Group A Streptococcus (GAS) are important human pathogens.In recent years, the M1 UK strain has attracted widespread attention in the United Kingdom and other countries because it has been associated with a surge in scarlet fever and an increase in invasive GAS infections.Author conducted a whole-genome sequencing study of 42 GAS strains from 2016 to 2018 in Shenzhen, and found that a GAS strain isolated from a child with scarlet fever in Shenzhen area in 2018 was homologous to M1 UK, which is the first strain of M1 UK confirmed in the mainland of China.For this reason, hereby publish it with a view to attracting the attention of our domestic counterparts and safeguarding public health safety.

As a pathogen of public health significance, group A Streptococcus (GAS) infects 18.1 million people and leads to 500 000 deaths all over the world every year.GAS is often transmitted through respiratory droplets and contact with damaged skin.Children, the elderly and immunocompromised people are highly susceptible to GAS infection.Schools, kindergartens, hospitals, nursing homes and other densely populated areas are high-risk areas for GAS transmission.Prevention and control measures should highlight the improvement of living conditions and hand hygiene.Adherence to infection prevention and control measures should be emphasized in high-risk environments.In this paper, the risk factors, prevention and control strategies of GAS infection and transmission were summarized, so as to provide basis for the prevention and control of GAS.

Objective:To investigate the feasibility of nebulizing injectable Tobramycin for the treatment of Pseudomonas aeruginosa (Pa) in pediatric cystic fibrosis (CF) patients. Methods:The clinical data of 3 CF children with Pa infection who were treated by nebulizing injectable Tobramycin in Shenzhen Children′s Hospital from September 2017 to March 2021 were retrospectively analyzed.The efficacy and safety were explored.The nebulized injectable Tobramycin (160 mg/dose) was given twice daily after airway clearance.After one-month treatment course, oral Ciprofloxacin would be given [30 mg/(kg·d)] to patients for another 1 month if Pa was still positive in repeat sputum cultures.Results:There were 2 males and 1 female in 3 cases recruited.The youngest patient was 1-year-old when receiving Tobramycin treatment.After airway clearance and inhalation of injectable Tobramycin, all had improvements in respiratory symptoms and chest CT scan.Two cases took additional oral Ciprofloxacin as Pa was still positive after the 1-month treatment course of Tobramycin.Pa turned to negative in all 3 cases after treatment for 3 months to 1.5 years.Besides, after treatment all the 3 patients had normal liver and renal functions, and normal hearing in multiple follow ups.One patient had a normal brainstem auditory evoked potential in the reexamination.Conclusions:Nebulizing injectable Tobramycin would be a reasonable alternative to inhaled Tobramycin solution for treating pediatric CF patients with Pa in view of the present condition in mainland China.However, it is still worth further study and discussion.

Objective:To summarize the clinical characteristics and investigate risk factors associated with the development of plastic bronchitis(PB)in pediatric patients who have severe pneumonia caused by adenovirus(HAdVs)infections.Methods:We retrospectively reviewed the clinical manifestations, laboratory results, radiological examinations, and treatment courses of 258 children who were diagnosed as HAdVs associated severe pneumonia between 1st January, 2015 and 31st October, 2019 at Shenzhen Children′s Hospital.According to the presence of PB, patients were divided into PB group( n=45)and non-PB group( n=213). Results:In PB group, the male to female ratio was 1.65∶1(including 28 boys and 17 girls)and the median age was 41.0(18.5, 65.5)months.Patients younger than 6 years of age accounted for 80.0%(36/45)and older patients accounted for 20.0%(9/45). The major clinical symptoms of patients in PB group were high fever(95.6%, 43/45), cough(100.0%, 45/45)and conjunctivitis(33.3%, 15/45). Physical examinations revealed that most patients had tachypnea(80.0%, 36/45)and crackles(80.0%, 36/45). Compared to patients in non-PB group, the duration of fever in PB group was significant longer( Z=-13.519, P<0.001). Compared to non-PB group, there was a significant decrease of the lymphocyte count[2.24(1.44, 3.84)×10 9/L vs.1.75(1.21, 3.03)×10 9/L] and a significantly increase of the procalcitonin level[0.46(0.19, 1.73)ng/mL vs.1.54(0.37, 2.96)ng/mL] in PB group( P<0.05). Chest radiological examinations revealed that patients in PB group had higher rates to develop pleural effusion(62.2% vs.42.3%) and atelectasis(57.8% vs.22.1%) of the lungs compared to non-PB group( P<0.05). The majority of patients improved after resolution of symptoms(97.8%, 44/45) in PB group.Only one patient(2.2%, 1/45) died due to discontinuation of treatment.Conjunctivitis( P<0.001, OR=108.514, 95% CI 17.476-673.791), tachypnea( P<0.001, OR=18.788, 95% CI 5.172-68.246), pleural effusion( P=0.007, OR=3.363, 95% CI 1.389-8.139) were independent risk factors associated with the development of PB in children with HAdVs associated severe pneumonia. Conclusion:Pre-school age children are at higher risk to develop HAdVs related severe pneumonia that complicated with PB.Fever and cough remain the main clinical symptoms.The presence of PB is associated with longer period of fever and higher risks to have pleural effusion and atelectasis.Conjunctivitis, tachypnea orpleural effusion are higher risk to develop PB in those with HAdVs associated severe pneumonia.

