[Analysis of clinical characteristics of children with adenoid hypertrophy and pharyngolaryngeal reflux].

Objectives: To explore the clinical characteristics of children with adenoid hypertrophy (AH) and laryngopharyngeal reflux (LPR) by detecting the expression of pepsin in adenoids as a standard for AH with LPR. Methods: A total of 190 children who were admitted for surgical treatment due to AH were included in the study. The main clinical symptoms of the patients were recorded, and the degree of adenoid hypertrophy was evaluated. Before the surgery, Reflux Symptom Index (RSI) and Reflux Finding Score (RFS) were used to evaluate the reflux symptoms. After the surgery, pepsin immunohistochemical staining was performed on the adenoid tissue, and according to the staining results, the patients were divided into study group (pepsin staining positive) and control group (pepsin staining negative). SPSS 19.0 software was used for statistical analysis. Quantitative data conforming to normal distribution between the two groups were tested by two-independent sample t test, and quantitative data with skewed distribution were tested by Mann-Whitney U test. Results: The positive rate of pepsin staining in the 190 AH patients was 78.4% (149/190). The study group had higher levels of preoperative symptoms such as erythema and/or congestion of the pharynx(2.1±0.7 vs. 1.8±0.6,t=2.23), vocal cord edema[1.0(0, 1.0) vs. 1.0(0, 1.0), Z=2.00], diffuse laryngeal edema[0(0, 1.0) vs. 0(0, 0), Z=2.48], posterior commissure hypertrophy[(1.4±0.6 vs. 1.1±0.5), t=2.63], and a higher total score on the RFS scale than the control group(6.2±2.7 vs. 5.0±2.6, t=2.47), with statistical differences (P<0.05). The sensitivity and specificity of RFS score in diagnosing AH with LPR were 24.8% and 80.5%, respectively. When RFS>5 was used as the positive threshold, the sensitivity and specificity of RFS score in diagnosing AH with LPR were 61.1% and 58.5%, respectively. There was a statistical difference in the number of positive cases of RFS score between the study group and the control group(91 vs. 17,χ2=5.04,P=0.032). Conclusions: LPR is common in AH children. Children with AH and LPR have specific performance in electronic laryngoscopy, such as erythema with edema in the pharynx, posterior commissure hypertrophy, and vocal cord edema.

[The effects of nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain-like receptor 3 inflammasome on obstructive sleep apnea and its complications].

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a sleep disorder with a high incidence and severe impact on the human body, which can induce systemic chronic inflammatory responses. Chronic inflammation is an important cause of exacerbation of OSA and its associated complications. Nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain-like receptor 3 (NLRP3) is an inflammasome that is widely found in epithelial cells and immune cells and plays an important role in inflammatory diseases as an important component of innate immunity. Research evidence suggests that the activation of NLRP3 inflammasomes can exacerbate the damage to neurons, endothelial cells, lung and kidney caused by OSA, and these effects can be eliminated by genetic or pharmacological deletion of NLRP3. Targeting inhibition of NLRP3 inflammasome may serve as a co-therapeutic strategy for OSA-induced related complications. This article reviews NLRP3 inflammasome and its mechanism in OSA-related concurrent diseases, which can provide scientific basis for prevention and intervention of OSA and its related complications.

[Prevalence of allergic rhinitis in Chinese children from 2001 to 2021: Meta analysis].

