Etanercept treatment in juvenile idiopathic arthritis: the Polish registry.

Background: To evaluate the long-term safety and efficacy of etanercept treatment in Polish patients with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA).

Material/methods: The study involved patients, fulfilling the JIA criteria of the International League of Associations of Rheumatology (ILAR), who were started on etanercept therapy after methotrexate and other synthetic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) had proven ineffective. Patient data were collected in an electronic registry.

Identification of dendritic cells in the blood and synovial fluid of children with Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis.

Childhood chronic arthritis of unknown etiology is known collectively as juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) and consists of heterogeneous subtypes with unique clinical patterns of disease. JIA is the commonest rheumatic disease in children and may still result in significant disability, with joint deformity, growth impairment, and persistence of active arthritis into adulthood. Basic research is rather focused on rheumatoid arthritis, and this lead to small number of publications considering JIA.

[Diagnostics of joint pain in children--controversies].

Musculoskeletal symptoms can be a manifestation of varied conditions and ailments which are not connected with rheumatic diseases. The aim of the article is to present some controversial elements of differential diagnosis of joint pain in children. Insidious course of the disease can be a cause of diagnostic errors and delays in introducing effective treatment.

[Drug susceptibility of Haemophilus sp. and Staphylococcus aureus strains colonizing respiratory tract in children with mucoviscidosis].

Objective: The aim of our studies was to isolate haemophili rods and S. aureus from children with mucoviscidosis and to assess antimicrobial agent susceptibility of the isolates.

Methods: Sputa and nasopharynx swabs from 12 children with mucoviscidosis were screened for the prevalence ofHaemophilus sp.

Evaluation of the association between atypical bacteria infections and respiratory tract diseases with emphasis on bronchial asthma exacerbations in children.

Mycoplasma pneumoniae and Chlamydia pneumonie are important etiological agents responsible for human respiratory tract diseases. Recently, these atypical microorganisms received much attention regarding their role in bronchial asthma pathogenesis, which is one of the most frequent chronic diseases in children. The aim of the study was to investigate the association between infections caused by these pathogens and respiratory tract diseases in children.