Fever is defined as a regulated rise in body temperature. The regulation of this phenomenon is accomplished by the actions of two types of endogenous cytokines, some functioning as pyrogens and others as antipyretics. Previous data obtained with the use of traditional pharmacological techniques, such as the injection of neutralizing antibodies, implicate interleukin (IL)-1 and IL-6 as endogenou...

Leon, Lisa R. Invited Review: Cytokine regulation of fever: studies using gene knockout mice. J Appl Physiol 92: 2648–2655, 2002; 10.1152/ japplphysiol.01005.2001.—Fever is defined as a regulated rise in body temperature. The regulation of this phenomenon is accomplished by the actions of two types of endogenous cytokines, some functioning as pyrogens and others as antipyretics. Previous data o...

It is well accepted that bacterial and virus infections elevate the levels of cytokines in serum and cerebrospinal fluids. Such high levels of cytokines might alter the integrity of the blood-brain barrier (BBB) and/or blood-cerebrospinal fluid barrier (BCSFB), subsequently affecting brain penetration of drugs. However, few reports have addressed this issue. Thus, we investigated brain penetrat...

BACKGROUND Parents often do not consider fever as an important physiological response and mechanism of defense against infections that leads to inappropriate use of antipyretics and potentially dangerous side effects. This study is designed to evaluate the appropriateness of antipyretics dosages generally administered to children with fever, and to identify factors that may influence dosage acc...

BACKGROUND Fever is a reliable sign of illness, but it also evokes fear and anxiety. It is not the fever itself but the fear of possible complications and accompanying symptoms that is important for pediatricians and parents. OBJECTIVES We aimed to investigate maternal understanding of fever, its potential consequences, and impacts on the treatment of children. PATIENTS AND METHODS A questi...

BACKGROUND Fever in children is one of the most common clinical symptoms and a chief complaint and a main reason that caregivers took the children to the outpatient service or admitted to hospital. Studies have found that the majority of parents surveyed at a hospital pediatric clinic held unrealistic and unwarranted concerns about fevers, first termed as 'fever phobia' by Schmitt in 1980. In t...

BACKGROUND Children with a diagnosis of cross-reactive hypersensitivity to both paracetamol and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are limited in their choice of antipyretics. OBJECTIVE The aim of this pilot study is to evaluate the feasibility of using a Chinese proprietary medicine, Yin Qiao San (YQS), for fever relief. METHODS A single centre, open label, prospective clinical trial exp...

The increasing trend of administering nonprescribed medicines in children is a significant public health issue. The aim of the present study was to assess the use of medication without a prescription (MWP), including both nonprescribed medication (NPM) and prescription-only medication (POM), and identify associated factors, among preschoolers in Athens, Greece. A predesigned questionnaire was d...

Gurkha Rifles, age 24, was admitted into hospital on 21st October, with lobar pneumonia of the right lung. On the first two days the evening temperature was 103?, but at 4-30 p.m. on the third day it had risen to 104? (pulse 108, respiration 36). Creasote was applied to the abdomen at 5 P.M., and at 6-30 p.m. the temperature had fallen to 100? (pulse 80, respiration 18). Next morning, at 7 a.m....