A review on cardiovascular disease risk prediction models in the elderly / 中华流行病学杂志

Risk prediction models play an important role in the primary prevention of cardiovascular diseases (CVD) in the elderly population. There are fifteen papers about CVD risk prediction models developed for the elderly domestically and internationally, of which the definitions of disease outcome vary widely. Ten models were reported with insufficient information about study methods or results. Ten models were at high risk of bias. Thirteen models presented moderate discrimination in internal validation, and only four models have undertaken external validation. The CVD risk prediction models for the elderly differed from those for the general population in terms of model algorithm and the effect size of association between predictor and outcome, and the prediction performance of the models for the elderly attenuated. In the future, high-quality external validation researches are necessary to provide more solid evidence. Different ways, including adding new predictors, using competing risk model algorithms, machine learning methods, or joint models, and altering the prediction time horizon, should be explored to optimize the current models.

The Clinical Observation of Inflammation Theory for Depression:The Initiative of the Formosa Long COVID Multicenter Study (FOCuS)

There is growing evidence that the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is associated with increased risks of psychiatric sequelae. Depression, anxiety, cognitive impairments, sleep disturbance, and fatigue during and after the acute phase of COVID-19 are prevalent, long-lasting, and exerting negative consequences on well-being and imposing a huge burden on healthcare systems and society. This current review presented timely updates of clinical research findings, particularly focusing on the pathogenetic mechanisms underlying the neuropsychiatric sequelae, and identified potential key targets for developing effective treatment strategies for long COVID. In addition, we introduced the Formosa Long COVID Multicenter Study (FOCuS), which aims to apply the inflammation theory to the pathogenesis and the psychosocial and nutrition treatments of post-COVID depression and anxiety.

Comparison of visual quality after refractive surgery between smart pulse technology-assisted transepithelial photorefractive keratectomy of 1 050Hz ablation frequency and small incision lenticule extraction / 国际眼科杂志(Guoji Yanke Zazhi)

AIM: To compare the visual quality between smart pulse technology-assisted(SPT)transepithelial photorefractive keratectomy(TransPRK)of 1 050Hz ablation frequency and small incision lenticule extraction(SMILE)for myopia and astigmatism.METHODS: A total of 138 cases(248 eyes)who received corneal refractive surgery in the Eye Hospital of Chengdu University of TCM were enrolled from July 2020 to January 2021. The patients were divided into TransPRK group(64 cases, 123 eyes)and SMILE group(74 cases, 125 eyes)according to the surgical method. The follow-up duration was 6mo. Strehl ratio(SR)and high-order aberration at 6mm pupil diameter measured by Sirius anterior segment integrated analyzer and LogMAR visual acuity were recorded at different preoperative and postoperative time points.RESULTS: The uncorrected visual acuity(UCVA)of TransPRK group was worse than SMILE group at 1wk and 1mo after surgery(all P<0.05), but UCVA was better in TransPRK group at 6mo after surgery(P<0.05). SR in TransPRK group was lower than that in SMILE group at 1wk and 1mo after surgery(all P<0.05). There was no significant difference in SR between the two groups at 3 and 6mo after surgery(P=0.968, 0.433). At 1wk after surgery, there was no significant difference in coma between the two groups(P=0.554). At 1, 3, and 6mo after surgery, coma in the TransPRK group was lower than that in SMILE group(all P<0.05). At 1wk, 1 and 3mo after surgery, the trefoil aberration in TransPRK group was higher than that in SMILE group(all P<0.05). At 6mo after surgery, there was no significant difference in trefoil aberration between the two groups(P=0.167). At 6mo after surgery, UCVA of TransPRK group and SMILE group were -0.13±0.05 and -0.11±0.08, respectively, which were better than the best corrected visual acuity(BCVA)before surgery(-0.07±0.05 and -0.07±0.05; all P<0.05). Furthermore, the SR of both groups was higher than that before surgery(all P<0.05).CONCLUSION: Both SPT-assisted TransPRK of 1 050Hz ablation frequency and SMILE can achieve better visual acuity after refractive surgery, while SMILE has better visual quality at 1wk and 1mo after surgery. However, SPT-assisted TransPRK of 1 050Hz ablation frequency has better visual acuity at 6mo after surgery than SMILE, and the coma is smaller.

