Background Hypertension is one of the chronic diseases with the highest prevalence in China, and a history of hypertension may potentially exacerbate hearing loss. Investigating the association between long-term blood pressure trends and hearing thresholds could contribute to hearing protection efforts for occupationally noise-exposed populations. Objective By investigating hearing thresholds and blood pressure levels among occupationally noise-exposed workers in an urban rail transit enterprise, and conducting a comprehensive analysis of the association between long-term blood pressure changes and hearing thresholds, to provide data references for health management strategies targeting occupationally noise-exposed workers. Methods Workers exposed to occupational noise at a rail transit enterprise were enrolled as study subjects and underwent pure-tone audiometry. Group-based trajectory modeling was employed to identify blood pressure trajectories. Categorical data were compared using chi-square tests, while normally distributed continuous variables were analyzed via t-tests and analysis of variance (ANOVA). Generalized linear mixed models (GLMMs) were subsequently applied toexamine associations between these trajectory groups and high-frequency hearing thresholds. Results Among 2 002 occupationally noise-exposed workers, the median (P₂₅, P₇₅) age was 32 (28, 35) years, with a median (P₂₅, P₇₅) working tenure of 7 (3, 10) years. In 2019, the positive hypertension rate was 9.04%, with a mean systolic blood pressure (SBP) of (122.97±11.60) mmHg and a mean diastolic blood pressure (DBP) of (76.37±9.02) mmHg. The hearing loss prevalence was 10.1%, showing bilateral high-frequency average hearing thresholds of (17.18±8.71) dB and speech-frequency average thresholds of (13.79±3.46) dB. Three distinct trajectory groups were identified for both SBP and DBP. Compared with other trajectory groups, the high-stable DBP group exhibited significantly higher hearing loss prevalence (χ²=6.34, P=0.042) and elevated high-frequency hearing thresholds (all Ps<0.05). Specifically, within the 30-39 age subgroup, the moderate-stable DBP group demonstrated 1.96 dB lower high-frequency thresholds than the high-stable group [β(95%CI): −1.96 (−3.61, −0.32), P=0.020]. Conclusion Among occupationally noise-exposed workers in a municipal rail transit enterprise, DBP trajectories demonstrated a positive association with high-frequency hearing thresholds. Notably, in young and middle-aged occupationally noise-exposed populations, DBP may exert a more critical influence than SBP on the progression of hearing loss.

Objective:To explore the clinical characteristics and genetic etiology of four children with Phelan-McDermid syndrome (PMS).Methods:Four children who had visited the Affiliated Women and Children′s Hospital of Ningbo University between June 2, 2022 and May 8, 2023 were selected as the study subjects. Clinical data of the children were collected. Genomic DNA was extracted from peripheral blood samples of the children and their parents and subjected to whole exome sequencing (WES). Candidate variants were verified by Sanger sequencing and quantitative PCR (q-PCR) analysis. This study was approved by the Medical Ethics Committee of the Affiliated Women and Children′s Hospital of Ningbo University (Ethics No. EC2020-048).Results:All children had presented with speech and language delays and intellectual disability. Children 3 and 4 also presented with autistic behaviors. WES showed that the children 1 and 2 had respectively carried a heterozygous c.731T>C (p.Leu244Pro) and a c.2782_2851del (p.Gly928ArgfsTer4) variant of the SHANK3 gene. Sanger sequencing confirmed that their parents did not carry the same variant, suggesting that they were de novo in origin. Children 3 and 4 had respectively harbored a 121 kb and 52.02 kb heterozygous deletion at chromosome 22q13.33, which had both encompassed the SHANK3 and ACR genes mapped to 22q13.33. q-PCR results showed that the deletion of SHANK3 and ACR genes were de novo in origin. Based on the guidelines from the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics, the c. 731T>C and c. 2782_2851del variants were predicted to be likely pathogenic (PS2+ PM2_Supporting+ PP3) and pathogenic (PVS1+ PM2_Supporting+ PS2_Supporting), respectively. Furthermore, the 52.02 kb and 121 kb heterozygous deletions in 22q13.33 were both predicted to be pathogenic (2D+ 4C, 1.05 in score; 2D+ 4C, 1 in score). Conclusion:The four children were all diagnosed with PMS by genetic testing. Above finding has enriched the phenotypic and mutational spectrum of PMS, and provided a basis for clinical diagnosis and genetic counseling for their families.

