Current status and influencing factors of oral healthrelated quality of life among senior primary school students in Bengbu / 中国学校卫生

Objective@#To investigate oral health related life quality and associated factors of senior primary school students in Bengbu City, so as to provide scientific basis for targeted oral health education for children.@*Methods@#A stratified cluster random sampling method was adopted to select 1 760 senior students (grade 5 to 6) from 12 primary schools in 4 districts of Bengbu City from September to November 2022. A cross sectional survey was conducted on the oral health of students through questionnaires related to oral health. The effect of oral problems on quality of life was assessed by the Child Daily Life Oral Influence Scale (Child-OIDP). Chi square test, non parametric test and binary Logistic regression model were used to analyze the influencing factors of oral health related quality of life in senior primary school students.@*Results@#The prevalence of oral problems affecting the quality of daily life was 70.00%, and the severe impact rate was 15.06%. Oral feeding was the most affected (57.95%). The Child-OIDP score was (7.49±8.57). Binary Logistic regression analysis showed that mother s education level, self rated teeth and oral conditions, bruised tooth, toothache in the past year, and gingival bleeding in the past 2 weeks were significantly associated with the incidence of Child-OIDP ( OR=1.86-5.00, P <0.05).@*Conclusion@#It is common that oral problems affect the quality of daily life of senior primary school students in Bengbu. Families and schools should strengthen oral health knowledge education and behavior guidance, so as to reduce the impact of oral problems on daily life among senior primary school students.

Analysis of distribution characteristics and drug resistance of pathogens isolated from ascites of patients in Children's Hospital Affiliated to Zhengzhou University, 2015-2021 / 中国热带医学

@#Abstract: Objective　To investigate the distribution and drug resistance of pathogenic bacteria separated from ascites of patients in Children’s Hospital Affiliated to Zhengzhou University from 2015 to 2021, and to provide a basis for rational clinical antimicrobial agents. Methods　Bacterial culture, bacterial identification and drug sensitivity analysis were performed on 1 058 non-duplicate ascites culture specimens from January 2015 to December 2021. The clinica1 and microbiologica1 data were ana1yzed by WHONET 5.6 and SAS 9.4 Results　Of the 1 058 specimens, 586 (55.39%) were positive for pathogenic bacteria, with a total of 781 strains isolated. There was no significant trend of increase or decrease in the positivity rate over different years. Male children (63.99%) were more prevalent than female children. Appendicitis (59.22%) was the most common disease and Escherichia coli was the most common causative bacteria. Among neonates (≤28 d), the bacteria with the highest detection rate were Klebsiella pneumoniae (23.50%) and Enterococcus faecium (23.50%), while among children (>28 d), the highest detection rate was Escherichia coli (35.98%). Gram-negative bacteria accounted for 64.79% of the 781 strains, mainly Escherichia coli (38.28%), Klebsiella pneumoniae (8.58%), and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (5.89%); Gram-positive bacteria accounted for 29.45%, mainly Enterococcus faecium (8.58%), Streptococcus constellatus (2.69%), and Enterococcus avium (2.43%); fungi accounted for 1.66% and anaerobic bacteria accounted for 4.10%. The resistance rates of Escherichia coli to cefoperazone/sulbactam, piperacillin/tazobactam, imipenem and meropenem were 6.02%, 4.35%, 4.35%, and 3.68%, respectively. The resistance rates of Klebsiella pneumoniae to these drugs were 59.70%, 59.70%, 50.75% and 53.73% respectively. Linezolid-resistant strains of Enterococcus faecium were found. Conclusion　Appendicitis is the most common abdominal infection in children, and the distribution of ascites pathogens varies with ages and diseases. The pathogenic bacteria are mainly Gram-negative bacteria, and the drug resistance of Klebsiella pneumoniae was more serious. It is particularly important to use antibiotics correctly and rationally to reduce the emergence of drug resistant bacteria.

