Pediatric lateral neck infections - Computed tomography vs ultrasound on initial evaluation.

Objective: Review the evaluation of children with a deep lateral neck infection and define the impact of initial imaging modality on outcomes and costs.

Method: Case series, pediatric patients <18 years of age admitted to a tertiary care hospital with lateral neck infection between 01/01/14-05/31/16 as identified by ICD-9 and ICD-10 codes: 289.3 (lymphadenitis, unspecified), 682.

Determination of antibiotic resistance and high-performance liquid chromatography profiles for Mycobacterium species.

Background: Incidence of mycobacterial infections has been increasing. However, diagnosis and treatment of mycobacterial infections can be difficult. The aim of this study was to investigate high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis of the mycolic acids for rapid identification and dendrogram cluster analysis of mycobacterium species.

Hirschsprung disease in the premature newborn: a population based study and 40-year single center experience.

Background/purpose: Understanding of Hirschsprung disease (HD) in premature newborns (PHD) is anecdotal. We have sought in this study to identify the demographic and clinical features of PHD.

Methods: All patients with HD 1970-2011 treated at our tertiary care children's hospital were identified.

Implementing an ultrasound-based protocol for diagnosing appendicitis while maintaining diagnostic accuracy.

Background: The use of ultrasound to diagnose appendicitis in children is well-documented but not universally employed outside of pediatric academic centers, especially in the United States. Various obstacles make it difficult for institutions and radiologists to abandon a successful and accurate CT-based imaging protocol in favor of a US-based protocol.

Objective: To describe how we overcame barriers to implementing a US-based appendicitis protocol among a large group of nonacademic private-practice pediatric radiologists while maintaining diagnostic accuracy and decreasing medical costs.

Ovarian malignant germ cell tumors: cellular classification and clinical and imaging features.

Ovarian malignant germ cell tumors (OMGCTs) are heterogeneous tumors that are derived from the primitive germ cells of the embryonic gonad. OMGCTs are rare, accounting for about 2.6% of all ovarian malignancies, and typically manifest in adolescence, usually with abdominal pain, a palpable mass, and elevated serum tumor marker levels, which may serve as an adjunct in the initial diagnosis, monitoring during therapy, and posttreatment surveillance.

Role of rapid sequence whole-body MRI screening in SDH-associated hereditary paraganglioma families.

Patients with germline mutations in one of the SDH genes are at substantially increased risk of developing paragangliomas, pheochromocytomas (pheos), and other tumors (all combined referred to as SDH-related tumors). However, limited data exist on screening in SDH mutation carriers and no studies have evaluated whole-body MRI as a screening tool in asymptomatic patients. This was a single-center observational study.

Erythropoietin prevents lymphoid apoptosis but has no effect on survival in experimental sepsis.

Background: Lymphoid apoptosis in sepsis is associated with poor outcome, and prevention of apoptosis frequently improves survival in experimental models of sepsis. Recently, erythropoietin (EPO) was shown to protect against lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced mortality. As cecal ligation and puncture (CLP) is a clinically more relevant model of sepsis, we evaluated the effect of EPO on CLP-induced lymphoid tissue apoptosis and mortality.

Effectiveness of Saccharomyces boulardii in a rat model of colitis.

Aim: To investigate the effects of Saccharomyces boulardii (S. boulardii) in an experimental rat model of trinitrobenzene sulfonic acid (TNBS)-induced colitis.

Methods: Thirty-two Wistar albino female rats were categorized into five groups.

Activated protein C reduces intestinal injury in an experimental model of necrotizing enterocolitis.

Background: Necrotizing enterocolitis is a devastating intestinal disease of premature infants. Although activated protein C (APC) is well defined as a physiologic anticoagulant, emerging data suggest that it also has cytoprotective, antiinflammatory, and antiapoptotic properties. There is no study on active protein C administration for necrotizing enterocolitis in animal models.

Effects of activated protein C on neonatal hypoxic ischemic brain injury.

Perinatal hypoxia-ischemia remains the single most important cause of brain injury in the newborn, leading to death or lifelong sequelae. White matter injuries in newborn infants have long-term effects on physical, visual, motor, sensory, cognitive and social development in human infants. There is no known cure for neonatal hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy (NHIE).

The pathogenesis and imaging of the tuberous sclerosis complex.

Tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) is an autosomal-dominant disorder characterized by the formation of hamartomatous lesions in multiple organ systems. It is the second most common neurocutaneous syndrome after neurofibromatosis type 1 and has been recognized since the late 1800s. Although the disease has complete penetrance, there is also high phenotypic variability: some patients have obvious signs at birth, while others remain undiagnosed for many years.

Activated protein C reduces endotoxin-induced white matter injury in the developing rat brain.

Periventricular leukomalacia (PVL), the dominant form of brain injury in premature infants, is characterized by white matter injury (WMI) and is associated with cerebral palsy. The pathogenesis of PVL is complex and likely involves ischemia/reperfusion, free radical formation, excitotoxicity, impaired regulation of cerebral blood flow, a procoagulant state, and inflammatory mechanisms associated with maternal and/or fetal infection. Using an established animal model of human PVL, we investigated whether activated protein C (APC), an anti-coagulant factor with anti-inflammatory, anti-apoptotic, anti-oxidant, and cytoprotective activities, could reduce endotoxin-induced WMI in the developing rat brain.

