Diagnosis and treatment of pediatric septic shock in pediatric intensive care units from hospitals of different levels / 中华儿科杂志

Objective: To investigate the differences in clinical characteristics, diagnosis, and treatment of pediatric septic shock in pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) among hospitals of different levels. Methods: This retrospective study enrolled 368 children with septic shock treated in the PICU of Beijing Children's Hospital, Henan Children's Hospital, and Baoding Children's Hospital from January 2018 to December 2021. Their clinical data were collected, including the general information, location of onset (community or hospital-acquired), severity, pathogen positivity, consistence of guideline (the rate of standard attainment at 6 h after resuscitation and the rate of anti-infective drug administration within 1 h after diagnosis), treatment, and in-hospital mortality. The 3 hospitals were national, provincial, and municipal, respectively. Furthermore, the patients were divided into the tumor group and the non-tumor group, and into the in-hospital referral group and the outpatient or emergency admission group. Chi-square test and Mann-Whitney U test were used to analyze the data. Results: The 368 patients aged 32 (11, 98) months, of whom 223 were males and 145 females. There were 215, 107, and 46 patients with septic shock, with males of 141, 51, and 31 cases, from the national, provincial, and municipal hospitals, respectively. The difference in pediatric risk of mortality Ⅲ (PRISM Ⅲ) scores among the national,provincial and municipal group was statistically significant (26(19, 32) vs.19(12, 26) vs. 12(6, 19), Z=60.25,P<0.001). The difference in community acquired septic shock among the national,provincial and municipal group was statistically significant (31.6%(68/215) vs. 84.1%(90/107) vs. 91.3%(42/46), χ2=108.26,P<0.001). There were no significant differences in compliance with guidelines among the 3 groups (P>0.05). The main bacteria detected in the national group were Klebsiella pneumoniae (15.4% (12/78)) and Staphylococcus aureus (15.4% (12/78)); in the provincial group were Staphylococcus aureus (19.0% (12/63)) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (12.7% (8/63)), and in the municipal group were Streptococcus pneumoniae (40.0% (10/25)) and Enteric bacilli (16.0% (4/25)). The difference in the proportion of virus and the proportion of 3 or more initial antimicrobials used among the national,provincial and municipal group was statistically significant (27.7% (43/155) vs. 14.9% (13/87) vs. 9.1% (3/33), 22.8%(49/215) vs. 11.2%(12/107) vs. 6.5%(3/46), χ2=8.82, 10.99, both P<0.05). There was no difference in the in-hospital mortality among the 3 groups (P>0.05). Regarding the subgroups of tumor and non-tumor, the national group had higher PRISM Ⅲ (31(24, 38) vs. 22 (21, 28) vs.16 (9, 22), 24 (18, 30) vs. 17(8, 24) vs. 10 (5, 16), Z=30.34, 10.45, both P<0.001), and it was the same for the subgroups of in-hospital referral and out-patient or emergency admission (29 (21, 39) vs. 23 (17, 30) vs. 15 (10, 29), 23 (17, 29) vs. 18 (10, 24) vs. 11 (5, 16), Z=20.33, 14.25, both P<0.001) as compared to the provincial and municipal group. There was no significant difference in the in-hospital mortality among the 2 pairs of subgroups (all P>0.05). Conclusion: There are differences in the severity, location of onset, pathogen composition, and initial antibiotics of pediatric septic shock in children's hospitals of different levels, but no differences in compliance with guidelines and in-hospital survival rate.

Analysis of risk factors of mortality in infants and toddlers with moderate to severe pediatric acute respiratory distress syndrome / 中华儿科杂志

Objective: To identify the risk factors in mortality of pediatric acute respiratory distress syndrome (PARDS) in pediatric intensive care unit (PICU). Methods: Second analysis of the data collected in the "efficacy of pulmonary surfactant (PS) in the treatment of children with moderate to severe PARDS" program. Retrospective case summary of the risk factors of mortality of children with moderate to severe PARDS who admitted in 14 participating tertiary PICU between December 2016 to December 2021. Differences in general condition, underlying diseases, oxygenation index, and mechanical ventilation were compared after the group was divided by survival at PICU discharge. When comparing between groups, the Mann-Whitney U test was used for measurement data, and the chi-square test was used for counting data. Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curves were used to assess the accuracy of oxygen index (OI) in predicting mortality. Multivariate Logistic regression analysis was used to identify the risk factors for mortality. Results: Among 101 children with moderate to severe PARDS, 63 (62.4%) were males, 38 (37.6%) were females, aged (12±8) months. There were 23 cases in the non-survival group and 78 cases in the survival group. The combined rates of underlying diseases (52.2% (12/23) vs. 29.5% (23/78), χ2=4.04, P=0.045) and immune deficiency (30.4% (7/23) vs. 11.5% (9/78), χ2=4.76, P=0.029) in non-survival patients were significantly higher than those in survival patients, while the use of pulmonary surfactant (PS) was significantly lower (8.7% (2/23) vs. 41.0% (32/78), χ2=8.31, P=0.004). No significant differences existed in age, sex, pediatric critical illness score, etiology of PARDS, mechanical ventilation mode and fluid balance within 72 h (all P>0.05). OI on the first day (11.9(8.3, 17.1) vs.15.5(11.7, 23.0)), the second day (10.1(7.6, 16.6) vs.14.8(9.3, 26.2)) and the third day (9.2(6.6, 16.6) vs. 16.7(11.2, 31.4)) after PARDS identified were all higher in non-survival group compared to survival group (Z=-2.70, -2.52, -3.79 respectively, all P<0.05), and the improvement of OI in non-survival group was worse (0.03(-0.32, 0.31) vs. 0.32(-0.02, 0.56), Z=-2.49, P=0.013). ROC curve analysis showed that the OI on the thind day was more appropriate in predicting in-hospital mortality (area under the curve= 0.76, standard error 0.05,95%CI 0.65-0.87,P<0.001). When OI was set at 11.1, the sensitivity was 78.3% (95%CI 58.1%-90.3%), and the specificity was 60.3% (95%CI 49.2%-70.4%). Multivariate Logistic regression analysis showed that after adjusting for age, sex, pediatric critical illness score and fluid load within 72 h, no use of PS (OR=11.26, 95%CI 2.19-57.95, P=0.004), OI value on the third day (OR=7.93, 95%CI 1.51-41.69, P=0.014), and companied with immunodeficiency (OR=4.72, 95%CI 1.17-19.02, P=0.029) were independent risk factors for mortality in children with PARDS. Conclusions: The mortality of patients with moderate to severe PARDS is high, and immunodeficiency, no use of PS and OI on the third day after PARDS identified are the independent risk factors related to mortality. The OI on the third day after PARDS identified could be used to predict mortality.

