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.

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.

ObjectiveTo evaluate the clinical effectiveness and safety of Modified Zhigancao Granules （炙甘草汤加味颗粒） for preventing the early recurrence following radiofrequency ablation in patients with atrial fibrillation （AF） of qi-yin deficiency syndrome. MethodsA multi-center， randomized， double-blind， placebo-controlled trial was designed. A total of 116 patients with atrial fibrillation of qi-yin deficiency syndrome who underwent radiofrequency ablation for the first time were enrolled from 3 centers， and they were randomly divided into a treatment group （59 cases） and a control group （57 cases）. Both groups received basic western medicine treatment after surgery. In addition， the treatment group was given oral Modified Zhigancao Granules， while the control group was given oral placebo granules. The dosage for both groups was 20 g each time， twice a day， with continuous treatment for 12 weeks. The recurrence of atrial fibrillation in both groups was recorded at 24 hours， 4 weeks， 8 weeks， and 12 weeks after surgery. The serum levels of B-type natriuretic peptide （BNP）， interleukin-6 （IL-6）， high-sensitivity C-reactive protein （hs-CRP）， and tumor necrosis factor-α （TNF-α） were detected before treatment and 12 weeks after treatment in both groups. The scores of Atrial Fibrillation Effect on QualiTy-of-life （AFEQT） Questionnaire （including scores of the daily life dimension， symptom dimension， treatment worry dimension， treatment satisfaction dimension， and total score） and traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） syndrome scores were compared before treatment and at 4 weeks， 8 weeks， and 12 weeks between groups. Safety indicators such as blood routine， urine routine， liver function， and renal function were monitored before and after treatment. ResultsNine of the treatment group and seven of the control group dropped out. Finally， 50 patients in each group were included in the statistical analysis. At 24 hours， 4 weeks， 8 weeks， and 12 weeks after surgery， the recurrence rates of AF in the treatment group were 2.0% （1/50）， 2.0% （1/50）， 4.0% （2/50）， and 10.0% （5/50）， respectively； while those in the control group were 2.0% （1/50）， 26.0% （13/50）， 28.0% （14/50）， and 34.0% （17/50）， respectively. Compared with the control group at the same time points， the early recurrence rates of AF in the treatment group were significantly lower at 4 weeks， 8 weeks， and 12 weeks after surgery （P＜0.01）. Compared with the baseline within group， BNP， hs-CRP， IL-6， and TNF-α in the treatment group all decreased after 12 weeks of treatment （P＜0.05）； the difference in hs-CRP levels （before vs. after treatment） in the treatment group was higher than that in the control group （P＜0.01）. Compared with the baseline within group， both groups showed decreases in the total score of AFEQT Questionnaire， scores of the daily life dimension， treatment worry dimension， symptom dimension， and TCM syndrome scores at 4 weeks， 8 weeks， and 12 weeks after treatment. Meanwhile， the score of the treatment satisfaction dimension of AFEQT increased in both groups （P＜0.01）， and the improvements in all the above scores in the treatment group were superior to those in the control group at all time points （P＜0.05 or P＜0.01）. All safety indicators of patients in both groups were within the normal range before treatment and at 12 weeks after treatment， and no adverse reactions or adverse events occurred in either group. ConclusionModified Zhigancao Granules can reduce the early recurrence rate following radiofrequency ablation in AF patients with qi-yin deficiency syndrome， improve clinical symptoms and quality of life， suppress inflammatory response， and show good safety.

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 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 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.

