Search results for "Respiratory Tract Infections"
showing 10 items of 85 documents
Atypical facial porokeratosis of Mibelli
1991
Summary An atypical case of porokeratosis of Mibelli that was localized to the face is reported.
Surveillance Data for Eight Consecutive Influenza Seasons in Sicily, Italy
2019
Influenza A and B outbreaks occur each year with different activity and molecular patterns. To date, knowledge of seasonal epidemiology remains a prerequisite not only to put in place the most effective immunization strategy against influenza but also to identify population groups at higher risk of developing serious complications. A retrospective analysis of influenza surveillance data from 2010 to 2018 aimed to explore the epidemiology of influenza in Sicily, at the primary care and hospital level. Overall, 6,740 patients with acute respiratory infection were tested, of which 3,032 (45.0%) were positive for influenza. The relative proportion of type A and B viruses markedly varied across …
Burden and viral aetiology of influenza-like illness and acute respiratory infection in intensive care units
2015
The purpose of this investigation was to study the viral aetiology of influenza-like illness (ILI) and acute respiratory tract infection (ARTI) among patients requiring intensive care unit admission. A cross-sectional retrospective study was carried out in Sicily over a 4-year period. A total of 233 respiratory samples of patients with ILI/ARTI admitted to intensive care units were molecularly analyzed for the detection of a comprehensive panel of aetiologic agents of viral respiratory infections. About 45% of patients was positive for at least one pathogen. Single aetiology occurred in 75.2% of infected patients, while polymicrobial infection was found in 24.8% of positive subjects. Influe…
Complement component deficiencies and infection: C5, C8 and C3 deficiencies in three families.
1992
Three families are described with complement component deficiencies. In one family, five children had C5 deficiency; in a second family, two children had C8 deficiency and one child in a third family had C3 deficiency. The index cases were identified during screening of patients with recurrent pyogenic infections, recurrent meningitis and meningococcaemia. Two of the five C5 deficient patients had recurrent meningitis and meningococcaemia, two had recurrent respiratory tract infections and otitis and one was healthy. One of the C8 deficient patients had meningitis, meningococcaemia and pneumonia, whereas his sibling with the same deficiency was healthy. The patient with C3 deficiency had fo…
Early-Life Exposure to Outdoor Air Pollution and Respiratory Health, Ear Infections, and Eczema in Infants from the INMA Study
2013
Background: Prenatal and early-life periods may be critical windows for harmful effects of air pollution on infant health. Objectives: We studied the association of air pollution exposure during pregnancy and the first year of life with respiratory illnesses, ear infections, and eczema during the first 12–18 months of age in a Spanish birth cohort of 2,199 infants. Methods: We obtained parentally reported information on doctor-diagnosed lower respiratory tract infections (LRTI) and parental reports of wheezing, eczema, and ear infections. We estimated individual exposures to nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and benzene with temporally adjusted land use regression models. We used log-binomial regressi…
Paracetamol and antibiotics in childhood and subsequent development of wheezing/asthma: association or causation?
2011
Background Several studies found an association between early administration of paracetamol and antibiotics and development of wheezing. This could be due to confounding: wheeze and asthmatic symptoms in early childhood are difficult to distinguish from respiratory tract infections that are widely treated with these drugs; in case of persistence of symptoms up to school age, this could explain the observed relationship. Methods We investigated the association between paracetamol and antibiotics use in the first year of life and wheezing phenotypes, i.e. wheezing starting in different time periods (early, persistent and late-onset) in the SIDRIA-2 study, a cross-sectional survey of 16,933 ch…
Pre- and postnatal exposure to tobacco smoke and respiratory outcomes during the first year
2015
The different role of prenatal and postnatal exposure to tobacco smoke in respiratory outcomes in infants has not yet been clearly established. Our objective is to assess the effects of these exposures on the risk of respiratory outcomes during the first year of life of infants from a Spanish multicenter cohort study. A total of 2506 women were monitored until delivery. About 2039 infants made up the final population. The outcomes were caused by the occurrence of the following: otitis, cough persisting for more than 3 weeks, lower respiratory tract symptoms (wheezing or chestiness), and lower respiratory tract infections (bronchitis, bronchiolitis, or pneumonia). The relationship between pr…
Respiratory syncytial virus infection in a Sicilian pediatric population: Risk factors, epidemiology, and severity
2008
Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is the leading cause of hospitalization for lower respiratory tract infections (LRTIs) in young children worldwide. This study evaluated the epidemiological and clinical patterns of RSV infection in infants hospitalized for LRTIs in Sicily. Over a 7-month period (October 1, 2005 to April 30, 2006), all children 6 months old, with a gestational age (GA) of >36 weeks, with a birth weight of >2.50 g, with previous hospitalizations due to LRTI, with smokers in the household, and with a history of breast-feeding (p < 0.05 for each). RSV infection was associated with a higher likelihood to be admitted to neonatal intensive care units and to longer hospitalization…
Predictors of Ineffective Cough during a Chest Infection in Patients with Stable Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis
2007
In patients with neuromuscular diseases, a chest infection is associated with a reduction in respiratory muscle function that may result in decreased cough effectiveness.To determine if a clinical or functional parameter in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) in a stable condition could predict spontaneous cough ineffectiveness during a respiratory tract infection.Forty consecutive patients with ALS referred to our Respiratory Care Unit were studied during a one-year follow-up.FEV(1), FVC, FEV(1)/FVC, peak cough flow (PCF), peak velocity time (PVT), maximum inspiratory and expiratory pressures, and bulbar dysfunction evaluation using the Norris scale bulbar subscore (NBS). A t…
Prevalence of respiratory syncytial virus infection in Italian infants hospitalized for acute lower respiratory tract infections, and association bet…
2002
This study was designed to collect data on the prevalence of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection in Italy in infants hospitalized for lower respiratory tract infections, and to evaluate which of the recognized risk factors might be associated with disease severity. Thirty-two centers throughout Italy participated in the study. Over a 6-month period (November 1,1999 to April 30, 2000), we evaluated all children2 years of age hospitalized for lower respiratory tract infections. All subjects were tested for RSV within 24 hr of hospitalization by using an immuno-enzymatic diagnostic test (Abbott Testpack, RSV). Logistic regression was used to identify the factors that might be associate…