OBJECTIVE To summarize the clinical features and treatment methods of subglottic cysts in infants.METHODS A single-center retrospective study was conducted,enrolling twelve pediatric patients with subglottic cysts who were treated at Beijing Children's Hospital,Affiliated to Capital Medical University,between December 2016 and October 2024.Clinical data were collected and analyzed,including patient age,body weight,perinatal history,presenting symptoms,findings from flexible laryngoscopy and imaging studies,as well as surgical treatment modalities.RESULTS Among the 12 patients,8 were male and 4 were female,with a median age of 7 months.Preterm infants accounted for 83.3%(10/12),low birth weight was observed in 58.3%(7/12),and 75%(9/12)had a history of tracheal intubation.The primary clinical manifestations included stridor,respiratory distress,and feeding difficulties.All patients were diagnosed by laryngoscopy and imaging studies,which confirmed the presence of subglottic cysts.Among these,9 were located on the right side and 3 on the left.All patients underwent subglottic cyst excision under general anesthesia using suspension laryngoscopy combined with endoscopy.Among them,two cases experienced recurrence and required a second surgical procedure three months postoperatively.Histopathological examination revealed a cyst wall lined by stratified squamous epithelium and pseudostratified ciliated columnar epithelium.All patients were followed up for a period ranging from 6 months to 6 years,with no recurrence observed during this time.CONCLUSION Infants presenting with stridor and dyspnea should undergo prompt laryngoscopy for definitive diagnosis.Subglottic cysts should be highly suspected in preterm,low-birth-weight infants with a history of intubation who develop stridor or respiratory distress during development.Once diagnosed,surgical intervention should be performed promptly to avoid the need for a tracheostomy.Surgical excision under general anesthesia using suspension laryngoscopy combined with endoscopy is an effective treatment for subglottic cysts.

BACKGROUND:With the increasing attention of scholars at home and abroad to children's cervical spine-related diseases,the demand for exploring the anatomical indicators and changes of cervical spine morphology and development in children of different ages is increasing.OBJECTIVE:To explore and analyze the morphological changes of children with different ages and vertebral sequences by measuring the anatomical position indexes of C2-C7 neurocentral synchondrosis in children aged 1-6 years.METHODS:Normal cervical spine CT images were retrospectively collected from 160 children aged 1-6 years at provincial tertiary hospitals.They were divided into six groups according to an age group of 1 year.The raw data of consecutively scanned cervical spine tomography images were imported into Mimics 16.0 software.The positional anatomical indexes of cervical spine segments C2-C7 in coronal and transverse planes were measured and analyzed under the two-dimensional image window by choosing the measurement tools under the toolbar of Measurements.RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:(1)The distance between the two sides of C2-C7 neurocentral synchondrosis and the distance between the left and right sides of neurocentral synchondrosis and the transverse process gradually increased with age.The overall development of vertebrae in each cervical vertebral segment was faster than the ossification of the neurocentral synchondrosis.(2)The cross-sectional angles on both sides of C2-C7 neurocentral synchondrosis gradually increased with age,and the angles between the left and right sides of neurocentral synchondrosis and the anterior and posterior edges of the vertebral body gradually decreased.Both sides of the neurocentral synchondrosis in cervical vertebral segments tended to grow toward the arch site,which mainly promoted the growth and development of the arch.(3)Except for C7,the angle between the coronal planes on both sides of the cervical spine changed little with the descending neurocentral synchondrosis of the cervical spine,and the neurocentral synchondrosis of the cervical spine was more inclined to longitudinal growth and ossification.(4)The neurocentral synchondrosis position changes in C7 were significantly different from those in the rest of the cervical vertebrae.(5)The anatomical indexes of C2-C7 neurocentral synchondrosis position in children have obvious development rules among different ages and vertebral bodies,and these rules are helpful for the clinical diagnosis and treatment of cervical spine diseases in children.

