Balamuthia amebic meningoencephalitis and mycotic aneurysms in an infant.

Balamuthia amebic encephalitis is rarely reported in infants. To the best of our knowledge, amebic encephalitis complicated by a mycotic aneurysm was only described once. We report on an 8-month-child with laboratory-confirmed Balamuthia mandrillaris meningoencephalitis, complicated by a mycotic aneurysm of the middle cerebral artery.

Endoscopic and histologic findings in pediatric inflammatory bowel disease.

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is an increasingly important cause of gastrointestinal pathology in children. Approximately 25% of IBDs present before the patient is 20 years of age. Accurate diagnosis and differentiation between Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC) is important in planning treatment strategies, particularly in children.

A recurrence of a hydrop lethal skeletal dysplasia showing similarity to Desbuquois dysplasia and a proposed new sign: the Upsilon sign.

We report on a recurrence of a lethal skeletal dysplasia with features similar to Desbuquois dysplasia (DD) to expand the phenotypic spectrum of DD-like conditions, to increase awareness of DD-like phenotypes in the differential diagnosis of prenatal onset skeletal dysplasias, and to suggest a new sign, the Upsilon sign, to aid in the differential diagnosis of skeletal dysplasias with an extra ossification centre distal to second metacarpal.

Infant anaplastic large cell lymphoma with hemophagocytic syndrome.

Anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL), anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK)-positive, is uncommon in infancy. We present an unusual occurrence of infant ALCL, ALK-positive, associated with hemophagocytic syndrome. To the best of our knowledge, there have been no cases of infant ALCL, ALK-positive, described that have been associated with hemophagocytic syndrome.

Retrospective review of pediatric and adult autoimmune hepatitis in two quaternary care centres in British Columbia: increased prevalence seen in British Columbia's First Nations community.

Background: It has been previously reported that British Columbia's (BC's) First Nations (Aboriginal) community has an increased risk of autoimmune diseases, including rheumatological conditions (rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus) and primary biliary cirrhosis. The researchers hypothesized that this community may also be at increased risk for autoimmune hepatitis (AIH).

Methods: Independent, retrospective reviews of the databases of two separate tertiary/quaternary British Columbia university-affiliated health care institutions, the Adult Liver Transplant Program of the BC Transplant Society and the Division of Pediatric Gastroenterology, BC Children's Hospital (Vancouver, BC), were performed.

Differentiating ulcerative colitis from Crohn disease in children and young adults: report of a working group of the North American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition and the Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of America.

Background: Studies of pediatric inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) have varied in the criteria used to classify patients as having Crohn disease (CD), ulcerative colitis (UC), or indeterminate colitis (IC). Patients undergoing an initial evaluation for IBD will often undergo a series of diagnostic tests, including barium upper gastrointestinal series with small bowel follow-through, abdominal CT, upper endoscopy, and colonoscopy with biopsies. Other tests performed less frequently include magnetic resonance imaging scans, serological testing, and capsule endoscopy.