Recommendation for immune prophylaxis of respiratory syncytial virus infection in children.

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is the most common pathogen for young children hospitalized with bronchiolitis and pneumonia. Most infections occur below 1 year of age, and almost all children have been infected before 2 years of age. Monoclonal antibodies targeting RSV, such as palivizumab and nirsevimab, are accessible for preventing infection.

Recommendation for the use of respiratory syncytial virus vaccines.

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is the most common pathogen for young children hospitalized with bronchiolitis and pneumonia. Most infections occur below 1 year of age. RSV is also a significant viral pathogen for adults with respiratory tract infection.

BNT162b2 mRNA vaccine elicits robust virus-specific antibodies but poor cross-protective CD8 memory T cell responses in adolescents with type 1 diabetes.

Background: COVID-19 mRNA vaccines have demonstrated 95 % efficacy in the general population. However, their immunogenicity in adolescents with Type 1 Diabetes (T1D), who exhibit weaken immune responses, remains insufficiently explored.

Methods: Longitudinal analysis of innate immune responses following PRR-agonists and BNT162b2 vaccine stimulations, along with S-specific antibody responses, memory T cell recall responses, and RNA-sequencing were assessed in eight T1D adolescents and 16 healthy controls at six different timepoints.

Urinary interferon-γ-induced protein-10/creatinine ratio as a predictor of severe paediatric infections: A prospective pilot study.

Aim: This prospective pilot study evaluated urinary interferon-γ-induced protein-10 (IP-10)/creatinine and tumour necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL)/creatinine ratios as non-invasive biomarkers for distinguishing bacterial from viral infections and assessing disease severity in febrile children.

Methods: The study involved 85 febrile children and 29 healthy controls, measuring urinary IP-10/creatinine and TRAIL/creatinine ratios to determine their diagnostic utility.

Results: Both ratios were significantly elevated in infected patients compared to controls.

Paper-Based procalcitonin and Interleukin-6 test strip with Spectrum-Based optical reader for enterovirus severity differentiation in children.

Infectious diseases significantly impact global health, necessitating prompt diagnosis to mitigate life-threatening sepsis risk. Identifying patients at risk of severe neurological complications from enterovirus infections is challenging due to nonspecific initial presentations. Point-of-care testing (POCT) has emerged as a transformative tool, with low-cost lateral-flow colorimetric assays showing promise in deployable POCT devices.

Seasonality and risk factor analysis of respiratory syncytial virus infection in children in Taiwan-A retrospective study from 1995 to 2005.

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is one of the important pathogens leading to acute respiratory tract infection in infants and young children. We aimed to investigate the seasonality of RSV infection in different parts of Taiwan and to delineate the risk factors for severe RSV infections. We collected RSV-infected patients' data by retrospective chart review.

Age and prior vaccination determine the antibody level in children with primary SARS-CoV-2 Omicron infection.

Background: Protection against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) reinfection relies on immunity generated after primary infection. However, humoral immunity following primary infection with the Omicron variant is not well understood.

Methods: We prospectively recruited children <19 years with virologically-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection at National Cheng Kung University Hospital from February 2022 to September 2022 during the first wave of Omicron BA.

Pre-existing humoral immunity and CD4 T cell response correlate with cross-reactivity against SARS-CoV-2 Omicron subvariants after heterologous prime-boost vaccination.

Background: Information regarding the heterologous prime-boost COVID vaccination has been fully elucidated. The study aimed to evaluate both humoral, cellular immunity and cross-reactivity against variants after heterologous vaccination.

Methods: We recruited healthcare workers previously primed with Oxford/AstraZeneca ChAdOx1-S vaccines and boosted with Moderna mRNA-1273 vaccine boost to evaluate the immunological response.

VEGF-Mediated Augmentation of Autophagic and Lysosomal Activity in Endothelial Cells Defends against Intracellular Streptococcus pyogenes.

Group A Streptococcus (GAS), a deleterious human-pathogenic bacterium, causes life-threatening diseases such as sepsis and necrotic fasciitis. We recently reported that GAS survives and replicates within blood vessel endothelial cells because these cells are intrinsically defective in xenophagy. Because blood vessel endothelial cells are relatively germfree environments, specific stimulation may be required to sufficiently induce xenophagy.

