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Objective: This study was designed to investigate the clinical efficacy of azithromycin combined with ambroxol in children with Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia (MPP). Methods: The clinical data of 103 children with MPP treated in Fuyang District Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine of Hangzhou from December 2020 to August 2021 were selected and retrospectively analyzed, and these children were divided into a control group (n=51, azithromycin treatment) and a study group (n=52, azithromycin plus ambroxol treatment) according to the different treatment methods. The immunoglobulin level, pulmonary function score, treatment efficacy, serum cytokine level, disappearance time of signs and symptoms, and myocardial enzyme indices were observed and compared between the two groups. Univariate and multivariate analyses were conducted to screen the factors affecting the prognosis of MPP patients. Results: After treatment, the study group showed significantly lower levels of immunoglobulin E, immunoglobulin G, immunoglobulin M and immunoglobulin A; higher pulmonary function scores, and lower levels of interleukin-6, human interferon-gamma, and monocyte chemoattractant protein-4 compared with the control group (all P < 0.05). The total incidence of adverse reactions such as nausea, diarrhea, abdominal pain, and vomiting was 15.38% in the study group, which was slightly lower than that in the control group (17.65%), exhibiting no significant difference (P > 0.05). The disappearance time of cough and lung rales, time required to restore to a normal body temperature, and hospital stay in the study group were shorter than those in the control group (P < 0.05). After treatment, aspartate aminotransferase, lactate dehydrogenase, creatine kinase, and creatine kinase isoenzyme in the study group were lower than those in the control group (all P < 0.05). The course of disease before admission, C-reactive protein (CRP), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), anemia, albumin < 30 g/L, drug initiation time, pulmonary consolidation, and complications involving multiple systems were the main factors affecting the efficacy of azithromycin combined with ambroxol in the treatment of MPP. Conclusion: Azithromycin combined with ambroxol can effectively improve the immunoglobulin level and lung function, reduce the level of inflammatory factors, improve the therapeutic effect, shorten the recovery process, and reduce the degree of myocardial damage, which is effective in the treatment of MPP and is worth promoting.

Background Soybean meal (SBM) is the most common protein source used in the poultry and livestock industries. It has high-quality protein, an excellent amino acid (AA) profile, and positive isoflavone properties. However, the antigen proteins in SBM are unsuitable for young animals. The objective of this study was to identify a Bacillus strain that can degrade soybean antigen proteins, and to evaluate the feasibility of its application in SBM fermentation. Results Bacillus velezensis DP-2 was isolated from Douchi, a fermented Chinese food. It degraded 96.14% and 66.51% of glycinin and β-conglycinin, and increased the trichloroacetic acid-soluble protein (TCAN) content by 5.46 times in the SBM medium. DP-2 could secrete alkaline protease and neutral protease, with productivities of 5.85 and 5.99 U mL-1 . It had broad-spectrum, antibacterial activities against Rhizopus nigricans HR, Fusarium oxysporum ACCC37404, Penicillium digitatum SQ2, Aspergillus flavus C1, Aspergillus niger ACCC30005, Trichoderma viride YZ1, Candida tropicalis CICC1630, and Salmonella sp. ZY. For SBM fermentation, the optimal inoculum rate, temperature, and fermentation time of DP-2 were 2.21 × 107 CFU g-1 , 37 °C, and 48 h, respectively. The fermented soybean meal (FSBM) was cream-colored and glutinous. Its crude protein (CP), soluble protein, and TCA-N content were improved by 13.45%, 12.53%, and 6.37 times, respectively. The glycinin and β-conglycinin content were reduced by 78.00% and 43.07%, respectively, compared with raw SBM. Conclusions Bacillus velezensis DP-2 has potential as a starter culture for SBM fermentation. © 2020 Society of Chemical Industry.

Ammonia (NH3) emissions from animal manure are a significant environmental and public concern. Despite the numerous studies regarding NH3 emissions from manure, few of them have considered microbial nitrification approaches, especially fungal nitrification. In this study, a filamentous fungus was isolated from chicken manure and was used for nitrification. The species was Paecilomyces variotii by morphological characteristics and 18S rDNA gene sequencing. It played the biggest role in the removal of ammonium at pH 4.0-7.0, C/N ratio of 10-40, temperature of 25-37°C, shaking speed of 150 rpm, and with glucose as the available carbon source. Further analysis revealed that all ammonium was removed when the initial ammonium concentration was less than 100 mg/L; 40% ammonium was removed when the initial ammonium concentration was 1100 mg/L. The results showed that the concentration of ammonia from chicken manure with strain Paecilomyces variotii was significantly lower than that in the control group. We concluded that Paecilomyces variotii has good potential for future applications in in situ ammonium removal as well as ammonia emissions control from poultry manure.