Objective To investigate the value of L3 skeletal muscle index(L3-SMI)combined with interleukin-6(IL-6)and activin A in predicting early-stage pancreatic cancer cachexia.Methods A total of 74 patients with pancreatic cancer who were diagnosed in Hebei Medical University Forth Hospital from July 2020 to July 2023 were enrolled,and according to the presence or absence of cachexia after admission,the patient were divided into cachexia group with 58 patients and non-cachexia group with 16 patients.The levels of L3-SMI,IL-6,and activin A were observed within 48 hours after admission.The independent-samples t test was used for comparison of normally distributed continuous data between groups,and the chi-square test was used for comparison of categorical data between groups.A multivariate Logistic regression analysis was used to investigate the influencing factors for pancreatic cancer cachexia;the receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve was used to analyze the value of L3-SMI,IL-6,and activin A alone or in combination in predicting pancreatic cancer cachexia,and the Z test was used for comparison of the area under the ROC curve(AUC).Results Compared with the non-cachexia group,the cachexia group had a significantly higher level of L3-SMI and significantly lower serum levels of IL-6 and activin A(t=8.649,3.049,and 8.100,all P＜0.05).The multivariate logistic analysis showed that L3-SMI(odds ratio[OR]=0.266,95%confidence interval[CI]:0.103-0.683,P＜0.05),serum IL-6(OR=4.158,95%CI:1.368-12.333,P＜0.05),and activin A(OR=5.124,95%CI:1.550-16.939,P＜0.05)were influencing factors for pancreatic cancer cachexia.L3-SMI,IL-6,and activin A alone had a significantly lower AUC than the combination of the three indicators in predicting pancreatic cancer cachexia(0.851/0.752/0.791 vs 0.946,Z=-2.841,-2.552,and-2.647,all P＜0.001),and the combination of the three indicators had the highest sensitivity(90.9%),specificity(87.8%)and Youden index(0.788).Conclusion L3-SMI combined with serum IL-6 and activin A has a good value in predicting early-stage pancreatic cancer cachexia.

Objective:To summarize the genetic and phenotypic features of MORC family CW-type zinc finger 2 (MORC2) gene-related neuropathy in Chinese patients. Methods:The clinical and whole exome sequencing data of MORC2 gene-related neuropathy families with a definitive genetic diagnosis were collected from the Third Xiangya Hospital of Central South University between 2010 and 2023. Literature involving Chinese families with MORC2 gene-related neuropathy was extensively reviewed to provide a comprehensive summary of the genetic and phenotypic spectrum of the disease. Results:A total of 10 families with MORC2 gene-related neuropathy were identified and analyzed. Six different heterozygous pathogenic variants in the MORC2 gene were observed among these families, including the novel variant c.1330G>C (p.G444R) that had not been previously reported. Six families presented as axonal Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease caused by variants in the MORC2 gene (CMT2Z) phenotype with childhood or adult onset, and carried variants c.754C>T (p.R252W), c.1199A>G (p.Q400R), c.1330G>C (p.G444R), or c.1396G>A (p. D466N); 3 families manifested as severe spinal muscular atrophy (SMA)-like phenotype with infantile onset, all carried c.260C>T (p.S87L); 1 family carried c.1181A>G (p.Y394C), presented as DIGFAN syndrome phenotype with infantile onset combined with mental and motor retardation. Systematic review showed 8 Chinese families carried pathogenic variants of the MORC2 gene, among which 5 families were associated with the CMT2Z phenotype, carrying c.754C>T (p.R252W), c.1079A>G (p.E360G), c.1220G>A (p.C407Y), or c.1397A>G (p.D466G); 1 family was associated with SMA-like phenotype, carrying c.260C>T (p.S87L); and 2 families were associated with DIGFAN syndrome, carrying c.79G>A (p.E27K) and c.292G>A (p.G98R). Conclusions:A novel pathogenic variant c.1330G>C (p.G444R) of the MORC2 gene associated with the CMT2 phenotype is reported. Eleven pathogenic variants of the MORC2 gene have been reported in the Chinese patients to date, and c.754C>T(p.R252W) may be the most common. Patients with MORC2 gene-related neuropathy carrying different variants present with significant clinical heterogeneity, manifesting as CMT2Z, early-onset severe SMA-like myasthenia, or DIGFAN syndrome.

