[Grisel syndrome following Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection].

PubMed · 2026-02-01

Grisel syndrome is an underrecognized clinical entity characterized by non-traumatic rotational subluxation of the atlanto-axial joint, which is caused by inflammatory contracture of the paravertebral muscles near an infectious focus, typically within the ear nose and throat region. This condition is more prevalent among the pediatric population, primarily due to the higher incidence of upper airway infections and anatomical factors in children. Neurological complications of varying severity may occur in the absence of adequate management. Diagnosis is based on clinical presentation and radiological imaging, with 3D reconstructed computed tomography considered as the gold standard. Currently, no established guidelines are available as this condition is rare. Treatment is mainly conservative with cervical immobilization and pain management. However, more invasive procedures are occasionally necessary. We describe here a case of Grisel syndrome in a 10-year-old child during a Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection.

Invasive and urinary tract infections in febrile neonates in the emergency department: a retrospective analysis

European Journal of Pediatrics · 2025-10-10 · 1 citations

Neonatal Fever in the Emergency Department A Retrospective Study

Research Square · 2025-07-04

Use of the “Sepsis Risk Calculator” in Belgian Newborns: A Retrospective Cohort Study

The Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal · 2024 · 1 citations

• Computer Science
• Medicine
• Pediatrics

BACKGROUND: Prevention of early-onset neonatal sepsis (EONS) is a frequent reason why many newborns receive unnecessary antibiotics. The Sepsis Risk Calculator (SRC) was developed by the Kaiser Permanente Institute as a multivariate risk assessment of EONS, aiming to reduce laboratory testing and empiric neonatal antibiotic therapy. Our objective was to assess the potential of the SRC in reducing antibiotic use in our setting. METHODS: Late preterm and term newborns who received antibiotics from 2019 to 2020 in a tertiary Belgian hospital were included. Newborn-specific data were collected and entered into the online SRC, retrospectively calculating a sepsis risk score and providing recommendations for antibiotic administration. False-positive indications for treatment by the SRC were estimated based on previously published data. Antibiotic therapy rates according to the SRC recommendations were compared to the actual rate of antibiotic therapy. RESULTS: Of 5891 births, 414 newborns received antibiotics and were eligible for this study, representing a rate of 7.6% of newborns receiving antibiotics following our current guidelines. The SRC would have recommended antibiotic administration for 2.7%, reducing antibiotic therapy by 64.5%. Of 5 possible cases of EONS, 3 would have received antibiotics in the first 24 hours according to the SRC. CONCLUSIONS: In this Belgian cohort, use of the SRC has the potential to significantly decrease by 64.5% the newborns that receive antibiotics. This reduction would primarily concern asymptomatic newborns. If use of the SRC was to be implemented in Belgian maternities, strict clinical surveillance practices should be ensured.

Imported Malaria in Children: A Study Over an 11-Year Period in Brussels

The Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal · 2023 · 4 citations

• Medicine
• Pediatrics
• Environmental health

BACKGROUND: Malaria is a major global public health concern in endemic countries and imported childhood malaria is increasing in malaria non-endemic countries. METHODS: This was a retrospective case review of all laboratory-confirmed malaria cases in children 0-16 years admitted between 2009 and 2019 in 2 large university teaching Hospitals in Brussels. RESULTS: A total of 160 children with a median age of 6.8 years (range 5-191 months) were included. We identified 109 (68%) children living in Belgium who had acquired malaria during their visit to malaria-endemic countries to visiting friends and relatives (VFRs), 49 children (31%) visitors or newly installed migrants, and 2 Belgian tourists. Peak seasonal incidence occurred between August and September. Plasmodium falciparum was responsible for 89% of all malaria cases. Almost 80% of children living in Belgium visited a travel clinic for advice, but only one-third reported having taken the prophylaxis schedule according to the recommendations. Based on WHO criteria, 31 children (19.3%) developed severe malaria; most of the patients with severe malaria were VFR travelers and were significantly younger, had higher leukocytosis, had more thrombocytopenia, higher CRP, and lower natremia compared with patients with an uncomplicated course. All children recovered fully. CONCLUSIONS: Malaria is a significant cause of morbidity among returning travelers and newly arrived immigrants to Belgium. Most of the children had an uncomplicated disease course. Physicians should educate families about traveling to malaria-endemic areas to correct malaria preventive measures and prophylaxis.

