Constructions and advances of animal models of Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection / 中华预防医学杂志

Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa) is an opportunistic pathogenic bacterium with complex pathogenesis and drug resistance mechanisms. It has high morbidity and mortality and can cause acute and chronic infections in immunocompromised individuals, with lung infections, wound infections, and bloodstream infections being the most common. The animal infection model of P. aeruginosa is of great value for in-depth research on the pathogenicity, drug resistance, and therapeutic measures of P. aeruginosa by simulating the pathways of human bacterial infections. This article firstly summarizes the selection, anesthesia, and disposal of experimental animals in the construction of animal models of P. aeruginosa infection, and then reviews the methods of construction, model evaluation, and applications of animal models of P. aeruginosa pulmonary infection, wound infection, and bloodstream infection, in order to provide a reference for scientific research related to P. aeruginosa infectious diseases.

Clinical phenotype and genetic features of 16p11.2 microdeletion-related epilepsy in children / 中国当代儿科杂志

OBJECTIVES@#To study the clinical phenotype and genetic features of 16p11.2 microdeletion-related epilepsy in children.@*METHODS@#The medical data of 200 children with epilepsy who underwent a genetic analysis of epilepsy by the whole exon sequencing technology were collected retrospectively, of whom 9 children with epilepsy had 16p11.2 microdeletion. The clinical phenotype and genetic features of the 9 children with 16p11.2 microdeletion were analyzed.@*RESULTS@#The detection rate of 16p11.2 microdeletion was 4.5% (9/200). The 9 children with 16p11.2 microdeletion were 3-10 months old. They experienced focal motor seizures with consciousness disturbance, and some of the seizures developed into generalized tonic-clonic seizures. The interictal electroencephalogram showed focal or multifocal epileptiform discharge, and all 9 children responded well to antiepileptic drugs. The 9 children had a 16p11.2 deletion fragment size of 398-906 kb, and the number of deleted genes was 23-33 which were all pathogenic mutations. The mutation was of maternal origin in 2 children, of paternal origin in 1 child, and de novo in the other children.@*CONCLUSIONS@#16p11.2 microdeletion can be detected in some children with epilepsy. Most of the 16p11.2 microdeletion is de novo mutation and large gene fragment deletion. The onset of 16p11.2 microdeletion-related epilepsy in children is mostly within 1 year of life, and the epilepsy is drug-responsive.

Clinical features of coronavirus disease 2019 in children aged <18 years in Jiangxi, China: an analysis of 23 cases / 中国当代儿科杂志

OBJECTIVE@#To study the clinical features of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in children aged <18 years.@*METHODS@#A retrospective analysis was performed from the medical data of 23 children, aged from 3 months to 17 years and 8 months, who were diagnosed with COVID-19 in Jiangxi, China from January 21 to February 29, 2020.@*RESULTS@#Of the 23 children with COVID-19, 17 had family aggregation. Three children (13%) had asymptomatic infection, 6 (26%) had mild type, and 14 (61%) had common type. Among these 23 children, 16 (70%) had fever, 11 (48%) had cough, 8 (35%) had fever and cough, and 8 (35%) had wet rales in the lungs. The period from disease onset or the first nucleic acid-positive detection of SARS-CoV-2 to the virus nucleic acid negative conversion was 6-24 days (median 12 days). Of the 23 children, 3 had a reduction in total leukocyte count, 2 had a reduction in lymphocytes, 2 had an increase in C-reactive protein, and 2 had an increase in D-dimer. Abnormal pulmonary CT findings were observed in 12 children, among whom 9 had patchy ground-glass opacities in both lungs. All 23 children received antiviral therapy and were recovered.@*CONCLUSIONS@#COVID-19 in children aged <18 years often occurs with family aggregation, with no specific clinical manifestation and laboratory examination results. Most of these children have mild symptoms and a good prognosis. Epidemiological history is of particular importance in the diagnosis of COVID-19 in children aged <18 years.

