Asthma management and asthma control level in children / 中国当代儿科杂志

OBJECTIVES@#To investigate the influencing factors for asthma management and asthma control level in children.@*METHODS@#A total of 202 children with a confirmed diagnosis of asthma were enrolled. The questionnaire of asthma control level and family management was used to investigate the influencing factors for asthma control level and the indicators of family management. The awareness of childhood asthma and its management was analyzed among the parents, as well as the influence on asthma control level in children, and the association between them was analyzed.@*RESULTS@#Compared with the non-complete control group, the complete control group had significantly longer course of asthma and treatment time (P<0.05). The proportions of asthma attacks ≥3 times and aerosol treatment for asthma attacks >3 times in one year in the complete control group were significantly lower than those in the non-complete control group (P<0.05). The complete control group had a significantly lower proportion of children with frequent respiratory infection, wheezing during respiratory infection, or a family history of allergic diseases (P<0.05). The parents in the complete control group had significantly stronger awareness of short-term escalation to asthma medication after respiratory infection and significantly enhanced management of maintenance medication (P<0.05). Compared with the complete control group, the non-complete control group had a significantly higher proportion of children with abnormal pulmonary function at the initial stage (P<0.05). The level of asthma control in children was associated with short-term escalation to asthma medication during respiratory infection and initial lung function (P<0.05).@*CONCLUSIONS@#The level of asthma control in children is closely associated with the severity of asthma and the comprehensive management of childhood asthma. Early treatment and family management, especially escalation to asthma medication during the early stage of respiratory infection, are of great importance in asthma control. Citation:Chinese Journal of Contemporary Pediatrics, 2023, 25(1): 73-79.

PD-1 inhibitor plus anlotinib for metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer: a real-world study / 亚洲男科学杂志(英文版)

Management and treatment of terminal metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) remains heavily debated. We sought to investigate the efficacy of programmed cell death 1 (PD-1) inhibitor plus anlotinib as a potential solution for terminal mCRPC and further evaluate the association of genomic characteristics with efficacy outcomes. We conducted a retrospective real-world study of 25 mCRPC patients who received PD-1 inhibitor plus anlotinib after the progression to standard treatments. The clinical information was extracted from the electronic medical records and 22 patients had targeted circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) next-generation sequencing. Statistical analysis showed that 6 (24.0%) patients experienced prostate-specific antigen (PSA) response and 11 (44.0%) patients experienced PSA reduction. The relationship between ctDNA findings and outcomes was also analyzed. DNA-damage repair (DDR) pathways and homologous recombination repair (HRR) pathway defects indicated a comparatively longer PSA-progression-free survival (PSA-PFS; 2.5 months vs 1.2 months, P = 0.027; 3.3 months vs 1.2 months, P = 0.017; respectively). This study introduces the PD-1 inhibitor plus anlotinib as a late-line therapeutic strategy for terminal mCRPC. PD-1 inhibitor plus anlotinib may be a new treatment choice for terminal mCRPC patients with DDR or HRR pathway defects and requires further investigation.

Value of sTREM-1 in serum and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid, APACHE II score, and SOFA score in evaluating the conditions and prognosis of children with severe pneumonia / 中国当代儿科杂志

OBJECTIVE@#To study the significance of the level of soluble triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells-1 (sTREM-1) in serum and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF), Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II (APACHE II) score, and Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) score in evaluating the conditions and prognosis of children with severe pneumonia.@*METHODS@#A total of 76 children with severe pneumonia who were admitted from August 2017 to October 2019 were enrolled as the severe pneumonia group. According to the treatment outcome, they were divided into a non-response group with 34 children and a response group with 42 children. Ninety-four children with common pneumonia who were admitted during the same period of time were enrolled as the common pneumonia group. One hundred healthy children who underwent physical examination in the outpatient service during the same period of time were enrolled as the control group. The serum level of sTREM-1, APACHE II score, and SOFA score were measured for each group, and the level of sTREM-1 in BALF was measured for children with severe pneumonia. The correlation of the above indices with the severity and prognosis of severe pneumonia in children was analyzed.@*RESULTS@#The severe pneumonia group had significantly higher serum sTREM-1 level, APACHEII score, and SOFA score than the common pneumonia group and the control group (P0.05).@*CONCLUSIONS@#The level of sTREM-1 in serum and BALF and SOFA score can be used to evaluate the severity and prognosis of severe pneumonia in children.

