Objective To investigate the clinical and molecular genetic changes in a Chinese family with oculopha?ryngeal muscular dystrophy(OPMD). Methods We collected the clinical data of the familial members and blood sam?ples from all available 16 familial members, including the proband. The samples were analyzed using modified poly?merase chain reaction amplification and direct sequence analysis. Results Male OPMD patients initially presented with ptosis, followed by pronunciation difficulty, dysphagia and limb weakness whereas female OPMD patients initially pre?sented with swallowing difficulty. Genetic test revealed the abnormal expansions of the GCG trinucleotide repeat from GCG6 to GCG10 in PABPN1 gene in 10 familial members. Conclusions The genetic test and prenatal diagnosis is the key for the prevention treatment of oculopharyngeal muscular dystrophy. The ptosis of eyelid may be the initial symptom for the male patients of oculopharyngeal muscular dystrophy with (GCG)10 mutation.

Objective:The incidence of infections in patients with malignant hematologic diseases is extremely high and significantly affects their prognosis.Identifying early and precise biomarkers for infection is crucial for guiding the treatment of infections in these patients.Previous studies have shown that procalcitonin(PCT)can serve as an early diagnostic marker for bloodstream infections in patients with malignant hematologic diseases.This study aims to compare serum PCT levels in these patients with different pathogens,disease types,infection sites,and severity levels. Methods:Clinical data and laboratory results of infected patients with malignant hematologic diseases treated at the Department of Hematology,the Third Xiangya Hospital of Central South University from January 2018 to August 2023 were collected.General patient information was retrospectively analyzed.Serum PCT levels were compared among patients with different pathogens,types of malignant hematologic diseases,infection sites,and infection severity;Receiver operator characteristic(ROC)curves were used to determine the cut-off values and diagnostic value of serum PCT levels in diagnosing bloodstream infections versus local infections and severe infections versus non-severe infections.Mortality rates after 4-7 days of anti-infective treatment were compared among groups with rising,falling,and unchanged PCT levels. Results:A total of 526 patients with malignant hematologic diseases were included.The main pathogens were Gram-negative bacteria(272 cases,51.7%),followed by Gram-positive bacteria(120 cases,22.8%),fungi(65 cases,12.4%),viruses(23 cases,4.4%),and mixed pathogens(46 cases,8.7%).The main types of malignant hematologic diseases were acute myeloid leukemia(216 cases,41.1%),acute lymphoblastic leukemia(107 cases,20.3%),and lymphoma(93 cases,17.7%).Granulocyte deficiency was present in 68.3%(359 cases)of the patients during infection,with severe infection in 24.1%(127 cases).Significant differences in serum PCT levels were found among patients with different types of pathogens(P<0.001),with the highest levels in Gram-negative bacterial infections.Significant differences in serum PCT levels were also found among patients with different types of malignant hematologic diseases(P<0.05),with the highest levels in lymphoma patients.Serum PCT levels were significantly higher in systemic infections and severe infections compared to local infections and non-severe infections(both P<0.001).ROC curve analysis showed that the cut-off values for diagnosing bloodstream infections and severe infections were 0.22 and 0.28 ng/mL,with areas under the curve of 0.670 and 0.673,respectively.After 4-7 days of anti-infective treatment,the mortality rates of the PCT declining,PCT unchanged,and PCT rising groups were 11.9%,21.2%,and 35.7%,respectively,and pairwise comparisons were statistically significant(all P<0.05). Conclusion:PCT can be used as an auxiliary indicator for early identification of different pathogens,infection sites,and severity levels in patients with malignant hematologic diseases combined with infections.Dynamic monitoring of PCT levels after empirical antibiotic treatment provides important guidance for assessing patient's prognosis.

Childhood household dysfunction(CHD)is a common adverse childhood experience,which brings the heavy physical and mental afflictions to children and adolescents.Trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy(TF-CBT)is an evidence-based psychotherapy that helps children and adolescents who have experienced childhood trauma with traumatic memories.It aims to enhance the coping abilities of CHD children and adolescents,thereby improving the negative effects caused by trauma and effectively reducing psychological burden.TF-CBT can effectively improve post-traumatic stress disorder,emotional and behavioral problems,and family function in children and adolescents with CHD.It is recommended to conduct high-quality original research in the future,develop targeted TF-CBT intervention plans based on potential predictive factors,adopt a combination of online and offline methods,and construct TF-CBT interventions suitable for the Chinese CHD population to meet the mental health service needs of CHD children and adolescents.

Objective To investigate and predict the molecular targets and mechanism of Huanglian Jiedu Decoction (黄连解毒汤, HLJDD) in the treatment of Corona Virus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) through network pharmacology and molecular docking analysis. Methods The chemical constituents and action targets of HLJDD were retrieved on Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology Database and Analysis Platform (TCMSP), SymMap v2, Encyclopedia of Traditional Chinese Medicine (ETCM), a High-throughput Experiment- and Reference-guided Database of Traditional Chinese Medicine (HERB), and Traditional Chinese Medicine Integrated Database (TCMID). UniProt and GeneCards were used to query the target genes that corresponding to the active compounds, and then a compound-target network was constructed using Cytoscape 3.7.2. Gene Ontology (GO) database was used to annotate GO functions. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) was used to predict the possible mechanisms of active compounds. The Database for Annotation, Visualization and Integrated Discovery (DAVID) was used to analysis the tissue enrichment. The main active compounds in HLJDD are molecularly docked with their corresponding related targets. Results Seventy-six compounds were screened and 458 corresponding targets in the network were obtained. Gene annotation showed that the targets were involved mainly in 1 953 biological processes. 884 signaling pathways was enriched, involving signaling by interleukins, cytokine signaling in immune system, generic transcription pathway, and RNA polymerase II transcription. The targets mainly distributed in the lung, liver, and placenta, involving a variety of immune cells, such as T cells and B cells. The molecular docking results showed that core compounds such as wogonin, berberine, and baicalein had high affinity with tumor necrosis factor (TNF), insulin (INS), and tumor protein 53 (TP53). Conclusion The active compounds in HLJDD may have a therapeutic effect on COVID-19 through regulating multiple signal pathways by targeting genes such as vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGFA), INS, interleukin-6 (IL-6), TNF, caspase-3 , TP53, and mitogen-activated protein kinase 3 (MAPK3).