Incidence rate of nontuberculous mycobacterial disease in immunocompetent children: a prospective nationwide surveillance study in Germany.

An increasing incidence in disease caused by nontuberculous mycobacteria is being reported. We investigated the burden of disease in immunocompetent German children in a prospective nationwide study from April 2003 to September 2005. Ninety-seven percent of children presented with lymphadenitis; median age was 2.

Molecular epidemiology of penicillin-non-susceptible Streptococcus pneumoniae isolates from children with invasive pneumococcal disease in Germany.

A population-based nationwide surveillance of antibiotic resistance associated with invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) in children and adolescents (aged<16 years) was performed in Germany between 1997 and 2004. In total, 1517 isolates were collected, of which 5.1% and 1.

Induction of 2'-5' oligoadenylate synthetase during interferon treatment of chronic myelogenous leukemia.

Activity of the interferon-induced enzyme 2'-5' oligoadenylate synthetase (2-5 OAS) was measured in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and serum of patients with chronic phase Ph'-positive chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) treated with interferon-alpha (IFN-alpha) (4 x 10(6) IU/m2) alone or in combination with 50 micrograms IFN-gamma. At the beginning of IFN therapy, marked elevation of 2-5 OAS titers was detected in PBMCs (pretreatment 0.03-1.