Conference on Medical and Social Problems of Childhood in TNMU

On October 21-22, 2020 the National Research and Training Conference “Medical and Social Problems of Childhood” took place in I. Horbachevsky Ternopil National Medical University. The event was organized by the Department of Children’s Diseases and Pediatric Surgery and the National Association of Pediatric Immunology, as well as the Regional J-Project.

Due to the epidemic in Ukraine and the world due to coronavirus pandemic, the conference was held online. Leading experts from Ukraine and the world: Kyiv, Lviv, Kharkiv, Ivano-Frankivsk, researchers from Paris (France), New York (United States) took part in the conference. More than 30 reports were presented and discussed during the meeting.

Professor Arkadii Shulhai, the Vice-Rector for Science and Education, welcomed the conference participants. He greeted on behalf of the TNMU Rector Professor Mykhaylo Korda, wished success and fruitful work to the participants of the scientific forum.

Arkadii Havrylovych emphasized the urgent matter of the conference in the current situation, and noted that “timely diagnosis of immunodeficiency at an early age not only saves children’s lives, but also allows avoiding many complications in the future.”

Professor Oksana Boiarchuk, the Head of the Department of Children’s Diseases and Pediatric Surgery of the I. Horbachevsky Ternopil National Medical University opened the plenary session and wished success to the participants of the scientific meeting. She presented a report on “Early diagnosis of primary immunodeficiency – is progress possible?”

Oksana Romanivna presented to the conference participants the history of neonatal screening, rare conditions that cause severe diseases and are not determined by standard clinical examinations. It is established that neonatal screening of severe combined immunodeficiency using TREC or TREC/KREC method for determination of T-lymphopenia and B-lymphopenia allows timely detecting severe combined immunodeficiency and other primary immunodeficiencies. In the report, Oksana Romanivna noted the significance of a pilot study that confirms clinical and economic feasibility of complete neonatal screening for severe combined immunodeficiency in Ukraine.

Halyna Makukh, the Head of the Genetics Laboratory of the Institute of Hereditary Pathology of the National Academy of Medical Sciences of Ukraine, presented the report on “Organization of neonatal screening and the possibility of diagnostics of T- lymphopenia and B-lymphopenia in newborns”.

Halyna Vasylivna paid attention to the possibilities of wide introduction of neonatal screening of T- lymphopenias and B-lymphopenias in Ukraine. The researcher emphasized the importance of proper conduction of blood sampling, and thus taking into account the ethical aspects of the psychological burden on parents.

The report of Roman Kuts – the initiator of the Ukrainian Registry of Bone Marrow Donors, and alumnus of TNMU, on “Ukrainian Registry of Bone Marrow Donors: when will and desire make a miracle happen” was of great interest. The presenter analyzed the latest alterations to the law on transplantation of anatomical materials, explaining the importance and details of the agreement between the relevant state organs and OHMADYT regarding the search for non-relative donor and guaranteeing providing the cells for non-relative bone marrow transplantation.

Roman Ihorovych called for support and broadcasting of information about the need for donors, because owing to the people indifference the first transplant from a non-family donor took place in Ukraine in April this year. The surgery was a lifeline for a child with primary immunodeficiency, where the donor was a 19-year-old boy from Germany.

The conference participants found the report by Maria Kinash, the Associate Professor of the Department of Children’s Diseases and Pediatric Surgery of TNMU on “Difficulties in diagnosis of primary immunodeficiencies associated with DNA repair disorders: clinical cases” very interesting.

Maria Ihorivna pointed out the fact that clinical manifestations of A-T and Nijmegen syndrome depend on the age of the child, the number of mutations, the severity of factors of exogenous affection, so it is always difficult to predict the course of the disease in a patient.

The report of Professor Alla Volokha, the Head of the Department of Children’s Infectious Diseases and Pediatric Immunology of Shupyk National Medical Academy of Postgraduate Education, on “Cytopenia in children – the view of an immunologist” was of topical issue.

Alla Petrivna expanded on autoimmune cytopenias as the most common disorders in patients with primary immunodeficiencies, secondary cytopenias in result of lymphoproliferation, hemophagocytosis. The researcer presented the causes of the disease, cell loss and decreased cell production, treatment tactics.

