@article {851,
	title = {Colonization of paediatric lower respiratory tract with genital Mycoplasma species.},
	journal = {Respirology},
	volume = {16},
	year = {2011},
	month = {2011 Oct},
	pages = {1081-7},
	abstract = {BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Recently, much attention has been given to the possible role played by pathogens that colonize neonatal or paediatric airway and their potential involvement in chronic respiratory disease. The goal of the current study was to evaluate the prevalence of Mycoplasma organisms in the BAL fluid of paediatric patients suffering from a variety of chronic respiratory diseases to determine if there was any clear disease association with bacterial presence.

METHODS: We examined 319 paediatric BAL samples for the presence of M.genitalium, M.hominis, U.urealyticum, U.parvum and M.pneumoniae DNA with species-specific PCR.

RESULTS: Mycoplasma DNA was found in 32.6\% (104/319) of patient samples; 10\% (32/319) for M.pneumoniae, 8.8\% for U.parvum, 2.8\% for U.urealyticum; 4.7\% for M.hominis and 9.1\% for M.genitalium. There were no significant clinical and laboratory differences except serum IgE in asthmatics according to Mycoplasma colonization or not. Elevated levels of IgE were found more often in Mycoplasma DNA-negative patients than patients with bacterial DNA, 85/109 versus 24/109 respectively (P<0.0001). There was no difference in the frequency of Mycoplasmas between the asthmatics and the non-asthmatics; 30.6\% (69/225) versus 37.2\% (35/94) for Mycoplasma 16S DNA, and 8\% versus 14.9\% for M.pneumoniae, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS: Our data indicate that in addition to M.pneumoniae, urogenital Mycoplasma species may colonize the airway of patients with chronic respiratory diseases. There was, however, no association between chronic asthma diagnosis and Mycoplasma colonization in this study.},
	keywords = {Adolescent, Asthma, Child, Child, Preschool, Cohort Studies, DNA, Bacterial, Female, Humans, Infant, Infant, Newborn, Male, Mycoplasma, Mycoplasma genitalium, Mycoplasma hominis, Mycoplasma Infections, Mycoplasma pneumoniae, Respiratory System, Species Specificity, Ureaplasma, Ureaplasma Infections, Ureaplasma urealyticum, Young Adult},
	issn = {1440-1843},
	doi = {10.1111/j.1440-1843.2011.02016.x},
	author = {Patel, Katir K and Salva, Paul S and Webley, Wilmore C}
}
@article {807,
	title = {Clinical applications of biomarkers in pediatric traumatic brain injury.},
	journal = {Childs Nerv Syst},
	volume = {26},
	year = {2010},
	month = {2010 Feb},
	pages = {205-13},
	abstract = {INTRODUCTION: The diagnosis, treatment, and prediction of outcome in pediatric traumatic brain injury (TBI) present significant challenges to the treating clinician. Clinical and radiological tools for assessing injury severity and predicting outcome, in particular, lack sensitivity and specificity. In patients with mild TBI, often there is uncertainty about which patients should undergo radiological imaging and who is at risk for long term neurological sequelae. In severe TBI, often there is uncertainty about which patients will experience secondary insults and what the outcome for individual patients will be. In several other clinical specialties, biomarkers are used to diagnose disease, direct treatment, and prognosticate. However, an ideal biomarker for brain injury has not been found.

METHODS: In this review, we examine the various factors that must be taken into account in the search for a reliable biomarker in brain injury. We review the important studies that have investigated common biomarkers of structural brain injury, in particular S100B, neuron-specific enolase, myelin basic protein, and glial fibrillary acid protein.

DISCUSSION: The potential uses and limitations of these biomarkers in the context of TBI are discussed.},
	keywords = {Animals, Biological Markers, Brain Injuries, Child, Humans},
	issn = {1433-0350},
	doi = {10.1007/s00381-009-1009-1},
	author = {Sandler, Simon J I and Figaji, Anthony A and Adelson, P David}
}
@article {852,
	title = {Infectious Chlamydia pneumoniae is associated with elevated interleukin-8 and airway neutrophilia in children with refractory asthma.},
	journal = {Pediatr Infect Dis J},
	volume = {29},
	year = {2010},
	month = {2010 Dec},
	pages = {1093-8},
	abstract = {BACKGROUND: Neutrophilic asthma is thought to be less responsive than eosinophilic asthma to anti-inflammatory therapies including corticosteroids. Chlamydia pneumoniae has been implicated in asthma, possibly by induction of interleukin (IL-8). We hypothesized that IL-8 is increased in the bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid from children with asthma and C. pneumoniae.

METHODS: BAL fluid was analyzed for C. pneumoniae and IL-8 using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay from 2 asthma patient populations in the Bronx, NY and Massachusetts with an average age of 8 and 8.7 years old, respectively. For comparison, samples were also analyzed for C. trachomatis and Mycoplasma 16s DNA.

