Misshandlungen und Gewalt als Verletzungsursachen im Kindesalter

Background

During childhood injuries are one of the most common reasons for a consultation, second only to infectious diseases. Not as rare as aspected these injuries are caused by maltreatment. The aim of this study is to show the frequency of non-accidental injuries (NAI) in the patient group from a pediatric hospital in East Germany.

Material and methods

Over a 12-month period all cases of injured children who needed to be hospitalized for treatment were registered. In a computer based questionnaire various parameters, such as age, sex, social status, and accident details were documented.

Results

A total of 573 injured children and adolescents needed inpatient treatment. In 86.7% of the cases injuries resulted from an accident. In 8.6% of all cases a connection to violence could be found mostly in the form of head and soft tissue injuries.

Conclusion

The findings show the importance of a detailed and specific anamnesis and physical exploration of children with trauma. Recognition of maltreated children does not only apply to pediatricians, but also to physicians of several specializations.     

Opportunistic infections and organ‐specific diseases in HIV‐1‐infected children: a cohort study (1990–2006)

Objectives

Highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) has dramatically changed the natural history of HIV infection in children, but there are few studies in the literature about the incidence of clinical manifestations after HAART in this population, compared with adults. The aim of this study was to describe the influence of the widespread use of HAART on the development of opportunistic infections and organ‐specific diseases in HIV‐infected children.

Methods

An observational study of a cohort of 366 vertically HIV‐infected children followed from 1990 to 2006 was carried out. According to the main antiretroviral protocol used, three calendar periods (CPs) were defined and compared: CP1 (1990–1996: no patients on HAART), CP2 (1997–1999: <60% on HAART) and CP3 (2000–2006: >60% on HAART).

Results

Children experienced a progressive increase in CD4 T cell count (P<0.05) and a decrease in HIV viral load from 1996 onwards (P<0.05). Similarly, rates of death, AIDS, opportunistic infections (bacteraemia, candidosis, cryptosporidiosis and bacterial pneumonia) and organ‐specific diseases (wasting syndrome, thrombocytopenia, cardiomyopathy, lymphoid interstitial pneumonia and HIV‐associated encephalopathy) were lower in CP2 and CP3 than in CP1.

Conclusions

This study provides evidence of improved clinical outcomes in HIV‐infected children over time and shows that mortality, AIDS, opportunistic infections and organ‐specific diseases declined as HAART was progressively instituted in this population.

     

Heimüberwachung („home monitoring“) von Kindern und Jugendlichen: Vorschläge für die praktische Anwendung

Comprehensive ambulatory care structures, more efficient technology as well as the parents’ willingness to take care of chronically ill children at home, requires higher standards of home monitoring systems. Some difficulties are caused by medical indications, the period of the application and the type of apparatus used in each case. Based on formally assessed evidence (evidence level), the presented guidelines for“Home monitoring of children and adolescents” were developed by reviewing the scientific literature and approved by a consensus procedure (S2). In a concluding assessment, recommendations are given outlining which application of monitoring disease patterns appears appropriate. Statements will be given on which parameters should be monitored, the time of monitoring, the technical requirements of the apparatus and the attendant circumstances of home monitoring.     

Type 1 neurofibromatosis and adult extremity sarcoma. A report of two cases

We report two cases of malignant soft-tissue tumours--one myxoid malignant fibrous histiocytoma and one pleomorphic rhabdomyosarcoma--which were diagnosed in two young adult patients with type 1 neurofibromatosis (NF 1). The patients were evaluated with criteria for Neurofibromatosis 1 and NF 1 gene analysis was performed. Four of seven criteria were found in both patients. The tumours were stage II and III respectively. Both patients were treated with radiotherapy or chemotherapy and surgical intervention. Diagnoses of myxoid malignant fibrous histiocytoma and pleomorphic rhabdomyosarcoma in adult NF 1 patients are exceedingly rare. Thus detection of subtypes of rhabdomyosarcoma and malignant fibrous histiocytoma with immunohistochemistry may be helpful for the management of these tumours among other pleomorphic sarcomas that may occur in type 1 Neurofibromatosis.     

