Introduction Febrile neutropenia is one of the most serious treatment-related complications in cancer patients. Susceptible to rapidly progressing infections, which result in prolonged hospitalization and use of broad-spectrum antibiotics, neutropenic patients are subject to colonization by multiresistant agents, which enhances the risk of infections.Methods In this study we included samples collected with nasal, oropharyngeal and anal swabs from hospitalized children with febrile neutropenia following chemotherapy, between March 2014 and 2015, aiming to elucidate colonization by S. aureus and Enterococcus spp., as well as their resistance profile.Results S. aureus was found in 22% of the patients and 14% of the events. Methicillin-resistant S. aureus colonized 13.6% of patients. Including anal swabs in the screening increased the identification of colonized patients by 20%. Enterococcus spp. was found in 27% of patients and 17% of episodes.Enterococcal isolates resistant to vancomycin, accounting for 25% of the total, were not isolated in anal swabs at any time, with the oropharyngeal site being much more important. The rate of infection by Enterococcus spp. was 4.5% of all patients and 16% among the colonized patients. ConclusionEspecially in this population, colonization studies including more sites can yield a higher chance of positive results. Establishing the colonization profile in febrile neutropenic children following chemotherapy may help to institute an empirical antibiotic treatment aimed at antibiotic adequacy and lower induction of resistance, thereby decreasing the risk of an unfavorable clinical outcome.

Patients with congenital kidney and urinary tract abnormalities (CAKUT) will often develop end-stage renal disease at some point and the need for renal replacement therapy is associated with high rates of morbidity and mortality. Hence, efforts to slow the progression of the disease are essential. Hypertension has been proven to be an independent risk factor for faster decline of glomerular filtration rate in renal patients, but studies involving only children with CAKUT are scarce. We performed a literature review to explore the association of hypertension with faster chronic kidney disease progression in children with CAKUT and also treatment options in this condition. A recent study reported an annual decline in GFR of 1.8 ml/min/1.73 m 2 among hypertensive patients with non-glomerular CKD, compared with 0.8 ml/min/1.73 m 2 in normotensive children. A multicenter prospective cohort in Brazil showed that a 1-unit increase in systolic blood pressure Z-score was associated with a 1.5-fold higher risk of disease progression. Since renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system activation is the most important mechanism of hypertension in these children, the first-line therapy involves the use of inhibitors of this axis, including angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors and angiotensin II receptor blockers type I, which also promote an anti-fibrotic effect. Recent studies have shown a good safety profile for use in patients with chronic kidney disease and also in those with solitary kidneys. Hypertension is an independent risk factor for kidney disease progression and should be promptly managed for renal protection, especially among patients with CAKUT, the primary cause of chronic kidney disease in the pediatric population.

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