Research Progress of Combined Detection of WBC, CRP and SAA in Early Diagnosis of Respiratory Tract Infection in Children

Objective: To investigate the application of WBC, CRP and SAA combined detection in the early diagnosis of respiratory tract infection in children. Methods: Collect the literature reports on the early diagnosis of respiratory tract infection in children by the combined detection of WBC, CRP and SAA in recent years, and follow up the relevant literature reports from the selection of “new three routine” laboratory items for rapid diagnosis in pediatric outpatient department and the application of the combined detection of WBC, CRP and SAA in the early diagnosis of respiratory tract infection in children. Results: Many literature studies found that the combined detection of WBC, CRP and SAA has important clinical significance in the early diagnosis of respiratory tract infection in children. Conclusion: Through reviewing the relevant literature, we can understand the application of WBC, CRP and SAA combined detection in the early diagnosis of respiratory tract infection in children. To provide more accurate and reliable laboratory data for the early diagnosis and treatment of respiratory tract infection in children in the future.

The Expression of Exogenous ADA Gene in T－lymphocytes of Children with Recurrent Respiratory Tract infectious Diseases

The adenosine deaminase(ADA) activities in blood lymphocytes of 41normal children and 17 with recurrent respiratory tract infections were examined,and the T-lymphocytes of two children whose ADA activities were obviously lower than those of others were cultared in vilro. Then the exogenous human ADA gene was transfected into these cells by means of lipofectin mediated gene transfer. The results showed that the ADA activities in cultured T-lymphocytes were raised and the immunological were also improved.

Three pediatric massage schools in treating recurrent respiratory tract Infection

This paper describes the similarities and differences between three-character scripture school from Shandong, Shanghai pediatric massage and Hunan Liu Kaiyun pediatric massage in the treatment of Recurrent respiratory tract in order to standardize operation, collect references and provide the basis for local infantile massage school.

Human bocavirus infection in children hospitalized with lower respiratory tract infections:Does viral load affect disease course?

Objective:To examine the effects of human bocavirus type 1(HBoV1)on the course of lower respiratory tract infections in cases of monoinfection and coinfection,and the effects of HBoV1 viral load on the disease in children under six years old hospitalized with a diagnosis of HBoV1-associated lower respiratory tract infections.Methods:Children under six years of age,who were hospitalized with the diagnosis of lower respiratory tract infection due to HBoV1 between 1 January 2021 and 1 January 2022 were included in the study.Laboratory confirmation of the respiratory pathogens was performed using polymerase chain reaction(PCR).Results:Fifty-four(16.4%)children with HBoV1 among 329 children whose PCR was positive with bacterial/viral agent in nasopharyngeal swab samples were included in the study.There were 28(51.9%)males and 26(48.1%)females with a median age 23.4 months[interquartile range(IQR):13.2,30.0 months](min-max:1 month-68 months).HBoV1 was detected as a monoinfecton in 26(48.1%)children,and as a coinfection with other respiratory agents in 28 children(51.9%).In multiple regression analysis,coinfection(P=0.032)was associated with the length of hospitalization(P<0.001;R^(2)=0.166).There was a negative correlation(r=−0.281,P=0.040)between cough and cycle threshold.Fever was found to be positively correlated with C-reactive protein(r=0.568,P<0.001)and procalcitonin(r=0.472;P=0.001).Conclusions:Although we found a higher HBoV1 viral load in children with more cough symptoms in our study,it had no effect on the severity of the disease,such as length of hospital stay and need for intensive care.Coinfection was found to affect the length of hospitalization.

