OBJECTIVE: To explore whether hydrocortisone can improve the prognosis of patients with severe community-acquired pneumonia (sCAP) by Meta-analysis. METHODS: Randomized controlled trial (RCT) on hydrocortisone in the treatment of sCAP were extracted from the database including PubMed, Cochrane library, Web of Science, and Embase, and the search time was up to April 29, 2023. The patients in the standard treatment group received standard treatment such as antibiotics and supportive care, while those in the hydrocortisone group received hydrocortisone treatment on the basis of standard treatment. Meta-analysis was used to compare the mortality, duration of mechanical ventilation, mechanical ventilation rate and incidence of adverse reactions (hyperglycemia, gastrointestinal bleeding, secondary infection) between the two groups. The risk of literature bias was assessed. The studies that might have publication bias were corrected by the subtraction and complementation method. At the same time, trial sequential analysis (TSA) was conducted. RESULTS: A total of 5 RCTs involving 1 031 patients were finally enrolled, including 494 patients in the standard treatment group and 537 patients in the hydrocortisone group. Among the 5 studies, the research site of 2 studies was in the mixed ward. Considering the inclusion characteristics of the study population, there was doubt whether its research object was sCAP patients, which might have a certain impact on the results and introduce potential bias. Meta-analysis showed that the mortality in the hydrocortisone group was significantly lower than that in the standard treatment group [6.0% vs. 14.0%; odds ratio (OR) = 0.38, 95% confidence interval (95%CI) was 0.25-0.59, P < 0.01; I² = 9%]. The studies that were asymmetric were corrected by the reduction and supplementation method. Even after filling the missing studies, hydrocortisone could still reduce the death risk of the patient (OR = 0.49, 95%CI was 0.32-0.73, P < 0.01; I² = 31%). TSA showed that the average mortality of the standard treatment group was about 14.0%, and that of the hydrocortisone group was about 6.0%, with a relative risk reduction (RRR) = 57%. The calculated sample size was 699 cases, and the actual sample size was 1 031 cases. The actual sample size exceeded the required sample size, and the Z-curve crossed the O'Brien-Fleming boundary and the curve corresponding to P = 0.05, it meant that hydrocortisone could effectively reduce the mortality of sCAP. Compared with the standard treatment group, no statistical difference in the duration of mechanical ventilation was found in the hydrocortisone group [mean difference (MD) = -3.26, 95%CI was -6.72-0.21, P = 0.07; I² = 0%], but the 8-day mechanical ventilation rate was significantly lowered (19.5% vs. 55.4%; OR = 0.24, 95%CI was 0.12-0.45, P < 0.01; I² = 0%), and also no significantly difference was found in the incidence of hyperglycemia (54.3% vs. 44.6%, OR = 1.26, 95%CI was 0.56-2.84, P = 0.58; I² = 61%), gastrointestinal bleeding (2.5% vs. 3.6%; OR = 0.70, 95%CI was 0.34-1.46, P = 0.34; I² = 0%) and secondary infection (9.2% vs. 11.5%; OR = 0.46, 95%CI was 0.06-3.35, P = 0.45; I² = 53%). CONCLUSION Hydrocortisone can reduce the mortality rate of sCAP patients, decrease their need for mechanical ventilation, and does not increase the risk of hyperglycemia, gastrointestinal bleeding, or secondary infections.
Humans ; Hydrocortisone/therapeutic use* ; Community-Acquired Infections/drug therapy* ; Pneumonia/drug therapy* ; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic ; Respiration, Artificial ; Community-Acquired Pneumonia