A qualitative study of experiences of non suicidal self injury in adolescents with depression / 中国学校卫生

Objective@#To understand the real experience and feelings of self injurious cutting in adolescents with depression, to provide guidance for clinical targeted interventions.@*Methods@#During November 2021 to May 2022, 19 adolescent patients with depression who had cut themselves as the type of non suicidal self injury were recruited from a tertiary first class psychiatric hospital in Chengdu, Sichuan Province. All the participants were interviewed in a semi structured manner, which used the interpretative phenomenological analysis to analyze the transcription data.@*Results@#The experience and feelings of non suicidal self injury in adolescent with depression could be summarized into five themes: self injury thoughts that arise under external interference; self injurious behavior in a thousand thoughts; painful but a happy experience of self injury; cutting as the most frequently selected form of non suicidal self injury; decreases in self injurious behavior reduced when they feel love and responsibility.@*Conclusion@#Non suicidal self injury of adolescent patients with depression are affected by various factors. Clinicians should provide targeted clinical care according to the characteristics of patients, as well as the no suicide contract, alternative skills of non suicidal self injury behaviors, and a multi dimensional social support platform with the families of patients.

Rapid bacterial identification and antimicrobial susceptibility testing assay in positive blood cultures / 预防医学

Objective@#To establish a rapid bacterial identification and antimicrobial susceptibility testing assay in positive blood cultures, so as to provide insights into timely diagnosis and treatment of bloodstream infections.@*Methods@#A total of 1 154 blood culture samples were collected from inpatients in Zhejiang Hospital from February to May, 2022. The bacterial isolates were enriched and purified using improved separation gel method, and bacterial identification and antimicrobial susceptibility tests were performed using VITEK2 mass spectrometry system and VITEK2 Compact automated microbiology system. The accuracy of the new assay for bacterial identification and antimicrobial susceptibility tests was evaluated with the conventional VITEK 2 compact system as the standard. @*Results@#Of 1 154 blood culture specimens, the conventional VITEK 2 compact system detected 174 positives and 980 negatives. The new assay and the conventional VITEK 2 compact system identified consistent bacterial isolates in 165 out of 174 positive blood culture samples, and the accuracy of bacterial identification was 94.83% for the new assay, with a 99.21% accuracy for identifying Gram-negative bacteria and 82.22% for Gram-positive bacteria. Antimicrobial susceptibility tests were performed in 158 bacterial isolates, and the new assay presented a 90.17% accuracy, with a 90.27% accuracy for Gram-negative bacteria and 89.74% for Gram-positive bacteria. The conventional VITEK 2 compact system required 30 hours and longer to complete bacterial identification and antimicrobial susceptibility tests, and the new assay required 9 to 18 hours.@*Conclusions@#The new rapid bacterial identification and antimicrobial susceptibility testing assay shortens the time of bacterial culture, achieves rapid bacterial identification and antimicrobial susceptibility testing in blood culture specimens and has a high accuracy that meets clinical needs, which facilitates rapid diagnosis and treatment of bloodstream infections.

Agreement between the biometric measurements used to calculate the size of the implantable collamer lenses measured with four different technologies

Purpose: To evaluate the agreement between the biometric measurements used to calculate the size of the implantable collamer lenses (ICL) with different technologies: swept?source optical coherence tomography, spectral domain optical coherence tomography, and Scheimpflug tomography. Methods: This retrospective observational study included subjects undergoing refractive surgery with posterior chamber phakic IOL implantation to correct their myopia. The anterior chamber depth (ACD) and the horizontal white to white (WTW) or the angle to angle (ATA) distance were measured with the following four devices: the IOLMaster 700 biometer (Carl Zeiss Meditec, Jena, Germany), based on swept?source optical coherence tomography; the Cirrus and Visante optical coherence tomographs (Carl Zeiss Meditec) based on low?coherence interferometry; and the Pentacam rotating Scheimpflug camera (Oculus, Wetzlar, Germany). Results: In the horizontal corneal diameter measurements, there were statistically significant differences between Pentacam–IOLMaster 700 pair (P < 0.001) and Pentacam–Visante pair (P < 0.001). WTW from CIRRUS showed the lowest correlation when paired with Pentacam and IOLMaster 700 (R2 = 0.452 and 0.385 for Visante and R2 = 0.494 and 0.426 for Cirrus). Regarding the linear correlation of the ACD measurements, all pairs of devices were statistically significant and all of them showed a very good correlation index. Conclusion: There is a good agreement between the different devices under evaluation for ACD measurements. As for WTW, the values measured with the different devices showed large discrepancies with low correlation levels, especially when comparing the tomographs with the other devices under evaluation

