Paediatrics and International Child Health最新文献

The literature on childhood tuberculous empyema (TE) is limited. The aim of this study was to examine the clinicopathological characteristics and outcome of paediatric TE and methods of prompt diagnosis and treatment. Between January 2014 and April 2019, 27 consecutive patients with TE aged ≤15 years [mean (SD) 12.2 (3.3), range 6-15] were retrospectively reviewed. The following were reviewed: baseline demographics, symptoms, laboratory and pathological examination, radiographical findings, microbiological data, anti-tuberculous and surgical treatment and clinical outcome. Acid-fast bacillus (AFB) smear, culture, TB real-time (RT) polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and T-SPOT.TB assay were reviewed. Six (60%) of 10 patients were TB-RT-PCR-positive in pus or purulent fluid. Twenty-three of 24 (95.8%) were T-SPOT.TB-positive. Decortication by surgical thoracotomy or thoracoscopy was performed in 22 (81.5%) patients. None of the 27 patients had specific complications such as pyopneumothorax or bronchopleural fistula and all were successfully treated. In childhood TE, aggressive surgical management is associated with a favourable outcome.Abbreviations: AFB, acid-fast bacilli; E, ethambutol; EPTB, extra-pulmonary TB; H, isoniazid; HIC, high-income countries; LMIC, low- and middle-income countries; MTB, Mycobacterium tuberculosis; PCR, polymerase chain reaction; PTB, pulmonary TB; R, rifampicin; RT, real time; TB, tuberculosis; TE, tuberculous empyema; Z, pyrazinamide.

Acute focal bacterial nephritis (AFBN) is characterised by a complicated upper urinary tract infection ranging from acute pyelonephritis to renal abscess. Timely diagnosis of AFBN is important because antibiotic therapy of longer duration is required. A 10-year-old boy presented with fever for 5 days and bilateral flank pain. He was oriented and cooperative but appeared ill. Physical examination did not reveal any oedema or costovertebral angle tenderness. Acute phase reactants such as erythrocyte sedimentation rate and C-reactive protein were raised, serum creatinine was 1.25 mg/dL (0.31-0.88) and leucocyte esterase was positive in the urine. Ultrasonographic examination demonstrated bilaterally enlarged kidneys with increased echogenicity. Because of the high creatinine level, abdominal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was performed instead of computed tomography (CT) for further evaluation. The MRI showed an increase in the size of both kidneys, renal cortical heterogeneity and multiple cortical nodular lesions with diffusion restriction (constrained Brownian movement of water molecules) on diffusion-weighted MRI. A negative urine culture result in children presenting with fever and abdominal pain may mislead the clinicians, causing them to miss a nephro-urological diagnosis. It is therefore recommended that patients in whom the cause of fever cannot be determined be scanned by ultrasound and examined by CT or MRI so that undiagnosed and/or suspected cases of AFBN might be detected.

Background: Congenital tuberculosis (CTB) is relatively rare and most patients are described in case reports.

Aim: To investigate the clinical characteristics of CTB in 26 children.

Methods: A retrospective analysis of 26 children with CTB from January 2013 to December 2021 in Changsha Central Hospital in Central Southern China was undertaken.

Results: The median age at onset was 25 days (17-33) and within 4 weeks of age in approximately 73% of cases. Of 24 mothers (including two mothers of twins), 18 (75.0%) were asymptomatic during pregnancy, and four were diagnosed with tuberculosis prenatally. The numbers of tuberculous meningitis, tuberculous encephalitis and liver TB were 17 (65.4%), five (19.2%) and four (15.4%), respectively. The main symptoms were fever (n = 18, 69.2%) and cough (n = 16, 61.5%). Positive rates of T-SPOT.TB, acid-fast bacilli smear, culture of Mycobacterium tuberculosis and GeneXpert MTB/RIF test were, respectively, 84.2% (16/19), 42.3% (11/26), 43.5% (10/23) and 83.3% (5/6). Radiograph or computed tomography demonstrated typical pulmonary tuberculous lesions in all cases and the head magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed marked meningeal enhancement or parenchymal lesions in seven cases (26.9%). One case had drug-resistant TB. During follow-up, nine cases had varying degrees of liver injury, and one had delayed growth and development. Eight died and 18 recovered satisfactorily.

Conclusion: Maternal TB status during pregnancy, the epidemiological history, T-SPOT.TB and other TB-related aetiological tests and imaging are important for the early diagnosis and treatment of CTB, and are associated with a favourable outcome.

Abbreviations: AFB: acid-fast bacilli; Amk: amikacin; Cs: cycloserine; CT: computed tomography; E: ethambutol; GeneXpert MTB/RIF: GeneXpert Mycobacterium tuberculosis and rifampicin resistance; H: isoniazid; IVF-ET: in-vitro fertilization-embryo transfer; Lzd: linezolid; Mfx: moxifloxacin; MTB: Mycobacterium tuberculosis; mNGS: next generation sequencing; MTB-DNA: Mycobacterium tuberculosis-deoxyribonucleic acid; Pto: protionamide; R: rifampicin; TB: tuberculosis; T-SPOT.TB: spot test of mycobacterium TB infection T-lymphocytes; Z: pyrazinamide.

Background: Although shown to reduce death or disability in moderate-to-severe hypoxic ischaemic encephalopathy (HIE), therapeutic hypothermia (TH) has recently been associated with an increase in adverse events in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC).

Aim: To determine the clinical characteristics, complications and short-term outcome in neonates receiving TH in King Edward Memorial Hospital, Mumbai, India.

