[Complications in morbid obesity treatment--pylorus obstruction caused by a deflated intragastric balloon].

An aggressive array of new treatments and improvements of existing approaches for addressing morbid obesity were developed during the last two decades in response to the recognition that a new pandemic affects humanity, i.e. obesity.

[Recurrent abdominal pains (RAP) in children (their definition, incidence and classification)].

The authors presents the particular aspects of recurrent abdominal pain in children. After the definition, they underline the main elements that characterise this syndrome. An important place is assigned to the classification of recurrent abdominal pain, three different conceptual methods being analysed in this article, concerning the etiopathogenesis of this syndrome.

[Neonatal convulsions: the current concepts and classification].

The authors presented a new classification of the neonatal convulsions, based on prolonged EEG registrations related to concomitant clinical or videorecording of fits. They focussed on the atypical neonatal convulsions and on the differential diagnosis between epileptic and nonepileptic seizures. Finally, they discussed the therapeutical consequences of these new conceptions about the conclusions in the neonate.

[The hematological manifestations in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection in children].

The hematologic disorders that occur in HIV infected children are analysed by the authors, on the basis of some recent studies from current literature. There are emphasized the importance of the frequency of anemia, leukopenia and granulocytopenia. There are also stressed the pathogenic mechanisms of these disorders, their predictive significance and the rationale basis for therapeutics (actual and future treatment methods).

[Common dermatitis in infants (dermatitis seborrheica, atopic dermatitis and "diaper dermatitis")].

The most common dermatoses during early infancy are: seborrheic dermatitis, atopic dermatitis and diaper dermatitis. It is important to differentiate these conditions for prognostic and therapeutic reasons.

[Drug-induced pulmonary lesions].

The problem of the drug induced pulmonary toxicity (cytotoxic and non-cytotoxic drugs) is discussed. This domain of modern pathology is in continuous development, although yet insufficiently delineated. The essential pathogenic mechanisms are presented as well as the main histopathological lesions (i.

[Constitutional thrombocytopathies].

The paper reports, starting from recent data in the literature, an important aspect in a pediatric practice, referring to the congenital qualitative platelet disorders. The authors present a modern classification of platelet disorders, based on functional and biochemical defects: defects of adhesion, of primary aggregation, abnormalities of secretion and procoagulant activity. It is discussed the pathogeny, clinical aspects and laboratory tests of each disease.

[The characteristics of the anti-infectious defenses in newborn infants].

The authors reviewed the up to date conceptions concerning the temporary alterations of the host defense mechanisms in the neonatal period (natural barriers, macrophages, complement system, cell-mediated and humoral immunity). They try to establish correlations between this temporary alterations and the high infectious risk and the severity of most of the infections in the newborn. A special attention is paid to the peculiar situation of the premature, and also to the modifications needed in the therapeutic schedules for serious neonatal infections.

[Taurine in pediatric nutrition].

Taurine was long considered as an end product of the metabolism od sulfur-containing amino-acids. A number of evidences accumulated in the last decade which suggest one major nutritional role of taurine and its conditional essentiality in man are presented. Some conditions associated with taurine deficiency in man and the need for dietary provision of taurine in infancy and in such conditions are discussed.

[The respiratory manifestations of the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome in children].

The authors present the pulmonary complications (infectious and non infectious) in children with AIDS. It is shown that in this group of children the pulmonary complications are the first cause of death, and among them, the most frequent are the interstitial lymphoid pneumonia and Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia.

[Pathogenetic mechanisms in neonatal infections].

The authors reviewed the pathogenetic mechanisms of ante-, intra- and postnatal infections of the newborn. They also discussed the results of the antenatal infections on embryo and foetus, and the clinical variants of intra- and postnatal infections. The attention is focused on the relationship between pathogenetic mechanisms and the relevant clinical and paraclinical alterations for the diagnosis of the most frequent encountered infections of the newborn.