The Asociación Mexicana de Gastroenterología consensus on the diagnosis and treatment of acute pancreatitis in children and adolescents.

Acute pancreatitis (AP) and recurrent acute pancreatitis (RAP) are conditions, whose incidence is apparently on the rise. Despite the ever-increasing evidence regarding the management of AP in children and adults, therapeutic actions that could potentially affect having a poor prognosis in those patients, especially in the pediatric population, continue to be carried out. Therefore, the Asociación Mexicana de Gastroenterología convened a group of 24 expert pediatric gastroenterologists from different institutions and areas of Mexico, as well as 2 pediatric nutritionists and 2 specialists in pediatric surgery, to discuss different aspects of the epidemiology, diagnosis, and treatment of AP and RAP in the pediatric population. The aim of this document is to present the consensus results. Different AP topics were addressed by 6 working groups, each of which reviewed the information and formulated statements considered pertinent for each module, on themes involving recommendations and points of debate, concerning diagnostic or therapeutic approaches. All the statements were presented and discussed. They were then evaluated through a Delphi process, with electronic and anonymous voting, to determine the level of agreement on the statements. A total of 29 statements were formulated, all of which reached above 75% agreement in the first round of voting.

Epidemiologic trend of pediatric inflammatory bowel disease in Latin America: The Latin American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition (LASPGHAN) Working Group.

INTRODUCTION AND AIMS: The primary aim was to explore the epidemiologic trend of pediatric inflammatory bowel disease in Latin America, and the secondary aims were to obtain an overview of the diagnostic/therapeutic focus of the members of the LASPGHAN and examine the relation of case frequency to year, during the study period. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Latin American pediatric gastroenterologists participated in an online survey, conducted through the SurveyMonkey platform, that investigated the yearly frequency of new inflammatory bowel disease patients within the time frame of 2005-2016, their disease variety, the gastrointestinal segments affected, and the diagnostic and treatment methods utilized. The correlation of new case frequency with each study year was evaluated. RESULTS: A total of 607 patients were studied. The diagnoses were ulcerative colitis in 475 (78.3%) cases, Crohn's disease in 104 (17.1%), and inflammatory bowel disease D unclassified in 28 (4.6%). The trend in ulcerative colitis was a lineal increase in the frequency of new cases related to each study year, with a significant correlation coefficient. Pancolitis was found in 67.6% of the patients. The diagnostic methods included clinical data, endoscopy, and biopsies in more than 99% of the cases, and imaging studies were indicated selectively. Drug regimens were limited to 5-aminosalicylic acid derivatives, azathioprine, 6-mercaptopurine, infliximab, and adalimumab. CONCLUSIONS: Pediatric inflammatory bowel disease in Latin America appears to have increased during the years included in the study period, with a predominance of moderate or severe ulcerative colitis. That lineal trend suggests the predictive likelihood of a gradual increase in the coming years, with possible epidemiologic and clinical implications.

Dietary and sociodemographic factors associated with nonalcoholic fatty liver in obese pediatric patients.

INTRODUCTION: Obesity is associated with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in children. Our aim was to analyze the association of dietary and sociodemographic factors with NAFLD in obese children and adolescents. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thirty-three obese patients from 6-16 years of age were included in the present analytic cross-sectional study. Obesity was diagnosed with a body mass index z-score > 2 SD. NAFLD was estimated by liver ultrasound, serum amino transferases, and elastography. The sociodemographic variables were evaluated using validated questionnaires. Diet was estimated through two 24-h recall dietary surveys focused on the quantity of food energy, simple sugars, polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), and antioxidants. RESULTS: Hepatic steatosis was identified by abdominal ultrasound in 13 patients (39.4%) and the serum alanine aminotransferase level was above the upper reference value in 54.2%. A higher educational level in both parents, greater monthly food expenditure, and a higher socioeconomic level were associated with NAFLD. Overall, simple sugar and saturated fat consumption was above the recommended daily intake, whereas vitamin E and PUFA consumption was below those parameters. CONCLUSIONS: NAFLD was identified in one-third of the cases. There was an association between NAFLD and sociodemographic variables. Both groups had an increased intake of simple sugars and a reduced intake of PUFAs. The selective occurrence of NAFLD could be related to a genetic predisposition that has been demonstrated in a Mexican population.

