Randomized trial to assess the efficacy and safety of xyloglucan for the treatment of acute gastroenteritis in children.

Acute gastroenteritis is one of the most common diseases in children and an important cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. No specific treatment is available; therefore, management is exclusively symptomatic. Xyloglucan has been approved in Europe as a class IIa medical device for restoration of the physiological functions of the intestinal wall. Our objective was to assess efficacy and safety of xyloglucan for the treatment of acute gastroenteritis in children. We performed a triple-blind, randomized placebo-controlled clinical trial in four primary care centers and one continued care hospital center. The study population comprised children with acute gastroenteritis aged >3 months and <5 years. Our primary endpoint was time (in hours) of resolution of diarrhea, defined as the time to resolution of stool consistency (Bristol Stool Form Scale ≤5 or Amsterdam Stool Form Scale B or C) or time until deposition frequency resumes to normality, whichever occurred first. We also recorded intravenous rehydration, hospitalization, stools per day, Vesikari scale, vomiting, relapse, weight loss, drugs prescribed, and adverse events. Eighty children were included in the intention-to-treat population (43 xyloglucan and 37 placebo) and 74 (93%) in the per-protocol population. Time to resolution of diarrhea was similar in both groups with (median, 95% CI) 24, 17-24 h in the xyloglucan group versus 24, 19-24 h in the placebo group, p = .680. Significant differences were observed for patients with moderate-to-severe diarrhea (Vesikari scale ≥9): xyloglucan group (20 [15-24] h) versus placebo group (85 [51-120] h) (p = .04). No other significant differences were found. Xyloglucan can be considered safe and other studies should be performed to confirm the usefulness in patients with moderate-to-severe diarrhea.

Acute Post-Traumatic Aortic Regurgitation.

A 16-year-old girl with a history of blunt chest trauma was admitted because of heart failure symptoms. Transthoracic echocardiography showed severe eccentric aortic regurgitation. Cardiac computed tomography revealed a pseudoaneurysm of the right sinus of Valsalva. We present a rare clinical presentation of a life-threatening condition. (Level of Difficulty: Intermediate.).

A survey of procedural pain assessment and non-pharmacologic analgesic interventions in neonates in Spanish public maternity units.

OBJECTIVE: To qualify and quantify clinical practices related to pain assessment and non-pharmacologic analgesia (NPA) in newborns in Spanish public maternity hospitals STUDY DESIGN: We surveyed providers online regarding their use of pain assessment scales, NPA interventions in neonates undergoing procedures, as well parents' presence or absence during interventions. RESULTS: The number of painful procedures and the subjective grading of pain from the responding physicians were similar in all hospitals. Only 12.5% of hospitals used pain scales. No NPA was employed in 37.7% of procedures, with less NPA used in the lower complexity hospitals for venous extraction (p < 0.001) and gastric lavage (p = 0.001). Respondents reported parents' absence during 56.1% of procedures. CONCLUSIONS: Available pain assessment scales and NPA interventions to mitigate pain are being underused. The presence of the parents during painful interventions is low despite the evidence that this may help to reduce newborns' perception of pain.

Tos, hipoxemia y dificultad respiratoria en el periodo neonatal. No siempre es lo que parece / Cough, respiratory distress and hypoxemia in neonatal period. It is not always what it seems

La dificultad respiratoria en el periodo neonatal tardío constituye un reto pediátrico no solo diagnóstico, sino de tratamiento, ya que a las múltiples causas del cuadro se deben sumar los factores inherentes a la propia vulnerabilidad del niño. En la práctica habitual, la principal causa de estos cuadros son las infecciones (fundamentalmente víricas), aunque se deben tener en cuenta otras etiologías como cardiológicas, digestivas, metabólicas o anatómicas. Presentamos un caso clínico de tos, dificultad respiratoria e hipoxemia en un neonato de 17 días de vida en el que los datos de la anamnesis, la exploración y el cuadro clínico condujeron a la realización de pruebas complementarias específicas que llevaron al diagnóstico de neumonía por Chlamydia. Realizaremos asimismo una revisión sobre el estado actual de la cuestión basándonos en el cuadro clínico que presentaba el recién nacido

Respiratory distress in the late neonatal period is a challenge for the pediatrician, not only in diagnosis but also in treatment, as the inherent factors of the child's vulnerability must be added to the multiple possible etiologies. In practice, viral infections are responsible for a high percentage of these conditions. However, other etiologies such as cardiologic, digestive, metabolic or anatomical causes must be taken into account. We introduce a case report of a 17-day-old neonate with cough, respiratory distress and hypoxemia. The anamnesis, physical examination and clinical findings led to specific complementary tests. All these conduced to the diagnosis of pneumonia caused by Chlamydia. We also perform a review of the current state of the knowledge, based on the clinical condition presented on the neonate