[The size of the vocal folds in the children during the first years of life].

The objective of the present study was to determine the size of the vocal folds in the children during the first several years of life. The study included 137 children at the age from the birth up to 3 years who were referred to our clinic for the pre-planned surgical intervention with the use of endotracheal intubation. The length and the width of the vocal folds from the muscle tubercle to the anterior commissure in abduction were measured using a probe specially designed and adapted for this purpose. In all the cases, the endoscope was positioned at the same distance from the vocal folds. The fold length (ab) and width (cd) were expressed in millimeters. These parameters were measured in the following age groups of the patients: from the birth to 1 month 29 days (group 1), from 12 mo to 23 mo 29 d (group 2), from 24 mo to 35 mo 29 d (group 3), and above 36 months (group 4). The length and the width of the vocal folds varied from 2.6 mm to 7.8 mm and from 1.3 mm to 3.2 mm respectively. The length of the vocal folds increased at a rate of 1.025 mm per year showing marked variations within each age group, from the maximum value of 1.79 mm during the second year of life to the minimum of 0.48 mm during the fourth year. The authors conclude that these data may be of use for the improvement of the quality of the surgical treatment and subsequent rehabilitation of the respiratory and voice-generating functions of the larynx.

[Specific features of the clinical picture and difficulties of diagnostics of laryngeal paresis and paralysis in the newborn babies, during breast feeding and early infancy].

The objective of the present study was to compare different methods for the endoscopic examination of the larynx in the newborn babies, during the period of breast feeding and early infancy. Special attention was given to differential diagnostics and the cases of the asymptomatic clinical curse of the disease. Case reports are presented, and the relevant literature data are analysed.

[Early detection and rapid identification of Streptococcus pneumoniae and Haemophilus influenzae in acute pneumonias]. / Rannee obnaruzhenie i bystraia identifikatsiia Streptococcus pneumoniae i Haemophilus influenzae pri ostrykh pnevmoniiakh.

The comparative study of the diagnostic value of the enzyme immunoassay (EIA), indirect immunofluorescence (IF) and countercurrent immunoelectrophoresis (CIE) was made. The serological identification of the isolated and reference pneumococci (19) and H. influenzae (38) strains revealed the possibility of using all three microanalytical methods for this purpose. The study of pneumococcal and H. influenzae antigens in native sputum obtained from 74 patients with acute pneumonia showed that EIA and indirect IF were highly sensitive, their sensitivity considerably exceeding that of the bacteriological analysis. Pneumococcal antigens were detected in 66.2% of patients by EIA and in 54.0% of patients by indirect IF, while H. influenzae antigens were detected in 58.1% of patients by EIA and in 67.6% of patients by indirect IF. The sensitivity of CIE proved to be considerably lower; in the detection of pneumococcal antigens it was level with the sensitivity of the bacteriological analysis (23.0%) and H. influenzae antigens could be detected only in 27.0% of patients.

[Etiological study of the fatal cases in the period of the influenza A epidemic of 1977-1978]. / Izuchenie étiologii letal'nykh sluchaev v period épidemii grippa A 1977-1978 gg.

The etiology of the disease, the age structure of fatalities, the time of death were studied in 34 fatal cases in the period of influenza A (H1N1) epidemic in December 1977-February 1978 and in 33 fatal cases during influenza A/Victoria/3/75 (H3N2) epidemic in January-March, 1975 (data from some autopsy offices of Kiev). The results of the investigation of the etiology by immunofluorescence and the histological methods were mostly similar. The polyetiological structure of the diseases in the influenza epidemic of 1975 and rather monoetiological one in the influenza epidemic of 1977-1978 were observed. In 1975, fatal cases were found mostly in 2 age groups: infants under 1 year and adults over 20, in 1977-1978 in 4 age groups: infants under 1, children of 1-3, over 9, and adults. In both epidemics the maximum number of fatal cases coincided with the beginning of a decline in the epidemic wave and subsequently they were registered evenly for over one month. A high infection rate with a new influenza A virus variant (H1N1) was found among normal subjects in all age groups.

[Antigens of adeno-associated viruses in children dying from acute respiratory disease]. / Antigeny adenoassotsiirovannykh virusov u detei, umershikh ot ostrogo respiratornogo zabolevaniia.

Infection with adeno-associated viruses (AAV) early in life and extensive dissemination of these viruses in infants were discovered by detection of AAV antigen by the fluorescent antibody procedure in autopsy materials from infants dying of acute respiratory viral diseases. AAV antigens were found in cells from various organs of infants aged 2,5, 7, 9 days and older. In each individual case AAV of the same serological type was found in different organs. In 4-months-old twins AAV antigens of the same serotypes, 1 and 4, were found in the trachea, lungs, liver, kidney, brains. Out of 21 infants dying of adenovirus infection, 20 had AAV antigens the distribution of which in cells of various organs was analogous to that of the adenovirus antigen, with a few exceptions. Three infants had no adenovirus infection and no AAV antigne. In the other 6 infants no adenovirus antigen but AAV antigens were found. In the latter cases herpes virus infection is not excluded. Possible modes of transmission of AAV infection are discussed.