Objective:To investigate the postnatal changes in urinary metabolic amino acid levels in infants with retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) and their effect on ROP, and to analyze the amino acid metabolic pathways that may be involved in the development of ROP.Methods:A retrospective cohort study. From January 2020 to December 2023, 65 premature infants with severe ROP (ROP group) who were hospitalized, born with gestational age <32 weeks in Children's Hospital Affiliated to Zhengzhou University were included in the study. Fifty premature infants with matched sex and gestational age and no ROP were selected as the control group. Urine amino acids and their derivatives were detected by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. The two groups were compared by independent sample t test. The metabonomics of urinary amino acids was analyzed by orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA) model. The variable projection importance (VIP) score >1 suggested that the substance was two groups of differentially expressed amino acids. The predictive value of urinary amino acids for severe ROP was compared by using the receiver's operating characteristic (ROC) curve and the area under the curve. After t test and metabolomics analysis, the two groups of amino acids with large differences were normalized and compared by Pearson correlation analysis. The Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes database was used to analyze the metabolic pathways of differentially expressed amino acids involved in ROP. Results:Compared with the control group, the concentrations of oxalic acid -2 and thiodiacetic acid-2 in urine metabolites of children in ROP group were significantly decreased, while the concentrations of 4-hydroxybutyric acid-2, 3-methylpentadienoic acid-2(1), 2-ketoglutarate-ox-2(2) and 3, 6-epoxy-dodecanedioic acid-2 were significantly increased, with statistical differences ( t=0.036, 0.005, 0.038, 0.032, 0.022, 0.011; P<0.05). The results of OPLS-DA analysis showed that amino acids of urinary metabolites in ROP group and control group were distributed in the left and right regions of the scatter plot, and there was a satisfactory separation trend between the two groups (R 2Ycum=0.057 4, Q2cum=0.025 7, P<0.05). As shown in the S-Plot, the amino acids biased towards two stages are glycolic acid-2, phosphoric acid-3, oxalic acid-2, thiodiacetic acid-2, 4-hydroxybutyric acid-2, 3-methylcrotonylglycine-1, 3-methylpentadienoic acid-2(1), 2-ketoglutarate-ox-2(2) and 3, 6-epoxy- dodecanedioic acid-2, respectively. Eleven differentially expressed amino acids with VIP score >1 were screened, among which the highest VIP score was oxalate-2, glycerate-3, phosphoric acid-3, 3-methylcrotonylglycine-1, uranoic acid -3 and thiodiacetic acid-2. The difference of amino acid concentration between the two groups was the highest in 4-hydroxybutyric acid-2 and thiodiacetic acid-2. The correlation between oxalic acid-2 and glycerate-3 was the highest ( r=0.830, P<0.001), and most amino acids were positive correlated. ROC curve fitting analysis showed that the combined prediction of 11 differenly-expressed amino groups had the largest area under the curve (0.816), the cutoff value was 0.531, and the sensitivity and specificity were 83.1% and 70.0%, respectively. The enrichment analysis of these 11 amino acids with significant differences suggested that the main pathways involved included butyrate metabolism, glyoxylic acid and dicarboxylic acid metabolism and lipoic acid metabolism. Conclusion:Abnormal amino acid metabolism of 4-hydroxybutyrate-2, 3-methylpentadienoic acid-2(1), thiodiacetic acid-2, 2-ketoglutarate-ox-2(2), 3, 6-epoxy-dodecanedioic acid-2 may have a certain effect on the occurrence of ROP.

AIM:To investigate the effects of Xiaozhong-Zhitong mixture(XZZT)on M2 polarization and Toll-like receptor 4(TLR4)/myeloid differentiation factor 88(MyD88)/nuclear factor-κB(NF-κB)signaling pathway in mouse microglia(BV2 cells).METHODS:The BV2 cells were divided into 5 groups:blank group,model group[lipo-polysaccharide(LPS)+hypoxia],TAK-242(resatorvid,a TLR4 inhibitor)group(LPS+hypoxia+TAK-242),XZZT group(LPS+hypoxia+XZZT),and TAK-242+XZZT group(LPS+hypoxia+TAK-242+XZZT).Flow cytometry was used to detect early apoptosis and cell cycle of BV2 cells,and immunofluorescence staining was employed to detect the positive expres-sion of M1-type marker inducible nitric oxide synthase(iNOS)and M2-type marker CD206.Western blot was utilized to detect the expression of TLR4/MyD88/NF-κB signaling pathway-related proteins,including TLR4,MyD88,NF-κB p65,phosphorylated p65(p-p65),phosphorylated transforming growth factor-β-activated kinase 1(p-TAK1),and phosphory-lated IκB kinase α/β(p-IKKα/β).RT-qPCR was used to detect the mRNA expression of interleukin-1β(IL-1β),IL-10,tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α),TLR4,MyD88,and NF-κB p65.RESULTS:Compared with model group,the rate of early apoptosis was significantly decreased in XZZT group(P<0.01),the percentage of cells arrested in the S phase was significantly increased(P<0.01),and the protein levels of TLR4,MyD88,NF-κB p65,p-IKKα/β,p-p65,and p-TAK1 were significantly decreased(P<0.05 or P<0.01).Additionally,IL-1β,TNF-α,TLR4,MyD88 and NF-κB p65 mRNA expression levels were significantly decreased(P<0.05 or P<0.01),while IL-10 mRNA expression was significantly in-creased(P<0.05).Compared with TAK-242 group,the average percentage of iNOS positive area was significantly de-creased,while CD206 was significantly increased in TAK-242+XZZT group(P<0.01).CONCLUSION:The XZZT has the effect of inducing M2 polarization of mouse microglia,and the mechanism may be linked to the inhibition of TLR4/MyD88/NF-κB signaling pathway.

Objective:To analyze and summarize the clinical, genotypic and pathological characteristics of children with PAX2 gene mutation in China, and to provide information for the monitoring, treatment and prognosis of the disease. Methods:It was a case series analysis study. The clinical data of children with PAX2 gene mutation in Pediatric Nephrology Department, Tongji Hospital Affiliated to Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology from January 2014 to December 2022 were collected, and peripheral blood gene DNA was extracted and sequenced for whole exome sequencing. The clinical, pathological and genotypic characteristics of PAX2 gene variation of children in China were summarized by searching PubMed, Medline, China National Knowledge Infrastructure and Wanfang database and compared with the cases in this single center. Results:Among the 13 children with PAX2 gene mutation, there were 9 males and 4 females, 12 patients with abnormal urine tests, 7 patients with small kidney volume by imaging examination, and 5 patients with renal cysts. The clinical phenotypes were congenital renal and urinary tract malformations in 8 cases, renal coloboma syndrome in 1 case, and hematuria or proteinuria in 3 cases. Five patients underwent renal biopsies, showing focal segmental glomerulosclerosis and C3 glomerulopathy in 1 case, focal segmental glomerulosclerosis in 1 case, thin basement membrane lesion in 1 case, and IgA nephropathy in 2 cases. The genetic testing in 13 children showed 9 de novo mutations and 4 new mutations of c.321G>A, c.213-8C>G, c.63C>A and c.449C>T. There were 2 cases of 76dupG (p.V26Gfs*28) mutant. A total of 51 Chinese children with PAX2 gene mutation were found in the literature search. There were 32 males and 19 females, 8 cases with small kidney volume and 12 cases with renal cysts. The clinical phenotypes were congenital anomalies of kidney and urinary tract in 28 cases, renal coloboma syndrome in 17 cases, and hematuria or proteinuria in 6 cases. Seven patients underwent renal biopsies, including 2 cases with focal segmental glomerulosclerosis, 1 case with minimal lesion, 1 case with mesangial proliferative glomerulonephritis, 1 case with IgA nephropathy, 1 case with membranous nephropathy and a case with focal proliferative sclerosing purpura nephritis combined with glomerular hypertrophy. Thirty-four cases were de novo mutations, and 12 mutations were from the father or mother. The father or mother of 5 children had no clinical manifestations, with normal renal function. There were 11 cases of 76dupG (p.V26Gfs*28) mutant. Conclusions:The clinical phenotypes and genotypes of PAX2 gene variation in Chinese children are diverse. The most common clinical phenotype of PAX2 gene variation is congenital anomalies of kidney and urinary tract. c.76dupG (p.V26Gfs*28) is the most common of PAX2 gene variant.

