Bacterial Colonization in the Airways and Intestines of Twin and Singleton Preterm Neonates: A Single-Center Study.

Limited studies have investigated the microbial colonization of the airways and intestines in preterm neonates. We studied the composition of intestinal and airway bacterial colonies in several preterm twin pairs and singletons to explore the dominant bacteria, assess their variability, and predict their phenotypic and metabolic functions. In this descriptive study, we collected sputum and fetal stool specimens from 10 twin pairs (20 cases) and 20 singleton preterm neonates. These specimens were analyzed using 16S rRNA deep sequencing to study the alpha and beta diversities and community structures of airway and intestinal bacteria and predict their metabolic functions. Specimens from twins and singleton neonates had distinct aggregations of intestinal and airway bacteria but showed similarities and high microbial diversities during initial colonization. The top five phyla were Proteobacteria, Firmicutes, Actinobacteriota, Bacteroidota, and Cyanobacteria. The top ten genera were Streptococcus, Acinetobacter, Ralstonia, Staphylococcus, Comamonas, Enterococcus, Stenotrophomonas, Dechlorosoma, Sphingopyxis, and Rothia. Potentially pathogenic and highly stress-tolerant Gram-negative bacteria were predominant in the intestinal flora. A considerable proportion of colonies recovered from the airway and intestines of preterm neonates were functional bacteria. The richness of the intestinal and airway flora was not significantly different between twins and singletons, and the flora clustered together. Both intestinal and airway bacteria of twins and singletons were similar. The species involved in initial colonization were similar but different in proportions; therefore, changes in microbial structure and richness may not be attributed to these species.

Effectiveness of sublingual immunotherapy with house dust mite drops in asthmatic children at different ages.

Background: Respiratory allergies in children, such as asthma and rhinitis, are becoming progressively common every year. Recent studies found that pediatric patients with asthma receiving regular medication and specific immunotherapy (SIT) had improved therapeutic outcomes in a wide age range. However, there are few studies that have examined the effectiveness of SIT treatment in children with allergic asthma at different ages in terms of the degree of asthma control, improvements in lung function, and changes in exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO). Method: A total of 200 asthmatic pediatric patients who had been receiving regular treatment for at least a year were split into the observation and the control groups, which depended on whether sublingual immunotherapy was added based on conventional treatment medicines. The children who were divided by an age cut-off of 6 years old in these two groups were compared before and after therapy based on the exhaled levels of FeNO, pulmonary function, visual analog scale, medication scores, daytime and nighttime ratings of asthma symptom, and rhinitis symptom scores. Results: Before treatment, there was no significant difference between the observation group and the control group in various indicators of the patients under 6 years old; and in the older children (6-16 years old) group, the scores of FVC, FEV1, and FEF25 in the observation group were significantly lower than those in the control group (P < 0.05). The FEF75, FEF50, FEF25, and MMEF75/MMEF25 indexes in the observation group were significantly higher than those in the control group after treatment (P < 0.05), but there was no statistical significance in other indexes (P > 0.05). The scores of ACT, FEF75, FEF50, MMEF72/MMEF25, and FeNO in the observation group were all higher than those in the control group after treatment (P < 0.05), and the differences in other indexes were not statistically significant (P > 0.05). Between the young-age group and the elder group, there was no significant difference in all indexes in the observation group before and after treatment (P > 0.05). Conclusion: Children with asthma of all ages can considerably benefit from sublingual immunotherapy. Specifically, younger patients showed greater tendency on the improvement of small airway resistance, whereas school-age children with asthma significantly improved their small airway resistance as well as their asthma control and inflammation alleviation.

Long-term outcomes and predictors of patients with ST elevated versus non-ST elevated myocardial infarctions in non-obstructive coronary arteries: a retrospective study in Northern China.

