Adverse reactions to BCG.

In the post-war period the following BCG vaccines were successively in use for preventive vaccination in the Czech territory: (a) Copenhagen BCG, 1947-1950, (b) Prague BCG 725, 1951-1980, (c) Moscow BCG, 1981-1993, and (d) Behring BCG, from 1994 onwards. These BCG substrains can be now identified by modern methods of molecular genetics. Introducing the Moscow BCG brought about an elevated incidence of iatrogenic local and regional lymph node adverse reactions compared with the previous Prague BCG product and, as a new phenomenon, bone and joint involvements in children vaccinated at birth. The aim of this study was to analyze the incidence of postvaccination adverse reactions reported in the period from 1981 to 1993 as related to the Moscow BCG vaccine and, to demonstrate the effect of lower vaccination dosage on their frequency. The concentration of the Moscow BCG varied from 11 to 22.6 x 10(6) (average 16.2) CFU per 1 mg. In the period when full dose of BCG (0.05 mg per 0.1 ml) was applied to newborns 437 local and 195 regional lymph node complications were recorded, i.e. 0.08% of vaccinated were affected, demanding antituberculosis chemotherapy in 6.5% and surgical interventions in 24%. When the lowered vaccination dose (0.025 mg per 0.1 ml) was inoculated to newborns the local adverse reactions rose paradoxically affecting 0.1% of vaccinated but the regional lymph node reactions fell considerably to reach 0.01%; the demand for chemotherapy and surgery also fell down to 3.1 and 4.8% respectively. Bone and joint adverse involvements were recorded in 28 cases, i.e. in 3.7 per 10(5) of those vaccinated with the full dose.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

[Thorax--an atlas of radiographic images of childhood lung diseases]. / Thorax--atlas rentgenových snímku detských plicních nemocí.

At the Paediatric Clinic of the Institute for Postgraduate Medical Training in the University Thomayer Hospital in Prague an extensive archive of rare X-ray findings from the field of child pneumology was assembled which is used for postgraduate medical training. To facilitate physical manipulation of the documents the X-ray pictures were transferred to a computer data base. For storage the Thorax programme was used which is distributed on CD-ROM. The authors discuss the use of this programme in practice. At present the data base comprises 529 digitalized X-ray pictures of 149 case-histories of pulmonary diseases of child patients.

Diffuse interstitial lung fibrosis from childhood and adolescence to adult life.

Sixty-two patients with interstitial lung fibrosis in the age range 2 to 34 years were followed up from 3 to 26 years. The authors stress the important role of an experienced radiologist, who may make a correct diagnosis on the basis of a plain chest radiograph and who plays an important role in follow-up studies because the changing X-ray picture usually corresponds with functional spirometric findings. The diagnosis is established after clinical, radiological and spirometric examinations. Lung biopsy is necessary in atypical cases only. With the diagnosis established treatment with corticosteroids is given in an alternating way and favourable results may be expected in most cases. Six of the female patients have born seven fit children, all without chromosomal aberrations, after five to ten years of corticosteroid treatment.