Characteristics of pulmonary function in infants and young children with pertussis-like coughing / 中国当代儿科杂志

OBJECTIVE@#To study the characteristics of pulmonary function in children with pertussis-like coughing caused by different pathogen infections.@*METHODS@#The data on etiology and tidal breathing pulmonary function were collected from 95 hospitalized infants and young children with pertussis-like coughing. The tidal breathing pulmonary function was compared between these children and 67 healthy children. According to the type of pathogen, the children with pertussis-like coughing were classified to 6 groups: pertussis (n=17), viral infection (n=23), tuberculosis infection (n=6), Mycoplasma infection (n=9), other bacterial infection (n=8), and unknown pathogen (n=32).@*RESULTS@#Among the 95 children with pertussis-like coughing, 15 (16%) had mild obstructive ventilatory dysfunction, 30 (32%) had moderate obstructive ventilatory dysfunction, and 22 (23%) had severe obstructive ventilatory dysfunction. Compared with the normal control group, the children with pertussis-like coughing had significant reductions in inspiratory-to-expiratory time ratio, ratio of time to peak tidal expiratory flow to total expiratory time (tPF%tE), and ratio of volume to peak tidal expiratory flow to total expiratory volume (vPF%vE) (P<0.05). The tuberculosis infection and Mycoplasma infection groups had a significantly lower tidal volume than the normal control group (P<0.05). All pathogen infection groups except the tuberculosis infection group had significantly lower tPF%tE and vPF%vE than the normal control group (P<0.05). The pertussis group had significantly lower tPF%tE and vPF%vE than the other infection groups (P<0.05).@*CONCLUSIONS@#Most of children with pertussis-like coughing have abnormal pulmonary functions. The children with Bordetella pertussis infection have the most severe pulmonary function impairment. Tidal breathing pulmonary function test may provide a reference for pathogen analysis of children with pertussis-like coughing.

Correlation of fractional exhaled nitric oxide in the upper and lower airways with the level of asthma control / 中国当代儿科杂志

OBJECTIVE@#To study the clinical value of combined measurement of fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) and nasal fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FnNO) and its correlation with the level of asthma control.@*METHODS@#A total of 120 children who were diagnosed with asthma from January to June, 2018 and were in the chronic persistent stage were enrolled as subjects. The childhood asthma control test (C-ACT) was performed for all the 120 children. According to the C-ACT score, these children were divided into 4 groups: complete control group with a C-ACT score of >23, partial control group with a C-ACT score of 20-23, and uncontrolled group with a C-ACT score of ≤19 (n=40 each). According to the presence or absence of allergic rhinitis, they were divided into 2 groups: non-rhinitis group with 55 children and rhinitis group with 65 children. A total of 40 children who underwent physical examination during the same period of time were enrolled as the control group. FeNO and FnNO levels were measured for all the 120 children.@*RESULTS@#The uncontrolled group had the highest level of FeNO, followed by the partial control group and the complete control group (P<0.05). The uncontrolled and partial control groups had a significantly higher level of FeNO than the control group (P<0.05). The uncontrolled and partial control groups had a significantly higher level of FnNO than the complete control and control groups (P<0.05). The rhinitis group had significantly higher FeNO and FnNO levels than the non-rhinitis group (P<0.05).@*CONCLUSIONS@#FeNO can be used to assess the level of asthma control in children, and its combination with FnNO may be useful for the evaluation of the degree of inflammation in the upper and lower airways and provide a basis for the combined treatment of the upper and lower airways.

Intervention measures for maintenance of clinical control in the remission stage of childhood asthma / 中国当代儿科杂志

