Background and Objectives: Clinical characteristics and outcomes in acute heart failure (AHF) vary by phenotype. We assessed phenotype-specific features, treatment patterns, and outcomes in a nationwide Korean cohort. Methods: The Korean Heart Failure III registry prospectively enrolled 7,351 AHF admissions at 47 hospitals. Among 6,777 patients with available left ventricular ejection fraction (EF), phenotypes were defined as heart failure with reduced EF (HFrEF, ≤40%), mildly reduced EF (HFmrEF,41–49%), or preserved EF (HFpEF, ≥50%). The primary endpoint was a 12-month composite of all-cause death or heart transplantation, evaluated from index admission and, among hospital survivors, from discharge. We used inverse probability weighting (multinomial generalized boosted models with stabilized, trimmed weights) and weighted Cox proportional-hazards models to estimate hazard ratios (HRs). Results: Phenotype distribution was 58.9% HFrEF, 13.6% HFmrEF, and 27.5% HFpEF. Crude 12-month composite rates from index admission were 13.4% (HFrEF), 12.7% (HFmrEF), and 16.8% (HFpEF). After weighting, from index admission, HFmrEF (HR, 0.892; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.731–1.088) and HFpEF (HR, 1.101; 95% CI, 0.939–1.291) did not differ from HFrEF; from discharge, HFpEF had modestly higher risk (HR, 1.207; 95% CI, 1.008–1.445) whereas HFmrEF did not (HR, 1.039; 95% CI, 0.844–1.279). Hyponatremia and chronic kidney disease were consistent adverse markers, while angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor/ angiotensin II receptor blocker use at discharge was protective. Conclusions Across the EF spectrum, phenotypes showed distinct profiles and risk. Postdischarge risk was modestly higher in HFpEF, supporting phenotype-tailored care and systematic discharge optimization in Korean patients with AHF.

Heart failure (HF) prevalence and associated socio-economic costs have risen rapidly in Korea, creating urgent demand for a national, standardized prospective registry to support quality monitoring, outcome comparison, and real-world evidence. Standardized data definitions are essential for valid comparisons across studies and healthcare settings. We created a unified national HF cohort by integrating the two largest Korean registries, KorAHF (2011–2014;n=5,625) and KorHF III (2018–2023; n=7,351), yielding 12,976 hospitalized HF patients. Because heterogeneous variable definitions impeded direct comparisons, we implemented a harmonization pipeline across demographic, clinical, imaging, biomarker, therapeutic, and outcome domains, aligned with international standards and reinforced by systematic data quality checks.A multidisciplinary panel then conducted a structured decision process to produce the Korean HF Standard Dataset, a tiered and interoperable variable set spanning six domains: demographics, presentation at admission, in-hospital events and comorbidities, discharge status, outpatient follow-up, and readmission events. This integrated platform and standardized variables enable precise identification of HF patient phenotypes and prognostic factors, establishing an evidence-based foundation for disease management. This supports an analysis of temporal changes in treatment patterns and outcomes, generates data to inform future clinical practice guidelines, and provides a practical basis for planning large, continuous, prospective HF registries. Furthermore, it also facilitates pragmatic, registry-based randomized clinical trials and unmet-needs assessments that can guide national health policy. Establishing a foundation for future linkage with national health databases, this platform will allow for enhanced accuracy, comparability, and representativeness, powering quality improvement initiatives and population-level monitoring of Korea’s growing HF burden.

X-linked adrenoleukodystrophy(X-ALD) is an inherited progressive neurometabolic disorder caused by mutations in the ATP-binding cassette subfamily D member 1(ABCD1) gene. The encoded ALD protein dysfunction leads to the accumulation of very-long-chain fatty acids(VLCFA). X-ALD is classified according to its clinical characteristics into childhood cerebral ALD, adolescent cerebral ALD, adult cerebral ALD, adrenomyeloneuropathy(AMN), pure adrenocortical insufficiency, and an asymptomatic phenotype, all of which can present with a variety of neurologic manifestations. In this study, we retrospectively analyzed the clinical manifestations, laboratory findings, genetic test results, and follow-up data of four patients with X-ALD, and investigated the clinical features and pathogenicity of the identified gene mutations. All four patients initially presented with adrenocortical insufficiency(Addison′s disease) and received glucocorticoid replacement therapy. Subsequently, all developed neurologic signs and symptoms with rapid progression. The final diagnosis was confirmed based on elevated VLCFA levels, brain magnetic resonance imaging(MRI) findings, and genetic analysis. Notably, a deletion mutation in Exon 10 of the ABCD1 gene was identified in one case for the first time. We report four cases of X-ALD presenting with adrenocortical insufficiency as the initial symptom, and briefly review the relevant literature to analyze the relationship between linical phenotypes and genetic loci, aiming to provide a reference for early diagnosis and treatment of the disease, and to reduce the risk of misdiagnosis and missed diagnosis.