BACKGROUND:With the increasing attention of scholars at home and abroad to children's cervical spine-related diseases,the demand for exploring the anatomical indicators and changes of cervical spine morphology and development in children of different ages is increasing.OBJECTIVE:To explore and analyze the morphological changes of children with different ages and vertebral sequences by measuring the anatomical position indexes of C2-C7 neurocentral synchondrosis in children aged 1-6 years.METHODS:Normal cervical spine CT images were retrospectively collected from 160 children aged 1-6 years at provincial tertiary hospitals.They were divided into six groups according to an age group of 1 year.The raw data of consecutively scanned cervical spine tomography images were imported into Mimics 16.0 software.The positional anatomical indexes of cervical spine segments C2-C7 in coronal and transverse planes were measured and analyzed under the two-dimensional image window by choosing the measurement tools under the toolbar of Measurements.RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:(1)The distance between the two sides of C2-C7 neurocentral synchondrosis and the distance between the left and right sides of neurocentral synchondrosis and the transverse process gradually increased with age.The overall development of vertebrae in each cervical vertebral segment was faster than the ossification of the neurocentral synchondrosis.(2)The cross-sectional angles on both sides of C2-C7 neurocentral synchondrosis gradually increased with age,and the angles between the left and right sides of neurocentral synchondrosis and the anterior and posterior edges of the vertebral body gradually decreased.Both sides of the neurocentral synchondrosis in cervical vertebral segments tended to grow toward the arch site,which mainly promoted the growth and development of the arch.(3)Except for C7,the angle between the coronal planes on both sides of the cervical spine changed little with the descending neurocentral synchondrosis of the cervical spine,and the neurocentral synchondrosis of the cervical spine was more inclined to longitudinal growth and ossification.(4)The neurocentral synchondrosis position changes in C7 were significantly different from those in the rest of the cervical vertebrae.(5)The anatomical indexes of C2-C7 neurocentral synchondrosis position in children have obvious development rules among different ages and vertebral bodies,and these rules are helpful for the clinical diagnosis and treatment of cervical spine diseases in children.

BACKGROUND:The calcaneus is located in the lower posterior part of the foot and is heavily stressed.Calcaneus is complex and irregular in shape,surrounded by thin cortical bone and filled with a large number of trabeculae.The study of the microstructure,movement,and distribution of trabeculae is helpful to improve the understanding of calcaneus fracture. OBJECTIVE:The image data of calcaneus were obtained by scanning the calcaneus specimens with micro-computed tomography,and the structure of trabecular bone in calcaneus was analyzed to explore the morphology,distribution and structural characteristics of trabecular bone in calcaneus. METHODS:Dry adult calcaneus specimens were continuously scanned by micro-computed tomography,and the images were obtained after scanning and stored in DICOM format.Image data were imported into Hiscan Analyzer software to display clear and complete images of the sagittal plane,coronal plane,and the horizontal plane of the adult calcaneus.The trabecular movement of bone was observed layer by layer.According to the trabecular movement characteristics,the sagittal plane of the calcaneus was divided into six parts.A 49-mm2 region of interest was selected for each part at the same thickness as 7 mm.The three-dimensional microstructure of calcaneus and trabecular bone was obtained after three-dimensional reconstruction.After binarization,the volume fraction,surface density,trabecular thickness,trabecular space,and trabecular number parameters of the trabecular bone in the region of interest were calculated by software. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:(1)The cortical layer of the calcaneus was very thin and filled with a large amount of cancellous bone,and the cortical layer of the horn of Gissane was obviously thickened.(2)The trabecular volume fraction in the upper part of the calcaneus was greater than that in the anterior part of the lower part of the calcaneus,the central triangle,the posterior part of the lower part of the calcaneus,and the base of the calcaneus,and the trabecular volume fraction in the tubercle of the calcaneus was greater than that in the anterior part of the lower part of the calcaneus,the central triangle,the posterior part of the lower part of the calcaneus,and the base of the calcaneus.The surface density of the trabecular bone in the tubercle of the calcaneus was higher than that in the front of the lower calcaneus,the middle triangle area,and the bottom of calcaneus,and the surface density of the trabecular bone in the upper part of calcaneal bone,and the lower part of the calcaneus was higher than that in the middle triangle area.The thickness of the trabecular bone in the upper part of the calcaneus was greater than that in the tubercle of the calcaneal bone.The bone trabecular space in the middle triangle was larger than that in the upper part of the calcaneus and calcaneal tubercles.The number of bone trabeculae in the calcaneal tubercles was greater than that in the middle triangle area.(3)These results indicate that the trabeculae of rod bone were mainly distributed in the middle triangle area.The surface density of trabeculae was the smallest,the volume fraction was smaller,and the space between trabeculae was the largest.This part of the bone is relatively loose.The compression resistance is poor when subjected to high impact.The trabecular bone fractures first occur,which is a prone site for fractures.

