Net-shaped DNA nanostructure designed for rapid/sensitive detection and potential inhibition of SARS-CoV-2 virus

We present a net-shaped DNA nanostructure (called "DNA Net" herein) design strategy for selective recognition and high-affinity capture of the intact SARS-CoV-2 virions through spatial pattern-matching and multivalent interactions between the aptamers (targeting wild type spike-RBD) positioned on the DNA Net and the trimeric spike glycoproteins displayed on the viral outer surface. Carrying a designer nanoswitch, the DNA Net-aptamers releases fluorescent signal upon virus binding that is easily read by a hand-held fluorimeter for a rapid (in 10 mins), simple (mix- and-read), sensitive (PCR equivalent), room temperature compatible, and inexpensive ([~] $1.26/test) COVID-19 test assay. The DNA Net-aptamers also impede authentic wild-type SARS-CoV-2 infection in cell culture with a near 1x103-fold enhancement of the monomeric aptamer. Furthermore, our DNA Net design principle and strategy can be customized to tackle other life-threatening and economically influential viruses like influenza and HIV, whose surfaces carry class-I viral envelope glycoproteins like the SARS-CoV-2 spikes in trimeric forms.

Value of strain means of quantitative parameters in diagnosis of liver fibrosis / 南方医科大学学报

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To explore the value of the strain means of the quantitative parameters of organization diffusion in determining the degree of liver fibrosis.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>A total of 130 patients with chronic hepatitis B were examined for quantitative analysis of organization diffusion before liver biopsy to analyze the performance of the strain means in liver fibrosis of different degrees. All the cases were confirmed by pathology.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The strain means differed significantly between different stages of liver fibrosis. Using the best cut-off values of 116.2, 111.4, 101.6 and 97.5 for diagnosis of S≥1, S≥2, S≥3 and S=4, the diagnostic sensitivities were 91.2%, 90.8%, 95.8% and 89.7%, with specificities of 90.4%, 98.6%, 93.8% and 95.6% and accuracies of 90.6%, 94.7%, 95.5% and 91.8%, respectively.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The strain mean can provide specific numerical indicators to determine the degree of liver fibrosis.</p>

Value of ROI A value in strain ratio and elasticity scores in differential diagnosis of thyroid nodules using ultrasonic elastography / 南方医科大学学报

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To study the value of ROI A value in the strain ratio and the elasticity scores by the 4-score system in ultrasonic elastography in differential diagnosis of benign and malignant thyroid nodules.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>A total of 124 patients with 166 thyroid nodules underwent examinations with real-time ultrasonic elastography to obtain the elasticity score and the ROI A value in strain ratio. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were used to assess the diagnostic value of ROI A value, and the best cutoff point was determined. The results of diagnosis based on ROI A value, elasticity scores, and their combination were compared with the results of pathological diagnosis.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The area under the ROC curve (Az) of ROI A value for differentiating benign and malignant thyroid nodules was 0.825. The best diagnostic cut-off point of ROI A value was 0.00165. In differentiating benign and malignant thyroid nodules, the sensitivity, specificity, accuracy and odds ratio were 82.93%, 72.80%, 75.30%, and 13.0 for ROI A value, 87.80%, 80.00%, 81.93%, and 28.8 for the elasticity scores, and 73.17%, 91.20%, 86.75%, and 32.1 for their combination, respectively. The odds ratio of the combined diagnosis was the highest, and the accuracy of the combined diagnosis was significantly higher than that of ROI A value (χ(2)=19.31, P<0.05) and the elasticity scores (χ(2)=12.03, P<0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>ROI A value has moderate diagnostic value and clinical practicability in differentiating thyroid nodules. The diagnostic accuracy of ROI A value can be improved by combining with the elasticity scores.</p>

Efficacy and safety of sublingual immunotherapy with house dust mite extract in poly allergen sensitized children with allergic rhinitis / 临床耳鼻咽喉头颈外科杂志

