Clear aligner treatment is a novel technique in current orthodontic practice. Distinct from traditional fixed orthodontic appliances, clear aligners have different material features and biomechanical characteristics and treatment efficiencies, presenting new clinical challenges. Therefore, a comprehensive and systematic description of the key clinical aspects of clear aligner treatment is essential to enhance treatment efficacy and facilitate the advancement and wide adoption of this new technique. This expert consensus discusses case selection and grading of treatment difficulty, principle of clear aligner therapy, clinical procedures and potential complications, which are crucial to the clinical success of clear aligner treatment.
Humans ; Consensus ; Orthodontic Appliance Design ; Orthodontic Appliances, Removable ; Tooth Movement Techniques/methods* ; Malocclusion/therapy* ; Orthodontics, Corrective/instrumentation*

Objective To investigate the clinical characteristics and prognosis of pneumococcal meningitis(PM),and drug sensitivity of Streptococcus pneumoniae(SP)isolates in Chinese children.Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted on clinical information,laboratory data,and microbiological data of 160 hospitalized children under 15 years old with PM from January 2019 to December 2020 in 33 tertiary hospitals across the country.Results Among the 160 children with PM,there were 103 males and 57 females.The age ranged from 15 days to 15 years,with 109 cases(68.1% )aged 3 months to under 3 years.SP strains were isolated from 95 cases(59.4% )in cerebrospinal fluid cultures and from 57 cases(35.6% )in blood cultures.The positive rates of SP detection by cerebrospinal fluid metagenomic next-generation sequencing and cerebrospinal fluid SP antigen testing were 40% (35/87)and 27% (21/78),respectively.Fifty-five cases(34.4% )had one or more risk factors for purulent meningitis,113 cases(70.6% )had one or more extra-cranial infectious foci,and 18 cases(11.3% )had underlying diseases.The most common clinical symptoms were fever(147 cases,91.9% ),followed by lethargy(98 cases,61.3% )and vomiting(61 cases,38.1% ).Sixty-nine cases(43.1% )experienced intracranial complications during hospitalization,with subdural effusion and/or empyema being the most common complication[43 cases(26.9% )],followed by hydrocephalus in 24 cases(15.0% ),brain abscess in 23 cases(14.4% ),and cerebral hemorrhage in 8 cases(5.0% ).Subdural effusion and/or empyema and hydrocephalus mainly occurred in children under 1 year old,with rates of 91% (39/43)and 83% (20/24),respectively.SP strains exhibited complete sensitivity to vancomycin(100% ,75/75),linezolid(100% ,56/56),and meropenem(100% ,6/6).High sensitivity rates were also observed for levofloxacin(81% ,22/27),moxifloxacin(82% ,14/17),rifampicin(96% ,25/26),and chloramphenicol(91% ,21/23).However,low sensitivity rates were found for penicillin(16% ,11/68)and clindamycin(6% ,1/17),and SP strains were completely resistant to erythromycin(100% ,31/31).The rates of discharge with cure and improvement were 22.5% (36/160)and 66.2% (106/160),respectively,while 18 cases(11.3% )had adverse outcomes.Conclusions Pediatric PM is more common in children aged 3 months to under 3 years.Intracranial complications are more frequently observed in children under 1 year old.Fever is the most common clinical manifestation of PM,and subdural effusion/emphysema and hydrocephalus are the most frequent complications.Non-culture detection methods for cerebrospinal fluid can improve pathogen detection rates.Adverse outcomes can be noted in more than 10% of PM cases.SP strains are high sensitivity to vancomycin,linezolid,meropenem,levofloxacin,moxifloxacin,rifampicin,and chloramphenicol.[Chinese Journal of Contemporary Pediatrics,2024,26(2):131-138]

Glutamate,norepinephrine,and their receptors com-prise the glutamatergic and norepinephrine systems,which mu-tually affect each other and play essential roles in mediating vari-ous neuropsychiatric diseases.This paper reviews the functions of N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor(NMDA-R)and α2-adrenergic receptor(α2-AR)and their functional crosstalk at the molecular level in brain in common neuropsychiatric diseases,which would benefit our understanding of neuropathophysiology of psychiatric diseases,drug development and optimization of clinical neuro-psychopharmacology.