Methods: A retrospective single-centre study of neonates with moderate-to-severe HIE who received TH from 1 January 2018 to 31 December 2021 was undertaken. TH was provided as per the unit's protocol using either a servo-controlled device or a phase-changing material (PCM).

Results: One hundred and fifty-five neonates were included with 94.2% intramural births. Mean gestation and birthweight were 38.6 (1.5) weeks and 2776.7 (431) g, respectively. HIE staging was moderate in 87.1% and severe in 12.9%, with a mean cord pH of 6.93 (0.14) and seizures in 38.7%. Adverse events included shock (50.3%), clinically significant bleeding (16%), acute kidney injury (6.7%), culture-positive sepsis (11.6%), persistent pulmonary hypertension (9%), bradycardia (9%), food intolerance (14.9%) and premature termination (7.1%). A servo-controlled device (15.5%) or PCM (84.5%) was used, with comparable adverse events. 84.5% of the neonates were discharged, 7.1% discharged against medical advice and 8.4% died. Detailed neurological assessment at discharge/discharge against medical advice suggested neurological impairment in 128 (87.1%) neonates.

Conclusion: Adverse events during TH range from asymptomatic laboratory abnormalities to life-threatening complications, which are manageable in well equipped units. Neurological impairment at discharge in neonates who received cooling mandates strict neurological follow-up.Abbreviations: aEEG: amplitude-integrated EEG; AKI: acute kidney injury; BW: birthweight; EEG: electro-encephalogram; GA: gestational age; HELIX: hypothermia for encephalopathy in low- and middle-income countries; HIE: hypoxic ischaemic encephalopathy; IVH: intraventricular haemorrhage; LMIC: low- and middle-income countries; NICHD: National Institute of Child Health and Human Development; NICU: neonatal intensive care unit; PPHN: persistent pulmonary hypertension of newborn; PCM: phase-changing material; SGA: small-for-gestational age; TH: therapeutic hypothermia.

Tuberculosis-associated haemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) is rare in paediatrics and can be fatal if not recognised and treated on time. A 3-month-old infant with tuberculosis and HLH is described. He was successfully treated with anti-tuberculous therapy (ATT) which comprised isoniazid, rifampicin, pyrazinamide, ethambutol, streptomycin and dexamethasone (10 mg/m²/day). On Day 28 of therapy, he developed a paradoxical upgrading reaction to ATT for which he was again treated with (oral) corticosteroids for 4 weeks. He recovered successfully and is now completely well and asymptomatic. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case of a child having a paradoxical upgrading reaction following treatment for TB-HLH.Abbreviations ATT: anti-tuberculous therapy; CB-NAAT: cartridge-based nucleic acid amplification test; CECT: contrast-enhanced computed tomography; HLH: haemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis; NK: natural killer, PUR: paradoxical upgrading reaction; sHLH: secondary HLH.

Legionnaires' disease is an atypical pneumonia caused by inhaling small droplets of water containing the bacterium Legionella spp. In newborns, it is a rare event, usually associated with water births and the use of air conditioning systems or air humidifiers. A nosocomial outbreak of Legionnaires' disease in the maternity ward of a secondary-care hospital in Arandjelovac, Serbia is described.Two male newborns were found to be infected with Legionnella pneumophila. On Days 7 and 6 of life, respectively, they were transferred to a tertiary-care hospital with signs of severe pneumonia which was radiologically confirmed. L. pneumophila was detected in tracheal secretions from both infants by RT-PCR, and its antigens were also positive in urine samples. The source of infection in the secondary-care hospital was the internal hot water heating system, and the main contributory factor to the emergence of the infection was the low temperature of the hot water which did not kill the bacteria during the available exposure time.These two cases highlight the importance of being cautious about possible Legionnaires' disease in maternity wards with outdated or irregularly maintained internal water supply systems. The adoption of official guidelines for the control and regular maintenance of water supply systems, including the multidisciplinary cooperation of all relevant parties, forms the basis for direct monitoring for Legionella and the prevention of new outbreaks.Abbreviations: BCYE: buffered charcoal yeast extract agar; GVPC: glycine vancomycin polymyxin cycloheximide agar; LD - Legionnaires' disease; TR-PCR: Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction.

Munchausen syndrome by proxy is a form of abuse in which an adult, usually the mother, deceives health workers by exaggerating, falsifying or directly inducing psychological or physical symptoms in the child victim for psychological gratification. In 2013, the American Academy of Pediatrics coined the term 'caregiver-fabricated illness in a child' to describe this form of child abuse. A 7-year-old girl had many encounters with health workers over a period of 4 years and presented with evolving clinical features including refractory seizures and red urine for which she was followed up as a case of acute intermittent porphyria. She was later discovered to be the victim of chronic monocrotophos organophosphate poisoning by her mother. If all medical staff who manage children are to avoid becoming inadvertent participants in medical child abuse, this case report is an important reminder that a high index of suspicion is warranted in cases which present a diagnostic dilemma and who respond unexpectedly to treatment.Abbreviations AIP: Acute intermittent porphyria; APSAC: American Professional Society on the Abuse of Children; ASM: anti-seizure medication; CFIC: caregiver-fabricated illness in a child; CT: computed tomography: DVT: deep vein thrombosis; EEG: electroencephalogram: ESR: erythrocyte sedimentation rate; HDW: high-dependency ward; ICU: intensive care unit; LFT: liver function test; MBP: Munchausen syndrome by proxy; NICU: neonatal intensive care unit; RFT: renal function test; TB: Tuberculosis; UTH-CH: University Teaching Hospitals Children's Hospital.