Predicting mortality among older adults hospitalized for community-acquired pneumonia: an enhanced confusion, urea, respiratory rate and blood pressure score compared with pneumonia severity index

Background and objective: Pneumonia Severity Index (PSI) predicts mortality better than C onfusion, U rea >7 mmol/L, R espiratory rate >30/min, low Bl ood pressure: diastolic blood pressure <60 mm Hg or systolic blood pressure <90 mm Hg, and age >65 years (CURB‐65) for community‐acquired pneumonia (CAP) but is more cumbersome. The objective was to determine whether CURB enhanced with a small number of additional variables can predict mortality with at least the same accuracy as PSI. Methods: Retrospective review of medical records and administrative data of adults aged 55 years or older hospitalized for CAP over 1 year from three hospitals. Results: For 1052 hospital admissions of unique patients, 30‐day mortality was 17.2%. PSI class and CURB‐65 predicted 30‐day mortality with area under curve (AUC) of 0.77 (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.73–0.80) and 0.70 (95% CI: 0.66–0.74) respectively. When age and three co‐morbid conditions (metastatic cancer, solid tumours without metastases and stroke) were added to CURB, the AUC improved to 0.80 (95% CI: 0.77–0.83). Bootstrap validation obtained an AUC estimate of 0.78, indicating negligible overfitting of the model. Based on this model, a clinical score (enhanced CURB score) was developed that had possible values from 5 to 25. Its AUC was 0.79 (95% CI: 0.76–0.83) and remained similar to that of PSI class. Conclusions: An enhanced CURB score predicted 30‐day mortality with at least the same accuracy as PSI class did among older adults hospitalized for CAP. External validation of this score in other populations is the next step to determine whether it can be used more widely.     

老年肺炎患者血清降钙素原的临床价值探讨

目的 探讨血清降钙素原在老年肺炎患者中的临床价值.方法 选择60例老年肺炎患者为治疗组,按CURB-65评分系统分成低危组20例,中危组20例,高危组20例.非感染性支气管疾病患者20例为对照组.分别在治疗前予以检测C-反应蛋白及血清降钙素原,进行比较.结果 老年肺炎治疗组与对照组相比,C-反应蛋白,降钙素原均明显高于对照组,其中高危组及中危组降钙素原升高明显高于低危组.结论 降钙素原对于老年肺炎的诊断及病情危重程度的判断较C-反应蛋白敏感有效.     

A retrospective cohort study investigating the comparative effectiveness of pneumococcal vaccines against hospitalisation with otitis media and pneumonia in New Zealand

BackgroundSince 2008 New Zealand has used three different formulations of pneumococcal vaccines on the national infant schedule, PCV7, PCV10 and PCV13, switching between PCV10 and PCV13 twice in 10 years. We have used New Zealand’s linkable, administrative health data to examine the comparative risk of otitis media (OM) and pneumonia hospitalisations among children receiving three different pneumococcal conjugate vaccines (PCV).MethodsThis was a retrospective cohort study using linked administrative data. Outcomes were otitis media, all cause pneumonia and bacterial pneumonia related hospitalisation for children in three cohorts representing periods where PCVs transitioned between PCV7, PCV10, PCV13 and back to PCV10 between 2011 and 2017. Cox’s proportional hazard regression was used to provide hazard ratio estimates to compare outcomes for children vaccinated with different vaccine formulations and to adjust for different sub population characteristics.ResultsEach observation period, where different vaccine formulations coincided, and therefore comparable with respect to age and the environment, included over fifty-thousand infants and children. PCV10 was associated with a reduced risk for OM compared with PCV7 (Adjusted HR 0.89, 95 %CI 0.82–0.97). There were no significant differences between PCV10 and PCV13 in risk of hospitalisation with either otitis media or all-cause pneumonia amongst the transition 2 cohort. In the 18 -month follow-up, after transition 3, PCV13 was associated with a marginally higher risk of all-cause pneumonia and otitis media compared to PCV10.ConclusionThese results should offer reassurance about the equivalence of these pneumococcal vaccines against the broader pneumococcal disease outcomes OM and pneumonia.     

Th1/Th2 Cytokine Profile and Its Diagnostic Value in Mycoplasma pneumoniae Pneumonia

Background:

The levels of Th₁/Th₂ cytokine can alter in pathogenic infection in children with pneumonia.

Objectives:

To evaluate Th₁/Th₂ cytokine profile and its diagnostic value in M. pneumoniae pneumonia in children.

Patients and Methods:

Children with M. pneumoniae mono-infection and 30 healthy children were tested with cytokines assay. We used real time PCR to detect M. pneumoniae in children with pneumonia.

