Objective:To analyze the clinical characteristics and outcomes of Haemophilus influenzae (Hi) meningitis in children. Methods:This is a retrospective case series study. This study included 34 Hi meningitis patients who admitted to Beijing Children′s Hospital, Capital Medical University, from January 1, 2010, to December 31, 2023. Data on clinical presentations, laboratory tests, hearing assessment and outcomes at discharge were collected. Patients were divided into 2 groups according to the outcome at discharge: favorable outcome group and unfavorable outcome group. Mann-Whitney U test and Fisher exact test was used to estimate the risk factors for an unfavorable outcome at discharge. Results:Thirty-four patients were enrolled. There were 16 males and 18 females. The age at onset ranged from 3 months to 12 years. Fever (34 patients (100%)), convulsions (17 patients (50%)), and coma (21 patients (62%)) were the common clinical presentations. Twenty-four patients (71%) developed complications. There were 15 patients (44%) needed treatment in the intensive care unit, 5 patients (15%) received intubation, and 4 patients (12%) had developed shock. The favorable outcome group included 23 patients, and the unfavorable outcome group included 11 patients. Female, patients with limb movement disability, dystonia, ventriculomegaly or hydrocephalus, and a concentration of glucose in the initial cerebrospinal fluid lower than 1 mmol/L were risk factors of unfavorable outcome at discharge (all P<0.05). Among the 23 patients (68%) in favorable outcomes group, 13 patients (57%) had data available on their long-term follow-up results, including 12 patients with favorable long-term outcomes and 1 patient with unfavorable long-term outcome. Among the 11 patients (32%) in unfavorable outcomegroup, 1 patient died, the other 10 patients (91%) had data available on their long-term outcomes. Eight patients had unfavorable long-term outcomes and 2 patients with favorable long-term outcomes. Patients who had unfavorable outcomes at discharge were at a greater risk of experiencing unfavorable long-term outcomes ( P=0.001). Conclusions:It is common for patients with Hi meningitis to have intracranial complications or develop into critical conditions. Patients who have limb movement disability, dystonia, ventriculomegaly or hydrocephalus, and who exhibit a concentration of glucose in the initial cerebrospinal fluid lower than 1 mmol/L tend to have unfavorable outcomes; they need to be assessed for sequelae.

Objective:Using bacterial culture as the gold standard, to evaluate the agreement of rapid antigen detection test (RADT) and rapid nucleic acid test (RNAT) in diagnosing group A Streptococcus (GAS) pharyngitis in pediatric outpatients, and assess their potential clinical utility. Methods:This cross-sectional study prospectively collected throat swab specimens and clinical data of 338 children diagnosed with acute pharyngitis at the Department of Outpatient Beijing Children′s Hospital, Capital Medical University, between July 2023 and February 2024. The specimens were tested for GAS bacterial culture, RADT and RNAT. Using bacterial culture results as the reference standard, Kappa consistency analysis was performed to assess the diagnostic concordance between RADT and RNAT. Chi-square test was used to compare clinical characteristics between cases diagnosed by different methods.Results:In the 338 children diagnosed with pharyngitis, 195 were male and 143 were female, with an age at the visit of 7.4 (5.9, 7.4) years. The positivive rates for GAS detection were 25.7% (87/338) by bacterial culture, 20.7% (70/338) by RADT, and 41.7% (141/338) by RNAT. In terms of diagnostic performance, RADT exhibited a higher specificity (96.8% (243/251)) and better agreement with bacterial culture results ( κ=0.73), whereas RNAT showed greater sensitivity (95.4% (83/87)) but lower specificity (76.9% (193/251)) and moderate agreement ( κ=0.61). Among the 87 children with positive bacterial culture for GAS, 56 were male and 31 were female, with an age at visit of 7.3 (6.2, 8.8) years. Clinically, body temperature predominantly ranged from 38.1 to 39.0 ℃ in 48 cases (55.2%), and common accompanying symptoms included sore throat 62 cases (71.3%), cough 33 cases (37.9%), and cervical lymphadenopathy or tenderness 16 cases (18.4%). On physical examination, tonsillar enlargement was present in 73 cases (83.9%) and exudate in 37 cases (42.5%). The McIsaac score was most frequently 4 points, observed in 37 cases (42.5%). Laboratory tests showed a peripheral white blood cell (WBC) count of 14.5 (12.3, 18.7)×10?/L and C-reactive protein (CRP) concentration of 22.0 (10.1, 41.4) mg/L. There were no statistically significant differences in the proportion of fever, sore throat, cough, tender cervical lymphadenopathy, tonsillar exudates, or tonsillar enlargement, nor in WBC count or CRP, among children who tested positive by RADT, RNAT, or bacterial culture (all P>0.05). Conclusions:Compared with bacterial culture,the RADT demonstrates higher specificity, while the RNAT exhibits greater sensitivity. Both methods show good concordance with culture results and may serve as effective adjunctive tools for the early screening of GAS pharyngitis.

