Predictive value of bronchoscopy combined with CT score for refractory mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia in children.

INTRODUCTION: Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia (MPP) is prevalent in paediatric patients and can progress to refractory mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia (RMPP). OBJECTIVE: To assess the predictive value of bronchoscopy combined with computed tomography (CT) score in identifying RMPP in children. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was conducted on 244 paediatric patients with MP, categorising them into RMPP and general mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia (GMPP) groups. A paired t-test compared the bronchitis score (BS) and CT score before and after treatment, supplemented by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis. RESULTS: The RMPP group showed higher incidences of extrapulmonary complications and pleural effusion (58.10% and 40%, respectively) compared with the GMPP group (44.60%, p = 0.037 and 18.71%, p < 0.001, respectively). The CT scores for each lung lobe were statistically significant between the groups, except for the right upper lobe (p < 0.05). Correlation analysis between the total CT score and total BS yielded r = 0.346 and p < 0.001. The ROC for BS combined with CT score, including area under the curve, sensitivity, specificity, and cut-off values, were 0.82, 0.89, 0.64, and 0.53, respectively. CONCLUSION: The combined BS and CT score method is highly valuable in identifying RMPP in children.

Optimization strategy for the early timing of bronchoalveolar lavage treatment for children with severe mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia.

BACKGROUND: Early evaluation of severe mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia (SMPP) and the prompt utilization of fiberoptic bronchoscopic manipulation can effectively alleviate complications and restrict the progression of sequelae. This study aim to establish a nomogram forecasting model for SMPP in children and explore an optimal early therapeutic bronchoalveolar lavage (TBAL) treatment strategy. METHODS: This retrospective study included children with mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia (MPP) from January 2019 to December 2021. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to screen independent risk factors for SMPP and establish a nomogram model. The bootstrap method was employed and a receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curve was drawn to evaluate the accuracy and robustness of the model. Kaplan-Meier analysis was used to assess the effect of lavage and hospitalization times. RESULTS: A total of 244 cases were enrolled in the study, among whom 68 with SMPP and 176 with non-SMPP (NSMPP). A prediction model with five independent risk factors: left upper lobe computed tomography (CT) score, sequential organ failure assessment (SOFA) score, acute physiology and chronic health assessment (APACHE) II score, bronchitis score (BS), and c-reactive protein (CRP) was established based on the multivariate logistic regression analysis. The ROC curve of the prediction model showed the area under ROC curve (AUC) was 0.985 (95% confidence interval (CI) 0.972-0.997). The Hosmer-Lemeshow goodness-of-fit test results showed that the nomogram model predicted the risk of SMPP well (χ2 = 2.127, P = 0.977). The log-rank result suggested that an early BAL treatment could shorten MPP hospitalization time (P = 0.0057). CONCLUSION: This nomogram model, based on the left upper lobe CT score, SOFA score, APACHE II score, BS, and CRP level, represents a valuable tool to predict the risk of SMPP in children and optimize the timing of TBAL.

Long noncoding RNA SBF2-AS1 act as a ceRNA to modulate cell proliferation via binding with miR-188-5p in acute myeloid leukemia.

LncRNA SBF2-AS1 has been reported to be implicated in the deterioration of multiple human cancers. However, the roles and underlying mechanisms of SBF2-AS1 in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) are still unclear. In the present study, the online GEPIA database showed that SBF2-AS1 expression was significantly increased in AML samples. QRT-PCR results showed that SBF2-AS1 expression was upregulated in AML cells. CCK-8 assay revealed that SBF2-AS1 inhibition decreased AML cells proliferation ability in vitro. Flow cytometry assays showed that SBF2-AS1 inhibition induced AML cells apoptosis and arrested AML cells in G0/G1 phase. Mechanistically, miR-188-5p was identified as a direct target of SBF2-AS1. SBF2-AS1 upregulated the expression level of ZFP91 by sponging miR-188-5p. And the effects of SBF2-AS1 suppression on AML cells progression could be abolished by miR-188-5p inhibitors. Moreover, we found that SBF2-AS1 inhibition reduced tumor growth in vivo. Taken together, our findings elucidated that SBF2-AS1 could act as a miRNA sponge in AML progression, and provided a potential therapeutic strategy for AML treatment.

