Thrombocytopenic purpura related to rubella infection.

Serologic studies for rubella (hemagglutination inhibition and complement fixation changes) were carried out at two-week intervals in 15 patients with acute idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura and in age-matched controls in the same season during a small rubella epidemic. Hemagglutination inhibition, sucrose density gradient for hemagglutination inhibition, and complement fixation titer changes implicated recent rubella infection as an etiologic factor in five of the 15 patients.

Two booster dose hepatitis B virus vaccination in patients with leukemia.

The aim of this study was to interpret the antibody response to hepatitis B (HB) vaccination following a two booster dose schedule in 94 acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) patients. All patients were between 1-16 years of age with negative hepatitis B virus (HBV) serology and normal hepatic function. Fifty patients were vaccinated with Engerix B vaccine, and 44 patients were vaccinated with GenHevac B vaccine, with a schedule of 0, 1, 6 and 0, 1, 2, as well as booster doses, in 12 and 6 months respectively. A second booster was given as a fifth dose to 16 unresponsive patients in each vaccine group, 3 and 6 months after the first booster for Engerix B and GenHevac B vaccines respectively. Dosage was 20 microg HbsAg for all patients. Seroconversion rates with protective level antibody were 35.1% (n=33/94). The figures were 32.1% (n=16/50) and 38.6% (n=17/44) for Engerix B and GenHevac B vaccines, respectively. Seroconversion rate in patients younger than 10 years old was found to be higher (39.11%) than older patients (24%), but this was not statistically significant. This study indicates that one third of the leukemic children undergoing maintenence chemotherapy responded to HB vaccine with protective titers of anti-HBs. We recommend HB vaccination especially in developing countries.

Beneficial effects of dexamethasone in children with pneumococcal meningitis.

Fifty-six children older than 2 years with meningitis caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae were enrolled in a prospective, double blind, placebo-controlled trial to evaluate the efficacy of dexamethasone therapy in addition to antimicrobial therapy. Twenty-nine of 56 received dexamethasone (0.6 mg/kg/day iv, divided into 4 daily doses for 4 days) and the remaining 27 received placebo. At the beginning of therapy the clinical and laboratory characteristics of the patients in the treatment groups were comparable, except for the Glasgow coma score (P = 0.004), which was lower in the dexamethasone group. Patients were examined daily during hospitalization and 6 weeks after discharge from the hospital. Hearing was assessed 6 weeks after discharge by means of pure tone audiometry. Two patients in the dexamethasone group and one patient in the placebo group died. There were no differences between the two groups with regard to the duration of fever, the incidence of secondary fever and electrolyte imbalance, seizure activities occurring during hospitalization and rash. Although the differences were statistically insignificant, moderate or severe unilateral or bilateral sensorineural hearing loss at 6 weeks and the overall neurologic sequelae, including hearing loss, at 1 year were higher in the placebo group, at 23% vs. 7.4% (P = 0.11) and 26.9% vs. 7.4% (P = 0.062), respectively. At 3 months after discharge, because of the improvement in hearing loss in one dexamethasone-treated patient the incidence of hearing impairment was significantly less than that in the placebo group, at 3.7% vs. 23%, respectively (P = 0.044). No improvement in hearing loss was observed after 3 months.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Sulbactam/ampicillin in the treatment of pediatric infections.

Seventy eight pediatric patients (43 males, 35 females) aged 34 days to 17 years were treated with intravenous or intramuscular sulbactam/ampicillin 3 or 4 times daily for skeletal system infection (10 cases), systemic salmonellosis (2 cases), intrathoracic infection (12 cases), and soft tissue or miscellaneous infections (54 cases). The dose used to treat the majority of patients was 200 mg of ampicillin plus 100 mg of sulbactam per kg/day. The duration of treatment ranged from 8 to 23 days. Sulbactam/ampicillin alone was used in 68 patients. Ten patients were treated with an additional antibacterial agent. The overall cure rate was 98.7% for all 78 study patients. One patient with an abscess in the neck was shown to be infected with a strain of Escherichia coli resistant to sulbactam/ampicillin. Only one patient experienced a rash, but it did not necessitate discontinuation of therapy. This study shows that sulbactam/ampicillin is a safe and effective agent in the treatment of various pediatric infections.

