Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is an important respiratory pathogen in infants and children worldwide. Although RSV typically causes mild upper respiratory infections, it frequently causes severe morbidity and mortality, especially in premature infants and children with other chronic diseases. Treatment of RSV is limited by a lack of effective antiviral treatments; however, ribavirin has been used in complicated cases, along with the addition of intravenous immune globulin in specific patients. Vaccination strategies for RSV prevention are heavily studied, but only palivizumab (Synagis®) has been approved for use in the United States in very select patient populations. Research is ongoing in developing additional vaccines, along with alternative therapies that may help prevent or decrease the severity of RSV infections in infants and children. To date, we have not seen a decrement in RSV morbidity and mortality with our current options; therefore, there is a clear need for novel RSV preventative and therapeutic strategies. In this review, we discuss the current and evolving trends in RSV treatment for infants and children.

Background There are many potential causes of thrombocytopenia in patients with chronic hepatitis C (CHC). Aims We sought to determine the association between thrombopoietin (TPO) level, immature platelet fraction (IPF), immunoglobulin G (IgG) level, spleen size, and the platelet count in CHC. Methods We studied a consecutive sample of patients enrolled in an observational study at a referral-based research center, excluding subjects based on eligibility criteria. TPO, glycocalicin, and von Willebrand Factor (vWF) levels were determined using stored sera. Hepatic fibrosis was assessed via transient elastography (TE) when available, and clinical laboratory values and radiologic data were obtained from the medical record. We performed analyses of the relationships between independent variables and the platelet count. Results On univariate analysis, the following variables were significantly associated with the platelet count: age, alanine aminotransferase (ALT), direct bilirubin, total bilirubin, IPF, international normalized ratio (INR), spleen size, vWF, glycocalicin, fibrosis stage on liver biopsy, and TE (P-values all <0.05). A multivariable model determined that imputed TE score, TPO, IPF, and spleen size were independently associated with the platelet count (P-values all < 0.05). Conclusions The platelet count in CHC is significantly associated with fibrosis, TPO level, IPF, and spleen size. Our findings challenge the proposed mechanism of decreased TPO levels or decreased bone marrow production of platelets as a cause of thrombocytopenia in CHC. Future studies focusing on the effects of fibrosis and splenomegaly on platelets may shed more light on the pathophysiology of thrombocytopenia in patients with CHC.

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Background & Aims Acute vaso-occlusive crisis (VOC) in sickle cell disease (SCD) is an important cause of end-organ damage. It is estimated that 10–39% of VOC occurs with hepatic involvement. Current assessments of hepatic involvement during VOC are unsatisfactory. We investigated transient elastography (TE) as a marker of hepatic involvement, its relationship with histology, and biochemical markers during VOC. Methods SCD patients were evaluated with biochemical markers and TE at steady-state and during VOC. Change in TE and biochemical markers were correlated to length of hospital stay. When available, liver biopsy and tricuspid regurgitation velocity (TRV) at steady-state were correlated with TE. Results 23 patients were evaluated (mean age=34.3 years, standard deviation=7.96). In 15 patients with liver biopsies, TE correlated with fibrosis (p=0.01) and TRV (p=0.0063), but not hepatic iron. Hemolysis biomarkers changed during VOC (p<0.022), but not alanine aminotransferase (ALT). Paired comparison of TE at steady-state and during VOC showed an increased from 6.2 to 12.3 kPa (p=0.0029). Increasing TE during VOC associated with increasing ALT and alkaline phosphatase (p=0.0088 and 0.0099, respectively). At steady-state, increasing inflammation on biopsy (p=0.0037) and TRV (p=0.0075) correlated with increasing TE during VOC. Increased hospital stay was associated with higher ALT (p=0.041), lower albumin (p=0.046), hemoglobin/hematocrit (p<0.0021) but not TE. Conclusions TE may identify patients with hepatic involvement during VOC independent of biochemical measures. Increase in TE may reflect both hepatic passive congestion and hepatic involvement during VOC. TE may serve as a physiological biomarker for hepatic features of VOC.