BACKGROUND The objectives of this study were to evaluate the effect of the number of infused CD34+ cells on hematopoietic recovery and on the cost in autologous peripheral blood stem cell transplantation (PBSCT). METHODS Sixty-nine patients who received autologous PBSCT (ABSCT) were divided into three groups defined by the number of infused CD34+ cells. The number of days until 0.5 x 10(9)/l ...

OBJECTIVE To compare the effectiveness of percutaneous catheter drainage (PCD) and percutaneous needle aspiration (PNA) in the management of large (>10 cm diameter) liver abscesses. METHODS Seventy-two patients with liver abscess (amebic 48, pyogenic 24) were randomly allocated to PCD or PNA (36 each), which were done within 24 hours of admission. Both groups received parenteral antibiotics f...

Preterm infants are susceptible to infection and necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) and are often treated with antibiotics. Simultaneous administration of enteral and parenteral antibiotics during the first days after preterm birth prevents formula-induced NEC lesions in pigs, but it is unknown which administration route is most effective. We hypothesized that only enteral antibiotics suppress gut...

Enhanced surveillance of invasive meningococcal disease commenced in Queensland in 1999. There were 93 cases, an incidence of 2.8/100,000 population. Most (87%) cases were laboratory confirmed, but 12 per cent were probable cases without laboratory confirmation. The highest age-specific attack rates were in the under 1, 1 to 4 and 15 to 24 year age groups. Most of the serologically characterise...

Parenteral nutrition is life saving in patients with intestinal failure but liver dysfunction is commonly encountered, especially in neonates. Although abnormal liver function tests associated with short-term parenteral nutrition are usually benign and transient, liver dysfunction in both children and adults receiving long-term parenteral nutrition can progress to end-stage liver disease and li...

Parenteral cephalosporins are among the most frequently used antibiotics in hospital therapy. They are characterised by an extended spectrum of activity against gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria, and some also have good activity against anaerobes. They kill proliferating bacterial cells rapidly, and generally show only a low tendency to select resistant mutants. However, there are cephal...

Background Drugs including antibiotics are among the important components of heath care systems. However, they are not used appropriately to their maximum potential. The aim of this study was to assess extent of antibiotics use among hospitalized pediatric patients in Butajira general hospital, Ethiopia. Materials and Methods A cross sectional study was conducted on the 120 hospitalized pediatr...

OBJECTIVES To determine how well antibiotic treatment is targeted by simple clinical syndromes and to what extent drug resistance threatens affordable antibiotics. DESIGN Observational study involving a priori definition of a hierarchy of syndromic indications for antibiotic therapy derived from World Health Organization integrated management of childhood illness and inpatient guidelines and ...

BACKGROUND Antibiotic consumption in hospitals is commonly measured using the accumulated amount of drugs delivered from the pharmacy to ward held stocks. The reliability of this method, particularly the impact of the length of the registration periods, has not been evaluated and such evaluation was aim of the study. METHODS During 26 weeks, we performed a weekly ward stock count of use of br...

Melioidosis, an infection caused by Burkholderia pseudomallei, can present as severe septicemia or localized infection. Data on optimum antibiotic treatment regimen for localized melioidosis in children is limited. This is a report on localized melioidosis in children, regarding clinical presentation, treatment and the long-term outcomes. We reviewed 37 cases of localized melioidosis in childre...