Clinical analysis of 6 critically ill children with acute chlorine poisoning / 中华儿科杂志

Objective: To analyze the clinical characteristics and treatment of critically ill children with acute chlorine poisoning and explore the risk factors and effective strategies. Methods: This retrospective study collected the clinical data, including general state, clinical characteristics, treatment and follow-up(till 1 year and 6 months after discharge), of 6 critically ill children who were hospitalized in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit of Beijing Children's Hospital due to acute chlorine poisoning in August 2019. Results: There were 6 children characterized by severe dyspnea in this accident, among whom 4 were boys and two girls, aged 4-12 years. When the accident occurred, they were within 5 m of the chlorine source. These patients underwent tracheal intubation and mechanical ventilation in 3.5-7.0 h after poisoning. The child who was the closest to the chlorine source (1.5 m) and took the longest time (5 min) to evacuate was the most severe one. He suffered hypoxia which could not be corrected by conventional mechanical ventilation and severe shock, then had veno-arterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation(ECMO) treatment started 10 h after the accident. All the 6 children in this study survived. Following-up found no growth and developmental abnormality. The pulmonary function tests were normal except for one case with increased small airway resistance due to previous suspected asthma, and the lung CT, electhoencephalogram, and brain magnetic resonance imaging were all normal. Conclusions: Severe chlorine poisoning is mainly characterized by respiratory failure. Mechanical ventilation is often required within a few hours after poisoning. When conventional mechanical ventilation is ineffective, ECMO could save live. Timely treatment could improve prognosis.

Effect and influence factors of cardiopulmonary resuscitation in children with congenital heart disease in pediatric intensive care unit / 中华儿科杂志

Objective: To investigate the prognostic factors of children with congenital heart disease (CHD) who had undergone cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) in pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) in China. Methods: From November 2017 to October 2018, this retrospective multi-center study was conducted in 11 hospitals in China. It contained data from 281 cases who had undergone CPR and all of the subjects were divided into CHD group and non-CHD group. The general condition, duration of CPR, epinephrine doses during resuscitation, recovery of spontaneous circulation (ROSC), discharge survival rate and pediatric cerebral performance category in viable children at discharge were compared. According to whether malignant arrhythmia is the direct cause of cardiopulmonary arrest or not, children in CHD and non-CHD groups were divided into 2 subgroups: arrhythmia and non-arrhythmia, and the ROSC and survival rate to discharge were compared. Data in both groups were analyzed by t-test, chi-square analysis or ANOVA, and logistic regression were used to analyze the prognostic factors for ROSC and survival to discharge after cardiac arrest (CA). Results: The incidence of CA in PICU was 3.2% (372/11 588), and the implementation rate of CPR was 75.5% (281/372). There were 144 males and 137 females with median age of 32.8 (5.6, 42.7) months in all 281 CPA cases who received CPR. CHD group had 56 cases while non-CHD had 225 cases, with the percentage of 19.9% (56/281) and 80.1% (225/281) respectively. The proportion of female in CHD group was 60.7% (34/56) which was higher than that in non-CHD group (45.8%, 103/225) (χ2=4.00, P=0.045). There were no differences in ROSC and rate of survival to discharge between the two groups (P>0.05). The ROSC rate of children with arthythmid in CHD group was 70.0% (28/40), higher than 6/16 for non-arrhythmic children (χ2=5.06, P=0.024). At discharge, the pediatric cerebral performance category scores (1-3 scores) of CHD and non-CHD child were 50.9% (26/51) and 44.9% (92/205) respectively. Logistic regression analysis indicated that the independent prognostic factors of ROSC and survival to discharge in children with CHD were CPR duration (odds ratio (OR)=0.95, 0.97; 95%CI: 0.92~0.97, 0.95~0.99; both P<0.05) and epinephrine dosage (OR=0.87 and 0.79, 95%CI: 0.76-1.00 and 0.69-0.89, respectively; both P<0.05). Conclusions: There is no difference between CHD and non-CHD children in ROSC and survival rate of survival to discharge was low. The epinephrine dosage and the duration of CPR are related to the ROSC and survival to discharge of children with CHD.

