Objective To investigate the clinical features of hospitalized children with pertussis.Methods The clinical data of 87 hospitalized children with pertussis admitted to Women and Children's Hospital Affiliated to Xiamen University from January 2019 to December 2022 were retrospectively analyzed.According to the age of the children,they were divided into group A(≤3 months of age,35 cases),group B(4-12 months of age,36 cases)and group C(>12 months of age,16 cases).The clinical features of children at different ages were compared.Results The majority of children with pertussis were<1 year old(81.61%),and August was the month of high incidence.Spastic cough(72.41%)was the main clinical manifestation.Other manifestations included redness or cyanosis,vomiting after coughing,crow echo,etc.There were statistically significant differences in the incidence of spastic cough,redness or cyanosis and the contact history of patients with chronic cough among three groups(P<0.05).There were significant differences in the incidence of pneumonia and the average length of hospital stay among three groups(P<0.05).There was significant difference in C-reactive protein level among three groups(P<0.05).Among 87 children with pertussis,37 cases(42.53%)were infected with other pathogens,among which virus infection was the most common.The treatment is effective with macrolides and compound sulfamethoxazole.Conclusion Pertussis is more common in infants under 1 year of age,and the incidence is high in August.Chronic cough patients with close contact may be the source of infection.Spastic cough is the main clinical symptom of children;the younger,the more common symptoms such as spastic cough,redness and cyanosis,the higher incidence of pneumonia and the longer hospital stay.

Objective:To establish and validate reference intervals of serum vitamin K for healthy children in China.Methods:A cross-sectional study was conducted from January 2020 to May 2023, involving 807 healthy children aged 0 to 14 years, selected by stratified random sampling based on the population distribution of children in eastern, central, western, and northeastern China. Sample collection was carried out in 16 hospitals across 12 provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities. Basic information of the children was collected using a standardized self-design questionnaire. Serum levels of vitamin K 1 and vitamin K 2 (menaquinone-4 (MK-4), menaquinone-7 (MK-7)) were measured using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. The reference intervals was established by direct approach. The children were divided into different groups by age. Inter-group comparisons were conducted using the Kruskal-Wallis non-parametric test, and the reference intervals ( P2.5- P97.5) were determined using non-parametric methods. Screening 40 healthy children for small sample validation based on age groups within the reference range(25 from eastern, 10 from central, and 5 from western regions). Results:The age of the 807 children was 5.00 (2.00, 9.81) years, and 495 (61.3%) were males and 312 (38.7%) females. Reference intervals were established for 795 children, of whom 303 children were aged 1 month to 3 years and 492 were aged 4 to 14 years. The reference intervals for serum vitamin K 1 were 0.09-4.54 μg/L for children aged 1 month to 3 years, and 0.10-1.73 μg/L for 4-14 years. For MK-7, the intervals were 0.07-1.42 μg/L for 1 month to 3 years and 0.19-2.03 μg/L for 4-14 years. The reference intervals for MK-4 in children aged 1 month to 14 years were 0-0.42 μg/L. The measured values of serum vitamin K 1, MK-4, and MK-7 in the validation samples did not exceed the reference limit in more than 2 samples. Conclusion:Reference intervals for vitamin K 1, MK-4, and MK-7 in healthy children aged 1 month to 14 years have been established and validated, and can be used to assess vitamin K nutritional status in children.

With the improvement of pediatric treatment level, the number of children with prolonged mechanical ventilation has increased rapidly.The transition of children from PICU to home mechanical ventilation is a very complex and arduous process that requires multi-faceted support and management.Long-term mechanically ventilated children and their families bear a huge social and psychological burden, and they need psychological support and humanistic care from the society.

Objective:To explore the feasibility and safety of long-term home mechanical ventilation(HMV) in children with chronic respiratory failure.Methods:Clinical data of 11 children with chronic respiratory failure, who underwent HMV with the care of the First Affiliated Hospital of Xiamen University from January 2013 to December 2019, were retrospectively reviewed. The clinical manifestation, growth and development, quality of life, adverse events and prognosis of HMV children were analyzed.Results:There were 8 boys and 3 girls with the onset age of 26 days to 13 years old; and the age at starting HMV was 3 months to 13 years old. Eight children were diagnosed as neuromuscular diseases, and 3 children were diagnosed as respiratory diseases. The duration of institutional mechanical ventilation was 2 weeks to 8 months. Six patients underwent invasive HMV via a tracheostomy, and 5 received non-invasive ventilation via nasal and face masks. Bi-level positive airway pressure ventilation mode was applied in all the patients. The duration of HMV was 3 months to 27 months. During follow-up, no HMV related adverse events were observed. Both the quality of life and nutritional status were improved in all cases. One patient lost follow-up 9 months later and 1 patient died of severe adenovirus pneumonia during hospitalization for examination, the remaining 9 cases survived. Liberation from HMV was obtained in 4 patients. The frequency of readmission was 1 to 2 times.Conclusion:It is suggested that long-term HMV is safe and feasible for children with chronic respiratory failure.

