Journal of pediatric hematology/oncology
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J. Pediatr. Hematol. Oncol. · May 2008
Recombinant activated Factor VII as a hemostatic agent in very low birth weight preterms with gastrointestinal hemorrhage and disseminated intravascular coagulation.
Acute hemorrhage in preterm infants leads immediately to a life-threatening event because of the small circulating blood volume. The beneficial use of recombinant activated Factor VII (rFVIIa; NovoSeven, NovoNordisk, Gentofte, Denmark) as hemostatic treatment in neonates with hemorrhagic shock has been described. Necrotizing enterocolitis is a challenge in neonatology as the disease represents one of the leading causes of mortality in preterm infants. We report on the use of rFVIIa in very low birth weight (<1500 g), preterms with intestinal hemorrhage, and disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC). ⋯ In this small group of preterms with DIC, intestinal hemorrhage, and persistent hemorrhagic shock, rFVIIa was effective as a rescue therapy but failed in patients with severe acidosis, hypothermia, and thrombopenia.
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The experience of childhood cancer can be one of the most severe stressors that parents endure. Studies using illness-specific measures of parental stress indicate that moderate-to-severe parenting stress is quite common in the first year of childhood cancer treatment, and as many as 5% to 10% of these parents go on to develop posttraumatic stress disorder. ⋯ Factors associated with increased risk of parental posttraumatic stress symptoms include poor social support, adverse experience with invasive procedures, negative parental beliefs about the child's illness and/or associated treatment, and trait anxiety. For those parents with risk factors that might forebode more severe and enduring stress reactions to their children's cancer, therapeutic strategies are proposed to ameliorate their stress and reduce the development and/or maintenance of posttraumatic stress symptoms.
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Burkitt lymphoma (BL) is a rapidly dividing tumor that commonly presents itself in the jaw in its endemic form and the abdomen in the sporadic type. Central nervous system involvement at diagnosis is not uncommon, but there have been no previously published reports of BL involving the clivus. Increased tumor burden is associated with complications such as tumor lysis syndrome, and recognition of unusual presentations is important for timely management. We report 3 patients with BL involving the clivus at diagnosis.
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J. Pediatr. Hematol. Oncol. · Apr 2008
Health-related quality of life: changes in children undergoing chemotherapy.
Information regarding changes in the health-related quality of life (HRQL) of children during chemotherapy is scarce. Furthermore, there exists a general lack of consensus as to which measures are best suited to assess changes in HRQL in this population. The purpose of this study is to compare the responsiveness of 3 pediatric HRQL measures: the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory (PedsQL), the Child's Health Questionnaire (CHQ), and the Health Utilities Index (HUI). ⋯ When measuring HRQL repeatedly in a heterogeneous population, the PedsQL is the measure most responsive to change.
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J. Pediatr. Hematol. Oncol. · Mar 2008
Case ReportsCongenital Langerhans cell histiocytosis mimicking a "blueberry muffin baby".
Congenital Langerhans cell histiocytosis (LCH) is a rare condition with great diversity. A case of congenital skin-only LCH presenting as a "blueberry muffin baby" with a spontaneous regression by the age of 8 months is reported here. ⋯ Systemic therapy is warranted in multi-system disease; no consensus on treatment exists in case of LCH isolated to skin. The diagnosis of congenital self-healing LCH should be made only retrospectively.