Community-Acquired MRSA Pericarditis and Mediastinitis in a Previously Healthy Infant.

Invasive community-acquired methicillin-resistant (CA-MRSA) infections disproportionately affect children, but there are few pediatric reports of pericarditis and mediastinitis caused by CA-MRSA in previously healthy children. Here we report a severe case of CA-MRSA pericarditis with extension to the mediastinum and carotid sheath in a previously healthy 8-month-old infant who was successfully treated with surgical interventions and with a combination of daptomycin and vancomycin. The relatively indolent clinical course in this patient was notable given the significant extent of infection.

Mechanical circulatory support using modified TandemHeart ventricular assist device in neonates with CHD.

TandemHeart, an adult ventricular assist device, is also being used in children for mechanical circulatory support. In this case series, we describe our experience using TandemHeart ventricular assist device with a modified circuit to provide mechanical circulatory support in three neonates for multiple indications. TandemHeart ventricular assist device with a modified circuit can be used successfully to provide extracorporeal support to neonates with complex CHD.

Rare Etiology of Acute Embolic Stroke in a 17-Year-Old Girl: Cardiac Papillary Fibroelastoma.

A cardiac papillary fibroelastoma is a benign, pedunculated tumor with strand-like projections arising from the endocardium. While often discovered incidentally, these tumors can embolize resulting in major neurologic events. There is a dearth of pediatric literature describing the necessity and optimal timing of surgical intervention for this rare primary cardiac tumor after a cerebrovascular event.

A 15-Year-Old with Aphasia and Right Hemiparesis.

Takayasu arteritis (TA) is the third most common vasculitis in childhood, peaking in the second to third decades of life but affecting patients as young as 6 months of age. It often presents with nonspecific systemic symptoms, although at late stages, it may present with cardiac, renal, or focal neurologic sequelae of vascular compromise. In this case, we describe a 15-year-old patient who presented acutely with stroke.

Structural analysis of Saccharomyces cerevisiae myo-inositol phosphate synthase.

The New York Structural Genomics Research Consortium has targeted highly conserved but uncharacterized enzyme families for structure determination. As part of this effort, the 2.65-A crystal structure has been determined for Saccharomyces cerevisiae myo-inositol 1-phosphate synthase (MIP), an essential enzyme that catalyzes critical steps in inositol biosynthesis.

Structure of Escherichia coli uridine phosphorylase at 2.0 A.

The 2.0 A crystal structure has been determined for Escherichia coli uridine phosphorylase (UP), an essential enzyme in nucleotide biosynthesis that catalyzes the phosphorolytic cleavage of the C-N glycosidic bond of uridine to ribose-1-phosphate and uracil. The structure determination of two independent monomers in the asymmetric unit revealed the residue composition and atomic details of the apo configurations of each active site.