OBJECTIVE: To analyze the incidence of abnormal hemoglobin (Hb) in neonates in Guangzhou area, as well as the results of quantitative analysis of Hb in neonatal umbilical cord blood and genetic diagnosis of thalassemia in neonates with abnormal Hb; And to explore the hematological phenotypes and clinical characteristics of neonates with abnormal Hb and their parents, providing a reference for eugenics and childcare. METHODS: 650 neonates born at Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital who underwent Hb electrophoresis were included in this study. The results of routine blood test of umbilical cord blood , Hb electrophoresis and α-, β-thalassemia gene detection of the neonates were collected. The genotype distribution of thalassemia in the neonates was analyzed. Additionally, the abnormal Hb content of α and β variants was studied. Furthermore, the differences in hematological parameters between abnormal Hb neonates and normal neonates and α-thalassemia neonates, as well as between the parents of abnormal Hb neonates and normal adults were compared. RESULTS: Among the 650 neonates, 332 (51.08%) were diagnosed with thalassemia, including 235 cases of α-thalassemia (36.15%), 79 cases of β-thalassemia (12.15%), and 18 cases of compound αβ-thalassemia (2.77%). Among all the α-thalassemia genotypes, the most prevalent one was -- ^SEA/αα (48.94%), followed by -α^3.7/αα (20.00%), -α^4.2/αα (11.06%), and αα^CS/αα (8.94%). The four most common genotypes of β-thalassemia were β^CD41-42 (32.91%), β^IVS-Ⅱ-654 (26.58%), β^-28 (21.52%), and β^E (10.13%), respectively. 275 cases of abnormal bands were found in Hb electrophoresis of umbilical cord blood, with a detection rate of 42.31%. The abnormal Hb content of α-variant in the neonates was significantly higher than that of β-variant (P < 0.001). The levels of Hb, MCV, MCH, Hb A, and Hb F in neonates with abnormal Hb were lower than those in normal neonates, while the RDW-CV was higher than that in normal neonates, with statistical significantce (P < 0.05). The levels of RBC and Hb A in neonates with abnormal Hb were lower than those in neonates with α-thalassemia, while the level of MCH was higher than that in neonats with α-thalassemia, with statistical significance (P < 0.05). The levels of Hb, MCV, MCH, and Hb A in parents of neonates with abnormal Hb were lower than those in normal adults, while the RDW-CV was higher than that in normal adults, and the differences were statistically significant (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION The abnormal Hb content of α-variant in the neonates is significantly higher than that of β-variant in the neonates in Guangzhou, which can help to presume whether it is α chain or β chain based on the abnormal Hb content, providing a reference for globin gene sequencing. Meanwhile, analysis of various hematological screening-related indicators in neonates in the early stage is beneficial for early warning of the occurrence of abnormal Hb combined with thalassemia, reducing missed diagnoses to a certain extent.
Humans ; Infant, Newborn ; Genotype ; Hemoglobins, Abnormal/genetics* ; China/epidemiology* ; alpha-Thalassemia/epidemiology* ; beta-Thalassemia/genetics* ; Parents ; Female ; Male ; Fetal Blood

Objective: To study the incidence of bloodstream infections, pathogen distribution, and antibiotic resistance profile in patients with hematological malignancies. Methods: From January 2018 to December 2021, we retrospectively analyzed the clinical characteristics, pathogen distribution, and antibiotic resistance profiles of patients with malignant hematological diseases and bloodstream infections in the Department of Hematology, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University. Results: A total of 582 incidences of bloodstream infections occurred in 22,717 inpatients. From 2018 to 2021, the incidence rates of bloodstream infections were 2.79%, 2.99%, 2.79%, and 2.02%, respectively. Five hundred ninety-nine types of bacteria were recovered from blood cultures, with 487 (81.3%) gram-negative bacteria, such as Klebsiella pneumonia, Escherichia coli, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Eighty-one (13.5%) were gram-positive bacteria, primarily Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis, and Enterococcus faecium, whereas the remaining 31 (5.2%) were fungi. Enterobacteriaceae resistance to carbapenems, piperacillin/tazobactam, cefoperazone sodium/sulbactam, and tigecycline were 11.0%, 15.3%, 15.4%, and 3.3%, with a descending trend year on year. Non-fermenters tolerated piperacillin/tazobactam, cefoperazone sodium/sulbactam, and quinolones at 29.6%, 13.3%, and 21.7%, respectively. However, only two gram-positive bacteria isolates were shown to be resistant to glycopeptide antibiotics. Conclusions: Bloodstream pathogens in hematological malignancies were broadly dispersed, most of which were gram-negative bacteria. Antibiotic resistance rates vary greatly between species. Our research serves as a valuable resource for the selection of empirical antibiotics.
Humans ; Bacteremia/epidemiology* ; Cefoperazone ; Sulbactam ; Retrospective Studies ; Drug Resistance, Bacterial ; Microbial Sensitivity Tests ; Hematologic Neoplasms ; Sepsis ; Anti-Bacterial Agents/pharmacology* ; Gram-Negative Bacteria ; Gram-Positive Bacteria ; Piperacillin, Tazobactam Drug Combination ; Escherichia coli

