Verruca plantaris: a review of the problem.

Verruca plantaris, caused by papovavirus, is frequently seen in patients between the ages of 12 and 16 years. Some type of tissue destruction is used in most methods of treatment. The author discusses electrodesiccation which the considers the treatment of choice as excellent cosmetic results are usually obtained and recurrences are minimal.     

Membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis type 1: comparison of natural history in children and adults.

Clinical, laboratory and pathological data on 46 patients (29 children and 17 adult) with Type 1 membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis (MPGN) were reviewed in order to compare the natural history of the disease in two age groups. The nephrotic syndrome was the most common presenting clinical feature in both age groups. Established renal failure at time of biopsy was seen in adult males only. All the adults males, but none of the women, were either dead or in renal failure after a mean duration of diseases of 17.7 months. In contrast 43% of the children (both sexes) were in renal failure after a mean duration of disease of 51.6 months. Statistical analysis disclosed that only up to 48 months was there a significant difference in survival between the two age groups (P less than .01). Beyond this time the difference was not statistically significant. The difference in behaviour of MPGN in the two age groups is similar to that observed in other glomerulonephropathies.     

Medulloblastoma in children and in adults: a comparative study

Summary We report on the clinical and pathological characters and factors influencing prognosis in a consecutive series of 20 cases of medulloblastoma presenting in childhood and of 20 cases of the tumour presenting in adulthood. The significant differences which emerged were compared with the findings of the largest published series. Medulloblastoma is more often lateral in site and desmoplastic in histology in adults than in children. On our evidence the age at tumour onset not affect survival.     

Blunt trauma in adults and children: a comparative analysis

Trauma remains the major cause of death in children and young adults. Adult and pediatric patients differ significantly in both mechanism of and physiologic response to injury. We reviewed the records of all consecutive adult and pediatric blunt trauma patients admitted to a major metropolitan trauma center for a 10-year period. An extensive computerized database has been maintained for all patients since 1977. A comparative statistical analysis of mechanism of injury, specific organ injury, and clinical outcome was performed. Altogether, 1,722 adults and 289 children were treated during the study period. Blunt trauma accounted for 82.8% of adult and 94.3% of pediatric injury (p = 0.00005), and only these patients were considered for analysis. Diagnostic peritoneal lavage was performed in 249 children and 1,464 adults, with a respective accuracy of 99.6% and 97.2%. Mechanism of injury was comparable for both groups, although children were far more likely to be injured by falls, bicycle accidents, or struck by an automobile. Comparative analysis of specific injuries demonstrated significantly fewer pediatric chest (p = 0.001), spine (p = 0.03), and pelvic (p = 0.003) injuries. Central nervous system (CNS) injury in children was a strong determinant of outcome: serious pediatric CNS trauma was associated with a tenfold increase in mortality. Mortality for children in the absence of CNS injury was less than 3%. Spinal injury also appeared to be a predictor of poor outcome in the pediatric population, with an associated mortality of greater than 50%. Overall, survival was age independent (82.5% of adults and 85.8% of children were survivors.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor of the vulva,an unusual differential diagnosis for vulvar mass

INTRODUCTION

Malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumors (MPNSTs) are rare, up to one half of the MPNSTs occur in patients with neurofibromatosis type-1 (NF-1), while the rest are sporadic. Here, we present a 52-year-old woman with MPNST of the vulva without NF-1. We will discuss basics of the disease, treatment options and follow-up strategies.

PRESENTATION OF CASE

52-year-old female admitted to our hospital with complaint of abnormal uterine bleeding and rapidly growing vulvar mass. Excisional biopsy of the mass showed MPNST of the vulva. Afterwards, the patient underwent radical vulvectomy with inguinofemoral lymph node dissection. Short after the surgery, multiple lung metastasis were shown and responded to chemotherapy, but rapid local recurrence occurred short after the completion of the chemotherapy.

DISCUSSION

The primary treatment option in MPNSTs is surgical excision with or without adjuvant therapy. There is not enough data about the role of systemic chemotherapy in the management of MPNSTs and it still remains controversial.

CONCLUSION

In general, radiation therapy has not been demonstrated to improve overall survival. Complete surgical resection of the primary tumor is the mainstay of the treatment.     

Long-term prognosis for endocapillary glomerulonephritis of poststreptococcal type in children and adults

The long-term clinical course of sporadic, acute endocapillary glomerulonephritis of poststreptococcal type is reported. In all cases, the diagnosis was established by renal biopsies and in most cases by clinical tests. The study is based on retrospective/prospective data from 36 children and 101 adults in the Federal Republic of Germany, Luxemburg, and Austria. In 72 patients (21 children, 51 adults) the disease course was clinically followed over periods of 2-13 years (clinical features: blood pressure, serum creatinine, proteinuria, hematuria). In this group, the number of clinical recoveries (i.e., all features within strictly defined normal ranges) increased with increasing length of observation. Children showed more rapid clinical recovery. 29% of the children and 41% of the adults showed no clinical recovery. Out of all 137 patients, 3 progressed to chronic renal failure, and 4 other patients died. Cases with an initial nephrotic syndrome had a significantly poorer long-term prognosis (p less than 0.005). Initial elevation of serum creatinine concentration due to acute renal failure did not influence the long-term prognosis. Our results indicate that the acute endocapillary glomerulonephritis of poststreptococcal type has a slow tendency towards clinical recovery under good hygienic conditions and if unaccompanied by nephrotic syndrome in the initial phase.     

