CHARACTERISTICS OF VIRAL ANTIGENS AND MICROBIAL SPECTRUM OF UPPER AND LOWER RESPIRATORY TRACT IN INFANTS WITH BRONCHITIS

Introduction. The difficulty in diagnosing different clinical forms of bronchitis is due to the fact that their clinical manifestations have a number of similar symptoms, despite the fact that these diseases may be as-sociated with different forms according to the classification. Diagnosis can be often complicated by the pre-disposition of very young children to recurrent respiratory diseases, which often mark the formation of a pro-longed and recurrent course of the disease caused by viral and bacterial contamination of the respiratory tract. The aim of this study is to investigate viral and microbial contamination of the respiratory tract in vari-ous clinical forms of bronchitis of infants and to clarify their etiological significance in parallel with the as-sessment of the intestinal microflora. Materials and methods. 578 children aged from 6 months to 3 years with various clinical forms of bronchitis were monitored. Virological examination was performed by the direct Coons method, which detected viral antigens in the cells of the mucous membrane of the lower nasal si-nuses. Bacteriological examination was performed by bacterial inoculation of nasopharyngeal mucus, spu-tum and feces in a nutrient medium. Results. Clinical and laboratory examination of young infants made it possible to identify the influence of detected viral antigens and pathogenic microflora in the throat, sputum and feces on the formation of various clinical forms of bronchitis and their clinical peculiarities not only in the period of exacerbation, but also in a remission period that indicates the persistence of viruses and bacteria. Conclusion. Detection of viral antigens, dysbiosis and microbial aggression of the upper and lower respira-tory tract gives grounds for substantiating the indications for staged rehabilitation therapy for infants with various clinical forms of bronchitis.

Emotional and Behavioral Changes in Older Adults With High Risk of Cognitive Impairment During the COVID-19 Pandemic

COVID-19 is not only a threat to physical health but also a stressor to mental health, particularly for older adults. Previous studies have indicated that healthy older adults have resilience to cope with such stressful event through emotional and behavioral effort. However, very few have investigated the coping ability of older adults with High Risk of Cognitive Impairment (HRCI), as they are characterized with risk factors that can make them more vulnerable to COVID-19 in both physical and mental aspects. To examine whether older adults with HRCI were able to cope with and recover from the outbreak of COVID-19, we investigated the changes of their self-reported emotional states and intentions of taking protective behaviors between the outbreak period (data collected from February 17th to 24th, 2020) and the remission period (data collected from April 7th to 20th, 2020). The results showed that compared with the outbreak period, older adults with HRCI showed better emotional states and higher levels of intention to take more protective behaviors during the remission period. Subgroup analysis showed that even those who showed relatively poor coping abilities during the outbreak period could gradually improve their emotional states and intend to take more protective behaviors later on in the remission period. Therefore, these results suggested that older adults with HRCI were able to cope with and recover from the pandemic outbreak.

A Case Report of Pulsed Radiofrequency Plus Suboccipital Injection of the Greater Occipital Nerve: An Easier Target for Treatment of Cluster Headache

Introduction: In cluster headache, the efficacy of suboccipital steroid injection is notable within a few days, although few data are available about the duration of efficacy. A combination treatment, consisting of suboccipital steroid injection plus pulsed radiofrequency, could potentially lead to long-term benefit. Evidence about pulsed radiofrequency of the greater occipital nerve is lacking.Patients and Methods: We retrospectively describe a series of four cluster headache patients treated with suboccipital steroid injection plus pulsed radiofrequency of the greater occipital nerve.Results: All patients achieved a 50% reduction in attack frequency in the 7 days after the first treatment. Moreover, a long pain-free remission period up to 15 months was noted.Conclusion: Suboccipital steroid injection plus pulsed radiofrequency of the greater occipital nerve might have both acute and prophylactic effects in cluster headache. The greater occipital nerve is more accessible to pulsed radiofrequency than other targets.

