The mental health management of laboratory animals is a critical factor in ensuring the reliability of scientific research data. However, due to the subtle nature of mental state alterations and the limitations of current assessment methods, the mental health of laboratory animals is often overlooked by researchers. Therefore, there is an urgent need to explore a new, objective, simple, and practical method for evaluating mental health. Stress, as a primary factor inducing alterations in the mental state of animals, can influence experimental results across multiple research fields through the neuroendocrine-immune network. This paper first elucidates the necessity of mental health management in laboratory animals from three perspectives: factors contributing to stress, neural mechanisms of stress, and research areas affected by stress. It highlights that excluding animals with abnormal mental states before experiments can enhance the efficiency and reproducibility of biomedical studies. Second, this paper briefly summarizes existing methods for assessing the health of laboratory animals, pointing out that approaches such as behavioral tests and metabolomics have many limitations in evaluating stress responses. Existing methods struggle to meet the demand for simple, objective, and non-invasive assessment methods in animal management. Therefore, this paper focuses on hair, a biological sample with the advantages of cumulative information and non-invasive collection, and systematically describes the theoretical basis and technological advances in using hair characteristics as indicators of stress responses from three perspectives: hair traits, the levels of substances in hair, and artificial intelligence (AI). It proposes and supports an innovative technical pathway that combines hair traits with AI-based image analysis, with the aim of offering an improved solution for non-invasive and objective stress assessment, while providing theoretical support for improving the health management system of laboratory animals.

ObjectiveTo compare the Children's Hepatic tumors International Collaboration （CHIC） and the new Chinese Children's Cancer Group （CCCG） hepatoblastoma （HB） risk stratification systems in terms of their prognostic prediction efficacy and chemotherapy guidance value for Chinese children with HB， aiming to identify the risk stratification system more suitable for Chinese HB patients. MethodsThis retrospective study analyzed the clinical data of 403 pediatric patients with HB aged ＜ 18 years who were initially diagnosed at The First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University between February 2010 and September 2023. The prognostic predictive efficacy and chemotherapy-guided value of the CHIC and CCCG risk stratification systems was compared. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS 27.0. Results①Using the new CCCG risk stratification， the 5-year event-free survival （EFS） rates for children who received versus did not receive risk-stratified chemotherapy according to the CCCG-HB-2016 protocol were 82.5% and 67.7% （P=0.002）， respectively， and the 5-year overall survival （OS） rates were 91.5% and 85.1% （P=0.038）. Using CHIC risk stratification， the corresponding 5-year EFS rates for children who received versus did not receive risk-stratified chemotherapy according to the CCCG-HB-2016 protocol were 80.3% and 68.5% （P=0.030）， and the 5-year OS rates were 90.9% and 85.8% （P=0.151）. ②Among children treated with the CCCG-HB-2016 protocol stratified by the new CCCG system， the 5-year EFS rates for the very low-risk （6 cases）， low-risk （20 cases）， intermediate-risk （61 cases）， and high-risk （69 cases） groups were 100%， 94.1%， 94.7%， and 66.2% （P＜0.001）， respectively， and the 5-year OS rates were 100%， 100%， 96.5%， and 82.0% （P=0.017）. Among children treated with the CCCG-HB-2016 protocol stratified by the CHIC system， the 5-year EFS rates for the very low-risk （32 cases）， low-risk （22 cases）， intermediate-risk （37 cases）， and high-risk （54 cases） groups were 93.8%， 95.2%， 76.1%， and 66.8% （P=0.003）， respectively， and the 5-year OS rates were 93.1%， 100%， 89.5%， and 85.6% （P=0.190）. ③For patients receiving CCCG-HB-2016 risk-stratified chemotherapy， the P-values for EFS comparisons between the CHIC and new CCCG systems within the very low-risk， low-risk， intermediate-risk， and high-risk groups were 0.537， 0.879， 0.023， and 0.934， respectively. Among patients who received stratified chemotherapy according to the CCCG-HB-2016 regimen， the intermediate-risk group in the new CCCG risk stratification system exhibited a significant advantage in 5-year event-free survival （EFS） compared with the intermediate-risk group in the CHIC risk stratification system （94.7% vs. 76.1%）. ConclusionCompared to the CHIC risk stratification， the new CCCG stratification may offer better prognostic prediction and guidance value for chemotherapy in Chinese HB patients， with the intermediate-risk group showing superior outcomes.