Clinical and molecular characteristics of Streptococcus pneumoniae-associated hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis in children / 中华儿科杂志

Objective: To summarize the clinical features of Streptococcus pneumoniae-associated hemophagocytic syndrome (SP-HLH), and the serotypes and drug-resistant characteristics of the isolated strains. Methods: There were 15 children with SP-HLH admitted to the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) of Beijing Children's Hospital, Capital Medical University from January 2013 to December 2020 were included in this study. Clinical data including children's general characteristics, clinical features, laboratory examinations, treatments, prognosis and the outcomes of follow-up by May 2021 were analyzed retrospectively. The serotypes and drug resistance of the isolated strains were identified. All children were divided into the clinical improvement group and the death group. Mann-Whitney U test, Fisher's exact test were used to compare the data of the two groups. Results: Among the 15 children with SP-HLH, 8 were males and 7 were females. The age of these children was 1.0 (1.0, 2.5) years. Regarding the primary infection, there were 9 cases of severe pneumonia, 3 cases of meningitis and 3 cases of blood stream infection. None of these children had received pneumoniae conjugate vaccine (PCV) and all of them were admitted to the PICU. Respiratory failure was observed in 10 patients, acute renal injury in 5, and hemolytic uremic syndrome in 3 patients. All children received glucocorticoids and high-dose intravenous immunogloblin (IVIG) in addition to anti-infective treatment. Eight of the children were cured while the other 7 died. The neutrophil count in the death group was lower than that in the clinical improvement group ((5.0 (1.7, 9.3) × 109 vs. 5.2 (3.4, 10.5) ×109/L, Z =-2.43, P<0.015), and the length of hospital stay and days of PICU stay in the death group were both shorter than those in the improvement group statistically (3 (1, 11) vs. 39 (34, 48) d, 2 (1, 4) vs. 19 (12, 31) d, Z=-3.25, -3.24, both P=0.001). Ten serotypes of Streptococcus pneumoniae were identified, including 4 strains of 19F, 3 of 19A, 1 of 23F, 1 of 15A and 1 of 14, among which 9 strains (9/10) were covered by PCV13. All strains were resistant to erythromycin yet sensitive to vancomycin and linezolid. Conclusions: SP-HLH is more common in children under the age of 3, with a high mortality rate. The death cases have lower neutrophil count and rapid disease progression. The comprehensive treatment is anti-infective combined with glucocorticoids and high-dose IVIG. The predominant serotypes are 19F and 19A and all isolated strains were susceptible to vancomycin and linezolid.

Blood purification therapy for sepsis / 中国实用儿科杂志

Sepsis is a life-threatening organ dysfunction caused by the body's dysfunctional response to infection. There is currently no definitive symptomatic treatment for sepsis inflammatory response in the clinic. Blood purification treatment exerts immunomodulatory effects by non-specifically eliminating endotoxin and/or inflammatory mediators and shows a good prospect of application in sepsis. However,most studies on the treatment of sepsis with blood purification have not shown significant improvement in patients' prognosis. This article reviews the research progress of immunoregulation mechanism of blood purification therapy for sepsis,as well as the advantages and disadvantages of different blood purification methods.

Non-Invasive Ventilation in Children with Paediatric Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome

INTRODUCTION@#Evidence supporting non-invasive ventilation (NIV) in paediatric acute respiratory distress syndrome (PARDS) remains sparse. We aimed to describe characteristics of patients with PARDS supported with NIV and risk factors for NIV failure.@*MATERIALS AND METHODS@#This is a multicentre retrospective study. Only patients supported on NIV with PARDS were included. Data on epidemiology and clinical outcomes were collected. Primary outcome was NIV failure which was defined as escalation to invasive mechanical ventilation within the first 7 days of PARDS. Patients in the NIV success and failure groups were compared.@*RESULTS@#There were 303 patients with PARDS; 53/303 (17.5%) patients were supported with NIV. The median age was 50.7 (interquartile range: 15.7-111.9) months. The Paediatric Logistic Organ Dysfunction score and oxygen saturation/fraction of inspired oxygen (SF) ratio were 2.0 (1.0-10.0) and 155.0 (119.4- 187.3), respectively. Indications for NIV use were increased work of breathing (26/53 [49.1%]) and hypoxia (22/53 [41.5%]). Overall NIV failure rate was 77.4% (41/53). All patients with sepsis who developed PARDS experienced NIV failure. NIV failure was associated with an increased median paediatric intensive care unit stay (15.0 [9.5-26.5] vs 4.5 [3.0-6.8] days; <0.001) and hospital length of stay (26.0 [17.0-39.0] days vs 10.5 [5.5-22.3] days; = 0.004). Overall mortality rate was 32.1% (17/53).@*CONCLUSION@#The use of NIV in children with PARDS was associated with high failure rate. As such, future studies should examine the optimal selection criteria for NIV use in these children.

