Cardiometabolic Risk Factors, Metabolic Syndrome, and Chronic Kidney Disease Progression in Children.

OBJECTIVE: To estimate the prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MetS) and examine its association with chronic kidney disease progression in children enrolled in the Chronic Kidney Disease in Children study. STUDY DESIGN: MetS was defined as being overweight or obese and having ≥2 cardiometabolic risk factors (CMRFs). Incidence and prevalence of MetS were assessed using pairs of visits approximately 2 years apart. RESULTS: A total of 799 pairs of person-visits (contributed by 472 children) were included in the final analysis. Of these, 70% had a normal body mass index (BMI), 14% were overweight, and 16% were obese. At the first visit, the prevalence of MetS in the overweight group was 40% and in the obese group was 60%. In adjusted models, annual percent estimated glomerular filtration rate decline in those who had normal BMI and incident or persistent multiple CMRFs or those with persistent MetS was -6.33%, -6.46%, and -6.08% (respectively) compared with children who never had multiple CMRFs (-3.38%, P = .048, .045, and .036, respectively). Children with normal BMI and incident multiple CMRFs and those with persistent MetS had approximately twice the odds of fast estimated glomerular filtration rate decline (>10% per year) compared with those without multiple CMRFs and normal BMI. CONCLUSION: Children with chronic kidney disease have a high prevalence of MetS. These children as well as those with normal BMI but multiple CMRFs experience a faster decline in kidney function.

Hypogammaglobulinemia in infants receiving chronic peritoneal dialysis.

BACKGROUND: Peritonitis is a severe complication of chronic peritoneal dialysis (CPD) in infants. Few studies have been conducted to evaluate the relationship between hypogammaglobulinemia and peritonitis risk, and the potential benefit of intravenous immunoglobulins (IVIG) therapy in infants receiving CPD. METHODS: Patients aged 0-12 months at initiation of CPD between 1985 and 2012 were eligible for inclusion in this retrospective study. Data collected from the start of CPD up to 2 years post-dialysis initiation included patient demographics, dialysis characteristics, serum immunoglobulin (IgG) levels, IVIG administration history, infectious complications and outcomes. Cox regression analysis and linear mixed model analysis were used for statistical analysis. RESULTS: Twenty-six consecutive patients were included in the study. Annualized peritonitis rates for infants aged 0-30 days (≤1-month age group; n = 16; 320.3 patient-months) and 31-365 days (>1-12-month age group; n = 10; 163.3 patient-months) at dialysis initiation were 0.27 (1 episode per 45.8 patient-months) and 0.15 (one episode per 81.7 patient-months), respectively. Seventy-six percent of the serum IgG levels were >1 standard deviation below the age-appropriate mean levels, and these did not differ in those who developed peritonitis versus those who did not (p = 0.39). Serum IgG levels were significantly lower in patients on CPD with oligoanuria than in non-oliguric patients (p = 0.04) and in patients on CPD for >90 days as compared to those who had received CPD for <90 days (p = 0.018). IVIG therapy was provided to 20 patients with hypogammaglobulinemia; this high prevalence of IVIG usage precluded any drawing of conclusion on the potential role of IVIG in the prevention of peritonitis. CONCLUSIONS: Hypogammaglobulinemia is a frequent complication of CPD during infancy. In our experience, it was not associated with an increased risk for peritonitis.

Discrepancies in the normative neonatal blood pressure reference ranges.

Numerous normative blood pressure (BP) reference ranges with considerable variation in the data have been published for neonates. This poses unique challenges for the definition and management of BP abnormalities in neonates. The aim of this study was to investigate the factors that have led to varying normative BP reference ranges in the studies conducted to date and to discuss potential study designs that would help better define the normative data. An electronic literature search was performed in 'PubMed' for articles published in English between January 1965 and February 2014 related to neonatal BP reference ranges. Common limitations found in the published studies included small sample sizes, combined use of oscillometric and intra-arterial BP measurements, lack of consideration of potentially influential factors such as postconception age, daily weight and medications, and use of data from individuals with wide ranges of gestational age, birth weight, and postconception age. Inconsistencies in the published neonatal BP reference ranges are likely due to a combination of factors related to study design. Attention to these issues should be considered when designing future multicenter studies on this topic.

