Head Lice Infestation: An Unusual Cause of Iron Deficiency Anemia in a 13-Year-Old Female.

Pediculosis is a parasitic infestation of the human head and body by This is a benign condition commonly seen in children and capable of causing severe pruritus. The parasite thrives on human blood and in some cases, the volume of blood loss over time could be large enough to precipitate anemic symptoms in the patient. We describe the case of a 13-year-old girl who presented with shortness of breath on exertion, palpitations, and easy fatigability.

Incidental Detection of Human Herpesvirus-6 in Cerebrospinal Fluid Analysis: To Treat or Not to Treat?

Human herpesvirus-6 (HHV-6) is a ubiquitous beta herpes virus which can result in meningitis/ meningoencephalitis in humans. FilmArray meningitis/encephalitis panel (BioFire Diagnostics, Salt Lake City, UT) is employed in medical centers for the establishment of a central nervous system (CNS) infection, and HHV-6 is often positive. However, establishing HHV-6 as a cause of meningitis or encephalitis is difficult at the present time, as a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test alone does not establish the etiology of the CNS infection.

National Trends in Hospitalization for Fever and Neutropenia in Children with Cancer, 2007-2014.

Objective: To assess the trends of inpatient resource use and mortality in pediatric hospitalizations for fever with neutropenia in the US from 2007 to 2014.

Study Design: Using National (Nationwide) Inpatient Sample (NIS) and International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification codes, we studied pediatric cancer hospitalizations with fever with neutropenia between 2007 and 2014. Using appropriate weights for each NIS discharge, we created national estimates of median cost, length of stay, and in-hospital mortality rates.

Temporal trends of splenectomy in pediatric hospitalizations with immune thrombocytopenia.

Background: Splenectomy is considered an effective treatment for immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) with 70-80% response rate. However, its current use is limited in children with ITP. It is unclear if the rates of splenectomy have changed over time.