Background::In the clinic, practitioners encounter many patients with an abnormal pattern of dense punctate magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) signal in the basal ganglia, a phenomenon known as "cheese sign". This sign is reported as common in cerebrovascular diseases, dementia, and old age. Recently, cheese sign has been speculated to consist of dense perivascular space (PVS). This study aimed to assess the lesion types of cheese sign and analyze the correlation between this sign and vascular disease risk factors.Methods::A total of 812 patients from Peking Union Medical College Hospital (PUMCH) dementia cohort were enrolled. We analyzed the relationship between cheese sign and vascular risk. For assessing cheese sign and defining its degree, the abnormal punctate signals were classified into basal ganglia hyperintensity (BGH), PVS, lacunae/infarctions and microbleeds, and counted separately. Each type of lesion was rated on a four-level scale, and then the sum was calculated; this total was defined as the cheese sign score. Fazekas and Age-Related White Matter Changes (ARWMC) scores were used to evaluate the paraventricular, deep, and subcortical gray/white matter hyperintensities.Results::A total of 118 patients (14.5%) in this dementia cohort were found to have cheese sign. Age (odds ratio [OR]: 1.090, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.064-1.120, P <0.001), hypertension (OR: 1.828, 95% CI: 1.123-2.983, P = 0.014), and stroke (OR: 1.901, 95% CI: 1.092-3.259, P = 0.025) were risk factors for cheese sign. There was no significant relationship between diabetes, hyperlipidemia, and cheese sign. The main components of cheese sign were BGH, PVS, and lacunae/infarction. The proportion of PVS increased with cheese sign severity. Conclusions::The risk factors for cheese sign were hypertension, age, and stroke. Cheese sign consists of BGH, PVS, and lacunae/infarction.

Objective:To investigate the criteria for two-way referral of diabetes in China through systematic review.Methods:According to inclusion and exclusion criteria, articles on two-way referral criteria for diabetes in China were retrieved from databases of PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, CNKI and Wanfang from inception to July 15, 2023. The data were extracted, by author′s name, publish year, criteria for rupwards and downwards referral, sample size, study region, study type and main conclusions.Results:A total of 702 relavent articles were retrieved, and 15 of which were included in the analysis. Blood glucose levels were the basic criteria for two-way referral, The criteria for upward referral included fasting blood glucose, 2-h postpradial blood glucose, glycosylated hemoglobin and random blood glucose, but there were variations in measuement values. The criteria for downward referral included fasting blood glucose, 2-h postpradial blood glucose, glycosylated hemoglobin, with the variation in fasting blood glucose. Lipids and blood pressure were also included in the referral criteria in later literature, with the variation of blood pressure values. There was consensus on the upward referral criteria for patients with special types of diabetes and with newly diagnosed diabetes. In contrast, the referral criteria for diabetic complications were relatively vague, especially with the lack of severity classification for chronic complications.Conclusion:The two-way referral criteria for diabetes mellitus have been constantly developing, while the criteria for downwards referral to the community need to be further improved.

The ApoE gene is a genetic risk determinant for sporadic Alzheimer′s disease (AD). The ApoEε4 allele increases the risk of developing AD relative to the common ApoEε3 allele, whereas the ApoEε2 allele decreases the risk of developing the disease. The 3 alleles encode ApoE2, ApoE3, and ApoE4 protein isoforms, respectively. ApoE4 contributes to the pathogenesis of AD by regulating β-amyloid protein, tau protein, transactive response DNA-binding protein-43, neuroinflammation, and cerebral vascular function. The pathways associated with ApoE also offer new opportunities for the treatment of AD. In addition, studies have shown that ApoE4 also plays a toxic role in other neurological disorders. This article described the biological characteristics of ApoE, as well as the impact of ApoE4 on AD and related dementias, aiming to enhance clinical doctors′ understanding of the involvement of ApoE4 in the pathogenesis of AD and related dementia.

Objective:To analyze the clinical and imaging features of patients with COVID-19-related osmotic demyelination syndrome (ODS).Methods:COVID-19-related ODS cases diagnosed in the Department of Neurology, Peking Union Medical College Hospital from January 2020 to September 2023 were retrospectively reviewed. And their past medical history, possible triggers, clinical manifestations, imaging manifestations, treatment and prognosis were summarized.Results:A total of 5 patients with COVID-19-related ODS were included. Electrolyte disturbances acted as an inducement of ODS in all patients (5/5),4 of whom with hyponatremia. Four of 5 patients first presented with disturbance of consciousness, followed by predominant dystonia. Imaging of all patients (5/5) showed isolated extrapontine myelinolysis (EPM). With the prolongation of the course of disease, such signal intensity could return to normal, and lesions showed atrophic changes in some patients. The patients′ clinical symptoms were partly relieved within a few days to a few months after treatment.Conclusions:COVID-19-related ODS is mostly associated with hyponatremia, and EPM is more common. COVID-19 should be considered as a risk factor for ODS.

