Journal of microbiology, immunology, and infection = Wei mian yu gan ran za zhi
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J Microbiol Immunol Infect · Feb 2013
Molecular typing of Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolated from adult patients with tubercular spondylitis.
Tuberculosis (TB) is endemic in Taiwan and usually affects the lung, spinal TB accounting for 1-3% of all TB infections. The manifestations of spinal TB are different from those of pulmonary TB. The purpose of this study was to define the epidemiological molecular types of mycobacterial strains causing spinal TB. ⋯ TB spondylitis was found to occur in older patients. Spoligotyping results showed that most of the TB spondylitis cases were caused by non-Beijing type Mycobacterium tuberculosis.
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J Microbiol Immunol Infect · Feb 2013
Analysis of serum total IgE, specific IgE and eosinophils in children with acute and chronic urticaria.
Increased IgE and eosinophil levels are frequently observed in cutaneous inflammation and are thought to provoke the occurrence of urticaria. However, the relationship of these factors with the disease duration of urticaria remains unclear. The aim of this study was to compare serum total IgE levels, specific IgE sensitization rates and eosinophil percentages between acute and chronic urticaria in children. ⋯ Boys potentially have a higher serum IgE expression than girls children with urticaria. IgE levels and eosinophil percentages are not good indicators for a prolonged course of urticaria. The prevalence of sensitization to aeroallergens was significantly higher than that of food allergens in children with urticaria. Routine laboratory analysis for common allergens is not appropriate, and it could be a feasible approach to detect a predilection for atopy when respiratory infections are causative factors of urticaria occurrence.