Use of plerixafor for peripheral blood stem cell mobilization failure in children.

Background: Peripheral blood stem cell mobilization is usually performed following chemotherapy plus G-CSF in children. This standard approach may not be successful in some heavily pretreated patients undergoing mobilization. Plerixafor (AMD3100) has been used in adults as a second line mobilizing agent.

An unusual presentation of galactosemia: hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis.

Unlabelled: Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) is a rare life-threatening condition. Uncontrolled proliferation of activated lymphocytes secreting high amounts of inflammatory cytokines seems to be the main pathogenesis. The diagnosis of HLH can often be difficult.

The management of bilateral Wilms tumor.

Wilms tumor (WT) is the most common malignant renal tumor in childhood. Approximately 5-7% of WT patients present with bilateral disease, either synchronously or metachronously. Bilateral WT usually occurs in younger children and more often in girls.

Wilms tumor with intravascular tumor thrombus.

Wilms tumor (WT) is one of the most common solid tumors in children. It is the second most common extracranial solid tumor after neuroblastoma. WT has a strong tendency to invade blood vessels in the form of tumor thrombus, into the renal veins, and inferior vena cava and even into the right atrium.

Serum nerve growth factor (NGF) levels in children with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

Attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is the most commonly diagnosed neurobehavioral disorder of childhood. The etiopathogeny of ADHD has not been totally defined. Recent reports have suggested a pathophysiological role of neurotrophins in ADHD.

Oxidative stress in children and adolescents with anxiety disorders.

Background: Anxiety disorders are common in children and adolescents, and they can significantly impair quality of life. Genetic, neurobiological, neurochemical, and psychological factors are believed to play a role in the etiopathogenesis of anxiety disorders. Recent evidence suggests that the pathophysiology of anxiety disorders may be associated with oxidative stress.

Reactive thrombocytosis in children.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the causes of thrombocytosis, which was defined as a platelet count greater than 500 x 10(9)/L, and to compare the groups with mild and severe thrombocytosis. A total of 484 patients were evaluated for the etiology of thrombocytosis. Patients with a platelet count between 500-800 x 10(9)/L were considered to have mild thrombocytosis, while those with a count of ≥800 x 10(9)/L were considered as having severe thrombocytosis.

Pseudotumor cerebri/idiopathic intracranial hypertension in children: an experience of a tertiary care hospital.

Objective: Pseudotumor cerebri (PTC) is diagnosed at increasing rates probably due to the increase in obesity prevalence all over the world and awareness about the disease. Our aim in this study was to evaluate the PTC clinical picture and etiological factors in children at the present time.

Method: The records of 53 patients with 32 females, who were diagnosed with PTC in a child neurology department between the years of 2005 and 2012 were retrospectively analyzed.

Congenital thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura with novel mutations in three unrelated Turkish children.

Congenital thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP) is an inherited disease caused by mutations in the ADAMTS 13 gene and has been reported to have diverse ages of presentation, ranging from the newborn period to adulthood. Herein, we present three cases of congenital TTP who were symptomatic during childhood (neonatal period, 7 and 10 years) and were each initially given different diagnoses. Congenital TTP was later diagnosed by molecular analysis and responsiveness to fresh frozen plasma.

Spindle cell rhabdomyosarcoma displaying CD34 positivity: a potential diagnostic pitfall; report of two pediatric cases.

Spindle cell rhabdomyosarcoma is a rare subtype of rhabdomyosarcoma mainly seen in children. Occasional aberrant staining with a variety of immunohistochemical markers has been noted. The aberrantly expressed markers include alpha-smooth muscle actin, cytokeratin, S100, neurofilaments, CD20, immunoglobins, and CD117.

Complications of therapeutic apheresis in children.

Unlabelled: Since the equipment of therapeutic apheresis is prepared for adults, the use of it in children may lead to higher complication risks and there are little data in children undergoing therapeutic apheresis.

Methods: In this study the complications experienced during therapeutic apheresis in children between April 2010 and May 2012 at our center are analyzed retrospectively. There were 14 patients who had undergone a total of 50 sessions of therapeutic apheresis.

Numerous granulocyte transfusions to a patient with severe aplastic anemia without severe complication.

One of the most important morbidity causes of aplastic anemia is invasive fungal infections. It could not be possible to take control of infection without neutrophils despite the recent developments in the antifungals. In this presented case, a patient with severe aplastic anemia, granulocyte transfusion were administered as 46 times because of the presence of widely invasive aspergillosis and resistance.

Multiple axillary-infraclavicular lymph node metastasis from malignant rhabdoid tumor of unknown primary site.

Malignant rhabdoid tumors (MRT) mostly originate from the kidney and central nervous system. However, they may also originate from retroperitoneal and paravertebral regions, mediastinum, liver, chest wall, extremity, and neck, as well as from the soft tissues. The most important method in the differential diagnosis is the analysis of cytogenetic alterations in the INI1 gene.

Effectiveness of pandemic influenza A/H1N1 vaccine for prevention of otitis media in children.

Unlabelled: Our aim was to evaluate effectiveness of pandemic influenza A/H1N1 vaccine in preventing acute otitis media (AOM) and/or otitis media with effusion (OME), in a randomized, prospective and single-blind study conducted in the children aged of 6-60 months. This study was done between December 1, 2009 and April 30, 2010 during the pandemia between June 2009 and May 2010. On the healthy children, vaccinated against pandemic influenza A/H1N1 and age-matched unvaccinated controls, the rate of AOM, OME, and any otitis media (OM) attack (sum of AOM and OME attacks) confirmed by otoscopic and tympanometric examination, and their associations with risk factors were looked for.

Ganglioneuroma in a child with hereditary spherocytosis.

Hereditary spherocytosis (HS) is the most frequent cause of congenital hemolytic anemia. Extramedullary hematopoiesis (EMH) mimicking a mass may develop in the lymph nodes, kidneys, pleura, mediastinum, adrenal gland, and in particular the spleen and liver. Other than EMH, B-cell lymphoma, acute lymphoblastic leukemia, and pancreatic schwannoma cases were reported in patients with HS.

A pediatric case of anaphylaxis due to octreotide.

Octreotide is an octapeptide that mimics natural somatostatin pharmacologically. It is a potent inhibitor of growth hormone, glucagon and insulin, which is used for treatment of acromegaly, symptomatic treatment of carsinoid tumours, and vasoactive intestinal peptide secreting tumors. It is also used for chylothorax, chemotherapy induced diarrhea and, as it inhibits the exocrine production of pancreatic enzymes, for acute and chronic pancreatitis.

Metanephric stromal tumor: a challenging diagnostic entity in children.

A case with a renal mass diagnosed as metanephric stromal tumor is presented. A 6-year-old boy presented with frequently recurring urinary tract infections. He had been followed up at different medical centers for the last 2 years with a 2 × 2 cm simple cyst localized in the inferior pole of the left kidney.