Viral etiology of acute respiratory tract infection among pediatric inpatients and outpatients from 2010 to 2012 in Beijing, China / 中华儿科杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>Acute respiratory tract infections (ARI) are the leading cause of pediatric morbidity and mortality worldwide, particularly in developing countries. Viruses are the main pathogens of ARI in children. The purpose of the present study was to determine the epidemiologic features of respiratory viruses, including novel viruses, in outpatient and hospitalized children with ARI.</p><p><b>METHOD</b>From March 2010 to February 2012, 2066 children with ARI, including 1050 outpatients and 1016 inpatients, were involved in this study. One nasopharyngeal aspirate or throat swab specimen was collected from each patient. Reverse transcription (RT) PCRs were performed to detect common respiratory tract viruses including respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), human rhinovirus (HRV), influenza virus (IFV), parainfluenza virus (PIV) type 1-4, adenovirus (ADV), enterovirus (EV), human coronavirus (HCOV), human metapneumonia virus (HMPV) and human bocavirus (HBOV).</p><p><b>RESULT</b>At least one viral pathogen was identified in each of 1274 out of 2066 patients and the overall positive rate was 61.7%. The positive rate in inpatient (69.7%) was higher than that in outpatient (53.9%). The frequencies of detection of various viruses among in- and outpatients were different. RSV was the most prevalent virus detected among hospitalized children, followed by HRV and PIV, whereas IFV was the most frequently identified virus in the outpatient group, followed by ADV and PIV. Simultaneous detection of two or more viruses was found in 377 cases. Coinfection was more frequent in inpatients than in outpatients (30.1% vs. 6.8%, P < 0.001).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Respiratory viruses play an important role in children with ARI, especially in young children. RSV was the most prevalent virus detected among hospitalized children, whereas IFV was the most frequently identified virus in the outpatient group. Viral coinfections are frequently identified, particularly in hospitalized patients. Further studies are required to better understand the impact of coinfections in children with ARI.</p>

Evaluation of adrenocortical function in children with severe and critical enterovirus 71 infection / 中华儿科杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To evaluate the adrenocortical function in children with severe and critical enterovirus 71 infection by using a high-dose (250 µg) adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) stimulation test. And to at provide experimental basis for glucocorticoid in the treatment of hand-foot-and-mouth disease (HFMD).</p><p><b>METHOD</b>This was a prospective multi-center study which was carried out in PICUs of Beijing Children's Hospital, Zhengzhou Children's Hospital, Kaifeng Children's Hospital and Linyi People's Hospital in Shandong province. Children with severe and critical hand-foot-mouth disease admitted to PICUs of the four hospitals from June 2009 to April 2010 were enrolled in this study, and EV71 virus nucleic acid test and high-dose (250 µg) ACTH stimulation started at the same time. EV71 virus nucleic acid positive 51 cases were eventually enrolled in the study. Cortisol test was performed at baseline (T0) and after high-dose (250 µg) ACTH stimulation at 30 minutes (T30), 60 minutes (T60) in the first 6 hours after admission, but before glucocorticoid was given. The adrenocortical function was evaluated according to ΔTmax [ΔTmax=(T30, T60 maximum)-T0]. Diagnostic criteria of adrenal insufficiency (AI) is increment (ΔTmax)≤9 µg/dl.</p><p><b>RESULT</b>The incidence of AI in 51 cases was 52.94% (27/51). The incidence of AI in severe group was 44.74% (17/38), which was significantly higher in critical group 76.92% (10/13), P<0.05. Of the cases with a pediatric critical illness score (PCIS)≤70, 81.82% (9/11) had adrenal insufficiency, and it was 28.57% (4/14) when PCIS≥90. The incidence of AI was 75% (6/8) and 48.84% (21/43) in death and survivor group respectively, but there were no significant difference between the two groups (P>0.05). Baseline (T0) cortisol in death group was higher than survivor group (P<0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>AI may occur in children with enterovirus 71 infection. The critical enterovirus 71 infection had a high incidence of AI. AI may affect the prognosis of patients with severe and critical enterovirus 71 infection. Exogenous glucocorticoids administration may be considered when AI is identified or highly suspected. The timing, dosage and regimen of glucocorticoid are still unclear. Further animal experiments and clinical trials are needed.</p>

Relationship between serum albumin level and prognosis in children with sepsis, severe sepsis or septic shock / 中华儿科杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>Sepsis, severe sepsis, and septic shock are frequently encountered and highly lethal conditions among children treated in ICU; however, no many reports on research on serum albumin levels of children under these conditions are available in literature and little is known about the relationship between serum albumin level and prognosis. In this prospective study, the author observed the levels of serum albumin of children with sepsis/severe sepsis/septic shock, and explored the relationship between serum albumin level and severity of illness or prognosis.</p><p><b>METHOD</b>For sepsis/severe sepsis/septic shock patients admitted to the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) during the year 2008, serum albumin concentration in peripheral blood was examined within 24 h after admission. According to the diagnostic criteria, hypoalbuminemia was defined as serum albumin level of < 35 g/L.</p><p><b>RESULT</b>A total of 247 cases of sepsis/severe sepsis/septic shock children were enrolled. In the order of sepsis/severe sepsis/septic shock group, there were 143, 65 and 39 cases. Overall rate of hypoalbuminemia was 72.9% (180/247). The rate of hypoalbuminemia in children with sepsis, severe sepsis or septic shock was 59.4% (85/143), 86.2% (56/65) and 100% (39/39), respectively. The mortality of hypoalbuminemic patients in sepsis, severe sepsis and septic shock group showed significant difference (P < 0.001). The rates of hypoalbuminemia of the survived cases (69.5%) was significantly lower than that of the non-survived cases (94.1%). Pediatrics critical illness score (PCIS) and serum albumin concentration was positively correlated (P < 0.001), and the mortality was negatively correlated with serum albumin concentration (P < 0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Hypoalbuminemia is common among children with sepsis/severe sepsis/septic shock and serum albumin level is closely related to prognosis. Serum albumin level monitoring on the basis of PCIS scoring has important clinical prognostic significance in evaluating the prognosis of severe sepsis/septic shock patients.</p>