Innate Immune Responses of Vaccinees Determine Early Neutralizing Antibody Production After ChAdOx1nCoV-19 Vaccination.

Background: Innate immunity, armed with pattern recognition receptors including Toll-like receptors (TLR), is critical for immune cell activation and the connection to anti-microbial adaptive immunity. However, information regarding the impact of age on the innate immunity in response to SARS-CoV2 adenovirus vector vaccines and its association with specific immune responses remains scarce.

Methods: Fifteen subjects between 25-35 years (the young group) and five subjects between 60-70 years (the older adult group) were enrolled before ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 (AZD1222) vaccination.

Corrigendum: A Paper-Based IL-6 Test Strip Coupled With a Spectrum-Based Optical Reader for Differentiating Influenza Severity in Children.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fbioe.2021.

Assessing the quality of electronic medical records as a platform for resident education.

Background: Previous studies have assessed note quality and the use of electronic medical record (EMR) as a part of medical training. However, a generalized and user-friendly note quality assessment tool is required for quick clinical assessment. We held a medical record writing competition and developed a checklist for assessing the note quality of participants' medical records.

A Paper-Based IL-6 Test Strip Coupled With a Spectrum-Based Optical Reader for Differentiating Influenza Severity in Children.

Influenza virus infection is a major worldwide public health problem. Influenza virus infections are associated with a high hospitalization rate in children between the ages of 5 and 14. The predominant reason for poor influenza prognosis is the lack of any effective means for early diagnosis.

The epidemiology, clinical characteristics, and macrolide susceptibility of Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia in children in Southern Taiwan, 2019-2020.

Background: Since the global use of the pneumococcal conjugate vaccine, Mycoplasma pneumoniae (MP) has become the most common bacterial cause of lower respiratory tract infections among children. Monitoring the changing epidemiology and antimicrobial resistance rates of this organism is important for MP clinical management.

Methods: This study characterizes key features of MP during the 2019-2020 epidemic in children in Taiwan.

Clinical and epidemiological features in hospitalized young children with acute gastroenteritis in Taiwan: A multicentered surveillance through 2014-2017.

Background/purpose: Acute gastroenteritis (AGE) remains a significant health issue in children. The worldwide evolution of pediatric AGE pathogens had been recorded since the introduction of rotavirus vaccine. Ten years after the rotavirus vaccine was introduced to the private sectors in Taiwan, a nationwide study was conducted to elucidate the epidemiological changes among major AGE pathogens.

Comparing machine learning with case-control models to identify confirmed dengue cases.

In recent decades, the global incidence of dengue has increased. Affected countries have responded with more effective surveillance strategies to detect outbreaks early, monitor the trends, and implement prevention and control measures. We have applied newly developed machine learning approaches to identify laboratory-confirmed dengue cases from 4,894 emergency department patients with dengue-like illness (DLI) who received laboratory tests.

Emergence of macrolide-resistant Streptococcus pyogenes emm12 in southern Taiwan from 2000 to 2019.

Background: Group A Streptococcus (GAS) is an important pathogen causing morbidity and mortality worldwide. Surveillance of resistance and emm type has important implication to provide helpful information on the changing GAS epidemiology and empirical treatment.

Methods: To study the emergence of resistant GAS in children with upper respiratory tract infection (URTI), a retrospective study was conducted from 2000 to 2019 in southern Taiwan.

Impact of coupling topology upon noise robustness of small optical reservoirs.

In this work, we perform the numerical investigation of the performance of the small optical reservoir computing (RC) systems with four neurons using the commercial software for optical fiber communication system. The small optical RC system consists of the components of the optical fiber communication. The nonlinear function which is required in RC is provided by the erbium-doped optical fiber amplifiers (EDFA).

The potential role of pneumococcal conjugate vaccine in reducing acute respiratory inflammation in community-acquired pneumococcal pneumonia.

Background: Pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV) reduces both invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) and other pneumococcal infections worldwide. We investigated the impact of stepwise implementation of childhood PCV programs on the prevalence of pneumococcal pneumonia, severity of acute inflammation, and associations between breakthrough pneumonia and pneumococcal serotypes in Taiwan.

Methods: In total, 983 children diagnosed with community-acquired pneumococcal pneumonia were enrolled between January 2010 and December 2015.