Secular trends of asthma mortality in China and the United States from 1990 to 2019 / 中华医学杂志(英文版)

BACKGROUND@#Asthma imposes a large healthcare burden in China and the United States (US). However, the trends of asthma mortality and the relative risk factors have not been comparatively analyzed between the countries. The aim of this study was to compare the mortality and risk factors between China and the US.@*METHODS@#The deaths, and mortality rates of asthma in China and the US during 1990-2019 were obtained from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019. The age-period-cohort model was used to estimate these mortality rates based on a log-linear scale with additive age, period, and cohort effects. The population attributable fractions of risk factors for asthma were estimated.@*RESULTS@#In 1990-2019, the asthma mortality rate was higher in China than in the US. The crude and age-standardized asthma mortality rates trended downward in both China and the US from 1990 to 2019. The decline in mortality was more obvious in China. Mortality gap between the two countries was narrowing. A sex difference in asthma mortality was observed with higher mortality in males in China and females in the US. The age effects showed that mortality increased with age in adults older than 20 years, particularly in the elderly. Downward trends were generally observed in the period and cohort rate ratios in both countries, with China experiencing a more obvious decrease. Smoking and high body mass index (BMI) were the leading risk factors for asthma mortality in China and the US, respectively. Mortality attributable to occupational asthmagens and smoking decreased the most in China and the US, respectively.@*CONCLUSIONS@#In 1990-2019, the asthma mortality rate was higher in China than in the US; however, the mortality gap has narrowed. Mortality increased with age in adults. The improvements in asthma death risk with period and birth cohort were more obvious in China than in the US. Smoking, high BMI, and aging are major health problems associated with asthma control. The role of occupational asthmagens in asthma mortality underscores the importance of management and prevention of occupational asthma.

Effect of Therapeutic Communication on Anxiety and Hope Level of Cervical Cancer Surgery Patients / 中国医学伦理学

The aim is to evaluate the effect of therapeutic communication on cervical cancer patients’ preoperative anxiety and hope level. The convenience sampling method was used to select the inpatients who will receive radical surgery for cervical cancer in the department of obstetrics and gynecology of the Second Affiliated Hospital of Xi’an Jiaotong University from November 2016 to November 2019 as the research object. 50 patients were grouped by the random number table method: 25 patients were in the intervention group, and 25 patients were in the control group. Patients in the intervention group were given therapeutic communication on the basis of routine nursing, and patients in the control group were given routine nursing. Both groups were investigated with the Self-Rating Anxiety Scale (SAS) and Herth Hope Index (HHI) on the first day of admission and the day before surgery. Before the intervention, there was no statistically significant difference between the two groups (P>0.05) . After the intervention, the anxiety level of the intervention group was lower than that of the control group (P<0.05), and the hope level was higher than that of the control group (P<0.05). It can be seen that therapeutic communication can alleviate preoperative anxiety of cervical cancer patients, improve their hope level, promote patient recovery, and ease tense medical relationship.

Risk prediction models of dangerous behaviors among patients with severe mental disorder in community / 四川精神卫生

BackgroundThe occurrence rate of dangerous behaviors in patients with severe mental disorders is higher than that of the general population. In China， there is limited research on the prediction of dangerous behaviors in community-dwelling patients with severe mental disorders， particularly in terms of predicting models using data mining techniques other than traditional methods. ObjectiveTo explore the influencing factors of dangerous behaviors in community-dwelling patients with severe mental disorders and testing whether the classification decision tree model is superior to the Logistic regression model. MethodsA total of 11 484 community-dwelling patients with severe mental disorders who had complete follow-up records from 2013 to 2022 were selected on December 2023. The data were divided into a training set （n=9 186） and a testing set （n=2 298） in an 8∶2 ratio. Logistic regression and classification decision trees were separately used to establish predictive models in the training set. Model discrimination and calibration were evaluated in the testing set. ResultsDuring the follow-up period， 1 115 cases （9.71%） exhibited dangerous behaviors. Logistic regression results showed that urban residence， poverty， guardianship， intellectual disability， history of dangerous behaviors， impaired insight and positive symptoms were risk factors for dangerous behaviors （OR=1.778， 1.459， 2.719， 1.483， 3.890， 1.423， 2.528， 2.124， P<0.01）. Being aged ≥60 years， educated， not requiring prescribed medication and having normal social functioning were protective factors for dangerous behaviors （OR=0.594， 0.824， 0.422， 0.719， P<0.05 or 0.01）. The predictive effect in the testing set showed an area under curve （AUC） of 0.729 （95% CI： 0.692~0.766）， accuracy of 70.97%， sensitivity of 59.71%， and specificity of 72.05%. The classification decision tree results showed that past dangerous situations， positive symptoms， overall social functioning score， economic status， insight， household registration， disability status and age were the influencing factors for dangerous behaviors. The predictive effect in the testing set showed an AUC of 0.721 （95% CI： 0.705~0.737）， accuracy of 68.28%， sensitivity of 64.46%， and specificity of 68.60%. ConclusionThe classification decision tree does not have a greater advantage over the logistic regression model in predicting the risk of dangerous behaviors in patients with severe mental disorders in the community. ［Funded by Chengdu Medical Research Project （number， 2020052）］

