Intelligent Electrocardiogram Analysis in Medicine: Data, Methods, and Applications / 中国医学科学杂志(英文版)

Electrocardiogram (ECG) is a low-cost, simple, fast, and non-invasive test. It can reflect the heart's electrical activity and provide valuable diagnostic clues about the health of the entire body. Therefore, ECG has been widely used in various biomedical applications such as arrhythmia detection, disease-specific detection, mortality prediction, and biometric recognition. In recent years, ECG-related studies have been carried out using a variety of publicly available datasets, with many differences in the datasets used, data preprocessing methods, targeted challenges, and modeling and analysis techniques. Here we systematically summarize and analyze the ECG-based automatic analysis methods and applications. Specifically, we first reviewed 22 commonly used ECG public datasets and provided an overview of data preprocessing processes. Then we described some of the most widely used applications of ECG signals and analyzed the advanced methods involved in these applications. Finally, we elucidated some of the challenges in ECG analysis and provided suggestions for further research.

Influence of paper mixing pads thickness on the compressive strength of glass ionomer cement / 北京大学学报(医学版)

OBJECTIVE@#To explore the influence of the thickness of mixed cardboard on the compressive strength of glass ionomer cement and the associated factors.@*METHODS@#Three different types of glass ionomer cements were mixed on the top of 60, 40, 20 and 1 pieces of paper (P60, P40, P20 and P1), respectively. The compressive strength of the materials was tested after solidification, and the bubble rate was calculated with the assistance of scanning electron microscope.@*RESULTS@#(1) Compressive strength: ① ChemFil Superior glass ionomer (CF): The average compressive strength of P1 group was the highest, which was significantly different from that of P40 and P60 groups (P values were 0.041 and 0.032 respectively); ② To Fuji IX GP glass ionomer (IX): The average compressive strength of P1 group was the highest, which was statistically different from that of P40 and P60 groups (P values were 0.042 and 0.038 respectively); ③ Glaslonomer FX-Ⅱ glass ionomer cement (FX): The average compressive strength of P1 group was the highest, which was statistically different from that of P20, P40 and P60 groups (P values were 0.031, 0.040 and 0.041 respectively), but there was no statistical difference among the other groups. All the three materials showed that the compressive strength of glass ions gradually increased with the decrease of the thickness of the blended paperboard, and the two materials had a highly linear negative correlation, the correlation coefficients of which were CF-0.927, IX-0.989, FX-0.892, respectively. (2) Scanning electron microscope: P1 group had the least bubbles among the three materials.@*CONCLUSION@#It indicates that the thickness of mixed cardboard has a negative correlation with the compressive strength of glass ions. The thicker the mixed cardboard is, the greater the elasticity is. Excessive elasticity will accelerate the mixing speed when the grinding glass ions. Studies have shown that the faster the speed of artificial mixing is, the more bubbles is produced.The thicker ther mixed cardboard is, the more bubblesn are generated by glass ionomer cement, and the higher the compressive strength is. Using one piece of paper board to mix glass ionomer cement has the least bubbles and can obtain higher compressive strength.

Imaging classification and analysis of the diagnosis and treatment of infected pancreatic necrosis:a report of 126 cases / 中华外科杂志

Objective: To explore the clinical characteristics of various types of infected pancreatic necrosis(IPN) and the prognosis of different treatment methods in the imaging classification of IPN proposed. Methods: The clinical data of 126 patients with IPN admitted to the Department of Pancreatic and Biliary Surgery, the First Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University from December 2018 to December 2021 were analyzed retrospectively. There were 70 males(55.6%) and 56 females(44.4%), with age(M(IQR)) of 44(17)years (range: 12 to 87 years). There were 67 cases(53.2%) of severe acute pancreatitis and 59 cases (46.8%) of moderately severe acute pancreatitis. All cases were based on the diagnostic criteria of IPN. All cases were divided into Type Ⅰ(central IPN)(n=21), Type Ⅱ(peripheral IPN)(n=23), Type Ⅲ(mixed IPN)(n=74) and Type Ⅳ(isolated IPN)(n=8) according to the different sites of infection and necrosis on CT.According to different treatment strategies,they were divided into Step-up group(n=109) and Step-jump group(n=17). The clinical indicators and prognosis of each group were observed and analyzed by ANOVA,t-test,χ2 test or Fisher exact test,respectively. Results: There was no significant difference in mortality, complication rate and complication grade in each type of IPN(all P>0.05). Compared with other types of patients, the length of stay (69(40)days vs. 19(19)days) and hospitalization expenses(323 000(419 000)yuan vs. 60 000(78 000)yuan) were significantly increased in Type Ⅳ IPN(Z=-4.041, -3.972; both P<0.01). The incidence of postoperative residual infection of Type Ⅳ IPN was significantly higher than that of other types (χ2=16.350,P<0.01). There was no significant difference in the mortality of patients with different types of IPN between different treatment groups. The length of stay and hospitalization expenses of patients in the Step-up group were significantly less than those in the Step-jump group(19(20)days vs. 33(35)days, Z=-2.052, P=0.040;59 000(80 000)yuan vs. 122 000(109 000)yuan,Z=-2.317,P=0.020). Among the patients in Type Ⅳ IPN, the hospitalization expenses of Step-up group was significantly higher than that of Step-jump group(330 000(578 000)yuan vs. 141 000 yuan,Z=-2.000,P=0.046). The incidence of postoperative residual infection of Step-up group(17.4%(19/109)) was significantly lower than that of Step-jump group(10/17)(χ2=11.980, P=0.001). Conclusions: Type Ⅳ IPN is more serious than the other three types. It causes longer length of stay and more hospitalization expenses. The step-up approach is safe and effective in the treatment of IPN. However, for infected lesions which are deep in place,difficult to reach by conventional drainage methods, or mainly exhibit "dry necrosis", choosing the step-jump approach is a more positive choice.