Lupus Eritematosus Sistemik (LES) pada Kehamilan

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a multi-organ autoimmune disease that can affect women of childbearing age. Pregnancy causes alterations of the immune and neuroendocrine systems. Moreover, SLE in pregnancy is associated with prematurity and preeclampsia. Confirmation of the SLE diagnosis based on anamnesis, physical examination, and laboratory results is essential to differ the similar symptoms of normal pregnancy from pregnancy with SLE, such as preeclampsia, to lupus nephritis due to differences in treatment. The management of SLE in pregnancy has begun to be well understood; therefore, immunosuppressive drugs can be administered according to the indications and fetal safety. It is essential to educate women with SLE to not get pregnant before the 6-months remission period and explain the relative contraindications to pregnancy.Keywords: systemic lupus erythematosus; pregnancy; immunosuppressive Abstrak: Lupus eritematosus sistemik (LES) merupakan suatu penyakit autoimun multi-organ yang dapat menyerang wanita usia reproduktif. Kehamilan menyebabkan perubahan pada sistem imun dan neuroendokrin. LES pada wanita hamil dihubungkan dengan kejadian kelahiran prematuritas dan preeklamsia. Penentuan diagnosis berdasarkan anamnesis, pemeriksaan fisik, dan pemeriksaan penunjang penting untuk membedakan gejala-gejala yang mirip pada kehamilan normal dengan kehamilan yang disertai LES seperti preeklamsia dengan lupus nefritis karena tatalaksana yang diberikan berbeda. Tatalaksana LES pada kehamilan telah mulai dipahami sehingga pemberian obat-obatan imunosupresif dapat diberikan sesuai dengan indikasi dan keamanan pada janin. Penting untuk mengedukasi wanita dengan LES untuk tidak hamil sebelum melewati masa remisi enam bulan dan menjelaskan kontraindikasi relatif pada kehamilan.Kata kunci: lupus eritematous sistemik; kehamilan; imunosupresif

Distribution of serum adiponectin isoforms in pediatric patients with steroid-sensitive nephrotic syndrome

Background Serum adiponectin circulates in three multimeric isoforms: high-molecular-weight (HMW), middle-molecular-weight (MMW), and low-molecular-weight (LMW) isoforms. Potential change in the circulating adiponectin levels in patients with nephrotic syndrome (NS) remain unknown. This study aimed to assess the levels of total adiponectin and the distribution of its isoforms in pediatric patients with NS. Methods We sequentially measured total adiponectin and each adiponectin isoform levels at the onset of NS, initial remission, and during the remission period of the disease in 31 NS patients. We also calculated the ratios of HMW (%HMW), MMW (%MMW), and LMW (%LMW) to total adiponectin incuding 51 control subjects. Results The median of total serum adiponectin levels in patients were 36.7, 36.7, and 20.2 μg/mL at the onset, at initial remission, and during the remission period of NS, respectively. These values were significantly higher than those in control subjects. The median values of %HMW, %MMW, and %LMW values were 56.9/27.0/14.1 at the onset, 62.0/21.8/13.4 at the initial remission, and 58.1/21.7/17.5 at during the remission period of NS, respectively. Compared with control subjects, %HMW at initial remission and %MMW at the onset were high, and the %LMW values at the onset and at initial remission were low. Conclusions In patients with NS, total serum adiponectin levels increase at the onset of the disease, and the ratio of adiponectin isoforms changes during the course of the disease. Further studies are needed to delineate the mechanisms between proteinuria and adiponectin isoforms change.

Discontinuation of Immunosuppressive Therapy in Patients With Neuromyelitis Optica Spectrum Disorder With Aquaporin-4 Antibodies

ObjectiveTo evaluate the outcomes of immunosuppressive therapy (IST) discontinuation in patients with neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) after a sustained remission period.MethodsWe retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 17 patients with antiaquaporin-4 antibody-positive NMOSD who discontinued IST after a relapse-free period of ≥3 years.ResultsIST was discontinued at a median age of 40 years (interquartile range [IQR], 32–51) after a median relapse-free period of 62 months (IQR, 52–73). Among the 17 enrolled patients, 14 (82%) relapsed at a median interval of 6 months (IQR, 4–34) after IST discontinuation, 3 (18%) of whom experienced severe attacks; notably, all 3 of these patients had a history of severe attack before IST. These 3 patients received steroids, followed by plasma exchange for acute treatment, but 2 exhibited poor recovery and significant disability worsening at 6 months after relapse.ConclusionsIST discontinuation may increase the risk of relapse in seropositive patients with NMOSD even after 5 years of remission. Given the potentially devastating consequence of a single attack of NMOSD, caution is advised with IST discontinuation, particularly in patients with severe attack before IST.