X-linked adrenoleukodystrophy(X-ALD) is an inherited progressive neurometabolic disorder caused by mutations in the ATP-binding cassette subfamily D member 1(ABCD1) gene. The encoded ALD protein dysfunction leads to the accumulation of very-long-chain fatty acids(VLCFA). X-ALD is classified according to its clinical characteristics into childhood cerebral ALD, adolescent cerebral ALD, adult cerebral ALD, adrenomyeloneuropathy(AMN), pure adrenocortical insufficiency, and an asymptomatic phenotype, all of which can present with a variety of neurologic manifestations. In this study, we retrospectively analyzed the clinical manifestations, laboratory findings, genetic test results, and follow-up data of four patients with X-ALD, and investigated the clinical features and pathogenicity of the identified gene mutations. All four patients initially presented with adrenocortical insufficiency(Addison′s disease) and received glucocorticoid replacement therapy. Subsequently, all developed neurologic signs and symptoms with rapid progression. The final diagnosis was confirmed based on elevated VLCFA levels, brain magnetic resonance imaging(MRI) findings, and genetic analysis. Notably, a deletion mutation in Exon 10 of the ABCD1 gene was identified in one case for the first time. We report four cases of X-ALD presenting with adrenocortical insufficiency as the initial symptom, and briefly review the relevant literature to analyze the relationship between linical phenotypes and genetic loci, aiming to provide a reference for early diagnosis and treatment of the disease, and to reduce the risk of misdiagnosis and missed diagnosis.

Objective:To understand the characters of norovirus infection in children with acute diarrhea in Beijing from 2014 to 2019.Methods:Fecal specimens were collected from children with acute diarrhea visiting the hospital affiliated to the Capital Institute of Pediatrics from April 2014 to December 2019 for norovirus screening by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Then RdRp gene and VP1 gene of norovirus (NoV) were amplified and sequenced from positive specimens and then genotyped by Norovirus Genotyping Tool 2.0.Results:Fecal specimens were collected from 2 577 cases with acute diarrhea and tested for NoV RNA in this study, of which 484 cases (18.78%, 484/2 577) were positive for NoV. NoV infection can occur all year round, with obvious seasonal distribution, the epidemic peak is in autumn and winter. There was no gender difference in the detection of NoV ( χ2=1.77, P=0.183). 399 specimens genotyped by VP1 gene with 98.25% (392/399) being GII and GII.4 Sydney as the mainly genotype (52.13%, 208/399), followed by GII.3 (19.8%, 79/399) and GII.2 (18.5%, 74/399). Then 267 specimens also were genotyped by RdRp region, which revealed that the main genotype was GII.P31 (57.3 %, 153/267), followed by GII.P12 (15.36%, 41/267) and GII.P16 (14.98 %, 40/267). Dual-typing revealed that various combination strains, GII.4 Sydney[P31] (53.18%, 142/267) as the major combination, followed by GII.3[P12] and GII.2[P16] (15.36%, 41/267 and 10.49%, 28/267). While GII.3[P12] showed a downward trend, GII.4 Sydney[P16] increased gradually. Conclusions:Norovirus is an important pathogen of acute diarrhea in children in Beijing, from 2014 to 2019, with various prevalent genotypes.

