Despite variation in the terminology and prevalence thresholds used to define rare diseases among different jurisdictions and organizations, the terms "rare disease" and "orphan drug" are used most widely and the average prevalence threshold is between 40 and 50 cases/100,000 people. These findings highlight the existing diversity among definitions of rare diseases, but suggest that any attempts to harmonize rare disease definitions should focus on standardizing objective criteria such as prevalence thresholds and avoid qualitative descriptors.

The aim of this prospective study on fungemia in children with cancer compared with adults with cancer appearing during the last 10 years in a pediatric hospital and in national cancer institutions was to investigate risk factors, etiology, therapy, complications and outcome. Univariate analysis showed significant differences in 35 children with cancer and fungemia in comparison with 130 cases of fungemias in adults with cancer. It was found that (1) therapy with corticosteroids (40 vs 18.5%, P<0.03), (2) breakthrough fungemia during ketoconazole prophylaxis (20 vs 7.7%, P<0.025), and (3) meningitis as a complication of fungemia (11.4 vs 0.8%, P< 0.001) occurred more frequently in the pediatric subgroup with fungemia. Candida albicans was more common as the causative agent of fungemia among adults (58.5 vs 37.1, P<0.02) than in children. However, mortality was similar in children with cancer and in adults with cancer and fungemia (31.4 vs 23.1%, NS). Comparison of risk factors revealed no differences between adults and children with cancer and fungemia except in etiology, breakthrough fungemia during prophylaxis with ketoconazole, prior therapy with corticosteroids and meningitis as a complication. The outcome was also similar in pediatric and adult cancer patients with fungal bloodstream infection.

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C OVID-19-инфекция, передающаяся воздушно-капельным и контактным путем. Возможна также фекально-оральная передача, особенно у мла-денцев и детей младшего возраста (репликация вируса в желудочно-кишечном тракте). Возбудителем служит новый коронавирус (SARS-CoV-2), © Коллектив авторов, 2020 Адрес для корреспонденции: Кралинский Карол-д.м.н., доктор философии (PhD), проф. педиатрии, ведущий педиатр Банскобыстрицкого края, ведущий педиатр второй детской клиники факультативной больницы с поликлиникой, профессор на факультете здравоохранения Словацкого медицинского университета в Братиславе с филиалом в г. Банская Быстрица 974 01, Словакия, Банская Быстрица, Площадь Людовика Свободы, д. 6818/4 Писарчикова Мария-д.м.н., доктор философии (PhD), рук. Клиники педиатрической анестезиологии и интенсивной медицины лечебного факультета университета Павла Йозефа Шафарика, детской факультативной больницы. 040 11, Словакия, Кошице, ул. Trieda SNP, д. 1 Доброванов Александр Евгеньевич-д.м.н., доктор философии (PhD), врач-педиатр и сотрудник кафедры педиатрии Клиники детей и подростков Андрея Гетлика Словацкого медицинского университета и университетской больницы с кафедрой Педиатрии, сотрудник Университета здоровья и социальных наук Святой Елизаветы,