Objective:To analyze the spatial-temporal epidemiological characteristics of pertussis from 2013 to 2022 in Hebei Province and to provide a reference for improving prevention and control measures.Methods:Based on the data of pertussis reported in Hebei Province during 2013-2022 to analyze the popular characteristic, the ArcGIS 10.8 software was used to construct a ring map and to perform spatial autocorrelation analysis; the SaTScan 10.1 software was used for spatial-temporal scan statistics.Results:There were 6 715 cases of the cumulative report in Hebei Province from 2013 to 2022 without death. The annual report incidence was 0.90/100 000. The overall incidence rate showed an upward trend from 2013 to 2019, and during 2020-2021, it showed a sharp decline, but in 2022, it showed a sharp increase. Summer and autumn are the peak seasons of the epidemic. The incidence was highest in age group <1 year (48.67%), and the lowest age group in age group ≥15 years (0.45%) and mainly scattered children (78.03%); the incidence about men is higher than women. Spatial autocorrelation analysis showed that the onset of pertussis has spatial clustering, and high-high clusters were found in Langfang, Baoding, and Cangzhou, the top three countries with reported incidence. The area covered by a low-low cluster was consistent with the distribution of the corresponding low-incidence areas in this study. Space-time scan detects five statistically significant areas, and three zones were concentrated in 2022.Conclusions:The incidence of pertussis in Hebei had obvious season, population, and area-specific differences. There was obvious spatiotemporal and clustering, so the control of key areas should target the characteristics of time and space.

Objective To propose a frequency-domain pulse wave prediction model based on fusion attention mechanism,improving the low classification accuracy and poor generalization performance of hypertension time-domain pulse wave classification based on artificial intelligence technology.Methods Firstly,the time-domain pulse wave was transformed into frequency-domain Mel-scale frequency cepstral coefficient features to enhance its discriminability.Then,temporal convolutional network and Transformer structures were employed to extract the deep features of pulse waves,and self-attention mechanism and selective kernel attention were combined for decision fusion to extract relevant features.Floodings regularization method was used to indirectly control the training loss and prevent overfitting.A 5-fold cross-verification experiment was conducted based on 527 clinical pulse diagnosis data provided by Longhua Hospital,Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine and Shanghai Traditional Chinese Medicine-Integrated Hospital.Additionally,the extreme gradient boosting algorithm was employed to calculate the contribution rate ranking of frequency-domain pulse wave features,and the key factors affecting the classification accuracy of the model were analyzed to provide reference for the clinical auxiliary diagnosis of traditional Chinese medicine.Results The evaluation metrics accuracy,F1 score,precision,recall rate and area under curve value of the model proposed in this study were 0.939 6,0.924 9,0.940 9,0.929 5,and 0.993 4,respectively.The static characteristics of the pulse wave,the contribution rate of the first-order difference and the second-order difference coefficients were relatively balanced,indicating that the degree of hypertension risk was not only related to the static characteristics of the pulse wave,but also to the dynamic characteristics of the pulse wave.Conclusion The proposed model has higher classification accuracy and generalization performance compared to typical pulse wave classification models.

