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The article presents a case study of a seven-day-old male neonate with acute respiratory tract infection and surfactant protein C deficiency.

The tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle represents the key enzymatic steps in cellular energy metabolism. Once the TCA cycle is impaired in case of inherited metabolic disorders, life-threatening episodes of metabolic decompensation and severe organ failure can arise. We present the case of a 6 ½-year-old girl with propionic acidaemia during an episode of acute life-threatening metabolic decompensation and severe lactic acidosis. Citric acid given as an oral formulation showed the potential to sustain the TCA cycle flux. This therapeutic approach may become a treatment option in a situation of acute metabolic crisis, possibly preventing severe disturbance of energy metabolism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This study reports gender-specific vertebral area gain data from children and adolescents. Vertebral area was measured on lateral and anteroposterior thoracic and lumbar spine radiographs from 100 female and 100male subjects aged 7–28yr. T9, T11, T12, L1, and L2 X-ray area calculation was based on calculation of the area of the geometric figure of a trapezoid whose 2 nonparallel sides were equal in length, taking account of the waisted shape of the vertebrae. Both the boys and girls of our study population showed statistically significant dependence (p <0.001) of vertebral area gain on chronologic age, height, and weight right through the end of puberty, and especially so up to age 15yr. However, height and weight were clearly better predictors of lateral and anteroposterior vertebral area gain than was chronologic age. Once vertebral growth is complete by age 18yr or so, the lateral vertebral areas of the male subjects—regardless of body weight and height—are, on average, 25% larger, and the anteroposterior areas up to 30% larger than those of their female counterparts. After adjusting for chronologic age, height, and weight however we did not find significant differences, between gender, in vertebral area of male and female subjects, neither among children younger than 11yr nor adolescents ages of 12–14yr and young adults older than 18yr. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]