Usefulness of procalcitonin for the diagnosis of acute pyelonephritis in children]

BACKGROUND: Acute pyelonephritis can induce parenchymal scarring. The aim of this study was to evaluate the usefulness of procalcitonin (PCT) to predict renal involvement in febrile children with urinary tract infection (UTI). METHODS: In a prospective study serum PCT was measured and compared with others commonly used inflammatory markers in children admitted to the emergency unit with acute pyelonephritis. Renal parenchymal involvement was assessed by a (99 m)Tc-labeled dimercaptosuccinic acid (DMSA) renal scar performed in the first 3 days after the admission. RESULTS: Among 42 enrolled patients, 19 (45%) had acute renal involvement (Group A) ; 23 (55%) (Group B) had normal DMSA scan (n = 16), or old scarring (n = 4) or various anomalies related to uropathy (n = 3). In group A, the mean PCT level was significantly higher than in the group B (5.4 ng/ml, vs 0.4 ng /ml, p < 10(-5)). In these 2 groups, mean C reactive protein (CRP) levels were 99.1 mg/l and 44.6 mg/l respectively (p < 0.001). For a level of serum PCT > or = 0.5 ng/ml, the sensitivity and specificity to predict the renal involvement were 100% and 87% respectively; for a level> or= 20 mg/l CRP had a sensitivity of 94% but a specificity of 30%. CONCLUSION: Serum PCT levels were significantly increased in febrile children with UTI when acute renal parenchymal involvement was present. PCT seems a better marker than CRP for the prediction of patients at risk of renal lesions.     

Comparative trial of short-course ofloxacin for uncomplicated typhoid fever in Vietnamese children

An open, randomised comparison of 2 or 3 days of oral ofloxacin (10 mg/kg/day) for uncomplicated typhoid fever was conducted in 235 Vietnamese children. Multi-drug-resistant Salmonella typhi was isolated from 182/202 (90%) children and 5/166 (3%) tested isolates were nalidixic acid-resistant (Na(R)). Eighty-nine of 116 children randomised to 2 days and 107/119 randomised to 3 days were blood culture-positive and eligible for analysis. There were 12 (13.5%) failures in the 2-day group (six clinical failures, four blood culture-positive post treatment, two relapses) compared with eight (7.5%) failures in the 3-day group (four clinical failures, one blood culture-positive post treatment, three relapses) (OR 1.9, 95% CI 0.7-5.5,p = 0.17). There were no significant differences in the mean (95% confidence interval) fever clearance times (h) [92 (82-102) vs 101 (93-110), p = 0.18] or duration of hospitalisation (d) [7.6 (7.2-8.1) vs 8.0 (7.6-8.4), p = 0.19] between the two groups. There was one failure in the four eligible children infected with an Na(R) isolate of S. typhi. No adverse events were attributable to the ofloxacin. These results extend previous observations on the efficacy of short courses of ofloxacin for children with uncomplicated multi-drug-resistant typhoid fever.     

Serum adenosine deaminase in the early diagnosis of typhoid fever.

To study the usefulness of the enzyme adenosine deaminase for the early diagnosis of typhoid fever, its activity in serum was assayed in 277 children admitted to the Hospital Guillermo Grant Benavente at Concepción, Chile, from March, 1988, to December, 1990. The children were distributed into seven groups: control, N = 82; bacteremia, N = 8; acute viral respiratory infection, N = 43; febrile children with miscellaneous etiologies, N = 49; pulmonary tuberculosis, N = 3; hepatitis A virus infection, N = 30; and typhoid fever, N = 62. The medium serum adenosine deaminase values were significantly higher in children with typhoid fever (P < 0.0001) in relation to the values in the control group (122.2 +/- 40.7 vs 28.1 +/- 8.4 units/liter at 37 degrees C). This test had a sensitivity of 91.9% and a specificity of 92.5% in identifying the patient with typhoid fever when using 80 units/liter as the cutoff values. The positive predictive value of the test was 83.8% and the negative predictive value was 96%. Determination of adenosine deaminase values in serum could be helpful in the early diagnosis of typhoid fever.     

