Reflux esophageal stricture--a review of 30 years' experience in children.

Purpose: Strictures of the esophagus in children may have multiple etiologies including congenital, inflammatory, infectious, caustic ingestion, and gastroesophageal reflux (peptic stricture [PS]). Current literature lacks good data documenting long-term outcomes in children. This makes it difficult to counsel some patients about realistic treatment expectations.

Clinical variables as prognostic tools in pediatric-onset ulcerative colitis: a retrospective cohort study.

Background: Clinical variables may identify a subset of patients with pediatric-onset ulcerative colitis (UC) (≤18 years at diagnosis) at risk for adverse outcomes. We postulated that routinely measured clinical variables measured at diagnosis would predict colectomy in patients with pediatric-onset UC.

Methods: We conducted a chart review of patients with pediatric-onset UC at a single center over a 10-year period.

Galectin-3 functions as an opsonin and enhances the macrophage clearance of apoptotic neutrophils.

Galectin-3, a beta-galactoside binding, endogenous lectin, takes part in various inflammatory events and is produced in substantial amounts at inflammatory foci. We investigated whether extracellular galectin-3 could participate in the phagocytic clearance of apoptotic neutrophils by macrophages, a process of crucial importance for termination of acute inflammation. Using human leukocytes, we show that exogenously added galectin-3 increased the uptake of apoptotic neutrophils by monocyte-derived macrophages (MDM).

An established extracorporeal membrane oxygenation protocol promotes survival in extreme hypothermia.

Background: Historical reports indicate that active rewarming with extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) can salvage a patient after hypothermic cardiac arrest. We created a protocol that includes ECMO for extreme hypothermia to guide rewarming of the hypothermic patient.

Methods: A retrospective review of the ECMO rewarming protocol (2004-2006) was conducted.

The split abdominal wall muscle flap repair for large congenital diaphragmatic hernias on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation.

Background: Numerous techniques exist for repairing large congenital diaphragmatic hernias (CDHs) including prosthetic patches, tissue-engineered grafts, and various muscle flaps. A split abdominal wall muscle flap is a simple, durable way to repair a large diaphragmatic hernia. This technique has not gained widespread use, and some have suggested that it would be inappropriate in the setting of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) because of bleeding risk.