Objective:To analyze the characteristics of sleep disordered breathing (SDB) in children with allergic rhinitis (AR), and improve the diagnosis and treatment at AR combined with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).Methods:The clinical data of 120 patients with AR and OSA (AR and OSA group) admitted to the respiratory department at Shenzhen Children′s Hospital from May 2019 to December 2020 were retrospectively analyzed.A total of 120 children diagnosed with OSA and excluded AR during the same period were selected as control group.The SDB day and night symptoms, sleep structure characteristics and sleep breathing events were compared between two groups.Results:The average course of disease in children with AR and OSA was significantly longer than that in control group ( P=0.030). The main manifestations of children in AR and OSA group were mouth breathing (100.0%), snoring (99.2%), nasal obstruction (88.5%), and restless sleep (68.0%). There was no significant difference in sleep structure between two groups ( P>0.05), but the sleep efficiency of AR and OSA group was significantly lower than that of control group ( P=0.028). The respiratory events apnea hypopnea index, obstructive apnea index, obstructive apnea hypopnea index, hypopnea index and oxygen desaturation index of each sleep period in AR and OSA group were significantly higher than those in control group ( P<0.05). Among the children in AR and OSA group, moderate and severe OSA were the main manifestations, and the difference between two groups was statistically significant ( P<0.001). Conclusion:The combination of AR delayed the course of OSA in children.The main characteristics of sleep disordered breathing in children with AR are mouth opening, restless sleep, snoring and nasal obstruction.The sleep efficiency is decreased.Obstructive hypopnea and apnea are the most common respiratory events, and oxygen deficiency often occurs in rapid eye movement phase.Children with AR are more likely to have moderate or severe obstructive sleep apnea.

Craniofacial malformation caused by premature fusion of cranial suture of infants has a serious impact on their growth. The purpose of skull remodeling surgery for infants with craniosynostosis is to expand the skull and allow the brain to grow properly. There are no standardized treatments for skull remodeling surgery at the present, and the postoperative effect can be hardly assessed reasonably. Children with sagittal craniosynostosis were selected as the research objects. By analyzing the morphological characteristics of the patients, the point cloud registration of the skull distortion region with the ideal skull model was performed, and a plan of skull cutting and remodeling surgery was generated. A finite element model of the infant skull was used to predict the growth trend after remodeling surgery. Finally, an experimental study of surgery simulation was carried out with a child with a typical sagittal craniosynostosis. The evaluation results showed that the repositioning and stitching of bone plates effectively improved the morphology of the abnormal parts of the skull and had a normal growth trend. The child's preoperative cephalic index was 65.31%, and became 71.50% after 9 months' growth simulation. The simulation of the skull remodeling provides a reference for surgical plan design. The skull remodeling approach significantly improves postoperative effect, and it could be extended to the generation of cutting and remodeling plans and postoperative evaluations for treatment on other types of craniosynostosis.
Child ; Computer Simulation ; Cranial Sutures/surgery* ; Craniosynostoses/surgery* ; Humans ; Infant ; Skull/surgery*

Objective:To summarize the clinical characteristics of adenovirus (HAdVs) pneumonia in children.Methods:The clinical manifestations, laboratory results, imaging features and treatment courses of 541 children with HAdVs pneumonia treated in Shenzhen Children′s Hospital from January 2017 to August 2019 were retrospectively studied.Results:The number of children diagnosed with HAdVs pneumonia increased year by year.A total of 541 patients were included in this study (214 females and 327 males, median age 31 months). The majority of patients (89.3%, 483/541 cases) were less than 6 years of age.Cough (98.3%, 532/541 cases) was the most common symptom, followed by fever (93.7%, 507/541 cases), tachypnea (36.6%, 198/541 cases) and wheeting (32.5%, 176/541 cases). Thirteen point three percent patients (72/541 cases) had existing primary diseases.Severe HAdVs pneumonia was observed in 33.8% of patients (183/541 cases), the most common intrapulmonary complication were pleural effusion(18.6%, 101/541 cases) and respiratory failure (7.0%, 38/541 cases). In co-infection cases, 46.9% of the patients (254/541 cases) suffered from co-infection with mycoplasma pneumoniae, 21.6% of the patients (117/541 cases) suffered from bacterial co-infection.Ninety-eight point five percent of the patients (533/541 cases) were cured, and 1.5% of the patients (8/541 cases) died or discharged voluntarily.Convulsions [ P=0.026, OR=7.312 (95% CI: 1.267-42.191)] and bacterial co-infections [ P=0.030, OR=2.724 (95% CI: 1.101-6.741)] were independently correlated with the occurrence of severe HAdVs pneumonia. Conclusions:Pre-school aged children are at higher risks of developing HAdVs pneumonia.The majority of patients presents with fever and cough as primary manifestations.Tachypnea and wheezing are also common clinical features of HAdVs pneumonia patients.Approximately a third of children with HAdVs pneumonia may develop into severe pneumonia.The presentation of convulsion and the exis-tence of bacterial co-infections may help to predict the development of severe HAdVs pneumonia in pediatric patients.

