Objective:To observe the effect of combining low-frequency transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) with melodic intonation therapy (MIT) in the treatment of aphasia soon after a stroke.Methods:Sixty survivors of a recent stroke with aphasia were randomly divided into a control group, an MIT group and an observation group, each of 20. All received conventional rehabilitation therapy, but for 4 weeks the MIT group was additionally given MIT while the observation group received MIT plus 1Hz rTMS applied over the right inferior frontal gyrus and the posterior superior temporal gyrus. The intensity was 80% of the resting motor threshold. Before and after the treatment, language function and communication ability were evaluated using the Chinese version of the Western Aphasia Battery (WAB) and Communicative Activities of Daily Living (CADL) scale.Results:Significant improvements in the WAB and CADL scores and aphasia quotient (AQ) were observed in both the MIT group and the observation group after the treatment compared to their pre-treatment levels, but the observation group demonstrated significantly higher scores than the other two groups on all three assessments. The MIT group′s average scores were superior to those of the control group.Conclusions:Applying rTMS and MIT in combination significantly improves the speech and the daily communication abilities of aphasics early post-stroke, reducing the severity of their aphasia. The therapy exhibits considerable promise for clinical implementation.

Objective:To observe the effect of combining low-frequency transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) with melodic intonation therapy (MIT) in the treatment of aphasia soon after a stroke.Methods:Sixty survivors of a recent stroke with aphasia were randomly divided into a control group, an MIT group and an observation group, each of 20. All received conventional rehabilitation therapy, but for 4 weeks the MIT group was additionally given MIT while the observation group received MIT plus 1Hz rTMS applied over the right inferior frontal gyrus and the posterior superior temporal gyrus. The intensity was 80% of the resting motor threshold. Before and after the treatment, language function and communication ability were evaluated using the Chinese version of the Western Aphasia Battery (WAB) and Communicative Activities of Daily Living (CADL) scale.Results:Significant improvements in the WAB and CADL scores and aphasia quotient (AQ) were observed in both the MIT group and the observation group after the treatment compared to their pre-treatment levels, but the observation group demonstrated significantly higher scores than the other two groups on all three assessments. The MIT group′s average scores were superior to those of the control group.Conclusions:Applying rTMS and MIT in combination significantly improves the speech and the daily communication abilities of aphasics early post-stroke, reducing the severity of their aphasia. The therapy exhibits considerable promise for clinical implementation.

OBJECTIVE To conduct a literature review of one case of follicular lymphoma complicated with iliac bone Cryptococcus neoformans infection so as to raise the understanding of such pathogen in the field of HIV-negative Hodgkin's/non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.METHODS The clinical data were collected from one case of follicular lymphoma patient complicated with C.neoformans infection who was treated in Xinrui Hospital of Xin-wu District,Wuxi City on Feb.24,2023 and retrospectively analyzed.All of relevant literatures regarding to the subject were retrieved in Pubmed,CNKI,Wanfang and VIP databases,and the clinical data of the patients with HIV-negative Hodgkin's/non-Hodgkin's lymphoma with C.neoformans infection were screened out and summa-rized.RESULTS The case was a 28-year-old male and had the underlying disease of follicular lymphoma.The C.neoformans was detected by iliac bone histopathology and metagenome next generation sequencing(mNGS).The condition of the patient improved after the treatment with amphotericin B cholesterol sulphate com-pound and fluconazole.A total of 28 patients,with this case included,were involved in the literature review,23 of whom were male,and 5 were female,and the age ranged between 16 and 79 years old.With respect to major in-fection sites,there were 15(53.57％)cases of cerebral infection,9(32.14％)cases of blood infections,7(25.00％)cases of pulmonary infection,4(14.285％)cases of skin infections,2(7.14％)cases of muscle tis-sue infections,2(7.14％)cases of pleural effusion infections,2(7.14％)cases of bone infections and 1(3.57％)case of bone marrow infection.Totally 11 patients had disseminated Cryptococcus infection,accounting for 39.28％.CONCLUSIONS The C.neoformans infection is seldom detected in the patients with HIV-negative Hodgkin's/non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.The brain is the major infection site with the high probability of dissemina-ted infection.It is necessary for the hospital to deepen the understanding of the pathogen in the field of HIV-negative Hodgkin's/non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.