Objective:To compare the treatment efficacy between the Windowing and Open Book techniques in the treatment of tibial plateau fractures of Schatzker type Ⅱ.Methods:A retrospective study was performed to analyze the clinical data of the 211 patients with tibial plateau fracture of Schatzker type Ⅱ who had been treated by open reduction and internal fixation via the anterolateral knee incision at Department of Traumatic Orthopaedics, The Sixth Hospital of Ningbo from January 2014 to June 2022. There were 142 males and 69 females, with an age of (57.7±14.3) years. Based on the intraoperative reduction techniques, the patients were divided into 2 groups: a Windowing group ( n=107) in which reduction of the split bone fragments was followed by reduction of the depressed articular surface, and an Open Book group ( n=104) in which reduction of the depressed articular surface was followed by reduction of the split bone fragments. The following data were collected and compared between the 2 groups: preoperative general data, operative time, quality of fracture reduction, loss of fracture reduction, fracture healing rate at postoperative 6 months, visual analogue scale (VAS) pain score at postoperative 24 months, post-traumatic arthritis grading at the final follow-up (based on the Resnick-Niwoyam criteria), and Rasmussen classifications of knee function at postoperative 3 and 24 months. Results:There were no significant differences in the preoperative general data between the 2 groups, indicating comparability ( P>0.05). The follow-up period for all patients was (34.0±10.6) months. The operative time was (65.0±8.3) minutes for the Windowing group and (64.2±10.2) minutes for the Open Book group, showing no significant difference ( P>0.05). Postoperative CT scans revealed residual articular depression in 10 cases in the Windowing group and in 25 cases in the Open Book group, showing a significant difference ( P<0.05). However, there was no significant difference in plateau widening or varus/valgus alignment between the 2 groups ( P>0.05). There were no statistically significant differences between the 2 groups in loss of fracture reduction, fracture healing rate at postoperative 6 months, VAS score at postoperative 24 months, post-traumatic arthritis grading at the final follow-up, or Rasmussen classifications of the knee function at postoperative 3 or 24 months ( P>0.05). Conclusions:In the treatment of Schatzker type Ⅱ tibial plateau fractures, the Windowing technique demonstrates superior radiographic outcomes compared to the Open Book technique, but the 2 techniques show similar efficacy in functional evaluation and medium-term prognosis.

Objective:To summarize the clinical characteristics of invasive Group A Streptococcus (GAS) infection in children and to provide reference for its clinical treatment and diagnosis. Methods:The medical records of inpatients whose sterile body fluids tested positive for GAS in Beijing Children′s Hospital from February 2013 to June 2024 were reviewed in this case series study.The clinical information of the patients was collected and summarized as a case report.Non-normally distributed measurement data were represented by the median ( M), and count data were represented by cases (%). Results:There were 42 cases of invasive GAS infection, with a median age of 6 years and 3 months (range: 14 days to 13 years and 7 months).Twenty-seven patients (64.3%) developed this disease in winter.In terms of susceptibility factors, there were 4 cases of trauma, 2 cases of influenza A, 1 case of neuroblastoma chemotherapy myelosuppression, 1 case of acute lymphoblastic leukemia chemotherapy myelosuppression, 1 case of varicella, and 1 case of scald among these 42 patients, there are no other obvious susceptibility factors.The types of specimens in which GAS was detected included 23 blood specimens, 9 pleural effusions, 9 sterile-site pus specimens, and 5 cerebrospinal fluids.GAS was detected in 4 children from two types of specimens simultaneously.The methods for detecting GAS included bacterial culture in 35 cases and next-generation sequencing in 9 cases.Two children tested positive for GAS by both methods.According to clinical diagnoses, there were 17 cases of pneumonia, 13 cases of streptococcus toxic shock syndrome, 10 cases of purulent meningitis, 6 cases of purulent osteomyelitis, 6 cases of purulent arthritis, 5 cases of cellulitis, 3 cases of necrotizing fasciitis, 2 cases of infectious myositis, and 2 cases of cervical abscess.Two or more clinical manifestations were detected in 26 patients.Drug sensitivity reports were available for 26 cases.All strains were sensitive to Penicillin, Vancomycin, Linezolid, Ceftriaxone and Cefepime.All except 2 were resistant to Clindamycin, and all were resistant to Erythromycin.All 42 cases were treated with intravenous antibiotics, and 21 of them also received human immunoglobulin.Three of the patients died and 39 were discharged from hospital. Conclusions:Pediatric invasive GAS infection occurs mainly in winter and manifests as pneumonia, purulent meningitis, purulent osteomyelitis, and purulent arthritis.The strains are sensitive to β-lactam antibiotics, Vancomycin and Linezolid, and most are resistant to Clindamycin and Erythromycin.