Epidemiologic trend of pediatric inflammatory bowel disease in Latin America: The Latin American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition (LASPGHAN) Working Group. / Tendencia epidemiológica de la enfermedad intestinal inflamatoria en pacientes pediátricos en América Latina: Grupo de Trabajo en Enfermedad Intestinal Inflamatoria, Sociedad Latinoamericana de Gastroenterología, Hepatología y Nutrición Pediátrica (SLAGHNP).

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES: The primary aim was to explore the epidemiologic trend of pediatric inflammatory bowel disease in Latin America, and the secondary aims were to obtain an overview of the diagnostic/therapeutic focus of the members of the LASPGHAN and examine the relation of case frequency to year, during the study period. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Latin American pediatric gastroenterologists participated in an online survey, conducted through the SurveyMonkey platform, that investigated the yearly frequency of new inflammatory bowel disease patients within the time frame of 2005 to 2016, their disease variety, the gastrointestinal segments affected, and the diagnostic and treatment methods utilized. The correlation of new case frequency with each study year was evaluated. RESULTS: A total of 607 patients were studied. The diagnoses were ulcerative colitis in 475 (78.3%) cases, Crohn's disease in 104 (17.1%), and inflammatory bowel disease D unclassified in 28 (4.6%). The trend in ulcerative colitis was a lineal increase in the frequency of new cases related to each study year, with a significant correlation coefficient. Pancolitis was found in 67.6% of the patients. The diagnostic methods included clinical data, endoscopy, and biopsies in more than 99% of the cases, and imaging studies were indicated selectively. Drug regimens were limited to 5-aminosalicylic acid derivatives, azathioprine, 6-mercaptopurine, infliximab, and adalimumab. CONCLUSIONS: Pediatric inflammatory bowel disease in Latin America appears to have increased during the years included in the study period, with a predominance of moderate or severe ulcerative colitis. That lineal trend suggests the predictive likelihood of a gradual increase in the coming years, with possible epidemiologic and clinical implications.

Efficacy of dietary intervention and physical activity in children and adolescents with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease associated with obesity: A scoping review. / Eficacia de la intervención nutricia y de la actividad física en niños y adolescentes con hígado graso no alcohólico asociado a obesidad: revisión sistemática exploratoria.

AIM: To identify and discuss the efficacy of dietary interventions, antioxidant supplementation, physical activity, and nutritional and psychologic counseling in the treatment of children and adolescents with non alcoholic fatty liver disease associated with obesity. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A scoping review of studies on nutritional and educational interventions and physical activity in pediatric patients with non alcoholic fatty liver disease was conducted. A search for randomized clinical trials or quasi-experimental studies published up to December 2017 was carried out, utilizing seven databases (Medline, EBSCO, OVID, Science Direct, JSTOR, Wiley, and Biblioteca Digital UDG). RESULTS: From a total of 751 articles, 729 were excluded due to the criteria of age, design, language, diagnostic method, and outcome variables. The analysis included 22 articles. The most frequently used intervention variables were diet and physical activity. The interventions had different durations, but most were carried out for one year. Some authors employed ascorbic acid, vitamin E, or omega-3 fatty acid supplementation. There were varying degrees of improvement in the variables analyzed in the majority of the studies, such as a decrease in ALT levels, a reduced frequency of steatosis determined through imaging studies, and a decrease in body mass index. CONCLUSIONS: The dietary interventions, omega-3 fatty acid supplementation, physical activity, and nutritional and psychologic counseling were identified as efficacious measures in the treatment of non alcoholic fatty liver disease associated with obesity in children and adolescents, according to biochemical or imaging study indicators, within the time frame of the intervention.

