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Reports that some data suggests that cesarean section reduces mother-to-child HIV-1 transmission. Analyzing data of 1,624 children; Statistics; Reference materials used in research.

Background: During the last decades remarkable scientific advances have been made toward the prevention of HIV mother-to-child transmission, in particular in developed nations. The aim of this review was to analyze the latest findings and available international recommendations on the prevention of HIV mother-to-child transmission in high-income countries., Methods: We performed a literature search of the Cochrane Library, MEDLINE by PubMed and EMBASE from database inception through June 2014, using the following terms: HIV, mother-to-child transmission and mother-to-child-transmission prevention. All types of articles in the English language were included. US and available European guidelines were searched and included in the analysis., Results: One hundred fifty articles were selected for inclusion in this review., Conclusions: Global epidemiology of HIV infection is rapidly evolving, in particular in high-resource countries. The interpretation of clinical and epidemiological studies is crucial for the development of evidence-based recommendations to guide the management of HIV mother-to-child transmission. Although significant progress has been made, heterogeneity between countries in specific interventions still exists, which may address future research.

Background: Drug-resistant tuberculosis (DR-TB) is emerging as an increasing problem worldwide and no consensus has been reached about the management of children contacts of DR-TB cases., Objective: To evaluate the role of post-exposure chemoprophylaxis in paediatric DR-TB contacts, focusing on literature findings and recommendations from existing international guidelines., Methods: We conducted a literature search of the Cochrane Library, MEDLINE by PubMed and EMBASE from database inception through September 2012, using an appropriate search strategy., Results: Eighteen articles were included: four retrospective and two prospective population studies, eight international guidelines and four narrative reviews., Conclusions: General agreement exists that preventive therapy could be beneficial in specific high-risk groups, including immunocompromised children and those aged < 5 years. However, no consensus exists on the use of preventive therapy in older or immunocompetent children and on which regimen should be preferred.

Background: Streptococcal pharyngitis is a frequently observed condition, but its optimal management continues to be debated., Objective: The goal of this study was to evaluate the available guidelines, developed at the national level, for the management of streptococcal pharyngitis in Western countries, with a focus on their differences., Methods: A literature search was conducted of the Cochrane Library, EMBASE, TRIP, and MEDLINE databases from their inception (1993 for the Cochrane Library, 1980 for EMBASE, 1997 for TRIP, and 1966 for MEDLINE) through April 25, 2010. The following search terms were used: pharyngitis, sore throat, tonsillitis, pharyngotonsillitis, Streptococcus pyogenes, Group A β-haemolytic Streptococcus pyogenes, and streptococcal pharyngitis. Searches were limited to type of article or document (practice guideline or guideline) with no language restrictions or language limits., Results: Twelve national guidelines were identified: 6 from European countries (France, United Kingdom, Finland, Holland, Scotland, and Belgium), 5 from the United States, and 1 from Canada. Recommendations differ substantially with regard to the use of a rapid antigen diagnostic test or throat culture and the indications for antibiotic treatment. The North American, Finnish, and French guidelines recommend performing one timely microbiologic investigation in suspected cases, and prescribing antibiotics in confirmed cases to prevent suppurative complications and acute rheumatic fever. According to the remaining European guidelines, however, acute sore throat is considered a benign, self-limiting disease. Microbiologic tests are not routinely recommended by these latter guidelines, and antibiotic treatment is reserved for well-selected cases. The use of the Centor score, for evaluation of the risk of streptococcal infection, is recommended by several guidelines, but subsequent decisions on the basis of the results differ in terms of which subjects should undergo microbiologic investigation. All guidelines agree that narrow-spectrum penicillin is the first choice of antibiotic for the treatment of streptococcal pharyngitis and that treatment should last for 10 days to eradicate the microorganism. Once-daily amoxicillin was recommended by 2 US guidelines as equally effective., Conclusion: The present review found substantial discrepancies in the recommendations for the management of pharyngitis among national guidelines in Europe and North America., (Copyright © 2011 Elsevier HS Journals, Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objective: To examine epidemiological, clinical, and outcome in Italian children affected with Henoch Schönlein purpura (HSP)., Methods: Retrospective study of children discharged with a diagnosis of HSP from the Meyer Children's Hospital, between 1998 and 2002. Epidemiological, clinical, laboratory data, treatment, and outcome were collected by reviewing medical charts. One year after data collection, the children's parents were interviewed by telephone about the outcome., Results: 150 children entered the study: M:F=1.8:1; mean age 6.1+/-2.7 years. At onset, purpura was present in all cases, arthritis/arthralgias in 74%, abdominal involvement in 51%, scrotal edema in 13%, renal involvement in 54%, severe nephropathy in 7%, acute renal insufficiency in 2%, and intussusception in 0.6%. Purpura was the presenting symptom in 74%, arthritis in 15%, and abdominal pain in 12%. The most frequent laboratory abnormalities were high-erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) (57%), hyper-IgA (37%), and proteinuria (42%). All patients recovered within 2 months. Recurrences, verified in 35%, were correlated with high ESR values and corticosteroid (CS) treatment, independently from other variables. After a mean 2.5-years follow-up, 2 patients had hematuria with normal renal function., Conclusion: Epidemiological and clinical findings in our cohort are similar to those in the literature, even though the mean disease duration was shorter than previously reported. Relapses occurred significantly more frequently in children treated with CS. This finding supports the recommendation to limit the use of steroids to a carefully selected group of HSP children. The prognosis was excellent; although severe nephropathy was found in a small percentage of the children, at follow-up all had normal renal function. Thus, our study confirms the benignity of HSP in Italian children, especially regarding renal outcome.