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Biomedical subjects

B Dashefsky

Publications and source records attributed to B Dashefsky.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1997

Cefprozil treatment of persistent and recurrent acute otitis media.

OBJECTIVE: We identified the pathogens causing persistent and recurrent acute otitis media (AOM) and the clinical efficacy of cefprozil as treatment. STUDY DESIGN: This was a noncomparative, open label multicenter trial. Children ages 6 months to 12 years with signs and symptoms of AOM and evidence of middle ear effusion, as confirmed by pneumatic otoscopy or tympanometry, underwent tympanocentesis and subsequent treatment with cefprozil (15 mg/kg given twice daily) for 10 days. Patients with recurrent otitis media or failure of previous antibiotic therapy or prophylaxis were particularly sought for the study. RESULTS: Two hundred sixty-two (99%) of 265 enrolled children were considered evaluable. The median age of the study group was 1 year. Ninety-eight (37%) of the children had a history (within 30 days) of prior antibiotic use. Ninety-seven (37%) met our definition of recurrent AOM, 48 (18%) met our definition of persistent AOM and 132 (50%) children had 3 or more previous episodes of acute otitis media within 12 months before study. Eighty-two (31%) of the enrollment tympanocentesis had no growth, 150 (57%) had a single bacterial pathogen and 29 (11%) had multiple bacterial pathogens. Of the 93 Streptococcus pneumoniae pretreatment isolates, 50 (54%) were penicillin-susceptible, 12 (13%) were penicillin-intermediate resistant and 31 (33%) were penicillin-resistant. Of the 75 Haemophilus influenzae pretreatment isolates, 42 (56%) produced beta-lactamase as did 4 (27%) of the 15 Moraxella catarrhalis strains. A satisfactory clinical response by pathogen was found in 75% (70 of 93) with S. pneumoniae, 75% (56 of 75) with H. influenzae and 93% (13 of 14) with M. catarrhalis; the response with single pathogen infections was higher than those with multiple pathogens (118 of 150 (78%) and 17 of 29 (59%), respectively; P = 0.03). The response for patients with isolates of S. pneumoniae that were penicillin-susceptible, -intermediate or -resistant were 39 of 50 (78%), 11 of 12 (92%) and 21 of 31 (68%), respectively. Older children had a satisfactory clinical outcome more frequently than younger children (P < 0.001), and the response to therapy varied for persistent, recurrent and recently untreated AOM (P < 0.01). CONCLUSION: Persistent and recurrent AOM involves the same pathogens as recently untreated AOM but bacteria with reduced antibiotic susceptibility may be more frequently present. This noncomparative study suggests that cefprozil 30 mg/kg/day given in two divided doses for 10 days may be effective in the treatment of children with persistent and recurrent AOM.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed1996

Field inversion gel electrophoretic analysis of Legionella pneumophila strains associated with nosocomial legionellosis in children.

Two nosocomial cases of Legionnaires' disease occurred in children. Legionella pneumophila serogroup 1 was isolated from both patients and 30 of 39 plumbing system sites in the hospital. The patient and hospital environmental isolates yielded identical field inversion gel electrophoretic patterns which differed from patterns observed with epidemiologically unrelated strains.

Child↗
PubMed1993

Comparison of two antigen assays for rapid intrapartum detection of vaginal group B streptococcal colonization.

As part of a clinical investigation evaluating the efficacy of intrapartum antigen detection for screening for heavy vaginal colonization with group B streptococci (GBS), we compared the performance of modified Bactigen and Directigen GBS latex particle agglutination (LPA) kits. Paired vaginal swabs obtained from women in labor were rapidly transported to the laboratory and used for culturing (both swabs) and LPA testing (one swab by each method). GBS growth was estimated semiquantitatively and further designated as light or heavy growth. Performance specifications for each method were determined by comparing LPA and culture results from the same swab. A total of 4,251 paired swabs were evaluated during the study period. The performance specifications for detecting GBS growth of any degree for Bactigen and Directigen, respectively, were as follows: sensitivity, 20 and 24%; specificity, 99 and 99%. The performance specifications for heavy colonization for Bactigen and Directigen, respectively, were as follows: sensitivity, 57 and 62%; specificity, 99 and 99%. Neither LPA kit was a sensitive indicator of vaginal colonization with GBS or neonatal infection.

Antigens, Bacterial↗
PubMed1990

Safety, tolerability, and immunogenicity of concurrent administration of Haemophilus influenzae type b conjugate vaccine (meningococcal protein conjugate) with either measles-mumps-rubella vaccine or diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis and oral poliovirus vaccines in 14- to 23-month-old infants.

In 1985, the first capsular polysaccharide (polyribosylribitol-phosphate [PRP]) vaccine for Haemophilus influenzae type b was licensed and recommended for routine use in children between 24 and 60 months of age. In the United States, approximately 75% to 90% of invasive disease due to H influenzae type b occurs in infants younger than 24 months, a population for whom H influenzae type b polysaccharide vaccine is inadequately immunogenic and protective. In an effort to enhance the immunogenicity of H influenzae type b polysaccharide vaccine for children in the most susceptible age groups, conjugate vaccines have been developed in which the capsular PRP of H influenzae type b has been bound to a variety of carrier proteins, thereby conferring the vaccines with thymic-dependent attributes. One such conjugate vaccine, in which the carrier protein is diphtheria toxoid (PRP-D), was licensed in 1987 and has been recommended since 1988 for routine use in children 18 months of age and older. A second conjugate vaccine, in which an oligosaccharide derivative of H influenzae type b capsular PRP is coupled to CRM, a nontoxic mutant diphtheria toxin (oligo-CRM), was licensed in 1988 and is a sanctioned alternative to PRP-D. Another investigational conjugate vaccine, in which the polysaccharide is linked to the outer membrane protein of Neisseria meningitidis group B (PRP-OMPC), has been demonstrated to be both safe and immunogenic when administered in a two-dose schedule to 2- to 6-month-old infants. However, anti-PRP antibody levels decline significantly during the ensuing 10 to 15 months; they rise significantly in response to booster doses of either PRP or PRP-OMPC administered 10 to 15 months after the initial priming doses of PRP-OMPC.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Antibodies, Bacterial↗
PubMed1988

Frequency and severity of infections in day care.