Pancreatic glucagonoma with metastasis followed up for 15 years: A case report / 中华内分泌代谢杂志

To explore the clinical characteristics, diagnosis, and management of pancreatic glucagonoma, a retrospective analysis of the clinical data and diagnostic algorithm of a patient with pancreatic glucagonoma was conducted, along with literature review. Pancreatic glucagonoma is a rare neuroendocrine tumor that originates from the pancreatic alpha cells. The main manifestations of glucagonoma syndrome(GS) include necrolytic migratory erythema, diabetes, anemia, and other systemic involvement. Early diagnosis of GS is challenging and crucial. Early identification and recognition of skin lesions contribute to timely diagnosis and treatment of the disease. Surgical resection is an effective treatment modality for glucagonoma.

Analysis of genetic variants and clinical manifestations of two children with Kabuki syndrome / 中华医学遗传学杂志

OBJECTIVE@#To report on two children with Kabuki syndrome due to variants of the KMT2D gene and summarize their clinical and genetic characteristics.@*METHODS@#Two children who had presented at the Ningbo Women and Children's Hospital respectively on August 19 and November 10, 2021 were selected as the study subjects. Clinical data were collected. Both children were subjected to whole exome sequencing (WES), and candidate variants were validated by Sanger sequencing.@*RESULTS@#Both children had featured motor and language developmental delay, facial dysmorphism and mental retardation. Genetic testing revealed that both had harbored de novo heterozygous variants of the KMT2D gene, namely c.10205del (p.Leu3402Argfs*3) and c.5104C>T (p.Arg1702*), both of which were rated as pathogenic variants based on the guidelines from the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics (ACMG).@*CONCLUSION@#The c.10205del (p.Leu3402Argfs*3) and c.5104C>T (p.Arg1702*) variants of the KMT2D gene probably underlay the pathogenesis in these two children. Above finding has not only provided a basis for their diagnosis and genetic counseling, but also enriched the spectrum of KMT2D gene variants.

Prenatal diagnosis and genetic analysis for two Chinese pedigrees carrying large fragment deletions of 13q21 / 中华医学遗传学杂志

OBJECTIVE@#To explore the strategies of prenatal diagnosis and genetic counseling for fetuses of two families with large deletions of 13q21.@*METHODS@#Two singleton fetuses who were diagnosed with chromosome 13 microdeletions by non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT) at Ningbo Women and Children's Hospital in March 2021 and December 2021 respectively were selected as the study subjects. Chromosomal karyotyping and chromosomal microarray analysis (CMA) were carried on amniotic samples. Peripheral blood samples were collected from the two couples for CMA assay to determine the origin of abnormal chromosomes identified in the fetuses.@*RESULTS@#The karyotypes of the two fetuses were both normal. CMA revealed that they have respectively harbored heterozygous deletions spanning 11.935 Mb at 13q21.1q21.33 and 10.995 Mb at 13q14.3q21.32, which were respectively inherited from their mother and father. Both deletions had low gene density and lacked haploinsufficient genes, and were predicted to be likely benign variants based on database and literature search. Both couples had opted to continue with the pregnancy.@*CONCLUSION@#The deletions of the 13q21 region in both families may be of benign variants. As the follow-up time was short, there was no sufficient evidence for the determination of pathogenicity, though our finding may still provide a basis for the prenatal diagnosis and genetic counseling.