Objective To investigate the incidence and severity of enamel demineralization during clear aligner treatment and provide reference for clinical medical nursing work.Methods A total of 151 patients(3 507 teeth)undergoing clear aligner treatment in our hospital from 2015 to 2022 were collected.The enamel demineralization before and after treatment was compared,and the enamel demi-neralization index(EDI)was calculated to evaluate the severity of demineralization.The incidence and severity of enamel demineraliza-tion were analyzed statistically,and the differences among different genders,ages and dental positions were compared.Results Enam-el demineralization occurred in 84 patients during treatment,with an incidence rate of 55.63%.Gender and treatment time had no effect on the incidence,and the incidence of adolescent patients was higher than that of adult patients.Among the investigated 3 507 teeth,601 teeth had enamel demineralization,and the incidence rate was 17.14%.The incidence of maxillary anterior teeth and mandibular posterior teeth was higher;the incidence of right teeth was significantly higher than that of left teeth,and the incidence of teeth with ad-hesive attachments was also significantly increased.88%of the enamel demineralization lesions were 1－2 degrees,and the degree of enamel demineralization was similar in male and female patients.But the degree in adolescents was significantly higher than that in adult patients.The average EDI value of maxillary anterior teeth was significantly higher than that of mandible,but that of maxillary posterior teeth was significantly lower than that of mandible.The average EDI value of right teeth was significantly higher than that of left.Conclusion The incidence of enamel demineralization is high in the process of clear aligner treatment,and teenagers are suscep-tible to it.The demineralization of teeth is significantly different among different tooth positions,and adhesive attachments will increase the risk of enamel demineralization.Therefore,medical staff should take active and effective measures in the prevention and treatment of enamel demineralization.

Objective:To construct the whole-process intelligent management system for preventing PICC-related bloodstream infections and explore its effect in preventing PICC-related bloodstream infections.Methods:From January 2021 to December 2022, patients with PICC admitted to Wenzhou People' s Hospital were selected as the research subject, the patients from January to December 2021 were divided into the control groups, the patients from January to December 2022 were divided into the observation group. The whole-process intelligent management system for preventing PICC-related bloodstream infections was constructed and applied with artificial intelligence, this study compared the incidence of PICC-related bloodstream infections and the implementation rate of PICC whole-process bundled management projects before and after system application.Results:The incidence of PICC-related bloodstream infections in the control group was 0.55‰ (14/25 674), while the incidence in the observation group was 0.20‰ (5/25 226), with a statistically significant difference (χ 2=4.110, P<0.05). The implementation rates of PICC whole-process bundled management projects in the control group and observation group were 74.04% (2 319/3 132) and 92.11% (2 885/3 132), respectively, with a statistically significant difference (χ 2=363.782, P<0.01) . Conclusions:The whole-process intelligent management system for preventing PICC-related bloodstream infections constructed optimizes the prevention and treatment process of PICC-related bloodstream infections, effectively ensures the implementation of nursing interventions and monitoring measures, and reduces the incidence of PICC-related bloodstream infections.