Analysis of causes of graft loss in 135 kidney transplant recipients / 南方医科大学学报

OBJECTIVE@#To investigate the causes of graft loss in kidney transplant recipients.@*METHODS@#We retrospectively analyzed the clinical data of 135 recipients with graft loss after renal transplantation in the Eighth Medical Center of Chinese PLA General Hospital from January 1, 2002 to January 1, 2022.@*RESULTS@#A total of 135 kidney transplant recipients experienced graft failure. The causes of graft loss included graft rejection (70 cases, 51.8%), death of the recipients with functional graft (37 cases, 27.4%), surgical complications (12 cases, 8.9%), drug toxicity (4 cases, 3.0%), carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae infection (4 cases, 3.0%), polyoma BK virus-related nephropathy (3 cases, 2.2%), primary nonfunctioning kidney (2 cases, 1.5%), recurrence of primary disease (2 cases, 1.5%), and prerenal acute renal failure (1 case, 0.7%).@*CONCLUSION@#The main cause of graft loss after renal transplantation is graft rejection, and the secondary cause is death of the recipient with functional graft, and other reasons can be rare.

Efficacy of rituximab in maintenance therapy for antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody-associated vas-culitis / 中华风湿病学杂志

Objective:To evaluate the efficacy and safety of rituximab(RTX) as remission-mainten-ance therapy in antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody(ANCA) associated vasculitis(AAV).Methods:Patients with AAV, including granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA) and microscopic polyangiitis (MPA), treated with rituximab (RTX) in Peking Union Medical College Hospital during September 2005 to June 2021 were included into this study. Clinical data, relapse rate, time of first relapse and adverse events were collected and analyzed. The cumulative relapse rate was calculated by Kaplan-Meier, t test, and Man-Whithey U test and chi-square were used to compare differences between two groups. Results:① Thirty-nine AAV patients were enrolled, including 36 GPA and 3 MPA. During the 20(3, 104) months follow-up, 59.0%(23/39) patients had suffered relapses. The time for first relapse was 11(3, 42) months after remission. ② There were no difference in the relapse rate [60.0%(18/30) vs 55.6%(5/9), χ2=0.06, P=1.000), the time of first relapse [15(3, 42) vs 10(9, 30), Z=0.45, P=0.678], CD19 + B [23.5 (5, 148) cell/μl vs 3(2, 15) cell/μl, Z=0.57, P=0.605] and serum IgG [7.09(5.13, 13.90) g/L vs 9.72(5.32, 12.0) g/L, Z=0.36, P=0.770] between standard dose and low-dose groups. The rate of major relapse-free was significantly less in patients treated with standard dose than patients with reduced dose of RTX {87.1%[95% CI(73.4%, 100.8R%)] vs 64.3%[95% CI(23.1%, 105.4%)], χ2=7.59, P=0.006}. ③ There were no difference in relapse rate [50.0%(3/6) vs 60.6%(20/33), χ2=0.24, P=0.674], time of first relapse [23(6, 25) vs 11(3, 42), Z=0.05, P=0.982], CD19 + B[35(15, 50) cell/μl vs 10(0, 148) cell/μl, Z=0.95, P=0.382] and serum IgG[6.70(5.91, 7.49) g/L vs 7.69(3.78, 13.90) g/L, Z=0.48, P=0.700] between the fixed interval dosage and the on-demand dosage groups. There was no difference in the rate of major relapse-free between the two groups (100% vs 77.8%, χ2=1.79, P=0.181). ④ The incidence of infusion reaction was 5.1%(2/39) and infection was 20.5%(8/39). Serum IgG level was 4.37(3.78, 13.4) g/L at infection. There was no difference in safety between the standard and low-dose groups or between fixed interval and on-demand dosage groups ( P>0.05). Conclusion:There is no significant difference in relapse rate bet-ween the standard RTX dose and low-dose RTX induction therapy group, but the major relapse rate is sign-ificantly reduced in the standard dose RTX therapy. The relapse rate of fixed intervals dosage group is similar to that of on-demand dosage group. The safety profile of the standard dose and low-dose induction therapy groups or fixed intervals and on-demand dosage groups is similiar.