Analysis of a Chinese pedigree affected with familial short stature due to 15q25.3q26.1 deletion involving the ACAN gene / 中华医学遗传学杂志

OBJECTIVE@#To analyze the genetic etiology of a Chinese pedigree affected with short stature.@*METHODS@#A child with familial short stature (FSS) who had presented at the Ningbo Women and Children's Hospital in July 2020 and his parents and paternal and maternal grandparents were selected as the study subject. Clinical data of the pedigree was collected, and the proband was subjected to routine growth and development assessment. Peripheral blood samples were collected. The proband was subjected to whole exome sequencing (WES), and the proband, his parents and grandparents were subjected to chromosomal microarray analysis (CMA).@*RESULTS@#The height of the proband and his father was 87.7cm (-3 s) and 152 cm (-3.39 s) respectively. Both of them were found to harbor a 15q25.3-q26.1 microdeletion, which has encompassed the whole of the ACAN gene which is closely associated with short stature. The CMA results of his mother and grandparents were all negative, and above deletion has not been included in population database and related literature, and was rated as pathogenic based on the guidelines from the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics (ACMG). After 14 months of rhGH treatment, the height of the proband has increased to 98.5 cm (-2.07 s).@*CONCLUSION@#The 15q25.3-q26.1 microdeletion probably underlay the FSS, in this pedigree. Short-term rhGH treatment can effectively improve the height of the affected individuals.

Glucose and serum deprivation under hypoxia treatment inducing oxidative stress and apoptosis in rat bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells through inhibition of Nrf2 signaling pathway / 解剖学报

Objective To investigate the effects of glucose and serum deprivation under hypoxia(GSDH)treatment on oxidative stress and apoptosis in rat bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs), so to provide an experimental support for improving the therapeutic efficacy of BMSCs. Methods The cell injury model was established by hypoxia (1% O

Analysis of wideband acoustic immittance measurements in patients with unilateral Ménière's disease / 临床耳鼻咽喉头颈外科杂志

Objective:To investigate the characteristics of wideband acoustic immittance（WAI） measurements in patients with unilateral Ménière's disease（MD） and evaluate the clinical value of WAI in diagnosis of MD. Methods:WAI was performed in 30 patients with unilateral MD（30 ears for symptomatic and 30 ears for asymptomatic） and in 26 healthy individuals（52 ears）（control group）. The WAI measurements, including the frequency first appearing two peaks in energy absorbance（EA） tympanogram, resonance frequency（RF）, the peak value of absorbance（PVA）, the integral area of absorbance（IAA）, EA curve at peak pressure, were analyzed. Results:①The occurrence of two peaks in EA tympanogram in both the MD symptomatic and asymptomatic ear was observed in 27 ears（84.4%）, and 38 ears（70.4%） in the control group, with no significant difference in the frequency of first appearing in two peaks onset between the groups（all P>0.05）. ②The RF of the MD symptomatic ears was significantly lower than that of the asymptomatic ears（t=-3.544, P=0.001） and that of the control subjects（t=2.084, P=0.041）; there was no difference of RF between the MD asymptomatic ears and the control group（P>0.05）. ③The PVA were significantly lower in both MD symptomatic（t=4.240, P<0.01） and asymptomatic ears（t=4.202, P=0.001） than in controls. ④The IAA in MD symptomatic（t=3.295, P=0.001） and asymptomatic ears（t=3.193, P=0.003） was significantly lower than in the control group. ⑤Comparison of the EA curve at peak pressure of the three groups: the EAs of MD symptomatic ears were lower than those of the control group at the range of 1 059-2 911 Hz（all P<0.05）; the EAs of MD symptomatic ears were lower than those of MD asymptomatic ears within 1 000 Hz and 1 834-2 119 Hz（all P<0.05）; the EAs of MD asymptomatic ears were lower than those of the control group at the range of 515-2 748 Hz（all P<0.05）. Conclusion:Symptomatic ears in unilateral MD patients show alterations in some WAI measurements compared to asymptomatic ears and/or controls, suggesting that middle ear mechanical fuction of the affected side may be modified due to the endolymphatic hydrops. The clinical significance of WAI needs to be further explored in the context of evaluating MD.