Results:

M. pneumoniae test was positive in 2188 (16.62%) out of 13161 pneumonia children. Children aged 5 - 9 years had the highest rate and summer was a season with high rate of M. pneumoniae incidence in Zhejiang province. During the course of study, in 526 pneumonia children with M. pneumoniae mono-infection and 30 healthy children cytokines assay was performed. IL-2 level of M. pneumoniae pneumonia children was lower than that of healthy children (median levels, pg/mL: IL-2: 3.2 vs. 5.7, P = 0.00), while IL-4, IL-10 and IFN-γ were higher than in healthy children (median levels, pg/mL: IL-4: 3.2 vs. 1.5, P = 0.00; IL-10: 5.6 vs. 2.5, P = 0.001; IFN-γ: 20.4 vs. 4.8, P = 0.001).

Conclusions:

IL-2 decreases and IL-4, IL-10 and IFN-γ increase in children with M. pneumoniae pneumonia, which has a promising prospect in diagnosis of this disease in clinical practice.     

肺炎诱发急性呼吸窘迫综合征诊治策略的思考

肺炎诱导的急性呼吸窘迫综合征( acute respiratory distress syndrome,ARDS)较肺外因素导致的ARDS在病理、临床表现、影像学改变及肺力学等方面更为复杂,有更为显著的异质性,不仅有肺泡的弥漫性损伤,还有气道的严重损害,常有肺气漏、肺出血、肺水肿同时存在;不仅有肺顺应性下降,还可有气道阻力增加。机械通气策略遵循肺保护通气策略,但应个体化;临床诊断ARDS并不一定是病理学意义的ARDS,很多病例仅仅是肺炎的改变,因此ARDS的治疗策略并非都适合所有临床诊断肺炎合并ARDS的患者,反之一些循证医学认为证据不充分的手段也并非无效;肺炎诱发ARDS需要综合性治疗措施,包括抗感染、脏器支持、营养免疫支持等,呼吸支持仅是其中的主要手段之一。     

肺炎支原体肺炎患儿急性期和恢复期血浆H-ficolin和L-ficolin水平分析

目的了解肺炎支原体肺炎患儿急性期和恢复期血浆中H-ficolin、L-ficolin水平的变化。方法采用ELISA法检测85例肺炎支原体肺炎患儿急性期和恢复期血浆H-ficolin、L-ficolin水平,并进行相关性分析。结果急性期H-ficolin水平1.8~25.2μg/ml,平均（11.9±5.9）μg/ml,恢复期H-ficolin水平0.3~26.5μg/ml,平均（10.1±5.7）μg/ml,急性期明显高于恢复期（Z=2.161,P=0.031）。急性期L-ficolin水平0.2~10.6μg/ml,平均（4.5±2.3）μg/ml,恢复期L-ficolin水平0.03~10.2μg/ml,平均（4.6±2.2）μg/ml,急性期和恢复期无统计学差异（t=0.245,P=0.807）。患儿急性期血浆H-ficolin水平与L-ficolin水平明显相关（r=0.22,P=0.039）。结论H-ficolin可能参与儿童肺炎支原体肺炎疾病过程。     

Bacterial clearance of Pseudomonas aeruginosa is enhanced by the inhibition of COX-2

Prostanoids generated by COX-2 are involved in the regulation of inflammation but their exact role in the innate immune response has not been defined. We investigated whether COX-2 is involved in host defense against Pseudomonas aeruginosa pneumonia. In vitro studies, in a macrophage cell line, showed that cytotoxic strain of P aeruginosa (PA103) induced significant COX-2 protein expression and enzymatic function. In vivo data showed that infection with PA103 increased COX-2 protein production in whole lung tissue compared to mice that were infected with mutant bacteria that lack ExoU (DeltaU) or ExoU and ExoT (DeltaUT). COX-2(-/-) mice had accentuated clearance of cytotoxic P. aeruginosa from the lungs. We further tested the effects of COX-2 products such as prostaglandin E(2) on the function of phagocytic cells. Our studies indicate that prostaglandin E(2) may be involved through interacting with the EP2 receptors in modulating the host response because treatment of macrophages with prostaglandin E(2) suppressed production of reactive oxygen species. Furthermore there was enhanced bacterial clearance in EP2 receptor(-/-) mice compared to the wild-type controls. Thus it is possible that inhibition of COX-2 or EP2 receptors could be an effective adjunctive treatment for severe or resistant P. aeruginosa pneumonia.     

