ObjectiveTo delineate imaging findings using an imaging platform and investigate the correlation between MRI characteristics of spinal cord atrophy and clinical diagnosis in children with spinal cord injury (SCI). MethodsImaging data of 150 children with SCI admitted to Beijing Bo'ai Hospital, China Rehabilitation Research Center, from January, 2002 to March, 2024 were collected and imported into the imaging platform. The anteroposterior and transverse diameters of the middle part of the spinal cord at the cross-section with the most severe atrophy were measured, and the relevant indicators of the previous normal spinal cord segment were measured as controls; the radiomic features were extracted. Clinical data of the children including gender, age, cause of injury, sensory level, motor level, spinal cord injury level, injury severity and disease course were collected. ResultsSpinal cord atrophy was identified in 81 cases (54%), among which 78 cases (96%) were American Spinal Injury Association Impairment Scale (AIS) grade A and 3 cases (4%) were AIS grade C. The upper boundary of the spinal cord atrophy site strongly correlated with the injury level, motor level and sensory level (r > 0.8, P < 0.001). ConclusionMore than half of children with SCI may develop secondary spinal cord atrophy, the vast majority of whom suffer from complete spinal cord injury; the upper boundary of spinal cord atrophy is correlated with the injury level.

OBJECTIVES: The diagnostic value of ultrasonographic quantitative indicators of umbilical cord coiling, such as the umbilical coiling index (UCI) and pitch value, in identifying hypercoiling and predicting adverse pregnancy outcomes remains controversial. This study aims to evaluate the predictive value of UCI, pitch value, and the cerebroplacental ratio in pregnancies complicated by umbilical cord hypercoiling. METHODS: Pregnant women with densely coiled umbilical cords identified by routine obstetric ultrasound at Changsha Maternal and Child Health Hospital between November 2022 and November 2024 were enrolled. Complete clinical data, including UCI, pitch value, and cerebroplacental ratio (CPR), were collected. Pregnancy outcome scores were calculated, and newborns were categorized into the normal outcome group (n=177) and adverse outcome group (n=85), with the latter further subdivided into mild (n=51), moderate (n=19), and severe (n=15) subgroups. Differences in baseline data, UCI, pitch value, and incidence of CRP<1 were compared between groups and among subgroups. Correlations between UCI, pitch value, and adverse pregnancy outcomes were analyzed. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve were used to assess the predictive performance of UCI, pitch value, CPR<1, and their combinations. RESULTS: Compared with the normal outcome group, the adverse outcome group had higher age, parity, parity, incidence of CPR<1, and UCI, while gestational age at delivery and pitch values were lower (all P<0.05). The incidence of obesity, gestational diabetes mellitus, and hypertensive disorders of pregnancy did not differ significantly between the 2 groups (all P>0.05). The normal outcome group showed lower UCI and higher pitch values than all 3 adverse outcome subgroups (all P<0.05), while differences among the 3 adverse subgroups were not significant (all P>0.05). UCI was positively correlated with adverse pregnancy outcomes (r_s=0.350, P<0.05), whereas pitch value was negatively correlated (r_s=-0.286, P<0.05). ROC curve analysis showed that the area under the curve (AUC) values for predicting adverse outcomes were 0.837 for UCI, 0.886 for pitch value, and 0.610 for CPR<1, with sensitivities of 77.6%, 82.4%, and 27.1% and specificities of 78.5%, 83.6%, and 94.9%, respectively. The combined UCI+CPR<1 and pitch value+CPR<1 models yielded AUCs of 0.841 and 0.886, with sensitivities of 78.8% and 81.2% and specificities of 78.5% and 84.2%, respectively. No significant differences were found between the AUCs of UCI and pitch value (P>0.05), but both outperformed CPR<1 alone (both P<0.001). The combined models showed no significant improvement over UCI or pitch value alone (both P>0.05), though both were superior to CPR<1 alone (both P<0.001). CONCLUSIONS Most umbilical cord hypercoiling cases had favorable outcomes, with UCI, pitch value, CPR<1 and their combinations demonstrating significant predictive value for adverse pregnancy outcomes.
Humans ; Female ; Pregnancy ; Pregnancy Outcome ; Adult ; Ultrasonography, Prenatal/methods* ; Umbilical Cord/diagnostic imaging* ; Hemodynamics ; Predictive Value of Tests ; Infant, Newborn ; ROC Curve