Related factors of viral nucleic acid change in critically ill patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection after treatment with Nirmatrelvir/Ritonavir: a single center retrospective cohort study / 中华危重病急救医学

OBJECTIVE@#To describe negative conversion and rebound of patients with severe and critical acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection after treatment with Nirmatrelvir/Ritonavir, and to analyze related factors associating with failure of SARS-CoV-2 negative conversion and relapse and prognosis.@*METHODS@#A single center retrospective cohort study was conducted. Patients aged ≥ 16 years old who were diagnosed with severe or critical SARS-CoV-2 infection and took Nirmatrelvir/Ritonavir for 5 days in Peking University First Hospital from December 7, 2022 to January 27, 2023, were included. General characteristics and clinical data were collected from electronic medical record system. The Kaplan-Meier curve of SARS-CoV-2 negative conversion was drawn. Factors with P < 0.10 were incorporated into multivariate Logistic regression model to analyze the relationship between the factors and persistent nucleic acid positive and rebound.@*RESULTS@#A total of 31 severe and 37 critical SARS-CoV-2 infection patients were included. The median duration from initiation of Nirmatrelvir/Ritonavir to negative conversion of SARS-CoV-2 for both was 6.0 days, and the negative conversion rate on day 15 was 93.5% and 86.5%, respectively. SARS-CoV-2 rebound was observed in 7 patients (11.3%), among whom were 1 severe patient and 6 critical patients. The above 7 patients with SARS-CoV-2 rebound and 6 patients with failure of SARS-CoV-2 negative conversion were compared with 55 patients with persistent negative conversion. Factors with P < 0.10, including the lowest lymphocyte count (LYM), the highest D-dimer, the highest procalcitonin (PCT), the lowest Ct value, cardiovascular diseases other than hypertension and coronary heart disease, were incorporated into multivariate Logistic regression analysis. The decreased LYM [odds ratio (OR) = 0.146, 95% confidence interval (95%CI) was 0.031-0.689, P = 0.015] and the increased PCT (OR = 2.008, 95%CI was 1.042-3.868, P = 0.037) were revealed to be independent risk factors of the failure of SARS-CoV-2 negative conversion or rebound. The proportion of mechanical ventilation and invasive ventilation were significantly higher in patients with persistent SARS-CoV-2 infection or rebound than those in patients with SARS-CoV-2 negative conversion (84.6% vs. 38.2%, 69.2% vs. 25.5%, both P < 0.01), but no significant difference in mechanical ventilation and invasive ventilation duration was observed. Compared with the patients with SARS-CoV-2 negative conversion, more patients with persistent SARS-CoV-2 infection or rebound were admitted to intensive care unit (ICU, 76.9% vs. 50.9%), and length of ICU stay in patients with persistent SARS-CoV-2 infection or rebound tended to be longer [days: 13.0 (10.3, 24.3) vs. 11.0 (5.3, 23.0), P > 0.05].@*CONCLUSIONS@#The decreased LYM and increased PCT are independent risk factors for the failure of SARS-CoV-2 negative conversion or rebound in patients with severe and critical SARS-CoV-2 infection. Attention should be paid to these patients for their poor prognosis.

Content determination of ten flavonoids and alkaloids in Gleditsiae Sinensis Fructus, Gleditsiae Fructus Abnormalis, and Gleditsiae Spina / 中国中药杂志