OBJECTIVE@#To explore the intervention measures to maintain clinical control in children with asthma in the remission stage when concomitant with acute upper respiratory infection (AURI).@*METHODS@#A total of 100 asthmatic children who had achieved clinical control were randomly divided into observation group and control group. The two groups were both treated with a combination of inhaled corticosteroids and long-acting β2 receptor agonist (ICS/LABA) at the lowest dose every night. Conventional therapies were used for the two groups when suffering from AURI. In addition to conventional therapies, the observation group was given early short-term upgrade therapy, i.e., on the basis of maintenance therapy, the same amount of ICS/LABA complex preparation was inhaled every morning, which lasted for 7-10 days. Both groups were treated following asthma guidelines according to the severity of the disease at the time of acute attacks. The control rate of asthma, severity of acute attacks, changes in pulmonary function indices, and occurrence of adverse events were evaluated after 3, 6, 9, and 12 months of treatment.@*RESULTS@#At each time point of follow-up, the rate of asthma control in the observation group was significantly higher than that in the control group (90% vs 80%; P<0.05). The severity of acute attacks in the observation group was significantly lower than that in the control group at all follow-up time points (P<0.05). Compared with the control group, the observation group had significantly improved pulmonary function indices of large and small airways (P<0.05) and significantly reduced mean amount of inhaled glucocorticoids and impact on family life (P<0.01).@*CONCLUSIONS@#Early short-term upgrade therapy for children with asthma in the remission stage when concomitant with AURI can prevent acute attacks of asthma, raise the rate of asthma control and improve pulmonary function.

PET/CT for guidance of lymphadenectomy of high-risk prostate cancer in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia: 1 case report / 上海交通大学学报（医学版）

A 70-year-old male with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) 9 years ago initially presenting elevation of prostate specific antigen (PSA) was diagnosed with high-risk prostate cancer in March, 2018. He received 18F-FDG positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT), which showed mild FDG-avidity in swollen lymph nodes across the entire body, considering CLL. Then he underwent neoadjuvant androgen deprivation therapy for 1 month and then robot-assisted radical prostatectomy and biopsy of the right iliac vascular obturator lymph nodes. The prostate pathology was prostate cancer, and the pathology of lymph nodes was CLL. His serum PSA levels 1 month and 3 months after operation both reached the level of cure. For the patients with concomitant high-risk prostate cancer and CLL, PET/CT may be valuable in distinguishing whether the swollen lymph nodes were infiltrated by prostate cancer and guiding the lymphadenectomy.

The Training Effect of Ability to Timely Screening for Congenital Heart Disease among Primary Medical Workers in Yunnan Province / 昆明医科大学学报

Objective To improve the early diagnosis of congenital heart disease (CHD), investigate the awareness, screening knowledge and screening ability of CHD among health care providers in the rural areas of Yunnan province and discover an effective way to improve the related knowledge and skills of CHD screening. Methods From 2015 September to 2017 April, we set up charity mobile schools and chose eight areas as the investigating and training sites. We designed two questionnaires, and adopted the theoretical training as the main method combined with the training of clinical skills. We investigated and trained a total of 1022 medical staff. The training content include the awareness of CHD,the knowledge and skills of CHD screening. We also evaluated the outcomes of the training. Results A total of 2044 questionnaires were collected. After training, the number of objects which would screen CHD in future increased, and the cognition of the incidence and common clinical manifestations of CHD, Eisenmanger's syndrome,cardiac auscultation, pulse oximetry and the related knowledge of CHD were also improved; 563 took the test on practical skills of CHD detection. The correct rate of auscultation, period of murmurs and characteristics of murmurs was 98.22%(553),30.55%(172) and 28.60%(161). The correct rate of murmurs in ventricular septal defect,atrial septal defect and patent ductus arteriosus was 45.47%(256), 39.79 (224) and 50.80%(286) respectively. Online training was advised by 244 trainees. Increasing investment in congenital heart disease screening was suggested by 652 trainees. Conclusions The awareness of CHD screening in grassroots medical workers of Yunnan province is insufficient. It is an effective way to establish charity mobile school and to train the grassroots medical staff with the theory and practical knowledge to improve the awareness,screening knowledge and screening skills of CHD. The next step suggests that we can improve the early diagnosis of congenital heart disease (CHD).

