Acute acalculous cholecystitis (AAC) is the inflammatory disease of the gallbladder in the absence of gallstones. AAC is estimated to represent at least 50% to 70% of all cases of acute cholecystitis during childhood. Although this pathology was originally described in critically ill or post-surgical patients, most pediatric cases have been observed during several infectious diseases. In addition to cases caused by bacterial and parasitic infections, most pediatric reports after 2000 described children developing AAC during viral illnesses (such as Epstein-Barr virus and hepatitis A virus infections). Moreover, some pediatric cases have been associated with several underlying chronic diseases and, in particular, with immune-mediated disorders. Here, we review the epidemiological aspects of pediatric AAC, and we discuss etiology, pathophysiology and clinical management, according to the cases reported in the medical literature.

Purpose: For the first time in Kazakhstan, we have used a combined extracorporeal support, by including the CytoSorb system in a continuous veno-venous hemofiltration system in an 8-month-old patient with a body weight of 5600 g. Results: The CytoSorb therapy session resulted in a reduction of inflammation markers IL-6, S100, procalcitonin, and C-reactive protein. Simultaneously, the level of transaminases, creatine kinase, and troponin were normalized, by the end of the session patient hemodynamics were stable and there was no need for vasopressors, acid–base balance was maintained, and the patient was weaned from mechanical ventilation to spontaneous breathing. Conclusion: Treatment using the CytoSorb device was safe and well-tolerated in a pediatric patient and has proven its practical value as an adjuvant therapy for sepsis in pediatric patient populations.

Macrophage Activation Syndrome (MAS) is a very severe complication of different rheumatic diseases, including pediatric Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (pSLE). MAS is not considered as a frequent complication of pSLE; however, its occurrence could be under-estimated and the diagnosis can be challenging. In order to address this issue, we performed a systematic review of the available medical literature, aiming to retrieve all those papers providing diagnostic (clinical/laboratory) data on patients with pSLE-related MAS, in individual or aggregated form. The selected case reports and series provided a pool of 46 patients, accounting for 48 episodes of MAS in total. We re-analyzed these patients in light of the diagnostic criteria for MAS validated in systemic Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (sJIA) patients and the preliminary diagnostic criteria for MAS in pSLE, respectively. Five clinical studies were also selected and used to support this analysis. This systematic review confirms that MAS diagnosis in pSLE patients is characterized by several diagnostic challenges, which could lead to delayed diagnosis and/or under-estimation of this complication. Specific criteria should be considered to diagnose MAS in different rheumatic diseases; as regards pSLE, the aforementioned preliminary criteria for MAS in pSLE seem to perform better than the sJIA-related MAS criteria, because of a lower ferritin cut-off.

Background: Sepsis is a frequent cause of death in hospitalized patients and, in detail, in neonatal, pediatric, and adult intensive care units (ICUs). Severe sepsis has a very poor prognosis. Indeed, the mortality rate varies between 30 and 70% during the first 7–14 days. Despite a timely and appropriate therapy, the prognosis of severe sepsis is too often negative. Therefore, new therapeutic resources are under investigation in order to further improve prognosis.Case series: Here, we reported three septic children in whom we used extracorporeal blood purification therapy with hemoadsorption device HA330 (Jafron Biomedical Co., Ltd., China), aiming to scavenge and eliminate bacterial toxins and inflammatory mediators from the blood.Discussion and Conclusion: This small case series first showed that hemoperfusion with HA330 cartridge may be an effective and relatively safe adjunctive treatment to counterbalance the cytokine storm in septic children with hematological disorders. Further studies are needed to confirm and further support its safety and efficacy in a large number of pediatric patients.