The natural history, biologic and histological features, and the presenting symptoms of neuroblastoma are reviewed. The radiological findings of this neurogenic paediatric tumour are discussed.

Splenic abscess is an uncommon entity that can be treated percutaneously. CT-guided drainage of splenic abscess seems to be a safe and effective alternative to surgery, allowing preservation of the spleen.

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Abstract‘Blastomas’ are tumors virtually unique to childhood. Controversy surrounds their nomenclature and there is no globally accepted classification. They are thought to arise from immature, primitive tissues that present persistent embryonal elements on histology, affect a younger pediatric population and are usually malignant. The ‘commoner’ blastomas (neuroblastoma, nephroblastoma, hepatoblastoma, medulloblastoma) account for approximately 25% of solid tumors in the pediatric age range. We present examples of the more unusual blastematous pediatric tumors (lipoblastoma, osteoblastoma, chondroblastoma, hemangioblastoma, gonadoblastoma, sialoblastoma, pleuropulmonary blastoma, pancreatoblastoma, pineoblastoma, and medullomyoblastoma) that were recorded in our institution. Although these rare types of blastomas individually account for <1% of pediatric malignancies, collectively they may be responsible for up to 5% of pediatric tumors in a given population of young children. Imaging is often non-specific but plays an important role in their identification, management and follow-up. Some characteristic imaging features at diagnosis, encountered in cases diagnosed and treated in our institution, are described and reviewed.

Background: Whole airway wall thickening on high resolution computed tomography (HRCT) is reported to parallel thickening of the bronchial epithelial reticular basement membrane (RBM) in adult asthmatics. A similar relationship in children with difficult asthma (DA), in whom RBM thickening is a known feature, may allow the use of HRCT as a non-invasive marker of airway remodelling. We evaluated this relationship in children with DA.

[1] In this study, the consistency of trends in radiation and temperature records and their implications for the hydrological cycle and especially the trends in reference evapotranspiration are examined during the period 1950-2001. The new reference evapotranspiration model for complex terrains (REMCT), with monthly time step, is used for estimating trends of reference evapotranspiration in Greece. REMCT is applied after developing a methodology for calibrating its parameter values with Penman-Monteith estimates. The calibrated REMCT estimates are independently validated against available pan evaporation measurements. The evolution of available sunshine duration anomalies measured in Athens during the period 1951-2001 are used for highlighting global dimming or brightening periods in Greece. The sign of trends in the modeled reference evapotranspiration and precipitation are examined according to the dimming or brightening periods 1950-1983 and 1958-1983 (for 16 and 22 stations, respectively) or 1983-2001 (for 16, 22, and 29 stations). The trends of REMCT estimates, precipitation, number of rainy days, and mean, maximum, and minimum air temperature for all sets of stations considered "as a whole" are evaluated during the same periods. The results show that the annual calibrated reference evapotranspiration trend shows a decline from 1950 until the early 1980s, followed by an upward trend until 2001, while the annual precipitation and rainy days indicate a downward trend during the whole period 1950-2001. The trends of mean, maximum, and minimum air temperature are found almost negligible during the dimming period and rather increased during the brightening period.