Syndromic association of pyloric atresia and epidermolysis bullosa (Carmi syndrome)--a case report

Epidermolysis bullosa (EB) is an inherited, autosomal recessive, bullous disease, characterized by blisters followed with skin and mucosal erosions. We present a case of a male infant with pyloric atresia associated with junctional EB (Carmi syndrome). The patient underwent urgent laparotomy after prompt stabilization. Postoperative course was uneventful. Nine months later the patient died in the paediatric intensive care unit from respiratory distress syndrome. Prognosis is usually very poor. Death usually occurs during the first year of life, as a result of septic complications.

Suppression of indigo bush with pod pests

The recorded seed predators of Amorpha fruticosa L., indigo bush weevils and pteromalid wasps, were the subject of laboratory and field research studies in the period from 2006 to 2011. Sample analyses were carried out on more than 30 localities in Serbia with the aim of measuring the summarized pre-dispersal and post dispersal predation preferences. The percentages of the total pre-dispersal (max?33%) and post-dispersal re-infested material (over 95%), make these insects serious candidates for host-plant suppression. Their bionomics were monitored through continuous collection, dessection and observation of infested seeds, in correlation with environmental parameters, especially water-level fluctuations in endangered forests.

One-stage transanal surgical technique for Hirschsprung's disease: is the age of a patient a limiting factor?

Hirschsprung's disease in the adolescent is a rare and often misdiagnosed cause of lifelong refractory constipation. In this particular case, a male patient spent 13 years with an unrecognized illness that was eventually diagnosed as Hirschsprung's disease. The age of the patient is considered a limiting factor due to over-distention and hypertrophy of the rectosigmoid colon that has to be pulled through a muscular cylinder in a limited operative field. This report of a successfully treated teenage boy using a one-stage transanal endorectal approach without conversion to laparotomy, his uneventful recovery and excellent functional results supports the opinion that practically all patients with Hirschsprung's disease can be treated using this technique, regardless of age and size of colon, on condition that the operation is performed by experienced surgeons familiar with classic operative procedures to avoid possible operative pitfalls.