Objective:To investigate the prognosis and risk factors of IgA vasculitis nephritis (IgAVN) in children.Methods:A retrospective cohort study was conducted. Clinical data were collected from 264 children who were pathologically diagnosed with IgAVN at Department of Pediatric Nephrology, Tongji Hospital, affiliated with Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, between January 2011 and December 2017. All patients had a follow-up period of more than 3 years. Clinical characteristics, renal pathology, 3-year and 5-year prognosis were analyzed. The patients were grouped based on gender, age of onset (≤6 years, >6-9 years, and >9 years), pathological classification (≤Ⅲ and>Ⅲ),whether the prognosis was complete remission at 3 and 5 years. Independent sample t-tests, ANOVA or chi-squared test were used for intergroup comparisons. Spearman correlation analysis was applied for ordinal data, and multivariate Logistic regression was used to analyze factors affecting the prognosis. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was utilized to evaluate the predictive value of these factors. Results:Of the 264 children with IgAVN, 153 were male and 111 were female, the age of onset was 8.3 (6.7, 10.3) years, 118 patients (45%) with onset age >6-9 years accounted for the highest proportion. All patients presented with skin purpura and renal involvement, primarily manifesting as hematuria and/or proteinuria. Microscopic hematuria was observed in 253 patients (95.8%), while 246 patients (93.2%) showed proteinuria. In 256 patients (97.0%), hematuria or proteinuria urinalysis was detected within 6 months of skin purpura onset, and 243 patients (92.0%) underwent renal biopsy within 6 months of renal involvement. The most common clinical subtype in 264 IgAVN children was hematuria and proteinuria (204 cases, 77.3%), with grade Ⅲ being the predominant pathological classification (181 cases, 68.6%). Among children ≤6 years old, the 3-year complete remission rate was higher in males than in females (83.9% (26/31) vs. 7/16, χ2=8.12, P=0.012). Factors independently associated with poor 5-year prognosis included time from hematuria or proteinuria urinalysis to renal biopsy >6 months, elevated serum cholesterol levels, and incomplete remission 3 years post-biopsy ( OR=5.41, 1.39, 6.02, 95% CI 1.40-20.86, 1.04-1.84, 2.61-13.88, all P<0.05). The serum cholesterol has a predictive value for 5-year prognosis ( P=0.020, AUC=0.62, 95% CI 0.52-0.71, Youden index=0.27, cutoff=4.37). Conclusions:For children with IgAVN aged≤6 years, the 3-year prognosis is better in males than in females. Time from hematuria or proteinuria urinalysis to renal biopsy >6 months, elevated serum cholesterol levels, and incomplete remission at 3 years post-biopsy may be independent risk factors for poor 5-year prognosis in children with IgAVN.

