Specific convulsions and brain damage in children hospitalized for Omicron BA.5 infection: an observational study using two cohorts.

BACKGROUND: SARS-CoV-2 continues to mutate over time, and reports on children infected with Omicron BA.5 are limited. We aimed to analyze the specific symptoms of Omicron-infected children and to improve patient care. METHODS: We selected 315 consecutively hospitalized children with Omicron BA.5 and 16,744 non-Omicron-infected febrile children visiting the fever clinic at our hospital between December 8 and 30, 2022. Specific convulsions and body temperatures were compared between the two cohorts. We analyzed potential associations between convulsions and vaccination, and additionally evaluated the brain damage among severe Omicron-infected children. RESULTS: Convulsion rates (97.5% vs. 4.3%, P < 0.001) and frequencies (median: 2.0 vs. 1.6, P < 0.001) significantly differed between Omicron-infected and non-Omicron-infected febrile children. The body temperatures of Omicron-infected children were significantly higher during convulsions than when they were not convulsing and those of non-Omicron-infected febrile children during convulsions (median: 39.5 vs. 38.2 and 38.6 °C, both P < 0.001). In the three Omicron-subgroups, the temperature during convulsions was proportional to the percentage of patients and significantly differed ( P < 0.001), while not in the three non-Omicron-subgroups ( P = 0.244). The convulsion frequency was lower in the 55 vaccinated children compared to the 260 non-vaccinated children (average: 1.8 vs. 2.1, P < 0.001). The vaccination dose and convulsion frequency in Omicron-infected children were significantly correlated ( P < 0.001). Fifteen of the 112 severe Omicron cases had brain damage. CONCLUSIONS: Omicron-infected children experience higher body temperatures and frequencies during convulsions than those of non-Omicron-infected febrile children. We additionally found evidence of brain damage caused by infection with omicron BA.5. Vaccination and prompt fever reduction may relieve symptoms.

Physarum polycephalum macroplasmodium exhibits countermeasures against TiO2 nanoparticle toxicity: A physiological, biochemical, transcriptional, and metabolic perspective.

Concerns about the environmental and human health implications of TiO2 nanoparticles (nTiO2) are growing with their increased use in consumer and industrial products. Investigations of the underlying molecular mechanisms of nTiO2 tolerance in organisms will assist in countering nTiO2 toxicity. In this study, the countermeasures exhibited by the slime mold Physarum polycephalum macroplasmodium against nTiO2 toxicity were investigated from a physiological, transcriptional, and metabolic perspective. The results suggested that the countermeasures against nTiO2 exposure include gene-associated metabolic rearrangements in cellular pathways involved in amino acid, carbohydrate, and nucleic acid metabolism. Gene-associated nonmetabolic rearrangements involve processes such as DNA repair, DNA replication, and the cell cycle, and occur mainly when macroplasmodia are exposed to inhibitory doses of nTiO2. Interestingly, the growth of macroplasmodia and mammal cells was significantly restored by supplementation with a combination of responsive metabolites identified by metabolome analysis. Taken together, we report a novel model organism for the study of nTiO2 tolerance and provide insights into countermeasures taken by macroplasmodia in response to nTiO2 toxicity. Furthermore, we also present an approach to mitigate the effects of nTiO2 toxicity in cells by metabolic intervention.

Nano-sized TiO2 (nTiO2) induces metabolic perturbations in Physarum polycephalum macroplasmodium to counter oxidative stress under dark conditions.

Nano-sized TiO2 (nTiO2) exerts an oxidative effect on cells upon exposure to solar or UV irradiation and ecotoxicity of the nTiO2 is an urgent concern. Little information is available regarding the effect of TiO2 on cells under dark conditions. Metabolomics is a unique approach to the discovery of biomarkers of nTiO2 cytotoxicity, and leads to the identification of perturbed metabolic pathways and the mechanism underlying nTiO2 toxicity. In the present study, gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC/MS)-based metabolomics was performed to investigate the effect of nTiO2 on sensitive cells (P. polycephalum macroplasmodium) under dark conditions. According to the multivariate pattern recognition analysis, at least 60 potential metabolic biomarkers related to sugar metabolism, amino acid metabolism, nucleotide metabolism, polyamine biosynthesis, and secondary metabolites pathways were significantly perturbed by nTiO2. Notably, many metabolic biomarkers and pathways were related to anti-oxidant mechanisms in the living organism, suggesting that nTiO2 may induce oxidative stress, even under dark conditions. This speculation was further validated by the biochemical levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS), 8-hydroxy-2-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG), and total soluble phenols (TSP). We inferred that the oxidative stress might be related to nTiO2-induced imbalance of cellular ROS. To the best of our knowledge, the present study is the first to investigate the nTiO2-induced metabolic perturbations in slime mold, provide a new perspective of the mechanism underlying nTiO2 toxicity under dark conditions, and show that metabolomics can be employed as a rapid, reliable and powerful tool to investigate the interaction among organisms, the environment, and nanomaterials.

