Objectives: Hypoparathyroidism (HP) is a rare endocrine disorder caused by parathyroid hormone (PTH) defi ciency. The PTH is a candidate gene for familial isolated hypoparathyroidism (FIH). This study aimed to investigate the pathogenicity of two novel rare variants (RVs) ofPTH through in vitro functional study. Methods: Targeted next-generation sequencing was used to identify candidate gene mutations. Clinical data were retrospectively collected. Wild-type (WT) PTH was used as a template for site-directed mutagenesis to create mutant eukaryotic expression plasmids, which were transfected into cells. Treated with or without 4-phenylbu tyric acid (4-PBA), the levels of intact PTH (iPTH) and PTH (1-84) were measured by chemiluminescence, and protein expression was assessed using Western blotting. Results: Two patients carrying PTH mutations (c.154G > A: p.Val52Ile, c.270G > T: p.Leu90Phe) were identified.Patient 1, a 45-year-old male, presented with carpal and pedal numbness, muscle cramps, and low serum calcium (1.29 mmol/L). Patient 2, a 12-year-old female, had muscle twitches, convulsions, low calcium (1.50 mmol/L), and iPTH of 4 pg/mL. The iPTH or PTH (1-84) levels in the medium transfected with mutant Val52Ile and Leu90Phe PTH decreased by 31%–38%, and 51%–96% compared to WT (allP < 0.05), which were not rescued by 4-PBA. No significant changes in intracellular PTH expression were observed. Conclusions In this study, two novel RVs of PTH(Val52Ile and Leu90Phe) were identified that may impair hormone synthesis and secretion. Our study has broadened the mutation spectrum of the PTH and shed light on potential mechanisms underlying FIH.

Objectives: Hypoparathyroidism (HP) is a rare endocrine disorder caused by parathyroid hormone (PTH) defi ciency. The PTH is a candidate gene for familial isolated hypoparathyroidism (FIH). This study aimed to investigate the pathogenicity of two novel rare variants (RVs) ofPTH through in vitro functional study. Methods: Targeted next-generation sequencing was used to identify candidate gene mutations. Clinical data were retrospectively collected. Wild-type (WT) PTH was used as a template for site-directed mutagenesis to create mutant eukaryotic expression plasmids, which were transfected into cells. Treated with or without 4-phenylbu tyric acid (4-PBA), the levels of intact PTH (iPTH) and PTH (1-84) were measured by chemiluminescence, and protein expression was assessed using Western blotting. Results: Two patients carrying PTH mutations (c.154G > A: p.Val52Ile, c.270G > T: p.Leu90Phe) were identified.Patient 1, a 45-year-old male, presented with carpal and pedal numbness, muscle cramps, and low serum calcium (1.29 mmol/L). Patient 2, a 12-year-old female, had muscle twitches, convulsions, low calcium (1.50 mmol/L), and iPTH of 4 pg/mL. The iPTH or PTH (1-84) levels in the medium transfected with mutant Val52Ile and Leu90Phe PTH decreased by 31%–38%, and 51%–96% compared to WT (allP < 0.05), which were not rescued by 4-PBA. No significant changes in intracellular PTH expression were observed. Conclusions In this study, two novel RVs of PTH(Val52Ile and Leu90Phe) were identified that may impair hormone synthesis and secretion. Our study has broadened the mutation spectrum of the PTH and shed light on potential mechanisms underlying FIH.

Objectives: Hypoparathyroidism (HP) is a rare endocrine disorder caused by parathyroid hormone (PTH) defi ciency. The PTH is a candidate gene for familial isolated hypoparathyroidism (FIH). This study aimed to investigate the pathogenicity of two novel rare variants (RVs) ofPTH through in vitro functional study. Methods: Targeted next-generation sequencing was used to identify candidate gene mutations. Clinical data were retrospectively collected. Wild-type (WT) PTH was used as a template for site-directed mutagenesis to create mutant eukaryotic expression plasmids, which were transfected into cells. Treated with or without 4-phenylbu tyric acid (4-PBA), the levels of intact PTH (iPTH) and PTH (1-84) were measured by chemiluminescence, and protein expression was assessed using Western blotting. Results: Two patients carrying PTH mutations (c.154G > A: p.Val52Ile, c.270G > T: p.Leu90Phe) were identified.Patient 1, a 45-year-old male, presented with carpal and pedal numbness, muscle cramps, and low serum calcium (1.29 mmol/L). Patient 2, a 12-year-old female, had muscle twitches, convulsions, low calcium (1.50 mmol/L), and iPTH of 4 pg/mL. The iPTH or PTH (1-84) levels in the medium transfected with mutant Val52Ile and Leu90Phe PTH decreased by 31%–38%, and 51%–96% compared to WT (allP < 0.05), which were not rescued by 4-PBA. No significant changes in intracellular PTH expression were observed. Conclusions In this study, two novel RVs of PTH(Val52Ile and Leu90Phe) were identified that may impair hormone synthesis and secretion. Our study has broadened the mutation spectrum of the PTH and shed light on potential mechanisms underlying FIH.

