Challenges of Empirical Antibiotic Therapy for Community-Acquired Pneumonia in Children

Qiangli Wuhu mixture alleviates LPS-induced pneumonia by inhibiting the TLR4/NF-κB/NLRP3 pathway: a study based on network pharmacology

CONTEXT

Qiangli Wuhu (QLWH) mixture is a concoction approved and registered by Ningxia Medical Products Administration. It has therapeutic effects on various types of pneumonia.

OBJECTIVE

To clarify the mechanisms of QLWH in treating pneumonia.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The potential targets of QLWH in the treatment of pneumonia were predicted by network pharmacology. Male, Institute of Cancer Research (ICR) mice were randomly divided into five groups of 12 mice, control, vehicle, QLWH (10 and 20 mg/kg) and dexamethasone (DXM), and orally treated twice daily with normal saline, QLWH or DXM. The pneumonia model was established by tracheal instillation of lipopolysaccharide (LPS). After treatment five days, ELISA, H&E staining and Western blot were used to investigate protective effects of QLWH.

RESULTS

Nine hundred and ninety-four active ingredients were found through network pharmacology, corresponding to 135 targets for the treatment of pneumonia; compared to the vehicle group, QLWH (10 and 20 mg/kg) significantly decreased the levels of TNF-α (14.3% and 28.8%), IL-1β (23.9% and 42.8%) and IL-6 (13.2% and 16.1%), increased the levels of IL-10 (134.3% and 172.9%); in terms of mechanism, QLWH down-regulated TLR4/NF-κB/NLRP3 axis related proteins in lung tissue of pneumonia model mice (p < 0.05).

DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS

This study combined network pharmacology and animal experiments, providing effective evidence for the clinical promotion of QLWH. Meanwhile, it is of significance for further development.

Intestinal Flora: A Potential Mechanism by Which Yinlai Decoction Treats Lipopolysaccharide-Induced Pneumonia

Background. We intended to explore the mechanism of Yinlai decoction in the treatment of lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced pneumonia from the perspective of intestinal flora. Methods. Thirty Sprague–Dawley rats were randomly assigned to the blank control group (N), the pneumonia group (P), and the Yinlai decoction group (PT). The rat pneumonia model was established using LPS inhalation (0.5 mg/mL, 5 mL, 30 min/day, 3 days). Yinlai decoction was administered intragastrically (2 mL/100 g, 3 days). Lung tissue pathology, organ indexes, serum inflammatory factors, tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), and intestinal flora changes were measured. Results. Lung tissue inflammation was prevented by Yinlai decoction. IL-6 levels showed a higher tendency to be higher, and IL-12 and TNF-α were significantly higher in the PT group than in the P group. The structure of the intestinal flora in the P differed from that in the N. The relative abundance of 10 out of 12 microflora was significantly higher in the P group than in the N and PT groups. In the PT group, the structure and the distribution of microbial groups were like those of the N group. Conclusions. Yinlai decoction inhibited LPS-induced lung and systemic inflammation in rats and may help the intestinal flora restore equilibrium by inhibiting the colonization of pathogenic bacteria and adjusting the ratio between probiotics and pathogenic bacteria. Intestinal flora may serve as a mediator of Yinlai decoction’s effect on LPS-induced pneumonia.

Pilot study on nocturnal monitoring of crackles in children with pneumonia

BACKGROUND

The clinical diagnosis of pneumonia is usually based on crackles at auscultation, but it is not yet clear what kind of crackles are the characteristic features of pneumonia in children. Lung sound monitoring can be used as a "longtime stethoscope". Therefore, it was the aim of this pilot study to use a lung sound monitor system to detect crackles and to differentiate between fine and coarse crackles in children with acute pneumonia. The change of crackles during the course of the disease shall be investigated in a follow-up study.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Crackles were recorded overnight from 22:00 to 06:00 h in 30 children with radiographically confirmed pneumonia. The data for a total of 28 800 recorded 30-s epochs were audiovisually analysed for fine and coarse crackles.

