Objective To observe the value of portal venous phase CT radiomics model based on machine learning(ML)for predicting postoperative complications of hepatic alveolar echinococcosis(HAE).Methods Totally 265 HAE patients were retrospectively enrolled and randomly divided into training set(n=185,including 106 cases with postoperative complications)and validation set(n=80,including 40 cases with postoperative complications)at a ratio of 7∶3.Based on portal venous phase CT images,HAE lesions were segmented,and radiomics features were extracted and screened.Totally 5 ML algorithms were used to construct models,and their performance for predicting postoperative complications were compared.Results Among 5 ML radiomics models,support vector machine(SVM)model had the best overall performance for predicting postoperative complications of HAE in both training and validation sets.DeLong test showed that in training set,the area under the curve(AUC)of SVM model was significantly higher than that of logistic regression(LR),K-nearest neighbor(KNN)and multilayer perceptron(MLP)models(all P＜0.001),while in validation set,the AUC of SVM model was significantly higher than that of adaptive boosting(AdaBoost)model(P=0.007).Decision curve analysis indicated that SVM model had the highest clinical net benefit.Conclusion Portal venous phase CT radiomics model based on ML algorithms,especially SVM algorithm,could effectively predict postoperative complications of HAE.

Objective·To screen a long non-coding RNA(lncRNA)signature and construct a competing endogenous RNA(ceRNA)network associated with the prognosis of pediatric sepsis based on the Gene Expression Omnibus(GEO)database,and explore their potential application value in the prognosis assessment of children with sepsis.Methods·Microarray data in GSE4607,GSE26440,GSE26378,and GSE9692 in the GEO database were used to compare the differences in lncRNA profiles between the survival and non-survival groups of children with septic shock.Then,multivariate linear regression,LASSO analysis,and receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curves were used to evaluate the capacity of the lncRNA signature for predicting the outcome of pediatric sepsis.The potential targeted microRNAs(miRNAs)and their downstream mRNAs,targeted by the screened lncRNAs,were used to construct a protein-protein interaction(PPI)network and perform pathway enrichment analysis.Results·Transcriptomic data from GSE4607,GSE26440,GSE26378 and GSE9692 revealed 55 differentially expressed lncRNAs associated with prognosis,and miR503 host gene(MIR503HG),TAPT1 antisense RNA 1(TAPT1-AS1),apoptosis-associated transcript in bladder cancer(AATBC),SBF2 antisense RNA 1(SBF2-AS1),MGC16275,and small nucleolar RNA host gene 15(SNHG15)were identified as a 6-lncRNA signature(lncSig6)associated with the prognosis of pediatric septic shock by LASSO regression analysis.The area under the ROC curve(AUC)of lncSig6 was 0.859(95％CI 0.722-0.996)and 0.854(95％CI 0.687-1.000)in internal and external validation,respectively.As lncRNA act as miRNA sponge,a lncRNA-miRNA-mRNA network based on 3 lncRNAs(MIR503HG,SNHG15,and SBF2-AS1)was constructed and involved in the regulation of signaling pathways,including forkhead box O(FoxO)signaling pathway,phosphatidylinositol 3 kinase-protein kinase B(PI3K-AKT)signaling pathway,cell senescence,insulin signaling pathway,hypoxia-inducible protein-1(HIF-1)signaling pathway and advanced glycation end products(AGEs)and receptor of AGEs(RAGE)signaling pathway.Conclusion·The lncSig6 can be used as an evaluation method to predict the prognosis of septic shock in children,and the constructed ceRNA molecular networks can provide an experimental basis for the study of signaling pathways.

