Reduction in transfusion requirements with early epoetin alfa treatment in pediatric patients with solid tumors: a case-control study

In a single-center, case-control study the authors evaluated the efficacy and safety of epoetin alfa in pediatric cancer patients receiving platinum- or nonplatinum-based chemotherapy. Thirty-seven patients with solid tumors received epoetin alfa 3 times weekly at a dose of 150 IU/kg (hemoglobin [Hb] > or = 12 g/dL and < or = 16 g/dL) or 300 IU/kg (Hb) < 12 g/dL) for 28 weeks. Data from treated patients were compared to data from 37 untreated control patients. Significant between-group differences in favor of the epoetin alfa-treated Patients were observed in overall red blood cell transfusion requirements (p = .007) and overall platelet transfusion requirements (p = .010). Additionally, significant between-group differences favoring epoetin alfa were seen by Kaplan-Meier plots, estimating mean time to first red blood cell transfusion (p = .0004). Mean Hb (g/dL) was maintained at baseline levels in the epoetin alfa group for most of the course of the study. No drug-related adverse events were seen in epoetin alfa-treated patients.     

Hypertension: retrospective study in children from a pediatric nephrology unit

300 hypertensive children, from newborn to 18 years old,were studied, retrospectively, from 1975 to 1992, 105 from those lost for follow-up. In 244 the diagnosis of the primary disease, predominantly glomerulopathy, was established. 122 had chronic renal failure (CRF). From them, 74 arrived at end stage renal disease (ESRD) and 13 have been transplanted. From 12 submitted to surgical treatment, hypertension has been controlled in 8. 54 died, 48 with CRF and 38 with ESRD. Difficulties in controlling those patients are discussed, mainly therapy diet, the use of hypotensive drugs on dialysis treatment. Our conclusion is for the necessity of a precocious diagnosis for hypertension and primary diseases, of a trained interprofessional team as well as availability of adequate equipment to children, mainly for dialytic therapy. For many of these children, renal transplantation is the only definite therapy.     

Risk factors for pediatric tumors of the central nervous system: results from a German population-based case-control study.

BACKGROUND: From 1993 to 1997 we conducted two population-based case-control studies on childhood cancer and a variety of potential risk factors in Germany. One case group involved children under the age of 15 years having a tumor of the central nervous system (CNS). PROCEDURE: For both studies, one conducted in the northwestern area of Germany, the other covering the whole of West Germany, incident cases were identified from the nationwide German Childhood Cancer Registry, and controls were randomly selected from complete population registration files. RESULTS: In total 466 pediatric CNS tumor cases and 2,458 controls were available for analyses. We observed only few positive associations, namely, between CNS tumors and low birth weight [<2,500 g; odds ratio (OR), 1.73; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.06-2.84], between ependymoma and maternal smoking during pregnancy (>10 cigarettes per day: OR, 4.71; 95% CI, 1.69-13.1), and between astrocytoma and exposure to wood preservatives (OR, 1.91; 95% CI, 1.22-3.01). CNS tumors were not associated with high birth weight, duration of breast feeding, maternal age at time of delivery, duration of gestation, previous fetal losses, paternal smoking during pregnancy, maternal alcohol consumption, the child's exposure to pesticides, maternal diagnostic X-ray examinations during pregnancy, X-ray examinations of the child, or exposure to residential magnetic fields. CONCLUSIONS: Despite the large study population, we found only few factors that were associated with CNS tumors or one of the morphological subgroups. Therefore, our results suggest that aspects of the prenatal and neonatal period play only a minor role in the etiology of pediatric CNS tumors.     

Risk factors for post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorder in pediatric patients: a case-control study

Post-transplant Lymphoproliferative Disorder (PTLD) because of the Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV) is a major concern after pediatric transplantation. The group at greatest risk is EBV-seronegative recipients who receive EBV-seropositive organs. Additional risk factors remain to be determined, including those among EBV-seropositive recipients. In this case-control study, PTLD cases were biopsy-proven over a period of 4 yr (1997-2000, inclusive). Each case was matched with 2 controls, based on the type of organ transplanted and the period of transplantation (+/-1 yr). Variables compared between cases and controls included those relating to the clinical and virologic profiles and immunosuppressive therapy. Twenty-two cases of PTLD were diagnosed during the study period. PTLD cases occurred at a median of 22.8 months post-transplantation (range 1-131). The median age of cases was 26.2 months (range 6.1-194) compared with 47.4 months (range 0.8-202.2) for controls (p = 0.93). Cases had a higher mean baseline EBV load compared with controls (3.1 log(10) (s.d. +/- 1.0) vs. 1.6 log(10)/10(6) PBMCs (s.d. +/- 1.4), with every 1 log increase in viral load resulting in a three times increase in the likelihood of PTLD (p < 0.007). Close to one in four cases of PTLD were EBV-seropositive pretransplantation. These seropositive recipients tended to be older patients with a trend to a worse outcome compared with their seronegative counterparts. The occurrence of PTLD was not associated with the use of any specific immunosuppressants. A significant proportion of PTLD cases occurred among EBV-seropositive transplant recipients, with a tendency towards an unfavorable outcome. Besides EBV-seronegative recipients who receive seropositive organs, some EBV-seropositive pediatric patients are at risk of PTLD. Additional studies are warranted to further define the factors associated with PTLD in EBV-seropositive transplant recipients.     

