Acta bio-medica : Atenei Parmensis
-
Diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) may be defined as a metabolic derangement characterized by hyperglycemia, acidosis and ketonuria. It is a crucial pediatric medical emergency. DKA may occur in children with diabetes at onset due to severe insulin deficiency, in established patients from failing to take insulin, acute stress, and poor sick-day management. ⋯ DKA can be prevented by shortening the period of carbohydrate intolerance that usually precedes the diagnosis of Type 1 diabetes. Its prevention decreases morbidity and mortality and allows to save on the hospital costs. The aim of this paper is to review the main aspects of the treatment and prevention of DKA.
-
The first observations on neonatal respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) were published by some obstetricians in England, France and Germany in the second half of the 18th century. The concept that RDS might involve the absence of something stems from the observations of a Swiss physiologist, Kurt von Neergaard, who published an article in 1929 about a fundamental principle of respiratory mechanics: the surface tension in the alveoli. ⋯ Understanding surfactant composition, function and therapeutic usefulness has increased exponentially over the last 50 years and this paper reorganizes the steps of the research in this field until nowadays. Most of the discussion concerns the fundamental role of lung surfactant in RDS of premature infants, and the success of exogenous surfactant replacement in the clinical therapy of this disease.