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Biomedical subjects

A Suc

Publications and source records attributed to A Suc.

10 recordsLinked to original sources

[Hemophagocytic syndrome associated with neutropenia after chemotherapy].

MATERIAL AND METHODS: This retrospective study reports 15 cases of hemophagocytic syndrome in children treated in our department during a eight-year period. RESULTS: Underlying diseases were acute lymphoblastic leukemia (n = 8) acute myeloblastic leukemia (n = 6) and Burkitt lymphoma (n = 1). Hemophagocytic syndrome was suspected after chemotherapy, in case of an unusual prolonged febrile neutropenia (n = 14) or isolated thrombocytopenia (n = 1). That fever was associated with cutaneous, pulmonary, hematologic, digestive and cardiac signs. Biological disorders included hypoprotidemia, hyponatremia, increased liver enzymes and fibrinopenia. Thrombocytopenia was observed in all patients and was associated with neutropenia for 14 of them. Diagnosis of hemophagocytic syndrome was always confirmed by bone marrow aspiration (infiltration with activated macrophages). Infection was documented in eight children. The treatment of hemophagocytic syndrome relied on steroids and resolution of symptoms occurred within three days of therapy. No recurrence of hemophagocytic syndrome was observed with a median follow up of two years and a half. CONCLUSION: Such complication should be suspected in cases of prolonged febrile neutropenia and/or thrombocytopenia, and confirmed by bone marrow aspiration. Indeed, steroid therapy is effective and chemotherapy can be then pursued.

Adrenal Cortex Hormones↗

Efficacy of amphotericin B lipid complex in the treatment of invasive fungal infections in immunosuppressed paediatric patients.

The safety and efficacy of amphotericin B lipid complex (ABLC) were evaluated in a retrospective study of 46 paediatric patients with invasive infections. The study included a large proportion of patients who were refractory to or intolerant of conventional antifungal therapy. The mean age of the children was 9.7 +/- 4.8 years. Primary underlying conditions included mainly haematopoietic stem cell transplantation, leukaemia and lung transplantation. The mean daily dose given was 4.11 mg/kg for a mean duration of 38.7 days. At the end of therapy, 38 of 46 (83%) patients responded successfully to treatment with ABLC, including 18 of 23 (78%) with aspergillosis and 17 of 19 (89%) with candidiasis. ABLC was well tolerated, with a low incidence of adverse events. The mean creatinine value was 74.5 microl/mol/l at baseline and 78.2 micromol/l at the end of therapy. These results support the use of ABLC in the treatment of invasive fungal infections in children, including patients who have previously failed, or are intolerant of, traditional antifungal regimens.

Adolescent↗

[Children also die].

Palliative care has recently been developed in adults. However, children die as well and quite a few articles have been published on this special issue. The object of this article is to summarize the available literature in order to call for the development of clinical policies and minimum standards adapted to French pediatrics.

Adult↗

[Palliative care in pediatric oncology].

Improving the management of dying children has always been a common desire among staff who take care of children with incurable life-threatening diseases. Pediatric oncologists are beginning to structure their practice based upon the approach to palliative care given to adults. In the first part of this report, the authors focus on technical care: comfort control and symptoms. The second part is devoted to pain management, a major aspect of pediatric palliative care. In the third part, psychosocial issues are developed, taking into account the point of view of children, siblings, parents and staff.

Adolescent↗

Respiratory function in children undergoing bone marrow transplantation.

We conducted a prospective study of respiratory function in children undergoing bone marrow transplantation (BMT) for onco-hematological disorders. Each child was evaluated before and 100 days after BMT. The investigations included clinical examination, chest X-ray, and pulmonary function tests (PFT) to determine: slow vital capacity (VC), functional residual capacity (FRC), total lung capacity (TLC), forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1), carbon monoxide diffusing capacity (DLCO), ratio of residual volume (RV) to TLC, and FEV1/VC. The values obtained before and after BMT were compared to predicted values, and the post-BMT values were compared to the pre-BMT values (Student's t-test). From 1986 to 1995, 77 children underwent BMT, of whom 39 were available for testing. The pre-BMT VC (P = 0.0234) and DLCO (P < 0.0001) were lower and FRC higher (P < 0.0001) than predicted values. After BMT, the VC (P = 0.004), TLC (P = 0.044), and FEV1 (P = 0.012) were lower, and the RV/TLC ratio was higher (P = 0.043), compared with pre-BMT data. The observed respiratory abnormalities were not clinically relevant. The only identifiable risk factor for a decrease in lung function was age at BMT. This study shows that some lung dysfunction may be present before BMT and be further altered by BMT. This stresses the need for longitudinal respiratory monitoring and follow up to detect such dysfunctions and to insure an optimal treatment program for these children.