Comorbid presentation of severe novel influenza A (H1N1) and Evans syndrome: a case report / 中华医学杂志(英文版)

One 22-month-old boy who was admitted for a fever lasting 6 days as well as a cough and wheezing lasting 2 days was reported. He was diagnosed with influenza A (H1N1, severe type), severe pneumonia, acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), Evans syndrome and multiple organ failure. This is the first case of novel influenza A (H1N1) and Evans syndrome. The pathogenesis is still unknown.

Three years surveillance of viral etiology of acute lower respiratory tract infection in children from 2007 to 2010 / 中华儿科杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>Viruses are common pathogens of acute lower respiratory tract infection (ALRTI) in children. There are few studies on consecutive monitoring of viral pathogens of ALRTI in a larger cohort during the past several years. The aim of this study was to investigate the viral pathogens of ALRTI in children of different age groups and to outline the epidemic feature of different viruses.</p><p><b>METHOD</b>(1) Totally 1914 (1281 male and 709 female) children with clinical diagnosis of ALRTI during the period of March 2007 to March 2010 were recruited into this study. These patients were hospitalized patients in department of internal medicine or outpatients in emergency department in Beijing Children's Hospital. The patients were divided into four groups, including 1072 patients < 1 year old, 326 patients 1- < 3 years old, 158 patients 3- < 6 years old, 358 patients ≥ 6 years old. One nasopharyngeal aspirate specimen was collected from each patient. Reverse transcription (RT) PCR methods were applied to detect common respiratory viruses including respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), human rhinovirus (HRV), influenza virus type A, B and C (IFA, IFB, IFC), parainfluenza virus (PIV) type 1-4, adenovirus (ADV), enterovirus (EV), human coronavirus (HCOV), human metapneumovirus (HMPV) and human bocavirus (HBOV).</p><p><b>RESULT</b>(1) The total positive rate of viruses was 70.3%. The positive rate was 83.0% (890/1072) in the group of < 1 year old, and 80.1% (261/326) in group of 1- < 3 years old, 60.8% (96/158) in group of 3- < 6 years old and 27.7% (99/358) in group of ≥ 6 years old, respectively. There was a significant difference in the positive rate among different age groups (χ² = 2213.5, P = 0.000). The top three viruses were RSV, HRV and PIV; and the positive rates were 50.9%, 36.2% and 12.0% respectively in group of < 1 year old. (2) The epidemic seasons of RSV and HRV were winter and spring, and PIV infection was epidemic in spring and summer. (3) The detection rates of 2 or more viruses were 38.2%, 36.4%, 30.2% and 15.2% in groups of < 1 year old, 1- < 3 years old, 3- < 6 years old and ≥ 6 years old, respectively. There was a significant difference in the mixed infection rate among different age groups (χ² = 1346.00, P = 0.000).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>RSV, HRV and PIV were the most predominant pathogens in younger children with ALRTI. Different viral infections had different seasonal features. Mixed infections with two or more viruses were detected in substantial proportion of patients with ALRTI, but further studies are needed to explore the clinical significance of mixed infection with viruses in patients with ALRTI.</p>

Clinical characteristics and treatment of severe encephalitis associated with neurogenic pulmonary edema caused by enterovirus 71 in China / 世界急诊医学杂志（英文）

BACKGROUND:Hand-foot-mouth disease has become a major public health issue in children in China. In the present prospective study we investigated the clinical characteristics and emergency management of children with severe encephalitis associated with NPE caused by enterovirus 71. METHODS:The study was conducted in 2 pediatric intensive care units (PICUs) over a 2-month period. Clinical records were reviewed of critically ill children with severe encephalitis associated with NPE caused by EV71 who were admitted to PICUs during the period of May to June 2008 in Fuyang. RESULTS:We reviewed the complete records of 36 children, of whom 23 (63.9％) were male and 13 (36.1％) female. Their age ranged from 4 to 48 months, with an average of 15.8 months. Al children except one were under 3 years of age. The overal mortality in these children was 19.4％. The average duration of critical life threatening signs and symptoms was 2.1 days (12 hours-5 days). Nervous system diseases included brainstem encephalitis in 27 children (75％), brainstem encephalitis associated with myelitis in 6 children (16.7％), and general encephalitis in 3 chidren (8.3％), respectively. In 12 patients of NPE (33.3％) pink or bloody bubble sputum and asymmetric pulmonary edema or hemorrhage was the primary manifestation but no typical exanthema was observed. Five children died of acute onset of NPE and / or pulmonary hemorrhage with rapid progression of cardiopulmonary failure within hours after admission. Therapeutic management consisted of mechanical ventilation and administration of mannitol, methylprednisolone, intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) and vasoactive drugs, associated with the need of fluid volume resuscitation in 9 (25％) of the 36 children. CONCLUSIONS:In children less than 3 years of age found to be affected by severe EV71 encephalitis associated with NPE, one fifth may die. The major organ systems infected by severe EV71 include the central nervous system, the respiratory system, and the cardiovascular system. Early diagnosis and evaluation, respiratory support, treatment of intracranial hypertension, and mainttenance of function of the cardiovascular system are the most important therapeutic measures.

