Relevance. Food allergy is one of the most common chronic diseases in children. Toll-like receptors may be unique in the development of food allergies due to their expression by intestinal epithelial and dendritic cells. Objective. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between the rs4696480 polymorphism in TLR2 and the presence of food allergy in children with atopic dermatitis. Material and methods. The study included 103 patients with atopic dermatitis and 84 healthy children. Polymorphism genotyping was performed in the group of patients and the control group using real-time PCR. Food sensitization was determined by presence sIgE to food allergens by the immunochemiluminescent method using an ImmunoCAP 100 (Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc., Phadia, Sweden). The presence of food allergy was determined by a detailed clinical history and review of clinical records. Results. In the subgroup of children with food allergies, 9 children had the AA genotype, 7 patients had the heterozygous variant, and 3 children had the TT genotype. Among patients without food allergy, 20 patients had the AA genotype, 39 were heterozygotes, and 25 had the TT genotype. The OR assessment demonstrated that the AA genotype of the rs4696480 polymorphism is reliably associated with the development of food allergy in children with atopic dermatitis, OR=2,880 (1,0271-8,0757). Conclusion. The rs4696480 polymorphism in TLR2 gene is associated with the development of food allergy in Ukrainian children with atopic dermatitis.

Background. Children with atopic dermatitis may be at increased risk of developing dental caries. This problem is poorly understood and needs attention. The aim of this study was to investigate the oral health status of children and adolescents with atopic dermatitis. Materials and methods. One hundred children with atopic dermatitis aged 2 to 17 years, median of 6 [3.5; 10], and 103 children without atopic dermatitis, median age 7 [5; 12.5] years, were included in the study. Clinical parameters included age, sex, age of onset and severity of atopic dermatitis according to the SCORing AD index (SCORAD). Patients with at least one type of caries at any stage of progression (from white spots to carious lesions with pulpal damage) were included in the caries group. The risk of caries in the atopic dermatitis group and in healthy children, and the significance of the presence of asthma and allergic rhinitis for the development of caries were evaluated using the odds ratio (OR) with a 95% confidence interval (CI). Results were considered statistically significant at the p < 0.05 level. Results. Caries was detected in 46 % of children with atopic dermatitis and 22 % controls (OR = 2.9630, CI 1.6131–5.4424, p = 0.0005). In the group of allergic rhinitis, 24 patients were found to have caries, and among those without allergic rhinitis, 22 children had caries. It was found that patients with concomitant allergic rhinitis were significantly more likely to develop caries (OR = 3.4406, CI 1.4693–8.0563, p = 0.0044). No such significance was found depending on the presence of asthma (OR = 1.3986, CI 0.4913–3.9814, p = 0.5). Conclusions. Children with atopic dermatitis have a significantly higher risk of dental caries than healthy children. Based on the results of our study, clinicians should be aware of dental manifestations in patients with atopic dermatitis and recommend regular dental examinations for early caries detection.

The aim of the study The aim of this study was to assess the value of interventions aimed at improving the skin barrier and skin care products, as well as breastfeeding and early introduction of complementary foods, for the primary prevention of atopic dermatitis (AD) and food allergy in infants. Materials and methods We started a survey in the period from May 2022, which continues to this day. The survey was conducted with the help of Google forms and distributed on the Internet, as well as parents of children who applied for help at Kyiv children’s clinical hospital No. 2 and MC "Allergolog" were interviewed. The relationship between intervention methods and the development of AD and food allergy was determined using the odds ratio (OR) with a 95% confidence interval (CI). Results According to the survey data, 42,2% of children received moisturizing cream, parents of 16,5% of children reported using moisturizing oil for bathing the child, 12,4% of parents used less soap and bathed the child less often, 28,9% reported that they did not use none of these methods and means of care. AD occurred in 23,7% of children interviewed. The odds ratio for the moisturizing cream group was 68,6 (CI 3,9-1201,5), p=0,004, for the groups that used moisturizing oils for bathing – 8,9 (CI 0,4-197,6), p= 0,17, for the group where the intervention was a reduction in bathing and using soap – 7,1 (CI 0,3-186,0), p=0,24. 18,6% of respondents reported a reaction to food that occurred in the child within 2 hours after consumption. We have not found any role of emollients (OR=1,4, CI 0,4-4,9), p=0,56, moisturizing oils for bathing (OR=0,3, CI 0,03-2,6), p=0,27, and reduced use of soap and water (OR=1,4 (CI 0,3-7,2), p=0,66 for the development of food allergy. The duration of breastfeeding (more than 3 months) did not affect the risk of developing AD (OR = 0,1, CI 0,01-2,6), p = 0,19, or food allergy (OR = 1,3, CI 0,3-6,9), p=0,74. Also, the role of earlier introduction of supplementary food on the development of AD and food allergy was not shown: the OR for AD was 0,9 (CI 0,3-2,7), p=0,8, the OR for food allergy was 0,8 (CI 0,2- 2,9), p=0,76. Conclusions This study did not reveal the protective role of skin care products, breastfeeding, and early introduction of complementary foods for the development of AD and food allergies in children. A larger survey will allow us to study the effect of emollients and other preventive measures on the development of food allergies in a group of children with AD.