Objective: This study aims to investigate the associations between genetic variations of pyroptosis pathway related key genes and adverse events (AEs) of postoperative chemoradiotherapy (CRT) in patients with rectal cancer. Methods: DNA was extracted from the peripheral blood which was collected from 347 patients before CRT. Sequenom MassARRAY was used to detect the genotypes of 43 haplotype-tagging single nucleotide polymorphisms (htSNPs) in eight pyroptosis genes, including absent in melanoma 2 (AIM2), caspase-1 (CASP1), caspase-4(CASP4), caspase-5 (CASP5), caspase-11 (CASP11), gasdermin D (GSDMD), gasdermin E (GSDME) and NLR family pyrin domain containing 3 (NLRP3). The associations between 43 htSNPs and AEs were evaluated by the odd ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) by unconditional logistic regression models, adjusted for sex, age, clinical stage, tumor grade, Karnofsky performance status (KPS), surgical procedure, and tumor location. Results: Among the 347 patients with rectal cancer underwent concurrent CRT with capecitabine after surgery, a total of 101(29.1%) occurred grade ≥ 2 leukopenia. rs11226565 (OR=0.41, 95% CI: 0.21-0.79, P=0.008), rs579408(OR=1.54, 95% CI: 1.03-2.29, P=0.034) and rs543923 (OR=0.63, 95% CI: 0.41-0.98, P=0.040) were significantly associated with the occurrence of grade ≥ 2 leukopenia. One hundred and fifty-six (45.0%) had grade ≥ 2 diarrhea, two SNPs were significantly associated with the occurrence of grade ≥ diarrhea, including CASP11 rs10880868 (OR=0.55, 95% CI: 0.33-0.91, P=0.020) and GSDME rs2954558 (OR=1.52, 95% CI: 1.01-2.31, P=0.050). In addition, sixty-six cases (19.0%) developed grade ≥2 dermatitis, three SNPs that significantly associated with the risk of grade ≥2 dermatitis included GSDME rs2237314 (OR=0.36, 95% CI: 0.16-0.83, P=0.017), GSDME rs12540919 (OR=0.52, 95% CI: 0.27-0.99, P=0.045) and NLRP3 rs3806268 (OR=1.51, 95% CI: 1.03-2.22, P=0.037). There was no significant difference in the association between other genetic variations and AEs of rectal cancer patients (all P>0.05). Surgical procedure and tumor location had great impacts on the occurrence of grade ≥2 diarrhea and dermatitis (all P<0.01). Conclusion: The genetic variants of CASP4, CASP11, GSDME and NLRP3 are associated with the occurrence of AEs in patients with rectal cancer who received postoperative CRT, suggesting they may be potential genetic markers in predicting the grade of AEs to achieve individualized treatment of rectal cancer.
Humans ; Pyroptosis ; NLR Family, Pyrin Domain-Containing 3 Protein/metabolism* ; Gasdermins ; Chemoradiotherapy/adverse effects* ; Rectal Neoplasms/surgery* ; Caspases/metabolism* ; Diarrhea/chemically induced* ; Leukopenia/genetics* ; Genetic Variation ; Dermatitis

