Objective To study the prevalence of retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) in preterm infants in Xiamen, Fujian. Design Retrospective case series. Participants From Oct. 2004 to Dec. 2008, 375 infants with birth weights ≤2500g or gestational age ≤32w were screened in Xiamen the First Hospital. Methods Initial examinations with the binocular indirect ophthalmoscopy and the scleral depression began at 4～6 weeks after birth or at 32 weeks postconception. All infants were followed-up until a stable retinal situation was reached. Main Outcome Measures The prevalence of ROP. Results Retinopathy of prematurity was detected in 10.93% of 375 neonates, including 18 eyes of stage 1, 48 eyes in stage 2, 14 eyes in stage 3, 2 eyes in AP-ROP. The prevalence of ROP in the infants with the birth weight ≤1000g, 1001-1500g and 1501-2000g was 45%, 17.07%, 7.01%, respectively; the occurrence rate of ROP in the infants with the gestational age ≤28 weeks, 29-30 weeks, 31-32 weeks, 33-34 weeks was 34.48%, 2.07%, 12.71%, 8.25%, respectively. Conclusions Earlier screening for ROP is very important. Low birth weight and young gestational age are the most important risk factors in the development of ROP.

Background::Studies suggest seasonal fluctuations of symptoms in Parkinson’s disease (PD) patients in Western countries. However, the association between seasonal change and variation in nonmotor symptoms (NMS) in Chinese PD patients is unclear. Here, we studied whether there is a change rule with annual cycle with severity of NMS for patients with PD in Southeast China.Methods::We studied 1005 PD patients between April 2008 and October 2020. Patients were classified into four seasons according to the 24 Chinese solar terms, based on assessment date. We compared comprehensive NMS scales and polysomnography parameters among groups and conducted further analysis of disease severity.Results::Among the 1005 patients studied, the mean age was 64.2 ± 9.7 years and 569 (56.6%) of them were men. Relative to the summer group, patients assessed during winter had higher Scales for Outcomes in Parkinson’s disease-Autonomic Dysfunction (SCOPA-AUT) scores ( P = 0.045). The sleep efficiency factor scores of Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index in patients were higher during spring than summer ( P = 0.009). Among patients who completed polysomnography during the same period ( n = 135), compared with summer follow-ups, we observed a higher percentage of NREMS1 in winter and spring follow-ups ( P = 0.042, P = 0.011), a higher NREMS1 time in spring follow-ups ( P = 0.0024), a lower NREMS2 time in winter follow-ups ( P = 0.007), and a higher percentage of phasic rapid eye movement (REM)-sleep without atonia in autumn and winter follow-ups ( P = 0.026 and P = 0.020, respectively). In a subset of patients with PD and REM sleep behavior disorder (RBD; n = 182), those visited during winter had higher scores for RBD questionnaire-Hong Kong and its factor 1 (dream-related sub-score) than those visited during summer ( P = 0.034, P = 0.020). We observed similar findings for SCOPA-AUT and sleep efficiency factor scores in early stage patients in subgroup analysis. Conclusions::PD patients assessed for follow-up during summer showed less severe symptoms of autonomic dysfunction and RBD symptoms than those assessed in winter, and less sleep disturbance than those in spring and winter, suggesting that seasonal change and NMS fluctuation are related, especially in patients with early stage PD.

As a common primary intracranial tumor,malignant glioma accounts for 81% of all central nervous system malignancies.Af-ter standard treatment,such as surgery combined with external radiotherapy and chemotherapy,glioblastoma patients'survival is on-ly 14.4 months.Hence,the traditional treatment is difficult to meet patients'needs of survival and life quality.In recent years,chloro-genic acid(CGA),as plant extract polyphenols,has received widespread attention.Its antitumor properties,through its effects on the immune system,anti-oxidation properties,cell cycle regulation,and inhibition of tumor cell metastasis and invasion,have been exten-sively studied.This article will discuss the mechanisms involved in glioma treatment,synergism with other drugs,and metabolism in the human body,to provide a reference for the application of CGA in the treatment of the condition.

AIM:To determine the biological feature of circulating endothelial cells (CECs) in acute promye-locytic leukemia ( APL) patients before and after treatment , and to analyze the relationship between CECs and the clinical characteristics .METHODS: The CECs were sorted from peripheral blood by magnetic-activated cell sorting and then counted by 3-color flow cytometry.The cells were identified by immunofluorescence staining for the expression of CD 146, CD31, CD144, VEGFR-2, CD45 and CD133.The CECs were cultured in vitro, and the tube formation and colony-forming rate were determined .RESULTS:Increased quantity of CECs was observed in CD 34 positive group and group with WBC >10 ×109/L (P<0.05).The quantity of CECs had a significant difference among low risk , medium risk and high risk groups (P<0.05).The positive rate of CD133 and quantity of CECs significantly reduced in 32 APL patients when they gain complete remission after treatment (P<0.05).The amount of tube formation and colony-forming rate were significant-ly reduced after treatment (P<0.05).The ratio of CECs quantity from APL patients after treatment to that before treatment had a negative correlation with arsenic concentration in urine on day 7 during As2O3 treatment (P<0.05).CONCLU-SION:Accurately counting CECs may be helpful for evaluating prognosis and designing treatment strategy .

