Methylprednisolone-induced anaphylaxis diagnosed by intradermal skin test: a case report.

Background: Glucocorticoids rarely cause anaphylaxis. Common methods for the determination of allergens include in vivo skin prick test (SPT) and intradermal skin test (IDST) and the in vitro basophil activation test (BAT). However, to our knowledge, the best strategy for diagnosing glucocorticoid-induced anaphylaxis has not been elucidated.

Survey of rotavirus-associated severe complications in Aichi Prefecture.

Background: Rotavirus can, rarely, cause severe complications such as encephalopathy/encephalitis, myocarditis, sudden death, urinary stone, and gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding; and the incidence of these severe complications remains unclear. Additionally, it has not been determined whether rotavirus (RV) vaccine could reduce cases of severe complications or not.

Methods: A two-part questionnaire was designed to determine the number and clinical features of severe complications between 1 September 2008 and 31 August 2015, including the observation periods before and after RV vaccine introduction in Aichi Prefecture.

Fournier's gangrene during ACTH therapy.

Fournier's gangrene is an infectious necrotizing fasciitis of the perineal, genital, or perianal regions and is uncommon in children. Adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) is effective for the treatment of infantile spasms; however, suppression of immune function is one of the major adverse effects of this approach. We encountered a 2-month-old boy with infantile spasms that had been treated with ACTH and had developed complicating Fournier's gangrene.

Clinical characteristics of influenza virus infection in juvenile idiopathic arthritis patients treated with tocilizumab.

Background: Inhibition of interleukin-6 (IL-6) signaling by tocilizumab is highly effective for treatment of refractory juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA). It appears that IL-6 plays an important role in the immune response to the influenza virus, but it is not clear whether treatment with tocilizumab affects the severity of influenza.

Methods: We retrospectively collected clinical and laboratory data from JIA patients (n = 33) treated with tocilizumab.

Prospective monitoring of Epstein-Barr virus and other herpesviruses in patients with juvenile idiopathic arthritis treated with methotrexate and tocilizumab.

Methotrexate (MTX) is widely used for the treatment of articular-type juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA), but patients receiving MTX for rheumatoid arthritis have been reported to be at increased risk of reactivation of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) and the development of lymphoproliferative disorder. The association between MTX and reactivation of herpesviruses in pediatric patients is not yet understood. We prospectively monitored the viral load of EBV, cytomegalovirus (CMV), and herpesvirus 6 (HHV-6) in four JIA patients treated with MTX for 12-24 months.

Detection of submicroscopic disease in the bone marrow and unaffected testis of a child with T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia who experienced "isolated" testicular relapse.

Testicular relapse has an impact on the prognosis of boys with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). Because isolated testicular relapse often precedes hematological relapse, systemic therapy is required in addition to local therapy. However, a rationale for the use of a combination of systemic chemotherapy and local therapy is unclear.

Development of diffuse large B cell lymphoma during the maintenance therapy for B-lineage acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

Non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) is a very rare complication of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). A Japanese boy presented with B-lineage ALL at the age of 2.5.

Antineoplastic agents for pediatric anaplastic large cell lymphoma: Vinblastine is the most effective in vitro.

Anti-neoplastic effects of a total of 11 agents (adriamycin, briplatin, cytarabine, dexamethasone, etoposide, 4-hydroperoxycyclophosphamide, 4-hydroperoxyifosphamide, methotrexate, predonisolone, vinblastine, vincristine) were tested on 4 cell lines (DEL, Ki-JK, SR-786, SU-DHL-1) established from pediatric ALCL cases. The individual cell lines were treated with those agents at different concentrations (0.01 microM/L, 0.