Research progression on safety verification of diving decompression procedures / 中国职业医学

@#A diving decompression procedure is a specific rule that divers should follow when they ascend and get out of water. It comes from the decompression theory and algorithm and is designed for the prevention of decompression sickness. With the ， ， development of diving technology and diving medicine the decompression procedures are constantly innovated and the new ， decompression procedure can be used in diving practice after safety verification. In principle the safety verification of ， decompression procedures should be conducted on animal experiments before human experiments and the risks of ， decompression sickness and oxygen toxicity should be systematically assessed. However the assessment methods used in ， ， ， different studies differ greatly thus it is urgent to establish a standard and universal verification system. Traditionally the risk ， ， assessment of decompression sickness and oxygen toxicity is mainly carried out by observing the incidence detecting bubbles ， theoretical calculation and lung functional test. Furthermore biochemical indicators are increasingly becoming important ， ， supplements. Due to the special underwater environment the diving operation is prone to accidents. Therefore in addition to ， verifying the safety of the new decompression procedure exploring its safety decompression limit is of great significance for the formulation of emergency decompression procedures in emergency situations. The specific approach is to shorten the decompression time and assess the safety until the critical time for detecting bubbles without the occurrence of decompression ， ， sickness is found. Future studies should continue to optimize safety assessment methods explore sensitive biochemical markers ， clarify species associations and improve verification efficiency and reliability of results.

Recurrent skin blisters for more than 7 months in a girl aged 15 months / 中国当代儿科杂志

A girl, aged 15 months, attended the hospital due to recurrent skin erythema, blisters, and desquamation for more than 7 months. Giemsa staining and immunohistochemical staining showed mast cell infiltration and degranulation. Hematoxylin staining showed spinous layer edema and blister formation under the epidermis, with a large amount of serous fluid and a small number of inflammatory cells in the blister. Marked edema was observed in the dermis, with diffused mononuclear cell infiltration. The girl was diagnosed with mastocytosis. Mastocytosis should be considered for children with recurrent skin erythema and blisters.

Comparison of the prognostic value of platelet-based prognostic models in patients with malignant hepatic tumors after TACE therapy

Abstract Purpose: To investigate the prognostic value of 17 platelet-based prognostic scores in patients with malignant hepatic tumors after TACE therapy. Methods: In total, 92 patients were divided into death group and survival group according to long-term follow-up results. The AUC was calculated to determine the optimal cut-off values for predicting prognosis. To determine better prognostic models, platelet-based models were analyzed separately after being showed as binary according to cut-off values. Cumulative survival rates of malignant hepatic tumors were calculated using Kaplan-Meier curves and differences were analyzed by the log-rank test. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to identify platelet-based prognostic scores associated with overall survival. Results: Univariate analysis showed that APGA, APRI, FIB-4, FibroQ, GUCI, King's score, Lok index, PAPAS, cirrhosis, number of tumors, vascular cancer embolus, AFP, ALP and APTT were significantly related to prognosis. A multivariate analysis showed that the APGA, number of tumors, ALP and APTT were independently associated with overall survival. Conclusion: This study showed that the APGA, a platelet-based prognostic score, was an independent marker of prognosis in patients with malignant hepatic tumors after TACE and was superior to the other platelet-based prognostic scores in terms of prognostic ability.

