Pilot study: Association between Helicobacter pylori in adenoid hyperplasia and reflux episodes detected by multiple intraluminal impedance in children.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this pilot study was to investigate an association between laryngopharyngeal reflux detected by combined multiple intraluminal impedance and pH monitoring and Helicobacter pylori in adenoid hyperplasia detected with real time polymerase chain reaction (PCR). METHODS: The study group consisted of 30 children (median age 5.34 years) with extraesophageal symptoms of gastroesophageal reflux disease with adenoid hyperplasia. All children underwent adenoidectomy with subsequent PCR detection of H. pylori DNA in the tissue and multiple intraluminal impedance and pH monitoring. The most proximal impedance sensor was located 1cm caudal to the entrance of the oesophagus. RESULTS: We found significant differences in the number of reflux episodes among patients with PCR positivity (median 35) and negativity (median 0) of H. pylori (p-value of Mann-Whitney U-test 0.0056). Patients with PCR positivity of H. pylori had significantly more reflux episodes reaching the upper oesophageal sphincter (p-value of Mann-Whitney U-test 0.023). The absence of reflux episode was the only independent factor for PCR negativity of H. pylori in the multiple logistic regression model. CONCLUSIONS: These results support the hypothesis that reflux episodes reaching the upper oesophageal sphincter may play an important role in the transmission of H. pylori into lymphoid tissue of the nasopharynx and thus may contribute to adenoid hyperplasia in children.

Hearing function in heterozygous carriers of a pathogenic GJB2 gene mutation.

The most frequent hereditary hearing loss is caused by mutations in the GJB2 gene coding for the gap junction beta 2 protein Connexin 26 (Cx26). In contrast to many studies performed in patients with bi-allelic mutations, audiometric studies on heterozygotes are sparse and often contradictory. To evaluate hearing function in heterozygous carriers of the GJB2 c.35delG mutation, audiometry over the extended frequency range and the recording of otoacoustic emissions (OAEs), i.e., transient-evoked OAEs (TEOAEs) and distortion product OAEs (DPOAEs), were performed in a group of parents and grandparents of deaf children homozygous for the GJB2 c.35delG mutation. The comparison of audiograms between control and heterozygous subjects was enabled using audiogram normalization for age and sex. Hearing loss, estimated with this procedure, was found to be significantly larger in GJB2 c.35delG heterozygous females in comparison with controls for the frequencies of 8-16 kHz; the deterioration of hearing in heterozygous men in comparison with controls was not statistically significant. A comparison of TEOAE responses and DPOAE levels between GJB2 c.35delG heterozygotes and controls did not reveal any significant differences. The results prove the importance of using audiometry over the extended frequency range and audiogram normalization for age and sex to detect minor hearing impairments, even in a relatively small group of subjects of different ages.

Double heterozygosity with mutations involving both the GJB2 and GJB6 genes is a possible, but very rare, cause of congenital deafness in the Czech population.

Mutations in the GJB2 gene are the most common cause of prelingual, autosomal recessive, sensorineural hearing loss worldwide. Nevertheless, 10% to 50% of patients with prelingual nonsyndromic deafness only carry one mutation in the GJB2 gene. Recently a large 342 kb deletion named Delta(GJB6-D13S1830) involving the GJB6 gene was reported in Spanish and French deafness patients, either in a homozygous state or in combination with a monoallelic GJB2 mutation. No data have been reported about the frequency of this mutation in central Europe. Thirteen Czech patients with prelingual nonsyndromic sensorineural deafness carrying only one pathogenic mutation in the GJB2 gene were tested for the presence of the Delta(GJB6-D13S1830) mutation. One patient with a GJB2 mutation (313del14) also carried the Delta(GJB6-D13S1830). This is the first reported Czech case, and probably also the first central European case, of prelingual deafness due to mutations involving both the GJB2 and GJB6 genes. In addition, the Delta(GJB6-D13S1830) was not detected in 600 control chromosomes from Czech individuals with normal hearing. We show that in the Czech Republic the Delta(GJB6-D13S1830) is not the second most common causal factor in deafness patients heterozygous for a single GJB2 mutation, and that Delta(GJB6-D13S1830) is very rare in central Europe compared to reports from Spain, France and Israel.

[Hypoplasia of trachea with tracheal bronchus as a complication of surgical correction of tetralogy of Fallot]. / Hypoplazie trachey s tracheálním bronchem jako prícina komplikací po korekci Fallotovy tetralogie.

