[A multicenter study on respiratory pathogen detection with Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia in children].

Objective: To analyze the status of respiratory pathogen detection and the clinical features in children with Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia (MPP). Methods: A prospective, multicenter study was conducted to collect clinical data, including medical history, laboratory examinations and multiplex PCR tests of children diagnosed with MPP from 4 hospitals in China between November 15th and December 20th, 2023. The multiplex PCR results and clinical characteristics of MPP children in different regions were analyzed. The children were divided into severe and mild groups according to the severity of the disease. Patients in the severe group were further divided into Mycoplasma pneumoniae (MP) alone and Multi-pathogen co-detection groups based on whether other pathogens were detected besides MP, to analyze the influence of respiratory pathogen co-detection rate on the severity of the disease. Mann-Whitney rank sum test and Chi-square test were used to compare data between independent groups. Results: A total of 298 children, 136 males and 162 females, were enrolled in this study, including 204 children in the severe group with an onset age of 7.0 (6.0, 8.0) years, and 94 children in the mild group with an onset age of 6.5 (4.0, 7.8) years. The level of C-reactive protein, D-dimer, lactic dehydrogenase (LDH) were significantly higher (10.0 (5.0, 18.0) vs. 5.0 (5.0, 7.5) mg/L, 0.6 (0.4, 1.1) vs. 0.5 (0.3, 0.6) mg/L, 337 (286, 431) vs. 314 (271, 393) U/L, Z=2.02, 2.50, 3.05, all P<0.05), and the length of hospitalization was significantly longer in the severe group compared with those in mild group (6.0 (6.0, 7.0) vs. 5.0 (4.0, 6.0) d, Z=4.37, P<0.05). The time from onset to admission in severe MPP children was significantly shorter than that in mild MPP children (6.0 (5.0, 9.5) vs. 9.0 (7.0, 13.0) d, Z=2.23, P=0.026). All patients completed the multiplex PCR test, with 142 cases (47.7%) MPP children detected with 21 pathogens including adenovirus 25 cases (8.4%), human coronavirus 23 cases (7.7%), rhinovirus 21 cases (7.0%), Streptococcus pneumoniae 21 cases (7.0%), influenza A virus 18 cases (6.0%). The pathogens with the highest detection rates in Tianjin, Shanghai, Wenzhou and Chengdu were Staphylococcus aureus at 10.7% (8/75), adenovirus at 13.0% (10/77), adenovirus at 15.3% (9/59), and both rhinovirus and Haemophilus influenzae at 11.5% (10/87) each. The multi-pathogen co-detection rate in severe MPP children was significantly higher than that in mild MPP group (52.9% (108/204) vs. 36.2% (34/94), χ²=10.62,P=0.005). Among severe MPP children, there are 89 cases in the multi-pathogen co-detection group and 73 cases in the simple MPP group. The levels of LDH, D-dimer and neutrophil counts in the multi-pathogen co-detection group were significantly higher than those in the simple MPP group (348 (284, 422) vs. 307 (270, 358) U/L, 0.8 (0.5, 1.5) vs. 0.6 (0.4, 1.0) mg/L, 4.99 (3.66, 6.89)×109 vs. 4.06 (2.91, 5.65)×109/L, Z=5.17, 4.99, 6.11, all P<0.05). Conclusions: The co-detection rate of respiratory pathogens, LDH and D-dimer in children with severe MPP were higher than those with mild MPP. Among severe MPP children the stress response of children in co-detection group was more serious than that of children with simple MPP.

[A phase â dose-escalating trial of pegylated liposomal doxorubicin in combination with cyclophosphamide, vincristine and prednisone for aggressive non-Hodgkin lymphoma].

Objective: To explore the maximum tolerated dose of pegylated liposomal doxorubicin (PLD) in combination with cyclophosphamide, vincristine and prednisone as a modified CHOP regimen for aggressive non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Methods: Patients with newly diagnosed aggressive non-Hodgkin lymphoma were eligible for this trial. PLD was administered in cycle 1 and categorized into 4 dose level (30 mg/m2, 35 mg/m2, 40 mg/m2, 45 mg/m2 D1) according to a 3 + 3 approach for dose-escalation. Doxorubin was used in cycles 2-6. In this combination regimen, the doses of cyclophosphamide (750 mg/m2 D1), vincristine (1.4 mg/m2 D1, maximum dose of 2 mg) and prednisone (100 mg D1-5) were fixed. Toxicities of cycle 1 were documented. Results: Totally, 21 patients were enrolled in this trial. Among them, 15 patients had T-cell lymphoma and 6 had B-cell lymphoma. When the dose of PLD was escalated to the level of 45 mg/m2, 2 of 3 patients developed grade 3 mucositis, which met the criteria of dose-limiting toxicity. Therefore, the dose was de-escalated for one level. At the level of 40 mg/m2, only one among 12 patients had pneumonia and grade 4 neutropenia. In all dose levels, the grade 3/4 toxicities observed were neutropenia (13 cases, 61.9% ), mucositis (2 cases, 9.5% ), thrombocytopenia (1 case, 4.8%) and pneumonia (1 case, 4.8%). Conclusion: When combined with cyclophosphamide, vincristine and prednisone as a combination regimen, the maximum tolerated dose of PLD was 40 mg/m2.