Objective:To investigate the disease control rate and its influencing factors in patients with progressive non-segmental vitiligo after combined treatment with systemic compound betamethasone injection (CBI) .Methods:A retrospective analysis was conducted on the patients with progressive non-segmental vitiligo, who visited and were treated with CBI in the Department of Dermatology, Hangzhou Third People′s Hospital from October 2022 to April 2023. The disease control rate was analyzed after 3-month treatment. Effects of clinical factors such as disease onset characteristics, duration, disease condition and treatment methods on the disease control rate were analyzed. Chi-square test was used for comparisons of enumeration data between groups, and logistic regression analysis was conducted to analyze factors influencing the efficacy.Results:A total of 145 progressive non-segmental vitiligo patients treated with CBI were collected, including 56 males and 89 females, aged 14 - 67 (35.43 ± 11.54) years. Among the 18 patients having received an intramuscular injection of CBI, 10 (55.6%) obtained stable condition; among the 105 having received 2 injections of CBI, 60 (59.0%) obtained stable condition; among the 22 having received 3 or 4 injections of CBI, 12 (54.5%) obtained stable condition. The overall disease control rate after treatment was 57.9% (84 cases). The disease control rate was significantly higher in the patients with the lesional area < 1% body surface area (BSA) (42/47, 89.4%) than in those with the lesional area ≥ 1% BSA (42/98, 42.9%; P < 0.001), significantly higher in the patients with disease duration ≤ 2 years (32/41, 78.0%) than in those with disease duration > 2 years (52/104, 50.0%; P < 0.05), and significantly higher in the patients treated with CBI combined with phototherapy (33/44, 75.0%) than in those treated with CBI alone (21/44, 47.7%; χ2 = 6.90, P = 0.009), but significantly lower in the patients with special clinical markers (Koebner phenomenon, trichrome vitiligo, confetti-like depigmentation, inflammatory vitiligo, etc., 4/21, 19.9%) than in those without special clinical markers (80/124, 64.5%, P < 0.001). Among the patients with the lesional area ≥ 1% BSA and receiving 2 injections of CBI, the disease control rate was also significantly higher in the patients treated with CBI combined with phototherapy (21/36, 58.3%) than in those treated with CBI alone (12/37, 32.4%; χ2 = 4.94, P = 0.026). There was no significant difference in the disease control rate after the treatment between the patients with first-onset and reccurrent vitiligo, between those with and without predisposing factors, between those with and without family history, among those with different vitiligo disease activity scores, among those with different number of injections, as well as among those with different treatment intervals (all P > 0.05). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that the lesional area ( OR = 8.11, 95% CI: 2.74 - 24.04), disease duration ( OR = 0.26, 95% CI: 0.07 - 0.99), having or not having special clinical markers ( OR = 6.37, 95% CI: 1.72 - 23.57), and whether or not receiving combined phototherapy ( OR = 0.34, 95% CI: 0.15 - 0.77) were factors influencing the efficacy (all P < 0.05) . Conclusion:CBI may be suitable for the treatment of mild to moderate progressive vitiligo, especially for patients with lesional area < 1% BSA, while not for those with lesional area > 5% BSA, and combining phototherapy may improve the control rate of progressive vitiligo.