Background: Myocardial infarction with non-obstructive coronary arteries (MINOCA) is a heterogeneous disease entity with diverse etiologies and no uniform treatment protocols. Patients with MINOCA can be clinically classified into two groups based on whether they have an ST-segment elevation (STE) or non-ST segment elevation (NSTE), based on electrocardiogram (ECG) results, whose clinical prognosis is unclear. This study aimed to compare the outcomes and predictors of patients with STE and NSTE in the MINOCA population. Methods: We collected the data for 196 patients with MINOCA (115 with STE and 81 with NSTE) in China. Clinical characteristics, prognoses, and predictors of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) were analyzed during the follow-up of all patients. Results: The proportion of patients with STE was greater than that with NSTE in the MINOCA population. Patients with NSTE were older and had a higher incidence of hypertension. No differences were observed in the outcomes between the STE and NSTE groups during a median follow-up period of 49 (37,46) months. No significant differences were observed in those with MACE (24.35% vs 22.22%, P = 0.73) and those without MACE. The multivariable predictors of MACE in the NSTE groups were Killip grades ≥ 2 (HR 9.035, CI 95% [1.657-49.263], P = 0.011), reduced use of ß-blockers during hospitalization (HR 0.238, CI 95% [0.072-0.788], P = 0.019), and higher levels of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) (HR 2.267, CI 95% [1.008-5.097], P = 0.048); the reduced use of ß-blockers during hospitalization was the only independent risk factor of MACE in the STE group. Conclusions: There were differences between the clinical characteristics of patients with STE and NSTE in the MINOCA population, even though outcomes during follow-up were similar. Independent risk factors for major adverse cardiac events were not identical in the STE and NSTE groups, which could be attributable to the differences in disease pathogenesis.

A pilot study exploring the association of bronchial bacterial microbiota and recurrent wheezing in infants with atopy.

Background: Differences in bronchial microbiota composition have been found to be associated with asthma; however, it is still unclear whether these findings can be applied to recurrent wheezing in infants especially with aeroallergen sensitization. Objectives: To determine the pathogenesis of atopic wheezing in infants and to identify diagnostic biomarkers, we analyzed the bronchial bacterial microbiota of infants with recurrent wheezing and with or without atopic diseases using a systems biology approach. Methods: Bacterial communities in bronchoalveolar lavage samples from 15 atopic wheezing infants, 15 non-atopic wheezing infants, and 18 foreign body aspiration control infants were characterized using 16S rRNA gene sequencing. The bacterial composition and community-level functions inferred from between-group differences from sequence profiles were analyzed. Results: Both α- and ß-diversity differed significantly between the groups. Compared to non-atopic wheezing infants, atopic wheezing infants showed a significantly higher abundance in two phyla (Deinococcota and unidentified bacteria) and one genus (Haemophilus) and a significantly lower abundance in one phylum (Actinobacteria). The random forest predictive model of 10 genera based on OTU-based features suggested that airway microbiota has diagnostic value for distinguishing atopic wheezing infants from non-atopic wheezing infants. PICRUSt2 based on KEGG hierarchy (level 3) revealed that atopic wheezing-associated differences in predicted bacterial functions included cytoskeleton proteins, glutamatergic synapses, and porphyrin and chlorophyll metabolism pathways. Conclusion: The differential candidate biomarkers identified by microbiome analysis in our work may have reference value for the diagnosis of wheezing in infants with atopy. To confirm that, airway microbiome combined with metabolomics analysis should be further investigated in the future.

Evaluation of the factors affecting lung function in pediatric patients with asthma.

PURPOSE: This study aimed to analyze the risk factors affecting lung function in children with asthma based on clinical data to advice on clinical treatment and prognosis. METHODS: This study included newly diagnosed patients with asthma admitted to the Respiratory Department of Chengdu Women's and Children's Central Hospital in Sichuan from July 2020 to June 2021. The factors associated with lung function were analyzed using univariate and multivariate linear regression with the forward method, while factors affecting lung ventilation function were analyzed using multivariate logistic regression. RESULTS: Sixty percent of the patients had normal lung function. Age was significantly negatively correlated with forced vital capacity (FVC)/FVCpredicted (B = -1.385, p = 0.001), FEV1/FEV1predicted (B = -2.092, p < 0.001), and FEV1%/FEV1%predicted (B = -0.834, p = 0.001). Body mass index (BMI) for age Z score (B = 1.661, p = 0.045) and cesarean delivery (B = 4.471, p = 0.013) were significantly positively correlated with FVC/FVCpredicted. Birth weight was significantly positively correlated with FEV1/FEV1predicted (B = 4.593, p = 0.027). Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that age ≥6 years and cough variant asthma (CVA) were risk factors for abnormal lung function. CONCLUSIONS: Age, BMI for age Z score, mode of delivery, and birth weight were significantly correlated with lung function in children with asthma. Furthermore, children with asthma and normal lung function were more likely to be overlooked. More attention should be given to children with asthma and normal lung function, and CVA.