Objective:To evaluate the efficacy and safety of intensity modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) and programmed death-1 (PD-1) immunotherapy combined with single-agent chemotherapy for patients with local failure of esophageal cancer after initial radical chemoradiotherapy.Methods:Clinical data of 80 patients with local failure of esophageal cancer after initial radical chemoradiotherapy treated with IMRT or PD-1 immunotherapy combined with single-agent chemotherapy in People's Hospital of Xinghua between June 2014 and June 2023 were retrospectively analyzed. IMRT was delivered at 1.8-2.0 Gy per fraction, 5 fractions per week, with a total dose of 45.0-60.0 Gy in 40 patients (IMRT group). The other 40 patients received PD-1 immunotherapy combined with single-agent chemotherapy (PD-1 immunotherapy combined with single-agent chemotherapy group). Kaplan-Meier method was used for univariate analysis and the cumulative survival probability. Log-rank test was used for survival significance test. Cox proportional hazards model was used for multivariate analysis of related factors affecting overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS) and local control (LC).Results:By December 2023, the follow-up rate was 100%. The 1- and 2-year OS rates in the IMRT group were 66.1% and 18.9%, with a median OS time of 10.1 months. In the PD-1 immunotherapy combined with single-agent chemotherapy group, the 1- and 2-year OS rates were 72.3% and 36.9%, with a median OS time of 12.4 months. There was a significant difference in OS rates between two groups ( χ2=3.89, P=0.049). The 1- and 2-year PFS rates in the IMRT group were 47.4% and 31.6%, with a median PFS time of 8.5 months. In the PD-1 immunotherapy combined with single-agent chemotherapy group, the 1- and 2-year PFS rates were 70.0% and 64.2%, with a median PFS time of 11.9 months. There was no significant difference in the PFS rates between two groups ( χ2=2.66, P=0.103). The 1- and 2-year LC rates in the IMRT group were 68.6% and 62.3%, with a median LC time of 8.9 months. In the PD-1 immunotherapy combined with single-agent chemotherapy group, the 1- and 2-year LC rates were 72.8% and 66.7%, with a median LC time of 12.0 months. There was no significant difference in LC rates between two groups ( χ2=0.18, P=0.672). Grade 2 radiation esophagitis and radiation pneumonitis developed in 82.5% (33/40) and 32.5% (13/40) in the IMRT group, respectively. The incidence of grade 1-2 peripheral blood leukopenia was 40.0% (16/40), 50.0% (20/40) for grade 1-2 peripheral blood thrombocytopenia, 27.5% (11/40) for moderate to severe anemia, and 20.0% (8/40) for grade 1-2 thyroid dysfunction in the PD-1 immunotherapy combined with single-agent chemotherapy, respectively. Single- and multi-factor analysis showed that the failure site ( χ2=9.01, P=0.011) and short-term efficacy ( χ2=7.78, P=0.005) were the independent prognostic factors affecting OS. The short-term efficacy was the independent prognostic factor for PFS ( χ2=31.63, P<0.001). The short-term efficacy was the independent prognostic factors affecting LCS ( χ2=17.64, P=0.001) too. Conclusion:For the patients with local failure of esophageal cancer after initial radical chemoradiotherapy, the combination of PD-1 immunotherapy with single-agent chemotherapy yields better survival prognosis than re-irradiation alone, but it is still necessary to pay attention to the related drug toxicities.

In November 2023, the seventh National Nucleic Acid Vaccine Conference was held to deeply discuss the immune mechanism, safety risks, advantages, and disadvantages of nucleic acid vaccines, and review the safety and effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines developed by nucleic acid vaccine technology. Some prospectives were formed in the meeting that in the post-pandemic era, nucleic acid vaccine technology will play a role in the following areas: dealing with pathogens that are difficult to be prevented by traditional vaccines, promoting the upgrading of traditional live attenuated vaccines, contributing to the development of multivalent and combined vaccines, and rapid response to emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases. These views point out the direction for the future development of nucleic acid vaccine technology.

