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This article, published in the journal Neuropediatrics, discusses a study on the use of pulsatile corticoid therapy (PCT) in children with genetic drug-resistant epilepsy. The study aimed to compare the epileptic burden in children before and after PCT treatment using objective and subjective approaches. The results showed that PCT led to a significant reduction in spike burden in the electroencephalogram (EEG) and improved sleep physiology, specifically an increase in fast spindle rates. Additionally, seizure frequency improved in the majority of patients, and no severe adverse effects were reported. The study suggests that PCT may be an effective treatment option for children with genetic drug-resistant epilepsy, leading to a reduction in epileptic burden and improvement in cognitive functioning. [Extracted from the article]

This article, published in the journal Neuropediatrics, examines the prevalence of primary headache types and their impact on the quality of life in children with epilepsy. The study involved 119 children with epilepsy, and it found that 38.7% of them reported suffering from headaches. Of those with headaches, 34.8% had migraine, 19.6% had tension-type headache, and 45.7% had not classifiable headache. Female epilepsy patients were more likely to be affected by headaches than male patients. The study also found that patients with headaches had lower quality of life compared to those without headaches. Overall, the findings suggest that headache is common among children with epilepsy and can negatively impact their quality of life. [Extracted from the article]

This article, published in the journal Neuropediatrics, explores the connection between sleep and epilepsy in children. The researchers aimed to compare the sleep patterns of children with epilepsy to a healthy control group. They found that children with epilepsy had higher rates of sleep slow waves (SW) and increased coupling between SW and sleep spindles during non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep. These findings suggest that children with epilepsy may experience altered sleep macro- and microstructure, which could potentially contribute to cognitive impairment. Further research is needed to better understand the relationship between sleep and epilepsy in children. [Extracted from the article]

Correction to: European Journal of Clinical Nutrition (2014) 68, 517-525; doi:10.1038/ejcn.2014.18; published online 26 February 2014 Since publication, the authors have found an SAS coding error in the LDL-cholesterol calculation. The other biomarker outcomes of the paper (HDL-cholesterol, non-HDL-cholesterol and triglycerides) are not affected by the error., Author(s): S Jacobs, K Schiller, E Jansen, A Fritsche, C Weikert, R di Giuseppe, H Boeing, M B Schulze, J Kröger Author Affiliations: Correction to: European Journal of Clinical Nutrition [...]

Correction to: European Journal of Clinical Nutrition (2014) 68, 517-525; doi:10.l038/ejcn.2014.18;published online 26 February 2014 Since publication, the authors have found an SAS coding error in the LDL-cholesterol calculation. The [...]

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVE: Blood proportions of fatty acids (FAs) and FA-ratios reflecting desaturase activity are associated with the risk of chronic diseases like type 2 diabetes mellitus or cardiovascular diseases. Biomarkers of dyslipidemia are considered as potential mediators of this association. We evaluated associations of erythrocyte membrane proportions of individual disease-related polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), trans-FAs, dairy-derived saturated FAs (SFAs) (15:0, 17:0) and FA-ratios with biomarkers of dyslipidemia (high-density lipoprotein (HDL)- cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein (LDL)-cholesterol, non-HDL-cholesterol, triglycerides). SUBJECTS/METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional analysis of a subsample (n = 1759) of the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC)-Potsdam study. Associations of individual FAs and FA-ratios with plasma biomarkers of dyslipidemia were evaluated by linear multivariable regression. RESULTS: Most notably, FA-ratios reflecting activity of Δ6-desaturase (D6D) and stearoyl-coenzyme A- desaturase (SCD) were positively associated with triglyceride and LDL-cholesterol concentrations (adjusted means (95% confidence interval (CI)) of triglycerides (mg/dl) across D6D tertiles: men--102 (94.7-110), 111 (104-120), 144 (134- 156) and women--73.5 (70.0-77.2), 82.9 (79.0-86.9), 94.2 (89.7-98.9));across SCD tertiles: men--99.0 (91.8-107), 115 (107-124), 144 (134-156) and women--72.4 (69.0-76.0), 81.5 (77.8-85.5), 97.2 (92.6-102)), whereas inverse associations with triglycerides were observed for the estimated A5-desaturase (D5D) activity (adjusted means (95% CI) of triglycerides (mg/dl) across D5D tertiles: men--128 (119-138), 121 (113-131), 106 (97.9-114) and women--92.0 (87.6- 96.6), 82.8 (78.9-86.9), 75.3 (71.6-79.1), P-values for trend at least 0.0006). Furthermore, we observed generally weaker and less consistent associations of dairy-derived SFAs (mainly 17:0) with triglycerides and HDL-cholesterol. Individual PUFAs and frans-FAs were, if at all, only weakly associated with dyslipidemia markers. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that triglyceride and LDL-cholesterol concentrations may be mediators that link intake and metabolism of FAs to metabolic risk. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition (2014) 68, 517-525; doi: 10.1038/ejcn.2014.18; published online 26 February 2014, INTRODUCTION The dietary intake and metabolism of fatty acids (FAs) is believed to have an important role in the etiology of chronic diseases such as type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) [...]

Background Cerebral palsy (CP) is the most common motor impairment in childhood and often accompanied by a broad spectrum of comorbidities. Data are sparse concerning visual impairment (VI) and functional classification among CP children. Objective The objective of this study was to analyze the prevalence of VI among children with CP and to investigate a possible association between VI and Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS) and the Bimanual Fine Motor Function (BFMF). Methods In this hospital-based study, records of 200 children with CP aged 2 to 17 years were reviewed. Results Overall, VI was found in 59.5% of children with CP. Prevalence of VI was higher when compared with non-CP children. A correlation between GMFCS as well as BFMF and severity of VI was found. Children with severe CP were at greater risk for severe VI, especially cerebral VI compared with children with mild CP. Conclusion VI is a significant problem in children with CP and is correlated with motor function. Children with CP should undergo detailed ophthalmologic and orthoptic assessment to enable early intervention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]