Objective:To compare the clinical features of severe Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia (SMPP) in pediatric intensive care units (PICU) before and after the COVID-19 pandemic.Methods:A retrospective study was conducted in the PICU of Shanghai Children's Hospital. Clinical and laboratory data were collected from medical records of SMPP patients admitted to the PICU before (January to December 2019) and after (March 2023 to February 2024) the COVID-19 pandemic. Patients admitted in 2019 were categorized as the pre-COVID-19 group, while those admitted in 2023-2024 were classified as the post-COVID-19 group.Results:A total of 287 children with SMPP were included, comprising 155 males and 132 females. The pre-pandemic group consisted of 180 cases, while the post-pandemic group had 107 cases. Macrolide-resistant Mycoplasma pneumoniae (MRMP) was detected in 270 cases (94.1%), with no significant difference in MRMP prevalence between the two groups [101 cases (94.4%) vs. 169 cases (93.9%), Z= 0.031, P = 0.861]. The median age of the post-pandemic group was higher than that of the pre-pandemic group [72 (42, 108) months vs. 42 (24, 68) months, Z= 6.438, P < 0.001].Comparisons of complications between the post-pandemic and pre-pandemic groups were as follows: pleural effusion [20 cases (18.7%) vs. 81 cases (45.0%), χ2=20.365, P< 0.001], shock [4 cases (3.7%) vs. 79 cases (43.9%), χ2=52.628, P< 0.001], gastrointestinal dysfunction [2 cases (1.9%) vs. 24 cases (13.3%), χ 2=9.359, P=0.002], liver dysfunction [9 cases (8.4%) vs. 46 cases (25.6%), χ2=12.733, P< 0.001], and renal injury [0 cases vs. 10 cases (5.6%), P=0.015].There was no significant difference in the incidence of respiratory failure [102 cases (95.3%) vs. 172 cases (95.6%), χ2=0.008, P=0.928]. However, the number of cases requiring high-flow oxygen therapy and mechanical ventilation was significantly lower in the post-pandemic group compared to the pre-pandemic group [14 cases (13.3%) vs. 48 cases (26.7%), 21 cases (20.3%) vs. 122 cases (67.8%), all P<0.05].The time from symptom onset to the initiation of tetracycline/quinolone therapy was shorter in the post-pandemic group compared to the pre-pandemic group [7 (3, 10) days vs. 9 (6.3, 11) days, χ2=-3.565, P< 0.001]. The proportion of patients who had already received tetracycline/quinolone therapy before admission to the PICU was significantly higher in the post-pandemic group compared to the pre-pandemic group [25 cases (23.4%) vs. 2 cases (1.1%), χ 2=10.009, P=0.002].Both the total hospital stay and PICU stay were shorter in the post-pandemic group compared to the pre-pandemic group [10.0 (8.0, 14.0) days vs. 15.5 (12.0, 22.0) days, 5 (3.0, 8.0) days vs. 7.0 (5.0, 10.0) days, all P=0.000]. All 7 deaths occurred in the pre-pandemic group, including 5 cases with co-infections and 2 cases with underlying diseases. Conclusions:In the post-COVID-19 era, SMPP cases in the PICU were predominantly observed in children over 5 years old, with a lower incidence of shock, gastrointestinal disorders, liver injury, and kidney injury compared to the pre-pandemic period. Patients with macrolide-resistant Mycoplasma pneumoniae who received timely treatment with tetracycline/quinolones exhibited favorable outcomes.

Objective This study aimed to investigate the antimicrobial resistance profiles of bacterial strains isolated from pediatric intensive care units(PICU)in China for better antimicrobial therapy.Methods Clinical isolates were collected from 17 institutions,including tertiary care children's hospitals and pediatric department of tertiary general hospitals in China from January 1,2020 to December 31,2022.Antimicrobial susceptibility testing was carried out according to a unified protocol using Kirby-Bauer method or automated systems.Results were interpreted according to the breakpoints released by the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute(CLSI)in 2020.Results A total of 10 688 isolates were collected,including gram-positive organisms(39.2％)and gram-negative organisms(60.8％).The top three organisms were S.aureus(13.6％,1 453/10 688),A.baumannii(10.0％,1 067/10 688),and coagulase-negative Staphylococcus(9.9％,1 058/10 688).Multi-drug resistant organisms(MDROs)were very common in children.The prevalence of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus(MRSA),carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales(CRE),carbapenem-resistant E.coli,carbapenem-resistant K.pneumoniae(CRKP),carbapenem-resistant A.baumannii(CRAB),and carbapenem-resistant P.aeruginosa(CRPA)was 41.1％,19.4％,8.8％,30.9％,67.4％,and 28.8％,respectively.Overall,more than 50％of Enterobacteriales isolates were resistant to cephalosporins,while nearly 25％of Enterobacteriales isolates were resistant to carbapenems.MDROs were highly resistant to commonly used antibiotics.More than 80％of CRE and CRAB strains were resistant to all beta-lactam antibiotics.CRE and CRAB showed low resistance rates to tigecycline and polymyxin.CRPA showed lower resistance rates to piperacillin,beta-lactamase inhibitor combinations than the resistance rates to third and fourth generation cephalosporins.All of the Staphylococcus and Enterococcus isolates were susceptible to vancomycin and tigecycline.None of PRSP strains isolated from meningitis and nonmeningitis samples were resistant to rifampicin,vancomycin,or linezolid.The prevalence of β-lactamase-negative ampicillin-resistant(BLNAR)strains was 43.3％in Haemophilus influenzae.Conclusions MDROs were prevalent in PICU.It is necessary to establish an effective multidisciplinary team(MDT)to control the antimicrobial resistance.

