Is there a Role for Antenatal Corticosteroids in Term Infants before Elective Cesarean Section?

Objective:  Cesarean section (CS) delivery, especially without previous labor, is associated with worse neonatal respiratory outcomes. Some studies comparing neonatal outcomes between term infants exposed and not exposed to antenatal corticosteroids (ACS) before elective CS revealed that ACS appears to decrease the risk of respiratory distress syndrome (RDS), transient tachypnea of the neonate (TTN), admission to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), and the length of stay in the NICU.

Methods:  The present retrospective cohort study aimed to compare neonatal outcomes in infants born trough term elective CS exposed and not exposed to ACS.

Nystagmus in a newborn: a manifestation of Joubert syndrome in the neonatal period.

Joubert syndrome is a rare disorder, usually autosomal recessive, with a prevalence of 1:80,000 to 1:100,000. This disease presents most commonly as breathing irregularities, although the two major clinical criteria are hypotonia and developmental delay, sometimes associated with ocular movement abnormalities. The severity of the presentation varies, ranging from mild cases with normal intelligence to severe developmental delays associated with early death.

[Necrotizing fasciitis post-acute appendicitis].

Necrotizing fasciitis (FN) is a deep infection of the subcutaneous tissue and fascia, resulting in its progressive destruction. Usually it evolves very quickly. The authors present a case to FN abdominal wall, an extremely rare complication of acute appendicitis.

Peritonitis due to Rhizobium radiobacter.

Rhizobium radiobacter (Agrobacterium radiobacter) is an aerobic Gram-negative rod belonging to Agrobacterium genus, a group of phytopathogenic bacteria present in the soil that has been implicated in human opportunistic infections. We report a clinical case of bacterial peritonitis in a 5-year-old child with chronic renal disease in peritoneal dialysis, who had a history of direct soil contact identified. The infection was treated with ceftazidime and piperaciline+tazobactam without relapses or the need to remove the peritoneal dialysis catheter.