Objective:To determine a relationship between ultrasound shear wave elastography (SWE) and pathological lessions of renal tissues in children with chronic kidney disease (CKD).Methods:It was a cross-sectional observational study, involving children admitted to the Department of Pediatrics of Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology from January to December 2021 with definite pathological diagnosis through kidney biopsy. The SWE was used to determine the Young's modulus (elastic modulus) of the cortex and medulla of the upper, middle, and lower poles of the kidney. The renal histopathology was classified or graded. The statistical method was used to analyze the relationship between Young's modulus of the inferior polar cortex (YM cor) and medulla (YM med) of the right kidney and renal pathology. Results:The study included 110 children with definite pathological diagnosis through renal biopsy, aged (10.1±3.4) years old (2-17 years old), with 55 males (50.0%). The body mass index was (20.6±2.4) kg/m 2, and mean arterial pressure was (95±24) mmHg. There were 94 patients (85.4%) with CKD stage 1, 8 patients (7.3%) with CKD stage 2, and 8 patients (7.3%) with CKD stage 3. There was no significant difference of YM cor and YM med in the upper and middle poles of the right kidneys, and YM med in the lower poles of right kidneys in CKD patients with different stages (all P>0.05). Both YM cor [(15.75±3.36) kPa] and YM med [(13.50±2.43) kPa] of CKD stage 3 patients were significantly higher than those of CKD stage 1 patients [(12.94±2.45) kPa, (11.88±2.23) kPa](both P<0.05). There was no significant difference of YM cor and YM med in the lower poles of right kidneys between stage 1 and stage 2 CKD patients (both P>0.05). YM cor[(17.93±3.23) kPa] and YM med [(15.50±1.48) kPa] in patients with crescentic glomerulonephritis were higher than those in patients with focal segmental glomerulosclerosis [(12.71±2.42) kPa, (11.57±2.63) kPa] and mesangial proliferative glomerulonephritis [(12.73±2.04) kPa, (11.48±2.10) kPa](all P<0.05). There was no significant difference of YM cor and YM med between focal segmental glomerulosclerosis and mesangial proliferative glomerulonephritis (both P>0.05). YM cor [(16.30±2.63) kPa] and YM med [(15.54±1.59) kPa] of Lee's Ⅳ grade of IgA nephropathy were higher than those of Lee's Ⅲ grade [(13.32±2.70) kPa, (12.57±2.50) kPa](both P<0.05), while the International Study of Kidney Disease in Children grade of purpura nephritis had no significant correlation with YM cor and YM med (both P>0.05). YM cor [(15.41±2.37) kPa] and YM med [(13.82±2.59) kPa] of interstitial fibrosis/tubular atrophy (T1/T2) group of IgA nephropathy mixed with purpura nephritis were significantly higher than those of T0 group's [(12.99±2.40) kPa, (11.79±2.05) kPa] (both P<0.05). Moreover, crescent formation (C1) group had a higher YM cor [(14.21±2.77) kPa] and YM med [(12.80±2.47) kPa] than those in C0 group [(12.73±2.15) kPa, (11.59±1.97) kPa] (both P<0.05), while YM cor and YM med were unrelated to the mesangial hypercellularity (M), endocapillary cellularity (E), segmental sclerosis or adhesion (S) indicators (all P>0.05). In lupus nephritis patients, YM cor ( r=0.744, P=0.035) and YM med ( r=0.728, P=0.009) were favorably linked with the chronic index, but not with the activity index (both P>0.05). Conclusions:Renal interstitial fibrosis/tubular atrophy and crescentic development are connected with YM cor and YM med at the lower pole of the kidney as measured by SWE. SWE can be used to assess the chronic renal lesions in children with CKD in the early and middle stages. It may develop into a new noninvasive way to assess renal pathology.

Objective:To study the predictive value of BAT score for the prognosis of patients with spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage (sICH).Methods:A retrospective analysis of 93 sICH patients in the Emergency Department of the Second Affiliated Hospital of Wannan Medical College from January 2018 to December 2020 was conducted, and the patients were classified into the good prognosis group ( n=34) and the poor prognosis group ( n=59) according to the Glasgow Outcome Score (GOS) 3 months after the discharge. Clinical data such as basic data of patients, admission vital signs, laboratory indicators, National Institute of Health stroke scale (NIHSS) score and BAT score and other clinical data of the two groups were compared. Multivariate logistic regression was used to analyze the risk factors affecting poor prognosis of sICH patients. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was drawn to analyze predictive value of BAT score for poor prognosis of sICH patients. Results:The admission systolic blood pressure, white blood cell count, hypertension complications, emergency BAT score and NIHSS score of patients in the poor prognosis group were significantly higher than those in the good prognosis group ( P<0.05). Multivariate logistic regression analysis indicated that the admission systolic blood pressure ( OR=1.024, 95% CI: 1.002~1.046, P=0.035) and emergency BAT score ( OR=2.640, 95% CI: 1.445-4.825, P=0.002) could accurately predict the poor prognosis of sICH patients. ROC curve analysis showed that the area under ROC curve (AUC) of BAT score was 0.792, the sensitivity was 79.3%, and the specificity was 76.5%. The AUC of systolic blood pressure for predicting poor prognosis of sICH patients was 0.701, and the sensitivity was 55.2%, and the specificity was 88.2%. The AUC of BAT score combined with systolic blood pressure for predicting poor prognosis of sICH patients was 0.835. Conclusions:BAT score and admission systolic blood pressure could more accurately predict poor prognosis of sICH patients. The combination of them had a higher efficacy in predicting poor prognosis of sICH patients after 3 months.

