Objective:To investigate the value of diameter of pulmonary nodules,radiological indicators,serum tumor markers(CEA,CYFRA21-1,and SCC),and methylation of HOXA7 and SOX17 in circulating tumor DNA(ctDNA)in the early diagnosis of lung can-cer.Methods:A total of 60 patients with malignant pulmonary nodules and 60 patients with benign pulmonary nodules who were admit-ted to our hospital from September 2021 to December 2022 were enrolled as lung cancer group and benign nodule group,respectively,and 80 healthy individuals who underwent physical examination in our hospital during the same period of time were enrolled as control group.The three groups were compared in terms of the diameter of nodules,spiculation sign,levels of serum tumor markers,and meth-ylation rates of HOXA7 and SOX17 in plasma ctDNA,and a multivariate regression analysis was performed to identify the independent risk factors for carcinogenesis and establish a predictive model.The receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve was used to evaluate the diagnostic performance of the model.Results:Compared with the benign nodule group and the control group,the lung cancer group had significantly higher diameter of pulmonary nodules,proportion of patients with spiculation sign,CEA,ProGRP,CYFRA21-1,and methylation rates of serum HOXA7,and SOX17,and the lung can-cer group had a significantly higher level of SCC than the control group(all P<0.05).The diameter of pulmonary nodules,spiculation sign,and methylation rates of HOXA7 and SOX17 in serum ctDNA were independent risk factors for malignant pulmonary nodules(P<0.05),and a predictive model was established as Y=ex/(1+ex),where x=-7.233+(0.108×nodule diameter)+(3.860×spiculation sign)+(0.021×HOXA7 methylation rate)+(0.043×SOX17 methylation rate).The predictive model had an area under the ROC curve(AUC)of 0.981,with a significantly larger AUC than each indicator alone and the Mayo and LCBP models(P<0.05).Conclusion:The diameter of pulmonary nodules,spiculation sign,and methylation rates of HOXA7 and SOX17 in ctDNA have a relatively high value in the early diagnosis of lung cancer,and the predictive model based on these indicators can significantly improve diagnostic performance.

Objective:To explore the role of using methacholine challenge test（MCT）to detect airway responsiveness in standardized drug treatment management of asthma in children and adolescents.Methods:A total of 64 children diagnosed with moderate to severe persistent asthma from August 2010 to May 2021 at the Pediatric Asthma Clinic of the Second Hospital of Tianjin Medical University，who received standardized pharmacotherapy for 2 years，were selected and divided into a discontinued group（31 cases）and a continued group（33 cases）.The clinical value of lung function indicators，fractional exhaled nitric oxide（FeNO）values，and MCT results for evaluating and predicting the treatment effect of asthma in children and adolescents before and after treatment were analyzed.Results:The percentage of the expected value of forced expiratory volume in one second（FEV 1）before treatment discontinued group was higher than that in the continued group，and the difference was statistically significant（ F=7.283， P=0.009）.After standardized treatment for 6 months，1 year，and 2 years，the percentage of the expected value of FEV 1 in the discontinued group（ F=3.045， P=0.036）and continued group（ F=17.485， P<0.001）was significantly higher than that before treatment.There was no statistically significant difference in FeNO between the two groups before treatment（ F=0.298， P=0.587）.By treated for 6 months（ F=6.568， P=0.013），1 year（ F=4.317， P=0.042），and 2 years（ F=8.737， P=0.004），the FeNO levels of continued group were significantly higher than those of the discontinued group，with statistical significance.After treatment for 2 years，the PD 20 of the discontinued group was（1.702 ± 0.906）mg，while the PD 20 of the continued group was（1.184 ± 0.924）mg.The result was a significant difference between the two groups（ t=2.263， P=0.027）. Conclusion:Airway hyperresponsiveness of asthma patients persists，and the time for asthma to achieve clinical symptom control and inflammation improvement is earlier than that when airway responsiveness reaches the ideal level.In the long-term treatment and management of asthma，the clinical value of airway responsiveness assessment is relatively important.