IgE cross-reactivity between Ascaris and domestic mite allergens: the role of tropomyosin and the nematode polyprotein ABA-1

Background:  Analysis of cross-reactivity between the nematode Ascaris ssp. and dust mites, two important allergen sources in the tropics, will contribute in understanding their influence on asthma and atopy. The objective of this study was to investigate immunoglobulin E (IgE) cross-reactivity between Ascaris and two domestic mites in the tropics.
Methods:  Sera from 24 asthmatic patients were used in ELISA and immunoblotting IgE-binding inhibition assays using Ascaris , Blomia tropicalis and Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus extracts and the recombinants Blo t 10, ABA-1 and Blo t 13 as competitors. Identification of Ascaris allergens was confirmed by mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS).
Results:  We detected at least 12 human IgE-binding components in Ascaris extract. Blomia tropicalis and D. pteronyssinus inhibited 83.3% and 79% of IgE-binding to Ascaris , while Ascaris inhibited 58.3% and 79.3% to B. tropicalis and D. pteronyssinus respectively. Mite tropomyosin inhibited 85% of IgE-binding to Ascaris . Affinity-purified human IgE to rBlo t 10 identified an allergen of 40 kDa in Ascaris extract, further confirmed as tropomyosin by LC-MS/MS. We found no evidence of IgE cross-reactivity between rABA-1 and any allergen component in mite extracts, including rBlo t 13.
Conclusions:  There is cross-reactivity between Ascaris and mites, determined by several allergens including tropomyosin and glutathione- S -transferase. In addition to its potential impact on asthma pathogenesis, Ascaris infection and mite allergy diagnosis relying on the determination of specific IgE could be affected by this cross-reactivity. ABA-1 has no cross-reactive counterpart in mite extracts, suggesting its usefulness as a more specific marker of Ascaris infection.     

Expression and prognostic significance of a panel of tissue hypoxia markers in head-and-neck squamous cell carcinomas

PURPOSE: To investigate the expression pattern of hypoxia-induced proteins identified as being involved in malignant progression of head-and-neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) and to determine their relationship to tumor pO(2) and prognosis. METHODS AND MATERIALS: We performed immunohistochemical staining of hypoxia-induced proteins (carbonic anhydrase IX [CA IX], BNIP3L, connective tissue growth factor, osteopontin, ephrin A1, hypoxia inducible gene-2, dihydrofolate reductase, galectin-1, IkappaB kinase beta, and lysyl oxidase) on tumor tissue arrays of 101 HNSCC patients with pretreatment pO(2) measurements. Analysis of variance and Fisher's exact tests were used to evaluate the relationship between marker expression, tumor pO(2), and CA IX staining. Cox proportional hazard model and log-rank tests were used to determine the relationship between markers and prognosis. RESULTS: Osteopontin expression correlated with tumor pO(2) (Eppendorf measurements) (p = 0.04). However, there was a strong correlation between lysyl oxidase, ephrin A1, and galectin-1 and CA IX staining. These markers also predicted for cancer-specific survival and overall survival on univariate analysis. A hypoxia score of 0-5 was assigned to each patient, on the basis of the presence of strong staining for these markers, whereby a higher score signifies increased marker expression. On multivariate analysis, increasing hypoxia score was an independent prognostic factor for cancer-specific survival (p = 0.015) and was borderline significant for overall survival (p = 0.057) when adjusted for other independent predictors of outcomes (hemoglobin and age). CONCLUSIONS: We identified a panel of hypoxia-related tissue markers that correlates with treatment outcomes in HNSCC. Validation of these markers will be needed to determine their utility in identifying patients for hypoxia-targeted therapy.     

人参皂甙Rg1对老年大鼠免疫功能的调节作用

已知老年机体免疫功能的降低与淋巴细胞增殖能力的减弱和白细胞介素-2(IL-2)产生减少有密切关系。以老年大鼠免疫功能为主要研究对象,首次发现人参皂甙Rg1无论体内给药还是体外实验均能选择性增强老年大鼠脾淋巴细胞增殖能力和IL-2的产生与释放,采用Northern和Western印迹分析法证明,Rg₁可明显促进IL-2基因和蛋白的表达,表现在IL-2mRNA和IL-2蛋白含量的显著增加。值得注意的是,在同样的条件下,Rg₁对青年大鼠免疫功能的影响并不显著,由此可以认为Rg1一种“免疫调节剂”,而并非单纯的“免疫增强剂”。