Attenuated reactivity of salivary alpha-amylase has been proposed as a specific sympathetic marker of disruptive behavior in juveniles and may have additional value to studying other autonomic parameters and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis activity. Investigating the interrelationships between neurobiological parameters in relation to juvenile disruptive behavior may enhance insight into th...

BACKGROUND Children with major congenital heart defects are risking impaired cerebral growth, delayed cerebral maturation, and neurodevelopmental disorders. We aimed to compare the cerebral tissue oxygenation of fetuses with major heart defects to that of fetuses without heart defects as estimated by the magnetic resonance imaging modality T2*. T2* is low in areas with high concentrations of de...

Both tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) and phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) stimulated human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) major immediate early (IE) enhancer/promoter activity in the HL-60 granulocyte/monocyte progenitor cell line when added to transfected cells. In U-937 monocytic cells, by contrast, TNF-alpha had no stimulatory effect and the addition of PMA produced only marginal stimu...

INTRODUCTION Liver transplantation currently represents the only curative treatment for Wilson's disease. A lifelong immunosuppressive therapy is mandatory. In spite of increased maternal and fetal risks, pregnancies after liver transplantation have been reported with favorable perinatal outcomes. Hypoplastic left heart syndrome is a spectrum of congenital heart defects that results in the inab...

Congenital heart defects are the most common malformations at birth. Due to the fact that the developmental windows at early stages close rapidly, the aim of this study was to determine the impact of congenital heart defects on the central nervous system at short and medium terms after applying traditional and quantitative electroencephalography techniques and a test of neurodevelopment. Twenty...

Introduction:To evaluate the role of allergic-type and infectious-type cytokines in children with chronic otitis media with effusion (OME) Materials and Methods:We investigated serum levels of interleukins (IL)-4, IL-5, and IL-13, along with interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) in 35 children with OME and 28 healthy contr...

The measurement properties of the newly developed Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory (PedsQL) 3.0 Transplant Module in pediatric solid organ transplant recipients were evaluated. Participants included pediatric recipients of liver, kidney, heart and small bowel transplantation who were cared for at seven medical centers across the United States and their parents. Three hundred and thirty-eight...

Visceral obesity is a relevant pathological condition closely associated with high risk of atherosclerotic vascular disease including myocardial infarction and stroke. The increased vascular risk is related also to peculiar dysfunction in the endocrine activity of adipose tissue responsible of vascular impairment (including endothelial dysfunction), prothrombotic tendency, and low-grade chronic...