To study the quality control of three traditional Chinese medicines derived from Gleditsia sinensis [Gleditsiae Sinensis Fructus(GSF), Gleditsiae Fructus Abnormalis(GFA), and Gleditsiae Spina(GS)], this paper established a multiple reaction monitoring(MRM) approach based on ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-triple quadrupole-linear ion-trap mass spectrometry(UHPLC-Q-Trap-MS). Using an ACQUITY UPLC BEH C_(18) column(2.1 mm × 100 mm, 1.7 μm), gradient elution was performed at 40 ℃ with water containing 0.1% formic acid-acetonitrile as the mobile phase running at 0.3 mL·min~(-1), and the separation and content determination of ten chemical constituents(e.g., saikachinoside A, locustoside A, orientin, taxifolin, vitexin, isoquercitrin, luteolin, quercitrin, quercetin, and apigenin) in GSF, GFA, and GS were enabled within 31 min. The established method could quickly and efficiently determine the content of ten chemical constituents in GSF, GFA, and GS. All constituents showed good linearity(r>0.995), and the average recovery rate was 94.09%-110.9%. The results showed that, the content of two alkaloids in GSF(2.03-834.75 μg·g~(-1)) was higher than that in GFA(0.03-10.41 μg·g~(-1)) and GS(0.04-13.66 μg·g~(-1)), while the content of eight flavonoids in GS(0.54-2.38 mg·g~(-1)) was higher than that in GSF(0.08-0.29 mg·g~(-1)) and GFA(0.15-0.32 mg·g~(-1)). These results provide references for the quality control of G. sinensis-derived TCMs.

Analysis of clinical features and variants of NF1 gene in 12 patients with Neurofibromatosis type 1 / 中华医学遗传学杂志

OBJECTIVE@#To explore the types of NF1 gene variants and clinical characteristics among patients with Neurofibromatosis type I (NF1).@*METHODS@#Clinical data of 12 patients diagnosed at Ningbo Women and Children's Hospital between December 2019 and May 2022 were retrospectively analyzed. The probands and their family members were subjected to high-throughput sequencing, and candidate variants were verified by Sanger sequencing and chromosome microarray analysis.@*RESULTS@#The 12 patients had ranged from 4 months to 27 years old, with a male-to-female ratio of 2 : 1. Cafè-au-lait spots were found in all patients. 83.3% of them also had axillary and/or inguinal freckling, 58.3% had neurofibromas, and 16.7% had congenital pseudarthrosis of the tibia. Five types of NF1 gene variants were identified in the patients, including 5 nonsense variants, 4 frameshift variants, 1 missense variant, 1 splice variant, 1 large deletion involving the whole gene. Six patients were found to harbor de novo variants, 2 had inherited the variants from their parents, and 4 were not verified for their parental origin. The c.3379del (p.Thr1127Glnfs*15) and c.6628_6629del (p.Glu2210Thrfs*10) variants were unreported in literature and databases.@*CONCLUSION@#Most NF1 patients may present with Cafè-au-lait spots initially and are due to pathogenic variant of the NF1 gene. High-throughput sequencing can efficiently identify such variants among the patients and enable the definite diagnosis.

Analysis of influence of MR signs on Harris score in ARCO stages 2-4 femoral head necrosis / 中国骨伤

OBJECTIVE@#To analysis and determine MR signs of Harris score ARCO stages 2-4 in osteonecrosis of femoral head (ONFH).@*METHODS@#Thirty-four patients with ONFH of ARCO stages 2 to 4 who underwent routine MR, T2 mapping, 3D-SPACE sequence examination and Harris score were retrospectively collected from January 2019 to June 2020, and 3 patients were excluded, and 31 patients were finally included, including 23 males and 8 females, aged from 18 to 62 years old with an average of(40.0±10.8) years old. Among them 21 patients with bilateral femoral head necrosis, totally 52 cases, including 17 with ARCO stage 2 patients, 24 ARCO stage 3, and 11 ARCO stage 4. MR imaging signs (femoral head collapse depth, ONFH index, bone marrow edema, hyperplasia, grade and T2 value of cartilage injury, and joint effusion) were scored and measured on the picture archiving and communication system (PACS) workstation, and the cartilage quantitative parameter T2 value was calculated and measured on Siemens postprocessing workstation. Pearson correlation analysis was used to evaluate the correlation between various MR signs and Harris score, and then multiple linear regression analysis was used to examine impact of MR signs on Harris hip score.@*RESULTS@#Femoral head collapse depth(r=-0.563, P=0.000), grade of cartilage injury(r=-0.500, P=0.000), and joint effusion (r=-0.535, P=0.000) were negatively correlated with Harris score by Pearson correlation analysis. Multiple linear regression analysis showed that joint effusion(β=-6.198, P=0.001) and femoral head collapse depth(β=-4.085, P=0.014) had a significant negative impact on Harris hip score.@*CONCLUSION@#Femoral head collapse depth and joint effusion both had significant negative relationship with Harris hip score. It is recommended to routinely evaluate femoral head collapse depth and joint effusion quantitatively and gradedly, so as to efficiently and accurately assist clinical diagnosis and treatment.