OBJECTIVE: To observe the clinical efficacy of auricular point sticking therapy combined with antibiotics for pediatric bacterial pneumonia of wind-heat accumulating in lung. METHODS: Ninety-four children with bacterial pneumonia were divided into an observation group (47 cases, 3 cases dropped out) and a control group (47 cases, with 4 cases terminated). The patients in the control group were treated with intravenous drip of latamoxef sodium injection, twice daily for 7 days. The patients in the observation group were treated with auricular point sticking therapy in addition to the treatment given to the control group. Acupoints selected included Fei (CO₁₄), Qiguan (CO₁₆), Jiaogan (AH_6a), Shenshangxian (TG_2P), and Shenmen (TF₄), with treatment applied once daily, alternating ears, for 7 days. The TCM syndrome scores, Canadian acute respiratory illness and flu scale (CARIFS) scores, and levels of white blood cell count (WBC), C-reactive protein (CRP), and procalcitonin (PCT) were compared before and after treatment between the two groups, along with clinical efficacy. RESULTS: Compared before treatment, both groups showed a reduction in TCM syndrome scores, CARIFS scores, and levels of WBC, CRP, and PCT after treatment (P<0.05). Compared with the control group, the observation group had lower TCM syndrome scores in fever, cough, expectoration, lung auscultation, sneezing, runny nose, sleep, and bowel symptoms, as well as lower CARIFS scores in fever, cough, nasal congestion and runny nose, and irritability (P<0.05). The curative and remarkably effective rate was 70.5% (31/44) in the observation group, which was higher than 44.2% (19/43) in the control group (P<0.05). CONCLUSION Auricular point sticking therapy combined with antibiotics is more effective in improving symptoms such as fever, cough, and runny nose in children with bacterial pneumonia of wind-heat accumulating in lung.
Humans ; Male ; Female ; Acupuncture Points ; Child, Preschool ; Child ; Pneumonia, Bacterial/drug therapy* ; Acupuncture, Ear ; Infant ; Treatment Outcome ; Anti-Bacterial Agents/administration & dosage* ; Combined Modality Therapy

Humans ; Pneumonia, Mycoplasma/drug therapy* ; Mycoplasma pneumoniae/isolation & purification* ; Child ; Anti-Bacterial Agents/therapeutic use* ; Evidence-Based Medicine ; China

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the efficacy and safety of prolonged azithromycin (PAZM) versus switching to doxycycline (SDXC) in the treatment of macrolide-unresponsive Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia (MUMPP) in children. METHODS: A total of 173 children with MUMPP who were hospitalized in Baoji Central Hospital, from January to December 2023 were selected as subjects. According to the choice of secondary antibiotic after 72 hours of initial macrolide therapy, they were divided into two groups: PAZM and SDXC. The efficacy and adverse drug reactions were compared between the two groups, and the risk factors for refractory Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia (RMPP) were analyzed. RESULTS: Compared with the PAZM group, the SDXC group had significantly shorter time to defervescence and time to cough relief, a significantly lower proportion of patients using glucocorticoids, and a significantly higher proportion of patients with lung lesion absorption (P<0.05). No adverse reactions such as liver and kidney function impairment and tooth discoloration were observed in either group. RMPP occurred in 47 cases in the PAZM group. The univariate analysis showed that lactate dehydrogenase levels and age were risk factors for RMPP (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS The efficacy of SDXC is superior to that of PAZM in children with MUMPP, and short-term use of doxycycline is relatively safe.
Humans ; Pneumonia, Mycoplasma/drug therapy* ; Doxycycline/administration & dosage* ; Female ; Male ; Azithromycin/administration & dosage* ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Anti-Bacterial Agents/administration & dosage* ; Macrolides/administration & dosage* ; Adolescent ; Mycoplasma pneumoniae/drug effects*

Humans ; Aged ; Lung Diseases ; Pneumonia/drug therapy* ; Adrenal Cortex Hormones/therapeutic use* ; Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive/drug therapy* ; Administration, Inhalation ; Community-Acquired Infections/drug therapy*

