Objective: To investigate the epidemiological characteristics and spatial-temporal clustering of varicella in Changchun City from 2020 to 2024, so as to provide the evidence for formulating local varicella prevention and control measures. Methods: The individual case data of varicella were collected through the Surveillance and Reporting Management System of the Chinese Disease Prevention and Control Information System in Changchun City from 2020 to 2024. Descriptive epidemiological methods were used to analyze the population ,regional, and temporal distribution. Spatial autocorrelation and spatio-temporal scanning analyses were used to identify the spatial-temporal clustering characteristics. Results: A total of 8 850 varicella cases were reported in Changchun City from 2020 to 2024, with an average annual incidence of 19.64/105. There were 4 929 male cases and 3 921 female cases, with a male-to-female ratio of 1.26∶1. The age was mainly 0-<20 years (6 649 cases, 75.13%), and students were the predominant occupation (6 036 cases, 68.20%). The top three counties (cities, districts) with the highest number of cases were Chaoyang District (1 944 cases), Gongzhuling City (1 054 cases) and Nanguan District (987 cases), accounting for 45.03%. The peak incidence periods were from April to June and from October to December, with 2 166 and 4 226 cases, accounting for 24.47% and 47.75%, respectively. Spatial autocorrelation analysis showed that spatial clustering existed from 2020 to 2024. The high-high clustering areas were mainly some townships (streets) in Chaoyang District, Nanguan District, Changchun New District and Jingyue District. Spatio-temporal scanning analysis identified 6 high-risk clustering areas. The class Ⅰ clustering area was Nanhu Street in Chaoyang District, with the clustering period from September 2020 to February 2022. Conclusions Varicella cases in Changchun City were mainly males and students aged 0-<20 years from 2020 to 2024. The peak incidence was mainly in winter. Chaoyang District was a high-risk area, with obvious spatial-temporal clustering.

ObjectiveTo explore the potential mechanism of moxibustion at Guanyuan （CV 4） in delaying skin photoaging. MethodsThirty-two male Wistar rats were randomly divided into four groups， namely blank group， model group， vitamin E group， and moxibustion group， with 8 rats in each group. Except for the blank group， dorsal skin of rats were exposed to ultraviolet （UV） radiation to establish a skin photoaging model. One week after modeling， the moxibustion group received moxibustion at "Guanyuan （CV 4）" once a day， five days per week； the vitamin E group received vitamin E （25 mg/kg·d） once a day by gavage， five days per week； the blank group， model group， and moxibustion group received an equivalent volume of normal saline via gavage； the intervention lasted for 7 weeks. After 7 weeks， dorsal skin tissues were collected to analyze the following indicators， such as skin tissue moisture content， histomorphological changes using hematoxylin-eosin （HE） staining， Collagen Ⅰ and collagen Ⅲ content using ELISA. Malondialdehyde （MDA）， glutathione peroxidase （GSH-Px）， superoxide dismutase （SOD）， hydrogen peroxide （H₂O₂）， and catalase （CAT） activity in skin tissue were dectected. Western Blot was used to determin autophagy-related proteins， including microtubule-associated protein 1A/1B-light chain 3 （LC3）， polyubiquitin-binding protein （p62）， and autophagy-specific gene （Beclin-1）； LC3， p62， and Beclin-1 mRNA expression was detected via qRT-PCR， and autophagosome formation was observed using transmission electron microscopy （TEM）. ResultsHE staining showed that the epidermal structure in the blank group was orderly and evenly thick， while the model group exhibited uneven epidermal thickness. In the moxibustion group， the epidermis was well-structured， smooth， and uniform， with densely arranged dermal layers； the epidermis in the vitamin E group was thicker than that in the model group. Compared with the blank group， the model group exhibited decreased skin moisture content and reduced level of Collagen Ⅰ and collagen Ⅲ， reduced SOD， CAT， and GSH-Px activity in skin tissue， increased H₂O₂ and MDA activity， elevated p62 protein and mRNA expression， reduced LC3 and Beclin-1 protein and mRNA expression （P＜0.05 or P＜0.01）. Compared with the model group， the moxibustion group showed significant improvement in all these indicators （P＜0.05 or P＜0.01）； whereas the vitamin E group did not show a statistically significant difference in Collagen Ⅰ and collagen Ⅲ levels （P＞0.05）. TEM results showed that， compared with the blank group， the model group had atrophic skin cells， extensive mitochondrial vacuolization， and degraded cellular structures； the moxibustion group exhibited crescent- or cup-shaped autophagosomes with a significantly increased number of autophagosomes per unit area， whereas the vitamin E group showed less improvement than the moxibustion group. ConclusionMoxibustion at "Guanyuan （CV 4）" may alleviate skin photoaging by regulating oxidative stress imba-lance， modulating cellular autophagy， and promoting collagen synthesis， thereby slowing the aging process of the skin.