Objective:Hereditary neuropathy with liability to pressure palsy(HNPP)is a rare autosomal dominant peripheral neuropathy,usually caused by heterozygous deletion mutations in the peripheral myelin protein 22(PMP22)gene.This study aims to investigate the clinical and molecular genetic characteristics of HNPP. Methods:HNPP patients in the Department of Neurology at Third Xiangya Hospital of Central South University from 2009 to 2023 were included in this study.The general clinical data,nervous electrophysiological and molecular genetic examination results were collected and analyzed.Molecular genetic examination was to screen for deletion of PMP22 gene using multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification(MLPA)after extracting genomic DNA from peripheral blood;and if no PMP22 deletion mutation was detected,next-generation sequencing was used to screen for PMP22 point mutations.The related literatures of HNPP were reviewed,and the clinical and molecular genetic characteristics of HNPP patients were analyzed. Results:A total of 34 HNPP patients from 24 unrelated Chinese Han families were included in this study,including 25 males and 9 females.The average age at illness onset was 22.0 years.Sixty-two point five percent of the families had a positive family history.Among them,30 patients had symptoms of peripheral nerve paralysis.Patients often presented with paroxysmal single limb weakness with(or)numbness(25/30),and some patients had paroxysmal unilateral recurrent laryngeal nerve(vagus nerve)paralysis(2/30).Physical examination revealed muscle weakness(23/29),hypoesthesia(9/29),weakened or absent ankle reflexes(20/29),distal limb muscle atrophy(8/29)and high arched feet(5/29).Most patients(26/30)could fully recover to normal after an acute attack.Thirty-one patients in our group underwent nervous electrophysiological examination,and showed multiple demyelinating peripheral neuropathies with both motor and sensory nerves involved.Most patients showed significantly prolonged distal motor latency(DML),mild to moderate nerve conduction velocity slowing,decreased amplitude of compound muscle action potential(CMAP)and sensory nerve action potential(SNAP),and sometimes with conduction block.Nerve motor conduction velocity was(48.5±5.5)m/s,and the CMAP amplitude was(8.4±5.1)mV.Nerve sensory conduction velocity was(37.4±10.5)m/s,and the SNAP amplitude was(14.4±15.2)μV.There were 24 families,23 of whom had the classical PMP22 deletion,the last one had a heterozygous pathogenic variant in the PMP22 gene sequence(c.434delT).By reviewing clinical data and genetic testing results of reported 1 734 HNPP families,we found that heterozygous deletion mutation of PMP22 was the most common pathogenic mutation of HNPP(93.4%).Other patients were caused by PMP22 small mutations(4.0%),PMP22 heterozygous gross deletions(0.6%),and PMP22 complex rearrangements(0.1%).Thirty-eight sorts of HNPP-related PMP22 small mutations was reported,including missense mutations(10/38),nonsense mutations(4/38),base deletion mutations(13/38),base insertion mutations(3/38),and shear site mutations(8/38).HNPP patients most often presented with episodic painless single nerve palsy.Common peroneal nerve,ulnar nerve,and brachial plexus nerve were the most common involved nerves,accounting for about 75%.Only eighteen patients with cranial nerve involved was reported. Conclusion:Heterozygous deletion mutation of PMP22 is the most common pathogenic mutation of HNPP.Patients is characterized by episodic and painless peripheral nerve paralysis,mainly involving common peroneal nerve,ulnar nerve,and other peripheral nerves.Nervous electrophysiological examination has high sensitivity and specificity for the diagnosis of HNPP,which is manifested by extensive demyelinating changes.For patients with suspected HNPP,nervous electrophysiological examination and PMP22-MLPA detection are preferred.Sanger sequencing or next generation sequencing can be considered to detect other mutations of PMP22.

