The Journal of pediatrics
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The Journal of pediatrics · Sep 1994
Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study Clinical TrialTreatment of asymptomatic congenital syphilis: benzathine versus procaine penicillin G therapy.
We compared the efficacy of two treatment regimens for asymptomatic congenital syphilis. Between June 1989 and July 1991, we prospectively and randomly assigned 169 patients to receive either one dose of benzathine penicillin G or procaine penicillin G for 10 days. There were no significant differences between the treatment groups in regard to birth weight, sex, race, gestational age, Apgar scores, infant or maternal rapid plasma reagin (RPR) titers, fluorescent treponemal IgM antibody, or maternal treatment. ⋯ Among these 152 patients, none had clinical evidence of congenital syphilis at follow-up, and all the patients tested at 2 to 3 months after treatment (68 in the benzathine penicillin G group and 61 in the procaine penicillin G group) had at least a fourfold decrease in RPR titers. The RPR became nonreactive in all but three of the infants (two in the procaine penicillin G group and one in the benzathine penicillin G group; all three were 2 to 3 months of age when last tested). We conclude that treatment failure did not occur with either regimen and that there was no significant difference in outcome between the two groups.
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The Journal of pediatrics · Sep 1994
Clinical TrialAbnormal hypoxemia after life-threatening events in infants born before term.
This study aimed to determine whether preterm infants who have a history of apparent life-threatening events (ALTE) have abnormalities in oxygenation and, if so, whether the ALTE would stop with oxygen therapy. We assessed 92 patients (median gestational age at birth, 32 weeks (range, 24 to 36 weeks); median birth weight, 1840 gm (650 to 3500 gm)) who had had a single (n = 20) or recurrent ALTE. Median postnatal age at referral was 3.2 months (0.5 to 44.7 months). ⋯ Monitoring of transcutaneous oxygen tension at home was undertaken in 84 patients. To date, this has been discontinued in 81 after a median duration of 7.3 months (0.3 to 18.9 months). We conclude that recognition and treatment of abnormalities in episodic or baseline hypoxemia may reduce the risk of further ALTE in previously preterm infants.
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The Journal of pediatrics · Sep 1994
Single-day therapy for nutritional vitamin D-deficiency rickets: a preferred method.
A single-day large dose of vitamin D (stosstherapy) was given to 42 patients with nutritional vitamin D-deficiency rickets. Stosstherapy is safe and effective, obviates problems with compliance, and, by evoking a response in 4 to 7 days in nutritional rickets, becomes a valuable diagnostic aid for patients in whom initial findings do not clearly distinguish nutritional rickets from familial hypophosphatemic rickets.