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Cureus 2021 May 9;13(5):e14913. Epub 2021 May 9.

Paediatrics, Base Hospital, Mahaoya, LKA.

Childhood pneumococcal infection is a growing concern among paediatricians especially, in countries where there is no routine vaccination program against . The disease is associated with significant morbidity and mortality in young children particularly those who are under the age of two years. Its main virulent factors include polysaccharide capsule, autolysin, pneumolysin, choline-binding Protein A, the higher chance for genetic transformation, and the presence of pilli that facilitate enhanced binding of bacteria to host cellular surfaces. Read More

Front Genet 2021 28;12:663098. Epub 2021 May 28.

BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen, China.

Symptoms of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) range from asymptomatic to severe pneumonia and death. A deep understanding of the variation of biological characteristics in severe COVID-19 patients is crucial for the detection of individuals at high risk of critical condition for the clinical management of the disease. Herein, by profiling the gene expression spectrum deduced from DNA coverage in regions surrounding transcriptional start site in plasma cell-free DNA (cfDNA) of COVID-19 patients, we deciphered the altered biological processes in the severe cases and demonstrated the feasibility of cfDNA in measuring the COVID-19 progression. Read More

Front Pharmacol 2021 28;12:652412. Epub 2021 May 28.

Evidence-Based Medicine Center, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin, China.

pneumonia (MPP) causes flu-like symptoms in children, increasing the burden on the health and education systems. In China, traditional Chinese medicine oral liquids (TCMOLs) combined with azithromycin (TCMOLs + Azithromycin) is commonly used to treat MPP in children. However, TCMOLs with the optimal clinical applicability remain unknown. Read More

BMC Infect Dis 2021 Jun 12;21(1):560. Epub 2021 Jun 12.

Medical Imaging research center, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran.

Background: This study was performed with the intention of comparing the clinical, laboratory, and chest computed tomography (CT) findings between severe and non-severe patients as well as between different age groups composed of pediatric patients with confirmed COVID-19.

Method: This study was carried out on a total of 53 confirmed COVID-19 pediatric patients who were hospitalized in Namazi and Ali Asghar Hospitals, Shiraz, Iran. The patients were divided into two severe (n = 27) and non-severe (n = 28) groups as well as into other three groups in terms of their age: aged less than two years, aged 3-12 years and 13-17 years. Read More

Ann Palliat Med 2021 Jun 6. Epub 2021 Jun 6.

Department of Respiratory Medicine, Children's Hospital of Shanghai, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China.

Steroid myopathy (SM) is a side effect of glucocorticoid administration. Previous reports of SM after glucocorticoid therapy for respiratory diseases have focused on asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in adults or adolescents. To our knowledge, there have been no reports of SM after treatment with glucocorticoid for diffuse alveolar hemorrhage (DAH) in preschoolers. Read More

Clin Imaging 2021 Jun 1;79:213-218. Epub 2021 Jun 1.

Ondokuz Mayis University Faculty of Medicine, Department of Biostatistics and Medical Informatics, Samsun, Turkey.

Purpose: To investigate the utilization of 3-Tesla (3 T) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in detection of pulmonary abnormalities in children with pneumonia.

Materials And Methods: Forty-seven children with pneumonia prospectively underwent 3 T thoracic MRI and posteroanterior (PA) chest radiography (CR). Of these, 15 patients also underwent contrast-enhanced thorax computed tomography (CT) or high-resolution CT (HRCT). Read More

JAMA Netw Open 2021 06 1;4(6):e2112596. Epub 2021 Jun 1.

Department of Health Informatics, Hospital Universitario 12 de Octubre, Madrid, Spain.

Importance: Additional sources of pediatric epidemiological and clinical data are needed to efficiently study COVID-19 in children and youth and inform infection prevention and clinical treatment of pediatric patients.

Objective: To describe international hospitalization trends and key epidemiological and clinical features of children and youth with COVID-19.

Design, Setting, And Participants: This retrospective cohort study included pediatric patients hospitalized between February 2 and October 10, 2020. Read More

J Trop Pediatr 2021 05;67(2)

The Global Health Unit, Department of Paediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Danish National Hospital "Rigshospitalet", Copenhagen 2100, Denmark.

Introduction: Globally, acute lower respiratory infections are the leading cause of mortality among children under 5 years. Following World Health Organization primary care guidelines, pneumonia is diagnosed based on cough/difficult breathing and fast breathing. We aimed to describe the practices of healthcare workers in primary care health facilities in Uganda in the management of young children with respiratory symptoms especially regarding asthma as opposed to pneumonia. Read More

J Clin Immunol 2021 Jun 10. Epub 2021 Jun 10.

Immune Deficiencies Lab., National Institute of Pediatrics, Av Iman 1, Torre de Investigacion Piso 9, Insurgentes Cuicuilco, Coyoacan, 04530, Mexico City, Mexico.

