ObjectiveTo investigate and explore the characteristics and influencing factors of glucose metabolism in children with β-thalassemia major （β-TM） after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation （allo-HSCT）. MethodsThe follow-up data of 41 patients with β-TM who underwent HSCT at Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation Department of Children's Medical Center of Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital， Sun Yat-sen University were retrospectively analyzed. Their glucose metabolism characteristics were evaluated through laboratory tests and the related influencing factors were analyzed. ResultsIn the study， 41.46% （17/41） of patients developed abnormal glucose homeostasis after HSCT. Among them， 82.35% （14/17） characterized by insulin resistance， but no cases of diabetes mellitus were found. The results of insulin releasing test and oral glucose tolerance test（OGTT） showed that 45.00% （9/20） of patients had abnormal insulin releasing curve and 40.0% （8/20） had delayed serum glucose peak. The average age of HSCT in abnormal glucose homeostasis group was significantly older than that in the normal glucose homeostasis group ［（8.8±3.9） years old vs （6.0±3.1） years old， P=0.015］. ConclusionsPatients with β-TM after HSCT may develop abnormal glucose homeostasis， consists largely of insulin resistance. The elder age of HSCT （≥7 years old） is a risk factor for abnormal glucose homeostasis in β-TM patients after HSCT. It is recommended to regularly monitor glucose metabolism indicators in β-TM children after HSCT， especially in elderly transplant recipients.

Objective:To analyze the effectiveness and interobserver agreement of the Parer five-tier, the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) three-tier, and the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) three-tier electronic fetal monitoring (EFM) systems in identification of neonatal acidosis during labor.Methods:This retrospective study was conducted on full-term singleton cephalic deliveries with neonatal acidosis (umbilical artery blood gas pH≤7.1) and normal newborns (umbilical artery blood gas pH≥7.2) in the Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, Nanjing University Medical School from January to December 2020. EFM tracings during the last 30-60 min before delivery were collected. Four obstetricians independently described the features of randomly sorted and coded EFM tracings. Another obstetrician categorized these tracings using the NICHD three-tier, FIGO three-tier, and Parer five-tier evaluation systems based on the features. All researchers were masked to the clinical characteristics and maternal and neonatal outcomes. The sensitivity and specificity for identifying neonatal acidosis, as well as the interobserver agreement, were analyzed for all three systems. Independent sample t-test, Chi-square (or Fisher's exact test) and Mann-Whitney U tests were used for statistical analysis. Inter-group comparisons of sensitivity and specificity between the three evaluation systems were assessed using McNemar's test. The Kappa statistic was used to analyze interobserver agreement. Results:This study included a total of 3 558 cases. After propensity score matching, there were 44 cases of neonatal acidosis and 78 control cases. There were no significant differences in parity, gestational weeks, modes of delivery, placental abruption, or analgesia rates between the two groups. The rates of instrumental vaginal delivery and neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) admission in the acidosis group were significantly higher than those in the control group [15.8% (7/44) vs. 2.6% (2/78), χ2=8.45, P=0.003; 31.8% (14/44) vs. 12.8% (10/78), χ2=8.45, P=0.004], while the umbilical artery blood pH and mean base excess were lower in the acidosis group than in the control group [7.04±0.07 vs. 7.30±0.05, t=4.98; (－12.40±3.32) vs. (－5.64±1.95) mmol/L, t=13.61; both P<0.001]. (2) Using the NICHD three-tier system, 95.5% (42/44) of the acidosis cases and 89.7% (70/78) of the control cases were classified as having category Ⅱ EFM tracings, indicating potential fetal acid-base imbalance; category Ⅲ EFM tracings were only observed in 4.5% (2/44) of the cases in the acidosis group. With the FIGO three-tier system, 81.8% (36/44) of the acidosis cases were categorized as having "pathological" tracings, and with the Parer five-tier system, 86.4% (38/44) of the acidosis cases were correctly classified into the "orange or red" risk zones that indicated acid-base imbalance. Among the control cases, there were 28.2% (22/78) with EFM tracings of "normal patterns" categorized by the FIGO three-tier system, and 41.0% (32/78) classified into the "green or blue" risk zones by the Parer five-tier system, which indicated good fetal conditions. None of the acidosis cases were misdiagnosed as being normal by the Parer five-tier system. (3) Compared with the NICHD three-tier system, both the FIGO three-tier and the Parer five-tier systems showed increased diagnostic sensitivity [4.5% (1.2%- 14.5%) vs. 81.8% (66.8%-89.4%) and 86.4% (71.8%-92.4%)], but decreased specificity [100.0% (95.3%- 100.0%) vs. 87.2% (78.0%-92.9%) and 84.6% (75.0%-91.0%)]. There was no statistically significant difference in the sensitivity or specificity between the FIGO three-tier and Parer five-tier systems for identifying neonatal acidosis ( P=0.727 and 0.791). (4) When reading the tracings of control cases, the total agreement rate for the NICHD three-tier system by different observers was as high as 94.2%, while the total agreement rates for the FIGO three-tier and Parer five-tier systems were 69.7% and 67.7%, respectively. In the interpretation of EFHR tracings for acidosis cases, the interobserver agreement for the Parer five-tier system was excellent [Kappa (95% CI): 0.87 (0.79-0.95)], while both the NICHD three-tier and FIGO three-tier systems showed good agreement [Kappa (95% CI): 0.77 (0.66-0.88) and 0.72 (0.60-0.84)]. Conclusions:The Parer five-tier and the FIGO three-tier systems have higher sensitivity in identifying neonatal acidosis than the NICHD three-tier system, and the Parer five-tier system achieves a higher negative predictive value and a greater agreement in the interpretation of pathological EFM patterns.

Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, applied in the treatment of blood tumors and non-tumor diseases in children, has improved the survival rate and life span of the patients.However, with the extension of survival time, various endocrine complications will appear in these survivors of childhood cancer and reduce the quality of life.Complications related to hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in children are caused by primary disease and/ or treatments before and after transplantation, including abnormal glucose and lipid metabolism, hypogonadism, short stature and so on.Regular endocrine evaluations can help physicians find the endocrine dysfunctions of children with hematopoietic stem cell transplantation as soon as possible.This review summarizes the common endocrine complications and follow-up evaluation of children with thalassemia and acute leukemia after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, in order to provide reference for the monitoring of endocrine function in children after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.

Objective To investigate the effects of protocadherin 20 (PCDH20) in the spinal cord in the development of bone cancer pain (BCP) in rats.Methods Thirty-six SPF female Sprague-Dawley rats,weighing 180-200 g,were randomly divided into 4 groups (n =9 each):sham operation group (group S),BCP group,lentivirus control group (group LC) and PCDH20 siRNA lentivirus group (group P).Control lentivirus and lentivirus containing PCDH20 siRNA 4 μl were injected into the ipsilateral spinal cord in groups LC and P,respectively.One week later,BCP was induced by injection of Walker 256 breast cancer cells into the upper segment of bone marrow of right tibia.The mechanical paw withdrawal threshold (MWT) was measured at 1 day before injection of lentivirus (T1),1 day before BCP (T2),and 7,14 and 21 days after BCP (T3-5).Three rats in each group were sacrificed after measurement of the MWT at 21 day after BCP and the tibia on the operated side was obtained for examination of invasion of the cancer cells with light microscope.The spinal cord was removed for determination of the expression of PCDH20 and postsynaptic density 95 (PSD95) protein (by Western blot) and mRNA (by RTPCR).Results In groups BCP,LC and P,the cancer cells grew out of the bone and destroyed the cortical bone seriously.Compared with group S,the MWT was significantly decreased at T3-5 in groups BCP,LC and P,the expression of PCDH20 and PSD95 protein and mRNA was up-regulated in groups BCP and LC,and the expression of PCDH20 was up-regulated in group P (P ＜ 0.05).Compared with BCP group,no significant change was found in the MWT and expression of PCDH20 and PSD95 protein and mRNA in group LC (P ＞ 0.05),and the MWT was significantly increased at T4,5 and the expression of PCDH20 and PSD95 protein and mRNA was down-regulated in group P (P ＜ 0.05).Conclusion PCDH20 is involved in the development of BCP through regulating the expression of PSD95 in the spinal cord and adjusting the function of excitatory synapse in rats.