Objectives: Hypoparathyroidism (HP) is a rare endocrine disorder caused by parathyroid hormone (PTH) defi ciency. The PTH is a candidate gene for familial isolated hypoparathyroidism (FIH). This study aimed to investigate the pathogenicity of two novel rare variants (RVs) ofPTH through in vitro functional study. Methods: Targeted next-generation sequencing was used to identify candidate gene mutations. Clinical data were retrospectively collected. Wild-type (WT) PTH was used as a template for site-directed mutagenesis to create mutant eukaryotic expression plasmids, which were transfected into cells. Treated with or without 4-phenylbu tyric acid (4-PBA), the levels of intact PTH (iPTH) and PTH (1-84) were measured by chemiluminescence, and protein expression was assessed using Western blotting. Results: Two patients carrying PTH mutations (c.154G > A: p.Val52Ile, c.270G > T: p.Leu90Phe) were identified.Patient 1, a 45-year-old male, presented with carpal and pedal numbness, muscle cramps, and low serum calcium (1.29 mmol/L). Patient 2, a 12-year-old female, had muscle twitches, convulsions, low calcium (1.50 mmol/L), and iPTH of 4 pg/mL. The iPTH or PTH (1-84) levels in the medium transfected with mutant Val52Ile and Leu90Phe PTH decreased by 31%–38%, and 51%–96% compared to WT (allP < 0.05), which were not rescued by 4-PBA. No significant changes in intracellular PTH expression were observed. Conclusions In this study, two novel RVs of PTH(Val52Ile and Leu90Phe) were identified that may impair hormone synthesis and secretion. Our study has broadened the mutation spectrum of the PTH and shed light on potential mechanisms underlying FIH.

Objectives: Hypoparathyroidism (HP) is a rare endocrine disorder caused by parathyroid hormone (PTH) defi ciency. The PTH is a candidate gene for familial isolated hypoparathyroidism (FIH). This study aimed to investigate the pathogenicity of two novel rare variants (RVs) ofPTH through in vitro functional study. Methods: Targeted next-generation sequencing was used to identify candidate gene mutations. Clinical data were retrospectively collected. Wild-type (WT) PTH was used as a template for site-directed mutagenesis to create mutant eukaryotic expression plasmids, which were transfected into cells. Treated with or without 4-phenylbu tyric acid (4-PBA), the levels of intact PTH (iPTH) and PTH (1-84) were measured by chemiluminescence, and protein expression was assessed using Western blotting. Results: Two patients carrying PTH mutations (c.154G > A: p.Val52Ile, c.270G > T: p.Leu90Phe) were identified.Patient 1, a 45-year-old male, presented with carpal and pedal numbness, muscle cramps, and low serum calcium (1.29 mmol/L). Patient 2, a 12-year-old female, had muscle twitches, convulsions, low calcium (1.50 mmol/L), and iPTH of 4 pg/mL. The iPTH or PTH (1-84) levels in the medium transfected with mutant Val52Ile and Leu90Phe PTH decreased by 31%–38%, and 51%–96% compared to WT (allP < 0.05), which were not rescued by 4-PBA. No significant changes in intracellular PTH expression were observed. Conclusions In this study, two novel RVs of PTH(Val52Ile and Leu90Phe) were identified that may impair hormone synthesis and secretion. Our study has broadened the mutation spectrum of the PTH and shed light on potential mechanisms underlying FIH.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the effectiveness of single-balloon and double-balloon enteroscopy in diagnosing pediatric small bowel diseases and assess the diagnostic efficacy of computed tomography enterography (CTE) for small bowel diseases using enteroscopy as the reference standard. METHODS: Clinical data from 576 children who underwent enteroscopy at Hunan Children's Hospital between January 2017 and December 2023 were retrospectively collected. The children were categorized based on enteroscopy type into the single-balloon enteroscopy (SBE) group (n=457) and double-balloon enteroscopy (DBE) group (n=119), and the clinical data were compared between the two groups. The sensitivity and specificity of CTE for diagnosing small bowel diseases were evaluated using enteroscopy results as the standard. RESULTS: Among the 576 children, small bowel lesions were detected by enteroscopy in 274 children (47.6%).There was no significant difference in lesion detection rates or complication rates between the SBE and DBE groups (P>0.05), but the DBE group had deeper insertion, longer procedure time, and higher complete small bowel examination rate (P<0.05). The complication rate during enteroscopy was 4.3% (25/576), with 18 cases (3.1%) of mild complications and 7 cases (1.2%) of severe complications, which improved with symptomatic treatment, surgical, or endoscopic intervention. Among the 412 children who underwent CTE, the sensitivity and specificity for diagnosing small bowel diseases were 44.4% and 71.3%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS SBE and DBE have similar diagnostic efficacy for pediatric small bowel diseases, but DBE is preferred for suspected deep small bowel lesions and comprehensive small bowel examination. Enteroscopy in children demonstrates relatively good overall safety. CTE demonstrates relatively low sensitivity but comparatively high specificity for diagnosing small bowel diseases.
Retrospective Studies ; Treatment Outcome ; Double-Balloon Enteroscopy/statistics & numerical data* ; Single-Balloon Enteroscopy/statistics & numerical data* ; Humans ; Male ; Female ; Child ; Operative Time ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed/statistics & numerical data* ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Intestine, Small/surgery* ; Intestinal Diseases/surgery*

Objective China is among the 30 countries with a high burden of tuberculosis(TB)worldwide,and TB remains a public health concern.Kashgar Prefecture in the southern Xinjiang Autonomous Region is considered as one of the highest TB burden regions in China.However,molecular epidemiological studies of Kashgar are lacking. Methods A population-based retrospective study was conducted using whole-genome sequencing(WGS)to determine the characteristics of drug resistance and the transmission patterns. Results A total of 1,668 isolates collected in 2020 were classified into lineages 2(46.0%),3(27.5%),and 4(26.5%).The drug resistance rates revealed by WGS showed that the top three drugs in terms of the resistance rate were isoniazid(7.4%,124/1,668),streptomycin(6.0%,100/1,668),and rifampicin(3.3%,55/1,668).The rate of rifampicin resistance was 1.8%(23/1,290)in the new cases and 9.4%(32/340)in the previously treated cases.Known resistance mutations were detected more frequently in lineage 2 strains than in lineage 3 or 4 strains,respectively:18.6%vs.8.7 or 9%,P<0.001.The estimated proportion of recent transmissions was 25.9%(432/1,668).Multivariate logistic analyses indicated that sex,age,occupation,lineage,and drug resistance were the risk factors for recent transmission.Despite the low rate of drug resistance,drug-resistant strains had a higher risk of recent transmission than the susceptible strains(adjusted odds ratio,1.414;95%CI,1.023-1.954;P = 0.036).Among all patients with drug-resistant tuberculosis(DR-TB),78.4%(171/218)were attributed to the transmission of DR-TB strains. Conclusion Our results suggest that drug-resistant strains are more transmissible than susceptible strains and that transmission is the major driving force of the current DR-TB epidemic in Kashgar.

Objective:To investigate the prognostic factors for all-cause mortality in patients with muscle-invasive bladder cancer(MIBC)with intermediate-to-high-risk primary prostate cancer.Methods:From January 2012 to October 2023,the clinical data of the patients with MIBC with intermediate-to-high-risk primary prostate cancer in Peking University Third Hospital were retrospectively analyzed.All the patients were monitored and the occurrence of all-cause death was documented as the outcome event in the prognostic study.Univariate and multivariate Cox proportional risk regression analysis models were implemented to search for independent influences on the prognosis of patients.For significant influencing factors(pathological T stage,M stage and perineural invasion of bladder cancer),survival curves were plotted before and after multifactorial Cox regression adjusting for confounding factors.Results:A total of 32 patients were included in this study.The mean age was(72.5±6.6)years;the median preoperative total prostate specific antigen(tPSA)was 6.68(2.47,6.84)μg/L;the mean preoperative creatinine was(95±36)μmol/L,and the median survival time was 65 months.The majority of the patients(87.5％)had high-grade bladder cancer,53.1％had lymphatic invasion,and 31.3％had perineural invasion.Prostate involvement was observed in 25.0％of the cases,and the positive rate of soft-tissue surgical margin was 37.5％.Multivariate Cox analysis revealed that preoperative creatinine level(HR=1.02,95％CI:1.01-1.04),pathological stage of bladder cancer T3(HR=11.58,95％CI:1.38-97.36)and T4(HR=19.53,95％CI:4.26-89.52)metastasis of bladder cancer(HR=9.44,95％CI:1.26-70.49)and perineural invasion of bladder cancer(HR=6.26,95％CI:1.39-28.27)were independent prognostic factors(P＜0.05).Survival curves with Log-rank test after adjusting for confounding factors demonstrated that bladder cancer pathology T3,T4,M1,and perineural invasion were unfavorable factors affecting the patients'survival prognosis(P＜0.05).Conclusion:Patients with MIBC with intermediate-to-high risk primary prostate cancer generally portends a poor prognosis.High preoperative serum creatinine,T3 or T4 pathological stage of bladder cancer,metastasis of bladder cancer and bladder cancer perineural invasion are poor prognostic factors for patients with MIBC with intermediate-to-high risk primary prostate cancer.

Hepatitis C is distributed worldwide and possesses a hidden characteristic. The traditional methods of screening and diagnosis of hepatitis C infection commonly used in clinics are based on anti-HCV antibody and HCV RNA detection. Advances in HCV antigen detection technologies can apparently reduce the window period for anti-HCV antibodies, providing new clinical evidence for the early detection, diagnosis, and treatment of HCV infection. This article is a current review of HCV antigen detection methodologies, clinical applications, and detection strategies.