Investigating the importance of clinical topics for developing a curriculum on gastroenterology for pediatric residents.

Background: Focused objectives provide effective learning. Pediatric residents in Canada follow objectives set by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada (RCPSC) with the goal of becoming competent general pediatricians. During the gastroenterology rotation, it remains unclear as to what clinical problems listed in the aforementioned objectives are crucial to understand as part of general pediatric practice.

Atrial natriuretic peptide inhibits cell cycle activity of embryonic cardiac progenitor cells via its NPRA receptor signaling axis.

The biological effects of atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) are mediated by natriuretic peptide receptors (NPRs), which can either activate guanylyl cyclase (NPRA and NPRB) or inhibit adenylyl cyclase (NPRC) to modulate intracellular cGMP or cAMP, respectively. During cardiac development, ANP serves as an early maker of differentiating atrial and ventricular chamber myocardium. As development proceeds, expression of ANP persists in the atria but declines in the ventricles.

Vitamin B12 deficiency with intrinsic factor antibodies in an infant with poor growth and developmental delay.

Vitamin B12 deficiency is very rare in infants and may lead to serious hematological and neurodevelopmental abnormalities. The present article describes a case involving a seven-month-old boy with severe vitamin B12 deficiency, likely caused by juvenile pernicious anemia, an entity rarely described. The child presented with feeding intolerance, poor growth and developmental delay.