Opinion of Polish doctors on the use of futile therapy.

The discontinuation of futile therapy is increasingly discussed in Polish clinical practice. Given the need to ensure patient well-being, it is essential to consider whether all clinical options resulting from medical progress should be used for every patient and on what grounds decisions to limit therapy should be based. The aim of our study was to determine the opinions of Polish medical doctors on this topic.

Use of Granulocyte Transfusions in the Management of Severe Infections Among Children with Neutropenia.

Infections remain the leading cause of mortality among neutropenic patients with haematologic malignancies, making effective infection management crucial. Achieving a sufficient neutrophil count is essential for the elimination of pathogens. Granulocyte concentrate (GC) can be a treatment option for neutropenic patients with severe infections.

Genetic Diversity, Virulence Factors and Antibiotic Resistance of from Food and Clinical Samples in Southern Poland.

Listeriosis is one of the most serious foodborne diseases under surveillance, with an overall mortality rate in the EU currently being high at 18.1%. Therefore, this study aims to investigate strains isolated from clinical and food samples for susceptibility to antimicrobials, presence of virulence factors, and genetic diversity.

Indications for genetic diagnosis in children with growth hormone deficiency and born small for gestational age.

Introduction: The aim of the study is to analyze patients who do not respond adequately to human recombinant growth hormone (rhGH) treatment.

Material And Methods: Four boys were analyzed: three patients diagnosed with SNP at the ages of 1) 8 years and 2 months, 2) 13 years and 2 months, 3) 16 years and 6 months, and patient 4) at the age of 6 years and 11 months - born small for gestational age (SGA). They underwent rhGH treatment.

Survival Benefit of Myeloablative Therapy with Autologous Stem Cell Transplantation in High-Risk Neuroblastoma: A Systematic Literature Review.

Background: Multimodal treatment of newly diagnosed high-risk neuroblastoma (HRNB) includes induction chemotherapy, consolidation with myeloablative therapy (MAT) and autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT), followed by anti-disialoganglioside 2 (GD2) immunotherapy, as recommended by the Children's Oncology Group (COG) and the Society of Paediatric Oncology European Neuroblastoma (SIOPEN). Some centres proposed an alternative approach with induction chemotherapy followed by anti-GD2 immunotherapy, without MAT+ASCT.

Objective: The aim of this systematic literature review was to compare survival outcomes in patients with HRNB treated with or without MAT+ASCT and with or without subsequent anti-GD2 immunotherapy.

Facilitated subcutaneous immunoglobulin treatment patterns in pediatric patients with primary immunodeficiency diseases.

This retrospective study investigated real-world hyaluronidase-facilitated subcutaneous immunoglobulin (fSCIG) treatment patterns in pediatric patients with primary immunodeficiency diseases (PIDs) in Poland. Clinical and demographic information, fSCIG treatment parameters and clinical outcomes were extracted from medical records of 28 participants (aged ≤18 years) with PIDs who received fSCIG. 18 participants (64.

Pulmonary lesions in early response assessment in pediatric Hodgkin lymphoma: prevalence and possible implications for initial staging.

Background: Disseminated pulmonary involvement in pediatric Hodgkin lymphoma (pHL) is indicative of Ann Arbor stage IV disease. During staging, it is necessary to assess for coexistence of non-malignant lung lesions due to infection representing background noise to avoid erroneously upstaging with therapy intensification.

Objective: This study attempts to describe new lung lesions detected on interim staging computed tomography (CT) scans after two cycles of vincristine, etoposide, prednisolone, doxorubicin in a prospective clinical trial.

Gemtuzumab ozogamicin for relapsed or primary refractory acute myeloid leukemia in children-the Polish Pediatric Leukemia and Lymphoma Study Group experience.

Background: Gemtuzumab ozogamicin (GO), one of the first targeted drugs used in oncology, consists of an anti-cluster of differentiation 33 (CD33) monoclonal antibody bound to a derivative of cytotoxic calicheamicin. After the drug withdrawn in 2010 due to a significantly higher rate of early deaths, GO regained approval in 2017 for the treatment of newly diagnosed, refractory, or relapsed acute myeloid leukemia (AML) in adults and children over 15 years of age. The objective of the study was a retrospective analysis of clinical characteristics, treatment outcomes, and GO toxicity profile in children with primary refractory or relapsed (R/R) AML treated in Poland from 2008 to 2022.

Beyond the Metabolic Syndrome: Non-Obvious Complications of Obesity in Children.

Obesity is currently one of the most significant public health challenges worldwide due to the continuous increase in obesity rates among children, especially younger children. Complications related to obesity, including serious ones, are increasingly being diagnosed in younger children. A search was performed from January 2023 to September 2023 using the PubMed, Cochrane Library, Science Direct, MEDLINE, and EBSCO databases.

Dinutuximab Beta Maintenance Therapy in Patients with High-Risk Neuroblastoma in First-Line and Refractory/Relapsed Settings-Real-World Data.