儿童急性白血病合并真菌血症相关危险因素的病例对照研究

目的 探讨急性白血病患儿合并真菌血症的危险因素。方法 以首都医科大学附属北京儿童医院血液肿瘤中心2002年1月至2014年6月收治的急性白血病且2次血培养真菌阳性的病例为真菌血症组;以同期住院、同性别、既往无真菌感染、且未发生真菌血症的急性白血病患儿为对照组,样本量对照组与真菌血症组1∶1。采集年龄、白血病状态（缓解与否）、复发情况、住院时间、是否应用含激素的化疗方案、中性粒细胞缺乏（＜0.5×109·L-1）及其持续时间、中心静脉置管、广谱抗生素应用和合并败血症等因素,行真菌血症组和对照组单因素和多因素分析。结果 真菌血症组纳入48例,男32例,应用化疗药物累计中位时间98（3~300） d,中位年龄5.6（1.4~13.8）岁;对照组纳入96例,应用化疗药物累计中位时间201（4~1 080）d,男64例,中位年龄6.7（1~15）岁。①真菌血症组48例均有发热,中位发热时间8.6（1~42）d。住院至出现真菌血症的中位时间17.6（1~115）d;既往有真菌感染5例（10.4%）,合并脏器功能衰竭7例（14.6%）;10例（20.8%）合并细菌败血症;死亡或临终放弃治疗11例（22.9%）。③血培养结果示,近平滑念珠菌和热带念珠菌各17例（35.4%）,白色念珠菌8例（16.7%）,季也蒙念珠菌2例（4.2%）,光滑念珠菌、青霉菌、镰刀菌属和阿萨希毛孢子菌各1例（2.1%）。④单因素分析显示,白血病未缓解、中性粒细胞缺乏及其持续时间＞7 d、应用广谱抗生素、静脉应用抗生素>7 d和合并败血症是急性白血病合并真菌血症的危险因素;多因素Logsitic分析显示,应用广谱抗生素是急性白血病合并真菌血症的独立危险因素,OR=28.3(95%CI: 5.9~136.2)。结论 念珠菌属为急性白血病合并真菌血症的主要病原体,非白色念珠菌占优势。应用广谱抗生素是急性白血病合并真菌血症的独立危险因素。     

RSV-prevention in children guided by a web-based early warning system

BACKGROUND: Passive immunization with palivizumab is expensive and requires considerable logistic effort. So far 5 monthly injections from November to March are recommended. The RSV season onset and its duration, however, shows considerable variation. In many countries on the northern hemisphere a dual rhythm is described. METHOD: A web-based early warning system within the research network PID-ARI.net is in place since 2002. The surveillance data are published online weekly via www.pid-ari.net. This enables physicians to carry out interventions, like passive immunization for RSV, synchronously with the epidemiology of a given pathogen instead of a rigid schedule. The surveillance of PID-ARI.net is based on a 19 valent multiplex RT-PCR on naso-pharyngeal aspirates. The samples are provided by hospitals and offices in Freiburg, Mainz and Schleswig-Holstein (north, middle, south of Germany). Children with lower airway infections are prospectively enrolled. RESULTS: In the time period from July 1999 to June 2003 with 20 months of recommended palivizumab application, 5 months (25 %) would have been not on target. In two seasons the start of the vaccine campaign would have been too early (waste of two months). In one season the application would have started one month too late and in two seasons the vaccine campaign would have been stopped two months too early leaving the vaccinees on risk for acquiring RSV. CONCLUSIONS: The web-based early warning system of PID-ARI.net is the first, pathogen-specific, comprehensive and fast surveillance-system for airway pathogens in Europe. It facilitates the epidemic-synchronous use of the passive immunization with palivizumab and by this increases its efficiency and should safe costs.     

