Pediatric infectious disease

PURPOSES: This study investigated the feasibility of adalimumab (ADA) dose reduction and withdrawal strategy in children with stable pediatric non-infectious uveitis (PNIU). METHODS: This open-label prospective pilot trial recruited 18 stable PNIU patients (33 eyes) between two and eighteen years old who were treated with standard doses of ADA (20/40 mg every 2 weeks) plus oral methotrexate. The interval of ADA injection was extended to 4 weeks and followed up for 24 weeks...

BACKGROUND: Features of consumptive coagulopathy and thromboinflammation are prominent in cerebral malaria (CM). We hypothesized that thrombogenic autoantibodies contribute to a procoagulant state in CM. METHODS: Plasma from children with uncomplicated malaria (UM, n = 124) and CM (n = 136) was analyzed by ELISA for a panel of 8 autoantibodies including anti-Platelet Factor 4/polyanion (anti-PF4/P), anti-Phospholipid, anti-Phosphatidylserine, anti-Myeloperoxidase, anti-Proteinase 3, anti-dsDNA, anti-Beta-2-Glycoprotein I (β2GPI), and anti-Cardiolipin...

BACKGROUND: World Health Organization proposed 7 warning signs to identify the risk of severe dengue in 2009. This study aimed to evaluate the value of these warning signs in detecting severe dengue in children. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted utilizing data of children with clinical dengue infection obtained from medical records between January 2009 and December 2018 in Jakarta. Children with confirmed dengue were analyzed and stratified into 3 age groups: infants less than 1 year old, children 1-14 years and adolescents 15-18 years of age...

BACKGROUND: Corynebacterium diphtheriae infection, causing diphtheria, is a public health concern, particularly in developing nations like Pakistan. Despite immunization efforts, recent outbreaks since 2022 have emphasized the continuing threat. This study focuses on describing the clinical characteristics of children with diphtheria-induced myocarditis and exploring the association between early cardiac abnormalities, future fatality rates, and contributing factors. METHODS: A one-year cross-sectional study was undertaken at Lady Reading Hospital MTI Peshawar, encompassing 73 pediatric patients diagnosed with diphtheria-associated myocarditis...

OBJECTIVES: Continuous curriculum improvements reveal the dedication of policy-makers to raising the quality of education and student learning. This study aims to report the impact of curriculum changes to the three-month pediatric course curriculum at Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences (SBMU) on the satisfaction levels of medical students. METHODS: One hundred eighteen 4th -5th years medical students, who had completed their pediatric clinical rotation in SBMU-affiliated teaching hospitals including Mofid Children Hospital, Loghman Hakim Hospital, Shohada-e-Tajrish Hospital, and Imam Hossein Hospital from January to December 2022 were included in this cross-sectional study...

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

OBJECTIVES: Enteric fever carries appreciable morbidity in non-endemic settings, particularly in returned travelers. This study aimed to characterize the healthcare burden of enteric fever in a low-incidence setting and to identify risk factors and opportunities for preventative interventions. METHODS: Analysis of a retrospective case series from a tertiary pediatric center (2015-2019), augmented by public health notification and microbiological laboratory data (2018-2019), from Western Sydney, Australia, a region with frequent travel links to South Asia...

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection can lead to infectious mononucleosis (EBV-IM) and, more rarely, EBV-associated hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (EBV-HLH), which is characterized by a life-threatening hyperinflammatory cytokine storm with immune dysregulation. Interferon-gamma (IFNγ) has been identified as a critical mediator for primary HLH; however, the detailed role of IFNγ and other cytokines in EBV-HLH is not fully understood. In this study, we used single-cell RNA sequencing to characterize the immune landscape of EBV-HLH and compared it with EBV-IM...

BACKGROUND: Lobar pneumonia caused by Mycoplasma pneumoniae is a relatively difficult-to-treat pneumonia in children. The time of radiographic resolution after treatment is variable, a long recovery time can result in several negative effects, and it has attracted our attention. Therefore, exploring factors associated with delayed radiographic resolution will help to identify these children at an early stage and prepare for early intervention. METHODS: The data of 339 children with lobar pneumonia caused by Mycoplasma pneumoniae were collected from the Department of Pediatrics of Fu Yang People's Hospital, China from January 2021 to June 2022...

