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Biomedical subjects

J W Bass

Publications and source records attributed to J W Bass.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Sedation of children for technical procedures: current standard of practice.

We sought to define the current standard of care for children undergoing sedation for painless diagnostic procedures by sending questionnaires to 284 pediatric residency program directors in North America. From the 89 responses, we determined that departments of pediatrics set sedation policies for children in most institutions, often with formal written guidelines for these procedures. Most require that children have some form of cardiorespiratory monitoring while under sedation and that they are attended by individuals trained in cardiorespiratory resuscitation until the child is fully recovered. The use of parents to transport and monitor the sedated child is uncommon, and total lack of monitoring is rare. Chloral hydrate in dosages of 25 mg/kg to 100 mg/kg is the most common drug used for sedation; DPT, a combination of parenteral Demerol (meperidine), Phenergan (promethazine), and Thorazine (chlorpromazine), at a maximum dose of 2 mg/1 mg/1 mg/kg is the second; and pentobarbital in a dosage of 5 mg/kg to 7 mg/kg is the third. These sedation regimens were associated with few serious side effects, except that two deaths were reported in infants with congenital heart disease who were sedated with DPT. We believe this survey may reflect the current standard of practice for sedation in North American infants and children undergoing diagnostic procedures.

Attitude of Health Personnel

Guillain-Barré syndrome and influenza vaccination in the US Army, 1980-1988.

An increased incidence of Guillain-Barré syndrome (polyradiculoneuritis) occurred in individuals who received the A/New Jersey (swine) influenza vaccine in 1976-1977. A retrospective study encompassing the years 1980-1988 was conducted to determine if the US Army's mass influenza vaccination program has been associated with an increased incidence of Guillain-Barré syndrome in active duty soldiers during the study years. No temporally related increase in Guillain-Barré syndrome was found during the study years.

Causality

Decreased measles antibody response after measles-mumps-rubella vaccine in infants with colds.

We examined the possibility that the common cold or afebrile upper respiratory tract infection might interfere with successful immunization in children who receive standard measles-mumps-rubella vaccine. Infants 15 to 18 months of age presenting at our well-child clinics for routine examination and immunizations were divided into two groups. Those infants with a history and physical findings of upper respiratory tract infection were compared with healthy control group infants who did not have upper respiratory tract infections, and who did not have a history of upper respiratory tract infection symptoms within the previous month. Both groups were studied for their serologic response to measles-mumps-rubella vaccination. Prevaccination serum samples were obtained prior to vaccine administration and postvaccination serum samples were obtained 6 to 8 weeks later. Measles antibody was measured in these serum samples by an indirect fluorescein-tagged antibody test. Ten (21%) of 47 infants with colds failed to develop measles antibody, while only one (2%) of 51 well infants failed to develop antibody. We conclude that infants with colds have a significant seroconversion failure rate associated with measles vaccine administration and that this may be the cause of some primary measles vaccine failures.

Antibodies, Viral

Antigenuria after immunization with Haemophilus influenzae oligosaccharide CRM197 conjugate (HbOC) vaccine.

We tested the urine of 30 infants 6 weeks to 7 months of age after they received standard 10-micrograms (0.5-ml) doses of HbOC (HibTITER) Haemophilus influenzae b (Hib) conjugate vaccine for the presence of Hib antigenuria using a commercially available latex particle agglutination assay (Directigen). Urines were collected within 1 hour, from 1 to 3 hours, at 24 hours and at 3, 6 and 9 days after vaccine administration and reactions were quantitated from 0 to 3+. In contrast to previous studies in older children which showed little or no antigenuria following HbOC vaccination, our study shows that in infants intense Hib antigenuria is evident within 2 to 3 hours and persists 3 days after vaccine administration and that less intense antigenuria may be detected in some infants for several days. With efficacious vaccines now being used in 2- to 6-month-old infants, invasive Hib disease may soon be limited to infants of this age just before their seroconversion. It should be recognized that antigenuria occurs for several days after vaccination with Hib conjugate vaccines and that it could be erroneously interpreted as evidence of invasive Hib infection.

Antigens, Bacterial

Antimicrobial drug suspensions: a blind comparison of taste of fourteen common pediatric drugs.

Children of preschool age most often receive medications in liquid form, and smell and taste are major determinants in achieving compliance. We compared smell, taste and other characteristics of 14 commonly prescribed antimicrobial suspensions in a blind test in 30 adult volunteers to determine whether there was a difference in their acceptability. A significant difference was observed with cephalosporins ranking highest and penicillins ranking lowest. Our findings support anecdotal observations and claims often made by parents that cephalosporin antimicrobial suspensions taste good and are readily accepted by children and that penicillin suspensions have an unpleasant taste and aftertaste and are poorly accepted. Other drugs had intermediate scores. Of the two erythromycin suspensions evaluated, Ilosone tested superior to Erythromycin ES.

Adult

Penicillin tolerance and erythromycin resistance of group A beta-hemolytic streptococci in Hawaii and the Philippines.