Health status and affecting factors of late-preterm infants / 中华儿科杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To study the birth rate, mortality, complications, related factors of preterm infants at Beijing Haidian Maternity and Children's Hospital in 2007, so as to establish the foundations for a more systematic and effective program for clinical treatments.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Data of all the neonates born at Beijing Haidian Maternity and Children's Hospital during the period from January 1, 2007 to December 31, 2007 were recorded for statistical analysis. All near-term infants of 35 - 37 weeks of gestational age were taken into observation group. Within 24 hours after birth, blood routine examination, urine and stool routine examination, blood gas analysis and electrolytes, blood glucose monitoring (at 1st, 3rd, 6th, 12th, and 24th hours), chest radiography examination, skull and heart color Doppler ultrasonographic examination were conducted. Full-term infants who were born on the first day of every month were randomly selected as a comparison group (totally 350 cases) for statistical analysis. Complications of the two groups were recorded in detail. Factors such as the ages of parturients, maternal infections, pregnancy-induced hypertension, diabetes, anaemia, premature rupture of membranes, abnormal aminotic fluid, abnormal umbilical cord, abnormal placenta, and twin were analyzed and compared.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Of the 12,286 infants born during the study period, 333 were late-preterm infants; the birth rate of late-preterm infants was 2.71%. Among the complications in late-preterm infants, the hyperbilirubinemia topped at 33.6%, followed by respiratory distress (16.8%), hypoglycemia (9.0%), intracranial hemorrhage (8.1%), anemia or erythrocytosis (5.7%), and digestive system disease (5.4%). Late-preterm infants have higher rate of the hyperbilirubinemia, respiratory distress, hypoglycemia, anemia or erythrocytosis and digestive system disease (P < 0.05). The length of hospital stay of late-preterm infants, which is 5.1 d +/- 3.90 d, was significantly longer than those of full-term infants which was 3.2 d +/- 1.61 d (P < 0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The proportion of late-preterm infants was 2.71% of all live born infants at Beijing Haidian Maternity and Children's Hospital from January 1, 2007 to December 31, 2007. The occurrence rate of complications and mortality rate were higher than those of full-term infants. Late-preterm infants also have longer hospital stay. Hyperbilirubinemia is a common complication for late-preterm infants. Pregnancy-induced hypertension, anemia, premature rupture of membranes and twins are the major causes of higher morbidity and mortality of late-preterm infants. Pediatricians should pay much more attention to late-preterm infants, and should accept them for further observation and treatments.</p>

Diagnosis and treatment of invasive pulmonary aspergillosis in 21 children with non-hematologic diseases / 中华儿科杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To explore diagnosis and treatments of invasive pulmonary aspergillosis (IPA) in children with non-hematologic diseases.</p><p><b>METHOD</b>Twenty one patients without hematological malignancy were diagnosed with proven or possible IPA from July 2002 to June 2008. The risk factors, clinical manifestations, chest radiographic findings, microbiological and histopathological evidence, diagnostic procedures, treatment and prognosis were retrospectively reviewed.</p><p><b>RESULT</b>Five children had proven IPA, and 16 patients had possible IPA. Thirteen children were classified as having acute invasive pulmonary aspergillosis (AIPA), eight children as having chronic necrotizing pulmonary aspergillosis (CNPA). Definitive diagnosis of primary immunodeficiency (PID) was made in 6 children (4 with chronic granulomatous disease, 2 with cellular immunodeficiency); three children were suspected of having PID. Corticosteroids and multiple broad-spectrum antibiotics had been administered in 5 patients (3 of these 5 patients also had invasive mechanical ventilation). Two children had underlying pulmonary disease. Three patients had unknown risk factors. Among these three patients, two had history of environmental exposure. Fever and cough were present in all the children. Fine rales were found in nineteen children. Six children had hepatosplenomegaly. The common roentgenographic feature of AIPA in 13 patients was nodular or mass-like consolidation with multiple cavity. "air-crescent" was seen in 10 of patients with AIPA. Lobar consolidation with cavity and adjacent pleural thickening was found in all children with CNPA. The positive rate of sputum and/or BALF culture in AIPA and CNPA were 72.1% and 22.4%, respectively. A large number of septate hyphae on wet smear were found in all of the children whose sputum and/or BALF culture were positive. Lung biopsy was performed in 3 children with CNPA, and necrosis, granulomatous inflammation, as well as septate, branching hyphae were observed on histopathologic examination. Fifteen children were treated with anti-fungal therapy (amphotericin B, voriconazole, itraconazole and caspofungin used alone or in combination), symptoms and lung lesions resolved in 12 children. Three children died. Six children did not receive anti-fungal therapy and died. The side effects of amphotericin B include chill, fever, hypokalemia and transient increase in BUN, none of which needed discontinuation of the antifungal therapy. Children had a good tolerance to fluconazole and caspofungin, there were no apparent side effects.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Most of the children without hematologic diseases who suffered from invasive pulmonary aspergillosis had risk factors or exposure history. Roentgenographic findings were relatively characteristic for invasive pulmonary aspergillosis. Risk factors and roentgenographic findings were clues to consider clinically invasive pulmonary aspergillosis. Sputum culture was the key point to clinical diagnosis. The patients in whom the antifungal therapy was initiated early had a good outcome.</p>