The Mexican consensus on probiotics in gastroenterology. / Consenso mexicano sobre probióticos en gastroenterología.

INTRODUCTION: Probiotics are frequently prescribed in clinical practice. Their efficacy in treating gastrointestinal disorders is supported by a significant number of clinical trials. However, the correct prescription of these agents is hampered due to a lack of knowledge of the scientific evidence and to the different presentations and microbial compositions of the probiotics that are currently available. AIM: To provide the clinician with a consensus review of probiotics and recommendations for their use in gastroenterology. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Controlled clinical trials, meta-analyses, and systematic reviews published up to 2015 were selected, using the MESH terms: probiotics, gastrointestinal diseases, humans, adults, AND children. The Delphi method was employed. Eighteen gastroenterologists treating adult patients and 14 pediatric gastroenterologists formulated statements that were voted on until agreement>70% was reached. The level of evidence based on the GRADE system was evaluated for each statement. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: Eleven statements on the general concepts of probiotics and 27 statements on the use of probiotics in gastrointestinal diseases in both adults and children were formulated. The consensus group recommends the use of probiotics under the following clinical conditions: the prevention of diarrhea associated with antibiotics, the treatment of acute infectious diarrhea, the prevention of Clostridium difficile infection and necrotizing enterocolitis, the reduction of adverse events from Helicobacter pylori eradication therapy, relief from irritable bowel syndrome symptoms, the treatment of functional constipation in the adult, and the induction and maintenance of remission in patients with ulcerative colitis and pouchitis, and the treatment of covert and overt hepatic encephalopathy.

Duodenal tube test in the diagnosis of biliary atresia.

BACKGROUND: Biliary atresia (BA) is the main cause of severe liver damage in infants. Successful surgical treatment is related directly to an early and rapid diagnosis. The aim of this study was to determine specificity, sensitivity, and predictive value of the duodenal tube test (DTT) in the diagnosis of BA in a series of infants with cholestatic jaundice. METHODS: This was a descriptive study of a series of infants with cholestatic jaundice created to validate the sensitivity, specificity, and predictive value of the DTT in the diagnosis of BA. A total of 254 patients were identified from 1988 to 1998. The study cohort included 137 male infants (53.9%), and the mean age on admission was 8.3 weeks +/- 2.47 weeks (standard deviation). Study protocol included liver function tests, liver ultrasound, metabolic screening and serology for viral hepatitis, and toxoplasma, rubella, cytomegalovirus, herpes, and others. A nasoduodenal tube was, placed at the distal duodenum and the fluid was collected for 24 hours. DTT was considered bile positive when yellow biliary fluid was observed; the test was concluded at this time. When no yellow biliary duodenal fluid was observed, the collection was continued for 24 hours and, if negative, was reported as bile negative. The patients with a bile-positive DTT were not explored surgically, and the cholestasis workup was completed. Laparotomy and a surgical cholangiogram were indicated in patients with bile-negative DTT. If BA was verified, portoenterostomy was performed. The gold standard for BA diagnosis was the following: obstruction of the biliary tract confirmed by laparotomy and a surgical cholangiogram, and clinical outcome in patients without laparotomy (followed for a minimum of 18 months). RESULTS: The results are as follows. BA: bile-positive DTT, n = 3; bile-negative DTT, n = 108. No BA: bile- positive DTT, n = 134; bile-negative DTT, n = 9. The following values were also determined: sensitivity, 97.3%; specificity, 93.7%; positive predictive value, 92.3%; and negative predictive value, 98.5%. The final diagnoses were as follows: BA, n = 111 (43.7%); neonatal hepatitis syndrome, n = 103 (40.6%); cholestasis associated with inspissated bile syndrome, n = 13 (5.1%); choledochal cyst, n = 11 (4.3%); galactosemia, n = 9 (3.5%); cirrhosis of unknown etiology, n = 5 (2%), and Alagille syndrome, n = 2 (0.8%). CONCLUSIONS: The data obtained from this series validate the DTT as a useful clinical tool for the differential diagnosis of the infant with cholestasis, particularly for indicating laparotomy and cholangiogram to substantiate BA. This diagnostic test is quick and simple, and offers the clinician valuable information with which to determine whether surgical intervention is necessary.

