Comparative genomics analysis of Clostridium difficile epidemic strain DH/NAP11/106

Clostridium difficile PCR ribotype 106 (also identified as restriction endonuclease analysis [REA] group DH) recently emerged as the most common strain causing C. difficile infection (CDI) among US adults. We previously identified this strain predominating our pediatric cohort. Pediatric clinical CDI isolates previously characterized by REA underwent antibiotic resistance testing and whole genome sequencing. Of 134 isolates collected from children, 31 (23%) were REA group DH. We performed a comparative genomics analysis to identify DH-associated accessory genes. We identified five DH-associated genes that are associated with virulence in other bacterial species but not previously known to contribute to CDI. These genes are associated with intestinal mucosal adhesion (collagen-binding surface protein), sporulation (sporulation integral membrane protein YtvI), and protection from oxidative stress and foreign DNA (DNA phosphorothioation-dependent restriction proteins, sulfurtransferase, and DNA sulfur modification proteins). The association of these genes was validated in a cohort of 623 publicly available C. difficile sequences, 10 (1.6%) of which were monophyletic to REA group DH through in silico multilocus sequence typing and core genome phylogenetic analysis. Further investigation is required to determine the contribution of these genes to the emergence and virulence of this epidemic strain.     

经筋推拿治疗颈源性头痛的疗效及对颈椎活动度的影响

目的:探讨经筋推拿治疗颈源性头痛(CEH)的临床疗效,分析其对患者颈椎活动度的影响。方法:选取2017年3月至2017年6月山东省中医院收治的70例CEH患者,按照随机数字表法分为推拿组36例和针刺组34例,推拿组给予经筋推拿治疗,针刺组给予针刺治疗。观察两组治疗前后的疼痛视觉模拟(VAS)评分、头痛积分及颈椎活动度评分,比较两组临床总有效率。结果:推拿组患者治疗后总有效率为97.22%,显著高于针刺组患者82.35%(P0.05)。两组治疗1个疗程后、治疗后1个月的VAS评分、头痛积分、颈椎活动度评分均较治疗前降低,且推拿组低于针刺组(P0.05)。结论:经筋推拿治疗CEH能够缓解疼痛和改善颈椎功能,疗效显著,值得临床推广应用。     

七氟醚复合瑞芬太尼对扁桃体切除术患儿苏醒期躁动及术后镇痛的影响

目的:探究七氟醚复合瑞芬太尼对扁桃体切除术患儿苏醒期躁动及术后镇痛的影响。方法:选入我院择期行扁桃体切除术患儿39例,随机将患儿划分为实验组及对照组。对照组18例予七氟醚行吸入诱导及维持麻醉;实验组21例予七氟醚及瑞芬太尼静吸复合维持麻醉。记录两组血压心率,比较两组患儿苏醒期的躁动评分、术后镇痛、及是否发生恶心呕吐情况。结果:实验组总有效率高于对照组,差异存在统计学意义(P0.05);与对照组相比,实验组患儿的苏醒期躁动评分较低、发生率较低,镇静指数评分较高,呼吸功能恢复快、拔管时间短,差异有统计学意义(P0.05);实验组血压及心率较对照组平稳,差异有统计学意义(P0.05)。结论:七氟醚复合瑞芬太尼在进行全身麻醉时,麻醉效果良好,能够明显减少苏醒期患儿躁动的发生,降低患儿术后疼痛,并且呼吸系统恢复快,较小影响心血管系统,值得推广。     

Diagnostic dilemma of cardiac syncope in pediatric patients

Aims

Syncope is defined as temporary loss of consciousness and postural tone resulting from an abrupt transient decrease in cerebral blood flow. The present work aimed at determining how diagnostic tests are used in the evaluation of pediatric syncope at a tertiary pediatric referral center and to report on the utility and the yield of these tests.

Settings and Design

Retrospective study conducted at a tertiary referral arrhythmolology service

Methods and Material

The clinical charts of 234 pediatric patients presenting with a primary complaint of syncope with an average age of 7.48 ± 3.82(3.5-16) years were reviewed by the investigators.

Statistical analysis used

Statistical Package of social science (SPSS) version 9,0 was used for analysis of data.

Results

The commonest trigger for syncope in the study population was early following exercise (n=65) and the commonest prodrome was palpitation, noted in 25 patients. A murmur was present in 19 of our patients (8.3%) while 10.7% (n=25) had abnormal ECGs. Of the 106 echocardiograms done, 14 (13.2%) were abnormal. Only two of them were missed by ECG. All patients were offered ambulatory 24 hour ECG. One patient with sick sinus syndrome was diagnosed only with Holter.

Conclusions

Clues to the presence of cardiac syncope may include acute onset of syncope, frequent episodes, low difference between blood pressure readings in supine and erect positions (after standing for 2 minutes) and most importantly an abnormal 12 lead ECG. Transthoracic echo and Holter monitoring have low yield in pediatric syncope.     