Chronic granulomatous disease(CGD)is a rare primary immunodeficiency disease with X-linked or autosomal pattern of inheritance, which belongs to monogenic disorders, mainly manifested in repeated infection, granuloma formation caused by inflammatory response disorder and other inflammatory diseases.Detection of neutrophil respiratory burst function can screen the disease, and gene sequence analysis can identify the pathogenic genes.Now, the latest research on gene therapy was updated, and the clinical manifestations, diagnosis, routine treatment and hemato-poietic stem cell transplantation(HSCT)were summarized in order to strengthen the clinicians′ understanding of CGD.

Objective: To summarize the clinical features of immunodeficiency diseases with interstitial lung disease (ILD) as major clinical manifestations and to improve understanding etiology of ILD. Methods: The clinical features and clinical clues for diagnosis of six cases with immunodeficiency presented with ILD in Shenzhen Children′s Hospital from January 2014 to December 2016 were retrospectively analyzed. Results: The patients′ age ranged from 3 months to 5 years and 9 months, 5 cases were male. All cases had cough and tachypnea, 3 cases had lung infection and respiratory failure, 2 cases had chronic hypoxia and one had clubbing. Three cases had skin rashes; 5 cases had failure to thrive. Chest CT scan showed diffuse ground glass opacity in all the 6 cases, and 2 cases had cystic changes and one had "crazy-paving" pattern. Five patients were suspected to have surfactant dysfunction and genetic testing was performed before diagnosis of immunodeficiency, of which the results were negative. With human immunodeficiency virus antibody test or immunologic laboratory testing and/or immune genetic panel, acquired immune deficiency syndrome was confirmed in one case, hyper-IgM syndrome was confirmed in two cases and hyper-IgE syndrome in one case, Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome in one and STAT3 gain of function genetic mutation in another. All cases had clinical clues indicative of underlying immunocompromise. Conclusions The clinical features of immunodeficiency diseases with ILD are cough, tachypnea or hypoxia, respiratory failure with infection, diffuse ground glass opacity in Chest CT imaging. With thorough medical history and immunology screening, there would be clinical clues indicative of underlying immunocompromise. Screening for immunodeficiency disease should be emphasized in the differential diagnosis of ILD, otherwise it may lead to misdiagnosis or unnecessary testing.

Objective: To evaluate the clinical and radiological outcomes,and the complications of staged minimally invasive surgery for adult degenerative scoliosis, comparing with that of the conventional open surgery. Methods: From Jun 2013 to Jun 2017, a total of 42 cases of degenerative scoliosis underwent surgical treatment. Among which, 23 cases underwent staged minimally invasive surgery(MIS group) and 19 cases underwent posterior open surgery(open group). The intra-operative bleeding, and operation time were recorded.The clinical outcomes were assessed using the Oswestry Disability Index (ODI), Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) for low back pain and leg pain.The radiological outcome was evaluated with Cobb angles and sagittal balance parameters (Sagittal Vertical Axis (SVA), Pelvic Incidence (PI)-Lumbar Lordosis (LL), Pelvic Tilt (PT)). The occurrence of complications was recorded. Results: The baseline demographic features of both groups (gender, age, medical comorbidity, etc.) were similar.The mean follow-up period for both groups was more than 2 years.The intraoperative bleeding in the MIS group 405.7±144.8 ml was significantly lower than that in the open group (2 005.3±728.4 ml, t=10.31, P<0.001); The total operation time 414.3±63.0 min of MIS group was significantly longer than that of the open group (304.2±51.8 min, t=6.10, P<0.001), but the operating time of each stage was shorter than the open group. The VAS score for back pain and leg pain,the ODI scores were significantly improved after surgery for both group, there was no significant difference between the two groups, but the low back pain and function in MIS group were better than the open group. The parameters of the coronal and sagittal deformity were significantly improved in both groups, correction of coronal deformity in MIS groupwassignificantly superior to the open group (F=12.02, P=0.001), there was no significant difference in sagittal balance correction between the two groups. The overall complication rate (63.2%) was slightly higher in the open group than in the MIS group (34.8%) without significant difference(χ²=3.36, P=0.07). The incidence of major complications in the open group was significantly higher than that in the MIS group (P=0.014). Conclusion Staged minimally invasive surgery can significantly relieve the patient's pain, improve functionand the coronal and sagittal balance of the patient, the early clinical and radiological outcomes were comparable to the open surgery; Minimally invasive surgery may significantly reduce the amount of bleeding and major complications. Minimally invasive surgery is safe and effective for carefully selected patients with degenerative scoliosis.However, the long-term outcomes of minimally invasive surgery remains to be followed up.