New Diagnostic Criteria for Hypertension in Children and Adolescents: Lights and Shadows.

Pediatric hypertension (HTN) represents a challenging disease with a major cardiometabolic risk (CMR) burden from childhood to adulthood. In fact, it has been linked to cardiac and vascular damage even at pediatric age and recognized as an independent risk factor for HTN in adulthood. Therefore, HTN in children has gained remarkable scientific interest during the past decades.

Primary herpes virus infection and ischemic stroke in childhood: a new association?

We describe, to our knowledge, the first case of arterial ischemic stroke after primary herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV1) infection in a previously healthy child, without signs of encephalitis. A 10-year-old previously healthy girl was admitted to our hospital with acute left-sided hemiparesis which involved the lower half of her face. Submandibular lymphadenitis and oral vesicular lesions were present.

Central adiposity and left ventricular mass in obese children.

Aim: The impact of central adiposity on left ventricular (LV) mass in childhood obesity has been little explored. This study evaluates whether central obesity influences LV mass and function in obese children.

Methods And Results: Biochemical, anthropometric and echocardiographic measurements were taken in obese (n=111, mean age 10.

Impact of impaired fasting glucose and other metabolic factors on cognitive function in elderly people.

Aim: The present study was undertaken to evaluate the impact of impaired fasting glucose (IFG), insulin resistance (IR) and hyperhomocysteinaemia (Hhcy) on cognitive function (CF) in a sample of non-diabetic elderly subjects.

Methods And Results: One hundred and eighty-two non-diabetic subjects, aged > or = 65 years, without signs of previous stroke were included in the study. CF was evaluated by the Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) score, corrected for age and education.

Early detection of diabetic cardiomyopathy: usefulness of tissue Doppler imaging.

Objective: The aim of the study was to evaluate whether tissue Doppler imaging (TDI) detects a pre-clinical impairment of diastolic function in subjects with Type 2 diabetes with short duration of disease and normal cardiac function with conventional echocardiography (CE), and whether echocardiographic parameters are related to metabolic abnormalities.

Patients And Methods: We studied 40 non-obese, normotensive, uncomplicated Type 2 diabetic subjects with short duration of disease and 20 control subjects. All participants underwent both CE and TDI echocardiography.