A 10 months old infant underwent repair of tetralogy of Fallot with hypoplastic annulus of the pulmonary valve, diminutive pulmonary arteries, right aortic arch and left superior vena cava. The right ventricular outflow tract was reconstructed using a monocusp patch. The postoperative course was unfavourably influenced by respiratory complications due to tracheal bronchus and hypoplasia of trachea, which were not diagnosed preoperatively. Extreme emphysema of the right upper and middle lobes compromised haemodynamics. Repeated reoperations were required. The upper and the middle lobes of the right lung had to be resected, the hypoplastic trachea reconstructed with a pericardial patch and pulmonary homograft inserted. One year later, homograft had to be replaced and tricuspid annuloplasty performed for pulmonary and tricuspid regurgitation and right ventricular dilatation as a consequence of increased pulmonary artery pressure. Three years after the original surgery the patient remains in good clinical condition.

Spectrum and frequencies of mutations in the GJB2 (Cx26) gene among 156 Czech patients with pre-lingual deafness.

Mutations in the gene gap junction beta 2 (GJB2), the gene for the connexin 26, are the most common cause of pre-lingual deafness worldwide. The mutation 35delG within GJB2 is prevalent in Europe. To date, there are no data about GJB2 mutation spectrum and frequencies from the Czech population. We investigated and report here the spectrum and frequencies of mutations in the GJB2 gene among 156 unrelated, congenital deafness Czech patients. Allele-specific polymerase chain reaction, together with fluorescent fragment analysis, were used for the detection of the 35delG mutation. The entire coding region of the GJB2 was directly sequenced in all patients who were not homozygous for the 35delG. No pathogenic mutation was detected in 51.9% of patients. At least one pathogenic mutation was found in 48.1% of patients, and both pathogenic mutations were detected in 37.8% of patients. Single mutations in a heterozygous state were detected in 10.3% of patients. The mutation 35delG accounts for 82.8% of detected disease mutations, Trp24stop accounts for 9.7% of pathogenic alleles and was found in patients with gypsy heritage. Mutation 313del14 accounts for 3.7% of pathogenic alleles. The frequency of 35delG heterozygotes in the Czech Republic is 1 : 29.6. Testing for only the three most common mutations would detect over 96% of all pathogenic alleles in the Czech Republic.

[Langerhans-cell histiocytosis in children]. / Histiocytóza z Langerhansových bunek u detí.

Histiocytosis from Langerhans cells is a new term for a group of diseases formerly called histiocytosis X. In The Faculty Hospital Motol the authors treated between July 1974 and December 1980 84 children with this disease. Twenty one suffered from the malignant form (formerly Letterer-Siwe and Hand-Schüller-Christian disease) and in 63 patients the diagnosis of eosinophil granuloma was established. In 21 children with unequivocally malignant disease the authors started chemotherapy immediately after establishment of the diagnosis and in six they indicated in addition radiotherapy. Of these 21 children 16 are in complete remission and 5 children died from progression of the disease during treatment. In the group of 63 children with eosinophil granuloma in 44 only excochleation of the focus was performed. Chemotherapy was administered to 12 children, incl. 5 where it was combined with radiotherapy. A relapse of the disease was recorded in 8 children. At present all patients suffering from the disease are in complete remission.

Is fetal cellular rhabdomyoma an entity or a differentiated rhabdomyosarcoma? A study of patients with rhabdomyoma of the tongue and sarcoma of the tongue enrolled in the intergroup rhabdomyosarcoma studies I, II, and III.

A tumor of the tongue with features consistent with the diagnosis of fetal cellular rhabdomyoma was seen in an 18-month-old infant. The tumor recurred 10 and 22 months after initial resection. The histologic condition of the first recurrence was similar to the original tumor except for some increased nuclear irregularities and mitotic activity. No adjunctive therapy was administered initially or after the first recurrence. The second recurrence showed mixed embryonal/alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma. This case represented a unique model of a highly differentiated striated muscle tumor converting to a moderately differentiated rhabdomyosarcoma, and illustrated differential diagnostic difficulties in distinguishing between fetal cellular rhabdomyoma and differentiated rhabdomyosarcoma. The patient was compared with eight children and adolescents with primary sarcomas of the tongue who entered the Intergroup Rhabdomyosarcoma Studies (IRS) I, II, and III protocols. The tumors of all eight arose at the base of the tongue. There were five embryonal, one alveolar, and one mixed embryonal/alveolar rhabdomyosarcomas, and one undifferentiated myxoid sarcoma. Five rhabdomyosarcomas were poorly differentiated, and two had a moderate degree of myogenesis. These sarcomas of the tongue represent approximately 0.34% of all cases entered in IRS studies.

[Personal experience with reconstruction of the lacrimal tract]. / Nase zkusenosti s rekonstrukcí slzných cest.

The authors present their initial experience with the microsurgical reconstruction of lacrimatory pathways damaged by injury or inflammation. They describe complications which differ in different types of silicon cannulas used for implantation into the lacrimal canals. The achieved results indicate quite clearly the advantages of microsurgical reconstruction, in particular primary reconstruction, in case of discontinuity of the lacrimatory pathways.