Parental perspective about paediatric vaccination : a focus group study in Brussels

Revue Medicale de Bruxelles · 2019-01-01 · 1 citations

Introduction: Parents’ concerns about vaccine efficacy and safety are growing in developed countries leading to a suboptimal immunization coverage. Various reasons exist for vaccine refusal or delay and those reasons change according to time, political context, demographic variables and vaccines themselves. The WHO recommends every country to investigate the determinants leading to vaccine hesitancy in their own setting. Qualitative surveys provide us with new and deep insight into parents’ perspective. Methods: We conducted a qualitative study using focus groups. This approach is an open group discussion exploring a defined topic under the supervision of a facilitator. Parents having at least one child under 6 years old, and attending nurseries or pre-schools in Brussels, were recruited on voluntary basis through an information leaflet. Preschools were selected among two different socioeconomic backgrounds (low and high-income settings) according to an official Belgian school ranking. Results: A total of 24 parents were gathered through 7 interviews. Three principal determinants of vaccine hesitancy have been identified: concerns over vaccine safety, perceived importance and usefulness of vaccines and issues around institutional mistrust. Personal experience, healthcare workers as well as the available information influence these determinants. Conclusions: The negative attitude towards vaccines could be reduced by providing balanced information on benefits and risks of vaccines as well as giving easier access to this information before immunisation appointments. Our survey also showed that a non-judgemental discussion, more open and receptive to patients’ needs is crucial. Thus, working on healthcare workers’ attitude is another fundamental approach.

Spanish Speaking Teacher Candidate and Stakeholder Perceptions and edTPA

ISU Red - Research and eData (Illinois State University) · 2018-01-01

EVALUATION OF AN ISOTHERMAL MOLECULAR POINT-OF-CARE METHOD FOR RAPID DETECTION OF RESPIRATORY SYNCYTIAL VIRUS AND INFLUENZA IN ROUTINE CONDITIONS

2018-05-09

Title of Case(s)Two challenging diagnosis of PVE where 18F-FDG PET/CT was essential to define the diagnosis.BackgroundThe use of foreign material to correct Congenital Heart Diseases (CHD) have contributed to increase the incidence of prosthetic valve infective endocarditis (PVE). The diagnosis of PVE is challenging, symptoms can be atypical and blood cultures are often negative. Modified Duke Criteria and echocardiography are mainly used for the diagnosis of PVE. 18F-FDG PET/CT might be a supplementary diagnostic technique. Case Presentation SummaryA 14-year-old girl with surgically corrected transposition of great arteries was admitted to our hospital for fever of unknown origin (FUO) and elevated inflammatory markers. She had received a prosthetic aortic valve and pulmonary homograft replacement eight months before. Echocardiography resulted negative, as well as blood cultures. Considering the high clinical suspicion of PVE, an 18F-FDG PET/TC was performed showing aortic uptake and evidence of splenic embolism. The 18F-FDG PET/CT performed after 6 weeks of antibiotic therapy showed a signal reduction on the prosthetic valve.A 19-year-old boy, with a biological aortic valve implanted 5 years before, was admitted to our hospital for persistent fever. Blood tests showed normal WBC count and slightly elevated CRP, with negative blood culture. Serology for Coxiella burnetii resulted diagnostic for chronic infection. Echocardiography resulted negative; 18F-FDG PET/CT was performed showing aortic PVE then specific antibiotic therapy was started. Learning Points/DiscussionEarly diagnosis is critical since delay in therapy has been associated with a poor outcome. Our cases support the usefulness of 18F-FDG PET/CT in the suspicion of endocarditis with negative echocardiography. Further studies are necessary to determine if the repetition of the 18F-FGD PET/CT during follow up is useful to monitor the response to antibiotic therapy and the correct timing.

Integrating Digital Technology in an Intensive, Fully Online College Course for Japanese Beginning Learners: A Standards‐Based, Performance‐Driven Approach

