Prevalence Of Respiratory Infections Research Articles

O uso de nutrição enteral precoce pós-transplante hepático adulto

Orthotopic liver transplantation is the treatment of choice for end-stage liver disease. Malnutrition is common in this population. Early enteral nutrition is not routine in the transplant groups. To report our experience with the use of early enteral nutrition in patients undergoing orthotopic liver transplantation and also evaluate its safety. We studied 41 adults submitted to orthotopic liver transplantation. Pre- orthotopic liver transplantation nutritional assessment was accomplished by the subjective global assessment and grip strength. Enteral nutrition was begun in 12 hours. Oral feeding was initiate gradually as soon as possible. We studied 35 individuals, with an average of age of 45.5 years (8.93). The prevalence of malnutrition in orthotopic liver transplantation was of 77.1% determined by subjective global assessment, and 100% by grip strength. Early enteral nutrition was begun in all of the individuals in up to 12 hours, mode 10.9 hours, and maintained exclusively by medium period of 2.6 days (2.2). Oral feeding was obtained in the medium period of 9.5 days (9.7). Early enteral nutrition provided total caloric intake in 97% of the cases. Intolerance to the enteral feeding occurred in five individuals (14.2%), and in four of them it was resumed successfully after 12 hours. The prevalence of respiratory infection was of 28.6%. In only two patients (5.7%) there was aspirative bronchopneumonia. Early enteral nutrition is an effective method in the provision of calories and safe in application to patients undergoing orthotopic liver transplantation.

Utilização de medicamentos para tratamento de infecções respiratórias na comunidade

This study describes the utilization of drugs to treat respiratory tract infections in a community setting. The description of antimicrobial and non-antimicrobial drugs use is important to design interventions aimed at improving treatment strategies for these common illnesses. In a population-based cross-sectional study, 6145 individuals living in an urban area in southern Brazil were inquired about the use of drugs for the treatment of respiratory tract infections in the 30 days previous to the interview. The Pearson chi-square test was used for statistical analyses. The global prevalence of respiratory infections treated with drugs was 6.3%. The prevalence was higher for children under 4 years of age (18%) and lower for the elderly (3%; p<0.001). Fifty-nine percent of the individuals used antimicrobials to treat respiratory infections. "Sore throat" was the main clinical condition associated with drug use (41%). Amoxicilin was the antimicrobial drug most frequently used (38%), while non-steroidal anti-inflamatory drugs were the most frequent among the non-antimicrobial drugs (27%). Antimicrobials were used in nearly 60% of the respiratory tract infections treated with some drug, even though they are mostly viral in their origin. The indiscriminate use of these drugs not only raises the costs of treatments, but may also lead to the emergence of bacterial resistance against the antimicrobials.

The effect of respiratory tract infections on reported asthma symptoms

Wheezing and chest tightness is associated with respiratory tract infections. Thus the occurrence of respiratory tract infections may influence the prevalence of asthma. To assess the strength of relation between two main symptoms of asthma and the prevalence of respiratory tract infections in children with and without asthma. The study population was 3,796 children, four years of age, whose parents had answered a questionnaire on respiratory symptoms and asthma. The prevalence of wheezing and chest tightness in the last 12 months and four weeks was estimated according to the occurrence of respiratory tract infections during the corresponding time periods; 95% confidence intervals of the prevalence and the statistical significance of the differences in the prevalence by using chi-square test were calculated. The prevalence of wheezing and chest tightness was higher in children who had experienced respiratory tract infections than in those who had not. The prevalence of wheezing was 17.5% among children who had experienced bronchitis and 3.0% among children whom had not (p<0.001). The prevalence of chest tightness in the last 12 months was 3.7% (95% CI 3.1-4.1) among children without asthma and 59.3% (95% CI 53.4-65.2) among children with asthma (p<0.001). The prevalence of wheezing and chest tightness increased with increasing number of different types of respiratory tract infections among children without asthma (p<0.001) and tended to be so among children with asthma. These findings have implications for the interpretation of results from epidemiological studies using respiratory symptoms as a health-related outcome of asthma.

The impact of climate on the prevalence of respiratory tract infections in early childhood in Lahore, Pakistan

Respiratory tract infections are a major health problem in developing countries. The aim of this study was to analyse the impact of the climate on the prevalence of upper respiratory tract infection (URTI) and lower respiratory tract infection (LRTI) in four socioeconomically different groups in a developing country. A prospective cohort study was conducted among children in four socioeconomically different groups in Lahore, Pakistan. Monthly observations were made on 1476 infants born during 1984-1987 and followed for 24 months. Prevalence of URTI and LRTI was analysed according to age, area of living, family size, time of birth, the season of the year and climate variables such as rain, temperature and humidity. Low monthly average minimum day temperature was associated with high prevalence of URTI and LRTI. For LRTI the impact of temperature was larger for boys, children living in larger families and children living in the poorer areas. This pattern was not seen for URTI. A peak in prevalence for LRTI was shown at 5-6 months of age for LRTI and at 10-12 months of age for URTI. Temperature is related to prevalence of URTI and LRTI in a developing society. The effect of temperature on health varies between different subgroups. These effects should be considered in planning health actions to prevent respiratory tract infections.