Objective To investigate the clinical value of fat attenuation index (FAI) on coronary CT angiography (CCTA) in evaluating the degree of coronary artery stenosis and the diagnostic value of plaque vulnerability. Methods A total of 80 patients treated for coronary artery diseases from January 2021 to November 2023 were retrospectively included. All patients were diagnosed with non-calcified plaque (NCP) by CCTA examination. Patients were divided according to the severity of luminal stenosis (39 with mild stenosis, 24 with moderate stenosis, and 17 with severe stenosis). According to plaque vulnerability, the patients were divided into a vulnerable plaque group (27 cases) and a non-vulnerable plaque group (53 cases). A Spearman correlation analysis was used to evaluate the correlation between FAI and stenosis severity in patients with NCP, and a multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to explore the factors influencing vulnerable plaques. Results FAI was significantly lower in the severe stenosis group (−76.95 ± 7.91 HU) than in the mild stenosis group (−66.73 ± 7.69 HU) and the moderate stenosis group (−71.58 ± 8.65 HU), and FAI was significantly lower in the moderate stenosis group than in the mild stenosis group (t = 4.534, 2.190, 4.534, P < 0.05). The correlation analysis showed that FAI was negatively correlated with the severity of coronary artery stenosis (r = −0.726, P < 0.05). There were significant differences between vulnerable and non-vulnerable plaque groups in hypertension [23 (85.19%) vs. 30 (56.60%)], smoking history [8 (29.63%) vs. 4 (7.55)], and FAI (−67.64 ± 8.32 HU vs. −75.69 ± 7.88 HU) (t = 6.535, 6.841, 4.164, P < 0.05). The multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that FAI was a risk factor for vulnerable plaque (odds ratio = 1.439, P < 0.05). Conclusion FAI can be used to effectively assess the risk stratification of NCP and is of great significance in guiding the clinical management of patients.

Objective To investigate the clinical value of fat attenuation index (FAI) on coronary CT angiography (CCTA) in evaluating the degree of coronary artery stenosis and the diagnostic value of plaque vulnerability. Methods A total of 80 patients treated for coronary artery diseases from January 2021 to November 2023 were retrospectively included. All patients were diagnosed with non-calcified plaque (NCP) by CCTA examination. Patients were divided according to the severity of luminal stenosis (39 with mild stenosis, 24 with moderate stenosis, and 17 with severe stenosis). According to plaque vulnerability, the patients were divided into a vulnerable plaque group (27 cases) and a non-vulnerable plaque group (53 cases). A Spearman correlation analysis was used to evaluate the correlation between FAI and stenosis severity in patients with NCP, and a multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to explore the factors influencing vulnerable plaques. Results FAI was significantly lower in the severe stenosis group (−76.95 ± 7.91 HU) than in the mild stenosis group (−66.73 ± 7.69 HU) and the moderate stenosis group (−71.58 ± 8.65 HU), and FAI was significantly lower in the moderate stenosis group than in the mild stenosis group (t = 4.534, 2.190, 4.534, P < 0.05). The correlation analysis showed that FAI was negatively correlated with the severity of coronary artery stenosis (r = −0.726, P < 0.05). There were significant differences between vulnerable and non-vulnerable plaque groups in hypertension [23 (85.19%) vs. 30 (56.60%)], smoking history [8 (29.63%) vs. 4 (7.55)], and FAI (−67.64 ± 8.32 HU vs. −75.69 ± 7.88 HU) (t = 6.535, 6.841, 4.164, P < 0.05). The multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that FAI was a risk factor for vulnerable plaque (odds ratio = 1.439, P < 0.05). Conclusion FAI can be used to effectively assess the risk stratification of NCP and is of great significance in guiding the clinical management of patients.

