Comparison of tick-borne encephalitis between children and adults-analysis of 669 patients.

The aim of our study was to compare the course of TBE in children and adults. A retrospective analysis of the medical records of 669 patients was performed. The patients were categorized into 2 groups: Group I with 68 children and group II with 601 adults.

Comparison of Neuroborreliosis Between Children and Adults.

Background: Lyme neuroborreliosis (NB) is a tick-borne infectious disorder of the nervous system caused by Borrelia burgdorferi spirochetes. There are not many data available regarding the differences in the course of NB in children and adults. The aim of our study was to compare the clinical course of NB between children and adults.

Neuroborreliosis – clinical presentation – Current state of knowledge.

Neuroborreliosis is one of the manifestations of Lyme disease involving central and peripheral nervous system. It is caused by infection with Borrelia burgdorferi spirochete which is transmitted by tick bites. Neuroborreliosis can affect both adults and children.

Whole-genome comparative analysis of strains isolated from patients with diarrhea in northeastern Poland.

Background: is the leading cause of bacterial gastroenteritis (campylobacteriosis) in humans worldwide, and the most frequent pathogen associated with Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) and Miller-Fisher syndrome (MFS). The study was designed in order to assess similarities between genomes of strains, isolated from children suffering from acute diarrhea in northeastern Poland, in comparison to genomes stored in public databases. The analysis involved phylogeny, resistome and virulome.

[Selected viral neuroinfections in children].

Viral meningitis may be present not only in adults but also in children. It constitutes a significant public health problem in child population. The clinical manifestation of the disease in children varies depending on the age of the child, the causative agent or the way of acquiring the infection.

Toxocarosis in children: poor hygiene habits and contact with dogs is related to longer treatment.

The objective of this study was to investigate the main clinical signs and symptoms of toxocarosis in children and the treatment results. The study group consisted of 66 seropositive children aged 2 to 16 years, evaluated in an outpatient clinic in north-eastern Poland for 24 months. Male gender and living in urban areas predominated in the study population.

Polish consensus guidelines on the use of acyclovir in the treatment and prevention of VZV and HSV infections.

A physician has to perform a benefit-risk assessment each time acyclovir is prescribed "off label" for children. A group of Polish infectious disease experts was created to develop evidence-based guidelines on the use of acyclovir in the treatment and prevention of varicella zoster and herpes simplex infections. In primary varicella zoster virus infections, oral acyclovir treatment is recommended in children over 12 years of age and should be considered in younger children who fall into one of the groups at risk of severe varicella.

Exposure to environmental tobacco smoke and respiratory tract infections in pre-school children - a cross-sectional study in Poland.

Introduction And Objective: Knowledge of the harmful influence of environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) has a positive impact on changing social behaviours worldwide. In many homes smoking is totally prohibited; in some others, partial limitations of tobacco consumption have been introduced.

Objective: To study the correlation between the adopted rules of tobacco use in homes of 3-year-olds, and the kind and frequency of acute respiratory system infections within a 6-month period of attending pre-schools.

Environmental contamination with Toxocara eggs and seroprevalence of toxocariasis in children of northeastern Poland.

Toxocariasis is a worldwide distributed zoonotic disease. Soil contaminated with Toxocara eggs appears to be the main source of infection for humans. The aim of our study was to estimate the environmental contamination with Toxocara eggs in public areas in northeastern Poland followed by the assessment of seroprevalence of toxocariasis in the children's population inhabiting the areas.

Conventional and molecular methods in the diagnosis of community-acquired diarrhoea in children under 5 years of age from the north-eastern region of Poland.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to determine the main causative agents of community-acquired acute diarrhoea in children using conventional methods and PCR.

Methods: Stool samples were collected from 100 children under 5 years of age with acute diarrhoea during the autumn-winter period of 2010-2011. Rotaviruses and adenoviruses were detected by the stool antigen immunoassay, and Salmonella spp, Campylobacter spp, Shigella spp, Yersinia enterocolitica, Yersinia pseudotuberculosis, Clostridium difficile, enterotoxigenic Bacteroides fragilis (ETBF), and diarrhoeagenic Escherichia coli were detected by culture methods and PCR.

Epstein-Barr virus effect on frequency of functionally distinct T cell subsets in children with infectious mononucleosis.

Purpose: Epstein-Barr virus is a common human pathogen which infects the great majority of population worldwide. A striking proliferation of CD8⁺ T cells is an immune response to EBV invasion of B lymphocytes during infectious mononucleosis. The aim of the study was to analyze frequencies of CD28⁺CD95⁻, CD28⁺CD95⁺, CD28⁻CD95⁺ T cell subsets putative naïve (T(N)), central (T(CM)) and effector memory (T(EM)) T cells in children with infectious mononucleosis.

[Is vaccination against varicella efficacious and how long does the protection last?].

Despite the availability of varicella vaccines, few countries have introduced a  universal varicella vaccination to their national immunisation programmes. Major concerns are vaccine efficacy against varicella and herpes zoster as well as duration of post-vaccination protection. This review study presents up-to-date classification of varicella-zoster viral clades, sensitive laboratory tests used for assessment of humoral response against the vaccine-type virus OKA antigens in vaccinees, and benefits of universal varicella vaccination in the USA (since 1995) and in Germany (since 2004).

Increased levels of cytokines in cerebrospinal fluid of children with aseptic meningitis caused by mumps virus and echovirus 30.

We measured levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of patients with mumps meningitis, enteroviral echovirus 30 meningitis and children without central nervous system infection to investigate whether these molecules were involved in the pathogenesis of viral meningitis. The CSF was obtained from 62 children suspected with meningitis. These patients were classified to the mumps meningitis (n = 19), echovirus 30 meningitis (n = 22) and non-meningitis (n = 21) groups.

