The control of invasive Candida infection in very low birth weight infants by reduction in the use of 3rd generation cephalosporin / 소아과

PURPOSE: To evaluate the effectiveness of new management policies on the incidence of invasive Candida infections METHODS: This observational study involved a retrospective analysis of the patients' medical records. In total, 99 very low birth weight infants, who were admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit at Ajou University Hospital from January 2010 to December 2011, were enrolled for the study. Period I, defined as the period before the revision of management policies, comprised 57 infants; whereas, period II, defined as the period after the implementation of new management policies, comprised 42 infants. The new management policies entailed a reduction in antibiotic and histamine type 2 receptor blocker (H2 blocker) use, duration of central venous catheterization, and duration of endotracheal intubation. RESULTS: There was a significant overall decrease in the use of antibiotics including 3rd generation cephalosporin and H2 blockers (P<0.05), and a significantly lower incidence of invasive Candida infections in period II as compared to period I (0/42 vs. 6/57, respectively; P=0.037). Comparison between infants with invasive Candida infections (n=6) and those without (n=93) showed that gestational age (odds ratio [OR], 0.909; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.829 to 0.996; P=0.042) and the duration of 3rd generation cephalosporin use (OR, 1.093; 95% CI, 1.009 to 1.183; P=0.029) were statistically significant risk factors. CONCLUSION: The new management policies effectively decreased overall use of antibiotics, especially 3rd generation cephalosporin, and H2 blockers, which led to a significantly lower incidence of invasive Candida infections.

A Case Report of Beals Syndrome with Hydrocephalus / 대한주산의학회잡지

Beals syndrome, also known as Beals-Hecht syndrome or congenital contractural arachnodactyly, is a rare, autosomal dominant connective tissue disorder. It is characterized by crumpled ears, arachnodactyly, congenital contractures and scoliosis. A male infant of 37+5 weeks of gestation, and with birth weight of 3170 grams, had features of a long and narrow face, bilateral crumpled inferior helix, prominent antihelix of the ears, bilateral arachnodactyly, clenched position of the hands and flexion contractures of the elbows and knees. The infant had tachypnea and chest retractions shortly after birth, and was diagnosed with transient tachypnea of newborn with pneumothorax. He was subsequently treated with positive pressure ventilation and chest tube insertion. Chromosomal karyotype analysis was normal and screening for Marfan syndrome was negative. Echocardiographic findings were unremarkable. Cranial ultrasonography showed a left lateral ventricle dilatation of 0.5 cm and increase up to 1.2 cm on follow up. Brain MRI showed a progression of dilatation of the left ventricle, and a ventriculo-peritoneal shunt was done at 3 months of age. We present a case of a newborn male with Beals syndrome, accompanied with ventricular dilatation and progression to hydrocephalus that has not been previously reported.

Life Threatening Upper Gastrointestinal Bleeding in Neonate: A Report of Two Cases

Neonatal upper gastrointestinal bleeding is rare in healthy full term infants and is known to be caused by stress ulcer, intracranial hemorrhage, increased intracranial pressure, congenital heart disease, perinatal asphyxia, respiratory distress, hypoglycemia and use of drugs such as steroids. Mallory-Weiss syndrome and hemorrhagic gastritis can cause life threatening upper gastrointestinal bleeding and are rarely reported in neonates and young infants. The authors experienced a case of Mallory-Weiss syndrome in a full term infant without particular perinatal history and a case of acute hemorrhagic gastritis in a preterm infant born at 33 weeks of gestation and 2,260 g of birth weight, both showed life threatening upper gastrointestinal bleeding. We report these two cases with a review of current literature.

Natural History of Treated New-Onset Epilepsy in Children: A Long-term Follow-up Cohort Study in a Single Center / 대한소아신경학회지

PURPOSE: Seizure outcomes are more complicated in terms of repeated remission and relapse in the course of epilepsy. We aim to investigate the different patterns of evolution in new-onset pediatric epilepsy and the seizure outcome of different types of epilepsy syndromes. METHODS: We examined the evolution pattern of remission and relapse in the course of epilepsy in 326 children who were less than 15 years of age, with new-onset epilepsy. Different remission-relapse patterns were determined in each patient and according to epilepsy syndromes. The probability of repeated remission and relapse were analyzed with Markov process. RESULTS: During follow-up (mean+/-SD: 79+/-25 months) of 326 patients, early remission, defined as remission within the first year of treatment, was seen in 288 patients (88.4%), and late remission was achieved in 21 patients (6.4%). 17 patients (5.2%) never achieved remission. 94.8% of the cohort experienced at least one remission, with first relapse, second relapse, and third relapse occurring in 115 patients (35.3%), 61 patients (18.7%), and 28 patients (8.6%), respectively. At the end of follow-up period, 281 patients (86.2%) were in terminal remission. 194 patients (59.6%) showed a continuous remitting course, and 87 patients (26.7%) showed a remitting-relapse course. 45 patients (13.8%), including worsening courses in 28 patients (8.6%) and drug resistant courses in 17 patients (5.2%), did not show terminal remission. Markov process disclosed that children with epileptic encephalopathy and symptomatic partial epilepsy were less likely to show remission than children with idiopathic partial or generalized epilepsy (P<0.001). CONCLUSION: Only 13.8% of children with new-onset epilepsy have poor seizure outcome in terms of never achieving remission or persistent seizure after achieving at least one remission. The etiology of epilepsy syndrome is an important factor determining seizure outcome.