Bacterial composition and colony structure of the lower respiratory tract in infants and children with recurrent wheezing: a case-control study.

BACKGROUND: The bacterial load of the human lower respiratory tract is at least several times lower than that of the other parts of the body. This study aimed to identify the bacterial composition and colony structure of the lower respiratory tract in infants and children with recurrent wheezing compared with those of children with a bronchial foreign body and clarify whether the length of wheezing in infants can contribute to differences in the lower respiratory tract's bacterial colony structure. METHODS: We collected specimens of alveolar lavage fluid from 48 infants and children who underwent fiberoptic bronchoscopy and were divided into groups: A1 (multiple wheezing: wheezing more than three times in < 1 month), A2 (persistent wheezing: > 1 month), and B (bronchial foreign body; control group). We analyzed the bacterial community structure of alveolar lavage fluid using high-throughput sequencing. The richness and diversity of the microbial communities were assessed by α and ß diversity analyses. RESULTS: A total of 6,644 operational taxonomic units (OTUs) were obtained based on the Illumina Nova sequencing platform and clustered according to those that met the 97% identity threshold, followed by species annotation of the OTU sequences. In the annotation results, 2,608 (39.25%) OTUs were annotated at the genus level. At the genus level, Sphingomonas and Phyllobacterium were significantly higher in group A1 than in group B. There were significantly more Phyllobacterium in group A2 than in group B. Prevotella, Neisseria, and Haemophilus were higher in group B than in groups A1 and A2. The differences in the between-group α and ß diversity analyses were statistically significant. The microbial diversity in groups A1 and A2 was significantly less than that in group B, but there was no statistical difference in bacterial community diversity between groups A1 and A2. CONCLUSION: Recurrent wheezing in infants and children is more likely due to alterations in the overall bacterial microecology and disruption of host respiration and immune homeostasis than the effects of a single bacterium.

Lower airway microbiome of children with recurrent wheezing: a clinical cohort study.

Background: Wheezing is one of the most common respiratory symptoms in childhood especially in infants. In recent years, the incidence of recurrent wheezing is on the rise worldwide. To investigate the lower airway microbiota in patients with recurrent wheezing and provide insights into clinical diagnosis and treatment. Methods: This study initially enrolled 45 hospitalised children with recurrent wheezing symptoms awaiting complete fiberoptic bronchoscopy. Of these, 13 children with tracheobronchomalacia were excluded. The final population included 32 participants (group A). The control group comprised 23 children who inhaled a foreign body and were admitted to the hospital for fiberoptic bronchoscopy within 24 hours (group B). Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) was extracted from the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) and amplified for the 16S ribosomal Ribonucleic Acid (rRNA) gene, and sequencing of the microbiome was performed using the Illumina Nova Seq 6000 system. Results: There were significant differences in the gestational duration (P=0.0458), mode of delivery (P=0.0261), and allergy status (P=0.0000) between groups A and B, but they had similar richness (P=0.8574). There was also a marked difference in the diversity of flora composition between the two groups (P=0.0095). The three most common phyla of microbiota in the two groups were Proteobacteria, Firmicutes, and Bacteroidetes. Species with notably different phyla included Proteobacteria, Bacteroidota, Fusobacteriota, and Acidobacteriota. There was a significant enrichment in the of Proteobacteria and lower levels of Bacteroidota, Fusobacteriota, and Acidobacteriota in group A compared to that in group B. Conclusions: Significant changes occur in the lower airway microbiota during recurrent wheezing in children. The discovery of beneficial airway bacteria may facilitate the prevention and treatment of recurrent wheezing or asthma in children.

Investigating the Intercellular Communication Network of Immune Cell in Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome with Sepsis.

Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is recognized as a serious public health issue that results in respiratory failure and high mortality rates. The syndrome is characterized by immune cell aggregation, communication, activation, and alveolar epithelial damage. To elucidate the complex dynamic process of the immune system's response in ARDS, we construct the intercellular communication network of immune cells in ARDS based on a single-cell RNA sequencing dataset (including three sepsis-induced ARDS patients and four sepsis-only patients). The results show that macrophages relayed most of the intercellular signals (ligand-receptor pairs) in both groups. Many genes related to immune response (IFI44L, ISG, and HLA-DQB1) and biological functions (response to virus, negative regulation of viral life cycle, and response to interferon-beta) were detected via differentially expressed gene analysis of macrophages between the two groups. Deep analysis of the intercellular signals related to the macrophage found that sepsis-induced ARDS harbored distinctive intercellular signals related to chemokine-chemokine receptors (CCL3/4/5-CCR1), which mainly are involved in the disturbance of the STAT family transcription factors (TFs), such as STAT2 and STAT3. These signals and downstream TFs might play key roles in macrophage M1/M2 polarization in the process of sepsis-induced ARDS. This study provides a comprehensive view of the intercellular communication landscape between sepsis and sepsis-induced ARDS and identifies key intercellular communications and TFs involved in sepsis-induced ARDS. We believe that our study provides valuable clues for understanding the immune response mechanisms of ARDS.

Effectiveness and safety of early combined utilization of budesonide and surfactant by airway for bronchopulmonary dysplasia prevention in premature infants with RDS: A meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVE: To address the effectiveness and safety of early airway combined utilization of budesonide and surfactant for bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) prevention in premature infants with respiratory distress syndrome (RDS). METHODS: Literature retrieval was carried out in the PubMed, Web of Science, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, Wanfang, CQ VIP, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure databases, searching from the inception to September 2021. Stata 16.0 software was used for statistical analysis. RESULTS: This meta-analysis suggested that early combined utilization of budesonide and surfactant by airway have a superiority on BPD incidence (risk ratio [RR] = 0.62; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.54-0.71, p < 0.001], mortality (RR = 0.64; 95%CI: 0.45-0.92, p = 0.016), the composite outcome of BPD or mortality (RR = 0.58; 95%CI: 0.50-0.68, p < 0.001), the additional doses of surfactant (RR = 0.53; 95%CI: 0.44-0.63, p < 0.001), the duration of assisted ventilation (standard mean difference [SMD] = -1.14; 95%CI: -1.58 to -0.70, p < 0.001), duration of invasive ventilation(SMD = -1.77; 95% CI: -2.61 to -0.93, p < 0.001), and hospital stays (SMD = -1.11; 95% CI: -1.73 to -0.49, p = 0.001) in preterm infants with RDS. And these benefits were not associated with increased adverse outcomes. Furthermore, a decreased incidence of patent ducts arterious (PDA) (RR = 0.79; 95% CI: 0.65 to 0.97, p = 0.028) was found in premature infants treated with budesonide and surfactant. Subgroup analysis based on budesonide delivery methods (inhalation or intratracheal instillation) indicated that the decrease of mortality (RR = 0.63; 95% CI: 0.43-0.93, p = 0.019), duration of assisted ventilation (SMD = -0.95; 95% CI: -1.30 to -0.61, p < 0.001), hospital stays (SMD = -1.23; 95% CI: -2.05 to -0.41, p = 0.003) and PDA incidence (RR = 0.80; 95% CI: 0.65 to 0.99, p = 0.044) were mainly in budesonide intratracheal instillation subgroup, rather than in budesonide inhalation subgroup. CONCLUSIONS: This meta-analysis suggested that early combined utilization of budesonide and surfactant by airway might be an effective and safe clinical practice for BPD prevention in premature infants with RDS, especially when budesonide was delivered by intratracheal instillation. However, many of the included studies were small and were from Asian origin. More well-designed randomized controlled trials with larger sample sizes and longer follow-up from all over the world ought to be conducted in the future.

Benefit Effect of Sublingual Dust Mite Drops on the Control of Asthma in Children.