Chloramphenicol clearance in typhoid fever: Implications for therapy

We prospectively studied the pharmacokinetics of intravenous Chloramphenicol succinate (CS) in children (age 6 months-14 years) with culture proven typhoid fever (n=30) and non typhoidal illnesses (n=10). CS was administered in three different dosage regimens (50, 75 and 100 mg/kg/d-q 6 hourly). Liver function tests were monitored. Plasma trough and peak chloramphenicol concentrations were measured by HPLC analysis after 42 hrs. The 50 mg/kg/day dosage schedule was terminated midway through the study, as blood levels were consistently low and two patients with typhoid relapsed. children with typhoid has significantly lower clearance of CS in comparison with those with non-typhoidal illness (0.29±0.1 versus 0.5±0.37 1/kg/hr, P 0.05). There was no significant difference between mean peak and trough concentrations of chloramphenicol on 100 mg/kg/day and 75 mg/kg/day in children with typhoid. However, two children on 100 mg/kg/day dosage developed trough concentrations >20 mcg/ml. No correlation was found between CS clearance and serum bilirubin, SGPT (alanine transaminase) and alkaline phosphatase. Our data show altered clearance of CS in children with typhoid and suggests that 75 mg/kg/day may be a safer dose in children with hepatic dysfunction in typhoid.     

The diagnostic value of C-reactive protein, interleukin-8, and monocyte chemotactic protein in risk stratification of febrile neutropenic children with hematologic malignancies

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Recent advances in febrile neutropenia have highlighted the value of risk stratification especially that it can have important implications in terms of management. We aimed to identify a serum marker that may help to stratify febrile neutropenic pediatric patients treated for hematologic malignancies at the time of first evaluation. Thus, C-reactive protein (CRP), interleukin-8 (IL-8), and monocyte chemotactic protein-1-alpha (MCP-1-alpha) were evaluated for their predictive and diagnostic relevance in febrile episodes of cancer patients. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Within 24 hours of fever, CRP, IL-8, and MCP-1 serum levels were measured and the levels of these markers were related to the clinical findings of the patients. For this purpose, we collected and analyzed clinical data of 85 fever episodes occurring in 76 patients with hematologic malignancies, presenting to the Department of Pediatric Oncology, National Cancer Institute, Cairo University, during a 6-month period. RESULTS: Neutropenic children with febrile episodes were classified into 2 groups, a group with unexplainable fever (group I, n=26) and another group with either blood culture positive, and/or fever periods with a documented clinical sepsis and/or local infection (group II, n=59). Clinically, local sites of infection were encountered in 39 cases (45.9%), whereas a positive blood culture was detected in 20 cases. CRP, IL-8, and MCP-1 levels were significantly lower in group I versus group II (P value <0.001). There were overlaps of values between groups. CRP > or =90 mg/L was significantly associated with chemotherapy-related neutropenia and fever owing to bacteremia (P=0.038). The sensitivity, specificity, negative and positive predictive values of CRP, MCP-1, and IL-8 were (70%, 73%, 51%, and 85%), (64%, 92%, 53%, and 95%), and (71%, 77%, 54%, and 88%), respectively. Combining 2 or 3 markers improved the diagnostic performance of these test, as 78% of group II had elevated 2 or 3 markers versus 16% of the group with no evident infection. CONCLUSIONS: Low levels of CRP, MCP-1, and IL-8 could identify patients with unexplainable fever; whereas, high levels of these markers were of help in the diagnosis of infectious episodes. A model combining more than 1 marker is recommended in the assessment of febrile neutropenia.     

头孢曲松与诺氟沙星对比治疗小儿耐药伤寒60例

目的 比较头孢曲松（罗氏分）与诺氟沙星治疗小儿耐药伤寒的疗效。方法 ６０例耐药伤寒患儿随机分为两组;头孢曲松组３０例,用头孢曲松〖１００ｍｇ／（ｋｇ．ｄ）,１次静脉给药〗,诺氟沙星组３０例,用诺氟沙星〖１０～２０ｍｇ／（ｋｇ．ｄ）,分２次口服〗。结果 头孢曲松总有效率为９３％（２８／３０）,而诺氟沙星组为８０％（２４／３０）（Ｐ〈０．０１）。结论 头孢曲松治疗小儿耐药伤寒效果优于诺氟沙星。     

Procalcitonin in pediatric emergency departments for the early diagnosis of invasive bacterial infections in febrile infants: results of a multicenter study and utility of a rapid qualitative test for this marker

BACKGROUND: Procalcitonin (PCT) is a potentially useful marker in pediatric Emergency Departments (ED). The basic objectives of this study were to assess the diagnostic performance of PCT for distinguishing between viral and bacterial infections and for the early detection of invasive bacterial infections in febrile children between 1 and 36 months old comparing it with C-reactive protein (CRP) and to evaluate the utility of a qualitative rapid test for PCT in ED. METHODS: Prospective, observational and multicenter study that included 445 children who were treated for fever in pediatric ED. Quantitative and qualitative plasma values of PCT and CRP were correlated with the final diagnosis. To obtain the qualitative level of PCT the BRAHMS PCT-Q rapid test was used. RESULTS: Mean PCT and CRP values in viral infections were 0.26 ng/ml and 15.5 mg/l, respectively. The area under the curve obtained for PCT in distinguishing between viral and bacterial infections was 0.82 (sensitivity, 65.5%; specificity, 94.3%; optimum cutoff, 0.53 ng/ml), whereas for CRP it was 0.78 (sensitivity, 63.5%; specificity, 84.2%; optimum cutoff, 27.5 mg/l). PCT and CRP values in invasive infections (PCT, 24.3 ng/ml; CRP 96.5 mg/l) were significantly higher than those for noninvasive infections (PCT, 0.32 ng/ml; CRP, 23.4 mg/l). The area under the curve for PCT was 0.95 (sensitivity, 91.3%; specificity, 93.5%; optimum cutoff, 0.59 ng/ml), significantly higher (P < 0.001) than that obtained for CRP (0.81). The optimum cutoff value for CRP was >27.5 mg/l with sensitivity and specificity of 78 and 75%, respectively. In infants in whom the evolution of fever was <12 h (n = 104), the diagnostic performance of PCT was also greater than that of CRP (area under the curve, 0.93 for PCT and 0.69 for CRP; P < 0.001). A good correlation between the quantitative values for PCT and the PCT-Q test was obtained in 87% of cases (kappa index, 0.8). The sensitivity of the PCT-Q test (cutoff >0.5 ng/ml) for detecting invasive infections and differentiating them from noninvasive infections was 90.6%, with a specificity of 83.6%. CONCLUSIONS: PCT offers better specificity than CRP for differentiating between the viral and bacterial etiology of the fever with similar sensitivity. PCT offers better sensibility and specificity than CRP to differentiate between invasive and noninvasive infection. PCT is confirmed as an excellent marker in detecting invasive infections in ED and can even make early detection possible of invasive infections if the evolution of the fever is <12 h. The PCT-Q test has a good correlation with the quantitative values of the marker.     

C-reactive protein in the periodic fever, aphthous stomatitis, pharyngitis and cervical adenitis (PFAPA) syndrome

AIMS: To evaluate levels of C-reactive protein (CRP) during febrile episodes in children with periodic fever, aphthous stomatitis, pharyngitis and cervical adenitis syndrome (PFAPA). METHODS: All CRP values during typical episodes of fever in children diagnosed with PFAPA during a 3 years period were retrospectively registered. RESULTS: In 16 children with PFAPA, a total of 87 CRP values were registered during 38 episodes of fever. The mean of the maximum CRP during each episode was 185 mg/L (SD: 69.4, range: 45-322). Values of CRP were elevated throughout the whole period of fever, with higher values on days 2-4 compared to day 1. CONCLUSION: Levels of CRP are substantially increased during febrile episodes in children with PFAPA. High levels of CRP may suggest a role for immunological mechanisms in PFAPA, and may raise the suspicion of PFAPA when measured in children with periodic fever of unknown origin.     

C-reactive protein in measles.

