BCG lymphadenitis in an HIV-infected child 9.5 years after vaccination.

Complications of Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) vaccination have been reported in immunocompetent as well as in immunocompromised individuals. Severe and/or late complications have been associated with impairment of cell-mediated immunity. A case of BCG lymphadenitis in a vertically infected HIV-positive boy 9.

Elastin: mutational spectrum in supravalvular aortic stenosis.

Supravalvular aortic stenosis (SVAS) is a congenital narrowing of the ascending aorta which can occur sporadically, as an autosomal dominant condition, or as one component of Williams syndrome. SVAS is caused by translocations, gross deletions and point mutations that disrupt the elastin gene (ELN) on 7q11.23.

Hydroquinone, a benzene metabolite, increases the level of aneusomy of chromosomes 7 and 8 in human CD34-positive blood progenitor cells.

Benzene is an established human carcinogen, producing leukemia, hematotoxicity and perhaps lymphoma. Its carcinogenicity is most likely dependent upon its conversion to phenol and hydroquinone, the latter being oxidized to the highly toxic 1,4-benzoquinone in the bone marrow. Exposure of human lymphocytes and cell lines to hydroquinone has previously been shown to cause various forms of genetic damage, including aneusomy and the loss and gain of chromosomes.

[Symptomatic congenital complete atrioventricular block--a medical challenge].

Congenital complete atrioventricular block is a rare entity. The association between this disease, maternal connective tissue disease and maternal antibodies [anti-Ro (SS-A) resp. anti-La (SS B)] is well known.

Spontaneous closure of the human fetal ductus arteriosus--A cause of fetal congestive heart failure.

Objective: Closure of the fetal ductus arteriosus, which is usually due to nonsteroidal antiinflammatory agents, may be detrimental. Therefore prenatal and postnatal clinical and echocardiographic findings in four human fetuses with spontaneous ductus arteriosus occlusion are reported.

Study Design: Echocardiographic and clinical data were retrospectively analyzed.

[High dosage immunoglobulin therapy in Rhesus incompatibility].

From September 1992 to the end of August 1993 we treated fourteen children who suffered from rhesus hemolytic disease with high-dose intravenous immune globulin G. Eleven patients did not require an exchange transfusion, three needed an exchange transfusion despite immune globulin therapy. Although an exchange transfusion cannot be avoided in all patients, this new method is an important addition to the currently available possibilities of treatment.

Early detection of doxorubicin and daunorubicin cardiotoxicity by echocardiography: diastolic versus systolic parameters.

Doxorubicin and daunorubicin are effective anticancer agents in children, however, their therapeutic value is limited by myocardial cardiotoxicity. In 14 children (median age 5.0 years, range 3-12) prospective studies were performed using pulsed Doppler echocardiography to assess the changes in left ventricular systolic and diastolic filling dynamics.