Preparation and quality evaluation of total flavonoids microemulsion of "Pueraria lobata-Hovenia dulcis" / 中国中药杂志

The effective components of flavonoids in the "Pueraria lobata-Hovenia dulcis" drug pair have low bioavailability in vivo due to their unstable characteristics. This study used microemulsions with amphoteric carrier properties to solve this problem. The study drew pseudo-ternary phase diagrams through titration compatibility experiments of the oil phase with emulsifiers and co-emulsifiers and screened the prescription composition of blank microemulsions. The study used average particle size and PDI as evaluation indicators, and the central composite design-response surface method(CCD-RSM) was used to optimize the prescription; high-dosage drug-loaded microemulsions were obtained, and their physicochemical properties, appearance, and stability were evaluated. The results showed that when ethyl butyrate was used as the oil phase, polysorbate 80(tween 80) as the surfactant, and anhydrous ethanol as the cosurfactant, the maximum microemulsion area was obtained. When the difference in results was small, K_(m )of 1∶4 was chosen to ensure the safety of the prescription. The prescription composition optimized by the CCD-RSM was ethyl butyrate(16.28%), tween 80(9.59%), and anhydrous ethanol(38.34%). When the dosage reached 3% of the system mass, the total flavonoid microemulsion prepared had a clear and transparent appearance, with average particle size, PDI, and potential of(74.25±1.58)nm, 0.277±0.043, and(-0.08±0.07) mV, respectively. The microemulsion was spherical and evenly distributed under transmission electron microscopy. The centrifugal stability and temperature stability were good, and there was no layering or demulsification phenomenon, which significantly improved the in vitro dissolution of total flavonoids.

Value of central vein sign and iron deposition to differentiate multiple sclerosis from neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder / 中华放射学杂志

Objective:To investigate the value of central vein sign (CVS) and iron deposition on quantitative susceptibility imaging (QSM) of 3.0 T MRI in differentiating multiple sclerosis (MS) from neuromyelitis optica spectrum disease (NMOSD).Methods:This study was a retrospective study. A total of 54 MS patients and 49 NMOSD patients were enrolled from July 2018 to December 2020 in People′s Hospital of Leshan and the First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University. All patients underwent conventional MRI and three-dimensional enhanced T 2*-weighted angiography (3D-ESWAN), and ESWAN-filtered phase and QSM were reconstructed from 3D-ESWAN data. First, brain lesions of MS and NMOSD were screened on proton density (PD)-T 2WI, and then the location of lesions, CVS and nodular/annular iron deposition were observed on phase and QSM images. The χ 2 test was used to compare the differences in intracranial lesion location, CVS and iron deposition between MS and NMOSD patients. Receiver operating characteristic curve and area under the curve (AUC) were used to assess the efficiency of CVS and QSM iron deposition to differentiate MS from NMOSD. Results:A total of 968 MS lesions were observed in 54 MS patients, of which CVSs were found in 354 lesions and 227 CVSs were located around the lateral ventricles, 117 in deep white matter (DWM) and 10 in the cortex/subcortex; 372 lesions showed nodular iron deposition, and 193 lesions ring iron deposition on QSM. Totally 247 brain lesions were observed in 41 of 48 patients with NMOSD, of which CVSs were found in 4 lesions and 1 located around the lateral ventricle, 3 located in the DWM; 3 lesions showed nodular iron deposition on QSM. There were significant differences in cortex/subcortex lesions, CVS and iron deposition between MS and NMOSD patients (χ 2 were 29.33, 115.66 and 258.21, respectively, all P<0.001). The AUC of CVS for differentiating MS from NMOSD was 0.941 (95%CI 0.887-0.994), with a sensitivity of 96.3% and a specificity of 91.8%; the AUC of iron deposition for differentiating MS from NMOSD was 0.969 (95%CI 0.930-1.000), with a sensitivity of 100% and a specificity of 93.9%. Conclusion:CVS and iron deposition on 3.0 T MRI are distinct radiologic features of MS lesions from those of NMOSD lesions, and have certain value in the differential diagnosis.