[Objective[ To analyze the main syndrome types, medication rules, and core prescription characteristics of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) in the treatment of metabolism-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD), and to predict the anti-MAFLD mechanism of core formula, so as to provide references for the clinical application of TCM and the development of new drugs. [Methods] Literature research on TCM in treating MAFLD was retrieved from China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), China Science and Technology Journal Database (VIP), and Wanfang Database since the establishment of the database to July 2022. Excel 2019 and Chinese Medicine Inheritance Computing Platform (V3.0) were used for frequency analysis, association rule analysis, and cluster analysis of effective prescriptions. The key components, targets, and action pathways of anti-MAFLD core formulas were predicted by network pharmacology. Finally, the interactions between the obtained core components and their core targets were verified reversely by molecular docking technology. [Results] A total of 218 articles were screened and selected, including 352 prescriptions, involving 270 traditional Chinese herbs. The drugs were used a total of 3 901 times, and a total of 10 915 cases were collected, among which the prevalence rate was higher in males. The main types of TCM syndrome included intermingled phlegm and blood stasis syndrome, liver depression and spleen deficiency syndrome, and damp-heat in liver and gallbladder syndrome, among which Shanzha (Crataegi Fructus), Danshen (Salviae Miltiorrhizae Radix et Rhizoma), Fuling (Poria), Zexie (Alismatis Rhizoma), Chaihu (Bupleuri Radix), and Baizhu (Atractylodis Macrocephalae Rhizoma) were the most frequently used. The properties of Chinese medicine primarily encompassed thermal characteristics, with a predominant emphasis on cold and warm; the flavors of herbs were predominantly characterized by bitterness and sweetness, while the majority exhibited tropism towards the spleen and liver meridians. The drugs were primarily classified based on their efficacy in tonifying deficiencies, promoting diuresis and moistening, enhancing blood circulation and removing blood stasisheat-clearing, etc. The association rules were employed to derive a set of 20 core drug pairs, while cluster analysis was utilized to identify three distinct groups of core drug combinations. Network pharmacological showed that the main components of the core formula “Shanzha (Crataegi Fructus) - Danshen (Salviae Miltiorrhizae Radix et Rhizoma) - Zexie (Alismatis Rhizoma) - Chaihu (Bupleuri Radix) - Fuling (Poria)” in the treatment of MAFLD were quercetin, apigenin, puerarin, luteolin, ursolic acid, kaempferol, tanshinone IIA, emodin, paeonol, etc., which involved RAC-alpha serine/threonine-protein kinase 1 (AKT1), cellular tumor antigen p53 (TP53), interleukin (IL)-6, IL-1β, signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3), epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), peroxisome proliferative activated receptor gamma (PPARG), and other key targets. The molecular docking results showed that the core components had good binding to lipid and atherosclerosis, and phosphatidylinositol 3 kinase (PI3K)/AKT signaling pathway-associated proteins. [Conclusion] The main principles of TCM for the treatment of MAFLD involve soothing the liver and strengthening the spleen, eliminating phlegm and dampness, clearing heat and dampness, as well as promoting blood circulation and removing blood stasis. The core formula may exert anti-MAFLD effects mediated through multiple components, targets, and signaling pathways. This study establishes a theoretical foundation for the clinical application of TCM in the treatment of MAFLD, and serves as a reference for further exploration of new drugs against MAFLD.

Objective:To assess the cost-effectiveness of influenza vaccination among people aged 60 years and older in Shenzhen.Methods:A Markov state transition model was constructed to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of annual influenza vaccination for preventing influenza infection compared with no vaccination among the elderly from the social perspective. Allowing seasonal variation of influenza activity, the model followed a five-year cohort using weekly cycles. We employed once the Chinese gross domestic product (GDP) per capita in 2019 (70 892 yuan) as the willingness-to-pay (WTP) threshold and calculated the net monetary benefit (NMB) with costs and quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs) discounted at 5% annually. The impact of parameter uncertainty on the results was examined using one-way and probabilistic sensitivity analyses (PSA).Results:The base case amounted to approximately 35 yuan of cost-saving and a net gain of 0.007 QALYs. Correspondingly, the NMB was 529 yuan per vaccinated person. One-way sensitivity analyses showed that the NMB was relatively sensitive to changes in the attack rate of influenza and vaccine effectiveness. Based on the results of PSA with 1 000 Monte Carlo simulations, influenza vaccination had a probability of being cost-effective in 100% of the repetitions.Conclusions:The present study provides evidence that influenza vaccination is a cost-saving disease prevention strategy for people aged 60 years and older in Shenzhen.

Objective:To study the clinicopathological features, diagnosis, treatment and prognosis of patients with solid pseudopapillary neoplasm of the pancreas (SPN).Methods:From Jan 2008 to Dec 2017, 112 pathology confirmed SPN patients who underwent surgical treatment at the Fourth Hospital of Hebei Medical University were followed up. The clinicopathological characteristics and diagnosis were analyzed.Results:Most SPN patients were young women, the ratio of male to female is 1∶7. SPN patients have no typical clinical symptoms. The preoperative diagnostic accuracy of SPN was 57.14% with imaging examination. Pathological diagnosis depends mainly on immunohistochemical staining. All patients underwent surgical resection. Follow-up ranged from 4 to 123 months. The mean follow-up time was 49 months. All patients were doing well and no recurrence or metastasis was found.Conclusions:SPN is a rare tumor with low malignant potential. Surgical resection is effective.