Objective:To analyze the etiological characteristics, serotype distribution, drug resistance and molecular typing characteristics based on data collected by active surveillance of foodborne diseases in Shanxi Province from 2021 to 2022.Methods:Fecal and anal swabs for foodborne disease tests were collected from 17 sentinel hospitals in Shanxi Province from 2021 to 2022. The pathogens included Shigella, Salmonella, Vibrio parahaemolyticus and 5 types of diarrheagenic Escherichia coli ( E. coli). The positive strains were identified by mass spectrometry or systematic biochemistry. Salmonella and Shigella were serotyped by slide agglutination, and diarrheagenic E. coli was typed by multiplex fluorescence PCR. Vibrio parahaemolyticus was tested for tlh/ tdh/ trh virulence genes by multiplex fluorescent PCR. All strains were also tested for drug resistance by the microbroth dilution method. Molecular typing was performed by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). Results:A total of 4 481 samples were collected from patients with diarrhea, and 555 target strains were detected, with a detection rate of 12.39%(555/4 481). Among them, there were 365 strains of Salmonella, 175 strains of diarrheagenic E. coli, 15 strains of Vibrio parahaemolyticus, and no Shigella. There were 32 serotypes of Salmonella, and the dominant serotypes were 158 strains of Salmonella senteritidis and 124 strains of Salmonella typhimurium. diarrheagenic E. coli classification: 79 strains of enteroaggregative E. coli, 72 strains of enteropathogenic E. coli, 23 strains of enterotoxic E. coli, 1 strain of enterohemorrhagic E. coli, and none of enteroinvasive E. coli. For Vibrio parahaemolyticus virulence gene carriage, all strains carried tlh; 11 strains (73.33%, 11/15) carried tdh only; 2 strains (13.33%, 2/15) carried trh; 1 strain (6.67%, 1/15) carried both tdh and trh genes; 1 strain (6.67%, 1/15) did not carry these two virulence genes. Antimicrobial resistance tests presented that Salmonella had the highest resistance rate to ampicillin (85.21%, 311/365), followed by naphridic acid (66.58%, 243/365), and multi-drug resistance (78.63%, 287/365), resulting in 135 drug resistance spectrums. The resistance rate of diarrheagenic E. coli to ampicillin was the highest (81.71%, 143/175), followed by tetracycline (67.43%, 118/175), and multi-drug resistance (72.57%, 127/175), resulting in 81 drug resistance spectrums. Vibrio parahaemolyticus had the highest resistance rate to cefazolin (93.33%, 14/15), followed by tetracycline (26.67%, 4/15) and multi-drug resistance (20.00%, 3/15), resulting in 3 drug resistance spectrums. A total of 158 strains of Salmonella enteritidi, 124 strains of Salmonella typhimurium, 13 strains of Salmonella london and 175 strains of DEC were typed by PFGE. Among 470 strains of PFGE typing, 6 strains of DEC were degraded by DNA, while the remaining strains obtained effective PFGE band. Salmonella enteritidi were divided into 64 PFGE band types, Salmonella typhimurium were divided into 115 PFGE band types, Salmonella london were divided into 13 PFGE band types and diarrheagenic E. coli were divided into 165 PFGE band types. Conclusions:Shigella is not detected in the active surveillance, and Salmonella is detected most frequently. Salmonella and diarrheagenic E. coli have the highest resistance rates to ampicillin, and Vibrio parahaemolyticus has the highest resistance rates to cefazolin. The PFGE classification is polymorphic, and the dominant band type is not obvious. The evidence of multi-drug resistance suggests further strengthening monitoring and management of drug resistance.

Objective:To determine the correlation between serum soluble CD146 (sCD146) levels and disease activity in patients with systemic vasculitis and the potential of sCD146 as a novel biomarker.Methods:We recruited 304 patients from the systemic vasculitis cohort at Peking Union Medical College Hospital from July 2013 to December 2022. The cohort comprised 200 patients with Takayasu arteritis (TAK) and 104 with antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA)-associated vasculitis (AAV). The patient′s demographic and clinical data, including age, sex, disease duration, disease type, laboratory results, and disease status, were extracted from the database. The serum sCD146 concentration was measured using a sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Continuous variables were presented as mean±standard deviation if normally distributed, with between-group comparisons conducted using the t-test. For non-normally distributed data, median ( Q1, Q3) was used, and comparisons between groups were performed using the Mann-Whitney U test. Categorical data were expressed as percentages, and comparisons between groups were conducted using the Chi-square test or Fisher′s exact test,as appropriate. Kendall′s tau-b′s rank correlation coefficient was calculated to evaluate the correlation between sCD146 and variables associated with systemic vasculitis. A two-sided P value <0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results:Serum sCD146 levels were significantly lower in patients with active disease compared to those in remission in both cohorts [TAK: 246 (218, 287) vs. 277 (230, 322) μg/L, Z=-2.58, P=0.010; AAV: (301±90) vs. (344±81) μg/L, t=-2.56, P=0.007]. Serum sCD146 levels were positively correlated with age and disease duration (TAK: τ=0.09, 0.12, P=0.040, P=0.009; AAV: τ=0.28, 0.15, P<0.001, P=0.020). In patients with TAK, sCD146 levels were negatively correlated with IL-6, C-reactive protein (CRP), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), and disease activity status ( τ=-0.17, -0.18, -0.16, -0.16; P=0.001, P<0.001, P=0.003, P=0.010). In patients with AAV, sCD146 levels were negatively correlated with platelet count (PLT),disease activity status,and the Birmingham Vasculitis Activity Score ( τ=-0.36, -0.27, -0.27; P<0.001, P=0.007, P=0.001). Conclusion:Serum sCD146 levels were significantly lower in patients with active systemic vasculitis than in remission, displaying a negative correlation with disease activity. These findings suggest that sCD146 has potential as a novel biomarker for assessing disease activity in systemic vasculitis.