Objective:To investigate changes in the bladder morphological structure and function and the expression of transforming growth factor-beta1 (TGF-β1) pathway-related proteins in the bilateral spinal nerve amputated neurogenic bladder(NB) rat.Methods:A total of 64 female SD rats were included, and 32 of them underwent bilateral spinal nerve L6+ S1 amputation to construct the NB model and the others were used as sham operation controls.Rats in both NB and control groups received bladder cystometry 3, 6, 12, 24 weeks after corresponding operation.Collagen fibers in their bladder tissues were detected by Masson staining and Sirius scarlet staining.TGF-β1, Smad2 and Smad6 proteins were checked by immunohistochemical staining.TGF-β1 receptor Ⅰ protein was measured by Western blot.Results:Bladders in the NB group were instable, with bladder leak point pressure(BLPP) and underactive voiding pressures.The basal pressure [(22.10±2.51), (18.20±1.52), (31.20±2.82), (41.10±3.41) cmH 2O(1 cmH 2O=0.098 kPa)] and bladder volume [(22.30±1.72), (49.10±5.54), (30.30±2.68), (13.50±1.52) mL] of the NB rats at 3, 6, 12 and 24 weeks were significantly higher than those of the sham operation controls[(3.51±0.45) cmH 2O and (0.52±0.04) mL], and the difference were significant(all P<0.05). The bladder size and thickness in the NB group firstly increased (3, 6 weeks) and then decreased (12, 24 weeks), but the bladder weight increased continuously.Masson staining showed disordered fibrous connective tissues, disintegrated layered bla-dder wall, hypertrophied smooth muscle tissues and deposited intramuscular collagen on the nerve-amputated bladder wall.Sirius scarlet staining suggested that 24 weeks after nerve amputation, collagen Ⅲ increased greatly, and the ratio of type Ⅲ/Ⅰ collagen fibers (3.14±0.71) was significantly higher than that in the sham group (0.88±0.21) ( t= 7.48, P<0.01). According to the immunohistochemical staining results, the expressions of TGF-1β and Smad2 increased while the pathway inhibitory protein Smad6 decreased with time in the NB group.Western blot showed that the expression of TGF-β1 receptor Ⅰ in the amputated bladder was 1.3 and 1.6 folds higher than that in the sham group 12 weeks and 24 weeks after operation( t=6.06, 14.45, all P<0.01). Conclusions:In NB rats with bilateral spinal nerve amputated, bladder contraction becomes paralysis, intravesical pressure increases, bladder normal structure disintegrates and the fibrosis pathway TGF-β1/Smads is activated.Therefore, the key step of development of pediatric NB is bladder fibrosis, which should be prevented as early as possibly in the clinical practice.