Introduction: Patients with inborn errors of immunity (IEI) have a compromised or inappropriate immune response. Although they might be considered a high-risk group for severe SARS-CoV-2 infection, the reported impact of COVID-19 in these patients has been reassuring, while the differential susceptibility of distinct types of IEI remains unclear.

Objective: We aimed to describe the findings and outcomes of our known patients with IEI who were diagnosed with COVID-19. Read More

Front Public Health 2021 25;9:645421. Epub 2021 May 25.

Translational Medicine Center, Northwest Women's and Children's Hospital, Xi'an, China.

To investigate the mental health of women undergoing assisted reproductive technology (ART) treatment during the novel coronavirus pneumonia (COVID-19) pandemic outbreak in Xi'an, China. A repeated cross-sectional study was administered to women undergoing ART treatment during the outbreak period (599 women in February 2020) and the control period (892 women in May 2020) at the Northwest Women's and Children's Hospital, Xi'an, China. Both the ART-treated women surveyed during the outbreak period and those surveyed during the control period had high scores on the fear dimension (0. Read More

Cureus 2021 May 8;13(5):e14905. Epub 2021 May 8.

Pediatrics, Emergency Clinical Hospital for Children, Cluj-Napoca, ROU.

Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) or acute inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy (AIDP) is a rare autoimmune disorder in which the body's immune system mistakenly attacks the nerves. In this report, we present a case of a 15-month-old girl who presented with an inability to walk and support the vertical and sitting positions, pain in the lower limbs accompanied by grimaces, muscular weakness, and agitation due to gait disturbances. This is a unique case in that GBS affected a previously healthy girl and was associated with pneumonia and anemia as the disease progressed, causing an intriguing diagnosis. Read More

BMJ Open 2021 06 10;11(6):e049876. Epub 2021 Jun 10.

Department of Pediatrics, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany

Objective: To quantify the number of SARS-CoV-2 infections in secondary schools after their reopening in May 2020.

Design: Repeated SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence study after the reopening of schools and 4 months later.

Setting: Secondary school in Dresden, Germany. Read More

BMJ Open 2021 06 10;11(6):e047640. Epub 2021 Jun 10.

London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Faculty of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, London, UK.

Context And Objective: Ethiopia's primary care has a weak referral system for sick children. We aimed to identify health post and child factors associated with referrals of sick children 0-59 months of age and evaluate the healthcare providers' adherence to referral guidelines.

Design: A cross-sectional facility-based survey. Read More

J Allergy Clin Immunol Pract 2021 06;9(6):2541-2542

Division of Allergy and Immunology, Department of Pediatrics, Morsani College of Medicine, University of South Florida, St Petersburg, Fla.

J Allergy Clin Immunol Pract 2021 06;9(6):2537-2539

Department of Pediatrics, Section of Allergy and Immunology, Children's Hospital Colorado, University of Colorado Denver School of Medicine, Denver, Colo.

Pediatr Rheumatol Online J 2021 06 10;19(1):86. Epub 2021 Jun 10.

Children's Medical Center, Pediatrics Center of Excellence, Tehran, Iran.

BMC Med Educ 2021 Jun 10;21(1):339. Epub 2021 Jun 10.

Medical Education Department, Faculty of Medicine, Suez Canal University, Ismailia, Egypt.

Background: With the strike of Covid-19, an unprecedented rapid shift to remote learning happened worldwide with a paradigm shift to online learning from an institutional adjuvant luxury package and learner choice into a forced solo choice. This raises the question of quality assurance. While some groups have already established standards for online courses, teaching and programs yet very little information is included on methodology of their development and very little emphasis is placed on the online learning experience. Read More

Kardiologiia 2021 May 31;61(5):41-50. Epub 2021 May 31.

National Medical Research Centre for Therapy and Preventive Medicine, Moscow.

Aim      To evaluate the frequency of off-label prescription of medicines in practice of clinical specialists and the awareness of respondents of the procedure of justified off-label prescription.Material and methods  The sample included 542 clinical specialists who worked in definite medical organizations in 26 entities of the Russian Federation. The respondents were proposed to fill in remotely an anonymous questionnaire to evaluate the experience of prescribing medicines off-label to adult patients. Read More

Am J Emerg Med 2021 May 21;49:142-147. Epub 2021 May 21.

Division of Pediatric Critical Care Medicine, Department of Critical Care Medicine, UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, United States of America; Division of Health Informatics, Department of Pediatrics, UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, United States of America.

Objective: To identify trends in pediatric emergency department (ED) utilization following the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods: We performed a cross-sectional study from 37 geographically diverse US children's hospitals. We included ED encounters between January 1, 2010 and December 31, 2020, transformed into time-series data. Read More

Mol Med Rep 2021 Aug 10;24(2). Epub 2021 Jun 10.

Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, China Medical University, Shenyang, Liaoning 110001, P.R. China.