Age Factors↗

[Autoimmune hemolytic anemia associated with a mature ovarian teratoma].

UNLABELLED: The association of autoimmune hemolytic anemia and mature teratoma of the ovary is rare, particularly in childhood, but must be known and looked for since the treatment of teratoma allows to cure anemia as well. CASE REPORT: A 9 year-old girl was admitted for hemolytic anemia. The etiologic work-up revealed an autoimmune mechanism (IgG autoantibodies with complement), as well as an ovarian tumor after ultrasound sonography of the abdomen and pelvis. Surgical excision of the tumor was complete and uncomplicated. Pathological examination concluded to a mature teratoma. Anemia, as well as the signs of autoimmunity, disappeared a few weeks later and the child is doing well with several months of follow-up. CONCLUSION: This second reported pediatric case shows that an ovarian teratoma should be searched for with ultrasound sonography in any girl presenting with autoimmune hemolytic anemia, since surgical excision is sufficient to cure both anemia and the tumor.

Anemia, Hemolytic, Autoimmune↗

Metastatic neuroblastoma in children older than one year: prognostic significance of the initial metaiodobenzylguanidine scan and proposal for a scoring system.

BACKGROUND: Metaiodobenzylguanidine (mIBG) is a guanethidine analog that has demonstrated a high sensitivity and specificity in detecting bone metastases in about 90% of metastatic neuroblastomas. However, the predictive value of initial mIBG scan in neuroblastoma patients older than 1 year of age regarding response to initial chemotherapy has yet to be ascertained. Therefore, a scoring system for grading the positivity of mIBG scans was devised and applied in a retrospective study in an attempt to determine whether this score had a prognostic value in neuroblastoma patients older than 1 year of age at diagnosis. METHODS: Eighty-six children, older than 1 year of age, with metastatic neuroblastomas were homogeneously treated and had a mIBG scan performed at diagnosis and following the induction regimen to assess bone metastases. Each mIBG scan was assigned a reproducible score and the predictive value of the initial mIBG score was assessed in order to evaluate response to induction regimen. RESULTS: The relative risk of failing to achieve complete remission after four courses of induction therapy was 6.9 times higher in patients who had more than four mIBG spots at diagnosis. A multivariate analysis including the established prognostic factors revealed that the initial mIBG score was the only significant factor (P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The initial mIBG scan is of prognostic significance to predict response to chemotherapy for metastatic neuroblastoma in children older than 1 year of age. A prospective study comparing this initial mIBG score with other recently established prognostic factors is warranted.

3-Iodobenzylguanidine↗

[Testicular biopsy at the stopping of the treatment in acute lymphoblastic leukemia: value of the immunohistochemical detection of residual blasts].

BACKGROUND: The prognostic value of clinical and histological detection of testicular leukemia after completion of therapy is still debated. Immunohistochemical study could improve the results of this detection. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Between 1982 and 1992, 70 consecutive boys with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and treated with the same therapeutic regimen were included in the study. Testicular biopsy (TB) was surgical and bilateral. One piece of tissue was fixed and analysed by conventional microscopy. An immunohistochemical study was performed on the other sample with a panel of anti-T and anti-B Mc Ab, including JCB 117 (anti-CD79a) which stains early pre B lymphoblasts. RESULTS: Twenty-five children relapsed while on treatment and did not undergo TB. Among the 45 boys who underwent routine TB, one had a diffuse infiltration seen in conventional histology. Thirty-nine had normal morphological and immunohistochemical study: among them, six relapsed subsequently in bone marrow; in this group, event free survival (EFS) was 85 +/- 10% with a median follow-up of 80 months after the biopsy. In the five remaining boys, anti-CD79a was found positive on blasts in four cases and anti-CD3 in one case; four of those relapsed, including two in the testes during the year following the biopsy; EFS was 20 +/- 36% (P = 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: New Mc Ab such as JCB 117 (anti-CD79a) might detect a minimal residual disease in the testes of children treated for ALL, particularly on routine histological material. These results, if confirmed in larger series, might influence further therapeutic strategy.

Adolescent↗