RESULTS: Of 18 Bronx samples analyzed, 6 (33\%) were PCR-positive for C. pneumoniae, 10 (56\%) for C. trachomatis, and 8 (44\%) for Mycoplasma 16s DNA. IL-8 from C. pneumoniae-positive samples was 3.3-fold higher compared with negative samples (P = 0.003). There was no difference between patients tested for C. trachomatis or Mycoplasma. Of 84 Massachusetts samples analyzed, 42 (50\%) were PCR-positive for C. pneumoniae, 42 (50\%) for C. trachomatis, and 13 (16\%) for Mycoplasma. IL-8 concentration from C. pneumoniae-positive samples was 10.49-fold higher compared with negative samples (P = 0.0001). As in the Bronx cohort, there were no differences between patients tested for C. trachomatis or Mycoplasma. Lastly, BAL neutrophilia predicted the presence of C. pneumoniae but not Mycoplasma or C. trachomatis.

CONCLUSIONS: Children with asthma who were PCR-positive for C. pneumoniae demonstrated elevated concentrations of IL-8 and neutrophils in BAL fluid compared with similar patients who were positive for C. trachomatis or Mycoplasma organisms, but PCR-negative for C. pneumoniae. Undiagnosed C. pneumoniae infection in children may therefore contribute to poorly controlled asthma via induction of IL-8.},
	keywords = {Asthma, Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid, Child, Chlamydia trachomatis, Chlamydophila Infections, Chlamydophila pneumoniae, DNA, Bacterial, DNA, Ribosomal, Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay, Female, Humans, Interleukin-8, Male, Massachusetts, Mycoplasma, Neutrophils, New York City, Polymerase Chain Reaction, Respiratory System, RNA, Ribosomal, 16S},
	issn = {1532-0987},
	author = {Patel, Katir K and Vicencio, Alfin G and Du, Zhongfang and Tsirilakis, Kalliope and Salva, Paul S and Webley, Wilmore C}
}
@article {853,
	title = {Occurrence of Chlamydia trachomatis and Chlamydia pneumoniae in paediatric respiratory infections.},
	journal = {Eur Respir J},
	volume = {33},
	year = {2009},
	month = {2009 Feb},
	pages = {360-7},
	abstract = {An emerging body of evidence suggests that half of asthma in both children and adults is associated with chronic lung infection. The aim of the present study was to determine the frequency of viable Chlamydia pneumoniae (Cp) and C. trachomatis (Ct) in the respiratory tracts of paediatric patients with chronic respiratory diseases. Bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) samples obtained from 182 children undergoing bronchoscopy for clinical reasons were assayed using PCR analysis, in vitro tissue culture and immunofluorescence staining for the presence of Cp and Ct. Chlamydia-specific DNA was detected by PCR in 124 (68\%) out of 182 patients; 79 were positive for Cp, 77 positive for Ct and 32 for both organisms; 75 patients had cultivable Chlamydia. Ct DNA prevalence decreased, whereas Cp positivity generally increased with age. A total of 59 out of 128 asthma patients and 16 out of 54 nonasthmatics were Chlamydia culture positive. When the patients were divided into inflammatory versus noninflammatory airway disease, there were 69 (46\%) out of 150 and six (18\%) out of 32 BALF samples with cultivable Chlamydia, respectively. Viable Chlamydia pneumoniae and Chlamydia trachomatis occur frequently in children with chronic respiratory diseases and may be more prevalent in asthma patients. To the current authors{\textquoteright} knowledge, this is the first report of viable Chlamydia trachomatis in the lungs of children.},
	keywords = {Adolescent, Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid, Bronchoscopy, Child, Child, Preschool, Chlamydia Infections, Chlamydia trachomatis, Chlamydophila pneumoniae, Cohort Studies, Female, Humans, Infant, Infant, Newborn, Male, Microscopy, Fluorescence, Prospective Studies, Respiratory Tract Infections},
	issn = {1399-3003},
	doi = {10.1183/09031936.00019508},
	author = {Webley, W C and Tilahun, Y and Lay, K and Patel, K and Stuart, E S and Andrzejewski, C and Salva, P S}
}
@article {771,
	title = {An expectation maximization approach to estimate malaria haplotype frequencies in multiply infected children.},
	journal = {Stat Appl Genet Mol Biol},
	volume = {6},
	year = {2007},
	month = {2007},
	pages = {Article33},
