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Background and Objectives: Different types of food introduced gradually in the diet will expose children to different food allergens, increasing the chance of developing allergic diseases. The aim of our study was to determine if allergen-specific IgE values can influence, depending on the diet, the prediction of remission of urticaria in children. Materials and Methods: This prospective study was conducted in 132 patients diagnosed over two years with urticaria, admitted to “Sf. Maria” Clinical Pediatric Hospital Iaşi. Total IgE assay was performed by ELISA, and determination of specific serum IgE by the CLA System Quanti Scan method (Innogenetics, Heiden, Germany). Data were gathered and statistical analysis was performed using statistical software SPSS, using descriptive and inferential statistics. Results: The determination of specific IgE to food allergens was performed on a total of 132 cases. The values of specific IgE were positive for one or more food allergens in 84 patients (63.64%). The most common allergens involved were: cow’s milk in 33.3% cases, egg white in 22.6% cases, and hazelnuts in 11.9% cases. The specific IgE values for the different types of food included in our study had a predictive value for disease remission. Conclusions: The determination of specific IgE confirms the presence of a particular food allergen and may have predictive value for the future development of an allergic manifestation.

Infant mortality is a major problem in developing countries and, unfortunately, this is the case of our country as well, given that Romania ranks first in the European Union in this respect, with an infant mortality rate of 9 ‰, compared to an average of roughly 4 ‰. Worldwide, over 15 million babies are born prematurely each year and, out of these, more than a million die due to prematurity and infections, which are the main risk factors for neonatal mortality. The risk of infection is several times higher in preterm newborns than in full-term newborns – about 80% of neonatal infections occur in premature infants. A significant proportion of the survivors of prematurity will have important neurological sequelae because of neonatal infections as well as of intracerebral bleeding or hypoxia at birth. Continuing medical education in both the general population and the medical sector is crucial in preventing premature births and neonatal infections and, consequently, in decreasing infant morbidity and mortality rates in our country.

Mortalitatea infantilă este o problemă majoră pentru ţările în curs de dezvoltare, dar din păcate şi pentru ţara noastră, deoarece România este pe primul loc în Uniunea Europeană din acest punct de vedere, cu o rată a mortalităţii infantile de 9‰ faţă de media de aproximativ 4‰. La nivel mondial, peste 15 milioane de copii sunt născuţi prematur anual şi dintre aceştia, mai mult de un milion decedează, prematuritatea şi infecţiile fiind principalii factori de risc ai mortalităţii neonatale. Riscul infecţios este de câteva ori mai mare la prematuri decât la nou-născuţii la termen, aproximativ 80% dintre infecţiile neonatale apărând la prematuri. O proporţie importantă a supravieţuitorilor prematurităţii vor rămâne cu sechele neurologice importante din cauza atât a infecţiilor neonatale, cât şi a hemoragiilor intracerebrale sau hipoxiei la naştere. Educaţia medicală continuă, atât în cadrul populaţiei generale cât şi în sectorul medical, este de o importanţă crucială în prevenirea naşterilor premature, a infecţiilor neonatale, şi implicit pentru scăderea ratelor morbidităţii şi mortalităţii infantile în ţara noastră.

Introduction: The growing prevalence of urticaria in children over the last decade and the importance of determining the involved pathogenic mechanisms as well as of detecting the etiologic factors are some of the aspects that led to the choice of research topic. Materials and Methods: The early diagnosis and the establishment of the therapeutic and prophylactic conduct in the urticaria are a necessity. There have been evaluated through a retrospective questionnaire, anamnesis and biochemical evaluation a number of 246 children diagnosed with chronic IgE and non IgE mediated urticaria, and prick tested for a wide range of food allergens. The assessment of the intensity of the eruption was done by calculating the urticaria activity score (UAS), both at diagnosis and at subsequent evaluations to assess the response to the treatment. The immunological investigations which were carried out included the determination of the IgA, IgG, IgM, total IgE and specific IgE to food allergens and airborne allergens, as well as the determination of the IgG4-type antibodies to 20 food allergens by means of enzyme immunoassay. The ELISA method was used for dosing the total IgE, while the CLA System Quanti Scan method (Innogenetics, Heiden, Germany) was used for determining the serum-specific IgE for 20 of the most common food allergens and airborne allergens (Innogenetics, Heiden, Germany). Results: Positive statistical correlations have been made with IgE and non IgE mediated reactions, also with IgG4 antibodies. The result of the multivariate analysis shows that the existence of the atopy represents a risk factor which significantly influences the allergic sensitisation (HR = 3.186→95% CI: 2.57-5.96), followed in the order of importance by food diversification before the age of 6.months (HR = 2.157→95% CI: 1.86-5.35), natural feeding before 3.months of age (HR = 1.78→95% CI: 1003-4581) and artificial or mixed feeding (HR = 1.56→95% CI: 1056-3861). Conclusion: There have been reported different correlations between specific IgE and IgG4 with different food allergens and the period of time between the onset and the duration of chronic urticaria. The regression of specific IgE has a predictive value upon the remission of urticaria (AUC=0.557, p=0.447, 95%CI: AUC→0.398–0.717). The logistic regression for analysis of the predictives factors for the regresson of urticaria showed several factors involved:.Speciphic IgE values, compliance for the eliminating diet and treatment, allergic antecedents and the eventual polisensitivisation.

Methods We performed a retrospective study exclusively on cases of sepsis and severe sepsis, in which we analyzed the records of the patients admitted in our ward last year. We included 131 patients, with a mean age of 64 years. Of all patients admitted to the ICU, 73 died and 74 required mechanical ventilation for a mean duration of over 6 days. These data suggest the seriousness and complexity of the disease. More than 45 patients were diagnosed with sepsis with MSOF (more than 3 organ dysfunctions).