Intravenous immunoglobulin treatment in children with Guillain-Barré syndrome.

We have retrospectively reviewed the data of 75 consecutive children diagnosed with Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) and hospitalized in two centres. There were 51 children with GBS treated in Ankara, Turkey and 24 patients treated in Toronto, Canada. To evaluate the effect of intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) treatment, the patients were divided into three groups. All 24 Canadian patients received IVIG in a dose of 1 g/kg/day for 2 days. In the Ankara group 23 children received 0.4 g/kg/day for 5 days and the remaining 28 patients in that group received supportive treatment only. In all but two patients IVIG was started within the first 2 weeks of neuropathic symptoms. The patients' data, including mean functional grades, frequency of bulbar signs and autonomic dysfunction and age were similar in all three groups. Analysis of the short-term outcome demonstrated that the patients treated with IVIG had a significantly faster rate of recovery. Mean time-lapse until improvement of one functional grade was 17.4 days in the IVIG group from Toronto, and 20.8 days in the IVIG group and 62.4 days in the non-IVIG group of patients from Ankara. We conclude that IVIG has considerable efficacy in the treatment of children with GBS. Furthermore, we have also demonstrated a faster rate of recovery in patients who received a total dose of IVIG in 2 days as opposed to 5 days.

Lymphoma with bilateral cavernous sinus involvement in early childhood.

A 4-year-old girl developed complete ophthalmoplegia with intact pupillary responses. Computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging demonstrated a mass invading the cavernous and sphenoid sinuses and posterior ethmoidal cells. Biopsy revealed non-Hodgkin lymphoma. This patient is the youngest reported with malignant lymphoma of the cavernous sinus and the second reported with bilateral cavernous sinus involvement.

Aluminum content of vaccines used in Turkey.

Aluminum salts have been used in the preparation of a number of vaccines, toxoids, and allergen injectants as an adjuvant for many years. Although aluminum allergy is rare, there are many reported cases caused by aluminum-precipitated vaccines or hyposensitization therapy. Therefore, determination of the aluminum content of these vaccines is necessary information regarding adverse reactions related to these vaccines. In the present study, the aluminum contents of several vaccines (n = 19) routinely used in Turkey were, determined by electrothermal atomic absorption spectrophotometry. We found that aluminum levels in the vaccines ranged from 0.0 to 1438 mg/L.

Cutaneous anthrax.

The case of a 9-year-old boy diagnosed and treated for cutaneous anthrax is presented. We discuss the clinical features and course of this disease, encountered today only rarely in less developed regions where humans are in contact with infected animals.

Accidental vaccinia vulva vaginitis.

A thirty year old woman in whom an uncommon complication of smallpox vaccination developed is presented herein. In this case, virus was transmitted from the recently vaccinated child to the vulva and the vagina of the incompletely immune mother. The diagnosis was confirmed by a viral culture and a direct smear. The patient was treated intravenously with cytosine arabinoside (Cytosar) 3 mg/kg and was completely cured after seven days.

Experience with ampicillin/sulbactam in severe infections.

The emergence of beta-lactamase-mediated resistance to established beta-lactam antibiotics prompted the development of beta-lactamase inhibitors for co-administration. Ampicillin has been combined with sulbactam for both parenteral and oral (as the mutual pro-drug sultamicillin) administration. The combination is active in vitro against a wide variety of Gram-positive and Gram-negative pathogens, including aerobic and anaerobic organisms. In clinical trials, ampicillin/sulbactam has proved clinically and bacteriologically effective against a variety of frequently encountered pediatric infections, including mild-to-moderate upper respiratory tract infections (acute otitis media, sinusitis, pharyngitis, and tonsillitis), severe post-operative and intra-abdominal infections, periorbital infections (which, left untreated, can lead to blindness, brain abscess, or death), acute epiglottitis, bacterial meningitis, and brain abscess. Ampicillin/sulbactam has also proved effective in the prevention of post-operative surgical infections in pediatric patients. The clinical efficacy profile of ampicillin/sulbactam and sultamicillin, combined with their excellent tolerability profile, make these agents attractive options for the management of many life-threatening infections in pediatric patients.