Objective: To analyze the prevalence of allergic rhinitis in Chinese children from 2001 to 2021, in order to provide data support for the prevention and treatment of allergic rhinitis in children. Methods: "Allergic rhinitis" "children" "adolescent" "infant" "prevalence" "epidemiology" were used in the main search terms. The combination of Mesh words and free words was adopted. CNKI, CBM, VIP, WanFang Data, PubMed, Web of Science, Embase and The Cochrane Library for publications between January 1, 2001 and December 31, 2021 were searched systemically and data were extracted from eligible studies by two independent reviewers. Supplementary collection was made by identifying retrospective references from the included literature. After study quality assessment, Meta analysis was completed using Stata 16.0 software. Results: A total of 20 cross-sectional studies were included, involving 54 886 cases. Meta analysis results showed that the overall prevalence of allergic rhinitis among the participants was 18.46% (95%CI:14.34%-22.59%). Subgroup analysis showed that the prevalence of allergic rhinitis from 2012 to 2021 (19.75%) was higher than that from 2001 to 2011 (14.81%), and the difference was statistically significant (P<0.001). The prevalence of different regions from high to low was East China (22.77%), North China (20.82%), Northwest China (17.77%), Central China (16.62%), Southwest China (16.33%), Northeast China (16.16%) and South China (7.29%) respectively, the difference was statistically significant (P<0.001). The prevalence of male (20.73%) was higher than that of female (16.34%), and the difference was statistically significant (P<0.001). The prevalence of Han nationality(17.31%) was higher than that of ethnic minorities (15.93%), and the difference was statistically significant (P<0.001). Conclusion: The prevalence of allergic rhinitis in Chinese children is high and the prevalence in children varies by publication year, region, sex and nationality.

MiR-20a regulates fibroblast-like synoviocyte proliferation and apoptosis in rheumatoid arthritis.

Since this article has been suspected of research misconduct and the corresponding authors did not respond to our request to prove originality of data and figures, "MiR-20a regulates fibroblast-like synoviocyte proliferation and apoptosis in rheumatoid arthritis, by X.-J. Wei, X.-W. Li, J.-L. Lu, Z.-X. Long, J.-Q. Liang, S.-B. Wei, C.-X. Lu, W.-Z. Lu, published in Eur Rev Med Pharmacol Sci 2017; 21 (17): 3886-3893-PMID: 28975975" has been withdrawn. The Publisher apologizes for any inconvenience this may cause. https://www.europeanreview.org/article/13351.

MiR-20a regulates fibroblast-like synoviocyte proliferation and apoptosis in rheumatoid arthritis.

OBJECTIVE: STAT3 expression is elevated in the synovial tissue of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). MiR-20a plays a role in mediating synovial inflammation in RA. Bioinformatics analysis has identified a binding site between miR-20 and the 3'-UTR of STAT3 mRNA. This study aimed to investigate the role of miR-20a in the regulation of STAT3 expression and synovial cell proliferation as well as apoptosis. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Synovial tissues were collected from RA patients and osteoarthritis (OA) patients to measure miR-20a, STAT3, p-STAT3, and Ki-67 expressions. Fibroblast-like synoviocytes (FLS) were treated with IL-17 (10 ng/ml) and then Ki-67 expression and cell cycle were evaluated by flow cytometry. The targeting relationship between miR-20a and STAT3 was assessed by dual luciferase reporter gene assay. FLS cells were divided into five groups: miR-NC, miR-20a mimic, si-NC, si-STAT3, and miR-20a mimic + si-STAT3 groups. RESULTS: In RA patients, significantly lower MiR-20a expression, and substantially higher STAT3, p-STAT3, and Ki-67 expression were found in the synovial tissues compared with those in OA patients. IL-17A treatment markedly promoted FLS cell proliferation, inhibited cell apoptosis, reduced miR-20a expression, as well as upregulated levels of STAT3, p-STAT3, and Bcl-2. MiR-20a played a regulatory function on the expression of STAT3. MiR-20a mimic and/or si-STAT3 transfection apparently downregulated STAT3, p-STAT3, and Bcl-2 expression, attenuated IL-17A-induced cell proliferation promotive and enhanced cell apoptosis in FLS cells. CONCLUSIONS: The expression of miR-20a was reduced in synovial tissue of RA patients with the increased level of STAT3. Downregulation of miR-20a promoted the expression of STAT3, p-STAT3, and Bcl-2, facilitated FLS cell proliferation, reduced apoptosis and, thereby, played a critical role in RA.

[Study on the correlation between meteorological factors and acute otitis media in outpatients of children in Beijing].