Problems and thoughts in clinical safety evaluation of traditional Chinese medicine / 中国中药杂志

Amid the modernization and internationalization of traditional Chinese medicine(TCM), the safety of TCM has attracted much attention. At the moment, the government, scientific research teams, and pharmaceutical enterprises have made great efforts to explore methods and techniques for clinical safety evaluation of TCM. Although considerable achievements have been made, there are still many problems, such as the non-standard terms of adverse reactions of TCM, unclear evaluation indicators, unreasonable judgment methods, lack of evaluation models, out-of-date evaluation standards, and unsound reporting systems. Therefore, it is urgent to further deepen the research mode and method of clinical safety evaluation of TCM. Based on the current national requirements for the life-cycle management of drugs, this study focused on the problems in the five dimensions of clinical safety evaluation of TCM, including normative terms, evaluation modes, judgment methods, evaluation standards, and reporting systems, and proposed suggestions on the development of a life-cycle clinical safety evaluation method that conformed to the characteristics of TCM, hoping to provide a reference for future research.

Evaluation methods of clinical efficacy of traditional Chinese medicine / 中国中药杂志

Clinical efficacy is the basis for the development of traditional Chinese medicine(TCM), and the evaluation of clinical efficacy of TCM has always been the focus of attention. The technical and methodological difficulties in the evaluation process often restrict the generation of high-level evidence. Therefore, methodological research should be deepened and innovative practice should be carried out to study the application of scientific research methods in the evaluation of the advantages of TCM. After more than ten years of development, the clinical efficacy evaluation of TCM, on the basis of the initially classic placebo randomized controlled trials, has successively carried out a series of meaningful attempts and explorations in N-of-1 trials, cohort studies, case-control studies, cross-sectional studies, real world studies, narrative medicine studies, systematic evaluation, and other aspects, laying the foundation for the transformation of TCM from "experience" to "evidence". This paper focused on the clinical efficacy evaluation of TCM, summarized the main connotation and development status of efficacy evaluation indicators, standards, and methods, and put forward corresponding countermeasures and suggestions for the problems of indicator selection, standard formulation, and methodology optimization in the research process. It is clear that scientific and objective evaluation of the efficacy of TCM is an urgent problem to be solved at present.

Progress in research of risk prediction model for chronic kidney disease / 中华流行病学杂志

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is an important global public health problem that greatly threatens population health. Application of risk prediction model is a crucial way for the primary prevention of CKD, which can stratify the risk for developing CKD and identify high-risk individuals for more intensive interventions. By now, more than twenty risk prediction models for CKD have been developed worldwide. There are also four domestic risk prediction models developed for Chinese population. However, none of these models have been recommended in clinical guidelines yet. The existing risk prediction models have some limitations in terms of outcome definition, predictors, strategies for handling missing data, and model derivation. In the future, the applications of emerging biomarkers and polygenic risk scores as well as advances in machine learning methods will provide more possibilities for the further improvement of the model.

Non clinical pharmacodynamic evaluation system of high-altitude hypoxic brain injury / 药学学报

The air at high altitude is thin and belongs to the environment of low temperature, low oxygen and low pressure. The human brain is the most sensitive to hypoxia. Hypoxia will cause dysfunction of the central nervous system, resulting in high-altitude hypoxic brain injury, including mild high altitude headache and more destructive high altitude cerebral edema (HACE). Recently, with more and more people work and live in high altitude areas, the development of high-altitude hypoxic brain injury drugs would produce great economic value and social significance. Non clinical pharmacodynamic evaluation is the basic of drug development, which plays a key role in improving the success rate of clinical transformation and reducing the risk of clinical research. This review summarizes the cell models and animal models, and the evaluation indicators usually used to explore the candidates of high-altitude hypoxic brain injury. We aim at establishing a standardized non clinical efficacy evaluation system for high altitude hypoxic encephalopathy, and provide a standardized reference for drug development in hypoxic encephalopathy at high altitude at nonclinical stage.