Objective To evaluate the effect of ZOPOMED-60 mycobacterium tuberculosis microscanner on detecting acid-fast bacilli in sputum smears.Methods A total of 203 qualified sputum specimens from patients treated in Chest Hospital of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region in May 2023 were collected.The samples were stained by using Ziehl-Neelsen staining and fluorecent staining,respectively,and the acid-fast bacillus was detected by the manual microscopy and ZOPOMED-60 mycobacterium tuberculosis microscanner.The sensitivity,specificity,positive predictive value and negative predictive value of acid-fast bacillus were calculated using different methods based on liquid culture of mycobacterium.Results The positive rates of manual reading and instrument intelligent reading of fluorecent staining were 12.3%and 18.7%,respectively,and the positive rates of manual reading and instrument intelligent reading of Ziehl-Neelsen staining were 13.3%and 17.7%,respectively.There was no significant difference between the four reading results(P>0.05).Based on the results of liquid culture of mycobacterium,sensitivity of manual reading and instrument intelligent reading of fluorecent staining and manual reading and instrument intelligent reading of Ziehl-Neelsen staining were 40.0%,45.0%,45.0%and 53.3%,specificity were 99.3%,92.3%,100.0%and 97.2%,positive predictive values were 96.0%,71.0%,100.0%and 88.9%,and negative predictive values were 79.8%,80.0%,81.2%and 83.2%,respectively.The consistency was good.Conclusion The performance of ZOPOMED-60 mycobacterium tuberculosis microscanner in the detection of acid-fast bacilli by two staining methods is good,and it is worth popularizing.

This article focuses on a case study of sitosterolemia in a child who initially presented with hemolytic anemia and thrombocytopenia. Sitosterolemia is a rare autosomal recessive lipid metabolism disorder, difficult to diagnose due to its non-typical clinical manifestations. The 8-year-old patient was initially misdiagnosed with pyruvate kinase deficiency. Comprehensive biochemical and molecular biology analyses, including gene sequencing, eventually led to the correct diagnosis of sitosterolemia. This case highlights the complexity and diagnostic challenges of sitosterolemia, emphasizing the need for increased awareness and accurate diagnosis in patients presenting with similar symptoms.

Objective:To explore the application value of real-time vascular quantification stiffness (R-VQS) technique in evaluating carotid artery elasticity and hemodynamic status in type 2 diabetic nephropathy (T2DN).Methods:The clinical data of 86 patients with T2DN treatment in the Fifth People′s Hospital of Zhuhai from March 2020 to March 2022 were collected retrospectively, according to the clinical stage, 44 patients were in the early stage group and 42 patients were in the clinical stage group. All of them underwent R-VQS technique to obtain carotid artery elasticity parameters stiffness index (HC), systolic diameter (Diam), diameter change value (Dist) and hemodynamic indexes pulse conduction velocity (PWV). Among the 86 patients, 21 had atherosclerosis (AS) and 65 did not. The differences of HC, Diam, Dist and PWV between the patients with and without AS were compared, and the value of HC, Diam, Dist and PWV in diagnosing T2DN complicated with AS was analyzed by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve.Results:The HC, Diam and PWV in the clinical phase group were higher than those in the early phase group, and Dist was lower than that in the early phase group: 4.76 ± 0.60 vs. 4.15 ± 0.52, (8.69 ± 1.13) mm vs. (7.21 ± 0.84) mm, (7.42 ± 0.63) m/s vs. (6.84 ± 0.57) m/s, (0.27 ± 0.07) mm vs. (0.35 ± 0.09) mm, there were statistical differences ( P<0.05). The HC, Diam and PWV in the patients with AS were higher than those in the patients without AS, and Dist was lower than that in the patients without AS: 4.82 ± 0.63 vs. 4.33 ± 0.51, (8.85 ± 1.18) mm vs. (7.63 ± 1.06) mm, (7.68 ± 0.75) m/s vs. (6.94 ± 0.59) m/s, (0.24 ± 0.05) mm vs. (0.33 ± 0.10) mm, there were statistical differences ( P<0.05). ROC curve analysis results showed that the area under the curve (AUC) of the combined diagnosis of T2DN complicated with AS by HC, Diam, Dist and PWV was 0.921, and the diagnostic sensitivity and specificity were 90.48% and 84.62%, respectively. Conclusions:R-VQS technology can detect abnormal changes in carotid elasticity and hemodynamics in patients with T2DN, and can diagnose T2DN complicated with AS. It can provide a reference basis for clinical prevention and treatment of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular complications in T2DN patients.

