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Biomedical subjects

J O Klein

Publications and source records attributed to J O Klein.

At least 91 records · Page 5Linked to original sources

The draining ear. Otitis media and externa.

Otorrhea, or discharge from the ear, may be associated with otitis media or otitis externa. Each episode of otorrhea requires examination of the external ear canal and middle ear to determine the origin and extent of disease, a complete understanding of the pathogenesis, and a therapeutic approach that considers the microbiology and the extent of tissue invasion. This review focuses on infections of the middle ear and external ear commonly associated with otorrhea. The pathogenesis, clinical manifestations, methods of diagnosis, and medical and surgical therapies are presented.

Acute Disease↗

Prevalence of bacteriuria in febrile children.

To determine the risk of urinary tract infections in acutely ill febrile children younger than 5 years of age we obtained a urine culture from 664 children presenting to our walk-in clinic with an acute febrile episode. Only 11 children (1.7%) had significant bacteriuria. This figure is similar to the number of children who would be expected to have asymptomatic bacteriuria. These results suggest that pediatricians are not missing the diagnosis of urinary tract infection in febrile children.

Age Factors↗

Emerging perspectives in management and prevention of infections of the respiratory tract in infants and children.

New products, new procedures, new information, and new legislation will have a significant impact on management and prevention of respiratory infections in children. Current areas of investigation include the changing epidemiology (increased number of children in day care), concern about morbidity of common infections (hearing impairment and effect on development of speech and language due to otitis media), and new modes of microbiologic diagnosis (antigen detection). New antimicrobial agents have wider spectrums of activity, increased concentrations in body fluids, and lesser toxicity than available drugs. New uses of old drugs are identified (value of erythromycin for Legionella pneumophila, Chlamydia trachomatis, and Mycoplasma pneumoniae). Increased usage of chemoprophylaxis for prevention of recurrences of acute otitis media follows publication of impressive results of recent studies. New conjugate polysaccharide vaccines are immunogenic in young infants. Finally, and of major importance to children, physicians, and manufacturers, is vaccine liability legislation, now in congressional committee.

Acute Disease↗

Recent advances in management of bacterial meningitis in neonates.

The current incidence of neonatal sepsis in the United States varies from less than 1 to 8.1 per 1000 live births. The incidence of bacterial meningitis is about one-third of the number of infants with sepsis. The mortality is 20 to 30% and many survivors are severely impaired. Group B streptococcus and Escherichia coli are the most frequent causes of meningitis. Because of the difficulty of clinical diagnosis, many infants receive presumptive therapy for suspected sepsis or meningitis although few have documented infection. Between 5 and 10% of newborn infants born in the United States receive antimicrobial agents in the nursery, usually a penicillin and an aminoglycoside. To lower the continued high mortality and morbidity of meningitis due to gram-negative enteric bacilli, collaborative randomized trials evaluated the efficacy of gentamicin administered via the intrathecal route, gentamicin administered into the ventricle and most recently, the efficacy of moxalactam. Neither intrathecal or intraventricular drug, both in combination with parenteral drug, was advantageous when compared with parenterally administered drug alone. The mortality rate and number of days of culture positive cerebrospinal fluid were similar in infants who received moxalactam and ampicillin and infants who received amikacin and ampicillin. Adjunctive therapies including granulocyte transfusion, administration of hyperimmune gamma globulin and exchange transfusion are now under investigation. Initial studies of prevention of systemic bacterial infection by prophylactic ampicillin administered to the mother at delivery and use of group B streptococcal vaccine administered to susceptible women in the child bearing age show promise.

Aminoglycosides↗