Papular-purpuric gloves and socks syndrome associated with B19V infection in a 6-year-old child.

A 6 year-old girl was admitted for evaluation of a fever associated with a petechial rash of 2 days' duration. She was in good general condition with no acute distress. Inspection of the skin revealed an amazing papular and purpuric rash of predominantly acral and symmetrical distribution and sharply demarcated on the ankles.

Perinatal asphyxia may present with features of neonatal atypical hemolytic uremic syndrome.

Hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) is the consequence of platelet consumption at sites of endothelial injury. Perinatal asphyxia (PA) may cause renal failure after birth and can be associated with disseminated intravascular coagulopathy (DIC) with platelet consumption. No biological investigation permits us to distinguish clearly between neonatal HUS and DIC.

Procalcitonin serum levels in children undergoing chronic haemodialysis.

Infections account for considerable morbidity and mortality in patients requiring haemodialysis (HD). Procalcitonin (PCT)-a low molecular weight protein of 13 kDa-helps one to distinguish viral from bacterial infections and to evaluate the severity of bacterial infections. We investigated (1) PCT baseline levels in eight children undergoing chronic HD with high-flux membranes and (2) changes in the serum levels of PCT, C-reactive protein (CRP) and beta-2-microglobulin (beta2-MG)-a peptide with biochemical characteristics similar to those of PCT-before and after haemodialysis sessions.

[Multicenter evaluation of four homogenous LDL-cholesterol assays].

International guidelines emphasize the importance of LDL cholesterol (LDL-C) assay in the care and follow-up of patients with cardiovascular risk. Most studies and common practice use Friedewald's formula for LDL-C calculation. The accuracy of the result depends closely on the precision of the input parameters (total cholesterol, triglycerides (TG) and HDL cholesterol), and discrepancies between calculated LDL-C and measurement by reference methods appear when TG exceed 4.

Resting energy expenditure and substrate utilisation rate in children with constitutional leanness or obesity.

Background & Aim: The influence of energy expenditure on body weight regulation, in the absence of organic disease, has never been studied in a paediatric population covering a broad range of body weights. The aim of this study was to investigate resting energy metabolism in children with constitutional leanness, normal body weight, or common obesity.

Methods: Fourteen children with constitutional leanness, 16 children with obesity, and controls were studied.