Objective: To explore the characteristics of acute otitis media(AOM) in children in Beijing and its correlation with meteorological factors. Methods: Data were collected in 2011-2013 in the Otolaryngology Department of Capital Institute of Pediatrics. AOM in children with relevant information, such as age, sex and season, with the same period of the Beijing municipal meteorological data (the average temperature, average pressure, average wind speed, humidity and PM2.5) were compared to analysis the relationship of meteorological environmental parameters and the onset of AOM in children. Results: Annual morbidity of AOM was 7 589, 8 245, 7 242 respectively, no obvious difference(P=0.761). It was noted that one peak could be seen in December, and a valley in February, followed by August. Summer was less than the other three seasons (P<0.05). The morbidity of AOM had a small peak within one year after birth, then reached peak at the age of about 4, and then reduced gradually. In different age groups, male patients were higher than those of female. The incidence of AOM was positively correlation tendency with air pressure and PM2.5 (r=0.333, 0.093, P=0.000, 0.002), which was negatively correlation tendency with daily temperature or humidity (r=-0.327, -0.195, P=0.000, 0.000). Conclusions: The incidence of AOM of children in Beijing changes with age, and has obvious seasonal variation. There may be some correlation between the meteorological factors and the incidence of AOM in children.

[Effect of treating obstructive sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome on chronic cough in children].

Objective: To understand the effect of treating obstructive sleep apnea hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS) on chronic cough in children. Methods: A total of 100 consecutive children with OSAHS diagnosed by polysomnography(PSG) and chronic cough were included in this study. All children underwent cough condition assessment, OSA-18 scales and MS-IOS before and after surgery, and all children were followed-up for 3 months. Children were separated into three groups according to the severity of OSAHS. Related parameters like Zr, Rf, R5, R20, X5, X35, Rc, Rp obtained from MS-IOS, OSA-18 scores and cough scores were compared between different groups using paired t-test or Wilcoxon sum test. Results: There existed significantly positive correlations between AHI and scores of OSA-18(r=0.653, P<0.01). AHI positively related to cough scores including diurnal(r=0.470, P<0.01)and nocturnal cough scores(r=0.459, P<0.01). Scores of OSA-18 had similarity in correlations with diurnal(r=0.527, P<0.01)and nocturnal cough scores(r=0.532, P<0.01). All children got improved in OSA-18 scales and cough scores after treatment. In details, the three groups were mild group(n=34), moderate group(n=37), severe group(n=29). OSA-18 scales decreased dramatically in each group after surgery, Z values were -5.014, -5.035, -4.624 respectively(P=0.000). Cough scores in day and night got reduced after treatment, Z values were -5.112, -5.102, -5.394, -5.374, -4.777, -4.770 in three groups. Rp in all children got alleviated after surgical management, Z were -3.150, -5.035, -5.374(P=0.000). Other parameters were analyzed using paired t test. Z5, R5, R20, R35 got reduced in all three groups.X5 got reduced in mild and moderate groups. Rc reduced only in the moderate group. Conclusions: OSAHS may be a trigger or inducer of chronic cough. Active treatment of OSAHS via surgery can improve the quality of children's life and alleviate the symptoms of cough in day and night.

Entanglement dynamics for two spins in an optical cavity - field interaction induced decoherence and coherence revival.

We in this paper study quantum correlations for two neutral spin-particles coupled with a single-mode optical cavity through the usual magnetic interaction. Two-spin entangled states for both antiparallel and parallel spin-polarizations are generated under the photon coherent-state assumption. Based on the quantum master equation we derive the time-dependent quantum correlation of Clauser-Horne-Shimony-Holt (CHSH) type explicitly in comparison with the well known entanglement-measure concurrence. In the two-spin singlet state, which is recognized as one eigenstate of the system, the CHSH correlation and concurrence remain in their maximum values invariant with time and independent of the average photon-numbers either. The correlation varies periodically with time in the general entangled-states for the low average photon-numbers. When the photon number increases to a certain value the oscillation becomes random and the correlations are suppressed below the Bell bound indicating the decoherence of the entangled states. In the high photon-number limit the coherence revivals periodically such that the CHSH correlation approaches the upper bound value at particular time points associated with the cavity-field period.

Collective atomic-population-inversion and stimulated radiation for two-component Bose-Einstein condensate in an optical cavity.

