Can MII-pH values predict the duration of treatment for GERD in preterm infants?

Background: Little is known regarding the prognostic role of Multichannel Intraluminal Impedance and pH monitoring (MII/pH) parameters in preterm infants with Gastro-Esophageal Reflux Disease (GERD).

Aim: Our study aimed to evaluate the relationship between MII/pH variables and the duration of pharmacological therapy for GERD, in preterm infants with gestational age (GA) ≤34weeks.

Subjects, Study Design, Outcome Measures: We retrospectively reviewed data of all newborns with GA ≤34weeks that underwent MII/pH in our Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) and pharmacological treatment for GERD.

A crying baby: not simply infant colic.

Hypertrophic pyloric stenosis is a relatively common condition, but atypical presentations can present a diagnostic challenge. We describe the case of a 9-week-old Latin male infant who presented with a 2-day history of intermittent crying and poor feeding. He was suspected to have intussusception but was affected by and successfully treated for hypertrophic pyloric stenosis.

Chromosome 9p deletion syndrome and sex reversal: novel findings and redefinition of the critically deleted regions.

Deletions of the short arm of chromosome 9 are associated with two distinct clinical entities. Small telomeric 9p24.3 deletions cause genital anomalies in male subjects, ranging from disorder of gonadal sex to genital differentiation anomalies, while large terminal or interstitial deletions result in 9p-malformation syndrome phenotype.

Is heel prick as safe as we think?

Purulent lymphadenitis is rare in newborn and is associated with prematurity and invasive procedure. Neonatal staphylococcal infections due to skin interruption during intramuscular vitamin K administration and national metabolic screening programme (heel prick or Guthrie card test) have been already previously described. This is a report of a premature infant who developed an inguinal adenitis as a result of late complications from heel pricks.

Water-immersion technique during standard upper endoscopy may be useful to drive the biopsy sampling of duodenal mucosa in children with celiac disease.

Objective: To evaluate the accuracy of the water-immersion technique during upper endoscopy in recognizing the duodenal villous pattern in a series of children who were undergoing endoscopy to obtain duodenal biopsy for histological analysis.

Materials And Methods: The water-immersion technique was performed in 19 children. Endoscopic findings were compared with histology.

Specific oral tolerance induction (SOTI) in pediatric age: clinical research or just routine practice?

Specific Oral Tolerance (SOTI) is a promising therapy of food allergy, specially for IgE-mediated cow milk allergy (CMA) in pediatric age. Randomized controlled trials have reported that about 35% of children, at least 5 years of age, became full tolerant to cow milk proteins after SOTI. Regard to the safety, literature describes about 200 children who underwent SOTI, with no fatal events.

Celiac disease: what's new about it?

In the present review we will try to summarize the clinical and diagnostic features of celiac disease (CD) as well as the new findings on extraintestinal manifestation. CD is an immune-mediated enteropathy caused by a permanent gluten intolerance. In the last years, the diagnosis is becoming more and more frequent because of the recognition of 'new' symptoms and associated extraintestinal manifestations.

Cancer rates after year 2000 significantly decrease in children with perinatal HIV infection: a study by the Italian Register for HIV Infection in Children.

Purpose: To evaluate the impact of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) on cancer incidence in HIV-infected children throughout a 20-year period.

Patients And Methods: An observational population study was conducted on 1,190 perinatally HIV-infected children enrolled onto the Italian Register for HIV Infection in Children from 1985 to 2004 and never lost to follow-up (total observation time, 10,037.66 years).

Combined diagnostic imaging in a patient with suspected biliary atresia.

The case of a newborn infant of 40 days of age with persistent jaundice and blood chemistry values suggestive of cholestasis is discussed. Liver and bile duct US documented missed visualization of the gallbladder. In the suspicion of biliary atresia, hepatobiliary scintigraphy was performed; it showed preserved hepatocyte function, missed visualization of the gallbladder and absence of intestinal bile flow which confirmed the diagnostic hypothesis.

Amoxicillin-induced nephritis and tubulitis in a child.

The occurrence of interstitial nephritis in patients receiving antimicrobial therapy has frequently been reported in adults while it has rarely been described in children. We report the case of a patient treated with amoxicillin who presented hallucinations and serosanguineous blisters during treatment and developed renal failure a few days after discontinuation of the drug. On renal biopsy an interstitial nephritis with tubulitis was identified.