for esophageal atresia and one was followed for corrosive esophageal disease. Four of the patients had RI higher than 4% in MII. Patients with normal RI in MII, had weak acid reflux (n: 1), alkaline reflux (n = 1) and no reflux (n = 2). When number of impedance events evaluated, four patients had abnormal reflux episodes (70 or more reflux episodes). Impedance event recordings were correlated in 75% of PM findings. The content of impedance events were mixed and gas in nature. Prolonged esophageal clearance time and PER were detected in patients with chest pain and operated esophageal atresia. CONCLUSION: MII can be considered as a superior diagnostic tool to detect weak acid and alkaline reflux in patients who had recurrent symptoms with normal PM studies. MII also provides information about bolus clearance time and extent of reflux.