[The role of chlamydial infection in development of acute respiratory diseases in children]. / Rol' khlamidiinoi infektsii v razvitii ORZ u detei

The examination of 245 children with respiratory diseases has detected chlamydia in 45 (18.4%) of them. Chlamydial species were identified and clinical symptoms of acute respiratory diseases (ARD) of chlamydial etiology are described. Five serological groups of patients depending on the presence or absence of chlamydial infection markers were recognized. Antibacterial drug treatment showed that most effective were sumamed, rulid and clindamycin. Long-term outcomes in relation to the kind of treatment are analysed.

[Causes of lethal outcomes in croup syndrome in children]. / Prichiny letal'nykh iskhodov pri sindrome krupa u detei.

The paper reports 40 cases of lethal outcomes in children with croup syndrome treated in Morozov Children's Moscow City Hospital in 1985-1998. 92.5% of them died of severe pneumonia complications, 7.5%--of sepsis. 70% of the deceased were infants aged 0-2 years, 75% of them were boys. All the children had aggravated premorbid background. The sputum and organ tissues contained in most cases association of viruses with staphylococci and streptococci resistant to standard antibiotics (penicillin, ampicillin, cefazoline). The conclusion is made that children with croup died primarily of severe pneumonia complications in low systemic reactivity and bacterial-viral association of the agents resistant to the antibacterial therapy.

[Retrospective evaluation of blood immunologic parameters in the course of remission of acute lymphoblastic leukemia in children]. / Retrospektivnaia otsenka immunologicheskikh pokazatelei krovi u detei v raznye sroki remissii ostrogo limfoblastnogo leikoza.

The authors investigated cellular and humoral immunity in 53 children over 3 years of age suffering from acute lymphoblastic leukemia. The children had remission lasting from 6 to 120 months and were followed up for 7-14 years after the diagnosis was made. The treatment was performed according to programs of polychemotherapy practiced in 1981-1988. In November of 1995 42 children were alive, 15 had the disease for 10 years. Lymphocytopenia (absolute number of T-cells and B-cells fell 3-5 and 2-3-fold, respectively) was reported in all the examinees both in early remission and later (6-12, 24-60, 60 and more months since the disease onset). In early remission there was a significant reduction in the serum IgG, IgA and IgM. In children with ALL lethal outcome serum IgM and absolute number of E-RFCa dropped in early remission more significantly indicating deep drug-induced depression of lymphocytopoiesis. After 5 years of treatment the pool of peripheral T-lymphocytes and T/B lymphocyte proportion changed for the best, though their absolute number was subnormal. Serum IgG, IgA and circulating immune complexes were 1.3-1.5 times higher than normal which may be explained by gastrointestinal pathology and food allergy in the majority of children treated.