OBJECTIVETo study the clinical efficiency of transcatheter closure of large patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) using Amplatzer ductal occluder in children.

METHODSA retrospective review was performed for 227 children with large PDA, including 63 cases with pulmonary artery hypertension. All cases accepted the transcatheter closure using Amplatzer ductal occluders. The median age of the patients was 3.2 years, and the median weight was 10.6 kg. The median of the narrowest diameter of arterial ducts was 5.7 mm.

RESULTSSuccessful occlusion was achieved in 216 (95.2%) of the 227 cases. The mean pulmonary artery pressure in children with pulmonary artery hypertension decreased from 45±19 mm Hg before operation to 22±12 mm Hg after operation (P<0.05). In the 216 children achieving a successful occlusion, 109 children (50.5%) showed a complete occlusion immediately after operation by aortography and 181 children (83.8%) showed a complete occlusion by echocardiography 24 hrs after operation. No residual shunt was found in children who achieved a successful occlusion according to the results of echocardiography 6 and 12 months after operation.

CONCLUSIONSThe transcatheter occlusion of large PDA using Amplatzer ductal occluders is effective and safe in children.

Adolescent ; Balloon Occlusion ; instrumentation ; Cardiac Catheterization ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Ductus Arteriosus, Patent ; therapy ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Infant ; Male ; Retrospective Studies

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the efficacy and safety of loratadine, a new generation of antihistaminics, in the treatment of childhood asthma.

METHODSThe papers related to loratadine treatment for childhood asthma were searched in the database of PubMed, MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrance, CNKI and CBMdisc (January 1990 to December 2010) electronically and manually. According to the Cochrane reviewer's handbook, the quality of the enrolled papers was assessed and a systematic review was performed.

RESULTSA total of 179 papers were obtained. Eleven randomized controlled trials met the criteria and were included in this study. The 11 trials included 317 children with asthma: 159 cases in the loratadine treatment group and 158 cases in the control group. All included studies belonged to the B class according to the quality evaluation criteria. Meta analysis showed that the clinical symptoms were improved more, the forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1) 4 and 8 weeks posttreatment and the peak expiratory flow rate (PEFR) 8 weeks posttreatment were higher in the loratadine treatment group than in the control group. The treatment-related adverse effects, fatigue, tachycardia and palpitation, occurred less in the loratadine treatment group compared with the control group.

CONCLUSIONSLoratadine is safe and effective for the treatment of childhood asthma.

Anti-Allergic Agents ; therapeutic use ; Asthma ; drug therapy ; physiopathology ; Forced Expiratory Volume ; Humans ; Loratadine ; adverse effects ; therapeutic use ; Peak Expiratory Flow Rate

Objective To investigate the mechanism by which mycobacterial antigen 85B (Ag85B) inhibits autophagy and promotes apoptosis in Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) cells. Methods The clinical data and pathological tissue slides were retrospectively collected from 80 HL children and 30 children with reactive lymphadenopathy (control group) treated at the First Affiliated Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University. Immunohistochemical analysis was performed to assess the expression of microtubule-associated protein 1 light chain 3 (LC3),sequestosome 1 (P62/SQSTM1),and Beclin-1 in the pathological tissues of HL and control groups. Human Hodgkin lymphoma cells (HDLM-2) were divided into the HDLM-2 group and the HDLM-2+Ag85B groups (with Ag85B concentrations of 0.5,1,2,and 4 μg/mL). The CCK8 method was used to measure HDLM-2 cell proliferation;qRT-PCR was employed to detect the expression of LC3,P62,Beclin-1,Akt,and mTOR mRNA in cells. An apoptosis kit was used to detect cell apoptosis. Results The positive expression of LC3 and Beclin-1 in the HL group were higher than those in the control group (P<0.05),while the positive expression of P62 was lower than that in the control group (P<0.05). In stages Ⅲ-Ⅳ compared to stages Ⅰ-Ⅱ,the positive expression of LC3 and Beclin-1 increased,while the positive expression of P62 decreased (P<0.05). Cell experiment results showed that the HDLM-2+Ag85B group had suppressed cell proliferation compared to the HDLM-2 group,with decreased mRNA expression of LC3 and Beclin-1,and increased mRNA expression of P62,PI3K,Akt,and mTOR,leading to increased cell apoptosis. Notably,when Ag85B was at a concentration of 2 μg/mL,it had the strongest effect on HDLM-2 cells after 24 hours (P<0.05). Conclusions Autophagy is enhanced in children with HL and increases with disease stage. Ag85B can inhibit the proliferation and autophagy of HL tumor cells and promote apoptosis,possibly related to the activation of the PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway.

OBJECTIVES: To examine the expression of serum thyroglobulin antibody (TGAb) and thyroid peroxidase antibody (TPOAb) in children with immune thrombocytopenia (ITP). METHODS: A total of 120 children with ITP who were admitted from October 2019 to October 2021 were enrolled as the ITP group. A total of 60 children without ITP were enrolled as the non-ITP group. According to the clinical classification of ITP, the children in the ITP group were further divided into a newly diagnosed ITP group, a persistent ITP group, and a chronic ITP group. The clinical data were compared between the ITP group and the non-ITP group and between the children with different clinical classifications of ITP. The expression levels of serum TGAb and TPOAb in children with ITP were measured and their association with the clinical classification of ITP was analyzed. RESULTS: Compared with the non-ITP group, the ITP group had significantly lower levels of CD3⁺, CD4⁺, and platelet count (PLT) and significantly higher levels of CD8⁺, TGAb, and TPOAb (P<0.05). The children with chronic ITP had significantly lower levels of CD3⁺, CD4⁺, and PLT and significantly higher levels of CD8⁺, TGAb, and TPOAb than those with newly diagnosed ITP or persistent ITP (P<0.05). The logistic regression analysis showed that CD3⁺, CD4⁺, CD8⁺, TGAb, and TPOAb were the influencing factors for chronic ITP (P<0.05). A decision curve was plotted, and the results showed that TGAb combined with TPOAb within the high-risk threshold range of 0.0-1.0 had a net benefit rate of >0 in evaluating the clinical classification of ITP in children. CONCLUSIONS TGAb and TPOAb are abnormally expressed in children with ITP and are associated with the clinical classification of ITP in children.
Autoantibodies ; Child ; Humans ; Iodide Peroxidase ; Platelet Count ; Purpura, Thrombocytopenic, Idiopathic ; Thrombocytopenia ; Thyroglobulin