Association between gastrointestinal heat retention syndrome and respiratory tract infections in children:A prospective cohort study

Objective:To explore the relationship between gastrointestinal heat retention syndrome and the incidence of pneumonia and recurrent respiratory tract infections(RRTIs)in children.Methods:A prospective cohort study was conducted in the pediatric outpatient department of Beijing Dongfang Hospital.Children without respiratory tract infections(RTIs)were consecutively recruited according to the selection criteria.A semi-structured questionnaire was used to record traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)symptoms and demographic and physiological characteristics.Gastrointestinal heat retention syndrome was considered to be a predisposing factor and was diagnosed according to a scale with reliability and validity.The participants were followed up for 12 months.Participants and their parents or guardians were contacted via clinical interviews and telephone every 6 months.Episodes of pneumonia and RTIs were recorded in detail.Results:A total of 420 children were included.Of participants,370(88.10%)were followed up for 12 months.The mean number of RTI episodes per participant was 5.37(95%CI:5.14 to 5.60).In total,186 participants in the gastrointestinal heat retention syndrome group and 184 participants in the nongastrointestinal heat retention syndrome group completed the 12-month follow-up period.The baseline of both groups was comparable.The incidence of RRTIs in children with gastrointestinal heat retention syndrome was 1.27(95%CI:1.01 to 1.59)times that in children without gastrointestinal heat retention syndrome.Logistic regression analysis revealed that abnormally increased appetite with frequent hunger,foul breath,dry stools,and dark red or purple fingerprints were positively correlated with the incidence of pneumonia.Irascibility and feverish feelings in the palms and soles were positively correlated with the occurrence of RRTI.Conclusions:Gastrointestinal heat retention syndrome is a risk factor for RRTIs in children.Studies with larger sample sizes and longer follow-up time are warranted to confirm the degree of causal risk associated with RTIs.

Effect of gastrointestinal heat retention syndrome on gut microbiota in children with upper respiratory tract infection and lung-heat syndrome

Objective:Gastrointestinal heat retention syndrome(GHRS)is associated with lung-heat syndrome and is related to recurrent respiratory infection.Upper respiratory tract infection(URTI)lung heat syndrome is common in children.The study will explore the effect of GHRS on the structure and function of gut microbiota in children with URTI lung-heat syndrome.Methods:Participants were divided into both groups using the self-developed URTI scale and the“GHRS Diagnostic Scale$Pediatric Part”:GHRS-positive children(LS group)and GHRS-negative children(L group).General information,clinical symptoms,and stool were collected.We used 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing technology to determine the gene sequence of the V3eV4 region in feces and measure the gut microbiota of the both groups at the genus level.Results:A total of 23 children were included in the both groups.There were 12 cases in the LS group and 11 cases in the L group.There was no statistical difference between the both groups in age,gender,height,weight,and body mass index.The effective sequences shared by the both groups accounted for 85.66%of the total.In the gut microbiota,there was no difference in the a diversity and the b diversity between the both groups.Compared with the L group,the LS group had a significant increase in the relative abundance of the Ruminococcus gnavus group,Prevotella-9,Staphylococcus,and Actinomyces(P<.05).The functions of the both groups of microbiota primarily concentrate on metabolism,genetic information processing,and environmental information processing.The relative abundance of signaling molecules and interactions in the LS group were higher than that in the L group(P<.05).The redundancy analysis(RDA)showed that the URTI score had the greatest impact on the distribution of microbiota.Conclusion:GHRS may affect the development of URTI lung-heat syndrome by changing the relative abundances of gut microbiota.

Effect of secretory IgA combined with conventional anti-infectious drugs on inflammatory response and immune response in children with upper respiratory tract infection

Objective: To investigate the effect of secretory IgA combined with conventional anti-infectious drugs on inflammatory response and immune response in children with upper respiratory tract infection. Methods: A total of 130 children with upper respiratory tract infection who were treated in the hospital between February 2016 and February 2017 were divided into control group and secretory IgA group by random number table method, each group with 65 cases. Control group received routine anti-infectious drug treatment, and secretory IgA group received the secretory IgA combined with conventional anti-infectious drug treatment, which lasted for 1 week. The differences in serum levels of routine inflammatory factors, fat inflammatory factors and immunoglobulin were compared between the two groups before and after treatment. Results: There was no statistically significant difference in serum levels of normal inflammatory factors, fat inflammatory factors and immunoglobulin between the two groups before treatment. After 1 week of treatment, serum conventional inflammatory factors CRP, IL-1 and IL-8 levels of secretory IgA group were lower than those of control group;serum fat inflammatory factors SAA and Chemerin levels were lower than those of control group whereas Leptin level was higher than that of control group;serum immunoglobulin IgA, IgG and IgM contents were higher than those of control group. Conclusion: The secretory IgA combined with conventional anti-infectious drugs can effectively inhibit the systemic inflammatory response and enhance the humoral immune response in children with upper respiratory tract infection.