Seventy-two children with early measles (1st-3rd day of rash), presenting at two centres in Santiago, Chile, were classified as having mild ('ordinary measles', n = 50), or moderate to severe measles ('primarily severe measles', n = 22). The level of serum C-reactive protein (CRP) was determined by nephelometry from a finger prick sample. The mean CRP value in ordinary measles, 19 mg/l, was significantly lower (P less than 0.001) than in primarily severe measles where the mean CRP was 65 mg/l. During late measles (5th-8th day of rash), the mean CRP was 19 mg/l if the child recovered uneventfully (n = 35), whereas the mean level of 123 mg/l (P less than 0.001) was encountered when the child suffered from complicating pneumonia (n = 22). We conclude that the simple quantitative CRP determination is a useful alarm signal during the course of measles: elevated levels point to severity or complications in recovery.     

血清C反应蛋白、白介素-6和降钙素原对小儿急性复杂性阑尾炎的诊断价值研究

目的探索血清C反应蛋白(C-reactive protein,CRP)、白介素-6(interleukin 6,IL-6)和降钙素原(procalcitonin,PCT)水平对小儿急性复杂性阑尾炎的诊断价值。方法以2016年1月至2017年5月包头市第四医院小儿外科收治并进行手术治疗的96例急性阑尾炎患者为研究对象,分为两组:单纯性阑尾炎组30例,复杂性阑尾炎(包括化脓性阑尾炎及坏疽性阑尾炎)组66例,两组患者年龄、性别、体重差异均无统计学意义(P>0.05),检测两组患者术前血清CRP、IL-6、和PCT浓度,并绘制ROC曲线分析CRP、IL-6和PCT对小儿急性复杂性阑尾炎的诊断价值。结果复杂性阑尾炎组CRP、IL-6及PCT水平均显著高于单纯性阑尾炎组(P<0.05);以手术后病理结果为金标准,CRP、PCT、IL-6及三者联合检验ROC曲线下面积别为0.906(95%置信区间:0.829~0.956),0.953(95%置信区间:0.889~0.986),0.765(95%置信区间:0.668~0.846),0.973(95%置信区间:0.971~0.995)。曲线下面积值由大到小排序:PCT+CRP+IL-6>PCT>CRP>IL-6,通过两两比较发现,联合检验曲线下面积与CRP、IL-6单独检验曲线下面积比较差异具有统计学意义(Z=2.932,P=0.003;Z=3.854,P=0.0001);联合检验曲线下面积与PCT单独检验曲线下面积比较差异无统计学意义(Z=1.861,P=0.063);CRP与PCT单独检验曲线下面积差异无统计学意义(Z=1.668,P=0.095),IL-6单独检验与CRP单独检验、PCT单独检验比较曲线下面积差异具有统计学意义(Z=2.312,P=0.021;Z=3.371,P=0.001);得到最佳临界点分别为11.47(95%置信区间:11.42~14.48)mg/L,0.87(95%置信区间:0.63~0.98)ng/L,88.60(95%置信区间:87.12~170.83)pg/mL。结论CRP、IL-6和PCT有助于临床医师对阑尾炎严重程度进行早期判断,从而早期争取家长配合,尽早手术治疗并减少并发症的发生。     

Procalcitonin and C-reactive protein as diagnostic markers of severe bacterial infections in febrile infants and children in the emergency department

OBJECTIVE: To assess the value of procalcitonin (PCT) and C-reactive protein (CRP), compared with that of total white-blood cell count (WBC) and absolute neutrophil count (ANC), in predicting severe bacterial infections (SBIs) in febrile children admitted to Emergency Department. METHODS: A prospective study was conducted in 408 children aged 7-days to 36-months, admitted with fever without source, at a tertiary care Pediatric Emergency Department. PCT, CRP, WBC, and ANC were determined upon admission and compared. Specificity, sensitivity, multilevel likelihood ratios, receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis, and multivariate stepwise logistic regression were carried out. RESULTS: SBI was diagnosed in 94 children (23.1%). PCT, CRP, WBC, and ANC were significantly higher in this group than in non-SBI patients. The area under the ROC (AUC) obtained was 0.82 (95% CI: 0.78-0.86) for PCT, 0.85 (95% CI: 0.81-0.88) for CRP (P = 0.358), 0.71 (95% CI: 0.66-0.75) for WBC, and 0.74 (95% CI: 0.70-0.78) for ANC. Only PCT (OR: 1.32; 95% CI: 1.11-1.57; P < 0.001) and CRP (OR: 1.02; 95% CI: 1.01-1.03; P < 0.001) were retained as significant predictors of SBI in a multiple regression model. For infants with fever <8 hours (n = 45), AUC for PCT and CRP were 0.92 (95% CI: 0.80-0.98) and 0.75 (95% CI: 0.60-0.87), respectively (P = 0.056). CONCLUSION: Both PCT and CRP are valuable markers in predicting SBI in children with fever without source and they perform better than WBC and ANC. PCT appears more accurate at the beginning of infections, but overall CRP may be the most convenient marker for its better sensitivity and feasibility.     