Objective:To evaluate the clinical value of four dimensional ultrasound combined with pelvic floor surface electromyography in the assessment of bladder prolapse in primipara with different delivery modes.Methods:A total of 413 primipara 6-8 weeks after full-term delivery were selected from the obstetrics clinic of the Second Affiliated Hospital of Hainan Medical College from October 2021 to September 2023. They were divided into natural delivery group(349 cases) and cesarean section group(64 cases ). The characteristics of 4D pelvic floor ultrasound in the two groups were analyzed and summarized. Then 64 cases of primipara with pelvic floor surface electromyography were divided into bladder prolapse group (46 cases) and no bladder prolapse group(18 cases). The characteristics of four dimension ultrasound combined with pelvic floor surface electromyography in the two groups were analyzed, and the related risk factors of bladder prolapse were analyzed.Results:The bladder neck mobility and urethral rotation angle in the natural delivery group were higher than those in the cesarean section group (all P<0.05). Compared with the cesarean section group, the incidence of obvious prolapse and urethral infundibulation was higher in the natural delivery group, while the incidence of mild prolapse was lower than that in the cesarean section group (all P<0.05). Bladder neck mobility, urethral rotation angle and levator ani hiatal area in the prolapsed bladder group were higher than those in the non-prolapsed bladder group (all P<0.05). The maximum value of fast muscle stage and the mean value of slow muscle stage in the group with prolapse were lower than those in the group without prolapse (both P<0.05). Univariate Logistic regression analysis found that the risk factors for bladder prolapse were increased birth weight, natural delivery, increased bladder neck mobility, posterior bladder angle was opened, increased urethral rotation angle, increased levator ani hiatal area, decreased maximum value of fast muscle stage and decreased mean value of slow muscle stage. Multivariate Logistic regression analysis showed that increased ani hiatal area ( OR=2.216, P=0.015) and decreased maximum value of tater muscle stage ( OR=0.847, P=0.035) were risk factors for bladder prolapse. Conclusions:Pelvic floor ultrasound combine with pelvic floor surface electromyography can qualitatively and quantitatively evaluate the changes of pelvic floor muscle structure and function in postpartum women, and diagnose bladder prolapse and its degree. The increase of levator ani hiatal area and the decrease of maximum value of tater stage may be the risk factors for bladder prolapse at 6-8 weeks postpartum in primiparas.

Objective:To evaluate the diagnostic value of targeted biopsy of secondary lesion (SL) in systematic biopsy (SB) combined targeted biopsy for clinically significant prostate cancer (CsPCa).Methods:A retrospective analysis was conducted on the data of patients who underwent systematic biopsy combined target biopsy at Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital from January 2021 to February 2023, and they had at least two Prostate Imaging-Reporting and Data System (PI-RADS) score ≥3 lesions on prostate magnetic resonance imaging. The study included patients with a median age of 70 (65, 76) years old, median prostate specific antigen (PSA) was 9.1 (5.96, 13.62) ng/ml, median prostate volume was 39.1 (29.27, 53.25) ml, and median PSAD was 0.2 (0.15, 0.38) ng/ml 2.The index lesion (IL) was defined as the one with the highest PI-RADS score and SL was defined as the one with the second-highest PI-RADS score. If the two lesions had the same PI-RADS score, the one with larger maximum diameter was IL and the other one was SL. The median maximum diameter of IL and SL were 1.3 (1.06, 1.66) cm and 0.9 (0.69, 1.20) cm, respectively. The median maximum diameter ratio of IL and SL was 1.48 (1.10, 1.91), and the median maximum diameter difference of IL and SL was 0.9 (0.20, 1.89) cm. The IL in peripheral zone was found in 238 patients (62.63%) and SL in peripheral zone was found in 255 patients (67.10%). There were 204 patients (53.68%) having both IL and SL on the same side of prostate. According to the combination of PI-RADS scores of IL and SL, patients were categorized into various groups: 96 patients (25.26%) with IL3 and SL3, 79 (20.78%) with IL4 and SL3, 98 (25.78%) with IL4 and SL4, 21 (5.52%) with IL5 and SL3, 76 (20.0%) with IL5 and SL4, and 10 (2.63%) with IL5 and SL5. Targeted biopsy was performed on at least two of the most significant lesions. Comparison was performed in the detection rate of CsPCa between SB+ IL+ SL and SB+ IL (SL was omitted). To explore the factors influencing the detection rate of CsPCa, a multivariate logistic regression analysis was