Objective: To investigate the prevalence of anxiety symptoms among high grade primary school students in Guangzhou and their correlation with family functioning and parental parenting styles, so as to provide theoretical basis and guidance for family based interventions for children s anxiety symptoms. Methods: From June to September 2022, a multi stage cluster random sampling method was employed to select 5 396 students from grades 4 to 6 in 13 primary schools in Guangzhou. The Family Functioning Assessment Scale for Children, Parental Bonding Instrument, and Spence Children s Anxiety Scale Short Version were used for the survey. Inter group comparison was analysed by t test or analysis of variance. Linear regression analysis was used to explore the effects of family function and parental parenting styles on anxiety symptoms in primary school students. Results: The average score for anxiety symptoms among high grade primary school students in Guangzhou was (11.63±10.88). In terms of parenting styles, mothers scored higher than fathers in the dimensions of "care" (25.63±4.92) and "control" (5.08±2.58) compared to fathers ( 24.74± 5.50, 5.00±2.51) ( t =15.80, 4.21, P <0.01). However, there was no statistically significant difference in the scores of parents on the dimension of "encouragement of independence"（12.98±4.06,13.05±3.95)( t =-1.77， P >0.05）. After adjusting for general demographic characteristics, the results of linear regression analysis showed that primary school students family functioning ( B =0.47) and parental "control" ( B =0.67, 0.75) were positively associated with anxiety symptoms scores ( P <0.01). Meanwhile, parental "care" ( B =-0.53,-0.55) and "encouragement of independence" ( B =-0.62,-0.68) were negatively associated with anxiety symptom scores ( P <0.01). These associations remained statistically significant even after further adjusting for family functioning ( P <0.01). Conclusions Family functioning, parenting styles are closely associated with anxiety symptoms among high grade primary school students. Positive family functioning and parenting styles may mitigate childhood anxiety symptoms, whereas excessive parental control may increase the risk of childhood anxiety symptoms.

By analysing the similarity between defense qi and leukocytes in terms of function， site of action， and circadian rhythm， it is proposed that in traditional Chinese medicine （TCM）， the pathogenesis of leukopenia is defense qi deficiency. By analyzing the relevant discussions on the generation and transmission of defense qi in TCM classics， it is believed that the original qi in lower jiao （焦） is the source of defense qi， while the water and grain qi in middle jiao enriches defense qi， and the upper jiao transmits and distributes defense qi to the whole body. Therefore， when treating leukopenia after chemotherapy with TCM， Guilu Erxian Gelatin （龟鹿二仙胶） and Yougui Pill （右归丸） are often used to tonify the kidney and supplement essence， and moxibustion at Guanyuan （CV 4） and Qihai （CV 6） is usually accompanied to replenish the original qi in lower jiao and enrich the source of defense qi. Guipi Decoction （归脾汤）， Buzhong Yiqi Decoction （补中益气汤）， Shenling Baizhu Powder （参苓白术散）， and Sijunzi Decoction （四君子汤） are often suggested to strengthen spleen and replenish qi， in combination with moxibustion at Zhongwan （CV 12） and Zusanli （ST 36） to transport the spleen and stomach in the middle jiao to enrich the defense qi. Modified Guizhi Decoction （桂枝汤） to harmonize nutrient and defensive aspects is often used， and moxibustion at Dazhui （GV 14） and Feishu （BL 13） or scraping is added to dredge the striae and interstice in the upper jiao and promote transmission and dissemination of the defense qi. Considering the whole process of generation and distribution of defense qi， it is suggested to choose the most appropriate treatment modality flexibly， and combine internal treatment with external treatment， in order to provide ideas for the treatment of leukopenia in tumour patients.

Objective To investigate the anti-inflammatory effects of Bupi Yichang Pills on mice with experimental colitis and its potential mechanism of action.Methods Dextran sulfate sodium(DSS)was used to model the experimental colitis,and low-,medium-and high-doses of Bupi Yichang Pills(1.5,3.0,6.0 g·kg-1·d-1)and Mesalazine(300 mg·kg-1·d-1)were fed at the same time.Mice were observed for general behavior and weighed.Hematoxylin-eosin staining was used to observe the pathological injury of colonic tissues.qPCR and ELISA were used to detect the levels of inflammatory cytokines(TNF-α,IL-1β,IL-6,IL-10,IL-35 and TGF-β1),qPCR and Western Blot were used to detect the mRNA and protein levels of glucose transporters and glycolytic kinases.Results Low-,medium-and high-doses of Bupi Yichang Pills significantly down-regulated disease activity index in colitis mice(P＜0.05,P＜0.01).The body mass and colon length were significantly increased,while colon mass,colon mass index and unit colon mass index were significantly reduced(P＜0.05,P＜0.01),and ulcer formation and inflammatory cell infiltration in colonic tissue were significantly improved.In addition,medium-and high-doses of Bupi Yichang Pills significantly down-regulated the mRNA levels and concentrations of pro-inflammatory cytokines including TNF-α,IL-1β and IL-6(P＜0.01),while significantly up-regulated the mRNA levels and concentrations of anti-inflammatory cytokines such as IL-10,IL-35 and TGF-β1(P＜0.01).We further found that high-dose of Bupi Yichang Pills significantly down-regulated the mRNA and protein expressions of glucose transporters(Glut1,Glut2,Glut4)and glycolytic kinases(HK2,Aldolase A,PKM2)in colonic tissue(P＜0.01).Conclusions Bupi Yichang Pills effectively alleviates DSS-induced experimental colitis,and its specific mechanism of action is related to the improvement of glycolytic metabolic pathways and the regulation of inflammatory cytokine expression.