Detection on antiserum of Yersinia pestis phage in Marmota himalayana blood in the natural plague foci of Qinghai-Tibet Plateau / 中国热带医学

@#Abstract: Objective　To detect and analyze the antiserum of Yersinia pestis phage in Marmota himalayana blood from the natural plague foci of Qinghai-Tibet Plateau by micro-bolus technique, to provide a theoretical basis for interaction between phages and mammalian immunology, phage therapy and interaction between bacteriophage and ecology in future. Methods　Using diagnostic Yersinia pestis phage and 3 wild plague phages from Qinghai-Tibet Plateau Natural Plague Foci as antigens, 847 serums of Marmota Himalayana blood, from Tongde, Guinan, Gonghe, Xinghai, Tianjun foci counties in Qinghai Plateau, were collected from July to September in 2020, 2021 and determined on antiserum of Yersinia pestis phage by microplate method and double agar plate method. Results　The neutralization reaction experiment lasted for 24 hours between 4 phage and 847 serums by microplate method independently. These mixtures were tested by double agar plate method. All results were negative on antiserum of Yersinia pestis bacteriophage. Conclusions　The positive antiserum of Yersinia pestis phage in Marmota himalayana were not found the natural plague foci of Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, which agreed with plague epidemiology in 5 foci counties in Qinghai plateau from 2020-2021, that was a characteristic of the resting period. In other words, it was in the absence of plague pathogen. It also showed indirectly that the absence or weak presence of Yersinia pestis bacteriophage in the plague foci. It showed a lower frequency on host animals coming into contact with phages naturally. The antiserum of Yersinia pestis phage may be related to the form of plague infection and the intensity of the disease.

The Efficacy of Rh Phenotype Matched Blood Transfusion / 中国实验血液学杂志

OBJECTIVE@#To analyze and evaluate the efficacy of Rh phenotype matched blood transfusion.@*METHODS@#The increasing of hemoglobin (Hb) and hemolysis tests in the patients treated by Rh matched red blood cells or not, as well as the first time unmatched transfusions and the unmatched transfusions happened again after a period (≥10 d) were retrospectively analyzed.@*RESULTS@#A total of 674 times transfusions in 120 patients were evaluated. The increasing of Hb in each unit was higher in the patients treated by Rh matched blood transfusion (vs unmatched) [(33.397±1.475) g/U vs (29.951±1.304) g/U, P=0.033], while the increasing of Hb at first time unmatched transfusion and the second time unmatched transfusion was not statistically different[ (28.942±2.083) g/U vs (30.686±1.737) g/U, P=0.589]. The level of lactate dehydrogenase were related to erythrocyte washing, irradiation, period of validity and the second time unmatched transtusion (all P<0.05); the levels of total bilirubin (TBil), direct bilirubin (DBil) and indirect bilirubin (IBil) between the first time unmatched transfusion and the second time unmatched transfusion were statistically different (all P<0.05).@*CONCLUSION@#For the patients need multiple blood transfusions, Rh phenotype matched blood transfusion can reduce the exposure to Rh allogenic antigens, improve the efficacy and ensure the safety of blood transfusion.