Objective: To investigate general condition of children′s rheumatic disease associated medical resources in Fujian Province. Methods: This questionnaire-based survey was conducted in 19 hospitals in Fujian province from December 2, 2018 to May 1, 2019. The questionnaire was designed to survey the general condition of the medical resources and the hospitalization of patients with rheumatic diseases from January 1, 2014 to December 1, 2018. Results: In the 19 hospitals, there were 15 general hospitals and 4 children′s hospitals, and only 5 hospitals had children′s rheumatic specialist clinic. There were only 53-62 beds for rheumatic disease patients in the 19 hospitals, accounting for 1.7%-2.0% of the total inpatient beds (3 137). There are 29 pediatric rheumatologists in total, accounting for 2.6% (29/1 120) of the total pediatricians. In the past five years, 613 patients with rheumatic diseases, accounting for 0.1% (613/625 214) of total hospitalized patients, were treated in these hospitals. Among them, 201 had juvenile idiopathic arthritis, 295 had systemic lupus erythematosus, 39 had dermatomyositis, 7 had scleroderma, and 57 had inflammatory bowel disease, 9 had Sjogren′s syndrome, 5 had Behcet′s disease, and none had overlap syndrome or mixed connective tissue disease. Conclusion The medical resources of children rheumatic diseases in Fujian province are insufficient which need to be developed.

Objective: To investigate potential biomarkers for different types of hand, foot and mouth disease(HFMD). Methods: Nuclear magnetic resonance(NMR)-based metabolomics methods were used to analyze the metabolic differences in serum of HFMD and healthy controls.Partial least squares discriminant analysis(PLS-DA)and orthogonal partial least square discriminant analysis(OPLS-DA)were used for analysis of metabolite profiles.Differential statistical analysis was performed by t tests using GraphPad Prism 5 software. Results: The levels of lipid, leucine, valine, β-hydroxybutyric acid, acetone, glucose, glycoprotein, glycerol, glycine, choline, trimethylamine oxide and lactate in HFMD increased significantly compared with healthy controls, whereas the levels of acetic acid and creatine decreased significantly.Additionally, the level of acetone further increased in the severe type of HFMD compared with the mild type, whereas the levels of lipid and trimethylamine oxide decreased. Conclusion These statistically significant differences are involved in lipid metabolism, glucose metabolism and protein metabolism in different types of HFMD.Lipid, acetone and trimethylamine oxide can be used as potential biomarkers of HFMD.

Objective: To explore the association between methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) C677T and A1298C gene polymorphisms and toxicity of Methotrexate(MTX) chemotherapy in pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). Methods: From January 2015 to June 2018, 128 pediatric patients with ALL in southern Fujian who were admitted at the First Affiliated Hospital of Xiamen University were selected.Their peripheral blood 2 mL was collected and genomic DNA was extracted.The MTHFR genotype was detected by polymerase chain reaction(PCR) direct sequencing method, and the clinical significance of HD-MTX on ALL children with toxic and side effects was evaluated according to the National Cancer Institute-Common Toxicity Criteria. Results: Among 128 children, 54 cases(42.2%) presented rash, 48 cases (37.5%)with mucosal lesions, 51 cases (39.8%) with liver function damage, 23 cases (18.0%) with renal function damage, 52 cases (40.6%) with gastrointestinal reactions, 38 cases (29.7%)with leukopenia, 34 cases (26.6%) with thrombocytopenia and 63 cases (49.2%) with hemoglobin reduction.There was no significant difference in the incidence of MTX adverse reactions (rash, mucosa lesions, liver and renal function damage, gastrointestinal reaction, leukopenia, hemoglobin decrease and thrombocytopenia) between the MTHFR C677T and A1298C polymorphisms (all P>0.05). The different clinical risk (MTX dose) of the children was not statistically signi-ficant in the MTHFR C677T and A1298C genotypes and allele frequencies (χ²=2.573, 2.264, 1.615, 0.267; all P>0.05). There was no significant difference among the abnormal incidence of MTX at 24 h, 48 h and 72 h (all P>0.05). Conclusions MTHFR C677T and A1298C polymorphisms do not seem to be good markers of MTX-related toxicity and/or outcome in pediatric ALL in southern Fujian, and its clinical application still needs further discussion.