Objective:To summarize the clinical characteristics and pathogenic mutation of gene NUDT2 in the child with intellectual disability with or without peripheral neuropathy (IDDPN). Methods:The clinical characteristics and development of one child attending the Department of Rehabilitation of Tianjin Children's Hospital were evaluated retrospectively,and the relationship between the clinical phenotype and gene mutation profile of NUDT2 was analyzed. Results:The child had global developmental delay, special appearance, low muscle tone of the limbs, accompanied by peripheral nerve damage in the limbs, and whole exome sequencing found that the child carried a homozygous mutation of NUDT2 gene, c.34C>T (p.R12X), which was a nonsense mutation. Sanger verified that both parents were carriers of c.34C>T heterozygous mutations. In the inclusion of 10 registered IDDPN patients, it was found that all of them were homozygous mutations, and the clinical phenotypes all had different degrees of cognitive impairment and movement disorders, among which only 3 cases were complicated by peripheral nerve damage. Conclusions:The child in this case had low birth weight/length, weak sucking ability in infancy, cognitive impairment, peripheral nerve damage, and genetic testing showed homozygous nonsense mutation of NUDT2 gene, which provided evidence support for the clinical understanding of the disease.

Objective:To explore the interrelationship among three simplified hand and wrist bone age assessment methods and to establish corresponding bone ages for each substage in male children.Methods:This retrospective case series study included 169 left hand and wrist X-rays from 152 male children who underwent bone age assessments at the Pediatric Orthopedics and Pediatrics Departments,Beijing Jishuitan Hospital,Capital Medical University from January 2019 to December 2023. The age at the time of X-ray was (13.7±2.0) years (range:9.1 to 17.9 years). Reasons for bone age assessment included evaluating the progress of adolescent idiopathic scoliosis in 36 cases, predicting limb length discrepancies in 28 cases, and predicting the height of healthy adolescents in 88 cases. Bone age was first graded using the Chinese hand-wrist bone age assessment method. Three simplified hand and wrist bone age assessment methods were then applied:Sanders simplified skeletal maturity staging system(Sanders stage), the distal radius and ulna classification (DRU), and e thumb ossification composite index (TOCI). Somers′delta correlation test was used to analyze the relationship among the results of the three simplified methods. The bone age and standard deviation for each sub-stage were calculated, and gender differences in bone age for the same sub-stage were compared with previous study.Results:The DRU, TOCI and Sanders stages showed a strong correlation when assessing bone age in male children, with Somers′delta correlation coefficients ranging from 0.881 to 0.876 (all P<0.01). The sub-stages with the smallest standard deviations (shorter duration) in each of the three classifications can serve as a quick reference for determining precise bone age, included proximal thumb epiphysis covered, without sesamoid (12.0 years);proximal thumb epiphysis covered with sesamoid or distal radial covered (13.0 years), early capping of the thumb epiphysis, radial epiphysis medial side capping(13.5 years), all phalangeal epiphyses capping (14.0 years), distal phalangeal physes beginning to close (14.5 years), all distal phalangeal physes closed (15.0 years), middle or proximal phalangeal physes beginning to close (15.5 years), all digital epiphyses closed (16.5 years), and nearly complete distal radius fusion with a notch (17.5 years). On average, the bone ages of males were 2 years behind those of females in the same substage. Conclusions:The DRU, TOCI, and Sanders stages can be applied to male children, and it is showed good correlation between them. The subtypes with shorter duration can be used as a quick assessment method to determine the bone age.