Teriparatide treatment shows faster healing than sacroplasty for postmenopausal women with sacral insufficiency fracture

Objectives@#Sacral insufficiency fracture (SIF) is not an uncommon osteoporosis fracture among the elderly. Aside from traditional treatments, sacroplasty and teriparatide (TPTD) injection have been introduced. This report aims to compare the effects of sacroplasty and teriparatide on clinical outcomes of SIF. @*Methods@#Thirty-one elderly patients with SIF were enrolled in this retrospective observational study. Four male patients were excluded. Fourteen patients who received TPTD for 6 months were classified into the TPTD group (TT), and 13 who underwent sacroplasty were classified into the sacroplasty group (SS). All patients in both groups were instructed to take calcium and vitamin D supplements daily. Their symptoms and signs, visual analog score (VAS), Oswestry disability index (ODI), and radiographic studies were retrospectively reviewed. @*Results@#The TT group showed significantly lower VAS than SS group after 3 (P < 0.001) and 6 months of treatment (P < 0.001). The TT group also has significant lower ODI than SS group after 1 (P = 0.010), 3 (P = 0.005) and 6 months (P < 0.001) of treatment. Upon generalized estimating equations (GEE) analysis, the TT group showed significantly more reduction in both VAS and ODI compared to the SS group at 1 month (P = 0.022, P = 0.001), 3 months (P < 0.001, P < 0.001), and 6 months (P < 0.001, P < 0.001) post-treatment. @*Conclusions@#Postmenoposal woman with SIF who received TPTD healed better than those who underwent sacroplasty after 1 month treatment.

Recent advances in chemical fluorescent probes sensitive to tumor microenvironments / 药学学报

Cancer seriously threatens human life and health, it is urgent for the development of rapid detection, precise localization and effective treatment of tumors. Chemical fluorescent probes that are sensitive to tumor-specific microenvironments have important significance in tumor theranostics and a variety of such probes have been developed. In this review, we classified chemical fluorescent probes that are sensitive to tumor microenvironments according to biological characteristics and microenvironmental changes while combining spectroscopy or response mechanisms, and systematically introduced the research progress of chemical fluorescent probes with sensitivity to hypoxia, low polarity, high viscosity, abnormal pH values and abundant reactive oxygen species in tumor microenvironments, in order to provide references for the development and applications of these probes.

Comparison of minimally invasive reduction through a bone tunnel combined with Jail screwing and posterolateral locking plating for simple posterolateral tibial plateau fractures / 中华创伤骨科杂志