Purpose: Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is a prodromal stage of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Brain atrophy in this disease spectrum begins in the medial temporal lobe structure, which can be recognized by magnetic resonance imaging. To overcome the unsatisfactory inter-observer reliability of visual evaluation, quantitative brain volumetry has been developed and widely investigated for the diagnosis of MCI and AD. The aim of this study was to assess the prediction accuracy of quantitative brain volumetry using a fully automated segmentation software package, NeuroQuant®, for the diagnosis of MCI. Materials and Methods: A total of 418 subjects from the Korean Brain Aging Study for Early Diagnosis and Prediction of Alzheimer’s Disease cohort were included in our study. Each participant was allocated to either a cognitively normal old group (n = 285) or an MCI group (n = 133). Brain volumetric data were obtained from T1-weighted images using the NeuroQuant software package. Logistic regression and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analyses were performed to investigate relevant brain regions and their prediction accuracies. Results: Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that normative percentiles of the hippocampus (P < 0.001), amygdala (P = 0.003), frontal lobe (P = 0.049), medial parietal lobe (P = 0.023), and third ventricle (P = 0.012) were independent predictive factors for MCI. In ROC analysis, normative percentiles of the hippocampus and amygdala showed fair accuracies in the diagnosis of MCI (area under the curve: 0.739 and 0.727, respectively). Conclusion Normative percentiles of the hippocampus and amygdala provided by the fully automated segmentation software could be used for screening MCI with a reasonable post-processing time. This information might help us interpret structural MRI in patients with cognitive impairment.

Objective:To investigate the molecular epidemiology of norovirus associated with pediatric acute gastroenteritis in Beijing under the Working Mechanism for Joint Prevention and Control of the Epidemic in 2020.Methods:This was a retrospective, repeated cross-sectional study. Fecal or vomit samples (1 213 cases) were collected from children visited the Capital Institute of Pediatrics Affiliated Children′s Hospital for acute gastroenteritis from January 1 to December 31, 2020. First, real-time reverse PCR (RT-PCR) was used to screen the samples for norovirus, and then RdRp gene and capsid gene VP1 of norovirus-positive samples were amplified by conventional RT-PCR for genotyping based on the nucleotide sequence. The χ 2 test was used to compare the positive rates and genotypes of norovirus among different specimen types, genders of children, and different age groups. Results:Among the 1 213 samples were collected, 215 samples were positive for norovirus, with a positivity rate of 17.7% for the whole year. The peak of norovirus infection observed mainly in the cold seasons, as the positive rates were 28.6% (18/63), 26.2% (16/61), 22.8% (77/338) and 17.1% (89/520) in January, October, November and December, respectively. The positive rate of norovirus in fecal sample was significantly higher than that in vomit sample (χ 2 = 9.692, P<0.01). There was no significant difference between genders (χ 2=0.041, P>0.05), but significant difference was found between age groups with the highest rate in the 6-48 months group (χ2=103.112, P<0.01). Three genogroups (GⅠ, GⅡ and GⅨ) of the circulating virus were detected by G-gene typing, and GⅡgenogroup was predominant, accounting for 98.5% (196/199). Among the GⅡ positive samples, genotype GⅡ.4 Sydney (55.1%, 108/196) was the most common, followed by GⅡ.2 (29.6%, 58/196), while the GⅡ.3 norovirus (10.2%, 20/196) which was common in previous years was not as much as before. Based on the P-type, GⅡ.P16 was predominant (61.5%, 96/156), followed by GII.P31 (19.9%, 31/156). The dual genotyping revealed that GⅡ.4 Sydney [P16] (36.4%, 56/154) and GⅡ.2 [P16] (24.7%, 38/154) were predominant. Conclusion:The prevalence of norovirus in children in 2020 in Beijing is not much different from those of the previous years, but the genotypes composition has changed significantly, and there are multiple genotypes circulating simultaneously.