Clinical efficacy of pulmonary surfactant combined with budesonide for preventing bronchopulmonary dysplasia in very low birth weight infants / 中国当代儿科杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To explore the clinical efficacy of intratracheal instillation of pulmonary surfactant (PS) combined with budesonide for preventing bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) in very low birth weight (VLBW) infants.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Thirty VLBW infants with gestational age <32 weeks who developed neonatal respiratory distress syndrome (NRDS) (grade III-IV) suffering from intrauterine infection were randomly assigned into a PS + budesonide group and a PS alone group. The changes were compared between the two groups in arterial blood gas indexes, oxygenation index (OI), duration of mechanical ventilation, duration of oxygen supplementation, incidence of BPD, mortality rate at 36 weeks corrected gestational age and incidences of other complications except BPD.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Compared with the PS alone group, the PS+budesonide group had a lower incidence of BPD, shorter duration of mechanical ventilation and oxygen supplementation (P<0.05). On the 2nd to 6th day after treatment, the PS+budesonide group had higher pH value of arterial blood gas and OI and lower carbon dioxide partial pressure compared with the PS alone group (P<0.05). There were no significant differences in the mortality rate at 36 weeks corrected gestational age and the incidences of other complications except BPD between the two groups (P>0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Intratracheal instillation of PS combined with budesonide can effectively reduce the incidence of BPD in VLBW premature infants with severe NRDS.</p>

Clinical effect of extensively hydrolyzed formula in preterm infants: an analysis of 327 cases / 中国当代儿科杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the effect and safety of extensively hydrolyzed formula (EHF) in preterm infants.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>A total of 692 preterm infants between January 2007 and December 2016 were enrolled as subjects. According to the feeding pattern, they were divided into EHF group (327 infants) and standard preterm formula (SPF) group (365 infants). A retrospective analysis was performed for their clinical data during hospitalization, including the incidence of feeding intolerance, time to establish full enteral feeding, time to first excretion of meconium, time to complete excretion of meconium, presence or absence of intestinal infection or neonatal necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC), serum albumin level within 3 weeks after admission, and time to the appearance of skin jaundice and its duration.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>There were no significant differences between the two groups in the starting time of breastfeeding, time to first excretion of meconium, time to the appearance of skin jaundice, serum albumin level at weeks 1 and 2 after admission, and time to recovery of birth weight (P>0.05). Compared with the SPF group, the EHF group had significantly lower incidence rates of feeding intolerance, intestinal infection, and NEC and a significantly lower positive rate of stool occult blood test (P<0.05), as well as significantly shorter time to complete excretion of meconium, duration to establish full enteral feeding, duration of jaundice, and length of hospital stay (P<0.05). At week 3 after admission, the EHF group had a significantly higher serum albumin level than the SPF group (P<0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>EHF can reduce the incidence rates of feeding intolerance and NEC in preterm infants, shorten the duration of jaundice, promote defecation, and help them to achieve full enteral feeding early. It has significant advantages over SPF.</p>

Impact of obesity on response to therapy and pulmonary function in children with asthma / 中国当代儿科杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the effects of obesity on response to therapy and pulmonary function in children with asthma who receive inhaled corticosteroid (ICS) treatment.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>A total of 129 children with asthma were divided into two groups according to their body mass index: normal weight group (n=64) and obese group (n=65). The asthma control status and pulmonary function were compared between the two groups after one year of ICS treatment. The pulmonary function was expressed as percent forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1%), percent predicted forced vital capacity (FVC%), peak expiratory flow (PEF), peak expiratory flow at 25% of vital capacity (PEF25), and peak expiratory flow at 50% of vital capacity (PEF50). The asthma control status was expressed as complete control rate, partial control rate, and uncontrolled rate. Sixty-eight healthy children were selected as the healthy control group.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>There were significant differences in the indices of pulmonary function between the three groups before treatment (P<0.01); the healthy control group had the best values of pulmonary function, while the obese group had the worst values. After 1 year of treatment, the normal weight group showed significantly more improvements in FEV1% and FVC% than the obese group (P<0.01). However, there were no significant differences in improvements in PEF, PEF25, and PEF50 between the two groups. The complete control rate, partial control rate, and uncontrolled rate in the normal weight group were 72%, 19%, and 9%, respectively, while the rates in the obese group were 28%, 51%, and 22%, respectively; the normal weight group had a significantly better asthma control status than the obese group (P<0.01).</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>The asthmatic children with obesity have a significantly less improvement in large airway function and a poorer asthma control status after ICS treatment than those with the normal weight.</p>