Objective:To correlate blood lipids and body mass index (BMI) with Helicobacter pylori (Hp) infection. Methods:A total of 303 participants who underwent physical examinations at The 903 Hospital of PLA Joint Logistics Support Force from May 2022 to May 2023 were included in this case-control study. These patients were divided into an Hp-infected group ( n = 97) and a non-Hp-infected group ( n = 206) based on whether they had Hp infection or not. Participants' body height and weight were recorded, and BMI was calculated. The levels of four blood lipid indicators were determined using an automatic biochemical analyzer. The distribution of different BMIs and abnormal statuses of these four blood lipid indicators were compared between the two groups. Spearman correlation analysis was used to analyze the correlation between Hp infection and these four blood lipid indicators. A multivariate logistic regression model was applied to analyze the influential factors for Hp infection. Results:The number of participants who had 24 kg/m 2 ≤ BMI < 28 kg/m 2 [39.17% (38/97)] and the number of participants who had BMI ≥ 28 kg/m 2 [10.31% (10/97)] in the Hp-infected group was significantly higher than those in the non-Hp-infected group [19.90% (41/206) and 2.43% (5/206), χ2 = 12.71, 7.11, P < 0.001, 0.008]. The decrease rate of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), increase rate of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), increase rate of triglyceride (TG), and increase rate of total cholesterol (TC) in the Hp-infected group were 23.71% (23/97), 31.96% (31/97), 17.53% (17/97), and 22.68% (22/97), respectively, which were significantly higher than 9.22% (19/206), 11.17% (23/206), 7.28% (15/206), and 8.74% (18/206) in the non-Hp-infected group ( χ2 = 11.59, 19.47, 7.33, 11.19, P = 0.001, < 0.001, 0.007, 0.001). The Spearman analysis showed that Hp infection was linearly positively correlated with BMI, LDL-C, TG, and TC ( r = 0.571, 0.519, 0.473, 0.535, all P < 0.001), while it was linearly negatively correlated with HDL-C ( r = -0.628, P < 0.001). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that BMI ≥ 24 kg/m 2, decreased HDL-C, increased LDL-C, elevated TG, and elevated TC are independent risk factors for Hp infection. Conclusion:Blood lipids and BMI are closely associated with Hp infection, and abnormal blood lipids and elevated BMI are independent risk factors for Hp infection.

Objective:To analyze the clinical characteristics and endoscopic surgical procedures of the second branchial cleft cyst type Ⅳ in children.Methods:A retrospective review was conducted on 15 pediatric cases with type Ⅳ second branchial cleft cysts treated at the Beijing Children′s Hospital affiliated with Capital Medical University and Henan Children′s Hospital from September 2019 to November 2023. All patients underwent excision via a two-person, three-hand endoscopic transoral approach. The cohort included 12 males and 3 females, with an age range of 10 months to 10 years and 5 months, and a median age of (59.20±32.05) months. The clinical data of initial symptoms, sides, imaging features, treatment methods, complications, length of hospital stay, prognosis and outcome were recorded and analyzed. SPSS 22.0 software was used for statistical analysis.Results:Of the 15 children, 13 cases presented with snoring as the primary symptom, 1 case with dysphagia, and 1 case was asymptomatic and was found unintentionally. The mean disease duration was (6.74±9.05) months (range, from 3 days-2 years). MRI revealed cystic lesions on the right side in 12 cases and on the left side in 3 cases, characterized by uniform long T2 signal, equal T1 or short T1 signal. The cysts appeared dumbbell-shaped in 10 cases with the pharyngeal constrictor muscle as the waist, the posterior outside of the mass was adjacent to the internal carotid artery. The remaining 5 cases showed an isolated cyst located inside the pharyngeal constrictor muscle. The intraoperative MRI findings were consistent. Partial cystectomy was performed in 10 cases near the internal carotid artery, leaving only the portion with a clear arterial pulse intact. Five cases with isolated cysts on the medial side of the pharyngeal constrictor muscle were totally removed. The average length of hospital stay was (4.53±0.52) days (4-5 days). All patients were followed up for 7-56 months [median (30±15.12) months] with no recurrence of symptoms observed.Conclusions:The second branchial cleft cyst type Ⅳ in children is characterized by prominent pharyngeal cystic mass, with snoring as a predominant initial symptom, MRI provides excellent diagnostic value. The two-person, third-hand endoscopic transoral approach for cyst excision is feasible, safe, and offers the benefits of minimal invasiveness and reduced hospitalization time.