Objective:To investigate the prevalence and genetic characteristics of human adenovirus (HAdV) in healthy children and diarrheal children in Beijing.Methods:A total of 1 834 fecal samples were collected from diarrheal children younger than 6 years old in outpatients from January, 2015 to December, 2017 and from healthy children with the same age group from May, 2016 to February, 2017. The hexon and fiber genes of HAdV were detected for genotyping and the sequences analysis, respectively.Results:The detection rate of HAdVs in healthy children (1.5%, 8/536) was significantly lower than that in children with diarrhea (7.4%, 96/1 298) ( χ2=23.62, P<0.001). HAdV-41 was the dominant type detected both in the healthy children and diarrheal outpatients. There was no gender difference in HAdV-positive children with diarrhea. Except for newborns with no positive case, there was no difference in the detection rate of HAdV among the other age groups. There was no obvious seasonality of HAdV prevalence. Phylogenetic analysis showed that HAdV-41 strains circulating in Beijing belonged to three evolutionary branches, and strains with 15-amino acid truncated in the shaft of fiber were found. Conclusions:HAdV was one of the important pathogens causing diarrhea in children in Beijing from 2015 to 2017, with HAdV-41 as the predominant type.

Purpose: Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is a prodromal stage of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Brain atrophy in this disease spectrum begins in the medial temporal lobe structure, which can be recognized by magnetic resonance imaging. To overcome the unsatisfactory inter-observer reliability of visual evaluation, quantitative brain volumetry has been developed and widely investigated for the diagnosis of MCI and AD. The aim of this study was to assess the prediction accuracy of quantitative brain volumetry using a fully automated segmentation software package, NeuroQuant®, for the diagnosis of MCI. Materials and Methods: A total of 418 subjects from the Korean Brain Aging Study for Early Diagnosis and Prediction of Alzheimer’s Disease cohort were included in our study. Each participant was allocated to either a cognitively normal old group (n = 285) or an MCI group (n = 133). Brain volumetric data were obtained from T1-weighted images using the NeuroQuant software package. Logistic regression and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analyses were performed to investigate relevant brain regions and their prediction accuracies. Results: Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that normative percentiles of the hippocampus (P < 0.001), amygdala (P = 0.003), frontal lobe (P = 0.049), medial parietal lobe (P = 0.023), and third ventricle (P = 0.012) were independent predictive factors for MCI. In ROC analysis, normative percentiles of the hippocampus and amygdala showed fair accuracies in the diagnosis of MCI (area under the curve: 0.739 and 0.727, respectively). Conclusion Normative percentiles of the hippocampus and amygdala provided by the fully automated segmentation software could be used for screening MCI with a reasonable post-processing time. This information might help us interpret structural MRI in patients with cognitive impairment.

Objective: To investigate the relationship between human bocavirus 2 (HBoV2) infection and acute diarrhea in children younger than 5 years of age in a case-control study. Methods: This was a prospective case-control study. During May 2016 to December 2016, fecal specimens were collected from children ≤5 years of age with acute diarrhea who visited the Affiliated Children's Hospital of Capital Institute of Pediatrics (case group), or from children ≤5 years of age without diarrhea from Longtan Community Medical Service Center, Beijing (control group). The case group (n=240) and the control group (n=240) were divided into 8 age subgroups: ≤1 month old, >1-3 months old, >3-6 months old, >6-12 months old,>1-2 years old,>2-3 years old,>3-4 years old and >4-5 years old, and there were 30 cases in each age subgroup. The specimens were tested for 7 types of diarrhea-associated viruses, especially for HBoV2 by real-time PCR method. The HBoV2 viral load was predicted according to the cycle threshold (Ct). Finally, t-test was used to compare the differences between groups. Results: In the case group (n=240), the positive rate of norovirus was 16.7% (40 cases); rotavirus, 10.8% (26 cases); HBoV2, 7.5% (18 cases); adenovirus, 7.1% (17 cases); astrovirus, 6.3% (15 cases); parachovirus, 3.8% (9 cases); and Aich virus, 0.4% (1 case). The positive rates of HBoV2 in case group (7.5%, 18 cases) and control group (5.0%, 12 cases) showed no significant difference (χ²=1.280, P=0.258), as well as in different age groups (all P>0.05) . However, the mean viral load of the HBoV2 in the case group (1×10⁹copies/L with cycle threshold (Ct) 25.8) was higher than that of control group (1×10⁵copies/L with Ct 33.8), showing a significant difference (t=0.597, P=0.000). Conclusions Norovirus and rotavirus are still the important viral pathogens in children with acute diarrhea. A higher load of HBoV2 may indicate a higher risk of acute diarrhea in children ≤5 years of age in Beijing.