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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

Background: With the ongoing outbreak of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), infected patients within and beyond the epidemic area, Wuhan, China, showed different epidemiological and clinical characteristics. Little is known about the pattern of coinfection with other common respiratory pathogens in COVID-19 patients outside of Wuhan. Methods: We conducted a double-centre study recruiting 68 patients with severe acute respiratory coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection confirmed by nucleic acid testing in Qingdao and Wuhan from January 17 to February 16, 2020. Indirect immuno-fluorescence was performed to detect the specific IgM antibody against common respiratory pathogens in collected acute phase serum. Findings: Of the 68 patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection, 30 (44.12%) were from Qingdao. The median age of Qingdao and Wuhan patients were 50 (IQR: 37-59) and 31 (IQR: 28-38) years, respectively, and the majority of patients were female in Qingdao (60.00%) and Wuhan (55.26%). Among COVID-19 patients in Qingdao, 24 (80.00%) of them had IgM antibodies against at least one respiratory pathogen, whereas only one (2.60%) of the patients in Wuhan had positive results for serum IgM antibody detection ( P

A retrospective analysis was performed for the clinical data of four children with Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-related acute liver failure. There were two boys and two girls with a median age of 10 months (range 8.5-44 months). Of the four children, three were diagnosed with infectious mononucleosis (IM), among whom two met the diagnostic criteria of hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH), and one was diagnosed with past EBV infection. All the children had positive EBV DNA in blood and all had pyrexia, hepatomegaly, and jaundice on admission. Three children had the symptom of splenomegaly, ascites, or vomiting. Two children had enlargement of cervical lymph nodes, skin rash, or pleural effusion. One child had gastrointestinal bleeding or stage 2 hepatic encephalopathy. All the children had an abnormal lymphocyte count of < 10%, and only one child had leukocytosis and thrombocytopenia. Among the four children, alanine aminotransferase level increased by 10-100 times; total bilirubin level increased by 3-5 times; lactate dehydrogenase level increased by many 10 times; prothrombin time prolonged significantly. All the children were given antiviral therapy with intravenously injected acyclovir or ganciclovir, as well as hepatocyte growth factor to promote hepatocyte growth and hormone to alleviate inflammatory response. Two children were given plasma exchange in addition, among whom one was given the combination of continuous venovenous hemodiafiltration. Two children with HLH were given chemotherapy according to the HLH-2004 regimen. Three children survived, and one child with HLH died of multiple organ failure. It is concluded that EBV infection can cause acute liver failure and that early use of multimodality therapy including blood purification may be beneficial for prognosis in these children.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the association between rs9722 polymorphisms in the S100B gene and hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) caused by enterovirus 71. METHODS: A total of 124 HFMD children with enterovirus 71 infection were enrolled as subjects, and 56 healthy children were enrolled as control group. The rs9722 polymorphisms in the S100B gene were detected for both groups, and the serum level of S100B protein was measured for 74 HFMD children. RESULTS: The rs9722 locus of the S100B gene had three genotypes, CC, CT, and TT, and the genotype frequencies were in accordance with Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. Compared with the control group, the HFMD group had significant increases in the frequencies of TT genotype and T allele (P < 0.01). Children with severe HFMD caused by enterovirus 71 infection had significantly higher frequencies of TT genotype and T allele than those with moderate or mild HFMD (P < 0.05). Compared with the cured patients, the patients with poor prognosis had significant increases in the frequencies of TT genotype and T allele in the rs9722 locus of the S100B gene (P < 0.05). Among the 74 children with HFMD, the children with TT genotype had the highest serum level of S100B protein, and those with CC genotype had the lowest level (P < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: T allele in the rs9722 locus of the S100B gene might be a risk factor for severe HFMD caused by enterovirus 71 infection.