OBJECTIVE To observe the effect of biapenem combined with moxifloxacin on treatment of the elderly patients with severe pneumonia based on the expression levels of microribonucleic acid (miR)-146a, miR-124 and miR-127.

METHODS A total of 112 elderly patients with severe pneumonia who were treated in Jiangnan University Affiliated Central Hospital from Jan. 2021 to Oct. 2023 were recruited as the research subjects and were randomly divided into the study group and the control group, with 56 cases in each group. The control group was treated with moxifloxacin, and the study group was treated with biapenem combined with moxifloxacin, and both groups were treated for 10 consecutive days. The curative effect was compared between the two groups after the treatment for 10 days, the rehabilitation status was observed; the curative effect, expression levels of miR-146a, miR-124 and miR-127 as well as inflammatory response were compared between the two groups before and after the treatment. The adverse reactions during the treatment were analyzed.

RESULTS The total effective rate of the study group was 92.86% (52/56) after the treatment for 10 days, higher than 75.00% (42/56) of the control group (χ²=10.693, P=0.001). The duration of cough, lung rales, recovery of body temperature and mechanical ventilation were shorter in the study group than those in the control group (P < 0.05). The expression levels of miR-146a and miR-127 of the two groups were lower after the treatment for 10 days than those before the treatment, the levels of whole blood white blood cell (WBC) counts, serum interleukin-6 (IL-6) and procalcitonin (PCT) were lower after the treatment for 10 days than those before the treatment; the levels of the above indexes of the study group were lower than those of the control group (P < 0.05). The expression level of serum miR-124 of the two groups was higher after the treatment for 10 days than those before the treatment, and the level of the study group was higher than that of the control group (P < 0.05). The total incidence of adverse reactions was 14.29% in the study group, 10.71% in the control group, and there was no significant difference (χ²=1.298, P=0.255).

CONCLUSION Biapenem combined with moxifloxacin can achieve exact effect on treatment of the elderly patients with severe pneumonia, regulate the expression levels of miR-146a, miR-124 and miR-127, inhibit the inflammatory response of the body, and promote the rehabilitation, with the safety favorable.