The quality of life in Chinese juvenile idiopathic arthritis patients: psychometric properties of the pediatric quality of life inventor generic core scales and rheumatology module

Background Juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) may seriously affects patients’ quality of life (QoL), but it was rarely focused and studied in China, so we explore JIA children’s QoL using Chinese version of the PedsQL4.0 Generic Core and PedsQL3.0 Rheumatology Module scale, and analyzed the psychometric properties of these two Scales among Chinese JIA children. Methods We recruited 180 JIA patients from Children's Hospital Affiliated to Capital Institute of Pediatrics and Hebei Yanda Hospital from July 2018 to August 2019. The questionnaires include information related on JIA, PedsQL4.0 generic core and PedsQL3.0 Rheumatology Module scales. According to the disease type, onset age of and course of JIA, we divided them into different groups, then compared the QoL status among different groups. Moreover, we analyzed the reliability and validity of these two scales in these 180 JIA children. Results The mean score of PedsQL4.0 generic core scale on these 180 patients was 82.85 ± 14.82, for these in active period was 72.05 ± 15.29, in remission period was 89.77 ± 9.23; the QoL score of systemic, polyarticular and oligoarticular JIA patients were 77.05 ± 19.11, 84.33 ± 12.46 and 87.12 ± 10.23. The mean score of PedsQL3.0 Rheumatology Module scale on 180 patients was 91.22 ± 9.45, for these in active period was 84.70 ± 11.37, in remission period was 95.43 ± 4.48; the QoL score of systemic, polyarticular and oligoarticular JIA patients were 89.41 ± 11.54, 89.38 ± 10.08 and 93.71 ± 6.92. In the PedsQL 4.0 Generic Core scale, the α coefficients of total scale and almost every dimension are all greater than 0.8 except for the school activity dimension of 0.589; the correlation coefficients of 22 items’ scores (total 23 items) with the scores of dimensions they belong to are greater than 0.5 (maximum value is 0.864), and the other one is 0.406. In PedsQL3.0 Rheumatology Module scale, except for the treatment and worry dimensions of 0.652 and 0.635, the α coefficients of other dimensions and the total scale are all greater than 0.7; the correlation coefficients of all items’ score were greater than 0.5 (the maximum is 0.933, the minimum is 0.515). Conclusions The QoL of Chinese JIA children is worse than their healthy peers, these in active period and diagnosed as systemic type were undergoing worst quality of life. The reliability and validity of PedsQL 4.0 Generic Core and PedsQL3.0 Rheumatology Module scale in Chinese JIA children are satisfactory, and can be used in clinical and scientific researches.

Matrix metalloproteinases and their tissue inhibitors in relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis : Possible markers and treatment agents

Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), which are synthesized by many cell groups and responsible for the destruction of matrix proteins, and endogen tissue inhibitors of MMPs (TIMPs) have a role in the pathogenesis of Multiple Sclerosis (MS) by affecting the blood-brain barrier. We aimed to investigate the role of MMPs and TIMPs in the immunopathogenesis and in the course of multiple sclerosis (MS). We enrolled 25 relapsing remitting MS patients, who had a definite MS diagnosis according to McDonald criteria and 25 healthy subjects similar for age and gender as control group. MMP-9- and TIMP-1 levels were measured twice in patient group (one time during an attack and one in remission) and once in healthy subjects. MMP-9- and TIMP-levels of patients during attack and remission period and MMP-9/TIMP-1 ratio were found significantly higher than in the control subjects. In patient group MMP-9 and TIMP-1 levels and MMP-9/TIMP-1 ratio during attacks were not significantly different than during remission period. However, when subdivided according to their number of attacks, patients with 2 attacks had significantly higher levels during attack period comparing to remission period (p<0.05); in case of patients with more than 2 attacks did not have a statistically significant difference in attack and remission periods. Matrix metalloproteinases are important actors in MS immunopathogenesis, particularly in the early period and inhibitor agents for these enzymes can be used as a treatment option.