儿童急性胰腺炎与全身炎症反应综合征的关系探讨

目的：了解儿童急性胰腺炎合并全身炎症反应综合征（SIRS）的临床特点，探讨SIRS发生与胰腺炎病情轻重的关系。方法：对2005年5月至2007年6月该院儿科收治的71例胰腺炎患儿进行研究，全部病例分为SIRS组30例、非SIRS组41例；SIRS组中符合小儿SIRS诊断标准2项者为S1组(19例)，符合3项者为S2组(6例)，符合4项者为S3组(5例)。通过统计学方法总结急性胰腺炎合并SIRS时的临床特点，寻找能预测病情轻重的指标。结果：①重症胰腺炎（SAP）时SIRS发生率为100% ，SIRS组患儿临床症状多以剧烈腹痛和发热为主，与对照组相比差异有显著性（P＜0.01）；② CRP升高、血钙降低两组间比较差异有显著性（P＜0.01），S3组CRP平均值(120.40±10.04) mg/L＞S2组（75.78±9.50）mg/L＞S1组（28.51±8.51）mg/L＞非SIRS组(7.98±2.82) mg/L，CRP分界点在110 mg/L时诊断SAP的敏感度和阴性预测值都是最高，分别是50%和96.8%；③SIRS组CT改变较重。结论：SIRS组患儿临床症状多以剧烈腹痛和发热为主，CRP、血钙水平、CT可作为急性胰腺炎病情严重程度的辅助参考指标，CRP值随着SIRS诊断指标符合项目的增多而升高，当SIRS诊断指标符合项目多于3条时应警惕SAP的发生，CRP≥110 mg/L时SAP存在的可能性增加。     

Duration of fever and markers of serious bacterial infection inyoung febrile children

BACKGROUND: Despite the drastic change in the evaluation of the febrile young child due to the decreased incidence of serious bacterial infections (SBI) effected by Haemophilus influenza type B and pneumococcal vaccine, there remains a small role for blood work in the evaluation of these patients. Bacterial markers including white blood cell (WBC) count, absolute neutrophil count (ANC) and C-reactive protein (CRP) have been studied and are widely used as predictors of SBI in febrile children. It has been suggested that CRP values should be interpreted cautiously when fever has been present <12 h based on the kinetics of this biological marker. This limitation has not been previously addressed with CRP, nor was it described with other markers, specifically WBC and ANC, therefore the purpose of the present paper was to assess WBC, ANC and CRP values as predictors of SBI in relation to duration of fever. METHODS: Patients who presented to a pediatric emergency department between the ages of 1 and 36 months, with fever > or =39 degrees C and no source of infection had a complete blood count (CBC) blood culture, and CRP level drawn. A urinalysis and/or urine culture was obtained when age and gender appropriate. A chest X-ray was performed at the discretion of the treating physician. The study subjects were enrolled prospectively and then divided into two groups based on duration of fever of < or = or >12 h, and compared. RESULTS: One hundred and twenty-eight patients were originally enrolled. Nine patients were excluded. Seventeen patients (14%) had SBI. One patient (<1%) had bacteremia, three (3%) had pneumonia, and 13 (10%) had urinary tract infections. Forty-five patients presented with fever < or =12 h and 74 patients presented with fever >12 h. Area under the curve (AUC) for WBC, ANC and CRP was significantly larger in patients with SBI presenting with fever >12 h (0.85, 0.83, 0.92 respectively) compared to patients with SBI who presented with fever for <12 h (0.37, 0.42, 0.68 respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Bacterial markers studied were more predictive of SBI if the duration of fever was >12 h as shown by the AUC. CRP performed better than WBC and ANC in both scenarios.     