Objective:To compare the clinical effects of minimally invasive reduction through a bone tunnel combined with Jail screwing and those of posterolateral locking plating in the treatment of simple posterolateral tibial plateau fractures.Methods:A retrospective analysis was conducted of the data of 48 patients who had been operatively treated and completely followed up at Department of Orthopedics, Suqian Hospital of Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital Group for simple posterolateral tibial plateau fractures from October 2016 to October 2020. There were 26 males and 22 females, aged from 35 to 68 years. They were divided into a minimally invasive group (25 cases subjected to minimally invasive reduction through a bone tunnel combined with Jail screwing) and an incision group (23 cases subjected to posterolateral locking plating) according to their surgical methods. The operation time, incision length, intraoperative blood loss, fracture healing time, cumulative fluoroscopy time, hospital stay and posterior inclination angles of the tibial plateau and Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) knee function scores at 1, 3, 6, 9, and 12 months after operation were compared between the 2 groups. Complications in the 2 groups of patients were recorded.Results:There was no significant difference in the preoperative general data between the 2 groups, showing comparability ( P>0.05). The 48 patients were followed up for 12 to 36 months (average 16.5 months). The minimally invasive group was significantly better than the incision group in operation time [(42.6±9.1) min versus (65.7±11.5) min], incision length [(4.0±0.4) cm versus (15.0±1.5) cm], intraoperative blood loss[(22.6±5.8) mL versus (31.5±8.8) mL], hospital stay [(7.6±1.4) d versus (11.1±2.4) d], and HSS score one month after operation [(84.8±1.9) points versus (72.9±4.1) points], but the cumulative fluoroscopy time in the incision group [(4.1±1.4) s]was significantly less than that in the minimally invasive group [(22.3±4.2) s] ( P<0.05). There were no significant differences in fracture healing time, HSS scores at 3, 6, 9, or 12 months after operation, or posterior inclination angle of the tibial plateau between the 2 groups ( P>0.05). There were no such complications as wound infection, vascular injury, internal fixation failure, nonunion or malunion of fractures in either of the 2 groups. Two cases in the incision group presented with symptoms of common peroneal nerve injury but recovered 3 months after operation. Conclusions:Although both minimally invasive reduction through a bone tunnel combined with Jail screwing and posterolateral locking plating can achieve satisfactory outcomes in the treatment of simple posterolateral tibial plateau fractures, the minimally invasive technique is preferable because it shows the advantages of a smaller incision, less bleeding, shorter operation time, a lower operation risk, quicker postoperative recovery and shorter hospital stay.

Indication and early medicational administration of patients with traumatic brain injury for admission to neurological intensive care unit / 中华创伤杂志

Objective:To analyze the indication and status of early use of analgesic, sedative and antiepileptic drugs of patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI) admitted to the neurological intensive care unit (NICU).Methods:A questionnaire covering hospital basic characteristics, prehospital and emergency care, inpatient treatment, neurocritical care and rehabilitation were used to survey NICU of 37 hospitals in 18 municipalities or provinces from the Chinese registry of the Collaborative European NeuroTrauma Effectiveness Research in Traumatic Brain Injury (CENTER-TBI) by Web or Email. The indications for admission to the NICU, categories and frequency of early use of analgesic and sedative drugs, and categories, frequency and indications of early use of antiepileptic drugs were analyzed.Results:Glasgow coma scale (GCS)≤8 points in patients with TBI and post-operation of TBI were the main indications for admission in 30 NICU (81.1%) and 24 NICU (64.9%), respectively. When admitting patients with a GCS of 9-12 points or 13-15 points, most NICU gave more considerations to the combined other risk factors. In terms of the early use of analgesics and sedatives, fentanyl was routinely used for analgesia (i.e., use frequency for 70%-100%) in 13 NICU (35.1%), and midazolam and alpha-2 agonists were routinely used for sedation in 24 NICU (64.9%) and 18 NICU (48.6%), respectively. Regarding the early use of antiepileptic drugs, sodium valproate was routinely used in 35 NICU (94.6%). Moreover, seizures within 2 hours after injury, penetrating TBI and cortical contusion were indications for routine application of antiepileptic drugs in 35 NICU (94.6%), 21 NICU (56.8%) and 20 NICU (54.1%), respectively.Conclusions:Severe TBI and post-operation of TBI are the main indications for admission to the NICU, while the combination of other risk factors will be considered when admitting patients with moderate or mild TBI. For TBI patients admitted to NICU, fentanyl, midazolam and sodium valproate are the most commonly used analgesic, sedative, and antiepileptic drugs in the early stage. Seizures within 2 hours after injury, penetrating TBI and cortical contusion are the main indications for antiepileptic drug use.