The 488th case: chronic diarrhea and abnormal liver function / 中华内科杂志

A 56-year-old female was admitted to Department of Gastroenterology at Peking Union Medical College Hospital with diarrhea for seven months, and abnormal liver function for six months. She had a history of type 1 diabetes. The main clinical manifestations were recurrent fatty diarrhea and abnormal liver function, accompanied by abdominal and retroperitoneal lymphadenopathy, elevated CA19-9 and CEA. Progressive impairment of hepatic synthetic function and shrinkage of liver developed in a short period of time. The pathology of liver biopsy suggested that nodular regeneration of hepatocytes was followed by hyperplasia of thin bile ducts after submassive necrosis. Intestinal mucosa biopsies were performed twice. The pathology showed that the intestinal villi were completely blunt, accompanied with crypt hyperplasia. Goblet cells disappeared with reduced mucin. Paneth cells were barely seen without intraepithelial infiltration of lymphocytes. Rifaximin was not effective, while glucocorticoids improved clinical situation. The diagnosis of autoimmune enteropathy was finally confirmed by multidisciplinary team including departments of gastroenterology, pathology, endocrinology, hematology, infectious diseases, and rheumatology. With the administration of glucocorticoid and sirolimus, diarrhea relieved and liver function returned to normal.

Value of Modified Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors response in predicting the prognosis of patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma patients after transarterial chemoembolization / 临床肝胆病杂志

ObjectiveTo investigate the association of Modified Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (mRECIST) response with the prognosis of patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) after transarterial embolization (TACE). MethodsA retrospective analysis was performed for the clinical data of 190 patients with unresectable HCC who were consecutively admitted to Department of Liver Disease and Digestive Interventional Radiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Air Force Medical University, and treated with TACE from January 2010 to December 2014. The mRECIST criteria were used to evaluate imaging response after TACE; the patients with complete response (CR) or partial response (PR) were enrolled as response group(n=89), and those with progressive disease (PD) or stable disease (SD) were enrolled as non-response group(n=101). The Kaplan-Meier method was used to calculate median survival time, and the log-rank test was used for comparison between groups; the Cox regression model was used to identify the influencing factors for prognosis. ResultsAccording to the mRECIST criteria, 39 patients (20.5%) achieved CR, 50 (26.3%) achieved PR, 67 (35.3%) had SD, and 34 (17.9%) had PD. The objective response rate based on mRECIST was 46.8% for the whole population. The response group had a significantly longer survival time than the non-response group, and the median survival time was 29.9 (95% confidence interval ［CI］: 25.0-34.8) months for the response group and 7.5 (95% CI: 5.7-9.3) months for the non-response group (P＜0.001). The multivariate analysis showed that mRECIST response (hazard ratio ［HR］=2.02, P＜0.001), hepatitis B (HR=4.03, P＜0.001), and portal invasion (HR=2.12, P=0.008) were independent risk factors for survival. ConclusionThe mRECIST response has a certain value in predicting the prognosis of patients with unresectable HCC after TACE.

Role and mechanism of histone deacetylases in mouse neuronal development / 中国当代儿科杂志

OBJECTIVE@#To study the role and mechanism of histone deacetylase 1 (HDAC1) and histone deacetylase 2 (HDAC2) in mouse neuronal development.@*METHODS@#The mice with Synapsin1-Cre recombinase were bred with @*RESULTS@#The mice with @*CONCLUSIONS@#Deletion of

Clinical characteristics, plasma levels of hydrogen sulfide and gene analysis of cardiovascular involvement in children with methylmalonic acidemia and homocystinemia / 中华实用儿科临床杂志

Objective:To explore the clinical characteristics, plasma levels of hydrogen sulfide(H 2S) and the relationship between the genotype and phenotype of cardiovascular involvement in children with methylmalonic acidemia and homocystinemia. Methods:The clinical and laboratory data of 66 outpatients diagnosed with methylmalonic acidemia combined with homocystinemia in Department of Pediatrics, Peking University First Hospital from January 2014 to July 2014 were collected and analyzed respectively, and the patients were divided into 2 groups: cardiovascular involvement group (10 cases) and non-cardiovascular involvement group(56 cases). The differences in the clinical characteristics, plasma levels of H 2S and genotypes were compared between 2 groups. Results:(1) There were 45 cases of early-onset children under 1 year old, including 4 cases of cardiovascular system involvement and 41 cases of non-cardiovascular system involvement.Twenty-one cases had onset above 1 year old, including 6 cases of cardiovascular system involvement and 15 cases of non-cardiovascular system involvement. There were 44 male children, including 8 cases with cardiovascular system involvement and 36 cases without cardiovascular system involvement; 22 cases female children, including 2 cases with cardiovascular system involvement and 20 cases without cardiovascular system involvement. There was no significant difference in onset age and gender distribution between the 2 groups ( χ2=2.910, 0.368, all P>0.05). (2)In the 10 cases with cardiovascular involvement, there were 3 cases with hypertension, 2 cases with hypertension combined with pulmonary hypertension, 2 cases with mild myocardial hypertrophy, 1 case with atrial septal defect combined with pulmonary hypertension, 1 case with pulmonary hypertension, 1 case with myocardial noncompaction.Compared with the non-cardiovascular involvement group, the proportion of kidney involvement was increased and that of nervous system was decreased in cardiovascular system involvement group( χ2=20.34, 5.79, all P<0.05), the proportion of hematological system involvement between the 2 groups had no significant differences ( χ2=1.28, P>0.05). The plasma levels of hydrogen sulfide of children with cardiovascular involvement was significantly lower than that of non-cardiovascular involvement[(33.8±3.6) μmol/L vs.(39.3±5.2) μmol/L, t=-3.22, P<0.01]. (3) MMACHC gene mutation (cblC type) was identified in all 46 patients.It was found that the most common type of gene mutation was c. 80A>G in cardiovascular involvement group, while c. 609G>A was the most common type of gene mutation in non-cardiovascular involvement group. Conclusions:The clinical manifestations of children with methylmalonic acidemia and homocystinemia involving cardiovascular system are multiple and prone to multiple system involvement, especially renal involvement.A decrease in plasma hydrogen sulfide levels may be involved in the involvement of its cardiovascular system.The MMACHC gene c. 80A>G mutation is the most common genetic mutation site in children with cardiovascular involvement with methylmalonic acidemia and homocystinemia.

