Comparative antimicrobial susceptibility of biofilm versus planktonic forms of Salmonella enterica strains isolated from children with gastroenteritis.

In the present study, 194 Salmonella enterica strains, isolated from infected children and belonging to various serotypes, were investigated for their ability to form biofilms and the biofilm forms of the isolated strains were compared to their corresponding planktonic forms with respect to the antimicrobial susceptibility. For the biofilm-forming strains, the minimum inhibitory concentration for bacterial regrowth (MICBR) from the biofilm of nine clinically applicable antimicrobial agents was determined, and the results were compared to the respective MIC values of the planktonic forms. One hundred and nine S.

Endocrine-immune interactions in adrenal function of asthmatic children on inhaled corticosteroids.

The present review highlights adrenal function in the context of endocrine-immune interactions and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis activity in asthmatic children on long-term treatment with inhaled corticosteroids (ICS). Activation of the HPA axis by specific cytokines increases the release of cortisol, which in turn feeds back and suppresses the immune reaction. Reduced responsiveness of the HPA axis in patients with various chronic allergic inflammatory disorders and a blunted HPA axis response of poorly controlled asthmatics before long-term treatment with ICS have been reported.

A report of two cases of brucellar sacroiliitis without systemic manifestations in Greece.

We report 2 cases of sacroiliitis in a 13-year-old girl and an 11-year-old boy as the sole manifestation of Brucella melitensis infection. This is a rare condition. Throughout the course of the disease, neither the girl nor the boy had other signs of brucellosis.

Asthma symptoms and airway narrowing in children growing up in an urban versus rural environment.

The development of asthma and allergy appears to be the result of gene-environment interaction. Potential environmental risk factors such as outdoor and indoor air pollution, infections, allergen exposure, diet, and lifestyle patterns may trigger respiratory symptoms and compromise lung function in children. Specific features of urban and rural lifestyle may constitute distinct risk factors but may also coexist within certain socioeconomic levels.

Dysregulation of the stress response in asthmatic children.

The stress system co-ordinates the adaptive responses of the organism to stressors of any kind. Inappropriate responsiveness may account for increased susceptibility to a variety of disorders, including asthma. Accumulated evidence from animal models suggests that exogenously applied stress enhances airway reactivity and increases allergen-induced airway inflammation.

Asthma symptoms and bronchial reactivity in school children sensitized to food allergens in infancy.

Food allergy in infancy usually disappears but is followed primarily by respiratory allergy. We hypothesized that children allergic to common food allergens in infancy are at increased risk of wheezing illness and bronchial hyperresponsiveness during school age. In a case-control study 69 children 7.

The hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis in asthmatic children.

Reduced responsiveness of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis in patients with various chronic allergic inflammatory disorders and a blunted HPA axis response of poorly controlled asthmatics before long-term treatment with inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) have been reported. It seems that pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines might be involved in the attenuation of cortisol and adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) responses to stress in these patients. Although long-term ICS treatment might produce mild adrenal suppression in some asthmatic children, improvement of adrenal function has been detected in the majority of cases.

Factors associated with asthma symptoms in schoolchildren from Greece: the Physical Activity, Nutrition and Allergies in Children Examined in Athens (PANACEA) study.

To evaluate whether dietary habits and anthropometric and lifestyle characteristics are associated with the prevalence of asthma symptoms, a sample of 700 Greek schoolchildren were evaluated through a standardized questionnaire. Body height and weight were measured, and body mass index was calculated. Multiple logistic regression and multivariate techniques (principal components analysis) were performed.

Aims, methods and preliminary findings of the Physical Activity, Nutrition and Allergies in Children Examined in Athens (PANACEA) epidemiological study.

Background: To determine the prevalence of asthma symptoms in a sample of Greek children aged 10-12 years, and to evaluate these rates in relation to anthropometric, lifestyle characteristics and dietary habits.

Methods: During 2006, 700 schoolchildren (323 male and 377 female), aged 10-12 years (4th to 6th school grade), were selected from 18 schools located in the greater Athens area. The schools were randomly selected from a list provided by the regional educational offices.

Increased sensitization in urban vs. rural environment--rural protection or an urban living effect?

In a population-based longitudinal cohort study, we tested the hypothesis that children growing up in a high-traffic polluted urban area (UA) in the Athens' basin have higher prevalence of allergies and sensitization when compared with those growing up in a Greek provincial rural area (RA). We recruited 478 and 342 children aged 8-10 living in the UA and the RA, respectively. Respiratory health was assessed by a parent-completed questionnaire in three phases: 1995-96 (phase 1), 1999-2000 (phase 2), 2003-04 (phase 3) and skin-prick testing to common indoor and outdoor aeroallergens was performed at phases 1 and 2.

Secular growth changes in the Hellenic population in the twentieth century.

Statural growth is dependent on hereditary and environmental factors, i.e disease, nutrition. The improvement of socioeconomic conditions that took place during the 20th century resulted in a secular trend towards greater height and earlier sexual maturation.

