Co-occurrence of biphenotypic acute leukaemia, glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency and haemoglobin E trait in a single child.

Acute leukaemias occur as the result of clonal expansion subsequent to transformation and arrest at a normal differentiation stage of haematopoietic precursors, which commit to a single lineage, such as myeloid or B-lymphoid or T-lymphoid cells. Biphenotypic acute leukaemia (BAL) constitutes a biologically different group of leukaemia arising from a precursor stem cell and co-expressing more than one lineage specific marker. The present report describes a child with unusual co-occurrence of biphenotypic (B-precursor cell and Myeloid) acute leukaemia, haemoglobin E trait and glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6-PD) deficiency.

Neonatal Brain Abscess due to Extended-Spectrum Beta-Lactamase Producing Klebsiella pneumoniae.

Klebsiella pneumoniae (K. pneumoniae) causing brain abscess in newborn infants is rare. Presented herein, is a 27-day-old male neonate who developed two frontal lobe abscesses in association with K.

Cayler cardiofacial syndrome with situs inversus totalis.

Cayler cardiofacial syndrome is characterised by congenital unilateral hypoplasia of the depressor anguli oris muscle (DAOM) in association with congenital cardiac defects. Hypoplasia of this muscle causes inability to move one corner of the mouth downward and outward while crying or grimacing, giving rise to an 'asymmetric crying face' appearance. A variety of congenital cardiac defects have been described.

Necrotizing fasciitis following BCG vaccination.

We report a newborn with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus mediated necrotizing fasciitis after Bacilli-Calmette-Guerin vaccination. Radical debridement of the affected area coupled with twice daily surgical honey dressing and intravenous vancomycin and clindamycin resulted in satisfactory healing.

Childhood Plasmodium falciparum malaria complicated by acute pancreatitis.

Falciparum malaria is occasionally associated with multiple organ system complications. However, acute pancreatitis rarely occurs as a part of the spectrum. A 13-year-old boy presented with falciparum malaria complicated predominantly by acute pancreatitis.

Transient unilateral oculomotor palsy and severe headache in childhood Kawasaki disease.

Transient affliction of the cranial nerves may at times be either the presenting feature or complication of otherwise uncomplicated Kawasaki disease (KD) in infants and children. The present report describes a 6 year 9 month old boy with classical KD who developed right-sided oculomotor nerve palsy (manifested by ipsilateral ptosis and medial rectus palsy) resulting in symptoms like severe nausea, intense frontal headache and double vision. The palsy resolved within 5 days of intravenous immunoglobulin therapy, with no residual ophthalmological abnormality at 6 weeks.

Open and closed lip schizencephaly in Seckel syndrome: a case report.

Seckel syndrome (Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man database Number 210600) is the classic prototype of primordial bird-headed dwarfism. In addition to the characteristic craniofacial dysmorphism and skeletal defects, abnormalities of the cardiovascular, hematopoietic, endocrine, and central nervous systems are described. The full phenotypic spectrum of this clinically and genetically heterogeneous syndrome is yet to be delineated.

Childhood Plasmodium vivax malaria with severe thrombocytopenia and bleeding manifestations.

Thrombocytopenia of varying magnitude, usually without hemorrhagic manifestations, is commonly observed in Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium vivax malaria. However, severe thrombocytopenia associated with bleeding manifestations in malarial infection is distinctly unusual. The pathogenesis of this condition remains speculative till date, although several hypotheses have been put forward.

Perinatal malaria and tuberculosis co-infection: a case report.

India remains endemic for both vivax malaria and tuberculosis. In spite of the high burden of tuberculosis in the country, reports on congenital tuberculosis in the literature are limited. We report herein an unusual instance of co-occurrence of perinatal falciparum malaria and tuberculosis in a 34-day-old female newborn, who presented with symptoms of sepsis.

Childhood cutaneous polyarteritis nodosa: an unusual presentation.

A 6-year-old boy presented with post-burn like cutaneous scars over the buttocks and the back of thighs, following skin ulceration. Cutaneous polyarteritis (CPA) was diagnosed based on the histopathological examination of the skin biopsy specimen from one of the scars. Such a presentation of childhood CPA, to our knowledge, is not documented in the English literature.

Pharyngeal-cervical-brachial variant of pediatric Guillain-Barré syndrome with antecedent acute hepatitis A virus infection.

Pharyngeal-cervical-brachial weakness is considered a variant of Guillain-Barré syndrome with limited oropharyngeal, neck, and upper limb muscle involvement. The authors report on a 7-year-old boy, who developed pharyngeal-cervical-brachial type of Guillain-Barré syndrome following an antecedent episode of acute hepatitis A virus infection, 2 weeks prior to admission. The presentation was characterized by acute onset dysphagia, loss of head control, and bilateral arm weakness.

Recurrent limb weakness in a 17-year-old boy.

Wilson disease is a relatively rare inherited disorder of copper accumulation and toxicity, caused by a defect in an enzyme that is part of the pathway of biliary excretion of excess copper. A 17-year-old boy presented with numerous episodes of hypokalemic weakness of the lower limbs of undetermined etiology since 12 years of age. Clinically, lower-motor neuron type of weakness of the limbs with preserved reflexes and paucity of sensory abnormalities were prominent.