Penicillin remains the drug of choice for the treatment of streptococcal pharyngitis, with erythromycin as an alternative drug for individuals who cannot take penicillin. Two areas of concern in the management of streptococcal pharyngitis are (1) the prevalence of penicillin-tolerant group A beta-hemolytic streptococci reported in recent studies and (2) the high prevalence of erythromycin resistance in some geographic areas. We tested 305 isolates of group A beta-hemolytic streptococci from Hawaii and the Philippines for penicillin minimum inhibitory concentrations and minimum bactericidal concentrations and erythromycin minimum inhibitory concentrations. There was no evidence of penicillin resistance or tolerance. The prevalence of erythromycin-resistant and moderately susceptible isolates was 3.6% and 2.3%, respectively. There was a trend toward greater erythromycin resistance levels among Hawaiian isolates, but this was not statistically significant.

Drug Resistance, Microbial

Impetigo. Current etiology and comparison of penicillin, erythromycin, and cephalexin therapies.

We attempted to determine the causative bacterial pathogens of impetigo in children in our area, to compare the effectiveness of three frequently used oral antimicrobial treatment regimens, and to correlate the antimicrobial sensitivity of the bacterial isolates with clinical responses to treatment. Seventy-three children with impetigo were randomly assigned to receive penicillin V potassium or cephalexin monohydrate, both administered in dosages of 40 to 50 mg/kg per day, or erythromycin estolate administered in a dosage of 30 to 40 mg/kg per day. All drugs were given in three divided doses for 10 days. Treatment failure was defined as persistence of lesions 8 to 10 days after initiation of drug therapy as determined by examiners blinded to the treatment therapies. Forty-five (62%) cultures showed Staphylococcus aureus only, 14 (19%) showed S aureus and group A beta-hemolytic streptococci, six (8%) showed group A beta-hemolytic streptococci only, and eight (11%) showed no growth or other organisms. Treatment failure occurred in six (24%) of 25 patients treated with penicillin V, one (4%) of 25 patients treated with erythromycin estolate, and no patients treated with cephalexin. We conclude that S aureus is the most common cause of impetigo in children in our study population, that cephalexin is the most effective treatment, that erythromycin estolate is nearly equally effective and may be preferred on a cost-effectiveness basis, and that penicillin V is inadequate for treatment of this infection.

Adolescent

The use of hyaluronidase in the treatment of intravenous extravasation injuries.

Intravenous extravasation injuries are a major cause of morbidity in the pediatric population. A variety of commonly used drugs and intravenous fluids have been shown to cause injury, particularly when infants are infused subcutaneously. Optimal management of intravenous extravasations remains controversial. The enzyme hyaluronidase degrades hyaluronic acid, a constituent of the normal interstitial barrier; by degrading interstitial bonds, it can increase the distribution and absorption of locally injected substances. To test the hypothesis that hyaluronidase might prevent skin injury associated with extravasations, a reliable skin injury model in immature pigs was created using subcutaneous CaCl2 injections. Hyaluronidase, in a concentration of 150 U/mL injected subcutaneously in a circumferential fashion immediately following the injection of CaCl2, significantly reduced the area of necrosis (P less than .01). As a control for the diluent volume administered with the hyaluronidase injection, the effect of a circumferential injection of 1.0 mL normal saline was compared with a similar injection of 1.0 mL normal saline with 150 units of hyaluronidase. Again, the area of skin necrosis following injection with hyaluronidase was statistically smaller (P less than .01). We have created a reliable skin injury model using immature porcine skin, which resembles human skin. Our data using this model suggest that the use of hyaluronidase may decrease the morbidity associated with intravenous extravasation injuries.

Animals

Tropical splenomegaly syndrome associated with cytomegalovirus infection.

The tropical splenomegaly syndrome (TSS) is characterized by massive splenomegaly with hypersplenism, moderate hepatomegaly, and lymphocytic infiltration of the hepatic sinusoids. In previous reports this syndrome has been shown to be a consequence of a disordered immunologic response of the host to malarial infection. Treatment with antimalarial drugs has resulted in a decrease in malarial antibody titers and a reduction in splenic size. We report a child who had TSS associated with cytomegalovirus infection rather than malaria. Our results suggest that TSS may be precipitated by a variety of infections producing chronic antigenic stimulation and perhaps by autoantigenic stimulation as well.

Child, Preschool

Demonstration of opsonic activity and in vivo protection against group B streptococci type III by Streptococcus pneumoniae type 14 antisera.

The present studies demonstrate that antisera directed against Streptococcus pneumoniae type 14 is opsonic for group B streptococci type III in a neutrophile-mediated bactericidal assay. Specificity was demonstrated by the observations that group B streptococci type III and S. pneumoniae type 14 adsorbed the opsonic activity of anti-S. pneumoniae type 14 antisera. Group B streptococci strain 090R (devoid of type antigens) and S. pneumoniae type 3, did not remove the opsonic activity of anti-S. pneumoniae type 14 serum. In vivo studies using a suckling rat model of neonatal group B streptococcal type III sepsis demonstrated that antisera directed against S. pneumoniae type 14 was highly protective.

Animals