Objective To investigate the significance of serum procalcitonin(PCT)levels in children with respiratory syncytial virus(RSV)pneumonia and sepsis.Methods 43 cases of children with RSV pneumonia were divided into two groups,including 28 cases of non -sepsis and 15 cases of sepsis.30 cases of healthy children were choosed as a control group in the same period.The serum PCT levels of three groups were compared.The 29 cases of RSV pneumonia with other organ damage except lung were divided into non -severe group and severe group.The differences of serum PCT levels between the two groups were compared.Results The non -sepsis group and sepsis group serum PCT levels were (0.882 ±0.184)μg/L and (1.001 ±0.268)μg/L respectively,which were higher than the control group[(0.365 ±0.085)μg/L,(t =2.607,2.854,all P <0.05)].The serum PCT levels of the non -sepsis group and septic group were significant different(t =0.372,P >0.05);The serum PCT level of the severe group was (1.181 ±0.281)μg/L,which was higher than the non -severe group[(0.448 ±0.140)μg/L],the differ-ence was statistically significant(t =2.473,P <0.05).Conclusion The serum PCT of RSV pneumonia children was increased,the increased PCT can be an observed indicators of severe infection and multiple organ dysfunction.

Objective To investigate the risk factors of severe hand,foot and mouth disease (HFMD).Methods 175 severe cases of HFMD and 183 mild cases of HFMD in the same period were randomly selected.Single factor analysis was first performed between severe and mild cases on age,gender,residence,symptoms,signs and laboratory examinations,etc,to screen out the related risk factors which P value ＜ 0.05.Then,binary logistic regression analysis was carried out to determine risk factors most related to severe HFMD.Finally,receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) analysis was performed on severe HFMD related risk factors.Results Single factor analysis showed that there were obvious differences between children with mild HFMD and those with severe HFMD in the factors like difficulty in breathing,walking instability,vomiting,limb shaking,disturbance of consciousness,convulsions,cold sweat and weakness,thermal process,the degree of fever,pulmonary rales,heart rate,serum EV71 antibody,circulatory failure,leukocyte count,platelet count,neutrophil ratio,CRP,blood glucose,etc (x2 =15.236,19.819,33.823,52.670,12.984,10.180,29.318,52.932,34.544,14.615,46.633,31.407 and 5.303,t =3.184,3.144,2.256,2.244 and 2.828,,all P ＜0.05).Binary logistic regression analysis showed that the thermal process,startle tremor or limb jitter,serum EV71 antibody,vomiting,fever,neutrophil ratio were the related risk factors of severe HFMD (B value =2.605,2.129,1.409,1.185,0.841 and 0.103,all P ＜ 0.05).ROC analysis showed that the areas under the curve of the predicted probability and thermal process were larger than any other risk factors [(95％ CI (0.888 ～ 0.961) and (0.818 ～ 0.920)],and thus had better diagnostic values.Conclusion Children under 3 years old were the high risk population of HFMD.Such clinical symptoms as persistent high fever,vomiting,startle tremor orlimb jitter,EV71 antibody in serum and increasing neutrophil ratio were risk factors for severe HFMD.The predicted probability had more diagnostic value than any other risk factors.

Objective To investigate the mechanism of astragaloside Ⅰ,the active constituent of milkvetch root,in inhibiting podocyte injury and improving diabetic kidney disease.Methods According to the body weight,60 male db/db mice were randomly divided into the model group,astragaloside Ⅰ low-dose group(10 mg/kg),astragaloside Ⅰ medium-dose group(20 mg/kg),astragaloside Ⅰ high-dose group(40 mg/kg),and valsartan group(10mg/kg),with 12 mice per group.Twelve db/db littermate control db/m mice were used as the control group.The drug was administered by gavage for 8 weeks.Transmission electron microscope was used to observe the ultrastructure of the kidney;immunohistochemistry and Western blotting were used to detect the expression of nephrotic protein(nephrin),a marker of renal podocytes;enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was used to detect the contents of interleukin-1β(IL-1β)and interleukin-18(IL-18)in the serum of mice;Western blotting was used to detect the protein expressions of NOD-like receptor thermoprotein domain-related protein 3(NLRP3),cysteinyl aspartate specific proteinase 1(Caspase-1),and Gasdermin D(GSDMD)in kidney tissue.Results Compared with the control group,the glomeruli of the model group showed obvious podocyte loss and foot process fusion;the protein expression of nephrin was decreased(P＜0.05);the contents of IL-1 β and IL-18 in serum were increased(P＜0.05);the protein expressions of NLRP3,Cleaved-Caspase-1,and GSDMD-N were increased(P＜0.05).Compared with the model group,the renal pathological damage in the astragaloside Ⅰ administration groups were alleviated;the protein expression of nephrin was increased(P＜0.05);the contents of IL-1β and IL-18 in serum were decreased(P＜0.05);the protein expressions of NLRP3,Cleaved-Caspase-1,and GSDMD-N were decreased(P＜0.05).Conclusion Astragaloside Ⅰ may play a role in intervening diabetic kidney disease by inhibiting pyroptosis and improving podocyte injury.