In recent years,with the advancement of microbial detection technologies,an increasing number of studies have revealed significant differences in the gut microbiota composition of kidney transplant recipients before and after surgery.These changes in the gut microbiota may influence graft function and the occurrence of post-transplant complications through a variety of factors.This article will review the research progress in the relationship between gut microbiota and kidney transplantation.It focuses on the changes in gut microbiota after kidney transplantation.The role of gut microbiota in immune regulation,drug metabolism,graft function protection,and post-transplant complications is also studied.At the same time,these effects may be of great significance in improving the short-term and long-term prognosis of kidney transplant recipients,thus providing a novel idea for further improving kidney transplant prognosis.

Objective To explore the risk factors for portal vein thrombosis(PVT)in patients with cirrhosis in the decompensated stage and construct a risk prediction model for PVT so as to improve the early diagnosis rate of decompensated liver cirrhosis PVT.Methods The clinical data of patients with cirrhosis in the decompensated stage admitted to Department of Gastroenterology,The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University between June 2018 and June 2023 were collected and divided into cirrhosis PVT group(n=135)and cirrhosis non-PVT group(n=225)according to whether or not portal vein thrombosis was formed.We made a univariate analysis of the general data,laboratory indexes,liver function scores and imaging findings of the patients in the two groups,and indexes with statistically significant differences were included in binary Logistic regression for multifactorial analysis to screen out independent risk factors.A predictive model of binary Logistic regression was established based on the independent risk factors.The clinical data of the validation set were incorporated into the model,the accuracy of the prediction model was evaluated by receiver operating curve(ROC),and the practicability of the model was evaluated by consistency curve to complete the validation and evaluation of the constructed prediction model.Internal stability of the model was verified with Bootstrap method.Finally,R software(4.3.1)was used to draw a nomogram of the prediction model to visualize the model.Results Univariate analysis revealed statistically significant differences between patients in the PVT and non-PVT groups in the following five aspects:history of splenectomy,history of endoscopic varicose vein treatment,portal vein diameter,and neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio(P＜0.05).Binary Logistics regression analysis showed that a history of splenectomy(P=0.002,OR=3.012,95％CI:1.500-6.047),a history of endoscopic varicose vein treatment(P=0.001,OR=2.276,95％CI:1.400-3.698),widening of portal vein diameter(P=0.007,OR=1.942,95％CI:1.202-3.136),increased neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio(P=0.009,OR=1.886,95％CI:1.170-3.041),and elevated D-dimer(P＜0.001,OR=3.725,95％CI:2.149-6.485)were independent risk factors for the formation of portal vein thrombosis in patients with cirrhosis in the decompensated stage of cirrhosis chemically presented(P＜0.05).The area under the ROC curve of the predictive model and the model after internal validation was 0.760 and 0.7494,respectively.The model still had good prediction ability and accuracy in the verification set.Conclusion A history of splenectomy,history of endoscopic varicose vein treatment,widening of portal vein diameter,increased neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio,and elevated D-dimer concentration are independent risk factors for the formation of portal vein thrombosis in patients with decompensated cirrhosis.The Logistic prediction model and visual nomogram constructed based on the above independent risk factors have a good ability to predict the occurrence of PVT in patients with decompensated cirrhosis and have important clinical guiding significance for early screening patients with PVT in decompensated cirrhosis.

