Giant Congenital Melanocytic Nevi in a Pakistani Newborn

Congenital melanocytic nevi arise from overgrowth or disrupted migration of melanocyte precursor in the neural crest. They are also known as coat-sleeve, stocking, bathing trunk or garment nevi. The colour ranges from brown to black, with the lesions presenting as flat to raised nevi. Lesions presenting at birth with a diameter greater than 20cm are labelled giant congenital melanocytic nevi. Risk increases with an increase in the number of satellite lesions near the giant nevus. Management includes regular clinical follow-up monitoring of changes in the lesion and surgical procedures in cases with risk of melanoma and psychological support. The purpose of this case presentation is to describe a rare issue of giant congenital melanocytic nevi in a newborn, along with a literature review and discussion on possible management options.

Meropenem-induced pancytopenia in a preterm neonate: a case report

BACKGROUND

A post-marketing surveillance study has reported an association between meropenem use and the incidence of hematologic abnormalities, including leukopenia, thrombocytopenia, hemolysis, and neutropenia, but the precise incidence in neonates is unknown. Here, we report meropenem-induced pancytopenia in a preterm neonate.

CASE PRESENTATION

A preterm newborn Pakistani received intravenous meropenem 40 mg/kg every 8 hours to treat Klebsiella pneumoniae in blood cultures and suspected meningitis. The baby developed severe thrombocytopenia, with a platelet count of 22 × 103 cells/mm3, low hemoglobin level of 9.7 g/dl, and low absolute neutrophil count (ANC) of 816 cells/mm3 on days 3, 14, and 17 of meropenem therapy, respectively. Based on the blood culture and institutional guidelines, meropenem treatment was continued with monitoring and supportive care for a total of 19 days. After discontinuation of meropenem, the baby was monitored continuously for hematological changes, and low counts persisted for 3 days. ANC improved to > 1500 cells/mm3 on the fourth day, and the platelet count reached > 150 × 103 cells/mm3 for the first time on the seventh day of meropenem discontinuation. All subsequent complete blood count (CBC) reports showed improving trends. The baby was discharged on the 48th day of life (DOL), with follow-up monitoring of CBC. The baby was kept on iron supplements, and hemoglobin level of 11.2 g/dl was observed on the 59th DOL.

CONCLUSION

Neonatal pancytopenia may lead to serious health complications; therefore, clinicians and pharmacists need to vigilantly monitor CBC in this vulnerable population, even when administering meropenem in septic doses for the recommended duration.

Intravenous vs intravenous plus aerosolized colistin for treatment of ventilator-associated pneumonia - a matched case-control study in neonates

BACKGROUND

Recently intravenous (IV) and aerosolized (ASZ) colistin have been used for treating ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) due to colistin susceptible multidrug-resistant Gram-negative bacteria (MDR-GNB). Colistin has limited lung penetration. We compared the efficacy and safety of IV-alone versus IV+ASZ-colistin for treating VAP in neonates.

METHODS

This retrospective matched case-control study was performed at NICU of the Aga Khan University Hospital, Pakistan between January 2015 and December 2018. Sixteen neonates with MDR-GNB associated VAP received IV-ASZ-colistin and were matched for date of birth, gestational age, birth weight, Apgar score, antenatal steroid history, disease severity, and duration of mechanical ventilation with 16 control neonates who received IV-colistin alone.

RESULTS

Both groups had similar MDR-GNB isolates and Acinetobacter baumannii (78%) was the most common pathogen. No colistin-resistant strain was isolated. Duration of IV-colistin and concomitant antibiotics use was significantly (p < 0.05) shorter in the IV-ASZ-colistin group. Significantly (p < 0.05) higher clinical cure and microbial eradication, along with lower ventilatory requirements, mortality rate, and colistin induced nephrotoxicity and electrolyte imbalance was observed in the IV-ASZ-colistin group.

CONCLUSIONS

With better lung penetration, ASZ-colistin offers effective and safe microbiological and clinical benefits as adjunctive or alternate treatment of VAP due to colistin susceptible MDR-GNB in neonates.

The effect of opioids and their antagonists on the nocifensive response of Caenorhabditis elegans to noxious thermal stimuli

Opiates modulate nociception in vertebrates. This has also been demonstrated in a number of invertebrate models. Herein, the effect of the opiate morphine and opioid neuropeptides Endomorphin 1 and 2 on the thermal avoidance (Tav) behavior of Caenorhabditis elegans is explored. Adult wild-type C. elegans N2 were collected from NGM plates using M9 buffer and exposed to morphine and endomorphine 1 and 2 in concentrations between 10(-8) and 10(-4) M (2.5 pmol/mg to 25 nmol/mg) for 30 min and tested for Tav. The opioid receptor antagonists Naloxone and CTOP were tested in combination with the drugs. Forty-seven percentage of the morphine exposed worms exhibited a class I response versus 76% of the control group (P < 0.001). Endomorphin 1 and 2 also caused a statistically significant reduction in class I responses, 36 and 39%, respectively. These effects were reversed with Naloxone and CTOP. Thermonocifensive behavior in C. elegans is modulated by opioids.