Objective:To investigate the efficacy and safety of tocilizumab in the treatment of critically ill children with acute necrotizing encephalopathy (ANE).Methods:It is a retrospective cohort study. The children with ANE admitted to the pediatric intensive care unit of 4 Chinese tertiary hospitals from December 2022 to November 2023 were divided into conventional treatment group and tocilizumab group, and the comparison between groups was performed by using Mann ‐ Whitney U test or Chi-square test. Results:Among 21 cases of severe ANE, there were 11 males with the onset age of 65 (27, 113) months. The duration from onset to PICU admission was 2 (1, 2) days. There were 13 cases of ultra-high fever (greater than 40 ℃), including 18 cases of convulsions, and 19 cases with a GCS score of less than 8 points. The causative agent was novel coronavirus Omicron in 7 cases and influenza A in 14 cases. All cases had central respiratory failure requiring mechanical ventilation. Of the 21 cases, 18 were shock, 15 were coagulopathy, 10 were kidney injury and 13 were liver dysfunction. Of these hospitalized patients, 8 children with ANE were treated with tocilizumab. Eight cases received continuous blood purification (CBP) treatment, 5 of them were combined with plasmapheresis. Serum cytokine levels were elevated in 21 children with ANE, including (interleukin, IL)-6 and IL-8 (61 (22, 1 513) and 68 (5, 296) ng/L). There were 14 cases (67%) deaths, including 11 cases in the conventional treatment group and 3 cases in the tocilizumab group. There was no significant difference in the mortality rate between the two groups ( P=0.056). Tocilizumab-related rash or other adverse events were not observed. Conclusions:The motality of critically ill ANE patients was high. The combination of Tocilizumab with conventional treatment did not reduce the motality of severe ANE patients, and no adverse reactions of tocilizumab were observed.

Objective:To dynamically monitor the pediatric sequential organ failure assessment(pSOFA) score of children in PICU at different time points, and to evaluate the predictive value of pSOFA score for the prognosis of children with sepsis.Methods:A multicenter prospective observational study was conducted to collect the data of children with sepsis admitted to the PICU of four children′s hospitals in Shanghai from December 2018 to December 2019(Children′s Hospital of Fudan University, Shanghai Children′s Medical Center Affiliated to Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, Shanghai Children′s Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, and Xinhua Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine). We collected their pSOFA scores on the 1st, 3rd, and 7th day after sepsis diagnosis and the highest score.The patients were divided into survival group and death group according to the clinical outcomes at the time of leaving PICU.The clinical characteristics of two groups were compared.Receiver operating characteristic(ROC) curve were used to assess the resolution of the pSOFA score.Logistic regression was used to analyze the relationship between pSOFA score and sepsis mortality.Results:A total of 170 cases diagnosed sepsis were included, with a median age of 32.5(11.5, 83.2) months, and a median length of stay in PICU of 10(6, 21) days.Forty-two died and 128 survived.The medians of the 1st, 3rd, 7th day and the highest pSOFA score of the children in death group[10(7, 12) points, 9(5, 10) points, 7(4, 10) points, 11(7, 12) points, respectively] were higher than those in survival group[4(2, 8) points, 3(1, 6) points, 2(0, 5) points, 6(3, 8) points, respectively]( P<0.05). The area under the ROC curve of the pSOFA score predicting death on day 1 after sepsis diagnosis was greater than that on days 3, 7 and the highest pSOFA score[0.84(95% CI 0.79-0.91) vs.0.80(95% CI 0.71-0.89), 0.77(95% CI 0.65-0.89), 0.83(95% CI 0.77-0.90)], but the difference was not statistically significant( χ2=1.660, P=0.646). The pSOFA score on the first day of diagnosis had the best cut-off value of >6 points for predicting the risk of death from sepsis, with a sensitivity of 97.6% and a specificity of 53.9%.Logistic regression analysis of pSOFA score and childhood sepsis death showed that the OR values corresponding to the 1st, 3rd, 7th day of diagnosis and the highest pSOFA score were 1.58(95% CI 1.350-1.840), 1.39(95% CI 1.218-1.595), 1.38(95% CI 1.184-1.617) and 1.55(95% CI 1.333-1.800), respectively(all P<0.05). The 1-point increase in pSOFA score on the first day of diagnosis of sepsis was associated with a 58% increase in the hazard ratio for death, and each 1-point increase in the highest pSOFA score was associated with a 55% increase in the hazard ratio for death. Conclusion:The 1st, 3rd, 7th day of sepsis diagnosis and the highest pSOFA score could better predict the mortality risk of sepsis in children.Dynamic monitoring of the pSOFA score at different time points has a certain clinical value in predicting the progression and prognosis of children with sepsis.