ABSTRACT
PURPOSE: Chronic urticaria is characterized by recurrent, itchy, and evanescent wheals over a period of six weeks. The mechanisms of chronic urticaria in children have not been fully elucidated. However, urticaria lesions represent a dynamic inflammatory process involving a complex interplay of various inflammatory mediators, chemokines, adhesion molecules and cellular interaction. The aim of this investigation was to elucidate the possible role of intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) in the promotion of eosinophil trafficking and the interaction of soluble ICAM-1 (sICAM-1) with eosinophil cationic protein (ECP) in chronic urticaria. METHODS: Twenty-three children with chronic urticaria and five healthy children were recruited into the study. Total IgE, sICAM-1 and ECP concentrations were measured in all the serum samples from the study subjects, and both skin prick tests and dermographisms were performed after counting peripheral blood eosinophil in each subject. RESULTS: Mean concentration of serum sICAM-1 was higher in the urticaria patient group than in the control (P<0.05), however, serum ECP levels were variable. In the urticaria group, there were statistically significant correlations between the levels of serum ICAM-1 and ECP (r=0.24, P<0.001), and between the levels of serum ICAM-1 and the grade of dermographism (r=0.313, P<0.001). On the other hand, serum ICAM-1 level was not significantly related to the number of peripheral blood eosinophil. CONCLUSION: These data suggest that ICAM-1 and ECP might play a certain important role in the cellular interactions of inflammation involved in chronic urticaria, and the role should be verified by further studies.
Subject(s)
Child , Male , Female , HumansABSTRACT
Acute gastroenteritis due to Salmonella species, which usually improves on conservative treatment, can progress to sepsis and extraintestinal focal infection in very young infants. Frequent sites for extraintestinal infections are meninges, bone, joints, spleen and intravascular sites but scrotal abscess due to salmonella in children has been very rare. Literature search revealed only one newborn case of scrotal abscess with bacteremia due to salmonella group D which developed after circumcision. We, herein, report a 42 day old infant who initally presented with diarrhea that progressed to sepsis and scrotal abscess. Despite the use of susceptible antibiotics, the patient improved only after surgical drainage.