Proximal tibial lateral locking plate with rafting screws combined with Jail screws in the treatment of collapse fracture of the lateral tibial plateau / 中华创伤杂志

Objective:To explore the efficacy of the proximal tibial lateral locking plate with rafting screws combined with Jail screws in the treatment of collapse fracture of the lateral tibial plateau.Methods:A retrospective case series study was performed on clinical data of 36 patients with collapse fracture of the lateral tibial plateau admitted to Suqian Hospital of Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital Group from January 2016 to January 2020, including 19 males and 17 females, aged 34-68 years [(48.6±5.8)years]. Schatzker classification was type II in 28 patients and type III in 8 patients. All patients were treated using the proximal tibial lateral locking plate with raft screws combined with Jail screws. The operation time, intraoperative blood loss and fracture healing were detected. The distance of articular surface collapse of the tibial plateau, posterior inclination angle (PSA) of the tibial plateau, tibial plateau varus angle (TPVA) and Rasmussen anatomical score were compared before operation and at day 2 and 1 year after operation. The Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) score was used to evaluate knee function at day 2 and 1 year after operation. Complications were also recorded.Results:All patients were followed up for 12-32 months [(19.5±3.1)months]. The operation time was 56-82 minutes [(68.5±9.1)minutes]. The intraoperative blood loss was 40-100 ml [(75.6±10.2)ml]. The fracture was clinically healed by first-stage, with the healing time of 8 to 15 weeks [(12.5±1.3)weeks]. The distance of articular surface collapse of the tibial plateau was improved from (15.5±4.2)mm before operation to (0.7±0.3)mm at day 2 after operation and (1.0±0.2)mm at 1 year after operation (all P<0.01). The PSA was improved from (21.2±2.1)° before operation to (8.9±0.8)° at day 2 after operation and (9.2±0.6)° at 1 year after operation (all P<0.01). The TPA was improved from (100.2±3.7)° before operation to (88.9±1.8)° at day 2 after operation and (87.2±1.6)° at 1 year after operation (all P<0.05). The Rasmussen anatomical score changed from (7.8±1.8)points before operation to (17.1±0.9)points at day 2 after operation and (16.3±0.7)points at 1 year after operation (all P<0.01). There were no significant difference in the distance of articular surface collapse of the tibial plateau, PSA, TPVA and Rasmussen anatomical score at day 2 and 1 year after operation (all P>0.05). The HSS score was (92.8±3.2)points at 1 year after operation, significantly higher than (74.8±3.5) points at day 2 after operation ( P<0.01). Two patients sustained superficial wound infection after operation, which healed after debridement and dressing change. No deep infection occurred. Conclusion:For patients with collapse fracture of the lateral tibial plateau, the proximal tibial lateral locking plate with rafting screws combined with Jail screws can effectively prevent secondary collapse of the articular surface and obtain satisfactory anatomical reduction, good functional recovery and few postoperative complications.

Study of clinical characteristics in patients with gp210 antibody-positive primary biliary cholangitis / 中华肝脏病杂志

