Virtual reality as a non-medical tool in the treatment of anxiety, pain, and perception of time in children in the maintenance phase of acute lymphoblastic leukemia treatment.

Introduction: Management of pediatric cancer patients involves invasive procedures such as punctures, injections, catheter placements, and chemotherapy which can generate fatigue, nausea, vomiting, anxiety, and pain. Virtual Reality (VR) is a nonpharmacological intervention classified as a cognitive-behavioral method to relieve symptoms. Methods: We designed a crossover protocol and included 20 patients between 9 and 12 years old; ten were male. All patients had acute lymphoblastic leukemia diagnosis and were treatedwith St. Jude's XV protocol in the maintenance phase. Pain and anxiety were measured with validated scales in the pediatric population. Results: Although we used a small group of patients, we found statistical difference in the reduction of anxiety and perception of time. Discussion: These results open a window to non-pharmacological treatments and show a strategy to improve quality of life in children inside the hospital.

Not only a therapeutic target; mTOR in Hodgkin lymphoma and acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

Introduction: The mechanistic/mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) is a serine/threonine kinase, which is downregulated or upregulated and is implicated in different types of cancer including hematologic neoplasms, skin prostate, and head and neck cancer. Aim: The aim of this study was to explore the current knowledge of mTOR signaling in acute lymphoblastic leukemia and Hodgkin lymphoma. Methods: A systematic review was performed according to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines, searching PubMed, Discovery Service for National Autonomous University of Mexico, Registro Nacional de Instituciones y Empresas Científicas y Tecnológicas (RENIECYT), and Scientific Electronic Library Online (SciELO) from 1994 to 2023. A total of 269 papers were identified for acute lymphoblastic leukemia, but based on specific criteria, 15 were included; for Hodgkin lymphoma, 110 papers were identified, but 5 were included after manual searching. Results: A total of 20 papers were evaluated, where mTOR activity is increased in patients with Hodgkin lymphoma and acute lymphoblastic leukemia by different molecular mechanisms. Conclusions: mTOR activity is increased in patients with both hematologic neoplasms and NOTCH; interleukin 4, 7, and 9, and nuclear proteins have been studied for their role in the activation of mTOR signaling.

[Submucosal lipoma of the colon with intussusception]. / Lipoma submucoso de colon e intususcepción.

Lipomas are the most frequent benign tumours of the digestive tract and 50% are localized in the colon. Most are found in the submucosa and may vary in their incidence, localization, symptoms and pathogenesis. We present the case of a 49-year-old female with intermittent intestinal subocclusion, abdominal distention and intussusception. Colonoscopy disclosed a submucous tumour in the descending colon. Laparoscopic sigmoidectomy was performed with resection of the lesion. Definitive pathology revealed a submucous colon lipoma. It is important to know the different presentations of these tumours because they can be mistaken for a malignant lesion.

[Plasmoblastic lymphoma initially recognized as ovarian tumor]. / Presentación inicial de un linfoma plasmablástico como tumor ovárico.

Plasmablastic lymphoma is an uncommon B-cell lymphoma representing <3% of all non-Hodgkin lymphoma associated with human immunodeficiency virus infection. It displays a distinctive affinity for extranodal presentation in the oral cavity. The case of a plasmablastic lymphoma present in the ovary, cervix and soft thigh tissues of a 27-year-old woman with human immunodeficiency infection is reported.