Burden of respiratory syncytial virus infection in young children

Respiratory syncytial virus(RSV) is the most frequent and important cause of lower respiratory tract infection in infants and children. It is a seasonal virus, with peak rates of infection occurring annually in the cold season in temperate climates, and in the rainy season, as temperatures fall, in tropical climates. High risk groups for severe RSV disease include infants below six mo of age, premature infants with or without chronic lung disease, infants with hemodynamically significant congenital heart disease, infants with immunodeficiency or cystic fibrosis, and infants with neuromuscular diseases. Mortality rates associated with RSV infection are generally low in previous healthy infants(below 1%), but increase significantly in children with underlying chronic conditions and comorbidities. Following early RSV lower respiratory tract infection, some patients experience recurrent episodes of wheezing mimicking early childhood asthma with persistence of lung function abnormalities until adolescence. There is currently no RSV vaccine available, but promising candidate vaccines are in development. Palivizumab, a monoclonal RSV antibody that is the only tool for immunoprophylaxis in high-riskinfants, lowers the burden of RSV infection in certain carefully selected patient groups.

Prescription practice of antihistamines for acute upper respiratory tract infections in pediatric patients in a local emergency department in Hong Kong

BACKGROUND: Currently there is very limited data in the literature assessing the prevalence of antihistamine prescription, and there is no local prevalence data about the prescription of antihistamine agents among primary practitioner and emergency physicians. The objectives are 1) to report the prevalence of antihistamine prescription for children less than 6 years old with acute upper respiratory infection and 2) to explore the associated factors for the prescription practice.METHODS: This is a cross-sectional study. All consecutive cases of paediatric patients aged 6 or below who presented to the emergency department during a study period of one week from April 1 to July 4, 2009 with diagnosis of acute upper respiratory infection were included. Totally 162 patients were included.RESULTS: Among the 162 cases, 141(87%) patients were prescribed one antihistamine of any group. Sixty(37%) patients were prescribed two or more antihistamines. In multivariate logistic regression model, age was found to be signi? cantly(P<0.001) associated with multiple antihistamine prescription(OR=1.042, 95%CI=1.02 to 1.06). Years of graduation of attending physician for more than 5 years was also a strong predictor of multiple antihistamine prescription(OR=4.654, 95%CI=2.20 to 9.84, P<0.001).CONCLUSION: In the local emergency department, patients' age and the years of graduation from medical school of the attending physician were predictors of multiple antihistamine prescription for acute upper respiratory infections for children aged less than 6.

Clinical Diagnosis and Treatment Characteristics of Acute Respiratory Infections in Children and New Developments in Laboratory Testing

Acute respiratory tract infection (ARTI) in children is the most common infectious disease in childhood, and its pathogens include viruses, bacteria and fungi, mycoplasma, chlamydia and rickettsia. In recent years, with the continuous development of pathogen detection methods, the diagnosis and treatment of acute respiratory infections has received more and more clinical attention. The clinical diagnosis and treatment characteristics of acute respiratory infections in children and the research of clinical laboratory detection methods have also been continuously developed. The author collected references to review the clinical features and new developments in laboratory testing of acute respiratory tract infection in children.

Association between early viral lower respiratory tract infections and subsequent asthma development

