Per oral endoscopic myotomy in a pediatric patient with achalasia.

Introduction: Achalasia is the most common primary motor disorder of the esophagus. Its reported incidence is low, even more in pediatric patients. Laparoscopic Heller myotomy is the current stan dard of treatment.

[Follow up for a cohort of patients with biliary atresia: late surgery and development of biliary cysts].

Unlabelled: Since the introduction of Kasai’s hepatic portoenterostomy, the prognosis of patients with biliary atresia has improved. The presence of intrahepatic biliary cysts or bile lakes has been reported in some patients after the intervention. Bile lakes have been related to cholangitis and a poor outcome.

Compensatory lung growth in NOS3 knockout mice suggests synthase isoform redundancy.

Nitric oxide synthase 3 (NOS3) produces nitric oxide (NO) in endothelial cells, which stimulates cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP) production and thereby mediates pulmonary vasodilation. Inhibition of cGMP enzymatic cleavage by sildenafil might be involved in lung growth stimulating processes in pulmonary hypoplasia. The aim of this study was to discover insights into the transcriptional regulation of NOS3 in a mouse model of compensatory lung growth (CLG).

Characterization of endothelial progenitor cells mobilization following cutaneous wounding.

Bone marrow (BM)-derived endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) are known to play an important role in neovascularization and wound healing. We investigated the temporal effects of cutaneous wounding on EPC surface markers within the peripheral blood and BM, and to better understand the role of the stromal cell-derived factor-1 alpha (SDF-1alpha/CXCR4) axis on EPC mobilization after wounding. FVB/NJ mice were administered bilateral 8 mm circular full-thickness skin wounds.

Prenatal pulmonary hypertension index: novel prenatal predictor of severe postnatal pulmonary artery hypertension in antenatally diagnosed congenital diaphragmatic hernia.

Purpose: This study aim to assess the potential of prenatal predictors of postnatal severe pulmonary artery hypertension (PAH) in isolated left congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH) and to define a new prenatal pulmonary hypertension index (PPHI).

Methods: A retrospective chart review of CDH patients between May 2005 and October 2008 was conducted. Ten patients with systemic/suprasystemic and 9 patients with subsystemic pulmonary hypertension at 3 weeks of age were identified.