Evaluation of digital otoscopy in pediatric patients: A prospective randomized controlled clinical trial.

Background: Acute otitis media is often misdiagnosed. Pediatric trainees learn otoscopy from supervisors who cannot concurrently view the eardrum. Digital, smartphone otoscopes show promise to improve the visibility and learning due to a concurrent view by trainees and supervisors.

Fluid Overload and Cumulative Thoracostomy Output Are Associated With Surgical Site Infection After Pediatric Cardiothoracic Surgery.

Objectives: To determine the impact of cumulative, postoperative thoracostomy output, amount of bolus IV fluids and peak fluid overload on the incidence and odds of developing a deep surgical site infection following pediatric cardiothoracic surgery.

Design: A single-center, nested, retrospective, matched case-control study.

Setting: A 26-bed cardiac ICU in a 303-bed tertiary care pediatric hospital.

Surgical Site Infection After Pediatric Cardiothoracic Surgery.

Background: Surgical site infection (SSI) occurs in 0.25% to 6% of children after cardiothoracic surgery (CTS). There are no published data regarding the financial impact of SSI after pediatric CTS.

Acute appendicitis: transcript profiling of blood identifies promising biomarkers and potential underlying processes.

Background: The diagnosis of acute appendicitis can be surprisingly difficult without computed tomography, which carries significant radiation exposure. Circulating blood cells may carry informative changes in their RNA expression profile that would signal internal infection or inflammation of the appendix.

Methods: Genome-wide expression profiling was applied to whole blood RNA of acute appendicitis patients versus patients with other abdominal disorders, in order to identify biomarkers of appendicitis.

Nitroprusside inhibits calcium-induced impairment of red blood cell deformability.

Background: Red blood cell (RBC) deformation is critical for microvascular perfusion and oxygen delivery to tissues. Abnormalities in RBC deformability have been observed in aging, sickle cell disease, diabetes, and preeclampsia. Although nitric oxide (NO) prevents decreases in RBC deformability, the underlying mechanism is unknown.