BACKGROUND The association between hospitalization for human respiratory syncytial virus(HRSV)bronchiolitis in early childhood and subsequent asthma is well established.The long-term prognosis for non-bronchiolitis lower respiratory tract infections(LRTI)caused by viruses different from HRSV and rhinovirus,on the other hand,has received less interest.AIM To investigate the relationship between infant LRTI and later asthma and examine the influence of confounding factors.METHODS The PubMed and Global Index Medicus bibliographic databases were used to search for articles published up to October 2021 for this systematic review.We included cohort studies comparing the incidence of asthma between patients with and without LRTI at≤2 years regardless of the virus responsible.The meta-analysis was performed using the random effects model.Sources of heterogeneity were assessed by stratified analyses.RESULTS This review included 15 articles(18 unique studies)that met the inclusion criteria.LRTIs at≤2 years were associated with an increased risk of subsequent asthma up to 20 years[odds ratio(OR)=5.0,95%CI:3.3-7.5],with doctor-diagnosed asthma(OR=5.3,95%CI:3.3-8.6),current asthma(OR=5.4,95%CI:2.7-10.6),and current medication for asthma(OR=1.2,95%CI:0.7-3.9).Our overall estimates were not affected by publication bias(P=0.671),but there was significant heterogeneity[I 2=58.8%(30.6-75.5)].Compared to studies with hospitalized controls without LRTI,those with ambulatory controls had a significantly higher strength of association between LRTIs and subsequent asthma.The strength of the association between LRTIs and later asthma varied significantly by country and age at the time of the interview.The sensitivity analyses including only studies with similar proportions of confounding factors(gender,age at LRTI development,age at interview,gestational age,birth weight,weight,height,smoking exposure,crowding,family history of atopy,and family history of asthma)between cases and controls did not alter the overall estimates.CONCLUSION Regardless of the causative virus and confounding factors,viral LRTIs in children<2 years are associated with an increased risk of developing a subsequent asthma.Parents and pediatricians should be informed of this risk.

Clinical Observation on 46 Cases of Infantile Repeated Respiratory Tract Infection Treated by Mild-Moxibustion over Acupoints on Back

Repeated respiratory tract infection is a frequently-occurring disease during childhood. At present, western medicine doctors generally adopt anti-infectives and immunomodulators to treat the disease, while traditional Chinese medicine doctors mainly administer decoction of Chinese herbs. The authors treated 46 cases of repeated respiratory tract infection from March 1990 to April 1996 by applying mild-moxibustion over points on the back with satisfactory therapeutic results. A report follows.Clinical Data All the 86 cases were outpatients in our hospital with duration of common cold for over 10 days and characterized by relapse of respiratory tract infection. There were over 7-time relapse of respiratory tract infection on each case within a year. Eighty-six cases were randomly divided into treatment group (46 cases) and control group (40 cases). Of the 46 cases in the treatment group, 22 were boys and 24 girls. 17 cases (36.9%) were 6 months to 4 years old, 18 (39.1%) 4 to 6 years, and 11 (23.9%) 6 to 12 years. Among the 40 cases in the control group, 19 cases were boys and 21 girls.

sCD14-ST联合IL-6对细菌性呼吸道感染患儿的诊断价值

目的探讨可溶性白细胞分化抗原14亚型(sCD14-ST)联合白细胞介素-6(IL-6)对细菌性呼吸道感染患儿的诊断价值。方法选取2021年4月至2022年4月该院收治的55例细菌性呼吸道感染患儿作为观察组,另选取同期在该院健康体检的55例儿童作为对照组。检测并比较两组sCD14-ST、IL-6水平,采用Pearson相关分析细菌性呼吸道感染患儿sCD14-ST水平与IL-6水平的相关性,采用多因素Logistic回归分析儿童发生细菌性呼吸道感染的危险因素,绘制受试者工作特征曲线分析血清sCD14-ST、IL-6对儿童发生细菌性呼吸道感染的诊断价值。结果观察组血清sCD14-ST、IL-6水平均高于对照组,差异均有统计学意义(P<0.05)。Pearson相关分析结果显示,细菌性呼吸道感染患儿血清sCD14-ST水平与IL-6水平呈正相关(r=0.422,P=0.001)。多因素Logistic回归分析结果显示,sCD14-ST>443.82 pg/mL、IL-6>13.75 pg/mL是儿童发生细菌性呼吸道感染的独立危险因素(P<0.05)。2项指标联合诊断儿童发生细菌性呼吸道感染的曲线下面积为0.887(95%CI:0.741~0.975),灵敏度为90.91%,特异度为80.00%。结论sCD14-ST>443.82 pg/mL、IL-6>13.75 pg/mL是儿童发生细菌性呼吸道感染的独立危险因素,2项指标联合检测能提高对儿童发生细菌性呼吸道感染的诊断价值。