In this paper we investigate the ground-state properties and related quantum phase transitions for the two-component Bose-Einstein condensate in a single-mode optical cavity. Apart from the usual normal and superradiant phases, multi-stable macroscopic quantum states are realized by means of the spin-coherent-state variational method. We demonstrate analytically the stimulated radiation from a collective state of atomic population inversion, which does not exist in the normal Dicke model with single-component atoms. It is also revealed that the stimulated radiation can be generated only from one component of atoms and the other remains in the ordinary superradiant state. However, the order of superradiant and stimulated-radiation states is interchangeable between two components of atoms by tuning the relative atom-field couplings and the frequency detuning as well.

Wnt1 and SFRP1 as potential prognostic factors and therapeutic targets in cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma.

The Wnt signaling pathway plays a key role in insurgence and progression of many different forms of cancer. Some crucial components of the Wnt pathway have been proposed to be novel targets for cancer therapy. To date, the Wnt signaling pathway has not been studied in cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (CSCC). This study was designed to investigate the expression of Wnt1 and SFRP1 from the Wnt pathway in CSCC. Tissue samples were obtained from 35 patients with CSCC and 30 controls admitted to the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region People's Hospital at Urumchi City, China. Gene and protein expressions of Wnt1 and SFRP1 were quantified by immunohistochemistry and western blotting. Wnt1 expression was significantly higher (P < 0.05) in CSCC samples than in normal skin cells of the control subjects; in contrast, SFRP1 expression was significantly lower in CSCC tissues than that in tissues of control subjects (P < 0.05). Moreover, Wnt1 expression (P < 0.05) was found to be correlated with histopathological differentiation in CSCC, and negatively correlated with SFRP1 expression in CSCC (rs = -0.473, P = 0.015). Therefore, we concluded that Wnt1 and SFRP1 play important roles in the development of CSCC and could be potent markers for diagnosis, prevention, and therapy of CSCC.

Analysis of KIT mutations and c-KIT expression in Chinese Uyghur and Han patients with melanoma.

BACKGROUND: The KIT gene plays an important role in the pathogenesis of malignant melanoma (MM). In recent years, activating mutations in KIT have been recognized as oncogenic. A number of therapies have been established, which provide significant clinical benefits for patients with MM with KIT mutations. Thus, detection of KIT mutations can have profound therapeutic implications. AIM: To investigate KIT gene expression in MMs in Chinese Uyghur and Han patients with mutations in KIT, and to identify the clinical features associated with KIT mutations and c-KIT expression. METHODS: In total, 105 MMs (56 from Uyghur and 49 from Han patients) were selected from patients in the Uyghur Autonomous region. Formalin-fixed, paraffin wax-embedded tumour sections were analysed for c-KIT expression using immunohistochemistry. Exons 11 and 13 of KIT were analysed for the presence of mutations using PCR amplification and DNA sequencing. RESULTS: Of the 105 MMs, 13 (10 Han and 3 Uyghur) were found to have mutations in KIT. Thus, the frequency of KIT mutations in Han patients was significantly higher than that in Uyghur patients (P = 0.02). We detected c-KIT expression in 71.4% and 42.9% of the tumour tissue samples collected from the Uyghur and Han patients, respectively. CONCLUSION: In the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region in China, chronic sun-induced damage MM is the most prevalent MM among Chinese Uyghur patients, whereas acral and mucosal MMs are the most prevalent in Uyghur patients. Mutations in the KIT gene do not correlate with c-KIT expression.

Association of variants in renal salt reabsorption-related gene SLC12A3 with essential hypertension in a Mongolian population.

