Inhalation of nebulized 3% hypertonic saline solution and salbutamol is a safe and effective therapy for patients with mild to moderate bronchiolitis.

The objective of this study was to determine the efficacy and safety of frequently inhaled nebulized hypertonic saline (HS) in infants with moderate to severe bronchiolitis. One hundred and twenty-six infants were randomized to receive either nebulized 3% hypertonic saline (HS) or 0.9% normal saline (NS), but only 112 patients completed the whole study. Cough, wheezing, pulmonary physical signs, clinical severity scores and the hospital length of stay (LOS) were recorded. The wheezing remission time was 4.8 ± 1.0 days in the NS group and 3.6 ± 0.9 days in the HS group (p <0.01). The cough remission time was 5.5 ± 0.9 days in the NS group and 4.3 ± 0.7 days in the HS group (p <0.01). The moist crackles disappeared at 6.2 ± 0.7 days in the NS group and at 4.4 ± 0.9 days in the HS group (p <0.01). The clinical severity scores decreased more significantly in the HS group than in the NS group on each day within 96 h after enrolment (p <0.01). The LOS decreased from 6.4 ± 1.4 days in the NS group to 4.8 ± 1.2 days in the HS group (p <0.01). The treatment was well tolerated, with no adverse effects attributable to nebulized HS. The conclusions are that frequently inhaled HS relieved symptoms and signs faster than NS, and shortened LOS significantly for infants with moderate to severe bronchiolitis, without apparent adverse effects.

The incidence and mortality of acute lung injury (ALI)/acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) are still very high, but stem cells show some promise for its treatment. Here we found that intratracheal administration of human umbilical cord-mesenchymal stem cells (UC-MSCs) significantly improved survival and attenuated the lung inflammation in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced ALI mice. We also used the proteins-chip and bioinformatics to analyze interactions between UC-MSCs treatment and immune-response alternations of ALI mice. Then we demonstrated that UC-MSCs could inhibit the inflammatory response of mouse macrophage in ALI mice, as well as enhance its IL-10 expression. We provide data to support the concept that the therapeutic capacity of UC-MSCs for ALI was primarily through paracrine secretion, particularly of prostaglandin-E2 (PGE2). Furthermore, we showed that UC-MSCs might secrete a panel of factors including GM-CSF, IL-6 and IL-13 to ameliorate ALI. Our study suggested that UC-MSCs could protect LPS-induced ALI model by immune regulation and paracrine factors, indicating that UC-MSCs should be a promising strategy for ALI/ARDS.

Background: Many cases have been reported recently on multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C), a newly emerged disease that seemed to correlate with coronavirus disease 2019 . The aim of this review was to describe the clinical features, treatment and outcomes of MIS-C, as well as to assess the risk of bias of published case studies, analyzing their reporting quality. Methods:We searched all articles reporting on multisystem inflammatory condition in children and adolescents in the context of COVID-19 through MEDLINE (via PubMed), Web of Science, China Biology Medicine disc (CBM) and China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) from their inception to June 17, 2020. We used CARE and IHE checklists to evaluate the risk of bias and quality of the included studies.We combined the data of clinical manifestations, imaging findings, treatments and outcomes using STATA version 15.Results: Twenty-four studies were included, with a total of 270 participants. Most cases were from Europe and the United States, and the terms of MIS-C in different articles were varied. Fever and gastrointestinal symptoms were the most experienced symptoms. Shock, rash, conjunctivitis, lips or oral cavity changes, hand and feet anomalies, and lymphadenopathy were observed, while respiratory symptoms seemed relatively infrequent. Seventy-eight percent to 100% of patients had evidence of SARS-CoV-2 infection, and patients positive for SARS-CoV-2 by serology [86% (95% CI: 78%, 95%)] were more than those by RT-PCR [36% (95% CI: 26%, 46%)]. Most patients had one or more increased inflammatory markers including C-reactive protein (CRP), procalcitonin (PCT), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), ferritin, interleukin-6 (IL-6), and D-dimer, accompanied by neutrophilia and lymphopenia. Impaired cardiac function was seen from elevated biomarkers and abnormal echocardiography. Intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG), anticoagulants, inotropic agents and glucocorticoids were the main treatments, along with other intensive supportive care. Overall, the outcomes of MIS-C were favorable, and only one death was recorded. In terms of the quality assessment of included studies, most of the case studies did not follow the standard reporting checklist, so that they failed to get higher scores in the risk of bias assessment. Conclusions: Patients with MIS-C present with symptoms more severe than children with COVID-19, 122 Tang et al. A systematic review of MIS-C case studies

Background Human bocavirus (HBoV) is a newly discovered parvovirus and increasing evidences are available to support its role as an etiologic agent in lower respiratory tract infection (LRTI). The objective of this study is to assess the impact of HBoV viral load on clinical characteristics in children who were HBoV positive and suffered severe LRTI. Methods Lower respiratory tract aspirates from 186 hospitalized children with severe LRTI were obtained by bronchoscopy. HBoVs were detected by real-time PCR and other 10 infectious agents were examined using PCR and/or direct fluorescent assay. Results Thirty-one patients (24.6%) were tested positive for HBoV in the respiratory tract aspirates. Fifteen samples had a high viral load (>10 4 copies/mL) and the other sixteen samples had a low viral load (<10 4 copies/mL). The duration of presented wheezing and hospitalization was longer in children with high viral load of HBoV than that in children with low viral load. The days of wheezing showed a correlation with viral load of HBoV. Conclusion We confirmed that HBoV was frequently detected in patients with severe LRTI. Wheezing was one of the most common symptoms presented by patients with positive HBoV. A high HBoV viral load could be an etiologic agent for LRTI, which led to more severe lower respiratory tract symptom, longer duration of wheezing and hospitalization.

The outbreak of 2019 novel coronavirus disease worldwide is becoming rapidly a major concern. The number of severe cases has increased dramatically worldwide, while specific treatment options are scarce. The main pathologic features of severe or critical COVID-19 were consistent with acute lung injure (ALI)/acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), characterized by cellular fibromyxoid exudates, extensive pulmonary inflammation, pulmonary edema, and hyaline membrane formation. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) can balance the inflammatory response and has been mentioned to be effective on ALI/ARDS from both infectious and noninfectious causes previously, presenting an important opportunity to be applied to COVID-19. In this commentary, we summarize the clinical trials of MSCs treatments on ALI/ARDS and raise MSCs as a hopefully alternative therapy for severe or critical COVID-19.

In December 2019, COVID-19 caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) outbroke in Wuhan, the capital city of Hubei province, China. The disease rapidly spread to other areas in China due to a huge population movement during the New Year Festival. Here, a 7-year-old child with SARS-CoV-2 infection in Chongqing, outside of Wuhan, Hubei province, was reported. This case suggested that children infected with SARS-CoV-2 are more likely to present milder manifestations than adults. The continuous positive real-time reverse transcriptionpolymerase chain reaction assay for SARS-CoV-2 in the child's throat swab sample indicated the isolation period for suspected child cases should be longer than 14 days.

Azithromycin combined with prednisolone is a better treatment for children with refractory MPP than azithromycin alone.