Scandinavian journal of infectious diseases
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Scand. J. Infect. Dis. · Dec 2011
Multicenter StudyClinical and epidemiological features of Turkish children with 2009 pandemic influenza A (H1N1) infection: experience from multiple tertiary paediatric centres in Turkey.
In April 2009 a novel strain of human influenza A, identified as H1N1 virus, rapidly spread worldwide, and in early June 2009 the World Health Organization raised the pandemic alert level to phase 6. Herein we present the largest series of children who were hospitalized due to pandemic H1N1 infection in Turkey. ⋯ In Turkey, 2009 H1N1 infection caused high mortality and PICU admission due to severe respiratory illness and complications, especially in children with an underlying condition.
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Scand. J. Infect. Dis. · Dec 2011
Early detection of severe sepsis in the emergency room: diagnostic value of plasma C-reactive protein, procalcitonin, and interleukin-6.
To determine the diagnostic values of plasma C-reactive protein (CRP), procalcitonin (PCT), and interleukin-6 (IL-6) using an electrochemiluminescence immunoassay (ECLIA) method (Roche Diagnostics GmbH, Mannheim, Germany) to identify severe sepsis in an emergency room (ER) setting. ⋯ PCT and IL-6 proved superior to CRP in detecting patients with severe sepsis. The findings thus support the use of either PCT or IL-6 as an early tool to diagnose severe sepsis. The automatic ECLIA method allows even night-shift measurements.
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Scand. J. Infect. Dis. · Dec 2011
The relationship between cerebrovascular complications and previously established use of antiplatelet therapy in left-sided infective endocarditis.
Cerebrovascular complications (CVC) in infective endocarditis (IE) are common. The only established treatments to reduce the incidence of CVC in IE are antibiotics and in selected cases early cardiac surgery. Potential effects of previously established antiplatelet therapy are under debate. ⋯ The incidence of symptomatic CVC in IE patients was not reduced by previously established antiplatelet therapy. One-y mortality was higher in patients on antiplatelet therapy in univariate analysis, but after multivariable modelling this association was lost.
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Scand. J. Infect. Dis. · Dec 2011
Skin and soft tissue infections: experience over a five-year period and clinical usefulness of ultrasonography-guided gun biopsy-based culture.
Skin and soft tissue infections (SSTIs) are common clinical diseases, but only a few reports of microbiological data on SSTIs in Korea have been published. In practice, specimens are rarely obtained from infected lesions unless there is visible pus or an abscess pocket. However, identification of the causative pathogen is important, because of emerging drug resistance and the increase in immunocompromised hosts. ⋯ Considering the microbiological distribution of CA-SSTIs in Korea, penicillinase-stable penicillin or a 1(st)-generation cephalosporin should be adequate for initial antibiotic treatment. US-guided needle aspiration was a good technique for the identification of causative pathogens, and additive productivity is expected with US-guided gun biopsy culture from lesions without fluid collection.