Objective:To investigate the pathogenesis, clinical signs and diagnosing procedures of relapsing polychondritis(RP) in children with airway involvement.Methods:The medical history, clinical symptoms, physical examination, electronic laryngoscopy and imaging findings of six patients were retrospectively analyzed. The patients diagnosed as relapsing polychondritis with involving the airway from January 2018 to December 2021 were in our hospital. The clinical features of the 6 cases were summarized.Results:All 6 patients were male, ranging in age from 8 years 1 month to 14 years 1 month, with a median age of 12.04 years. Stridor and dyspnea were observed in all patients, with hoarseness in 2 patients and frequently nocturnal dyspnea during sleep in 2 patients. Initially, all children were diagnosed as laryngitis or laryngotracheitis, and were treated symptomatically with glucocorticoids and aerosol inhalation. Immunosuppressants and targeted therapy with biologics were given after patients diagnosed as RP. All patients were ultimately required tracheostomy. The time from the onset of airway symptoms to tracheostomy ranged from 1 month to 27 months. Two children had a history of endotracheal intubation prior to tracheostomy. All 6 patients underwent electronic laryngoscopy, revealing involvement of the laryngeal and subglottic mucosa and cartilage structures, which showed gradual improvement with medical therapy. Computed tomography (CT) of the trachea with three-dimensional reconstruction was performed in all patients, demonstrating moderate to severe subglottic stenosis. Two patients exhibited complete airway obstruction at the C4-C6 cervical level. Three children underwent suspension laryngoscopy under general anesthesia and endotracheal mucosal biopsy.Of the 6 children, 3 presented with nasal tip collapse or saddle nose, 2 had auricular cartilage changed, and 1 had scleralinvolvement. One patient underwent PET-CT scanning, which revealed tracheal collapse, diffuse increase in FDG(Flurodeoxyglucose)metabolism with increased FDG uptake in the nasal alar regions. All children were followed up for 2-3 years, 1 child died, while the remaining five continued to receive medical treatment.Conclusions:Relapsing polychondritis with airway involvement has an insidious onset and is difficult to diagnose. The airway stenosisresulting from RP is always severe and necessitating tracheotomy to maintain airway patency in the majority of cases.The treatment coursef or RP is prolonged, requiring long-term tracheostomy tube placement.

Objective:To investigate the effects of montelukast sodium combined with compound methoxyphenamine on airway inflammation, intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1), toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4), and soluble programmed death ligand 1 (sPD-L1) levels in patients with post-infection cough.Methods:A total of 200 patients with post-infection cough who received treatment at The 903 Hospital of the PLA Joint Logistics Support Force from January to December 2023 were included in this randomized controlled study. The patients were divided into an observation group ( n = 100) and a control group ( n = 100) using the random number table method. The control group received oral administration of compound methoxyphenamine capsules, while the observation group received oral administration of montelukast sodium in addition to compound methoxyphenamine capsules. Both groups were treated for 7 days. The therapeutic effects as well as daytime and nighttime cough scores, airway inflammation change, serum ICAM-1, TLR4, and sPD-L1 levels, and Leicester Cough Questionnaire scores were compared between the two groups. Results:The total effective rate in the observation group was 95% (95/100), which was significantly higher than that in the control group [84% (84/100), Z = 2.49, P < 0.05]. After treatment, the daytime and nighttime cough scores in the observation group were (1.24 ± 0.31) points and (1.02 ± 0.31) points, respectively, which were significantly lower than those in the control group [(2.17 ± 0.65) points, (1.94 ± 0.47) points, t = 12.91, 16.34, both P < 0.001]. Serum levels of hypersensitive C-reactive protein, interleukin-8, tumor necrosis factor-alpha in the observation group were (8.84 ± 2.21) mg/L], (82.34 ± 13.24) mg/L, and (78.94 ± 13.24) ng/L, respectively, which were significantly lower than those in the control group [(12.76 ± 2.53) mg/L, (127.18 ± 35.17) mg/L, (102.31 ± 21.08) ng/L, t = 11.67, 11.93, 9.39, all P < 0.001]. The ICAM-1 and TLR4 levels in the observation group were (178.32 ± 21.23) μg/L and (7.45 ± 2.32) ng/L, respectively, which were significantly lower than those in the control group [(247.18 ± 25.64) μg/L, (19.98 ± 4.53) ng/L, t = 20.69, 24.62, both P < 0.001], while sPD-L1 level in the observation group [(2.34 ± 0.37) ng/L] was significantly higher than that in the control group [(1.72 ± 0.41) ng/L, t = -11.23, P < 0.001]. The quality-of-life scores in the observation group for social [(2.61 ± 0.25) points], psychological [(6.56 ± 0.45) points], physical [(7.65 ± 0.72) points], and total score [(16.81 ± 2.51) points] were significantly higher than those in the control group [(2.14 ± 0.30) points, (5.44 ± 0.52) points, (6.07 ± 0.65) points, (13.74 ± 2.68) points, t = 12.04, 16.29, 16.29, 8.36, all P < 0.001]. Conclusion:Montelukast sodium combined with compound methoxyphenamine is highly effective in treating post-infection cough in patients. The combined therapy can reduce airway inflammation, lower ICAM-1 and TLR4 levels, and increase sPD-L1 levels.

