Immediate postoperative course in the pediatric intensive care unit following epilepsy surgery.

Purpose: To describe the immediate postoperative PICU course and short-term outcomes of children undergoing various epilepsy surgeries.

Methods: Single-center, retrospective observational study. All patients younger than 20 years of age who had been admitted to the PICU between 2018 and 2022 following epilepsy surgery were eligible for study entry.

The Impact of Obesity on Critical Illnesses.

In the last few decades, obesity became one of the world's greatest health challenges reaching a size of global epidemic in virtually all socioeconomic statuses and all age groups. Obesity is a risk factor for many health problems and as its prevalence gradually increases is becoming a significant economic and health burden. In this manuscript we describe how normal respiratory and cardiovascular physiology is altered by obesity.

Transient Cardiac Injury in Adolescents Receiving the BNT162b2 mRNA COVID-19 Vaccine.

Background: Vaccines are paramount in the effort to end the coronavirus disease 2019 global epidemic. BNT162b2 is approved for the vaccination of adolescents over 16 years of age. Systemic adverse events were scarce though the pretested cohort of this age group was relatively small.

Weight as a Risk Factor for Mortality in Critically Ill Patients.

Objectives: To explore the hypothesis that obesity is associated with increased mortality and worse outcomes in children who are critically ill.

Methods: Secondary analysis of the Assessment of Worldwide Acute Kidney Injury, Renal Angina, and Epidemiology study, a prospective, multinational observational study. Patients between 3 months and 25 years across Asia, Australia, Europe, and North America were recruited for 3 consecutive months.

A Case of Methotrexate Neurotoxicity Presented as Status Epilepticus, Encephalopathy, and High Fever.

High-dose methotrexate is used to treat a range of adult and childhood cancers including osteosarcoma. Significant neurotoxicity is reported in 1% to 4.5% of patients treated with high-dose methotrexate and can present in a wide variety of symptoms.

Value of Cerebrospinal Fluid Lactate Levels in Diagnosing Shunt Infections in Pediatric Patients.

Objective: The diagnosis and timely treatment of shunt infections (SI) in children is of paramount importance. In some cases, the standard cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) variables will not be sufficient for an accurate diagnosis of SI. CSF lactate (LCSF) has been found to assist in differentiating bacterial from nonbacterial meningitis in non-neurosurgical patients.

The value of cerebrospinal fluid lactate levels in diagnosing CSF infections in pediatric neurosurgical patients.

Purpose: Diagnosis of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) infections in patients following neurosurgical procedures can be challenging. CSF lactate (LCSF) has been shown to assist in differentiating bacterial from non-bacterial meningitis in non-neurosurgical patients. The use of lactate in diagnosing CSF-related infections following neurosurgical procedures has been described in adults.

Hepatic STAT3 inhibition amplifies the inflammatory response in obese mice during sepsis.

The purpose of this study was to better understand the role obesity plays in the inflammatory response during sepsis, specifically regarding the Janus kinase/signal transducers and activators of transcription (JAK/STAT) pathway in the liver. We hypothesized that inhibiting STAT3 would lead to an increase in the inflammatory response and that obesity would amplify this effect. To investigate this, we inhibited STAT3 in two ways: pharmacological systemic inhibition and genetic hepatic-specific inhibition.

Sepsis Induces Adipose Tissue Browning in Nonobese Mice But Not in Obese Mice.

Severe sepsis and septic shock are the biggest cause of mortality in critically ill patients. Obesity today is one of the world's greatest health challenges. Little is known about the extent of involvement of the white adipose tissue (WAT) in sepsis and how it is being modified by obesity.

A Case of Salicylate Intoxication Complicated by Coagulopathy, Pulmonary Edema, and Pancreatitis.

The large availability of salicylic acid products makes them an often encountered source of poisoning in the emergency department. Even though in most cases the prognosis is good, with a low incidence of long-term morbidity and mortality, complications do occur, and some of those can be life threatening. We present an unusual case of salicylate intoxication in an adolescent in which several uncommon complications (severe coagulopathy, pulmonary edema, and pancreatitis) conjoined together.

[Androgen receptor polymorphism in relation to medical conditions characterized by hyper/hypoandrogenism].

An androgen receptor (AR) is a transcription factor consisting of four functional regions. The transactivation region contains a highly polymorphic area characterized by a variable number of CAG trinucleotide repeats encoding a polyglutamine tract. Several in vitro studies demonstrated a negative linear relation between the lengths of CAG repeats and relative AR transactivations.

The role of physical examination in establishing the diagnosis of pneumonia.

Background: Community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) is an important cause of acute respiratory disease in ambulatory care settings. The objective of this study was to assess the accuracy of medical history and physical examination in diagnosing CAP.

Methods: Pediatric residents prospectively completed a questionnaire documenting patients' medical history and physical examination whenever a chest radiograph was ordered on patients 1 month to 16 years of age.

Pediatric electrical burn injuries: experience of a large tertiary care hospital and a review of electrical injury.

A retrospective review of all patients admitted between February 2004 and December 2009, with a diagnosis of burns associated with electrocution, was conducted at The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Data regarding type of electrocution and associated burns were collected. Of the 36 patients identified, 31 (86%) were shocked by electrical current, and 5 (14%) by lightning.