BACKGROUND The teratogenic effects of immunomodulatory and certain antimicrobial therapies are described in small rodents and humans. While the described teratogenic effects in small rodents have been extrapolated to make conclusions about its use in the pregnant dam, teratogenic effects of prednisone and doxycycline have not yet been reported in the dog. Here we report and describe midline def...

Transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) is not only an invaluable diagnostic tool for cardiac patients, but also is essential for cardiac monitoring in critically ill patients in cardiac and non-cardiac surgery settings and in the differential diagnosis of unexplained hemodynamic collapse. The advantage of TEE over transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) is usually clearer images, especially when v...

BACKGROUND Paediatric hybrid cardiovascular procedures are becoming increasingly popular due to the wide spectrum of cardiovascular abnormalities and a large population of patients who could benefit from hybrid therapy. Contemporary hybrid procedures are introduced in the settings where routine cardiac surgery or cardiac interventions would not allow satisfactory results. Combining cardiac surg...

Cardiac development is an exquisitely regulated process that is sensitive to perturbations in transcriptional activity and gene dosage. Accordingly, congenital heart abnormalities are prevalent worldwide, and are estimated to occur in approximately 1% of live births. Recently, small non-coding RNAs, known as microRNAs, have emerged as critical components of the cardiogenic regulatory network, a...

Congenital heart diseases are traditionally considered to be multifactorial in pathogenesis resulting from environmental and genetic interactions that determine penetrance and expressivity within a genetically predisposed family. Recent evidence suggests that genetic contributions have been significantly underestimated. However, single gene defects occur only in a minority of cases, and multige...

without significant bone anomalies was unlikely as child did not have affected relatives. There are wide variety of congenital or hereditary disorders in which there is total or partial absence of nails. These disorders are usually associated with other major congenital anomalies. Fetal phenytoin syndrome occurs approximately 7 to 10% of all babies exposed to phenytoin during pregnancy. The fea...

Congenital heart diseases are the most common birth defects, occurring in more than 1% of newborns. The gene regulatory network of cardiac development has been revealed and some cases of congenital heart diseases have been shown to be associated with cardiac-specific gene mutations or related chromosomal abnormalities; however, almost all cases of congenital heart diseases are sporadic and the ...

The clinical course of 38 patients with congenital mitral stenosis (MS) is reviewed. Associated cardiac defects were present in 28 patients, including tetralogy of Fallot in five. In all but one of the eight patients with supravalvar mitral ring (SVR), there were concomitant abnormalities of the mitral valve. Delay in the diagnosis of MS was common. Serial cardiac catheterizations and pulmonary...

Cardiac CT angiography has become an important tool for the diagnosis and treatment of congestive heart failure. Differentiation of ischemic from nonischemic cardiomyopathy; evaluation of myocardial perfusion; characterization of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, left ventricular noncompaction, and arrhythmogenic right ventricular dysplasia; and delineation of congenital heart defects and valvular a...