Changes of serum neuron specific enolase in rats with septic shock / 中华儿科杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To study the changes of serum neuron specific enolase in rats with septic shock.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The model of septic shock was set up by injection of lipopolysaccharide (LPS, from Escherichia coil O55: B5) at a dose of 25 mg/kg through femoral vein. Twenty male Wistar rats were randomly divided into 2 groups: normal control group (LPS was substituted by same volume of normal saline solution) and septic shock group. Six hours after the septic shock model formed, whole blood was taken for measuring the serum neuron specific enolase (NSE). The brains of the rats were taken for histopathological examination.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The serum NSE of septic shock group was significantly higher than that of control group [(10.0781 +/- 0.526) microg/L vs. (3.7188 +/- 0.602) microg/L, P < 0.05]. Neurons were severely damaged 6 hours after injection of LPS. Neuronal necrosis and the damage of blood-brain barrier were seen by light and electron microscope in septic shock group but not in the control group.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>NSE in serum increased when septic encephalopathy occurred, which indicated that NSE might become a marker of neural damage in septic shock.</p>

Effects of hydrocortisone on circulating and intramyocardial inflammatory mediators in severe septic rats with myocardial injury induced by Escherichia coli / 中华儿科杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>Severe sepsis and septic shock remain the most common cause of death in intensive care units. The main causes of death in sepsis are the cardiac dysfunction and hypotension resistant to cateolamines. The prevalence of relative adrenal insufficiency in severe sepsis and septic shock was estimated at about 32%-51%. Several meta-analysis demonstrated that high-dose glucocorticoids decreased survival during sepsis, while stress doses of corticosteroids may benefit these patients. The exact reason for such widely divergent outcome produced by different doses of corticosteroid is still not understood. Therefore, the study was undertaken to observe the effects of different doses of hydrocortisone (HC) on circulating and intramyocardial inflammatory mediators in severe septic rats with myocardial injury induced by Escherichia coli (E. coli).</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The model was established by two injections of inactivated E. coli Forty male Wistar rats were randomly divided into five groups: high-dose of HC group (150 mg/kg), medium-dose group (20 mg/kg), low-dose group (6 mg/kg), model group (NS substituted for HC), and control group (NS for E. coli and HC). Each group had eight rats. After 2 hours of treatment, specimens were collected to measure serum cardiac troponin I (cTnI), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), interleukin-1beta (IL-1beta), nitric oxide (NO) and total NO synthase (NOS). NO and total NOS in myocardial homogenate were also detected. The expression of inducible NOS (iNOS) of myocytes was investigated.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>All the above-mentioned markers in model group significantly higher than those in control group. After HC injection, serum cTnI concentrations in low-dose group decreased to normal values compared to that of model group, while in another two HC groups, the concentrations were higher than those in model group. TNF-alpha level was not significantly influenced. But IL-1beta level declined to normal values, being prominent in low-dose HC group. Neither high-dose nor middle-dose HC could lower serum NO or total NOS, but low-dose HC could greatly inhibit both NO and NOS levels (P < 0.05). There was no significant difference in the level of NO and total NOS of myocardial homogenate between left and right ventricles. There was no iNOS expression by normal myocardium, while the expression in model group was significantly increased. After HC injection, the iNOS expressions by myocardium in three HC groups were weaker than those in model group. The intensity of iNOS signals became weak with the decrease in HC dose.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Different doses of HC might exert different effects on circulating and intramyocardial inflammatory mediators in severely septic rats with myocardial injury induced by E. coli. Low-dose HC could significantly inhibit such mediators as well as iNOS expression by cardiomyocytes. The results suggest that low dose HC exert protective effect on myocardial injury of severely septic rats.</p>

