Search results for "Cough"
showing 10 items of 101 documents
Automatic Biological Cell Counting Using a Modified Gradient Hough Transform
2017
AbstractWe present a computational method for pseudo-circular object detection and quantitative characterization in digital images, using the gradient accumulation matrix as a basic tool. This Gradient Accumulation Transform (GAT) was first introduced in 1992 by Kierkegaard and recently used by Kaytanli & Valentine. In the present article, we modify the approach by using the phase coding studied by Cicconet, and by adding a “local contributor list” (LCL) as well as a “used contributor matrix” (UCM), which allow for accurate peak detection and exploitation. These changes help make the GAT algorithm a robust and precise method to automatically detect pseudo-circular objects in a microscop…
PREVALENCE OF PERTUSSIS IgG ANTIBODIES IN CHILDREN IN PALERMO, ITALY
1989
The prevalence of IgG antibodies to Bordetella pertussis in a sample of 615 1-12-year-old unvaccinated children in Palermo was estimated by ELISA. The overall prevalence was 56%; it increased from 24% in one to three-year-old children to 67% in 11-12-year-old children (p less than 0.01). IgG antibody prevalence was not associated with the father's years of schooling (OR 1), nor with the family size (OR 1.3; C.I. 95% = 0.8-2.2). For children aged one the three years, serological results showed that the history of pertussis reported by parents in questionnaires gave high specificity (93.2%) and negative predictive value (85.4%). Our seroepidemiological study evidences a great exposure of chil…
Hemolytic uremic syndrome in an infant following Bordetella pertussis infection.
2006
Reported here is the case of a 6-week-old female infant with a severe Bordetella pertussis infection requiring supportive pressure-positive ventilation in the intensive care unit. After being discharged from the intensive care unit, she developed hemolytic anemia, thrombocytopenia and acute renal failure, which suggested a diagnosis of hemolytic uremic syndrome. The clinical outcome was favorable with no renal consequences. This case suggests there may be a direct cause-effect relationship between B. pertussis infection and hemolytic uremic syndrome.
Immunogenicity and reactogenicity of HbOC vaccine administered simultaneously with acellular pertussis vaccine (DTaP) into either arms or thighs of i…
1997
To evaluate the reactogenicity and immunogenicity of a Haemophilus influenzae type b conjugate vaccine (HbOC) and of a tricomponent acellular pertussis vaccine (DTaP) when injected simultaneously into either contralateral arms or into contralateral thighs, 110 infants were enrolled to receive three doses of DTaP at 3, 4, and 5 months and two HbOC doses at 3 and 5 months of age. Administration of either of the two vaccines into arms was associated with significantly more local side effects than administration into thighs. There was no difference in geometric mean concentration (GMC) values for any of the four vaccine antigens between subjects who had been vaccinated into arms or thighs. Afte…
Four and One-Half-Year Follow-up of the Effectiveness of Diphtheria-Tetanus Toxoids-Acellular Pertussis/Haemophilus influenzae Type b and Diphtheria-…
2004
Background: Recently an increase in the number of invasive Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) cases was observed in the United Kingdom, which coincided with a temporary change from diphtheria-tetanus toxoids-wild-type pertussis to diphtheria-tetanus toxoids-acellular pertussis (DTaP) Hib vaccines. A study in Germany based on approximately 2 years of follow-up, estimated vaccine effectiveness (VE) of DTaP/Hib and DTaP-inactivated poliovirus/Hib combination vaccines against invasive Hib disease to be high. Objectives: To assess VE of DTaP-containing Hib vaccines against Hib in Germany with the use of extended follow-up of case surveillance and vaccine uptake. Subjects and Methods: Cases with…
Haemophilus influenzae type b disease: impact and effectiveness of diphtheria-tetanus toxoids-acellular pertussis (-inactivated poliovirus)/H. influe…
2001
Background. Since 1996 in Germany primary infant immunization against Haemophilus influenzae has been most commonly given in the form of diphtheria-tetanus toxoids-acellular pertussis/H. influenzae type b (DTaP/Hib) or diphtheria-tetanus toxoids-acellular pertussis (-inactivated poliovirus)/H. influenzae type b (DTaP-IPV/Hib) combination vaccines. These combination vaccines elicit lower anti-Hib antibody concentrations than the equivalent Hib conjugate administered as a separate injection, but the clinical relevance of this phenomenon is unknown. Methods and findings. To assess the impact of DTaP/Hib combination vaccines on the incidence of invasive Hib disease in Germany, two independent s…
Outdoor, but not indoor, nitrogen dioxide exposure is associated with persistent cough during the first year of life
2011
Background and aims: Because their lungs and immune system are not completely developed, children are more susceptible to respiratory disease and more vulnerable to ambient pollution. We assessed the relation between prenatal and postnatal nitrogen dioxide (NO2) levels and the development of lower respiratory tract infections (LRTI), wheezing and persistent cough during the first year of life. Methods: The study population consisted of 352 children from a birth cohort in Valencia, Spain. Prenatal exposure to NO2, a marker of traffic related air pollution was measured at 93 sampling sites spread over the study area during four different sampling periods of 7 days each. It was modeled for eac…
Clinical experience of a tricomponent acellular pertussis vaccine combined with diphtheria and tetanus toxoids for primary vaccination in 22,505 infa…
1996
Abstract OBJECTIVES: To assess the safety and tolerability of 12 lots of SmithKline Beecham Biologicals' diphtheria-tetanus-tricomponent acellular pertussis vaccine (DTaP) in a large cohort of 22,000 vaccinees, with detailed analyses of reactivity, immunogenicity, and immune response to pertussis toxin in subsets. METHODS: In a prospective, double-blind, multicenter trial in Germany, 22,505 healthy infants received three vaccinations of DTaP at age 3, 4, and 5 months. Serious adverse events were followed for 1 month after each vaccination, and neurologic events for 1 year or longer. Serum IgG antibodies were assayed before vaccination and 1 month after vaccination. RESULTS: After 67,000 dos…
Immunogenicity, reactogenicity and safety of a 7-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV7) concurrently administered with a DTPa-HBV-IPV/Hib combi…
2006
Abstract Background To evaluate immunogenicity, reactogenicity, and safety of a hexavalent combination vaccine diphtheria-tetanus-acellular pertussis-hepatitis B-inactivated polio virus- Haemophilus influenzae type b (DTPa-HBV-IPV/Hib) when coadministered with a 7-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV7). Methods Infants received either a hexavalent diphtheria-tetanus-acellular pertussis-hepatitis B-inactivated polio virus- H. influenzae type b vaccine concomitantly with PCV7 or DTPa-HBV-IPV/Hib alone infants were vaccinated at 2, 3 and 4 months (primary immunization) and 12–15 months of age (booster dose). Local and systemic reactions and adverse events were monitored following each do…
Understanding Primary Ciliary Dyskinesia: Experience From a Mediterranean Diagnostic Reference Centre
2020
Background: Due to the lack of a gold standard diagnostic test, reference centres with experienced personnel and costly procedures are needed for primary ciliary dyskinesia (PCD) diagnostics. Diagnostic flowcharts always start with clinical symptoms. Therefore, the aim of this work is to define differential clinical criteria so that only patients clinically compatible with PCD are referred to reference centres. Materials and methods: 18 variables from 476 Mediterranean patients with clinically suspicious PCD were collected. After analysing cilia function and ultrastructure, 89 individuals were diagnosed with PCD and 387 had a negative diagnosis. Simple logistic regression analysis, consider…