Objective To describe and analyze the epidemiological characteristics of scrub typhus in Huai'an, Jiangsu Province from 2006 to 2024 and explore the long-term incidence trend and distribution of high-risk areas, and to formulate targeted prevention and control strategies. Methods The scrub typhus case report data of Huai'an from 2006 to 2024 in the Chinese Disease Prevention and Control Information System were extracted for descriptive analysis. Results A total of 898 cases of scrub typhus were reported in Huai'an, with an average annual incidence rate of 0.96 per 100 000 from 2006 to 2024. There was a turning point in the incidence trend of scrub typhus in 2011. From 2006 to 2011, the annual percentage change (APC) was 47.09% (95% CI: 7.53 - 859.39), and the upward trend was statistically significant (P < 0.05). From 2012 to 2024, the APC was -2.12% (95% CI: -29.09 - 3.75), and the downward trend was not statistically significant. October and November were the high-incidence months, and the total concentration from 2006 to 2024 was 0.93, indicating that scrub typhus had strict seasonality. The circular distribution method estimated that the peak period of the epidemic was from October 11th to November 25th, and the peak day of incidence was November 3rd. Jinhu County was a high-incidence area. The ratio of male to female cases was 1.03. The age group with the highest reported incidence was 40 to < 80 years old. The occupation with the highest proportion was farmers, accounting for 78.03%. Conclusion From 2006 to 2024, scrub typhus in Huai'an shows a peak every 3 - 4 years. Middle-aged and elderly farmers are the key population at risk, and Jinhu County is a key area. In the future, targeted health education should be carried out to effectively control the prevalence of scrub typhus.

This study aimed to investigate the associations between the post-wash total progressively motile sperm count (TPMSC) in the first intrauterine insemination (IUI) cycle and pregnancy outcomes of the second IUI cycle. Data were retrieved from the clinical database at the Reproductive Center of Peking University Third Hospital (Beijing, China) between January 2011 and December 2022. Couples were included in this retrospective cohort study if they had unexplained or mild male factor infertility and were treated with IUI for two consecutive cycles using the same protocol. A total of 8290 couples were included in the analysis. The mean ± standard deviation (s.d.) age of women was 32.0 ± 3.5 years. We categorized groups based on the post-wash TPMSC (×10 6 ) levels in the first IUI cycle: group 1 (0 < TPMSC < 1, n = 1290), group 2 (1 ≤ TPMSC < 2, n = 863), group 3 (2 ≤ TPMSC < 3, n = 800), group 4 (3 ≤ TPMSC < 4, n = 783), group 5 (4 ≤ TPMSC < 5, n = 1541), group 6 (5 ≤ TPMSC < 6, n = 522), group 7 (6 ≤ TPMSC < 7, n = 547), group 8 (7 ≤ TPMSC < 8, n = 175), group 9 (8 ≤ TPMSC < 9, n = 556), group 10 (9 ≤ TPMSC < 10, n = 192), and group 11 (TPMSC ≥ 10), n = 1021). The primary outcome was live birth rate of the second IUI cycle. Live birth rates were 7.9%, 5.8%, 7.6%, 7.4%, 7.3%, 8.4%, 7.5%, 7.4%, 8.8%, 8.9%, and 7.6% in each group, respectively. There were no statistically significant differences in clinical pregnancy rates or live birth rates between any groups and those with the post-wash TPMSC <1 × 10 6 . In an IUI program for unexplained and mild male factor infertility, the post-wash TPMSC in the first IUI cycle was not significantly associated with the live birth rate in the second IUI cycle.
Humans ; Female ; Male ; Pregnancy ; Adult ; Retrospective Studies ; Sperm Count ; Pregnancy Rate ; Sperm Motility/physiology* ; Insemination, Artificial/methods* ; Pregnancy Outcome ; Infertility, Male/therapy* ; Insemination, Artificial, Homologous ; Live Birth

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the clinical value of next-generation sequencing (NGS) in neonatal disease screening, particularly its advantages when combined with tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS). METHODS: A prospective study was conducted involving blood samples from 1 999 neonates born at the Shenzhen Guangming District People's Hospital, between May and August 2021. All samples were initially screened using MS/MS and fluorescence immunoassay, followed by NGS to detect high-frequency variation sites in 135 related pathogenic genes. Suspected positive variants were validated using Sanger sequencing or multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification in family studies. RESULTS: No confirmed positive cases were found in the MS/MS analysis of the 1 999 neonates. Genetic screening identified 58 positive cases (2.90%), 732 carriers of pathogenic genes (36.62%), and 1 209 negative cases (60.48%). One case of neonatal intrahepatic cholestasis was diagnosed (0.05%, 1/1 999). Fluorescence immunoassay identified 39 cases of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency (1.95%, 39/1 999), while genetic screening identified 43 cases of G6PD deficiency (2.15%, 43/1 999). The fluorescence immunoassay also detected 6 cases of hyperthyrotropinemia (0.30%, 6/1 999), all of whom carried DUOX2 gene variants. The top ten pathogenic gene carrier rates were G6PD (12.8%), DUOX2 (8.7%), HBB (8.2%), ATP7B (6.6%), GJB2 (5.7%), SLC26A4 (5.6%), PAH (5.6%), ACADSB (4.6%), SLC25A13 (4.2%), and SLC22A5 (4.1%). CONCLUSIONS NGS can serve as an effective complement to MS/MS, significantly improving the detection rate of inherited metabolic disorders in neonates. When combined with family validation, it enables precise diagnosis, particularly demonstrating complementary advantages in screening for monogenic diseases such as G6PD deficiency.
Humans ; Infant, Newborn ; High-Throughput Nucleotide Sequencing/methods* ; Neonatal Screening/methods* ; Tandem Mass Spectrometry ; Prospective Studies ; Female ; Male ; Infant, Newborn, Diseases/diagnosis* ; Genetic Testing

