Metachromatic leukodystrophy (MLD) is an inherited disease caused by a deficiency of the enzyme arylsulfatase A (ARSA). Lentivirus-modified autologous hematopoietic stem cell gene therapy (HSCGT) has recently been approved for clinical use in pre and early symptomatic children with MLD to increase ARSA activity. Unfortunately, this advanced therapy is not available for most patients with MLD who have progressed to more advanced symptomatic stages at diagnosis. Patients with late-onset juvenile MLD typically present with a slower neurological progression of symptoms and represent a significant burden to the economy and healthcare system, whereas those with early onset infantile MLD die within a few years of symptom onset. We conducted a pilot study to determine the safety and benefit of HSCGT in patients with postsymptomatic juvenile MLD and report preliminary results. The safety profile of HSCGT was favorable in this long-term follow-up over 9 years. The most common adverse events (AEs) within 2 months of HSCGT were related to busulfan conditioning, and all AEs resolved. No HSCGT-related AEs and no evidence of distorted hematopoietic differentiation during long-term follow-up for up to 9.6 years. Importantly, to date, patients have maintained remarkably improved ARSA activity with a stable disease state, including increased Functional Independence Measure (FIM) score and decreased magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) lesion score. This long-term follow-up pilot study suggests that HSCGT is safe and provides clinical benefit to patients with postsymptomatic juvenile MLD.
Humans ; Leukodystrophy, Metachromatic/genetics* ; Pilot Projects ; Genetic Therapy/methods* ; Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation ; Male ; Follow-Up Studies ; Female ; Lentivirus/genetics* ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Hematopoietic Stem Cells/metabolism* ; Cerebroside-Sulfatase/metabolism* ; Adolescent

