Postmeningitic pediatric hearing loss from non-type b Haemophilus influenzae.

BACKGROUND: Postmeningitic hearing loss from Haemophilus influenzae (H. influenzae) is increasingly due to encapsulated serotypes other than type b (Hib) and nontypeable strains (collectively, nHiB H. influenzae). Pediatric hearing loss after nHib H. influenzae meningitis remains poorly described. METHODS: Retrospecive case series of nHiB H. influenzae meningitis cases identified from a microbiologic database at Children's Hospital Colorado from 2000 to 2020. Literature regarding nHiB H. influenzae and H. influenzae postmeningitic hearing loss was also reviewed. RESULTS: Eleven cases of nHib H. influenzae meningitis (median age 15.9 months) were identified due to serotype f (36 %), serotype a (27 %), and nontypable strains (36 %). Seven (64 %) patients were male, 55 % were white and 18 % were Hispanic or Latino. Hearing loss was initially identified in 4 children (40 %), with two patients with moderate conductive hearing loss (CHL) and one child with unilateral moderate sensorineural (SNHL) hearing loss patients recovering normal hearing. One patient with bilateral profound sensorineural hearing loss and associated labyrinthitis ossificans required cochlear implantation. All children (4) with identified hearing loss were noted to have additional intracranial sequelae, which included empyema (2), sinus thrombosis (2), and seizures (2). Of patients receiving steroids, 25 % had hearing loss on initial testing, compared to 66 % of those who did not receive steroids. CONCLUSIONS: nHib H. influenzae can cause both transient and permanent postmeningitic hearing loss. Steroids may offer otoprotection in nHib H. influenzae meningitis similar to Hib meningitis. Given the limited literature, further study is needed to better characterize hearing outcomes after nHib H. influenzae meningitis.

The Effect of Social Vulnerability on Perioperative Tonsillectomy Outcomes in Children.

OBJECTIVE: To determine if children with greater social vulnerability are more likely to experience a prolonged oxygen requirement (POR) following adenotonsillectomy to inform the need for overnight monitoring prior to discharge. METHODS: A previously published prospective study assessing children observed overnight following adenotonsillectomy for obstructive sleep-disordered breathing was reanalyzed including social vulnerability index (SVI). The outcome was POR beyond 3 h following extubation. Logistic regression was used to assess the association of SVI components with POR. SVI components were assessed as quartiles of cohort values. Final adjusted models included race, asthma, Down syndrome, and pre-operative SpO2. RESULTS: A total of 462 children had SVI data available and were included. 354 (76.6%) were > = 3 years of age. Overall, 351 (76%) did not have a POR. The median overall SVI percentile was 26.5 (Q1 10.4, Q3 60.1). When categorized by SVI quartiles, there was a statistically significant difference with POR for overall SVI percentile (p = 0.007), SVI household composition percentile (p = 0.033), and median SVI housing/transportation percentile (p = 0.005). Individuals with an overall SVI in the 4th quartile (greatest vulnerability) were 2.63 times more likely to experience a POR than those in the 1st quartile (lowest social vulnerability) in adjusted logistic regression (95% OR CI 1.23-5.62; p = 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: There is a significant association between greater neighborhood-level social vulnerability and a POR following adenotonsillectomy. We propose that a child's SVI be considered when planning for the perioperative course following adenotonsillectomy. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 3 Laryngoscope, 134:2449-2454, 2024.

Multi-Autoantibody Testing Identifies Expansion of Reactivity to Targeted Antigens Before a Diagnosis of Rheumatoid Arthritis.

OBJECTIVE: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) has a "pre-RA" period in which multiple autoantibodies, including antibodies to citrullinated (cit) proteins (ACPA), rheumatoid factor (RF), anti-peptidyl arginine deiminase (anti-PAD), among others, have been described; however, few studies have tested all autoantibodies in a single pre-RA cohort. This study aims to evaluate the prevalence of multiple autoantibodies in pre-RA and potentially identify an autoantibody profile in pre-RA that indicates imminent onset of clinical RA. METHODS: We evaluated 148 individuals with two pre- and one post-RA diagnosis samples available from the Department of Defense Serum Repository and matched controls. Samples were tested for immuglobulin (Ig) G anti-cyclic cit peptide-3 (anti-CCP3), five ACPA fine specificities, five anti-PAD isoforms, as well as RF IgA and RF IgM using commercial platforms; cutoffs were determined using levels present in <1% of controls. RESULTS: Positivity of anti-CCP3, RF IgA and RF IgM, anti-PAD1, anti-cit-vimentin 2, anti-cit-fibrinogen, and anti-cit-histone 1 increased over time in pre-RA, although anti-PAD and ACPA fine specificities were predominately present within anti-CCP3-positive individuals. Within anti-CCP3-positive samples from the pre-RA period, positivity for RFs as well as anti-PAD and ACPA fine specificities classified samples as being closer to the time of RA diagnosis. CONCLUSION: Multiple autoantibodies are present in pre-RA and increase in positivity as the time of RA diagnosis approaches. These results confirm previous findings predicting imminent RA and provide a pathway using commercial-grade assays to assess the risk for and timing of development of clinical RA.

Otitis Media in Children with Down Syndrome Is Associated with Shifts in the Nasopharyngeal and Middle Ear Microbiotas.

Background: Otitis media (OM) is defined as middle ear (ME) inflammation that is usually due to infection. Globally, OM is a leading cause of hearing loss and is the most frequently diagnosed disease in young children. For OM, pediatric patients with Down syndrome (DS) demonstrate higher incidence rates, greater severity, and poorer outcomes. However, to date, no studies have investigated the bacterial profiles of children with DS and OM. Method: We aimed to determine if there are differences in composition of bacterial profiles or the relative abundance of individual taxa within the ME and nasopharyngeal (NP) microbiotas of pediatric OM patients with DS (n = 11) compared with those without DS (n = 84). We sequenced the 16S rRNA genes and analyzed the sequence data for diversity indices and relative abundance of individual taxa. Results: Individuals with DS demonstrated increased biodiversity in their ME and NP microbiotas. In children with OM, DS was associated with increased biodiversity and higher relative abundance of specific taxa in the ME. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that dysbioses in the NP of DS children contributes to their increased susceptibility to OM compared with controls. These findings suggest that DS influences regulation of the mucosal microbiota and contributes to OM pathology.