Parasitic and Fungal Triggers of Cytokine Storm Syndrome.

Infections caused by parasites and fungi can trigger the cytokine storm syndrome (CSS). These infections causing CSS can occur together with acquired immunodeficiencies, lymphomas, the use of immunosuppressive medications, transplant recipients, cancer, autoinflammatory, and autoimmune diseases or less frequently in healthy individuals. Histoplasma, Leishmania, Plasmodium, and Toxoplasma are the most frequent organisms associated with a CSS.

Biologics in Pediatric Rheumatology: Quo Vadis?

The past two decades have brought immense satisfaction to pediatric rheumatologists and families of children with rheumatologic diseases. We have been able to better classify, recognize, and diagnose rheumatologic diseases, but most importantly, the discovery of biologic therapies and their efficacy and relative safety in treating multiple rheumatologic conditions, improving quality of life for the patients we care for. We will review the advances of the past two decades and discuss potential areas for new discoveries.

Efficacy of ultrasound elastography in detecting active myositis in children: can it replace MRI?

Background: Juvenile idiopathic inflammatory myopathy is a rare yet potentially debilitating condition. MRI is used both for diagnosis and to assess response to treatment. No study has evaluated the performance of US elastography in the diagnosis of this condition in children.

Controlling inflammation: contemporary treatments for autoinflammatory diseases and syndromes.

The continuous advance in the search for the cause and pathogenesis of the autoinflammatory syndromes, as well as reports of the efficacy of specific inflammation-mediator suppressors, has changed the way these syndromes are approached and treated; both the acute and long-term treatment of these diseases has improved significantly. Etiologic and pathophysiologic manipulation is and will be the future for controlling, even curing, this new and rare set of diseases.