Objective:To explore the possible pathogenic mechanism of the central nervous system by studying the neurodegenerative diseases caused by tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV) infection in mice.Methods:The mice were intracranially inoculated with TBEV, 8 days later the mice were sacrificed, the brain tissues of all mice were collected and observed after HE staining to verify if the model was successfully established; the expressions of neuronal nuclei (NeuN), glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) and reduced upon activation, normal T cell expressed and secreted (RANTES) in mouse brain tissue were detected by immunohistochemical method, the number of positive cells was counted and the gray value was analyzed to calculate the score.Immunofluorescence combined with laser scanning confocal microscopy were used to observe the distribution of NeuN and GFAP positive cells and the expression of RANTES and PCNA.Results:The number of NeuN-positive cells in the brain tissue of mice infected with TBEV decreased, while the GFAP-positive cells increased. Furthermore, astrocytes proliferated faster than neurons, and RANTES was mainly produced by astrocytes.Conclusions:TBEV infection could cause neurotoxic reactions in brain tissue, leading to nerve cells death and activating astrocytes which produces many RANTES.

BACKGROUND: Decreased heart rate variability (HRV) is a predictor of autonomic system dysfunction, and is considered as a potential mechanism of increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) induced by exposure to particulate matter less than 2.5 μm in diameter (PM METHODS: An updated systematic review and meta-analysis of panel studies till November 1, 2019 was conducted to evaluate the acute effect of exposure to ambient PM RESULTS: A total of 33 panel studies were included in our meta-analysis, with 16 studies conducted in North America, 12 studies in Asia, and 5 studies in Europe. The pooled results showed a 10 μg/m CONCLUSION Short-term exposure to PM
Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Air Pollutants/analysis* ; Air Pollution/analysis* ; Female ; Heart Rate/drug effects* ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Particulate Matter/analysis* ; Young Adult

In order to clarify regions of production and to discriminate processing methods, quantitative and qualitative analyses for saccharides and terpenes in 35 batches of Alismatis Rhizoma were performed. Methodologies included HPLC-PDA, HPLC-VWD and UHPLC-MS , combined with principal component analysis (PCA) and partial least squares regression techniques (PLSR). The inhibitory effects of triterpenes and Alismatis Rhizoma extracts on lipase activity were evaluated . PLSR analysis revealed significant positive correlations ( = 0.5795) between the contents of triterpenes , , , and and the inhibitory effects of Alismatis Rhizoma. The present study establishes an effective method for simultaneous determination of multiple components, and identifies key bioactive triterpenes. These results can be used for systematic and novel analytical strategies for the quality control of Alismatis Rhizoma production.

Objective: The study assessed the clinical characteristics and response to acute intravenous antiarrhythmic drug therapy of supraventricular tachycardia (SVT) in children. Methods: This was a multicenter prospective descriptive study including 257 children from First Hospital of Tsinghua University, Peking University First Hospital, Children's Hospital Affiliated to Capital Institute of Pediatrics and Beijing Anzhen Hospital who received intravenous antiarrhythmic drug therapy for SVT from July 2014 to February 2017. The clinical and tachycardia features, response to intravenous antiarrhythmic drug therapy of these children were characterized. Statistical analyses were performed using t test, Mann-Whitney U test, χ² test and H test. Results: The onset of SVT occurred at any age with a distribution with positive skewness, 57.6% (n=148) children<1 year, 17.5% (n=45) children1~<3 years, 10.5% (n=27) children 3~<6 years and 14.4% (n=37) children ≥ 6 years of age. The percentages of SVT types were 49.4% (n=127) for atrioventricular reentry tachycardia (AVRT), 4.3% (n=11) for atrioventricular nodal reentry tachycardia (AVNRT), 26.8% (n=69) for unclassified paroxysmal SVT and 19.5% (n=50) for atrial tachycardia (AT), respectively. Tachycardia-induced cardionyopathy (TIC) secondary to SVT developed in 30 of 225 (13.3%). Left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) of the 27 children attacked by TIC returned to normal after successful control of SVT (41.1%±6.3% vs. 60.3%±9.2%, t=-10.397, P=0.000). Complete termination of SVT by antiarrhythmic drugs was achieved in 164 of 257 (63.8%), partial termination rate was 18.7% (48 of 257) and failure to terminate rate was 17.5% (45 of 257). Propafenone (complete cardioversion in 98 (73.1%) of 134) and amiodarone (complete cardioversion in 23 (76.7%) of 30) showed better efficacy for SVT termination than adenosine (complete cardioversion in 26 (44.1%) 59) (χ²=20.524, P=0.000). Paroxysmal SVT had a higher termination rate on pharmacological therapy than AT (67.1% vs. 50.0%, χ²=6.337, P=0.042). Patients of different age groups had significantly different response to antiarrhythmic therapy (χ²=13.904, P=0.031). Children<1 year of age showed the least response to antiarrhythmic drug therapy with complete termination in 51 (55.4%) of 92. Adverse effects occurred in 9 patients (3.5%): Four patients had severe hypotensive shock using propafenone (n=3) and adenosine (n=1), and 3 patients had sinus arrest using adenosine. Conclusion Most (57.6%) children with SVT have their first clinical episode within 1 year of age, and AVRT is the most common type. TIC occurs in 13.3% of children with SVT. Intravenous antiarrhythmic drug therapy has a 63.8% complete termination rate for children with SVT and incidence of adverse effects is 3.5%. Propafenone and amiodarone are more effective for SVT termination in children than adenosine. Serious adverse effects may occur when using propafenone.