OBJECTIVES: To develop a risk prediction model for severe adenovirus pneumonia (AVP) in children, and to explore the appropriate timing for intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) therapy for severe AVP. METHODS: Medical data of 1 046 children with AVP were retrospectively analyzed, and a risk prediction model for severe AVP was established using multivariate logistic regression. The model was validated with 102 children with AVP. Then, 75 children aged ≤14 years who were considered at risk of developing severe AVP by the model were prospectively enrolled and divided into three groups (A, B and C) in order of visit, with 25 children in each group. Group A received symptomatic supportive therapy only. With the exception of symptomatic supportive therapy, group B received IVIG treatment at a dose of 1g/(kg·d) for 2 consecutive days, before progressing to severe AVP. With the exception of symptomatic supportive therapy, group C received IVIG treatment at a dose of 1 g/(kg·d) for 2 consecutive days after progressing to severe AVP. Efficacy and related laboratory indicators were compared among the three groups after treatment. RESULTS: Age<18.5 months, underlying diseases, fever duration >6.5 days, hemoglobin level <84.5 g/L, alanine transaminase level >113.5 U/L, and co-infection with bacteria were the six variables that entered into the risk prediction model for severe AVP. The model had an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.862, sensitivity of 0.878, and specificity of 0.848. The Hosmer-Lemeshow test showed good consistency between the predicted values and the actual observations (P>0.05). After treatment, group B had the shortest fever duration and hospital stay, the lowest hospitalization costs, the highest effective rate of treatment, the lowest incidence of complications, the lowest white blood cell count and interleukin (IL)-1, IL-2, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10 levels, and the highest level of tumor necrosis factor alpha (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS The risk model for severe AVP established in this study has good value in predicting the development of severe AVP. IVIG therapy before progression to severe AVP is more effective in treating AVP in children.
Child ; Humans ; Immunoglobulins, Intravenous/therapeutic use* ; Prospective Studies ; Retrospective Studies ; Adenoviridae Infections/drug therapy* ; Pneumonia, Viral/drug therapy* ; Adenoviridae

BACKGROUND: Studies have shown that the incidence and severity of corona virus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in patients with lung cancer are higher than those in healthy people. At present, the main anti-tumor treatments for lung cancer include surgery, immunotherapy, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, targeted therapy and anti-angiogenesis therapy. While the effects of different anti-tumor treatments on the occurrence and severity of COVID-19 pneumonia are not uniform. Therefore, we aimed to describe clinical characteristics and antitumor therapy of patients with lung cancer and COVID-19 pneumonia, and examined risk factors for severity in this population. METHODS: From December 1, 2022 to February 15, 2023, a retrospective study was conducted in 217 patients diagnosed with COVID-19 and pathologically confirmed lung cancer in the Jinling Hospital. We collected data about patients' clinical features, antitumor treatment regimen within 6 months, and the diagnosis and treatment of COVID-19. Risk factors for occurrence and severity of COVID-19 pneumonia were identified by univariable and multivariable Logistic regression models. RESULTS: (1) Among the 217 patients included, 51 (23.5%) developed COVID-19 pneumonia, of which 42 (82.4%) were classified as medium and 9 (17.6%) were classified as severe; (2) Univariate and multivariate analysis revealed overweight (OR=2.405, 95%CI: 1.095-5.286) and intrapulmonary focal radiotherapy (OR=2.977, 95%CI: 1.071-8.274) are risk factors for increasing occurrence of COVID-19 pneumonia, while other therapies are not; (3) Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) history (OR=7.600, 95%CI: 1.430-40.387) was more likely to develop severe pneumonia and anti-tumor therapies such as intrapulmonary focal radiotherapy, chemotherapy, targeted therapy and immunotherapy did not increase severity. CONCLUSIONS Intrapulmonary focal radiation therapy within 6 months increased the incidence of COVID-19 pneumonia, but did not increase the severity. However, there was no safety concern for chemotherapy, targeted therapy, surgery and immunotherapy.
Humans ; COVID-19 ; Retrospective Studies ; Lung Neoplasms/drug therapy* ; Incidence ; Pneumonia/etiology*

Humans ; COVID-19 ; Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized/adverse effects* ; Pneumonia ; Lung Neoplasms/drug therapy*