Effects on growth of single short courses of fluoroquinolones

The aim of the study was to document the effects of short courses of fluoroquinolones given during an outbreak of multidrug resistant typhoid fever in southern Viet Nam on the growth of children over a period of two years. In a prospective cohort study, 326 Vietnamese children aged between 1 and 14 years were followed up for two years after receiving either ciprofloxacin (70 mg/kg given over 7 d) (n = 173) or ofloxacin (45-50 mg/kg given over 3-5 d) (n = 153) for suspected typhoid fever. Growth velocity and weight for height were compared with an age matched control group of children from the same locality (n = 223) who had not contracted typhoid or received any fluoroquinolones. In the ofloxacin and ciprofloxacin treated patients there was no evidence of acute joint toxicity, nor of any joint symptoms attributable to either of the fluoroquinolones. There was no difference in expected weight for height measurements between the three groups of children over the two year period. During the first year, height velocity in ciprofloxacin treated children was greater than in either ofloxacin treated children or untreated controls. Height velocity in the latter two groups was not significantly different. After two years height velocity was similar in the three groups. The results support the use of short course fluoroquinolone treatment in childhood typhoid, especially when caused by strains resistant to other antibiotics.     

Serum sodium levels and probability of recurrent febrile convulsions

In a prospective study of 69 children with febrile convulsions, serum sodium levels were often lower than normal (52% had levels <135 mmol/l). The mean level (134.4±0.4 mmol/l) was significantly lower as compared to a group of children without fever (140.6±0.4 mmol/l,n=23) and as compared to a group with fever but without convulsions (137.6±0.6 mmol/l,n=31). The probability of a repeat convulsion within the same febrile period appeared to be significantly related to the serum sodium level.Conclusion Measurement of the serum sodium is a valuable investigation in the child with a febrile convulsion. The lower the serum sodium level, the higher the probability of a repeat convulsion. This knowledge may be of practical value in deciding whether to admit the child or allow it to return home and in advising parents or carers of the risk of a repeat convulsion.     

The role of fever on cerebrospinal fluid glucose concentration of children with and without convulsions

In febrile convulsions glucose concentrations are known to increase both in the blood and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). The reason behind this increase is, however, incompletely understood. We have studied the effects of convulsion and fever on the CSF and blood glucose concentrations in four different groups of children: febrile and non-febrile children, with and without convulsions. The concentration of glucose in the CSF was significantly higher in febrile children with (4.4 ± 0.1 mmol/1, mean ± SEM n = 35, p < 0.01, ANOVA, Duncan's test) and without convulsions (3.9 ± 0.2mmol/1, n = 22, p < 0.05) than in non-febrile, non-convulsive children (3.3 ±0.1 mmol/1, n = 21). In non-febrile convulsive children, the CSF glucose concentration was 3.7 ± 0.2mmol/l (n = 10). Both fever and seizures increased the CSF glucose levels (p < 0.0001 and p = 0.028, respectively, analysis of covariance). There was a linear correlation between the body temperature and concentration of glucose in the CSF (r = 0.454, p < 0.0001, n = 88, Pearson's correlation analysis). The changes in blood glucose concentrations between the groups parallelled those found in the CSF. Our results show that hyperglycaemia and an increase in the CSF glucose concentration in febrile convulsions is not explained just by a stress reaction, evoked by the seizure, as has been hypothesized earlier, but by the influence of increased body temperature as well.     

