Analysis of pathogenic fungi causing tinea capitis: a single-center retrospective study / 中华皮肤科杂志

Objective:To investigate the distribution of pathogenic fungi in patients with tinea capitis diagnosed in Xijing Hospital, Air Force Medical University in the past 10 years.Methods:A total of 871 outpatients or inpatients with tinea capitis were collected from the Department of Dermatology, Xijing Hospital from January 2011 to December 2020, and their clinical data and pathogen distribution were retrospectively analyzed. Pearson chi-square test was used to analyze differences in the pathogen distribution between children and adult patients with tinea capitis.Results:Of 871 patients with tinea capitis, 588 (67.5%) were males and 283 (33.5%) were females; 21 (2.40%) were aged less than 1 year, 266 (30.50%) aged 1 - 3 years, 352 (40.40%) aged 4 - 6 years, 187 (21.50%) aged 7 - 12 years, 4 (0.50%) aged 12 - 18 years, and 41 (4.70%) were aged 18 - 74 years. A total of 705 pathogenic strains were isolated from these patients, including 599 strains of Microsporum canis (85.0%) , 52 strains of Trichophyton mentagrophytes complex (7.4%) , 27 strains of Trichophyton tonsurans (3.8%) , and 18 strains of Trichophyton violaceum (2.6%) . Among the pathogenic fungi of tinea capitis, the proportion of Trichophyton violaceum was significantly higher in adults (8.8%) than in children (2.2%, P = 0.048) . Conclusions:In the past 10 years, the patients with tinea capitis in the Department of Dermatology, Xijing Hospital were mainly children aged 1 - 6 yearswhile adults, and adult patients with tinea capitis were uncommon. The main pathogen of tinea capitis was Microsporum canis, followed by Trichophyton mentagrophytes complex.

A deep-learning model for the assessment of coronary heart disease and related risk factors via the evaluation of retinal fundus photographs / 中华心血管病杂志

Objective: To develop and validate a deep learning model based on fundus photos for the identification of coronary heart disease (CHD) and associated risk factors. Methods: Subjects aged>18 years with complete clinical examination data from 149 hospitals and medical examination centers in China were included in this retrospective study. Two radiologists, who were not aware of the study design, independently evaluated the coronary angiography images of each subject to make CHD diagnosis. A deep learning model using convolutional neural networks (CNN) was used to label the fundus images according to the presence or absence of CHD, and the model was proportionally divided into training and test sets for model training. The prediction performance of the model was evaluated in the test set using monocular and binocular fundus images respectively. Prediction efficacy of the algorithm for cardiovascular risk factors (e.g., age, systolic blood pressure, gender) and coronary events were evaluated by regression analysis using the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) and R2 correlation coefficient. Results: The study retrospectively collected 51 765 fundus images from 25 222 subjects, including 10 255 patients with CHD, and there were 14 419 male subjects in this cohort. Of these, 46 603 fundus images from 22 701 subjects were included in the training set and 5 162 fundus images from 2 521 subjects were included in the test set. In the test set, the deep learning model could accurately predict patients' age with an R2 value of 0.931 (95%CI 0.929-0.933) for monocular photos and 0.938 (95%CI 0.936-0.940) for binocular photos. The AUC values for sex identification from single eye and binocular retinal fundus images were 0.983 (95%CI 0.982-0.984) and 0.988 (95%CI 0.987-0.989), respectively. The AUC value of the model was 0.876 (95%CI 0.874-0.877) with either monocular fundus photographs and AUC value was 0.885 (95%CI 0.884-0.888) with binocular fundus photographs to predict CHD, the sensitivity of the model was 0.894 and specificity was 0.755 with accuracy of 0.714 using binocular fundus photographs for the prediction of CHD. Conclusion: The deep learning model based on fundus photographs performs well in identifying coronary heart disease and assessing related risk factors such as age and sex.

Clinical and pathological analysis of six cases of Meyerson nevi / 中华皮肤科杂志

Objective:To investigate clinical and histopathological features of Meyerson nevus.Methods:Clinical and histopathological data were collected from 6 patients with confirmed Meyerson nevi in Department of Dermatology, the Fourth Military Medical University from January 2015 to January 2019, and retrospectively analyzed.Results:Among the 6 patients, 3 were males and 3 were females, with a median age of 10.5 years (range, 7 months to 28 years). Skin lesions were located on the extremities of 3 cases, as well as on the trunk of 3 cases. Meyerson nevi arose from congenital pigmented nevi in 4 cases, as well as from acquired pigmented nevi in 2 cases. The duration of pigmented nevi varied from 7 months to 18 years. Four patients felt itching in the past 2 months, and 2 had no concomitant symptoms such as itching. Central pigmented nevi manifested as papules in 5 cases and a plaque in 1 case, which were brown or black in color, with regular shapes, uniform pigmentation and clear borders. Pigmented nevi were surrounded by a halo of erythema in 6 cases, and skin lesions were covered with scales or crusts in 4 cases. Histopathological examination of Meyerson nevi revealed characteristics of both pigmented nevus and eczema. Histopathologically, pigmented nevi manifested as junctional nevi or compound nevi, and eczema manifested as serous exudation, irregular epidermal hyperplasia, spongiosis and perivascular infiltration of lymphocytes in the superficial dermis.Conclusions:Meyerson nevus is rare, and mostly occurs on the trunk and extremities. When itching occurs or erythema appears around the pigmented nevus, the diagnosis of Meyerson nevus should be considered.

