Aims or objective: To determine the prevalence of neurodevelopmental disorder (NDD) comorbidities and their association with the clinical profile of children with focal epilepsy treated at the Philippine Children’s Medical Center from 2023 to 2024.

Materials and Method: This cross-sectional analytical study was conducted from June 10, 2023 to June 1, 2024 at the Philippine Children's Medical Center. Detailed information was obtained for each case according to protocol. A complete history was taken from the accompanying caretakers. Children aged 0 to 7 years and 11 months, recently diagnosed with focal epilepsy, were evaluated using the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5-TR) criteria. The level of early child development was determined based on the total Battelle Developmental Inventory-2 developmental quotient score.

Results: The study examined 246 children with focal epilepsy. Significant findings included those children with NDD had a higher median age (4.67 years) compared to those without NDD (3.37 years) (p < .001). A higher proportion of non-NDD children were under one year old. Children without NDD had mothers with higher educational attainment (p = .015) and came from families with higher incomes (p = .003). Neonatal complications such as hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) and sepsis were more common in children with NDD (p = .005 and p = .006). Phenobarbital use was more frequent in children with NDD (p = .001), who also had more abnormal EEG and neuroimaging findings (p < .001). Neurodevelopmental evaluations were conducted later for children with NDD (p < .001). A significant number (75.20%) of children exhibited neurodevelopmental problems, with global developmental delay being most prevalent. Crude analysis showed associations between age, number of antiseizure medications, and delays in evaluation with increased odds of NDD.

Conclusion: The study offers insights into children with focal epilepsy at a tertiary hospital in the Philippines, emphasizing the impact of low socioeconomic status, age, birth complications and multiple anti-seizure medications. These findings are vital for clinicians to modify care plans through a multidisciplinary approach to enhance outcomes and improve quality of life in this high-risk population.

Human ; Male ; Female ; Infant Newborn: First 28 Days After Birth ; Infant: 1-23 Months ; Child Preschool: 2-5 Yrs Old ; Child: 6-12 Yrs Old ; Neurodevelopmental Disorders ; Sepsis ; Hypoxia-ischemia, Brain ; Epilepsies, Partial ; Educational Status ; Diagnostic And Statistical Manual Of Mental Disorders ; Child Development

Many tertiary inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) centers recognize that a structured transition program is fundamental for an IBD unit. However, the path to ensuring a seamless transition for all stakeholders is often fraught with challenges. In this review, we go through current evidence, identify the requirementsof a successful transition program, and the barriers to seamless transfer. We also aim to shed light on differences in needs between the Western and Asian adolescent IBD populations. Majority of healthcare providers viewed having a structured transition program to be very important. The lack of a standard protocol led us to come up with a list of requirements ofa successful program. These include: multidisciplinary team meetings, alternating visits between the adultand pediatric clinics, proper documentation of records, and determining the ideal timing for transfer. The difficulties forthe Asian adolescent IBD population may be attributed to the reliance on parental support to make decisions regarding medicaltreatment. Lastly, there are various physician, patient and disease factors which are barriers to seamless transition. These includethe lack of proper documentation, and lack of patient self-efficacy. We also propose a standardized template for documentation of medical records for IBD patients.

Septic pulmonary embolism is an uncommon disorder in which septic thrombi are mobilized from an infectious nidus and transported in the vascular system of the lungs. We report a case of a 52-year-old immunocompetent female who suffered from septic pulmonary embolism associated with polymyositis, deep venous thrombosis and pericardial effusion. Oxacillin-sensitive staphylococcus aureus (MSSA) was isolated from her sputum. Clinical presentation improved after incision of the muscle abscess and vancomycin treatment.

Human ; Female ; Middle Aged ; Abscess ; Communicable Diseases ; Oxacillin ; Pericardial Effusion ; Polymyositis ; Pulmonary Infarction ; Sputum ; Staphylococcal Infections ; Staphylococcus Aureus ; Vancomycin ; Venous Thrombosis ; Pyomyositis