used. Results:The detection rate of CsPCa in this study was 78.95% (300/380) based on SB+ IL+ SL. After omitting SL target biopsy, the detection rate of CsPCa was 78.16% (297/380, P>0.05) under the condition of SB+ IL. No significant differences were noted between the two groups. The multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that PSA ( OR=1.11, 95% CI 1.05-1.20, P<0.01), prostate volume ( OR=0.98, 95% CI 0.96-0.99, P<0.01), SL maximum diameter ( OR=0.19, 95% CI 0.08-0.50, P<0.01), ratio of IL and SL maximum diameter ( OR=0.34, 95% CI 0.16-0.68, P<0.01), difference of IL and SL maximum diameter ( OR=1.50, 95% CI 1.10-2.29, P<0.05), and PI-RADS score group of IL and SL (IL3 vs. SL3 as the reference, IL4 vs. SL3 OR=4.79, 95% CI 2.21-10.91, P<0.01, IL4 vs. SL4 OR=23.11 95% CI 8.09-85.28, P<0.01, IL5 vs. SL3/4/5 OR=15.28 95% CI 5.21-48.55, P<0.01) were the influencing factors for detection rate of CsPCa. Conclusions:For patients with at least two PI-RADS score≥3 lesions on prostate magnetic resonance imaging, omitting SL can almost maintain the same detection efficacy.

Objective:To investigate the pathogenic spectrum of children with severe infection by metagenomic next generation sequencing (mNGS).Methods:This study was a cross-sectional study. We collected 212 cases of severely infected pediatric patients admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of the Women and Children′s Hospital of Ningbo University from January 2022 to June 2023, and performed metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS) on 249 samples to analyze the pathogenic distribution characteristics.Results:Among the 249 samples of 212 children, the positive detection rate was 49.80% (124/249), including 14 cases of mixed infections, accounting for 6.60% (14/212). According to the mNGS technology, the pathogen distribution of severely infected children showed that the most common Gram-positive bacteria were Staphylococcus aureus (3.61%, 9/249), Streptococcus pneumoniae (2.81%, 7/249), and Staphylococcus epidermidis (2.41%, 6/249); the most common Gram-negative bacteria were Klebsiella aerogenes (2.41%, 6/249), Klebsiella pneumoniae (2.41%, 6/249), and Haemophilus parainfluenzae (2.01%, 5/249). The most common fungus was Candida parapsilosis (2.01%, 5/249). The most common virus was Human Cytomegalovirus (HCMV) (6.02%, 15/249), Human Herpesvirus 1 (HHV-1) (1.61%, 4/249), and Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) (1.61%, 4/249). The most common atypical pathogen was Mycoplasma pneumoniae (3.21%, 8/249). Conclusions:This study explored the pathogen spectrum in severely infected pediatric patients through mNGS, contributing to the diagnosis of mixed infections or infections caused by uncommon or rare pathogens, which enables rapid and efficient identification of pathogens.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the value of genetic screening by high-throughput sequencing (HTS) for the early diagnosis of neonatal diseases. METHODS: A total of 2 060 neonates born at Ningbo Women and Children's Hospital from March to September 2021 were selected as the study subjects. All neonates had undergone conventional tandem mass spectrometry metabolite analysis and fluorescent immunoassay analysis. HTS was carried out to detect the definite pathogenic variant sites with high-frequency of 135 disease-related genes. Candidate variants were verified by Sanger sequencing or multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification (MLPA). RESULTS: Among the 2 060 newborns, 31 were diagnosed with genetic diseases, 557 were found to be carriers, and 1 472 were negative. Among the 31 neonates, 5 had G6PD, 19 had hereditary non-syndromic deafness due to variants of GJB2, GJB3 and MT-RNR1 genes, 2 had PAH gene variants, 1 had GAA gene variants, 1 had SMN1 gene variants, 2 had MTTL1 gene variants, and 1 had GH1 gene variants. Clinically, 1 child had Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), 1 had Glycogen storage disease II, 2 had congenital deafness, and 5 had G6PD deficiency. One mother was diagnosed with SMA. No patient was detected by conventional tandem mass spectrometry. Conventional fluorescence immunoassay had revealed 5 cases of G6PD deficiency (all positive by genetic screening) and 2 cases of hypothyroidism (identified as carriers). The most common variants identified in this region have involved DUOX2 (3.93%), ATP7B (2.48%), SLC26A4 (2.38%), GJB2 (2.33%), PAH (2.09%) and SLC22A5 genes (2.09%). CONCLUSION Neonatal genetic screening has a wide range of detection and high detection rate, which can significantly improve the efficacy of newborn screening when combined with conventional screening and facilitate secondary prevention for the affected children, diagnosis of family members and genetic counseling for the carriers.
