ObjectiveTo analyze the epidemiological characteristics of a local dengue fever cluster outbreak in Qingpu District of Shanghai in 2024, and to provide a reference for subsequent dengue fever prevention and control. MethodsSeven confirmed local dengue fever cases reported through the National Notifiable Infectious Diseases Surveillance System in Qingpu District of Shanghai in 2024 were selected as the research subjects. Descriptive epidemiological methods were used to conduct investigation and analysis from the aspects of onset, medical treatment and reporting, clinical symptoms, travel and contact history within 15 days before onset, and activity trajectories. ResultsA total of 7 cases were identified in this outbreak. None of the cases had a travel history to dengue-endemic areas within 15 days prior to onset, while all had shared exposure environments and mosquito bite histories, indicating a local clustered transmission pattern. The main clinical manifestations included fever (100.00%) and myalgia (42.86%). All 7 cases were positive for dengue virus serotype 2 (DENV-2) by nucleic acid testing. Genetic sequencing showed that the virus strains belonged to the Cosmopolitan genotype and were most closely related to the epidemic DENV strains circulating in southern China in recent years. ConclusionThis outbreak might be a local secondary infection caused by the short-term stay of dengue fever-infected individuals, and the possible source of importation was dengue fever endemic areas in southern China.

Depression (Dep) is one of the most common concomitant symptoms of Parkinson's disease (PD), but there is a lack of detailed pathologic evidence for the occurrence of PD-Dep. Currently, the management of symptoms from both conditions using conventional pharmacological interventions remains a formidable task. In this study, we found impaired activation of extracellular signal-related kinase (ERK), reduced levels of transcription and translation, and decreased expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) of PD-Dep rats. We demonstrated that the abnormal phosphorylation of α-synuclein (pS129) induced tropomyosin-related kinase receptor type B (TrkB) retention at the neuronal cell membrane, leading to BDNF/TrkB signaling dysfunction. We chose SEW2871 as an ameliorator to upregulate ERK phosphorylation. The results showed that PD-Dep rats exhibited improvement in behavioral manifestations of PD and depression. In addition, a reduction in pS129 was accompanied by a restoration of the function of the BDNF/ERK signaling loop in the mPFC of PD-Dep rats.
Animals ; Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor/metabolism* ; alpha-Synuclein/metabolism* ; Male ; Prefrontal Cortex/drug effects* ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Depression/metabolism* ; MAP Kinase Signaling System/drug effects* ; Rats ; Parkinson Disease/metabolism* ; Receptor, trkB/metabolism* ; Phosphorylation ; Disease Models, Animal ; Signal Transduction

Objective:To investigate the clinical manifestations, gene mutation characteristics, imaging and video electroencephalogram (VEEG) characteristics of patients with dentatorubral-pallidoluysian atrophy (DRPLA).Methods:The clinical data of 9 patients with genetically diagnosed DRPLA in the Neurology Center, Beijing Tiantan Hospital, Capital Medical University from January 2018 to January 2023 were collected, and the clinical data of DRPLA patients reported in China were retrieved and summarized.Results:A total of 45 cases were included. The clinical characteristics were summarized as follows: (1) The male to female ratio of 45 patients was 1.00∶1.25, and the age of onset was (28.11±14.58) years. (2) The main clinical symptoms of juvenile type, early-onset adult type and late-onset adult type were analyzed, and the results showed that the frequency of seizures in juvenile type (16/17) was higher than that in early-onset adult type (8/21) and late-onset adult type (2/7), with statistically significant difference (χ 2=15.971, P<0.001). In addition, the frequency of cognitive impairment in juvenile type (16/17) was also higher than that in early-onset adult type (15/21) and late-onset adult type (2/7), also with statistically significant difference (χ 2=10.177, P=0.005). Cognitive impairment, language disorder and involuntary movement were common in early-onset adult patients, and about half of the patients had ataxia. Ataxia and language disorder were more common in late-onset adult patients, while seizures and cognitive impairment were rare. (3) In imaging, cerebellum and brainstem atrophy was the most common, followed by cortical atrophy and white matter lesions. (4) The number of trinucleotide (CAG) repeats was 53-79, and there was a significant negative correlation between the number of CAG repeats and the age of onset ( r=-0.765, P<0.001), that means the younger the age of onset, the higher the number of CAG repeats. (5) In terms of electrophysiology, 21 patients provided complete VEEG data, of which slowed activity (52%, 11/21) and generalized discharge (71%, 15/21) were more common, and focal discharge (33%, 7/21) was uncommon. Conclusions:DRPLA patients can present with epilepsy, cerebellar ataxia, and other clinical manifestations. Brainstem and cerebellar atrophy and white matter lesions can be relatively characteristic in imaging. In terms of electrophysiology, slowed activity and generalized discharge are more common. DRPLA patients are easy to be misdiagnosed in clinical practice and genetic confirmation helps confirm the diagnosis.