This study was undertaken to compare prospectively the frequency, nature, and severity of infections experienced by children in three types of child care arrangements: home care, group care (two to six children), and day care (seven or more children). Children were enrolled at birth and observed for 12 to 18 months. At entry there were 159 children in home care, 40 in group care, and 45 in day care. The families were telephoned every 2 weeks to record on a standardized form the type and severity of illnesses experienced during the previous interval. Severe illnesses were defined by high fever, duration exceeding 10 days, or physician visit. Children remaining in their original child care group for at least 1 year were compared with regard to the frequency and severity of illness. Children in group care and day care were more likely than children in home care to experience at least six respiratory infections, more than 60 days of illness, and more than four severe illnesses (P less than 0.01). Similarly, life table analyses showed that children in home care had fewer episodes of infection than did children in day care (P less than 0.01). Although no children were hospitalized because of acute infections during the first year of study, hospitalization for myringotomy and tube placement occurred in 21% of children in day care and 3% of children in home care (P less than 0.01).

Actuarial Analysis↗
PubMed1987

Prevalence of bacteriuria in febrile children.

To determine the risk of urinary tract infections in acutely ill febrile children younger than 5 years of age we obtained a urine culture from 664 children presenting to our walk-in clinic with an acute febrile episode. Only 11 children (1.7%) had significant bacteriuria. This figure is similar to the number of children who would be expected to have asymptomatic bacteriuria. These results suggest that pediatricians are not missing the diagnosis of urinary tract infection in febrile children.

Age Factors↗
PubMed1987

Rapid detection of group B streptococci directly from vaginal swabs.

Duplicate vaginal swabs were obtained from patients who attended obstetric or gynecologic clinics affiliated with the Magee Womens Hospital in Pittsburgh. One swab was cultured semiquantitatively on 5% sheep blood agar to detect group B streptococci (GBS). The other swab was subjected to a rapid method (25 min) for antigen detection and micronitrous acid exposure to extract the GBS antigen, followed by latex particle agglutination. A total of 464 swabs were evaluated by direct plating. Fifty-two swabs (11.2%) were found to contain GBS. Overall, the rapid method detected 21 of 52, or 40.4%, positive specimens. The sensitivity of the rapid method for identifying the most heavily colonized samples was 85.7%. This method can be used to identify maternity patients who are heavily colonized with GBS and are at high risk of delivering septic infants.

Antigens, Bacterial↗
PubMed1987

Acute rheumatic fever in western Pennsylvania and the tristate area.

Acute rheumatic fever is reported to have declined and perhaps be vanishing. Prompted by the occurrence of 17 cases of acute rheumatic fever in an 18-month period in 1985 and 1986, we reviewed the records of 243 children with acute rheumatic fever who were cared for at Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh or Mercy Hospital between 1965 and 1986. Acute rheumatic fever was diagnosed using the modified Jones criteria and cases were classified by major criteria as arthritis, arthritis and carditis, carditis alone, carditis and chorea, chorea alone, and arthritis and chorea. Among the 17 recent patients, 59% had carditis, 30% had chorea, and 24% had arthritis alone. The proportion of children who had particular major manifestations was similar in the last two decades and in 1985 to 1986. The recent children with acute rheumatic fever ranged in age from 6 to 13 years with a mean and median age of 10 years. There were 16 white children and one Asian child. Only four children lived in an urban setting. When demographic features of the children were contrasted with those in the previous two decades, a decrease in the proportion of children who lived in urban areas and who were black was noted. Four children had a history of preceding sore throat but only three sought medical care; nine children had no memorable illness and four had either a nonrespiratory illness or a respiratory infection without sore throat. This resurgence of rheumatic fever serves as a reminder that a diligent approach to the diagnosis and therapy of streptococcal infections remains essential.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed1986

Haemophilus influenzae type b colonization in household contacts of infected and colonized children enrolled in day care.

Strategies for management of children attending day-care facilities after a case of Haemophilus influenzae type b disease are controversial. The success of chemoprophylaxis in preventing subsequent cases has been variable. Failure of rifampin prophylaxis as currently recommended may result from usage limited to direct contacts of the index patient. This prospective study was designed to ascertain the extent of colonization in household contacts of colonized children attending day-care facilities with an index case of H influenzae disease. Outer membrane protein analysis was used to determine similarity between strains isolated from contacts and index patients. Of children attending six day-care facilities, 15% were colonized with subtypes of H influenzae identical with those of their respective index patients, and 7% of children were colonized with different subtypes. Colonization with identical outer membrane protein subtypes in children from day-care homes was more frequent than in the larger day-care centers (91% v 8%, P less than .00001). Within families of children with identical outer membrane protein subtypes, 25% of household members (17% of parents and 44% of siblings) were colonized despite lack of direct contact with the index patients. This colonization rate was comparable to that of household contacts of index patients (26%). Among household contacts of index patients, especially siblings, colonization with H influenzae tended to be lower if the patient attended day care than if the patient did not attend day care (17% v 73%; P = .05 for siblings). We have found that household contacts of colonized day-care children are a reservoir of H influenzae.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adult↗