替加环素不同治疗方案对ICU泛耐药鲍曼不动杆菌肺部感染的临床效果对比观察#br#

目的 对不同替加环素治疗方案对重症监护室(ICU)泛耐药鲍曼不动杆菌肺部感染的临床疗效和安全性进行对比分析,为替加环素的合理用药提供临床依据。方法 回顾性分析我院ICU 2014年1月-2017年6月使用替加环素治疗的62例泛耐药鲍曼不动杆菌肺部感染的临床资料,其中29例患者单独使用替加环素治疗,33例患者使用替加环素联合头孢哌酮/舒巴坦治疗,其疗程均超过7d,采用t检验或χ²检验对两组患者的临床特征、炎症指标、临床疗效、微生物清除率及不良反应等指标进行比较。结果 替加环素单独用药组和联合用药组在性别、年龄、疾病严重程度及加倍剂量应用替加环素病例数均无统计学差异(P＞ 0.05),联合用药组的临床有效率(21/33, 63.6%)高于单独用药组(11/29, 37.9%)(χ²=4.084, P＜0.05)。其中,患者APACHEⅡ评分≤15分的临床有效率70%(14/20)高于APACHEⅡ评分＞15分的42.9%(18/42)(χ²=3.997, P＜0.05);接受替加环素加倍剂量的临床有效率69.6%(16/23)高于常规剂量的41.0%(16/39)(χ²=4.719, P＜0.05)。替加环素单独用药组和联合用药组患者治疗后PCT、WBC和CRP水平与治疗前相比均显著降低(P＜0.05),且联合用药组的PCT水平下降更为明显(P＜0.05)。两组微生物学清除率(31.0% vs 38.7%)、不良反应发生率(13.8% vs 15.2%)均无统计学差异(P＞0.05)。临床疗效相关影响因素的logistic回归分析,也表明联合用药组疗效优于单独用药组,且用药前患者APACHE评分,CRP值,剂量加倍对临床疗效均存在影响。结论 替加环素联合头孢哌酮/舒巴坦治疗ICU泛耐药鲍曼不动杆菌肺部感染有较好的临床疗效,替加环素是否加倍剂量以及患者APACHEⅡ评分的高低可能影响其治疗效果,且不增加不良反应的发生率,值得在临床进一步推广。     

Effectiveness of pneumococcal Haemophilus influenzae protein D conjugate vaccine against pneumonia in children: A cluster-randomised trial

BackgroundPneumococcal conjugate vaccines have potential to prevent significant proportion of childhood pneumonia. Finnish Invasive Pneumococcal disease vaccine trial was designed to assess the vaccine effectiveness (VE) of the 10-valent pneumococcal Haemophilus influenzae protein D conjugate vaccine (PHiD-CV10) against several outcomes. We now report results for pneumonia.MethodsIn this nationwide, cluster-randomised, double-blind trial, children younger than 19 months received PHiD-CV10 in 52 clusters or hepatitis vaccines as control in 26 clusters. Infants younger than 7 months at the first vaccination received either 3+1 or 2+1 vaccination schedule, children aged 7–11 months received 2+1, and those 12–18 months of age two-dose schedule. All hospitalizations and outpatient visits to hospital associated with ICD-10 codes compatible with pneumonia were identified through the National Care Register and 1–3 frontal chest X-ray images per event were collected. External readers who were unaware of the patients’ vaccination status retrospectively interpreted the images. The evaluated outcomes were hospital-diagnosed, hospital-treated pneumonia as primary diagnosis, and radiologically confirmed pneumonia during the blinded, intention-to-treat follow-up period from the first vaccination to the end of 2011. Total VE was calculated as 1 minus rate ratio of all pneumonia episodes.Results47 366 children were enrolled from February 2009, to October 2010. VE against all episodes of hospital-diagnosed pneumonia was 27% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 14%, 38%), 32% (95% CI: 3%, 52%), and 23% (95% CI: −5%, 44%) in subjects enrolled at age <7, 7–11, and 12–18 months, respectively. Corresponding rate reductions were 3.4, 4.7, and 2.5 per 1000 person-years. VE estimates against pneumonia with alveolar consolidation or pleural effusion (WHO criteria) in the three cohorts were 45% (95% CI: 26%, 60%), 56% (95% CI: 14%, 77%), and 48% (95% CI: 2%, 73%), respectively.ConclusionPHiD-CV10 vaccination remarkably reduced disease burden due to pneumonia in infants and young children.Clinical trial registrationMain trial NCT00861380, nested carriage and otitis media trial NCT00839254 (ClinicalTrials.gov).     

Biphasic lung injury during Streptococcus pneumoniae infection in a murine model

Objectives

Streptococcus pneumoniae is the leading cause of community-acquired pneumonia. We aimed to analyze the epithelial response to S. pneumoniae-induced lung injury.