Objective:To explore the diagnostic value of a clinical-radiomics model based on the T 1 mapping and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC)-based radiomics, and the clinical indicator for renal fibrosis (RF) caused by chronic kidney disease (CKD). Methods:This cross-sectional study prospectively and consecutively enrolled 122 patients with CKD at the Second Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University from September 2021 to December 2023 who were randomly allocated to a training set ( n=85) or a validation set ( n=37) in an approximate 7∶3 ratio using simple random sampling. Patients underwent T 1 mapping and diffusion-weighted imaging scans. Renal biopsy was performed within 3 days after the MRI scans. Patients were categorized into three groups based on the degree of RF: no RF ( n=25), mild RF ( n=55), and moderate to severe RF ( n=42). To differentiate the presence of RF (no RF vs. any RF) and the severity of RF (mild RF vs. moderate to severe RF), univariate and multivariate logistic regression were used to optimize the independent clinical predictor, which constituted the clinical model. Radiomics features were extracted from regions of interest delineated within the renal parenchyma of the right kidney on T 1 mapping and ADC maps. Features were selected using least absolute shrinkage and selection operator regression to build the radiomics model. A clinical-radiomics model was subsequently constructed by integrating the independent clinical predictors with the selected radiomics features. Model diagnostic performance was evaluated using the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC). Calibration curve was plotted to assess model calibration, and decision curve analysis was performed to evaluate clinical net benefit. Results:Univariate logistic regression analysis revealed that estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), serum creatinine, and blood urea nitrogen exhibited statistically significant differences ( P0.05) in distinguishing both the presence and severity of RF. Multivariate analysis identified eGFR as an independent clinical predictor for both the presence of RF ( OR=0.939, 95% CI 0.898-0.982, P=0.006) and RF severity ( OR=0.956, 95% CI 0.917-0.997, P=0.037). From the MRI images, 7 radiomics features were selected to build the radiomics model for distinguishing the presence of RF, and 8 features were selected for the model assessing RF severity. These radiomics models were then combined with eGFR to construct the clinical-radiomics models. The clinical-radiomics models demonstrated the highest diagnostic performance, with an AUC of 0.935 (95% CI 0.859-0.977) for RF presence and 0.967 (95% CI 0.891-0.995) for RF severity in the training set, and 0.914 (95% CI 0.774-0.981) and 0.908 (95% CI 0.748-0.981) in the validation set. Calibration curves and decision curve analysis confirmed that the clinical-radiomics models exhibited excellent calibration and provided the highest clinical net benefit for assessing RF in CKD patients. Conclusion:The clinical-radiomics model integrating T 1 mapping and ADC-based radiomics and eGFR can effectively improve the diagnostic performance for RF in CKD patients.