Clinical effect of carvedilol in treatment of children with severe hand-foot-mouth disease caused by enterovirus 71 infection / 中国当代儿科杂志

OBJECTIVE@#To study the clinical effect of carvedilol in the treatment of children with severe hand-foot-mouth disease (HFMD) caused by enterovirus 71 (EV71) infection.@*METHODS@#A retrospective analysis was performed for the clinical data of 86 children with severe HFMD caused by EV71 infection who were admitted to the hospital from April 2016 to August 2017. According to whether carvedilol was used, the children were divided into conventional treatment group with 51 children and carvedilol treatment group with 35 children. A total of 56 healthy children who underwent physical examination at the outpatient service during the same period were enrolled as the control group. The two treatment groups were compared in terms of clinical features and levels of catecholamines (norepinephrine, adrenaline and dopamine), and the levels of catecholamines were compared between these two treatment groups and the control group.@*RESULTS@#Before treatment, the conventional treatment group and the carvedilol treatment group had significantly higher levels of norepinephrine and adrenaline than the control group (P<0.05). After treatment, both the conventional treatment group and the carvedilol treatment group had significant reductions in norepinephrine, adrenaline, blood glucose, systolic pressure, diastolic pressure, heart rate, body temperature and leukocyte count (P<0.05). Compared with the conventional treatment group, the carvedilol treatment group had significantly lower dopamine level, blood glucose, heart rate and respiratory rate after treatment (P<0.05).@*CONCLUSIONS@#Changes in norepinephrine and adrenaline might be involved in the pathogenesis of severe HFMD caused by EV71 infection. Carvedilol, in addition to the conventional treatment, can improve respiration, heart rate and blood glucose in children with severe HFMD caused by EV71 infection.

Development and application of TaqMan MGB probe fluorescence quantitative PCR method for rapid detection of Clostridium piliforme / 中华流行病学杂志

Objective To develop a TaqMan MGB probe-based,sensitive and specific fluorescence quantitative PCR assay method for rapid detection of Clostridium piliforme.Methods Primers and probes specific to 16S rRNA gene of Clostridium piliforme were designed.A TaqMan MGB probe-based,fluorescence quantitative PCR method was established.Specificity,sensitivity and stability of the method were assessed,followed by real-time quantitative PCR assay to detect Clostridium piliforme on 1156 clinical specimens during 2008-2011 and compared with conventional PCR assay.Results The specificity of TaqMan MGB probe-based fluorescence quantitative PCR was high and did not show cross-reactivity with Helicobacter hepaticus,Helicobacter pylori,Campylobacter jejuni,Pasteurella pneumotropica,Escherichia coli or Pseudomonas aeruginosa.The detection limit was 2.2 copies/μl.The correlation coefficient and slope value of standard curve were 0.999 and -3.204,respectively and the efficiency of TaqMan MGB-based probe fluorescence quantitative PCR assay was 100％.When the TaqMan MGB-based probe fluorescence quantitative PCR assay was preformed to detect Clostridium piliforme on 1156 clinical specimens,a total of 101 specimens showed positive on Clostridium piliforme.However,only 44 specimens showed positive when conventional PCR was used.The real-time quantitative PCR for Clostridium piliforme could be completed within 2 hours.Conclusion The TaqMan MGB-based probe fluorescence quantitative PCR assay method was a reliable,specific,sensitive and useful tool for rapid detection of Clostridium piliforme.

PET-CT Imaging In Non-Small Cell Lung Carcinoma – A Review of Cases from A Northern Malaysia Referral Centre

Background: Positron Emission Tomography and Computed Tomography (PET-CT) imaging is shown to influence a decision change in managing non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC). The introduction of such a facility in Malaysia is relatively recent, and its impact from its utility is currently being assessed. Aim: In a tertiary referral centre possessing the only PET-CT facility in northern Peninsular Malaysia, we evaluated the potential roles of PET-CT in referred patients with non-small cell lung carcinoma. Methodology: Sixty eligible adult cases with NSCLC, between September 2005 and December 2007, were retrospectively reviewed. Relevant data was collected using standard questionnaire for indications, staging of disease, and outcomes in terms of recurrence and response to prescribed cancer-specific therapy. Results: The indications for PET-CT were: staging of a newly diagnosed non-small cell lung carcinoma (25.0%); post-operative restaging (21.7%); exclusion of recurrence or metastasis (18.3%); establishing diagnosis of carcinoma (13.3%); assessment of response to treatment (11.7%), and for surveillance (10.0%). The use of PET-CT was shown to induce a change in the staging, compared with non-PET conventional means in 69.2% of patients with newly diagnosed lung carcinoma (upstaged in 55.5%; downstaged in 44.5%) and in 65.0% of patients who underwent cancer-specific treatments (upstaged in 38.5%; downstaged in 61.5%). PET-CT detected recurrence in 62.5% who underwent the imaging to exclude a recurrence or metastasis. Conclusion: PET-CT has affected the staging of a large proportion of our local Malaysian patients. Like elsewhere, the availability of such a facility is likely to have important influence in overall management of NSCLC in Malaysia.