Prevalence and factors influencing adolescent idiopathic scoliosis in Zhongshan City / 中国学校卫生

Objective@#To investigate factors influencing adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS), and to provide a scientific basis for effective prevention and treatment programs.@*Methods@#A questionnaire survey was conducted among 6 757 students who participated in the scoliosis screening program for primary and middle school students in Zhongshan City, China from April 2019 to March 2020. Visual examination and Adams flexion test were used to measure the rotation angle of trunk. For each student, individual and family demographics, family history of scoliosis, daily postural habits, school bag carrying habits, vision, health, school environment, and physical activity were collected by questionnaire. Factors influencing AIS were analyzed using Chi square test and multivariate Logistic regression.@*Results@#The positive screening rate for AIS was 2.0%(135 cases). Multivariate Logistic regression analysis revealed that female gender, no family history of AIS, standing with lumbar spine tilted forward, habit of leaning to the left when seated, and a monthly family income of >10 000 yuan were related to the occurrence of AIS in adolescents ( OR =3.01, 0.38, 2.29, 1.74, 0.44, P <0.05).@*Conclusion@#Female students aged 10-16 years with a family history of scoliosis in Zhongshan are identified as a high risk group for scoliosis screening. Developing proper standing and sitting habits helps to reduce the risk of AIS in adolescents.

A case report of dermatitis herpetiformis with positive gluten-sensitive intestinal disease autoantibodies / 中华检验医学杂志

A middle-aged male patient initially appeared scattered erythema with pruritus all over the body without obvious cause. According to the skin manifestations of the patient, combined with pathological diagnosis, direct immunofluorescence examination, and different serum autoantibody spectrum, the diagnosis and differential diagnosis of the patient was made by clinicians. The diagnosis of dermatitis herpetiformis was confirmed by the use of autoantibodies in the absence of any apparent history of pasta discomfort. With targeted treatment, the patient′s symptoms and laboratory indicators improved significantly.

Action mechanisms of thymic stromal lymphopoietin in various skin diseases / 中华皮肤科杂志

Thymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP) , a cytokine similar to interleukin-7 (IL-7) , can promote the differentiation and proliferation of a variety of cells, promote the secretion of Th2 cytokines by these cells, and plays an important role in the immune system. In recent years, abnormal expression of TSLP has been found in many skin diseases, and its level is also related to the severity of some skin diseases, suggesting that TSLP may be a potential target for the treatment of various skin diseases. This review summarizes recent research progress in the role of TSLP in the occurrence and development of various skin diseases, including inflammatory diseases, immune diseases, genetic diseases and tumors, and provides a basis and some ideas for the diagnosis and treatment of related diseases.

Detection of eosinophil cationic protein in sera and blister fluids of patients with bullous pemphigoid / 中华皮肤科杂志

Objective:To investigate the relationship of eosinophil cationic protein (ECP) levels in sera and blister fluids with bullous pemphigoid (BP) .Methods:From January 2012 to October 2019, 40 patients with newly diagnosed BP and 40 healthy individuals were enrolled from Department of Dermatology, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, and serum ECP levels were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Meanwhile, another 33 patients with newly diagnosed BP and 41 patients with non-autoimmune bullous diseases were enrolled, and the ECP level was detected in blister fluids by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Pathological sections of skin lesions of 1 patient with BP and 1 with contact dermatitis were subjected to immunohistochemical staining for ECP. Normally distributed data were compared between 2 groups by using t test or t′ test, while enumeration data were compared by using chi-square test. Pearson′s correlation coefficient was used to analyze the relationship between serum levels of ECP and proportions of peripheral blood eosinophils in patients with BP. Results:The serum level of ECP was significantly higher in the BP group (116.9 ± 19.3 ng/L) than in the healthy control group (93.3 ± 15.9 ng/L, t = 5.96, P<0.001) , and the blister fluid level of ECP was also significantly higher in the BP group (665.8 ± 189.0 ng/L) than in the non-autoimmune bullous disease group (547.5 ± 240.6 ng/L, t = 2.31, P = 0.02) . Immunohistochemical study showed more brown-yellow particles in the cytoplasm of ECP-positive cells in the BP group than in the contact dermatitis group. There was no significant correlation between the serum level of ECP and proportion of peripheral blood eosinophils in the BP patients ( r = -0.15, P = 0.35) . Conclusion:The levels of ECP in the sera and blister fluids markedly increased in the patients with BP, and blister fluid levels of ECP were much higher than serum levels of ECP, suggesting that ECP may be involved in the occurrence of BP.

There is no correlation between the serum level of interleukin-21 and bullous pemphigoid / 中华皮肤科杂志

Objective To investigate the correlations of the serum level of interleukin-21 (IL-21) with anti-BP 180 antibodies,peripheral eosinophil level,bullous pemphigoid disease area index (BPDAI)in patients with bullous pemphigoid (BP).Methods A total of 31 patients with bullous pemphigoid and 31 healthy controls were enrolled into this study.Blood samples were collected from all the subjects,and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was performed to detect the serum level of IL-21 and serum titer of anti-BP180 antibodies.BPDAI was assessed among 13 patients,and the correlation of the IL-21 level with anti-BP180 antibody titers,eosinophil count and BPDAI were analyzed.Results No significant difference in the serum level of IL-21 was observed between the patients (M [P25-P75]:255.28 [156.19-361.59] ng/L) and healthy controls (150.47 [72.4-268.73] ng/L,P =0.14).There was no correlation between the serum level of IL-21 and serum titer of anti-BP180 antibodies (82.98 [26.82-132.92] U/ml,rs =0.18,P =0.332).Among the 27 BP patients who underwent blood cell count,no correlation was found between the serum levels of IL-21 and whole-blood eosinophil counts (rs =0.104,P =0.606).Among the 13 BP patients who underwent assessment of BPDAI,there was no correlation between the serum levels of IL-21 and BPDAI scores (rs =0.233,P =0.464).Conclusion The IL-21 level is uncorrelated with anti-BP 180 antibody level,peripheral eosinophil level or BPDAI in patients with BP.