Effects of chromium picolinate supplementation on growth performance, small intestine morphology and antioxidant status in ducks under heat stress conditions / Efectos de la suplementación con picolinato de cromo en el rendimiento de crecimiento, morfología del intestino delgado y estado antioxidante en patos bajo condiciones de estrés calórico

SUMMARY: The experiment was conducted to evaluate the effects of dietary supplemental chromium (Cr) on growth performance, meat quality, intestinal morphology, mucosa Hsp70 mRNA expression and antioxidant status of ducks reared under heat stress conditions. All ducks were randomly divided into three treatment groups, respectively, control group (Control, 23 ± 2 °C), heat stress group (HS, 32 ±2 °C), Cr picolinate group (CrPic, 32 ± 2 °C, 0.2 mg Cr/kg). Feed and distilled-deionized water were available ad libitum for an experimental phase of 35 days. Samples were collected on the day 14, 21 and 35 to determine biological and hematological values. Results showed that heat stress or dietary supplemental Cr both didn't have distinct influence on growth performance (P>0.05), compared to controls. Ducks fed 0.2 mg Cr/kg diet had greater ultimate pH (pHu)(P<0.05) than HS group. At day 14, the ratio of villus height to crypt depth (V/C) in CrPic group significantly increased (P<0.05) than that of HS group in jejunum. Heat stress remarkably increased Hsp70 mRNA expression in jejunum compared with controls (P<0.05). While the expression of Hsp70 mRNA in CrPic group was significantly decreased compared with HS (P<0.05). At day 21, the V/C of ileum in CrPic group significantly increased compared with HS group (P<0.05). Serum SOD levels in CrPic group were significantly higher than those in HS group (P<0.05). At day 35, Hsp70 mRNA expression and serum T-SOD levels in CrPic group significantly increased compared with controls (P<0.05). T-AOC in HS group significantly decreased compared with controls (P<0.05). Results indicate that dietary Cr supplementation doesn't influence ducks' growth performance, but has a positive effect on meat quality, small intestine morphology, also regulates Hsp70 mRNA expression under heat stress conditions, and enhances the antioxidant status.

RESUMEN: Se evaluó los efectos del cromo (Cr) dietético suplementario sobre el rendimiento del crecimiento, la calidad de la carne, la morfología intestinal, la expresión del ARNm Hsp70 en la mucosa y el estado antioxidante de los patos criados bajo condiciones de estrés por calor. Todos los patos se dividieron aleatoriamente en tres grupos: grupo control (control, 23 ± 2 °C), grupo de estrés térmico (HS, 32 ± 2 °C) y grupo de picolinato de Cr (CrPic, 32 ± 2 °C, 0,2 mg Cr / kg). El alimento y el agua desionizada destilada estuvieron disponibles ad libitum durante la fase experimental de 35 días. Las muestras se recogieron los días 14, 21 y 35 para determinar los valores biológicos y hematológicos. Los resultados mostraron que el estrés térmico o la suplementación dietética de Cr no tuvieron una influencia distinta en el rendimiento del crecimiento (P> 0,05), en comparación con los controles. Los patos alimentados con 0,2 mg de Cr / kg de dieta tuvieron un mayor pH final (pHu) (P <0,05) que el grupo HS. En el día 14, la relación de la altura de las vellosidades a la profundidad de la cripta (V / C) en el grupo CrPic aumentó significativamente (P <0,05) en relación a la del grupo de HS en el yeyuno. El estrés por calor incrementó notablemente la expresión del ARNm de Hsp70 en el yeyuno en comparación con los controles (P <0,05). Mientras que la expresión del ARNm de Hsp70 en el grupo CrPic se redujo significativamente en comparación con HS (P <0,05). En el día 21, la relación V / C del íleon en el grupo CrPic aumentó significativamente en comparación con el grupo HS (p <0,05). Los niveles séricos de SOD en el grupo CrPic fueron significativamente más altos que los del grupo HS (P <0,05). En el día 35, la expresión de ARNm de Hsp70 y los niveles séricos de T-SOD en el grupo CrPic aumentaron significativamente en comparación con los controles (P <0,05). T-AOC en el grupo HS disminuyó significativamente en comparación con los controles (P <0,05). Los resultados indican que la suplementación dietética de Cr no influye en el rendimiento de crecimiento de los patos, pero tiene un efecto positivo en la calidad de la carne, en la morfología del intestino delgado, y también regula la expresión de ARNm de Hsp70 en condiciones de estrés calórico y mejora el estado antioxidante.