BACKGROUND:Intervertebral disc degeneration is an important cause of low back pain.At present,there are many modeling methods for disc degeneration in China and abroad,but there is not a model for low back pain due to disc degeneration. OBJECTIVE:To compare the effect of mechanical puncture combined with tumor necrosis factor α and complete Freund's adjuvant with a conventional disc mechanical puncture alone. METHODS:A total of 18 male adult Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into 3 groups,with 6 animals in each group.No treatment was given in the blank group.Animal models of intervertebral disc degeneration were made in the L4-5 segments of rats in the control using conventional mechanical puncture.In the experimental group,on the basis of mechanical puncture,tumor necrosis factor α+complete Freund's adjuvant was injected into the L4-5 intervertebral discs using a microinjector to establish a model of disc degeneration induced by mechanical puncture combined with inflammatory factors.Four weeks after surgery,the pain threshold of rats was measured by the hot plate method for assessing the perception of heat injury in rats with intervertebral disc degeneration.MRI examination was performed to observe the disc degeneration in each group.ELISA was used to detect the levels of serum tumor necrosis factor α,interleukin 1β,interleukin 6 and prostaglandin E2.Hematoxylin-eosin and Safranin O-fast green staining were used to observe the morphological changes of the disc. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:In terms of pain,the behavioral pain threshold of the experimental group was continuously decreased,and the levels of serum inflammatory factors were significantly higher compared with the control group.In terms of morphology,the MRI results showed that the L4-5 nucleus pulposus signal completely disappeared in the experimental group.Histopathological results showed that in the control group,the nucleus pulposus was intact,more notochord cells were visible,and some fiber rings were ruptured,while in the experimental group,there are fewer notochord cells and the structure of the nucleus pulposus and fibrous ring is disturbed,with the boundary disappearing.To conclude,mechanical puncture combined with tumor necrosis factor alpha and complete Freund's adjuvant can successfully establish a discogenic low back pain model in rats.This operation is simple and economical to achieve obvious disc degeneration and low back pain,with greatly shortened molding cycle.This model can be used as a reference for studying discogenic low back pain models.

Objective:To investigate the role of the NOD-like receptor thermal protein domain associated protein 3(NLRP3)inflammasome and its downstream interleukin(IL)-1β, IL-6, and IL-18 in the pathogenesis of antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody-associated vasculitis(AAV) in children.Methods:A retrospective study was conducted.Specifically, the localization and expression of the NLRP3 inflammasome in renal tissues of 22 children who were diagnosed with primary AAV and underwent renal biopsy in the Department of Pediatric Nephrology and Rheumatology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-Sen University from September 2003 to September 2020 were detected by the immunohistochemical method.The IL-1β, IL-6 and IL-18 levels in serum and urine were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.The measurement data conforming to normal distribution were compared by the t test between two groups and by the single factor ANOVA test among multiple groups.The measurement data that did not conform to normal distribution were compared by the Wilcoxon signed rank sum test.Classification variables were examined by the χ2 test. Pearson correlation coefficient or Spearman rank correlation coefficient were used to analyze the correlation among variables. Results:NLRP3 was widely expressed in the tubulointerstitium, and the expression level in the active group was higher than that in the control group, the semi-quantitative scores of NLRP3 in the renal tubule and glomeruli in the active group were higher than those in the control group ( F=0.859, 8.320, all P<0.05). In the active group, the semi-quantitative score of NLRP3 in the renal tubule was higher than that in the glomeruli( F=3.517, P<0.05). The semi-quantitative score of NLRP3 in the renal tubule was positively correlated with the pediatric vasculitis activity score at renal biopsy ( r=0.471, P=0.027)and negatively correlated with the estimated glomerular filtration rate at renal biopsy ( r=-0.548, P=0.008)in the active group.The serum IL-1β, serum IL-18 and urinary IL-6 levels in the active group were higher than those in the remission group and the control group ( F=16.449, 16.449, 0.637, 29.891, 27.612, 7.464, all P<0.05). The serum IL-18 level in the remission group was higher than that in the control group( F=18.671, P<0.05). In the active group, a positive correlation was found between the serum IL-1β level and the semi-quantitative score of NLRP3 in the renal tubule( r=0.805, P=0.002), between the serum IL-6 level and the C-reactive protein level at renal biopsy ( r=0.728, P=0.017), and between the urinary IL-6 level and the crescent proportion at renal biopsy ( r=0.677, P=0.032). The serum IL-18 level in the active group was positively correlated with the semi-quantitative score of NLRP3 in the renal tubule, pediatric vasculitis activity score and glomerular sclerosis proportion at renal biopsy, and negatively correlated with the estimated glomerular filtration rate at renal biopsy ( r=0.644, 0.612, 0.695, -0.577, all P<0.05). The urinary IL-18 level was positively correlated with the complement C 4 level at renal biopsy ( r=0.855, P<0.05). Conclusions:The NLRP3 inflammasome and its downstream IL-1β, IL-6, and IL-18 may be involved in the pathogenesis and progression of AAV, and can be used as one of the reference indicators for disease activity assessment.

