ABSTRACT
PURPOSE: Our study was designed to evaluate the prevalence of secondary skin infection in patients with atopic dermatitis and their sensitivity to antibiotics for appropriate choice of antibiotics. METHODS: We studied skin culture and their sensitivity results for 218 patients who visited to pediatric allergy clinic from June 2003 to August 2004. After determining minimal inhibitory concentrations(MICs) of antibiotics from randomly selected 40 cases of them, we compared the result with previous data. RESULTS: Age distribution was as follows; 28 cases(12.8%) were under 1 year old, 64 cases(29.4%) were 1 to 3 years old, 63 cases(28.9%) were 4 to 6 years old, and 63 cases (28.9%) were over 7 years old. 121 cases(55.5%) of 218 cases were found to have secondary skin infection. The most common organism was Staphylococcus aureus(S. aureus; 85 cases, 70.2%). The next was Staphylococcus epidermides(S. epidermidis; 22 cases, 18.2%). S. aureus were highly resistant to ampicillin and penicillin, but were relatively highly sensitive to 1st and 2nd generation cephalosporin, gentamicin, and erythromycin. To teicoplanin and vancomycin, they were entirely sensitive. On the other hand, S. epidermidis was highly resistant to 1st generation cephalosporin in addition to ampicillin and penicillin. Moreover, alpha- and beta-hemolytic streptococcus, which were co-infected with S. aureus, showed highly resistance to ampicillin, oxacillin and cephalosporin. In MIC test, methicillin-resistant S. aureus were found in 4 cases. CONCLUSION: Skin culture, sensitivity test and the appropriate choice of antibiotics might be important to control secondary skin infection and atopic dermatitis.
Subject(s)
Child , Child, Preschool , Humans , Age Distribution , Ampicillin , Anti-Bacterial Agents , Dermatitis, Atopic , Erythromycin , Gentamicins , Hand , Hypersensitivity , Methicillin Resistance , Oxacillin , Penicillins , Prevalence , Skin , Staphylococcus , Staphylococcus aureus , Streptococcus , Teicoplanin , VancomycinABSTRACT
PURPOSE: Surfactant protein A(SP-A) is involved in surfactant physiology and structure, and plays a major role in innate host defense and inflammatory processes in the lung. Steroid therapy is widely used for mothers who threaten to deliver prematurely and also used commonly in the management of preterm infants with chronic lung disease. Two SP-A genes(SP-A1, SP-A2) and several alleles have been characterized for each SP-A gene in human. Preliminary evidence indicates that differences may exist among alleles in response to Dexamethasone(Dexa) and that the SP-A 3'UTR plays a role in this process. We studied whether 3'UTR-mediated differences exist among the most frequently found SP-A alleles in response to Dexa. METHODS: Constructs containing the 3'UTR from eight different SP-A alleles were made using luciferase as a the reporter gene. These constructs were driven by the SV40 promotor and were transfected along with a transfection control vector in H441 cells that express SP-A. The activity of the reporter gene in the presence or absence of Dexa(100 nM) treatment was measured. All the experiments for the eight SP-A alleles studied, were performed in triplicate and repeated five times. The results were normalized to the transfection control. RESULTS: Expression of alleles of 6A3, 6A, 1A were significantly decreased in response to Dexa. CONCLUSION: Three UTR mediated differences exist among human SP-A variants both in the basal expression and in response to Dexa. These genotype-dependent differences may point to a need for a careful consideration of individual use of steroid treatment in the prematurely born infant.
Subject(s)
Humans , Infant , Infant, Newborn , 3' Untranslated Regions , Alleles , Dexamethasone , Genes, Reporter , Infant, Premature , Luciferases , Lung , Lung Diseases , Mothers , Physiology , TransfectionABSTRACT
Hydrocarbon pneumonitis is an inflammatory change in the lungs caused by ingestion or inhalation of household products that contain hydrocarbons. We experienced a rare case of hydrocarbon pneumonitis with a pulmonary hemorrhage in a 3-year-old girl after ingestion of paint thinner which has a high mortality. She was admitted due to dyspnea, vomiting, hemoptysis, and needed to support mechanical ventilation. She recovered completely with no respiratory complicaion, after mechanical ventilatory support, antibiotics, and steroids treatment.
Subject(s)
Child, Preschool , Female , Humans , Anti-Bacterial Agents , Dyspnea , Eating , Hemoptysis , Hemorrhage , Household Products , Hydrocarbons , Inhalation , Lung , Mortality , Paint , Pneumonia , Respiration, Artificial , Steroids , VomitingABSTRACT
Gastroparesis is rare in children and is defined as delayed emptying of gastric contents into the duodenum without mechanical obstruction. We experienced a case of gastroparesis in a 7-year-old boy after a viral illness. He was admitted because of excessive abdominal bloating and diffuse abdominal pain, and was diagnosed by clinical manifestations and measurement of the gastric emtpyting time. He recovered after dietary management and with commbined medication of erythromycin and domperidone in 50 days of illness.