Своєрідність київського маґдебурзького права: нотатки на марґінесі нової книги про Київ кінця XV – першої половини XVII століть

Рецензія на монографію: Білоус Н. Київ наприкінці XV – у першій половині XVII століття. Міська влада і самоврядування. – К.: Вид. дім “Києво-Могилянська академія”, 2008. – 360 с

Saffold Virus, a Human Theiler's-Like Cardiovirus, Is Ubiquitous and Causes Infection Early in Life

The family Picornaviridae contains well-known human pathogens (e.g., poliovirus, coxsackievirus, rhinovirus, and parechovirus). In addition, this family contains a number of viruses that infect animals, including members of the genus Cardiovirus such as Encephalomyocarditis virus (EMCV) and Theiler's murine encephalomyelits virus (TMEV). The latter are important murine pathogens that cause myocarditis, type 1 diabetes and chronic inflammation in the brains, mimicking multiple sclerosis. Recently, a new picornavirus was isolated from humans, named Saffold virus (SAFV). The virus is genetically related to Theiler's virus and classified as a new species in the genus Cardiovirus, which until the discovery of SAFV did not contain human viruses. By analogy with the rodent cardioviruses, SAFV may be a relevant new human pathogen. Thus far, SAFVs have sporadically been detected by molecular techniques in respiratory and fecal specimens, but the epidemiology and clinical significance remained unclear. Here we describe the first cultivated SAFV type 3 (SAFV-3) isolate, its growth characteristics, full-length sequence, and epidemiology. Unlike the previously isolated SAFV-1 and -2 viruses, SAFV-3 showed efficient growth in several cell lines with a clear cytopathic effect. The latter allowed us to conduct a large-scale serological survey by a virus-neutralization assay. This survey showed that infection by SAFV-3 occurs early in life (>75% positive at 24 months) and that the seroprevalence reaches >90% in older children and adults. Neutralizing antibodies were found in serum samples collected in several countries in Europe, Africa, and Asia. In conclusion, this study describes the first cultivated SAFV-3 isolate, its full-length sequence, and epidemiology. SAFV-3 is a highly common and widespread human virus causing infection in early childhood. This finding has important implications for understanding the impact of these ubiquitous viruses and their possible role in acute and/or chronic disease

Viral Etiology of Encephalitis in Children in Southern Vietnam: Results of a One-Year Prospective Descriptive Study

Viral encephalitis is associated with high morbidity and mortality in Vietnam. However little is known about the causes of the disease due to a lack of diagnostic facilities in this relatively resource-poor setting. Knowledge about the etiologies and clinical outcome of viral encephalitis is necessary for future design of intervention studies targeted at improvement of clinical management, treatment and prevention of the disease. We report the viral agents, clinical outcome and prognostic factors of mortality of encephalitis in children admitted to a referral hospital for children in southern Vietnam. We show that about one third of the enrolled patients die acutely, and that mortality is independently associated with patient age and Glasgow Coma Scale on admission. Japanese encephalitis, dengue virus and enterovirus (including enterovirus 71) are the major viruses detected in our patients. However, more than half of the patients remain undiagnosed, while mortality in this group is as high as in the diagnosed group. This study will benefit clinicians and public health in terms of clinical management and prevention of childhood encephalitis in Vietnam

New Approaches to Preventing, Diagnosing, and Treating Neonatal Sepsis

Karen Edmond and Anita Zaidi highlight new approaches that could reduce the burden of neonatal sepsis worldwide

Comparison of epidemiology and clinical characteristics of infections by human parechovirus vs. those by enterovirus during the first month of life

