Prevalence and effect of pre-treatment drug resistance on the virological response to antiretroviral treatment initiated in HIV-infected children - a EuroCoord-CHAIN-EPPICC joint project.

Background: Few studies have evaluated the impact of pre-treatment drug resistance (PDR) on response to combination antiretroviral treatment (cART) in children. The objective of this joint EuroCoord-CHAIN-EPPICC/PENTA project was to assess the prevalence of PDR mutations and their association with virological outcome in the first year of cART in children.

Methods: HIV-infected children <18 years initiating cART between 1998 and 2008 were included if having at least one genotypic resistance test prior to cART initiation.

Normal Thymic Size and Low Rate of Infections in Human Donor Milk Fed HIV-Exposed Uninfected Infants from Birth to 18 Months of Age.

Objective. To evaluate the immune function in HIV-exposed uninfected (HIV-EU) infants fed human donor milk. Methods.

Chronic granulomatous disease: the European experience.

CGD is an immunodeficiency caused by deletions or mutations in genes that encode subunits of the leukocyte NADPH oxidase complex. Normally, assembly of the NADPH oxidase complex in phagosomes of certain phagocytic cells leads to a "respiratory burst", essential for the clearance of phagocytosed micro-organisms. CGD patients lack this mechanism, which leads to life-threatening infections and granuloma formation.

Properdin deficiency associated with recurrent otitis media and pneumonia, and identification of male carrier with Klinefelter syndrome.

Properdin is an initiator and stabilizer of the alternative complement activation pathway (AP). Deficiency of properdin is a rare X-linked condition characterized by increased susceptibility to infection with Neisseria meningitidis associated with a high mortality rate. We report properdin deficiency in a large Pakistani family.

Maternal smoking during pregnancy increases the risk of postnatal infections in preterm neonates.

Background: Maternal smoking during pregnancy is known to be associated with perinatal complications such as preterm delivery, low birth weight, and sudden infant death syndrome.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the influence of smoking during pregnancy on the risk of postnatal infections in preterm neonates.

Method: We examined 80 preterm infants (gestational age 24-36 weeks), of whom 40% had been exposed to tobacco smoking during pregnancy.

Long-term effectiveness of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) in perinatally HIV-infected children in Denmark.

The long-term impact of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) on HIV-1 infected children is not well known. The Danish Paediatric HIV Cohort Study includes all patients <16 y of age with HIV-1 infection in Denmark. We report the complete follow-up from 1996 to 2005 of 49 perinatally infected children treated with HAART.

Exhaled nitric oxide in healthy young children during tidal breathing through a facemask.

The aim of this study was to establish reference values and to examine day-to-day and within-day variations of exhaled nitric oxide (eNO) during tidal breathing in healthy children using a newly described method. Exhaled NO was measured on-line and off-line during tidal breathing through a facemask. In a subgroup of children measurements were repeated during the course of a single day and on the same time on three consecutive days.

Demographics in HIV-infected children in Denmark: results from the Danish Paediatric HIV Cohort Study.

We present the demographic data on HIV-infected children from the Danish Paediatric HIV Cohort Study, an observational database on HIV in Denmark. Up to 1 July 2003 a total of 89 children had been diagnosed with HIV infection before the age of 16 y, of which 12 (13.5%) had died, 2 (2.

Measurement of exhaled nitric oxide in young children during tidal breathing through a facemask.

Measurement of exhaled nitric oxide (eNO) offers a non-invasive means for assessment of airway inflammation. The currently available methods are difficult to apply in preschool children. We evaluated four methods potentially applicable for eNO measurement during tidal breathing in young children.

Effect of probiotics on gastrointestinal symptoms and small intestinal permeability in children with atopic dermatitis.

Objective: To determine whether probiotic lactobacilli may alleviate small intestinal inflammation and strengthen the intestinal barrier function in children with atopic dermatitis.

Study Design: In a double-blinded, placebo-controlled, cross-over study, probiotic lactobacilli (Lactobacillus rhamnosus 19070-2 and L reuteri DSM 12246) were administered for 6 weeks to 41 children with moderate and severe atopic dermatitis. Gastrointestinal symptoms were registered before and during treatment and small intestinal permeability was measured by the lactulose-mannitol test.

Effect of probiotic Lactobacillus strains in children with atopic dermatitis.

Background: Recent studies suggest that oral bacteriotherapy with probiotics might be useful in the management of atopic dermatitis (AD).

Objective: The purpose of this investigation was to evaluate the clinical and anti-inflammatory effect of probiotic supplementation in children with AD.

Methods: In a double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover study, 2 probiotic Lactobacillus strains (lyophilized Lactobacillus rhamnosus 19070-2 and Lactobacillus reuteri DSM 122460) were given in combination for 6 weeks to 1- to 13-year-old children with AD.

A new mutation causing autosomal dominant periodic fever syndrome in a Danish family.

We describe four members in a family of 8 individuals over 3 generations with the autosomal dominant inherited periodic fever syndrome tumor necrosis factor receptor-associated periodic syndrome (TRAPS). The patients had recurrent episodes of fever, abdominal pain, arthritis, and rash. We examined the gene coding for the tumor necrosis factor receptor TNFRSF1A in all first-degree family members.

[HIV screening in pregnancy--too many failures?].

Danish official guidelines recommend that women belonging to risk groups should be offered HIV testing during pregnancy. Universal HIV testing during antenatal care is not required. We describe three infants with vertically acquired HIV infection born to mothers, who, despite belonging to high-risk groups (one from Thailand, two from Sub-Saharan Africa), had not been offered an HIV test during pregnancy.

[Vertical transmission of HIV in Denmark].

Introduction: Vertical transmission of HIV can be reduced if the pregnant woman and new born child receive antiretroviral treatment. Delivery by caesarean section and avoidance of breast feeding further reduce vertical transmission. The aim of this study was to describe the treatment of HIV-positive pregnant women in Denmark and the risk of vertical transmission.

Effect of probiotic Lactobacillus strains on acute diarrhea in a cohort of nonhospitalized children attending day-care centers.

Background: Certain strains of lactobacilli have been shown to promote recovery from rotavirus enteritis in hospitalized children. Few studies have examined the effect of probiotics in nonhospitalized children with mild diarrhea.

Methods: We studied in a randomized placebo-controlled trial the effect of lyophilized Lactobacillus rhamnosus 19070-2 and Lactobacillus reuteri DSM 12246, 10(10) colony-forming units of each strain twice daily for 5 days, on acute diarrhea in children in a cohort of children recruited from local day-care centers.

Effect of probiotic Lactobacillus strains in young children hospitalized with acute diarrhea.

Background: Oral bacteriotherapy promotes recovery from acute childhood diarrhea, but few strains have been shown to have therapeutic potentials. We examined the effect of two newly identified probiotic Lactobacillus strains in acute childhood diarrhea.

Methods: Sixty-nine children were randomized during hospitalization for acute diarrhea to receive a mixture of Lactobacillus rhamnosus 19070-2 and Lactobacillus reuteri DSM 12246, 10(10) colony-forming units of each strain or placebo twice daily for 5 days.