This study was done to evaluate respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) related readmission (RRR) and risk factors of RRR in preterm infants < 34 weeks gestational age (GA) within 1 yr following discharge from the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Infants (n = 1,140) who were born and admitted to the NICUs of 46 hospitals in Korea from April to September 2012, and followed up for > 1 yr after discharge from the NICU, were enrolled. The average GA and birth weight of the infants was 30(+5) +/- 2(+5) weeks and 1,502 +/- 474 g, respectively. The RRR rate of enrolled infants was 8.4% (96/1,140), and RSV accounted for 58.2% of respiratory readmissions of infants who had laboratory tests confirming etiological viruses. Living with elder siblings (odd ratio [OR], 2.68; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.68-4.28; P < 0.001), and bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) (OR, 2.95; 95% CI, 1.44-6.04; P = 0.003, BPD vs. none) increased the risk of RRR. Palivizumab prophylaxis (OR, 0.06; 95% CI, 0.03-0.13; P < 0.001) decreased the risk of RRR. The risk of RRR of infants of 32-33 weeks' gestation was lower than that of infants < 26 weeks' gestation (OR, 0.11; 95% CI, 0.02-0.53; P = 0.006). This was a nationwide study that evaluated the rate and associated risk factors of RRR in Korean preterm infants. Preterm infants with BPD or living with siblings should be supervised, and administration of palivizumab to prevent RRR should be considered.
Antiviral Agents/therapeutic use ; Birth Weight ; Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia/drug therapy/pathology ; Female ; Gestational Age ; Humans ; Infant ; Infant, Newborn ; Infant, Premature ; Intensive Care Units, Neonatal ; Male ; Odds Ratio ; Palivizumab/therapeutic use ; Patient Discharge ; Patient Readmission ; Republic of Korea ; Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infections/drug therapy/*pathology/virology ; Respiratory Syncytial Viruses/*isolation & purification ; Risk Factors ; Siblings

OBJECTIVETo investigate the effect of an oral preparation of Alternathera philoxeroides Griseb (APG) against respiratory syncytical virus (RSV) in mice.

METHODSAPG preparation was administered orally in RSV-infected mice at different daily doses (2.5, 4.5 and 6.5 g/kg) to observe the therapeutic effect of the preparation.

RESULTSDistinct differences were observed between the death rate of the mice treated with APG at daily dose of 4.5 and 6.5 g/kg and that of the untreated mice with infection. After AGP treatment of the mice at 6.5 g/kg, the detection rate of the virus was 31.3% in the blood and 37.5% in the lung tissue, significantly lower than that in the untreated mice. The virus detection rate was 43.8% in the lung tissues of mice treated with APG at 4.5 g/kg, also significantly lower than that in the untreated control. APG treatment at the 3 doses resulted in different lung indices from that of the control.

CONCLUSIONAPG may be effective for treatment of RSV infection.

Administration, Oral ; Amaranthaceae ; chemistry ; Animals ; Antiviral Agents ; administration & dosage ; therapeutic use ; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug ; Female ; Lung ; drug effects ; pathology ; virology ; Male ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred BALB C ; Phytotherapy ; Plant Preparations ; administration & dosage ; therapeutic use ; Random Allocation ; Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infections ; drug therapy ; Respiratory Syncytial Viruses ; drug effects ; Treatment Outcome