Changes in microRNAs during Storage and Processing of Breast Milk.

Human breast milk (HBM) is the ideal source of nutrients for infants and is rich in microRNA (miRNA). In recent years, expressed breast milk feeding rather than direct breastfeeding has become increasingly prevalent for various reasons. Expressed HBM requires storage and processing, which can cause various changes in the ingredients.

Awareness of postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome is required in adolescent syncope.

We investigated head-up tilt test (HUTT) results across age-groups in syncope/presyncope patients to establish pediatric postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS) characteristics. We retrospectively reviewed syncope patients' medical records. Adolescents were defined as 10 to 19 years old, adults as 20 to 59 years old, and older individuals as ≥60 years old.

Usefulness of Procalcitonin in the Diagnosis of Bacterial Infection in Immunocompetent Children.

Bacterial infections (BIs) need to be differentiated from non-BIs (NBIs) to enable prompt administration of antibiotics. Therefore, inflammatory biomarkers are needed as they can accurately identify BIs. This study evaluated the usefulness of procalcitonin (PCT) in the diagnosis of BI in immunocompetent children.

Association between body mass index and fecal calprotectin levels in children and adolescents with irritable bowel syndrome.

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a common pediatric functional gastrointestinal disorder. It is characterized by recurrent abdominal pain and changes in bowel habits and is more prevalent in obese patients. We investigated the association between obesity and IBS in pediatric patients through fecal calprotectin testing.

Effectiveness of prealbumin as an indicator of growth in neonates.

We designed this study to assess the effectiveness of prealbumin as an indicator of growth as well as a nutritional marker in neonates.Between March 2017 and June 2019, we measured serum prealbumin concentrations of 80 neonates in neonatal intensive care unit at birth, postnatal day 14 and 28, and classified them into 3 groups (early preterm, late preterm, and term infants). And we examined correlation among prealbumin levels, nutritional intake, and anthropometric measurements (weight, length, and head circumference) in neonates.

Changes in the Occurrence of Gastrointestinal Infections after COVID-19 in Korea.

Background: After the global epidemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), lifestyle changes to curb the spread of COVID-19 (e.g., wearing a mask, hand washing, and social distancing) have also affected the outbreak of other infectious diseases.

Epidemiology of Demyelinating Diseases in Korean Pediatric Patients.

The epidemiology of demyelinating diseases in the Korean pediatric population has not been reported to date. This study aimed to identify the epidemiology of demyelinating diseases in Korean children by using big data. The subjects were children (0-17 years old) diagnosed with acute-disseminated encephalomyelitis, multiple sclerosis, neuromyelitis optica, and Guillain-Barré syndrome enrolled in the Korean Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service (HIRA) from January 2010 to December 2017.

Effect of a new Lactobacillus plantarum product, LRCC5310, on clinical symptoms and virus reduction in children with rotaviral enteritis.

Background: Rotavirus is one of the most common causes of infantile enteritis. In common enterocolitis, probiotic organisms, including Lactobacilli, are effective in treating diarrhea. A new species, Lactobacillus plantarum (LRCC5310), which was shown to inhibit the adherence and proliferation of rotavirus in the small intestine through animal experiments, was investigated for the efficacy and safety of patients with rotaviral enteritis.

Effects of Sedation Performed by an Anesthesiologist on Pediatric Endoscopy: a Single-Center Retrospective Study in Korea.

Background: Endoscopy is used for diagnosing and treating various digestive diseases in children as well as in adults. However, in pediatric patients, it is recommended that sufficient sedation should be ensured before conducting endoscopy, since insufficient sedation may cause serious complications. However, in Korea, no studies have yet described the types of sedation drugs, effects of sedation, and efficiency of endoscopy with respect to the sedation instructor.

Seasonal distribution of febrile seizure and the relationship with respiratory and enteric viruses in Korean children based on nationwide registry data.

Purpose: The seasonal distribution patterns of febrile seizures and of respiratory and enteric viral pathogens are similar. In this study, we analyzed trends in febrile seizures and viral infection in Korean children, using big data from the Korean Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service (HIRA).

Methods: We analyzed children younger than 6 years who visited the hospital and were diagnosed with febrile seizures from 2009 to 2016, using medical records in the HIRA database.

Influence of proton pump inhibitor therapy on intestinal inflammation assessed by fecal calprotectin in pediatric patients.

Background: An increase in the numbers of patients with gastrointestinal symptoms has recently been observed.

Purpose: To investigate the effects of proton pump inhibitor (PPI) therapy on intestinal inflammation in children and adolescents as confirmed by clinical manifestations and objectively assessed by fecal calprotectin (FC) level measurement.

Methods: Consecutive children (aged 3-18 years) who presented with gastrointestinal symptoms and were treated with or without PPI for at least 1 month were enrolled.

Characteristics of intussusception among children in Korea: a nationwide epidemiological study.

Background: Intussusception is a gastrointestinal condition in which early treatment is critical. Although its epidemiology and comorbidities have been studied, few studies have included the entire pediatric population of a country. Therefore, we aimed to analyze the epidemiologic features of pediatric intussusception patients and identify comorbidities associated with intussusception in South Korea, using the public health database.

Macronutrient Analysis of Human Milk according to Storage and Processing in Korean Mother.