Objective To investigate the protective effects and underlying mechanisms of sodium butyrate on rats exposed to hypoxia and cold conditions.Methods Fifty-eight male SD rats (aged 7～8 weeks,weighing 240～260 g ) were randomly divided into normoxia normothermia saline control (NNC ) group (n=10),normoxia normothermia sodium butyrate(NNB)group(n=10),hypoxia cold saline control (HCC) group (n=19),and hypoxia cold sodium butyrate (HCB)group (n=19).The intragastric dose of sodium butyrate was 200 mg/kg for the NNB and HCB groups,while the NNC and HCC groups were given normal saline of 5 mL/kg.①After continuous intragastric administration for 7 d,the rats in the HCC and HCB groups were placed in a low-pressure hypoxic chamber to simulate an altitude of 5000 m and exposed to a temperature of 8 ℃ for 7 d.Subsequently,blood samples were collected from the abdominal aorta for blood gas analysis,blood routine test,and detection for serum biochemical indicators.ELISA was used to determine serum inflammatory cytokines and endocrine hormones.The rats in the NNC and NNB groups(n=10)were fed outside the chamber and underwent the same tests in 7 d later to evaluate the protective effects of sodium butyrate on the body.②Core body temperature monitoring was conducted to assess the impact of sodium butyrate on the rmoregulation in rats exposed to hypoxia and cold(n=3).③Hypoxia exercise tolerance of the HCC group and HCB group in a hypoxic chamber (11％O2 )was evaluated for their hypoxia resistance (n=6).Results Compared to the NNC group,the rats in the HCC group exhibited significant decreases in arterial oxygen saturation (SaO2 )and arterial oxygen partial pressure (PaO2 ),serum levels of IL-4,estradiol (E2)and cortisol (F),core temperature,and exercise duration (P<0.05),and had notably increased levels of red blood cell (RBC)count,hemoglobin (HGB),hematocrit (HCT),cardiac troponin (CRDAC-T),uric acid (UA),alanine aminotransferase (ALT),total cholesterol (TC),low-density lipoprotein (LDL),IL-6 and granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF)(P<0.05).Compared to the HCC group,the rats in the HCB group exhibited significant increases in SaO2,PaO2,IL-4,E2,F,corticotropin releasing hormone (CRH)and adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH)(P<0.05),remarkably longer exercise duration under hypoxic exposure (P<0.05 ),but decreases in RBC count,serum levels of HGB,HCT,CRDAC-T,UA,ALT,TC,LDL,IL-6,GM-CSF and free thyroxine (FT4 ),and core temperature (P<0.05).Conclusion Sodium butyrate exhibits protective effects on rats exposed to hypoxia and cold conditions,and it is helpful in their adaptation to these hypoxia and cold environments.

Objective:To analyze the clinical features and follow-up data in children with neuropsychiatric lupus erythematosus (NPSLE), and provide reference for the diagnosis and treatment of NPSLE.Methods:The clinical data of 22 children with NPSLE who were admitted to the Department of Rheumatology Immunology and Allergy, Children′s Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine from January 2019 to March 2022 were included and were followed-up for 24~60 months. The data were analyzed retrospectively. Statistical descriptive analysis was performed using the SPSS 23.0.Results:Twenty-two (26.8%, 22/82) children with NPSLE occurred in the hospitalized children with SLE during the study period. The ratio of male to female was 1∶4.5, and the onset age was (10.7±2.0) years. Among these cases, 86.4% (19/22) patients were newly diagnosed and had severe disease activity and 16 cases (72.7%) occurred within 1 month after disease onset. Nineteen cases (86.4%) had mucocutaneous involvement, 16 cases (72.7%) had lupus nephritis, 14 cases (63.2%) had hematological system involvement, 13 cases (59.1%) had skeletal muscle involvement, 10 cases (45.5%) had serositis, 10 cases (45.5%) were complicated with hypertension, and 8 cases (36.5%) with macrophage activation syndrome (MAS). The main clinical symptoms of the nervous system included headache (11/19, 57.9%), dizziness (10/19, 52.6%), listlessness (7/19, 36.8%), blurred vision (4/19, 21.1%), convulsions (3/19, 15.8%), lethargy (2/19, 10.5%). Twenty patients (20/22, 90.9%) demonstrated abnormal signals on brain MRI, 7 cases (7/12, 45.5%) showed abnormal signals on brain CT, 10 cases (10/22, 45.5%) showed abnormal waves on EEG, and 6 cases (6/20, 30.0%) demonstrated abnormal results of cerebrospinal fluids analysis. The follow-up duration was 34 (28, 48) months. Clinical remission or low disease activity was found in 19 patients (86.4%), and no death were observed. Three cases had residual cerebral infarction lesions, no neurological sequelae were found in all patients.Conclusion:The most common symptoms of NPSLE in children are headache and dizziness, which are more likely to occur in patients with initial onset and severe disease activity, and approximately 36.5% children with NPSLE may complicated by MAS.The results of 24-60 months follow-up showed that the prognosis of the disease is good.