In recent years,with the advancement of microbial detection technologies,an increasing number of studies have revealed significant differences in the gut microbiota composition of kidney transplant recipients before and after surgery.These changes in the gut microbiota may influence graft function and the occurrence of post-transplant complications through a variety of factors.This article will review the research progress in the relationship between gut microbiota and kidney transplantation.It focuses on the changes in gut microbiota after kidney transplantation.The role of gut microbiota in immune regulation,drug metabolism,graft function protection,and post-transplant complications is also studied.At the same time,these effects may be of great significance in improving the short-term and long-term prognosis of kidney transplant recipients,thus providing a novel idea for further improving kidney transplant prognosis.

Objective To explore the risk factors for portal vein thrombosis(PVT)in patients with cirrhosis in the decompensated stage and construct a risk prediction model for PVT so as to improve the early diagnosis rate of decompensated liver cirrhosis PVT.Methods The clinical data of patients with cirrhosis in the decompensated stage admitted to Department of Gastroenterology,The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University between June 2018 and June 2023 were collected and divided into cirrhosis PVT group(n=135)and cirrhosis non-PVT group(n=225)according to whether or not portal vein thrombosis was formed.We made a univariate analysis of the general data,laboratory indexes,liver function scores and imaging findings of the patients in the two groups,and indexes with statistically significant differences were included in binary Logistic regression for multifactorial analysis to screen out independent risk factors.A predictive model of binary Logistic regression was established based on the independent risk factors.The clinical data of the validation set were incorporated into the model,the accuracy of the prediction model was evaluated by receiver operating curve(ROC),and the practicability of the model was evaluated by consistency curve to complete the validation and evaluation of the constructed prediction model.Internal stability of the model was verified with Bootstrap method.Finally,R software(4.3.1)was used to draw a nomogram of the prediction model to visualize the model.Results Univariate analysis revealed statistically significant differences between patients in the PVT and non-PVT groups in the following five aspects:history of splenectomy,history of endoscopic varicose vein treatment,portal vein diameter,and neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio(P＜0.05).Binary Logistics regression analysis showed that a history of splenectomy(P=0.002,OR=3.012,95％CI:1.500-6.047),a history of endoscopic varicose vein treatment(P=0.001,OR=2.276,95％CI:1.400-3.698),widening of portal vein diameter(P=0.007,OR=1.942,95％CI:1.202-3.136),increased neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio(P=0.009,OR=1.886,95％CI:1.170-3.041),and elevated D-dimer(P＜0.001,OR=3.725,95％CI:2.149-6.485)were independent risk factors for the formation of portal vein thrombosis in patients with cirrhosis in the decompensated stage of cirrhosis chemically presented(P＜0.05).The area under the ROC curve of the predictive model and the model after internal validation was 0.760 and 0.7494,respectively.The model still had good prediction ability and accuracy in the verification set.Conclusion A history of splenectomy,history of endoscopic varicose vein treatment,widening of portal vein diameter,increased neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio,and elevated D-dimer concentration are independent risk factors for the formation of portal vein thrombosis in patients with decompensated cirrhosis.The Logistic prediction model and visual nomogram constructed based on the above independent risk factors have a good ability to predict the occurrence of PVT in patients with decompensated cirrhosis and have important clinical guiding significance for early screening patients with PVT in decompensated cirrhosis.