Minimally invasive treatment with anterograde multiple endoscopes for upper urinary tract stones in allograft kidney / 中华泌尿外科杂志

Objective:To discuss the clinical experience and efficacy of minimally invasive anterograde multiple endoscopic treatment of upper urinary tract stones in allograft kidney.Methods:We retrospectively analyzed 14 patients with upper urinary tract stones in allograft kidney admitted to our hospital from June 2018 to August 2020. 8 cases were female and 6 cases were male, with an average age of 47.3±11.1 years. 3 patients had hyperuricemia and four had hypertension and diabetes. The history of renal transplantation was over ten years in 3 cases, three to five years in 4 cases, two years in 3 cases, 1 year in 3 cases, and 4 months in 1 case. 3 patients had a history of RIRS, and the operation was terminated due to severe ureteral tortuosity resulting in failure of sheathing or ureteroscopy. Ureteral stent was performed in 2 cases due to stone obstruction and hydronephrosis. Serum creatinine was normal in 7 patients before operation, and serum creatinine was 91-139μmol/L in 4 patients in the compensatory stage of chronic renal insufficiency. The serum creatinine was 292, 544 and 708μmol/L respectively in 3 patients in the decompensated stage of chronic renal insufficiency or renal failure stage. The preoperative average hemoglobin was 117.5g/L. 3 cases were partial staghorn calculi, 4 cases were single caliceal or renal pelvis calculi, 2 cases were renal pelvis or caliceal calculi with upper ureteral calculi, and 5 cases were renal pelvis or renal caliceal calculi with multiple calculi. Stone size were 1 case of single upper caliceal stone of 0.7cm, 3 cases of lower caliceal stones of 1.5, 1.6 and 2.0cm, 1 case of renal pelvic stone of 1.5cm, 2 cases of middle and upper caliceal stones of 2.8 and 3.1cm, 2 cases of middle and lower caliceal stones of 1.5 and 3.2cm, respectively. 3 cases of middle upper caliceal and renal pelvic stones were 2.2, 2.5 and 2.6cm. 2 cases of renal pelvis with upper ureteral stones were 1.3 and 1.7cm, 0.7 and 0.5cm respectively. Preoperative routine urine examination showed that 9 cases had urinary tract infection, among which 5 cases had positive urine culture. Surgery was performed after therapeutic improvement with sensitive antibiotics. According to the size and distribution of stone, the combination of single access or multi-access PCNL in different diameters was adopted, supplemented by FURS. Surgical methods selection and performance: 2 cases performed in single S-PCNL with stone size were 2.2cm and 2.6cm, 2 cases performed in single M-PCNL with stone size were 1.5cm and 1.5cm, 1 case performed in Needle-perc with stone size was 0.7cm, 2 cases performed in S-PCNL combined M-PCNL with stone size were 2.8cm and 3.1cm, 3 cases performed in S-PCNL combined Needle-perc with stone size were 2.0cm, 2.5cm and 3.2cm, 2 cases performed in M-PCNL combined Needle-perc with stone size were 1.5cm and 1.6cm, 2 cases performed in S-PCNL combined anterograde FURS with stones size were 1.3cm and 1.7cm in allograft kidney and ureter stone were 0.7cm and 0.5cm, a total of 7 kinds of way, and postoperative stone free rate, laboratory indexes (serum creatinine, blood hemoglobin), surgical complications, postoperative hospital stay were analyzed.Results:All 14 patients (mean age was 47.3±11.1 years) were successfully operated. Postoperative examination revealed 1 case had 0.6cm residual stone and it was cleared at the second stage anterograde FURS through the original access. The mean operative time and postoperative hospital stay were 68.2±21.6min and 6.2±1.3 days. Compared with preoperative serum creatinine changes, 2 cases showed slight increase (mean 12.6±0.3μmol/L), 3 cases showed significant decrease (mean 329.6±216.6μmol/L), and the other 9 cases showed no significant change (range<10μmol/L), among which 5 cases showed an increase (mean 5.4±0.7 μmol/L) and 4 cases showed a decrease (mean 3.7±0.4 μmol/L). The mean decrease of hemoglobin was 9.3±4.1g/L. Two patients had fever and their body temperature returned to normal after anti-inflammatory treatment. No blood transfusion, abdominal organ injury or urogenic sepsis occurred.Conclusions:Invasive anterograde multiple endoscopic treatment of upper urinary tract stones in allograft kidney is a single or combined operation using single-channel PCNL, multi-channel PCNL of different sizes and diameters and anterograde FURS according to individual differences, which can effectively reduce renal function injury is safe, efficient and feasible.

Toxicity and Mechanism of Alkaloids in Sophorae Tonkinensis Radix et Rhizoma： A Review / 中国实验方剂学杂志

Sophorae Tonkinensis Radix et Rhizoma （STRER） is a commonly used Chinese medicine in clinical practice， which has the effects of clearing heat， removing the toxin， alleviating edema， and relieving sore throat. In recent years， the clinical reports of STRER-induced poisoning have gradually increased， with neurotoxicity and hepatotoxicity as the main characteristics of the acute attack. Timely treatment will lead to the good prognosis， but long-term or high-dose administration will cause irreversible damage. Therefore， the safety of clinical use of STRER should be highlighted. The chemical components in STRER mainly include alkaloids， flavonoids， triterpenoids， triterpenoid saponins， and polysaccharides， as well as small amounts of proteins， organic acids， and trace elements， where alkaloids both serve as the important material basis for the pharmacodynamic action and the main substances causing toxicity. The adverse events induced by STRER and its alkaloids include nerve injury, Hepatic injury, cardiovascular injury, kidney injury and reproductive injury， and gastrointestinal reaction. Quinolizidine alkaloids are the main toxic components， mainly including matrine， oxymatrine， cytisine， sophocarpine， oxysophocarpine， sophoridine， sophoramine， and lehmannine. Many studies have been carried out on the toxicity of different extracts and alkaloids of STRER in China and abroad， but there are no comprehensive and detailed reports on the toxicity mechanism of alkaloids in STRER. As a Chinese medicine， STRER is widely used. It's an urgent problem to clarify the material basis and mechanism of toxicity caused by STRER and reduce the toxicity for good clinical application. The present study reviewed the components of alkaloids， toxicity， and toxic mechanism of extracts and alkaloids in STRER to provide the basis for further development and clinical safe and effective application of STRER.