Objective:To observe the expression of angiopoietin-like protein 4 (ANGPTL4) signaling pathway in adenine-induced chronic kidney disease (CKD) rat model, and to explore the role of this pathway in renal fibrosis.Methods:Thirty-six male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into control group (saline, intragastric administration, n=15) and CKD group (250 mg·kg -1·d -1 2.5% adenine, intragastric administration, n=21). At the end of the 1st, 2nd and 4th week, 5 rats were randomly selected from each group. Renal function and 24-hour urinary protein quantity were measured. HE and Masson staining were used to observe the pathological changes of kidneys. Immunohistochemistry and real-time PCR were used to detect renal protein and mRNA expressions of hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α), ANGPTL4, bone morphogenetic protein 7 (BMP7), Smad1, α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) and type Ⅰ collagen (Col-Ⅰ). Pearson correlation analysis was used to analyze the correlation between the different indicators. Results:(1) Compared with the control group, the expression levels of serum creatinine and blood urea nitrogen in CKD group were higher at each time point, and the expression levels of 24-hour urinary protein quantity were higher at the end of the 2nd and 4th week (all P < 0.05). (2) HE and Masson staining showed that there were obvious renal structural disorders and collagen fiber deposition at each time point in CKD group compared with the control group, which got worse with time. (3) The results of immunohistochemistry and real-time PCR showed that compared with the control group, the protein and mRNA expression levels of ANGPTL4, α-SMA and Col-Ⅰ were higher, while the protein and mRNA expression levels of BMP7 and Smad1 were lower at the end of the 1st, 2nd and 4th week, and the protein and mRNA expression levels of HIF-1α were higher at the end of 2nd and 4th week in CKD group (all P < 0.05). (4) Correlation analysis results showed that HIF-1α and ANGPTL4 mRNA expression were positively correlated with α-SMA mRNA ( r=0.919, P < 0.001; r=0.757, P < 0.001), and also positively correlated with Col-Ⅰ mRNA ( r=0.925, P < 0.001; r=0.777, P < 0.001). HIF-1α mRNA expression was positively correlated with ANGPTL4 mRNA ( r=0.766, P < 0.001). There were significant negative correlations between HIF-1α, ANGPTL4 mRNA and BMP7 mRNA ( r=-0.652, P < 0.001; r=-0.741, P < 0.001). Conclusions:ANGPTL4 signaling pathway may be activated in adenine-induced CKD rat model, and involved in the renal fibrosis process of CKD.

ObjectiveTo understand the distribution characteristics of soil metal pollution around an abandoned rare earth ore in Jiangxi and the health impact on the surrounding residents. MethodsAccording to the distribution of abandoned rare earth ore， the village was divided into mining and non-mining areas. The prevalence of chronic diseases among residents over 15 years old in the village was collected through a self-designed questionnaire. Twenty-three soil samples were collected. The contents of rare earth metals （including lanthanum， cerium， praseodymium， and neodymium） and heavy metals （including arsenic （metalloids）， cadmium， and lead） in the soil samples were determined by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry （ICP-MS）. ResultsThe metal content showed a cumulative increasing trend. One of the23 sampling sites showed mild cadmium pollution. Compared with non-mining farmland， the metal content of farmland soil around the abandoned rare earth mine was relatively higher. The residents' top six self-reported chronic diseases were hypertension， chronic bronchitis， diabetes， stroke， hyperlipidemia， and cataract. The prevalence of hypertension in mining area was higher than non-mining area （χ²=4.141， P=0.042）. The main related factors for hypertension in residents were the increase in age （OR=14.576， 95%CI： 2.773‒76.605） and body mass index （OR=3.147， 95%CI： 1.121‒8.835）. ConclusionAbandoned rare earth ore may have a potential impact on the health of surrounding residents.

【Objective】 To establish RH gene mRNA sequencing method based on nanopores sequencing and to explore the RHD and RHCE mRNA transcripts in D positive and D^el individuals. 【Methods】 From March 2021 to May 2022, 5 RhD positive samples and 5 D^el samples screened out by hospitals in Chengdu were sent to our laboratory for futher examination. The erythrocytes and buff coat were isolated, then DNA and RNA were extracted.All 10 samples were genotyped by PCR-SSP. After the mRNA was reversely transcribed into cDNA, the full-length mRNA of RHD and RHCE genes were simultaneously amplified by a pair of primers. Sanger sequencing and third-generation sequencing technology based on Nanopore were used to sequence the amplified products, and the types and expressions of different splices of RHD and RHCE gene mRNA transcripts were analyzed. 【Results】 The method established in this study can simultaneously amplify the full length transcripts of RHD and RHCE. Ten different RHD gene mRNA transcripts and nine RHCE gene mRNA transcripts were detected in 10 samples. RHD full-length transcript (RHD-201) can be detected in RhD D^el type, but the expression amount was significantly lower than that in RhD positive samples. The expression amount of transcript RHD-207 (Del789) in D^el samples was significantly higher than that in RhD positive samples. The transcript RHD-208 (Del8910+ 213) was only detected in RhD D^el type individuals, and no significant difference was found between other RHD transcripts and all RHCE transcripts in the two phenotypes. 【Conclusion】 In this study, an analytical method for sequencing full-length transcript isomers of RHD and RHCE mRNA via the third generation was successfully established, and complex alternative splicing patterns were found in RHD and RHCE genes, providing a new method for the study of alternative splicing of blood group gene variants mRNA.

