Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to F Montoya.
Premature newborns suffering from respiratory distress and asphyxiated term newborns may present transient symptomatic neonatal hyperammonemia associated with reversible neonatal coma. As they survive they may develop normally; however the authors emphasize the importance of concomitant hemodynamic disorders and the extreme frequency of brain hemorrhage and ischemia. Ultrasonography or tomodensitometry are necessary for prognosis.
The worldwide resurgence of malaria has become a major public health problem. New methods of controlling the vectors of the disease are required, and we therefore studied the biological control of Anopheles albimanus by Romanomermis culicivorax in Colombia. The investigation was carried out in El Valle and Nuquí, two towns on the northern Pacific coast of the country. All of the mosquito larval habitats surrounding El Valle were seeded with the eggs and adults of R. culicivorax. The nematode established itself in the new habitat and recycled over 27 months. The larval population of A. albimanus, the only malarial vector detected in the two towns, decreased in El Valle. In contrast, no change in the larval populations of the vector was detected in ponds located near Nuquí, the untreated control town. A rapid and progressive decrease of the prevalence of malaria among schoolchildren in El Valle was observed during the 2-year evaluation period.
Cerebral abscess is considered as a rare lesion with severe prognosis in neonates. The present means of cerebral imaging allow for a better estimation of its frequency, a more precise diagnosis of the evolutive stage and the estimation of the efficacy of the treatments. Incision-drainage associated with antibiotic treatment was successful in children. Two cases of neonatal cerebral abscesses treated and cured according to this protocol are reported.
A case is reported of a term newborn with intra uterine growth retardation and numerous malformations such as complex heart disease, abnormalities of distal limbs, cleft palate. Death occurred after two days. The diagnosis of rubella embryopathy was confirmed by the following criteria: a high level of rubella antibodies in mother and newborn (1/1000) an isolation of rubella virus from the infant's urine. Diagnosis of rubella after reinfection was documented by a high level of antibodies in the mother three years before this pregnancy. Other observations reported in literature confirm the extreme rarity of congenital rubella after reinfection.
Case-report of neonatal Marfan Syndrome with at birth the following observations: arachnodactyly, excessive length of arm, cardiac anomalies with hemodynamic troubles leading to death within 4 days. Anatomical data of the postmortem examination and histologic anomalies of the aorta confirm the diagnosis. No case of Marfan syndrome are to be found among forebearers. These characteristics underline the rarity, the gravity of the pronostic and the often sporadic appearance of the Marfan syndrome when revelated in the neonatal period.
A case of neonatal giant lobar emphysema secondary to a complex cardiac anomaly with pulmonary valvular agenesis is presented. Clinic and radiologic findings are sufficient to suggest diagnosis. Right heart catheterization is required to demonstrate the pulmonary valvular agenesis. Such an investigation should be recorded when observed a giant neonatal emphysema. Is failure occurs in the neonatal period the prognosis of this association is poor.
The authors report a case of post natal hernia with group B beta hemolytic streptococcus infection. The frequency of such an association compared to the rarity of delayed onset congenital diaphragmatic hernia may constitute a reflexion subject. The literature is reviewed and a concept of pathogenesis is discussed.
This paper relates two cases of a complex syndrome with unusual facies, restricted articular movements and accelerated skeletal maturation (already present at birth) in two siblings (brother and sister). These infants died in early age: one was ten days, the other six weeks old. Clinical and radiological findings of these newborns are part of both the Marshall-Smith and the Weaver syndrome, suggesting that these syndromes are one entity. The observation of affected siblings from unaffected parents favors autosomal recessive inheritance.
In a six weeks old infant an hepatic abscess with several affected areas is diagnosed by ultrasonography confirmed by scintillation scanning. Closed percutaneous needle aspiration and antibiotherapy permitted a good outcome avoiding surgical drainage or excision.
A case of bacterial endocarditis in a newborn without any congenital heart disease is reported. The clinical diagnosis was suspected on evolutive heart failure by mitral dysfunction with sepsis. T.M. mode echocardiography could detect only the valvular defects. Correlations between anatomic and echocardiographic findings allowed to discuss the limits of the method. Neonatal bacterial endocarditis is a rare event. Its diagnosis is difficult and its prognosis very poor. This affection must be prevented.
The post-prandial pattern of total serum bile acids was studied in 47 newborns: 12 prematures (less than 36 weeks), 17 term low-birth-weight infants (less than the 3rd percentile), 18 term normals. The study was made at the end of the first month. Blood was collected in a peripheral vein using a microcatheter. Samples were taken at fasting time and 30, 60, 120, 180 min after a test meal intake (40 ml/kg of "humanized" milk based formula). Bile acids were assayed using an original enzymatic micromethod which needed only 50 microliter of serum and showed a sensitivity of 0.3 pmol in 200 microliter of reaction medium. The response of serum bile acids after the test meal was very similar in normal term newborns and in adults. Prematures exhibited bile acid levels slightly higher than normals, but this difference was significant only at 0 and 180 min. Low-birth-weight infants showed very high values of serum bile acids at all times during the test, compared to normal and premature infants. Serum levels of total bilirubin and alkaline phosphatase were similar in all 3 groups. These results are not consistent with cholestasis but rather indicate a specific dysfunction in bile acid metabolism in low-birth-weight infants.
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A newborn infant was found to have a laterocervical swelling invading the floor of the mouth. Exploration of the mass revealed that there was invasion of the left side of the soft palate and, more particularly, a prominence in the temporal fossa causing an obvious cranio-facial asymmetry. Radiological and neuroradiological investigations demonstrated the presence of a tumor destroying the greater wing of the sphenoid, invading the left side of the temporal fossa, extending into the pterygomaxillary fossa up to the soft palate, and finally appearing exteriorly in the sub-maxillary region. Excision was carried out in the neonatal period because of the poor tolerance from the neurological point of view. A wide cranio-facial approach was first employed, enabling resection of the point of the temporal lobe, clogging of the cranial base, and excision as one piece of the complete palatocervical extension of the tumor. Follow-up one year later showed that the child possessed excellent neurological development and there was no sign of recurrence of the mass. A review of the published literature showed the extremely rare nature of this type of localization of cervicofacial teratomas (5 other cases have been reported). The surgical procedures and the problems encountered are discussed as well as the indications for excision, based on results obtained in this case and those previously reported. The etiology and anatomy are also reviewed in order to establish their true significance in the case of congenital cranio-facial tumors.
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