Clinical analysis of three cases of disseminated cutaneous alternariosis caused by Alternaria / 中华皮肤科杂志

Objective:To analyze clinical manifestations, histopathological and pathogenic fungus characteristics as well as treatment of 3 cases of disseminated cutaneous alternariosis caused by Alternaria. Methods:Clinical data were collected from 3 cases of disseminated cutaneous alternariosis caused by Alternaria, who were diagnosed in Department of Dermatology, Xijing Hospital from 2019 to 2021, and clinical and histopathological features, fungal culture, strain identification and treatment results were retrospectively analyzed. Results:The 3 patients were aged 55, 41 and 46 years respectively, including 1 male and 2 females. Two patients were previously diagnosed with nephrotic syndrome and 1 with systemic lupus erythematosus. All the patients had a history of taking glucocorticoids and tacrolimus for different durations, and experienced chronic infections. Histopathological examination with hematoxylin and eosin (HE) staining showed double-contour thick-walled spores and knot-shaped thick-walled septal hyphae, but no melanin in skin lesions. Sequencing of the fungal internal transcribed spacer region confirmed that 2 cases were infected with Alternaria alternate, and 1 with Alternaria infectoria. Fungal culture at different temperatures showed that the growth ability of Alternaria markedly decreased at the temperature over 35 ℃. To treat these patients, the dose of tacrolimus was reduced to less than 1/3 of the standard dose, or tacrolimus was switched to other immunosuppressants, and systemic antifungal therapy was also given at the same time. After 7-month treatment, good clinical outcomes were achieved in the 3 patients. Conclusion:Disseminated cutaneous alternariosis is characterized by bilateral hematogenous dissemination and lymphatic distribution in unilateral limbs, and the skin lesions are characterized by verrucous plaques covered with scabs, nodules and/or sinuses.

Tumor necrosis factor-α inhibitors for the treatment of four cases of hidradenitis suppurativa / 中华皮肤科杂志

Four male cases of hidradenitis suppurativa (Hurley stage Ⅱ/Ⅲ) aged 20 - 45 years were collected from Department of Dermatology, Xijing Hospital, the Fourth Military Medical University from August 2017 to December 2019. All the patients presented with sinuses, abscesses and scars on the buttocks, axillary and inguinal regions, and showed a poor response to previous treatment with antibiotics, glucocorticoids, retinoids, traditional Chinese medicine, etc. The patients were treated with intravenous drips of infliximab at a dose of 5 mg/kg at weeks 0, 2 and 6, followed by an every-9-week treatment regimen, or with subcutaneous injection of adalimumab at a dose of 80 mg at weeks 0 and 2, followed by an every-3-week regimen at a dose of 40 mg. Two patients experienced infusion reactions after intravenous drips of infliximab, and then were switched to adalimumab. Three of these patients achieved hidradenitis suppurativa clinical response, whereas 1 showed no response.

Clinicopathological features of 10 cases of congenital melanocytic nevi complicated by proliferative nodules / 中华皮肤科杂志

Objective:To investigate clinical and histopathological features of congenital melanocytic nevi (CMN) complicated by proliferative nodules (PN) .Methods:Ten patients with clinically and pathologically confirmed CMN complicated by PN were collected from Department of Dermatology, the Fourth Military Medical University from 2015 to 2019, and their clinical and pathological data were analyzed retrospectively.Results:The 10 patients were aged from 2 to 45 years, with an average age of 15 years. Nine patients developed PN in infancy, and 1 in adulthood. The skin lesions were located on the extremities in 4 cases, on the head and face in 3 cases, and on the trunk in 2 cases, and the trunk and extremities were both involved in 1 case. Skin lesions clinically manifested as 1 or more nodules arising in black patches or plaques. Six patients presented with multiple PN, 4 with solitary PN, with the diameter of a single nodule being 0.2-1.5 cm, and only 1 case presented with ulcers. Histopathological examination showed mature melanocytes in the PN, with few mitotic figures, no obvious cytological atypia, and no necrosis. Immunohistochemical study showed that nevus cells diffusely expressed Melan-A, but did not express or partially expressed HMB45, and the Ki67 proliferation index was below 5%.Conclusion:CMN complicated by PN can occur on the extremities, head, face, and trunk, clinically manifesting as solitary or multiple nodules on pre-existing CMN; histopathologically, mature melanocytes can be observed in PN, immunohistochemical staining for HMB45 and Ki67 can facilitate the diagnosis, and its prognosis needs long-term follow-up.

Analysis of 118 cases of clinically misdiagnosed cutaneous melanoma / 中华皮肤科杂志

Objective:To investigate clinical features and preventive measures of misdiagnosed cutaneous melanoma, as well as causes of its misdiagnosis.Methods:Clinical data were collected from patients with pathologically confirmed cutaneous melanoma which was initially clinically misdiagnosed as other diseases in Department of Dermatology, Xijing Hospital, the Fourth Military Medical University from January 2005 to December 2019, and clinical manifestations and causes of its misdiagnosis were analyzed.Results:A total of 118 patients with clinically misdiagnosed cutaneous melanoma were collected, including 38 males and 80 females. The median age at misdiagnosis was 48 years, the median age at onset was 40.5 years, and the median disease duration was 54 months. The main skin lesions were black maculae and papules. The initial clinical diagnoses were pigmented nevi (53 cases, 44.92%) , nail matrix nevi (12 cases, 10.17%) , seborrheic keratosis (14 cases, 11.86%) , vascular tumors (10 cases, 8.47%) , squamous cell carcinoma (5 cases, 4.24%) , basal cell carcinoma (4 cases, 3.39%) and other diseases (20 cases, 16.95%) . As far as the ABCDE (asymmetry, border irregularity, color variegation, diameter > 6 mm, evolving) rule for melanoma was concerned, 78 (66.10%) , 64 (54.24%) , 57 (48.31%) , 66 (55.93%) and 39 (33.05%) cases conformed to hte A, B, C, D and E rules respectively, 14 conformed to the ABCDE rule, 13 conformed to the ABCD rule, and 13 did not conform to any of them. Among the 53 cases of melanoma in situ, 28 (52.83%) were misdiagnosed as pigmented nevi, 11 (20.75%) as nail matrix nevi; among the 66 cases of invasive melanoma, 25 (37.88%) were misdiagnosed as pigmented nevi, 9 (13.64%) as vascular tumors, and 5 (7.58%) as squamous cell carcinoma. The information of physicians of 67 misdiagnosed patients was available, and those of 42 out of the 67 patients had clincial experience of ≤ 5 years; among 27 misdiagnosed patients conforming to the ABCD or ABCDE rule, the information of physicians of 9 patients was available, and those of 7 out of the 9 patients had clinical experience of ≤ 5 years. Conclusion:Cutaneous melanoma has a variety of lesion patterns and is easily misdiagnosed, and physicians′ clinical experience and the ABCDE rule-based evaluation are important for diagnosis.

