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Biomedical subjects

C B Hall

Publications and source records attributed to C B Hall.

At least 91 records · Page 5Linked to original sources

Variation in severity of respiratory syncytial virus infections with subtype.

Two major subtypes of respiratory syncytial virus have been identified. This study assessed the hypothesis that A-subtype infections were more severe than B-subtype infections among the 157 infants hospitalized in two hospitals in Rochester, N.Y., during two winters. Severity was measured both by specific clinical observations and by a severity index that was derived empirically. Among all subjects, several clinical observations suggested that A-subtype infections were more severe. For example, mechanical ventilation was required in 12.6% of those with A-subtype compared with 1.6% of those with B-subtype infection (relative risk = 7.88; p = 0.01). Among high-risk infants (infants with underlying conditions or age 3 months or less at admission), carbon dioxide tension greater than 45 mm Hg was found in 37.0% of those with A-subtype compared with 12.0% of those with B-subtype infection (relative risk = 3.08; p = 0.04). In discrete multivariate (logit) analysis, effects of subtype (odds ratio = 6.59; p less than 0.01) on severity remained after adjustment for other statistically significant effects of age less than 3 months, underlying condition, and premature birth. The finding that A-subtype infections were more severe might have important implications for vaccine development, studies of the virulence of respiratory syncytial virus, clinical management (e.g., selection for antiviral therapy), and long-term prognosis.

Age Factors↗

Early ribavirin treatment of respiratory syncytial viral infection in high-risk children.

A 3-year prospective, blinded, multicenter study was done to assess the efficacy of early ribavirin intervention in mild respiratory syncytial virus illness in children with bronchopulmonary dysplasia or with congenital heart disease. A cohort of 178 children younger than 36 months of age with bronchopulmonary dysplasia or congenital heart disease were followed. Forty-seven infants whose respiratory syncytial virus infection resulted in mild symptoms of less than or equal to 72 hours' duration received ribavirin (n = 20) or water placebo aerosol (n = 27) either in a hospital or at home. Outcome measures included respiratory and analog score, room air oxygen, saturation, and oxygen flow needed to maintain saturation at greater than or equal to 91%. No difference in age, gender, family size, passive smoking, baseline oxygen saturations in room air, or duration of symptoms before treatment was found between groups. After 3 days of therapy, ribavirin produced a greater rate of improvement of analog scores (p = less than or equal to 0.001), lower oxygen requirements (p = 0.01), and higher oxygen saturation (p = 0.01). Respiratory scores and total hospital days did not differ significantly between the groups. Treatment failure occurred in 2 of 20 children (10%) in the ribavirin group versus 5 of 27 children (18%) in the placebo group, a nonsignificant difference. No child required assisted ventilation or had an adverse reaction. We conclude that early ribavirin therapy may help to reduce morbidity from respiratory syncytial virus infection in high-risk young children.

Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia↗

Occurrence of groups A and B of respiratory syncytial virus over 15 years: associated epidemiologic and clinical characteristics in hospitalized and ambulatory children.

Over 15 years respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) isolates from 1209 hospitalized and ambulatory children were examined for strain group and in a subset for subgroup to determine the associated epidemiologic and clinical characteristics. Three patterns of yearly outbreaks existed: (1) strong predominance of group A strains (9 years with 83%-100% A strains), (2) relatively equal proportions of group A and B strains (4 years), and (3) strong predominance of group B strains (78%-85%) in 2 years, separated by a decade. The first pattern of highly dominant A strains occurred in cycles of 1 or 2 consecutive years with a single intervening year in which B strains were greater than or equal to 40% of the isolates. Subgroups A1 and A2 predominated, while B2, 3, and 4 occurred almost equally. A greater clinical severity for Group A strains was suggested by children with group A infections requiring intensive care significantly more often (15.4 vs. 8.3%, P = .008). Further, strongly dominant A strain years were associated with higher proportions of RSV admissions requiring intensive care (16.6% vs. 5.5%, P less than .01). Strains of subgroups A2 and B4 were more frequently found in hospitalized patients and A1 in outpatients, and the 2 years with the highest rates of intensive care admissions were those in which subgroup A2 dominated.

Age Factors↗

Body composition assessment of athletes using bioelectrical impedance measurements.

