Central Nervous System Fungal Diseases in Children with Malignancies: A 16-Year Study from the Infection Working Group of the Hellenic Society of Pediatric Hematology Oncology.

We analyzed data on pediatric invasive fungal diseases of the central nervous system (CNS-IFDs) reported by five of a total of eight Pediatric Hematology-Oncology Departments in Greece for 16 years (2007-2022). A total of twelve patients (11 boys, median age: 9.5 years, range: 2-16) were reported suffering from CNS-IFDs.

Venetoclax Combination Treatment of Acute Myeloid Leukemia in Adolescents and Young Adult Patients.

Over the past two decades, the prognosis in adolescents and young adults (AYAs) diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) has significantly improved. The standard intensive cytotoxic treatment approach for AYAs with AML, consisting of induction chemotherapy with anthracycline/cytarabine combination followed by consolidation chemotherapy or stem cell transplantation, has lately been shifting toward novel targeted therapies, mostly in the fields of clinical trials. One of the most recent advances in treating AML is the combination of the B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2) inhibitor venetoclax with hypomethylating agents, which has been studied in elderly populations and was approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for patients over 75 years of age or patients excluded from intensive chemotherapy induction schemas due to comorbidities.

Transient Cytopenias as a Rare Presentation of Classic Galactosemia.

Although galactosemia can be detected through neonatal screening, some cases are characterized by rapid and severe presentation before screening results become available. We report the case of a neonate with classic galactosemia presenting with acute liver failure and cytopenias (thrombocytopenia, anemia, and neutropenia). Neonatal screening results showed increased galactose and phenylalanine levels.

Fish evaluation of additional cytogenetic aberrations and hyperdiploidy in childhood Burkitt lymphoma.

Beyond rearrangement, Burkitt lymphoma (BL) often presents with additional aberrations. Biopsy touch imprints from 72 children with BL were tested with interphase fluorescence in-situ hybridization (i-FISH) for , , , IGH, IGK and IGL rearrangements and copy-number aberrations involving 1q21/1p32, 7cen/7q31, 9cen/9p21, 13q14/13q34 and 17cen/17p13. Diploid status deviations were investigated with chromosome enumeration probes.

Successful long-term hematological and immunological reconstitution by autologous cord blood transplantation combined with post-transplant immunosuppression in two children with severe aplastic anemia.

aUCBT is a valuable curative option in pediatric patients with refractory idiopathic SAA and no available matched sibling or unrelated donors. Experience in the use of autologous cord blood units in patients with SAA is limited and private for-profit cord blood-banking programs are controversial. We report the successful treatment of two patients with SAA, aged 15 and 24 months, with autologous cord blood combined with immunosuppression.

An atypical case of pityriasis rosea gigantea after influenza vaccination.

Pityriasis rosea is a common erythematosquamous eruption, typically presenting along the cleavage lines of the skin. A wide spectrum of atypical manifestations may challenge even the most experienced physician. Here we report a rare case of a suberythrodermic pityriasis rosea with gigantic plaques after an influenza vaccination, and we discuss the possible triggers of atypical manifestations of such a common dermatological disease in the setting of an altered immunity.

Cytogenetic abnormalities and monosomal karyotypes in children and adolescents with acute myeloid leukemia: correlations with clinical characteristics and outcome.

The whole spectrum of chromosomal abnormalities and their prognostic significance in children and adolescents with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) has not been fully elucidated yet, although a considerable amount of knowledge has been gained recently. Moreover, the incidence and prognostic impact of monosomal karyotypes (MKs), which are new cytogenetic categories reported recently in adults with AML, are currently unknown for childhood and adolescent AML. In this study, we investigated the cytogenetic and clinical characteristics of 140 children and adolescents (≤21 y) with AML, and correlated their cytogenetic features with both the clinical characteristics and outcomes of our patient cohort.

Budget impact analysis of ustekinumab in the management of moderate to severe psoriasis in Greece.

Background: The purpose of this study was to estimate the annual and per-patient budget impact of the treatment of moderate to severe psoriasis in Greece before and after the introduction of ustekinumab.

Methods: A budget impact model was constructed from a national health system perspective to depict the clinical and economic aspects of psoriasis treatment over 5 years. The model included drug acquisition, monitoring, and administration costs for both the induction and maintenance years for patients in a treatment mix with etanercept, adalimumab, infliximab, with or without ustekinumab.

Cutaneous metastasis of signet-ring gastric adenocarcinoma to the breast with unusual clinicopathological features.

Background: Cutaneous metastasis of gastric adenocarcinoma is rare and usually presents in men, as nodules over the abdomen. We present the case of a woman with cutaneous metastasis of gastric adenocarcinoma showing unusual clinicopathological features.

Case Report: A 37-year-old woman developed florid cutaneous metastasis over the skin of the left breast two years after total gastrectomy for a signet-ring adenocarcinoma of the diffuse type.

Traumatic ulcerative granuloma with stromal eosinophilia: a lesion with alarming histopathologic presentation and benign clinical course.

Traumatic ulcerative granuloma with stromal eosinophilia (TUGSE) is a chronic, benign, self-limiting lesion of the oral mucosa. Clinically, the ulceration is characterized by the presence of indurated elevated borders and may resemble pyogenic granuloma or even squamous cell carcinoma of the mouth. Pathogenesis of the lesion is unclear.

Sun exposure behavior and protection practices in a Mediterranean population: a questionnaire-based study.

Objective: Skin cancer campaigns have only recently been implemented in a wide scale in Greece. In order to better target those individuals at risk, we aimed to explore sun exposure behaviors in a sample of the Greek population.

Methods: A total of 802 subjects, randomly selected among the residents of the two largest Greek cities, underwent a questionnaire-based telephone interview, assessing the degree of sun exposure patterns and knowledge of skin cancer risk factors.