The indications, efficacy and safety of endoscopic treatment of upper urinary tract urothelial carcinoma / 中华泌尿外科杂志

Objective:To summarize the preliminary clinical experience of endoscopic treatment of upper urinary tract urothelial carcinoma, and to analyze its indications and efficacy.Methods:The clinical data of 14 patients underwent endoscopic treatment for upper urinary tract urothelial carcinoma in our hospital from December 2014 to December 2019 were retrospectively analyzed. Among them, there were 5 males and 9 females, with a median age of 75.5(44-84) years. There were 11 patients with hematuria, 2 patients with flank pain and one asymptomatic patient. Five patients had a history of bladder cancer and one had a history of contralateral UTUC. There were 4 patients with solitary kidney, 3 patients with renal insufficiency, 1 patient with bilateral renal pelvis carcinoma, 4 patients prohibitory to nephroureterectomy because of poor general condition (American Society of Anesthesiologists score ≥3), and 2 patients were pathologically diagnosed as low-grade non-invasive urothelial carcinoma and requested renal preservation therapy. A total of 15 renal units included. The main tumor sites were renal pelvis in 6 renal units, upper calyx in 4 renal units, middle calyx in 3 renal units, and lower calyx in 2 renal units. The median tumor diameter was 2.0 (0.8-4.0) cm. All patients were diagnosed with urothelial carcinoma by preoperative computed tomography (CT/CTU), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and cytological or pathological biopsy. In 13 patients, ultrasond-guided percutaneous renal access and tract dilation were performed to establish a F24 standard tract. The tumor tissues were vaporized by 1470 semiconductor laser (60-80 W) or thulium laser (15-20 W) under nephroscopy, and electrocoagulation was used to coagulate the bleeding when necessary. Two patients were treated with felxible ureteroscope, under which tumor ablation was performed with 200 μm holmium laser fiber, and neodymium laser was used for hemostasis. The range of tumor vaporization ablation included 0.5-1.0 cm normal renal pelvis mucosa around the tumor, deep to the fatty layer of renal sinus. Biopsy was taken again at the base of the wound after vaporization ablation when necessary.Results:In this study, six sites were pathological high grade, 9 sites were pathological low grade tumors. Eight were in pathological T a stage, 5 in T 1 stage, and 2 in T 2 stage. The median blood loss was 20.0 (2-50) ml. There were 5 postoperative complications, including one patient with fever (body temperature >38.5℃) and 4 patients with hemorrhage requiring blood transfusion (postoperative hemoglobin <70 g/L) with 2-4 U suspended red blood cells.No patient underwent embolization. The median follow-up time were 31(11-70)months. Ten patients experienced recurrence, and the median time to recurrence was 11.3 (4-41) months. Four of them received conservative treatment after recurrence, including immunotherapy and radiotherapy in 1 patient, systemic chemotherapy in 1 patient, and watchful waiting in 2 patients. Three of them received repeated endoscopic treatment after recurrence, including 2 patients with percutaneous nephroscopic laser ablation and 1 patient with transurethral resection of bladder tumor, all of them survived during the follow-up period. Three patients underwent full-length nephroureterectomy after recurrence, 2 died and 1 survived during the follow-up period. Six patients eventually died, and the median time of death after surgery was 21(9-33) months. Five of them died from tumor-specific death and one died from gastric perforation. The median tumor-free survival interval were11 (4-41) months during the follow-up period. The 2-year tumor-specific survival rate was 78.6%, 50% for high-grade patients and 100% for low-grade patients. Conclusions:In patients who were in early stage (≤T 2) and intolerant to the nephroureterectomy, or with solitary kidney, renal insufficiency, or bilateral tumors, endoscopic treatment could be used as an alternative treatment approach for upper urinary tract epithelial carcinoma, especially for low-grade non-invasive patients.

Free carnitine levels in peripheral blood of healthy pregnant women in third trimester and their relationship with maternal and fetal cardiac function and structure / 中华围产医学杂志

Objective:To investigate the levels of periphreal blood free carnitine and amino acids in healthy pregnant women in the third trimester and their association with maternal, fetal, and neonatal cardiac function and structure.Methods:This prospective descriptive study included healthy singleton pregnancies who underwent routine obstetric examination and delivered in two district maternal and child health hospitals (one in the urban and one in the suburb an area) in Beijing from June 2017 to February 2018. All recruiters had serology Down's syndrome screening test at (18±1) gestational weeks. Besides measurement of amino acids and free carnitine levels in whole blood and urine samples by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry, all cases underwent maternal and fetal echocardiography at (35±1) weeks of gestation. And neonatal echocardiography was performed after delivery to assess the heart function and structure. Antenatal factors were also collected, including maternal education background, age at first marriage and conception, gravidity, and folic acid supplement in early pregnancy. Statistical analysis was performed using t-test, ANOVA, Chi-square test, Pearson correlation coefficient, and Kappa test. Results:A total of 493 mother-neonate dyads were enrolled in this study. Blood free carnitine levels in the healthy pregnant women in the third trimester ranged from 5.09 to 59.17 μmol/L (reference value: 10.00-50.00 μmol/L) with an average value of (13.03±3.87) μmol/L. None was found with structural abnormalities by cardiac ultrasound, showing an average left ventricular end diastolic diameter (LVEDD) and end systolic diameter (LVESD) of (45.70±3.08) mm and (29.17±3.12) mm, respectively, and left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) of all cases were over 55%. No cardiac malformation was detected by the third-trimester fetal echocardiography. The average birth weight of the 493 newborns was (3 340±313) g. Those whose birth weight <2 500 g and >4 000 g were accounted for 1.0% (5 cases) and 3.0% (15 cases) with the average maternal blood free carnitine level of (13.25±2.17) μmol/L (10.46-19.21 μmol/L) and (12.64±2.50) μmol/L (8.78-17.73 μmol/L) ( t=0.42, P>0.05). The average LVEDD and LVESD of the 493 newborns were (17.21±1.27) mm and (11.03±1.30) mm, respectively. For the 64 newborns (13.0%) whose LVEF<60%, the maternal blood free carnitine level was (12.93±2.78) μmol/L (7.34-22.13 μmol/L), showing no statistical difference ( t=-0.29, P>0.05) with those 59 neonates (12.0%) whose LVEF over 75% and maternal carnitine level of (13.09±3.24) μmol/L (8.66-27.49 μmol/L). All cases were divided into four groups based on the quartiles of maternal blood free carnitine level and no significant difference in maternal or neonatal LVEDD or LVEF was observed among these groups (all P>0.05). Conclusions:Blood free carnitine concentration in healthy pregnant women in the third trimester is at the lower limit of normal range, and no significant effect on maternal cardiac function and fetal cardiac structure is seen. However, the effect of low maternal carnitine level in the third trimester on children's myocardial function and whether carnitine should be supplemented in the third trimester are worthy of further investigation with larger sample size.

