Patient: Male, 23 monthsFinal Diagnosis: Peripheral facial paralysis associated with Epstein-Barr virus infectionSymptoms: Facial paralysisMedication: —Clinical Procedure: Microbiology diagnosisSpecialty: Infectious DiseasesObjective:Rare diseaseBackground:Peripheral facial paralysis is a clinical presentation which, in most cases, is benign. It is relatively frequent, although less so in pediatric patients, where clinical diagnosis is more difficult. This clinical condition can be congenital, neurological, infectious, neoplastic, traumatic, or metabolic in origin.Case Report:This report describes the case of a male infant of 23 months of age with peripheral facial paralysis due to Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) upper respiratory infection. A hemogram showed the presence of leukocytosis and lymphocytosis, and a peripheral blood smear indicated the presence of stimulated lymphocytes. Serological tests were compatible with recent EBV infection: IgM anti-VCA (capsid antigen) was positive, while IgG anti-VCA and anti-EBNA (nuclear antigen) were negative. EBV genome was detected in pharyngeal swab and in serum, where viral load was 5.08 log copies/1000 cells and 3.72 log copies/mL, respectively.Conclusions:Whilst the most common cause of facial paralysis is idiopathic paralysis, such problems of the facial nerve may have many origins, including an infectious nature such as infection with viral agents. Rapid determination of the etiology of the problem allows the most appropriate management of the condition and quick follow-up to be implemented, which is essential for the evaluation of treatment response and the avoidance of permanent consequences.

We investigated the kinetics of CRP, PCT, IL-6 and MR-proADM in a cohort of consecutive febrile patients with cancer in order to test the hypothesis that higher plasma concentrations and the absence of a rapid decrease in peak values would be associated with disease severity. (1) Method: A prospective descriptive and analytical study of patients with cancer and fever (≤18 years of age) at a University Hospital was carried out between January 2018 and December 2019. Information collected: sex, age, diagnosis, date and symptoms at diagnosis and medical history. The episodes were classified into three groups: bacterial infection, non-bacterial infection and systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS). (2) Results: One hundred and thirty-four episodes were included. Bacterial infection criteria were met in 38 episodes. Biomarkers were measured at four different points: baseline, at 12–24 h, at 25–48 h and at 49–72 h. All the biomarkers evaluated decreased after the peak level was reached. IL-6 and MR-proADM showed a trend towards higher levels in the SIRS group although this rise was statistically significant only for IL-6 (p < 0.005). Bacterial infections more frequently presented values of PCT above the cut-off point (>0.5 ng/mL) at 12–24 h. (3) Conclusion: In our experience, IL-6 kinetics is faster than PCT kinetics and both are faster than CRP in patients with fever and cancer who present a good outcome. Patients with a good evolution show a rapid increase and decrease of PCT and particularly of IL-6 levels.

Low-grade gliomas are the most common brain tumors in children. This tumor type presents a wide range of clinical, histological, and biological behaviors. In recent years, an association between estrogens and progesterone and the development of tumors has been suggested. A case of a 2-year-old girl is described with a low-grade brain tumor treated with chemotherapy and disease stabilization. The treatment with Decapeptyl® was initiated due to precocious puberty, and the tumor showed a decrease in its solid component—more than 50% of the initial size—three years after starting treatment. Several studies have described the influence of estrogen and progesterone on the development of gliomas, decreasing or increasing their expression in those tumors with greater aggressiveness, respectively. Despite the fact that the tumor-hormonal expression relationship in other tumor types has been evaluated, its role in the treatment of brain tumors remains unknown.

Background: The aim of this study was to evaluate the usefulness of C-Reactive Protein (CRP), Procalcitonin (PCT), and Interleukine 6 (IL6) biomarkers in predicting the existence of high-risk episodes (HRE) during the first 24 h of fever in pediatric cancer patients. HRE were defined as the presence of Gram-negative bloodstream infections or Systemic Inflammatory Response Syndrome. Methods: The study included 103 consecutive fever episodes in 44 hemato-oncological pediatric patients, from whom samples for biomarkers were taken upon initial evaluation (CRP-1, PCT-1 and IL6-1) and then between 12 and 24 h afterward (CRP-2, PCT-2 and IL6-2). Results: An IL6-1 value higher than 164 pg/mL showed an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.890 (0.791–0.989) and OR of 48.68 (7.92–951.42, p < 0.001) to detect HRE in multivariate analysis. A PCT-1 higher than 0.32 ng/mL showed an AUC of 0.805 (0.700–0.910) and OR of 4.55 (0.90–27.84, p = 0.076). A PCT-2 higher than 0.94 ng/mL showed an AUC of 0.836 (0.725–0.947) and OR of 13.01 (1.82–149.13, p = 0.018), and an increase in CRP between the first and second sample (CRP-2vs1) higher than 291% also showed an AUC of 0.785 (0.655–0.915) and OR of 31.09 (4.87–355.33, p = 0.001). Conclusions: IL6-1, PCT-2, and CRP-2vs1 showed a strong and independent correlation with HREs in pediatric cancer patients. CRP variations over the first 24 h provide an improvement in predictive models that are especially useful if IL-6 and PCT are not available.

El granuloma central de células gigantes (GCCG) es una lesión ósea poco frecuente que asienta predominantemente en el hueso maxilar. Su principal tratamiento es la cirugía con márgenes amplios, por lo que en ocasiones condiciona gran morbilidad y alteraciones estéticas. Denosumab, un anticuerpo monoclonal inhibidor de RANK-ligando, se ha presentado como una alternativa terapéutica válida en el tratamiento de estas lesiones.Objetivo: describir la respuesta clínica y radiológica tras tratamiento con Denosumab en un paciente pediátrico con GCCG no resecado.Caso Clínico: adolescente de 12 años que consultó por tumefacción maxilar de 24 h de evolución, sin otra clínica asociada. A la exploración constatamos tumoración en región maxilar superior izquierda con abombamiento de encía ipsilateral. Se realizó una tomografía computarizada (TC) en la que se observó una gran lesión intraósea expansiva en borde alveolar maxilar, solicitándose posteriormente biopsia de la lesión con diagnóstico anatomopatológico de GCCG. Debido al tamaño y localización de la lesión se optó por tratamiento inicial con Denosumab. Tras 10 meses de tratamiento el paciente presentó respuesta clínica y radiológica favorable, con disminución del tamaño lesional y la actividad metabólica. Como efecto adverso asoció hipocalcemia leve, resuelta tras suplementación con calcio.Conclusión: el empleo de Denosumab como primera línea de tratamiento en Granuloma de Células Gigantes puede ser una opción terapéutica adecuada en adolescentes con lesiones difícilmente resecables.