Minimal Change Disease Is Associated With Endothelial Glycocalyx Degradation and Endothelial Activation.

Introduction: Minimal change disease (MCD) is considered a podocyte disorder triggered by unknown circulating factors. Here, we hypothesized that the endothelial cell (EC) is also involved in MCD.

Methods: We studied 45 children with idiopathic nephrotic syndrome (44 had steroid sensitive nephrotic syndrome [SSNS], and 12 had biopsy-proven MCD), 21 adults with MCD, and 38 healthy controls (30 children, 8 adults).

Thoracoscopic pulmonary surgery.

Thoracoscopy in infants and children has undergone a dramatic evolution in the last 30 years. From its infancy in the mid-1970s, limited procedures such as biopsy and pleural lysis, were pioneered by Rogers and others, and in the late 1990s, the most delicate of procedures, a tracheo-esophageal fistula repair, was performed thoracoscopically for the first time. During the last 20 years, it has become clear that the most commonly performed thoracic procedures in the pediatric age group, lung biopsy and resection, are clearly best performed using these advanced thoracoscopic techniques.