Multiple vulvar dilated pores in a postmenopausal woman

Abstract: Winer's dilated pore is an infrequent appendageal tumor characterized by a giant comedone on the face, neck, and upper trunk in adults. We report a 57-year-old woman who developed multiple asymptomatic black papules on both labia majora. Histopathology showed grouped dilated follicles lined by keratinizing squamous epithelium in the superficial dermis. The superficial lining epithelium and interfollicular epidermis were atrophic, while the deep epithelium showed mild proliferation and melanin pigmentation with a few short projections extending into the surrounding dermis. We diagnosed multiple Winer's dilated pores based on late-onset lesions and pathological features. This patient may represent the first case of multiple vulvar Winer's dilated pores. We suggest that electrocautery may be effective for treating this type of superficial entity.

Research progress of tonic Chinese medicine on the immune system / 中国药理学与毒理学杂志

The immune system as an important defense system of the body, bear the resistance to foreign pathogens invasion, removal of foreign heterogeneity, and protect the body's safety. Modern research shows that tonic Chinese medicine, including single herband compound formula, has the function of improving immune organ index, enhancing immune cellfunction and affecting the immune molecule production and secretion. This article will review the effects of traditional Chinese medicine on immune organs, immune cells and immune molecules, and provide reference for the clinical research of traditional Chinese medicine.

Advances in research on chemical constituents, pharmacological actions and processing of atractylodes macrocephala / 中国药理学与毒理学杂志

Rhizome atractylodes macrocephalae is the dry roots of Atractylodes macrocephala Koidz. It is one of commonly used Chinese medicine. In the ″Shennong's Herbal″, it was listed as the top grade. It mainly contains volatile oil, atractylenolides, atractylodes polysaccharides, glycosides and amino acids.And it has the medical functions of good for spleen and intestine, diuretic and dehumidifi?cation, hidroschesis, miscarriage prevention and soon.In order to provide references for further devel?opment and utilization, this paper systematic arranged the Chinese medicine atractylodes chemical composition, pharmacological effects, processing technology and effect of processing technology on chemical composition and pharmacological action.

Molecular Mechanisms of Increased Heart Rate in Shenxianshengmai-treated Bradycardia Rabbits / 中华医学杂志(英文版)

<p><b>BACKGROUND</b>The molecular mechanisms of Shenxianshengmai (SXSM), a traditional Chinese medicine, on bradycardia have been incompletely understood. The study tried to investigate the gene expression profile and proteomics of bradycardia rabbits' hearts after SXSM treatment.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Twenty-four adult rabbits were randomly assigned in four groups: sham, model, model plus SXSM treatment, and sham plus SXSM treatment groups. Heart rate was recorded in all rabbits. Then, total RNA of atria and proteins of ventricle were isolated and quantified, respectively. Gene expression profiling was conducted by gene expression chip, and quantitative real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was performed to confirm the results of gene expression chip. We used isobaric tags for elative and absolute quantitation and Western blotting to identify altered proteins after SXSM treatment.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>There was a constant decrease in the mean heart rate (32%, from 238 ± 6 beats/min to 149 ± 12 beats/min) after six weeks in model compared with that in sham group. This effect was partially reversed by 4-week SXSM treatment. Complementary DNA microarray demonstrated that the increased acetylcholinesterase and reduced nicotinic receptor were take responsibility for the increased heart rate. In addition, proteins involved in calcium handling and signaling were affected by SXSM treatment. Real-time RT-PCR verified the results from gene chip. Results from proteomics demonstrated that SXSM enhanced oxidative phosphorylation and tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle in ventricular myocardium to improve ATP generation.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Long-term SXSM stimulates sympathetic transmission by increasing the expression of acetylcholinesterase and reduces the expression of nicotinic receptor to increase heart rate. SXSM also restored the calcium handling genes and altered genes involved in signaling. In addition, SXSM improves the ATP supply of ventricular myocardium by increasing proteins involved in TCA cycle and oxidation-respiratory chain.</p>

Clinical study of lung-supplementing and stasis-dissolving decoction [Bufei Huayu Tang] combined with gefitnib for treatment of advanced non-small cell lung cancer

To investigate the clinical efficacy and drug safety of Lung-Supplementing and Stasis-Dissolving Decoction [Bufei Huayu Tang] combined with gefitnib for treatment of advanced non-small cell lung cancer [NSCLC]. Then, 80 patients with advanced NSCLC hospitalized in Ruikang Hospital Affiliated to Guangxi University of Chinese Medicine were included, and were double-blindly randomized into 4 groups: control group [gefitinib alone 250mg, once daily], low-dose group [100mL/day], middle-dose group [150mL/day] and high-dose group [200mL/day] treated with different doses of Bufei Huayu Tang besides gefitinib. Clinical efficacy, life quality change before and after treatment, ECOG score, survival time and incidence of adverse drug reaction were compared. ECOG score in middle-dose group after treatment was significantly higher than other groups [P<0.05]. Total efficiency of 4 groups was respectively 15%, 20%, 55% and 25%, and total efficiency in middle-dose group was significantly higher than that in other groups [P<0.05]. According to TCM syndrome score, the improvement in middle-dose group was significantly better than that in other groups [P<0.05]. Incidence of adverse drug reaction in high-dose group was significantly higher than that in other 3 groups [P<0.05]. Self-designed Bufei Huayu Tang combined with gefitinib for NSCLC has a satisfactory clinical efficacy and high drug safety. Decoction dose needs more attention

Effect of visfatin on the structure and immune levels in the small intestine of LPS-induced rats / Efecto de la visfatina sobre la estructura y los niveles de inmunidad en el intestino delgado de ratas inducidas por lipopolisacáridos

This study investigated the effects of visfatin on the structure and the immunity levels in the small intestine of LPS-induced rats. Forty Wistar male and female SPF rats were randomly and equally divided into four groups: the saline (control), vistfatin, lipopolysaccharide (LPS), and visfatin+LPS co-stimulated. The functions of visfatin in the intestinal mucosal immunity were investigated by examining the variation of tissue structure, inflammation and immunity-related proteins in the intestine of immunologically stressed rats using HE staining, ELISA, immunohistochemistry and Western Blot. The results showed that, when compared with the control group, the visfatin-treated group showed a decrease in the intestinal villus height and width, and a significant increase in the levels of IL-6 and TNF-ð as well as Immunoglobulin A (IgA) positive cells. Additionally, when compared with the LPS-treated group, the visfatin+LPS co-stimulated group showed a decrease in the villus height and width as well as the levels of IL-6 and TNF-ð, and an increase in IgA levels, implying a shrinking response to LPS injection. All the results suggest that, under normal physiological conditions, visfatin disturbs the body's homeostasis and causes intestinal villus atrophy by increasing IgA expression. While under immune response conditions, LPS acts as an exogenous antigen to promote visfatin against LPS-induced inflammation by decreasing the expression of IgA. Under immune stress conditions, visfatin as an exogenous stimulus promotes the immune response by regulating the protein levels of IL-6, TNF-ð and IgA.