Effects of different doses of hydrocortisone on the disorder of coagulation in rats at early stage of septic shock / 中华儿科杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the effects of different doses of hydrocortisone (HC) on the disorder of coagulation in rats at early stage of septic shock.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The model of early septic shock accompanied by the disorder of coagulation in rats was set up by bolus injection of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) at 25 mg/kg through right femoral vein. Forty male Wistar rats were randomly divided into the following 5 groups: normal control (LPS and HC were substituted by same volume of normal saline solution), shock group (HC was substituted by same volume of normal saline), high-dose HC (HD group, HC 100 mg/kg), medium-dose HC (MD group, HC 50 mg/kg) and low-dose HC (LD group, HC 5 mg/kg). Four hours after the HC treatment, the blood specimens were collected for the count of blood platelet (PLT), the activity of antithrombin III (ATIII), the content of D-dimer and von Willebrand factor (vWF).</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The count of PLT (x 10(9)/L) and the activities of ATIII (%) in shock group (586.00 +/- 71.179 and 50.600 +/- 19.248) were significantly lower than that in normal control group (1012.600 +/- 20.852 and 89.200 +/- 12.109), and the level of D-dimer (microg/dl) and vWF (%) in LPS group (1.680 +/- 0.999 and 7.288 +/- 0.652) as significantly higher than that in normal control group (0.66 +/- 0.772 and 3.656 +/- 1.407), P < 0.05. After HC treatment, the disorder of coagulation was attenuated to different degree. However, significant difference was found between HD, MD groups and shock group only in the count of PLT (P = 0.000), and there were no significant differences between HD, MD groups and shock group in the other three indices. Significant improvements were found in LD group (P < 0.05) in all the four indices and there were no significant differences between LD group and normal group in D-dimer and vWF. The effects of medium-dose HC was between LD and HD groups, and there were no significant differences between HD and MD group, P > 0.05.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>The results indicated that different doses of HC had different effects on coagulation in early stage of septic shock in rats. Low-dose HC may ameliorate the disorder of coagulation in early septic shock in rats. High-dose and medium-dose of HC had no significant improving effects on the disorder of coagulation.</p>

Influence of mannitol on cerebral blood flow of post-resuscitation children as detected by transcranial Doppler ultrasound / 中华儿科杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To detect the influence of mannitol on cerebral blood flow of post-resuscitation children by transcranial Doppler (TCD).</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The blood flow changes of left side middle cerebral artery (MCA) and extracranial internal carotid artery (EICA) were monitored by TCD in 21 post-resuscitation children. TCD waveforms, peak velocity (Vp), diastolic velocity (Vd), mean velocity (Vm) and pulsitility index (PI) of MCA and EICA were monitored daily and 30 minutes before and after the first dose of mannitol. Glasgow scores were estimated in the meantime. The patients were divided into 2 groups according to the patterns of diastolic flow. Patients in group I showed no diastolic flow or retrograde diastolic flow (n = 9), and patients in group II had positive diastolic flow (n = 12).</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Vp, Vd, Vm, PI of MCA and EICA in group I patients had no significant change after the administration of mannitol and the Glasgow scores were much lower than that of group II patients (P < 0.05). TCD waveforms showed no improvement in group I patients and their outcomes were poor. Vd, Vm and Vp of MCA and Vd of EICA in group II patients increased, PI of MCA decreased (P < 0.05), while Vp, Vm, PI of EICA had no significant change. TCD waveforms recovered within one week. All the patients in this group survived.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>The results suggested that mannitol could improve cerebral perfusion in patients with mild brain damage. These patients usually had increased diastolic blood flow in the early stage. Lack of or retrograde diastolic flow of TCD waveforms might be associated with severe brain damage with poor outcome. Mannitol had no effect on improving cerebral blood flow in these patients.</p>

Effects of different doses of hydrocortisone on acute lung injury in rats with early septic shock induced by Escherichia coli / 中华儿科杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To observe the effects of different doses of hydrocortisone (HC) on acute lung injury (ALI) and inflammatory response in rats at early stage of septic shock induced by Escherichia coli and to investigate the possible mechanisms for such differences.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>ALI model of early septic shock was induced in rats by two injections of Escherichia coli at 5 hours interval, with the first intraperitoneal injection of 6.50 x 10(10) cfu/kg and followed by an external jugular vein injection of 2.00 x 10(11) cfu/kg. Forty Wistar rats were randomly divided into the following five groups: normal control, ALI without HC treatment, high-dose HC (150 mg/kg), medium-dose HC (20 mg/kg) and low-dose HC (6 mg/kg). Two hours after the treatment, the specimens were collected for histopathological examination and the biological indexes of lung injury were measured. The expressions of intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) and glucocorticoid receptor (GR) in lung tissues were also investigated by immunohistochemical assays.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The biological indexes of lung injury [wet/dry weight ratio (g/g), total protein concentration in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (mg/L) and lung permeability index (10(-3))] in ALI group (4.76 +/- 0.10, 278.96 +/- 60.45, 4.73 +/- 0.60) were significantly increased as compared to those in normal control group (4.10 +/- 0.07, 67.46 +/- 13.27, 1.12 +/- 0.15) (P < 0.05). The grades of ALI pathologic changes in ALI group (11.13 +/- 1.13) was significantly higher than that in the normal control group (0.50 +/- 0.53, P < 0.05). The ratio of expression area of ICAM-1 in ALI group (0.149 +/- 0.037) was significantly increased as compared to that in the normal control group (0.051 +/- 0.018) (P < 0.05). The ratio of expression area of GR all group (0.043 +/- 0.037) was significantly decreased as compared to that in the normal Control group (0.124 +/- 9.040) (P < 0.05) After administration of HC, all the lung injury indexes, pathological grades and the ratios of expression area of ICAM-1 and GR were significantly improved, with the most remarkable effects observed in the low-dose HC group. The expressions of ICAM-1 and GR showed a significantly negative linear correlation (r = 0.55, P < 0.0001).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>These results indicated that the low-dose HC treatment had the most remarkable effects of improving the biological indexes of lung injury, inflammatory mediators and pathological changes. These HC dose dependent therapeutic effects might be associated with the level of GR expression.</p>