Exposure to famine in fetus and infant period and risk for hypertension in adulthood / 中华流行病学杂志

Objective@#To investigate the relationship between exposure to famine in fetus and infant period and the risks for hypertension in adulthood.@*Methods@#A total of 5 960 participants born between 1956 and 1965 were included in the study and were divided into unexposed group (1963-1965), fetal exposed group (1959-1961), early- childhood exposed group (1956-1958) and transitional group (1962). Logistic regression model was used to explore the association between famine exposure in early life and the risk for hypertension in adulthood.@*Results@#Both the fetal exposure and the early-childhood exposure were the risk factors for hypertension in adulthood (OR=1.249, 95%CI: 1.049-1.486 and OR=1.360, 95%CI: 1.102-1.679). Meanwhile, in rural area, compared with unexposed group, the fetal exposure (OR=1.401, 95%CI: 1.091-1.798) and the early-childhood exposure (OR=1.460, 95%CI: 1.145-1.862) were also associated with a greater risk of hypertension in adulthood. In addition, fetal exposure and early-childhood exposure to famine in women were associated with 36.0% and 31.9% increased risks for hypertension (95%CI: 7.8%-71.7% and 95%CI: 4.8%-66.0%) according to the stratified analysis.@*Conclusion@#Fetal exposure to famine might increase the risk for hypertension in adulthood.

Association of HLA-G 3′UTR gene polymorphism with the risk of unexplained spontaneous recurrent abortion / 中华检验医学杂志

Objective:To investigate the distribution of single nucleotide polymorphism and haplotype of human leucocyte antigen G 3′untranslated region gene, which possibly could be predictive roles in unexplained recurrent spontaneous abortion patients.Methods:Case-control method was used in this study. 70 cases of pregnant women with unexplained recurrent spontaneous abortion and 54 cases of prenatal examination women whose peripheral blood and serum were collected in Wenzhou Hospital of Chinese Traditional Medicine were recorded from June 2017 to July 2018. Blood gene DNA was extracted by centrifuge column and was amplified by polymerase chain reaction. Sanger sequencing method was used for genotyping. The genotypes frequency, linkage imbalance analysis and haplotypes construction of SNPs were analyzed by SHEsis online software and Phase software. Serum soluble HLA-G concentration was detected by ELISA.Results:There were eight SNPs, including 14bp ins/del,+3003C/T,+3010G/C,+3027A/C,+3035C/T,+3142C/G,+3187A/G and+3196C/G, were detected in both the URSA group and the control group. Results showed that the distribution differences of+3010G/C,+3142C/G and+3187A/G between the two groups were statistically significant (χ 2=8.514, P=0.004; χ 2=0.552, P=0.021; χ 2=8.183, P=0.005) .The C allele at the+3010G/C site and the G allele at the +3142C/G site might be risk factors for URSA ( OR=2.131, 95 %CI=1.278-3.552, χ 2=8.514, P=0.004; OR=1.813, 95 %CI=1.091-3.013, χ 2=0.552, P=0.021) ;the G allele at +3187A/G site might be a protective factor for URSA ( OR=0.476, 95 %CI=0.285-0.794, χ 2=8.183, P=0.005) .Haplotype analysis revealed that UTR-1 (DTGCCCGC) might be a protective factor for URSA ( OR=0.497, 95 %CI=0.295-0.837,χ 2=6.987, P=0.008), while UTR-3 (DTCCCGAC) might be a risk factor for URSA ( OR=1.732, 95 %CI=1.009-2.974, χ 2=3.998, P=0.045).The frequency of UTR-1/UTR-1 homozygous in URSA patients was lower than that in normal patients obviously( OR=0.381, 95 %CI=0.165-0.879, χ 2=5.292, P=0.024), which might be a protective factor for pregnancy. No association was found between serum soluble HLA-G and HLA-G 3′UTR gene haplotypes in URSA ( t=1.578, P=0.119) . Conclusions:HLA-G 3′UTR gene polymorphism and haplotypes are correlated with URSA. The study lays a foundation for future research and provides a basis for clinical individualized medicine.