BACKGROUND:Tissue engineering is considered an ideal treatment for growth plate regeneration.However,most of the current research on regenerative tissue engineering is the traditional scaffold-based strategy.As the limitations of traditional scaffolds are gradually revealed,the research direction is gradually diversifying. OBJECTIVE:To summarize the application of scaffold-based and scaffold-free strategies in the treatment of growth plate cartilage regeneration and their respective advantages and disadvantages. METHODS:The relevant articles were searched from PubMed,Wiley,and Elsevier.The search terms were"growth plate injury,regeneration,tissue engineering,scaffold,scaffold-free,biomimetic,cartilage"in English.The time was limited from 1990 to 2023.Finally,104 articles were included for review. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:The biomimetic strategy is to reduce the cell composition,biological signals and unique mechanical properties of each region to the greatest extent by simulating the unique organizational structure of the growth plate,so as to build a biomimetic microenvironment that can promote tissue regeneration.Therefore,the design of a biomimetic scaffold is to simulate the original growth plate as far as possible in terms of composition,structure and mechanical properties.Although some results have been achieved,there is still the problem of the unstable regeneration effect.The scaffold-free strategy believes that the limitations of scaffolds will have adverse effects on regenerative therapy.Therefore,the design of scaffold-free constructs relies as much as possible on the ability of cells to generate and maintain extracellular matrix without interfering with cell-cell signals or introducing exogenous substances.However,there are some problems,such as poor stability,low mechanical strength and greater difficulty in operation.Biomimetic strategy and scaffold-free strategy have different emphases,advantages and disadvantages,but they both have positive effects on growth plate cartilage regeneration.Therefore,subsequent studies,whether adopting a biomimetic strategy or a scaffold-free strategy,will focus on the continuous optimization of existing technologies in order to achieve effective growth plate cartilage regeneration therapy.

With the development of the times and the continuous advancement of medical technology, oxygen therapy has become an indispensable part of clinical diagnosis and treatment, serving as the fundamental form of care provided to patients. High-flow nasal cannula oxygen therapy is able to exert an end-expiratory pressure effect, provide heating and humidification, and continuously flush the physiologically ineffective cavity of the nasopharyngeal area. Additionally, due to its comfort, high-flow nasal cannula oxygen therapy has replaced ordinary oxygen therapy and some forms of noninvasive ventilation in clinical settings, becoming the preferred choice for clinical treatment. High-flow nasal cannula oxygen therapy is widely utilized in clinical practice due to its unique physiological effects. Obstructive sleep apnea hypopnea syndrome is a common sleep disorder that leads to disrupted sleep patterns, recurrent occurrence of suffocation and wakefulness, and increased morbidity and mortality of cardiovascular diseases. Therefore, it is crucial to initiate scientific and effective treatments promptly. High-flow nasal cannula oxygen therapy not only provides a high-flow airflow and corresponding airway pressure, but also has a high level of tolerability, making it gradually adopted in the treatment of patients with obstructive sleep apnea hypopnea syndrome. In this review, we investigate the physiological effects of high-flow nasal cannula oxygen therapy and its application in obstructive sleep apnea hypopnea syndrome, with the objective of providing a theoretical basis for scholars working in the same field.

Rare diseases, also known as orphan diseases, refer to a category of illnesses characterized by low prevalence, complex disease profiles, and severe symptoms. Rare diseases often manifest early in life, with symptoms frequently appearing in childhood. Among these conditions, changes in bone structure play a crucial role, and many rare diseases of this nature have a genetic basis and lack effective treatment modalities. With advances and breakthroughs in human gene research, the etiology of many rare diseases has been gradually uncovered. This paper reviews recent advances in gene therapy for rare pediatric bone diseases and its application in treating skeletal-related rare conditions. Special attention is directed towards cases such as osteogenesis imperfecta, X-linked hypophosphatemia and achondroplasia, and related gene therapy strategies are introduced. Osteogenesis imperfecta is primarily treated with bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cell transplantation and gene editing techniques, with experimental data validating their efficacy and safety; X-linked hypophosphatemic rickets has focused on FGF23 monoclonal antibodies, with clinical trials showing significant improvement in patient symptoms. Achondroplasia is primarily treated with small molecule tyrosine kinase inhibitors and C-type natriuretic peptide analogs, with research indicating these methods significantly improve bone growth. Although gene therapy research is still in its early stages, it provides hope for treating these rare diseases and may become a viable future treatment option for pediatric skeletal-related rare conditions.