Efficacy of fluticasone propionate aerosol versus budesonide suspension in treatment of recurrent wheezing caused by bronchiolitis / 中国当代儿科杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the efficacy of fluticasone propionate aerosol (flixotide) versus budesonide suspension in the treatment of recurrent wheezing caused by bronchiolitis.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>A total of 214 infants with newly diagnosed bronchiolitis were randomly divided into flixotide treatment (106 infants) and budesonide treatment groups (108 infants), and were given aerosol inhalation of flixotide or budesonide for 3 months after achieving remission of clinical symptoms. Another 136 infants with bronchiolitis who did not receive regular inhalation of corticosteroid after achieving remission of clinical symptoms were enrolled as the control group. The follow-up visits were performed for 1 year, and the effects of the two therapeutic methods on recurrent wheezing were evaluated.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Compared with the control group, both the flixotide and budesonide treatment groups had significantly fewer times of wheezing episodes within 1 year and a significantly lower recurrence rate of wheezing within the first 3 months after regular inhalation of corticosteroid, but no significant differences were observed between the two treatment groups. The amount of corticosteroid inhaled and hospital costs in the budesonide treatment group were significantly higher than in the flixotide treatment group (P<0.01).</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Continuous inhalation of flixotide or budesonide after remission of clinical symptoms in children with bronchiolitis can reduce wheezing episodes and the recurrence of wheezing, and flixotide treatment is superior to budesonide treatment in the aspects of hospital costs and the amount of corticosteroid used.</p>

Mortality and Morbidity of Extremely Low Birth Weight Infants in the Mainland of China: A Multi-center Study / 中华医学杂志(英文版)

<p><b>BACKGROUND</b>With the progress of perinatal medicine and neonatal technology, more and more extremely low birth weight (ELBW) survived all over the world. This study was designed to investigate the short-term outcomes of ELBW infants during their Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) stay in the mainland of China.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>All infants admitted to 26 NICUs with a birth weight (BW) < l000 g were included between January l, 2011 and December 31, 2011. All the data were collected retrospectively from clinical records by a prospectively designed questionnaire. The data collected from each NICU transmitted to the main institution where the results were aggregated and analyzed. Categorical variables were performed with Pearson Chi-square test. Binary Logistic regression analysis was used to detect risk factors.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>A total of 258 ELBW infants were admitted to 26 NICUs, of whom the mean gestational age (GA) was 28.1 ± 2.2 weeks, and the mean BW was 868 ± 97 g. The overall survival rate at discharge was 50.0%. Despite aggressive treatment 60 infants (23.3%) died and another 69 infants (26.7%) died after medical care withdrawal. Furthermore, the survival rate was significantly higher in coastal areas than inland areas (53.6% vs. 35.3%, P = 0.019). BW < 750 g and GA < 28 weeks were the largest risk factors, and being small for gestational age was a protective factor related to mortality. Respiratory distress syndrome was the most common complication. The incidence of patent ductus arteriosus, intraventricular hemorrhage, periventricular leukomalacia, bronchopulmonary dysplasia, retinopathy of prematurity was 26.2%, 33.7%, 6.7%, 48.1%, and 41.4%, respectively. Ventilator associated pneumonia was the most common hospital acquired infection during hospitalization.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Our study was the first survey that revealed the present status of ELBW infants in the mainland of China. The mortality and morbidity of ELBW infants remained high as compared to other developed countries.</p>

Value of combined measurement of C-reactive protein, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, lactate dehydrogenase and serum ferritin in etiological diagnosis of fever of unknown origin in children / 中国当代儿科杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To study the clinical value of combined measurement of C-reactive protein (CRP), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), and serum ferritin (SF) in the etiological diagnosis of fever of unknown origin (FUO) in children.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The clinical data of 154 hospitalized children who had FUO for at least two weeks were retrospectively analyzed, and they were classified into infection (n=54), rheumatism (n=67), and tumor (n=33) groups according to the diagnosis at discharge. The levels of CRP, ESR, LDH, and SF were compared between the three groups, and the diagnostic values of the four indices alone or together were analyzed using the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Serum CRP and ESR levels were elevated in all the three groups, and increased most significantly in the rheumatism group. Serum LDH level was increased most significantly in the tumor group. SF level was significantly increased in the rheumatism and tumor groups. The area under the ROC curve (AUC) of LDH for diagnosing rheumatism and the AUC of ESR and CRP for diagnosing tumors were lower than 0.7 (P>0.05). The AUC of CRP for diagnosing infection and rheumatism was 0.861 and 0.782, respectively. The AUC of ESR for diagnosing infection and rheumatism was 0.770 and 0.743, respectively. LDH had relatively low AUC, sensitivity, specificity, and Youden's index in diagnosing infection and tumors. SF had the highest AUC, sensitivity, and Youden's index in diagnosing infection, but had the lowest specificity. SF had relatively high AUC, sensitivity, specificity, and Youden's index in diagnosing rheumatism, but had relatively low AUC in diagnosing tumor. The four indices had higher AUC, sensitivity, and specificity in diagnosing rheumatism and tumors when measured together than when measured alone.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>In the etiological diagnosis of FUO in children, CRP, ESR, LDH, and SF have certain clinical significance in the preliminary diagnosis of rheumatic diseases, but have limited value in the diagnosis and differentiation of infectious diseases and malignant tumors. Combined measurement of the four indices is superior to the determination of each one for the etiological diagnosis of FUO in children.</p>