One hundred and four female and male athletes underwent determinations of hydrodensitometry (HD) and tetrapolar bioelectrical impedance (TBI) under uncontrolled (measurements made without regard to preceding exercise, level of hydration, or eating) and controlled conditions (measurements made two hours after consuming a light meal and no preceding exercise). Fat-free mass (FFM) was estimated from TBI measurements using a previously determined multiple regression equation. No difference (p greater than 0.05) was found in mean FFM values by method or experimental condition. In the uncontrolled state, fat mass and percent body fat (%BF) by impedance were lower (p less than 0.05) than that observed by HD or by TBI under controlled conditions. Linear regression analyses between FFM determined by HD and predicted by TBI under controlled and uncontrolled conditions yielded regression coefficients similar to the line of identify. The relationship between %BF by HD and calculated from impedance-predicted FFM and body mass under uncontrolled conditions was different (p less than 0.05) from the line of identify. In contrast, the regression of densitometric against impedance-predicted %BF under controlled conditions was similar to the line of identify with an error of 2.8%. These findings indicate the need for controlled measurement conditions to obtain valid body composition estimates using the TBI method in healthy people.

Adipose Tissue↗

Thermogenesis and thermoregulatory function of iron-deficient women without anemia.

Physiological responses at 16 degrees C were studied in 11 women, age 28 +/- 2(mean +/- S.E.) years and 26 +/- 2% fat, after their body iron stores were depleted by diet (5.0 mg iron x 2,000 kcal-1 x d-1), phlebotomy and menstruation for about 80 d and were repleted by diet (13.7 mg iron x 2,000 kcal-1 x d-1) for about 100 d, including daily iron supplementation (50 mg of iron as ferrous sulfate) for the last 14 d of repletion. Iron depletion was characterized by a decline (p less than 0.05) in hemoglobin (12.0 +/- 0.2 g x dl-1), ferritin (5.5 +/- 0.5 ng x ml-1) and body iron balance (-9.1 +/- 2.6 mg x 6 d-1). Iron repletion, including supplementation, increased (p less than 0.05) hemoglobin (12.6 +/- 0.1 g x dl-1), ferritin (9.5 +/- 0.4 ng x ml-1) and iron balance (+67 +/- 6.7 mg x 6 d-1). Iron depletion reduced (p less than 0.05) metabolic heat production (49.6 +/- 1.1 vs 53.6 +/- 1.2 W x m-2) during acute cold exposure. The rates of cooling of the core and periphery were greater (p less than 0.05) during iron depletion than repletion. A shift in the lower core temperature threshold for shivering was paralleled by an earlier onset of shivering (p less than 0.05) in iron depletion indicating an adaptation in cold tolerance in an attempt to maintain core temperature. Iron depletion was associated with blunted post-exposure increases in plasma thyroid hormone concentrations and greater (p less than 0.05) increases in plasma norepinephrine concentrations as compared to iron repletion. In a subsample of the women, no significant effect of calcium or ascorbic acid supplementation was found on responses to cold exposure.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adaptation, Physiological↗

Influenza in children with cancer.

We prospectively followed a group of unimmunized, immunosuppressed children with cancer to determine their relative risk of influenza and the severity of infection compared with those of siblings or matched community controls. The incidence of influenza infection was higher in children with cancer (23/73, 32%) than in control subjects (10/70, 14%, p = 0.02). A preseason hemagglutination inhibition titer greater than or equal to 1:32, generally used as a marker of successful immunization in vaccine trials, was protective for all children in the control groups, but did not prevent influenza infection in 24% of the patients with cancer. Infection rates of patients and community controls with titers greater than or equal to 1:32 differed significantly (p = 0.006). No significant differences were noted in duration of reported symptoms between groups, and clinical complications occurred too infrequently to analyze. However, 2 (11%) of 18 of the cancer patients with positive culture results were hospitalized during the illness and one patient developed a nosocomial infection. None of the control children was hospitalized. These findings suggest the need for further study of the immunologic response of immunosuppressed children to influenza infection and a clinical efficacy trial of the influenza vaccine in these patients.

Adolescent↗

Epidemiology and laboratory diagnosis of infection with viral and bacterial pathogens in infants hospitalized for suspected sepsis.