Objective To investigate the characteristics and clinical significance of serum immunoglob-ulins in patients with Cronkhite-Canada syndrome(CCS).Methods This retrospective study included CCS patients admitted to Peking Union Medical College Hospital from December 2009 to September 2024 who under-went serum immunoglobulin testing.Clinical manifestations and ancillary examination results were analyzed ret-rospectively.Results Fifty-two patients were included(male:36[69.2%],female:16[30.8%]),with median onset age of 60(54-64)years and median diagnostic delay of 5(3-12)months.Common manifesta-tions included diarrhea(86.5%),abdominal pain(40.4%),hematochezia(19.2%),weight loss(86.5%),nail malnutrition(100.0%),pigmentation(88.5%),hair loss(84.6%),and hypogeusia(69.2%).Serum IgG reduction occurred in 21 patients(50.0%),while total IgE elevation was observed in 20(71.4%).Elevated serum IgG4 levels were noted in 11 patients(23.4%),with no significant clinical differences between IgG4-elevated and normal groups.IgG4 levels showed no statistical difference between active(n=43)and remission(n=27)groups.The hair loss rate was significantly higher in the total IgE-ele-vated group than that in the normal total IgE group(P=0.0383).Conclusions CCS patients exhibit periph-eral blood immunoglobulin disorders,with elevated IgE levels correlating with hair loss.This suggests an im-mune-mediated mechanism may underlie hair loss in CCS.

Objective:To compare the efficacy of drug-coated balloon (DCB) angioplasty and self-expanding stenting in symptomatic middle cerebral artery stenosis (MCAS).Methods:A retrospective study was performed. Patients with symptomatic MCAS admitted to Department of Cerebrovascular Diseases, Interventional Center, He'nan Provincial People's Hospital from January 2020 to December 2022 were chosen from their prospective study database. They were divided into a DCB group and a stent group based on approaches. Baseline data differences between the two groups were eliminated using 1: 1 propensity score matching (PSM). Then, the technical success rate, immediate restenosis rate, and 6-month restenosis rate, and clinical outcomes within 30 days and 1 year of procedure were compared between the two groups.Results:After PSM, 58 patients were included, with 29 in the stent group and 29 in the DCB group. Technical success rate was 93.1% (27/29) in the DCB group and 96.6% (28/29) in the stent group, without significant difference ( P>0.05). The immediate restenosis rate was 6.9% (2/29) in the DCB group and 3.4% (1/29) in the stent group, without significant difference ( P>0.05). In terms of safety, no stroke or death events were noted in the two groups within 30 days of procedure; ischemic stroke incidence in the offending vessel areas within 1 year of procedure in the DCB group and stent group was 3.7% (1/27) and 11.5% (3/26), without significant difference ( P>0.05); no hemorrhagic stroke or death were noted in the two groups within 1 year of procedure. In terms of efficacy, the modified Rankin scale score of the two groups was both 0 (0, 0) at 1 year of follow-up, without significant difference ( P>0.05); 46 patients in the DCB group and stent group had imaging followe-up for 6 months: the restenosis rate was 8.0% (2/25) and 23.8% (5/21), respectively, without significant difference ( P>0.05). Conclusion:DCB angioplasty is comparable in efficacy and safety with self-expanding stenting in symptomatic MCAS.