Meta-Analysis of the Diagnostic Efficacy of the Luminex xTAG Respiratory Viral Panel FAST v2Assay for Respiratory Viral Infections

Purpose@#Acute respiratory viral infections pose significant morbidity and mortality, making it essential to diagnose respiratory viral infections rapidly. In this study, the diagnostic efficacy of the Luminex xTAG Respiratory Virus Panel (RVP) FAST v2 test was evaluated on respiratory viral infections. @*Materials and Methods@#Information was retrieved from electronic databases, including Embase, Web of Science, PubMed, and Cochrane Library, for systematic review. Studies that fulfilled predefined inclusion criteria were included. After the extraction of information, statistical software was utilized for quality evaluation, data analysis, and assessment of publication bias. @*Results@#Eighty groups in fourfold tables from nine articles were included to perform statistical analyses. Therein, the mean specificity and mean sensitivity of Luminex xTAG RVP FAST v2 test for the detection of respiratory viral infections were 0.99 (0.98–0.99) and 0.88 (0.87–0.90), respectively. Additionally, the negative and positive likelihood ratios were 0.14 (0.11–0.19) and 87.42 (61.88– 123.50), respectively. Moreover, the diagnostic odds ratio and area under the curve of summary receiver operating characteristic were 714.80 and 0.9886, respectively. @*Conclusion@#The Luminex xTAG RVP FAST v2 test could be a reliable and rapid diagnostic method for multiple respiratory viral infections.

Application of ultrasound-guided endoscopic retrograde appendicitis therapy in children with appendix-related chronic abdominal pain / 中国当代儿科杂志

OBJECTIVES@#To study the clinical efficacy of ultrasound-guided endoscopic retrograde appendicitis therapy in children with appendix-related chronic abdominal pain.@*METHODS@#A retrospective analysis was performed on the medical data of 30 children with the chief complaint of chronic abdominal pain who were admitted from August 2019 to May 2021. All the children were found to have inflammation of the appendix or intracavitary stool and fecalith by ultrasound and underwent ultrasound-guided endoscopic retrograde appendicitis therapy. The medical data for analysis included clinical manifestations, endoscopic findings, white blood cell count, neutrophil percentage, length of hospital stay, and cure rate.@*RESULTS@#Among the 30 children with chronic abdominal pain, there were 13 boys (43%) and 17 girls (57%), with a mean age of (9±3) years (range 3-15 years) at diagnosis. The median duration of the disease was 12 months, and the median length of hospital stay was 3 days. The children had a median white blood cell count of 6.7×109/L and a neutrophil percentage of 50%±13%. Fecalith and a large amount of feces were flushed out of the appendix cavity for 21 children (70%) during surgery. The follow-up rate was 97% (29/30), and the median follow-up time was 11 months (range 5-26 months). Of the 29 children, abdominal pain completely disappeared in 27 children (93%).@*CONCLUSIONS@#Ultrasound-guided endoscopic retrograde appendicitis therapy is effective in children with chronic abdominal pain caused by feces or fecalith in the appendix cavity.

Variation analysis of EPG5 gene in a Vici syndrome family / 中华医学遗传学杂志

OBJECTIVE@#To explore the genetic etiology of Vici syndrome in a Chinese family.@*METHODS@#Whole exome sequencing (WES) technology was used to detect gene variants in a fetus of abnormal ultrasonic structure without abnormalities in routine chromosome karyotype analysis and SNP-array. Sanger sequencing and bioinformatics prediction were performed for the suspected variants of the fetus and parents.@*RESULTS@#The fetus and the elder sister have carried c. 2427delC (p.T809fs) and c.1886A>T (p.E629V) compound heterozygous variants of the EPG5 gene, which were respectively inherited from their mother and father. Neither variant was reported previously. According to ACMG guidelines, the c.2427delC variant was predicted as pathogenic, while the c.1886A>T variant was of uncertain significance. PolyPhen-2 and PROVEAN software indicated that c.1886A>T variant was probably damaging.@*CONCLUSION@#The c.2427delC and c.1886A>T variants of the EPG5 gene probably underlie the pathogenesis of the Vici syndrome in this family. Above finding has enriched the variational spectrum of EPG5 gene and provided a basis for genetic counseling and prenatal diagnosis for the family.