Objective To investigate the efficacy and safety of apatinib monotherapy as subsequent-line therapy on patients with advanced ESCC. Methods We included 56 patients with advanced ESCC who were administered with apatinib monotherapy. The initial dosage of apatinib was 500mg or 250mg daily. Clinicopathological characteristics, adverse reaction and prognosis of the patients were analyzed. The primary endpoint of this study was PFS, the secondary endpoints were ORR, DCR, OS and safety of apatinib administration. Results All the 56 patients with ESCC corresponded with the eligibility criteria and were available for the evaluation of efficacy and adverse reaction. The ORR of the 56 patients who received apatinib monotherapy was 8.9% (95%CI: 3.0%-19.6%) and DCR was 64.3% (95%CI: 50.4%-76.6%). The median PFS was 3.7 months (95%CI: 3.19-4.21) and the median OS was 6.3 months (95%CI: 3.53-9.08). The common adverse reactions were hypertension (50.0%), fatigue (41.1%), loss of appetite (35.7%), hand-foot syndrome (30.4%) and diarrhea (26.8%). Conclusion Apatinib monotherapy demonstrates potential efficacy and tolerable safety as the further-line treatment for the patients with advanced ESCC. And the conclusion should be validated in prospective clinical studies subsequently.

ObjectiveTo investigate the efficacy of Bushen Shengxue prescription and Yiqi Yangxue prescription in the treatment of chronic aplastic anemia and the effect on T cell subsets and the expression of T-box expressed in T cells （T-bet） and GATA binding protein 3 （GATA3）. MethodA total of 585 patients with chronic aplastic anemia who were treated in 19 hospitals in China from May 2018 to June 2021 were enrolled. With the prospective， double-blind and randomized control methods， the patients were randomized into three groups： kidney deficiency group， Qi and blood deficiency group， and control group. The three groups were respectively treated with Bushen Shengxue prescription granule， Yiqi Yangxue prescription granule， and Placebo （half the dose of Bushen Shengxue formula granules）. In addition， all of them were given oral cyclosporin and androgen. The treatment lasted 6 months， with 3 months as a course. The blood routine indexes， T cell subsets， and fusion genes T-bet and GATA3 before and after treatment were analyzed， and the safety indexes were monitored. ResultDuring the observation， a total of 75 cases dropped out and 18 were rejected. Finally， 161 cases in the kidney deficiency group， 164 in the Qi and blood deficiency group， and 167 in the control group were included. After 6 months of treatment， the total effective rate was 98.8% （159/161） in the kidney deficiency group， which was higher than the 79.9% （131/164） in the Qi and blood deficiency group （χ²=30.135， P<0.01） and the 61.7% （103/167） in the control group （χ²=70.126， P<0.01）. The total effective rate was higher in the Qi and blood deficiency group than in the control group （χ²=13.232， P<0.01）. After treatment， the hemoglobin （HGB） content increased significantly in three groups （P<0.05） as compared with that before treatment， particularly the kidney deficiency group （P<0.01）. After treatment， the white blood cell （WBC） count and platelet （PLT） count in the kidney deficiency group and the control group increased compared with those in the Qi and blood deficiency group （P<0.01）. There was no specific difference in neutrophils （ANC） after treatment among the three groups. At the same time point， the level of T helper type 1 （Th1） cells， Th1/Th2 ratio （P<0.05）， level of CD4⁺， and CD4⁺/CD8⁺ ratio （P<0.05） were significantly low in the kidney deficiency group among three groups. There was no significant difference in CD19^-， HLA/DR⁺， and CD25⁺ between the kidney deficiency group and the other two groups， but the T-bet of the kidney deficiency group and the control group was lower than that of the Qi and blood deficiency group （P<0.05）. ConclusionBushen Shengxue prescription exerts therapeutic effect on the aplastic anemia by improving the immunoregulatory mechanism， inhibiting the activity of immune system， modulating T cell subsets， suppressing Th1 and CD4⁺， and promoting bone marrow hematopoiesis. Moreover， it is safe with little side effects， which is worthy of further promotion.