Purpose: As the importance of breastfeeding has been reinforced, human milk is often stored for practical reasons. Therefore, we evaluated optimal storage and processing methods for human milk from a nutritional standpoint.

Methods: Human milk samples were collected between June 2017 and February 2018.

Copper deficiency-induced bicytopenia caused by poor compliance in a paediatric patient with chronic malnutrition: A case report.

A 12-year-old boy who underwent gastric wedge resection was transferred to our hospital because of vomiting, growth failure, and weight loss in January, 2016. We tried to restore his general condition by maintaining additional nutritional supply through peripheral parenteral nutrition (PN). However, continuous vomiting, weight loss, and superior mesenteric artery syndrome persisted because of low treatment compliance.

Tracheal atresia with a cephalically developed lung bud: A case report.

Rationale: Tracheal atresia (TA) involves complete or partial tracheal absence below the larynx. It involves failure of complete separation of the laryngotracheal diverticulum from the foregut at the 4th gestational week. In TA, the trachea and main bronchi generally proceed in the normal caudal directions.

Analysis of seasonal tendencies in pediatric Henoch-Schönlein purpura and comparison with outbreak of infectious diseases.

Henoch-Schönlein purpura (HSP) is one of the most common vasculitis in children. This study was aimed at identifying seasonal trends and epidemiologic features of pediatric HSP patients through public data to analyze the correlation of HSP and prevalence of a specific respiratory or enteric virus.We extracted information on pediatric HSP patients categorized into 4 age groups and data on 8 respiratory and 4 enteric viruses were extracted from national data.

A Rare Case of Hemophagocytic Lymphohistiocytosis Associated With Myelodysplastic Syndrome and Trisomy 8 in a Pediatric Patient.

Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) is a rare disease resulting in clinical and biochemical manifestations of extreme inflammation. Myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) represents a heterogenous group of clonal hematopoietic disorders. The development of MDS is common in children with trisomy of chromosome 8.

Haemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis in a preterm infant: A case report.

Haemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) is a rare disease with a sepsis-like progression that leads to multiple organ dysfunction syndrome, especially in preterm infants. We present herein a case of HLH in a premature infant presenting with disseminated intravascular coagulopathy (DIC) and liver failure. A male infant, with weight 810g and delivered at the gestational age of 25 weeks and 2 days, was misdiagnosed with tyrosinaemia for several weeks.

Seasonal trends of diagnosis of childhood malignant diseases and viral prevalence in South Korea.

Background: Several studies have reported a seasonal trend in the diagnosis of childhood cancer suggesting seasonal factors such as infection. The present study aimed to analyze the diagnosis pattern of childhood malignant diseases using public health data, and to compare this pattern with seasonal viral infection trends.

Method: Using the open data source of the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service, we extracted data regarding all patients under 21 years of age and who had any cancer, aplastic anemia or myelodysplastic syndrome between September 2009 and December 2013.

Uropathogenic ST131 in urinary tract infections in children.

Purpose: sequence type (ST) 131, a multidrug-resistant clone causing extraintestinal infections, has rapidly become prevalent worldwide. However, the epidemiological and clinical features of pediatric infections are poorly understood. We aimed to explore the characteristics of ST131 isolated from Korean children with urinary tract infections.

Changes in hepatitis B virus antibody titers over time among children: a single center study from 2012 to 2015 in an urban of South Korea.

Background: Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is the most common cause of liver disease in endemic areas such as South Korea. After HBV vaccination, hepatitis B surface antibody (HBsAb) titers gradually decrease. Trends in HBsAb titers have not been evaluated among children in South Korea over the past decade.

Accuracy of low dose CT in the diagnosis of appendicitis in childhood and comparison with USG and standard dose CT.

Objectives: Computed tomography should be performed after careful consideration due to radiation hazard, which is why interest in low dose CT has increased recently in acute appendicitis. Previous studies have been performed in adult and adolescents populations, but no studies have reported on the efficacy of using low-dose CT in children younger than 10 years.

Methods: Patients (n=475) younger than 10 years who were examined for acute appendicitis were recruited.

Measurement and Estimation of Renal Size by Computed Tomography in Korean Children.

Adequate organ growth is an important aspect of growth evaluation in children. Renal size is an important indicator of adequate renal growth; computed tomography (CT) can closely estimate actual kidney size. However, insufficient data are available on normal renal size as measured by CT.

Henoch-Schonlein purpura without typical lesions, presenting with gastrointestinal manifestations and kidney involvement following influenza - A case report.

We report a case of Henoch-Schonlein purpura (HSP) presenting without typical skin lesion; atypical symptoms initially appeared following influenza infection. A 4-year-old girl with influenza presented with epigastric pain and vomiting. On physical examination, there was epigastric tenderness, but no other signs, such as skin rash.

Usefulness of interferon-γ release assay for the diagnosis of latent tuberculosis infection in young children.

Purpose: Latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) in young children may progress to severe active tuberculosis (TB) disease and serve as a reservoir for future transmission of TB disease. There are limited data on interferon-γ release assay (IGRA) performance in young children, which our research aims to address by investigating the usefulness of IGRA for the diagnosis of LTBI.

Methods: We performed a tuberculin skin test (TST) and IGRA on children who were younger than 18 years and were admitted to Chung-Ang University Hospital during May 2011-June 2015.