ObjectiveTo understand the status of parasitic infection in the food sold on market in Qingpu District of Shanghai, and to provide an evidence for the development of prevention and control strategies for parasitic infection applicable to Qingpu District. MethodsAquatic products, meat products and other foodstuffs sold on online shops, at farm product markets, supermarkets/foodstores and restaurants were sampled in Qingpu District, Shanghai, during 2015‒2023, based on the administrative division of Qingpu District. The parasitic infection in the food samples were examined using pressing method and digestion for detecting metacercariae in freshwater products and pickled products, using dissection microscopy for Anisakis larvae in seawater products, Taenia cysticercus and Trichinella encysted larvae in meat products. ResultsA total of 1 079 samples of food products were examined during 2015‒2023, with a total parasite infection rate of 13.44%. The total parasite infection rate of freshwater fish products was 3.40% (16/471), and the difference of parasite infection rates between different freshwater fish species was statistically significant (χ²=229.609, P=0.001). The total infection rate of Clonorchis sinensis was 3.18% (15/471), which had been detected in Pseudorasbora parva, Cyprinidae rhodeus, and Carassius auratus, with a positive rate of 77.78% (7/9), 50.00% (5/10) and 3.90% (3/77), respectively. Metorchis orientalis was detected in in Pseudorasbora parva, with a positive rate of 33.33% (3/9). The positive rate of Gnathostoma spinigerum (third-stage larvae) was 0.81%. Paragonimus metacercariae were not detected in the freshwater shrimps and crabs. The infection rate of seawater fish products was 26.46%. The difference of parasite infection rate in seawater fishes was statistically significant (χ²=109.181, P=0.001). A total of 53 pork and beef samples were tested, none was detected with Trichinella larva cysts, Taenia solium metacercariae, and Taenia saginata metacercariae. The total infection rate of pickled yellow mud snail products was 58.11% (43/74). Paragonimus metacercariae was not detected in any of the pickled aquatic product samples. ConclusionThere are different degrees of parasitic infection in freshwater products, seawater products and pickled aquatic products in Qingpu District of Shanghai. The risk of parasite infection from raw or undercooked foods is high. Health education on healthy dietary practices such as throughly cooked food should be strengthened for local residents.

BACKGROUND: Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) presents a significant health burden in Asia and remains a critical challenge. This study aims to delineate the PAH burden in Asia from 1990 to 2021. METHODS: Using the latest data from the Global Burden of Disease 2021, we evaluated and analyzed the distributions and patterns of PAH disease burden among various age groups, sexes, regions, and countries in Asia. Additionally, we examined the associations between PAH disease burden and key health system indicators, including the socio-demographic index (SDI) and the universal health coverage (UHC) index. RESULTS: In 2021, there were 25,989 new PAH cases, 103,382 existing cases, 13,909 PAH-associated deaths, and 385,755 DALYs attributed to PAH in Asia, which accounted for approximately 60% of global PAH cases. The age-standardized rates (ASRs) for prevalence and deaths were 2.05 (95% uncertainty interval [UI]: 1.66-2.52) per 100,000 population and 0.31 (95% UI: 0.23-0.38) per 100,000 population, respectively. From 1990 to 2021, Asia reported the lowest ASRs for PAH prevalence but the highest ASRs for deaths compared to other continents. While the ASRs for prevalence increased slightly, ASRs for mortality and DALYs decreased over time. This increasing burden of PAH was primarily driven by population growth and aging. The burden was especially pronounced among individuals aged ≥60 years and <9 years, who collectively accounted for the majority of deaths and DALYs. Moreover, higher SDI and UHC levels were linked to reduced incidence, but higher prevalence rates. CONCLUSIONS Although progress has been made in reducing PAH-related mortality and DALYs, the disease continues to impose a substantial burden in Asia, particularly among older adults and young children. Region-specific health policies should focus on improving early diagnosis, expanding access to treatment, and effectively addressing the growing PAH burden in the region.
Humans ; Global Burden of Disease ; Male ; Female ; Middle Aged ; Adult ; Asia/epidemiology* ; Prevalence ; Aged ; Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension/mortality* ; Adolescent ; Young Adult ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Infant ; Hypertension, Pulmonary/epidemiology*