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the correlation between supraventricular tachycardia (SVT) and tachycardia-induced cardiomyopathy(TIC) in children and assess the risk factors for the development of TIC. Method: One hundred and eighty-three patients were recruited in four hospitals of Beijing diagnosed as SVT were divided into two groups depending on whether or not complicated with TIC. The age, gender, tachycardia type, ventricular rate during tachycardia, frequency of tachycardia episodes and duration of tachycardia were compared between the two groups and risk factors associated with TIC were analyzed. Statistical analyses were performed using t test, Mann-Whitney U and χ² test. Result: Totally 183 patients were included in this study (paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia, PSVT, n=149; atrial tachycardia, AT, n=34). The incidence of TIC was 13.1%. There was significant difference regarding the incidence of TIC between children with AT and children with PSVT (26.5% vs. 10.1%, χ²=6.537, P=0.011). The percentage of AT in patients with TIC was significantly higher than patients without TIC (37.5% vs. 15.7%, χ²=6.537, P=0.011). Patients with TIC had a higher frequency of tachycardia episodes(2.5(1.0-4.8) beats/year vs 4.0(1.0-10.0) beats/year, Z=-2.223, P=0.026)and longer duration of tachycardia(11.0(1.1-36.0) h vs 2.5(1.0-12.0) h, Z=-2.154, P=0.031)compared with patients without TIC. Multivariate predictors of TIC was longer duration of tachycardia (OR=2.041, P=0.028). Conclusion TIC occurs in 13.1% of children with SVT. The incidence of TIC in children with AT is higher than in children with PSVT. Risk factor for the development of TIC is longer duration of tachycardia.