Objective To investigate the ameliorative effect of Lentinan (LNT) on sodium arsenite (SA)-induced hepatic lipid deposition in mice. Methods C57BL/6 mice were used as the experimental subjects, which were divided into control group, SA-exposed group, LNT + SA-exposed group and LNT control group. Blood and liver tissue samples were collected at the end of the experiment, and serum glutathione transaminase (ALT) and glutathione aminotransferase (AST) levels were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). A part of liver tissues was stained with hematoxylin-eosin (HE) or oil red O to observe the characteristics of liver pathological damage and lipid deposition, and another part of liver tissues was used to detect triglyceride (TG) and Adiponectin (APN) levels by ELISA. Results Compared with control group or LNT control group, SA-exposed group showed the increased levels of AST and ALT, showing the characteristics of liver histopathological damage and lipid deposition, and the APN level decreased while the TG level increased (P<0.05). Compared with SA-exposed group, the levels of AST and ALT decreased in LNT + SA-exposed group, showing the reduced degree of liver tissue damage and lipid deposition, and APN level upregulated while TG level downregulated (P<0.05). Conclusion Chronic SA exposure induces liver function damage, APN downregulation and lipid deposition in C57BL/6 mice, while LNT intervention leads to the significantly improvement of hepatic damage and lipid deposition, which may be related to the elevated APN level in liver.

Objective:To determine the erythromycin resistance of Bordetella pertussis isolates and their ptxP1 and ptxP3 phenotypic composition and compare clinical manifestations of children with pertussis caused by the two types of strains. Methods:This was a cross-sectional study, the pertussis cases diagnosed using bacterial culture from January 2019 to December 2022 in Beijing Children′s Hospital and the First People′s Hospital of Wuhu were collected.Any suspected Bordetella pertussis colonies were identified by the slide agglutination test.The susceptibility of isolates to erythromycin was detected by the E-test and K-B test.The ptxP gene was amplified by polymerase chain reaction and sequenced to determine its genotype. t-test, Mann-Whitney U-test, Chi-square test and Fisher′s exact test were use to statistical analysis. Results:A total of 192 strains of Bordetella pertussis were identified, including 188 (97.9%) erythromycin-resistant strains.Among the 188 strains, 30.3%(57/188) belonged to the ptxP1 genotype and 69.7%(131/188) belonged to the ptxP3 genotype.In children aged below 1 year old, the incidence of paroxysmal cough caused by infection with the ptxP3 strain was higher than that with the ptxP1 strain (57.1% vs.29.4%, P<0.05), and children infected with the ptxP3 strain were more likely to develop apnea or asphyxia (23.8% vs.17.6%), post-tussive vomiting (44.4% vs.32.4%), whooping cough (72.0% vs.50.0%) and pneumonia or bronchitis (85.7% vs.73.5%) compared to those infected with the ptxP1 strain, but the differences were not statistically significant(all P>0.05). In children aged 1 year old and above, the white blood cell count of children infected with the ptxP1 strain was higher than that of infections with the ptxP3 strain [13.5(9.9, 24.5)×10 9/L, 10.3 (7.0, 16.4)×10 9/L, P<0.05], and children infected with the ptxP1 strain were more likely to contract other pathogen infections than those infected with the ptxP3 strain (17.4% vs.4.4%, P>0.05). Conclusions:ptxP3 erythromycin-resistant Bordetella pertussis has become the main pathogen of pertussis.Infants with pertussis caused by the ptxP3 erythromycin-resistant strain show more significant manifestations and a higher possibility of severe symptoms than those infected with the ptxP1 erythromycin-resistant strain.

