Kids Research Express

Erythromycin, antibiotic drug used to treat a wide variety of bacterial infections. These infections include respiratory tract infections such as pneumonia , urinary tract infections, ear and skin infections, gonorrhea , syphilis , rheumatic fever , whooping cough, and diphtheria . The drug is also used in a form applied directly to the skin to treat acne. It works by interfering with the formation of essential proteins in the invading bacteria, preventing their multiplication and growth. Erythromycin is available by prescription in capsules, tablets, ointment, gel, and various liquids. Dependingon the site of the infection, the drug is taken orally or applied directly to the infected area. Dosages range from 250 to 1000 mg taken every six hours. Children may take most forms of this drug, with dosages determined by body weight. Some forms of this drug should be taken on an empty stomach (one hour before or two hours after a meal). Erythromycin’s effectiveness is usually apparent after

Equine Encephalomyelitis is an infectious disease observed originally in horses and subsequently in humans, other mammals, and birds. A type of encephalitis occurring epidemically, it is caused by a virus that attacks the central nervous system . The disease is transmitted by mosquitoes and possibly by other bloodsucking insects. Three strains of the causative virus have been identified. Two of the strains are confined to North America; one causes a rare but severe type of the disease common to the east, and the other a milder type common to the west. The third strain is responsible for a type that occurs in Venezuela. Each type is characterized by inflammation of the brain and spinal cord, with high fever, headache, muscle pains, and sometimes convulsions as the earliest symptoms. Within one or two days after onset of the disease, somnolence develops, often progressing to coma . Equine encephalomyelitis can be controlled by annual vaccination of horses and mules before the advent of s

Edema, general term for the accumulation of excess fluid in any body tissue, cavity, or organ, except bone. Accumulation in the pleural cavity is called pleural effusion; in the cranium, hydrocephalus; and in the abdominal cavity, ascites. Generalized edema is referred to as anasarca. Major causes are heart or kidney failure, low blood serum protein after starvation or liver failure, shock, and impaired return of blood from extremities. Treatment involves stimulating the kidneys to excrete excess fluid and the use of arterial tone reducers and digitalis for heart failure.

Eczema, an inflammatory, chronic, noncontagious disease of the skin caused by allergy and hypersensitivity. The term is loosely used to include many skin conditions more properly included under dermatitis. Eczema is characterized by a number of cutaneous lesions, such as macules, papules, pustules, vesicles, scales, and crusts. Macules are nonelevated skin spots. Papules are hard, circular, and elevated. Pustules are papularlike lesions that contain pus, and vesicles are small skin blisters that contain fluid. Eczematous lesions are usually accompanied by an exudation of serous fluid and by intense itching. One-third to one-half of all cutaneous conditions are eczematous.

Diseases of the inner ear can affect the sense of balance and cause symptoms of motion sickness. Anemia, tumors of the acoustic nerve, exposure to abnormal heat, disturbances of the circulatory system, skull injuries, poisoning, emotional disorders, and hyperemia, or increased blood flow, may also cause these symptoms. Ménière’s disease results from abnormalities in the semicircular canals and produces nausea, hearing loss, a disturbed sense of balance, and tinnitus, or a persistent ringing in the ears. Destruction of the inner ear by cryosurgery or ultrasound is sometimes used to combat intractable dizziness. Damage to the organ of Corti in the inner ear accounts for the condition of many people who are either totally deaf or severely hearing-impaired. Scientists have addressed the difficulties of such people by developing an electronic device called a cochlear implant. This device is more sophisticated than a hearing aid, which merely increases the volume of the sounds that pass thr

Diseases of the middle ear include perforation of the eardrum and infection. Perforation of the eardrum may be caused by injury from a sharp object, a blow to the ear, or by sudden changes in atmospheric pressure. Infection of the middle ear, whether acute or chronic, is called otitis media. Acute otitis media with effusion includes all acute infections of the middle ear caused by pus-forming bacteria , which usually reach the middle ear by way of the eustachian tube. Bacterial infection of the mastoid process, a cone-shaped, honeycombed projection of bone behind the auricle, may occur as a complication of middle ear infections. Hearing impairment often follows because newly malformed tissues affect the mobility of the eardrum and the ossicles. Painful swelling of the eardrum may require a surgical incision to permit drainage of the middle ear. Since the use of penicillin and other antibiotics became widespread, mastoid complications have become much less frequent. Sometimes acute

Some diseases of the ear can cause partial or total deafness . In addition, most diseases of the inner ear are associated with a disturbance of balance. Ear problems should be evaluated by specially trained physicians called otolaryngologists, who treat conditions ranging from eardrum injuries caused by physical trauma to bony deposits in the inner ear caused by the aging process. The auricle and the opening into the outer auditory canal may be missing at birth. Acquired malformations of the outer ear include scarring from cuts and other wounds. Othematoma, known popularly as cauliflower ear, is a common result of injury to the ear cartilage followed by internal bleeding and excessive production of ear tissue. Inflammation of the outer ear may result from any condition that causes inflammation of the skin, such as dermatitis, burns, and frostbite. Erysipelas, a skin disease caused by bacteria, and seborrhea, a skin disease caused by the malfunction of the skin’s oil glands, are common