Objectives: The aim of the study was to examine the frequency of rickets and bone fractures and to assess areal bone mineral density (aBMD) in childhood among patients with biliary atresia (BA). Methods: We gathered data on all patients diagnosed with BA in Finland that survived to >= 1 year of age between 1 January 2000 to 30 June 2018. Data on gestational age, birth weight, postsurgical medications, and history of rickets and bone fractures were collected retrospectively. Serum levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] postportoenterostomy (PE) were collected. Plain radiographs and dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) measurements of study subjects were reviewed. Results: Out of 49 patients, 7 (14%) were diagnosed with rickets during infancy. Clearance of jaundice [odds ratio 0.055, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.00266-0.393; P < 0.01] was a protective factor against rickets. Sufficient 25(OH)D levels were reached 3 months post-PE. Eleven (22%) patients suffered at least one bone fracture (range 1-9) during childhood and adolescence. In DXA measurements, median lumbar spine aBMD anthropometrically adjusted z-scores were as follows: in native liver survivors 0.8 (interquartile range [IQR] -1.9 to 1.4) at 5 and -0.3 (IQR -1.3 to 0.8) at 10 years and for liver transplanted patients 0.4 (IQR -0.2 to 1.1) at 5 and 0.6 (IQR -0.1 to 1.3) at 10 years. Conclusions: BA patients have an increased risk for rickets and bone fractures compared with the normal population. Most BA patients have aBMD within normal range between 5 and 10 years of age irrespective of liver transplantation status.

Introduction Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is known to impact the subepicardial layer of the myocardium through chronic inflammation. Recent animal studies have shown predominant subendocardial involvement in rats with DMD. The primary outcome parameter was to determine by cardiovascular MRI (CMR) if two differential patterns of myocardial involvements exist in DMD; the secondary outcome parameters were to correlate the observed pattern with metabolic markers such as insulin resistance measures. Methods Forty patients with DMD were screened using CMR to determine which of them had predominantly subendocardial dysfunction (SENDO group), or subepicardial/midmyocardial involvement (SEPMI group). Patients were subjected to body mass index measurement, serum creatinine kinase, serum lactate dehydrogenase enzyme, fasting glucose-insulin ratio (FGIR), full lipid profile, left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), left ventricle E/E ' ratio (the ratio of early mitral inflow velocity to average early diastolic velocities of the basal septum and mitral annulus) for left ventricle diastolic function, and myocardial layer strain discriminating echocardiography (MLSD-STE). Results: 26 patients displayed SENDO while 34 displayed SEPMI. SENDO group displayed overt insulin resistance; (FGIR (SENDO: 7 +/- 1 vs. SEPMI: 5 +/- 1, P < 0.001). FGIR was negatively correlated with Subendocardial Global Longitudinal Strain (ENDO-LS) with r = -0.75. Conclusion DMD does not seem to influence the heart uniformly; DMD cardiomyopathy probably has two separate phenotypes with different mechanisms. Insulin resistance might be implicated in its pathogenesis and its reversal may help to slow disease progression. Copyright (c) 2020 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.