Branched-chain amino acids as adjunctive-alternative treatment in patients with autism: a pilot study.

The branched-chain amino acid (BCAA) is a group of essential amino acids that are involved in maintaining the energy balance of a human being as well as the homoeostasis of GABAergic, glutamatergic, serotonergic and dopaminergic systems. Disruption of these systems has been associated with the pathophysiology of autism while low levels of these amino acids have been discovered in patients with autism. A pilot open-label, prospective, follow-up study of the use of BCAA in children with autistic behaviour was carried out.

A neonate with late-onset hypocalcemia due to unrecognized maternal hyperparathyroidism and a systematic overview of similar cases.

Neonatal seizures are alarming manifestations of an underlying significant disorder demanding immediate attention and intervention. Hypocalcemia, although rare, must be considered in the differential diagnosis of neonatal seizures. We present an unusual case of a 10-day-old infant with unexplained symptomatic hypocalcemia, experiencing multiple episodes of focal tonic-clonic seizures, born by an entirely asymptomatic mother.

Antifungal agents and the kidney: pharmacokinetics, clinical nephrotoxicity, and interactions.

Introduction: Invasive fungal infections continue to be important causes of morbidity and mortality in severely ill and immunocompromised patient populations. The past three decades have seen a considerable expansion in antifungal drug research, resulting in the clinical development of different classes of antifungal agents with different pharmacologic properties. Among drug-specific characteristics of antifungal agents, renal disposition and nephrotoxicity are important clinical considerations as many patients requiring antifungal therapy have compromised organ functions or are receiving other potentially nephrotoxic medications.

Renal mycetomas in a 10-month-old female infant without immunodeficiency.

Candida albicans is the most prevalent and pathogenic fungal infection of the urinary tract. Although fungal urinary tract infections occur less frequently than bacterial infections, their incidence has increased during the last decades. Prematurity, parenteral nutrition, corticosteroids, immunosuppressive factors, surgical procedures, and prolonged antibiotic therapy are common predisposing factors.

Primary posterior mediastinal germ cell tumor in a child.

Yolk sac tumor is the most common malignant neoplasm of germ cell origin and usually occurs in infant testes or ovaries. On rare occasions, the tumor arises from extragonadal sites, including the sacrococcygeal region, uterus, vagina, prostate, retroperitoneum, liver, mediastinum (commonly in the anterior), pineal gland, and third ventricle. Yolk sac tumors have an unfavorable prognosis, if not treated aggressively.