In Vitro and In Vivo Activity of Moxifloxacin against Community Respiratory Tract Pathogens

The high prevalence of respiratory tract infections (RTIs) and the increasing resistance of causative pathogens to currently available antibiotics necessitates the development of new, more powerful antimicrobial agents. Such agents must possess a broad spectrum of antibacterial activity so as to be useful for both the empirical and specific therapy of RTIs. Moxifloxacin is one such antimicrobial agent. The drug is a new 8-methoxyquinolone that has been shown to have a wide range of activity against Gram-positive and -negative bacteria as well as against anaerobes and atypical pathogens that can cause RTIs. Moxifloxacin is also effective against both β-lactam- and macrolide-resistant organisms and very rarely itself induces resistance under experimental conditions. This review summarises the in vitro evidence for the range of antibacterial activities of moxifloxacin, in terms of minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC90), time-kill kinetics and post-antibiotic effects. These in vitro findings have been confirmed by animal studies. In conclusion, moxifloxacin has an effective, appropriate spectrum of antimicrobial activity and other properties that provide a foundation for its use in the therapy of RTIs.

Inverse social gradient of secondary immune response parameters in children.

In children, the prevalence of allergy increases with increasing socioeconomic status. If frequent immune response stimulation by infections protects against development of allergic diseases, then a social gradient in infections should exist. The aim of our study was to assess the relation between social class, immune parameters, and the prevalence of respiratory infections in children. A cross-sectional survey examined children aged 5 to 14 years in 3 communities of Sachsen-Anhalt, Germany. Data of 1724 children were gathered by a parent-completed questionnaire and analyses of blood samples. Social class was defined by parental educational level. Immune parameters included serum immunoglobulin (Ig)G, IgA, and IgM; the C3c component of complement; and the total leukocyte count. The period prevalence of febrile colds and lifetime prevalences of physician-diagnosed bronchitis, tonsillitis, otitis media, and pneumonia were assessed from parents' reports. Adjusted odds ratios for the association between social class and belonging to the group of children with immune parameter levels in the upper 50th or 75th percentile or experiencing respiratory infections were calculated by logistic regression. Social class was inversely associated with secondary immune response parameters (IgG, IgA), whereas indicators of primary immune reactions and inflammation (IgM, C3c, leukocytes) were not related to social status. While an inverse social gradient was found for the period prevalence of febrile colds, the frequency of bronchitis, tonsillitis, and otitis media decreased with decreasing social class. Health inequalities exist in immune reactions and respiratory infections in children from different social classes. We hypothesize that in children from lower social classes, increased frequency of infections stimulated the secondary immune response and protected against more severe courses of respiratory infections.

Mortality and the 1974 fuel crisis.

SOME comment is needed on the report by Brown et al.1 in which the authors claim that the low mortality they noted in San Francisco and Alameda Counties in the first quarter of 1974 might have arisen from the reduction of gasoline sales during the fuel crisis. This is an interesting proposition, but the further details that the authors are examining on the more usual determinants of seasonal and secular variations in mortality (weather conditions and the prevalence of respiratory infections), and on urban/rural comparisons will be required before any judgment can be made on possible cause-and-effect relationships. In the meantime we make a few comments on their work, and present some related data from Britain.

The Influence of Triethylene Glycol Aerosol on the Growth, Morbidity and Mortality Rates of a Broiler Flock

THE prevalence of respiratory tract infections among poultry during the past few years has prompted efforts toward reducing the dissemination of such diseases by means of chemical agents (Johnson, 1950). Vapors of certain compounds have given promise against some of the respiratory infections of man. However, most of the compounds tested have certain defects and a recent review (Puck, 1947) reveals that a completely satisfactory agent or method for air sterilization has not yet been found.Favorable properties have been attributed to certain aerial germicides, especially triethylene glycol (TEG) which, in effective concentrations, has the advantage of being practically non-irritating. Its action depends upon surface condensation of the vapor and the building up of lethal concentrations of the glycol in infection-carrying droplets and upon airborne organisms (Krugman and Swerdlow, 1949; Puck, 1947; Robertson et al., 1943).Considerable evidence exists of the effectiveness of TEG under laboratory conditions. At a relative .

Air Disinfection in Day Schools

THE prevalence of respiratory infection during the season of indoor congregation I suggests a natural relationship between ventilation and communicable disease. Reduction by radiant air disinfection, of surgical infection 2 and cross-infection between sick children continuously exposed in pediatric wards,3 and continuous aggregations of infants in a nursery 4 and children in an orphanage 5 and dvnamic spread of childhood contagion 6 through intermittent aggregations in classrooms of day schools 7 offers experimental evidence of the importance of sanitary ventilation in the control of respiratory disease. It may not now be premature in the interest of good design, to attempt a preliminary comparison of results from 6 years' study in one irradiated school with the results obtained under a different design during 3 years in two other schools.