Congenital toxoplasmosis: continued parasite proliferation in the fetal brain despite maternal immunological control in other tissues.

Background: Congenital toxoplasmosis is a serious condition but little is known of the natural history of parasite development and associated fetal tissue destruction.

Methods: Two cases identified by ultrasound underwent induced abortion at 21 and 30 weeks' gestation. At autopsy, the placenta and fetal organs were examined by histology and immunocytochemistry employing anti-Toxoplasma stage-specific antibodies to confirm diagnosis and also provide information on the stage of parasite development.

Challenges in the prenatal and post-natal diagnosis of mediastinal cystic hygroma: a case report.

Introduction: Cystic hygroma is a benign congenital neoplasm that mostly presents as a soft-tissue mass in the posterior triangle of the neck. Pure mediastinal lesions are uncommon; the vast majority are asymptomatic and are an incidental finding in adulthood. The diagnosis is often made intra- or postoperatively.

Age- and gender-specific mortality rates in childhood hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

Aims: Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is the commonest inherited cause of sudden cardiac death in children; current guidelines suggest HCM screening after 12-15 years of age. The study aims to establish the age range at highest risk.

Methods And Results: Cohort study from six regional centres of paediatric cardiology, including children presenting with sudden death; n = 150 (59% = male; 39% familial HCM).

Superior mediastinal teratoma containing well-differentiated bowel.

A previously fit and well 14-month-old-girl presented with a 2-month history of worsening cough and wheeze. Chest radiograph revealed a widened mediastinum and thoracic CT showed a large mixed density mass in the superior mediastinum, consistent with a mediastinal teratoma. Her tumor markers were within the normal range.

Alveolar capillary dysplasia presenting as pneumothorax: a case report and review of literature.

Alveolar capillary dysplasia, although rare, is a universally fatal form of persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newborn. We report a case of a newborn male baby who developed respiratory distress and pneumothorax 11 h after an uncomplicated delivery. He deteriorated despite full ventilatory support and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO).