Background: Sturge-Weber Syndrome (SWS) is a rare, sporadic neurocutaneous disorder affecting the skin, brain, and eyes, due to somatic activating mutations in GNAQ or, less commonly, GNA11 gene. It is characterized by at least two of the following features: a facial capillary malformation, leptomeningeal vascular malformation, and ocular involvement. The spectrum of clinical manifestations includes headache, seizures, stroke-like events, intellectual disability, glaucoma, facial asymmetry, gingival hyperplasia, etc.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIn pediatric patients, the choice of the venous access device currently relies upon the operator's experience and preference and on the local availability of specific resources and technologies. Though, considering the limited options for venous access in children if compared to adults, such clinical choice has a great critical relevance and should preferably be based on the best available evidence. Though some algorithms have been published over the last 5 years, none of them seems fully satisfactory and useful in clinical practice.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: Pectus excavatum, also known as "sunken chest" or "funnel chest," is a congenital condition where the sternum caves inward, creating a noticeable depression in the chest. This deformity can range from mild to severe cases, and can affect appearance and lung and heart function. Treatment options vary depending on the severity of the condition and associated symptoms.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: About 95% of congenital chest wall deformities are pectus abnormalities, with pectus excavatum (PE) being the most common. The purpose of this work is to offer a modified Taulinoplasty Technique based on 35 consecutive PE patients' 1-year single-center experience in 2022.
Technique: One minimally invasive procedure for PE is taulinoplasty.
Introduction: Posterior tracheopexy (PT) directly addresses the posterior trachealis membrane intrusion in severe tracheomalacia. During PT, the esophagus is mobilized and membranous trachea is sutured to the prevertebral fascia. Although dysphagia has been reported as a possible complication of PT, in the literature there are no data investigating postoperative esophageal anatomy and digestive symptoms.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAnomalous origin of the pulmonary arteries from the ascending aorta is a rare, but severe clinical entity necessitating a scrupulous evaluation. Either the right or the left pulmonary arteries can arise directly from the ascending aorta while the other pulmonary artery retains its origin from the right ventricular outflow tract. Such a finding can be isolated or can coexist with several congenital heart lesions.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIn addition to limiting the effectiveness of antimicrobial agents, antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a significant global health concern as it is responsible for significant mortality/morbidity and increased economic burdens on healthcare systems. Diagnostic tests have been suggested as a means of prolonging the effectiveness of current antimicrobials; culture and other conventional diagnostics are hindered in their practicality as they are time- and labour intensive to perform. Point-of-care (POC) testing is performed near where the patient is being treated and can provide timely results that allow evidence based clinical interventions to be made.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWorld J Pediatr Congenit Heart Surg
January 2019
In the last decade the detection of the resistance of bacteria to antibiotics treatment, developed by different kind of bacteria, is becoming a huge problem. We hereby present a different approach to the current problem of detection of bacteria resistance to antibiotics. Our aims were to use the atomic force microscopy (AFM) to investigate bacteria morphological changes in response to antibiotics treatment and explore the possibility of reducing the time required to obtain information on their resistance.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Despite 10 years of clinical use, linezolid resistance in Staphylococcus aureus and coagulase-negative staphylococci (CoNS) is still a rare phenomenon. This study reports the mechanisms of resistance and strain types seen in clusters of linezolid-resistant CoNS from two different hospitals in Italy during the period 2008-09.
Methods: Genes associated with linezolid resistance were subjected to molecular analysis and isolates were characterized by PFGE macrorestriction analysis using SmaI.
Background: The aim of this study was to compare the efficacy of topical levobupivacaine drops 0.75% vs. lidocaine drops 4% in cataract surgery.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIn a 36-month-old child a severe hemolytic anemia occurred after the administration of a pyrazolonic drug. Erythrocyte glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase activity was absent in the patient. Intermediate enzymatic levels were demonstrated in the mother and in the maternal grand-mother with a corresponding erythrocyte mosaicism at the methemoglobin elution test.
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