RESULTS

Fine crackles and coarse crackles were recognised in every patient with pneumonia, but the number of epochs with and without crackles varied widely among the different patients: fine crackles were detected in 40±22% (mean±sd), coarse crackles in 76±20%. The predominant localisation of crackles as recorded during overnight monitoring was in accordance with the radiographic infiltrates and the classical auscultation in most patients. The distribution of crackles was fairly equal throughout the night. However, there were time periods without any crackle in the single patients so that the diagnosis of pneumonia might be missed at sporadic auscultation.

CONCLUSION

Nocturnal monitoring can be beneficial to reliably detect fine and coarse crackles in children with pneumonia.

Novel approach towards antimicrobial chemotherapy optimization in lower respiratory tract infections in children: An observational study

ABSTRACT

The use of local antibiogram in guiding clinical decisions is an integral part of the antimicrobial stewardship program. Conventional antibiograms are not disease-specific, ignore the distribution of microorganisms, obscure the in-vitro efficacy interrelationships, and have limited use in polymicrobial infections.We aimed to develop an in-house empiric, disease-specific, antimicrobial prescription auxiliary for the treatment of hospitalized pediatric pneumonia patients and to present the methods which help to choose the first and the second line antimicrobial therapy, while accounting for cost and safety aspects.A retrospective single center observational study was conducted on bronchoscopy obtained sputum culture. Analysis of probabilities, variance minimization, Boolean network modeling, and dominance analysis were applied to analyze antibiogram data. The Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion method was used to test the susceptibility of all isolates. Final optimization analysis included local drug acquisition cost (standardized to price per DDD) and safety profile.Data of 145 pediatric patients hospitalized with pneumonia with 218 isolates over 5 years was collected. A combination of statistical methods such as probabilities of drug efficacy, variance minimization, Boolean network modeling, and dominance analysis can help to choose the optimal first-line and the second-line antimicrobial treatment and optimize patient care. This research reveals that ampicillin is the optimal choice as the first-line drug and piperacillin-tazobactam is the second-line antimicrobial drug if the first one is not effective, while accounting for cost and safety aspects.The paper proposes a new methodology to adapt empiric antimicrobial therapy recommendations based on real world data and accout for costs and risk of adverse events.

Carriage rates and antimicrobial sensitivity of pneumococci in the upper respiratory tract of children less than ten years old, in a north Indian rural community

Pneumococcal carriage studies are important for vaccine introduction and treatment strategies. Pneumococcal carriage rates estimated in this cohort study among children in a rural community of northern India. Between August 2012 and August 2014, trained nurses made weekly home visits to screen enrolled children aged <10 years for acute upper or lower respiratory infections (AURI/ALRI) in Ballabgarh, Haryana. Nasal swab from infants aged <1year and throat swab from children aged ≥1 year were collected. All specimens were cultured for pneumococci; isolates were serotyped and subjected to antimicrobial susceptibility testing. During the study period, 4348 nasal/throat swabs collected from children with clinical features of ARI (836 ALRI, 2492 AURI) and from 1020 asymptomatic children. Overall pneumococcal carriage was 5.1%, the highest carriage rate among children <1 year of age (22.6%). The detection rates were higher among children with ARI (5.6%; 95% CI: 4.8–6.4) than asymptomatic children (3.3%; 95% CI: 2.3–4.6). Among 220 pneumococcal isolates, 42 diverse serotypes were identified, with 6B/C (8.6%), 19A (7.2%), 19F (6.8%), 23F (6.4%), 35A/B/C (6.4%), 15B (5%), 14 (4.5%) and 11A/C/D (3.2%) accounting for 50%. Forty-five percent of the serotypes identified are included in the current formulation of 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine. Ninety-six percent of isolates were resistant to co-trimoxazole, 9% were resistant to erythromycin, and 10% had intermediate resistance to penicillin with minimum inhibitory concentration ranges (0.125 to 1.5 μg/ml). Pneumococcal detection was relatively low among children in our study community but demonstrated a diverse range of serotypes and half of these serotypes would be covered by the current formulation of 13-valent pneumococcal vaccine.

