INTRODUCTION: It is unclear whether the alleged efficacy of probiotics in childhood acute gastroenteritis depends on the duration and severity of symptoms before treatment. METHODS: Preplanned secondary analysis of 2 randomized placebo-controlled trials in children 3–48 months of age was conducted in 16 emergency departments in North America evaluating the efficacy of 2 probiotic products ( Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG and a combination probiotic: L. rhamnosus and L. helveticus ). Participants were categorized in severity groups according to the duration (<24, 24–<72, and ≥72 hours) and the frequency of diarrhea episodes in the 24 hours (≤3, 4–5, and ≥6) before presentation. We used regression models to assess the interaction between pretreatment diarrhea severity groups and treatment arm (probiotic or placebo) in the presence of moderate-to-severe gastroenteritis (Modified Vesikari Scale score ≥9). Secondary outcomes included diarrhea frequency and duration, unscheduled healthcare provider visits, and hospitalization. RESULTS: A total of 1,770 children were included, and 882 (50%) received a probiotic. The development of moderate-to-severe gastroenteritis symptoms after the initiation of treatment did not differ between groups (probiotic—18.4% [162/882] vs placebo—18.3% [162/888]; risk ratio 1.00; 95% confidence interval 0.87, 1.16; P = 0.95). There was no evidence of interaction between baseline severity and treatment ( P = 0.61) for the primary or any of the secondary outcomes: diarrhea duration ( P = 0.88), maximum diarrheal episodes in a 24-hour period ( P = 0.87), unscheduled healthcare visits ( P = 0.21), and hospitalization ( P = 0.87). DISCUSSION: In children 3–48 months with acute gastroenteritis, the lack of effect of probiotics is not explained by the duration of symptoms or frequency of diarrheal episodes before presentation.
OBJECTIVE: The causes of multiple cranial nerve palsies are widely varied and there is a broad differential. We describe a rare genetic cause of this presentation.
Although most acute gastroenteritis (AGE) episodes in children rapidly self-resolve, some children go on to experience more significant and prolonged illness. We sought to develop a prognostic score to identify children at risk of experiencing moderate-to-severe disease after an index emergency department (ED) visit.Data were collected from a cohort of children 3 to 48 months of age diagnosed with AGE in 16 North American pediatric EDs. Moderate-to-severe AGE was defined as a Modified Vesikari Scale (MVS) score ≥9 during the 14-day post-ED visit. A clinical prognostic model was derived using multivariable logistic regression and converted into a simple risk score. The model's accuracy was assessed for moderate-to-severe AGE and several secondary outcomes.After their index ED visit, 19% (336/1770) of participants developed moderate-to-severe AGE. Patient age, number of vomiting episodes, dehydration status, prior ED visits, and intravenous rehydration were associated with MVS ≥9 in multivariable regression. Calibration of the prognostic model was strong with a P value of 0.77 by the Hosmer-Lemenshow goodness-of-fit test, and discrimination was moderate with an area under the receiver operator characteristic curve of 0.68 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.65-0.72). Similarly, the model was shown to have good calibration when fit to the secondary outcomes of subsequent ED revisit, intravenous rehydration, or hospitalization within 72 hours after the index visit.After external validation, this new risk score may provide clinicians with accurate prognostic insight into the likely disease course of children with AGE, informing disposition decisions, anticipatory guidance, and follow-up care.
Background Lowserum vitamin D levels are associated with susceptibility to, and severity of, multiple sclerosis. High dose vitamin D has been proposed as a potential immunomodulator in multiple sclerosis. Objectives We performed a single centre, investigator-led, exploratory, double-blind, randomised, placebo controlled, trial of vitamin D 3 in clinically isolated syndrome and healthy control participants to assess its immunological effects. Secondary end-points included clinical and magnetic resonance imaging outcomes and safety. Methods Clinically isolated syndrome patients and healthy control participants were randomised to: placebo, 5000 IU or 10,000 IU vitamin D 3 /day (Vigantol oil). Study duration was 24 weeks. Results The trial did not meet its primary end point, with no difference in the frequency of pro-inflammatory CD4 + T cells (interleukin (IL)-17 + /interferon (IFN)-γ + ) seen. A higher level of disease freedom (67% versus 50%) was seen in those with serum 1,25 (OH) vitamin D levels>100 nmol/l but this did not reach significance. High dose vitamin D 3 was well tolerated with no safety signal. Conclusions High dose vitamin D 3 over 24 weeks was well tolerated but without immunological, magnetic resonance imaging or clinical evidence of benefit. The hypothesised therapeutic effects in clinically isolated syndrome or multiple sclerosis patients may require longer periods of administration or may only be seen in patients treated with vitamin D 3 as an adjunct to established disease modifying therapies.
A cross-sectional study on patients with early-stage multiple sclerosis (MS) was conducted to examine the reliability of manual and automatic mobility measures derived from shank-mounted inertial sensors during the Timed Up and Go (TUG) test, compared to control subjects. Furthermore, we aimed to determine if disease status [as measured by the Multiple Sclerosis Impact Scale (MSIS-20) and the Expanded Disability Status Score (EDSS)] can be explained by measurements obtained using inertial sensors. We also aimed to determine if patients with early-stage MS could be automatically distinguished from healthy controls subjects, using inertial parameters recorded during the TUG test. The mobility of 38 patients (aged 25-65 years, 14 M, 24 F), diagnosed with relapsing-remitting MS and 33 healthy controls (14 M, 19 F, age 50-65), was assessed using the TUG test, while patients wore inertial sensors on each shank. Reliability analysis showed that 36 of 53 mobility parameters obtained during the TUG showed excellent intrasession reliability, while nine of 53 showed moderate reliability. This compared favorably with the reliability of the mobility parameters in healthy controls. Exploratory regression models of the EDSS and MSIS-20 scales were derived, using mobility parameters and an elastic net procedure in order to determine which mobility parameters influence disease state. A cross-validated elastic net regularized regression model for MSIS-20 yielded a mean square error (MSE) of 1.1 with 10 degrees of freedom (DoF). Similarly, an elastic net regularized regression model for EDSS yielded a cross-validated MSE of 1.3 with 10 DoF. Classification results show that the mobility parameters of participants with early-stage MS could be distinguished from controls with 96.90% accuracy. Results suggest that mobility parameters derived from MS patients while completing the TUG test are reliable, are associated with disease state in MS, and may have utility in screening for early-stage MS.
Background: The Arm function in Multiple Sclerosis Questionnaire (AMSQ) has been developed as a self-reported measure of arm and hand functioning for patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). The AMSQ was originally developed in Dutch and to date translated into five languages (i.e. English, German, Spanish, French, and Italian). Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate differential item functioning (DIF) of the AMSQ in these languages. Methods: We performed DIF analyses, using “language” as the polytomous group variable. To detect DIF, logistic regression and item response theory principles were applied. Multiple logistic regression models were evaluated. We used a pseudo R 2 value of 0.02 or more as the DIF threshold. Results: A total of 1733 male and female patients with all subtypes of MS were included. The DIF analysis for the whole dataset showed no uniform or non-uniform DIF on any of the 31 items. All R 2 values were below 0.02. Conclusion: The AMSQ is validated in six languages. All items have the same meaning to MS patients in Dutch, English, German, Spanish, French, and Italian. This validation study enables use of the AMSQ in international studies, for monitoring treatment response and disease progression.
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