Este estudio investigó los efectos de la visfatina sobre la estructura y los niveles de inmunidad en el intestino delgado de ratas inducidas por lipopolisacáridos (LPS). Cuarenta ratas Wistar se dividieron aleatoriamente e igualmente en cuatro grupos: solución salina (control), vistafin, LPS y visfatina + LPS co-estimuladas. Las funciones de la visfatina en la inmunidad de la mucosa intestinal se investigaron mediante el examen de variación de la estructura del tejido, la inflamación y las proteínas relacionadas con la inmunidad en el intestino de ratas estresadas inmunológicamente; usando tinción HE, ELISA, inmunohistoquímica y Western Blot. Los resultados mostraron que, en comparación con el grupo control, el grupo tratado con visfatina presentó una disminución en la altura y ancho de las vellosidades intestinales, y un aumento significativo en los niveles de IL-6 y TNF-ð, así como inmunoglobulina A (IgA células positivas). Además, al comparar este grupo con el grupo tratado con LPS- el grupo visfatina + LPS co-estimulado mostró una disminución en la altura y ancho de las vellosidades, así como en los niveles de IL-6 y TNF-ð, y un aumento en los niveles de IgA, lo que implica reducción de una respuesta a la inyección LPS. Todos los resultados sugieren que, en condiciones fisiológicas normales, la visfatina perturba la homeostasis del cuerpo y provoca la atrofia de las vellosidades intestinales mediante el aumento de la expresión de IgA. Mientras que bajo condiciones de la respuesta inmune, LPS actúa como un antígeno exógeno para promover visfatina contra la inflamación inducida por LPS por la disminución de la expresión de IgA. En condiciones de estrés inmunológico, la visfatina como estímulo exógeno promueve la respuesta inmune mediante la regulación de los niveles de proteína de IL-6, TNF-ð e IgA.

First case of congenital idiopathic hypohidrosis in China

AbstractA 43-year-old Chinese man presented with generalized hypohidrosis, which he had had since birth, without obvious abnormalities of other skin appendages except a sparse beard and axillary hairs. The sweat test revealed localized sweating on the face, axillae and palms. Histopathologic examination showed that the sweat glands were absent in the forearm and thigh, but some eccrine and apocrine sweat glands were present in the right axilla. S-100 was expressed in the nerve terminals surrounding the acini and ducts of the eccrine sweat glands, while PGP9.5 was positive in the acini of apocrine glands and the nerve terminals surrounding the eccrine glands in the axilla. To our knowledge, this is the first case of congenital idiopathic hypohidrosis in China.

Disseminated penicilliosis marneffei in immunocompetent patients: A report of two cases.

Disseminated penicilliosis marneffei is rarely seen in immunocompetent persons. We report here two cases of disseminated penicilliosis marneffei in immunocompetent hosts. Penicillium marneffei disseminated to the brain in one patient and to the bone marrow in the other patient. Both patients received amphotericin B liposome. The cases illustrate the importance of considering penicilliosis marneffei as causes of systemic infections in immunocompetent patients.

Sox2 function as a negative regulator to control HAMP expression

BACKGROUND: Hepcidin, encoding by HAMP gene, is the pivotal regulator of iron metabolism, controlling the systemic absorption and transportation of irons from intracellular stores. Abnormal levels of HAMP expression alter plasma iron parameters and lead to iron metabolism disorders. Therefore,itis animportant goal to understand the mechanisms controlling HAMP gene expression. RESULTS: Overexpression of Sox2 decrease basal expression of HAMP or induced by IL-6 or BMP-2, whereas, knockdown of Sox2 can increase HAMP expression, furthermore, two potential Sox2-binding sites were identified within the human HAMP promoter. Indeed, luciferase experiments demonstrated that deletion of any Sox2-binding site impaired the negative regulation of Sox2 on HAMP promoter transcriptional activity in basal conditions. ChIP experiments showed that Sox2 could directly bind to these sites. Finally, we verified the role of Sox2 to negatively regulate HAMP expression in human primary hepatocytes. CONCLUSION: We found that Sox2 as a novel factor to bind with HAMP promoter to negatively regulate HAMP expression, which may be further implicated as a therapeutic option for the amelioration of HAMP-overexpression-related diseases, including iron deficiency anemia.