ANA- 12 inhibits spinal inflammation and alleviates acute and chronic pain in rats by targeted blocking of BDNF/TrkB signaling / 南方医科大学学报

OBJECTIVE@#To investigate the inhibitory effect of ANA-12 that blocks brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF)/ tropomyosin receptor kinase B (TrkB) signaling on inflammatory pain in rats and explore the underlying mechanism.@*METHODS@#Forty-two adult SD rats were randomized into BDNF-induced acute pain group (n=24) and CFA-induced chronic pain group. The former group were randomly divided into 4 subgroups, including a control group, ANA-12 treatment group, BDNF treatment group, and BDNF+ANA-12 treatment group; the latter group were subgrouped into control group, CFA treatment group (CFA) and CFA + ANA-12 treatment group. The effects of ANA-12 treatment on pain behaviors of the rats with BDNF-induced acute pain and CFA-induced chronic inflammatory pain were observed. Western blotting was used to examine TrkB signaling and expressions of microglia marker protein Iba1 and TNF-α in the spinal cord of the rats.@*RESULTS@#BDNF injection into the subarachnoid space significantly increased the number of spontaneous paw withdrawal of the rats (P < 0.05), which was obviously reduced by ANA-12 treatment (P < 0.05). The rats with intraplantar injection of CFA, showed significantly increased ipsilateral mechanical stimulation sensitivity (P < 0.05), and ANA-12 treatment obviously increased the ipsilateral foot withdrawal threshold (P < 0.05). Treatment with either BDNF or CFA significantly increased the phosphorylation level of TrkB (Y705) in the spinal cord of the rats (P < 0.05), which was significantly lowered by ANA-12 treatment (P < 0.05). Treatment with BDNF and CFA both significantly up-regulated the expressions of Iba1 and TNF-α in the spinal cord (P < 0.05), but ANA-12 significantly reduced their expression levels (P < 0.05).@*CONCLUSION@#ANA-12 can reduce spinal cord inflammation and relieve acute and chronic pain in rats by targeted blocking of BDNF/TrkB signaling.

Research Progress of Intervention in Autoimmune Thyroid Diseases Based on Th17/ Treg Signal Axis with Traditional Chinese Medicine / 中国实验方剂学杂志

Autoimmune thyroid disease （AITD） is a complex organ-specific autoimmune disease， associated with many factors such as genetic susceptibility， environmental factors， immune system disorders， and intestinal microbiota imbalance， which seriously affect the quality of life. At present， oral medicine， iodine 131 treatment and surgical treatment are mainly adopted in clinical parctice of western medicine. Although they can exert a certain curative effect， they still have surgical risks and side effect. Modern research shows that， traditional Chinese medicine（TCM） has the characteristics of stable curative effect， multi-targeted regulation and less side effect. It has definite efficacy and unique advantages in the prevention and treatment of AITD. Helper T lymphocyte cell 17 （Th17） mediate inflammation to induce immune promotion， while regulatory T lymphocyte cell （Treg） mediate immunosuppression， Th17 and Treg cooperate to maintain the balance of the immune microenvironment. During AITD progress， Inflammatory Th17 can be high， and the levels of mediated immunosuppressive Treg are relatively decreased. The restoration of balance between the two plays a key role in the inflammatory and immune processes of AITD. In recent years， based on Th17/Treg cell axis， a large number of clinical and experimental studies on the intervention of TCM on Th17/Treg balance in AITD have been carried out in the field of TCM， and some results have been achieved. Studies have shown that intervention in the Th17/Treg signaling axis is an important mechanism for the treatment of autoimmune thyroid diseases. This paper summarizes and analyzes the previous studies on the intervention effect of Chinese medicine monomer， Chinese medicine composition and Chinese medicine compound on Th17/Treg cell axis in AITD， mainly from the aspects of intervention related inflammatory factor secretion， regulation of antibody titer and the expression of related genes of related genes. These studies will help people to understand the mechanism of TCM in interfering with the Th17/Treg balance in AITD more accurately and comprehensively， and provide references for the rational application of TCM in the prevention and treatment of autoimmune thyroid diseases in clinical practice.