OBJECTIVETo identify a novel hemoglobinopathy applied by direct sequencing and clone sequencing.

METHODSEDTA anticoagulated blood of proband and his parents were analyzed by hematology analyzers and Capillarys hemoglobin electrophoresis (CE). Then thalassemia genetypes were screened by gap-PCR and reverse dot blot (RDB). Proband was suspected with abnormal hemoglobin combine alpha beta compound thalassemia. The mutation of beta-globin was identified by direct sequencing and clone sequencing.

RESULTSHb analysis showed that probands Hb A2 variant was eluted in Z (C) zone and his father's in Z (A2) zone on CE,and proband's mother elevated HbA2 of 4.6%. Screened by RDB, the proband was CD71-72(+A) homozygote and showed the mismatch with his parents. Through direct sequencing and clone sequencing, we deduced that our proband inherited the mutations of HBB c.[219T>A;220G>T] from his father and inherited the Southeast-Asian deletion and HBB c.216-217insA from his mother.

CONCLUSIONA novel double heterozygote of HBB c.[219T>A; 220G>T] was identified in south China. This mutation enriches the beta-thalassemia gene mutation spectrum in Chinese population.

Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; genetics ; Child, Preschool ; Hemoglobins ; genetics ; Hemoglobins, Abnormal ; genetics ; Heterozygote ; Humans ; Male ; Mutation ; genetics ; Pedigree ; Thalassemia ; genetics ; beta-Globins ; genetics

Objective To investigate the BRAF-V600E mutation in pediatric patients with Langerhans cell histiocytosis and its clinical features. Methods A retrospective study was conducted among 27 children who were diagnosed in our hospital between August 2009 and June 2015 ,including 17 males and 10 females. BRAF-V600E was amplified from tissue samples of the 27 children with LCH by PCR and the relationship was analysed between the mutation and clinical features ,outcome. Results BRAF-V600E mutation was found in 9 cases within all 27 tested cases(33.3%). Significant difference was not found in age ,gender ,system involvement ,6-week reaction ,3-year overall survival and event-free survival between BRAF-V600E positive and negative groups. Conclusions BRAF-V600E mutation was found in Chinese pediatric LCH patients with positive rate of 33.3%, that indicates LCH might be a neoplastic disease. However ,its definite role on disease onset ,system involvement and disease progression remains unknown.

OBJECTIVETo evaluate antifungal combination strategy in children with hematologic diseases and invasive fungal disease( IFD).

METHODSA retrospective clinical study was performed based on 67 childhood patients with hematologic diseases and IFD who firstly accepted combination antifungal therapy for ≥ 7 days during January 2012 and December 2014. Of them, 11 cases received combination of echinocandin with azole, 10 cases received combination of echinocandin with amphotericin B, and 46 cases received combination of azole with amphotericin B.

RESULTSOverall response rate was 79.1%. Univariate analysis revealed that granulocyte recovery (P=0.031), status of underling disease (P=0.023) and the duration of the therapy (P=0.046) were significantly associated with efficacy. Multivariate analysis showed that the independent prognostic factor was the duration of combination antifungal therapy (OR=0.229, 95% CI 0.061- 0.863, P=0.029). The response rates of echinocandin combined with azole, echinocandin combined with amphotericin B and azole combined with amphotericin B were 81.8%, 60.0% and 82.6%, respectively (P>0.05), and 12-week survival rates were 81.8%, 80.0% and 86.5%, respectively (P>0.05). The drug- related adverse reactions occurred 59 times in 34 patients. BUN increasing, hypokalemia and abnormal liver functions were considered the main side effects.

CONCLUSIONFor IFD in children with hematologic disease, to extend the duration of treatment (≥ 14 days) could significantly improve the curative effect. Combinations of echinocandin with azole, echinocandin with amphotericin B and azole with amphotericin B can be used as a combination treatment options. Combination of Azole with amphotericin B is efficacious, safe and economic treatment option considering efficacy, survival rate, cost and dosage form.

