Surgical Treatment of Paediatric Thalamic Gliomas-Single-Centre Experience.

The surgical treatment of paediatric thalamic gliomas has been burdened with high morbidity, and these lesions were often considered inoperable. With new approaches and intraoperative technologies, we can remove tumours once deemed inoperable. In our single centre, we have operated on 11 paediatric patients over the course of 8 years. We have performed eight GTR resections and three intended subtotal resections. The postoperative neurological deficit ranged from mild to very severe for motor weakness and none to severe for aphasia after surgery, with all of the patients improving at 3-month follow-up. Radicality in the surgical approach to thalamic gliomas in children has shown significant benefits when compared to more conservative approaches. For children with LGGs, extensive surgical resection is associated with improved prognosis and longer progression-free survival. However, it does not yield the same proportional benefit for HGGs due to its aggressive nature and worse outlook.

Beneficial effect of plasma exchange in the treatment of toxic epidermal necrolysis: a series of four cases.

INTRODUCTION: Toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN) is a rare, life-threatening disease with a high mortality rate that is linked to drug toxicity. There is a lack of data about the underlying pathophysiologic mechanisms and treatment options. The only widely accepted treatment of TEN is withdrawal of the offending drug followed by supportive care. The potential roles of corticosteroids, intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) and plasmapheresis (TPE) remain controversial. AIMS: We present four patients with severe TEN (all with >80% involvement of body surface) who were treated with TPE following unsuccessful treatment with corticosteroids/IVIG. METHODS: TPE was performed using a COBE Spectra blood cell separator. ACD-A was used as anticoagulant fluid and the target-washed plasma volume was one body volume. Plasma was replaced by a 5% solution of human albumin + Ringer's lactate. RESULTS: The mean number of TPE sessions was 5.25 ± 2.22 (range 3-8). Drugs were implicated as an etiologic agent in each case. TPE led to prompt improvement of acute condition and general health as well as halting of disease progression. Additionally, the restoration of the epithelium began in all four patients. CONCLUSION: Plasmapheresis should be considered as an alternative treatment modality for patients with the most severe form of TEN if initial treatment with other agents, including corticosteroids and/or IVIG, fails. Drugs were suspected to be the cause of TEN in all four cases.

[Human metapneumovirus]. / Lidský metapneumovirus.

Respiratory viral infections are the most significant cause of increased mortality and morbidity especially in immunocompromised people. These infections are increasingly recognized as being the cause of the failure of a graft or the cause of death in both solid organ and hematopoietic stem cell transplant recipients. Treatment with potent immunosuppressive medication is necessary for regulation in order to prevent rejection of solid organs and graft-versus-host disease. As a consequence of this therapy, infections are more common. Respiratory viral infections are the most frequent and serious complications after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). Despite increased methods of testing for viral pathogens, nearly 10% of pneumonia in HSCT recipients still remain "idiopathic pneumonia syndrome". Recently described human metapneumovirus could be one of the etiological agents of this syndrome.