Objective: To investigate the early effect and safety of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) with a 10-day decitabine-containing conditioning regimen in the treatment of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) /myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) . Methods: From April 2021 to May 2022, 31 AML/MDS patients who received allo-HSCT with a 10-day decitabine-containing conditioning regimen were analyzed. Results: AML (n=10), MDS-AML (n=6), CMML-AML (n=1), and MDS (n=14) were identified in 31 patients, 16 males, and 15 females, with a median age of 41 (20-55) yr. Neutrophils and platelets were successfully implanted in 31 patients (100%), with a median implantation duration of 12 (9-30) and 14 (9-42) days, respectively. During the preconditioning period, 16 patients (51.6%) developed oral mucositis, with 15 cases of Ⅰ/Ⅱ grade (48.4%) and one case of Ⅲ grade (3.2%). After transplantation, 13 patients (41.9%) developed CMV viremia, six patients (19.4%) developed hemorrhagic cystitis, and four patients (12.9%) developed a local infection. The median time of acute graft versus host disease (aGVHD) following transplantation was 33 (12-111) days. The cumulative incidence of aGVHD and Ⅲ/Ⅳ grade aGVHD was 41.9% (95% CI 26.9%-61.0%) and 22.9% (95% CI 13.5%-47.5%), respectively. There was no severe cGVHD, and mild and moderate chronic GVHD (cGVHD) incidence was 23.5% (95% CI 12.1%-43.6%). As of November 30, 2022, only one of the 31 patients had relapsed, with a 1-yr cumulative relapse rate (CIR) of 3.2% (95% CI 0.5%-20.7%). There was only one relapse patient death and no non-relapse deaths. The 1-yr overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) rates were 92.9% (95% CI 80.3%-100%) and 96.8% (95% CI 90.8%-100%), respectively. Conclusions: A 10-day decitabine-containing conditioning regimen for allo-HSCT reduced relapse and was safe and feasible in treating AML/MDS.
Male ; Female ; Humans ; Decitabine ; Myelodysplastic Syndromes/therapy* ; Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute/complications* ; Disease-Free Survival ; Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation/adverse effects* ; Recurrence ; Chronic Disease ; Graft vs Host Disease/etiology* ; Transplantation Conditioning/adverse effects* ; Bronchiolitis Obliterans Syndrome ; Retrospective Studies

To explore the composition and diversity of the intestinal microflora of Leopoldamys edwardsi in Hainan Island. In November 2019, DNA was extracted from fecal samples of 25 adult Leopoldamys edwardsi (14 males and 11 females) in Hainan Island at the Joint Laboratory of tropical infectious diseases of Hainan Medical College and Hong Kong University. Based on the IonS5TMXL sequencing platform, single-end sequencing (Single-End) was used to construct a small fragment library for single-end sequencing. Based on Reads shear filtration and OTUs clustering. The species annotation and abundance analysis of OTUs were carried out by using mothur method and SSUrRNA database, and further conducted α diversity and β diversity analysis. A total of 1481842 high quality sequences, belonging to 14 Phyla, 85 families and 186 Genera, were obtained from 25 intestinal excrement samples of Leopoldamys edwardsi. At the level of phyla classification, the main core biota of the Leopoldamys edwardsi contained Firmicutes (46.04%),Bacteroidetes (25.34%), Proteobacteria (17.09%), Tenericutes (7.38%) and Actinobacteria (1.67%), these five phyla account for 97.52% of all phyla. The ratio of Helicobacter which occupied the largest proportion at the genus level was 12.44%, followed by Lactobacillus (11.39%), Clostridium (6.19%),Mycoplasma (4.23%) and Flavonifractor (3.52%). High throughput sequencing analysis showed that the intestinal flora of Leopoldamys edwardsi in Hainan Island was complex and diverse, which had the significance of further research.
Adult ; Animals ; Bacteria/genetics* ; Feces/microbiology* ; Female ; Gastrointestinal Microbiome/genetics* ; High-Throughput Nucleotide Sequencing ; Humans ; Intestines ; Male ; Murinae/genetics*