Mycoplasma edwardii peritonitis in a patient on maintenance peritoneal dialysis.

Mycoplasma edwardii (M. edwardii) is an anthropozoonotic microorganism found in the upper respiratory and urogenital tracts of dogs. M. edwardii was one of the microbes isolated from peritoneal fluid of a 10-year-old child diagnosed with polymicrobial peritonitis following a puncture of dialysis tubing by a pet dog. Other unique pathogens representative of canine oral microflora isolated from this patient on peritoneal dialysis were Kingella denitrificans, Actinomycetes species and Capnocytophaga cynodegmi.

Effect of CYP3A5 genotype, steroids, and azoles on tacrolimus in a pediatric renal transplant population.

BACKGROUND: Numerous studies have described the impact of cytochrome P450 3A5 (CYP3A5) genotype on Tacrolimus (TAC) exposure. The purpose of this study was to conduct a comprehensive analysis of genetic and non-genetic factors affecting the TAC dose-exposure relationship over the first year post pediatric renal transplant. METHODS: Data were collected retrospectively for the first year post-transplant in pediatric renal transplant patients receiving TAC maintenance immunosuppression. The effect of CYP3A5 genotype (CYP3A5*3 and *6 alleles), age, azoles, and corticosteroids on TAC trough concentration normalized for dose (TAC Co/D ng/ml/mg/kg/day) was assessed using a linear mixed model. RESULTS: Over time, TAC Co/D was lower in recipients with CYP3A5*1/*3 genotype compared to those with CYP3A5*3/*3 genotype (44.5 ± 14.4 vs. 107.6 ± 6.4, p = 0.03), increased in patients >12 years of age compared to < 12 years (93.9 ± 8.7 vs. 53.1 ± 12.9, p = 0.007), and decreased by concomitant corticosteroids (69.5 ± 12.7 vs. 89.9 ± 20.0, p = 0.04). The observed increased TAC Co/D in the presence of azoles (271 ± 41 vs. 111 ± 91, p = 0.016) could be attributed to clotrimazole. CONCLUSIONS: Multiple factors, including CYP3A5 genotype, and age, influence TAC Co/D in pediatric kidney transplant recipients. Clotrimazole administered as troches also contribute to TAC Co/D variability.

Comparison between oscillometric and intra-arterial blood pressure measurements in ill preterm and full-term neonates.

Conflicting data exist regarding the accuracy of the oscillometric method of blood pressure (BP) measurement in neonates. There is limited data regarding intra-arterial BP trends in neonates. We aimed to determine the accuracy of oscillometric BP measurements and to evaluate the BP distributions in ill neonates. A total of 1492 simultaneously obtained oscillometric and intra-arterial (umbilical arterial [UAC] or radial arterial) BP measurements were used for comparisons and 125,580 intra-arterial BP readings were used to the evaluate BP distribution. There was a statistically significant difference (P < .0001) between the oscillometric and radial mean arterial BP (MAP) 4.8 ± 9.8 mm Hg, systolic BP 8.3 ± 11.6 mm Hg, diastolic BP 4.3 ± 9.3 mm Hg and between the oscillometric and UAC systolic BP 5.2 ± 11.9 mm Hg and diastolic BP -0.8 ± 10.4 mm Hg. The MAP increased with increases in weight (35.3 ± 4.92 mm Hg/kg), post-menstrual age (-0.29 ± 1.41 mm Hg/week) and advanced gestational age at birth (13.12 ± 0.90 mm Hg/week). Oscillometric BP measurements are not equivalent to the intra-arterial (UAC or radial arterial) BP in ill neonates. The BP increases with increase in weight, gestational age at birth, and post-menstrual age in ill neonates.