Exposure to famine in fetus and infant period and risk for hypertension in adulthood / 中华流行病学杂志

To investigate the relationship between exposure to famine in fetus and infant period and the risks for hypertension in adulthood. A total of 5 960 participants born between 1956 and 1965 were included in the study and were divided into unexposed group (1963-1965), fetal exposed group (1959-1961), early- childhood exposed group (1956-1958) and transitional group (1962). Logistic regression model was used to explore the association between famine exposure in early life and the risk for hypertension in adulthood. Both the fetal exposure and the early-childhood exposure were the risk factors for hypertension in adulthood (=1.249, 95: 1.049-1.486 and =1.360, 95: 1.102-1.679). Meanwhile, in rural area, compared with unexposed group, the fetal exposure (=1.401, 95: 1.091-1.798) and the early-childhood exposure (=1.460, 95: 1.145-1.862) were also associated with a greater risk of hypertension in adulthood. In addition, fetal exposure and early-childhood exposure to famine in women were associated with 36.0 and 31.9 increased risks for hypertension (95: 7.8-71.7 and 95: 4.8-66.0) according to the stratified analysis. Fetal exposure to famine might increase the risk for hypertension in adulthood.

Clinical analysis and literature review of adult onset Still's disease with interstitial lung diseases / 中华风湿病学杂志

Objective To analyze the clinical characteristics of patients with adult onset Still's disease (AOSD) with interstitial lung diseases (ILD),and review the literature.Methods The medical records of inpatients with AOSD and ILD from January 2000 to October 2017 were retrospectively analyzed,and papers were searched and summarized with the key words "adult onset Still's disease" and "interstitial lung diseases".Kolmogorov-Smirnov test was used to test if variables met normal distribution.Measurement data which was normally distributed was described as Mean ±SD.Measurement data which was not normally distributed was described as median and interquartile range.Results Among the 15 patients included in the study,six were male,and nine were female,and the mean age was (50±12) years.All of the 15 patients had fever,and the average temperature was (39.4±0.4) ℃.Eleven patients had rash,and 12 patients had arthralgia,seven patients presented with cough,and eight patients presented with short of breath.The high resolution computed tomography of the chest presented as ground glass opacity in nine patients,grid shadow in three patients and consolidation in three patients.All the 15 patients received glucocorticoids,and 10 patients received immunosuppressants at the same time.One patient was lost to follow up,four patients died (three patients died of respiratory failure and one patient died of myocardial infarction),10 patients improved.Conclusion Patients with AOSD can also have ILD,which should be alerted by clinicians.Early treatment with glucocorticoids and immunosuppressants if infection is excluded may bring good prognosis,and it is easy to relapse when glucocorticoids is tapered off.

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy associated with mitochondrial disease in children / 中国实用儿科杂志

Mitochondrial disease is a heterogeneous group of hereditary diseases caused by the defects in the mitochondrial respiratory chain and abnormal cellular energy metabolism.Heart is one of the most common organs involved,and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is the most common and important type of cardiac involvement in mitochondrial disease. Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy in the patients with mitochondrial disease with childhood onset is more common than those with adulthood onset. Mortality in children with cardiac involvement caused by mitochondrial disease is significantly higher than that in children without cardiac involvement,so the early diagnosis and treatment is very important. But the early diagnosis is still difficult due to the complexity of clinical manifestations of mitochondrial disease. There is no specific treatment for mitochondrial disease and its associated hypertrophic cardiomyopathy,so supportive therapy is still the main treatment.