Anna Gilfanova, Shupyk National Medical Academy of Postgraduate Education, reported on mild but insidious neuropenia, and informed how not to miss the GATA2 deficiency.

Anastasia Bondarenko, Professor of the Department of Children’s Infectious Diseases and Pediatric Immunology of Shupyk National Medical Academy of Postgraduate Education introduced to the conference participants neutropenia as a manifestation of an innate immunity defect. The researcher presented the national newborn screening programs for severe combined immunodeficiency, which can help recognize children with WHIM syndrome.

The report on “Functional and organic diseases of the intestine in children: is everything so clear?” was presented by Oleksandra Shulhay, Associate Professor of the Department of Children’s Diseases and Pediatric Surgery of TNMU. Oleksandra Mykhailivna emphasized the topical issue of contemporary pediatric gastroenterology, which faces significant spread of this pathology in Ukraine as well as in the world.

The presentation of Professor Larysa Kostiuchenko, Head of the Department of Pediatrics of the Western Ukrainian Specialized Children’s Medical Center, on “Vaccination of Immunocompromised Persons” was of topical matter. The speaker explained and substantiated the contraindications to vaccination, drew attention to the types of vaccines and importance of vaccination of children.

On October 22, the conference continued. Accordingly, the program of the scientific forum was rich. The researchers discussed the urgent issue of COVID-19 and the expected symbiosis of this virus with respiratory infections of the autumn-winter season in children and adults. Liubov Volianska, Associate Professor of the Department of Children’s Deseases and Pediatric Surgery of TNMU, presented a report “COVID-19: what do we know today and what are the prospects?”, and noted that the main severe symptoms are caused by immune damage and not by the impact of viral load.

The presentation of Professor Yaryna Boyko, the Head of the Center of Immunology and Rheumatology of the Western Ukrainian Specialized Children’s Medical Center, was extraordinary. In the report on “Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome Associated with SARS-CoV-2 Infection (Clinical Case)” Yaryna Yevhenivna described the common and distinctive features of Kawasaki disease and MIS, focusing on Kawa-COVID-19, which is a new multisystem inflammatory syndrom and is temporarily associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Olha Dyvoniak, the Head of the Department of Infectious Diseases of Ternopil City Municipal Children’s Hospital, presented to the conference participants the number of COVID-19 patients as of October 21, 2020, amounting 17,963 cases in Ternopil region, together with 1,292 children (7.2%).

Vasyl Kopcha, Professor of the Department of Infectious Diseases with Epidemiology, Dermatology and Venerology of TNMU, shared his observations on the course of COVID-19 in adults and emphasised that this virus is a “slow form of influenza” with a leading pathogenetic link – “slow” interstitial pulmonary oedema with underlying DIC syndrome at the stage of hypercoagulation and aggressive cytokine “storm”.

Cardiovascular complications of COVID-19 were presented by Professor Marian Hrebenyk, the Head of the Department of Therapeutics and Family Medicine of Academic and Research Institute of Postgraduate Education of Ternopil National Medical University. Marian Vasyliovych drew attention to the danger of coronary heart disease virus for patients with concomitant heart or circulatory disorders.

Paul Bastard (France) and Qian Zhang (USA) presented to the participants the first results of a comprehensive international study of congenital immune defects in patients with severe COVID-19 performed by Professors of Casanova and HelenSu laboratories (USA), which involved 50 genetic laboratories, hundreds of hospitals and universities from around the world, as well as TNMU and Shupyk National Medical Academy of Postgraduate Education, Ukraine.

Ivanna Koshel, the Associate Professor of the Department of Therapy and Family Medicine of the Institute of Postgraduate Education of Ivano-Frankivsk National Medical University, reported on “EPOS2020: what”s new for primary care physicians” and noted that in Ukraine the prevalence of acute rhinitis, rhinosinusitis and rhinopharyngitis is 489.9 cases. The presenter warned against unreasonable prescription of antibiotics (up to 65%) in acute rhinosinusitis.

Professor Olha Tsodikova, the Acting Dean of the Faculty of General Practice and Family Medicine, the Head of the Department of Outpatient Pediatrics, Kharkiv Medical Academy of Postgraduate Education, expanded on priority areas of seasonal prevention of acute respiratory infections in children.

The participants of the event were grateful for the constructive dialogue during the conference, because the sharing experience and live communication is the key to a reliable, successful partnership.