Objective:To explore the clinical application value of a combined model based on the radiomics features of magnetic resonance imaging(MRI)and MRI signs in predicting recurrence after radical resection for hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC).Methods:A retrospective analysis was conducted on the imaging data of 100 patients with radical resection for HCC who admitted to Zibo 148 Hospital from May 2016 to May 2020.All patients underwent abdominal enhanced MRI examination before surgery,and they were followed up for at least 2 years after the surgery.They were randomly divided into training group(70 cases)and verification group(30 cases)as a ratio of 7:3.According to the postoperative follow-up results,the training group existed 12 cases of recurrence and 58 cases without recurrence,and the verification group existed 5 cases of recurrence and 25 cases without recurrence.The 3D-slicer software was used to extract radiomics features of preoperative MRI images of each HCC patient.The intra-group correlation coefficient(ICC)of the extracted imaging features of the observers was calculated.The maximum related minimum redundancy(mRMR)algorithm and LASSO regression were selected to analyze the established radiomics labels after dimensionality reduction and screening.Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis were used to screen the independent risk factors of predicting recurrence in MRI signs,and they were used respectively to construct radiomics models with the radiomics labels of plain scan,arterial phase,portal phase and hepatobiliary phase.The receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve was used to assess the diagnostic efficacy of each radiomics model in predicting recurrence.Results:The ICC range of two physicians in selecting radiomics features from the MRI images of all patients were between 0.903 and 0.957,which consistency was favorable(ICC≥0.9).Compared with other predictive models,the highest area under curve(AUC)values of ROC curve of the radiomics model of plain scan of training group[0.951(95%CI:0.901-1.000)]and verification group[0.968(95%CI:0.917-1.000)]were respectively 0.951 and 0.968 in predicting recurrence after radical resection for liver cancer.Conclusion:The combined model that is constructed on the basis of MRI radiomics features has favorable predictive value for the recurrence of patients after radical resection for HCC.Among of them,the radiomics model of plain scan has a certain guiding role in the clinical implementation of personalized treatment plans under the absence of enhancement,and in underdeveloped areas.

Objective:To investigate the clinical manifestations, gene mutation characteristics, imaging and video electroencephalogram (VEEG) characteristics of patients with dentatorubral-pallidoluysian atrophy (DRPLA).Methods:The clinical data of 9 patients with genetically diagnosed DRPLA in the Neurology Center, Beijing Tiantan Hospital, Capital Medical University from January 2018 to January 2023 were collected, and the clinical data of DRPLA patients reported in China were retrieved and summarized.Results:A total of 45 cases were included. The clinical characteristics were summarized as follows: (1) The male to female ratio of 45 patients was 1.00∶1.25, and the age of onset was (28.11±14.58) years. (2) The main clinical symptoms of juvenile type, early-onset adult type and late-onset adult type were analyzed, and the results showed that the frequency of seizures in juvenile type (16/17) was higher than that in early-onset adult type (8/21) and late-onset adult type (2/7), with statistically significant difference (χ 2=15.971, P<0.001). In addition, the frequency of cognitive impairment in juvenile type (16/17) was also higher than that in early-onset adult type (15/21) and late-onset adult type (2/7), also with statistically significant difference (χ 2=10.177, P=0.005). Cognitive impairment, language disorder and involuntary movement were common in early-onset adult patients, and about half of the patients had ataxia. Ataxia and language disorder were more common in late-onset adult patients, while seizures and cognitive impairment were rare. (3) In imaging, cerebellum and brainstem atrophy was the most common, followed by cortical atrophy and white matter lesions. (4) The number of trinucleotide (CAG) repeats was 53-79, and there was a significant negative correlation between the number of CAG repeats and the age of onset ( r=-0.765, P<0.001), that means the younger the age of onset, the higher the number of CAG repeats. (5) In terms of electrophysiology, 21 patients provided complete VEEG data, of which slowed activity (52%, 11/21) and generalized discharge (71%, 15/21) were more common, and focal discharge (33%, 7/21) was uncommon. Conclusions:DRPLA patients can present with epilepsy, cerebellar ataxia, and other clinical manifestations. Brainstem and cerebellar atrophy and white matter lesions can be relatively characteristic in imaging. In terms of electrophysiology, slowed activity and generalized discharge are more common. DRPLA patients are easy to be misdiagnosed in clinical practice and genetic confirmation helps confirm the diagnosis.