OBJECTIVE: To observe the characteristics of changes in non-invasive hemodynamic parameters in neonates with septic shock so as to provide clinical reference for diagnosis and treatment. METHODS: A observational study was conducted. The neonates with sepsis complicated with septic shock or not admitted to neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) of the First Affiliated Hospital of Shantou University Medical College were enrolled as the study subjects, who were divided into preterm infant (< 37 weeks) and full-term infant (≥ 37 weeks) according to the gestational age. Healthy full-term infants and hemodynamically stable preterm infants transferring to NICU after birth were enrolled as controls. Electronic cardiometry (EC) was used to measure hemodynamic parameters, including heart rate (HR), mean arterial pressure (MAP), stroke volume (SV), stroke volume index (SVI), cardiac output (CO), cardiac index (CI), systemic vascular resistance (SVR) and systemic vascular resistance index (SVRI), before treatment in the septic shock group, at the time of diagnosis of sepsis in the sepsis without shock group, and before the discharge from the obstetric department or on the day of transferring to NICU in the control group. RESULTS: Finally, 113 neonates with complete data and parental consent for non-invasive hemodynamic monitoring were enrolled, including 32 cases in the septic shock group, 25 cases in the sepsis without shock group and 56 cases in the control group. In the septic shock group, there were 17 cases at the compensated stage and 15 cases at the decompensated stage. There were 21 full-term infants (20 cured or improved and 1 died) and 11 premature infants (7 cured or improved and 4 died), with the mortality of 15.62% (5/32). There were 18 full-term infants and 7 premature infants in the sepsis without shock group and all cured or improved without death. The control group included 28 full-term infants and 28 premature infants transferring to NICU after birth. Non-invasive hemodynamic parameter analysis showed that SV, SVI, CO and CI of full-term infants in the septic shock group were significantly lower than those in the sepsis without shock group and control group [SV (mL): 3.52±0.99 vs. 5.79±1.32, 5.22±1.02, SVI (mL/m²): 16.80 (15.05, 19.65) vs. 27.00 (22.00, 32.00), 27.00 (23.00, 29.75), CO (L/min): 0.52±0.17 vs. 0.80±0.14, 0.72±0.12, CI (mL×s^-1×m^-2): 40.00 (36.67, 49.18) vs. 62.51 (56.34, 70.85), 60.01 (53.34, 69.68), all P < 0.05], while SVR and SVRI were significantly higher than those in the sepsis without shock group and control group [SVR (kPa×s×L^-1): 773.46±291.96 vs. 524.17±84.76, 549.38±72.36, SVRI (kPa×s×L^-1×m^-2): 149.27±51.76 vs. 108.12±12.66, 107.81±11.87, all P < 0.05]. MAP, SV, SVI, CO and CI of preterm infants in the septic shock group were significantly lower than those in the control group [MAP (mmHg, 1 mmHg ≈ 0.133 kPa): 38.55±10.48 vs. 47.46±2.85, SV (mL): 2.45 (1.36, 3.58) vs. 3.96 (3.56, 4.49), SVI (mL/m²): 17.60 (14.20, 25.00) vs. 25.50 (24.00, 29.00), CO (L/min): 0.32 (0.24, 0.63) vs. 0.56 (0.49, 0.63), CI (mL×s^-1×m^-2): 40.01 (33.34, 53.34) vs. 61.68 (56.68, 63.35), all P < 0.05], while SVR and SVRI were similar to the control group [SVR (kPa×s×L^-1): 1 082.88±689.39 vs. 656.63±118.83, SVRI (kPa×s×L^-1×m^-2): 126.00±61.50 vs. 102.37±11.68, both P > 0.05]. Further analysis showed that SV, SVI and CI of neonates at the compensation stage in the septic shock group were significantly lower than those in the control group [SV (mL): 3.60±1.29 vs. 4.73±1.15, SVI (mL/m²): 19.20±8.33 vs. 26.34±3.91, CI (mL×s^-1×m^-2): 46.51±20.34 vs. 61.01±7.67, all P < 0.05], while MAP, SVR and SVRI were significantly higher than those in the control group [MAP (mmHg): 52.06±8.61 vs. 48.54±3.21, SVR (kPa×s×L^-1): 874.95±318.70 vs. 603.01±111.49, SVRI (kPa×s×L^-1×m^-2): 165.07±54.90 vs. 105.09±11.99, all P < 0.05]; MAP, SV, SVI, CO and CI of neonates at the decompensated stage in the septic shock group were significantly lower than those in the control group [MAP (mmHg): 35.13±6.08 vs. 48.54±3.21, SV (mL): 2.89±1.17 vs. 4.73±1.15, SVI (mL/m²): 18.50±4.99 vs. 26.34±3.91, CO (L/min): 0.41±0.19 vs. 0.65±0.15, CI (mL×s^-1×m^-2): 43.34±14.17 vs. 61.01±7.67, all P < 0.05], while SVR and SVRI were similar to the control group [SVR (kPa×s×L^-1): 885.49±628.04 vs. 603.01±111.49, SVRI (kPa×s×L^-1×m^-2): 114.29±43.54 vs. 105.09±11.99, both P > 0.05]. CONCLUSIONS Full-term infant with septic shock exhibit a low cardiac output, high vascular resistance hemodynamic pattern, while preterm infant with septic shock show low cardiac output and normal vascular resistance. At the compensated stage the hemodynamic change is low output and high resistance type, while at the decompensated stage it is low output and normal resistance type. Non-invasive hemodynamic monitoring can assist in the identification of neonatal septic shock and provide basis for clinical diagnosis and treatment.
Humans ; Shock, Septic/physiopathology* ; Infant, Newborn ; Hemodynamics ; Female ; Male ; Case-Control Studies ; Infant, Premature

