Objective To investigate the pathogenic bacteria distribution, antibiotics resistance, and clinical features of childhood bacterial meningitis (BM). Methods Clinical data from BM children with positive cerebrospinal lfuid culture were retrospectively analyzed from March 2004 to March 2015. According to age, the BM children were divided into neonates group (0-28 days), infants group (—1 year), and children group (≥1 year). According to the onset time, the BM children were divided into the early group (March 2004 to March 2010) and the late group (April 2010 to March 2015). According to the clinical situation, the BM children were divided into the trauma and surgery secondary infection group and the control group. Results A total of 100 BM children were recruited. One hundred and two strains of pathogens were detected, 62 (60.8%) strains of Gram positive bacteria and 40 (39.2%) strains of Gram negative bacteria. The main pathogens were Streptococcus pneumoniae (33 strains), Escherichia coli (22 strains), and Streptococcus agalactiae (10 strains). The proportion of Streptococcus agalactiae was higher in the late group (18.8%(9 cases)) than that in the early group (1.9%(1 case)) (χ2=6.406, P=0.011). The proportion of coagulase-negative staphylococci was higher in the trauma and surgery secondary infection group than that in the control group (χ2=6.631, P=0.010). Drug sensitivity analysis found that 60.0%of Escherichia coli produced extended-spectrumβ-lactamases (ESBLs) in the control group, while the only one strain of Escherichia coli in the trauma and surgery secondary infection group was ESBLs negative. Streptococcus pneumoniae were sensitive to vancomycin and linezolid. Streptococcus agalactiae were all found in the control group, which were all sensitive to penicillin and linezolid. The sensitive rate to vancomycin was only 70%. The incidence of complications in neonates group, infants group, and children group was 55.0%(22/40), 78.6%(33/42), and 33.3%(6/18), respectively. The difference was statistically signiifcant (χ2=11.848, P<0.05). The most common complications in these three age groups were ventricular dilatation (40.9%), subdural effusion (45.5%), and hydrocephalus (40.0%), respectively. Thirty-ifve children were cured, 41 children were improved and discharged, 22 children were not cured and left the hospital, and 2 children died. Conclusions Streptococcus pneumoniae, Escherichia coli, and Streptococcus agalactiae were the predominant pathogens in childhood BM. The Streptococcus agalactiae infection is increased in the late group. The complications is varied in different age groups..

Lipid and glucose metabolism play crucial roles in maintaining energy homeostasis, and their dysregulation can lead to the development of metabolic disorders, such as obesity and diabetes. Studies indicate that the skeleton, involved in lipid and glucose metabolism, functions as an endocrine organ, regulating systemic metabolism through bone-derived molecules. Sclerostin is a protein mainly produced by osteocytes, possessing the ability to inhibit bone formation, and its antibodies have become therapeutic targets for treating osteoporosis. Recent evidence suggests that sclerostin also plays a role in lipid and glucose metabolism disorders. Therefore, through summarizing in vitro and in vivo researches, this article reviews the role of sclerostin in lipid and glucose metabolism, its relationship with obesity and diabetes, and potential role in the treatment of metabolic diseases in the future.

Objective:To investigate the correlation between serum sclerostin and sarcopenia-related indicators in chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients, and to find biomarkers and potential therapeutic targets that can take into account both osteoporosis and sarcopenia.Methods:It was a single-centre cross-sectional study. The clinical data of CKD stage 5 patients undergoing maintenance hemodialysis regularly and CKD stage 1-5 non-dialysis inpatients in the Hemodialysis Centre of Guangzhou Red Cross Hospital from March 2021 to March 2023 were collected retrospectively. The enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was used to detect the level of serum sclerostin. The anthropometric data such as height, weight, upper arm circumference, upper arm muscle circumference, skinfold thickness, pinch strength and handgrip strength were measured. Body composition analyzer was used to measure the body composition. The patients were divided into CKD stage 1-3 group, CKD stage 4-5 group, and stage 5 hemodialysis group. One-way ANOVA, Kruskal-Wallis H test, and chi-square test were used to compare the differences of demographics and clinical characteristics in different stages of CKD. Spearman correlation analysis and multiple linear stepwise regression analysis were utilized to analyze the correlation between serum sclerostin and sarcopenia-related indicators in CKD patients. Results:The study included 104 patients with CKD stage 5 hemodialysis and 104 patients with CKD stage 1-5 non-dialysis patients, with age of (61.8±13.7) years old and 114 males (54.8%). There were 89 patients (42.8%) with diabetic nephropathy and 67 patients (32.2%) with sarcopenia. As renal injury progressed, serum sclerostin levels were 0.4 (0.3, 0.9) ng/L, 0.5 (0.3, 1.1) ng/L, and 1.1 (0.6, 2.3) ng/L in patients with CKD stage 1-3, stage 4-5, and stage 5 undergoing hemodialysis ( χ2=8.934, P<0.001), and the prevalence of sarcopenia was 16.4% (10/61), 34.9% (15/43), and 40.4% (42/104) ( χ2=10.312, P=0.006), respectively. Spearman correlation analysis showed that serum sclerostin was negatively correlated with estimated glomerular filtration rate ( r=-0.314, P<0.001), pinch strength ( r=-0.229, P=0.007), skinfold thickness ( r=-0.254, P<0.001), appendicular skeletal muscle index ( r=-0.169, P=0.010), body cell mass ( r=-0.174, P=0.020), and phase angle ( r=-0.264, P<0.001), and positively correlated with serum phosphorus ( r=0.227, P=0.002) and intact parathyroid hormone ( r=0.297, P<0.001). Multiple linear stepwise regression analysis showed that lg[appendicular skeletal muscle index] was negatively correlated with male ( β=0.330, t=5.675, P<0.001) and serum sclerostin ( β=-0.125, t=-2.143, P=0.033), and positively correlated with body mass index ( β=0.474, t=8.090, P<0.001). Conclusion:Serum sclerostin can be used as a good index and a potential therapeutic target for sarcopenia in CKD patients.