• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.46 no.12
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• pp.1253-1259
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• 2003

Backgroud : Seizures in the neonate are relatively common and their clinical features are different from those in children and adults. The study aimed to provide the clinical profiles of neonatal seizure in our hospital. Methods : A total of 41 newborns with seizures were enrolled in this study over a period of three years. They were evaluated with special reference to risk factors, neurologic examinations, laboratory data, neuroimaging studies, EEG findings, seizure types, response to treatment, and prognosis, etc. Results : The average age at onset of seizures was $6.1{\pm}4.6days$ and the majority of patients(42%) had multifocal clonic seizure and 24% had subtle seizure. Factors that are known to increase risk of neonatal seizures include abnormal delivery history, birth asphyxia, and electrolyte imbalance, etc. However, they remain obscure in about 20% of cases. More than 50 percent showed abnormal lesions on neuroimaging studies such as brain hemorrhage, periventricular leukomalacia, brain infarction, cortical dysplasia, hydrocephalus, etc. and 17 out of 32 patients showed abnormal electroencephalographic patterns. Phenobarbital was tried as a first line antiepileptic drug and phenytoin was added if it failed to control seizures. The treatments were terminated in the majority of patients during the hospital stay. The overall prognosis was relatively good except for those with abnormal EEG background or congenital central nervous system malformations. Conclusion : Neonatal seizures may permanently disrupt brain development. Better understanding of their clinical profiles and appropriate management may lead to a reduction in neurological disability in later childhood.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.48 no.12
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• pp.1354-1361
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• 2005

Purpose : Rotavirus is an enteric pathogen that affects millions of children globally each year. But no specific therapy is available for the management of rotavirus diarrhea. Due to the clear need to define improved modality for treatment of rotavirus diarrhea, we evaluated the efficacy of antirotavirus IgY in the treatment of infants and children with gastroenteritis. Methods : First, the amount of viral particle in the stools of thirteen patients(seven were given IgY, 6 placebo) infected by rotavirus were evaluated for 3 days with the quantitative RT-PCR method. Second, 36 children with known rotavirus infection identified by ELISA or semi-quantitative RT-PCR were evaluated. We gave 5 g anti-rotavirus egg yolk daily in two equally divided doses for 3 days to two groups(an 18 IgY group and an 18 placebo group), respectively after parenteral consent. Daily vomiting frequency, stool frequency, oral intake and urine output were monitored for 3 days, and electrolyte and blood chemistry were checked at the first and third days. Results : First, in the placebo group, the amount of virus particles increased daily, but in the IgY group it decreased daily. Second, when IgY and placebos were given to children infected with rotavirus, diarrhea on the third day decreased significantly in the IgY group, compared with the placebo group. Conclusion : Treatment with antirotavirus immunoglobulin from immunized chicken's egg resulted in a decrease in the amount of viral particles in stools and diarrhea frequency in children. These results suggest that anti-rotavirus IgY is effective in the treatment of rotavirus gastroenteritis.