儿童急性呼吸道感染者PA、PSP、CD64、sCD14-ST的变化及其诊断价值

目的 探讨儿童急性呼吸道感染者血前白蛋白(PA)、血清胰石蛋白(PSP)、免疫球蛋白G Fc段受体I(CD64)、可溶性白细胞分化抗原14亚型(sCD14-ST)的变化及其临床诊断价值。方法 回顾性选取2019年9月至2023年3月眉山市四所医院收治的498例儿童急性呼吸道感染患儿作为研究组,根据咽拭子细菌培养结果将其分为细菌感染组232例和非细菌感染组266例;另选取同期体检的健康儿童506例作为对照组。检测所有儿童的血清PA、PSP、外周血sCD14-ST水平、CD64指数。比较三组儿童的临床资料,同时比较研究组和对照组以及细菌感染组和非细菌感染组患儿的血清PA、PSP、外周血sCD14-ST水平、CD64指数;采用受试者工作特征曲线(ROC)分析血清PA、PSP、外周血sCD14-ST水平、CD64指数单独及联合检测对儿童急性呼吸道感染的诊断价值。结果 研究组患儿的血清PA水平明显低于对照组,而血清PSP、外周血sCD14-ST水平、CD64指数则明显高于对照组,差异均有统计学意义(P<0.05);细菌感染组患儿的血清PA水平明显低于非细菌感染组,而血清PSP、外周血sCD14-ST水平、CD64指数则明显高于非细菌感染组,差异均有统计学意义(P<0.05);绘制ROC获得血清PA、PSP、外周血sCD14-ST水平、CD64指数单独及联合检测诊断儿童急性呼吸道感染患儿的AUC分别为0.885、0.780、0.818、0.848、0.934。其中,联合诊断的AUC高于各项单独检测(P<0.05),且联合检测的敏感度和特异度为89.20%,81.40%,诊断价值均较高。结论 儿童急性呼吸道感染者血清PA水平呈低表达,血清PSP、外周血sCD14-ST水平、CD64指数呈高表达;且细菌感染较非细菌感染的儿童急性呼吸道感染患儿血清PA水平降低,而血清PSP、外周血sCD14-ST水平和CD64指数则升高;联合检测血清PA、PSP、外周血sCD14-ST水平、CD64指数有助于诊断儿童急性呼吸道感染。

Alterations of intestinal flora and the effects of probiotics in children with recurrent respiratory tract infection

Background Recurrent respiratory tract infection (RRTI) is a disease occurred frequently in preschool children.Methods A total of 120 RRTI children were randomly divided into active group,remission group,intervention group and control group,meanwhile 30 healthy children were selected as the healthy group.Children in the intervention group were given oral Bifidobaeterium tetravaccine tablets (Live) for 2 months,while the control group received routine treatment.Stool sample were detected to analyze the bacterial strains.The occurrence of respiratory tract infection (RTI) was compared between different groups during 1 year follow-up.Results Compared with the healthy group,the number of Bifidobacteria and Lactobacilli in the active group,remission group,intervention group and control group was significantly decreased (P < 0.05).The number of Bifidobacteria and Lactobacilli in the intervention group was significantly higher compared to other RRTI groups (P < 0.05).During the follow-up period,the average annual frequency of different acute RTI and use of antibiotics were significantly reduced (P < 0.05),the average duration of cough,fever and use of antibiotics at each episode were also significantly shortened (P < 0.05) in the intervention group compared to the control group.Conclusions Children with RRTI are susceptible to intestinal flora imbalance.Oral probiotics can effectively improve the RRTI intestinal microecological balance in children and reduce the frequency of RTI.