Objective:To investigate the causal correlation between depression and stress urinary incontinence(SUI)using Mendelian randomization(MR)analysis.Methods:We searched the FinnGen Consortium database for genome-wide association studies(GWAS)on depression and obtained 23 424 case samples and 192 220 control samples,with the GWAS data on SUI provided by the UK Biobank,including 4 340 case samples and 458 670 control samples.We investigated the correlation between depression and SUI based on the depression data collected from the Psychiatric Genomics Consortium(PGC).We employed inverse-variance weighting as the main method for the MR study,and performed sensitivity analysis to verify the accuracy and stability of the findings.Results:Analysis of the data from the UK Biobank and FinnGen Consortium showed that depression was significantly correlated with an increased risk of SUI(P=0.005),but not SUI with the risk of depression(P=0.927).And analysis of the PGC data verified the correlation of depression with the increased risk of SUI(P=0.043).Conclusion:Depression is associated with an increased risk of SUI,while SUI does not increase the risk of depression.

Allergic diseases are diseases caused by abnormal immune responses to antigens. Recently the prevalence of allergic diseases in children is on the rise, which has become one of the urgent public health problems to date. Recent clinical data and research show that the susceptibility of allergic diseases in offspring is inextricably associated with intergenerational transmission factors. Some unfavorable factors suffered by mothers before or during pregnancy may increase the allergic disease susceptibility in offspring. Therefore, it is of great significance to identify early risk factors (mother's generation) for the prevention of allergic diseases in children. At present, under the background of intergenerational transmission, some progress has been made in the research on the susceptibility of allergic diseases in offspring, and some researches have elucidated the potential molecular biological mechanisms. The current review summarizes the effects of maternal pregestational and prenatal unfavorable factors on the susceptibility of allergic diseases in offspring.

ObjectiveTo study the possible correlation between serum osteoprotegerin （OPG）/soluble receptor activator of the nuclear factor κB ligand （sRANKL） levels and the left ventricular diastolic dysfunction （LADD） in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus （T2DM）. MethodsTotally 68 T2DM patients and 37 healthy controls were selected. Serum OPG and sRANKL were determined by solid-phase enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA）. The left ventricular diastolic function of T2DM patients was measured by transthoracic echocardiography， where E/A < 1 were regarded as LVDD. T2DM patients were further divided into two subgroups according to E/A ratio （E/A≥1.0 and E/A<1）. Spearman correlation analysis， logistic regression and ROC curves were used to assess the possible correlation between serum OPG/sRANKL and LADD in T2DM patients. ResultsCompared with the healthy controls， serum OPG level in T2DM patients was higher with statistically significant difference （P <0.01）， while serum sRANKL level was lower without statistically significant difference （P =0.32）. T2DM patients with E/A<1 had significantly higher OPG level and lower sRANKL level than those with E/A≥1（P <0.01） in subgroup analysis. Spearman correlation analysis showed serum OPG level was negatively correlated with E/A ratio， while sRANKL was positively related with E/A ratio. In single factor logistic regression analyses， serum OPG ［OR （95% CI）=1.068 （1.031， 1.106）， P<0.001］ and sRANKL ［OR （95% CI）=0.976 （0.959， 0.992）， P=0.003］ were significant correlation with LVDD in T2DM patients. ROC curve analysis showed that the sensitivity and specificity of combined OPG and sRANKL in diagnosing T2DM patients LADD were 78.13% and 88.3%， respectively （area under the curve： 0.857； 95% CI=（0.768， 0.946）； P<0.001）. ConclusionsThe elevated OPG and decreased sRANKL levels may be associated with LADD in T2DM patients.

【Objective】 To investigate the expressions of P53 and Ki-67 in prostate cancer (PCa)and to explore their correlation with the clinicopathological characteristics. 【Methods】 The expressions of P53 and Ki-67 in 90 PCa patients were detected with immunohistochemistry. Patients’ age, preoperative prostate-specific antigen (PSA) level, postoperative Gleason score, pathological stage, and invasion of neurovascular cancer embolus of all patients were recorded. The relationship of P53 expression with the above indexes was evaluated. 【Results】 The positive rates of P53 and Ki-67 were 27.8% (25/90) and 46.7% (42/90), respectively. The positive rate of P53 in pT2 and pT3-T4 stage groups were 19.7% (13/66) and 50.0% (12/24) (P=0.005), and the positive rate of Ki-67 were 36.4% (24/66) and 75.0% (18/24) (P=0.001), respectively. The positive rate of Ki-67 in Gleason score ≤6, ≤7 and ≥8 groups were 30.4%, 53.8% and 66.7%, respectively, with statistical difference. Positive expression of P53 was related to Ki-67 expression, but not to patients’ age, preoperative PSA level, postoperative Gleason score and nerve and invasion of neurovascular cancer embolus. 【Conclusion】 P53 expression is related to tumor stage and Ki-67, while Ki-67 expression is associated with tumor stage ang grade.