A prospective study was conducted to determine the frequency and distribution of bacterial and viral pathogens in infants hospitalized with suspected sepsis and to evaluate the potential of virus detection for improving patient management. A causative organism was detected in 157 (67%) of 233 previously healthy infants less than 3 months of age, who had been hospitalized for suspected sepsis: 19 (8%) had bacterial infections, 135 (58%) had viral infections, and 3 (1%) had mixed viral-bacterial infections. Viral infections occurred in a seasonal pattern: enteroviruses were responsible for most of the hospitalizations during summer and fall (65/110; 63%) and respiratory syncytial and influenza A viruses were responsible for most of the infections during winter (44/81; 55%). In contrast, bacterial infections were not seasonally distributed. Virus was detected in 33% of the 138 infected infants within 24 hours, and in 64% within 3 days. We conclude that viral infections are prevalent among infants hospitalized for suspected sepsis, and most can be detected early enough to influence patient management.

Bacterial Infections↗

Comparison of antigenic sites of subtype-specific respiratory syncytial virus attachment proteins.

A panel of 19 monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) were used to probe the antigenic relationships between the G (attachment) proteins of A and B respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) subtypes (GA and GB). At least three and two antigenic sites were present on GA and GB, respectively, including a shared neutralizing site. Most of the antibodies had some degree of complement-independent neutralizing capacity, but in common was a large neutralization-resistant fraction of virus (range 13 to 78%). Passive administration of MAbs to the cross-reactive antigenic site reduced pulmonary virus titres of both A and B subtype virus in the cotton rat model. Protection with subtype-specific MAbs, however, did not always correlate with in vitro neutralizing capacity. The cross-reactive antigenic site appears to be stable to denaturation by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and is present on the unglycosylated and partially glycosylated forms of GA and GB by Western blot analysis of infected cell lysates.

Antibodies, Monoclonal↗

Epidemiology and control of nosocomial viral infections.

The impact of nosocomial viral disease, in terms of morbidity, mortality, and health care expenditures, should not be underestimated. Respiratory viruses, in particular, account for a substantial proportion of all nosocomial infections, especially among pediatric patients and the institutionalized elderly. The immunocompromised, very young, and chronically ill patients in hospitals are unusually vulnerable to serious viral illness. The emerging technology of rapid viral diagnosis will allow more timely and accurate recognition of viral infections, even in the smaller hospital with limited laboratory resources. Early recognition of viral diseases should, in turn, permit us to institute, and further evaluate, specific measures for their control. Appreciation of the epidemiology and transmission of these viruses will provide the framework for successful infection control strategies.

Cross Infection↗

Nosocomial viral respiratory infections.

Nosocomial infections with respiratory tract viruses, particularly influenza and respiratory syncytial viruses, account for the majority of serious nosocomial viral disease. Chronically ill, immunocompromised, elderly, and very young hosts are especially vulnerable to potentially life-threatening involvement of the lower respiratory tract. Effective preventive strategies are based upon early accurate viral diagnosis and an appreciation of the epidemiology and mechanisms of transmission for each viral agent. Influenza viruses spread via airborne dispersion of small particle aerosols, resulting in explosive outbreaks; control measures emphasize immunization and chemoprophylaxis of susceptible patients and personnel, and isolation of those already infected. Transmission of respiratory syncytial virus, in contrast, seems to require closer contact, with virus passed on hands, fomites, or in large droplets inoculated into the eyes and nose at close range. Strategies for control of nosocomial respiratory syncytial virus are designed to interrupt hand carriage and inoculation of virus onto mucous membranes.

Aged↗

Acute renal failure and fluid retention and kidney damage in copper-deficient rats fed a high-NaCl diet.