Objective:To explore the optimum time of ambulation of atrial fibrillation patients after radiofrequency ablation, to provide basis for patients' early postoperative rehabilitation.Methods:By convenient sampling method, a total of 120 patients with atrial fibrillation after radiofrequency ablation were collected at Yanghu Branch and City Branch of Changzhou Second People's Hospital from January 2020 to May 2021. They were divided into the early group, middle group and late group according to the random number table method, each group were 40 cases. All patients received routine postoperative intervention, the time of ambulation were 4, 6 and 12 h after operation in the early group, middle group and late group, respectively. The complication rate within 24 h after operation was compared among the three groups, and the comfort level of the three groups at 24, 48 and 72 h after operation was evaluated with Comfort Status Scale (GCQ).Results:Finally, 111 patients were included, including 37 in the early group, 38 in the middle group and 36 in the late group. There was no significant difference in the incidence of bleeding or hematoma, urinary retention, lumbago within 24 h after operation among the three groups ( P>0.05). The incidence of postural hypotension within 24 h after operation in the early group was 2.7% (1/37), which was lower than 21.1% (7/38) and 25.0% (9/36) in the middle and late groups, with a statistically significant difference ( χ2=4.86, 7.67, both P<0.05). At 48 and 72 h after operation, the scores of physiological dimension, psychological dimension and the total score of GCQ in the early group were (20.68 ± 3.07), (22.54 ± 3.35), (81.68 ± 6.11) and (22.54 ± 3.73), (24.38 ± 2.49), (84.92 ± 6.37), higher than those in the middle group (19.16 ± 2.19), (21.32 ± 2.27), (78.24 ± 5.58), (20.93 ± 2.85), (22.32 ± 2.04), (81.66 ± 6.56), and those in the late group (18.44 ± 1.50) (21.31 ± 1.99), (78.06 ± 4.32), (20.89 ± 2.25), (21.58 ± 1.86), (80.28 ± 6.44), the differences were statistically significant ( t values were 2.19-4.15, all P<0.05). Conclusions:Ambulation at 4 h after operation does not increase peripheral vascular complications, but can reduce the incidence of postural hypotension and improve the comfort of patients with atrial fibrillation after radiofrequency ablation.

Objective To explore the differences in scapular motion and shoulder function between patients suffering from rotator cuff tears(RCT)with and without type Ⅲ scapular dyskinesis(SD).Meth-ods Between September 2021 and March 2023,sixteen patients suffering from rotator cuff tears with SD(SD group)and 17 counterparts without SD(non-SD group)were recruited from the Sports Hospital of the General Administration of Sport of China.Their scapular motion was assessed by measuring three parameters in the X-rays,including scapular spine line(LSS),scapular upward rotation angle(SU-RA),and coracoid upward shift distance(CUSD).Moreover,their shoulder range of motion in flexion,abduction and external rotation were recorded,and further evaluated using the Pain Visual Analog Scale(VAS)and American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons Score(ASES).Results No significant differenc-es were found between the two groups in the average score of SURA,CUSD and LSS at 0°～30° shoul-der abduction,or in that of CUSD and LSS at 60°～90°shoulder abduction.However,the average SU-RA score of the SD group at 60°～90°shoulder abduction was significantly greater than the other group(P<0.05).The shoulder ranges of motion during active flexion,abduction and external rotation were significantly smaller in the SD group than in the non-SD group(P<0.05).Moreover,the average VAS score in the SD group was significantly higher than the non-SD group(P<0.05),while the average ASES score was significantly lower than the latter group(P<0.05).Conclusions RCT patients type III SD exhibits greater scapular upward rotation during shoulder abduction compared to those without SD.Moreover,the former patients suffer from more severe pain and have worse shoulder range of motion and functional performance than the latter.

Objective To investigate the epidemiological characteristics of a family clustering of COVID-19. Methods Field epidemiological survey was conducted. Result Case 1 of the long-term residents from Hubei province was the source of infection of this family clustering. There were 6 cases (from case 2 to case 7) infected in the whole incubation period. The incubation period was more than 14 days for 3 of the second-generation cases. Routes of transmission include respiratory droplets (from case 1 transmitted to case 6, from case 1 to her family members) and closecontact (from case 1 to other cases in her family). All the age groups were generally susceptible, while elderly were easier to progress to critically ill. Besides respiratory symptoms, there were also gastrointestinal symptoms, of which diarrhea was the most common one. Conclusion Family clustering had been an important part for COVID-19 cases.