Childhood brucellosis:Review of 317 cases

Objective:To describe the main epidemiological,clinical,and laboratory features,treatment options and outcome in children with brucellosis.Methods:Retrospectively evaluated data were obtained from 317 pediatric patients with brucellosis that were treated at the University Clinic for Infectious Diseases and Febrile Conditions in Skopje,during the period from 1989 to 2011.The medical records and follow-up protocols were used for evaluation.Results:Childhood brucellosis composed 317(18.7%) of 1 691 patients with brucellosis.The patients were median 9 years old,ranging from 7 months to 14 years,and 201(63.4%) were males.Family history was present in 197(62.1%),and direct contact with animals occurred in 140(44.2%) of the children.The dominant manifestations were fever in 248(78.2%),joint pain in228(71.9%) and hepatomegaly in 216(68.1%).Organ affection was present in 206(65.0%)of the patients.One hundred and six(33.4%) of the patients were treated with combination composed of two.and 211(66.6%) with three antimicrobial agents.Relapses were registered in 21(6.6%).and therapeutic failures in 3(0.9%) of the children.Conclusions:In endemic regions childhood brucellosis represents a significant part of human cases.Wide spectrum of clinical manifestations,frequent affection of various organ systems and possibility of relapses show that brucellosis could be a serious disease in this age group.The presence of fever,joint pain,sweating,and affection of various systems in children from endemic regions should alert pediatricians for the possibility of brucellosis.

Review on COVID-19 and acute lung injury

The epidemic caused by the new coronavirus infection is a global public health emergency. The new coronavirus pneumonia (COVID-19) has caused more deaths in China than the SARS-CoV outbreak in 2003. Since the virus has a high homology with SARS-CoV, it is speculates that it may infect cells through the S protein-ACE2 pathway then cause tracheal epithelial cell damage and alveolar damage, further induce inflammatory factor storm and trigger apoptosis cascade reaction and other mechanisms leading to acute lung injury. At early stage, the new coronavirus pneumonia mainly presents with non-specific manifestations of fatigue, fever, cough, etc., Then the respiratory tract will be involved, and evolved into the new type of infectious disease with lung lesions. Under radiology images, ground glass-like changes can be observed in the lungs. With its aggravation, progressive hypoxemia, acute respiratory distress syndrome, and even death occurs. At present, the correlation between the new coronavirus pneumonia and acute lung injury is not yet clear. This article reviews the characteristics of the new coronavirus, the possible mechanism of acute lung injury in new coronavirus pneumonia, post-infection diagnosis and current treatment options in order to provide evidence for its treatment.

Properties of Xanthoceras sorbifolia Husk Fibers With Chemical Treatment for Applications in Polymer Composites

Surface science of natural fibers plays an important role in polymer/natural fiber composites. The Xanthoceras sorbifolia husk fibers were selected and chemically treated by sodium hydroxide(Na OH) solution,coupling agents,their combination,and the mixtures of acetic acid with hydrogen peroxide,respectively. 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane(KH550),γ-methacryloxypropyltrimethoxylsilane(KH570) and organic titanate(JN-9A) were used as coupling agents in this work. Cellulose content was found to be increased after alkalization due to the removal of the non-cellulose substances,which was evidenced by attenuated total reflectance-Fourier transform infrared(ATR e FTIR) spectroscopy spectrum analysis and thermogravimetric analysis(TGA) measurements. The highest cellulose content was obtained in the bleached fibers. TGA analysis revealed an improvement in thermal stability of the treated fibers,especially for alkali-KH570 treated fibers. The tensile strength of the alkali-KH570 treated fiber and the alkali-bleached fiber were higher than that of other fibers due to high cellulose content and high crystallinity.