Successful treatment of rhinoorbital mucormycosis due to Rhizopus arrhizus with liposomal amphotericin B, posaconazole and surgical debridement in a child with neuroblastoma.

Mucormycosis is a rare but potentially mortal opportunistic infection caused by Mucorales. We present a case of rhinoorbital mucormycosis in an 11-year old male with neuroblastoma successfully treated with aggressive surgical debridement and antifungal combination of liposomal amphotericin B and posaconazole. Our patient developed signs of paranasal sinus infection and culture of fine needle biopsy grew Rhizopus arrhizus. Prompt treatment and drastic surgical resection led to complete clinical and radiological recovery without evidence of mucormycosis relapse.

Distortion-product otoacoustic emissions testing in neonates treated with an aminoglycoside in a neonatal intensive care unit.

We evaluated the ototoxic effect of aminoglycosides on the outer hair cells of newborns in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) by means of distortion-product otoacoustic emissions (DPOAE) testing. Our study population was made up of 164 newborns who were divided into three groups: group A consisted of 105 infants who were given aminoglycoside therapy (either gentamicin or amikacin, or a combination of the two) as treatment for suspected or proven bacterial infection and septic states; group B included 30 newborns who were not given an antibiotic or who were given an antibiotic other than an aminoglycoside; group C, a control group, was made up of 29 healthy neonates who were hospitalized in the well-baby nursery. All the neonates underwent DPOAE testing in both ears (the f2 primary tone was presented at 2.0, 2.5, 3.2, and 4.0 kHz). We found that 41 patients in group A (39.0%) and 13 in group B (43.3%) failed the DPOAE test in one or both ears; the difference between these two groups was not statistically significant (p = 0.673). In group C, the DPOAE fail rate was 13.8% (4 newborns). In group A, there was no statistically significant association between the pass/fail rate and the specific aminoglycoside that was administered, or in the duration of antibiotic treatment, the number of doses, and the size of the mean daily dose and the mean total dose. In clinical practice, DPOAE testing is a sensitive method of evaluating the integrity of the outer hair cells in the basal turn of the cochlea after exposure to ototoxic drugs such as aminoglycosides. However, our study did not demonstrate that the aminoglycosides had any ototoxic effect on the hearing of neonates in the NICU.

Primary laryngeal lymphoma: report of 3 cases and review of the literature.

BACKGROUND: Extranodal lymphomas limited to the larynx are rare, accounting for less than 1% of all laryngeal neoplasms. The aim of this study was to report the experience of our department in the management of these aggressive lesions, as they require special diagnostic and therapeutic attention. METHODS: The case records of 3 patients with the diagnosis of lymphoma involving the larynx were retrospectively reviewed. RESULTS: The histopathological diagnosis revealed 1 case of marginal zone lymphoma mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue type, 1 case of T-lymphoblastic lymphoma, and 1 case of a rare coexistence of in situ squamous cell carcinoma with an isolated intravascular (angioimmunoblastic) lymphoma of peripheral T-cell origin. Details of the presentation, diagnostic procedures, treatment, and outcome of these patients were presented. CONCLUSIONS: Primary laryngeal lymphoma is a rare entity. Early symptoms are subtle and nonspecific, and confirmation of the diagnosis is often difficult. Because of the rarity of this tumor type, the optimal management remains controversial and it seems that should be managed not as a distinct disease entity but as an unusual presentation of non-Hodgkin lymphoma, according to the recent treatment trends.

Potential efficacy of early treatment of acute acoustic trauma with steroids and piracetam after gunshot noise.

The purpose of this randomized study was to evaluate the early effect of the treatment of acute acoustic trauma (AAT) with steroids and piracetam in a sample of 52 young soldiers who were exposed to intense gunfire noise (G3 rifle). These patients were divided into three groups: (1) group A (20 patients) in which the treatment began within the first hour after the AAT, (2) group B (17 patients) in which the treatment started more than 1 h later and less than 16 h after the AAT and (3) group C (15 patients) in which the treatment began after 24 h or more. One month after the treatment onset, 36 (69%) patients of all the groups showed hearing improvement (complete-partial recovery) in the pure tone audiometry. The greater number of patients who showed complete recovery after AAT was noted in group A (65%) compared to group B (23.5%) and C (13.3%). Moreover, in group A, in the final audiogram, the averaged hearing threshold was statistically better (P < 0.001) than that of groups B and C. In spite of the lack of control group, our data demonstrated the possible effectiveness of the immediate onset of treatment of AAT.