Objective:To investigate the clinical characteristics of septic shock caused by an invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) and analyze the factors that affect the prognosis of this disease.Methods:We retrospectively analyzed the clinical data of 42 children with an IPD-caused septic shock, who received treatment in The Second Hospital of Jiaxing from January 2015 to December 2020, and evaluated the clinical characteristics and prognosis of this disease.Results:The age of the included children averaged 1.3 (0.75, 4.15) years. The Pediatric Index of Mortality 2 was (23.38 ± 9.26) points. Infections were primarily in the blood and brain. Eighteen cases were sensitive to penicillin, 20 cases to cefepime, 22 cases to cefotaxime, and 20 cases to meropenem, vancomycin, and linezolid simultaneously. The mortality was 61.90% (26/42). The Pediatric Index of Mortality 2 [(37.17 ± 10.58) points vs. (0.92 ± 0.39) points, t = 17.45, P < 0.001], and the rate of children developing an intracranial hypertension crisis (69.23% vs. 25.03%) ( χ2 = 7.77, P = 0.05) were significantly higher in the death group than in the survival group. Compared with the survival group, the thoracic infection rate was significantly lower in the death group (7.69% vs. 50.00%, P < 0.05). Conclusion:Most children with an IPD-caused septic shock are young, and most infection sites are in the brain and blood. The IPD-caused septic shock is highly resistant to cephalosporins and penicillin and has high mortality because of an intracranial hypertension crisis. The IPD-caused septic shock should be screened and treated as early as possible.

Objective:To investigate the changes and clinical significance of neuron specific enolase (NSE) and S-100β protein levels in cerebrospinal fluid of children with viral encephalitis and meningitis.Methods:Sixty children with viral encephalitis and meningitis admitted to The Second Hospital of Jiaxing from February 2018 to December 2020 were included in the observation group. An additional 30 children without central nervous system diseases who concurrently received treatment in the same hospital were included in the control group. The value of NSE and S-100β protein levels in the diagnosis and treatment of viral encephalitis and meningitis in chiblren were analyzed.Results:NSE and S-100β protein levels in the observation group were (17.683 ± 1.321) μg/L and (1.755 ± 0.129) μg/L, respectively, which were significantly higher than (5.267 ± 0.907) μg/L and (0.827 ± 0.172) μg/L in the control group ( t = 46.25, 28.65, both P < 0.001). NSE and S-100β protein levels in children with mild viral encephalitis and meningitis were (15.219 ± 0.870) μg/L and (1.456 ± 0.113) μg/L, respectively, which were significantly lower than (19.893 ± 1.066) μg/L and (2.014 ± 0.085) μg/L in children with severe viral encephalitis and meningitis ( t = -18.69, -21.32, both P < 0.001). In children with viral encephalitis and meningitis, NSE and S-100β protein levels during the acute phase were (17.250 ± 1.188) μg/L and (1.683 ± 0.096) μg/L, respectively, which were significantly higher than (11.150 ± 0.971) μg/L and (1.147 ± 0.098) μg/L during the convalescence phase ( t = 30.79, 30.27, both P < 0.001). Conclusion:NSE and S-100β protein levels in cerebrospinal fluid of children with viral encephalitis and meningitis can help evaluate the severity of viral encephalitis and meningitis in children, providing important clinical application value for judging the development and prognosis of viral encephalitis and meningitis.

Objective:To investigate the role and mechanism of microRNA (miR)-4472 targeting PIN1 in regulating the nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB)/signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) signaling pathway in a rat model of hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE).Methods:Between January 2022 and January 2024, sixty Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly assigned to six groups at The Second Hospital of Jiaxing using a random number table method: a normal control group, an HIE model group, an inhibition control group, a miR-4472 inhibition group, a miR-4472 inhibition + interference control group, and a miR-4472 inhibition + PIN1 interference group, with ten rats in each group. There was no significant difference in body mass among the six groups (all P > 0.05). Rat models of HIE were established using the Rice-Vannucci method. Behavioral performance was assessed using the Morris water maze test, while neurological function was evaluated using the Longa scoring method. Apoptosis was detected using the TUNEL assay, and the expression of NF-κB and STAT3 protein was measured using Western blot analysis. Results:Compared with the HIE model group, the miR-4472 inhibition group and the miR-4472 inhibition + interference control group showed a shortened escape latency, while the miR-4472 inhibition + PIN1 interference group exhibited an extended escape latency (all P < 0.05). The number of platform crossings in the miR-4472 inhibition + PIN1 interference group [(2.13 ± 0.54) times] was significantly lower than that in the HIE model group [(3.56 ± 0.71) times], the inhibition control group [(3.61 ± 0.87) times], the miR-4472 inhibition group [(5.47 ± 1.29) times], and the miR-4472 inhibition + interference control group [(5.58 ± 1.32) times] ( t = 5.07, 4.57, 7.55, 7.65, all P < 0.05). The Longa score in the miR-4472 inhibition + PIN1 interference group [(3.03 ± 0.30) points] was significantly lower than that in the HIE model group [(2.45 ± 0.54) points], the inhibition control group [(2.38 ± 0.69) points], the miR-4472 inhibition group [(1.27 ± 0.46) points], and the miR-4472 inhibition + interference control group [(1.29 ± 0.51) points] ( t = 2.97, 2.73, 10.13, 9.30, all P < 0.05). The apoptosis rate of hippocampal neurons in the miR-4472 inhibition + PIN1 interference group [(25.34 ± 6.16)%] was significantly lower than that in the HIE model group [(18.42 ± 5.46)%], the inhibition control group [(17.95 ± 4.38)%], the miR-4472 inhibition group [(8.89 ± 2.10)%], and the miR-4472 inhibition + interference control group [(9.13 ± 2.57)%] ( t = 2.97, 2.73, 10.13, 9.30, all P < 0.05). Compared with the HIE model group, the miR-4472 inhibition group and the miR-4472 inhibition + interference control group exhibited decreased gray values of NF-κB and STAT3 protein, while the miR-4472 inhibition + PIN1 interference group showed increased gray values of NF-κB and STAT3 protein (all P < 0.05). Conclusion:miR-4472 targets and regulates PIN1, which contributes to HIE injury through the activation of the NF-κB/STAT3 signaling pathway.