[Anomic aphasia in a 5-year-old child following herpetic encephalitis]

Aphasia is a rare neurologic disorder in childhood. Nevertheless some authors believe that some subtle aphasic syndromes as anomic aphasia are not always identified and the real prevalence of aphasia in childhood is higher. We observed a case of aphasia during the acute period of Herpes Simplex Encephalitis in a 5 years old, right handed, boy with a good level of fluent speech. Six weeks after his initial assessment language was spontaneous, fluent, with normal prosodhy and articulation, but reduced, without content words, with frequent circunlocutory speech, semantic paraphasias, anomic latencies, real anomias, "pass partout" words. This picture was suggestive for anomic aphasia in a normally fluent context. Anomic aphasia can be produced by the disconnection between cortical and subcortical systems. Documented cases of anomic aphasia in childhood are rare. Our case present great similarities with adult cases in terms of localisation and denomination difficulties.

[The superior thoracic outlet compression syndrome: a report of a case in childhood with complete cervical rib]

Authors report a paediatric patient with thoracic outlet syndrome (TOC) and complete cervical rib. The symptoms at the time of presentation result from pressure on either the subclavian vessels or the lower trunk of the brachial plexus. TOC is infrequent in young people and usually the symptomatology does'nt need a surgical approach. Some Authors affirm that there are necessary impulsive moments like growth, increased muscular mass and rib ossification, decreased elasticity of ligaments, vessels, muscles and nerves, for outcoming the clinical manifestations. Paediatric competention has risen until adolescent age and may be more frequent the observation of this syndrome that present problems of both diagnosis and management.

[Mucopolysaccharidosis IS: Scheie's syndrome. A report of 2 brothers]

We describe two brothers affected by MPS type IS (Scheie syndrome). Mucopolysaccharidosis type I consists of three clinical entities of varying severity, all due to alfalevo-iduronidase enzyme deficiency. The MPS IS in characterized by joint stiffness, aortic valve disease and corneal clouding. The intellect is normal. All these findings are present on our brothers; furthermore retinal degeneration also occurred. It could give in the future attendant deterioration of vision.

[Hypoglycemia secondary to transitory hyperinsulinism in infancy: a case report]

We refer about an infant with transitory hyperinsulinism who first developed symptoms at the age of nine month treated with diazoxide. The therapy was successfully discontinued at the age of twenty-one month. The follow-up until the age of 38 month revealed a normal growing up and a normal neurological development. The main cause of hypoglycaemia are discussed referring the different cases of hyperinsulinism of the recent literature.

[Spondylo-epiphyseal dysplasia. Description of a family]

The authors describe a family, father and two sisters, suffering from spondylo-epiphyseal dysplasia. The disease is an autosomal dominant; genetic counseling depends on an exact diagnosis. The two sisters show some atypical features, which confirm the disease heterogeneity.

[Recurrent meningitis. Description of a case in a girl with dermal sinus]

The authors describe a case of recurrent meningitis in a child with a dermal sinus. All the conditions causing this severe pathology are considered, particularly those in the pediatric age. The surgical treatment of the congenital malformation gave a complete resolution of the recurrent infections.

[Arthritis caused by type B Haemophilus influenzae. Description of 2 cases]

Haemophilus Influenzae type B is perhaps the most important pathogen in childhood. H.I. is the most common cause of bacterial septic arthritis in children under 2 years of age in the U.S.A. We describe two cases of H.I. septic arthritis and we discuss the the treatment. The antibiotic therapy is invasive H.I. type B disease is in a period of transition. New drugs are available that offer the same therapeutic efficacy as Ampicillin and Chloramphenicol but with decreased toxicity.