The effect of an interaction between Cu status and dietary NaCl level on kidney structure, water balance, and the plasma renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS) was examined in 64 male Sprague-Dawley rats (178 gm) fed a copper-supplemented diet (CuS) (10 micrograms Cu per gram) or a copper-deficient diet (CuD) (less than 0.7 micrograms Cu per gram), with (CuSNa, CuDNa) or without 3% NaCl for 42 days. NaCl did not affect growth, fluid retention, or kidney ultrastructure in Cu-supplemented rats. Cu deficiency decreased growth rate and kidney Cu, increased plasma cholesterol concentration, and suppressed plasma RAAS. NaCl increased the magnitude of these changes in Cu-deficient rats. The mortality rate was higher in CuDNa (8/16) than in Cu-deficient (2/16) rats. An acute renal failure syndrome characterized by tissue edema, pleural effusion, and ascites occurred in rats fed CuDNa. Bioelectric impedence analysis indicated that body water content was similar in rats fed CuS, CuSNa, and CuD but was higher in edematous and nonedematous rats fed CuDNa. Transmission electron microscopy indicated that glomeruli from Cu-deficient rats were poorly perfused and often occluded by expanded mesangium and contained numerous lysozome-like bodies. Fusion of podocyte foot processes, derangement of glomerular basement membrane, and hypertrophy and lipid accumulation by glomerular capillary endothelium were present in tissue from rats fed CuDNa. These results indicate that Cu deficiency reduces NaCl tolerance in rats. Ultrastructural changes in kidney tissue and the suppression of RAAS in rats fed CuDNa suggest that the edema and ascites result from acute renal failure and not from increased fluid and electrolyte reabsorption.

Acute Kidney Injury↗

Periorbital cellulitis. Clinical and laboratory findings in 146 episodes, including tear countercurrent immunoelectrophoresis in 89 episodes.

Medical records of 144 children hospitalized for 146 episodes of periorbital cellulitis were reviewed. During 44 episodes, systemically administered antibiotics were given before hospitalization. Bacterial pathogens were isolated in only two (5%) of 44 episodes in pretreated patients compared with 33 (32%) of 102 episodes in patients who were not pretreated. Thirty-one children who were not pretreated were bacteremic. Compared with nonbacteremic children who were not pretreated, bacteremic children were younger, more often had a history of upper respiratory tract infection and fever, had a higher white blood cell count and temperature at admission, and more often had a violaceous cellulitis. No difference between groups existed in the frequency of a history of trauma or a local lesion near the affected eye. Tear specimens from 13 of 89 children tested by countercurrent immunoelectrophoresis (CIE) to detect Haemophilus influenzae type b capsular polysaccharide were positive. Compared with positive blood culture results, tear CIE has a sensitivity of 50% and a specificity of 93%. Streptococcus pneumoniae infections were not detected by CIE.

Cellulitis↗

Genetic basis of resistance to rimantadine emerging during treatment of influenza virus infection.

The emergence of influenza A viruses which had acquired resistance to rimantadine during a clinical trial (C. B. Hall, R. Dolin, C. L. Gala, D. M. Markovitz, Y. Q. Zhang, P. H. Madore, F. A. Disney, W. B. Talpey, J. L. Green, A. B. Francis, and M. E. Pichichero, Pediatrics 80:275-282, 1987) provided the opportunity to determine the genetic basis of this phenomenon. Analysis of reassortant viruses generated with a resistant clinical isolate (H3N2) and the susceptible influenza A/Singapore/57 (H2N2) virus indicated that RNA segment 7 coding for matrix and M2 proteins conferred the resistant phenotype. Resistant viruses isolated from seven patients each contained a single change in the nucleotide sequence coding for the M2 protein which resulted in substitutions in amino acid 30 (two viruses) or 31 (five viruses) in the transmembrane domain of the molecule. These changes occurred in locations identified in influenza viruses selected for resistance to amantadine in tissue culture and indicate a common mechanism of action of the two compounds in cell culture and during chemotherapeutic use.

Adamantane↗

Lower respiratory tract illness in the first two years of life: epidemiologic patterns and costs in a suburban pediatric practice.

The epidemiologic patterns and the economic impact of acute lower respiratory tract illness (LRTI) in children under age two were studied using data collected from November 1, 1971-August 30, 1975 in a suburban pediatric practice in Monroe County, New York. LRTI was responsible for 23 illness episodes per 100 child-years among children in their first two years of life. This indicates that a cohort of 100 children might be anticipated to have 46 LRTI episodes from birth until their second birthday. The majority of episodes correlated with the presence of four viruses in the community, most commonly respiratory syncytial virus. The minimal, estimated direct cost of LRTI in the first two years of life based on 1984 cost data was equivalent to $35.14 for every child and was comprised of hospitalization cost ($19.68) and ambulatory care cost ($15.46). Hospitalization costs attributable to LRTI comprised at least 2.5 per cent of all hospitalization costs in this age group. Immunization against the four most common respiratory viruses, at a reasonable cost per child immunized, would appear to be cost beneficial.

Child↗