Outdoor particulate matter and childhood asthma admissions in Athens, Greece: a time-series study.

Background: Particulate matter with diameter less than 10 micrometers (PM10) that originates from anthropogenic activities and natural sources may settle in the bronchi and cause adverse effects possibly via oxidative stress in susceptible individuals, such as asthmatic children. This study aimed to investigate the effect of outdoor PM10 concentrations on childhood asthma admissions (CAA) in Athens, Greece.

Methods: Daily counts of CAA from the three Children's Hospitals within the greater Athens' area were obtained from the hospital records during a four-year period (2001-2004, n = 3602 children).

Febrile seizures and primary human herpesvirus 6 infection.

Primary human herpesvirus 6 infection is acquired mainly during the first two years of life and is often associated with febrile seizures. The aim of the present study was to investigate in Greece the frequency and clinical characteristics of primary human herpesvirus 6 (HHV-6) infection in hospitalized children with febrile seizures. Children aged from 6 months to 5 years without known neurologic disease were examined for primary HHV-6 infection, by real-time polymerase chain reaction in acute-phase plasma and by indirect immunofluorescent assay for antibody titers in acute and convalescent serum.

Prevalence and characterization of class 1 integrons in Escherichia coli of poultry and human origin.

A prospective study was conducted to determine the prevalence and the gene-cassette content of class 1 integrons in Escherichia coli of poultry and human origin. A total of 235 E. coli isolates were examined; 65 were derived from farm poultry, 80 from hospitalized, and 90 from nonhospitalized patients.

Inflammatory bowel disease in children: the role of a positive family history.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate any potential influence of a family history of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) on the clinical phenotypes and the course of IBD in children.

Methods: In this retrospective study, the notes of 411 children with the diagnosis of IBD, 244 (59.4%) with ulcerative colitis, 129 (31.

Macrolide resistance in Streptococcus pyogenes: prevalence, resistance determinants, and emm types.

To investigate the antimicrobial resistance trends and the distribution of emm types of group A streptococci (GAS), we examined 1160 clinical isolates of GAS collected between 2003 and 2006. Susceptibilities to commonly used antimicrobial agents were determined by Etest, and macrolide resistance genes were detected by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). GAS isolates were typed by polymerase chain reaction PCR and sequencing of emm gene.