Deterministic epidemic model for ( S V C S y C A s y I R ) pneumonia dynamics, with vaccination and temporal immunity

Streptococcus pneumonia is one of the leading causes of mobility and mortality in children under 6 years and the elderly especially in developing countries in which Ghana, the study area is not an exception.In this paper, a model of the spread and control of bacterial pneumonia that include symptomatic carriers, asymptomatic carriers and vaccination is formulated and analyzed to determine the effect of the vaccination intervention.Analysis of the system show that the disease free equilibrium is stable if and only if the basic reproductive number R0<1. For R0≥1, the endemic equilibrium is globally stable and the disease persist. Numerical simulation on the system show that with effective vaccine intervention pneumonia infection can be eradicated in the long term.

Quantifying risks and interventions that have affected the burden of lower respiratory infections among children younger than 5 years: an analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2017

BACKGROUND

Despite large reductions in under-5 lower respiratory infection (LRI) mortality in many locations, the pace of progress for LRIs has generally lagged behind that of other childhood infectious diseases. To better inform programmes and policies focused on preventing and treating LRIs, we assessed the contributions and patterns of risk factor attribution, intervention coverage, and sociodemographic development in 195 countries and territories by drawing from the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study 2017 (GBD 2017) LRI estimates.

METHODS

We used four strategies to model LRI burden: the mortality due to LRIs was modelled using vital registration data, demographic surveillance data, and verbal autopsy data in a predictive ensemble modelling tool; the incidence of LRIs was modelled using population representative surveys, health-care utilisation data, and scientific literature in a compartmental meta-regression tool; the attribution of risk factors for LRI mortality was modelled in a counterfactual framework; and trends in LRI mortality were analysed applying changes in exposure to risk factors over time. In GBD, infectious disease mortality, including that due to LRI, is among HIV-negative individuals. We categorised locations based on their burden in 1990 to make comparisons in the changing burden between 1990 and 2017 and evaluate the relative percent change in mortality rate, incidence, and risk factor exposure to explain differences in the health loss associated with LRIs among children younger than 5 years.

FINDINGS

In 2017, LRIs caused 808 920 deaths (95% uncertainty interval 747 286-873 591) in children younger than 5 years. Since 1990, there has been a substantial decrease in the number of deaths (from 2 337 538 to 808 920 deaths; 65·4% decrease, 61·5-68·5) and in mortality rate (from 362·7 deaths [330·1-392·0] per 100 000 children to 118·9 deaths [109·8-128·3] per 100 000 children; 67·2% decrease, 63·5-70·1). LRI incidence declined globally (32·4% decrease, 27·2-37·5). The percent change in under-5 mortality rate and incidence has varied across locations. Among the risk factors assessed in this study, those responsible for the greatest decrease in under-5 LRI mortality between 1990 and 2017 were increased coverage of vaccination against Haemophilus influenza type b (11·4% decrease, 0·0-24·5), increased pneumococcal vaccine coverage (6·3% decrease, 6·1-6·3), and reductions in household air pollution (8·4%, 6·8-9·2).

INTERPRETATION

Our findings show that there have been substantial but uneven declines in LRI mortality among countries between 1990 and 2017. Although improvements in indicators of sociodemographic development could explain some of these trends, changes in exposure to modifiable risk factors are related to the rates of decline in LRI mortality. No single intervention would universally accelerate reductions in health loss associated with LRIs in all settings, but emphasising the most dominant risk factors, particularly in countries with high case fatality, can contribute to the reduction of preventable deaths.

FUNDING

Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Emerging problems in the treatment of pediatric community-acquired pneumonia

INTRODUCTION

Community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) remains one of the most common reasons for paediatric morbidity and accounts for about 16% of all the deaths occurring in children less than 5 years of age. Areas covered: The main aim of this paper is to discuss the emerging problems for CAP treatment in paediatric age. Expert commentary: Official recommendations for therapeutic approaches to paediatric CAP, despite being not very recent, seem still to be the best solution to assure the highest probabilities of cure for children with this disease living in industrialized countries. Amoxicillin remains the drug of choice and use of macrolides alone or in combination does not seem supported by solid evidence. Corticosteroids can be useful in CAP associated with bronco-obstruction, whereas their effectiveness in cases with a severe inflammatory response, although plausible, is not supported by data collected through randomized, placebo-controlled trials. Finally, for the administration of vitamin C and vitamin D, the available data are not adequate to draw firm conclusions regarding the real importance of supplementation. Further studies are needed to evaluate which modifications of presently available recommendations for paediatric CAP treatment can improve final prognosis of this still common disease.