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Objectives: Decreased quality of life (QoL) is a significant complication of most rheumatic conditions in adults, whereas data on health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) are limited. Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System® (PROMIS®) instruments assessing quality of life (QoL) components can be scored using disease-specific severity thresholds. Our study aimed to compare the results of generic and one of the JIA-specific scorings regarding PROMIS® Pediatric Mobility, Pain Interference, and Fatigue questionnaires, introduce PROMIS® Pediatric Global Health 7 questionnaire as a valuable method to assess QoL specifically in patients with JIA and determine differences in self-reported QoL in juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) patients and their healthy peers in the Polish population. Methods: In this single-center cross-sectional study, four self-reported questionnaires derived from the PROMIS® Pediatric Item Bank (Global Health, Pain Interference, Fatigue, Mobility) were administered to 52 patients with JIA (8–17 years; mean 13.2 ± 2.9; girls 59.6%) and 101 age-matched healthy controls. Questionnaires were scored based on generic or JIA-specific cut-off points. Results: Regardless of the domain (PROMIS® Pain Interference, Fatigue, or Mobility), JIA patients assigned by generic cut-off points to a more severe outcome were classified into milder outcomes when cut-off points for JIA were used. The usefulness of the PROMIS® Pediatric Global Health 7 questionnaire was evidenced in children with JIA. No significant differences were found in QoL assessment between children with JIA and healthy children; however, self-reported impaired mobility was more prevalent in patients with JIA. A negative correlation was found between overall QoL and the assessment of three domains: pain, fatigue, and mobility impairment. Conclusions: Our study underscores the importance of JIA-specific scoring in clinical practice. While more research is needed to establish a single disease-specific scoring, our findings provide valuable insights into the negative influence of pain, fatigue, and mobility impairment on QoL in JIA. These results have the potential to significantly impact patient care and improve the health-related quality of life in children with JIA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. Osteoporosis is a metabolic disease characterized by increased bone fragility. As it is characterized as a general skeletal disease, changes can also be seen in the stomatognathic system (edentulism, wrong fitting of dentures, etc.). The question is whether early changes in the salivary mineral content and acid-base balance may reflect skeletal status and risk of bone fracture. Objectives. The objective of the study was to evaluate whether minerals in the saliva were associated with skeletal fractures in a population of postmenopausal women. Materials and methods. In this observational study, dental examinations along with the collection of saliva were conducted in 117 randomly recruited women (mean age 64.6 ±5.9 years). The study group included 23 study participants with fractures, of which 10 had a history of osteoporotic fractures. Saliva samples for mineral content including copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), calcium (Ca), and phosphorus (P), as well as salivary pH were collected and analyzed to determine associations between salivary mineral content and fracture risk. Results. As a result, the median pH value was 6.8, and the median levels for Cu (0.35 µmol/L), Zn (0.61 µmol/L), Ca (0.7 mmol/L), and P (6.64 mmol/L) were observed. No differences were noted in salivary mineral content and acid-basic balance between the fractured and non-fractured participants. Conclusions. The results of our study suggest that salivary mineral content has limited usability in predicting skeletal fragility in postmenopausal women when used alone. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction Low urinary citrate excretion is recognized as a major risk factor for calcium stone formation. The inhibitory effects of citrate on crystal formation in urine are complex. Citrate creates [...], Background Hypocitraturia is considered a major risk factor for calcium stone formation. However, there is no widely accepted reference database of urinary citrate excretion in children. The aim of our study was to determine the amount of citrate eliminated in the urine over a 24-h period in a pediatric cohort and to determine an optimal unit reflecting excretion. Methods The study cohort comprised 2,334 healthy boys and girls aged 2-18 years. The levels of urinary citrate were assessed by an enzymatic method in 24-hour urine and expressed in absolute values, as urinary concentration, citrate/creatinine ratio, per kilogram of body weight, in relation to 1.73 [m.sup.2], and as the calcium/citrate index. Results Similar incremental age-related citraturia rates were observed in both male and female subjects until puberty during which time citrate excretion became significantly higher in girls. Urinary citrate adjusted for creatinine and for body weight showed a significantly decreasing trend with increasing age in both sexes. Urinary citrate corrected for body surface was weakly correlated with age. Thus, the assumption of 180 mg/1.73 [m.sup.2]/24 h for males and 250 mg/ 1.73 [m.sup.2]/24 h for females as lower cut-off values appeared to be reliable from a practical perspective. Conclusions We found distinct sex-dependent differences in citraturia at the start of puberty, with significantly higher values of urinary citrate in girls than in boys. Further prospective studies are warranted to elucidate whether this difference represents a differentiated risk of urolithiasis. Keywords Children * Citraturia * Normative values * Urolithiasis

Introduction Urinary calcium, one of the most important promoters of kidney stone formation, appears in urine in both bound and free states. A variety of small organic and inorganic negatively [...], Background Hypercalciuria and hypocitraturia are considered the most important risk factors for urolithiasis. Citrate binds to urinary calcium to form a soluble complex which decreases the availability of ionized calcium ([Ca.sup.2+]) necessary for calcium oxalate formation and phosphate crystallization. The aims of this study were to assess the [Ca.sup.2+] fraction in relation to total calciuria, citraturia and urinary pH and to determine whether urinary [Ca.sup.2+] concentration is a helpful biomarker in metabolic evaluation of children with urolithiasis. Methods We collected 24-h urine samples from 123 stone-forming children and adolescents with hypocitraturia and from 424 healthy controls. Total calciuria (total calcium, [Ca.sub.total]), [Ca.sup.2+], pH, citrate, oxalate and Bonn Risk Index (BRI) were assessed and compared between the two groups. Results Total calciuria and [Ca.sup.2+] content were higher in stone-formers than in the healthy children. In both stone formers and controls, [Ca.sup.2+] content was inversely related to citraturia and urinary pH, whereas the [Ca.sup.2+]/[Ca.sub.total] ratio differed slightly between the groups. A large variability in [Ca.sup.2+] level was found across individuals in both groups. The BRI increased with increasing calciuria and urine acidity. Conclusions Compared to controls, stone-formers with hypocitraturia demonstrated a higher urinary [Ca.sup.2+] concentration, but this was proportional to calciuria. The large individual variability in urinary [Ca.sup.2+] content limits its practical use in metabolic evaluation of children with urolithiasis. However, the Ca/Citrate ratio may be a useful clinical tool in evaluating children with urolithiasis. Keywords Calciuria * Citraturia * Children * Renal stones