Objective This consensus aims to provide evidence-based recommendations on common questions in the diagnosis and treatment of acute respiratory failure (ARF) for critically ill cancer patients.Methods We developed six clinical questions using the PICO (Population, Intervention, Comparison, and Outcome) principle in diagnosis and treatment for critical ill cancer patients with ARF. Based on literature searching and meta-analyses, recommendations were devised. The GRADE (Grading of Recommendation Assessment, Development and Evaluation) method was applied to each question to reach consensus in the expert panel. Results The panel makes strong recommendations in favor of (1) metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS) tests may aid clinicians in rapid diagnosis in critically ill cancer patients suspected of pulmonary infections; (2) extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) therapy should not be used as a routine rescue therapy for acute respiratory distress syndrome in critically ill cancer patients but may benefit highly selected patients after multi-disciplinary consultations; (3) cancer patients who have received immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy have an increased incidence of pneumonitis compared with standard chemotherapy; (4) critically ill cancer patients who are on invasive mechanical ventilation and estimated to be extubated after 14 days may benefit from early tracheotomy; and (5) high-flow nasal oxygen and noninvasive ventilation therapy can be used as a first-line oxygen strategy for critically ill cancer patients with ARFs. A weak recommendation is: (6) for critically ill cancer patients with ARF caused by tumor compression, urgent chemotherapy may be considered as a rescue therapy only in patients determined to be potentially sensitive to the anticancer therapy after multidisciplinary consultations. Conclusions The recommendations based on the available evidence can guide diagnosis and treatment in critically ill cancer patients with acute respiratory failure and improve outcomes.
Humans ; Consensus ; Critical Illness/therapy* ; Neoplasms/therapy* ; Oxygen ; Pneumonia ; Respiratory Distress Syndrome/drug therapy* ; Respiratory Insufficiency/therapy*

Objective: To explore the clinical and chest computed tomography (CT) features and the outcome of immune checkpoint inhibitor-related pneumonitis (CIP). Methods: Clinical and chest CT data of 38 CIP patients with malignant tumors from the Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences between August 2017 and April 2021 were retrospectively reviewed, and the outcomes of pneumonitis were followed up. Results: The median time from the administration of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) to the onset of CIP was 72.5 days in 38 patients with CIP, and 22 patients developed CIP within 3 months after the administration of ICIs. The median occurrence time of CIP in 24 lung cancer patients was 54.5 days, earlier than 119.0 days of non-lung cancer patients (P=0.138), with no significant statistical difference. 34 patients (89.5%) were accompanied by symptoms when CIP occurred. The common clinical symptoms were cough (29 cases) and dyspnea (27 cases). The distribution of CIP on chest CT was asymmetric in 31 cases and symmetrical in 7 cases. Among the 24 lung cancer patients, inflammation was mainly distributed ipsilateral to the primary lung cancer site in 16 cases and diffusely distributed throughout the lung in 8 cases. Ground glass opacities (37 cases) and consolidation (30 cases) were the common imaging manifestations, and organizing pneumonia (OP) pattern (15 cases) was the most common pattern. In 30 CIP patients who were followed up for longer than one month, 17 cases had complete absorption (complete absorption group), and 13 cases had partial absorption or kept stable (incomplete absorption group). The median occurrence time of CIP in the complete absorption group was 55 days, shorter than 128 days of the incomplete absorption group (P=0.022). Compared with the incomplete absorption group, there were less consolidation(P=0.010) and CIP were all classified as hypersensitivity pneumonitis (HP) pattern (P=0.004) in the complete absorption group. Conclusions: CIP often occurs within 3 months after ICIs treatment, and the clinical and CT findings are lack of specificity. Radiologic features may have a profound value in predicting the outcome of CIP.
Humans ; Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors/adverse effects* ; Retrospective Studies ; Pneumonia/drug therapy* ; Lung Neoplasms/drug therapy* ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed/methods*