OBJECTIVE: To observe the effect of electroacupuncture (EA) at different frequencies on learning and memory functions, as well as the relevant proteins of brain insulin signal transduction pathway in Alzheimer's disease (AD) mice and explore the effect mechanism of EA in treatment of AD. METHODS: Seventy-two SPF Kunming male mice were randomized into a blank group, a sham-operation group, a model group, a 2 Hz EA group, a 15 Hz EA group and a 30 Hz EA group, 12 mice in each one. In the model group and each EA group, AD model were established by the injection with streptozotocin (ST2) solution (8 mg/kg) into the left lateral ventricles. In the sham-operation group, 0.9% sodium chloride solution of the same volume was injected into the left lateral ventricles. After successful modeling, in each EA group, EA was applied at "Baihui" (GV 20), "Dazhui" (GV 14) and "Shenshu" (BL 23) with corresponding frequencies, once daily. One course of EA intervention consisted of 7 treatments and 2 courses were given totally at interval of 1 day. After modeling and intervention, Morris water maze test was conducted for the mice of each group. Using immunohistochemistry and Western blot method, the protein expression of insulin receptor (IR), insulin receptor substrate-1 (IRS-1) and phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) was detected in the hippocampal of the mice after intervention. RESULTS: Compared with the blank group, in the model group, the 2 Hz, 15 Hz and 30 Hz EA groups, the escape latency and the first time of crossing the platform were all extended (P<0.01), and the number of crossing the platform was reduced (P<0.01) after modeling. When compared with the blank group, the escape latency and the first time of crossing the platform were all extended (P<0.01), and the number of crossing the platform was reduced (P<0.01) in the model group after intervention. In the 2 Hz, 15 Hz and 30 Hz EA groups, the escape latency and the first time of crossing the platform were all shortened (P<0.01), and the number of crossing the platform was increased (P<0.05, P<0.01) after intervention when compared with the model group. The escape latency and the first time of crossing the platform were all shortened (P<0.01, P<0.05), and the number of crossing the platform was increased (P<0.05) in the 15 Hz and 30 Hz EA groups in comparison with the 2 Hz EA group. The protein expression levels of IR, IRS-1 and PI3K were reduced in the model group when compared with those of the blank group (P<0.01, P<0.05); and these protein expression levels were increased in the 15 Hz and 30 Hz EA groups compared with the model group (P<0.05, P<0.01). Compared with the 2 Hz EA group, the protein expression levels of IR, IRS-1 and PI3K were all elevated in the 15 Hz and 30 Hz EA groups (P<0.05). CONCLUSION The learning and memory function of AD mice may be improved through regulating brain insulin signaling transconduction pathway with electroacupuncture, and electroacupuncture at 15 Hz and 30 Hz obtains the overall better effect compared with the intervention at 2 Hz.
Animals ; Male ; Mice ; Alzheimer Disease/therapy* ; Electroacupuncture ; Hippocampus/metabolism* ; Insulin/metabolism* ; Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases/metabolism* ; Signal Transduction

Cell Line, Tumor ; Cell Movement ; Diethylhexyl Phthalate/toxicity* ; Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition ; Humans ; Neoplasm Invasiveness ; Phthalic Acids

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the toxicity management and efficacy evaluation of BCMA-chimeric antigen receptor T cells(CART) in the treatment of relapsed and refractory multiple myeloma (MM). METHODS: The efficacy and adverse reactions of 21 patients with MM who received BCMA-CART treatment at the First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University from December 2017 to September 2020 were evaluated, and the efficacy assessment and survival analysis for high-risk patients and non-high-risk patients were evaluated. RESULTS: After infusion of BCMA-CART cells in 21 MM patients, the number of effective cases was 17, of which the complete remission (sCR/CR) was 10, and the partial remission (VGPR/PR) was 7. The median OS time for all patients was 19.4 months, and the median PFS time was 7.9 months. The number of patients with extramedullary disease(EMD), high-risk genetics, and ISS stage Ⅲ were 5, 15 and 8, and the effective number was 3, 11 and 6, respectively. The treatment of 3 patients without high-risk factors was effective. The median OS and median PFS of patients with EMD were 14.2 and 2.5 months, respectively, which were shorter than those of patients without EMD (19.4 months and 8.9 months, respectively). The median OS and median PFS of patients with high-risk cytogenetic factors and ISS Ⅲ were not significantly different from those of non-high-risk patients. Cytokine release syndrane (CRS) occurred in 20 patients, of which 14 cases were Grade 1 CRS, while 6 were Grade 2, no CRS of Grade 3 or above occurred. IL-6 receptor inhibitors were used in 9 patients. All CRS were controlled effectively, and no patients had neurological toxicity. CONCLUSION BCMA-CART is a certain curative effect in the treatment of relapsed and refractory multiple myeloma, and the adverse reactions can be well controlled through close monitoring and timely treatment.
B-Cell Maturation Antigen ; Humans ; Immunotherapy, Adoptive/adverse effects* ; Multiple Myeloma/therapy* ; Receptors, Chimeric Antigen ; Remission Induction