The standard therapy bundle for septic shock includes antibiotics,fluid resuscitation,vasopressors and inotropes. Given the high mortality rates associated with septic shock,there is an ongoing need for active research into potential therapies to improve outcomes. Venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VA-ECMO) is an acceptable and beneficial therapeutic modality for patients who fail conventional management and have decreased left ventricular ejection fraction. Up to now,the benefits of ECMO in pediatric sepsis remain unclear. Whether ECMO is the rescue therapy or is appropriately utilized in the early stage (window forward) remains controversial. At the present stage,it is necessary to strictly screen patients and make individualized decisions based on dynamic hemodynamic monitoring and biomarkers.

Objective:To investigate the feasibility and clinical effects of ultra early enteral nutrition (≤24 h) in critically ill children supported by extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO).Methods:A retrospective cohort study was conducted. Clinical data of 43 critically ill children who received ECMO support in the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) of Shanghai Children′s Hospital from January 2016 to December 2023 were collected, including general information, nutritional support modalities, and enteral nutrition tolerance. Based on the timing of enteral nutrition initiation, patients were divided into the within 24 h enteral nutrition group and the after 24 h enteral nutrition group. Nutritive indicators, nutritional intake, duration of ECMO support, duration of mechanical ventilation duration, and mortality rates were compared between the 2 groups using the two independent sample t test, Mann-Whitney U test, χ2 test and Fisher′s exact test. Results:Among the 43 children, 25 were male and 18 were female, with an age of 47 (18, 97) months. There were no statistically significant differences between the within 24 h enteral nutrition group (21 cases) and the after 24 h enteral nutrition group (22 cases) in terms of age, body mass index Z score, total protein, albumin, hemoglobin levels before ECMO support, duration of ECMO support, duration of mechanical ventilation, length of PICU stay, number of enteral nutrition intolerance events, number of enteral nutrition interruption, or mortality rate (all P>0.05). The protein intake adequacy rate during ECMO support was higher in the within 24 h enteral nutrition group than in the after 24 h enteral nutrition group (0 (0, 21%) vs. 0 (0, 0), U=175.00, P<0.05). Conclusions:Ultra early enteral nutrition is safe for children supported by ECMO. Initiating enteral nutrition within 24 h can increase the proportion of days with adequate protein intake in ECMO children without increasing the occurance of enteral nutrition intolerance or interruptions.