[Rotaviruses as a cause of nosocomial infections in Poland--systematic review with metaanalysis of 11 studies].

Background: Rotavirus infections have been important health problem of Polish children both as primary cause of hospital admissions and nosocomial infections. Due to the lack of acquired immunity in first years of life, (96,7%) in hospitalized children reported in Poland in 2009. A high incidence of hospital infections is explained by mass excretion of rotaviruses in feces, as well as high infectivity and stability of the rotavirus in the environment.

Norovirus infections in children under 5 years of age hospitalized due to the acute viral gastroenteritis in northeastern Poland.

The primary aim of this study was to evaluate the frequency and seasonality of norovirus infection in hospitalized Polish children under 5 years of age, and a secondary aim was to compare the clinical severity of norovirus and rotavirus disease. The prospective surveillance study was carried out from July 2009 through June 2010. Stool samples from 242 children hospitalized due to acute viral gastroenteritis were tested for rotavirus group A and adenovirus with commercial immunochromatographic test and for norovirus with EIA assay.

Analysis of clinical symptoms and selected hematological indices in hospitalized children with Ascaris lumbricoides infection from the northeastern region of Poland.

Ascariasis is the most common soil-transmitted helminth infection in the world. The objective of this study was to analyze the clinical symptoms and selected hematological indices of ascariasis in hospitalized children from the northeastern region of Poland. Patients in the Pediatric Ward hospitalized in the Regional Hospital in Dabrowa Białostocka in the period of 2005-2007 were included in this retrospective study.

[Exposure to tobacco smoke and type of acute respiratory infections in children].

Respiratory diseases are the most common cause of the child and family practice physicians are one of the main reasons for referral to a specialist clinic and hospital pediatric wards. The severity of respiratory disease in adolescence influenced by various factors, endo- and exogenous. Some of them, especially environmental factors can be eliminated or reduced and thus reduce the risk of developing this disease.

Norovirus and Rotavirus--two major causative agents of sporadic viral gastroenteritis in hospitalized Polish children.

Purpose: The aim of the study was to establish the main etiologic agents of acute viral gastroenteritis and to asses the severity of illness associated with the different viral agents of gastroenteritis in children hospitalized during spring/summer season 2008.

Material And Methods: 181 stool specimens were collected from children under 5 years of age, hospitalized with acute viral diarrhea from April to September 2008. Commercial enzyme immunoassay kits were used to detect noroviruses.

Proteolytic activity of Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolates with TTSS-mediated cytotoxicity and invasiveness to host cells.

Over 100 of Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolates representing the two TTSS genotypes (exoU (-)/exoS (+) or exoU (+)/exoS (-)) were cultured in different media in order to evaluate their proteolytic activities and find a relationship between proteolytic activity and the cytotoxic and/or invasive phenotypes displayed by the strains upon infection of RAW 264.7 murine macrophage-like cells and pulmonary microvascular endothelial cells (PME). The elastolytic activity, protein concentration, and total proteolytic activity (TPA) were measured in culture supernatants.

[Matrix metalloproteinases in the central nervous system: clinical significance and therapeutic prospects].

Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) were originally described as proteases capable of degrading extracellular matrix components. Increasing evidence indicates a much more complex role of MMPs. Diverse functions of MMPs include cellular differentiation, migration, survival or death, angiogenesis and signalling.

[Unusual clinical manifestation of Lyme disease--report of 2 cases].

Unusual clinical manifestation of Lyme borreliosis in two children has been presented. We discuss patient from Borrelia-endemic area who presented with persistent headache, weakness and fever. The second patient experienced acute flu-like signs with associated neck pain and stiffness (probable diagnosis).

Elevated levels of MMP-9 and TIMP-1 in the cerebrospinal fluid of children with echovirus type 30 and mumps meningitis.

Matrix metalloproteinases are involved in leucocyte invasion into the central nervous system (CNS) during meningitis. The aim of the study was to determine whether there are differences in the expression patterns of matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) and the tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-1 (TIMP-1) in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of patients with meningitis caused by one of two known distinct viral agents. Concentrations were measured by using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) in 16 children with mumps meningitis, in 25 children with echovirus type 30 meningitis and in a control group of 23 children without any CNS infection.

Preanalytical factors affecting the stability of matrix metalloproteinase-2 concentrations in cerebrospinal fluid.

Background: Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are crucially involved in central nervous system inflammation. This study assesses preanalytical factors on MMP-2 concentrations in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF).

Methods: The concentrations of MMP-2 in CSF obtained from 13 patients were measured using ELISA.

[The significance of immunoblot tests in diagnosis of Lyme borreliosis in children].

Objective: Verification of Lyme disease serodiagnosis in children by use of Western blot (WB) testing.

Material And Methods: 24 children (8 males, 16 females) at the average age of 15,5y have been diagnosed from January 1st till December 31, 2007. All Lyme patients with positive or equivocal ELISA IgM and or ELISA IgG test results were included in the study.

[Clinical manifestation of Lyme borreliosis in children with positive and negatiwe western blot results].

Background: In the afforested area of North-Eastern Poland the risk of Borrelia burgdorferi infection seems to be higher compared to the other regions. Because of unspecific clinical manifestation of Lyme borreliosis in children the positive ELISA IgM results should be confirmed with Western blot IgM tests.

Objective: Retrospective analysis of clinical signs and symptoms of Lyme borreliosis in children with positive ELISA IgM and positive Western blot IgM results and in children with positive ELISA IgM and negative Western blot IgM results.