AIM: To evaluate the effect of sublingual dust mite drops on inhaled corticosteroid replacement and its effect on asthma control level. METHODS: Two hundred children with asthma who had received regular treatment for one year or more were divided into the observation group (71 cases) and control group (89 cases) according to whether sublingual dust mite drops were added on the basis of conventional treatment drugs. After treatment, C-ACT score, VAS score, drug score, lung function, exhaled nitric oxide level, and "ICS avoidance" were compared between the two groups. RESULTS: Before treatment, FVC and PEF25 scores in the observation group were lower than those in the control group, and the difference was statistically significant. There was no significant difference in other indicators between the two groups. There was no statistical significance in each index between the single allergic group and the multiple allergic group. Both the observation group and the control group showed statistically significant differences in each index before and after treatment. C-ACT score, FVC, FEV1, PEF, PEF75, PEF50, PEF25, MMEF75/MMEF25 after treatment were all higher than before treatment in both groups; VAS score, drug score and FeNO after treatment were all lower than before treatment. Except PEF, the difference between the observation group and the control group before and after treatment was statistically significant. Among them, after treatment, the increased values of C-ACT, FVC, FEV1, PEF75, PEF50, PEF25, MMEF75/MMEF25 in the observation group were higher than those in the control group, while the decreased values of VAS score, drug score and FeNO were higher than those in the control group. The differences were statistically significant. After treatment, the increased value of FEV1 in the single allergic group was higher than that in the multiple allergic group, and the difference was statistically significant. There was no statistical significance in the changes in other indexes between the two groups before and after treatment. The ICS avoidance rate in the observation group was 57.4% (58/100), higher than that in the control group (17.0%, 17/100), and the difference was statistically significant (χ2=35.108, P < 0.01). The ICS avoidance rate was 55.6% (15/27) in the single allergic group and 58.1% (43/74) in the multiple allergic group, and there was no significant difference between the two groups (χ2=0.053, P=0.818). CONCLUSION: Sublingual dust mite drops can significantly improve the asthma control levels in children with asthma and have the effect of inhaled corticosteroid replacement.

Etiological distribution of pertussis-like syndrome in 756 children in Chengdu.

BACKGROUND: To analyze and summarize the etiological distribution of pertussis-like syndrome in children and to provide a basis for clinical treatment. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was conducted of 756 children with pertussis-like syndrome hospitalized at the Department of Pediatric Respiratory Medicine of Chengdu Women's and Children's Central Hospital, 2015 to 2019. The etiological features were classified and reviewed. RESULTS: Among 756 children with pertussis-like syndrome, 439 cases were positive for etiological agents Among the 439 cases, 268 cases were positive for bacterial agents (positive rate 35.45%), including 174 cases (65.25%) positive for Haemophilus influenza (H. influenza). There were 75 cases (9.92%) positive for viral antibodies, including 29 cases (accounting for 38.67% of all cases positive for viral infection) positive for the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). There were 243 cases (32.14%) positive for Mycoplasma pneumoniae (M. pneumoniae) antibodies. As to the general distribution of infections, cases with infections caused by a single type of bacteria accounted for 20.63%; cases with M. pneumoniae infection accounted for 18.78%; and cases with bacterial infection combined with M. pneumoniae infection accounted for 8.73%. CONCLUSIONS: H. influenza, RSV, and M. pneumoniae were important pathogens causing pertussis-like syndrome in children. Bacterial infection, M. pneumoniae infection, and mixed infection caused by the two pathogens were the primary causes of pertussis-like syndrome in children.

Sigh syndrome during the COVID-19 pandemic: Is it a signal of the mental health status of Chinese children and adolescents?

BACKGROUND: Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, Chinese children and adolescents have been greatly affected by the strict social isolation policies, which will undoubtedly cause psychological problems. We aimed to investigate the mental health status of Chinese children and adolescents, and provided some considerations of the contributing factors and the coping strategy. METHOD: We investigated the disease composition ratio of sigh syndrome in the pediatric outpatient clinic in Chengdu after the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic and outbreak mitigation. We also analyzed and compared the annual changing trends in the incidence of sigh syndrome in 2020 with those from previous years. RESULTS: The composition ratio of sigh syndrome increased significantly after the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak. The highest incidence was in March 2020, which then decreased gradually over the next few months, then increased again in June 2020 (P<0.05). And the 4-7 years old was the age group with a high incidence of sigh syndrome, and 5 years old had the highest incidence. CONCLUSIONS: The mental health status of children and adolescents changed significantly after the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. We should also pay attention to the psychological problems caused by returning to school after the epidemic has eased.