Clinical and pathological analysis of 320 cases of Spitzoid tumors / 中华皮肤科杂志

Objective:To analyze clinical and pathological features of 320 cases of Spitzoid tumors.Methods:Clinical and pathological data were collected from 320 patients with Spitzoid tumors in Department of Dermatology, Xijing Hospital from January 2005 to January 2020, and retrospectively analyzed.Results:The 320 patients included 141 males and 179 females, aged 0 - 65 (12.5 ± 11.7) years, and their course of disease ranged from 1 month to 30 years. Among them, there were 307 patients with Spitz nevi, 8 with atypical Spitz tumors and 5 with Spitzoid melanoma. Most skin lesions were solitary, and occurred on the head, face, trunk and limbs, with clear boundaries. Among the 307 patients with Spitz nevi, the skin lesions were mainly black (132 cases, 43.0%) and red (108 cases, 35.1%) in color, most of which were uniformly pigmented (262 cases, 85.3%) with smooth surfaces (272 cases, 88.6%) . There were several special clinical subtypes of Spitz nevi, including Spitz nevus arising in a nevus spilus (11 cases, 3.6%) , agminated Spitz nevus (11 cases, 3.6%) , disseminated Spitz nevus (6 cases, 2.0%) , nodular Spitz nevus (7 cases, 2.3%) and keloid-like Spitz nevus (1 case, 0.3%) . Characteristic histopathological manifestations of Spitz nevi included pagetoid spread of epidermal nevus cells (123 cases, 40.1%) , Kamino bodies at the dermo-epidermal junction (74 cases, 24.1%) , horizontal band-like distribution of nevus cells (177 cases, 57.8) , wedge-shaped distribution of nevus cells (118 cases, 38.4%) , fissures around nevus cell nests (177 cases, 57.8%) , physiological mitotic figures (117 cases, 38.1%) , and fine nuclear chromatin (307 cases, 100%) . According to the special histopathological manifestations, Spitz nevi were divided into pigmented epithelioid Spitz nevus (9 cases, 2.9%) , desmoplastic Spitz nevus (13 cases, 4.2%) , hemangiomatous Spitz nevus (8 cases, 2.6%) , verrucous Spitz nevus (12 cases, 3.9%) , mucoid Spitz nevus (10 cases, 3.3%) , halo-like Spitz nevus (4 cases, 1.3%) , etc. Among the 8 cases of atypical Spitz tumors, 4 skin lesions were black, 7 were uniformly pigmented, and 3 had rough surfaces; the characteristic pathological manifestations included mild to moderate atypia of cells, mitotic figures (2 - 6 cells/mm 2 in 7 cases) , and coarse nuclear chromatin (5 cases) . Among the 5 cases of Spitzoid melanoma, 3 had red skin lesions, 4 were non-uniformly pigmented, and 3 had rough surfaces; the characteristic pathological manifestations included pagetoid spread of melanocytes (3 cases) , non-polar infiltrating growth of immature tumor cells, pathological mitotic figures (3 cases, > 6 cells/mm 2) , coarse nuclear chromatin and obviously stained nuclear membrane. Conclusions:Spitzoid tumors are characterized by unique clinical and histopathological features. There are various clinical and pathological subtypes of Spitz nevi, and atypical Spitz tumors have clinical and pathological characteristics of both Spitz nevi and melanoma.

Fruit variation and geographical distribution of citron / 中国中药杂志

The ripe dried fruit of citron(Citrus medica) is one of the important sources of Chinese herb Citri Fructus. At the same time, it is also grown for edible and ornamental uses. There are many species and abundant genetic variation. To clarify the intraspecific variation and resource distribution of citron, this study investigated the variation in 11 citron fruits, basically covering the main species in China, including Xiaoguo citron(C. medica var. ethrog), Goucheng(C. medica var. yunnanensis), Muli citron(C.medica var. muliensis), Dehong citron(C.medica×Citrus spp.), Fuzhou citron(C.medica×C.grandis?), Mawu(C.medica×C.grandis?), Cangyuan citron, Binchuan citron, Sweet citron, Big citron, and Small citron. The natural communities of citron were proved to be mainly distributed in the southwestern and western Yunnan and southeastern Tibet of China, with Yunnan, Sichuan, Guangxi, Chongqing, Hubei, and Zhejiang identified as the main production areas. Citron has also been widely grown in India, the Mediterranean region, and the Caribbean coast countries. The field investigation revealed the large-scale intraspecific variation of citron fruits. Most of the fruits are oval-like or sphere-like in shape. The fruits are green when raw and yellow when ripe, with oil cell dots on the skin, stripe-likes running from top to bottom, and bulge at the top. Usually, in the smaller citron fruits, the pulp and juice vesicles are better developed and the central columella is tighter. By contrast, the juice vesicles and central columella in larger fruits became more vacant, with carpels visible, and the apex segregation and development of the carpels is one of the reasons for variation. These variations should be given top priority in the future variety selection and breeding, and the quality differences of different citron species and their mechanisms should be further studied. In particular, variety selection and classification management according to their medicinal or edible purposes will provide scientific and technological supports for the orderly, safe, and effective production of citron products consumed as food and medicine.

