Voriconazole Antifungal Prophylaxis in Children With Malignancies: A Nationwide Study.

Background: Antifungal prophylaxis (AFP) is recommended in at-risk hematology-oncology patients. We evaluated the safety of AFP with voriconazole (VRC) in pediatric hematology/oncology patients.

Materials And Methods: A retrospective study of VRC AFP in children with malignancies hospitalized in all 7 Greek pediatric hematology/oncology centers during 2008 to 2012 was conducted.

Ewing's Sarcoma of Mandible: An Impressive Case of Spontaneous Mandible Regeneration.

Unlabelled: Ewing's sarcoma (ES) is an uncommon aggressive bone malignancy that mainly affects children and adolescents. Mandible involvement is quite rare and usually represents metastasis from another skeletal site. Combined therapy including wide surgical resection and preoperative and postoperative chemotherapy has been demonstrated as the mainstay of therapeutic approach.

Glucose Levels Before the Onset of Asparaginase Predicts Transient Hyperglycemia in Children With Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia.

Background: Transient hyperglycemia (TH) represents an acknowledged adverse event that occurs during treatment in children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and has recently been associated with an increased risk for developing metabolic disturbances in future life. Our aim was to estimate the incidence of TH and to identify risk factors, thus serving as markers for identifying candidates for prevention interventions.

Procedure: All patients treated with induction treatment for ALL in our department from January 2004 to April 2015 had their data retrieved from medical files and retrospectively analyzed.

Use of Tigecycline in Pediatric Patients With Infections Predominantly Due to Extensively Drug-Resistant Gram-Negative Bacteria.

Background.: Emergence of extensively drug-resistant (XDR) bacteria has forced clinicians to use off-label antimicrobial agents such as tigecycline. We present our experience on salvage use of tigecycline for the treatment of infections caused by XDR Gram-negative bacteria in critically ill children and review published cases.

Acute visual loss as the initial presentation in a child with systemic Burkitt lymphoma.

Non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) accounts for 10% of pediatric malignancies and is the third most common malignancy in childhood. We report a previous healthy 3-year-old boy with stage IV Burkitt lymphoma presenting with acute visual loss. In funduscopy his pupils were fixed at 6 mm in diameter without light perception.

Polyclonal outbreak of vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium in a pediatric oncology department.

We present a polyclonal outbreak of vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) colonization in a pediatric oncology department and the role of a bundle of actions. After the occurrence of VRE bloodstream infections in 2 patients, an active surveillance of VRE colonization was started. Enhanced infection control measures and closure of the department to new admissions for the first 3 months were implemented.

Intestinal tuberculosis: a diagnostic challenge--case report and review of the literature.

Even though tuberculosis is considered rare in developed countries, its rising incidence, especially in high-risk populations, places intestinal tuberculosis in the differential diagnosis of patients with atypical abdominal symptoms or signs. We, herein, report the case of an immunocompetent woman, from a nonendemic area, who developed intestinal tuberculosis, emphasizing the diagnostic challenges caused due to nonspecific symptoms, inconclusive clinical, laboratory, and imaging findings, which could not rule in or rule out tuberculosis. Antituberculosis treatment was administered based on endoscopic findings and histological features of mucosal biopsies, which were indicative of intestinal tuberculosis, and the patient showed a marked clinical and laboratory improvement.

Thrombomodulin and von Willebrand factor: relation to endothelial dysfunction and disease outcome in children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

The severe endothelial dysfunction in children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) can result from the disease itself, from treatment, or from other conditions (e.g. sepsis).

Carcinoid tumors of the appendix in children: experience from a tertiary center in northern Greece.

Background And Objective: Carcinoid tumors of the appendix are rare in childhood and usually have a benign clinical course. Their incidence in appendectomy specimens ranges from 0.1% to 0.

4,4'-Methylenedianiline-induced hepatitis in an industrial worker: case report and review of the literature.