The FeNO Normal Value Analysis of Healthy Children Aged 6-15 Years Old in Chengdu.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) normal value of healthy children, and provide a reliable theoretical basis for clinical diagnosis. METHODS: 481 healthy children aged 6-15-y-old in three primary schools in Chengdu were subjected for FeNO detection. Through the statistical analysis, the upper limit normal value of FeNO among the healthy children was obtained, and the related influencing factors of FeNO value were analyzed. RESULTS: Among the 481 heathy children, the geometric mean value of FeNO was 14.59 ppb (minimum value was 5 ppb, maximum value was 69 ppb), and the upper limit of normal value was 28 ppb. The age, height, and weight all have significant correlations with FeNO. CONCLUSION: The upper limit of FeNO in healthy children aged 6-15-y-old was 28.0 ppb. Inflammation in the airway was suggested when the value of FeNO exceeds 28.0 ppb. Furthermore, the influencing factors such as age, weight, height must be considered.

Effects of sublingual-specific immunotherapy on pulmonary function and exhaled nitric oxide levels in asthmatic children with and without allergic rhinitis.

BACKGROUND: Allergic asthma and allergic rhinitis are common chronic respiratory diseases in children. The prevalence rate of disease is increasing year by year. And avoid allergens, drug treatments and special immunotherapy (SIT) is the fundamental treatment for respiratory allergies diseases. But there are few comprehensive studies on the control level of asthma, improvement of lung function, and changes of exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) after SLIT treatment in children with allergic asthma and rhinitis. METHODS: In all, 71 child asthma patients who received sublingual-specific immune therapy for 1 year or more were divided into an asthmatic rhinitis group (31 cases) and an asthma-alone group (40 cases). The two groups of patients were compared before and after treatment in terms of rhinitis symptom scores, daytime and nighttime asthma symptom scores, visual analog scale (VAS) score, drug score, pulmonary function, and exhaled nitric oxide level (FeNO). RESULTS: After treatment, daytime symptom scores, VAS scores, drug scores, and FeNO levels of the asthma-alone group were all lower than before treatment, and the lung function was significantly improved (P<0.05), while the difference in night symptom scores before and after treatment was not statistically significant (P>0.05). The lung function and FeNO level of children in the asthmatic rhinitis group were lower after treatment than before treatment, with statistically significant differences (P<0.05). The scores of rhinitis and VAS in the asthmatic rhinitis group were higher than those in the asthma-alone group, and the differences were statistically significant. There was no significant difference in other scores between the two groups. There was no significant difference in lung function and FeNO level between the two groups. CONCLUSIONS: SLIT for children with or without allergic asthma or with or without rhinitis has a significant effect, but its effect on children with asthma combined with rhinitis is not superior to that of children with asthma alone.

Effects of Sublingual Duster Mite Drops on Lung Function and Exhaled Nitric Oxide in Children with Multiple and Single Allergic Respiratory Diseases.

Objective: To evaluate the efficiency of sublingual immunotherapy with Dermatophagoides Farinae Drops in children with single and multiple respiratory allergic diseases. Methods: Seventy-one children with allergic respiratory diseases who had been treated with Dermatophagoides Farinae Drops for one year or more were divided into a single allergic group (12 cases) and multiple allergic group (59 cases). The rhinitis score, daytime and night symptom score of asthma, VAS score, drug score, pulmonary function, and FeNO level before and after treatment were evaluated and compared between the two groups. Results: The rhinitis score, night symptom score, VAS score, and drug score in the single allergic group after treatment were significantly lower than those before treatment (p < 0.05), but there was no significant difference in the daytime symptom score before and after treatment (p > 0.05). The rhinitis score, VAS score, and drug score in the multiple allergic group after treatment were significantly lower than those before treatment (p < 0.05), but there was no significant difference in the scores of daytime symptoms and nighttime symptoms before and after treatment (p > 0.05). In both the single allergic group and multiple allergic group, the pulmonary function indexes of the patients were significantly improved after treatment, and the FeNO after treatment was significantly lower than that before treatment (p < 0.05). There was no significant difference in scores, pulmonary function, and FeNO between the two groups (p > 0.05). Conclusion: Sublingual specific immunotherapy is effective in treating multiple and single allergic respiratory diseases in children.