Objective:To explore the diagnostic value of a clinical-radiomics model based on the T 1 mapping and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC)-based radiomics, and the clinical indicator for renal fibrosis (RF) caused by chronic kidney disease (CKD). Methods:This cross-sectional study prospectively and consecutively enrolled 122 patients with CKD at the Second Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University from September 2021 to December 2023 who were randomly allocated to a training set ( n=85) or a validation set ( n=37) in an approximate 7∶3 ratio using simple random sampling. Patients underwent T 1 mapping and diffusion-weighted imaging scans. Renal biopsy was performed within 3 days after the MRI scans. Patients were categorized into three groups based on the degree of RF: no RF ( n=25), mild RF ( n=55), and moderate to severe RF ( n=42). To differentiate the presence of RF (no RF vs. any RF) and the severity of RF (mild RF vs. moderate to severe RF), univariate and multivariate logistic regression were used to optimize the independent clinical predictor, which constituted the clinical model. Radiomics features were extracted from regions of interest delineated within the renal parenchyma of the right kidney on T 1 mapping and ADC maps. Features were selected using least absolute shrinkage and selection operator regression to build the radiomics model. A clinical-radiomics model was subsequently constructed by integrating the independent clinical predictors with the selected radiomics features. Model diagnostic performance was evaluated using the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC). Calibration curve was plotted to assess model calibration, and decision curve analysis was performed to evaluate clinical net benefit. Results:Univariate logistic regression analysis revealed that estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), serum creatinine, and blood urea nitrogen exhibited statistically significant differences ( P0.05) in distinguishing both the presence and severity of RF. Multivariate analysis identified eGFR as an independent clinical predictor for both the presence of RF ( OR=0.939, 95% CI 0.898-0.982, P=0.006) and RF severity ( OR=0.956, 95% CI 0.917-0.997, P=0.037). From the MRI images, 7 radiomics features were selected to build the radiomics model for distinguishing the presence of RF, and 8 features were selected for the model assessing RF severity. These radiomics models were then combined with eGFR to construct the clinical-radiomics models. The clinical-radiomics models demonstrated the highest diagnostic performance, with an AUC of 0.935 (95% CI 0.859-0.977) for RF presence and 0.967 (95% CI 0.891-0.995) for RF severity in the training set, and 0.914 (95% CI 0.774-0.981) and 0.908 (95% CI 0.748-0.981) in the validation set. Calibration curves and decision curve analysis confirmed that the clinical-radiomics models exhibited excellent calibration and provided the highest clinical net benefit for assessing RF in CKD patients. Conclusion:The clinical-radiomics model integrating T 1 mapping and ADC-based radiomics and eGFR can effectively improve the diagnostic performance for RF in CKD patients.

Objective:To explore the clinical application value of a combined model based on the radiomics features of magnetic resonance imaging(MRI)and MRI signs in predicting recurrence after radical resection for hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC).Methods:A retrospective analysis was conducted on the imaging data of 100 patients with radical resection for HCC who admitted to Zibo 148 Hospital from May 2016 to May 2020.All patients underwent abdominal enhanced MRI examination before surgery,and they were followed up for at least 2 years after the surgery.They were randomly divided into training group(70 cases)and verification group(30 cases)as a ratio of 7:3.According to the postoperative follow-up results,the training group existed 12 cases of recurrence and 58 cases without recurrence,and the verification group existed 5 cases of recurrence and 25 cases without recurrence.The 3D-slicer software was used to extract radiomics features of preoperative MRI images of each HCC patient.The intra-group correlation coefficient(ICC)of the extracted imaging features of the observers was calculated.The maximum related minimum redundancy(mRMR)algorithm and LASSO regression were selected to analyze the established radiomics labels after dimensionality reduction and screening.Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis were used to screen the independent risk factors of predicting recurrence in MRI signs,and they were used respectively to construct radiomics models with the radiomics labels of plain scan,arterial phase,portal phase and hepatobiliary phase.The receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve was used to assess the diagnostic efficacy of each radiomics model in predicting recurrence.Results:The ICC range of two physicians in selecting radiomics features from the MRI images of all patients were between 0.903 and 0.957,which consistency was favorable(ICC≥0.9).Compared with other predictive models,the highest area under curve(AUC)values of ROC curve of the radiomics model of plain scan of training group[0.951(95%CI:0.901-1.000)]and verification group[0.968(95%CI:0.917-1.000)]were respectively 0.951 and 0.968 in predicting recurrence after radical resection for liver cancer.Conclusion:The combined model that is constructed on the basis of MRI radiomics features has favorable predictive value for the recurrence of patients after radical resection for HCC.Among of them,the radiomics model of plain scan has a certain guiding role in the clinical implementation of personalized treatment plans under the absence of enhancement,and in underdeveloped areas.