Autosomal recessive IRF7 and IRF9 deficiencies impair type I and III IFN immunity and underlie severe influenza pneumonitis. We report three unrelated children with influenza A virus (IAV) infection manifesting as acute respiratory distress syndrome (IAV-ARDS), heterozygous for rare variants (P554S in two patients and P680L in the third) causing autosomal dominant (AD) TLR3 deficiency. AD TLR3 deficiency can underlie herpes simplex virus-1 (HSV-1) encephalitis (HSE) by impairing cortical neuron-intrinsic type I IFN immunity to HSV-1.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAims: " Arnica montana is a popular homoeopathic treatment with potential haemostatic and anti-inflammatory properties. A homoeopathic combination of A. montana and Bryonia alba was used in aortic valve surgery to evaluate its effectiveness in reducing bleeding, inflammation, pain and myocardial ischaemia.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Plasma B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) can predict postoperative complications after cardiac surgery in adults. Our aim was to investigate BNP kinetics and prognostic value in neonates undergoing the arterial switch operation (ASO) for transposition of the great arteries (TGA).
Methods: We measured BNP concentrations in 30 neonates before, immediately after, and 6, 12, 24, and 48 h after ASO for TGA.
Background: A simplified alternative to the Cox maze procedure to treat atrial fibrillation with epicardial high-intensity focused ultrasound was evaluated clinically, and the initial clinical results were assessed at the 6-month follow-up visit.
Methods: From September 2002 through February 2004, 103 patients were prospectively enrolled in a multicenter study. Atrial fibrillation duration ranged from 6 to 240 months (mean, 44 months) and was permanent in 76 (74%) patients, paroxysmal in 22 (21%) patients, and persistent in 5 (5%) patients.