Objective:To explore the risk factors of deaths caused by influenza-associated encephalopathy (IAE) in children.Methods:A case control study was conducted.The clinical data (including baseline fata, organ function indices, inflammatory factors, imaging data, treatment, and outcomes) of IAE children hospitalized in the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) of Shanghai Children′s Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University from January 2020 to December 2023 were retrospectively analyzed.The children were divided into a survival group and a death group.The Logistic regression and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve were used to analyze the risk factors of death in IAE children.Results:A total of 46 cases were included, with an onset age of 74.8(46.0, 92.5) months.The main cause of IAE was influenza A virus infection, which was detected in 45 cases(97.8%), and 32 cases (69.6%) of them had H3N2.One child (2.2%) was infected by influenza B virus.Eight children died, showing a mortality of 17.4%.There was significant difference in Glasgow Coma Scale between the survival and death groups when they were admitted into the PICU [10 (9, 11) points vs.3 (3, 5) points] ( Z=-4.510, P<0.05).All patients in the death group had multiple organ dysfunction syndrome, respiratory failure and circulatory system failure.Serum procalcitonin (PCT)[15.7 (3.3, 37.4) μg/L], interleukin-6 (IL-6)[1 039.1 (319.3, 2 884.3) ng/L], and cerebrospinal fluid protein(CSFP)[13 050.0 (5 865.0, 21 100.0) mg/L] in the death group compared with those in the survival group [0.2 (0.1, 0.8) μg/L, 15.5 (7.9, 44.8) ng/L, 227.0 (190.0, 332.0) mg/L]were highly increased ( Z=-3.364, -4.088, -3.757, all P<0.001).Logistic regression analysis showed that PCT ( OR=0.660, P<0.05), IL-6 ( OR=1.014, P<0.05) and CSFP ( OR=1.001, P<0.05) were risk factors of death in IAE.The areas under the ROC curve for these three factors were 0.88 (95% CI: 0.77-0.97), 0.96 (95% CI: 0.86-1.00) and 0.93 (95% CI: 0.76-1.00), respectively.When a cutoff value of 2.50 μg/L, 269.67 ng/L and 5 240.00 mg/L was taken, PCT achieved a sensitivity of 0.875 and a specificity of 0.816, IL-6 achieved a sensitivity of 0.875 and specificity of 0.974, and CSFP achieved a sensitivity of 0.875 and specificity of 0.974, respectively. Conclusions:High levels of serum PCT, IL-6 and CSFP at PICU admission are risk factors of poor prognosis in children with IAE.

Objective:To explore the clinical features and risk factors for pediatric severe Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia (SMPP) complicated with pulmonary embolism. Methods:SMPP patients admitted to Department of Pediatrics, Jiaxing First Hospital and Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, Shanghai Children′s Hospital from December 2019 to December 2023 were included in this retrospective case-control study.According to whether they were complicated with pulmonary embolism, SMPP patients were divided into a pulmonary embolism group and a non-pulmonary embolism group.Clinical characteristics of the two groups, including general data, laboratory examination and imaging data were compared and analyzed.The t-test and Mann-Whitney rank-sum test were used to compare the measurement data, and the χ2 test was used to compare the count data.The risk factors of SMPP patients developing pulmonary embolism were analyzed by the univariate method. Results:There were 10 out of 62 SMPP children developing pulmonary embolism, showing an incidence of 16.13%.In the pulmonary embolism group, there were 5 boys and 5 girls, with a median age of 7.50 (5.75, 9.25) years.There were 52 children in the non-pulmonary embolism group, including 29 boys and 23 girls, with a median age of 6.50(5.00, 8.00)years.The hospitalization time, body temperature, total white blood cell count, neutrophil count, C-reactive protein levels, lactate dehydrogenase levels, prothrombin time, activated partial thromboplastin time, D-dimer (D-D) levels, fibrinogen degradation product levels, pleural effusion and atelectasis rates in the pulmonary embolism group were significantly higher than those in the non-pulmonary embolism group (all P<0.05). Fibrinogen levels in the pulmonary embolism group were significantly lower than those in the non-pulmonary embolism group ( P<0.05). Univariate Logistic regression analysis showed that the D-D level was a risk factor for SMPP patient developing pulmonary embolism.The receiver operating characteristic curve analysis revealed that the D-D level had the largest area under the curve for predicting pulmonary embolism of 0.990(95% CI: 0.972-1.000, P<0.001), with a sensitivity of 100%, a specificity of 92%, and a cut-off value of 4.63 mg/L. Conclusions:SMPP children complicated with pulmonary embolism are prone to high inflammation and impaired coagulation function.The increase of D-D levels is a risk factor for the development of pulmonary embolism in SMPP.