	abstract = {Characterizing genetic variability in the human pathogenic Plasmodium species, the group of parasites that cause Malaria, may have broad global health implications. Specifically, discerning the combinations of mutations that lead to viable parasites and the population level frequencies of these clonal sequences will allow for targeted vaccine development and individualized treatment choices. This presents an analytical challenge, however, since haplotypic phase (i.e. the alignment of bases on a single DNA strand) is generally unobservable in multiply infected individuals. This manuscript describes an expectation maximization (EM) approach to maximum likelihood estimation of haplotype frequencies in this missing data setting. The approach is applied to a cohort of N=341 malaria infected children in Uganda, Cameroon and Sudan to characterize regional differences. A simulation study is also presented to characterize method performance and assess sensitivity to distributional assumptions.},
	keywords = {Animals, Child, Gene Frequency, Genotype, Humans, Likelihood Functions, Malaria, Malaria Vaccines, Mutation, Plasmodium},
	issn = {1544-6115},
	doi = {10.2202/1544-6115.1321},
	author = {Li, Xiaohong and Foulkes, Andrea S and Yucel, Recai M and Rich, Stephen M}
}
@article {856,
	title = {The bronchial lavage of pediatric patients with asthma contains infectious Chlamydia.},
	journal = {Am J Respir Crit Care Med},
	volume = {171},
	year = {2005},
	month = {2005 May 15},
	pages = {1083-8},
	abstract = {There has been a worldwide increase in the incidence of asthma, and the disease has greatly impacted the public health care system. Chlamydia pneumoniae has been reported as a possible contributing factor in asthma. The organism has been detected by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in bronchial tissue, but there has been no direct evidence of viability. To determine the frequency of viable Chlamydia in children, blood and bronchoalveolar lavage were collected from 70 pediatric patients undergoing flexible fiberoptic bronchoscopy. Forty-two of these patients had asthma, whereas the remaining patients had various respiratory disorders. Fifty-four percent (38) of the bronchoalveolar lavage samples were PCR-positive for Chlamydia, and 31\% (22) of the PCR-positive samples were positive when cultured on macrophages. Twenty-eight samples (40\%) and 14 samples (20\%) of the PCR- and culture-positive samples, respectively, were from patients with asthma. Culture of the blood samples revealed that 24 (34.3\%) of 70 were positive for Chlamydia compared with 8 (11\%) of 70 matched nonrespiratory control subjects (p < 0.01); 17 (24\%) of the positive blood cultures from the respiratory group were from patients with asthma. Elevation of total IgE was strongly associated with lavage culture positivity for Chlamydia. We therefore conclude that viable Chlamydia pneumoniae organisms are frequently present in the lung lavage fluid from this cohort of predominantly asthmatic pediatric patients.},
	keywords = {Adolescent, Adult, Asthma, Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid, Child, Child, Preschool, Chlamydia, Chlamydia Infections, Cohort Studies, Female, Humans, Immunoglobulin E, Infant, Infant, Newborn, Male, Polymerase Chain Reaction, Tissue Culture Techniques},
	issn = {1073-449X},
	doi = {10.1164/rccm.200407-917OC},
	author = {Webley, Wilmore C and Salva, Paul S and Andrzejewski, Chester and Cirino, Frances and West, Corrie A and Tilahun, Yaphet and Stuart, Elizabeth S}
}
@article {778,
	title = {Production and characterization of protective human antibodies against Shiga toxin 1.},
	journal = {Infect Immun},
	volume = {70},
	year = {2002},
	month = {2002 Oct},
	pages = {5896-9},
	abstract = {Hemolytic-uremic syndrome (HUS) is a serious complication which is predominantly associated in children with infection by Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC). By using HuMAb-Mouse (Medarex) animals, human monoclonal antibodies (Hu-MAbs) were developed against Shiga toxin 1 (Stx1) for passive immunotherapy of HUS. Ten stable hybridomas comprised of fully human heavy- and light-chain immunoglobulin elements and secreting Stx1-specific Hu-MAbs (seven immunoglobulin M(kappa)() [IgM(kappa)] elements [one specific for the A subunit and six specific for the B subunit] and three IgG1(kappa) elements specific for subunit B) were isolated. Two IgM(kappa) Hu-MAbs (2D9 and 15G9) and three IgG1(kappa) Hu-MAbs (5A4, 10F4, and 15G2), all specific for subunit B, demonstrated marked neutralization of Stx1 in vitro and significant prolongation of survival in a murine model of Stx1 toxicosis.},
	keywords = {Animals, Antibodies, Bacterial, Antibodies, Monoclonal, Child, Escherichia coli, Female, HeLa Cells, Hemolytic-Uremic Syndrome, Humans, Hybridomas, Immunization, Passive, Immunoglobulin G, Immunoglobulin M, Mice, Neutralization Tests, Shiga Toxin 1},
	issn = {0019-9567},
	author = {Mukherjee, Jean and Chios, Kerry and Fishwild, Dianne and Hudson, Deborah and O{\textquoteright}Donnell, Susan and Rich, Stephen M and Donohue-Rolfe, Arthur and Tzipori, Saul}
}