Burden of RSV among inpatients with lower respiratory tract infection under 5 years of age: A 10-year retrospective study in Southwest China from 2009 to 2019

Objectives:Respiratory syncytial virus(RSV)is a leading cause of lower respiratory tract infection(LRTI).However,few comprehensive descriptions of the disease burden,medical resource utilization(MRU),and costs of RSV are available for China.This study aimed to provide the basis for the development of RSV prevention strategies by analyzing the burden of RSV among inpatients with lower respiratory tract infection under 5 years of age.Methods:We conducted a retrospective hospital-based study from June 2009 to May 2019 in Chongqing.Inpatients with LRTI were tested for eight viruses.We analyzed the RSV disease burden,MRU,and direct hospitalization costs by using non-parametric Mann‒Whitney U test,Chi-squared test or Fisher’s exact test and logistic regression.Results:A total of 6991 children under 5 years of age with LRTI were included in this study.The overall RSVpositive rate was 34.5%(2410/6991).Prior to admission,81.9%(1973/2410)of these RSV-positive cases were otherwise healthy.Compared with children aged 24–59 months,the odds ratio(OR)and 95%confidence interval(CI)for RSV infection were 2.509(2.139–2.945),1.882(1.549–2.222),and 1.479(1.240–1.765)for those aged 1–5 months,6–11 months,and 12–23 months,respectively.The proportions of patients treated with invasive ventilation and continuous positive airway pressure(CPAP)were significantly higher among RSV-positive cases(1.1%[27/2410]and 3.9%[93/2410])than RSV-negative cases(0.9%[43/4581]and 2.7%[124/4581])(P=0.023).Compared with RSV-negative cases,RSV-positive cases had significantly longer hospital length of stay(6[5,8]days vs.6[5,8]days,P<0.001)and higher hospitalization costs(963.0[757.9,1298.5]USD vs.935.6[719.7,1296.3]USD,P=0.022).Conclusions:Most RSV infections occurred during early childhood and among individuals in the otherwise healthy group.Younger age was associated with a higher RSV-positive rate.Effective prevention measures are needed in the earliest stages to reduce the RSV burden.

mNGS检测肺泡灌洗液病原体在儿童下呼吸道感染中的应用价值

目的本研究旨在深入探究支气管肺泡灌洗液宏基因二代测序技术(mNGS)在儿童重症或难治性下呼吸道感染病原学检测中的独特优势及其对临床治疗的指导意义。方法回顾性分析江西省儿童医院呼吸内科在2021年10月至2022年10月期间收治的50例重症或难治性下呼吸道感染患儿的临床资料,所有患儿均接受了肺泡灌洗液mNGS检测以及传统方法检测(包括痰培养、肺泡灌洗液培养、血培养、病原血清学检测等)。通过对mNGS及传统方法检测结果的分析和判读,比较不同检测方法的阳性率、病原学分布、监测时间及检测结果的一致性等多个关键指标。同时,我们结合患儿的临床资料,依据检测结果判断病原菌,并据此调整抗感染治疗方案。结果灌洗液mNGS检测的阳性率显著高于传统方法检测(96%vs 52%),且对细菌、病毒、真菌的检测阳性率同样高于传统方法。此外,传统病原菌培养的平均耗时超过72小时,而mNGS的检测时间仅为24小时,检测周期显著缩短。更重要的是,mNGS指导下的抗感染方案调整指导率明显高于传统方法检测(42%vs 6%)。结论支气管肺泡灌洗液mNGS技术的应用能够显著提高重症或难治性儿童下呼吸道感染病原体的检出率,为临床提供快速、准确的病原体检测手段。同时,该技术能够有效指导临床用药,提高治疗效果,降低死亡率,为儿童重症或难治性下呼吸道感染的诊疗提供了新的有力工具。

Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus disease is rare in children: An update from Saudi Arabia

AIM To summarize the reported Middle East respiratory syndrome-coronavirus(MERS-Co V) cases, the associated clinical presentations and the outcomes. METHODS We searched the Saudi Ministry of Health website, the World Health Organization website, and the Flutracker website. We also searched MEDLINE and Pub Med for the keywords: Middle East respiratory syndromecoronavirus, MERS-Co V in combination with pediatric, children, childhood, infancy and pregnancy from the initial discovery of the virus in 2012 to 2016. The retrieved articles were also read to further find other articles. Relevant data were placed into an excel sheet and analyzed accordingly. Descriptive analytic statistics were used in the final analysis as deemed necessary.RESULTS From June 2012 to April 19, 2016, there were a total of 31 pediatric MERS-Co V cases. Of these cases 13(42%) were asymptomatic and the male to female ratio was 1.7:1. The mean age of patients was 9.8 ± 5.4 years. Twenty-five(80.6%) of the cases were reported from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The most common source of infection was household contact(10 of 15 with reported source) and 5 patients acquired infection within a health care facility. Using real time reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction of pediatric patients revealed that 9 out of 552(1.6%) was positive in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. CONCLUSION Utilizing serology for MERS-CoV infection in Jordan andSaudi Arabia did not reveal any positive patients. Thus, the number of the pediatric MERS-CoV is low; the exact reason for the low prevalence of the disease in children is not known.

