Strengths, Limitations, and Geographical Discrepancies in the Eligibility Criteria for Sport Participation in Young Patients With Congenital Heart Disease.

Objective: Benefits of physical activity has been shown in children with congenital heart disease (CHD). In several forms of CHD, the risk of sudden death remains a major concern both for parents and clinicians, who in turn will have to consider the risk-benefit ratio of sport participation versus restriction.

Data Source: A literature search was performed within the National Library of Medicine using the keywords: Sport, CHD, and Eligibility.

Diagnostic accuracy and prognostic valued of plasmatic Cystatin-C in children undergoing pediatric cardiac surgery.

Background: Diagnosis and treatment of acute kidney injury (AKI) is often delayed in children after cardiac surgery due to the lack of an early biomarker of renal damage. Our aim was to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of plasma cystatin-C as an early biomarker of AKI and its prognostic value in pediatric cardiac surgery.

Methods: Cystatin-C and creatinine were measured pre-operatively and at 2-6-12h post-surgery.

ROI-Based On-Board Compression for Hyperspectral Remote Sensing Images on GPU.

In recent years, hyperspectral sensors for Earth remote sensing have become very popular. Such systems are able to provide the user with images having both spectral and spatial information. The current hyperspectral spaceborne sensors are able to capture large areas with increased spatial and spectral resolution.

Arterial Switch Operation and Plasma Biomarkers: Analysis and Correlation with Early Postoperative Outcomes.

The aims of our study were to describe plasma brain natriuretic peptide (BNP), Troponin I (TnI), and Cystatin C (Cys-C) concentration kinetics in the postoperative period after arterial switch operation in neonate, and to test the correlation between the plasma biomarkers and early clinical outcomes. We prospectively enrolled 29 neonates who underwent ASO. All patients received Custodiol cardioplegia.

Echocardiographic assessment of pediatric semilunar valve disease.

We reviewed echocardiography literature for the assessment and management of semilunar valve disease in children. A search was performed within the National Library of Medicine using the keywords aortic stenosis (AS), aortic regurgitation, pulmonary stenosis (PS), and pulmonary regurgitation in children. The search was further refined adding the keywords-pediatric, neonates, echocardiographic definition, classification, evaluation.

Endocrine Autoimmunity in Down's Syndrome.

Since the mid 1900s, a significant increase of infectious, hematological, and autoimmune diseases has been reported in patients with Down's syndrome (DS), independent of sex, age, family history, and exposure to other risk factors, suggesting an intrinsic alteration of the immune system. Several in vitro and in vivo studies have demonstrated alterations of both cellular and humoral immunological response mainly, although not exclusively, secondary to alterations of the expression of autoimmune regulator gene (located on chromosome 21), leading to thymic structural and functional impairments. Autoimmune thyroid disorders (i.

Pituitary Autoimmunity.

Pituitary autoimmunity, considered a synonym of autoimmune hypophysitis, defines a wide spectrum of conditions (neoplastic, functional, and iatrogenic pituitary disorders; and extra-pituitary autoimmune and non-autoimmune diseases), and is characterized by the presence of antipituitary antibodies (APAs) at various titer and prevalence. These conditions have been increasingly recognized not only in adults, but also in children. The autoimmune pathogenesis, histological features of the primary (i.

Impact of different values of prosthesis-patient mismatch on outcome in male patients with aortic valve replacement.

Aims: Mortality and left ventricular mass (LVM) recovery/regression after aortic valve replacement in patients with prosthesis-patient mismatch (PPM) is controversial. This study evaluated the impact of different values of indexed effective orifice area (EOAi) in male patients on mortality and indexed LVM (ILVM) recovery/regression.

Method: The study recruited 376 male patients with and without PPM after aortic valve replacement with different EOAi cut-off values.

Immobilized Lipases on Functionalized Silica Particles as Potential Biocatalysts for the Synthesis of Fructose Oleate in an Organic Solvent/Water System.

Lipases from Thermomyces lanuginosus (TLL) and Pseudomonas fluorescens (PFL) wereimmobilized on functionalized silica particles aiming their use in the synthesis of fructose oleate in a tert-butyl alcohol/water system. Silica particles were chemically modified with octyl (OS), octyl plus glutaraldehyde (OSGlu), octyl plus glyoxyl(OSGlx), and octyl plus epoxy groups(OSEpx). PFL was hyperactivated on all functionalized supports (more than 100% recovered activity) using low protein loading (1 mg/g), however, for TLL, this phenomenon was observed only using octyl-silica (OS).

An evaluation of the Florence Nightingale Foundation scholarships.

The Florence Nightingale Foundation (FNF) is a charity that awards scholarships in leadership, travel and research to nurses, midwives and other healthcare professionals to promote excellence in practice. The FNF offers mentoring support to scholars, and provides support with career development and writing articles for publication, in addition to the financial award. The leadership scholarships are bespoke: leadership scholars can access a range of development opportunities that are specially commissioned for them, and select their programme of study and experiences, based on their individual needs.