The safety and efficacy of ultrasound guided combined needle-perc and standard percutaneous nephrolithotomy in the treatment of staghorn stone / 中华泌尿外科杂志

Objective@#To summarize our preliminary clinical experience of ultrasound-guided needle-perc combined with standard percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL) in the treatment of staghorn stones, and to analyze its safety and efficacy.@*Methods@#The clinical data of 65 patients with staghorn stones treated by ultrasound-guided needle-perc combined with standard PCNL under general anesthesia with the patient in prone position from December 2017 to June 2019 were retrospectively reviewed. A total of 41 males and 24 females were included. The mean age was (53.5+ 8.9) years. The mean body mass index (BMI) was (25.1±2.9) kg/m2, and the mean stone diameter was (10.9±3.1) cm. Among them, there were 3 cases with bilateral staghorn stones, 38 cases with complete staghorn calculi, 36 cases with non- or mild preoperative hydronephrosis, 12 cases with previous ipsilateral renal surgery, and 9 cases with solitary kidneys. Ultrasound-guided renal access and tract dilation were used to establish F24 standard channel. Pneumatic combined with ultrasonic lithotripsy with suction system was used to treat staghorn stones under nephroscope. Needle-perc consists of F4.2 needle-like metal sheath connected with a three-way tube. A 0.6 mm diameter video fiber, 200 um holmium laser fiber and liquid perfusion device can be connected through the three-way tube respectively. The residual stone in the parallel calyx after standard PCNL were punctured by needle-perc under ultrasound guidance, and then the holmium laser fiber was used for lithotripsy.@*Results@#In this study, a total of 68 renal units were included. The median operative time was 79.8 minutes, ranging 45-129 minutes. The median decrease of hemoglobin on postoperative day 1 was 10.6 g/L, ranging 0-25.9 g/L. The median length of postoperative hospital stay was 5.5 days, ranging 4-7 days and the median time of tract establishment was 4.8 minutes, ranging 2.5-9.6 minutes. The median number of standard tract established was 1.5, ranging 1-3 and the median number of needle-perc punctured was 1.0, ranging 1-3. The total complication rate was 10.3% (7 cases), including 5 cases of Clavien grade Ⅰ, 2 cases of postoperative fever, 3 cases of analgesic use. There were 2 cases of Clavien grade Ⅱ. All of them were blood transfusion. The initial stone free rate was 79.4%(54/68). Of the 14 patients with residual stones, 9 patients underwent second-stage operation, 7 patients were stone free, and the final stone free rate was 89.7%(61/68).@*Conclusions@#Ultrasound-guided needle-perc combined with standard PCNL is safe and effective in the treatment of staghorn stone.

Small interfering RNA targeting of keratin 17 reduces inflammation in imiquimod-induced psoriasis-like dermatitis / 中华医学杂志(英文版)

BACKGROUND@#Psoriasis is a common chronic inflammatory skin disease with 2% to 3% prevalence worldwide and a heavy social-psychological burden for patients and their families. As the exact pathogenesis of psoriasis is still unknown, the current treatment is far from satisfactory. Thus, there is an urgent need to find a more effective therapy for this disease. Keratin 17 (K17), a type I intermediate filament, is overexpressed in the psoriatic epidermis and plays a critical pathogenic role by stimulating T cells in psoriasis. Therefore, we hypothesized that inhibiting K17 may be a potential therapeutic approach for psoriasis. This study aimed to investigate the therapeutic effect of K17-specific small interfering RNA (siRNA) on mice with imiquimod (IMQ)-induced psoriasis-like dermatitis.@*METHODS@#Eight-week-old female BALB/c mice were administered a 5% IMQ cream on both ears to produce psoriatic dermatitis. On day 3, K17 siRNA was mixed with an emulsion matrix and applied topically to the left ears of the mice after IMQ application every day for 7 days. The right ears of the mice were treated in parallel with negative control (NC) siRNA. Inflammation was evaluated by gross ear thickness, histopathology, the infiltration of inflammatory cells (CD3+ T cells and neutrophils) using immunofluorescence, and the expression of cytokine production using real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction. The obtained data were statistically evaluated by unpaired t-tests and a one-way analysis of variance.@*RESULTS@#The severity of IMQ-induced dermatitis on K17 siRNA-treated mice ears was significantly lower than that on NC siRNA-treated mice ears, as evidenced by the alleviated ear inflammation phenotype, including decreased ear thickness, infiltration of inflammatory cells (CD3+ T cells and neutrophils), and inflammatory cytokine/chemokine expression levels (interleukin 17 [IL-17], IL-22, IL-23, C-X-C motif chemokine ligand 1, and C-C motif chemokine ligand 20) (P < 0.05 vs. the Blank or NC siRNA groups). Compared to the NC siRNA treatment, the K17 siRNA treatment resulted in increased K1 and K10 expression, which are characteristic of keratinocyte differentiation (vs. NC siRNA, K17 siRNA1 group: K1, t = 4.782, P = 0.0050; K10, t = 3.365, P = 0.0120; K17 siRNA2 group: K1, t = 4.104, P = 0.0093; K10, t = 4.168, P = 0.0042; siRNA Mix group: K1, t = 3.065, P = 0.0221; K10, t = 10.83, P < 0.0001), and decreased K16 expression, which is characteristic of keratinocyte proliferation (vs. NC siRNA, K17 siRNA1 group: t = 4.156, P = 0.0043; K17 siRNA2 group: t = 2.834, P = 0.0253; siRNA Mix group: t = 2.734, P = 0.0250).@*CONCLUSIONS@#Inhibition of K17 expression by its specific siRNA significantly alleviated inflammation in mice with IMQ-induced psoriasis-like dermatitis. Thus, gene therapy targeting K17 may be a potential treatment approach for psoriasis.