OBJECTIVE To conduct a literature review of one case of follicular lymphoma complicated with iliac bone Cryptococcus neoformans infection so as to raise the understanding of such pathogen in the field of HIV-negative Hodgkin's/non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.METHODS The clinical data were collected from one case of follicular lymphoma patient complicated with C.neoformans infection who was treated in Xinrui Hospital of Xin-wu District,Wuxi City on Feb.24,2023 and retrospectively analyzed.All of relevant literatures regarding to the subject were retrieved in Pubmed,CNKI,Wanfang and VIP databases,and the clinical data of the patients with HIV-negative Hodgkin's/non-Hodgkin's lymphoma with C.neoformans infection were screened out and summa-rized.RESULTS The case was a 28-year-old male and had the underlying disease of follicular lymphoma.The C.neoformans was detected by iliac bone histopathology and metagenome next generation sequencing(mNGS).The condition of the patient improved after the treatment with amphotericin B cholesterol sulphate com-pound and fluconazole.A total of 28 patients,with this case included,were involved in the literature review,23 of whom were male,and 5 were female,and the age ranged between 16 and 79 years old.With respect to major in-fection sites,there were 15(53.57％)cases of cerebral infection,9(32.14％)cases of blood infections,7(25.00％)cases of pulmonary infection,4(14.285％)cases of skin infections,2(7.14％)cases of muscle tis-sue infections,2(7.14％)cases of pleural effusion infections,2(7.14％)cases of bone infections and 1(3.57％)case of bone marrow infection.Totally 11 patients had disseminated Cryptococcus infection,accounting for 39.28％.CONCLUSIONS The C.neoformans infection is seldom detected in the patients with HIV-negative Hodgkin's/non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.The brain is the major infection site with the high probability of dissemina-ted infection.It is necessary for the hospital to deepen the understanding of the pathogen in the field of HIV-negative Hodgkin's/non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.

Objective:To explore the microbiological and disease distribution characteristics of multidrug-resistant bacteria in patients hospitalized in a critical care rehabilitation ward, and to analyze the risk factors leading to multidrug-resistant bacterial infections.Methods:Microbiology screening data describing 679 patients admitted to a critical care rehabilitation ward were retrospectively analyzed to divide the subjects into a multidrug-resistant group (positive for multidrug-resistant bacterial infections, n=166) and a non-multidrug-resistant group (negative for multidrug-resistant bacterial infections, n=513). The risk factors were then analyzed using logistic regression. Results:Among 369 strains of multidrug-resistant bacteria observed, 329 were gram-negative bacteria (89.2%), mainly Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Klebsiella pneumoniae and Escherichia coli. They were distributed in sputum (56.9%) and mid-epidemic urine (28.2%) specimens. Patients whose primary disease was hemorrhagic or ischemic cerebrovascular disease accounted for 40.96% and 23.49% of the multidrug-resistant bacterial infections, respectively. Logistic regression analysis showed that albumin level, dependence on mechanical ventilation, central venous cannulation, or an indwelling urinary catheter or cystostomy tube were significant independent predictors of such infections.Conclusion:The multidrug-resistant bacterial infections of patients admitted to the critically ill rehabilitation unit are mainly caused by gram-negative bacteria. Their occurrence is closely related to low albumin levels and mechanical ventilation, as well as to bearing an indwelling central venous catheter, a urinary catheter or a cystostomy catheter.

Objective:To establish a rapid pipeline for whole genome sequencing of Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) by combining imbricated multiplex-PCR amplification and Illumina high-throughput sequencing platform.Methods:The primary reference sequences of CHIKV were downloaded from the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) database, covering all genotypes of CHIKV. After multiple alignments using the Mafft software and phylogenetic analysis, the 20 CHIKV references were selected for primer design. The Primal Scheme tool and Geneious Prime software were used to design, evaluate and optimize the primer panel. Finally, seven CHIKV-positive samples were involved in the validation of the primer panel.Results:All the amplicons of the designed panel were generated successfully. The consensuses generated from the mapping results could cover 100.00% of the coding region of the CHIKV genome when the Ct-value of the sample was less than 33, as the percentage would decrease to 99.38% when the Ct-value reached 35. The mapping percentage could be increased by 5.70%-25.43% when using the stepwise correction mapping strategy.Conclusion:The multiplex-PCR amplification method for CHIKV whole genome sequencing is relatively simple and convenient, which only requires two tubes of PCR amplification and performs well on CHIKV-positive clinical samples with different concentration levels of virus.

Objective:To establish a rapid pipeline for whole genome sequencing of Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) by combining imbricated multiplex-PCR amplification and Illumina high-throughput sequencing platform.Methods:The primary reference sequences of CHIKV were downloaded from the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) database, covering all genotypes of CHIKV. After multiple alignments using the Mafft software and phylogenetic analysis, the 20 CHIKV references were selected for primer design. The Primal Scheme tool and Geneious Prime software were used to design, evaluate and optimize the primer panel. Finally, seven CHIKV-positive samples were involved in the validation of the primer panel.Results:All the amplicons of the designed panel were generated successfully. The consensuses generated from the mapping results could cover 100.00% of the coding region of the CHIKV genome when the Ct-value of the sample was less than 33, as the percentage would decrease to 99.38% when the Ct-value reached 35. The mapping percentage could be increased by 5.70%-25.43% when using the stepwise correction mapping strategy.Conclusion:The multiplex-PCR amplification method for CHIKV whole genome sequencing is relatively simple and convenient, which only requires two tubes of PCR amplification and performs well on CHIKV-positive clinical samples with different concentration levels of virus.

