Mycoplasma pneumoniae detections in children with lower respiratory infection before and during the COVID-19 pandemic: a large sample study in China from 2019 to 2022.

BACKGROUND: Nonpharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) implemented to reduce the transmission of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) have suppressed the spread of other respiratory viruses during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. This study aimed to explore the epidemiological trends and clinical characteristics of Mycoplasma pneumoniae (MP) infection among inpatient children with lower respiratory tract infection (LRTI) before and during the COVID-19 pandemic, and investigate the long-term effects of China's NPIs against COVID-19 on the epidemiology of MP among inpatient children with LRTI. METHODS: Children hospitalised for LRTI at the Department of Pulmonology, The Children's Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine (Hangzhou, China) between January 2019 and December 2022 were tested for common respiratory pathogens, including Mycoplasma pneumoniae (MP), Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) and other bacteria. Clinical data on age, sex, season of onset, disease spectrum, and combined infection in children with MP-induced LRTI in the past 4 years were collected and analysed. RESULTS: Overall, 15909 patients were enrolled, and MP-positive cases were 1971 (34.0%), 73 (2.4%), 176 (5.8%), and 952 (20.6%) in 2019, 2020, 2021, and 2022, respectively, with a significant statistical difference in the MP-positive rate over the 4 years (p <0.001). The median age of these children was preschool age (3-6 years), except for 2022, when they were school age (7-12 years), with statistical differences. Comparing the positive rates of different age groups, the school-age children (7-12 years) had the highest positive rate, followed by the preschoolers (3-6 years) in each of the 4 years. Compared among different seasons, the positive rate of MP in children with LRTI was higher in summer and autumn, whereas in 2020, it was highest in spring. The monthly positive rate peaked in July 2019, remained low from 2020 to 2021, and rebounded until 2022. Regarding the disease spectrum, severe pneumonia accounted for the highest proportion (46.3%) pre-pandemic and lowest (0%) in 2020. CONCLUSION: Trends in MP detection in children with LRTIs suggest a possible correlation between COVID-19 NPIs and significantly reduced detection rates. The positivity rate of MP gradually rose after 2 years. The epidemic season showed some differences, but school-age children were more susceptible to MP before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Epidemiological Trend of RSV Infection Before and During COVID-19 Pandemic: A Three-Year Consecutive Study in China.

Objective: This study aimed to explore the epidemiological trend and clinical characteristics of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection among inpatient children with lower respiratory tract infection (LRTI) before and during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Methods: A retrospective study of inpatients with LRTI was conducted at the Department of Pulmonology, The Children's Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine (Hangzhou, China) from January 2019 to December 2021. All respiratory specimens were tested for common respiratory pathogens. The clinical data in children with RSV-induced LRTI in the past three years were collected and analyzed. Results: A total of 11,290 patients were enrolled, and RSV positive cases were 402 (7.6%), 288 (9.6%), 415 (13.8%) in 2019, 2020, 2021, respectively, with a significant statistical difference of the RSV positive rate among the three groups (p < 0.001). Most patients were under 2-year old, especially under 1-year old, and the median age of patients was 4 months, 5 months, 6 months in 2019, 2020, 2021, respectively, with a tendency to increase in age. In terms of the seasonal distribution, most patients of LRTI with RSV infection were admitted in winter, while in 2021 compared with in 2019, the cases significantly reduced in winter and increased in autumn. From 2019 to 2021, there was an increase in autumn trend year by year. Conclusion: RSV infection was still an important cause of hospitalization in children with LRTI after the outbreak of COVID-19, and its proportion increased gradually. LRTI caused by RSV is still more common in infants under 1-year old, but there is a trend of increasing in older children. What deserves the attention of pediatricians and Center for Disease Control is that the incidence of RSV infection continues to rise in autumn, and the difference in seasonal distribution is narrowed.

Nanostructure Engineering Strategies of Cathode Materials for Room-Temperature Na-S Batteries.

