Fluconazole.

Incidence of systemic candidiasis is increasing with improvement in the survival of high risk neonates who undergo multiple interventions. Therapies available to treat systemic fungal infection are few and have several drawbacks. Fluconazole, a new triazole derivative may be a useful anti-fungal agent in view of its excellent oral absorption, easy administration, low plasma protein affinity, long half-life, high concentrations in urine and CSF, minimal adverse reactions, wide spectrum of anti-fungal activity and high specificity for fungal cytochrome P450 system. Its utility in neonates and children with candidiasis has already been documented by few case reports and studies.

Host factors and pneumonia in hospitalised children.

Acute respiratory infections (ARI) account for 20-24% of childhood deaths in India. The present study investigated the host related risk factors in the outcome of pneumonia in 127 hospitalised children between the ages of 2 months and 5 years. The case fatality rate in the study was 11.8%. Presence of malnutrition is a significantly important factor for both increased duration of pneumonia and fatal outcome. Other factors for increased pneumonia mortality include the presence of associated illness and the severity of the pneumonia.