Congenital lipoid adrenal hyperplasia caused by a frame-shift mutation in the steroidogenic acute regulatory protein gene.

We present a female patient who, at the age of 35 days, presented with adrenal insufficiency with salt loss. Clinical and endocrinological investigation (low to normal levels of all adrenal steroids and raised ACTH) and imaging studies suggested congenital lipoid adrenal hyperplasia. The diagnosis was confirmed by molecular analysis that showed a frame-shift mutation 947/InsA/948 in exon 7 of the steroidogenic acute regulatory protein (StAR) gene.

Quantification of siderophages in bronchoalveolar fluid in transfusional and primary pulmonary hemosiderosis.

Transfusional iron overload may occur in the lungs. We hypothesized that quantitating siderophages in the bronchoalveolar fluid (BALF) of heavily transfused patients may prove to be a useful tool in determining lung iron overload in transfusion-dependent patients. The study included six patients (7-20 years) with thalassemia major (TM) who had received multiple blood transfusions, one with hereditary spherocytosis (four blood transfusions) and one with sickle cell disease (never transfused); they were compared to three children with idiopathic pulmonary hemosiderosis (IPH) (2.

Adrenal function improves in asthmatic children on inhaled steroids: a longitudinal study.

Background/aims: Asthmatic children on long-term treatment with inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) may exhibit mild adrenal suppression. We aimed to test the hypothesis that baseline adrenal function of some asthmatic children might be lower than that of others and that this difference might be accentuated by ICS therapy.

Methods: A low-dose Synacthen test was performed in 41 prepubertal asthmatic children placed on long-term inhaled budesonide (400 microg/day) prior to the onset of ICS treatment, 6 and 12 months later.

Early growth acceleration in girls with idiopathic precocious puberty.

Objective: To determine the growth pattern of girls with idiopathic precocious puberty (IPP) from birth until diagnosis.

Study Design: We studied 47 girls with IPP and 35 control girls. In each subject, height and weight were measured at diagnosis, whereas data on height from birth until diagnosis were taken from the personal health book of the patient.

Bronchial hyperresponsiveness, atopy, and bronchoalveolar lavage eosinophils in persistent middle lobe syndrome.

Most cases of middle lobe syndrome (MLS) in children are considered to be due to asthma and may recover spontaneously; however, in persistent MLS, repeated episodes of infection often institute a vicious cycle that may lead to persistent symptoms and bronchial hyperresponsiveness (BHR). The present study was undertaken to investigate whether asthma, as an underlying diagnosis, is predictive of a favorable outcome of children with persistent MLS. We evaluated 53 children with MLS who underwent an aggressive management protocol that included fiberoptic bronchoscopy (FOB) and bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL).

Association of weather conditions with childhood admissions for wheezy bronchitis or asthma in Athens.

Background: The association between asthma morbidity and meteorological conditions is well documented, but it is not clear to what extent more specific meteorological variables are implicated.

Objectives: This study was aiming to investigate whether there is any association between specific meteorological conditions and the seasonal variation and the rate of asthma admissions among children in Athens.

Methods: Data were obtained retrospectively from hospital registries of the three main Children's Hospitals in Athens during a 23-year period (1978-2000).

Different effects of urban and rural environments in the respiratory status of Greek schoolchildren.

We hypothesized that asthma symptoms and lung function of schoolchildren living in Athens urban area are adversely affected as compared to others living in a rural environment, over a period of 8 years. We recruited 478 and 342 children aged 8-10 years living within a short radius around the urban and rural area monitoring stations, respectively. Respiratory health was assessed by a parent-completed questionnaire in three phases: 1995-1996 (phase-1), 1999-2000 (phase-2), 2003-2004 (phase-3) and by spirometry in phases-1 and 2.

Isolated scrotal hair in infancy.

Nine male infants who developed scrotal hair with no other signs of virilization were evaluated. Median age for the development of scrotal hair was 4.5 months, and median age at presentation was 7.

Increased glycosaminoglycans in the urine of asthmatic children on inhaled corticosteroids.

Increased extracellular matrix (ECM) deposition in the airway wall contributes to the airway remodeling in asthmatics. Glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) are polysaccharides attached to a protein core in order to form proteoglycans, a component of the ECM. In this study, we investigated the possible influence of long-term treatment with inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) on urinary GAGs levels of asthmatic children.

Ovarian insufficiency in congenital lipoid adrenal hyperplasia begins in infancy.

The aim of the present study was to investigate ovarian function in a 46,XX female patient with congenital lipoid adrenal hyperplasia (lipoid CAH) during infancy and childhood. We measured serum gonadotropin and estradiol levels regularly from 6 months to 10.9 years of age.

The effect of inhaled budesonide on adrenal and growth suppression in asthmatic children.

The present authors evaluated adrenal reserve in asthmatic children on long-term inhaled corticosteroids and whether possible adrenal suppression could be predicted by growth retardation. Low-dose synacthen test (0.5 microg x 1.