OBJECTIVE@#To compare the efficacy of sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT) with standardized house dust mite extract in mono sensitized and polysensitized children with allergic rhinitis.@*METHOD@#One hundred and fifty-seven children who were sensitized to house dust mites and treated with SLIT for house dust mites for at least 1 year were studied. The monoallergen sensitized group included patients who were sensitized to Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus and/or Dermatophagoides farinae (n=92). The polyallergen sensitized group included patients who were simultaneously sensitized to house dust mites and other allergens (n = 65). A standardized extract of house dust mites was used for immunotherapy. Antiallergic medication and the total nasal symptom score (TNSS) were evaluated before and 1 year after SLIT.@*RESULT@#One hundred and twenty-five children completed 1-year SLIT. The TNSS improved significantly after SLIT in both groups, with monoallergen sensitized group 11.42 +/- 1.60 vs 3.55 +/- 1.57 (t=30.03, P0.05). The AMSs were decreased significantly after SLIT in both groups, with monoallergen sensitized group 1.62 +/- 0.44 vs 0.56 +/- 0.37 (t=15.01, P0.05).@*CONCLUSION@#In polysensitized allergic rhinitis patients, SLIT for D pteronyssinus and/or D farinae produced improvements in both nasal symptoms and rescue medication scores comparable to those in mono sensitized patients. SLIT for D pteronyssinus and/or D farinae should be considered in polysensitized allergic rhinitis patients.

Analysis of inhaled allergen spectrum of children with allergic rhinitis in Guangzhou / 临床耳鼻咽喉头颈外科杂志

OBJECTIVE@#To explore the inhaled allergen distribution of children with allergic rhinitis in Guangzhou area and to analyze the relevant factors.@*METHOD@#Six hundred and twenty-six cases children in Guangzhou region diagnosed with allergic rhinitis from January 2009 to December 2011 in our outpatient department were tested with skin prick test (SPT). Ten of standardized common inhaled allergens were analysed. The variety of allergens positive rate was calculated. And the gender, age, living environment,history of asthma, eczema, history and family history of clinical data were analyzed.@*RESULT@#The positive rate of SPT was 84.82% (531/626). The dust mites(76.36%) and the house dust mite(72.84%) have the highest positive rate, then the positive rate of the dog hair (11.98%), cat hair (7.03%) and Blattella germanica (4.31%) was degressively. The positive rate was significantly correlated with family history, history of eczema and asthma. The positive rate was correlated with the gender, independent of the living environment. The intensity of the test has no significant correlation with gender, and was significantly correlated with other factors. The positive rate of SPT has significant difference in ages and the highest positive rate of SPT was in the 10-14 age group, the SPT rate was 93.8%. Three groups have significant differences in the positive rate of mite, dog hair and cat hair.@*CONCLUSION@#The main inhaled allergen in children with allergic rhinitis in Guangzhou area tested by SPT was mite, dog hair and cat hair, respectively. The different ages, living environment, family history, history of eczema and allergic rhinitis children with asthma were related with the pathogenesis and development of AR in childhood. Our results have the contribution to early diagnosis and intervention of children with allergic rhinitis in Guangzhou area.

Evaluation of quantitative analysis of organization diffusion application in diagnosing liver fibrosis / 中华超声影像学杂志

Objective To explore the best cutoff point of the quantitative analysis of organization diffusion for differentiating liver fibrosis and to assess its diagnostic value.Methods Sixty-five patients with chronic hepatitis B were examined with quantitative analysis of organization diffusion before liver biopsy,and made a ROC analysis of diagnostic test.All cases confirmed by pathology.Results 114.95 was the best cutoff point of the strain average value which was one parameter of the quantitative analysis of organization diffusion,the area under the curve of ROC was 0.950 (P=0.000),and the sensitivity,specificity,accuracy were 92.3%,87.2% and 89.2%,respectively.Conclusions The quantitative analysis of organization diffusion is helpful in diagnosing liver fibrosis.

Comparison of final adult height in boys with idiopathic short stature accepted growth hormone treatment or not / 中国基层医药

Objective In order to understand whether recombinant human growth hormone(r-hGH) can improve the idiopathic short stature(ISS) boys' final adult height(FAH).Methods We measured 16 cases diagnosed as ISS boys FAH, divided into 2 groups, of which 9 cases were not given r-hGH treatment, treatment group ,7 patients received r-hGH treatment, a dose of 0.1 ～ 0.13 U· kg-1·d-1, before going to sleep subcutaneous injection, duration of treatment was 6 ～ 20 months ( 11.9 ± 5.2 months).Results The treatment group compared with the average FAH FAH observation group had significantly improved the average(t =2.219,P<0.05).Conclusion r-hGH can improve the ISS boys FAH, but early treatment, the longer the course the more obvious effects.