Modern Language Journal · 2017-11-07 · 25 citations

Abstract The development of distance learning courses for less commonly taught languages (LCTLs) often meets with instructional challenges, especially for Asian LCTLs with their distinct non‐Roman characters and structures. This study documents the implementation of a fully online, elementary Japanese course at Stony Brook University. The curriculum was designed around the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages's (ACTFL) World‐Readiness Standards for Learning Languages; performance‐driven assessments; and task‐supported, technology‐enhanced principles. Asynchronous and synchronous tools were incorporated to facilitate task delivery and reduce the virtual isolation of learners. A simulated Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI) was conducted for the online students in order to compare their oral performance with that of the face‐to‐face (F2F) cohort in the preceding semester. Quantitative results show that online students outperformed their F2F counterparts in most of the Integrated Performance Assessment's scoring criteria, with a statistically significant difference in the criterion “Communication strategies.” Survey results indicate students’ positive attitudes toward language gains and corroborate the qualitative results gleaned from student learning journals and survey responses: Students’ sense of isolation was replaced by a sense of co‐presence. We conclude that developing an online LCTL course, though challenging, is feasible and maximizes outcomes through the synergy of multimodal digital platforms, and a standards‐based, task‐driven curriculum design.

Henri Henri par Martin Talbot

˜The œFrench review · 2016-01-01

sauver du monde des adultes, tout en y gagnant indépendance et responsabilité. Cette opposition entre deux mondes, entre adultes et enfants, quoiqu’un peu schématique, permet d’unifier les deux histoires, celle du petit prince et de la jeune fille, s’inscrivant dans une nouvelle tradition de dessins animés proposant des héroïnes fortes et attachantes. Le film offre une histoire drôle et poétique, célébrant l’imagination et la lecture partagée: le medium du film se met ainsi au service du livre, avec une grande beauté de l’image et de la musique, ainsi que par un emploi judicieux des techniques d’animation. Si notre monde moderne est filmé en images de synthèse, qui combinent sans effort réalisme et caricature (expressions de visage exagérées, slapstick), le monde poétique du livre est rendu en stop-motion, avec des paysages et personnages en papier qui prennent peu à peu relief; la première scène du film, par exemple, racontant l’épisode du boa, est enregistrée par une vieille caméra tremblante et rappelle le passé de l’enfance et les premières images mouvantes. Alors qu’au cours du film les personnages retrouvent une nouvelle enfance, le film semble, au contraire, par l’évolution technique qu’il illustre, expliquer comment cette histoire peut devenir adulte. California State University, San Marcos Marion Geiger Talbot, Martin, réal. Henri Henri. Int. Victor Andrés Turgeon-Trelles, Sophie Desmarais, Michel Perron, Marcel Sabourin. Christal, 2014. A fractured fairy tale, Cinderella-style, from the Canadian writer-director Talbot, is at the heart of this new film, which French teachers everywhere will want to add to their collections. In the role of Cendrillon played by Turgeon, there is Henri Henri, an odd duck of a young man—caring, thoughtful, but naïve. His childhood was spent in an orphanage where he was responsible for changing light bulbs, or as Sœur Madeleine says,“mettre la lumière dans la vie des gens.”When the orphanage closes, he is forced to make his way in the wide, baffling, yet magical world. Princess Charming, played by Desmarais, appears in the character of Hélène, a blind ticket-taker at a movie theater, and the Fairy Godfather is incarnated by Sabourin playing M. Binot, deposed Roi des cornichons. If there is any equivalent to Gus, the sidekick mouse, it is to be found in Maurice, played with aplomb by Michel Perron, who is Henri’s co-worker, friend, and ersatz uncle. The story twists and turns in a fantastical sort of way, reminiscent, as critics have noted, of Le fabuleux destin d’Amélie Poulain, replete with a quest for a missing father and a Génie de la lampe. Unlike in Amélie, however, there are no nude scenes in Henri Henri, which middle school and high school teachers need censor. Although Hélène works in a porno theater, there is no explicit nudity, and the film was rated G in Canada. Secondary school teachers will be equally pleased to find that the rate of speech is somewhat slower than in many mass-market French language films, making it possible to show this film without subtitles in upper-level French courses. The film has received some recognition since its release in Canada in 2014. It 276 FRENCH REVIEW 90.1 Reviews 277 was honored with six nominations at the Canadian Screen Awards. It has since been shown in several small film festivals in the United States, garnering praises: It was winner in the “Best of” category at the 2015 Seattle International Film Festival and the winner of the Grand Jury Prize at the 2015 Stony Brook Film Festival. This film deserves a wider audience, however, which perhaps it will not receive unless it is picked up by a major film distributor. A Question and Answer session with Talbot, TurgeonTrelles , and Desmarais after the screening at Stony Brook revealed that the character of Henri was inspired by Charlie Chaplin and Jacques Tati. This fairy tale for all ages, with roots in both American and French cinematic traditions, should gain an enthusiastic audience among...