[Findings of electric bronchoscopy in 67 children with recurrent wheezing].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the common causes of recurrent wheezing in young children. METHODS: Electronic bronchoscopy was performed on 67 children with recurrent wheezing or who did not respond to the conventional treatment. RESULTS: The electronic bronchoscopy showed intimitis in trachea and bronchi in 19 cases, intimitis and inflammatory stricture in 11 cases, foreign bodies in the bronchi in 11 cases, trachea and bronchus softening in 19 cases, and bronchopulmonary dysplasia in 3 cases. The other 4 cases presented endometrial tuberculosis, epiglottic cyst, laryngeal papilloma or compression outside trachea (thymus) under the electronic bronchoscope. CONCLUSIONS: In addition to inflammation, trachea and bronchus softening as well as foreign bodies in the bronchi are also the common causes in children with recurrent wheezing or who do not respond to the conventional treatment. Electronic bronchoscopy appears to be an effective way to determine the cause in these children.

[Transport and bioavailability of Cu, Pb, Zn and Ni in surface sediments of Daliao River watersystem].

To understand the transport and bioavailability of heavy metals in the surface sediment of Daliao River system, nine samples of surface sediment were collected. Clay content, pH, and Eh of these sediment samples were measured. Total contents and chemical speciation of Cu, Pb, Zn and Ni in the sediment were determined. In addition, the concentrations of Cu, Pb, Zn and Ni in the pore water of the sediment were determined separately by DGT (diffusive gradient in thin film) method and traditional centrifuge method. The total contents of Cu, Pb, Zn and Ni in the sediment were 16.8-49.2, 12.9-55.8, 38.7-152.8 and 18.1-39.0 mg/kg, respectively. The ratios of DGT measured concentrations c (DGT) to heavy metal concentrations in pore water were lower than 0.5, showing lower replenishment of these metals from solid to the liquid and lower bioavailability of the metals in the sediments. Correlation analysis showed that c (DGT) of Cu was significantly influenced by Cu in the carbonate fraction (r = 0.633, p <0.05), while c (DGT) of Pb was influenced by Pb in the exchangeable fraction (r = 0.617, p <0.05). Ni in the exchangeable, Mn oxides, organic matter (OM) and Fe oxides fractions may contribute to the c (DGT) of Ni (r > 0.650, p <0.05). In addition, pH was also an important factor influencing the release of heavy metals from solid to liquid in sediments.

[High resolution measurement of concentrations and fluxes of heavy metals in pore waters by DGT].

Three sediment cores were collected from the Daliao River system in May 2006. The physico-chemical characteristics and heavy metal contents of sediment cores were analyzed. The vertical profiles of metals in pore water were measured by diffusive gradient in thin films (DGT) and centrifugal methods separately. The sequence of the concentrations of Cd, Co, Cr and Cu in sediment is Cr > Cu > Co > Cd. The concentrations measured by DGT were lower than that measured by centrifugal method. The average ratios of DGT measured concentrations (cDGT) to the concentrations measured by centrifugal method of Cd, Co, Cr and Cu were 0.389, 0.328, 0.863 and 0.403, respectively. This suggested that the release rates of these metals from solid phase to solution followed the sequence of Cr > Cu > Cd > Co. The fluxes of Cd, Co Cr and Cu were 1.12 x 10(-7) - 3.28 x 10(-7) nmol/(cm2 x s), 2.48 x 10(-7) - 10.40 x 10(-7) nmol/(cm2 x s), 8.80 x 10(-6) - 12.65 x 10(-6) nmol/(cm2 x s) and 6.14 x 10(-6) - 13.93 x 10(-6) nmol/(cm2 x s), respectively. The result showed that the release of Cd and Cu was mainly influenced by organic matter (OM), while Fe oxides, Mn oxides and OM were major factors controlling the transfer of Cr. The redox potential may be the major factor influencing the release of Co element.