Objective:To explore the effects of neutrophilic granule protein (NGP) on the expression of lipocalin 2 (LCN2) in inflammatory macrophages and its mechanism.Methods:NGP-high-expressed RAW264.7 cells (NGP/RAW cells) and negative control RAW264.7 cells (NC/RAW cells) were cultured in vitro. Primary peritoneal macrophages of NGP-high-expressed mice and wild-type C57BL/6 mice were extracted, then cultured in vitro. The cell inflammatory model was established by stimulating with 10 mg/L lipopolysaccharide (LPS, LPS group), and the phosphate buffer solution (PBS) control group was set up. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to detect the level of LCN2 in different types of cells. The protein expression of phosphorylated signal transduction and activator of transcription 1 (p-STAT1) was detected with Western blotting. Other NGP/RAW cells and NC/RAW cells were treated with 10 mg/L LPS, 5 mg/L STAT1 pathway inhibitor (fludarabine)+10 mg/L LPS, respectively. The PBS control group was set up. ELISA was used to detect the level of LCN2. Results:In different types of cells, the levels of LCN2 were increased significantly after LPS stimulation in the LPS group as compared with those in the PBS control group, and peaked at 24 hours (μmol/L: 25.61±1.02 vs. 0.46±0.02 in NC/RAW cells, 74.51±2.14 vs. 0.25±0.04 in NGP/RAW cells, 10.13±0.22 vs. 0.01±0.01 in primary macrophages of wild-type C57BL/6 mice, 28.35±0.61 vs. 0.08±0.01 in primary macrophages of NGP-high-expressed mice, all P < 0.05), indicating that the expression of LCN2 in macrophages altered during inflammation reaction. The level of LCN2 in NGP/RAW cells was found significantly increased at different time points after LPS stimulation comparing with that in NC/RAW cells (μmol/L: 8.32±0.22 vs. 3.12±0.11 at 6 hours, 23.12±0.86 vs. 8.12±0.32 at 12 hours, 74.51±2.14 vs. 25.61±1.02 at 24 hours, all P < 0.05), along with the expression of p-STAT1 was significantly up-regulated. The level of LCN2 in the primary macrophages of NGP-high-expressed mice was also significantly increased at 24 hours after LPS stimulation comparing with that in the primary macrophages of wild-type C57BL/6 mice (μmol/L: 28.35±0.61 vs. 10.13±0.22, P < 0.05). However, after pretreated with STAT1 pathway inhibitors, the production of LCN2 in NGP/RAW cells was decreased significantly comparing with that in the LPS group (μmol/L: 6.81±0.19 vs. 22.54±0.58, P < 0.05). But the inhibitors had no significant effect on LCN2 production in NC/RAW cells showing no significant difference as compared with LPS group (μmol/L: 8.04±0.20 vs. 7.86±0.15, P > 0.05), indicating that NGP could up-regulate the expression of LCN2 in macrophages stimulated by LPS by promoting STAT1 activation. Conclusion:NGP could positively regulate LCN2 expression in inflammatory macrophages by activating STAT1 pathway.

Objective:This study aimed to clarify the clinical characteristics of children infected with rhinovirus in the context of the Corona Virus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and to explore the impact of recent COVID-19 infection history on their clinical features.Methods:Clinical data and laboratory test result of 286 children diagnosed with rhinovirus infection at Hangzhou Children′s Hospital from July 2022 to October 2023 were collected. A retrospective survey was conducted to determine whether all study participants had a history of COVID-19 infection within the 6 months prior to hospitalization.Results:Among the 286 children with rhinovirus infection, 180 (62.94%) had simple rhinovirus infection, while 106 (37.06%) had co-infections with other pathogens; Among the 180 rhinovirus simplex-positive children, 56.67% had wheezing symptoms; among them, 15 cases (15/180, 8.33%) were diagnosed with acute asthma attacks; 7 cases (7/180, 3.88%) were diagnosed with severe pneumonia. Based on whether the children had a history of COVID-19 infection in the 6 months prior to hospitalization, they were divided into a group with previous COVID-19 infection and a group without previous COVID-19 infection. There were no significant differences between the two groups in terms of gender, age of onset, peak fever, incidence of wheezing, incidence of pneumonia, proportion of severe pneumonia, proportion of severe asthma attacks, duration of fever, time to relief of wheezing, length of stay, white blood cell count, eosinophil count, C-reactive protein, procalcitonin, immunoglobulin E, oxygen therapy requirements, and use of intravenous steroids ( P>0.05). Conclusions:A history of COVID-19 infection in the past 6 months does not exacerbate the clinical symptoms of children with rhinovirus infection, nor does it increase the incidence of wheezing.