La oncología pediátrica: pasado, presente y futuro

Serum malondialdehyde in HIV-seropositive children negatively correlates with CD4+ lymphocytes count.

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection is associated with oxidative stress as it has been demonstrated in adult-seropositive individuals. We show in this study that serum malondialdehyde (MDA) concentration of HIV-infected children was significantly higher than in control children. A negative correlation (r = -0.515) was found in HIV-infected children between their CD4+ lymphocyte count, and MDA concentration but not with serum antioxidant status. The increase of MDA concentration in HIV-seropositive children confirms the involvement of oxidative stress in the pathophysiology of this infection also in childhood. Because of the importance of oxidative stress and antioxidants for HIV vi…

Serum Malondialdehyde in HIV Seropositive Children

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection is associated with oxidative stress as it has been demonstrated in adult seropositive individuals. We show in this study that serum malondialdehyde (MDA) concentration of HIV infected children was significantly higher than in control children. Moreover, a statistically significant decreased serum antioxidant status was detected in HIV infected children when compared with controls. No correlation was found in HIV infected children between their clinical or immunological categories, CD4+ lymphocyte count or CD4+/CD8+ ratio, and MDA concentration or serum antioxidant status. Newborn from HIV seropositive mothers had also a higher MDA concentration i…

Efficacy of interleukin 10 gene hydrofection in pig liver vascular isolated ‘in vivo’ by surgical procedure with interest in liver transplantation

AIM Liver transplantation is the only curative strategy for final stage liver diseases. Despite the great advances achieved during the last 20 years, the recipient immune response after transplantation is not entirely controlled. This results in high rates of acute cell rejection and, approximately, 10% of early mortality. Therapeutic treatment could be improved by efficiently transfecting genes that encode natural immunosuppressant proteins, employing safe procedures that could be transferred to clinical setting. In this sense, interleukin 10 plays a central role in immune tolerance response by acting at different levels. METHODS hIL10 gene was hydrofected by retrograde hydrodynamic inject…

Iron deficiency risk factors in infants at one year: A cross-sectional study

A cross-sectional study was performed to assess the relative importance of well-known risk factors for iron deficiency in one-year-old children and to detect new ones. Serum ferritin, erythrocyte protoporphyrin and haemoglobin were used as diagnostic tools to screen for iron deficiency. Epidemiologic analysis of data included measures of association, potential impact and a log-linear model to obtain adjusted measures. Socioeconomic variables show a strong association with iron deficiency (low income, odds ratio = 5.07, UCL = 16.08, LCL = 1.60; unemployed father, odds ratio = 4.16, UCL = 14.94, LCL = 1.16; emigration, odds ratio = 9.14, UCL = 54.56, LCL = 1.53). Some errors in feeding practi…

Paediatric oncology: Past, present and future

Anaemia during pregnancy as a risk factor for infant iron deficiency: report from the Valencia Infant Anaemia Cohort (VIAC) study.

A prospective cohort study with a 1-year follow-up of 156 neonates was carried out specifically designed to test the hypothesis that there is a positive relationship between iron deficiency during pregnancy and the development of the same disease in newborn infants. Exposure was defined as being born of a mother with ferropenic anaemia at delivery, and cases as the infants who developed iron deficiency during their first year of life. A statistically significant positive association was detected with an odds ratio of 6.57 (95% confidence limits 1.81-25.97). A stratified analysis was also performed to control the effect of potential confounders such as socio-economic variables, feeding pract…

Immunohistochemical Study as a Tool in Differential Diagnosis of Pediatric Malignant Rhabdoid Tumor

Malignant rhabdoid tumors (MRTs) are aggressive childhood neoplasms, occurring mainly in the kidney and brain. We describe 2 unusual cases of extrarenal and noncranial location (liver and soft tissue with dissemination) mimicking hepatoblastoma, neuroblastoma or Ewing sarcoma. Both cases revealed a polyphenotypic profile, combined with cytokeratin, vimentin, and CD99 expression. INI1/BAF-47 showed negative protein nuclear expression in both cases, suggesting a diagnosis of MRT. An extensive immunohistochemical panel was performed to exclude pediatric tumors reminiscent of MRT. The genetic studies failed to detected MYCN amplification, 11q23 deletion, and EWS break-apart positivity. No alter…