Background and Purpose: Invasive fungal infections (IFIs) are a major cause of morbidity and mortality in immunocompromised children. The purpose of our study was to evaluate the incidence of IFIs in pediatric patients with underlying hematologic malignancies and determine the patient characteristics, predisposing factors, diagnosis, treatment efficacy, and outcome of IFIs. Materials and Methods: For the purpose of the study, a retrospective analysis was performed on cases with proven and probable fungal infections from January 2001 to December 2016 (16 years). Results: During this period, 297 children with hematologic malignancies were admitted to the 2nd Pediatric Department of Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece, and 24 cases of IFIs were registered. The most common underlying diseases were acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL; n=19, 79%), followed by acute myeloid leukemia (AML; n=4, 17%) and non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL; n=1, 4%). The crude incidence rates of IFIs in ALL, AML, and NHL were 10.5%, 18.2%, and 2.8% respectively. Based on the results, 25% (n=6) and 75% (n=18) of the patients were diagnosed as proven and probable IFI cases, respectively. The lung was the most common site of involvement in 16 (66.7%) cases. Furthermore, Aspergillus and Candida species represented 58.3% and 29.1% of the identified species, respectively. Regarding antifungal treatment, liposomal amphotericin B was the most commonly prescribed therapeutic agent (n=21), followed by voriconazole (n=9), caspofungin (n=3), posaconazole (n=3), micafungin (n=1), and fluconazole (n=1). In addition, 12 children received combined antifungal treatment. The crude mortality rate was obtained as 33.3%.  Conclusion: As the findings of the present study indicated, despite the progress in the diagnosis and treatment of IFIs with the use of new antifungal agents, the mortality rate of these infections still remains high.

The involvement of the central nervous system (CNS) in Waldenström’s Macroglobulinemia (WM) is a rare extramedullary manifestation of the disease known as Bing-Neel syndrome (BNS). To expand our understanding of this disease manifestation, we conducted a retrospective analysis of the incidence of BNS in 86 consecutive patients with WM [70% male, median age 65 years (range 33-86)] seen in our center during a 30-year period. Six patients (7%) from this group were diagnosed with BNS. The median period of time between WM diagnosis and BNS diagnosis was 6.8 years (range 2.3-15). They demonstrated a range of neurological deficits, including transient expressive aphasia, impaired vision, resting hand tremor, foot drop, and headache. Between the onset of symptoms and the diagnosis of BNS, the median time interval was 12.5 months (range 1-30). The diagnosis was made not on the basis of neurological symptoms or radiological evidence, but on the basis of the presence of WM cells in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). Intrathecal chemotherapy with methotrexate, cytarabine, and dexamethasone (IT MTX, ARA-C, DEX) was used as front-line treatment, followed by intensive immunochemotherapy with rituximab, high-dose MTX, and ARA-C (R-Hi MTX/ARA-C) in three patients who were fit enough to receive this type of cytotoxic regimen, and rituximab plus bendamustine (R-Benda) in two patients who simultaneously required treatment for WM. Ibrutinib was administered to five patients (three as consolidation and two for initial treatment). All patients responded to front-line treatment, with four (67%) achieving partial response (PR) and two (33%) achieving complete response (CR). This study provides insight into the clinical presentation, diagnostic and treatment options, as well as the outcome of patients who have BNS.

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) affects a substantial proportion of the general population and is even more prevalent in obese and diabetic patients. NAFLD, and particularly the more advanced manifestation of the disease, nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), increases the risk for both liver-related and cardiovascular morbidity. The pathogenesis of NAFLD is complex and multifactorial, with many molecular pathways implicated. Emerging data suggest that microsomal prostaglandin E synthase-1 and -2 might participate in the development and progression of NAFLD. It also appears that targeting these enzymes might represent a novel therapeutic approach for NAFLD. In the present review, we discuss the association between microsomal prostaglandin E synthase-1 and -2 and NAFLD.