[An ultrasonographic study of the correlation between developmental dysplasia of the hip and congenital muscular torticollis in children].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the significance of early screening of pediatric developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH) and congenital muscular torticollis (CMT) using ultrasonography and establish a simultaneous screening model for pediatric DDH and CMT. METHODS: From January, 2013 to January, 2016, a total of 5060 pediatric patients with suspected DDH and CMT underwent ultrasonic examinations. The diagnostic results of the two diseases were classified into different clinical types, and Chi-square test was used to analyze the one-way relationship between different types of DDH and CMT; correspondence analysis was used for multivariate analysis of the variables. Chi-square test was used to analyze the difference between the detection rates in suspected CMT patients and the normal population. RESULTS: GrafIIa type DDH was associated with mass-type CMT in the children (χ2=331.800, P<0.001). DDH of GrafIIb, GrafIIc, Graf III, and Graf IV types were related with non-tumor type of CMT. The children with a suspected diagnosis of CMT showed a significantly higher detection rate of DDH than the normal subjects (χ2=321.889, P<0.001). CONCLUSION: DDH is closely related with CMT. Early simultaneous screening of DDH and CMT can help to improve the early diagnosis rate of CMT in children.

Construction of a directional T vector for cloning PCR products and expression in Escherichia coli.

In order to clone PCR products and express them effectively in Escherichia coli, a directional cloning system was constructed by generating a T vector based on pQE-30Xa. The vector was prepared by inserting an XcmI cassette containing an endonuclease XcmI site, a kanamycin selective marker, a multiple-cloning-site (MCS) region and an opposite endonuclease XcmI site into the vector pQE-30Xa. The T vector pQE-T with single overhanging dT residues at both 3' ends was obtained by digesting with the restriction enzyme XcmI. For directional cloning, a BamHI site was introduced to the ends of the PCR products. A BamHI site was also located on the multiple cloning site of pQE-T. The PCR products were ligated with pQE-T. The directionally inserted recombinants were distinguished by using BamHI to digest the recombinants because there are two BamHI sites located on the both sides of PCR fragment. In order to identify the T-vector functions, the 14-3-3-ZsGreen and hRBP genes were amplified and a BamHI site was added to the ends of the genes to confirm this vector by ligation with pQE-T. Results showed that the 14-3-3-ZsGreen and hRBP were cloned to the vector pQE-T directly and corresponding proteins were successfully produced. It was here demonstrated that this directional vector is capable of gene cloning and is used to manipulate gene expression very easily. The methodology proposed here involves easy incorporation of the construct into other vectors in various hosts.

[Discussion on relationship between hepatobiliary pathological changes under B-ultrasound and Clonorchis sinensis infection].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the relationship between the hepatobiliary pathological changes under B-ultrasound examinations and Clonorchis sinensis infection, so as to provide the evidence for further prevention and control. METHODS: The stool test and ELISA were applied to test the pathogeny and antibody to C. sinensis of the suspicious patients who had the hepatobiliary pathological changes under B-ultrasound examinations in People's Hospital of Wuxuan County from Jan. 2010 to Dec. 2013. RESULTS: Totally 113 suspicious patients of C. sinensis infection were investigated, and the positive rates of egg and serum antibody were 64.60% (73 cases) and 66.37% (75 cases) respectively. The positive rates of the male and those aged ≥ 50 years were significantly higher than those of the female and the cases younger than 50 years respectively (χ² = 3.554, 6.267, both P < 0.05). In the C. sinensis infected patients, the degree of pathological changes of hepatobiliary was positively correlated with the infectiosity of C. sinensis (χ² = 64.952, P < 0.01). CONCLUSION: The hepatobiliary pathological changes under B-ultrasound examinations may be resulted from the infection of C. sinensis, and the patients with the changes should be further investigated for the pathogen and antibody to C. sinensis.