Objective To evaluate the apparent diffusion coefficient(ADC)values of different bone marrow infiltration patterns in multiple myeloma(MM)patients with MR whole-body diffusion weighted imaging(WB-DWI)and to determine the ADC thresholds for different bone marrow infiltration patterns.Methods Nineteen MM patients diagnosed for the first time were selected.The lesions types of each site(cervical spine,ribs,sternum,humerus,scapula,sacral spine,ilium,femur,thoracic spine,and lumbar spine)after the WB-DWI images were visually evaluated,which were divided into focal group(including focal lesion in combined focal and diffuse infiltration)[region of interest(ROI)=141],pure diffuse infiltration group(ROI=150),diffuse lesion in combined focal and diffuse infiltration group(ROI=127),"salt-and-pepper"group(ROI=54),and normal appearance group(ROI=68).ADC values were measured and compared between each group and the receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve was drawn to distinguish different patterns of bone marrow infiltration.Results There was no statistically significant difference in ADC values between the diffuse lesion in combined focal and diffuse infiltration group and the"salt-and-pepper"group(P＞0.99),and there was statistically significant difference in ADC values between the other groups(P＜0.05).The ROC curve showed that the area under the curve(AUC)for identifying focal group and the"salt-and-pepper"group was 0.889[95％confidence interval(CI)0.844-0.934],the AUC for identifying pure diffuse infiltration group and the normal appearance group was 0.968(95％CI 0.949-0.987).ADC values were able to accurately and visually differentiate between the different patterns of bone marrow infiltration.Conclusion The ADC values can be used as a quantitative tool to objectively distinguish different bone marrow infiltration patterns in MM patients.

OBJECTIVE To investigate the therapeutic effect of autologous costal cartilage transplantation with anterior/posterior split of cricoid cartilage on laryngotracheal stenosis in children.METHODS A retrospective analysis of 12 cases of laryngotracheal stenosis in children treated with anterior/posterior split of cricoid cartilage combined with T-tube implantation in Beijing Children's Hospital Affiliated to Capital Medical University in recent years.There were 5 males and 7 females,aged from 2 years and 6 months to 16 years and 9 months,with an average age of 8 years and 9 months.There were 2 cases of grade Ⅱ stenosis,9 cases of grade Ⅲ stenosis and 1 case of grade Ⅳ stenosis.All cases underwent tracheotomy before operation.The course of disease ranged from 4 months to 6 years,with an average of 3 years.RESULTS Of the 12 patients,10(83.3％)were cured,and the tracheotomy cannula was successfully removed to restore normal breathing and pronunciation function.There were 2 cases of extubation failure,including 1 case of grade Ⅲ stenosis and 1 case of grade Ⅳ stenosis.CONCLUSION The etiology of laryngotracheal stenosis in children is complex and difficult to treat.Anterior/posterior split costal cartilage transplantation combined with T-tube implantation through internal/external cervical approach can achieve good therapeutic effect in the treatment of laryngotracheal stenosis in children.