Objective:To report the genetic and clinical features of sorbitol dehydrogenase (SORD) gene-related Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease (CMT) in Chinese population.Methods:Fifty-seven undiagnosed sporadic or autosomal recessive (AR) inherited CMT2 families were collected from the Department of Neurology of the Third Xiangya Hospital from 2009 through 2018 .Polymerase chain reaction combined with Sanger sequencing were used to detect the mutations of SORD gene, and the relative clinical features were summarized. Results:The homozygous SORD gene hot spot mutation c.757delG (p. Ala253GlnfsTer27) was detected in four sporadic patients, accounting for about 7% of the total. Two patients with CMT2 phenotype were characterized by progressive lower limb weakness and atrophy with electromyogram changes of axonal degeneration in both motor and sensory nerves. Two patients with distal hereditary motor neuropathy (dHMN) phenotype exhibited progressive lower limb weakness and atrophy with electromyogram changes of axonal degeneration in motor nerves only. The age of onset was between five and 16 years, and the CMT neuropathy score was 2-9.Conclusions:The homozygous hot spot mutation of SORD gene (c.757delG, p.Ala253GlnfsTer27), and related childhood or adolescence onset, mildly affected CMT2/dHMN phenotypes are firstly reported in Chinese population. SORD gene-related CMT might be the most common subtype of AR-CMT2.

Objective:To understand the epidemiological characteristics of cases with severe and fatal hand, foot, and mouth disease (HFMD) caused by other enterovirus in Hebei province, 2013-2017. Genetic characteristics of the main pathogen cosackie virus A6 (CoxA6) were also analyzed to further clarifying the characteristics and rules of genetic evolution on this virus.Methods:Descriptive epidemiological methods were used to analyze the distribution of severe and fatal cases with HFMD caused by other enterovirus in Hebei, 2013-2017. The VP1 sequences of CoxA6 were phylogenetically analyzed, using the Mega 5.2 software package.Results:A total of 86 severe and fatal cases with HFMD caused by other enterovirus were reported, accounting for 1.12%, comparing to all the HFMD caused by other enterovirus. Cases began to rise in April, and peaked in May-July. 65.12% of the cases occurred in children between 1 and 5 years old. The sex ratio between male and female was 1.39∶1. A total of 93.02% of the cases were children outside the child care settings. A total of 39 positive strains were identified, with positive isolation rate as 45.35%. Phylogenetic analysis on the VP1 sequences of CoxA6 strains in this study revealed that CoxA6 strains belonged to sub-genotypes D3a and D3b.Conclusions:Severe and fatal HFMD cases that caused by other enterovirus in Hebei province was with seasonal feature, consistent with the overall trend of this disease, 2013-2017. No new evolutionary branch appeared in the CoxA6 strain.

Objectives:This study aimed to evaluate the effect of the strategies on COVID-19 outbreak control in Shenzhen, and to clarify the feasibility of these strategies in metropolitans that have high population density and strong mobility.Methods:The epidemic feature of COVID-19 was described by different phases and was used to observe the effectiveness of intervention. Hierarchical spot map was drawn to clarify the distribution and transmission risk of infection sources at different time points. The Susceptible-Exposed-Infectious-Asymptomatic-Recovered model was established to estimate case numbers without intervention and compare with the actual number of cases to determine the effect of intervention. The positive rate of the nucleic acid test was used to reflect the risk of human exposure. A survey on COVID-19 related knowledge, attitude and behaviors were used to estimate the abilities of personal protection and emergency response.Results:The epidemic of COVID-19 in Shenzhen experienced the rising, plateau and decline stage. The case number increased rapidly at the beginning, with short duration of peak period. Although the epidemic curve showed human-to-human transmission, the "trailing" was not obvious. From the spot map, during the intervention period, the source of infection was widely distributed. More cases and higher transmission risk were observed in areas with higher population density. After the effective intervention measures, both infection sources and the risk of transmission decreased. After compared with the estimated case numbers without intervention, actual number proved the COVID-19 control strategies were effective. The positive rate of nucleic acid test for high risk populations decreased and no new cases reported since February 16. Shenzhen citizens had high knowledge, attitude and behavior level, and high protection ability and emergency response.Conclusions:Although the response initiated by the health administration department played a key role at the early stage of the epidemic, it was not enough to contain the outbreak of COVID-19. The first-level emergency response initiated by provincial and municipal government was effective and ensured the start of work resumption after the Spring Festival. Metropolitans like Shenzhen can also achieve the goals of strategies and measures for containment and mitigation of COVID-19.