Objective:To analyze the risk factors for children with severe community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) being admitted to the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU),and establish a clinical prediction model,then evaluate the clinical application value of this model.Methods:A retrospective analysis was performed on children diagnosed with severe CAP at the Children's Hospital Affiliated to School of Medicine of Shanghai Jiao Tong University from January to June 2023.The children were divided into the PICU group and the non-PICU group based on whether they were admitted to PICU at admission.The differences in pediatric early warning score（PEWS），clinical characteristics，and laboratory test results between the two groups at their last visit before admission were compared. The independent risk factors for children with severe CAP admitted to PICU were analyzed,and a clinical prediction model was established,which was validated through the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve.Results:A total of 274 children were included,including 141 males and 133 females,with a median age of 50 (24,81) months. There were 43 cases in PICU group and 231 cases in non-PICU group.There were no statistically significant differences in gender and age between the two groups of children ( P>0.05). The PEWS score,white blood cell count,neutrophil count,neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio,procalcitonin (PCT),and lactate levels of children in the PICU group were significantly higher than those of children in the non-PICU group.While the duration of fever,peak temperature,and percutaneous arterial oxygen saturation (SpO 2) were significantly lower in the PICU group than those in the non-PICU group. All these differences were statistically significant ( P<0.05).Binary Logistic regression analysis showed that PEWS>4 points（ OR=6.583，95% CI 1.763 - 24.588， P<0.05），PCT>0.42 μg/L（ OR=19.046，95% CI 4.362-83.159， P<0.05），and SpO 2<93%（ OR=21.670，95% CI 3.843-122.184， P<0.05）were independent risk factors for children with severe CAP to be admitted to PICU.A clinical prediction model was constructed based on the above three independent risk factors.The area under ROC curve of the clinical prediction model was 0.941（95% CI 0.913-0.968， P<0.05），the sensitivity was 95.3%，the specificity was 80.5%，the positive predictive value was 83.0%，and the negative predictive value was 94.5%. Conclusion:For children with severe CAP，if they have PEWS > 4,an elevated PCT level，and a decreased SpO 2，it is recommended that they be admitted to PICU for further monitoring and treatment.The clinical prediction model for admission to the PICU for children with severe CAP，constructed by combining PEWS with commonly used clinical information in pediatric emergency，has a relatively high predictive efficacy and can provide a reference for the stratified diagnosis and treatment of children with severe CAP in the future.

Objective To investigate the characteristics and clinical significance of serum immunoglob-ulins in patients with Cronkhite-Canada syndrome(CCS).Methods This retrospective study included CCS patients admitted to Peking Union Medical College Hospital from December 2009 to September 2024 who under-went serum immunoglobulin testing.Clinical manifestations and ancillary examination results were analyzed ret-rospectively.Results Fifty-two patients were included(male:36[69.2%],female:16[30.8%]),with median onset age of 60(54-64)years and median diagnostic delay of 5(3-12)months.Common manifesta-tions included diarrhea(86.5%),abdominal pain(40.4%),hematochezia(19.2%),weight loss(86.5%),nail malnutrition(100.0%),pigmentation(88.5%),hair loss(84.6%),and hypogeusia(69.2%).Serum IgG reduction occurred in 21 patients(50.0%),while total IgE elevation was observed in 20(71.4%).Elevated serum IgG4 levels were noted in 11 patients(23.4%),with no significant clinical differences between IgG4-elevated and normal groups.IgG4 levels showed no statistical difference between active(n=43)and remission(n=27)groups.The hair loss rate was significantly higher in the total IgE-ele-vated group than that in the normal total IgE group(P=0.0383).Conclusions CCS patients exhibit periph-eral blood immunoglobulin disorders,with elevated IgE levels correlating with hair loss.This suggests an im-mune-mediated mechanism may underlie hair loss in CCS.