4,4'-Methylenedianiline (MDA) is a chemical used in manufacturing and insulation processes and is a well-known hepatotoxin. We report the case of a 42-year-old construction-site worker who was accidentally exposed to large amounts of MDA and developed acute liver damage. The clinical course is described, with particular emphasis on the timely identification of the underlying cause and prompt management that led to an uneventful recovery.

Isolated central nervous system recurrence in a child with stage IV neuroblastoma.

Neuroblastoma is the most common extracranial solid tumor in children. Survival rates have improved due to advances in treatment with aggressive chemotherapy and autologous bone marrow transplantation. Usual sites of recurrence include the site of primary tumor, residual gross disease, bone, bone narrow, liver, and lungs.

Unusual Epstein-Barr esophageal infection in an immunocompetent patient: a case report.

Introduction: Epstein-Barr virus esophagitis in an immunocompetent host is a rare entity. It represents either primary infection or reactivation and is usually characterized by acute onset and extensive ulcerative involvement of the upper and middle third of the esophagus.

Case Presentation: A case of Epstein-Barr virus esophagitis in a 27-year-old woman with no immunosuppressive factors, and having gastrointestinal symptoms is reported here.

Tc-99m HMPAO labeled white blood cell imaging in a child with eosinophilic lung disease.

In radiolabeled leukocyte imaging, Tc-99m HMPAO has a significantly higher selectivity for eosinophils than neutrophils, but this may be clinically meaningful in disorders with eosinophilic infiltration. We present the case of a 2-year-old boy with infection who also developed drug-induced eosinophilic lung disease, as established later by bronchoalveolar lavage and discontinuation of the responsible antistaphylococcal agent. In the investigation of sepsis, diffusely increased pulmonary accumulation of Tc-99m HMPAO labeled leukocytes was observed.

123I-Metaiodobenzylguanidine accumulation in a urinoma and cortex of an obstructed kidney after surgical resection of an abdominal neuroblastoma.

Surgical ureteric injury is rare and often unsuspected for a long time. We present a child in whom an abdominal neuroblastoma was completely excised, but during surgery the left ureter was transected and anastomosed. One month later, during postoperative disease staging, abnormal (123)I-MIBG accumulation was observed in the left renal cortex and the left side of the abdomen.

Hepatitis C virus survival curve analysis in naïve patients treated with peginterferon alpha-2b plus ribavirin. A randomized controlled trial for induction with high doses of peginterferon and predictability of sustained viral response from early virologic data.

Aim: To evaluate the significance of induction with high doses of pegylated interferon -2b (Peg-IFNalpha-2b) and the predictability of sustained virologic response (SVR) in naïve patients with chronic hepatitis C.

Methods: 188 consecutive naïve patients with chronic hepatitis C were enrolled in a randomised controlled clinical trial. Patients were randomised to receive either Peg-IFN -2b 3.

Increased expression of multidrug resistance gene (MDR1) at relapse in a child with acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

Modern treatment protocols lead to complete remission in a high proportion of patients with childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). However, a large number of them show a relapse of the disease. Treatment failure in these patients is mainly attributable to de novo or acquired resistance to a wide variety of cytotoxic drugs, which is called multi drug resistance (MDR).

Bone mineral density in survivors of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

The aim of our study was to evaluate bone metabolism with measurement of bone mineral density (BMD) after management (chemo-, radiotherapy) for childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). Bone mineral density (g/cm2) of lumbar spine was measured by dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (Norland bone densitometer) in 18 children with ALL and a median of 34 months' post-diagnosis with no history of relapse, secondary malignancy, or transplantation. In addition, patients' BMDs were correlated with particular attention to age, sex and time (years) from completion of chemotherapy.

Congenital Horner's syndrome associated with cervical neuroblastoma.

A 3-month-old girl was presented with a right-sided neck mass present since birth and accompanied by homolateral miosis, ptosis and enophthalmos (Horner's syndrome). Diagnostic work-up revealed an underlying cervical neuroblastoma. Although the association of Horner's syndrome with acquired neuroblastoma is well-known and of value in early diagnosing of such a tumor, it can also be a presenting or accompanying sign in rare cases of congenital neuroblastoma.