Objective:To screen the ectodysplasin A (EDA)gene mutation in the patients with non-syndromic tooth agenesis and ectodermal dysplasia,and to analyze the phenotype of missing teeth pattern in these two groups of patients.Methods:In the study,174 patients with tooth agenesis (143:non-syn-dromic,31:ectodermal dysplasia)and 451 health control volunteers were enrolled from the clinic,and the genome DNA was extracted from either peripheral blood or oral mucosal swab.The coding region of EDA gene was then amplified by PCR,sequenced and blasted to online NCBI database.The missing teeth were recorded for all patients,and the missing teeth from patients with EDA mutation were com-pared among the different dentition sites.Results:33 patients were identified with EDA mutation.In the non-syndromic patients,13 /143(9.09%)were identified with EDA mutation,while in patients with ec-todermal dysplasia,20 /31 (64.52%)were found with EDA mutation.Ten novel EDA mutations were identified (c.769G >C[p.G257R],c.936C >G[p.I312M],c.223G >A[p.E75K],c.1166C >T[p. P389L],c.133G >C[p.G45R],c.1109G >A[p.E370K],c.914G >T[p.S305I],c.916C >T[p. Q306X],c.602G >T[p.G201V],c.88 -89insG[p.A30GfsX69]).For each dentition site there was no statistic difference in the number of missing teeth between the left and right sides,so the number from both sides were combined later in the analysis.In the patients with EDA mutation,the non-syndromic pa-tients had fewer missing teeth (15.9 ±6.4 missing teeth for each,207 /364 in total)than the patients with ectodermal dysplasia (23.9 ±4.3,478 /560).In the non-syndromic patients with EDA mutation, the maxillay central incisors and first molars were less affected,with the same missing rate as 19.2% (5 /26).While the mandibular central incisors (with a missing rate of 76.9%,20 /26),the maxillary late-ral incisors (the missing rate:88.5%,23 /26 ),the mandibular lateral incisors (the missing rate:80.8%,21 /26),and the maxillary first premolars (the missing rate:80.8%,21 /26)were more likely to be missing.In the ectodermal dysplasia patients with EDA mutation,only maxillary central incisors (the missing rate:60%,24 /40),maxillary canines (the missing rate:70%,28 /40),mandibular ca-nines (the missing rate:67.5%,27 /40),maxillary first molars (the missing rate:65%,26 /40)and mandibular first molars (the missing rate:72.5%,29 /40)had higher possibility of persistence.Teeth at other dentition sites were more likely to be affected (the minimum missing rate:87.5%,35 /40). Conclusion:The findings would help to reveal the EDA gene and its function in ectodermal organogene-sis.

Objective:As a promising strategy,tumor vaccine is at the forefront of novel approaches to tumor treatment.Since tumor antigens derived from self proteins are often less immunogenic alone,they must be administered with a potent immunostimulatory adjuvant to induce robust T-cell response.IFA was widely used and considered to be one of the most effective adjuvant available for con-sistently producing high titer antibodies to diverse antigens.However,IFA-containing tumor vaccines do not produce positive results.The reasons are unclear.Methods:BALB/c mice were s.c.injected with one single dose of IFA.At indicated days, spleen cells were collected and detected for CD11b+cells.MTT method was used to analyze the effect of CD11b+cells on T cell proliferation.ELISA method was used to determine the influence of CD11b+cell on IFN-γ-secreting ability of T cells.Results:In the spleen of mice treated with IFA,the proportion of CD11b+cell was augmented.IFA-induced CD11b+cells inhibit the proliferation and tumor antigen-induced IFN-γ-secreting ability of T cells.Conclusion:This finding may help to understand the low therapeutic efficacy of cancer vaccines recently observed in some clinical trials using Freund′s adjuvant and underscores the necessity of adjuvant selection for active immuno-therapy.

[Objective] To investigate the changes of CD4~+ CD25~+ regulatory T cells (Tr) in peripheral blood and their relation with their body mass index (BMI) of children with acute attack asthma. [Methods] Peripheral blood was obtained from 70 children with acute attack asthma, 30 remission children, and 50 normal control children. Then 70 children with acute attack asthma, were divided by normal weight group (40 cases) and overweight group (30 cases). The levels of CD4~+CD25~+Tr of the patients were tested by flow cytometry (FCM), and their BMI were calculated. [ Results] The levels of CD4~+ CD25~+ Tr [(6.17± 1.72)%] in acute attack group were lower than that in remission group [(7.56±1.48)%] or that in the control group [(7.13± 1.48)%] (P<0.05), but no difference between that in the remission and that in the control (P>0.05). The CD4~+CD25~+Tr of asthmatic children with normal weight [(6.34±1.71)%] was higher than that of asthmatic children with overweight [(4.74±1.20)%] (P<0.05). There was a remarkably negative correlation between the level of CD4~+ CD25~+ Tr of asthmatic children [(6.17±1.72)%] and the BMI (16.00±2.14) (r_p=-0.814, P<0.05). [Conclusion] The levels of CD4~+ CD25~+Tr are remarkable decrease in attack asthmatic children, and more decrease in overweight patients. There is remarkably negative correlation between the levels of CD4~+CD25~+ Tr in peripheral blood of attack asthmatic children and their BMI.