Clinical observation and analysis of the risk of post-operative infection complications for endoscopic treatment of upper urinary calculi combined with CRE bacteriuria / 中华泌尿外科杂志

Objective:To evaluate the risk of infectious complication after endoscopic surgery for the treatment of upper urinary tract calculi combined with carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) bacteriuria.Methods:The clinical data of 14 patients who were diagnosed with upper urinary tract calculi combined with CRE bacteriuria and treated in Tsinghua University affiliated Beijing Tsinghua Changgung Hospital from January 2015 to December 2019 were analyzed retrospectively. There were 7 males and 7 females, aged from 34 to 71 years old (mean 58.2 years old). The diagnosis was confirmed by ultrasonography, CT or abdominal X-ray. Fourteen cases underwent 15 procedures, including 4 RIRS and 11 PCNL. One patient underwent 2 PCNL procedures at an interval of 1 week, and 1 patient underwent PCNL 16 days after nephrostomy. There were 13 cases of renal calculi and 1 case of upper ureteral calculi. Stones were found on the left side in 8 cases and the right side in 6 cases. There were 3 cases of solitary stone, 4 cases of multiple stones and 7 cases of staghorn stone. The maximum diameter of stones was (31.5±10.2)mm in patients who underwent PCNL, and(10.8±2.6)mm in patients undergoing RIRS. The complete blood count, blood biochemistry, procalcitonin and C-reactive protein were tested postoperatively on the same day of the procedure and 1 day after the procedure. Abdominal X-ray was performed 1-2 days postoperatively, and the ureteral stent (double J) was removed 4 weeks after the procedure. Fourteen patients with CRE bacteriuria underwent 15 endoscopic procedures. Urine culture identified 7 cases of Escherichia coli, 6 cases of Klebsiella pneumoniae and 1 case of Enterobacter cloacae. Preoperative blood culture was performed in 3 cases, of which 1 case was negative and 1 case was Klebsiella pneumoniae positive. Before operation, 11 cases were empirical treated with broad-spectrum antibiotics, including monotherapy in 10 cases and drug combination therapy in 1 case. Sensitive antibiotics against CRE were prescribed in 4 cases preoperatively, including monotherapy in 2 cases and drug combination therapy in 2 cases. Antibiotics were used preoperatively for 1-24 days (mean 7.1 days).Results:After the operation, 7 cases received monotherapy with broad-spectrum antibiotics. Sensitive antibiotics against CRE were prescribed in 4 cases postoperatively, including monotherapy in 4 cases and drug combination in therapy 4 cases. Postoperative antibiotics were used for 2-17 days (mean 6.8 days). There were 3 cases of systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) after operation, and there were no cases of sepsis, septic shock or death. The main components of stones were ammonium magnesium phosphate hexahydrate in 8 patients and calcium oxalate monohydrate in 6 patients.Conclusions:Effective measures can be taken to reduce or avoid bacteremia caused by CRE, reducing mortality and the use of antibiotics. Endoscopic surgery can be performed only after the clinical symptoms and laboratory tests have significantly improved. Patients with fever and other clinical symptoms and abnormal infectious markers should be treated with targeted antimicrobial therapy.

The safety and efficacy of ultrasound guided combined needle-perc and standard percutaneous nephrolithotomy in the treatment of staghorn stone / 中华泌尿外科杂志

Objective To summarize our preliminary clinical experience of ultrasound-guided needle-perc combined with standard percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL) in the treatment of staghorn stones,and to analyze its safety and efficacy.Methods The clinical data of 65 patients with staghom stones treated by ultrasound-guided needle-perc combined with standard PCNL under general anesthesia with the patient in prone position from December 2017 to June 2019 were retrospectively reviewed.A total of 41 males and 24 females were included.The mean age was (53.5 + 8.9) years.The mean body mass index (BMI) was (25.1 ± 2.9) kg/m2,and the mean stone diameter was (10.9 ± 3.1) cm.Among them,there were 3 cases with bilateral staghorn stones,38 cases with complete staghorn calculi,36 cases with non-or mild preoperative hydronephrosis,12 cases with previous ipsilateral renal surgery,and 9 cases with solitary kidneys.Ultrasound-guided renal access and tract dilation were used to establish F24 standard channel.Pneumatic combined with ultrasonic lithotripsy with suction system was used to treat staghorn stones under nephroscope.Needle-perc consists of F4.2 needle-like metal sheath connected with a three-way tube.A 0.6 mm diameter video fiber,200 um holmium laser fiber and liquid perfusion device can be connected through the three-way tube respectively.The residual stone in the parallel calyx after standard PCNL were punctured by needle-perc under ultrasound guidance,and then the holmium laser fiber was used for lithotripsy.Results In this study,a total of 68 renal units were included.The median operative time was 79.8 minutes,ranging 45-129 minutes.The median decrease of hemoglobin on postoperative day 1 was 10.6 g/L,ranging 0-25.9 g/L.The median length of postoperative hospital stay was 5.5 days,ranging 4-7 days and the median time of tract establishment was 4.8 minutes,ranging 2.5-9.6 minutes.The median number of standard tract established was 1.5,ranging 1-3 and the median number of needle-perc punctured was 1.0,ranging 1-3.The total complication rate was 10.3％ (7 cases),including 5 cases of Clavien grade I,2 cases of postoperative fever,3 cases of analgesic use.There were 2 cases of Clavien grade II.All of them were blood transfusion.The initial stone free rate was 79.4％ (54/68).Of the 14 patients with residual stones,9 patients underwent second-stage operation,7 patients were stone free,and the final stone free rate was 89.7％ (61/68).Conclusions Ultrasound-guided needle-perc combined with standard PCNL is safe and effective in the treatment of staghorn stone.