Background Air pollution exposure has a significant impact on maternal and child health. However, the research on the association between ambient ozone (O₃) exposure during pregnancy and the risk of premature birth in newborns is limited, and the conclusions are inconsistent. Objective To investigate the association of ambient O₃ exposure during pregnancy with the risk of preterm birth in Guangdong Province. Methods Data of pregnant women in Guangzhou from 2013 to 2019 and Foshan from 2018 to 2023 were collected, and O₃ concentrations during different trimesters were assessed according to maternal residential addresses. Bilinear interpolation was used to evaluate the concentrations of air pollution. A cohort study design was adopted in our study. Restricted cubic spline curves were used to evaluate the exposure-response relationship between O₃ exposure and preterm birth risk and explore potential exposure threshold of O₃. Logistic regression models were used to evaluate the association of O₃ exposure with preterm birth. Results A total of 702 924 pregnant women were included in this study, of whom 43 051 (6.12%) were preterm. The average O₃ exposure concentrations of pregnant women during the first, second, third, and whole trimesters were 95.51, 97.51, 100.60, and 97.87 μg·m⁻³, respectively. We observed J-shaped associations between O₃ exposure and preterm birth risk during the second, third, and whole trimesters of pregnancy using restricted cubic spline curves. This study found that there were threshold concentrations between O₃ exposure and preterm birth risk during different gestational periods, and the threshold concentrations in the first, second, third, and whole trimesters were 112.32, 99.83, 111.74, and 112.46 μg·m⁻³, respectively. During the second, third, and whole trimesters of pregnancy, after adjusting for maternal age, baby sex, pre-pregnancy body mass index, mode of delivery, baby birth weight, gestational diabetes, and gestational hypertension, the odds ratios (OR) of preterm birth were 1.02 (95%CI: 1.01, 1.04), 1.02 (95%CI: 1.00, 1.03), and 1.17 (95%CI: 1.13, 1.21) for each 10 μg·m⁻³ increase in O₃ concentration above the O₃ threshold. No significant association was found between O₃ exposure and the risk of preterm birth during the first trimester. Conclusion There is a nonlinear association between the risk of preterm birth and O₃ exposure during pregnancy, and higher concentrations of O₃ exposure during pregnancy are associated with the risk of preterm birth. Above the O₃ threshold concentration during pregnancy, especially during the second, third, and whole trimesters, the risk of preterm birth elevates with the increase of O₃ exposure concentrations.

BACKGROUND: Generalized pustular psoriasis (GPP), a rare and recurrent autoinflammatory disease, imposes a substantial burden on patients and society. Awareness of GPP in China remains limited. METHODS: This cross-sectional survey, conducted between September 2021 and May 2023 across 14 hospitals in China, included GPP patients of all ages and disease phases. Data collected encompassed demographics, clinical characteristics, economic impact, disease severity, quality of life, and treatment-related complications. Risk factors for GPP recurrence were analyzed. RESULTS: Among 127 patients (female/male ratio = 1.35:1), the mean age of disease onset was 25 years (1st quartile [Q1]-3rd quartile [Q3]: 11-44 years); 29.2% had experienced GPP for more than 10 years. Recurrence occurred in 75.6% of patients, and nearly half reported no identifiable triggers. Younger age at disease onset ( P  = 0.021) and transitioning to plaque psoriasis ( P  = 0.022) were associated with higher recurrence rates. The median diagnostic delay was 8 months (Q1-Q3: 2-41 months), and 32.3% of patients reported misdiagnoses. Comorbidities were present in 53.5% of patients, whereas 51.1% experienced systemic complications during treatment. Depression and anxiety affected 84.5% and 95.6% of patients, respectively. During GPP flares, the median Dermatology Life Quality Index score was 19.0 (Q1-Q3: 13.0-23.5). This score showed significant differences between patients with and without systemic symptoms; it demonstrated correlations with both depression and anxiety scores. Treatment costs caused financial hardship in 55.9% of patients, underscoring the burden associated with GPP. CONCLUSIONS The substantial disease and economic burdens among Chinese GPP patients warrant increased attention. Patients with early onset disease and those transitioning to plaque psoriasis require targeted interventions to mitigate the high recurrence risk.
Humans ; Male ; Female ; Psoriasis/pathology* ; Adult ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Adolescent ; Child ; Young Adult ; Quality of Life ; Middle Aged ; China/epidemiology* ; Recurrence ; Risk Factors ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; East Asian People

Ferroptosis has received great attention as an iron-dependent programmed cell death for efficient cancer therapy. However, with the accumulation of iron in tumor cells, the antioxidant system is activated by reducing glutathione (GSH) with glutathione peroxidase 4 (GPX4), which critically limits the ferroptosis therapeutic effect. Herein, an iron and GPX4 silencing siRNA (siGPX4) co-encapsulated ferritin nanocage (HFn@Fe/siGPX4) was developed to enhance ferroptosis by disruption of redox homeostasis and inhibition of antioxidant enzyme synergistically. The siGPX4 were loaded into the nanocages by pre-incubated with iron, which could significantly improve the loading efficiency of the gene drugs when compared with the reported gene drug loading strategy by ferritin nanocages. And more iron was overloaded into the ferritin through the diffusion method. When HFn@Fe/siGPX4 was taken up by human breast cancer cell MCF-7 in a TfR1-mediated pathway, the excess iron ions in the drug delivery system could for one thing induce ferroptosis by the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), for another promote siGPX4 escaping from the lysosome to exert gene silencing effect more effectively. Both the in vitro and in vivo results demonstrated that HFn@Fe/siGPX4 could significantly inhibit tumor growth by synergistical ferroptosis. Thus, the developed HFn@Fe/siGPX4 afforded a combined ferroptosis strategy for ferroptosis-based antitumor as well as a novel and efficient gene drug delivery system.