Objective:To analyze the risk factors for children with severe community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) being admitted to the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU),and establish a clinical prediction model,then evaluate the clinical application value of this model.Methods:A retrospective analysis was performed on children diagnosed with severe CAP at the Children's Hospital Affiliated to School of Medicine of Shanghai Jiao Tong University from January to June 2023.The children were divided into the PICU group and the non-PICU group based on whether they were admitted to PICU at admission.The differences in pediatric early warning score（PEWS），clinical characteristics，and laboratory test results between the two groups at their last visit before admission were compared. The independent risk factors for children with severe CAP admitted to PICU were analyzed,and a clinical prediction model was established,which was validated through the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve.Results:A total of 274 children were included,including 141 males and 133 females,with a median age of 50 (24,81) months. There were 43 cases in PICU group and 231 cases in non-PICU group.There were no statistically significant differences in gender and age between the two groups of children ( P>0.05). The PEWS score,white blood cell count,neutrophil count,neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio,procalcitonin (PCT),and lactate levels of children in the PICU group were significantly higher than those of children in the non-PICU group.While the duration of fever,peak temperature,and percutaneous arterial oxygen saturation (SpO 2) were significantly lower in the PICU group than those in the non-PICU group. All these differences were statistically significant ( P<0.05).Binary Logistic regression analysis showed that PEWS>4 points（ OR=6.583，95% CI 1.763 - 24.588， P<0.05），PCT>0.42 μg/L（ OR=19.046，95% CI 4.362-83.159， P<0.05），and SpO 2<93%（ OR=21.670，95% CI 3.843-122.184， P<0.05）were independent risk factors for children with severe CAP to be admitted to PICU.A clinical prediction model was constructed based on the above three independent risk factors.The area under ROC curve of the clinical prediction model was 0.941（95% CI 0.913-0.968， P<0.05），the sensitivity was 95.3%，the specificity was 80.5%，the positive predictive value was 83.0%，and the negative predictive value was 94.5%. Conclusion:For children with severe CAP，if they have PEWS > 4,an elevated PCT level，and a decreased SpO 2，it is recommended that they be admitted to PICU for further monitoring and treatment.The clinical prediction model for admission to the PICU for children with severe CAP，constructed by combining PEWS with commonly used clinical information in pediatric emergency，has a relatively high predictive efficacy and can provide a reference for the stratified diagnosis and treatment of children with severe CAP in the future.

Objective:To summarize the clinical characteristics of invasive Group A Streptococcus (GAS) infection in children and to provide reference for its clinical treatment and diagnosis. Methods:The medical records of inpatients whose sterile body fluids tested positive for GAS in Beijing Children′s Hospital from February 2013 to June 2024 were reviewed in this case series study.The clinical information of the patients was collected and summarized as a case report.Non-normally distributed measurement data were represented by the median ( M), and count data were represented by cases (%). Results:There were 42 cases of invasive GAS infection, with a median age of 6 years and 3 months (range: 14 days to 13 years and 7 months).Twenty-seven patients (64.3%) developed this disease in winter.In terms of susceptibility factors, there were 4 cases of trauma, 2 cases of influenza A, 1 case of neuroblastoma chemotherapy myelosuppression, 1 case of acute lymphoblastic leukemia chemotherapy myelosuppression, 1 case of varicella, and 1 case of scald among these 42 patients, there are no other obvious susceptibility factors.The types of specimens in which GAS was detected included 23 blood specimens, 9 pleural effusions, 9 sterile-site pus specimens, and 5 cerebrospinal fluids.GAS was detected in 4 children from two types of specimens simultaneously.The methods for detecting GAS included bacterial culture in 35 cases and next-generation sequencing in 9 cases.Two children tested positive for GAS by both methods.According to clinical diagnoses, there were 17 cases of pneumonia, 13 cases of streptococcus toxic shock syndrome, 10 cases of purulent meningitis, 6 cases of purulent osteomyelitis, 6 cases of purulent arthritis, 5 cases of cellulitis, 3 cases of necrotizing fasciitis, 2 cases of infectious myositis, and 2 cases of cervical abscess.Two or more clinical manifestations were detected in 26 patients.Drug sensitivity reports were available for 26 cases.All strains were sensitive to Penicillin, Vancomycin, Linezolid, Ceftriaxone and Cefepime.All except 2 were resistant to Clindamycin, and all were resistant to Erythromycin.All 42 cases were treated with intravenous antibiotics, and 21 of them also received human immunoglobulin.Three of the patients died and 39 were discharged from hospital. Conclusions:Pediatric invasive GAS infection occurs mainly in winter and manifests as pneumonia, purulent meningitis, purulent osteomyelitis, and purulent arthritis.The strains are sensitive to β-lactam antibiotics, Vancomycin and Linezolid, and most are resistant to Clindamycin and Erythromycin.