[Malignant solid tumors in neonates: a study of 71 cases]. / Tumeurs solides malignes néonatales: à propos de 71 cas.

UNLABELLED: Malignant neonatal tumors are rare and comprise 2% of childhood malignancies. Clinical features, histologic types, prognosis were very different from those seen in older children, facing oncologists with diagnostic, therapeutic and ethical problems. PATIENTS AND METHODS: In a retrospective study from January 1987 to January 2004, we reviewed the management of neonates treated at the Institute Gustave Roussy for a malignant solid tumor for whom symptoms started in the first month of life. RESULTS: Seventy-one neonates were treated, comprising 1,2% of the overall patients treated during the same period of time. Of these 71 patients, 42 (59%) presented with neuroblastomas, 12 (17%) with mesenchymal tumors, 6(8%) with cerebral tumors and 11 with various other types of tumors. Fifty-nine patients underwent surgical resection. Thirty-eight neonates received chemotherapy, administered at a 30 to 50% reduced dose. Hematologic toxicities and infections were the main therapeutic complications. Very small doses of radiotherapy were used in only 5 children. There has been no therapy-related mortality. Twenty-two of the 57 survivors have sequelae, especially patients with intraspinal neuroblastoma. The 5 year overall survival was 79%. CONCLUSIONS: Neonatal malignant solid tumors, except for cerebral tumors, have a good prognosis. The young age of patients resulted in problems of treatment tolerance. The therapeutic regimen should take into account the risk of acute iatrogenic toxicity and long term sequelae. Surgery remains the treatment of choice but chemotherapy, with dose reduction, managed by expert teams, is essential and safer in a lot of case.

[The antigenic characteristics of the viruses isolated from the cerebrospinal fluid of patients with epidemic neuropathy]. / Características antigénicas de los virus aislados del líquido cefalorraquídeo de pacientes con neuropatía epidémica.

During the epidemic of neuropathy occurred in Cuba from 1992 to 1994 viral agents antigenically related to the Coxsackie viruses were isolated from the cerebrospinal fluid of patients. To establish a function of these viruses in the etiopathogenesis of the disease, strains 47/93 IPK identified as Coxsackie A9 and the strain 44/93 of light cytopathic effect were selected to conduct a study of their antigenic characteristics by Western Blot. It was proved that there is an antigenic relationship between both strains and it was also demonstrated the absence of structural proteins in their native form among the agents of light cytopathic effect. According to these results, it is stated the possibility that persistence may be a mechanism through which these viruses take part in the etiopathogenesis of epidemic neuropathy in Cuba.

[Evaluation of a new technology for the detection of enterovirus in sewage]. / Valoración de una novedosa tecnología para la detección de enterovirus en aguas negras.

This paper reported the appraisal of a novel technology for the detection of enterovirus in sewage based on a viral recovery method using polyethylenglycol as a concentrating agent and on the combined use of viral isolation and polymerase chain reaction as viral detection and identification techniques. It was also confirmed that the viral recovery method is highly efficient since it allows to recover all viruses present in sewage and to preserve their infective capacity. It was proved that the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is less sensitive than cell culture for detecting enteroviruses in sewage. It is also possible to use guadinine isothiocyanate, whose components can be prepared in the lab, as an alternative method for taking out and purifying nucleic acids instead of using the conventional TRIZOL method which is the one recommended in these cases by the World Health Organization.

[The intratypic characterization of the poliovirus by the polymerase chain reaction technic]. / Caracterización intratípica de Poliovirus por la técnica de reacción en cadena de la polimerasa.

The polymerase chain reaction techniques was introduced for the intratypic characterization of Poliovirus. Primers were used only to promote the amplification of the Sabin vaccine strains proved by electrophoretic run of the amplified DNA products (Sabin 1-97 pb, Sabin 2-71 pb, Sabin 3-44 pb) and whose specificity was satisfactorily verified. 23 Cuban poliovirus strains isolated and identified at the Laboratory of Enterovirus of the "Pedro Kourí" Tropical Medicine Institute from 1993 to 1994 were studied by this technique. All of them were of the vaccine type. It was observed how the Sabin vaccine poliovirus may be the cause of viral meningoencephalitis as a milder neurological complication. This study provided one more evidence about the non circulation of the wild poliovirus in Cuba.

[Rapid detection of Enterovirus by a direct method of polymerase chain reaction]. / Detección rápida de Enterovirus mediante un método directo de reacción en cadena de la polimerasa.

For the detection of Enterovirus, we devised a direct economical method of polymerase chain reaction which does not require a previous extraction of ribonucleic acid and uses infected cell culture supernatants. The system was developed on the basis of universal primers of Enterovirus and specific primers of vaccinal strain Sabin 1. The achieved results proved that the non-existence of methods of RNA extraction and purification prior to the reaction does not affect the susceptibility and specificity of the system, in the rapid detection of Enterovirus genomes and identification of vaccinal strains of poliovirus.

[Outbreak of viral meningoencephalitis. Comparison of 2 biological systems used for isolation of the virus]. / Estudio de un brote de meningoencefalitis viral. Comparación de 2 sistemas biológicos empleados para el aislamiento.

An increase of the cases of viral meningoencephalitis was reported in our country from October to December, 1995. 23 faeces specimens were received from 2 provinces aimed at obtaining the viral isolation by their inoculation in cell culture and in newborn mice at the same time in order to compare the sensitivity of both systems in isolation. A higher number of isolations was obtained in cell culture. The cell culture from kidney of a normal adult green African monkey (Vero) proved to be more sensitive. 18 isolations were obtained and identified as Coxsackievirus B5. An anatomical and pathological study was conducted in inoculated mice and injuries compatible with the enteroviral infection were observed.

[New evidence of the antigenic relation between the viruses of epidemic neuropathy and the human nervous system. A study of the immune cellular response in patients with epidemic neuropathy and controls. A review of the topic]. / Nuevas evidencias de la relación antigénica entre los virus de la neuropatía epidémica y el sistema nervioso humano. Estudio de la respuesta inmune celular en pacientes con neuropatía epidémica y controles. Revisión del tema.

A series of experiments was made at the Virology Department of the "Pedro Kourí" Institute of Tropical Medicine aimed at obtaining new evidences on the possible antigenic relations existing between the viruses isolated from patients with epidemic neuropathy and the structures of the human nervous system. According to the results it may be finally inferred that the persistence and/or autoimmunity may be considered as mechanisms through which the studied viruses participate in the etiopathogenesis of the epidemic neuropathy in Cuba. For future experiments it is very important to identify the possible viral epitopes involved in the molecular mimicry that are responsible for the probable autoimmune mechanisms or for the viral persistence.