Pulmonary sarcomatoid carcinoma(PSC)is a group of rare non-small cell lung cancers that are highly aggressive,prone to metastasis and recurrence and have poor prognosis.They are usually diagnosed at an advanced stage,when surgery is no longer an option,and are unresponsive to radiotherapy and chemo-therapy.The research found that PSC's programmed death receptor-1/programmed death receptor-ligand 1 was highly expressed and most of them had genetic mutations.Chinese medicines are widely used in clinical treatment for various malignant tumors due to their multi-targeting characteristics,low side effects,and good efficacy,demonstrating significant anti-tumor effects.Given the breakthrough success of immunotherapy and targeted therapy in recent years,the article promises to provide new ideas and targets for treating this highly malignant disease with a poor prognosis.

Objective To investigate the effect of body position angle on gastric insufflation during the induction of general anesthesia in pediatric patients undergoing day surgery.Methods A total of 111 children scheduled for elective tracheal intubation under general anesthesia at the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University from December 2022 to March 2023 were selected as study subjects.Six children were ex-cluded due to unclear sonographic visualization of the gastric antrum,resulting in 105 children ultimately in-cluded in the study.The children were divided into three groups using a random number table method:Group D0(supine position),Group D5(5° head-up position),and Group D10(10° head-up position),with 35 children in each group.The presence of a"comet-tail artifact"on ultrasound was used as the criterion for determining gastric insufflation during anesthesia induction.The gastric antrum cross-sectional area(CSA)of the gastric antrum was measured before mask ventilation after loss of consciousness(T1)and immediately after tracheal intubation following mask ventilation(T2).The incidence of gastric insufflation,changes in CSA and their differences,and vital sign changes at T1 and T2,were compared among the three groups.Results Compared with Group D0,the incidence of gastric insufflation was significantly lower in Groups D5 and D10[25.7％(9/35)vs.20.0％(7/35)vs.54.0％(19/35)],and the difference was statistically significant(P＜0.05).Howev-er,there was no significant difference between Group D5 and Group D10(P＞0.05).No significant difference was observed in CSA at T1 among the three groups(P＞0.05).At T2,a statistically significant difference in CSA was found among the three groups(P＜0.05),with Group D10 showing a smaller CSA than Group D0(P＜0.05).The difference in CSA changes was statistically significant among the three groups(P＜0.05),with Groups D5 and D10 exhibiting smaller changes than Group D0,and Group D10 showing a smaller change than Group D5(P＜0.05).No significant differences were observed in mean artery pressure(MAP),heart rate,pulse oxygen saturation(SpO2)and pressure of end-tidal carbon dioxide(PETCO2)at T1 and T2 among the three groups(P＞0.05).A total of 6 children(5.7％)required brief adjustments in jaw support due to irregular PETCO2 waveforms or abnormal peak airway pressure.Conclusion In pediatric patients undergoing day sur-gery under general anesthesia,a 5° head-up position during induction significantly reduces the incidence of gas-tric insufflation and minimizes changes in gastric antral CSA,while a 10° head-up position does not provide ad-ditional benefits.

Objective To develop a health-promoting lifestyle scale for women with polycystic ovary syndrome(PCOS),and to test its reliability and validity,and preliminarily apply it.Methods Based on the Pender health promotion model,the item pool of the scale was constructed through literature research,semi-structured interviews and group discussions.After 2 rounds of Delphi expert consultation and pre-survey,the initial scale was formed.From April to July 2022,316 patients with PCOS in the health management center,reproductive medicine center and endocrinology department of a tertiary hospital in Nanjing were selected for item analysis,exploratory factor analysis and reliability test,respectively.From August to October 2022,358 PCOS patients were selected for confirmatory factor analysis.From November 2022 to February 2013,294 PCOS patients were selected,and the scale was used to investigate the status of health-promoting lifestyle in PCOS patients.Results The health-promoting lifestyle scale for PCOS patients included 5 dimensions and 33 items.The total content validity index of the scale was 0.942,and the content validity index of each item was 0.810-1.000.5 common factors were extracted by 2 exploratory factor analyses,and the cumulative variance contribution rate was 62.399％.Confirmatory factor analysis showed that the model fit was good.The Cronbach's a coefficient of the total scale was 0.930;the split-half reliability was 0.842;the test-retest reliability was 0.888.The preliminary application results showed that the total score of health-promoting lifestyle in PCOS patients was(96.925±14.273),and the average score of items was(2.937±0.433),which was at a medium level.Conclusion The health-promoting lifestyle scale for PCOS patients has good reliability and validity,which can be used as a tool for medical staff to assess the level of health-promoting lifestyle of PCOS patients,and can help nurses to quickly identify the level and dimensions of health-promoting lifestyle of patients,so as to formulate individualized precise health management plans.