OBJECTIVES: To study the expression of adipokines in children with primary nephrotic syndrome (PNS) before and after treatment and its correlation with blood lipids, as well as the role of adipokines in PNS children with hyperlipidemia. METHODS: A total of 90 children who were diagnosed with incipient PNS or recurrence of PNS after corticosteroid withdrawal for more than 6 months were enrolled as subjects. Thirty children who underwent physical examination were enrolled as the control group. Venous blood samples were collected from the children in the control group and the children with PNS before corticosteroid therapy (active stage) and after urinary protein clearance following 4 weeks of corticosteroid therapy (remission stage). ELISA was used to measure the levels of adipokines. An automatic biochemical analyzer was used to measure blood lipid levels. RESULTS: Compared with the control group, the children with PNS had a significantly lower level of omentin-1 in both active and remission stages, and their level of omentin-1 in the active stage was significantly lower than that in the remission stage ( CONCLUSIONS Omentin-1 may be associated with disease activity, dyslipidemia, and proteinuria in children with PNS. Blood lipid ratios may be more effective than traditional blood lipid parameters in monitoring early cardiovascular risk in children with PNS.
Adipokines ; Chemokines ; Child ; Cytokines/metabolism* ; GPI-Linked Proteins/metabolism* ; Humans ; Hyperlipidemias ; Lectins/metabolism* ; Lipids ; Nephrotic Syndrome/drug therapy* ; Proteinuria

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the birth condition of preterm infants and the causes of preterm birth in Henan Province, China, and to provide a basis for the prevention and treatment of preterm birth. METHODS: An epidemiological investigation was conducted for live-birth preterm infants who were born in 53 hospitals in 17 cities of Henan Province from January 1, 2019 to December 31, 2019 to investigate the incidence rate of preterm birth, the distribution of gestational age and birth weight, the use of antenatal glucocorticoids, and the causes of preterm birth. RESULTS: The incidence rate of preterm birth was 5.84% (12 406/212 438) in the 53 hospitals. The proportions of preterm infants with gestational ages of < 28 weeks, 28 - < 32 weeks, 32 - < 34 weeks, and 34 - < 37 weeks were 1.58% (196/12 406), 11.46% (1 422/12 406), 15.18% (1 883/12 406), and 71.78% (8 905/12 406) respectively. The proportions of preterm infants with birth weights of < 1 000 g, 1 000- < 1 500 g, 1 500- < 2 500 g, 2 500- < 4 000 g, and ≥ 4 000 g were 1.95% (240/12 313), 8.54% (1 051/12 313), 49.53% (6 099/12 313), 39.59% (4 875/12 313), and 0.39% (48/12 313) respectively. The infants born by natural labor accounted for 28.76% (3 568/12 406), and those born by cesarean section accounted for 70.38% (8 731/12 406). The rate of use of antenatal glucocorticoids was 52.52% (6 293/11 983) for preterm infants and 68.69% (2 319/3 376) for the preterm infants with a gestational age of < 34 weeks. Iatrogenic preterm labor was the leading cause of preterm birth[40.06% (4 915/12 270)], followed by spontaneous preterm birth[30.16% (3 701/12 270)] and preterm birth due to premature rupture of membranes[29.78% (3 654/12 270)]. The top three causes of iatrogenic preterm birth were hypertensive disorders of pregnancy[47.12% (2 316/4 915)], fetal intrauterine distress[22.85% (1 123/4 915)], and placenta previa/placental abruption[18.07% (888/4 915)]. CONCLUSIONS There is a relatively low incidence rate of preterm birth in Henan Province, and late preterm infants account for a relatively high proportion. Iatrogenic preterm birth is the main cause of preterm birth in Henan Province, and hypertensive disorders of pregnancy and fetal intrauterine distress are the main causes of iatrogenic preterm birth.
Cesarean Section ; China/epidemiology* ; Female ; Humans ; Infant ; Infant, Newborn ; Infant, Premature ; Obstetric Labor, Premature ; Pregnancy ; Premature Birth/etiology*

Acupuncture ; Acupuncture Points ; Acupuncture Therapy ; Meridians ; Moxibustion ; Prescriptions

The parahippocampal gyrus-orbitofrontal cortex (PHG-OFC) circuit in humans is homologous to the postrhinal cortex (POR)-ventral lateral orbitofrontal cortex (vlOFC) circuit in rodents. Both are associated with visuospatial malfunctions in Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, the underlying mechanisms remain to be elucidated. In this study, we explored the relationship between an impaired POR-vlOFC circuit and visuospatial memory deficits through retrograde tracing and in vivo local field potential recordings in 5XFAD mice, and investigated alterations of the PHG-OFC circuit by multi-domain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in patients on the AD spectrum. We demonstrated that an impaired glutamatergic POR-vlOFC circuit resulted in deficient visuospatial memory in 5XFAD mice. Moreover, MRI measurements of the PHG-OFC circuit had an accuracy of 77.33% for the classification of amnestic mild cognitive impairment converters versus non-converters. Thus, the PHG-OFC circuit explains the neuroanatomical basis of visuospatial memory deficits in AD, thereby providing a potential predictor for AD progression and a promising interventional approach for AD.