血清高迁移族蛋白盒1水平与小儿热性惊厥及日后癫痫发作的关系

目的探究血清高迁移率族蛋白盒1(HMGB1)水平与小儿热性惊厥(FC)及日后癫痫发作的相关性。方法收集2014年1月至2017年1月首次FC发作并于河南省人民医院住院的359例患儿为FC组,100例发热无惊厥患儿为发热对照组,100例健康体检儿童为健康对照组。对FC患儿持续随访18个月并记录其癫痫发作情况。检测所有研究对象血清HMGB1及炎症反应指标水平,分析HMGB1对FC的诊断价值,合并其他资料分析HMGB1与FC转为癫痫的相关性。结果与健康对照组和发热对照组比较,FC组血清HMGB1水平较高[(3.04±1.01)μg/L、(5.09±1.45)μg/L比(8.32±2.27)μg/L],差异均有统计学意义(均P<0.01);FC患儿血清HMGB1水平与白细胞介素(IL)-1β、IL-6、肿瘤坏死因子-α(TNF-α)、C反应蛋白(CRP)、白细胞(WBC)因子水平均呈正相关(r=0.364、0.173、0.227、0.235、0.247,均P<0.05)。惊厥不同持续时间及不同惊厥类型组间HMGB1水平比较[(8.11±2.15)μg/L比(10.19±2.51)μg/L,(7.63±1.93)μg/L比(9.83±2.25)μg/L],差异均有统计学意义(均P<0.05);HMGB1水平诊断FC性能较好[受试者工作特征曲线(ROC)下面积(AUC)=0.843(95%CI:0.811~0.873)];FC转为癫痫患儿的血清HMGB1高于未转为癫痫患儿[(8.18±2.14)μg/L比(8.95±2.73)μg/L],差异有统计学意义(P<0.05);但其预测FC转为癫痫的性能不高[AUC=0.596(95%CI:0.544~0.691)];多因素回归分析显示HMGB1不是FC转为癫痫的独立影响因素[比值比(OR)=1.929,P=0.222]。结论FC患儿血清HMGB1水平与其发病、病情严重程度及类型有关,且是影响FC转为癫痫的影响因素之一,但非独立影响因素。     

Plasma and cerebrospinal fluid arginine vasopressin in patients with and without fever.

Hyponatraemia has been described in association with a number of acute infectious diseases, mainly bacterial and tuberculous meningitis and pneumonia, and has been attributed to inappropriate secretion of arginine vasopressin (AVP). The mechanism of inappropriate AVP production is uncertain, but there is experimental evidence to suggest that fever may stimulate secretion of AVP into plasma and cerebrospinal fluid. In this study, AVP concentrations in plasma and cerebrospinal fluid from 37 febrile children with infections have been compared with those from 27 afebrile control subjects. Ten of the febrile children had meningitis (eight bacterial, two viral) and the remainder a variety of other infectious diseases. Seventy four per cent of febrile infected children were hyponatraemic (serum sodium less than 135 mmol/l) compared with only 8% of the afebrile controls. Plasma AVP concentrations were significantly higher in the febrile patients (median 2.92 pmol/l, range 1.0-23.25, n = 28) than in controls (median 1.67 pmol/l, range 0.57-6.0, n = 14) but there was no significant difference in cerebrospinal fluid AVP concentrations. There was no difference in plasma AVP concentrations between patients with meningitis and those with infections not involving the central nervous system. Careful attention should be paid to fluid and electrolyte balance in all children with acute infections.     

C reactive protein in the evaluation of febrile illness.

We studied prospectively 154 febrile children to determine the diagnostic value of the quantitative serum C reactive protein concentrations (CRP). Children with acute otitis media, acute tonsillitis, or treated with antibiotics during the two previous weeks and infants less than 2 months of age were excluded. Ninety seven children were from private paediatric practice and 57 were patients who had been admitted to hospital. The comparison group consisted of 75 children with confirmed bacterial infections whose CRP values were recorded retrospectively. In the study group 35 (23%) children had a confirmed viral infection, 92 (59%) had a probable viral infection as judged from the clinical picture and outcome of the illness, and 27 (18%) had a bacterial or probable bacterial infection. When the duration of the disease was more than 12 hours and the CRP value less than 20 mg/l, all children had a confirmed or probable viral infection. Nine children (one from the study group and eight from the comparison group) were found to have a septic infection and a CRP value of 20 mg/l or less. In all these cases, however, the duration of the symptoms was less than 12 hours. In addition CRP less than or equal to 20 mg/l was found in five (14%) children with urinary tract infection in the comparison group. CRP values of 20-40 mg/l were recorded in children with both viral and bacterial infections. A CRP value greater than or equal to 40 mg/l detected 79% of bacterial infections with 90% specificity. Our data show that determination of serum CRP concentrations is a valuable tool in evaluating children who have been ill for more than 12 hours.