Erythropoietin attenuates lipopolysaccharide-induced white matter injury in the neonatal rat brain.

Periventricular leukomalacia (PVL), a common neonatal brain white matter (WM) lesion, is frequently associated with cerebral palsy. Growing evidence has indicated that in addition to ischemia/reperfusion injury, cytokine-induced brain injury associated with maternal or fetal infection may also play an important role in the pathogenesis of PVL. Recent studies have shown that administration of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) to pregnant rats causes enhanced expression of the cytokines, i.

Neuroimaging of herpesvirus infections in children.

Six members of the herpesvirus family cause well-described neurologic disease in children: herpes simplex virus-1 (HSV-1), herpes simplex virus-2 (HSV-2), varicella-zoster (VZV), Epstein-Barr (EBV), cytomegalovirus (CMV), and human herpes virus-6 (HHV-6). When herpesviruses infect the central nervous system (CNS), the clinical presentation is non-specific and often confounding. The clinical urgency is often underscored by progressive neurologic deficits, seizures, or even death, and prompt diagnosis and treatment rely heavily on neuroimaging.

What is the risk of pyelonephritis due to desmopressin in rats with cystitis?

The risk of pyelonephritis in children with asymptomatic cystitis or bacteriuria, using desmopressin for primary nonpoliuric nocturnal enuresis, is not known. The aim of this study was to study whether there is a risk of pyelonephritis in rats with cystitis using desmopressin. Wistar rats (n = 28) were divided into four groups of cystitis (groups I-IV).

The American College of Endocrinology and Endocrine University.

Subspecialty training in endocrinology depends in part on local expertise, with fellows having "hands-on" experience in some areas but only "book knowledge" in others. To provide more uniform training in new technologies, The American College of Endocrinology developed Endocrine University, which provides on-site didactic and interactive sessions on thyroid ultrasound, bone densitometry, and other topics over 6 to 7 days. The inaugural event in 2002 was attended by 137 fellows.

Percutaneous ethanol injection of thyroglossal duct cysts.

Objective: To report the results of treating 3 patients with a thyroglossal duct cyst by percutaneous ethanol injection and compare the outcome with the results of treatment in 17 patients with thyroid cysts.

Methods: The details of the ultrasound-guided injection procedure and the clinical course of the patients are presented, along with review of the literature pertaining to alcohol ablation for thyroglossal duct cysts.

Results: Percutaneous ethanol injection was successful in only 1 of 3 patients with thyroglossal duct cysts, in whom the diagnosis was confirmed by ultrasonography, during a 2-year period.

Neuroprotective effect of the peptides ADNF-9 and NAP on hypoxic-ischemic brain injury in neonatal rats.

Perinatal asphyxia is an important cause of neonatal mortality and subsequent serious sequelae such as motor and cognitive deficits and seizures. Recent studies have demonstrated that short peptides derived from activity-dependent neurotrophic factor (ADNF) and activity-dependent neuroprotective protein (ADNP) are neuroprotective at femtomolar concentrations. However, the effect of these peptides on the hypoxic-ischemic brain injury model is unknown.

American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists and Associazione Medici Endocrinologi medical guidelines for clinical practice for the diagnosis and management of thyroid nodules.

Thyroid nodules are common and are frequently benign. Current data suggest that the prevalence of palpable thyroid nodules is 3% to 7% in North America; the prevalence is as high as 50% based on ultrasonography (US) or autopsy data. The introduction of sensitive thyrotropin (thyroid-stimulating hormone or TSH) assays, the widespread application of fine-needle aspiration (FNA) biopsy, and the availability of high-resolution US have substantially improved the management of thyroid nodules.

Selective apoptotic behaviour of bovine herpesvirus 1 in an epithelial-like microenvironment.

Apoptosis seems to play an important role in the pathogenic profile of bovine herpesvirus 1 (BHV-1) infection. Nitric oxide (NO) is also important as a signal molecule. In this study, apoptosis was selectively induced in HEp-2 cells in the early stage [1-3 h postinfection (PI)] of BHV-1 multiplication, and this apoptotic process was realised through the caspase-8, and partially through the caspase-3, pathway.

Effects of non toxic doses of acyclovir on nitric oxide and cellular death responses in herpesvirus types 1 and 2 infected hep-2 cells.

Herpes simplex virus type-1 (HSV-1) and type-2 (HSV-2) are among the most "successful" pathogens and code for a variety of proteins to direct the apoptosis/necrosis responses of the cells they infect. Nitric oxide (NO) is an important intracellular signaling molecule in pathological processes. Acyclovir (ACV) is a chain terminator that targets the viral DNA polymerase as an antiviral agent.

Erythropoietin attenuates lipopolysaccharide-induced splenic and thymic apoptosis in rats.

Apoptosis of lymphoid tissues during sepsis is well documented and linked to the pathobiology of organ failure and death. In this study, we evaluated the effect of a single dose of recombinant erythropoietin (EPO) on thymic and splenic apoptosis in an endotoxic sepsis model. Young male Wistar rats were divided into 3 groups and administered intraperitoneally (IP) either normal saline; lipopolysaccharide (LPS) 10 mg/kg; or EPO (5000 U/kg) 30 min before lipopolysaccharide.