Temporary Renal Enlargement in Children with a First Episode of Febrile Urinary Tract Infection is a Significant Risk of Recurrent Infection.

PURPOSE: Although morphological renal abnormalities in children with febrile urinary tract infection (fUTI) have been showed a predictive factor for recurrent infection, there are no available data on recurrence regarding sonographic renal enlargement at first fUTI episode, especially focusing on whether renal enlargement is temporary or not. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This cohort study reviewed the medical records of children who underwent renal ultrasound during their first fUTI during 2005-2013 and who were aged <15 years at diagnosis. We defined a kidney as temporary enlarged when the kidney length was ≥2 standard deviation above normal renal length for that age on sonography or a difference of ≥1 cm in sonographic length between the right and left kidneys, following normal renal length after antibiotic treatment. RESULTS: A total of 132 children were enrolled, of whom 11 had sonographic temporary temporal renal enlargement during their first fUTI. After completing antibiotic therapy for a first fUTI episode, 20 (15%) children had fUTI recurrence. The clinical characteristics at first episode of fUTI were not significantly different between renal enlargement and nonrenal enlargement groups. Children with temporary renal enlargement at a first fUTI episode had significantly lower fUTI recurrence-free survival proportion than those with nonrenal enlargement according to the Kaplan-Meier method (p = 0.003) Conclusion: Identification of temporary temporal renal enlargement as a predictor of recurrent fUTI may help identify children with a first episode of fUTI who will be warned of close monitoring.

Experience of cases with inhaled nitric oxide and therapeutic hypothermia.

BACKGROUND: Neonates with hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) on therapeutic hypothermia (TH) therapy may show persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newborn (PPHN). In Japan, the reported mortality rate is lower than in the US, possibly due to treatment differences of newborns with moderate to severe HIE and PPHN. This study aimed to determine the feasibility and long-term outcomes of inhaled nitric oxide (iNO) and TH therapy in newborns with moderate to severe HIE and PPHN. METHODS: This was a retrospective review of neonates with moderate to severe HIE that were treated with TH from 2008 to 2017 at a large medical center in Japan. We documented their long-term neurological prognosis, measuring their developmental and Gross Motor Function Classification System level at 18 months old. RESULTS: A total of 37 neonates with moderate to severe HIE underwent TH therapy and six of them were started with iNO therapy for PPHN. iNO with TH was safely administered to all six newborns with moderate to severe HIE with PPHN. In two neonates TH was discontinued because of intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH) and severe hypotension. Neurological outcomes were similar in newborns who were treated with iNO and TH and those who were treated with TH alone. CONCLUSION: These initial findings suggest that monitoring hematological and cardiovascular status is important with iNO for severe asphyxia in infants with PPHN. Safer and more feasible protocols are needed for when iNO and TH therapy are administered together.

Predictive factors of continuous negative extrathoracic pressure management failure in children with moderate to severe respiratory syncytial virus infection.

Continuous negative extrathoracic pressure (CNEP) might be beneficial for children with severe respiratory tract infections. However, there are no available data on the predictors of its failure among individuals with respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infections. Here, we conducted a retrospective cohort study between October 1, 2015 and October 31, 2018 in hospitalized children with moderate to severe symptoms of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infections. We divided 45 children requiring CNEP ventilation with a non-fluctuating negative pressure of - 12 cm H2O into two groups. They were classified based on improvement or deterioration of their respiratory disorder under CNEP ventilation (responder group: n = 27, failure group: n = 18). Based on the univariate analysis, the responder and failure groups significantly differed in terms of median age, days elapsed from RSV onset to the initiation of CNEP, white blood cell count (WBC), titer of venous pCO2, body temperature at admission, and modified Wood-Downes Score (mWDS) 6 h after initiating CNEP. Based on a logistic regression analysis adjusted for age < 1 year upon admission, less than 5 days elapsed from RSV onset to the initiation of CNEP, not high value of WBC and body temperature at admission, and high values of mWDS 6 h after initiating CNEP were found to be significant independent risk factors for CNEP ventilation failure. The former two variables were associated with less failure (odds ratio was approximately 5), and the latter two variables are associated with more failure (odds ratio was approximately 8-9). Thus, CNEP could be a valid option for children with moderate to severe RSV infections, especially in those who were aged > 1 year, and specific clinical and laboratory findings.