Objective To investigate general condition of children's rheumatic disease associated medical resources in Fujian Province. Methods This questionnaire?based survey was conducted in 19 hospitals in Fujian province from December 2, 2018 to May 1, 2019. The questionnaire was designed to survey the general condition of the medical resources and the hospitalization of patients with rheumatic diseases from January 1, 2014 to December 1, 2018. Results In the 19 hospitals, there were 15 general hospitals and 4 children's hospitals, and only 5 hospitals had children's rheumatic specialist clinic. There were only 53-62 beds for rheumatic disease patients in the 19 hospitals, accounting for 1.7%-2.0% of the total inpatient beds (3 137). There are 29 pediatric rheumatologists in total, accounting for 2.6% (29/1 120) of the total pediatricians. In the past five years, 613 patients with rheumatic diseases, accounting for 0.1% (613/625 214) of total hospitalized patients, were treated in these hospitals. Among them, 201 had juvenile idiopathic arthritis, 295 had systemic lupus erythematosus, 39 had dermatomyositis, 7 had scleroderma, and 57 had inflammatory bowel disease, 9 had Sjogren's syndrome, 5 had Behcet's disease, and none had overlap syndrome or mixed connective tissue disease. Conclusion The medical resources of children rheumatic diseases in Fujian province are insufficient which need to be developed.

Objective: To assess the effectiveness in optimizing resources and shortening critical children′s waiting time in pediatric emergency department (PED) with five-level pediatric emergency triage system (PETS). Methods: This retrospective study was conducted in the First Affiliated Hospital of Xiamen University after PETS was applied. The data of patients who visited the pediatric emergency department from January 2015 to December 2017 were collected and analyzed, including age, sex, diseases, visiting time, triage rate and destination. Results: A total of 375 985 patients were included, among whom males were 225 308 (59.9%) and females were 150 677 (40.1%), all younger than 14 years of age. The number of critical cases (level Ⅰ, level Ⅱ and level Ⅲ) was increased from 4 719 (3.7%) in 2015, 12 209 (10.2%) in 2016 to 16 188 (12.7%) in 2017. The number of non-critical patients (level Ⅴ) decreased year by year, as from 98 213 (76.8%) in 2015 to 75 210 (62.6%) in 2016 and 78 857 (61.7%) in 2017. The patients who classified as level Ⅰ or levelⅡaccording to the PETS were seen immediately by physician (n=1855, 0.5%). Overall, 119 738 patients (98.3%) who were classified as level Ⅲ or level Ⅳ could be seen by physician in a timely manner according to triage guidelines, while 2 112 patients (1.7%) could not. The mean waiting time was 9.09 min in level Ⅲ, 17.7 min in level Ⅳ, and 55.76 min in level Ⅴ patients, respectively. The critical cases admitted to the intensive care units were 175 (36.2%) in 2015, 350 (62.8%) in 2016 and 374 (66.2%) in 2017. The etiologies were respiratory diseases (73.3%), gastrointestinal diseases (15.8%) and infectious diseases (3.1%). Conclusion The application of PETS could optimize emergency resources and shorten the waiting time of critically ill children.

Objective To evaluate the association between methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) gene C677T polymorphism and susceptibility to methotrexate (MTX) adverse reaction in children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) chemotherapy. Method The data bases of The Cochrane Library, PubMed, EMbase, EMCC, OVID, CNKI, VIP and WanFang Data were searched for relevant articles published in English and Chinese up to March 2016. Two researchers independently screened literature, extracted data, and assessed bias risk in the included studies. The RevMan 5.3 and Stata 12 software were used to analyze the association between gene polymorphism and the adverse reaction of MTX chemotherapy with the recessive, dominance, co-dominance, addition and allele gene model respectively. Results A total of 12 studies were included and all of them were case-control study, with 1419 cases in case group and 2188 cases in control group. The results of meta-analysis showed that the MTHFR gene polymorphism was unrelated to the untoward effect of neutropenia, thrombocytopenia, hemoglobin reduction, mucosal damage and liver function damage during MTX chemotherapy in children with ALL under the 5 analytical models. Under the co-dominance gene model, the association between MTHFR polymorphism C677T and overall adverse reaction of MTX was statistically significant (OR=1.39, 95％CI: 1.02～1.91, P=0.04). In the recessive gene model, the C677T polymorphism of MTHFR was associated with a reduced risk of gastrointestinal adverse reactions during MTX chemotherapy (OR=3.31, 95％CI: 1.03～10.59, P=0.04). In the dominance gene model, the C677T polymorphism of MTHFR was associated with a reduced risk of skin damage induced by MTX chemotherapy (OR=3.05, 95％CI: 1.25～7.41, P=0.01). Conclusion There is no significant association between the C677T polymorphism of MTHFR and the adverse effects of MTX chemotherapy, butfurther studies with larger sample size are needed.