Background: The information regarding viral epidemiology and clinical characteristics in hospitalized children with acute respiratory tract infection (ARTI) in central Fujian is limited. In this study, we aimed at analyzing the viral epidemiology and clinical characteristics of ARTI in hospitalized children admitted to The First Affiliated Hospital of Fujian Medical University. Methods: Cohort of 386 hospitalized children (31 days to 15 years) diagnosed with ARTI admitted to the Department of Pediatrics from January 1, 2018, to December 31, 2018, was enrolled in this study. Nasopharyngeal swab or sputum samples on the day of hospitalization were tested for 11 viruses via a GeXP-based multiplex-PCR assay. The viral profiles and clinical characteristics were analyzed. Results: The overall positive rate of the samples was 43.26% (167/386). Among the 167 positive samples, 134 (80.24%, 134/167) had a single virus and 33 (19.76%, 33/167) had multiple viruses. There was a significant difference in the frequency of single vs mixed infections among positive samples (80.24% vs 19.76%; χ 2 = 122.168, P = .000)as well as among the total examined samples (34.72% vs 8.55%; χ 2 = 77.945, P = .000).Human rhinovirus was the most prevalent virus (17.36%, 67/386), followed by influenza A (5.96%, 23/386) and human adenovirus (5.70%, 22/386). There was no significant difference in the etiological distribution of viral pathogens between males and females (χ 2 = 0.480, P = .489). Viral infections were more likely to occur in the winter-spring months than in the summer-autumn months (52.51% vs 33.53%, χ 2 = 13.830, P = .000). Conclusions:The GeXP-based multiplex PCR is an accurate and high-throughput assay allows us to quickly detect multiple respiratory viruses simultaneously in pediatric patients. Our study provides information on the viral profiles and clinical characteristics in hospitalized children with ARTI, which would help better effective prevention strategies. K E Y W O R D S acute respiratory tract infection, children, clinical characteristics, multiplex PCR How to cite this article: Huang H, Chen S, Zhang X, Hong L, Zeng Y, Wu B. Detection and clinical characteristics analysis of respiratory viruses in hospitalized children with acute respiratory tract infections by a GeXP-based multiplex-PCR assay.

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a prevalent functional disease. However, its molecular and pathological mechanisms are poorly understood. In this study, neonatal colorectal distension induced visceral hypersensitivity and anxiety comorbidity. The expression of hippocampal circKcnk9, a novel circRNA we termed, was increased significantly in IBS-like rats. Interesting, CA1 shcircKcnk9 treatment inhibited LTP and alleviated visceral hypersensitivity and anxiety in IBS-like rats while overexpression of CA1 circKcnk9 induced LTP, visceral hypersensitivity and anxiety in controls. Then, several experiments indicated that increased CA1 circKcnk9 acts as miR-124-3p sponge, which results in the inhibiting effect of miR-124-3p on gene silencing. There was a negative correlation between circKcnk9 and miR-124-3p. As expected, CA1 administration of agomiR-124-3p decreased CA1 LTP, visceral hypersensitivity and anxiety in IBS-like rats. In contrast, CA1 treatment with antagomiR-124-3p induced LTP, visceral hypersensitivity and anxiety in controls. Furthermore, bioinformatics analysis and experimental data showed EZH2 is a target gene of circKcnk9/miR-124-3p and increased EZH2 expression is involved in visceral hypersensitivity and anxiety of IBS-like rats by enhancing hippocampal synaptic plasticity. In conclusion, early life stress induces increased expression of circKcnk9 in the CA1 of IBS-like rats. Increased circKcnk9 ensuing regulates the synaptic transmission and enhances LTP, leading to visceral hypersensitivity and anxiety comorbidity in IBS-like rats. The underlying signaling pathway of circKcnk9 is miR124-3p/EZH2. Increased circKcnk9 reinforces its sponge for miR124-3p, strongly suppresses miR124-3p activity, resulting in increased expression level of target gene EZH2. The study provides a new epigenetic mechanism of visceral hypersensitivity and anxiety comorbidity in IBS-like rats.

BackgroundThis study aimed to determine the factors affecting the time to negative conversion of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2) in children and adolescents, with particular reference to nutrition risk assessment on admission.MethodsThis retrospective observational study was conducted in a sentinel hospital for novel coronavirus in Quanzhou, China. The study population comprised children and adolescents with COVID‐19 admitted to the isolation wards between March 25 and April 12, 2022. Based on the Screening Tool for the Assessment of Malnutrition in Paediatrics (STAMP), nutrition risk screening was performed within 24 h of admission. Univariate and multivariate analyses were used to identify independent factors for the time to negative viral RNA conversion.ResultsA total of 185 patients with confirmed COVID‐19 were included in this study. The median time to viral RNA conversion (from the first day of a positive nucleic acid test to the first day of consecutive negative results) was 15 days (IQR 12–18 days), ranging from 4 to 25 days. High nutrition risk (hazard ratio [HR]: 0.543, 95% CI: 0.334–0.881) and fever (HR: 0.663; 95% CI: 0.483–0.910) were independent factors influencing the negative conversion of SARS‐CoV‐2 RNA.ConclusionHigh nutrition risk and fever were independently associated with delayed viral clearance in children and adolescents with SARS‐CoV‐2 infection, so these factors should be considered during the treatment plans for infected children and adolescents.

Introduction: The neonatal period is a critical initial stage of postnatal lung development and maturation. This study aimed to investigate the effects of the nutritional status on pulmonary function in late preterm and full-term neonates. Methods: A total of 172 newborns were included in the study. Nutritional risk screening, weight measurement, assessment of albumin and caloric intake, and a pulmonary function examination were conducted on the 7th day after birth. Results: There was a significant correlation between the nutritional risk and changes in body weight. Tidal volume (VT), minute ventilation (MV), VT per kg body weight (VT/kg), and MV per kg body weight (MV/kg) in the low nutritional risk group were significantly higher than those in the medium nutritional risk group (all P < .05). Albumin and caloric intake in the low nutritional risk group were significantly higher than those in the medium nutritional risk group (both P < .01). VT, VT/kg, MV, and MV/kg in the weight loss group were lower than those in the no weight loss group (all P < .05). Conclusions: Changes in neonatal weight mainly affect lung volume (VT, VT/kg, MV, and MV/kg), suggesting that an improvement in the neonatal nutritional status is important for the development of lung volume.