Comparative Efficacy of IV Phenytoin, IV Valproate, and IV Levetiracetam in Childhood Status Epilepticus.

Background And Purpose: Status epilepticus (SE) is a common pediatric neurological emergency that requires immediate and vigorous management. Currently, phenytoin is the most common agent used in the setting of SE following benzodiazepine for further seizure prevention. Other drugs recently introduced for management of SE are valproic acid and levetiracetam.

Lactate clearance prognosticates outcome in pediatric septic shock during first 24 h of intensive care unit admission.

Unlabelled: This study was undertaken to examine the clinical utility of lactate clearance as an indicator of mortality in pediatric septic shock, and to compare the performance of lactate clearance at 6, 12, and 24 h for predicting in-hospital and 60-day mortality. Pediatric patients with septic shock were prospectively studied. Vital signs, laboratory values, Pediatric Risk of Mortality Score, and pediatric logistic organ dysfunction score were obtained at presentation (hour 0), hour 6, hour 24 and over the first 72 h of hospitalization.

Infantile Thiamine Deficiency: New Insights into an Old Disease.

Context: The wide spectrum of clinical presentation in infantile thiamine deficiency is difficult to recognize, and the diagnosis is frequently missed due to the lack of widespread awareness, and non-availability of costly and technically demanding investigations.

Evidence Acquisition: The topic was searched by two independent researchers using online databases of Google scholar and PubMed. We considered the related studies published in the last 20 years.

Clinical Spectrum of Disorders of Sex Development: A Cross-sectional Observational Study.

Objective: Disorders of sex development (DSD) constitutes a small but difficult and equally important area of endocrinology. It is often a social emergency as the decision regarding sex assignment in these cases is extremely disturbing and difficult to both families and healthcare professionals. Our study was devised to assess the clinical and chromosomal profile of patients with suspected DSD and classify them according to the new DSD consensus document.

Vitamin D status correlates with the markers of cystic fibrosis-related pulmonary disease.

Background: The prevalence of Vitamin D deficiency remains high in cystic fibrosis despite daily supplementation. Vitamin D as an immunomodulator has been related to lower respiratory tract infections in children. The present study was undertaken to examine the association between vitamin D status and markers of cystic fibrosis-related pulmonary disease including exacerbations, bacterial colonization and pulmonary function.

The Diagnostic Dilemma of Traumatic Lumbar Puncture: Current Standing of Cerebrospinal Fluid Leukocyte Corrections and Our Experience With Cerebrospinal Fluid Biomarkers.

Objective: To assess the diagnostic efficiency of cerebrospinal fluid markers of procalcitonin, lactate, and cerebrospinal fluid/serum lactate ratio for detecting bacterial meningitis during traumatic lumbar puncture, and to compare these markers with routinely used uncorrected and corrected leukocyte measurements.

Methods: Infants aged ≤90 days with traumatic lumbar puncture were prospectively studied. The diagnostic characteristics of cerebrospinal fluid assays of uncorrected and corrected leukocyte count, procalcitonin, lactate, and lactate ratio were described and compared.

Cerebrospinal fluid lactate: a differential biomarker for bacterial and viral meningitis in children.

Objective: To assess the performance of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) lactate as a biomarker to differentiate bacterial meningitis from viral meningitis in children, and to define an optimal CSF lactate concentration that can be called significant for the differentiation.

Methods: Children with clinical findings compatible with meningitis were studied. CSF lactate and other conventional CSF parameters were recorded.