Mounting evidence has implicated the SLC12A3 gene in essential hypertension. Here, we examined the potential associations of common variants of the SLC12A3 gene with blood pressure traits in Mongolians in China. Genomic DNA was extracted from 508 unrelated Mongolian patients with essential hypertension and 246 normotensive Mongolian subjects for genotyping. The genotype distributions of all selected polymorphisms were consistent with Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. The presence of the G allele in the rs7187932 polymorphism was found to be associated with an increased risk of hypertension (OR: 1.30; 95%CI = 1.00-1.38; P = 0.048), whereas the rs2399594 G allele was associated with a reduced risk for hypertension (OR: 0.76; 95%CI = 0.60-0.97; P = 0.030). No significant difference was observed for other alleles. Haplotype analysis revealed an association of the rs2399594 and rs711746 GG haplotype with a reduced risk for hypertension (OR: 0.76; 95%CI = 0.60-0.97; P = 0.029). No significant association was observed between other haplotypes and hypertension. These results suggest that the SLC12A3 gene is a susceptibility gene for hypertension in the Mongolian population.

Quantum Phase Coherence in Mesoscopic Transport Devices with Two-Particle Interaction.

In this paper we demonstrate a new type of quantum phase coherence (QPC), which is generated by the two-body interaction. This conclusion is based on quantum master equation analysis for the full counting statistics of electron transport through two parallel quantum-dots with antiparallel magnetic fluxes in order to eliminate the Aharonov-Bohm interference of either single-particle or non-interacting two-particle wave functions. The interacting two-particle QPC is realized by the flux-dependent oscillation of the zero-frequency cumulants including the shot noise and skewness with a characteristic period. The accurately quantized peaks of cumulant spectrum may have technical applications to probe the two-body Coulomb interaction.

Photon Devil's staircase: photon long-range repulsive interaction in lattices of coupled resonators with Rydberg atoms.

The realization of strong coherent interactions between individual photons is a long-standing goal in science and engineering. In this report, based on recent experimental setups, we derive a strong photon long-range repulsive interaction, by controlling the van der Waals repulsive force between Cesium Rydberg atoms located inside different cavities in extended Jaynes-Cummings-Hubbard lattices. We also find novel quantum phases induced by this photon long-range repulsive interaction. For example, without photon hopping, a photon Devil's staircase, induced by the breaking of long-range translation symmetry, can emerge. If photon hopping occurs, we predict a photon-floating solid phase, due to the motion of particle- and hole-like defects. More importantly, for a large chemical potential in the resonant case, the photon hopping can be frozen even if the hopping term exists. We call this new phase the photon-frozen solid phase. In experiments, these predicted phases could be detected by measuring the number of polaritons via resonance fluorescence.

Quantum phases in circuit QED with a superconducting qubit array.

Circuit QED on a chip has become a powerful platform for simulating complex many-body physics. In this report, we realize a Dicke-Ising model with an antiferromagnetic nearest-neighbor spin-spin interaction in circuit QED with a superconducting qubit array. We show that this system exhibits a competition between the collective spin-photon interaction and the antiferromagnetic nearest-neighbor spin-spin interaction, and then predict four quantum phases, including: a paramagnetic normal phase, an antiferromagnetic normal phase, a paramagnetic superradiant phase, and an antiferromagnetic superradiant phase. The antiferromagnetic normal phase and the antiferromagnetic superradiant phase are new phases in many-body quantum optics. In the antiferromagnetic superradiant phase, both the antiferromagnetic and superradiant orders can coexist, and thus the system possesses Z(z)2 ⊗ Z2 symmetry. Moreover, we find an unconventional photon signature in this phase. In future experiments, these predicted quantum phases could be distinguished by detecting both the mean-photon number and the magnetization.

Association of a CYP4A11 polymorphism and hypertension in the Mongolian and Han populations of China.