Objective: To analyze the clinical characteristics and prognostic value of liver function in a large samples of patients with anti-glycoprotein 210 (gp210 antibody) positive primary biliary cholangitis (PBC). Methods: A retrospective study was performed on 931 PBC cases in Beijing You'an Hospital affiliated to Capital Medical University from 2010 to 2019. According to the detection of gp210 antibody, 318 cases were divided into gp210 antibody positive group (positive group) and 613 cases were divided into gp210 antibody negative group (negative group). The differences in demographic, medical history, clinical indicators, B-ultrasound and pathological indicators as well as the histopathological basis were compared between the two groups. SPSS 16.0 software was used for statistical analysis. Measurement data were analyzed by t-test or rank sum test, and enumeration data by χ2 test. Multivariate analysis was used for logistic test, and and survival analysis was used for prognosis. Results: The positive and the negative groups were compared. The ratio of male to female was significantly higher in positive than negative group (1:5.35 vs. 1:9.73, P＜0.05), and the difference was statistically significant. The proportion of hormone use in history of past diagnosed and treated was higher in positive than negative group (12.9% vs. 3.47%, P＜0.05), and the difference was statistically significant. The detection of biochemical indexes such as alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), total bilirubin (TBIL), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), glutamyl transpeptidase (GGT) were higher in positive than the negative group (51.1 U/L vs. 41.1 U/L, 62.6 U/L vs. 49.6 U/L, 24.1 μmol/L vs. 17.9 μmol/L, 228.3 U/L vs. 169.6 U/L, 203.9 U/L vs. 147.6 U/L), (P＜0.05), and the differences were statistically significant. Antinuclear antibody (ANA)-positive rate, high titer ratio and immunoglobulin G (IgG) levels were higher in positive than negative group (95.2% vs. 81.6%, 69.7% vs. 48.8%, 17.2 g/L vs. 16.2 g/L), (P＜0.05), and the differences were statistically significant. The incidence of liver failure was higher in positive than negative group (P＜0.05). CK7 and inflammation score were higher in positive group than negative group in liver histopathological observations (0.83±0.53 vs. 0.28±0.47; 1.06±0.39 vs. 0.54±0.65), (P＜0.05), and the differences were statistically significant. Conclusion: The illness condition of patients with gp210 antibody positive PBC is more severe than patients with gp210 antibody negative PBC, and the incidence of liver failure is significantly increased. Cholangiocytes may be the histopathological basis of the clinical characteristics of gp210 antibody positive PBC patients.

Detection of SMO gene mutations in odontogenic keratocyst / 中华口腔医学杂志

Objective: To detect the SMO mutations in odontogenic keratocyst (OKC) and to explore the mechanism behind. Methods: Patients with OKC who received treatment in the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, School and Hospital of Stomatology,Peking University, from September 2012 to June 2017 were enrolled. OKC samples from 10 patients diagnosed as naevoid basal cell carcinoma syndrome (NBCCS)-related OKC (4 females and 6 males) and 20 patients diagnosed as sporadic OKC (7 females and 13 males) were collected. Genomic DNAs were extracted from fibrous capsules and epithelial lining respectively. SMO mutations were detected and analyzed by Sanger sequencing. Results: Three SMO mutations were found in one NBCCS-associated OKC who carrying c.2081C>G (p.P694R) mutation) and two sporadic OKC who carrying c.907C>T (p.L303F) mutation and c.1247_1248delinsAA (p.G416E), respectively), among which the first two mutations were novel mutations that had not been reported before. Besides, two mutations in sporadic OKC were not paired with PTCH1 mutations. Conclusions: In addition to PTCH1 gene mutations, SMO gene mutations also exist in OKC which might be related to the development of OKC.

Metagenomic data-analysis reveals enrichment of lipopolysaccharide synthesis in the gut microbiota of atrial fibrillation patients / 中华心血管病杂志