Melittin ameliorates CVB3-induced myocarditis via activation of the HDAC2-mediated GSK-3ß/Nrf2/ARE signaling pathway.

Viral myocarditis (VMC) is characterized as an inflammatory process of the myocardium and can be fatal in infants and children. Melittin is a major polypeptide in honey bee venom that has been traditionally used against inflammation. However, its effect on VMC and the underlying molecular mechanism has not been reported. In this study, BALB/c mice were intraperitoneally injected with CVB3 to build a VMC model and treated with melittin. The results showed that melittin increased the mice's body weight and inhibited CVB3 replication. HE staining also showed that melittin alleviated myocardial injury in the VMC model. Flow cytometry showed that melittin inhibited myocardial cell apoptosis; in addition, real-time PCR showed that melittin decreased the expression of bax and caspase-3, and increased the expression of bcl-2. The results of echocardiographic examination showed that melittin improved cardiac function. Moreover, melittin decreased the activity of AST, CK, HBDH and LDH, and decreased the production of IL-1ß, IL-6, TNF-α and MCP-1 in CVB3-induced myocardial tissues. Finally, we also found that melittin increased the expression of HDAC2 and activated the GSK-3ß/Nrf2/ARE signaling pathway, whereas these changes were reversed by inhibition of HDAC2 in VMC model mice. In conclusion, our results suggested that melittin ameliorates CVB3-induced myocarditis via activation of the HDAC2-mediated GSK-3ß/Nrf2/ARE signaling pathway.

MicroRNA-203 inhibits the malignant progression of neuroblastoma by targeting Sam68.

Neuroblastoma (NB) is the most common solid extracranial tumor in children. However, the molecular mechanism of NB remains to be elucidated. In the present study, reverse transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction data demonstrated that the expression of Sam68 was significantly upregulated in NB tissues compared with their matched adjacent normal tissues. Furthermore, it was revealed that reduced expression of miR­203 and increased expression of Sam68 co­existed in NB tissues. Knockdown of Sam68 reduced the proliferation, migration and invasion of human SK­N­SH and SH­SY5Y NB cells. Similarly, overexpression of miR­203 also inhibited the proliferation, migration and invasion of these two cell lines. It was further demonstrated that the protein expression level of Sam68 was negatively mediated by miR­203 in the SK­N­SH and SH­SY5Y NB cells. Additionally, data from a dual luciferase reporter assay confirmed that miR­203 directly targeted Sam68 by binding to its 3'­untranslated region. In conclusion, the present study suggested for the first time, to the best of our knowledge, that the aberrant downregulation of miR­203 may contribute to the aberrant upregulation of Sam68 in NB and that miR­203 has an inhibitory role in malignant progression of NB by targeting Sam68. The present study provided evidence to support miR-203/Sam68 as a novel diagnostic or therapeutic targets for NB.

Clinical effects of surgical and Gamma Knife treatments on hippocampal sclerosis-induced intractable epilepsy of children below age 10 years.

OBJECTIVE: To discuss the treatment effects and costs of surgery and Gamma Knife on hippocampal sclerosis (HS)-induced intractable epilepsy of children below age 10 years. METHODS: The children below age 10 years who suffered from HS-induced intractable epilepsy from June 2010 to June 2012 were subjected to surgical and Gamma Knife treatments respectively according to their preference. RESULTS: The short-term curative rates of the surgical group and the Gamma Knife group were 93.51% and 54.87%, respectively. The average expenses of the two groups were 10,000 CNY (Chinese Yuan) and 22,000 CNY, respectively. CONCLUSION: The two groups were treated safely and effectively, but the surgical treatment led to better results at a reduced cost.