The initial clinical application of needle-perc in upper urinary tract stones / 中华泌尿外科杂志

Objective To describe and introduce the initial clinical application of a novel instrument needle-perc for percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL) in upper urinary tract stones.Methods 24 patients with upper urinary stone treated by PCNL were collected retrospectively between August 2017 and January 2018.Sixteen patients were male and 8 were female.Average age was 41.2 years,ranging 26-65 years.Eight cases had upper pole stones,6 cases had pelvic stones,8 cases had lower pole stones and 4 cases had the stone in UPJ.The mean calculus size was 1.2 cm,ranging 0.5-1.4 cm.All patients were punctured under total ultrasound with needle-perc.Six cases had upper calyceal puncture,10 cases had middle calyceal puncture and 8 cases had lower calyceal puncture.The needle-shaped nephroscope consists of a puncture sheath and a needle handle.The puncture sheath is a hollow metal sheath with an outer diameter of F4.2,an inner diameter of F3.6,and a length of 15 cm.The tip of the sheath is beveled to facilitate puncture.The outer end of sheath is connected to the needle handle through a screw interface.And the three interfaces of the three-way tube can be respectively connected with a liquid irrigation device,a video optical fiber and a 200 μm holmium laser fiber.The needle-perc integrated image system,the irrigation system,and the nephroscope channel are integrated.The tissue passing through the needle can be simultaneously observed through video optical fiber during puncturing.After the tip of the sheath is inserted into the target calyx,the holmium laser fiber is connected for fragmenting or dusting.Results Needle-perc was successful in 22 cases,2 patients were converted to larger tract(F16).The mean opeartive time was 49.2 min,ranging 22-75 min and the mean hemoglobin loss was 5.2 g/L,ranging 0-13.8 g/L.Mean postoperative hospital stay was 3 days,ranging 1 to 6 days.No Double-J stents or nephrostomy tube was placed in the 22 patients.Complications (Clavien Ⅱ) occurred in 4 cases,including fever in 2 cases and renal colic in 2 cases.Plain film of KUB or CT scan was done and stone free rate at 1 month was 90.9％ (20/22),2 patients needed ESWL to remove the residual stones.Conclusions Needle-perc is efficient and safe for small renal stones (size ＜ 1.5 cm) from our initial experience,with high stone-free rate and low complication rate in early follow-up.

Effect of SARI Overexpression on Apoptosis of CBFL Cells and Its Mechanism / 中国实验血液学杂志

OBJECTIVE@#To investigate the effect of SARI overexpression on the proliferation and apoptosis of core binding factor leukemia (CBFL) cells and explore the potential molecular mechanisms.@*METHODS@#C-KIT N822K mutation status in Kasumi-1 cell line was detected by exon 17 sequencing. Then the SARI lentiviral vector (pGC-FU-SARI) was constructed, meanwhile Kasumi-1 cells were transfected with the SARI lentiviral vector. Quantitative PCR and Western blot were employed to identify efficacy of SARI overexpression after the transfection of cells. Cells were divided into three groups, including the cells infected with pGC-FU-SARI (OE group), the cells infected with pGC-FU-GFP (NC group) and the untreated cells (blank control group). Cell proliferative activity was tested by MTT assay, cell apoptosis was measured by flow cytometry (FCM) and the expression of apoptosis-related proteins: BCL-2,BAX,Cyto C,Caspase 9,Caspase 3,cleaved-Caspase 3,PARP and cleaved-PARP as well as PI3K/Akt pathway proteins: PI3K（p85）,p-PI3K（p85）,Akt and p-Akt were detected by Western blot.@*RESULTS@#The Kasumi-1 cells were detected to bear c-KIT N822K (T>A) mutation. The Kasumi-1 cells with SARI was overexpression were construeted successfully. Compared with NC group, the cell proliferation was decreased and cell apoptosis was increased; BCL-2 expression was reduced, BAX expression was enharued; cyto C expression appeared; the expression of Caspase 9 and Caspase 3 was down-regulated, the expression of cleaved Caspase 3 was up-regulated; the PARP expression was decreased, cleaved PARP expression was increased; the phosphorylation level of PI3K/Akt pathway proteins: p-PI3K/PI3K, p-Akt/Akt was down-regulated in OE group (P<0.05).@*CONCLUSION@#SARI gene may suppress the proliferation of CBFL cells, and induce their apoptosis through the mitochondrial pathway, which may be related with the inhibition of PI3K/Akt pathway.

Feasibility and safety of tract dilation under ultrasound guidance in standard percutaneous nephrolithotomy / 中华泌尿外科杂志

Objective To investigate the feasibility of tract dilation monitored by ultrasound in percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL),and the risk factors for its failure.Methods A retrospective study was conducted on patients underwent PCNL with only one access (F24) using balloon dilator and sequential dilators (Amplatz and telescopic metal dilators) from December 2014 to December 2018 in Beijing Tsinghua Changgung Hospital.A total of 231 patients (130 males and 101 females) underwent ultrasound-guided PCNL with a mean age of (52.3 ± 9.8) years were included in our study.Mean BMI was (25.8 ± 3.1) kg/m2.Mean size of stone was (3.9 ± 1.1)cm,51.1％ (118/231) of which were staghorn stones.Under ultrasound guidance,after puncture of the target calyx,the balloon dilator was advanced through the guide wire,and inflated to establish the F24 standard renal access.Patients' clinical parameters such as age,gender,BMI,stone diameter,history of open nephrolithotomy were collected.Risk factors for the failure of ultrasound guided balloon dilation were analyzed by logistic regression analysis.Results Tract dilation succeed in 89.2 ％ cases (206 succeed,25 failed) at first attempt.Median tract dilation time was 4.2 min (2.2-8.0 min).Mean operation time was 85.5 min(45.0-120.0 min).Median hemoglobin drop at the first postoperative day was 16.0 g/L (5.0-25.8 g/L).The total rate of complication was 9.1％ (21 cases),including 18 cases Clavien Ⅰ and 3 cases Clavien Ⅱ.The stone free rate was 89.6％ (207/231).Logistic regression analysis revealed that lower pole access (P =0.014) was a risk factor for the failure of access establishment,while the presence of hydronephrosis of target calyx (P ＜ 0.001) would significantly increase the success rate.Conclusions Tract dilation using balloon catheter can be safely monitored by ultrasound with high success rate and low complication rate.Lower pole puncture will make tract establishment difficulty.Patients with a hydronephrotic target calyx are more suitable for this procedure.