Human cytochrome P450 4A11 (CYP4A11) plays a role in the regulation of blood pressure through the conversion of arachidonic acid into 20-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid (20-HETE). We therefore investigated the association between a CYP4A11 polymorphism (rs9333025) with hypertension in the Mongolian and Han ethnic groups. We studied 514 Mongolians in a pastoral area, including 201 hypertension patients and 313 normotensive controls, and 524 Han individuals in an urban area, including 215 hypertension patients and 309 normotensive controls. Genotyping was performed using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP). Genotype, allele, and dominant inheritance differed significantly between the Mongolian and Han populations (P = 0.006, P = 0.002, and P = 0.003, respectively). Significant differences were also observed in these factors when considering only males (P = 0.001, P = 0.003, and P = 0.001, respectively). For the Han population, recessive inheritance differed significantly between hypertension patients and controls and between male patients and controls (P = 0.005 and P = 0.049, respectively). The genotypic, allelic, and dominant frequencies differed significantly between hypertension patients in both populations (P = 0.019, P = 0.035, and P = 0.024, respectively). The genotypic frequency in Mongolian male patients was significantly different from that in Han male patients (P = 0.009). Higher body mass index, triglycerides, and lower high-density lipoprotein were associated with increased risk of developing hypertension in the Han population. The GG genotype was in higher frequency in the Mongolian population, indicating that it is a high risk factor for hypertension. Mongolian men were at higher risk of developing hypertension.

Orbit-induced spin squeezing in a spin-orbit coupled Bose-Einstein condensate.

In recent pioneer experiment, a strong spin-orbit coupling, with equal Rashba and Dresselhaus strengths, has been created in a trapped Bose-Einstein condensate. Moreover, many exotic superfluid phenomena induced by this strong spin-orbit coupling have been predicted. In this report, we show that this novel spin-orbit coupling has important applications in quantum metrology, such as spin squeezing. We first demonstrate that an effective spin-spin interaction, which is the heart for producing spin squeezing, can be generated by controlling the orbital degree of freedom (i.e., the momentum) of the ultracold atoms. Compared with previous schemes, this realized spin-spin interaction has advantages of no dissipation, high tunability, and strong coupling. More importantly, a giant squeezing factor (lower than -30 dB) can be achieved by tuning a pair of Raman lasers in current experimental setup. Finally, we find numerically that the phase factor of the prepared initial state affects dramatically on spin squeezing.

Strong nonlinear coupling between an ultracold atomic ensemble and a nanomechanical oscillator.

A new type of collective nonlinear coupling is presented via the indirect interaction between an ultracold atomic ensemble and a nanomechanical oscillator. More intriguingly, its interaction strength is enhanced largely with a factor of the atomic number, and thus, reaches a strong coupling regime within current experimental parameters. For the large atomic number, this obtained nonlinear coupling describes the interaction between the phonon and a pair of quasiparticle. Physically, this pair of quasiparticle is excited from the ultracold atomic ensemble when a phonon is emitted and vice versa. Based on these collective excitations, the nonlinear optical processes with the χ(2) term are simulated successfully.

Screw-pitch effect and velocity oscillation of a domain wall in a ferromagnetic nanowire driven by spin-polarized current.

We investigate the dynamics of a domain wall in a ferromagnetic nanowire with spin-transfer torque. The critical current condition is obtained analytically. Below the critical current, we get the static domain wall solution, which shows that the spin-polarized current cannot drive a domain wall moving continuously. In this case, the spin-transfer torque plays both the anti-precession and anti-damping roles, which counteracts not only the spin precession driven by the effective field but also Gilbert damping of the moment. Above the critical value, the dynamics of the domain wall exhibits the novel screw-pitch effect characterized by the temporal oscillation of domain wall velocity and width, respectively. Both the theoretical analysis and numerical simulation demonstrate that this novel phenomenon arises from the conjunctive action of Gilbert damping and spin-transfer torque. We also find that the roles of spin-transfer torque are completely opposite for the cases below and above the critical current.

Interaction-induced Lipkin-Meshkov-Glick model in a Bose-Einstein condensate inside an optical cavity.

In this paper we present an experimentally feasible scheme to simulate a generalized Lipkin-Meskov-Glick model in a Bose-Einstein condensate coupled dispersively with an ultrahigh-finesse optical cavity. This obtained Hamiltonian has a unique advantage in that all parameters can be controlled independently by using Feshbach resonance technique, a pump laser along cavity axis and an external driving laser. By the proper choice of parameters, the macroscopic quantum coherent effect with a large amplitude can be successfully achieved. Comparing with the exist schemes, our proposal has a cleaner, perhaps significantly improved to observe this whole coherent effect. Finally, we predict a novel interaction-induced topological transition, which is an abrupt variation from pi to zero of the Berry phase.