Oxidative stress induces damage to epididymal epithelial tight junction protein ZO-1 and impairs epididymal function in varicocele rats / 中华男科学杂志

Objective@#To investigate oxidative stress-mediated damage to the epididymal epithelial tight junction protein ZO-1 and its impact on epididymal function in varicocele rats.@*METHODS@#We randomly divided 45 male adolescent SD rats into three groups of equal number: sham operation (left renal vein exposed and isolated), experimental (left renal vein constricted and collaterals of the left spermatic vein fully ligated), and treatment (60-day intragastric administration of vitamin E at 150 mg/kg/d after modeling). At 60 days after modeling, we observed the histological changes in the left epididymis, detected the expressions of ZO-1 and other tight junction-related proteins by real-time quantitative PCR, immunohistochemistry, immunofluorescence staining and Western blotting, determined sperm motility, and measured the levels of superoxide dismutase (SOD), total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC), methylene dioxyamphetamine (MDA) and α-glucosidase (α-Glu) in the epididymal tissue of the rats.@*RESULTS@#Compared with the rats of the sham operation group, those of the experimental group showed disorganized epithelial structure and decreased number of epithelial cells in the left epididymis, with some epithelial cells desquamated into the lumen. The expression of ZO-1 was significantly lower in the experimental than in the sham operation group (P < 0.05) but markedly upregulated after VE treatment (P < 0.05). In comparison with the sham operation group, the animals in the experimental group exhibited remarkably increased content of MDA in the epididymal tissue (［0.41 ± 0.05］ vs ［1.21 ± 0.18］ nmol/mg prot, P < 0.05) but decreased levels of SOD (［814.65 ± 73.64］ vs ［298.62 ± 67.84］ U/mg prot, P < 0.05), T-AOC (［0.84 ± 0.07］ vs ［0.24 ± 0.04］ nmol/mg prot, P < 0.05) and α-Glu (［11.72 ± 2.72］ vs ［5.82 ± 1.24］ U/mg prot, P < 0.05). VE treatment, however, remarkably reduced the content of MDA (［0.69 ± 0.12］ nmol/mg prot) and elevated the levels of SOD (［497.73 ± 48.03］ U/mg prot), T-AOC (［0.42 ± 0.06］ nmol/mg prot) and α-Glu (［9.11 ± 1.91］ U/mg prot) as compared with those in the experimental group (all P < 0.05). The percentage of progressively motile sperm was significantly lower in the experimental than in the sham operation group (［31.33 ± 6.32］% vs ［71.21 ± 5.21］%, P < 0.05), but markedly increased after VE treatment (［60.68 ± 5.31］%, P < 0.05).@*CONCLUSIONS@#Varicocele reduces the expression of the EETJ protein ZO-1 and impairs epididymal function via oxidative stress, while vitamin E can effectively upregulate the ZO-1 expression and improve epididymal function by decreasing oxidative stress in the epididymis of varicocele rats.

Clinical analysis and literature review of adult onset Still's disease with interstitial lung diseases / 中华风湿病学杂志

Objective@#To analyze the clinical characteristics of patients with adult onset Still's disease (AOSD) with interstitial lung diseases (ILD), and review the literature.@*Methods@#The medical records of inpatients with AOSD and ILD from January 2000 to October 2017 were retrospectively analyzed, and pa-pers were searched and summarized with the key words "adult onset Still's disease" and "interstitial lung diseases". Kolmogorov-Smirnov test was used to test if variables met normal distribution. Measurement data which was normally distributed was described as Mean±SD. Measurement data which was not normally distributed was described as median and interquartile range.@*Results@#Among the 15 patients included in the study, six were male, and nine were female, and the mean age was (50±12) years. All of the 15 patients had fever, and the average temperature was (39.4±0.4) ℃. Eleven patients had rash, and 12 patients had arthralgia, seven patients presented with cough, and eight patients presented with short of breath. The high resolution computed tomography of the chest presented as ground glass opacity in nine patients, grid shadow in three patients and consolidation in three patients. All the 15 patients received glucocorticoids, and 10 patients received immunosuppressants at the same time. One patient was lost to follow up, four patients died (three patients died of respiratory failure and one patient died of myocardial infarction), 10 patients improved.@*Conclusion@#Patients with AOSD can also have ILD, which should be alerted by clinicians. Early treatment with glucocorticoids and immunosuppressants if infection is excluded may bring good prognosis, and it is easy to relapse when glucocorticoids is tapered off.