Nosocomial infections among pediatric hematology patients: results of a retrospective incidence study at a pediatric hospital in China

The occurrence of nosocomial infections (NIs) differs in different patient populations and different hospitals, and information on NI in Chinese children patients is scarce. This study fills these research gaps by evaluating the frequency of NIs, main infection sites, and common microorganisms found in pediatric hematology patients in a general children's hospital. A retrospective study was performed by analyzing the medical records of patients with NIs. The rates of NIs were calculated on the basis of cases identified during surveillance and the number of discharges annually. One thousand six hundred and four NIs were detected in 21,456 subjects (overall rate: 7.0 episodes/100 discharges). The most commonly observed infections were respiratory tract infections (1079 cases, 67.3%), followed by gastrointestinal infections (198 cases, 12.3%), skin and soft tissue infections (161 cases, 10.0%), bloodstream infections (97 cases, 6%), and urinary tract infections (16 cases, 1%). Gram-negative bacteria were the most common pathogens, followed by Gram-positive bacteria, virus, and fungal organisms. Respiratory and gastrointestinal infections were the common NIs in pediatric hematology/oncology patients. Gram-negative bacteria were responsible for most pathogens of NIs. In future studies, the prospective use of incidence density rates and postdischarge surveillance in children patient populations would be an interesting research direction.     

Hematuria in children: retrospective study of 128 pediatric patients

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the diagnostic frequency of the various diseases associated with the development of hematuria in children, in a pediatric nephrology unit pertaining to a university hospital. METHODS: The clinical records of 128 children (70 male, 50 female) who presented intermittent/persistent macroscopic hematuria or persistent microscopic hematuria as the chief clinical complaint/finding, in the period of 1978-1995, were retrospectively analyzed. This evaluation was performed with special attention to the patientacute;s clinical history, physical examination, personal and family morbid history information. Patients whose investigation was not complete were not considered for analysis. The mean age on presentation was 8.2 years (5 months - 16 years) and the mean period of observation was 3.2 years (1 month-15 years). RESULTS: Macroscopic hematuria occurred in 104 patients and persistent microscopic hematuria was present in 24 patients. Urinary metabolic disturbances and urinary lithiasis, alone or in association, were diagnosed in the majority of the patients (65.5%). Hypercalciuria was the urinary metabolic disturbance (90.1%) mostly detected, either alone (73.2%) or in association with hyperuricosuria (16.9%). A positive family history of lithiasis was reported in 32.1% of the patients in which the diagnosis of lithiasis/urinary metabolic disturbance was confirmed. Glomerulopathies were diagnosed in 25% of the patients, with the predominance of post-infectious acute glomerulonephritis (11 patients, 34%). In 6 children, the etiology of hematuria was not elucidated, despite extensive investigation, including renal biopsy.CONCLUSION: The authors present an algorithm for the diagnosis of hematuria in children and suggest that in cases of isolated hematuria, presenting without clinical clues to the possible etiology, laboratory investigation should be started with the evaluation of urinary metabolic disturbances / lithiasis.     

106例儿童骨盆骨折的回顾性分析

目的 回顾性分析2003至2007年在我院诊治的106例儿童骨盆骨折的流行病学特点.方法 利用图片存档及通信系统(PACS)及病案查询系统,整理分析我院2003至2007年间诊治的骨盆骨折患儿影像及病历等资料,统计其性别、年龄、损伤部位、儿童骨盆骨折Torode和Zieg分型等项目,并进行分析.结果 本次共调查骨盆骨折患儿106例,男性明显多于女性,男性和女性骨盆骨折高发年龄均为11～15岁,左侧损伤最多,双侧骨折最少.致伤原因以行人机动车交通事故为主,骨折类型以Torode和Zieg分型中Ⅲ型损伤为多见.除骨盆骨折外,伴发其他肢体骨折19例;住院患儿中44.4%(16/36)伴有软组织、严重的脏器或血管等损伤.结论 采取措施减少行人机动车事故是预防儿童骨盆骨折的有效措施,对于伴发脏器、血管等损伤的患儿要早期积极处理;对于移位明显儿童骨盆骨折应行手术治疗.     

儿童重症监护室血浆置换治疗单中心回顾性研究

目的 总结儿童重症监护室患儿进行血浆置换治疗(therapeutic plasma exchange,TPE)的适应证和并发症。方法 回顾性分析2015年3月至2021年3月在湖南省儿童医院重症医学科行TPE患儿的病历资料,分析TPE适应证和并发症,并与美国血液分离学会(American Society for Apheresis,ASFA)适应证类别比较。结果 196例患儿共进行了405次TPE,76例(38.8%)患儿联合了连续性肾脏替代治疗,147例(75.0%)患儿存活,其中神经疾病存活率最高(27/29,93%)。TPE适应证前3位分别是血液病(61/196,31.1%)、脓毒血症合并多器官功能障碍综合征(41/196,20.9%)、肝病(36/196,18.4%)。血液病患儿接受TPE总次数最多,为129次。研究对象适应证占比最高为ASFAⅢ类(150/196,76.5%),其次为ASFAⅠ类(22/196,11.2%),ASFAⅡ类(14/196,7.1%),不便分类(10/196,5.1%),无ASFAⅣ类。TPE并发症发生率为12.3%(50/405),以管路凝血(4...