Publications by authors named "Savvas Papachristou"

Leishmania species induce chronic intracellular parasitism, while visceral leishmaniasis can become fatal, if left untreated. Patients with rheumatoid arthritis might feature a genetic predisposition to infection from Leishmania species, besides the status of immunosuppression. Several cases of visceral leishmaniasis in patients with underlying rheumatoid arthritis manifesting with cytopenias with or without organomegaly have been published so far; however, only three cases presenting with pancytopenia without splenomegaly have been described.

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Concomitance of acute pericarditis and pulmonary embolism is extremely rare, with only a few case reports published so far. Herein we present a case of a 50-year-old man that presented to the Emergency Department, complaining of fever up to 38.5°C, pleuritic chest pain, nausea, arthralgias, and general symptoms during the previous two weeks.

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Background: Both pathogenic bacteria and viruses are frequently detected in the nasopharynx (NP) of children in the absence of acute respiratory infection (ARI) symptoms. The aim of this study was to estimate the aetiological fractions for ARI hospitalisation in children for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and influenza virus and to determine whether detection of specific respiratory pathogens on NP samples was associated with ARI hospitalisation.

Methods: 349 children up to 5 years of age hospitalised for ARI (following a symptom-based case definition) and 306 hospital controls were prospectively enrolled in 16 centres across seven European Union countries between 2016 and 2019.

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: Osteoarticular fungal infections (OAFIs) complicate the clinical course of high-risk patients, including immunosuppressed individuals. Their management, however, despite being intricate, is governed by evidence arising from sub-optimal quality research, such as case series. Guidelines are scarce and when present result in recommendations based on low quality evidence.

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Background: In resource-rich settings, the rate of mother-to-child transmission of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) has dramatically decreased by virtue of a combination of preventive strategies during the last two decades.

Case Presentation: We present a case of progressive developmental milestone loss in a toddler with previously unknown congenitally acquired human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection, complicated by an Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) coinfection.

Conclusion: Our report underscores the differential diagnosis between HIV encephalopathy and EBV encephalitis and the vertical transmission of the HIV infection, which constitutes an alarming issue in terms of public health.

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The purpose of this article is to review and update the strategies for prevention and treatment of invasive aspergillosis (IA) in pediatric patients with leukemia and in patients with hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. The major risk factors associated with IA will be described since their recognition constitutes the first step of prevention. The latter is further analyzed into chemoprophylaxis and non-pharmacologic approaches.

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Article Synopsis
  • - The review covers the major uses of antifungal drugs in pediatrics, focusing on prophylaxis and treatment of fungal infections in neonates and children with immune deficiencies.
  • - Fluconazole is commonly used for preventing invasive candidiasis in high-risk infants, but growing resistance in certain Candida species is a concern that could affect treatment strategies.
  • - Other antifungal options include Amphotericin B for severe infections, Voriconazole for mold infections, and newer agents like posaconazole and isavuconazole are being considered for use in more difficult cases.
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