Proliferative capacity of neural stem cells in hippocampus of rats after traumatic brain injury and its relationship with Janus kinase 2/signaling and transcriptional activation factor 3 signaling pathway / 中华创伤杂志

Objective To investigate the proliferative capacity of neural stem cells (NSCs) in rat hippocampus after traumatic brain injury (TBI) and its relationship with Janus kinase 2/signaling and transcriptional activation factor 3 (JAK2/STAT3) signaling pathway activity.Methods A total of 108 SD rats were randomly divided into control group (36 rats) and TBI group (72 rats).The TBI model was constructed by PinPointTM Precision Cortical Impactor.At 1,3,7,14,21 and 28 days after injury,the brain tissues were taken for immunofluorescence staining to detect the proliferation of NSCs [5-bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) +/stem cell key protein-2 (Sox2) +] in hippocampus,and phosphorylated JAK2 (p-JAK2) and phosphorylated STAT3 (p-STAT3) were detected by Western blot.The expression level of p-JAK2 and p-STAT3 as well as the changing trend were analyzed.On the basis of preliminary analysis of the proliferation of NSCs and the change of JAK2/STAT3 signaling pathway activity in hippocampus,another 24 SD rats were randomly divided into TBI + normal saline group and TBI +AG490 (JAK2 specific inhibitor) group,with 12 rats in each group.At 7 days after injury,the proliferation of NSCs in hippocampus was detected by immunofluorescence staining,and the expression levels of p-JAK2 and p-STAT3 were detected by Western blot,so as to further confirm the correlation between the proliferation ability of NSCs in hippocampus and JAK2/STAT3 signaling pathway.Results Compared with the control group,the number of NSCs in the hippocampus of the TBI group and the expression of p-JAK2 and p-STAT3 increased.And the most significant increase occurred at 7 days after injury [number of NSCs:31.2 ± 4.7 in the control group,111.4 ± 8.1 in the TBI group (P ＜ 0.01);p-JAK2:1.11 ± 0.09 in the control group,2.16 ± 1.01 in the TBI group (P ＜ 0.01);p-STAT3:1.05 ± 0.06 in the control group and 2.06 ± 0.09 in the TBI group (P ＜ 0.01)].The proliferation of NSCs in hippocampus of TBI group was consistent with the change of p-JAK2 and p-STAT3 expression.Seven days after injury,the expression levels of p-JAK2 and p-STAT3 and the proliferation ability of NSCs in the TBI + AG490 were significantly decreased [p-JAK2:2.18 ± 0.15 in the TBI + isotonic saline group,1.24 ±0.10 in the TBI + AG490 group (P ＜0.01);p-STAT3:2.21 ±0.12 in the TBI + isotonic saline group,1.25 ± 0.11 in the TBI + AG490 group (P ＜ 0.01);NSCs number:112.8 ± 8.6 in the TBI + isotonic saline group,75.5 ± 6.4 in the TBI + AG490 group (P ＜ 0.05)].Conclusions The proliferation of NSCs in hippocampus of rats increased after TBI,and the activity of JAK2/STAT3 signaling pathway also increased,following the same trend.JAK2 inhibitor AG490 can reduce the activity of JAK2/STAT3 signaling pathway and the proliferation of NSCs.This can provide reference for researches on TBI promoting nerve regeneration and function repair.

Gut microbiota analysis and its significance in vasovagal syncope in children / 中华医学杂志(英文版)

BACKGROUND@#Vasovagal syncope (VVS) is common in children and greatly affect both physical and mental health. But the mechanisms have not been completely explained. This study was designed to analyze the gut microbiota in children with VVS and explore its clinical significance.@*METHODS@#Fecal samples from 20 VVS children and 20 matched controls were collected, and the microbiota were analyzed by 16S rRNA gene sequencing. The diversity and microbiota compositions of the VVS cases and controls were compared with the independent sample t test or Mann-Whitney U test. The correlation between the predominant bacteria and clinical symptoms was analyzed using Pearson or Spearman correlation test.@*RESULTS@#No significant differences in diversity were evident between VVS and controls (P > 0.05). At the family level, the relative abundance of Ruminococcaceae was significantly higher in VVS children than in controls (median [Q1, Q3]: 22.10% [16.89%, 27.36%] vs. 13.92% [10.31%, 20.18%], Z = -2.40, P  4, P < 0.05). The relative abundance of Ruminococcaceae in VVS patients was positively correlated with the frequency of syncope (r = 0.616, P < 0.01). In terms of its correlation with hemodynamics, we showed that relative abundance of Ruminococcaceae was negatively correlated with the systolic and diastolic pressure reduction at the positive response in head-up tilt test (HUTT; r = -0.489 and -0.448, all P < 0.05), but was positively correlated with the mean pressure drop and decline rate (r = 0.489 and 0.467, all P < 0.05) as well as diastolic pressure drop and decline rate at the HUTT positive response (r = 0.579 and 0.589, all P < 0.01) in VVS patients.@*CONCLUSION@#Ruminococcaceae was the predominant gut bacteria and was associated with the clinical symptoms and hemodynamics of VVS, suggesting that gut microbiota might be involved in the development of VVS.