[The non-invasive diagnostic of fibrosis and cirrhosis of liver under chronic viral hepatitis: publications review].

The chronic viral hepatitis is characterized by progressing course. In connection with this fact, there is a risk of development of fibrosis of liver. The diagnostic of this disease biopsy is applied as main technique. However, this invasive procedure is not always safe for patient. Therefore, it is applied only in specialized institutions, requires special training of medical personnel and has a number of contraindications. In recent years, in the capacity of noninvasive diagnostic of different stages of fibrosis of liver a number of serum markers are considered. Among them, the most number of studies concerns hyaluronic acid, collagen type IV, matrix metalloproteinase and their tissue inhibitors, transforming growth factor ß. The review presents actual information concerning possibilities of application of these serological indices in practical medicine in patients with chronic viral hepatitis.

[Sanfilippo Syndrome].

Sanfilippo syndrome (mucopolysaccharidosis type III) is a lysosomal disorder caused by a defect in the catabolism of heparan sulfate. Mucopolysaccharidosis type III is the most common type of all mucopolysaccharidoses. The pathogenic basis of the disease consists of the storage of undegraded substrate in the central nervous system. Progressive cognitive decline resulting in dementia and behavioural abnormalities are the main clinical characteristics of Sanfilippo syndrome. Mucopolysaccharidosis type III may be misdiagnosed as otherforms of developmental delay, attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder and autistic spectrum disorders because of lack of somatic symptoms, presence of mild and atypical forms of the disease. Patients with Sanfilippo syndrome may have comparatively low urinary glycosaminoglycans levels resulting in false negative urinary assay. Definitive diagnosis is made by enzyme assay on leucocytes and cultured fibroblasts. There is currently no effective treatment of mucopolysaccharidosis type III, though ongoing researches of gene, substrate reduction and intrathecal enzyme replacement therapies expect getting curative method to alter devasting damage of central nervous system in near future.

[Topical issues of food allergy diagnosis in pediatric practice].

Food allergy (FA) in children, especially in infancy, is still a significant public health problem. The severity and prognosis of disease progression associated with FA considerably depends on the correct and early diagnostics of this pathology, as well as on the following management of a child. At the same time delayed elimination diet administration, unreasonable or overlong dietary intervention might have become abuse management of a patient and have a negative impact on the development of a child and reduce the quality of life. The article summarizes the current practical approaches to the diagnosis of FA based on evidence-based medicine and adopted European and Russian national consensus documents, as well as on our own experience of management of patients with this pathology. FA diagnosis in a child usually includes clinical laboratory tests and clarification of clinical and anamnestic data. Unfortunately, it is a fact that preference is given to laboratory methods for diagnosis based on specific IgE determination or skin samples. However, the basis for cause-significant allergen identifying is detecting detailed medical history and clinical picture of a disease which still appears to be the most reliable tool for FA diagnosis.

[Evaluation of physical development in children with classical phenylketonuria].

Classical phenylketonuria (PKU) is hereditary disease, which is based on the disturbance of phenylalanine conversion to tyrosine. The basic treatment of PKU is low phenylalanine diet. Prolonged restriction of natural protein may have a negative impact to PKU patient growth and physical development. The objective was to evaluate the physical development of patients with classical PKU at birth and on the diet based on the products with different chemical composition without phenylalanine. 257 PKU patients have been examined with the computer program "WHO Anthroplus 2009". All patient were born at term. Z-score of body weight, height and body mass index (BMI) to age has been retrospectively estimated. Patients were divided into 2 groups: group 1--101 children born in 1980-1993 were fed by unadapted specialty products based on protein hydrolyzate with restricted phenylalanine, and group 2--156 children born in 1995-2012 were fed by contemporary amino acid mixtures without phenylalanine. All newborn PKU patients had the middle for age Z-score of weight and BMI, 21% of neonates had high Z-score growth. Before the diet therapy BMI Z-score was normal in 84.1% patients in group 1 and 87.2% patients of group 2. After 6 mo of treatment with low phenylalanine diet the number of patient with normal BMI Z-score was 71.3% in group 1 against 95.6% in group 2. Thus, using of modern amino acid mixtures without phenylalanine, enriched with essential nutrients can promote the normal physical development of PKU patients.