Acute epiglottitis in children and adults: a large-scale incidence study

With the introduction of an anti-haemophilus type B vaccine, a standard incidence rate for acute epiglottitis is needed to judge its efficacy. Epiglottitis is thought to be more common in children than in adults, but this relation has never been clearly established. This article attempts to evaluate the incidence of this disease. A review of the literature regarding the incidence is correlated to new data from the 1981 Census of Canada and the Med-Echo System of the province of Quebec. It suggests that the incidence rate is approximately 60/million for children (1/17,000), whereas it is 10/million for adults (1/103,000). These rates are based on the analysis of 712 pediatric cases and 257 adult cases. After a review from various sources, my estimation is that a slightly lower than 3-to-1 ratio of cases is probable between the pediatric and adult cases of acute epiglottitis.     

Craniopharyngioma in adults and children: a study of 122 surgical cases

OBJECT: This work is devoted to a 25-year retrospective study of 122 cases of craniopharyngiomas in adults and children treated and followed by the same neurosurgeon (R.V.E.). In this homogeneous series, the aim was total microsurgical removal of the tumor, without postoperative radiotherapy. METHODS: The operation was performed via a frontopterional approach in 112 cases and a transsphenoidal approach in 10 cases. The tumor removal was considered total in 59%, subtotal in 29%, and partial in 12%. The surgical mortality rate was 2.5%. Even when tumor removal was not complete, radiotherapy was not systematically administered; it was reserved for cases of recurrence. The authors have studied clinical signs, operative characteristics, and ophthalmological, endocrinological, and functional outcomes, as well as recurrence risk and long-term patient survival. The mean follow-up period was 7 years. The functional results in these patients were excellent in 85%, good in 9%, fair in 5% (usually because of ophthalmological sequelae), and poor in 1%. Tumors recurred in 29 patients, but the salvage treatment, by operation or radiotherapy, was successful in 83%. The actuarial patient survival rate was 92% after 5 years and 85% after 10 years. CONCLUSIONS: These results compared favorably with the data reported in the literature, suggesting that radical surgery of craniopharyngiomas allows good outcome in terms of survival, full recovery, and quality of life for both adults and children.     

First detection of bovine papillomavirus type 2 in cutaneous wart lesions from ovines

This study diagnosed cutaneous wart lesions excised from three rams from a sheep farm in São Paulo State, Brazil. Histopathologically, these cases were diagnosed as papilloma. The amplification by PCR , sequencing and bioinformatics analysis showed that all the lesions presented DNA sequences of bovine papillomavirus type 2. This is the first report confirming the detection of BPV 2 in papilloma warts from ovines.     

Lymphoepithelioma-like carcinoma of the vulva: a case report

This report describes a lymphoepithelioma-like carcinoma of the vulva in a 64-year-old woman. The tumor showed distinct morphologic features including syncytial sheets of malignant epithelioid cells and a dense lymphoplasmacytoid infiltrate. In situ hybridization and immunohistochemistry for Epstein-Barr virus were negative. The tumor was treated by surgical excision. No evidence of recurrence has been detected 3 years after treatment. To our knowledge this is the second reported case of lymphoepithelioma-like carcinoma of the vulva.     

Achalasia in children and adults

Achalasia or primary megaloureter is a relatively rare disorder characterized by a functional obstruction of the distal ureter. The etiology and pathophysiology are presently obscure, and the diagnosis is established on clinical, radiographic, and surgical findings. Review of 22 cases in children and adults demonstrated a high incidence of associated congenital anomalies. Many of these patients had symptoms of infection or hematuria during infancy or early childhood. In adults the disease often is stabilized and can be treated without surgery. In childhood, operative intervention by excision of the anomalous segment and reimplantation of the ureter into the bladder with an antireflux procedure is the treatment of choice.     

Basiliximab: efficacy and tolerability in adults and children

An open, single arm, prospective clinical trial to assess the efficacy and safety of basiliximab (Simulect) combined with cyclosporine microemulsion (Neoral), steroids, and azathioprine was performed in four centers in Chile, two adult and two pediatric. The 23 patients who were enrolled were followed for 12 months. There were four acute rejection episodes (three adults and one child) and three graft losses (two adults and one child) during the study. Renal function in both adult and pediatric patients at 6 and 12 months was good. Basiliximab was well tolerated. The incidence of infections was low, with only one CMV infection. There were no deaths. CONCLUSIONS: The incidence of acute rejection episodes among renal allograft recipients treated with basiliximab is low, showing that the drug is well tolerated. In particular the number of CMV infections is extremely low.