Objective: To analyze the clinical epidemiological characteristics including composition of pathogens , clinical characteristics, and disease prognosis acute bacterial meningitis (ABM) in Chinese children. Methods: A retrospective analysis was performed on the clinical and laboratory data of 1 610 children <15 years of age with ABM in 33 tertiary hospitals in China from January 2019 to December 2020. Patients were divided into different groups according to age,<28 days group, 28 days to <3 months group, 3 months to <1 year group, 1-<5 years of age group, 5-<15 years of age group; etiology confirmed group and clinically diagnosed group according to etiology diagnosis. Non-numeric variables were analyzed with the Chi-square test or Fisher's exact test, while non-normal distrituction numeric variables were compared with nonparametric test. Results: Among 1 610 children with ABM, 955 were male and 650 were female (5 cases were not provided with gender information), and the age of onset was 1.5 (0.5, 5.5) months. There were 588 cases age from <28 days, 462 cases age from 28 days to <3 months, 302 cases age from 3 months to <1 year of age group, 156 cases in the 1-<5 years of age and 101 cases in the 5-<15 years of age. The detection rates were 38.8% (95/245) and 31.5% (70/222) of Escherichia coli and 27.8% (68/245) and 35.1% (78/222) of Streptococcus agalactiae in infants younger than 28 days of age and 28 days to 3 months of age; the detection rates of Streptococcus pneumonia, Escherichia coli, and Streptococcus agalactiae were 34.3% (61/178), 14.0% (25/178) and 13.5% (24/178) in the 3 months of age to <1 year of age group; the dominant pathogens were Streptococcus pneumoniae and the detection rate were 67.9% (74/109) and 44.4% (16/36) in the 1-<5 years of age and 5-<15 years of age . There were 9.7% (19/195) strains of Escherichia coli producing ultra-broad-spectrum β-lactamases. The positive rates of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) culture and blood culture were 32.2% (515/1 598) and 25.0% (400/1 598), while 38.2% (126/330)and 25.3% (21/83) in CSF metagenomics next generation sequencing and Streptococcus pneumoniae antigen detection. There were 4.3% (32/790) cases of which CSF white blood cell counts were normal in etiology confirmed group. Among 1 610 children with ABM, main intracranial imaging complications were subdural effusion and (or) empyema in 349 cases (21.7%), hydrocephalus in 233 cases (14.5%), brain abscess in 178 cases (11.1%), and other cerebrovascular diseases, including encephalomalacia, cerebral infarction, and encephalatrophy, in 174 cases (10.8%). Among the 166 cases (10.3%) with unfavorable outcome, 32 cases (2.0%) died among whom 24 cases died before 1 year of age, and 37 cases (2.3%) had recurrence among whom 25 cases had recurrence within 3 weeks. The incidences of subdural effusion and (or) empyema, brain abscess and ependymitis in the etiology confirmed group were significantly higher than those in the clinically diagnosed group (26.2% (207/790) vs. 17.3% (142/820), 13.0% (103/790) vs. 9.1% (75/820), 4.6% (36/790) vs. 2.7% (22/820), χ²=18.71, 6.20, 4.07, all P<0.05), but there was no significant difference in the unfavorable outcomes, mortility, and recurrence between these 2 groups (all P>0.05). Conclusions: The onset age of ABM in children is usually within 1 year of age, especially <3 months. The common pathogens in infants <3 months of age are Escherichia coli and Streptococcus agalactiae, and the dominant pathogen in infant ≥3 months is Streptococcus pneumoniae. Subdural effusion and (or) empyema and hydrocephalus are common complications. ABM should not be excluded even if CSF white blood cell counts is within normal range. Standardized bacteriological examination should be paid more attention to increase the pathogenic detection rate. Non-culture CSF detection methods may facilitate the pathogenic diagnosis.
Adolescent ; Brain Abscess ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Escherichia coli ; Female ; Humans ; Hydrocephalus ; Infant ; Infant, Newborn ; Male ; Meningitis, Bacterial/epidemiology* ; Retrospective Studies ; Streptococcus agalactiae ; Streptococcus pneumoniae ; Subdural Effusion ; beta-Lactamases

Bladder cancer is a common malignancy in the genitourinary system and the current therapeutic approaches are unsatisfactory. Urinary cell-free DNA (ucf DNA) has the ability to give comprehensive and crucial information on cancer as it carries genetic messages from cells shedding directly into urine as well as transporting from circulation. The ucf DNA of patients with bladder cancer carries disease information, suggesting that ucf DNA may have the ability to detect, monitor, and prognosticate patients with bladder cancer. The ucf DNA analysis bridges the gap between current techniques and enhances diagnostic and detection capabilities, and has a very promising future in term of translation into clinical practice. This article reviewed the progress of clinical applications of ucf DNA in bladder cancer.