Objective To investigate the expression of lncRNA SNHG8 in placenta accrete(PA)and its effect on trophoblast invasion and migration.Methods qRT-PCR was used to detect the expression of lncRNA SNHG8 in placenta tissue of 30 cases in PA group and 30 cases in control group,and the correlation between lncRNA SNHG8 expression and prenatal ultrasound score of 30 cases in PA group was analyzed.Transwell and scratch assay were used to detect the effect of lncRNA SNHG8 interference on the invasion and migration of human chorionic trophoblast cells(HTR8/SVneo cells),and western blot was used to detect the expression of MMP-2 and MMP-9.The downstream targets of lncRNA SNHG8 were predicted by StarBase software,and the expression of lncRNA SNHG8 was detected in placental tissues of the two groups.Dual luciferase reporter assay was used to detect the targeting relationship between lncRNA SNHG8 and miR-542-3p.Results Compared with that of the control group,the expression of lncRNA SNHG8 was up-regulated in the placenta tissue of the PA group(P<0.05),and it was positively correlated with prenatal ultrasound score.Interference with lncRNA SNHG8 inhibited the invasion and migration of trophoblast cells(P<0.05);the protein expression of MMP-9 and MMP-2 also decreased signifi-cantly(P<0.05).Biological prediction indicates that miR-542-3p had a binding site with lncRNA SNHG8,and miR-542-3p expression was down-regulated in PA placental tissue(P<0.05).Dual luciferase reporter assay confirmed that lncRNA SNHG8 could target miR-542-3p.Compared with si-SNHG8+inhibitor-NC,co-transfection of si-SNHG8 and miR-542-3p inhibitor enhanced the invasion and migration ability of trophoblast cells(P<0.05).Conclusion lncRNA SNHG8 is highly expressed in PA and is related to the severity of PA.LncRNA SNHG8 promotes the invasion and migration of trophoblast by regulating the level of miR-542-3p.The study suggests that lncRNA SNHG8 plays an important role in the invasion and migration of PA trophoblast cells,which is expected to be a clinical diagnostic biomarker and therapeutic target.

Objective:To explore the clinical features and genetic etiology of a child with Baraitser-Winter syndrome (BWS).Methods:A BWS child who had sought medical attention at the Linyi People′s Hospital on April 8, 2022 was selected as the study subject. Clinical data of the child was collected, and peripheral blood samples were obtained from the child and his parents. Whole exome sequencing (WES) was carried out, and candidate variant was verified by Sanger sequencing and bioinformatic analysis.Results:The child, a 5-year-and-6-month-old male, had typical clinical features of BWS including congenital non-myogenic ptosis, arched eyebrows, wide philtrum, and pointed chin. Neurological symptoms included microcephaly, developmental delay, epilepsy, and deafness. Cranial MRI revealed enlarged frontal lobes, decreased white matter, and hydrocephalus. WES has identified a heterozygous c. 430G>A (p.Asn144Tyr) missense variant in the ACTG1 gene. Sanger sequencing confirmed that neither of his parents has carried the same variant. Based on the guidelines from the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics (ACMG), the variant was classified as likely pathogenic (PS2+ PM2_Supporting+ PP3_Moderate+ PP4). Conclusion:The heterozygous c. 430G>A (p.Asn144Tyr) missense variant of the ACTG1 gene probably underlay the pathogenesis of BWS in this child. Above finding has enriched the mutation spectrum of BWS-related genes and provided a basis for clinical diagnosis and genetic counseling.