Clinical efficacy of montelukast for the treatment of bronchiolitis in infants / 中国当代儿科杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To observe the effect of montelukast treatment on levels of serum leukotriene B4 and urinary leukotriene E4 in infants with bronchiolitis.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Seventy-five children who were diagnosed with bronchiolitis between June 2014 and December 2014 were randomly assigned into two groups, one with thirty-eight cases as the montelukast treatment group and another thirty-seven cases as the control group. All of the children were given routine medical treatment. The children in the montelukast treatment group were additionally given montelukast daily (4 mg once a day, for 7 days). The serum leukotriene B4 and urinary leukotriene E4 levels were measured using ELISA before and after treatment. The relationship between serum leukotriene B4 and urinary leukotriene E4 levels was analyzed by Peason correlation analysis.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>After 7 days of treatment, the serum leukotriene B4 and urinary leukotriene E4 levels in the montelukast treatment and control groups were significantly reduced compared with before treatment (P<0.05). The montelukast treatment group showed significantly lower serum leukotriene B4 and urinary leukotriene E4 levels than the control group (P<0.05). The remission time of cough, wheezing and lung wheezes and the length of hospital stay in the montelukast treatment group were significantly shortened compared with the control group (P<0.05). There was a positive correlation between serum leukotriene B4 and urinary leukotriene E4 levels (r=0.723, P<0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Montelukast has a reliable clinical curative efficacy for bronchiolitis in infants, possibly by decreasing serum leukotriene D4 and urinary leukotriene E4 levels.</p>

Comparison of clinical application of exercise challenge test and methacholine challenge test in measurement of airway hyperresponsiveness / 中国当代儿科杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To compare the advantages and disadvantages between exercise challenge test (ECT) and methacholine challenge test (MCT) in the measurement of airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR), in order to identify a better and safer method to measure AHR.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Forty-seven children with controlled asthma after regular treatment were enrolled. ECT and MCT were performed for each child successively, and sensitivity was obtained through comparison with the golden standard (PD20). The occurrence of bronchospasm symptoms during the two tests was recorded.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Taking PD20 as the gold standard, in children with moderate or severe AHR, the sensitivity of MCT (61%) for the measurement of AHR was significantly higher than that of ECT (9%) (P<0.05). The consistency between MCT results and PD20 was relatively high (κ=0.614), while the consistency between ECT results and PD20 was relatively low (κ=0.006). However, in the MCT, the incidence of bronchospasm symptoms was high and positively correlated with the incidence of cough and chest distress (P<0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>MCT has a higher sensitivity for the measurement of AHR, but has a higher incidence of adverse events, compared with ECT in children with controlled asthma after regular treatment.</p>

Recent advances in the diagnosis and treatment of childhood tuberculosis / 中国当代儿科杂志

Tuberculosis (TB) is a chronic infectious disease that seriously harms human health and wellbeing. Given its atypical clinical manifestations, TB is hard to be diagnosed in clinical settings; to date no highly sensitive screening approaches are available. Due to the emergence of multidrug-resistant strains of TB (MDR-TB) and limited options for medications in children, the treatment of TB is even more challenging in pediatric patients. This paper aims to comprehensively review the literature on the recent advances in the research on the epidemiology and clinical manifestations of TB, on TB diagnostic approaches (e.g., tuberculin skin test, imaging studies, and laboratory tests), and on TB treatment in children.