Safety and efficacy of Yupingfeng granules in children with recurrent respiratory tract infection:A randomized clinical trial

Importance:Recurrent respiratory tract infection(RRTI)is common in children.Inappropriate RRTI treatment will lead to asthma and other diseases,thereby seriously affecting the growth and physical health of children.Immune function modulation can prevent and alleviate childhood RRTI.Yupingfeng(YPF),a patented traditional Chinese medicine(TCM),has immunomodulatory effects and is widely used in China to treat children with RRTI.Objective:To evaluate the safety and efficacy of YPF monotherapy in treating children with RRTI.Methods:This multicenter,randomized,double-blind,double-simulation,noninferiority clinical trial was conducted from January 2015 to August 2017,with an 8-week treatment period and 52-week follow-up after the drug withdrawal.Children aged 2–6 years with RRTI meeting the inclusion and exclusion criteria were enrolled in 13 hospitals in China and divided randomly into three groups(2:2:1 ratio)to receive YPF,pidotimod,or placebo.The primary outcome was the proportion of RRTI returning to normal standard level during the follow-up.The secondary outcomes were reduction in the number of RRTI recurrences,effect on clinical symptoms(in accord with TCM practice),effect per symptom,and safety.The trial was registered at the Chinese Clinical Trials Registry(www.chictr.org.cn)under the unique identifier ChiCTR-IPR-15006847.Results:Three hundred and fifty-one children were enrolled and randomly assigned to 3 groups;124,125,and 61 children in the YPF,pidotimod,and placebo groups,respectively,had completed the trial.During the follow-up,the proportion of RRTI returning to normal standard level was 73.13%,67.15%,and 38.81%with YPF,pidotimod,and placebo,respectively(P<0.0001).The proportion of cases who returned to normal standard level in the YPF group was 34.32%higher than that in the placebo group.The safety profile did not significantly differ among the groups.Interpretation:YPF granules were noninferior to the active control drug pidotimod oral solution for the treatment of RRTI in children,and were superior to placebo,with a high safety profile.

From infections to autoimmunity:Diagnostic challenges in common variable immunodeficiency

Common variable immunodeficiency(CVID)is the most common clinically significant primary antibody deficiency diagnosed in adults.The early symptoms are not specific.They include common infections,mainly of the respiratory tract,caused by typical microorganisms,so cases can be missed in primary care.In the majority of patients increased susceptibility to infections coexists with signs or symptoms of autoimmunity,inflammation or polyclonal lymphoproliferation,which can divert diagnosis from immune deficiency.The overall incidence of malignancy is increased in CVID and certain cancers are significantly more common.Lymphomas and gastric carcinoma are the most frequently reported malignancies in CVID,so a high index of suspicion is recommended.Diagnostic delay in CVID is seen worldwide.The main goal of this paper is to increase the awareness about CVID among health care professionals.We aim to present features which can be helpful in CVID diagnosis in order to shorten the“latency”of proper management of CVID patients.We review clinical symptoms,complications and laboratory abnormalities of CVID.Immunoglobulin replacement therapy is regarded as the cornerstone of pharmacological intervention.New modes of Ig application,mainly subcutaneously and via the hyaluronidase-facilitated subcutaneous route,help to adjust therapy to patients’needs and preferences.Still there remain unmet needs.It remains to be seen whether CVID complications can be avoided by earlier diagnosis,treatment and thorough monitoring in the context of increased risk of malignancy.Development of patient tailored protocols depending on the clinical phenotype and risk factors might be more appropriate.The most important consideration is to diagnose suspected cases and stratify patients in a precise and timely way.Work is needed to define features predictive of unfavorable prognosis.