Objective To investigate the effect of the monoamine oxidase A(MAOA),Maoa c.1409 T＞C synonymous mutation on anxiety,fear,and other emotional behaviors in mice.Methods In this study,CRISPR/Cas9 technology was used to construct a mouse model of a single nucleotide polymorphism(SNP)synonymous mutation.We evaluated the differential effect of this gene between males and females through animal behavior and gene expression studies in animal models.In terms of animal behavior,an open field test,elevated plus maze test,defensive burial experiment,forced swimming test,and 3D behavioral analysis were used.Other method were used to evaluate behavioral differences between male and female mice with polymorphisms in Maoa synonymous mutant genes.Results The result of the open field experiment showed that the residence time of female SNP mice in the central area was significantly higher than that of male SNP mice(P＜0.001).In the elevated cross maze experiment,the EPM result showed that the time and frequency of male SNP mice entering the open arm were higher than those of female SNP mice,but there was no significant difference.The defensive burial test showed that the number and duration of excavations by female SNP mice in response to rat urine were significantly reduced(P＜0.01).The FST showed that SNP females had shorter immobility time and longer swimming time(P＜0.05),and thus their depression was lower than males.3D-AI fine behavior analysis showed no significant male and female differences,except for the movement trajectory and climbing behavior of mice.The MAOA enzyme content of female SNP mice was significantly lower than that of male SNP mice(P＜0.001),but there was no significant difference in enzyme activity between male and female SNP mice.Conclusions The synonymous mutation of Maoa c.1409 T＞C acts by affecting the expression of MAOA and may have different fear,anxiety,and mood effects in male and female SNP mice.

Objective:To construction the risk factors associated with prolonged hospitalization in patients with severe acute pancreatitis (SAP) and develop a prediction model for assessing these risks.Methods:SAP patients admitted to the department of emergency of Hebei Province Cangzhou Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine from January 2015 to December 2023 were retrospectively selected as the study subjects. The 75% of hospital stay was used as the cut-off point, and the patients were categorized into a normal group and an extended group. Clinical indicators of patients were collected, and independent risk factors for prolonged hospital stay in SAP patients were analyzed using multifactor Logistic regression. A prediction model was established, and a nomogram was created. The efficiency of the prediction model was evaluated using a receiver operator characteristic curve (ROC curve). The accuracy of the model was assessed using Hosmer-Lemeshow goodness-of-fit test. Decision curve analysis (DCA) was employed to evaluate the clinical applicability of the model. Finally, internal validation of the model was conducted using Bootstrap method.Results:A total of 510 patients with SAP were included, and the length of hospital stay was 18 (6, 44) days, including 400 cases in the normal group (<24 days) and 110 cases in the extended group (≥24 days). Multivariate Logistic regression analysis showed that abdominal effusion [odds ratio ( OR) = 4.163, 95% confidence interval (95% CI) was 2.105-8.234], acute physiology and chronic health evaluation Ⅱ (APACHEⅡ; OR = 1.320, 95% CI was 1.185-1.470), C-reactive protein (CRP; OR = 1.006, 95% CI was 1.002-1.011), modified CT severity index (MCTSI; OR = 1.461, 95% CI was 1.213-1.758), procalcitonin (PCT; OR = 1.303, 95% CI was 1.095-1.550) and albumin ( OR = 0.510, 95% CI was 0.419-0.622) were independent risk factors for prolonged hospital stay in SAP patients (all P < 0.01). ROC curve analysis showed that the area under the curve (AUC) of the model was 0.922 (95% CI was 0.896-0.947), the optimal cut-off value was 0.726, the sensitivity was 87.3%, and the specificity was 85.3%. Hosmer-Lemeshow test showed that χ 2 = 5.79, P = 0.671. It showed that the prediction model had good prediction efficiency and fit degree. The DCA curve showed that the prediction probability of the model could bring more clinical benefits to patients at 0.1 to 0.7. Bootstrap internal verification showed that the model had a high consistency (AUC = 0.916). Conclusions:Abdominal effusion, high APACHEⅡ score, high CRP, high MCTSI, high PCT and low albumin level are significantly associated with prolonged hospital stay in SAP patients. The prediction model can help clinicians make more scientific clinical decisions for SAP patients.