Народжуваність в Україні має стійку тенденцію до зниження, водночас спостерігається зростання частоти захворювань новонароджених, що спричиняють інвалідизацію дітей, а малюкова смертність, головною причиною якої є перинатальна патологія, залишається на рівні, що значною мірою перевищує показники більшості європейських країн. Саме тому майстерне володіння майбутніми лікарями компетенціями відповідно до сучасних вимог надавати початкову та реанімаційну допомогу новонародженим, що сприяє зниженню неонатальної смертності та покращенню прогнозу щодо подальшого розвитку дитини, на сьогодні є нагальною потребою часу. Мета статті – розробити оптимальну модель екзаменаційної педіатричної станції «Початкова та реанімаційна допомога новонародженій дитині» як компоненти об’єктивного структурованого практичного (клінічного) іспиту здобувачів ступеня вищої освіти магістр за спеціальністю 222 «Медицина» галузі знань 22 «Охорона здоров’я». Для якісної перевірки рівня сформованості компетенцій, засвоєних на педіатричних кафедрах впродовж навчання, на кафедрі педіатрії № 2 Національного медичного університету імені О. О. Богомольця, як опорної, була проведена робота щодо визначення шляхів оптимізації підготовки студентів та організації проведення ОСКІ-2. Представлено паспорт екзаменаційної педіатричної станції «Початкова та реанімаційна допомога новонародженій дитині». Екзаменаційна педіатрична станція «Початкова та реанімаційна допомога новонародженій дитині», як компонента об’єктивного структурованого практичного (клінічного) іспиту здобувачів ступеня вищої освіти магістр за спеціальністю 222 «Медицина» галузі знань 22 «Охорона здоров’я», є сучасною формою ефективного контролю компетенцій майбутніх лікарів.

Background. Atopic dermatitis is the most common inflammatory skin disease in childhood, affecting almost 20 % of children. Food allergies affect one of three children with atopic dermatitis, and allergies to peanuts, eggs and milk are the predominant food allergies in the world. The purpose was to assess the prevalence of food allergies in the group of patients with atopic dermatitis, to determine the association of food allergies with anamnestic and clinical parameters of atopic dermatitis. Materials and me­thods. Children with atopic dermatitis (n = 116) were included in the study from September 2020 to August 2021 in Kyiv, Ukraine. Food sensitization was established by determining specific immunoglo­bulin E (sIgE) to food allergens using immunochemiluminescent method on the ImmunoCAP 100 system (Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc., Phadia, Sweden). Results. The average age of children in the main group (59 boys and 57 girls) was 6.8 years. All 116 patients at the time of examination had manifestations of atopic dermatitis in the form of erythematous itchy rash. The number of children with food allergy was 23 (19.8 %). Among food allergens, positive sIgE were found: in 14 patients (12 %) — to milk, in 13 (11.2 %) — to eggs, in 5 (4.3 %) — to fish, and in 4 people (3.4 %) — to hazelnuts. Food sensitization was significantly more common in children with moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis than in the group of patients with mild atopic dermatitis (χ2 = 7.555, p < 0.05). Children with food sensitization had an earlier onset of atopic dermatitis — the average age of manifestations onset was 8 months, and in the group of children without food allergy, it was 18 months. Children with a parental history of atopic diseases were significantly more likely to have concomitant food allergy (χ2 = 12.831, p < 0.05). Conclusions. Given the significant association between early onset as well as moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis and food sensitization, it is likely that food sensitization occurs primarily through an inflamed skin barrier in eczematous skin, which could potentially lead to clinical food allergy.