Dinutuximab beta is approved for the maintenance treatment of patients with high-risk neuroblastoma (HR-NB), including patients with relapsed/refractory (R/R) disease. However, the data on its use in real-world clinical practice is limited. We retrospectively reviewed the clinical records of 54 patients with HR-NB who received maintenance therapy with dinutuximab beta in first-line (37 patients) or R/R settings (17 patients) at three centers in Poland.

COVID-19 in Pediatric Intensive Care Units in Poland, PAPITCO-19 Study (Polish Analysis of PICU Trends during COVID-19).

Background: Children suffering from COVID-19 constitute about 10% of the entire population infected with the virus. In most of them, we observe asymptomatic or mild courses; however, about 1% of affected children require a stay in a paediatric intensive care unit (PICU) due to the course of the disease becoming severely life-threatening. The risk of respiratory failure, as with adults, is associated with the coexistence of concomitant diseases.

Differentiation between rebound thymic hyperplasia and thymic relapse after chemotherapy in pediatric Hodgkin lymphoma.

Background: Rebound thymic hyperplasia (RTH) is a common phenomenon caused by stress factors such as chemotherapy (CTX) or radiotherapy, with an incidence between 44% and 67.7% in pediatric lymphoma. Misinterpretation of RTH and thymic lymphoma relapse (LR) may lead to unnecessary diagnostic procedures including invasive biopsies or treatment intensification.

Is FGFR4 Gly388Arg missense variant a suitable prognostic marker in neuroblastoma?

Context: Evidence suggested that FGFR4-Arg388 allele is frequently detected in multiple cancers with rapid progression and unfavorable clinical implications.

Aims: It was investigated whether the FGFR4 missense variant (Gly388Arg) could serve as a prognostic biomarker and therapeutic target in neuroblastoma (NB).

Materials And Methods: FGFR4 genotypes were determined by DNA sequencing in 34 NB tumors.

Segmental chromosomal aberrations as the poor prognostic factor in children over 18 months with stage 3 neuroblastoma without amplification.

Introduction: Patients with stage 3 neuroblastoma (NBL) according to International Neuroblastoma Staging System (INSS) without MYCN amplification represent a heterogenous group with respect to disease presentation and prognosis.

Methods: Retrospective analysis of 40 stage 3 patients with NBL without MYCN amplification was performed. The prognostic value of age at diagnosis (under 18 vs over 18 months), International Neuroblastoma Pathology Classification (INPC) diagnostic category and presence of segmental or numerical chromosomes aberrations were evaluated, as well as biochemical markers.

Dinutuximab beta combined with chemotherapy in patients with relapsed or refractory neuroblastoma.

Prognosis in children with refractory and relapsed high-risk neuroblastoma is poor. Only a minority of patients obtain remission when treated with second-line chemotherapy regimens. Chemotherapy combined with anti-GD2 antibodies has previously been shown to increase response and survival rates.

Prognostic Significance of STING Immunoexpression in Relation to HPV16 Infection in Patients with Squamous Cell Carcinomas of Oral Cavity and Oropharynx.

Infection with HPV16 in cancers of the oral cavity (OCSCC) and oropharynx (OPSCC) is, today, an important etiological and prognostic factor. Patients with HPV-positive OPSCC have a better prognosis than uninfected patients. However, in over 40% of these patients, cancer progression is noticed.

Long-term weight loss after bariatric procedures for morbidly obese adolescents and youth: a single-institution analysis with up to 19-year follow-up.

Background: Obesity is a public health concern among adolescents and young adults. Bariatric surgery is the most effective treatment for morbid obesity and has been increasingly utilized in young patients. Long-term outcomes data for bariatric surgery in this age group are limited.

The Role of Nutritional Status, Gastrointestinal Peptides, and Endocannabinoids in the Prognosis and Treatment of Children with Cancer.

Neoplastic diseases in children are the second most frequent cause of death among the young. It is estimated that 400,000 children worldwide will be diagnosed with cancer each year. The nutritional status at diagnosis is a prognostic indicator and influences the treatment tolerance.

Concentrations of Insulin-like Growth Factors and Insulin-like Growth Factor-Binding Proteins and Respective Gene Expressions in Children before and after Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation.

Insulin-like growth factors (IGF-1 and IGF-2) and insulin-like growth factor-binding proteins (IGFBP-1 to -7) are involved in the regulation of cell proliferation and differentiation and may be associated with various metabolic parameters. The aim of our study was to compare levels of IGFs and IGFBPs and the expressions of their genes in children before and after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) to assess their potential as markers of late metabolic complications of HSCT. We also conducted additional comparisons with healthy controls and of correlations of IGF and IGFBP levels with anthropometric and biochemical parameters.

Analysis of Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells Gene Expression Highlights the Role of Extracellular Vesicles in the Immune Response following Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation in Children.

Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) is an effective treatment method used in many neoplastic and non-neoplastic diseases that affect the bone marrow, blood cells, and immune system. The procedure is associated with a risk of adverse events, mostly related to the immune response after transplantation. The aim of our research was to identify genes, processes and cellular entities involved in the variety of changes occurring after allogeneic HSCT in children by performing a whole genome expression assessment together with pathway enrichment analysis.