Comparative study of ultrasound elastosonography with pathology on hepatic fibrosis in patients with chronic hepatitis B / 中华超声影像学杂志

Objective To investigate the value of ultrasound elastosonography in the diagnosis of liver fibrosis. Methods One hundred and twenty patients with chronic hepatitis B were examined by ultrasound elastosonography and given elasticity scores,the correlation coefficient between the elasticity scores and the histologic fibrosis stage was evaluated and its difference in the diagnosis of liver fibrosis was compared. Results The Spearman's correlation coefficient between the elasticity scores and the histologic fibrosis stage was 0. 875,which was highly significant ( P＜0. 01). There was no significantly difference between elasticity scores and fibrosis staging in the diagnosis of liver fibrosis by Marginal Homogeneity (Z=- 1. 144, P = 0. 149). The sensitivity,specificity and accuracy of ultrasonic elastography for diagnosing liver fibrosis were 92. 5%, 85.0%, 90.0%, respectively. Conclusions Elastosonography is helpful for the diagnosis of liver fibrosis.

Perioperative management of plastic bronchitis in children.

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to summarize clinical features and perioperative management of plastic bronchitis in 21 children. METHODS: We reviewed the clinical data of 21 children diagnosed with plastic bronchitis in our hospital from April 2001 to February 2009 in this retrospective study. RESULTS: Bronchoscopy was performed in 19 of the 21 cases. Of these, 13 patients were cured with the first procedure, during which branching bronchial casts were taken out. Six cases required a second procedure; of these, five patients were cured by removing branching bronchial casts; one patient died from massive pulmonary hemorrhage during anesthesia induction. Two patients were critically ill at initial diagnosis and worsened despite airway intubation, these patients died of multiple organ failure. The branching bronchial casts which were composed primarily of gelatinous fibers were sent for pathologic examination. Pathologically, 12 foreign bodies were classified as type I casts (containing inflammatory cells), 9 cases were type II (no inflammatory cells detected). CONCLUSIONS: Plastic bronchitis in children is a life-threatening disease, the only effective therapeutic modality is bronchoscopic extraction. The early diagnosis of plastic bronchitis is difficult, anesthesia and extraction procedures are demanding, and the postoperative monitoring is challenging. The clinician should try to make an early diagnosis, use enhanced perioperative monitoring, and improve operational technique to provide timely treatment for the children with plastic bronchitis, thereby reducing the associated mortality rate.

Training Base and Training Project Settings in Higher Vocational Education of Rehabilitation Therapy Technology / 中国康复理论与实践

@#According to the objective of fostering rehabilitation therapists, it is very essential to set up scientific and rational training base and training project to train students in practical ability. This paper recommended programs consulted the views of experts in rehabilitation.

Analysis of clinical manifestations and misdiagnosis of congenital vallecular cyst / 临床耳鼻咽喉头颈外科杂志

OBJECTIVE@#To analyze the clinical manifestations and the cause of misdiagnosis of congenital vallecular cyst.@*METHOD@#Nineteen cases of congenital vallecular cysts were collected and reviewed retrospectively. Their clinical manifestations and diagnosis were analyzed.@*RESULT@#Their clinical manifestations included inspiratory stridor, respiratory distress, inspiratory dyspnea, feeding difficulty etc. Among 19 cases, 15 cases were misdiagnosed as neonate pneumonia (9 cases), bronchial pneumonia (5 cases), and laryngitis (1 case), respectively. All cases were diagnosed as congenital vallecular cysts by fibrolaryngoscope. The diagnosis was confirmed by pathological examination.@*CONCLUSION@#Congenital vallecular cyst is fairly uncommon. To cure these patients on time, early examination of upper airway is recommended for patients with inspiratory stridor and inspiratory dyspnea. Fibrolaryngoscope would be useful for diagnosis and timely treatment.

Analysis of characteristics of heart rate and heart rhythm in children with obstructive sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome / 临床耳鼻咽喉头颈外科杂志

OBJECTIVE@#To investigate the characteristics of heart rate (HR) and heart rhythm in children with obstructive sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS).@*METHOD@#Ninety-five patients underwent overnight PSG for clinically suspected OSAHS. According to the apnea index (AI), the patients were assigned to control group (AI 92%, n = 27) or OSAHS group (AI > 1/h, SaO2 < 92%, n = 68). The HR and heart rhythm were monitored and compared between the two groups.@*RESULT@#The maximum HR during sleep was significantly higher in OSAHS group while the minimum HR was significantly lower during sleep. Bradycardia and tachycardia is a common feature of pediatric OSAHS. There was a significantly higher incidence of tachycardia in OSAHS groups than in the control group.@*CONCLUSION@#These findings suggest that pediatric OSAHS might influence HR and heart rhythm.