Amphotericin B ; administration & dosage ; therapeutic use ; Antifungal Agents ; administration & dosage ; therapeutic use ; Child ; Drug Therapy, Combination ; Echinocandins ; administration & dosage ; therapeutic use ; Hematologic Diseases ; microbiology ; Humans ; Mycoses ; drug therapy ; Retrospective Studies ; Survival Rate ; Treatment Outcome

OBJECTIVE To investigate the characteristic and prognosis of nosocomial infection in children patients with malignances during deficiency stage of neutropenia. METHODS The clinical characteristic of infections and efficiency of antibiotics were analyzed retrospectively in 174 malignances children with nosocomial infection from Jan 2000 to Jun 2005. RESULTS The incidence rate of nosocomial infection in children patients with malignances during deficiency stage of neutropenia was 67.4%.Nosocomial infection was occurred mainly in the respiratory tract,oral cavity,blood,skin,and intestinal tract of patients.The main pathogens were bacteria(86.8%),and fungal infection was 13.2%.The Gram-negative bacilli were relatively sensitive to imipenem,amikacin,ceftazidine,piperacillin/tazobactam,and ticarcillin/clavulanic acid.The Gram positive cocci were sensitive to vancomycin,imipenem,meropenem,ampicillin/sulbactam,ciprofloxcin and clindamycin.The death rate due to nosocomial infection was 44.4%. CONCLUSIONS There is higher incidence of nosocomial infection in children patients with malignances during the neutropenia stage.Good nursing,intestines disinfection,the usage of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor,a reasonable usage of antibiotics and preventing the fungal infection are good to control nosocomial infection in children malignances.

OBJECTIVE To detect serotype of dengue virus in sera from patients with fever.METHODS A pair of degenerated primers and one MGB probe were designed targeting the conserved region at the E gene of dengue type 1 virus.TaqMan MGB real-time PCR assay was developed with plasmid including E gene of dengue type 1 virus as standard sample.The sera of 10 patients with fever were used to extract RNA,and convert into cDNA.Then cDNA were detected by TaqMan MGB real-time PCR assay and the amplified products were analyzed at the same time.RESULTS The sera of 9 patients from 10 samples were observed to generate a fluorescent signal,and about 100 bp fragment was obtained simultaneously.CONCLUSIONS Dengue fever on 2006 in Guangzhou is caused by the dengue type 1 virus.TaqMan MGB real-time PCR assay is rapid and sensitive to detect dengue virus infections.

AIM: To observe the effects of valproic acid(VPA) and HA14-1 on Bcl-2 overexpressed leukemia cells in vitro and in vivo.METHODS:(1) Cells were divided into control group,HA14-1 group,VPA group and HA14-1+VPA group.The apoptotic rate,the mean fluorescent index(MFI) of Bcl-2,the levels of caspase 3,8 and 9 were detected with FCM.(2) 24 h after transplantation with BALL-1,the NOD/SCID mice were divided into 4 groups as(1),then the survival time was compared.The expression of CD19 in the peripheral blood cells,bone marrows,livers,spleens and lungs of each group was detected.RESULTS:(1) The apoptotic rate in HA14-1+VPA group was(76.5?6.9)%,this was significantly elevated compared to the data in other groups(P

AIM:To determine the effects of different-term streptozotocin(STZ)-induced diabetes on ischemia/reperfusion(I/R)injury and cell apoptosis in rats myocardial via alterations in myocardial peroxynitrite.METHODS:The models of I/R injury were induced by occlusion and reperfusion of the left descending coronary artery(LDCA)in rats.I/R-induced infarct size was determined using triphenyltetrazolium chloride(TTC)staining.Quantified caspase-3 expression was used to represent apoptosis by Western blotting analysis.Peroxynitrite formation as indicated by nitrotyrosine level was measured by morphometric analysis.RESULTS:Two weeks after STZ treatment,infarct size(35.00%?3.00%)was smaller in 2 weeks diabetic hearts(2WKD)as compared with time-matched control group(2WKC)(51.00%?3.30%),whereas after 16 weeks of diabetes(16WKD),the infarct size(61.00%?3.00%)was bigger in the diabetic hearts as compared with the 16WKC group(50.00%?2.00%,P