Current application of noninvasive ventilation in preterm infants with respiratory distress syndrome / 中国当代儿科杂志

In order to reduce the serious complications associated with invasive mechanical ventilation, non-invasive ventilation (NIV) has increasingly been chosen as the primary ventilation in preterm infants with respiratory distress syndrome (RDS). In the last 4 decades, nasal continuous positive airway pressure (NCPAP) has been as a main, or even the only mode of NIV in preterm infants with RDS. In the recent decade, improvements in sensors and nasal airway interfaces have resulted in the introduction of a variety of other new types of NIV, such as nasal intermittent positive pressure ventilation (NIPPV), bi-level positive airway pressure (BiPAP). Subsequent studies have shown that some new modes may be more superior to NCPAP in preterm infants with RDS. In order to further understand the application of various NIV modes, we review literatures about all kinds of NIV as a primary mode of ventilation in preterm infants with RDS.

A randomized controlled study of nasal intermittent positive pressure ventilation in the treatment of neonatal respiratory distress syndrome / 中国当代儿科杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To compare the clinical effects of nasal intermittent positive pressure ventilation (NIPPV) and nasal continuous positive airway pressure (NCPAP) in the treatment of neonatal respiratory distress syndrome.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>A prospective, randomized, controlled, single-center study was performed on 67 premature infants with NRDS between March 2011 and May 2012 and selected according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria. These premature infants were randomly assigned to receive NIPPV and NCPAP. Oxygenation index (OI), pH, PaCO2, duration of respiratory support, complications, success rate, hospital mortality, and incidence of bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) were compared between the two groups.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Sixty-two patients were finally enrolled in the study, including 32 cases in the NIPPV group and 30 cases in the NCPAP group. After one hour of non-invasive ventilation, OI in the NIPPV group was higher than the NCPAP group (P<0.05), but there were no significant differences in pH and PaCO2 between the two groups (P>0.05 for both). A significantly lower proportion of infants needed mechanical ventilation via endotracheal tube (MVET) when they were treated initially with NIPPV than when they were treated initially with NCPAP (P<0.05). The NIPPV group had a significant higher success rate than the NCPAP group (P<0.05), but there was no significant difference in duration of respiratory support between the two groups (P>0.05). In addition, no significant differences in incidence of pneumothorax, hospital mortality and incidence of BPD were seen between the two groups (P>0.05 for all).</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Compared with NCPAP, NIPPV can significantly decrease the proportion of premature infants with NRDS in need of MVET. However, there is no evidence that NIPPV can significantly reduce hospital mortality and incidence of BPD in premature infants with NRDS.</p>

Epidemiological survey of childhood asthma in Hefei City, China / 中国当代儿科杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the cumulative prevalence rate, distribution characteristics, epidemic seasons, predisposing factors and current treatment situation of childhood asthma in Hefei City, China.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>In the investigation, stratified cluster random sampling as well as centralized access and separate home visits were applied, and primary screening forms were filled out. Further confirmation was sought in the primary positive cases, according to the diagnostic criteria for asthma. Statistical analysis was performed to determine the cumulative prevalence rate, current treatment situation and predisposing factors for childhood asthma as well as the distribution characteristics of asthma in children of different ages and sexes.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The cumulative prevalence rate of childhood asthma was 5.92%, and there was no significant difference between males and females (6.33% vs 5.42%; P>0.05). The cumulative prevalence rate was highest (8.25%) in children aged 3-6 years. Of the children with acute asthma attack, 42.0% suffered attacks during periods of seasonal transition, and 34.4% suffered attacks at midnight. Among the 552 children with a confirmed diagnosis of asthma, 533 (96.6%) developed asthma due to respiratory tract infection and 312 (56.5%) due to weather change. Most asthmatic children (513/552, 92.9%) received treatment with antibiotics, and 492 asthmatic children (89.1%) were treated with systemic hormones.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>The cumulative prevalence rate of childhood asthma is 5.92% in Hefei, and the peak age of onset is 3-6 years. Acute asthma attack occurs mostly during periods of seasonal transition and at midnight. Respiratory tract infection and weather change are the main predisposing factors for childhood asthma. Antibiotics and systemic hormones are still widely used in the treatment of asthma.</p>