(MP) is a common pathogen that can cause respiratory infections. MP pneumonia (MPP) leads to numerous complications, including lung injury and even death. The present study aimed to investigate the protective effects of Baicalin treatment on MP infection‑induced lung injury and the molecular mechanism underlying these effects. Read More

BMJ Open 2021 06 9;11(6):e046814. Epub 2021 Jun 9.

Heidelberg Institute of Global Health, Ruprecht Karls Universität Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany

Introduction: Since the onset of a dengue vaccine controversy in late 2017, vaccine confidence has plummeted in the Philippines, leading to measles and polio outbreaks in early 2019. This protocol outlines a human-centered design (HCD) approach to co-create and test an intervention that addresses vaccine hesitancy (VH) via narrative and empathy with and among families and healthcare workers. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: 'Salubong' is a Filipino term that means to welcome someone back into one's life, reinforcing notions of family ties and friendships. Read More

BMJ Glob Health 2021 06;6(6)

Department of Global Health and Development, Medical Research Council Unit The Gambia at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, Dakar, Senegal.

Andes Pediatr 2021 Feb 22;92(1):93-98. Epub 2021 Feb 22.

Hospital Dr. Gustavo Fricke, Valparaíso, Chile.

Introduction: Fusobacterium nucleatum is an anaerobic bacillus that is part of the oral microbiota and dental pla que. This can cause local and potentially remote infections, which are exceptional in pediatrics. Ob jective: To present the case of a patient with lung injury with chest wall invasion by Fusobacterium nucleatum. Read More

BMJ Open 2021 06 8;11(6):e051415. Epub 2021 Jun 8.

Department of Infectious Disease, Cork University Hospital, Cork, Ireland.

Objective: This study investigated seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2-specific IgG antibodies, using the Abbott antinucleocapsid IgG chemiluminescent microparticle immunoassay (CMIA) assay, in five prespecified healthcare worker (HCW) subgroups following the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Setting: An 800-bed tertiary-level teaching hospital in the south of Ireland.

Participants: Serum was collected for anti-SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid IgG using the Abbott ARCHITECT SARS-CoV-2 IgG CMIA qualitative assay, as per the manufacturer's specifications. Read More

Microbiome 2021 06 8;9(1):132. Epub 2021 Jun 8.

Center for Microbiome Innovation, Jacobs School of Engineering, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA.

Background: SARS-CoV-2 is an RNA virus responsible for the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Viruses exist in complex microbial environments, and recent studies have revealed both synergistic and antagonistic effects of specific bacterial taxa on viral prevalence and infectivity. We set out to test whether specific bacterial communities predict SARS-CoV-2 occurrence in a hospital setting. Read More

BMC Med Educ 2021 Jun 8;21(1):333. Epub 2021 Jun 8.

Public Health Complex, Ministry of Health & Indigenous Medicine, Colombo, Sri Lanka.

Background: Poor compliance with hand hygiene practices among medical students poses a risk for cross-infection. It has become more critical during the COVID-19 pandemic than ever before. This study aimed to determine the knowledge, attitudes, practices of hand hygiene among final-year medical students. Read More

Pediatr Pulmonol 2021 Jun 8. Epub 2021 Jun 8.

Department of Pediatric Pulmonology, Emma Children's Hospital, Amsterdam University Medical Centers, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.

Background: Long-COVID is a well-documented multisystem disease in adults. Far less is known about long-term sequelae of COVID in children. Here, we report on the occurrence of long-COVID in Dutch children. Read More

Pediatr Int 2021 Jun 8. Epub 2021 Jun 8.

Department of Pediatrics, Sapporo City General Hospital, Sapporo, Japan.

Pediatr Emerg Care 2021 Jun 7. Epub 2021 Jun 7.

From the Division of Pediatric Emergency, Ankara City Hospital Division of Pediatrics, Ankara City Hospital, University of Health Sciences Division of Pediatric Radiology, Ankara City Hospital Division of Pediatric Allergy and Immunology, Ankara City Hospital, University of Health Sciences, Ankara, Turkey.

Objectives: Acute bronchiolitis and community-acquired pneumonia are the most common acute lower respiratory infections (LRIs) leading to emergency admission and hospitalization in children. The aim of this study is to investigate clinical, laboratory, and radiology findings; diagnostic and therapeutic decisions; and the relationships between them in patients younger than 2 years of age, hospitalized for LRI.

Methods: Patients hospitalized for acute LRI (aged 28 days to 24 months) between November 1, 2017, and March 31, 2018, at a referral hospital were included. Read More

mBio 2021 Jun 8:e0081421. Epub 2021 Jun 8.

Department of Pathology, Immunology and Laboratory Medicine, Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, Newark, New Jersey, USA.

Staphylococcus aureus is an important pathogen that leads to high morbidity and mortality. Although S. aureus produces many factors important for pathogenesis, few have been validated as playing a role in the pathogenesis of S. Read More