Room-temperature sodium-sulfur (RT Na-S) batteries are considered to be a competitive electrochemical energy storage system, due to their advantages in abundant natural reserves, inexpensive materials, and superb theoretical energy density. Nevertheless, RT Na-S batteries suffer from a series of critical challenges, especially on the S cathode side, including the insulating nature of S and its discharge products, volumetric fluctuation of S species during the (de)sodiation process, shuttle effect of soluble sodium polysulfides, and sluggish conversion kinetics. Recent studies have shown that nanostructural designs of S-based materials can greatly contribute to alleviating the aforementioned issues via their unique physicochemical properties and architectural features. In this review, we review frontier advancements in nanostructure engineering strategies of S-based cathode materials for RT Na-S batteries in the past decade. Our emphasis is focused on delicate and highly efficient design strategies of material nanostructures as well as interactions of component-structure-property at a nanosize level. We also present our prospects toward further functional engineering and applications of nanostructured S-based materials in RT Na-S batteries and point out some potential developmental directions.

Foreign body aspiration in children with negative multi-detector Computed Tomography results: Own experience during 2011-2018.

OBJECTIVE: This study sought to summarize the clinical characteristics of foreign body aspiration(FBA) in children with negative multi-detector Computed Tomography(MDCT) results and to explore the essential points which determined the patients to undergo bronchoscopy. METHODS: The medical records of 48 pediatric patients admitted to the department of respiratory medicine in our hospital from January 2011 to October 2018 and diagnosed with foreign body aspiration and negative chest MDCT results were retrospectively analyzed. They were compared with the patients of FBA whose MDCT findings suggested indirect signs, such as atelectasis or emphysema. RESULTS: Of the 48 patients, 33 were boys (68.8%) and 15 girls (31.2%), with a mean age of 35.3 months(range, 7-156 months). Cough (47 cases, 97.9%), fever (25 cases, 52.1%) and wheezing (23 cases,47.9%)were the main symptoms.39 patients (81.3%) had abnormal physical signs. None of the MDCT or three dimension(3D) images based on MDCT revealed foreign bodies in these children, while the results were: signs of lung infection without atelectasis or emphysema 52.1%(25 cases), increase of lung markings16.7%(8 cases),bronchiectasis 6.3%(3 cases), or normal 27.1%(13 cases). 41 Patients were successfully removed their foreign bodies(A further 5 had the FB removed from the tracheobronchial tree but it was then swallowed before retrieval. The remaining 2 cases had to be referred to another hospital for further management), most of which were organic. The shapes of foreign bodies were small granular (23 cases, 56.1%), sheet or powder (18 cases, 43.9%). The control group was 13 patients of FBA whose MDCT findings suggested indirect signs of atelectasis or emphysema during the same time. The result of comparison showed the clear history of FBA was statistically different between the two groups. CONCLUSIONS: Foreign body aspiration could not be ruled out with negative MDCT in patients clinically suspected. Typical foreign body aspiration history and ineffective conservative treatment could provide important basis of performing bronchoscopy. Complicated with lung infection and the shape of foreign bodies may affect the false negative results of MDCT.

Interleukin-2 protects against endothelial dysfunction induced by high glucose levels in rats.

AIMS: Interleukin-2 (IL-2) can modulate cardiovascular functions, but the effect of IL-2 on vascular endothelial function in diabetes is not known. We hypothesized that IL-2 may attenuate endothelial dysfunction induced by high glucose or diabetes. So the aim of this study was to investigate the effect of IL-2 on endothelium-response of aortas incubated with high glucose or from diabetic rats and its underlying mechanism. METHODS: Acetylcholine (ACh)-induced endothelium-dependent relaxation (EDR), sodium nitroprusside (SNP)-induced endothelium-independent relaxation (EIR), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and nitric oxide synthase (NOS) were measured in aortas isolated from non-diabetic rats and exposed to a high glucose concentration and from streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats. RESULTS: Incubation of aortic rings with high glucose (44 mM) for 4 h resulted in a significant inhibition of EDR, but had no effects on EIR. Co-incubation with IL-2 for 40 min prevented the inhibition of EDR caused by high glucose in a concentration-dependent manner. Similarly, high glucose decreased SOD and NOS activity in aortic tissue. IL-2 (1000 U/ml) significantly attenuated the decrease of SOD and NOS activity caused by high glucose. In addition, EDR declined along with the decrease of serum NO level in aortas from STZ-induced diabetic rats. Injection of IL-2 (5000 and 50,000 U kg(-1) d(-1), s.c.) for 5 weeks prevented the inhibition of EDR and the decrease of serum NO levels caused by diabetes. CONCLUSIONS: IL-2 significantly ameliorated the endothelial dysfunction induced by hyperglycemia, in which the activation of the NO pathway and SOD may be involved.