Human parechoviruses (HPeV) have been recently recognized as important viral agents in paediatric infections. The aims of this study were to investigate the HPeV infection prevalence in infants <1 month in Spain and, secondly, to analyse the clinical and epidemiological characteristics of the infected patients compared with those infected by enterovirus (EV). Infants <1 month with neurological or systemic symptoms were included in a multicentre prospective study. EV and HPeV detection by RT-PCR and genotyping were performed in cerebrospinal fluids (CSF), sera or throat swabs. Out of the total of 84 infants studied during 2013, 32 were EV positive (38 %) and 9 HPeV positive (11 %). HPeV-3 was identified in eight cases and HPeV-5 in one. Mean age of HPeV-positive patients was 18 days. Diagnoses were fever without source (FWS) (67 %), clinical sepsis (22 %) and encephalitis (11 %). Leukocytes in blood and CSF were normal. Pleocytosis (p = 0.03) and meningitis (p = 0.001) were significantly more frequent in patients with EV infections than with HPeV. Conclusions: Although HPeV-3 infections were detected less frequently than EV, they still account for approximately 10 % of the cases analysed in infants younger than 1 month. HPeV-3 was mainly associated with FWS and without leukocytosis and pleocytosis in CSF. In these cases, HPeV screening is desirable to identify the aetiologic agent and prevent unnecessary treatment and prolonged hospitalization

The spectrum of cranial ultrasound and magnetic resonance imaging abnormalities in congenital cytomegalovirus infection.

Congenital cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection can lead to severe neurological sequelae and (progressive) sensorineural deafness. Neonatal imaging data is mainly based on cranial ultrasound (US) and computed tomography (CT). The additional value of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was assessed in congenital CMV infection. The eleven infants studied had a gestational age between 34 and 41 weeks and a birth weight between 1000 and 2780 grams. All but 2 of the infants presented with microcephaly and jaundice at birth. The diagnosis was confirmed postnatally in all infants by isolation of the virus or a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) from the urine. Cranial US was performed in all, MRI in 6 during the neonatal period and later in infancy in 2. Auditory brainstem evoked responses (ABR) were performed in all survivors. US showed periventricular calcifications and/or lenticulostriate vasculopathy associated with mild to moderate ventricular dilatation in 10 of the 11 children. Periventricular (pseudo) cysts were seen in 6 children, being occipital in 4, temporal in 3 and fronto-parietal in 1. The cerebellum appeared to be small in 4 children. MRI provided additional information in 6 of the 8 children. Polymicrogyria in the perisylvian region was seen in 4 children, hippocampal dysplasia in 3 and cerebellar hypoplasia in 4 children. Abnormal signal intensity in the white matter was seen in 4 infants. ABRs were abnormal in 7 of the 9 children. Four children died in the neonatal period, 4 developed severe neurological sequelae, associated with epilepsy and sensorineural deafness in 3. Three children were still too young to be tested, but 2 of these showed sensorineural deafness. MRI provided important additional information, especially with regard to associated polymicrogyria, hippocampal dysplasia, and cerebellar hypoplasia. Calcifications were better seen using US. A combination of US and neonatal MRI should be recommended instead of a CT which is still recommended in the literatur

International opinions and national surveillance suggest insufficient consensus regarding the recognition and management practices of infants with congenital cytomegalovirus infections

Aim: This study evaluated the recognition and management practices with regard to congenital cytomegalovirus (cCMV) infections by a select group of experts and through a national surveillance study. Method: A questionnaire was sent to international experts involved in mother and infant care in 2014–2015. Monthly surveillance was conducted among Dutch paediatricians for cases of cCMV infections from 2013 until 2015. Results: The questionnaire was completed by 63/103 (62%) respondents, who indicated that recognition and management practices varied. Maternal screening was performed by 17/63 (27%) and infant screening by 3/61 (5%) of the respondents. Infant CMV diagnostics were most frequently initiated due to hepatosplenomegaly and/or an increase in liver transaminases. Management practices included cranial ultrasound (57/63, 91%) and audiological follow-up in symptomatic (61/63, 97%) and asymptomatic (52/63, 83%) infants. In terms of antiviral treatment, 46/63 (73%) treated symptomatic infants only and 6/63 (9%) treated all infected infants. In total, 48 cases were registered through the Dutch surveillance study and 43/48 (90%) infants were symptomatic. Conclusion: This study indicates that infants with cCMV infection were insufficiently recognised and highlights the need for consensus on management practices. Screening of infants and the development of an international management guideline are recommended