Objective To explore the effects and mechanism of Shengxian Yixin Granules in treating ventricular remodeling in rats with myocardial infarction based on the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway.Methods A total of 60 SD rats were randomly selected six rats as the control group,and the remaining 54 rats were used as the modeling group.Sham-operation and left anterior descending coronary artery ligation were performed respectively.The modeled rats were divided into model group,Shengxian Yixin Granules group,740Y-P group and Shengxian Yixin Granules+740Y-P group,and were given corresponding intervention for 28 days.Left ventricular ejection fraction(LVEF)and left ventricular fractional shortening(LVFS)were measured by echocardiography,and left ventricular hypertrophy index was calculated,the myocardial morphology was observed by HE and Masson staining,and the protein expressions of p-PI3K,PI3K,p-AKT and AKT were detected by Western blot,RT-qPCR was used to detect the mRNA expressions of type Ⅰ collagen(Col1)and type Ⅲ collagen(Col3),and ELISA was used to detect the contents of serum cardiac troponin T(cTnT),creatine kinase-MB(CK-MB),Col1 and Col3.Results Compared with the control group,the LVEF and LVFS in the model group significantly decreased(P<0.01),the left ventricular hypertrophy index increased(P<0.01);myocardial cells were arranged disorderly,some cells were necrotic,ruptured and their nuclei were dissolved,with obvious neutrophil infiltration,the collagen fiber significantly increased,the protein expressions of p-PI3K and p-AKT in myocardial tissue significantly increased(P<0.05),and the mRNA expression of Col1 and Col3 significantly increased(P<0.01);the contents of serum cTnT,CK-MB,Col1 and Col3 significantly increased(P<0.05,P<0.01).Compared with the model group,the LVEF and LVFS in Shengxian Yixin Granules group significantly improved(P<0.05,P<0.01),and left ventricular hypertrophy index decreased(P<0.05);myocardial necrosis,neutrophil infiltration and collagen fiber deposition were reduced,the protein expressions of p-PI3K and p-AKT in myocardial tissue significantly decreased(P<0.05),and the mRNA expressions of Col1 and Col3 significantly decreased(P<0.01);the contents of serum cTnT,CK-MB,Col1 and Col3 significantly decreased(P<0.05,P<0.01).LVEF and LVFS in 740Y-P group significantly decreased(P<0.01),and left ventricular hypertrophy index increased(P<0.05);a large number of myocardial cells were necrotic and ruptured,fibers were torn obviously,and many scar tissues were formed,the protein expressions of p-PI3K and p-AKT in myocardial tissue significantly increased(P<0.05),the mRNA expressions of Col1 and Col3 significantly increased(P<0.01);the contents of serum cTnT,CK-MB,Col1 and Col3 significantly increased(P<0.05,P<0.01).Shengxian Yixin Granules+740Y-P could improve the damage of 740Y-P to the heart.Conclusion Shengxian Yixin Granules can improve ventricular remodeling in rats with heart failure,reduce myocardial fibrosis,and improve cardiac function through the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway.

Booster vaccinations are highly recommended in combating the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant and its subvariants. However, the optimal booster vaccination strategies and related immune mechanisms with different prior vaccinations are under-revealed. In this study, we systematically evaluated the immune responses in mice and hamsters with different prime-boost regimens before their protective efficacies against Omicron were detected. We found that boosting with Ad5-nCoV, S_WT-2P or S_Omicron-6P induced significantly higher levels of neutralization activities against Omicron variants than CoronaVac and ZF2001 by eliciting stronger germinal center (GC) responses. Specifically, S_Omicron-6P induced even stronger antibody responses against Omicron variants in CoronaVac and Ad5-nCoV-primed animals than non-Omicron-specific vaccines but with limited differences as compared to Ad5-nCoV and S_WT-2P. In addition, boosting with a specific vaccine has the potential to remodel the existing immune profiles. These findings indicated that adenovirus-vectored vaccines and mRNA vaccines would be more effective than other types of vaccines as booster shots in combating Omicron infections. Moreover, the protective efficacies of the vaccines in booster vaccinations are highly related to GC reactions in secondary lymphatic organs. In summary, these findings provide timely important information on prime-boost regimens and future vaccine design.