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GLO:3NZ/01dec22:jdv18445-fig-0001.jpg PHOTO (COLOR): 1 Psoriasis plaques and lesions of prurigo before the initiation of ustekinumab (2016). gl GLO:3NZ/01dec22:jdv18445-fig-0002.jpg PHOTO (COLOR): 2 Skin clearance (2022). gl Despite the increased use of biologics, data are scarce regarding their simultaneous use. The patient has been receiving the combined ustekinumab/dupilumab therapy for 4 years and she is still taking, while maintaining complete clinical response of psoriasis and PN (Figs 1, 2). I Dear Editor, i Biologics have improved the management of chronic inflammatory diseases (CID). [Extracted from the article]

This study aimed to understand the reasons for late presentation of cases of severe neonatal hyperbilirubinaemia. We administered a questionnaire to parents of 130 infants with severe jaundice admitted to Cairo University Children's Hospital neonatal intensive care unit at age ≥ 6 days over an 18-month period. Although 125 infants (96.2%) were delivered in a health care facility, no discharge physical examination was performed in 99/125 cases (79.2%). No parent was given instructions about neonatal jaundice and no follow-up appointments were scheduled. Parents of 109 infants sought medical advice prior to hospital readmission; most babies were assessed clinically, but serum bilirubin was measured in only one-quarter of cases (28/109). Medical advice included placing the infant under a neon lamp at home (87/109 cases), advice to supplement breastfeeding (75/109) and prescribed medications, including vitamins (15/109). Increasing the availability of inexpensive point-of- care diagnostic instruments and phototherapy units in health care facilities are urgently needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) owing to 21-hydroxylase deficiency is a common disorder, and is characterised by a defect in cortisol biosynthesis with or without a defect in aldosterone synthesis and androgen excess. The classic form, also known as the severe form, occurs in 1 : 15 000 births worldwide, while the nonclassic or mild form occurs in approximately 1 : 1000 births worldwide and is much more common (up to 1 : 20) in certain ethnic groups. In classic 21-hydroxylase deficiency, glucocorticoids are given in doses sufficient to suppress adrenal androgen secretion, and mineralocorticoids are given to normalise electrolytes and plasma renin activity. The management of CAH may be complicated by iatrogenic Cushing's syndrome, inadequately treated hyperandrogenism, or both. Prenatal treatment may decrease virilisation of the affected female foetus, but the efficacy and safety of treating CAH prenatally remains to be fully defined. Close clinical monitoring of growth and development is essential to optimise treatment outcome. New treatment approaches are currently under investigation in the most severely affected patients, while nonclassic CAH does not always require treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ultrasound (US) assessment of renal anomalies in children requiring pediatric cardiac surgery is not a standard practice. This study aimed to study the role of bedside US performed by intensivists to detect occult renal anomalies associated with congenital heart disease (CHD). Prospective descriptive study for 100 consecutive children with CHD admitted to Pediatric Cardiac Intensive Care Unit (PCICU) from Januarry 1st, 2015 through June, July 2015. Ultrasound of kidneys was performed initially by trained pediatric cardiac intensivists to ascertain the presence of both kidneys in renal fossae and to check for gross kidney anomalies. After screening of 100 consecutive children with CHD with renal US, we identified in 94 cases (94%) normal right and left kidney in the standard sonographer shape in the renal fossae. In 6 cases further investigation revealed ectopic kidney in 3 patients (50%), solitary functional kidney in 2 patients (33.4%) and bilateral grade IV hydronephrosis in one patient (16.6%). Urinary tract infection developed peri-operatively in 66% of the cases with kidney anomalies. No significant renal impairment was noted in these patients post-surgery. We observed no specific association between the type of renal anomaly and specific CHD. Renal US in children with CHD demonstrated prevalence of associated congenital renal anomalies in 6% of children undergoing cardiac surgery. The presence of occult kidney anomalies did not impact the kidney function or the short term outcome after cardiac repair except for an increased risk of urosepsis. Performing renal US should be a standard practice in all children with CHD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background Therapeutic strategies aiming to reduce ischemia/reperfusion injury by conditioning tissue tolerance against ischemia appear attractive not only from a scientific perspective, but also in clinics. Although previous studies indicate that remote ischemic intermittent preconditioning (RIPC) is a systemic phenomenon, only a few studies have focused on the elucidation of its mechanisms of action especially in the clinical setting. Therefore, the aim of this study is to evaluate the acute microcirculatory effects of remote ischemic preconditioning on a distinct cutaneous location at the lower extremity which is typically used as a harvesting site for free flap reconstructive surgery in a human in-vivo setting. Methods Microcirculatory data of 27 healthy subjects (25 males, age 24 ± 4 years, BMI 23.3) were evaluated continuously at the anterolateral aspect of the left thigh during RIPC using combined Laser-Doppler and photospectrometry (Oxygen-to-see, Lea Medizintechnik, Germany). After baseline microcirculatory measurement, remote ischemia was induced using a tourniquet on the contralateral upper arm for three cycles of 5 min. Results After RIPC, tissue oxygen saturation and capillary blood flow increased up to 29% and 35% during the third reperfusion phase versus baseline measurement, respectively (both p = 0.001). Postcapillary venous filling pressure decreased statistically significant by 16% during second reperfusion phase (p = 0.028). Conclusion Remote intermittent ischemic preconditioning affects cutaneous tissue oxygen saturation, arterial capillary blood flow and postcapillary venous filling pressure at a remote cutaneous location of the lower extremity. To what extent remote preconditioning might ameliorate reperfusion injury in soft tissue trauma or free flap transplantation further clinical trials have to evaluate. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT01235286