Sepsis-associated changes of the arachidonic acid metabolism and their diagnostic potential in septic patients*

: Sepsis-associated changes of the arachidonic acid metabolism and the utility of arachidonic acid metabolites for the diagnosis of sepsis have been poorly investigated so far. Therefore, the primary objective of our study was to screen for differentially regulated arachidonic acid metabolites in septic patients using a lipopolysaccharide whole-blood model and to investigate their diagnostic potential.

Voriconazole-induced phototoxicity in children

Voriconazole is used in antifungal prophylaxis. We performed a retrospective review of immunocompromised children receiving prophylaxis with voriconazole during major hospital renovation, who developed phototoxic skin reactions. The overall incidence of phototoxic skin reactions was 33%. A voriconazole dose of ≥6 mg/kg of body weight per dose twice daily was associated with a significantly greater risk to develop phototoxic skin reactions compared with lower doses.

Macrocephaly in neurofibromatosis type 1: a sign post for optic pathway gliomas?

Optic pathway gliomas, which occur in 15-20% of paediatric patients with neurofibromatosis type 1, are the most common central nervous system tumour associated with this neurocutaneous disorder. The detection of optic pathway gliomas is essential for further management but is often delayed in infancy due to oligosymptomatic progression and difficulties in clinical detection. Therefore, the aim of our study was to find a clinical indicator for the presence of optic pathway gliomas in children with neurofibromatosis type 1 in order to facilitate early diagnosis and initiate further ophthalmological and neuroimaging investigations.

Gene-environment interaction for childhood asthma and exposure to farming in Central Europe

Asthma is a disease in which both genetic and environmental factors play important roles. The farming environment has consistently been associated with protection from childhood asthma and atopy, and interactions have been reported with polymorphisms in innate immunity genes.

Progressive dopamine and hypocretin deficiencies in Parkinson's disease: is there an impact on sleep and wakefulness?

Sleep-wake disturbances are frequent in patients with Parkinson's disease, but prospective controlled electrophysiological studies of sleep in those patients are surprisingly sparse, and the pathophysiology of sleep-wake disturbances in Parkinson's disease remains largely elusive. In particular, the impact of impaired dopaminergic and hypocretin (orexin) signalling on sleep and wakefulness in Parkinson's disease is still unknown. We performed a prospective, controlled electrophysiological study in patients with early and advanced Parkinson's disease, e.g. in subjects with presumably different levels of dopamine and hypocretin cell loss. We compared sleep laboratory tests and cerebrospinal fluid levels with hypocretin-deficient patients with narcolepsy with cataplexy, and with matched controls. Nocturnal sleep efficiency was most decreased in advanced Parkinson patients, and still lower in early Parkinson patients than in narcolepsy subjects. Excessive daytime sleepiness was most severe in narcolepsy patients. In Parkinson patients, objective sleepiness correlated with decrease of cerebrospinal fluid hypocretin levels, and repeated hypocretin measurements in two Parkinson patients revealed a decrease of levels over years. This suggests that dopamine and hypocretin deficiency differentially affect sleep and wakefulness in Parkinson's disease. Poorer sleep quality is linked to dopamine deficiency and other disease-related factors. Despite hypocretin cell loss in Parkinson's disease being only partial, disturbed hypocretin signalling is likely to contribute to excessive daytime sleepiness in Parkinson patients.

Hematometra presenting as an acute abdomen in a 13-year-old postmenarchal girl: a case report

Introduction Most underlying diseases for abdominal pain in children are not dangerous. However some require rapid diagnosis and treatment, such as acute ovarian torsion or appendicitis. Since reaching a diagnosis can be difficult, and delayed treatment of potentially dangerous diseases might have significant consequences, exploratory laparoscopy is a diagnostic and therapeutic option for patients who have unclear and potentially hazardous abdominal diseases. Here we describe a case where the anomaly could not be identified using a laparoscopy in an adolescent girl with acute abdomen. Case presentation A 13-year old postmenarchal caucasian female presented with an acute abdomen. Emergency sonography could not exclude ovarian torsion. Accurate diagnosis and treatment were achieved only after an initial laparoscopy followed by a laparotomy and after a magnetic resonance imaging scan a further laparotomy. The underlying disease was hematometra of the right uterine horn in a uterus didelphys in conjunction with an imperforate right cervix. Conclusion This report demonstrates that the usual approach for patients with acute abdominal pain may not be sufficient in emergency situations.

Biological applications of magnetic nanoparticles

In this review an overview about biological applications of magnetic colloidal nanoparticles will be given, which comprises their synthesis, characterization, and in vitro and in vivo applications. The potential future role of magnetic nanoparticles compared to other functional nanoparticles will be discussed by highlighting the possibility of integration with other nanostructures and with existing biotechnology as well as by pointing out the specific properties of magnetic colloids. Current limitations in the fabrication process and issues related with the outcome of the particles in the body will be also pointed out in order to address the remaining challenges for an extended application of magnetic nanoparticles in medicine.

Cognitive functioning in at-risk mental states for psychosis and 2-year clinical outcome

Cognitive impairment is prevalent in at-risk mental states (ARMS) for psychosis.

Rapid climate change during the Weichselian Lateglacial in Ireland: Chironomid-inferred summer temperatures from Fiddaun, Co. Galway

A lacustrine sediment core from Fiddaun, western Ireland was studied to reconstruct summer temperature changes during the Weichselian Lateglacial. This site is located close to the Atlantic Ocean; and so is potentially sensitive to climatic changes associated with changes in ocean circulation. The record, comprising the end of the Weichselian Pleniglacial to the early Holocene, was analysed for fossil chironomids, lithology, and oxygen and carbon isotopes in the sedimentary carbonates. These proxies clearly show rapid warming at the onset of the Lateglacial Interstadial, relatively high summer temperatures during the Interstadial, pronounced cooling during the Younger Dryas, and subsequent warming at the transition to the Holocene. Chironomid-inferred mean July air temperatures for the Interstadial are ~12.5–14.5 °C, ~7.5 °C for the Younger Dryas, and ~15.0 °C for the early Holocene. Furthermore, this research provides evidence for at least two cold events during the Interstadial. These more moderate temperature oscillations can be correlated to Greenland Interstadial events 1b and 1d, on the basis of the age-depth model for the Fiddaun sequence. Based on multiple proxies, the first cold oscillation (GI-1d) was the more severe of the two in Ireland.