Objective:To analyze the etiological characteristics, serotype distribution, drug resistance and molecular typing characteristics based on data collected by active surveillance of foodborne diseases in Shanxi Province from 2021 to 2022.Methods:Fecal and anal swabs for foodborne disease tests were collected from 17 sentinel hospitals in Shanxi Province from 2021 to 2022. The pathogens included Shigella, Salmonella, Vibrio parahaemolyticus and 5 types of diarrheagenic Escherichia coli ( E. coli). The positive strains were identified by mass spectrometry or systematic biochemistry. Salmonella and Shigella were serotyped by slide agglutination, and diarrheagenic E. coli was typed by multiplex fluorescence PCR. Vibrio parahaemolyticus was tested for tlh/ tdh/ trh virulence genes by multiplex fluorescent PCR. All strains were also tested for drug resistance by the microbroth dilution method. Molecular typing was performed by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). Results:A total of 4 481 samples were collected from patients with diarrhea, and 555 target strains were detected, with a detection rate of 12.39%(555/4 481). Among them, there were 365 strains of Salmonella, 175 strains of diarrheagenic E. coli, 15 strains of Vibrio parahaemolyticus, and no Shigella. There were 32 serotypes of Salmonella, and the dominant serotypes were 158 strains of Salmonella senteritidis and 124 strains of Salmonella typhimurium. diarrheagenic E. coli classification: 79 strains of enteroaggregative E. coli, 72 strains of enteropathogenic E. coli, 23 strains of enterotoxic E. coli, 1 strain of enterohemorrhagic E. coli, and none of enteroinvasive E. coli. For Vibrio parahaemolyticus virulence gene carriage, all strains carried tlh; 11 strains (73.33%, 11/15) carried tdh only; 2 strains (13.33%, 2/15) carried trh; 1 strain (6.67%, 1/15) carried both tdh and trh genes; 1 strain (6.67%, 1/15) did not carry these two virulence genes. Antimicrobial resistance tests presented that Salmonella had the highest resistance rate to ampicillin (85.21%, 311/365), followed by naphridic acid (66.58%, 243/365), and multi-drug resistance (78.63%, 287/365), resulting in 135 drug resistance spectrums. The resistance rate of diarrheagenic E. coli to ampicillin was the highest (81.71%, 143/175), followed by tetracycline (67.43%, 118/175), and multi-drug resistance (72.57%, 127/175), resulting in 81 drug resistance spectrums. Vibrio parahaemolyticus had the highest resistance rate to cefazolin (93.33%, 14/15), followed by tetracycline (26.67%, 4/15) and multi-drug resistance (20.00%, 3/15), resulting in 3 drug resistance spectrums. A total of 158 strains of Salmonella enteritidi, 124 strains of Salmonella typhimurium, 13 strains of Salmonella london and 175 strains of DEC were typed by PFGE. Among 470 strains of PFGE typing, 6 strains of DEC were degraded by DNA, while the remaining strains obtained effective PFGE band. Salmonella enteritidi were divided into 64 PFGE band types, Salmonella typhimurium were divided into 115 PFGE band types, Salmonella london were divided into 13 PFGE band types and diarrheagenic E. coli were divided into 165 PFGE band types. Conclusions:Shigella is not detected in the active surveillance, and Salmonella is detected most frequently. Salmonella and diarrheagenic E. coli have the highest resistance rates to ampicillin, and Vibrio parahaemolyticus has the highest resistance rates to cefazolin. The PFGE classification is polymorphic, and the dominant band type is not obvious. The evidence of multi-drug resistance suggests further strengthening monitoring and management of drug resistance.

Objective:To determine the correlation between serum soluble CD146 (sCD146) levels and disease activity in patients with systemic vasculitis and the potential of sCD146 as a novel biomarker.Methods:We recruited 304 patients from the systemic vasculitis cohort at Peking Union Medical College Hospital from July 2013 to December 2022. The cohort comprised 200 patients with Takayasu arteritis (TAK) and 104 with antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA)-associated vasculitis (AAV). The patient′s demographic and clinical data, including age, sex, disease duration, disease type, laboratory results, and disease status, were extracted from the database. The serum sCD146 concentration was measured using a sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Continuous variables were presented as mean±standard deviation if normally distributed, with between-group comparisons conducted using the t-test. For non-normally distributed data, median ( Q1, Q3) was used, and comparisons between groups were performed using the Mann-Whitney U test. Categorical data were expressed as percentages, and comparisons between groups were conducted using the Chi-square test or Fisher′s exact test,as appropriate. Kendall′s tau-b′s rank correlation coefficient was calculated to evaluate the correlation between sCD146 and variables associated with systemic vasculitis. A two-sided P value <0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results:Serum sCD146 levels were significantly lower in patients with active disease compared to those in remission in both cohorts [TAK: 246 (218, 287) vs. 277 (230, 322) μg/L, Z=-2.58, P=0.010; AAV: (301±90) vs. (344±81) μg/L, t=-2.56, P=0.007]. Serum sCD146 levels were positively correlated with age and disease duration (TAK: τ=0.09, 0.12, P=0.040, P=0.009; AAV: τ=0.28, 0.15, P<0.001, P=0.020). In patients with TAK, sCD146 levels were negatively correlated with IL-6, C-reactive protein (CRP), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), and disease activity status ( τ=-0.17, -0.18, -0.16, -0.16; P=0.001, P<0.001, P=0.003, P=0.010). In patients with AAV, sCD146 levels were negatively correlated with platelet count (PLT),disease activity status,and the Birmingham Vasculitis Activity Score ( τ=-0.36, -0.27, -0.27; P<0.001, P=0.007, P=0.001). Conclusion:Serum sCD146 levels were significantly lower in patients with active systemic vasculitis than in remission, displaying a negative correlation with disease activity. These findings suggest that sCD146 has potential as a novel biomarker for assessing disease activity in systemic vasculitis.