OBJECTIVES: Determine SARS-CoV-2 IgG antibody incidence over time in unvaccinated pediatric healthcare workers (pHCWs). DESIGN: Prospective longitudinal cohort of unvaccinated pHCWs measuring incidence of new infection after initial prevalence was established at 4.1% with seropositive predominance in emergency department (ED)-based pHCWs. Serum samples were collected at follow-up visits to detect new SARS-CoV-2 seropositivity. Univariate analysis was performed to estimate different incidence rates between participant demographics, job, employment location and community risk factors...

Pertussis re-emergence is a global public health concern. The reported incidence of pertussis in China from 2018 to 2022 was comparable to that in the late 1980s. In fact, the incidence of pertussis is still significantly underestimated in China, owing to a lack of comprehensive active pertussis surveillance, missed diagnosis of atypical pertussis cases, and the fact that many medical institutions do not perform pertussis laboratory diagnosis. Meanwhile, China is also faced with the clinical issue that Bordetella pertussis is highly resistant to first-line macrolide treatment...

BACKGROUND: Various factors contribute to the development of infection-related acute encephalopathy (AE) in children, such as infectious agents and chronic underlying disorders. We studied underlying disorders in children with AE to identify predisposing factors of AE. METHODS: We investigated underlying disorders or past histories in patients with two types of AE from the database in the Tokai area of Japan between 2009 and 2022: 204 patients with AE with reduced subcortical diffusion (AED) and 137 with clinically mild encephalopathy with a reversible splenial lesion (MERS)...

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

Neonatal meningoencephalitis caused by human parechovirus infection is being increasingly recognized in recent literature. While most cases are postnatally acquired, intrauterine infection is rare, presents early and has a more severe impact on brain health and development. We discuss here an infant born preterm at 34 weeks gestational age, with neonatal course remarkable for severe encephalopathy presenting on day 2 of life due to human parechovirus meningoencephalitis transmitted in utero. Early magnetic resonance brain imaging detected extensive white matter injury and subsequently evolved into multicystic leukoencephalopathy...

We prospectively analyzed clinical and laboratory characteristics associated with cardiac involvement and severe presentation in multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children. Of 146 patients, 66 (45.2%) had cardiac dysfunction and 26 (17.8%) had coronary artery abnormalities. Lower serum albumin levels, absolute lymphocyte and platelet counts, and elevated ferritin, fibrinogen, d-dimer and interleukin-6 levels were associated with cardiac dysfunction. Possible treatment complications were identified.

PURPOSE: Children with congenital heart disease (CHD) from low- to middle-income countries (LMIC) are suspected to have a high prevalence of antibiotic-resistant microorganisms (ARMOs) carriage, but data are currently lacking. Carriage of ARMOs could impact the post-operative course in pediatric intensive care unit (PICU). The aim of the study was to assess the prevalence of ARMOs carriage in children with CHD from LMIC and its impact on post-operative outcomes. METHODS: This was a retrospective monocentric study from 01/2019 to 12/2022...

PURPOSE: Analyzing Kawasaki disease epidemiology during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic in South Korea using 2012-2020 National Health Insurance Service data. METHODS: The incidence of Kawasaki disease for 2012-2020 was investigated to identify changes in incidence after the start of the pandemic. National Health Insurance Service data from the Republic of Korea were used. Kawasaki disease was defined based on the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, the Tenth Revision diagnostic code (M30...

BACKGROUND: An increased incidence of group A Streptococcus (GAS) infections has been observed in pediatric population post-COVID-19 pandemic. While the majority of reports refer to scarlet fever or invasive GAS disease, detailed data on pulmonary manifestations such as complicated community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) are scarce. The aim of this study was to assess the contribution of GAS to complicated CAP in children during the 2022/2023 infectious season. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed the etiology and clinical presentation of complicated CAP patients hospitalized in our tertiary care center in Warsaw, Poland, between August 2022 and May 2023...

BACKGROUND: Virtually all cases of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection in children in the United States occur through vertical transmission, but it is unknown how many children are infected. Cases of maternal HCV infection have increased in the United States, which may increase the number of children vertically infected with HCV. Infection has long-term consequences for a child's health, but treatment options are now available for children ≥3 years old. Reducing HCV infections in adults could decrease HCV infections in children...