Objective: To investigate the functional changes of key gut microbiota (GM) that produce lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in atrial fibrillation (AF) patients and to explore their potential role in the pathogenesis of AF. Methods: This was a prospective cross-sectional study. Patients with AF admitted to Beijing Chaoyang Hospital of Capital Medical University were enrolled from March 2016 to December 2018. Subjects with matched genetic backgrounds undergoing physical examination during the same period were selected as controls. Clinical baseline data and fecal samples were collected. Bacterial DNA was extracted and metagenomic sequencing was performed by using Illumina Novaseq. Based on metagenomic data, the relative abundances of KEGG Orthology (KO), enzymatic genes and species that harbored enzymatic genes were acquired. The key features were selected via the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) analysis. The role of GM-derived LPS biosynthetic feature in the development of AF was assessed by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve, partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) and logistic regression analysis. Results: Fifty nonvalvular AF patients (mean age: 66.0 (57.0, 71.3), 32 males(64%)) were enrolled as AF group. Fifty individuals (mean age 55.0 (50.5, 57.5), 41 males(82%)) were recruited as controls. Compared with the controls, AF patients showed a marked difference in the GM genes underlying LPS-biosynthesis, including 20 potential LPS-synthesis KO, 7 LPS-biosynthesis enzymatic genes and 89 species that were assigned as taxa harbored nine LPS-enzymatic genes. LASSO regression analysis showed that 5 KO, 3 enzymatic genes and 9 species could be selected to construct the KO, enzyme and species scoring system. Genes enriched in AF group included 2 KO (K02851 and K00972), 3 enzymatic genes (LpxH, LpxC and LpxK) and 7 species (Intestinibacter bartlettii、Ruminococcus sp. JC304、Coprococcus catus、uncultured Eubacterium sp.、Eubacterium sp. CAG:251、Anaerostipes hadrus、Dorea longicatena). ROC curve analysis revealed the predictive capacity of differential GM-derived LPS signatures to distinguish AF patients in terms of above KO, enzymatic and species scores: area under curve (AUC)=0.957, 95%CI: 0.918-0.995, AUC=0.940, 95%CI 0.889-0.991, AUC=0.972, 95%CI 0.948-0.997. PLS-SEM showed that changes in lipopolysaccharide-producing bacteria could be involved in the pathogenesis of AF. The key KO mediated 35.17% of the total effect of key bacteria on AF. After incorporating the clinical factors of AF, the KO score was positively associated with the significantly increased risk of AF (OR<0.001, 95%CI:<0.001-0.021, P<0.001). Conclusion: Microbes involved in LPS synthesis are enriched in the gut of AF patients, accompanied with up-regulated LPS synthesis function by encoding the LPS-enzymatic biosynthesis gene.

Application value of metagenomic next-generation sequencing for pathogen detection in childhood agranulocytosis with fever / 中国当代儿科杂志

OBJECTIVES@#To study the application value of metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS) for pathogen detection in childhood agranulocytosis with fever.@*METHODS@#A retrospective analysis was performed on the mNGS results of pathogen detection of 116 children with agranulocytosis with fever who were treated from January 2020 to December 2021. Among these children, 38 children with negative mNGS results were enrolled as the negative group, and 78 children with positive results were divided into a bacteria group (n=22), a fungal group (n=23), and a viral group (n=31). Clinical data were compared between groups.@*RESULTS@#For the 116 children with agranulocytosis and fever, the median age was 8 years at diagnosis, the median turnaround time of mNGS results was 2 days, and the positive rate of mNGS testing was 67.2% (78/116). Compared with the negative group, the bacterial group had a higher procalcitonin level (P<0.05), the fungal group had higher level of C-reactive protein and positive rate of (1,3)-β-D glucan test/galactomannan test (P<0.05), and the fungal group had a longer duration of fever (P<0.05). Among the 22 positive microbial culture specimens, 9 (41%) were consistent with the mNGS results. Among the 17 positive blood culture specimens, 8 (47%) were consistent with the mNGS results. Treatment was adjusted for 28 children (36%) with the mNGS results, among whom 26 were cured and discharged.@*CONCLUSIONS@#The mNGS technique has a shorter turnaround time and a higher sensitivity for pathogen detection and can provide evidence for the pathogenic diagnosis of children with agranulocytosis and fever.

Growth and development of children and related influencing factors: a cross-sectional study of the families with children aged 0-6 years in Jiangsu Province / 中国当代儿科杂志