[Usefulness of endoscopy in the differential diagnosis of hemorrhage of the upper digestive tract in children]. / Utilidad de la endoscopia en el diagnóstico diferencial de la hemorragia del tubo digestivo alto en niños.

One hundred and sixty two patients with upper and intermediate gastrointestinal hemorrhage studied under a prospective protocol are reported. Upper endoscopy revealed lesions of the upper gastrointestinal tract in 137 patients (89%); a barium swallow performed to 92 of them failed to confirm the endoscopic diagnosis in 66 (71.7%). In 99m Tc scan suggested ectopic gastric mucosa in 9 cases; Meckel's diverticulum was confirmed by laparotomy in 7 and gastrointestinal duplication in two of them. Selective mesenteric arteriography demonstrated bleeding ileo-cecal varices in one patient. The main causes of gastrointestinal hemorrhage in the current series were duodenal ulcer (22.8%), esophageal varices (14.8%), stress ulcers (14.2%), reflux esophagitis (7.4%), aspirin-induced gastritis (6.8%), gastric ulcer (5.6%) and ectopic gastric mucosa (5.6%). These diagnosis were characteristically distributed according to pediatric age-groups. The source of bleeding could be detected in 90% of the patients studied. A clinical approach to differential diagnosis of patients with gastrointestinal bleeding is presented.

Differential toxicity of RCAII (ricin) on rabbit intestinal epithelium in relation to postnatal maturation.

The purpose of this work was to assess the toxic lectin ricin (RCAII) as a probe for the study of intestinal permeability in the developing small bowel. Jejunal explants from suckling and adult rabbits were exposed to varying dosages of RCAII for 30 min at 25 degrees C and then cultured in toxin-free medium. The RCAII dose required to inhibit protein synthesis during 6 h of culture increased from 0.1 microgram/ml in 4-day-old rabbits to 25 micrograms/ml in weanling rabbits. RCAII cytotoxicity was almost completely blocked by 0.1 M lactulose in all age groups. The kinetics of 125I-RCAII binding to purified microvillus membranes were determined by incubating a fixed concentration of membrane protein (30 micrograms) with increasing concentrations of labeled lectin (2-18 micrograms/ml). Binding attained saturation with adult but not with suckling animal membranes. The latter yielded a curvilinear relationship in Scatchard plots, suggesting either several classes of binding sites or negative cooperativity. RCAII binding was confined to the delipidated fraction of the membranes and decreased by 42% from 6 days old to adult age. The extreme sensitivity of colostral epithelium to RCAII is probably related to the high level of endocytosis exhibited by the immature membrane of suckling rabbits. The development of increasing resistance to the toxin, and associated decrease in binding, might be related to disappearance of saccharide sites in productive surface receptors occurring in the developmental course of intestinal glycosylation.

Gastrointestinal occult hemorrhage and gastroduodenitis in cow's milk protein intolerance.

We are reporting on four infants with cow's milk protein intolerance who presented with hypochromic anemia and occult gastrointestinal hemorrhage. Esophagogastroduodenoscopy revealed erosive gastritis or gastroduodenitis in all cases. Management with a cow's milk-free diet led to a favorable clinical and hematological outcome; the endoscopic inflammatory image disappeared after the cow's milk-free diet trial. Challenge with cow's milk led to gastrointestinal symptoms and to impaired D-xylose absorption. The data presented suggest that some patients with cow's milk intolerance may have gastroduodenitis resulting in occult gastrointestinal hemorrhage and hypochromic anemia.