Peptides Derived from a Phage Display Library Inhibit Adhesion and Protect the Host against Infection by and .

and are dimorphic fungi and are the etiological agents of paracoccidioidomycosis (PCM). Adhesion is one of the most important steps in infections with s and is responsible for the differences in the virulence of isolates of these fungi. Because of the importance of adhesion to the establishment of an infection, this study focused on the preliminary development of a new therapeutic strategy to inhibit adhesion by , thus inhibiting infection and preventing the disease.

Clinically relevant hydrogel-based on hyaluronic acid and platelet rich plasma as a carrier for mesenchymal stem cells: Rheological and biological characterization.

Intervertebral disc regeneration is quickly moving towards clinical applications. However, it is still missing an ideal injectable hydrogel to support mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) delivery. Herein, a new injectable hydrogel composed of platelet rich plasma (PRP) and hyaluronic acid (HA) blended with batroxobin (BTX) as gelling agent, was designed to generate a clinically relevant cell carrier for disc regeneration.

Prime Incision and Modified Moving Window: A Minimally Invasive Access for Breast Cancer Surgical Treatment.

Background: Conservative surgical treatment has been the treatment of choice for early breast cancer. It allows feasible oncological treatment with a satisfactory cosmetic approach and fast recovery. However, in some cases mastectomy is necessary.

Discovery of pan-VEGF inhibitory peptides directed to the extracellular ligand-binding domains of the VEGF receptors.

Receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs) are key molecules in numerous cellular processes, the inhibitors of which play an important role in the clinic. Among them are the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) family members and their receptors (VEGFR), which are essential in the formation of new blood vessels by angiogenesis. Anti-VEGF therapy has already shown promising results in oncology and ophthalmology, but one of the challenges in the field is the design of specific small-molecule inhibitors for these receptors.

Usefulness of an ad hoc questionnaire (Acro-CQ) for the systematic assessment of acromegaly comorbidities at diagnosis and their management at follow-up.

Purpose: To determine the validity of a self-administered questionnaire (Acro-CQ) developed to systematically assess the presence, type and time of onset of acromegaly comorbidities.

Methods: This is a cross-sectional study; 105 acromegaly patients and 147 controls with other types of pituitary adenoma, referred to a specialized Italian Center, autonomously compiled Acro-CQ in an outpatient clinical setting. To test its reliability in a different setting, Acro-CQ was administered via mail to 78 patients with acromegaly and 100 with other pituitary adenomas, referred to a specialized US Center.

Expectation to feel more pain disrupts the habituation of laser-pain rating and laser-evoked potential amplitudes.

Increased pain perception due to the expectation to feel more pain is called nocebo effect. The present study aimed at investigating whether: (1) the mere expectation to feel more pain after the administration of an inert drug can affect the laser-pain rating and the laser-evoked potential (LEP) amplitude, and (2) the learning potentiates the nocebo effect. Eighteen healthy volunteers were told that an inert cream, applied on the right hand, would increase the laser pain and LEP amplitude to right hand stimulation.

New diagnosis for species of Plutomurus Yosii (Collembola, Tomoceridae), with descriptions of two new species from Georgian caves.

Two new species of the genus Plutomurus, P. revazi sp. nov.

Major Aortopulmonary Collaterals in Transposition of the Great Arteries: A Cause for Preoperative and Postoperative Hemodynamic Imbalance.

We describe a case of transposition of the great arteries (TGA) with significant aortopulmonary collateral vessels causing management difficulties before and after an arterial switch operation. Preoperatively, the presence of collaterals exacerbated aortic diastolic runoff and led to myocardial ischemia. Postoperatively, despite uneventful extubation, the infant developed clinical heart failure characterized by pericardial and pleural effusions and feeding difficulties, which promptly resolved with percutaneous embolization of collaterals.

Negative regulation of bacterial killing and inflammation by two novel CD16 ligands.

Sepsis, a leading cause of death worldwide, involves exacerbated proinflammatory responses and inefficient bacterial clearance. Phagocytic cells play a crucial part in the prevention of sepsis by clearing bacteria through host innate receptors. Here, we used a phage display library to identify two peptides in Escherichia coli that interact with host innate receptors.

Secondary Adrenal Insufficiency: Where Is It Hidden and What Does It Look Like?

Adrenal failure secondary to hypothalamic-pituitary disease is a common although underestimated and underdiagnosed condition, with serious consequences. Corticotropin deficiency can be isolated or more frequently occur in association with other pituitary hormones deficiencies. The most frequent endogenous cause of secondary adrenal insufficiency (SAI) is a tumor of the hypothalamic-pituitary region, usually associated with panhypopituitarism secondary to tumor growth or to its treatment with surgery or irradiation.