Objective To investigate and analyze the similarities of allergens in children of the same family with susceptibility to the same genetic background and environmental factors. Methods From January 2013 to December 2017,a total of 142 pairs of children with allergic diseases aged 0-15 years and their siblings ( 284 cases) were collected from the outpatient or hospitalized treatment of Pediatrics and otolaryngology department of the First People′s Hospital of Foshan City,the Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University. The elder group was brother or sister (142 cases),and the younger group was brother or sister ( 142 cases ) . The serum allergen sIgE was tested by Allergy Screen allergen detection system (developed by Germany MEDIWISS Company) and the similarity of allergens was analyzed. Results A total of 142 siblings ( 284 cases ) had systemic symptoms of allergic diseases in varying degrees, including respiratory symptoms ( cough ( 47 cases in the old group,32 cases in the young group), χ2 ＝3. 946, P＝0. 047),nasal obstruction ( 41 cases in the old group,19 cases in the young group, χ2 ＝ 10. 227, P ＝0. 001),runny nose (46 cases in the old group,26 cases in the young group,χ2＝7. 442,P＝0. 006), gastrointestinal symptoms (abdominal pain (11cases in the old group,7 cases in the young group,χ2＝4. 63, P＝0. 031),skin symptoms(urticaria (18 cases in the old group,8 cases in the young group,χ2＝4. 234,P＝0. 037)) and so on,the difference was statistically significant. Some children have multiple organ system symptoms at the same time. There was no significant difference between the old group and the young group in the early use of antibiotics,mode of production and feeding mode within 6 months (all P＞0. 05). Among the two groups,house dust mite and cockroach (r＝0. 831,P＜0. 05),dog hair and house dust ( r＝0. 717,P＜0. 05),cypress,elm,willow,birch,oak,maple,walnut,sycamore,poplar and Dianqing,branching,yanqu, and heiqu ( r ＝ 0. 683, P＜ 0. 05 ) . Conclusion With the same genetic background and the same environmental factors,the allergens in siblings are similar.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the feasibility of applying intracranial lead reconstruction in deep brain stimulation (DBS) therapy for Parkinsonism. METHODS: We retrospectively collected the clinical data from 27 patients with Parkinson's disease (PD), who received bilateral subthalamic nucleus (STN) DBS therapy between January, 2016 and December, 2017. According to the position of the selected optimal stimulating contact of the implanted leads, the patients were divided into group A with the stimulating contacts of the bilateral leads in the STN, group B with unilateral stimulating contacts in the STN, and group C with bilateral stimulating contacts outside the STN. All the patients were assessed for improvement using Hoehn-Yahr stage, the third part of United Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS Ⅲ), Schwab and England Activities of Daily Living (SE-ADL), and L-dopa equivalent daily dose (LEDD). The consistency between the optimal stimulating contact selected by lead reconstruction and that by standard postoperative programming procedure was also evaluated. RESULTS: The patients in all the 3 groups showed postoperative improvements in Hoehn-Yahr stage, UPDRS Ⅲ score, SE-ADL score, and LEDD in the medication-off state. But at 12 months of the follow-up, such improvements were maintained only in the patients of group A. The optimal stimulating contacts selected by lead reconstruction and standard postoperative programming procedure had a matching rate of up to 77.78% (42/54), and the coordinates of the optimal contacts selected by the two methods showed no significant difference. CONCLUSIONS Intracranial lead reconstruction facilitates the study of the association between the implant site of the leads and the clinical outcome of DBS therapy for PD and allows the precise selection of the optimal contact of the implanted leads in postoperative programming of DBS.
Activities of Daily Living ; Deep Brain Stimulation ; Humans ; Parkinson Disease ; Retrospective Studies ; Treatment Outcome

Objective To evaluate endoscopic surgical treatment of synchronous esophageal squamous cell carcinoma and adenocarcinonm at the esophagogastric junction.Methods The clinical data of 17 patients with synchronous esophageal squamous cell carcinoma associated with adenocarcinoma of esophagogatric junction between Jan 2010 and Jan 2017 were analyzed retrospectively.Results Among these 17 patients,9 patients underwent thoracoscopy and laparoscopy with partial resection of esophagus and proximal stomach,and gastroesophageal and neck anastomosis.3 patients underwent thoracoscopy and laparoscopy with partial resection of esophagus and proximal stomach,gastroesophageal intrathoracic anastomosis.Laparoscopic radical total gastrectomy combined with radiotherapy for esophageal cancer was performed in 5 cases.There was not perioperative death or serious complications.The cumulative survival rates of 1,3 and 5 years after surgery were 100％,42％ and 24％,respectively.Conclusion Thoracolaparscopic surgery combined with local radiation therapy is a safe and effective treatment for patients with synchronous esophageal squamous cell carcinoma and adenocarcinoma at esophagogastric junction.