Electrolyte fluxes in the gut and oral rehydration solutions

Molecular Epidemiology of Enteric Adenovirus Gastroenteritis in under-Five-Year-Old Children in Iran

Background. Acute gastroenteritis is one of the major sources of morbidity and mortality among young children in developed and developing countries. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of human adenovirus- (HAdV-) 40 and HAdV-41 in children hospitalized with gastroenteritis in five different health centers of Iran. Methods. In a cross-sectional epidemiological study, we studied 2682 fecal specimens that were collected from children under the age of 5 years in five educational and therapeutic pediatric centers in Iran from February 2012 to February 2013. Samples were tested for HAdV-40 and HAdV-41, using a specific pair of primers in polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method. Results. HAdV-40 and HAdV-41 were detected in 132 (5.18%) of the patients with diarrhea. A significantly higher prevalence of HAdV-40 and HAdV-41 (58.3%) was observed in children under 12 months of age, compared to other age groups. The male to female ratio was 1.7. Conclusion. The results of this study demonstrated that HAdV-40 and HAdV-41 could be considered etiological agents for acute gastroenteritis among children in Iran. The PCR as a rapid test may increase the chance for a relatively mild course of the disease followed by a complete recovery and avoiding administration of unnecessary antibiotics.

Towards a human rotavirus disease model

While the clinical importance of human rotavirus (RV) disease is well recognized and potent vaccines have been developed, our understanding of how human RV causes diarrhoea, vomiting and death remains unresolved. The fact that oral rehydration corrects electrolyte and water loss, indicates that enterocytes in the small intestine have a functional sodium-glucose co-transporter. Moreover, RV infection delays gastric emptying and loperamide appears to attenuate RV diarrhoea, thereby suggesting activation of the enteric nervous system. Serotonin (5-HT) receptor antagonists attenuate vomiting in young children with gastroenteritis while zinc and enkephalinase inhibitors attenuate RV-induced diarrhoea. In this review we discuss clinical symptoms, pathology, histology and treatment practices for human RV infections and compile the data into a simplified disease model.

Recent Advances of Oral Rehydration Therapy (ORT)

Diarrheal disease is one of the leading causes of worldwide morbidity and mortality, especially in children. It causes loss of body fluid, which may lead to severe dehydration, electrolyte imbalance, shock and even to death. The mortality rate from acute diarrhea has decreased over the last few decades. This decline, especially in developing countries is largely due to the implantation of the standard World Health Organization-oral rehydration solution (WHO-ORS). However, the use of standard ORS has been limited by its inability to reduce fecal volume or diarrhea duration. Subsequently, this has led to various attempts to modify its compositions. And these modifications include the use of reduced osmolarity ORS, polymer-based ORS and zinc supplementation. Some of these variations have been successful and others are still under investigation. Therefore, further trials are needed to progress toward the ideal ORS. In this article, we briefly reviewed the pathophysiologic basis of the ORS, followed by the standard WHO-ORS and several modifications to improve the ORS.

Acute infectious diarrhoea in children: new insights in antisecretory treatment with racecadotril

In developing countries acute infectious diarrhoea remains one of the leading causes of death among young children, especially those under 1 year of age. In contrast, in industrialized nations the death rate is very low, although the disease is an important cause of morbidity and consumes substantial healthcare costs. A variety of viral, bacterial and parasitic organisms have been implicated in the pathogenesis of acute diarrhoea. The primary objectives of treatment of acute infectious diarrhoea are correction of dehydration with oral replacement therapy (ORT) and maintenance of good nutritional status via food intake. With regards drug therapy antimicrobial agents are not usually recommended since the disease is generally self‐limiting. Racecadotril is powerful and selective enkephalinase inhibitor and has emerged as a promising drug in the antisecretory therapy of acute infectious diarrhoea in children.

Conclusion: There is encouraging evidence that treatment with racecadotril can provide clinically relevant symptomatic relief by reducing the severity and duration of diarrhoeal episodes. The drug is well tolerated and has a favourable safety profile. However, further comparative studies and cost‐effectiveness analyses are needed to define the position of the drug in the management of diarrhoeal illness in children.

A randomized clinical trial comparing oral ondansetron with placebo in children with vomiting from acute gastroenteritis

STUDY OBJECTIVE

Vomiting in children suffering from acute gastroenteritis interferes with the oral rehydration process and equally frustrates parents and health care providers. Adjuncts such as promethazine and metoclopramide are less than optimally effective and are associated with side effects. Ondansetron, a 5-HT3 receptor antagonist marketed as Zofran, is a safe and effective antiemetic used extensively in oncology and postoperative patients. We evaluate the effect of the antiemetic ondansetron versus placebo on the clinical outcome of patients with vomiting from gastroenteritis in a pediatric emergency department.

METHODS

This was a randomized, prospective, double-blind clinical trial in a university-affiliated children's hospital ED. Children between the ages of 6 months and 12 years who had vomited at least 5 times during the preceding 24 hours were randomized to receive either oral ondansetron or a taste- and color-matched placebo. Oral rehydration was commenced 15 minutes later at 5 mL/min per standard oral rehydration protocols. Patients were discharged after they voided and continued standard oral rehydration at home with the introduction of a bananas, rice, applesauce, and toast (BRAT) diet after the first 24 hours. Any patient requiring admission was considered a treatment failure, and no further doses were given. Discharged patients were given 5 additional doses to be used every 8 hours, and they were contacted by telephone 24 and 48 hours after discharge to record the number of episodes of vomiting and diarrhea. The parents were also required to complete a diary of the same information, which was mailed to the investigators for confirmation of the telephone data.

RESULTS

One hundred forty-five patients were enrolled, of whom 51% (n=74) were randomized to ondansetron. At baseline, age distribution, sex, and severity of illness did not differ between the ondansetron and placebo groups. During the observation period in the ED, the median number of episodes of vomiting was 0 in both groups, but the rank sum of vomiting episodes was significantly lower in the ondansetron group (P =.001). The number of episodes of emesis in the ED after enrollment ranged from 0 to 7 in the placebo group and 0 to 2 in the ondansetron group. During the 48 hours of follow-up, the median number of episodes of vomiting remained 0, with no statistically significant difference between the groups. There was no statistically significant difference in the rank sum of episodes of diarrhea in the ED between the groups (P =.622); however, during the next 48 hours, the patients in the ondansetron group had significantly more diarrhea than the placebo group. A lower proportion of patients receiving ondansetron compared with placebo required intravenous fluid therapy (P =.015). The admission rate was also lower in patients receiving ondansetron (P =.007). The revisit rate was higher in the ondansetron group compared with the placebo group (P =.047).

CONCLUSION

Ondansetron was effective in reducing the emesis from gastroenteritis during the ED phase of oral rehydration and in lowering the rates of intravenous fluid administration and hospital admission.