Child ; Infant, Newborn ; Humans ; Female ; Prospective Studies ; Connexins/genetics* ; Connexin 26/genetics* ; Glucosephosphate Dehydrogenase Deficiency ; Mutation ; Sulfate Transporters/genetics* ; DNA Mutational Analysis ; Genetic Testing/methods* ; Deafness/genetics* ; Neonatal Screening/methods* ; Hearing Loss, Sensorineural/genetics* ; High-Throughput Nucleotide Sequencing ; Solute Carrier Family 22 Member 5/genetics*

OBJECTIVE: To explore the clinical characteristics and genetic etiology for two children with Neurodevelopmental disorder with hypotonia, stereotypic hand movements, and impaired language (MEDHSIL). METHODS: Two children who had visited the Ningbo Women and Children's Hospital on October 15, 2021 were selected as the study subjects. Whole exome sequencing (WES) was carried out for both patients. Candidate variants were verified by Sanger sequencing of their family members. RESULTS: The two children were respectively found to harbor a heterozygous c.138delC (p.Ile47Serfs*42) variant and a c.833del (p.L278*) variant of the MEF2C gene. Based on the guidelines from the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics (ACMG), both variants were predicted to be pathogenic (PVS1+PS2+PM2_Supporting). CONCLUSION The c.138delC and c.833del variants of the MEF2C gene probably underlay the pathogenesis of MEDHSIL in the two children. Above findings have enriched the mutational spectrum of the MEF2C gene and enabled genetic counseling for their families.
Child ; Humans ; Family ; Genetic Counseling ; Language ; MEF2 Transcription Factors/genetics* ; Muscle Hypotonia/genetics* ; Neurodevelopmental Disorders

OBJECTIVE: To explore the types of NF1 gene variants and clinical characteristics among patients with Neurofibromatosis type I (NF1). METHODS: Clinical data of 12 patients diagnosed at Ningbo Women and Children's Hospital between December 2019 and May 2022 were retrospectively analyzed. The probands and their family members were subjected to high-throughput sequencing, and candidate variants were verified by Sanger sequencing and chromosome microarray analysis. RESULTS: The 12 patients had ranged from 4 months to 27 years old, with a male-to-female ratio of 2 : 1. Cafè-au-lait spots were found in all patients. 83.3% of them also had axillary and/or inguinal freckling, 58.3% had neurofibromas, and 16.7% had congenital pseudarthrosis of the tibia. Five types of NF1 gene variants were identified in the patients, including 5 nonsense variants, 4 frameshift variants, 1 missense variant, 1 splice variant, 1 large deletion involving the whole gene. Six patients were found to harbor de novo variants, 2 had inherited the variants from their parents, and 4 were not verified for their parental origin. The c.3379del (p.Thr1127Glnfs*15) and c.6628_6629del (p.Glu2210Thrfs*10) variants were unreported in literature and databases. CONCLUSION Most NF1 patients may present with Cafè-au-lait spots initially and are due to pathogenic variant of the NF1 gene. High-throughput sequencing can efficiently identify such variants among the patients and enable the definite diagnosis.
Child ; Humans ; Female ; Male ; Neurofibromatosis 1/diagnosis* ; Cafe-au-Lait Spots/diagnosis* ; Genes, Neurofibromatosis 1 ; Retrospective Studies ; Frameshift Mutation