Relationship between African dust carried in the Atlantic trade winds and surges in pediatric asthma attendances in the Caribbean

Asthma is epidemic in developed and developing countries including those in the Caribbean where it is widely believed that African dust, transported in high concentrations in the Trade Winds every year, is a major causative factor. The link between asthma and dust in the Caribbean is based largely on anecdotal evidence that associates sharp increases in the occurrence of asthma symptoms with hazy conditions often caused by dust. Here we report on a 2-year study of the relationship between the daily concentrations of dust measured in on-shore Trade Winds at Barbados and pediatric asthma attendance rates at Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH). We looked for large increases in QEH daily attendances in relation to daily dust concentrations as previously suggested by anecdotal observations. We could not find any obvious relationship although there may be more subtle linkages between dust and asthma. Our measurements show, however, that the concentration of dust in the size range under 2.5 μm diameter is sufficiently high as to challenge United States Environmental Protection Agency air quality standards for respirable particles. Thus, African dust may constitute a health threat of a different nature, producing symptoms less obvious than those of asthma.     

儿科产超广谱β-内酰胺酶肺炎克雷伯菌感染现状及耐药性分析

目的研究吉林市2005年1月至2007年12月期间儿科产超广谱β－内酰胺酶（extended speetrurn β－lactamases,ESBLs）肺炎克雷伯菌感染现状及耐药性。方法按照CLSI／NCCLS2005年标准筛选确认ESBLs表型,采用琼脂纸片扩散法进行药敏试验。结果ESBLs总检出率为56．3％,3年检出率分别为2005年33．3％、2006年47．1％和2007年为57．1％。产ESBLs菌株全部表现为多重耐药,对氨苄西林、哌拉西林、头孢呋辛和头孢唑啉的耐药率达100％,对阿米卡星、头孢吡肟、头孢他啶和哌拉西林／他唑巴坦的耐药率低于50％,对头孢噻肟、头孢曲松和氨曲南的耐药率逐年上升,发现对亚胺培南耐药菌株。结论吉林市儿科产ESBLs肺炎克雷伯菌检出率较高,临床治疗中应重视产ESBLs菌的监测,并动态监测其耐药性变迁,防止ESBLs肺炎克雷伯菌的传播。     

DNA methylation-associated colonic mucosal immune and defense responses in treatment-na?ve pediatric ulcerative colitis

Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) are emerging globally, indicating that environmental factors may be important in their pathogenesis. Colonic mucosal epigenetic changes, such as DNA methylation, can occur in response to the environment and have been implicated in IBD pathology. However, mucosal DNA methylation has not been examined in treatment-naïve patients. We studied DNA methylation in untreated, left sided colonic biopsy specimens using the Infinium HumanMethylation450 BeadChip array. We analyzed 22 control (C) patients, 15 untreated Crohn’s disease (CD) patients, and 9 untreated ulcerative colitis (UC) patients from two cohorts. Samples obtained at the time of clinical remission from two of the treatment-naïve UC patients were also included into the analysis. UC-specific gene expression was interrogated in a subset of adjacent samples (5 C and 5 UC) using the Affymetrix GeneChip PrimeView Human Gene Expression Arrays. Only treatment-naïve UC separated from control. One-hundred-and-twenty genes with significant expression change in UC (> 2-fold, P < 0.05) were associated with differentially methylated regions (DMRs). Epigenetically associated gene expression changes (including gene expression changes in the IFITM1, ITGB2, S100A9, SLPI, SAA1, and STAT3 genes) were linked to colonic mucosal immune and defense responses. These findings underscore the relationship between epigenetic changes and inflammation in pediatric treatment-naïve UC and may have potential etiologic, diagnostic, and therapeutic relevance for IBD.     

儿童颈髓区巨大动静脉畸形1例(英文)

脑动静脉畸形(AVM)是复杂的血管病变,是由于没有毛细血管床的脑动脉和静脉之间的异常连接引起的病灶[1]。脑动静脉畸形的临床表现有大出血、癫痫、神经功能障碍或头痛,但大部分患者无特异性症状,因此容易漏诊、误诊。手术切除、血管内治疗和放射治疗是动静脉畸形的选择疗法。血管内治疗可以作为其他难以治愈的脑动静脉畸形,或者作为手术切除或放射治疗前的辅助治疗,以减少脑动静脉畸形的血供或促进其收缩,进而促进手术切除或消融[2]。该病引起的颈部疼痛在儿科未见报道。我们收治1例颈髓区巨大动静脉畸形患儿,表现为持续性颈部疼痛并出现癫痫和呕吐症状,经采取分段外科胶栓塞术(第一次部分栓塞术后观察1年再行第二次栓塞),达到动静脉畸形的治愈。     

Factor structure of the Brazilian version of Pediatric Daytime Sleepiness Scale

The present study aimed to analyze the construct validity of the Pediatric Daytime Sleepiness Scale (PDSS) for the evaluation of the daytime sleepiness construct in adolescents through confirmatory factorial analysis. The cross-sectional study was carried out with a sample of 773 adolescents aged 14 to 19 years, enrolled in the state schools of Paranaguá, Paraná, Brazil. We investigated the sex, age, school year, study shift, occupational status, socioeconomic level and daytime sleepiness. The PDSS questions were not normal (p <0.001) and the mean total score was 14.87 (5.62). With Schwarz’s BIC adjustment indicators = 142,389 and Akaike’s AIC = 105,389, the model reached the criteria of the global adjustment indicators of the model in the confirmatory analysis, in which RMSEA = 0.020; CFI = 0.986; TLI = 0.977; SRMR = 0.021, with 17 degrees of freedom, KMO = 0.8504 and Cronbach’s Alpha = 0.737, with three correlations. We conclude that the construct validity of the PDSS remains valid and confirms its factor structure with only one factor. Thereby, it was verified that the operationalization of the construct sleepiness of adolescents through this scale is adequately conceptualized to the behavior of the age group.