OBJECTIVES@#To investigate the growth and development of children aged 0-6 years in Jiangsu Province of China and the effects of family factors on the children's growth and development.@*METHODS@#The stratified random sampling method was used to select 2 004 families with children aged 0-6 years of Jiangsu Province. A questionnaire survey on nutritional knowledge, attitude, and behavior was performed for the main caregivers. The Z-score method was used to evaluate nutritional status. The ordinal polytomous logistic regression analysis model was used to investigate the influencing factors for nutritional status.@*RESULTS@#A total of 2 290 questionnaires were distributed, among which 2 004 valid questionnaires were collected (87.51%). The mean age of the children was (28±14) months, and there were 1 105 boys (55.14%) and 899 girls (44.86%). The primary caregivers were mostly parents (1 867 families, 93.16%), and the caregivers of 1 466 families (73.15%) had a university/college degree. Most families had an annual income of 50 000-100 000 yuan/year or 100 000-200 000 yuan/year, accounting for 32.88% and 34.23%, respectively. The results of Z-score showed the growth retardation rates of 1.45% (16/1 105) in boys and 1.78% (16/899) in girls, the underweight rates of 0.54% (6/1 105) in boys and 0.67% (6/899) in girls, the emaciation rates of 1.36% (15/1 105) in boys and 2.00% (18/899) in girls, and the obesity rates of 8.78% (97/1 105) in boys and 10.12% (91/899) in girls, respectively. The multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that a higher annual family income and a higher nutrition knowledge level of caregiver were beneficial to the growth and development of children (P<0.05).@*CONCLUSIONS@#Children aged 0-6 years in Jiangsu Province have a good status of growth and development but a relatively high obesity rate, and therefore, the monitoring of obesity should be taken seriously. Family economic status and the level of nutritional knowledge of caregivers have a significant impact on children's growth and development.

Progress of researches on infection with two species of Echinococcus causing human diseases in animal hosts and influencing factors / 中国血吸虫病防治杂志

Echinococcosis is a serious zoonotic parasitic disease caused by infections with larval Echinococcus. The life cycle of Echinococcus involves a variety of animal hosts, including hoofed animals and rodents as intermediate hosts and carnivores as definitive hosts. The transmission of human echinococcosis is closely associated with the life cycle of E. granulosus and E. multilocularis among animal hosts in nature. This review summarizes the recent advances in the prevalence and influencing factors of E. granulosus and E. multilocularis infections in animal hosts, so as to provide insights into precision control of echinococcosis.

Labrune’s Syndrome Presenting With Stereotypy-Like Movements and Psychosis: A Case Report and Review

Labrune’s syndrome, or leukoencephalopathy with brain calcifications and cysts (LCC), is a rare genetic syndrome with variable neurological presentations. Psychiatric manifestations and involuntary movements are uncommonly reported. We report the case of a 19-year-old female, initially diagnosed with Fahr’s syndrome, who presented to us with acute psychosis, abnormal behavior and involuntary movements. Her brain computed tomography showed extensive bilateral intracranial calcifications without cysts. Genetic testing detected two compound heterozygous variants, NR_033294.1 n.*9C>T and n.24C>T, in the SNORD118 gene, confirming the diagnosis of LCC. We discuss the expanding phenotypic spectrum of LCC and provide a literature review on the current diagnosis and management of this rare syndrome.

Relation Between Tumor Budding and Endoscopic Classification, Degree of Malignancy in T1 Stage Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma / 肿瘤防治研究

Objective To investigate the clinical pathological significance of tumor budding in T1 stage esophageal squamous cell carcinoma. Methods Tumor budding was searched for in the resected tissues of T1 stage esophageal squamous cell carcinoma(ESCC), and the relation between tumor budding and endoscopic classification, degree of malignancy in T1 ESCC were analyzed. Results The detection rate of tumor budding was significantly improved after EGFR labeling(P < 0.05). The detection rate of tumor budding in T1b ESCC was significantly higher than that of T1a SCC(P < 0.05). The detection rate of tumor budding in the cases with lymph node metastasis was significantly higher than that without lymph node metastasis(P < 0.05). The detection rate of tumor budding in stage ⅡB ESCC was significantly higher than those with stageⅠB(P < 0.05). Conclusion The detection rate of tumor budding in T1 ESCC is relatively high. The detection rates of tumor budding is improved by EGFR immunohistochemistrical labeling. The occurrence of tumor budding in T1 ESCC indicates more tumor aggression.