Background: Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) strategies in COVID-19 patients differ from those in patients suffering from cardiogenic cardiac arrest. During CPR, both healthcare and non-healthcare workers who provide resuscitation are at risk of infection. The Working Group for Expert Consensus on Prevention and Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation for Cardiac Arrest in COVID-19 has developed this Chinese Expert Consensus to guide clinical practice of CPR in COVID-19 patients. Main recommendations: 1) A medical team should be assigned to evaluate severe and critical COVID-19 for early monitoring of cardiac-arrest warning signs. 2) Psychological counseling and treatment are highly recommended, since sympathetic and vagal abnormalities induced by psychological stress from the COVID-19 pandemic can induce cardiac arrest. 3) Healthcare workers should wear personal protective equipment (PPE). 4) Mouth-to-mouth ventilation should be avoided on patients suspected of having or diagnosed with COVID-19. 5) Hands-only chest compression and mechanical chest compression are recommended. 6) Tracheal-intubation procedures should be optimized and tracheal-intubation strategies should be implemented early. 7) CPR should be provided for 20-30 min. 8) Various factors should be taken into consideration such as the interests of patients and family members, ethics, transmission risks, and laws and regulations governing infectious disease control. Changes in management: The following changes or modifications to CPR strategy in COVID-19 patients are proposed: 1) Healthcare workers should wear PPE. 2) Hands-only chest compression and mechanical chest compression can be implemented to reduce or avoid the spread of viruses by aerosols. 3) Both the benefits to patients and the risk of infection should be considered. 4) Hhealthcare workers should be fully aware of and trained in CPR strategies and procedures specifically for patients with COVID-19.

Objective: To observe the incidence and treatment of radiation rectal injury complicated with anxiety, depression and somatic symptom disorder. Methods: A cross-sectional survey research method was carried out. Patients with radiation rectal injury managed by members of the editorial board of Chinese Journal of Gastrointestinal Surgery were the subjects of investigation. The inclusion criteria of the survey subjects: (1) patients suffered from pelvic tumors and received pelvic radiotherapy; (2) colonoscopy showed inflammatory reaction or ulcer in the rectum. Exclusion criteria: (1) patient had a history of psycho-somatic disease before radiotherapy; (2) patient was unable to use a smart phone, unable to read and understand the questions in the questionnaire displayed on the phone; (3) patient refused to sign an informed consent form. According to the SOMA self-rating scale, PHQ-15 self-rating scale, GAD-7 and PHQ-9 self-rating scale, the electronic questionnaire of "Psychological Survey of Radiation Proctitis" was designed. The questionnaire was sent to patients with radiation rectal injury managed by the committee through the WeChat group. Observational indicators: (1) radiation rectal injury symptom assessment: using SOMA self-rating scale, radiation rectal injury symptom classification: mild group (≤3 points), moderate group (4-6 points) and severe group (> 6 points); (2) incidence of anxiety, depression and physical disorder: using GAD-7, PHQ-9 and PHQ-15 self-rating scales respectively for assessment; (3) correlation of radiation rectal injury symptom grading with anxiety, depression, and somatic symptom disorder. Results: Seventy-one qualified questionnaires were collected, of which 41 (56.9%) were from Guangzhou. Among the 71 patients, 6 were males and 65 were females; the mean age was (55.7±9.3) years old and 48 patients (67.6%) were less than 60 years old; the median confirmed duration of radiation rectal injury was 2.0 (1.0, 5.0) years. (1) Evaluation of symptoms of radiation rectal injury: 18 cases of mild (25.4%), 27 cases of moderate (38.0%), and 26 cases of severe (36.6%). (2) Incidence of anxiety, depression and somatic disorder: 12 patients (16.9%) without comorbidities; 59 patients (83.1%) with anxiety, depression, or somatic disorder, of whom 2 patients only had anxiety, 1 patient only had depression, 9 only had somatic disorder, 2 had anxiety plus depression, 4 had anxiety plus somatic disorder, 2 had depression plus somatic disorder, and 40 had all three symptoms. (3) correlation of radiation rectal injury grading with anxiety, depression, and somatic symptom disorder: as compared to patients in mild group and moderate group, those in severe group had higher severity of anxiety and somatic symptom disorder (Z=-2.143, P=0.032; Z=-2.045, P=0.041), while there was no statistically significant difference of depression between mild group and moderate group (Z=-1.176, P=0.240). Pearson correlation analysis revealed that radiation rectal injury symptom score was positively correlated with anxiety (r=0.300, P=0.013), depression (r=0.287, P=0.015) and somatic symptom disorder (r=0.344, P=0.003). Conclusions: The incidence of anxiety, depression, and somatic symptom disorder in patients with radiation rectal injury is extremely high. It is necessary to strengthen the diagnosis and treatment of somatic symptom disorder, so as to alleviate the symptoms of patients with pelvic perineum pain and improve the quality of life.
Aged ; Anxiety ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Depression ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Quality of Life ; Rectum ; Surveys and Questionnaires